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Investors Hold Out Hope for a Stimulus Deal.

HARLOW: So we've just learned that the White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, both he and Nancy Pelosi will talk, they want a stimulus deal, they're saying -- Meadows is saying in the next 48 hours. We'll see. The bottom line though right now is there is still no stimulus deal and Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell is still casting doubt on whether there will be one before election day, and it is the American people who are still suffering. Right now, 8 million more Americans are in poverty than were in March, 41 percent of black homes with children don't have enough to eat. And in South Carolina, 38 percent of jobs lost from this pandemic have still not returned. South Carolina Congressman and House Majority whip James Clyburn joins me now. I'm glad to have you here. I heard you yesterday on this network with my colleague say, quote, "we're not going to get anything simply because it will be something", right? We're not going to take anything just because it is something. But are you sure at this point, congressman, that, that is what your constituents want? I mean, just a few days ago, the "Post and Courier" in your district wrote, quote, "Congress' failure to act before the election is cynical and intolerable. Those who are suffering cannot wait for a power struggle to play out in Washington."</s>REP. JAMES CLYBURN (D-SC): Well, thank you very much for having me. And I think I agree with the "Post and Courier" in this instance. I don't always agree with them and its editorial page, but I do agree in this instance. This is a power play, and it's there in the Senate. It's a power play between the Senate and the White House. And I think both of us know that Mitch McConnell is playing a very cynical game. So that word applies to McConnell. We've had a deal on the floor for a long time. We passed out of the house the Heroes Act, it's been sitting over there in the Senate forever. We did a second tranche of that, $2.2 trillion bill, it's still sitting over there in the Senate, and we've asked them to come back with some kind of a compromise. Now, everybody keeps focusing on the top line numbers, and they're saying that you've got $2 trillion, they've come to $1.8 trillion, $1.9 trillion, what's the difference? The difference is in the details. That's where the devil lurks.

Rural Midwestern Counties See COVID-19 Uptick; Polls Show Joe Biden Ahead; Interview with Farmer Christopher Gibbs.

SCIUTTO: All right, so you're going to be hearing a lot about this number in the next 13 days, 270 to win, that is the game, of course, Election Night. So who really has the best path to that magic electoral number? CNN's senior political writer and analyst Harry Enten -- trust me, he's been diving into this more than you know. So, Harry, where do things stand right now as best we know, who has the best path?</s>HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL WRITER AND ANALYST: Sure. It's former Vice President Joe Biden. I'll give you a map that gives you a really good understanding of why. Essentially, take a look at the state poll averages, and assign to Joe Biden all the states where he holds at least a five-point lead in both the September and October polls, and he gets to 279 electoral votes, more than the 270 needed to win. This is even spotting (ph) President Trump states like Florida, Arizona and North Carolina, states where Biden holds smaller leads than five points. So the real question is, can President Trump get into those Midwestern battlegrounds like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan to win? He needs to flip at least one of those, I believe. But take a look at the polling averages in those states. Look at this, Joe Biden holds leads of at least seven points in all of them, he's at 50 percent-plus in all of them. So right now, it's not looking good for President Trump in those states. He need at least one of those, most likely, to win. Now the question is, why is President Trump struggling in those states? Take a look here. Non-college educated white voters, they are a key part of the president's base. He's still leading among them in an aggregate of those three states I mentioned. But look, his lead is down by 10 points from 2016. If he doesn't bring up his numbers with non-college whites, I'm not really quite sure how President Trump could win one of these key states that he almost certainly needs to win.</s>SCIUTTO: Gotcha. We'll agree to ban the phrase "narrow path," given the history going back to 2016. But based on the numbers, can President Trump win without one of those key Midwestern states?</s>ENTEN: Yes. I mean, look, it's possible. You know, one of the maps I try to put together is essentially, you give Trump all the states that he won in 2016 except for, say, Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, and then if he were to be able to go in and, say, win both Nevada and New Hampshire, states that Hillary Clinton won in 2016, he could do it. But here, again, look at the polling averages. You see former Vice President Joe Biden with clear leads in both Nevada and New Hampshire, and Biden over 50 percent. So it's just really, really tough -- Jim.</s>SCIUTTO: Got it. Harry, thanks, always good to have you on the numbers.</s>ENTEN: My pleasure.</s>HARLOW: All right, thanks, Harry. So an Ohio farmer who voted for the president in 2016 is now leading a push to stop the president's re-election. His name is Christopher Gibbs, he's the president of Rural America 2020. Last week, his group posted these billboards outside of the president's rallies in Iowa and Georgia, calling them superspreader events. Christopher Gibbs is with me. He's a retired USDA county director. He says he's left the Republican Party and will vote for Joe Biden. It's good to have you.</s>CHRISTOPHER GIBBS, FORMER USDA OFFICIAL: Well, thank you. Glad</s>HARLOW: You're kind of -- it's good to have you. You're kind of on an island, though, when it comes to your fellow farmers. I mean, when you look at the polling from over the summer, from farm futures, 75 percent of farmers in the United States polled said they're going to support the president. What I find interesting, Christopher, it's even a higher percentage than in 2016. Why do you think your message is not swaying them?</s>GIBBS: Well, the president has got farmers across the Midwest -- and really all across the United States -- in a financial snare with the trade war -- or I should say a war on trade, is what I call it. When the president started the war on trade, clear back in March of 2018, what happened immediately is we lost confidence in our foreign markets. And foreign markets are how we -- how agriculture brings dollars back to rural communities. And certainly we lost all of the trade that we were doing to China with soybeans. So what the president did at that point was, he extracted dollars from the Commodity Credit Corporation, from a $30 billion fund within USDA, to start paying farmers off to make up the difference. And how that's worked over time is $12 billion in 2018, then $16 billion, then $19 billion. Then, about a month ago, $14 billion. And Congress is probably going to weigh in if they ever get their act together on another stimulus, for more dollars. So -- and I'll tell you, on my farm, this is going to end up, most likely this year, going to be more than 50 percent of my net farm income is going to come directly from the taxpayer. And so farmers are trapped. They aren't able to get out of that snare because our markets haven't totally returned, and so they continue to support the president. And that's certainly unfortunate.</s>HARLOW: So your point is, taxpayer-funded, consistent bailouts of farmers is making them whole but it's not whole because of just their crops, et cetera. I hear that. But when we looked at the USDA farm income data this year, farm income is on track to be at nearly $103 billion, that's 65 percent higher than 2016. And I hear your point, a lot of it is because of these bailouts. But it is still also maintaining farmer support for the president. I guess my question is, what's your goal with these billboards? It doesn't seem like it is taking away support from the president among your fellow farmers.</s>GIBBS: Keep in mind, the billboards were just up just a week or so ago. But Rural America 2020, what I'm involved with, we're up in six states. We're up in the battleground states, if you will: Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Minnesota, I think I said. All of those states, we have steering committees in. And steering committees, we have over 40 folks that are professional folks, farmers, teachers, retired legislators, the whole gamut. And what these folks do is bring to us what's important in those rural areas. And what's important -- like your previous guest said -- was rural health care. Rural health care is extremely important. And so what we did with the billboards was to start that conversation. It's true that these were superspreader events, and that's scaring the Dickens out of folks in these rural areas.</s>HARLOW: I have 20 seconds left. You're not just leaving the president, you're leaving the entire Republican Party. Why leave the whole party?</s>GIBBS: Well, the party doesn't exist the way I came up. I came up as a regular Republican, as a Bush Republican. You know, in this party, there's no fiscal responsibility, that's out the window. There's no free trade, there's no diplomacy, there's no statesmanship and pro- life is certainly in question when you've got folks running around saying that they won't wear a mask because it's my body, my choice.</s>HARLOW: Christopher Gibbs, we'll have more time next time. Thank you for being here.</s>HARLOW: All right, thanks, Chris -- Jim.</s>SCIUTTO: Fascinating to hear a voice like that. Well, a grand juror involved in the Breonna Taylor case says the secret panel was never given a chance to consider homicide charges. This as one of the officers involved in Taylor's death shares a message for her mother.

Miami-Dade COVID-19 Curfew Back on Amid Court Appeal

JOHN KING, CNN INSIDE POLITICS: The pandemic curfew in South Florida is back on today. That move comes after an appeals judge issued a temporary stay to a ruling that struck down that curfew. Miami-Dade's countywide mandate orders businesses, including clubs and restaurants, to close from midnight until 6:00 A.M. A strip club had objected, claiming that curfew violates the September 25th governor from, Ron DeSantis, saying local law should not interfere with people's jobs. This curfew battle underway even as Florida's positivity rate is looking -- trending up again. Along with the case count on Tuesday, the state reported 3,562 new, confirmed cases. Joining me now is the Mayor Carlos Gimenez of Miami-Dade County. Mr. Mayor, grateful for your time today. So the -- now you have the curfew you believe back on, are you still in court or do you think we're settled now?</s>MAYOR CARLOS GIMENEZ (R-MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FL): Yes, we'll go back in court. That was a temporary stay. There are briefs (ph) that are due Friday and then Monday, and then we hope that the court will give -- the appeals court will give a final decision sometime early next week. So, it's still -- there's still a battle going on down here.</s>KING: Still a battle going on. For now, you get your curfew. Explain why this is important to you. If you look at the county testing data right now, you're not in bad shape, you're not in great shape maybe, but you're around 5 percent, which is people say, get it down to 5 percent, then try shove it down a little bit more. But I assume you're looking at what's happening around the country and saying, I need to manage this now so I don't end up like that.</s>GIMENEZ: Yes, precisely. We -- our experts down here are modeling -- some of the modeling that they have actually showed an uptick that was supposed to start this week. They have now shoved that back a couple of weeks probably because of the measures that we did take. And so we want to make sure if we do have an uptick, that an expected uptick in positivity and also hospitalizations, that the lower that we keep now, we stay now, then the lower that new wave will be and a fewer people are going to have in the hospital and in the end have fewer fatalities.</s>KING: Walk us through -- we've had several conversations over the past several month. Walk us through where we are. We know the American people, understandably, a lot of them have COVID fatigue, right? They have been told, work from home, your kids can't go to school, social distance, do all of these things. And we've also watched political conversations. You have some of them where you live, a Democratic mayor in Miami, you're the Republican mayor of Miami-Dade, the larger county around it. You have a Republican governor who has drawn some national attention. What are the political conversations? Are you also -- I get there are partisan differences, I get we're in an election year, but do you have fatigue too in a sense that it just gets -- is it getting harder to keep the coordination up and going?</s>GIMENEZ: Yes. It's always been an interesting job here. I have 34 cities that actually Miami-Dade County encompasses. And as the mayor of Miami-Dade, I'm actually the mayor of all of them. So if you live in the municipality, you have two mayors. You have me and then you have the municipal mayor. The actual mayor of Miami sounds Democrat but he's actually Republican. So we're in the same party. But it's all non-partisan down here. And so, really, it is what you think is right. And I have served in a non-partisan capacity here for 9.5 years. I do what I think is right. I'm a paramedic, I'm a firefighter. I have some knowledge of medicine and what it takes and also contagious diseases and the preventive measures that you have to take. So, look, at the end of the day, it really is all up to us, the people, to keep our mask on, keep our social distancing and take common sense approaches. I mean, we can legislate away all we want. And if the people don't comply, then we're still going to be back in the same boat. Fortunately here, the vast majority of the people are complying with our mask order, indoors and outdoors. But we do have some businesses that want to go beyond that. Now, if, in fact, the curfew is lifted, we still have a lot of measures in place with distancing, mask-wearing, et cetera, that should keep people safe. My concern is that after hours, people have a tendency in these places, have a tendency to drink, keep their guard down, now you have a large number of people in a place where people aren't really following the rules, now you have a spreader event and the next thing you know, we have an uptick. And we have seen a little bit on the younger people, their positivity rates going up in a number of younger people, the same people that actually started that wave back in July, we've seen that start to crawl up a little bit. That's what we need to tamp down. That's why we need to keep it as low as possible, so if we do have another wave, it's well under control.</s>KING: Mr. Mayor, grateful for your time today. Interesting to hear you -- it's just to hear the smart approach. This is what happened last time. We're watching an uptick this time. We will keep in touch, watch how the legal part plays out and hopefully you keep the numbers down. Mr. Mayor, thanks for your time.</s>GIMENEZ: Thank you</s>KING: Thank you. Up next, the Senate majority leader says he is not necessarily on board with cutting a big stimulus deal, at least not before the election.

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) Pushes Back on Stimulus Deal before Election

KING: The White House chief of staff today says there is clear progress in negotiating a new stimulus deal with House speaker, Nancy Pelosi. Mark Meadows says he is optimistic even though he says the White House and Democrats are still far apart on several big things, including aid to state and local government. So we will keep an eye on those important talks. But also on a red flag being waved across the Capitol in the Senate, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is telling the White House he thinks it's a bad idea to try to cut a big deal before the election. And even if the White House and Speaker Pelosi do reach an agreement and even if that agreement clears the House, Leader McConnell is non-committal on the timing of a Senate vote.</s>SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): If a presidentially supported bill clears the House, at some point, we'll bring it to the floor.</s>KING: CNN's Manu Raju is live for us up on Capitol Hill. At some point, Manu, what does that mean?</s>MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Senate is likely to leave town after Monday. And that's when they're expected to confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court and then head home, campaign a week before the election and then return after the election for a lame-duck session of Congress. Now, that schedule is not final yet but it is a clear indication of where things are headed. The action right now is in the House and any deal that could be reached between Pelosi and Steve Mnuchin is unlikely to get a vote in the Senate before Election Day. In fact, it's more likely, I'm told, from multiple sources in both parties that any deal will have to get voted on in a lame-duck session of Congress. That happens after the November 3rd elections and up until January. And not just because of the divisions within the Republican Party, and there are significant ones, but also because the logistical hurdles in moving a bill of this magnitude, a roughly $2 trillion price tag they're talking about, moving that will be difficult. So that's why most believe people, John, that this is going to have to wait and people waiting for relief are still going to have to see when Washington will finally act, John.</s>KING: And we'll keep an eye on that calendar. And, Manu, it's interesting the majority leader's disagreements with White House on stimulus, not the only sign of, I'll call it, separation or tension between the president and Senate Republicans right now.</s>RAJU: Yes, a lot of different issues, particularly the way the president is closing this campaign, attacking Anthony Fauci, going after the media and calling Joe Biden a criminal. Republicans want to be talking about the economy and anything but what the president has been pushing on the campaign trail. I talked to several Republicans, including ones in difficult races, about particularly the president's attacks. This is what a few of them told me. Senator Thom Tillis, who is up for re-election in North Carolina, a very difficult race, says, I've got a lot of confidence in Dr. Fauci, this after the president called Dr. Fauci a disaster. Also Lindsey Graham has told me that I trust his judgment. Lindsey Graham is in a very difficult Senate race. And John Thune, who is not up for re-election but is the second ranking Republican in the Senate, told me that the president's strategy needs to be, quote, quit attacking Fauci, focus on the issues, he also said to quit attacking the media but, of course, the president is not listening to his colleagues, which is why a lot of Republicans, John, fear a loss could impact the Senate majority and the debate about what it means for the party if Trump loses is also starting to intensify, John.</s>KING: Yes. When the president won't stay focused, those candidates get asked about what the president said and they can't stay focused either. Manu Raju, fascinating reporting, we're going to watch this one play out. Coming up for us, massive early voting numbers and the likely post- election night waiting game, at least in some states for the big results.

Early Voting Taking Place in All 50 States.

KING: Some just wow new numbers today about early voting and some clarity about how long it may take for some key states to finish the count this year. We are 13 days to Election Day, but voting is now under way everywhere. There are mail-in, absentee or in-person voting being cast now in all 50 states. And here is the count right now. Look at these numbers, more than 39 million votes cast, up nearly 180 percent from four years ago. By tomorrow, in-person voting will be active in 42 states. But we still we still may not know the winner November 3rd. That is what we're hearing from a top official at the Department of Homeland Security who says this, quote, there's a very good chance that we will not know the winner of the presidential election for instance on election night itself. And that's not because something isn't working, it's because of the additional security measures in place. Ben Ginsberg is an election law expert and now CNN Contributor. Ben, those are responsible words from the cabinet agency that helps us with election security in the United States, telling everybody, chill. Pandemic election, a lot of mail-in voting, it may take some states some time. In fact, if you look at The New York Times today at a meeting yesterday of the secretary of state of Michigan and Pennsylvania said that it may take them three days, but they are confident they can finish counting within three days of the election. There is nothing unusual here and nothing wrong here, and yet the president keeps saying he wants a fast count. Should we listen to the president or his own Department of Homeland Security?</s>BEN GINSBERG, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I think at times like this, john, you have to listen to the state and local election officials and say what's doable. Right now, they are talking without any partisan motivation in the sense that their job is being sure the ballots are cast and counted properly. And from my experience, those state and local officials have a great deal of integrity in wanting to get the job done right. They say it's going to take a few days, listen to them.</s>KING: As someone who has been through this before, recounts, watching the counting of ballots after the election and the like, what does it say to you when you see those numbers, plus 179 percent in volume of early voting in the states we're tracking compared to four years ago? We knew it would be up because of the pandemic, but is that even higher than you would have anticipated? And what does it tell you about the pace of the count?</s>GINSBERG: Well, I think it's higher than I would have anticipated. I think what you never know at a time like this from the early numbers is whether this has energized voters wanting to cast their ballots early or this is really an expanded pool of voters so that we'll see even more than the 150 to 160 million people that are anticipated. You never quite know the answer to that until you have the total.</s>KING: Right. Remember, Democrats thought they had a huge advantage in 2016, it turned out in the end we know who is president. So we have to watch. Just because you vote early, it doesn't affect the math unless more people are voting. We've talked before and we'll talk again about all these legal challenges, one that was resolved because they had a settlement in Mississippi. Now, the state has agreed to expand access to curbside voting and to allow absentee voters to fix their ballots. They will notify you if there's some discrepancy in your ballot so that you can show up. If it actually is your ballot, you can show up and fix it. This seems to be a reasonable compromise in an age where we're seeing a lot of deep fights in the courts. What do you make of that?</s>GINSBERG: I think it is a reasonable compromise. What Mississippi did not change, will not change, is that you still need an excuse to vote absentee. So it is not a no excuse absentee state like many more are. So, Mississippi kept its core process intact and agreed to accommodation for</s>COVID. KING: All right. We'll track that one as it plays out as well. We have a lot to track in the next two weeks-plus ahead. Ben Ginsberg, grateful for your insights. We laugh about it now. We'll see if we're laughing about it in 13 days. Voters in two states report they've received threatening emails about their vote this election. Officials in Florida and Alaska are now investigating those threats. CNN Business Reporter Donie O'Sullivan is in New York tracking this one. Sounds ominous, Donie?</s>DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN BUSINESS REPORTER: Hey, John. Yes. So, first, let me fill you in on what these emails say. They purport to be from the Proud Boys, that hate group President Trump essentially embraced at the last debate, although the Proud Boys denied they have anything to do with this. And the emails are pretty scary. They are going to a lot of voters we know in at least two states. They say, we are in possession of all your information, email, address, telephone everything. You're currently registered as a Democrat, and we know this because we have gained access to the entire voting infrastructure. You will vote for Trump Election Day or we will come after you. Some of these emails also include people's home addresses and a sort of chilling message for any voter to get. The most important thing to know here first, John, though is what the cybersecurity government agency is saying about these emails, that the information is false. Here is what they are saying. While we're looking into the emails, we can tell you this. Your vote is secret. These emails are meant to intimidate and undermine American voters' confidence in our elections. Don't fall for sensational and unverified claims. So who is behind these emails? Well, we have been looking into some of the metadata that's attached to the emails. When you and I open an email, John, we just see the message. But behind that, there is a lot of technical indicators that can tell us where an email is coming from. We've had some cyber experts look into some of the emails that voters have sent us and we're seeing two things. We're seeing that they are being routed through computers both in Estonia and Saudi Arabia. Now, does that mean that the people who sent these emails are in Estonia and Saudi Arabia? No, it doesn't. What it does mean is that whoever is behind these emails have taken a lot of steps, somewhat sophisticated steps, to mask who they are and where the messages are coming from. Of course, we should mention that the Proud Boys, although their name is on this email and they are a hate group, they say they have nothing to do with this. And that is very possibly the case. I mean, we have seen groups try and pose as other groups, opposing groups online in recent months, including, of course, during the summer we saw white supremacists pose as Antifa on social media, all designed to sow division, to sow chaos and to ferment fear. John?</s>KING: Grateful we have you and experts you rely on helping us through this sad new normal in our politics as well. Donie O'Sullivan, grateful for that. When we come back, the president is mad, he is frustrated at reporters who ask him about coronavirus, he is frustrated at Dr. Fauci for talking frankly about coronavirus. Why? Because the president says we've rounded the corner, the case count says something very different.

COVID-19 Cases Expected to Surge; Mitt Romney Announces Trump Voting Record; AstraZeneca Trial Volunteer Dies, Trial Will Continue.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST, NEWSROOM: Hello, it is the top of the hour, I'm Brianna Keilar. And the number of coronavirus cases is on the rise, and it's only expected to get worse. That's the forecast from former FDA commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb, who warns the nation is about a week away now from a, quote, "rapid acceleration in cases." Right now, the U.S. reported more than 60,000 new cases Tuesday alone. This is a number that has not been seen since late July. The seven-day average isn't much better, 59,000 cases per day, a level that has not been seen since early August. Fourteen states have test positivity rates above 10 percent; ten states just set hospitalization records. Nationwide, no states have declining case numbers. You look at this map, there is no green and that is a very bad sign. Three states -- Washington, New Mexico and Illinois -- are putting restrictions in place to try to curb the spread. Today, the nation's top infectious disease expert is giving this stark assessment.</s>ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: As of two days ago, the numbers throughout the globe have been stunning, making this already the most disastrous pandemic that we have experienced in our civilization in over 102 years. Unfortunately for the United States, we have been hit more hard than virtually any other country on the planet. Now, unfortunately, we've plateaued again to about 40 to 50,000 cases a day. And as we're getting into the cooler weather, we're getting more and more cases. So this looks like we're going to have a very difficult fall and winter.</s>KEILAR: Dr. Peter Hotez is with us, he is a professor and he is the dean of Tropical Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine. So, Doctor, I mean, you look at this forecast, it's bad. Just put this into context for Americans who, look, we've already been through months of this. They want to know how bad is this going to get.</s>PETER HOTEZ, PROFESSOR AND DEAN OF TROPICAL MEDICINE, BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE: Yes I know, Brianna, everyone's exhausted and nobody wants to hear more bad news, but it's pretty clear that this fall- winter surge is now finally arriving. Before I go into dreary details, let me just preface it by one thing, in that this will not go on forever. By next year at this time and probably by next summer, we're going to be in a much better position. Vaccines will become available, that's looking really promising. This is not in perpetuity. It's a matter of getting, now, through the next few months, when we'll start seeing a steep surge, we'll start hitting 70,000 new cases a day on a regular basis. It'll continue to climb from there, the deaths will increase. I think the northern part of the country is clearly already getting hit, and that will continue, it will move into the northeast. And so it's a matter of identifying, now, your social distancing unit, the people that you need and want to be with now for the next few months, to limit contact. Try not to be alone if you don't have to be, and look after your mental health because this is going to be a scary time again. I don't know that it'll be as bad as what we saw in March and April in New York with sirens day and night, I hope it won't be that bad. But there is that possibility. Again, good news is that this will not go on for perpetuity, things will be much better next year. But this is going to be a horrible winter, unfortunately.</s>KEILAR: Yes. And all right. So back to basics: social distancing, you're talking about restricting the number of people you allow in your circle. Masks of course, hand-washing. These are all things that people need to keep in mind right now. I do want to ask you about something the U.S. surgeon general said. Jerome Adams, today, dismissed herd immunity as a public health strategy. He said in a tweet, quote, "This could overwhelm health care systems and lead to many complications and deaths." I mean, he clearly felt it was necessary to say this. Do you understand why that might be?</s>HOTEZ: Yes. He said it and I'm glad he said it. He said it because he knows what we know, in that there is an active anti-science disinformation campaign coming out of the White House. And among its central tenets is that there's this concept of herd immunity, that once the percentage of the American people in, say, a city like New York that goes over 20 percent don't worry about it. Transmission stops itself. It's -- there's no basis for it, and it's clearly incorrect. We've already seen in Manaus, in Brazil, it go up to 66 percent. If there is any herd immunity, that means two thirds of the American population would get it and it would mean over 1 to 2 million deaths. So forget about herd immunity. The other thing the White House has been doing with their disinformation campaign is trying to discredit masks. Twitter made Scott Atlas take down that terrible tweet. So this is doing a lot of damage to the American people. And that disinformation campaign, that anti-science disinformation campaign, has been -- is responsible for a significant percentage of the 220,000 Americans who perished from this epidemic, and we're not out of it. Those numbers are projected to double by the time the inauguration comes around. And so I'm really worried, assuming that the election goes against the president and we're in this lame duck session, all we've had out of the White House, we haven't had a national containment strategy for the virus. We've had disinformation. Presumably now they may be checked out. And so I don't -- you know, we're not going to have a very efficient or well-functioning executive branch of the government. So I think people are going to feel abandoned. And hopefully the governors of the states are ready for it, it's going to be a tough time for the American people.</s>KEILAR: Yes, we are right here on the precipice of it. I'm going to have you stand by, Dr. Peter Hotez, while we check out our other news that we're following. The election of course, quickly approaching. And instead of President Trump selling the American people on what he wants to do in his second term, he appears to be celebrating Festivus. The airing of grievances is in full effect right now here in the nation's capital. And the president is railing against Leslie Stahl, the veteran journalist and "60 Minutes" host, who was interviewing the president yesterday when he abruptly ended the session after 45 minutes, and did not return for a planned second session, claiming that she is biased according to what sources have told CNN. He's also slamming Dr. Fauci, the nation's trusted top infectious disease expert. The president is accusing Fauci of being a Democrat, and a disaster. Fauci, to be clear, is not registered with a political party and he has served under Democratic and Republican presidents going back to Ronald Reagan. Fauci dismissed this as a distraction, and he said he just wants to keep doing his job. The president is targeting CNN as well. He says that we focus too much coverage on the coronavirus. He's hitting the bipartisan Presidential Debate Commission, he's criticizing the moderator of tomorrow night's debate before the debate even happens, NBC's Kristen Welker, who is a respected journalist. He's taking aim at Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden as well as Biden's son Hunter. And toilets and showers also don't escape a presidential diatribe here, the president registering his frustration with water pressure that does not meet his personal standards and apparently how it makes his hair look. Democratic Governors Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, the subject of the 2020 version of "Lock her up" at a recent Trump rally, and Andrew Cuomo of New York, who the president called a "lowlife," also on this long list. And then last but not least is Republican Senator Ben Sasse, who, despite voting with the president 86 percent of the time and voting against his impeachment, is criticizing the head of his party in private calls with supporters. For that, the Nebraska lawmaker earned a new nickname from the president, "Little Ben Sasse." With me now is CNN chief political correspondent Dana Bash. Dana, the chief of staff of the White House, Mark Meadows, says there's a high probability that President Trump will release the interview with "60 Minutes" before it airs on Sunday. I mean, so they recorded this, right? Tell me what you make of that. But also, why threaten to release it for so many hours now and then not release it?</s>DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Because they're trying to keep the distraction going, and I'm guessing that -- maybe an informed guess -- that Mark Meadows is hearing from his boss that, you know, he wants to keep the pressure on, he wants to keep this distraction out there. I mean, you and I have done interviews before, Brianna, where the interview subject or their staff almost always records -- like either on their phone or with an old-fashioned tape recorder -- the interview. I'm not so sure what he means when he ways he watched it, if they actually videotaped it, which would be a unusual, but we'll see what happens there. But I use the word "distraction" for a reason, and that is because that is the kind of thing that is being described to me by his fellow Republicans. I talked to one yesterday who is on the ballot, fighting for their political life, who says that everybody who is in that same boat also trying to win re-election in Congress. Especially they are going bat-blank-crazy because the president keeps either talking about our friend Kristen Welker, who is an outstanding and straight-down-the-middle reporter, and Anthony Fauci, and you know, the Debate Commission, and on and on and on and on and on. Instead of focusing where every Republican, either on the ballot or off, wants him to focus, which is on the things that he actually did accomplish in the first term of the White House, whether it is on trade deals or some things he can point to on foreign policy. Focus on the economy, which is the one issue, Brianna -- I know you see this in polls too -- where he is at least competitive with Joe Biden. And they can't understand why the president doesn't get out of his own way, and frankly get out of the way of his colleagues who want to be in public service next year, but they don't think that they -- they're getting hurt by that by the guy at the top of the ticket.</s>KEILAR: Yes. I mean, it's very clear at this point that his impulse control problem is on full display right now --</s>BASH: Yes.</s>KEILAR: -- and you know, it may be no surprise, I want to ask you about what we've learned from Republican Senator Mitt Romney. He just told reporters that he did not vote for President Trump.</s>BASH: I think the professional word for that is "duh." I mean, you remember, Bri, what Mitt Romney did during the election in 2016. I mean, he did something very unusual, which is he was a private citizen, he held an event and he talked in very stark, very vivid terms about how horrible of a candidate -- and frankly a person and a potential president -- Donald Trump would be. So by saying it very carefully, "I did not vote for" Donald Trump in 2016, there is no other way to take that other than he's not going to or will not or did not -- given the fact that Utah has mail-in voting -- vote for President Trump now. He just doesn't want to explicitly say that. And that was in response to a question, I think, from our colleague Manu Raju, asking if he's going to vote for Donald Trump in 2020.</s>KEILAR: All right, we'll have to see what other Republicans do, or if they are as vocal -- even in this sort of side way that he did it. Dana, it's great to see you. Thank you.</s>BASH: You too, thanks.</s>KEILAR: We have some breaking news, CNN has just confirmed that a volunteer in one of the COVID-19 vaccine trials has died. This was in the AstraZeneca trial, which was in its third phase but it has recently been paused because some participants became ill. With me now is Dr. Sanjay Gupta, he's our chief medical correspondent at CNN. What are you hearing, Sanjay?</s>SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, this is some sad news, obviously. You know, we've been following these trials for some time. This is one of the volunteers in the experimental coronavirus trial, AstraZeneca, in Brazil. And we hear that this death occurred on Monday. The public health agency now just alerting other people to this death, but also saying at the same time, Brianna, that the trial will continue. It's not clear -- at least initially, when you hear these sorts of reports of deaths -- exactly what happened or even if the person received the vaccine or received the placebo. When you're dealing with tens of thousands of people in these trials, I think the point that they're making is that sometimes these deaths can occur, even in placebo groups, for reasons unrelated. The fact that they're continuing the trial may be a little bit of a clue. But still, we're getting more details about this. And you'll remember now, Brianna, this is now the third time that we've had some sort of adverse effect like this reported, again not clear that this was due to the vaccine. But back in July, the AstraZeneca trial was paused briefly, and then again at the beginning of September, about six weeks ago. You may remember it was a person who developed these neurological symptoms at that point, difficulty with walking. These sort of symptoms that were suggestive that maybe there'd been some impact of the medicine on the spinal cord. That person subsequently recovered. But this is the sort of thing that these investigators are looking out for. Are there adverse side effects, are those side effects related to the vaccine specifically or unrelated? Are they in the placebo trial? And those are the sort of details that we're going to keep trying to get, Brianna.</s>KEILAR: Yes. Why won't they just put that out there? Because certainly I think if this was someone where they were taking a placebo, it might be less concerning. Or if there's something they can say about the kind of symptoms or the cause of death.</s>GUPTA: Yes, no doubt. I mean, it's sometimes a source of frustration. And you'll remember that even going back to September again, it was some time before we started to get the details about specifically what happened to that patient. My colleague Elizabeth Cohen was getting some of those details. The trial was halted in the United States, but then resumed in the U.K. So it does seem like a bit of a mishmash. What happens, I think, is that there is an independent entity, which is the Data Safety Monitoring Board, and they're really the only ones that are supposed to be able to unblind the data. The researchers who are actually giving the vaccine don't know if they're giving vaccine or placebo. The people who are receiving this, the volunteers, they don't know. So the way that it's supposed to work is that you have one entity that is independent, that can unblind the data and see specifically what happened here. That can sometimes take a while. It shouldn't take that long, I guess to your point. And they should release that data, and we're hoping that they do. But as of right now, all we know is that there was a volunteer in the trial who has died. We don't know much more in specifics in terms of anything about the person, their age, pre-existing conditions. And most importantly, we don't even know if they received the vaccine or not. So as we get those details -- which I think we will -- we'll certainly have a little bit clearer light on exactly what happened here.</s>KEILAR: All right. Yes, we'll be waiting to see. Dr. Gupta, thank you so much. And still ahead, record-shattering early voter turnout in states across the country as both campaigns are pitching their closing messages to voters, and President Obama hits the campaign trail. Plus, coronavirus cases surge in Boston, prompting that city to suspend in-person instruction in public schools. And the Trump administration, going all-in on foreign policy in an effort to put more wins on the board in the run-up to Election Day.

Ex-FDA Chief Says, U.S. One Week from Rapid Acceleration of COVID Cases; Trump Grows More Erratic, Lashing Out in Closing Days of Campaign; Cop Under Investigation for Wearing Trump Mask at Polling Place.

JOHN KING, CNN INSIDE POLITICS: But the church itself has stopped short of blessing same-sex unions. Thanks for joining us today. I hope to see you back here this time tomorrow. A busy day, Brianna Keilar picks up our coverage right now. Have a good day</s>BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN RIGHT NOW: Hi there. I'm Brianna Keilar and, I want to welcome viewers here in the United States and around the world. The number of coronavirus cases is on the rise and it is only expected to get worse in the coming days and weeks. That is the forecast from former FDA commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb who warns that the nation is about a week away from a, quote, rapid acceleration in cases. Right now, the U.S. reported more than 60,000 new cases Tuesday alone. This is a number that has not been seen since late July. That seven- day average is not much better, 59,000 cases daily. This is a level that has not been seen since early August. Ten states just set hospitalization records, 14 states have test positivity rates that are above 10 percent. Nationwide, no states have declining case numbers, there is no green on this map, and that is a bad sign. Three states, Washington, New Mexico and Illinois are putting restrictions in place to curb the spread. Today, the nation's top infectious disease expert is giving this stark assessment.</s>DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: As of two days ago, the numbers throughout the globe have been stunning, making this already the most disastrous pandemic that we have experienced in our civilization in over 102 years. Unfortunately, for the United States, we have been hit more hard than virtually any other country on the planet. Now, unfortunately, we've plateaued again to about 40 to 50,000 cases a day. And as we're getting into the cooler weather, we're getting more and more cases. So this looks like we're going to have a very difficult fall and winter.</s>KEILAR: Well, let's talk now with E.R. Dr. Leana Wen, who is Baltimore's former health commissioner. Doctor, it is great to see you. It is not great to talk about the forecast that we're seeing here because it is bad, there is really no way around that. Give us the reality check on what to expect.</s>DR. LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: We are on the verge of exponential, explosive spread across the U.S. We know this because we've been there before. We've seen what happens when you have rising numbers of infections, rising hospitalizations and all this in a setting also of high levels of test positivity, which means that we're not doing nearly enough testing and the real numbers of infections is certainly to be much higher than what's currently reported. The difference between what's happening now versus before is that there are virus hot spots simmering all over the country. And all of this is as we're just in October. We haven't even hit the worst of the winter yet when people have to be indoors when it gets really cold. And we're still arguing in the U.S. about whether we should be wearing masks when it's something that's such a basic intervention that can save lives. So I'm really worried about the grim winter that's ahead.</s>KEILAR: So we need to wear masks. What else do we need to do?</s>WEN: So there are simple interventions that we know by now can save lives. Absolutely wear masks. Wearing masks can reduce transmission by up to 80 percent. We also have to avoid crowds, avoid these crowded gatherings, especially large crowded gatherings. We have to keep physical distancing, maintain at least six feet away from individuals who are not in our household, continue to wash our hands. I mean, these are all the things that we've been discussing for weeks, for months now, but they are as important as before. And also really keep in mind that it's these small gatherings of extended family and friends that's driving the surge. So, as we're coming into the holidays, be aware that we don't want to be the ones who are hosting the next super-spreader event and inadvertently sicken our loved ones. And so use an abundance of caution even with the people we love.</s>KEILAR: Very, very good advice. It was notable that the U.S. surgeon general, Jerome Adams, today dismissed herd immunity as a public health strategy. He said in a tweet, quote, this could overwhelm health care systems and lead to many complications, deaths. So, I mean, clearly, he felt that it was necessary to say this out loud and to say this publicly. Do you understand why?</s>WEN: Well, it seems that it's because there is this disagreement within the Trump administration and we have people like Scott Atlas who has the president's ear and is advocating for strategies like herd immunity, which, by the way, goes against the consensus of entire medical, scientific and public health community, because herd immunity is not a strategy. It's basically saying, we wash our hands, we give up. Forget all the sacrifices that people have made along the way, we're just going to let millions of people die when we could have stopped that from occurring in the first place. I mean, I think it's really tragic that we have to -- we continue to have to speak up and speak out against strategies like this that aren't strategies. They are just a method for having preventable deaths in this country.</s>KEILAR: It's not a public health strategy, it's a white flag. The president was asked if he would do anything differently if he could redo his pandemic response and he said, quote, not much. What is your reaction to that?</s>WEN: I mean, that's shocking, because I think all of us should be able to look back and say, we've learned a lot along the way. We didn't know in the beginning, for example, how important testing is from the get-go and we missed opportunities. We missed opportunities when it came to mask-wearing we didn't know about the beginning about asymptomatic and aerosol spread. We know all that now. We know the importance of restrictions. We know the importance also of having early action, of having consistent messaging. All of these things we've learned. And to hear the president say that he wouldn't do things differently when there are over 220,000 Americans who have died, I mean, that's shocking, it's unbelievable. And I think for all of us, we need to see this as a call to action for each individual, to take matters into our own hands. If there's failure on the level of the federal government, we need to do our part, wear masks, practice social distancing, because it is really up to each of us to change the trajectory of the disease ahead.</s>KEILAR: Dr. Leana Wen, thank you so much.</s>WEN: Thank you, Brianna.</s>KEILAR: The election is quickly approaching. And instead of President Trump selling the American people on what he wants to do with a second term, he appears to be celebrating Festivus. the airing of grievance is in full effect right now here in the nation's capital. The president is railing against Lesley Stahl, the veteran journalist and 60 Minutes host, who was interviewing the president yesterday when he abruptly walked out claiming that she is biased, according to what sources had told CNN. He's also slamming Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's trusted top infectious disease expert, the president accusing Fauci of being a Democrat and a disaster. Fauci, to be clear, is not registered with a political party and he has served under Democratic and Republican presidents going back to Ronald Reagan. Fauci, for his, part dismissed this as a distraction and said that he just wants to keep doing his job. The president is targeting CNN as well, saying that we focus too much coverage on coronavirus. He's hitting the bipartisan Presidential Debate Commission. He is criticizing the moderator of tomorrow night's debate, NBC's Kristen Welker, who is a respected journalist. He is taking aim at Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden along with Joe Biden's son, Hunter. And toilets and showers don't escape a presidential diatribe, the president registering his frustration with water pressure that does not meet his personal standards and apparently how it makes his hair look. Democratic Governors Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, the subject of the 2020 version of lock her up at a recent rally, and Andrew Cuomo of New York, who the president called a lowlife, are also on this long list. And last but not least Republican Senator Ben Sasse, who, despite voting with the president 86 percent of the time and voting against his impeachment, is criticizing the head of his party in private calls with supporters. For that, the Nebraska lawmaker earned a new nickname from the president, Little Ben Sasse. We have more now on the Trump White House's with the fight on 60 Minutes. The president and his chief of staff alleging without providing evidence that journalist Lesley Stahl is biased. The president says he may post his own copy of the interview that sources tell CNN he abruptly walked out of after just 45 minutes. I want to bring in Bill Carter, he is CNN Media Analyst, he is a former Media Reporter for The New York Times. And, Bill, first, explain why the White House would even have a copy of that interview. That isn't something that's standard?</s>BILL CARTER, CNN MEDIA ANALYST: No, it isn't. And it signals the fact that they probably made that a requirement of doing the interview that they make their own copy, which says something else about their grievances and their fears and their paranoia that they would go that far. I mean, I think it's interesting that CBS agreed to that. But my main concern is if Trump were to go ahead and release this ahead of CBS, that is certainly not what a news organization wants.</s>KEILAR: And explain that. And should CBS wait to report on what happened during Trump's 60 Minutes meltdown?</s>CARTER: It's hard to imagine it isn't news worthy in some way that he decides to abruptly cancel an interview and also not to go through with planned dual interview with the vice president that was supposed to be done after his individual interview. So he definitely blew up the interview in some fashion. And for CBS, to just sit by and say, well, let's wait until Sunday and we let you know what happened, is extraordinary to me, because it's a news organization. This has to be news worthy. And as you pointed out, Brianna, there's a debate tomorrow night. And something set him off that perhaps could be brought up at this debate. I mean, Kristen Welker could say, well, 60 Minutes asked you about your bank account in China and you walked off the set or something like that, which clearly is news worthy. I'm really kind of shocked that CBS is sitting by and basically allowing Trump to denounce their interview and not come back and say, well, here is what really happened.</s>KEILAR: Yes. I'm sure there are internal deliberations, right, that are going on about what to do. The president also, and I know you saw this, he tweeted a video of Lesley Stahl not wearing a mask, a person familiar telling CNN that this was a video taken immediately after President Trump ended the interview when Stahl was standing with her producers and she had not walked yet back to her personal belongings to put her mask back on, that she had actually been wearing this mask, according to the source, from the time that she entered the White House to just before the interview began. What do you make of the president sharing that video?</s>CARTER: It's really grasping at straws for him to attack someone for not wearing a mask at this point when basically it's been sort of a badge of honor in the administration to not wear a mask at events. And here he is trying to find this moment that she wasn't wearing a mask? It's a tremendous reach. And, again, it speaks to a sense of paranoia about this, something happened in that interview that he didn't like. And let's face it, Brianna, he does not like to be interviewed by women who press him. That is clearly something that makes him very uncomfortable. He didn't like Savannah Guthrie, he's already attacked Kristen Welker in advance to say she's biased. He's very uncomfortable with this and something set him off in this interview with Lesley Stahl.</s>KEILAR: Yes, no, it's certainly a pattern that we've seen. And what do you make of him recently saying that the media -- he said specifically he called out CNN shouldn't cover coronavirus, or he said it's COVID, COVID, COVID all the time. What do you make of him basically saying that the media should ignore this?</s>CARTER: It's such a bad story for him. And people have come to the conclusion, a big majority in the polls (ph) have come to the conclusion that he bungled this, that he made a hash of this and that people have been sick and possibly lost their lives because of this. So it's a terrible story for him. He hates hearing it. He doesn't want to hear it. And if he sticks to the media that only praises him, like his own personal television statement and other conservative outlets, he doesn't get pressed on it, he doesn't get questioned this way. And it disturbs him extremely. Instead of confronting this and saying we certainly could have done more to begin with, he basically says everything was fine. And the American public does not buy that. So when CNN or any other news organization responsibly reports on that, he goes wild. He doesn't like it. It's a criticism of him.</s>KEILAR: Yes. No, we've heard his task force folks have said what their regrets are. There are many of them. Bill Carter, thank you so much. It's great to speak with you.</s>CARTER: Great to see you again. Talk to you again, Brianna.</s>KEILAR: A police officer seeing wearing a Trump mask near a polling station, hear the back story on this. Plus, I'll speak live with an election official after firing of poll worker who told voters to turn their Black Lives Matter T-shirts inside out. And what happened to the Trump campaign's cash, how Joe Biden has tripled the amount of the president with just 13 days to go. This is CNN's special live coverage.

Dr. Anthony Fauci: We're Going To Have A Very Difficult Fall And Winter

JOHN KING, CNN HOST: Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm John King in Washington. Thank you for sharing your day with us. There are13 days left on the U.S. election calendar. Critical debate tomorrow night and a big battleground state focus today for the candidates. Now we know from poll after poll most Americans think the president has done a bad job managing the Coronavirus pandemic. But the president has a much different view of his own performance. The president says, if he had a Coronavirus do-over, he would not do much differently. And he predicts that a return to normal is just around the corner.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's ending. Normal life, that's all we want. You know what we want? Normal life. Normal life will finally resume and next year will be the greatest economic year in the history of our country.</s>KING: Yes, we all want normal. But judge by the numbers normal is not where we are right now. Two horrifying COVID-19 peaks behind us, and we're right now are staring at a third. Tuesday, 60,000 plus new infections recorded in the United States, it's the highest single day total for Tuesday since the end of July. The daily average of new cases right now just below 60,000. This hour there are zero states trending in the right direction? Zero. Deaths ticked up on Tuesday as well. 933 American lives lost to the Coronavirus yesterday. The pattern over the pandemic we all know is the death lags cases, which makes it less likely that jump yesterday is just cases are a blip. Dr. Fauci this morning says Americans need to prepare for a trying winter.</s>DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: Unfortunately, we've plateaued again to about 40 to 50,000 cases a day. And as we're getting into the cooler weather, we're getting more and more cases. So this looks like we're going to have a very difficult fall and winter.</s>KING: The president, of course, knows he must mount another closing week election comeback. And his temper, his anxiety obvious. He abruptly ended a "60 minutes" taping yesterday and continues to pick top fights with the man you just listened to, this Top Infectious Disease Expert Dr. Anthony Fauci all of this coming against the advice of his own political advisers. Let's get straight to the White House and CNN's Kaitlan Collins. Kaitlan, the president walking out of this 60 minutes interview with Lesley Stahl, apparently because he didn't like Coronavirus questions, picking fights with Dr. Fauci not what the campaign team wants right now.</s>KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: No, that's not what they thought the closing message would be with less than two weeks to go before Election Day. And you're seeing the president do things that are entirely predictable for him. Abruptly end an interview with "60 Minutes" because he doesn't like the line of questioning from Lesley Stahl, that's not surprising if you saw the president's sit down with her in 2016 four years ago which he did with the vice president. But it's this pattern John, that we're seeing in the closing days which of course are viewed as critical. But some political advisers kind of believe the race is already decided at this point and they are not all optimistic about the president's chances. And so, you see him taking his anger out on people like "60 Minutes" as he's now threatening to release the interview before it even comes out on Sunday. That's because they were taping it separately at the White House than the CBS News cameras were already taping it. So I think it's kind of unusual what the White House was doing. And then also these fights with Dr. Anthony Fauci, these sustained attacks on someone who is working in this administration and win their effort to produce a vaccine, so obviously we can get out of this pandemic. And so, that's not the closing political message that advisers were hoping the president would go for. And you got a sense of that when you hear him read from his scripted remarks as he was doing last night at the beginning of that rally in Pennsylvania where I was where he was talking about Joe Biden's economic message compared to his, and how he believes he's the better person suited to bring back the economy. But John, when the president does other things like the "60 Minutes" stunt, like going after Dr. Fauci, that's what rises to the top of the news cycle. And that's what breaks through. And so, the question is whether or not his other messages, the ones that are underlying and obviously not trumpeted as much by the candidate himself are breaking through with voters. And his own advisers are worried that they are not, John.</s>KING: Kaitlan Collins, very important moment. Live reporting from the White House. I appreciate it. Thank you. Joining our conversation now our CNN Medical Analyst and the Former CDC Disease Detective, Dr. Seema Yasmin. Dr. Yasmin, it's good to see you today. The president in the Town Hall with Sinclair says not much, he was asked what would you do differently if you could go back now to the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic and he says not much. Is that the right answer?</s>DR. SEEMA YASMIN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Absolutely not. Look at the death toll that we've faced here in the U.S in just the last nine months. About 220,000 Americans dead. How can you say you would not try and do everything differently to try and save those lives?</s>DR. YASMIN: We talked last week John about that Yammer (ph) study that showed if America had been on a level with some other developed nations in the world, we would have seen 93,000 American lives saved. So there have been such basic errors in the pandemic response. And the president just kind of try to push them under a rug and even saying we're turning a corner. What corner is there to turn? This is like an endless loop. It's a nightmare of a loop. We haven't turned any corner. In fact all we're doing is heading higher and higher up this peak of the third surge.</s>KING: If we've turned a corner, we've turned it for the worse. Going back up now around 60,000 new infections a day. And again, when you compare to where we were in the summer, it appears inevitable, because we've been through this sadly, you get more cases, they start multiplying exponentially. And now if you go and yet I want you to listen here. We just talked about the president; he says if he could go back in time, he would not do much differently. In the question of what do you do in the here and now, listen to the doctor, the president now listens to most radiologist Dr. Scott Atlas.</s>DR. SCOTT ATLAS, WHITE HOUSE CORONAVIRUS ADVISER: This is not like we lock down and hopes for herd immunity, or we hope for herd immunity. That's not the issue. The issue is we must open up because we're killing people misguided idea that we're going to eliminate all risk from life. We're going to stop people from taking any risk that they are well aware of. We're going to close down businesses. We're going to stop schools. These are inappropriate and destructive policies.</s>KING: Dr. Atlas thinks we should tough it out, if you listen to it there. Open businesses, open schools, get the government out of the way, tough it out.</s>DR. YASMIN: He doesn't understand public health. He is a Neuroradiologist, he is not a virologist, he is not an immunologist, he is not a public health physician. Unfortunately this is the person who the president is paying most attention to in terms of scientific advice. And what Scott Atlas is saying is tweeting things like masks don't work when we know absolutely that they do. And John, as you were playing that I was counting at least four false hoods in there, including one that talks about oh, we're kind of being promised this idea that we can eliminate all risk. That's not what public health physicians say. We are realists, we believe in harm reduction and risk reduction, not saying that you can make things completely safe, but telling the public here are three or four things that you can do that can make your world a little bit safer. So it's really unfortunate the president is listening to him, not an expert, not someone who understands public health instead of listening to the actual people who know what they are talking about.</s>KING: When you say the actual people who know what they are talking about, everybody scrubs the data you mentioned the study we talked about last week. These new studies come out, we try to dig deep into them, and we try to see what can we do differently, what have we learned? Where are we wrong a couple of weeks ago, because you're inevitably going to be wrong sometimes when you're dealing with something so new and dramatic? There's a new CDC numbers out about deaths in America. And it says that, an estimated 299,000 excess deaths occurred between late January through October. 198,000 of those have been attributed to COVID-19, the largest increase seen among adults, 25 to 44 years old, among Hispanic and Latino populations there. So essentially if you look at those numbers, there are 100,000 deaths missing if you will. They have attributed some to COVID and the rest are just an increase of what would normally happen in a normal year. Explain what that means as a detective in the middle of the pandemic. What clues are you looking for to say why is this happening?</s>DR. YASMIN: This is a really important point and I'm so glad you asked this question, John. Because anyone watching who thinks I'm almost so worried about COVID-19, I've had it, I think I'm immune or I'm just not so bothered about, I don't think it's serious. This data is telling you, but with a pandemic like this one that's been so negligently managed, those are not going to effect on all aspects of health care. People are delaying the health care; people are worried about going to see the doctor for other concerns, people are not getting their cancer treatments on time. So it's not just COVID-19 that's hitting America hard directly, it's the indirect impacts of the pandemic not being managed well. Just last week eight Missouri hospitals stopped accepting ambulances. And that's not just because - that was because of COVID-19, but the impact is not just on COVID-19 patients, the impact then trickles down to everybody with whatever kind of ailments you have, cancer, heart attacks. So that's what this study is showing. And that's why it's really important we get this under control especially in flu season. It just keeps dragging on. It's going to keep impacting Americans from all walks of life, COVID-19 or cancer or heart attacks, every single health area is being affected by this.</s>KING: A sober conversation, but Dr. Yasmin, as always grateful for your time and your expertise. Thank you so much. When we come back, you can look at the map, you can look at the polls. Some people say this will get tight. This will be closed at the end. Some Democrats look though look at the numbers and they think, wow, we have a landslide on our hands.

President Donald Trump Promises A Return To "Normal Life"; Joe Biden Campaign Beats Donald Trump In Raising Money, Leads In National Polls With 13 Days To Go Until Election.

KING: Thirteen days out, there are many different ways to look at this map. The one thing that's unmistakenable is Joe Biden has a significant lead right now, we have him at 290 electoral votes, it takes 270 to win, the president at 163, meaning he has a long way to go. So some Democrats look at these maps and they say OK, look at these toss up states, all of them carried by President Trump last time. Look right now Biden, we lean Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin to Biden. Some Democrats remember 2016 and they say, well, what if this happens, right? What if this happens? What if the president wins all the toss up states and these come back into play, then you're in a death match, right? Then you're in a death match the same three states that made Donald Trump President we're fighting again. But other Democrats come back to this map where we're right now and they say, what, look at this, look at this. Look at the spending, Joe Biden and outside groups, $645 million since September 1st to 388, the Democrats are outspending the Republicans. Look at these battleground state polls.</s>KING: Joe Biden is in play everywhere, leading in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, a slight lead in Arizona, slight lead in Florida, slight lead in North Carolina, slight lead in Georgia, or Iowa, Ohio, Texas down 4. That's in play, right? So some Democrats look at this and they say wait a minute, what if we had a landslide? What if Joe Biden could do this? Including Maine second congressional district. What if Joe Biden ran the board? Joe Biden ran the board, you get a blowout. Now is that going to happen? Probably not, right? We've all lived through American politics. But it isn't because of the money it is a possibility that Biden could win some of these states. Some Democrats even say you know what, we can get Texas. Why is it important to compete? Not just for the presidency, senate races. Senate races, Senate races, Senate races. So Democrats are looking at this map saying it's possible, it's possible, we could have a very big win late in the campaign bringing into the race now Philadelphia today to help turn out voters the former President Barrack Obama.</s>BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I know there's plenty out there to make people feel cynical and plenty of people are going to seize on that to convince you that your vote doesn't matter. It's not new. It's one of the oldest voter suppression tactics there is. What is new is a growing movement for justice, equality and progress on so many issues. This is really a tipping point. And that momentum only continues if we win this election. In times as polarized as these, your vote doesn't just matter; it matters more than ever before.</s>KING: Joining the conversation our Senior Political Reporter, Nia- Malika Henderson and CNN's Jeff Zeleny who is in Philadelphia where we'll see President Obama later today. Nia-Malika Henderson, we'll start with you, because again some Democrats look at this, they're haunted by 2016, they say what, looks great. But it also looked great four years ago. But other Democrats given the money advantage, given the fact that the president is still trying to lock down his base, they look at this map and they think there's a blowout possibility. Not probability but at least possibility.</s>NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: I think that's right. I was just texting with a democrat who was saying that very thing, that a blowout is possible but also saying it's not something they would ever say out loud or publicly. They don't want to telegraph such confidence because of what happened last go round. And they do see some tightening in some of these polls as well internally, particularly in these battleground states. But listen, this is a different campaign than we saw in 2016 from Democrats. A ton of money, a ton of close races and a different candidate in Donald Trump, somebody who doesn't really have a vision for the country in the way that he did have a vision for the country in 2016, that was based on economics and what he would do in terms of immigration and the wall. There isn't a kind of build the wall mantra from this president this go-round. So you've got Democrats feeling like they are in a good position and feeling like they are on offense in a way that they weren't necessarily in 2016.</s>KING: The way you turn, Jeff, opportunity into victory is through turnout. I'm going to switch maps. Because you're in the great City of Philadelphia today and President Obama will be there, the former president to help with the turnout. If you look, Pennsylvania, we all know this because we lived it. It went from blue to red. One of the reasons it went from blue to red is, even if you come down in Philadelphia, yes, Hilary Clinton won and won convincingly in Philadelphia, but the raw numbers, the raw numbers were down from 2012 and from 2008, in part because of African-American turnout. I could go and show you this in Detroit, I could go and show is this in Milwaukee, I could go and show you this in North Carolina. How important is President Obama to get African-Americans and suburban voters to turn out in higher numbers, which is, again, how you take the opportunity they have right now and actually turn it into victory?</s>JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: John, it's critically important. That is why Barack Obama is starting his campaign push here in Philadelphia, trying to reach out specifically to African-American men, to younger voters as well, and, of course, suburban women. But particularly those who may not be as enthused about Joe Biden, but certainly do not necessarily like the president. So the point here is the 20 electoral votes in the State of Pennsylvania if Joe Biden wins those that are one big block for Donald Trump in terms of his path to 270. At this point in the race it's about the path to 270. So that is why Barack Obama is starting here. He wants to recreate some of that excitement from 2008, from his re- election in 2012 as well. There was not nearly as much fall off among African-American voters here in Philadelphia as there was in Detroit and Milwaukee, but they could certainly have more turnout. So that is why Barack Obama is here, no question. But it's a big test for his appeal as well. He pretty much has a winning streak in terms of his own races. But in races he's not been on the ballot in 2016 and the midterms of 2010 and 2014, he's not done as well.</s>ZELENY: So it's difficult to transfer your popularity, even when you're Barack Obama in a Democratic Party, onto someone else like Joe Biden. But that's why he's starting here and he's targeting black voters and young voters who need to be just a little bit more excited about Joe Biden.</s>KING: It's an excellent point. Nia-Malika Henderson, let's stay in Philadelphia for a minute, because a lot of people do think if there's not this blow out scenario, if it does get close at the end, that Pennsylvania, this 20 Electoral votes would be the difference. The president at a rally yesterday up in Erie, Pennsylvania, we can go back in time and go back to 2012 and you see Erie is blue, this is one of the tests in this campaign, right? One of the places that voted for Barack Obama and then switched to vote for Donald Trump, listen to the president in Erie. Again, he has a difficult challenge. The countries in the middle of the pandemic, the case count is getting worse at the moment, and the president wants to convince enough voters in the right places all is fine.</s>TRUMP: We're rounding the turn on the pandemic. Normal life, that's all we want. You know what we want, normal life. It's a choice between our plan to kill the virus or Biden's plan to kill the American dream.</s>KING: So I switch maps as we're in the sound bite there. Because if you're Donald Trump and you want to change this map, you need this debate tomorrow night to convince the American people we're in a good place in the pandemic. If you're Joe Biden, you've prosecuted the case against the president saying the reason this looks so good right now is because most voters think the president has mishandled this pandemic. This debate tomorrow night given this state of the race is enormous for both of these gentlemen.</s>HENDERSON: You're exactly right. And I think the question for Donald Trump is a "90 Minute" debate in front of millions and millions of Americans, who have in many ways not only made their mind up about this election, made their mind up about this president's handling of COVID, that is the audience. Can he turn that around in just 90 minutes given what we've seen from this president over the last seven or eight months? It's an enormous challenge. I think, again, it's only 90 minutes. We know what the subjects are going to be. Any range of issues, I think he's going to use it to really try to introduce some of the conspiracy theories he believes in about Hunter Biden into this debate. But again, that's very much off topic from where the masses of Americans are in terms of his failures, not only in terms of COVID, but also in terms of character. So we'll see what he does last night. But my goodness, it is a heavy, heavy lift for this president and Joe Biden in a fairly good position. He did well in the last debate, did well in his Town Hall. And at least according to the map right now is on course to rebuild that blue wall that crumbled in 2016.</s>KING: And so Jeff, here we are 13 days out, and there are two pieces of any campaign. Number one, the most important are the candidates. And as Nia notes, they will debate tomorrow night in the final debate. It's hard to understate the importance of that, that's the candidates. Then it comes down to the campaigns, and the mechanics of the campaigns. And again when you have this map up, I just want to take a look at this. If you come up and look at this right now, in addition to Joe Biden having more money than Donald Trump, addition to the Democratic Campaign Committee is having more money than the Republicans. Michael Bloomberg is going to spend $100 million in Florida, Priorities USA, Democratic Super Pac $75 million spending in the general election, Future Forward spending $102 million on Biden plus Texas and Maine Senate races. Democratic challengers in eight key races outraised their Republican opponents for senate races in Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Maine, Montana, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The money advantage the Democrats have going into the final days is one of the reasons they think, not just for president, but for Senate, House, state legislatures they have a golden opportunity. The question is can they finish?</s>ZELENY: That is the question. And money certainly is a sign of enthusiasm. There's no question about it. These Democratic Senate candidates who are challenging in these Republican incumbents, they did not expect to have this massive financial advantage. John, is it going to pay off in every race? Probably not. Democrats would have to run the table through some very red states like South Carolina, even some states like Iowa and Maine it's difficult to unseat an entrenched incumbent. But Democrats certainly are driving this in terms of having all of the advantages after --. So that is one of the reasons that Democrats usually about this time of year they start to worry about complacency. So that is one of the things that they are talking about behind the scenes. You have to get every vote out here. Republicans are about as glum as I can recall them in several weeks John, in talking to several Republican officials particularly in senate races. They do not like this direction largely because of what the president is talking about. He's not talking about the economy; he's not focusing on that. He's still trying to say, oh, the Coronavirus is fine. What the reality is, everyone is living this in their own lives. So after the debate tomorrow night, it is one more chance for the president to try and redirect this to the topic on the economy.</s>ZELENY: But John, millions and millions and millions of more voters will have already cast ballots by the time those two men come on the debate stage.</s>KING: That's a very important point. Some people say 30, maybe 40 percent of the votes already cast by the time that happens. We'll keep counting and as it plays out. Jeff Zeleny and Nia-Malika Henderson, grateful for the reporting and the insights. Up next for us back to the coronavirus, Boston schools going all remote as COVID-19 cases in the city climb.

Policy Spotlight: Biden's Tax Plan For Americans; What Happened To All Of Trump's Campaign Cash?; Melania Trump Canceled First Campaign Appearance As She Recovers From COVID

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Restructuring America's tax code and making the wealthy pay their share. It's a campaign play that Biden hopes will actually energize his supporters as President Trump moves to weaponize it. Rapper 50 Cent, clearly not a fan of Biden's proposal, is tweeting his outrage at the top tax bracket produced by the Democrat and he's endorsing Trump instead. CNN's Christine Romans explains who will really feel the impact under a Biden tax plan.</s>CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Brianna, Joe Biden wants to raise taxes on the super-rich. He wants to roll back 2017 tax cuts for businesses and reward companies that bring jobs and production back to the U.S. Here is what it looks like. A top federal tax rate of 39.6 percent. It would mean higher taxes for people making over $400,000 a year. The very rich also would pay Social Security taxes on income above 400 grand, capped now at $47,400. The corporate tax rate rises to 28 percent from 21 percent. That's still below the 35 percent corporate rate before the president's tax reform. He proposes a minimum tax on foreign profits and a 10 percent tax credit for investments that reopen closed plants here. Now, for families, Biden wants to expand the child tax credit and restore first-time home buyers' credit. And vows not to raise taxes on anyone making under $400,000 a year. Conservative economists argue that taxing the super wealthy and taxing companies could trickle down to middle-class workers if companies spend or hire less. But the Tax Policy Center forecasts, under the Biden plan, the richest households would see substantial tax increases, tax burdens would fall for the poorest Americans. And by 2022, the expansion of the child tax credit would cut taxes for everyone in the middle -- Brianna?</s>KEILAR: Christine, thank you for that. Where did all of President Trump's campaign cash go? He's been raising money for his re-election bid since 2017, yet coffers dwarfed by Democrats. Biden and the DNC are holding north of $430 million and spent nearly $200 million on ads in September alone. As for Trump and the RNC, $251 million cash on hand. And they were outspent on ads last month by more than double according to FEC filings. Mark McKinnon is a former adviser to George Bush and John McCain and the creator and co-host of showtime's "The Circus." Mark, it's great to see you. I wonder, if you were on Trump's election campaign, how worried you would be about the gap between Trump and Biden. Is this worrisome?</s>MARK MCKINNON, FORMER POLITICAL ADVISER TO GEORGE BUSH AND JOHN MCCAIN & CREATOR AND CO-HOST, "THE CIRCUS": Sure it's worrisome. The fact the incumbent has less money than the challenger is where -- I'm not sure that's ever happened. As my colleague and friend, Mike Murphy, said, you could give a monkey a flame thrower and it would be more efficient in a pile of cash.</s>KEILAR: Well, I mean, all right. So when you look at what they have done, do you feel like they have just been burning money, like lighting it on fire then?</s>MCKINNON: Yes, I do. They spent exorbitant amounts of money, early on, on a lot of extravagant plays, like the Super Bowl, spending tons of money really early when -- this is the time when you need to be pressing for the advantage in a race that could arguably be very close. What you want to have is all your maximum impact in the last 20 days of the election. Last thing you want, to be outspent 3-1, some cases 5-1 by the challenger.</s>KEILAR: How does that happen that they blew so much money early? They weren't strategic about it? Was there a sense they had so much money they had money to burn --</s>MCKINNON: Sure. It --</s>KEILAR: -- or do you think this is political misjudgment.</s>MCKINNON: It's classic incumbent fever. A lot of this was pre-COVID, in the sense that people thought, we're incumbent, we have a strong economy, pretty good shape. We're raising a lot of money now. They made the assumption, having raised a lot of money then, they would continue to raise money without realizing they could get into a false situation where, suddenly, the strategic calculations changed considerably, largely because of COVID. At a time when you needed more cash than ever, you have less cash than you need.</s>KEILAR: I wonder what you think of the president in the homestretch. He should be making his pitch to voters for what he wants to do with another four years. And yet, it seems like he's just airing grievances, attacking everyone and everything. I wonder how you would describe what he's doing. I'm not going to call it a strategy. I wonder what you describe what is, this behavior he's exhibiting.</s>MCKINNON: I call it impulse. That's what Donald Trump does, all by instinct and impulse. Here is the problem. The last thing Donald Trump wanted the last 20 days to be is a referendum on COVID and how he's handling it. And part of the strategic problem is he's doing what he always does, and goes to as a natural instinct, which is huge rallies and people are turning out. That's part of the problem. A lot of these rallies are in states where COVID is spiking. So all the local stories there are going to be leading with the idea that Trump has come to town at a time when COVID is spiking, having huge rallies where people are not socially distancing, very few wearing masks. So not only is it not helping Trump, it's hurting Trump when he goes to those states and holds rallies where COVID is a problem.</s>KEILAR: He's going and he's not accompanied by his wife. First lady, Melania Trump, has canceled what would have been her first appearance on the campaign trail. And her team says it's because she's still recovering from COVID. How bad is that for him?</s>MCKINNON: That's really bad. That emphasizes the worst part of the story, which is COVID is a problem. In fact, it's such a problem that his wife who contracted, as did he, is still suffering symptoms from it and unable to come out and campaign with him. He goes to those states. What's the big story? Where is Melania? Well, she's back at the White House suffering from COVID because the president hasn't done a good enough job protecting people during this health crisis. It's a problem.</s>KEILAR: It is a problem. Mark, before we go, any predictions for what we're going to see in the final almost two weeks, under two weeks now?</s>MCKINNON: Well, listen, the last and best chance Donald Trump has to change the equation -- pretty tough at this point -- but this third debate arguably is more important than the others. Because, normally, a third debate would be -- we've seen a couple already. We know the first one was a train wreck. The second was canceled. Everybody knows this is the last chance, including Donald Trump. You know he's going to do something dramatic. He'll throw deep. The question is what he does. The one thing he could do, which is unlikely, is surprise people. We're probably going to get what we expect from Donald Trump. But the interesting thing, you know, there will be mute buttons on the microphones. It will be interesting to see how Donald Trump handles that.</s>KEILAR: Interesting. There may be a mute button but he'll still be speaking so how does that play out?</s>MCKINNON: I have a feeling that will be the case. I have a feeling he'll be screaming over the microphone.</s>KEILAR: Exactly. We may not hear that at home but certainly hear it at the debate, which could be problematic for Joe Biden. Mark, we'll be watching along with you. Mark McKinnon, thank you.</s>MCKINNON: Thank you.</s>KEILAR: Just in, two new studies on a rise of COVID in children and also how black patients are more likely to be hospitalized than whites. Plus, Boston schools are now reversing on their in-person reopening. Hear why. And the Louisville officer involved in the raid that led to the death of Breonna Taylor is speaking out for the first time about race, the raid, and why Breonna Taylor did not have to die.

Update On Coronavirus Responses Across The Country

KEILAR: Two and a half million years of life. That is what the coronavirus has cost Americans, according to Harvard University researchers who calculated the life expectancy rates for many in this country who died from the virus. Roughly half of those years lost were taken from middle-aged Americans, those in 40s, 50s, 60s, who, prior to the pandemic, had decades of life ahead of them. His research has not yet been peer reviewed or published in a medical journal. For more coronavirus headlines, let's check in with our CNN correspondents.</s>ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Elizabeth Cohen in Atlanta. A new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children's Hospital Association shows a 13 percent jump in the number of children with COVID from October 1st through October 15th. That's a jump from about 657,000 children to 741,000. Now children do tend to stay healthier with COVID when you look at hospitalizations. Children represent only between 1 percent and 3 percent of hospitalizations depending on the state.</s>JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: I'm Jacqueline Howard in Atlanta. The coronavirus pandemic continues to hit the black community hard. A new study finds black COVID-19 patients are more likely to be hospitalized than white patients are. There's a 1.7-fold difference. The study found no significant difference when it came to ICU admissions or deaths, although other previous research has. The new study included data more than 5,000 people tested for COVID-19 in Michigan. And the researchers call for more investment in testing and prevention efforts across racially diverse communities.</s>KEILAR: All right. Thank you so much for those reports. President Trump abruptly ending an interview with "60 Minutes" and he's now threatening to release it himself. Threatening but he hasn't yet. Plus, cracks emerge in the coronavirus task force at the White House. And a Louisville police officer involved in the Breonna Taylor case says what could have been done differently that would have saved her life.

Officer Involved In Breonna Taylor Raid Speaks Out For First Time; Grand Juror Says They Were Not Given Opportunity To Consider Homicide Charges Against Officers.

KEILAR: A Louisville police officers is speaking out about the March raid that cost Breonna Taylor her life. Sergeant Jonathan Mattingly, one of the officers involved, appeared for the first time in an interview with "The Courier Journal" and ABC News. He says the shooting had, quote, "nothing to do with race."</s>SGT. JONATHAN MATTINGLY, LOUISVILLE POLICE OFFICER: This is not relatable to George Floyd. This is nothing like it. It's not Ahmaud Arbery. It's nothing like it. It's not a race thing like people want to make it to be. It's not. This was a point where we were doing our job and returned fire. This is not us hunting somebody down. This is not kneeling on a neck. This is nothing like that.</s>KEILAR: This is as we are learning from an anonymous member of the grand jury, they were not given the opportunity to consider homicide charges against the officers in Breonna Taylor's case. CNN Legal Analyst, Laura Coates, is joining me now. I want to know what your reaction is to the officer saying that, that this this isn't like George Floyd, not like Ahmaud Arbery, that they were fired upon and returned fire. Do you see it that way?</s>LAURA COATES, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: The most obvious distinction is Ahmaud Arbery, who died from people who were engaged in a perverse form of vigilante justice. The common denominator is about the power dynamic, about information that's given, much like the cases -- though George Floyd is an anomaly in the sense that the officers being fired right away. You have both the prosecution and the investigators having cement blocks for feet, Brianna, about the delay in information, about the type of information that was given, and ultimately about the type of conclusions that could be drawn. Here is an officer is trying to draw a distinction. But you cannot look at the case in a vacuum and exclude the conversation on race when the power dynamics at play were very evident. We only have a charge for shooting a wall, not for killing a black woman.</s>KEILAR: Charges for wanton endangerment have to do with another officer whose bullets went into an adjacent apartment. They don't have to do with Breonna Taylor. Sergeant Mattingly discussed how he remembered approaching Breonna Taylor's home with other officers.</s>MATTINGLY: After the first bang, nothing happened. I banged again. I yelled, "police, search warrant, police search warrant." You're yelling this.</s>UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: How many times?</s>MATTINGLY: Probably three times with each bang. There was a total of six bangs, six different knocks at the door while we're doing this.</s>KEILAR: That's something that stands out to what -- in contrast to what Breonna Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, said. He said he didn't hear police, notifying it was police. There was only, it appears, there's only one other witness hearing police notifying it was police, and they only ahead it once. What do you make of what you heard from the officer?</s>COATES: Remember, this is supposed to be a no-knock announce warrant, where you're supposed to go into to avoid people from confiscated material or to have a surprise attack. He's now saying this was not a no-knock warrant and he alerted multiple times. That's in contrast just to Breonna Taylor's boyfriend, but to multiple witnesses. If you recall, in September, we were sitting here watching as Daniel Cameron, the A.G. in Kentucky, talked about this, and said you have one witness who said they may have heard something, but multiple witnesses saying they never heard a thing. The person who was in the room when Breonna Taylor was shot also did not hear it, which is why he fired the warning shot out of fear for his life. This if the kind of inconsistency that undermines the credibility of the entire investigation. It needs to be rectified in some manner.</s>KEILAR: Unfortunately, there's no body camera footage that could corroborate what he's saying. He talked about body cameras and what could have been done differently. Let's listen to that part.</s>UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Do you believe if you had body cameras, this wouldn't have happened?</s>MATTINGLY: No. The incident would have still happened, but it would have been shown on camera what happened. This wouldn't even be an issue. This wouldn't be a case. You would never hear about it. Michael Strahan would never have known about this case if we had cameras on.</s>UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: How would you have done it differently, if you could have?</s>MATTINGLY: We would either served the no-knock warrant or we would have done the normal thing we do, which is five to 10 seconds to not give people time to formulate a plan or give people time to get their senses so they have an idea of what they're doing. If that had happened -- I'm telling you, if that had happened, Breonna Taylor would have been alive.</s>KEILAR: What do you think about that, what he said about body cameras?</s>COATES: First of all, body cameras would have been instructive and would have illustrated what happened. Oftentimes, officers look to have body cameras to justify their behavior and explain to the public what actually happened to resolve an issue of self-defense or justify shooting allegations. But, of course, here, what he tells you is there was a departure from normal protocol. We know that by virtue that one of the officers charged with endangerment of the neighbors was already released and let go early in the investigation. Because he disregarded the training and the protocol that is in place about shooting blindly and indiscriminately. But ultimately, here, you have the discussion whether or not there was a justifiable and a holistic approach to the prosecutor's detailing the evidence in front of a grand jury. What does the grand jurors have available to them at the time they made the decisions of whether to charge or even pursue or contemplate homicide charges? We're learning it was never even presented, body cam footage or not.</s>KEILAR: Laura, thank you so much.</s>COATES: Of course.</s>KEILAR: As medical experts warn that the country is a week away from seeing a rapid acceleration of the virus, a number of officials on the White House Coronavirus Task Force are breaking with or contradicting the president. We're going to roll the tape, ahead.

Boston Public Schools Suspend All In-Person Learning; Cracks Emerge In Troubled White House Coronavirus Task Force

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Just in, the city of Boston has suspended all in-person learning citing a surge in new coronavirus cases. Starting tomorrow, all public-school instruction will be remote. CNN's Bianna Golodryga has the latest.</s>BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Boston public schools announced today that due to rising COVID-19 cases in the city and in support of efforts to contain the spread, all students will shift to remote learning effective tomorrow. The city's seven-day average of the COVID-19 positivity test rate was reported at 5.7 percent. That's an increase from 4.5 percent last week. The bad news is students will remain in remote learning until at least two full weeks of falling infection rates. The city's mayor, Marty Walsh, saying: "We have said, all along we will only provide in-person learning for students if the data and public health guidance supports it. This new data shows we are trending in the wrong direction." This decision, we should say, was also made in consultation with public health officials. The city's superintendent tweeted this earlier as well: "I'm disheartened having to close schools to our highest-need students. I often say it's the adults that create for environments where children success. We must do better. Please wear a mask, avoid large gatherings and stay home if sick so we can bring our children back to school." This comes just one day after the mayor of New York City was citing that there was a low positivity rate. Just 28 positive cases out of 16,000 in New York City that were tested. So clearly, a case of two cities, one doing relatively well thus far, the other saying the rates are going up too quickly to reopen schools.</s>KEILAR: Bianna Golodryga, thanks so much. Last week, we asked: Where's the White House Coronavirus Task Force? As an ensemble, they have all but disappeared, even though the virus is surging in America. Individually, it's not that often we heard from all the members. But in the last few days, there have been some notable appearances, including some where they've contradicted the president. First, the surgeon general, Jerome Adams. Today, he tweeted out a warning that, "Herd immunity isn't an option, that large numbers of people will die, overwhelm hospitals, and lead to countless complications." That goes against the dangerous theory pushed by the president's favorite task force member, Dr. Scott Atlas, a theory that the president appears to be embracing. The surgeon general isn't the only task member pushing back on herd immunity.</s>ALEX AZAR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: No, that's not our policy. It's a desire through vaccination to get to herd immunity, but it may be an outcome of all those steps. But the desire is reduced cases, reduced cases, reduced hospitalizations, reduced fatalities.</s>KEILAR: That's Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. As the president blames testing for the rapid spread of the virus, Azar highlighted the real reason the U.S. is seeing a surge.</s>AZAR: Cases are increasing. We're seeing this happening because we're getting colder weather, and we're losing that natural social distancing that happens from being out of doors.</s>KEILAR: Azar also responded to the president's indoor event in Ft. Myers, Florida, where he spoke to seniors, who are, of course, the most vulnerable in this pandemic.</s>AZAR: I wish everybody there would have worn face coverings and maintained social distance.</s>KEILAR: We mentioned Atlas, who this weekend completely dismissed masks and their effectiveness at slowing the spread. Well, CNN reports that Dr. Deborah Birx was relieved that Twitter removed the dangerous message because it violated their policy of posting false and harmful information. "The Washington Post" is reporting that she wants Atlas off the task force, a request she took to the office of Vice President Mike Pence, who has declined to intervene in at least in one recent disagreement, according to "The Post," when Atlas was pushing anti-science. Another task force member, Dr. Steven Hahn, has recently been successful in bucking the White House's pressure to rush the vaccine process, establishing guidelines to ensure its safety. And of course, there's Dr. Fauci, the most vocal and blunt member of the task force, and not coincidentally the one most in the president's crosshairs. Here's what Fauci said about herd immunity.</s>DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES: There will be so many people in the community that you can't shelter, that you can't protect, who will get sick and have serious consequences. This idea that we have the power to protect the vulnerable is total nonsense. You'll wind up with many more infections of vulnerable people, which will lead to hospitalizations and death. So I think that we've just got look that square in the eye and say it's nonsense.</s>KEILAR: Here's what Fauci said about the Trump campaign using a clip of him out of context to insinuate he's endorsing Trump's coronavirus response in a campaign ad.</s>FAUCI: I do not and nor will I ever publicly endorse any political candidate. Here I am, they're sticking me right in the middle of a campaign ad, which I thought was outrageous. I was referring to something entirely different. I was referring to the grueling work of the task force that, god, we were knocking ourselves out seven days a week. I don't think we could have possibly done any more than that.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did the steam start to come out of your ears?</s>FAUCI: Oh, it did. Quite frankly, I got really ticked off.</s>KEILAR: Fauci also speaking out on the president's super-spreader events.</s>FAUCI: When I saw that on TV, I said, oh, my goodness, nothing good can come out of that. That's got to be a problem. Sure enough, it turned out to be a super-spreader event.</s>KEILAR: And here is Dr. Fauci quoting "The Godfather" in response to the president calling him a "disaster" and an "idiot."</s>FAUCI (voice-over): It's like in "The Godfather," nothing personal, strictly business.</s>FAUCI: As far I'm concerned --</s>FAUCI: -- you know, I just want to do my job and take care of the people in this country. That's all I want to do.</s>KEILAR: Some members of the task force have said the administration made mistakes. Dr. Fauci has highlighted early testing failures. CDC Director, Robert Redfield, admitted this summer that the administration focused on coronavirus coming from China and they missed the threat that Europe posed, allowing the virus to travel from Europe and cause the biggest surges in U.S. cases. Dr. Birx said the U.S. underestimated how much young people would spread the virus. But here's what the president said yesterday to the "America This Week" Sinclair TV host.</s>ERIC BOLLING, SINCLAIR TV HOST, "AMERICA THIS WEEK": Is there anything you think you could have done? If you had a mulligan or a do-over on one aspect of the way you handled it, what would it be?</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Not much.</s>KEILAR: Even a friendly host was compelled to ask Trump what he would do differently. This weekend, on "Meet the Press," Dr. Michael Osterholm, a leading epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota, said, quote, "The next six to 12 weeks are going to be the darkest of the pandemic." Consider that. The government's coronavirus response has been a historical failure, one the president appears just fine with repeating. And with just 13 days to go until Election Day, there's new CNN reporting showing what the Trump administration is focusing on. Plus, a disturbing claim that parents separated from 545 children at the border are still missing.

Trump Team Pushes For Foreign Policy Wins In Final Sprint

KEILAR: With just 13 days to go, President Trump is running out of time to shore up support and boost his chances of a second term. With that in mind, his administration is going all in on foreign policy, working hard to secure international victories in this final stretch. CNN's National Security Correspondent, Vivian Salama, is joining me right now. Tell us, Vivian, what are the administration's key foreign policy initiatives?</s>VIVIAN SALAMA, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Brianna. That's right. Essentially, the Trump administration publicly is going out there, putting on an optimistic face for what's going to happen 13 days from now. But privately, they acknowledge that it's anyone's race. One of the strategies moving forward in these last couple of weeks has been to really push a few foreign policy initiatives in the hope of maybe grabbing a few undecided voters at the last minutes. Republicans still traditionally do care about foreign policy issues. It's always been a big issue. In the 2016 race, the battle against ISIS and immigration where some of the things that President Trump was really pushing towards the end. It really resonated with a lot of his voters. This time around, a of couple last-minute initiatives. And we have a full screen to show you a couple of them we've talking about. One of them, he's been talking to Russia, really trying to push through a nuclear deal, an extension of an existing nuclear deal, to be exact, in the weeks to come. Even though originally he had wanted China to get involved with that, they've completely done away with that notion. They have also made a lot of concessions in their talks with China, trying to get that last-minute deal before the election. You also have a couple of last-minute crackdowns on China and other efforts, including trying to push through arms deal with Taiwan, something that really gets under Beijing's skin. And finally, he also announced just this week that he was looking to take Sudan off the state-sponsored terrorism list. That's significant. Because we know we've been trying to normalize relations with Israel. We know the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain already did so in the last six to eight weeks. And now he's trying to get Sudan under the radar right before - right before the election, he's trying to get Sudan in there, too. So he's granted them some concessions as well. Now, Brianna, again, there's so much going on that a lot of viewers would saying, will this even matter. But something like normalizing relations with Israel, that does resonate with a lot of evangelical voters, especially. And a lot of old, traditional Republicans will actually look to the Russian nuclear talks. A lot of that stuff resonates with them. They look back to the days of the Cold War. Any effort to sort of scale back and keep Russia in check does resonate with a lot the more traditional Republicans. So the administration knows it's a long shot but they're hoping those few extra voters that are undecided in these 13 days might come toward Trump in the weeks to come.</s>KEILAR: Certainly, look, he's got this role that Joe Biden does not have right now. He's an incumbent. So he has some of these levers when it comes to foreign policy. Vivian Salama, thank you so much. Just in, there is new reporting on first lady Melania Trump's unprecedented absence from the campaign trail as she's recovering from the coronavirus. Plus, more than 500 children still have not been reunited with their parents after the Trump administration's policy of separating families at the border. The Justice Department saying in a court filing they simply cannot find them.

Parents Of 545 Children Separated At Border Still Missing.

KEILAR: The parents of 545 children separated at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2017 are still missing, according to a court filing from the Justice Department and the American Civil Liberties Union. These separations happened under a pilot program, so they were excluded from a federal ruling that ordered the families torn apart by the Trump administration's zero-tolerance policy be reunited. Deputy director of the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project, Lee Gelernt, who has been leading the litigation, is with us now. Lee, why has it been so hard to find the parents of these kids. Have they been deported? What are the outcomes for them? Do you even know?</s>LEE GELERNT, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, IMMIGRANTS' RIGHTS PROJECT, ACLU: Yes, the parents have largely been deported without their children. There are a couple of reasons why we haven't found these families. The first is the government hid this collection of families from us. When we initially got an injunction in June of 2018, the government were us there were 2,800 families that had been separated. We contacted all those families. But subsequently, about seven months later, the government -- we found out not through the government what hid the additional kids from us in the court, but through an HHS watchdog report that there may have been thousands of other children separated right in the beginning of the Trump administration. We went to court and said, what's going on, we need a list of these families. The court, like us, was astounded that the government had not come forward with these additional separations. The government was ordered to give us the names of the families. They said they needed two years to give us the names of the families. It's not to find the families. Two years to give us the names of the families because they candidly admitted they didn't keep track of the families. The court said, no, we're not giving you two years just to give the ACLU the list of the names. You give them on a rolling basis within six months. By the time we got these families, it was very, very late in the day. That's the first problem. The second problem is that the information the government gave us, the contact information, was largely stale at that point. So while we found some families through phone calls, we've had to go on the ground with our partners looking for these families town to town. That's the second problem. The third problem is we were making some progress with that on-the- ground search and then COVID hit --</s>KEILAR: Yes.</s>GELERNT: -- and the search had to be halted for a few months. We are now slowly picking up that search. But the main problem is the government didn't come forward with all these names. And the court said, of course, these are part of the case. Just because it was a pilot program doesn't mean what you want to call it --</s>KEILAR: That's right. These are kids who are not reunited with their parents. And some of them at the time they were separated were babies. So what kind of difficulty does that create in all of this?</s>GELERNT: Yes, you're absolutely right to point that out. Many of these children, many were babies, under five years old, many were under 10. So what the medical community has told us, and what I've seen through the litigation, is that even once they are reunited, they will continue to suffer trauma and that trauma may be irreparable. These children who now feel so scared and vulnerable. When I talked to the mother of a four-year-old, one of the first families we got united, the mother of the four-year-old keeps asking, are they going to come and take me away again in the middle of the night. The other problem is, even though we find them and reunite them in the U.S., the Trump administration is still trying to deport the families. We would hope that, if there's a Biden administration, the Biden administration would say these families have been through horrific, horrific ordeals and we're going to allow them to stay in the country, that we should not compound the horror by deporting them.</s>KEILAR: Lee Gelernt, thank you so much for coming on to discuss this. We really appreciate it.</s>GELERNT: Thank you for having me.</s>KEILAR: We have more breaking news. A volunteer in the AstraZeneca vaccine trial has died. But we're told the trial will not stop because of this. We have some new details ahead.

Coronavirus Cases Surge As Election Day Nears

JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everybody. Top of the hour. I'm John King in Washington. Thank you for sharing a very busy news day with us. It is a crowded campaign trail today. The president is in North Carolina. So is the Democratic Vice-Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris. Vice President Mike Pence making stops in both New Hampshire and in battleground Ohio. Even in the coronavirus campaign, the travel reflects the urgency of the calendar. 13 days now until Election Day and potentially defining debate tomorrow night. The coronavirus will again be a central topic. We know from reams and reams of polling data. Americans look harshly on the president's pandemic leadership. But last night this was his attempt to recapture the pandemic narrative and to reframe your November choice.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our plan to kill the virus or Biden's plan to kill the American dream.</s>KING: The hope there in the president's words is that in these final 13 days, you will somehow forget the past seven painful months and that you will ignore today's sober reality. Two horrifying COVID-19 peaks behind us, now the United States staring down a third climb. Tuesday, 60,000 plus new cases. That is the highest single day total for Tuesday since the end of July. The daily average of new cases right now just below 60,000. This hour, zero states trending in the right direction, zero. Deaths ticked up on Tuesday too, to 933 American lives lost. The pattern over the pandemic, we all know it. It's the deaths leg cases which makes it less likely that jump yesterday was just a blip. But rounding the turn is the president's constant coronavirus refrain. Back to normal is coming soon, he says. Dr. Fauci this morning says reality though is very different.</s>DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES (via telephone): Unfortunately, we've plateaued again to about 40,000 to 50,000 cases a day, and as we're getting into the cooler weather, we're getting more and more cases. So, this looks like we're going to have a very difficult fall and winter.</s>KING: Let's look at the numbers behind that sober assessment from Dr. Fauci here. And if you look at the state-by-state map, what's missing? Green is missing. Green means down. There is no green on this map. Red and orange are bad. 26 states trending up. More new coronavirus infections now in 26 states than a week ago. That's trending in the wrong direction. The beige are states holding steady, 24 holding steady right now. So, 26 trending in the wrong direction. 24 trending water. No states. No states right now reporting fewer infections this week compared to the data last week. That is not a good map. That's why Dr. Fauci has that sober message. In fact, three states deciding to impose new restrictions, Illinois, New Mexico and Washington state. It's interesting. Washington state, you see is holding steady. The governor still wants to impose new restrictions even though the positivity rate right there is pretty low. New Mexico is in deep red. That means 50 percent more new cases this week compared to last week. 50 percent or more. Illinois also trending up. New restrictions there. Here is the case line that reminds us a, of our history and b, of what trouble could lie ahead. Again, 60,000 cases plus yesterday. Let's just walk through this a little bit. Remember, the president said this would disappear back in April. That is here. The vice president said it would be largely behind us by Memorial Day. That is here. No, more than 80 percent of the infections in the United States have happened since after Memorial Day. And you see here, up for the summer. The horrific summer surge just draw it out. We're heading back. You thought the summer was horrible. It's inevitable. We're going to reach that peak in the days ahead as the case count goes up. If this was horrible, what comes in the fall and the winter. That is what Dr. Fauci is talking about when he talks about the trends. Here's another trend that we hope. We hope the number yesterday is wrong, meaning not the beginning of a trend, just a bad day. 933 Americans dying from COVID yesterday. You see the blue line. It had been below 1,000. All of the models and projections say giving the caseload we have, that is going to trend back up. We hope that's not the case, but that number tells you we need to keep an eye on that in the days and weeks ahead. Something else to watch is hospitalizations. Again, the peak of the summer surge, you see the line down. Now starting to go back up. With all those cases, you get hospitalizations, death follows that. We've been through this cycle sadly before. And we will watch it. Here's what tells you we will have more cases today, more cases tomorrow and more cases into the foreseeable future. 14 states have a positivity rate, 14 states above 10 percent. And look, 17 and 18 in Alabama and Mississippi, 52 - 52 percent in Iowa, 36 percent South Dakota, 35 percent Wyoming, 29 percent in Idaho, 21 percent Nevada. Look at the high double-digit positivity rate. That means more cases today and the more likelihood more people will be infected tomorrow. 14 states with a positivity rate over 10 percent. If you're keeping count, 11 of those 14 have Republican governors. And it's just a fact many of these governors have been less reluctant to use government power for things like mask mandates. Fourteen states above 10 percent. That means a lot of community spread. And it means Dr. Fauci once again saying, please, get back to the fundamentals.</s>FAUCI: There are some fundamental ways to prevent the acquisition and transmission of SARS coronavirus 2. I have repeated this so many times publicly, but I think it's worth repeating now. The universal wearing of masks or cloth-faced coverings, maintaining physical distance at least six feet, avoiding crowds and congregate settings, particularly indoors. Remember that outdoor functions are always safer than indoor functions. And frequent washing of hands is important.</s>KING: Joining us now is our CNN medical analyst and chief clinical officer at Providence health system, Dr. Amy Compton-Phillips. Dr. Compton-Phillips, grateful for your time today. You hear Dr. Fauci there. You just watched me go through the numbers and you just see above 60,000 cases, heading up toward a third peak. It appears inevitable to me that we're going to surpass the summer numbers. Is there any way that that's wrong?</s>DR. AMY COMPTON-PHILLIPS, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: We have to do an about- face and start doing exactly what Dr. Fauci said. You know, unfortunately, we have this kind of libertarian belief that we don't have to do what the science says. But if we do, we save lives and it's so simple. It's not hard to wear a cloth face mask. It's not hard to stand further apart from people and it's not hard to wash your hands. And so, I would implore people to do that. And we don't have to go back to not only where we were this summer but likely even worse.</s>KING: And yet - and yet as you and I have had this conversation and we sadly had it too many times over the past seven months. You have the president at these rallies and interviews, and on Twitter saying Dr. Fauci is a Democrat. Dr. Fauci is not to be listened to. Dr. Fauci and the people who talk like him are idiots, those are the president of the United States' words. And the doctor we know he listens to most right now, Dr. Scott Atlas, who is a radiologist, says this about Dr. Fauci.</s>DR. SCOTT ATLAS, WHITE HOUSE CORONAVIRUS TASK FORCE MEMBER: I don't speak for Dr. Fauci at all. He's one - he's just one person on the task force. There are several people on the task force you know. And his background is virology immunology infectious disease. That's his approach. It's a very different background. It's a more limited approach. No, And, you know, I don't speak for him.</s>KING: Can you help me with the lunacy of that? Dr. Atlas, who is a radiologist, not infectious disease expert, says of Dr. Fauci, his background is in virology, immunology and infectious disease. It's a very different background. It's a more limited approach. It's a more limited approach. No, it's expertise in the very areas we're dealing with right now, right?</s>COMPTON-PHILLIPS: It is exactly expertise. You know, people in immunology, people in epidemiology, the people from the CDC, trained for this their entire lives. This is the moment we should be letting them shine. Letting them take point in this and not depend on people who study X-rays, you know, which is exactly what radiologists do, or business school, which is really important for most of the time. But at a point when the problem with the economy is a virus, let's let people who know how to control the virus get the economy back on its feet by making sure that we can get this contagion under control.</s>KING: And let me ask you in closing about this new data from the American Academy of Pediatrics, is this something to worry about or is this something you think is normal. A 13 percent increase in cases among children over the past two weeks, 84,319 diagnosed between October 1st and October 15th. 741,000 tested positive since the start. Is this, kids are back in school, the virus is coming back because of the fall, the winter. That's a normal number or is that something you look at, you say, well we better be worried about that?</s>COMPTON-PHILLIPS: Well, I definitely think we better be worried about that. First of all, because there is this myth that children cannot get infected. Clearly, they can. And the second is that, as we have kids getting more and more infections, those kids live with adults, right? And those kids bring that germ back home to adults. And so, part of the reason we think we're seeing the kind of virulent spread were seeing at the moment is because people are back in congregate settings like schools getting exposed to the virus and then bringing back home again and allowing it to circulate on incumbered in communities. And so, it's absolutely a worry.</s>KING: Dr. Compton-Phillips, as always, grateful for your time and more importantly for your expertise. Thank you.</s>COMPTON-PHILLIPS: Thank you.</s>KING: The president had another temper tantrum yesterday because he got annoyed. An interviewer asked tough questions about his coronavirus response. The president not only abruptly ended the interview with Leslie Stahl's with "60 Minutes," he then tweeted suggesting she was being reckless and not wearing a mask at the White House. When in fact, she was wearing a mask, except taking it off for the socially distanced interview. It's another example of the president undermining himself at a key moment in the campaign. New fights with Dr. Anthony Fauci, for example, at a time, campaign aides are imploring the president, stay focused on Joe Biden and comparing the two candidates approaches, the economy. Joining our conversation Seung Min Kim of "The Washington Post" and CNN political commentator Alice Stewart. Alice, I want to get to you first as a Republican strategist, 13 days to Election Day, the president of the United States is losing and the ditch is pretty deep and here he is picking yet another fight with a powerful woman and walking out of the room and saying I'm done here. Is that what you would advise him to do right now?</s>ALICE STEWART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Absolutely not, John. Look, for the next 13 days they need to talk about three things. That's COVID, COVID, and COVID. And that means talking about best practices with regard to mask wearing and social distancing. It means the plan to reopen schools and businesses. And also, their plans to really help and get a virus to put an end to this. And look, the American people want to know what their next president is going to do for them, not what the press and Dr. Fauci is doing to the next president. So, the shift of focus needs to be back on what is top of mind for the voters and that is coronavirus. It's certainly the economy and race relations. And that is, certainly, I think a much more productive use of time and messaging.</s>KING: Well, to that point, Seung Min, the president did talk about COVID a bit last night in Erie, Pennsylvania. But he talks not about the case count going up right now including in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Including in just about 24 states around the country going up, the rest, 26 states going up, the rest treading water, the president instead talks about normal. Listen.</s>TRUMP: Before the plague came in, I had it made. I wasn't coming to Erie. I mean, I have to be honest, there was no way I was coming. I didn't have to. I would have called you said Erie, if you have a chance, get out and vote. We had this thing won. And then we got hit with the plague and I had to go back to work. Hello, Erie, may I please have your vote?</s>KING: He also said, Seung Min, it's ending. It's ending. It's not ending. If we're going back up a third hill, it looks just as dangerous if not more so than the summer.</s>SEUNG MIN KIM, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Right. And I'm not quite sure kind of saying you don't really want to visit the voters who support you need right before an election is quite the most astute political strategy to go but the president does go his own way at times but you're right. He has tried to kind of wish away or talk away this virus for months and months and months. And yet the case has -- have persisted. The administration has come under considerable criticism for its handling of the virus. And what the president is doing, you know by attacking Dr. Fauci, attacking a Lesley Stahl whose "60 Minutes" interview is supposed to be expected to center a lot on his handling of the coronavirus pandemic brings that issue back to the pandemic which is the top issue in this election. And you see Vice President Joe Biden kind of laying low this week ahead of the debate this week. Obviously, he's come under criticism for doing so and not going out there and campaigning. But the spotlight is still on -- because of that, the spotlight is on the president, his outbursts against Fauci, the pandemic. And I would assume that's where Democrats would like the attention right now.</s>KING: So, Alice, what is it like in a campaign war room when you know time is short and you know you have a lot of hills that you need to climb? The president is trailing among his base voters, meaning white blue-collar voters who don't have a college education. We know that he's trailing in the suburbs. He barely won the suburbs in 2016 and he's trailing now. And we know he has what could be - we can show you the numbers -- the historic gender gap right now. This is The New York Times/Siena College polling, Biden 58 percent among women nationally, Trump at 35. So, you see 23 points there. The NBC/Wall Street Journal poll actually has a little bigger than that. What do you do? What do you do in a campaign war room right now when you know you have a problem here, problem here, problem here, how do you fix them all? Is it the debate? Does he have one more chance?</s>STEWART: Yes, you do exactly what they're doing, you go here, you go here, and you go there, and you talk to the voters. And I think the strategy that they're implementing now in terms of him not leaving anything on the field and going to these towns and talking with people is critical. And that's the key to his success back in 2016. Joe Biden, I understand the need to prepare for the debate but not being out there and calling a lid for several days is simply not a good look. And I think that may come back to bite him. I am really not buying these polls that show that Trump is so far behind with regard to the women voters. These are the same polls that said Hillary Clinton were going to win women voters at this time of the game. So, I'm not putting a lot of stock into that. But I am reading a lot into the fact that the Trump campaign is working hard, going out there, communicating the message and really fighting for every single vote that is possibly still out there to gain.</s>KING: I get the skepticism about the polls. Trust me. I share it although if you look deep into the numbers, there are a lot - they are a lot different from 2016. But we will see. We all need to be careful and have open minds, if you will. Seung Min, one last thing. You're up on Capitol Hill today. A gentleman who wanted those halls for a long time, Senator Jack Danforth is now a member of the presidential debate commission. He's a Republican. A conservative Republican from the great state of Missouri. And he's talking about the president's attacks on the debate commission saying, the president's apparent strategy is to challenge the validity of the election should he lose. We saw that strategy initially in claims that mail-in ballots are the tools for massive fraud. He goes on to say, it's not the honor of the commission that is at stake here. What is at stake is Americans belief in the fairness of our presidential debates. And in turn, the presidential election. When that faith is undermined, the damage to our country is incalculable. This is a leading conservative minister Republican voice telling the president to stop it. I don't suspect he will.</s>KIM: I don't suspect he will either, especially with the new changes that the commission instituted this week. I mean, you are going to see the president go after the format. You've already seen the campaign doing so. You have seen him go after each of the three debate moderators because that's what the president does. A lot of times he struggles to make his case just on the substance and on the message. So, he goes after the moderators, he goes after the format of the commission, he attacks the messenger. And I suspect we'll see - again, depending how the debate goes on Thursday night, we may see more of that after the debate.</s>KING: We just might. Seung Min Kim, Alice Stewart, grateful for the reporting, insights, expertise. 13 days. It's going to be interesting. And we continue the conversation. Up next, Barack Obama returns to the campaign trail today. Democrats hope he juices turnout. Some Democrats beginning to say out loud what they have been whispering, look at the numbers and maybe, just maybe, there's a blowout on the table.

Dems Hope Landslide Victory Could Negate Trump Challenges.

KING: Blowout, blue wave, landslide, those are words many Democrats are afraid to say out loud because superstition is a staple of politics anyway and 2016 makes Democrats all the more nervous about believing what their eyes are seeing. But these are all facts 13 days out. Joe Biden is leading nationally and he's competitive in many states that usually lean Republican for president, states like Texas, Georgia, Arizona, Iowa, Florida, North Carolina. Democrats are leading or very close in more than enough races to recapture the Senate majority. Democrats look poised to add to their House majority, and they might make gains in key state legislatures. Early voting looks good so for Democrats. And Democrats are awash in campaign cash for the final days. Turnout is always the key to turning opportunity into victory. Today in Philadelphia and in videos targeting key voting groups, Barack Obama joins the effort to close the deal.</s>BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I know there's plenty out there to make people feel cynical and plenty of people are going to seize on that to convince you that your vote doesn't matter. It's not new. It's one of the oldest voter suppression tactics there is. What is new is a growing movement for justice, equality and progress on so many issues. This is really a tipping point and that momentum only continues if we win this election.</s>KING: Astead Herndon is a national political reporter for "The New York Times." Astead, I want to read a little bit from your piece today because Democrats, they are afraid to say this out loud. As you know, some are starting to say it but they're nervous. "For some Democrats, Mr. Trump's attention to red states is also a sign for something else -- something few in the party want to discuss out loud, given their scars from Mr. Trump's surprise victory in 2016. It's an indication that Mr. Biden could pull off a landslide in November, achieving ambitious and rare electoral blowout that some Democrats think is necessary to quell any doubts or disputes by Mr. Trump that Mr. Biden won the election." That is one key point. The Democrats think if we can win Florida, we can win Georgia, then game over. Trump can't say rigged elections, stole an election. But it's even deeper than that. Democrats are looking at this map right now and saying wow, we have a lot of golden opportunities.</s>ASTEAD HERNDON, NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": Yes. It's true on a lot of fronts. This is something Democrats are really wary to talk about through the summer months. They were saying it's going to tighten. It's going to tighten. We're not going to expect to have these leads ang gains as we get up to the fall or right up to the Election Day. We're weeks out and they're still looking like they have the mini roadmap, not just 270 electoral votes but to a big electoral college victory. As you said, states like Georgia, Texas, Iowa, Ohio, Florida, all places that are in play that are must-win places for Donald Trump. So, for Biden and some of those Democrats on the ground in those states, they're starting to think a little bigger. They're starting to say Joe Biden needs to invest in these places and Democrats can close the deal here. For a couple of reasons. Logistics concerns are being able to follow on election night, a moral call to say if we beat Trump by a lot, Republicans will see that and think differently into a possible Joe Biden administration. But they also want to lay the groundwork for a robust presidency. They don't want to have the kind of Obama-esque 2009 when they're trying to recalibrate and get to the middle where Republicans are and they don't think they have a mandate on the vote front on specific issues. They are saying this could be the groundwork for a robust presidency and progressive groups see this as a first step in kind of making the real case to Joe Biden, you have to listen to us.</s>KING: And the question is though can they close the deal. Number one, they're encouraged by early voting numbers but that doesn't matter if it's just people who are going to vote anyway. Early voting only matters if turning out people who might not show up on Election Day. So, you're just adding to your vote. You're not just getting that vote early. That's one thing. If we put the map up, if you're Democrats, your Senate candidates also have money, your state parties also have money, Iowa. If Joe Biden is competitive there, maybe it tips the Senate race. North Carolina, Senate race there. There are two Senate races in Georgia. If you can win Florida, you're making a big statement and then look at Texas, we lean red but wow, if we can win Texas, what a statement that would send and what a possibility to flip legislative seats and even keep a Senate race in play. The question is, can the Democrats coordinate, spend wisely and use their resources right in the final days? Exactly. It's not the question of the Keep a Senate race in play. The question is can the Democrats coordinate, spend wisely and use their resources right in the final days?</s>HERNDON: Exactly. It's not the question of the amount of resources. They are as you say awash in money across those different levels from presidential down to state legislature point. But the question is, will those investments, particularly at key times in these final pushes in key states, allow that tipping over the edge? I heard one Democratic strategist say the most important numbers from Democrats, particularly in the southern states when you think of the Georgia and Texas ask not getting to 45 percent but moving from the last 5 percent up to 50 percent where you can get a real robust win. I heard a Republican tell me recently that Georgia isn't a purple state just yet so Democrats can win one of those statewide elections, it's still a red state. So people are still having a wait-and-see approach because they know Democrats are close to making the breakthrough but it requires turning out new voters, new populations, Latino and voters who are in Georgia making young voters who are disproportionately nonwhite in Texas, converting them from residents to voters is something that these groups takes long-term investments and something that the campaigns have historically mixed records on. We will see in November the real turning point on that front.</s>KING: The opportunity is sitting right there. The question is can they seize and take advantage? Astead Herndon, grateful for your time and you insights. Excellent, fascinating 13 days ahead for us and a few days likely after to count them. Up next, the legal fight over South Florida's coronavirus curfew.

Cases Surging Across Nation, Hospitalizations Highest in Two Months

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Jim Sciutto. A deadly strategy, that is what the U.S. surgeon general is calling the idea of using what's known as herd immunity the fight the coronavirus pandemic, a strategy that some White House officials have recently supported. The surgeon general warns it would overwhelm the nation's health care systems and simply that many more Americans would die. Right now, not one U.S. state is trending in the right direction, hospitalizations at their highest levels in two months, with at least ten states seeing record hospitalizations now.</s>POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: That has some states going back to tougher restrictions. Starting Friday, parts of Illinois will ban indoor seating in bars and restaurants. They will limit outdoor seating and size of social gatherings to 25 people. In New Mexico, where health officials say -- experience they -- where health officials say they have experienced the worst week for COVID-19 infections. Just last week, retail shops starting Friday will have to close by 10:00 every night. Businesses reporting more than four new cases in a 14-day period, they will also have to close for two weeks. And in Washington State, as outbreaks go particularly on college campuses, the governor is announcing new restrictions, including limiting the number of students sharing sleeping areas. All of this this morning with less than two weeks to go until Election Day and a day away from the final presidential debate. We're learning new information on both candidates' strategy heading into tomorrow night. We'll get to that in a minute. But, first, let's bring in our Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Good morning to you, Sanjay.</s>DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.</s>HARLOW: All of these headlines, all right now -- and, by the way, it's going to get a lot colder, right, and a lot more people are going to go inside.</s>GUPTA: Yes, I mean, that is a significant concern. And if you have been following this trajectory of this pandemic for some time, you remember it was sort of middle of July, after July 4th weekend, people were having significant COVID fatigue back then starting to not follow these basic public health practices. We saw the numbers go up. But to your point, they could still largely be outside here in this country at that time and we saw what the impact was, which was significant. Now, if you add that sort of same thing, increased mobility, COVID fatigue that we've been hearing about, but now people cannot get together outside, they're getting together inside, that's a real concern. Let me show you, just track this what's happening here in the United States compared to the European Union for a second, because I think this is really instructive and this is what a lot of public health officials are looking at. Green line is the European Union, orange line the United States. You remember back in March, we're all looking at Italy thinking that's not going to happen here, is it? And then a couple of weeks later, it did. And you can see what happened in the United States over the summer, now into the fall. Look at the green line of the European Union now, almost straight up. That's the reflection of what is called exponential growth, cases start to really pile on one on another, and we are just behind that again by a couple of weeks starting from a much higher baseline. So, look, this is a real concern for the number of people becoming infected, but also pointing out hospitalizations. Hospitals right now thinking, looking around counting beds, thinking do we have enough? What do we anticipate here? That's real planning happening right now.</s>SCIUTTO: So what should we be doing differently, right? I mean, you have -- Europe was ahead of the U.S., right, on keeping this under control and they've experienced some of the same things the U.S. have, fatigue and people just ignoring some of the advice, right, and opening up again. I mean, what is the plan? What is the best plan, Sanjay, going forward?</s>GUPTA: Well, let me preface by saying, Jim, that there are good plans available. I think people do look at graphics like the one I showed and say, well, this is just inevitable then. I mean, they tried their best and the numbers are still shooting up. I understand that. But there are places around the world, many Asian countries, for example, where they've been able to keep the virus transmission at very low levels. To answer your question, Jim, let me get hyper local for a second and just talk about Arizona, because I, again, think that's instructive. We can show what happened in Arizona. Like the rest of the country, they went into sort of this pause mode, we're talking about March and April, and then as soon as things opened up, we can show this graphic, June 1st to June 15th, right as soon as things opened up, the overall cases went up dramatically. We knew they were going to go up. They went up dramatically, 151 percent. But it's the second line, Jim, I want the people to focus on here. When they started to put in these basic, again, public health things, not shutting things down but mask requirements, limiting some of these large, public events where people aggregate indoors and certain business closures, think bars where you're inside, you can't wear a mask because you're eating or drinking. When they did that, look what happened over three weeks, a 75 percent reduction in overall new infections. Look, I show this because I think it should be aspirational, right? I do think that there is the sense that we all just want to wait for the vaccine, which is very important, but these measures, which people still question to this day, do work. We have evidence in this country and at a hyper local level but certainly places all over the world.</s>SCIUTTO: Yes. And to your point, that's not a massive national lockdown, right? I mean, those are targeted closures and simple health care measures.</s>GUPTA: That's right. And the idea of just simply wearing a mask, we've seen already and heard from these models, some of the same models that the White House uses, that tens of thousands of lives could be saved. One thing that we're still trying to understand, and I think this is going to be critical, is that, obviously, we're different now in October than we were in March. We understand this disease better. The people who are becoming infected, the demographics, are different. So what does that mean? We know cases are followed a few weeks later by hospitalizations, followed a few weeks after that by, sadly, by the number of deaths. But I want to show you what the death rate was at least in one large New York system hospital now -- right now compared to back in March. Back in March if you went into the hospital with COVID, you basically had about a 25 percent mortality risk. A quarter of the people were dying at that point, if you look at things now, or I should say a couple months ago, since March, April, closer to 8 percent. So what is that? It could be that healthier people were getting sick and they were more likely to survive, but I think it is also compounded by the idea we do know more about how to treat this disease. So, look, there are a lot of reasons to be concerned about the next couple of months. But I do want to point out what we have learned and how that's actionable, I think, as we go forward as well.</s>SCIUTTO: No question, it's a good point. We're going to focus on the good news as well as the bad. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks very much. So, another source of good news, and that is progress on a COVID-19 vaccine. The question is how everyone gets vaccinated, how quickly, who gets it. Much of that will depend on how broadly and how equitably, the keyword, a vaccine is distributed.</s>HARLOW: Right. So, this week, a leading voice on that sounded the alarm bills. Jim Blumenstock, the senior vice president for Pandemic Response and Recovery at the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, told reporters this on Monday. Quote, as it stands now, we do not have any capability to fund the imminent implementation of the plan. Well, that's a problem. That's why we wanted him to join us. We're glad you are here. Thank you.</s>JIM BLUMENSTOCK, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR PANDEMIC RESPONSE ASSOCIATION OF STATE AND TERRITORIAL HEALTH OFFICIALS: Thanks for having us.</s>HARLOW: Okay. So there's no state-by-state distribution plan yet or just not the money to implement it?</s>BLUMENSTOCK: Well, the states, territories, tribes and local health departments have been working for months in developing their plan, so that clearly is a good news part of this story. And having effective, comprehensive plans is a critical step. But it's just a first step. What happens after the plans are you need to train your staff so they know how to follow the instructions and the game plan, you need to exercise those plans to the extent that we have time available to do that, just so that everyone is confident and proficient in all of their roles and responsibilities and actions. And then, obviously, you need the resources for the entire length of the campaign. As you probably have heard, this campaign will be multi-phased. Initially, small amounts of vaccine will become available and provided to the highest risk individuals, and then over time, as more vaccine becomes available, the net will be cast broader so that eventually everyone across the country would have access to the vaccine. So it's this resource-intense obligation of implementing the plan that we're concerned about. There is no funding for that last -- what we call the last tactical mile for getting the vaccine into the communities and arms of the people who need it the most.</s>SCIUTTO: So, Jim, here is my concern, because the main critique, right, of the U.S. response for the several months has been no national plan, right, no national testing plan, no national contact tracing plan, a patchwork of state plans on things like closures, restrictions, lockdowns where necessary, et cetera. So, if we haven't had a national plan this year for response to a pandemic, what confidence should people have that there will be a national plan for distributing a vaccine?</s>BLUMENSTOCK: So specific to the vaccine allocation and distribution, again, I feel confident in saying there is a plan. We certainly know the White House strategy, the Operation Warped Speed strategy, the inclusion of the public health sector across the country. So that is a huge step forward and people are working very hard to make this as effective, efficient and as equitable as possible. So as the details emerge, every day, planning progresses and improves, recognizing that we are in a race against time. And that's why in our discussions earlier this week, we have to continue to raise the issue that resources are needed. We don't want to move critical resources from other programs across the country that are currently responding to the COVID outbreaks, to wildfires, hurricanes, diseases like HIV and the opioid epidemic. Those critical public health programs need to stay in place. But we need an augmentation to allow the resources available so that we could concurrently run this implementation plan for the COVID vaccine.</s>HARLOW: For sure. But you're asking Congress for $8.4 billion. I mean, the CDC has put out $200 million to states to figure this out. You say, we need upwards of $8.5 billion. Have you gotten that money? And what do you need it for specifically?</s>BLUMENSTOCK: Well, we're certainly banging that drum very loud and hard because it's critical. The $200 million was well placed and much appreciated to really jumpstart this planning phase. But breathing life into the plan and having the resources is a whole another story. And that is sort of the essence and the basis of the $8.4 billion. CDC estimates that it's probably in the order of $5.5 to $6 billion, so our numbers certainly are not outrageous based on our best professional judgment. When you contrast what it took to do the H1N1 pandemic response 11 years ago, that was a much simpler process. Over $1 billion was appropriated to the state health departments then to implement a vaccination plan. So there clearly is precedence, there's practice, there's need and what we really want to bring to everyone's attention. All of the leaders, whether it be in the administration and as well as Congress, is that these funds are sorely needed to ensure that the campaign is as robust as it needs to be for the length of the campaign, not just the start-up but bring it to successful conclusion.</s>HARLOW: Right, sure. Vaccine doesn't work if there's not broad vaccination. It won't help. So, Jim, thank you.</s>BLUMENSTOCK: The perspective (ph) is the investment in vaccine development, research development production was there and equal commitment and investment, it needs to be in the bottom, and the last mile for the distribution and administration.</s>HARLOW: Jim, thank you for being a voice on this and being here today. We appreciate it.</s>BLUMENSTOCK: Thank you for the opportunity.</s>HARLOW: Up next for us, a critical 48 hours for the millions of Americans waiting for a stimulus deal. Will it happen? Plus, this eye-popping billboard from a farmer and former Trump supporter now calling the president's rally a super-spreader event. He will join us talk about why he's now supporting Joe Biden.</s>SCIUTTO: And a final sprint for votes ahead of the election. Why the president is banking on foreign policy to help him win a second term in the White House.

Trump Admin Pushes for Last-Minute Foreign Policy Wins

SCIUTTO: The president is still on the campaign trail, and as he is, he is hoping for some last-minute foreign policy wins to help.</s>HARLOW: Our National Security Correspondent, Vivian Salama, joins us this morning. Good morning to you, Vivian. What is the administration trying to accomplish here down the stretch? Because as I understand it, they also wanted more foreign policy topics in this last debate tomorrow night.</s>VIVIAN SALAMA, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Poppy and Jim. That's right. And so we're going to be hearing a lot about the president and Joe Biden's foreign policy, national security views tomorrow. But in the meantime, despite the president's positive rhetoric, on the campaign trail, privately, some of his top aides acknowledge that it's anyone's race in two weeks' time. And so they're trying to push through a couple foreign policy initiatives, A, to try to encourage possibly some undecided voters to side with the president and go with him on Election Day, and if not, at least they want to leave a lasting legacy if Joe Biden were to become president. And so in the last few weeks, we've seen them push through a couple of initiatives in particular. We've heard about these normalization deals between Israel and a number of Arab countries. In the last couple of days alone, the president tweeting about taking Sudan off the state- sponsored terrorism list and the hope that they would join. He's also been trying to push through very rapidly a nuclear deal with Russia, revised nuclear deal with Russia, as well as some other initiative crackdowns on China and whatnot. And so some of our viewers may say, there is so much going on, does anyone really care about these things, but actually they do. A number of Republicans, in particular, really do still care about certain policy initiatives, and particularly with Israel. You have that, which really plays well with evangelical voters and old-school sort of establishment Republicans still do look at the Russia nuclear talks. And those issues do resonate. And so the president hoping for that last-minute boost with those policies. Jim and Poppy?</s>HARLOW: Okay. We will see if the strategy works, Vivian. Thanks for the reporting from Washington this morning. Well, Joe Biden is preparing for the final debate today. Senator Kamala Harris stumps in North Carolina and former President Barack Obama set to make his first appearance on the campaign trail.</s>SCIUTTO: CNN Political Correspondent Abby Philip joins us now. Abby, so, debate prep, the typical pattern is the president kind of wings it a little bit but, Joe Biden has been taking it very seriously. What do we know about tomorrow?</s>ABBY PHILLIP, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jim, it's really a study in contrast between these two candidates and how they're preparing for tomorrow night. This is going to be the last big opportunity for them to make an impression on voters before Election Day. And Joe Biden has spent the last several days off the campaign trail studying, working with his advisers on debate prep for tomorrow night. And one of the big things that the Biden campaign knows they're going to have to deal with are these allegations that are being pushed by the president and his allies about Biden's son, Hunter Biden. And a source in the campaign told CNN that they are preparing for those attacks but Biden is going to try to redirect and focus, as he has been, on the coronavirus and using a tactic that we saw him use in the first debate, which was directly and literally addressing the American people in the context of the debate. The president, on the other hand, as you alluded to, is not doing that. He has been on the campaign trail. He's been doing interviews and town halls and he's kind of eschewed a formal campaign prep. Remember, the last time he did do formal prep, most of the people in that prep session contracted the coronavirus. So they have been taking a different strategy. And his aides are urging him to come across as less angry than he did in that first debate. The president privately telling aides, according to sources, that he might be willing to interrupt less but they are also gearing up these attacks on Hunter Biden. And I think the president is preparing to do as much, to put that on the table in terms of topics, given that the campaign has said that they don't believe that most of the media is taking it seriously enough.</s>HARLOW: Okay. So we're just going to have to hold our breath and wait and see what happens tomorrow night. But something stunning happened yesterday. The president cut short, it sounds like, a 60 Minutes interview with Lesley Stahl, who is just about the most fair interviewer that there is out there. Just look at her interview with the president four years ago. What happened?</s>PHILLIP: Well, this is a preview potentially of what we can be seeing from the president. He's been attacking journalists for several days now, Savannah Guthrie at NBC, Kristen Welker, who is going to be moderating tomorrow's debate, and now, Lesley Stahl. What we're told is that this interview had been going on about 45 minutes and sources say that the president was unhappy with the line of questioning. Another source telling CNN that the interview focused quite a bit on the coronavirus, and we know that this is something that President Trump really wants to change the topic on. He wants to focus more on recovery. So this interview really went sideways. He didn't continue on, didn't do the sort of walk and talk with the vice president. And now, we are hearing from the president and from the chief of staff, the chief of staff saying this morning there's a, quote, high probability that they will try to release that interview before it aired on 60 Minutes. So we will have to see if that, in fact, that happens and what exactly it will show about the president's behavior in the line of questioning.</s>SCIUTTO: I'm just going to quote what the president told Lesley Stahl four years ago in December 2016 when she asks him why he attacks the press. He said, according to her, you know why I do it. I do it to discredit you all and demean you all so when you write negative stories about me, no one will believe you. The president said that in his own words, according to Lesley Stahl, four years ago, just for context --</s>HARLOW: I forgot that line.</s>SCIUTTO: -- as we this again. Abby Philip, we know you're going to be watching tomorrow. We will as well. Thanks very much.</s>PHILLIP: Thanks, guys.</s>SCIUTTO: So the White House says there is progress in stimulus deal talks with Speaker Pelosi. Mitch McConnell though telling a very different story here. What is happening? You'll want to know. We'll tell you.

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) Casts Doubt on Stimulus Deal as Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), White House Continue Talks.

SCIUTTO: While, the White House and Speaker Pelosi are working on a stimulus deal for millions of Americans, many of them desperately need it, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell seems to be on a different page here. Remarkable disagreement within the Republican Party, Poppy.</s>HARLOW: That's right. Manu Raju is on Capitol Hill with more. Good morning, Manu. Getting my words screwed up here this morning. So we just saw the majority whip James Clyburn on, and here is what he said about the timeline, he thinks, for a deal. Listen.</s>REP. JAMES CLYBURN (D-SC): The election is less than two weeks away, and I believe we'll be back in Washington a week or two after the elections, and we can do something there. At least the elections will be behind us. People will know what their futures are.</s>HARLOW: What are you hearing, Manu?</s>MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's similar to what I'm hearing. It just seems highly unlikely that any deal could be passed certainly through both chambers of Congress, before Election Day, not only because of major disagreements between the Republicans and the White House but also the details are still yet to be sorted out between Pelosi and the Trump administration. Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff, is having a phone call today with policy staff of Speaker Pelosi's, also Meadows is expected to speak to some Republicans.

Trump Abruptly Ends White House Interview; Republican Groups Spending Millions against Trump; Race for a Vaccine; Coronavirus Pandemic Worldwide

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hello and welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm John Vause. Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, Donald Trump wants more rallies to turn around a faltering reelection campaign. It seems confrontation is in play. He abruptly ended a sit-down interview with CBS's "60 Minutes." The U.K. is preparing an experimental coronavirus vaccine trial. One volunteer wants to be deliberately infected with the virus. Also, desperate for immunity. People in China lining up, hoping to get a vaccine. It has still not been approved for mass release.</s>VAUSE: With just 13 days until election in the United States, one day before the last presidential debate and Donald Trump's closing strategy seems to be lash out at anyone he can find. During a Tuesday night rally in Pennsylvania, he warned a Biden administration would end fracking and kill the American dream. Earlier, he labeled Biden a criminal, urged an investigation by the attorney general but did not specify what should be investigated. He also abruptly ended an interview with the respected journalist Lesley Stahl, claiming she would not wear a mask on "60 Minutes." During that rally, he taunted her online and in front of a huge crowd.</s>TRUMP: And you have to watch what we do to "60 Minutes." You will get such a kick out of it. You are going to get a kick out of it. Lesley Stahl is not going to be happy.</s>VAUSE: The president also lashed out at Dr. Anthony Fauci as Americans lined to vote in the middle of a pandemic. Wisconsin started early in-person voting on Tuesday, despite a surge in the number of cases, like 31 other states. Meantime, former president Barack Obama released a video message on Twitter, urging young people to vote. He hits the campaign trail for his former vice president, Joe Biden, in Philadelphia on Wednesday. Trump heads to North Carolina for another rally. We get more on the visit to Pennsylvania from CNN's Kaitlan Collins.</s>KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: As the president was rallying his supporters in Pennsylvania on Tuesday night with two weeks to go before the election, he had at one point seemed to recognize the dire position he's in when it comes to political polling. Because he said if it had been before the pandemic, he likely wouldn't have even been in Erie, Pennsylvania. He basically told the crowd he had to show up given that his poll numbers right now are behind those of Joe Biden in Pennsylvania, a state that he carried in 2016. That rally came just a few hours after the president had sat down with CBS's Lesley Stahl at the White House for an interview for "60 Minutes," at which we are told the president ended the interview before it was scheduled to be done, after about 45 minutes because he grew frustrated with the line of questioning from Stahl. And we're told he left the room and did not come back to do what was supposed to be a taped portion of the interview with the Vice President, Mike Pence. And of course, then you saw the president go on Twitter. He taunted Lesley Stahl for at one point during the briefing -- or during the interview not wearing a mask. And then he threatened to release the interview before CBS News airs it next Sunday. Of course whether or not he ultimately does still seems remains to be seen, but what you are seeing with these two weeks to go before the election is the president is making his closing message attacks on reporters like CBS News, attacks on other reporters as well, including the debate moderator for Thursday night for that final presidential debate, but also on Dr. Anthony Fauci, someone he has repeatedly gone after in recent days. And this is not exactly the closing political message that aides had hoped he would have, given the fact that he is trailing Joe Biden in so many states with so few days left to go -- Kaitlan Collins, CNN, traveling with the president in Pennsylvania.</s>VAUSE: Joining me now from Oakland, California, Tim Miller, political director for Republican Voters against Trump, host of the "Not My Party" on Snapchat. Great to have you with us. I want to start with more from the Trump campaign rally, the likely superspreader event in Erie, Pennsylvania. Listen to this.</s>TRUMP: He will massively raise your taxes, bury you in regulations, dismantle your police departments, dissolve our borders, confiscate your guns, Second Amendment. Oh, you're so lucky I'm president. You wouldn't have a second amendment. Eliminate private healthcare, terminate religious liberty, destroy the suburbs.</s>VAUSE: In case you didn't pick it up, he's talking about Joe Biden, the antichrist. None of that is actually true. Does it look to you like Trump kind of knows the reality TV presidency will not be renewed for a second season.</s>VAUSE: And now he's moving on to this new role of Trump TV, an aggrieved old white man giving voice to aggrieved old white men across the U.S.?</s>TIM MILLER, POLITICAL DIRECTOR, REPUBLICAN VOTERS AGAINST TRUMP: Don't jinx it, John. I don't know. I can't get inside his head. This is a person that was told last time by the top people in his campaign that he was going to lose on Election Day. He thought he was going to lose in 2016. They told him he needed to stop tweeting, behave better, soften himself and he didn't listen to them last time and he won anyway. So I think that when you have that kind of experience, a narcissist like this president, it is hard to tell him to do anything other than what comes out of his natural id, which is that and all the other kind of weird grotesqueries and sidebars that he had today in Erie. And I think that is putting a ceiling on his capability to add voters as we head down the final stretch. But I don't think we are seeing someone who has just given up.</s>VAUSE: Regardless of what happens in the next couple weeks, is this the end of the GOP? Does it survive as a cult if the cult leader is no longer there at some point?</s>MILLER: First of all, with The Lincoln Project, what we are doing in our vetting, and we working together, I don't think either of us are trying to get the number down to zero supporters for Trump. We recognize that he has a very rabid fan base. But I think there is a lack of appreciation for the fact that, last time, 15 percent that was unprecedented in American modern polling of his own voters said they had an unfavorable view of him.</s>MILLER: So it was actually quite a big swath of swing voters that are gettable. I don't think there is an appreciation for that a lot of times in the media and among other pundits. That's what we are talking to. As far as the future of the GOP is concerned, I wrote about this for "Rolling Stone" last week, I don't think the party is dead. I think the party is Trumpist. Because of the American system, the Republican Party could thrive as a minority party just doing well in the whitest states, the most rural states in the Midwest and South and across the Mountain West. The party could still have 48-50 senators by just focusing on those voters. So I think that's the future of the party. It's not something I see The Lincoln Project or us going back to. But I don't think it will just magically go away either.</s>VAUSE: Thank you for being with, us we appreciate it.</s>MILLER: Anytime.</s>VAUSE: The final presidential debate is scheduled Thursday night in the United States. CNN's official coverage begins at 7 pm Eastern. That's Friday morning around much of the world.</s>VAUSE: The former head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned a rapid acceleration of coronavirus cases may be about a week away. In the past week, 14 states reported their highest number ever for hospital admissions of COVID-19. All of this is a sign the experts say of a difficult northern winter on the horizon. Here's CNN's Brian Todd with more.</s>BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At this nursing home in northwestern Kansas, an unmitigated disaster. 100 percent of its residents, 62 people, have tested positive for the coronavirus, county health officials say. And 10 residents have died.</s>DR. LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: In congregate settings like nursing homes, this is a disease that could spread like wildfire. And this in fact is what we have seen before in nursing homes and tragically what we are seeing in this nursing home in Kansas as well.</s>TODD: Kansas is one of 31 states trending upward in new coronavirus cases tonight, only one state, Hawaii is dropping and 16 states, nearly a third of the country, are experiencing their highest seven- day averages for new cases since the pandemic began. One expert says the next four or five month's maybe the worst period of the entire pandemic.</s>DR. PETER HOTEZ, PROFESSOR AND DEAN OF TROPICAL MEDICINE, BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE: We are at about 70,000 new cases a day. Probably by next week or the week after, we could be looking at a doubling of the number of deaths by the week after the inauguration.</s>TODD: Dr. Peter Hotez says things will get better by next summer, but that Americans have to get ready for some horrible numbers in the meantime and hang on. In Illinois, one of the states trending up in cases, officials say almost every region in the state has seen an increase in COVID related hospitalizations over the last week. And tighter restrictions on gatherings are coming.</s>STEVE BRANDY, SPOKESMAN, WILL COUNTY ILLINOIS HEALTH DEPARTMENT: It didn't happen by itself. People are being careless. People are getting cocky. People are thinking it's not going to happen to me. It's over. No, that is all wrong.</s>TODD: The Williamsburg section of Brooklyn in New York City is not in a so-called red zone of coronavirus hotspots there. But state officials barred a planned gathering in that neighborhood for the wedding of the grandson of an orthodox Jewish rabbi, a gathering where they say up to 10,000 people were expected to attend.</s>JUDITH HARRISON, ASSISTANT CHIEF, NEW YORK POLICE: We don't want to disrespect anybody. People are allowed to gather, but within reason. We want to make sure that there are no large gatherings in excess of 50 people.</s>TODD: As communities fight off outbreaks, the race for a vaccine gets more intense. The British government is planning to conduct the first so-called human challenge studies, where healthy volunteers are deliberately infected with the virus and some receive an experimental vaccine. China says nearly 60,000 people have been injected with experimental vaccines during its phase three clinical trials.</s>TODD (voice-over): While in the U.S., the Health and Human Services secretary says officials hope to have enough vaccine by late March or early April to vaccinate everyone in America who wants one. But a leading vaccine expert puts that timetable a bit later.</s>DR. PAUL OFFIT, CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA: Early next year, you will start to see these vaccines rolling out to the highest risk group's first. And then by the middle of next year, the end of next year, hopefully we will then be getting more to the general public.</s>VAUSE: Our thanks to Brian Todd there. British prime minister Boris Johnson is imposing tough coronavirus restrictions in parts of northern England. This move comes after talks stalled on financial aid for the Greater Manchester region. The mayor wanted more financial aid to get through another lockdown, more than the government was willing to give. Dominic Thomas spoke about whether the communities will just ignore these new restrictions being imposed by Westminster.</s>DOMINIC THOMAS, CNN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: We've seen all sorts of signs, on the other end of the political spectrum. It has to be with rights issues and wearing masks and so on and so forth. But I think what we have here is once again, as I mentioned, you know 7 months plus being into this particular crisis, is essentially people frustrated with the lack of any real kind of coordinated government plan. People are finding themselves with very little choice but to go to work. And they are unable to go back into lockdown. And I think, out of this particular failed negotiation and the imposition of tier 3 level on the Greater Manchester areas, I think we're likely to see examples of sheer civil disobedience, a lack of respect for the rules that are put in place. Not so much because people want to defy their government but because they are being left with very little option but to fight back in this particular way, without adequate government support, to keep these businesses going and to keep the people with proper safety nets.</s>VAUSE: How much of this is being driven by old animosity in the north country towards Westminster?</s>THOMAS: You know, John, it's probably not just even the north. I think the people who don't live in the southern part of England, if they're in Northern Ireland and Wales, Scotland, they feel this as well. But it's clear that there is a long-standing animosity and Andy Burnham, as an MP, a member of the cabinet in the Labour Party, was very outspoken about these kinds of discrepancies that existed between the ways in which the north was treated by Westminster. But I think the COVID has further exacerbated those tensions. And what we see here, is a mayor standing up for his city, who is 7 months into the COVID crisis, is struggling and cannot simply go through another round of lockdowns or tier 3 like levels, on businesses, without there being the proper safety nets from the government. So I think that's as much of a factor, as it is to be positioned in some kind of longer historical track record as well.</s>VAUSE: Boris Johnston is taking a localized approach on virus hotspots. Instead of ordering another nationwide lockdown. Desperate times, desperate measures. One vaccine maker is about to begin challenge trials. A risky move will see volunteers exposed directly to the virus. CNN's Becky Anderson spoke with the chief scientist for the company leading this trial.</s>ANDREW CATCHPOLE, CHIEF SCIENTIFIC OFFICER, HVIVO: The main risk for any clinical trial are that the disease progresses further than we anticipate which is why we're doing a number of factors to minimize those risks. Firstly, having an extremely low dose of virus, and then we're using only subjects which have minimal risk or no known risk factors to the disease as well as also using antiviral as a preemptive measure to further minimize the risk severe disease.</s>VAUSE: We will have more on the human challenge trial later in the hour. Meantime, across, Europe the number of fatalities also soaring. Leaders are reimposing closures, lockdowns and curfews. Ireland reported 13 deaths on Tuesday. The government is moving to the highest level of restrictions for the next 6 weeks, banning social gatherings in private homes. Italy's Campagna region, home to Naples, will impose a curfew on Friday. The Lombardy region, once an epicenter of the outbreak, will see a new curfew on Thursday. CNN's Scott McLean is standing by with more on the situation across Europe. He is live in Berlin. A rainy day there but what's the latest on these countries that seem to have everything under control and then they don't?</s>SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They have everything under control until they don't. Europe is throwing everything at this virus except the kitchen sink. The kitchen sink is full scale lockdowns and stay at home orders to the same degree that we saw in the spring. The ones in the places we are seeing them are not nearly as strict as they were in the past.</s>MCLEAN: Here in Germany, they are trying to target the virus hotspots. In Berlin, bars have to close early and there's limits on social gatherings. Those are familiar themes across the continent. Once exception, a vacation spot in the mountains near the Austrian border, beginning yesterday a 2 week mandatory stay-at-home order but there's exceptions for work and essentials. This graph illustrates the scale of the problem in Europe. You can see the second wave of the virus is really showing no signs of slowing. Some countries doing much worse, Netherlands and so is Belgium as well, where the health minister called the number of new cases a tsunami. The Czech Republic has not only more new cases per capita than any other major country in Europe but on Earth. But when you look at the number of deaths, you can perhaps see why there is hesitancy on the part of governments to impose the kind of draconian lockdowns we saw earlier on in the spring. In the Czech Republic, they are bringing back an old policy today, one that requires you to wear a mask everywhere outside your home. The policy is nearly as strict as the one they had in the spring that made them so, so successful in tamping down the first wave of the virus. But this is a big reversal. Despite the success in the spring, the government had resisted bringing back that policy because it wasn't terribly popular, even though it was quite effective. Here is what some people in Prague said about the mask rule yesterday.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The epidemic was contained with face masks. I think it makes sense to have the new measures.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Masks are important. It's coming a little too late.</s>MCLEAN: With the health system in the Czech Republic starting to near its capacity, the government has started setting up a field hospital in Prague. The health minister told me last week they may need that that bed space as early as the end of the month. He also told me last week that he expects the situation there to get worse until at least the end of October or the beginning of November. After, that it's a question mark. The mask mandate really worked well for them in the spring and set them apart from other European neighbors. They are crossing their fingers it will work again.</s>VAUSE: I guess that's a strategy at this point. Scott McLean, thank you in Berlin. Cathay Pacific is the latest airline carrier to eliminate jobs because of the pandemic, 8,500 positions worldwide, cost cutting means an end to regional carrier Cathay Dragon. The outlook is bleak for next. Year the carrier is expected to operate well under passenger capacity. China is starting phase 3 trials of four coronavirus vaccines with no serious issues so far. That's what they say. But even for those who qualify, they will have to find it first. That won't be easy. Also thousands turnout to protest against police brutality in Nigeria. Witnesses say soldiers opened fire on demonstrators as night fell.

U.S. Justice Department Files Antitrust Suit versus Google.

VAUSE: The Trump administration is taking on Google in the largest antitrust case against a tech company in over 2 decades. In the lawsuit, the Justice Department thinks Google has stifled competition in online search and search advertising. One example they give is Google's practice of paying billions of dollars to be a default search engine on smartphones. More from CNN technology reporter Brian Fung.</s>BRIAN FUNG, CNN TECH REPORTER: What the DOJ is alleging is that Google controls 80 percent of the search market in the United States and it's using its power to hurt rivals and damage competition. Now, DOJ's deputy attorney general, Jeffrey Rosen, said nothing is off the table in terms of what types of remedies the DOJ is seeking here, which could include a break-up of Google. And Google, for its part, says -- and let me just read you a quick statement here that they just put out -- that, "Today's lawsuit by the Department of Justice is deeply flawed. People use Google because they choose to, not because they're forced to or because they can't find alternatives. We will have a full statement this morning." Now obviously, this litigation comes days before a pivotal election in which tech companies including Google have been criticized for their role in, you know, affecting democracy.</s>FUNG: And this case could, you know, have dramatic implications not just for Google but also for the rest of the tech industry and the economy at large.</s>VAUSE: Well, Google says the lawsuit is deeply flawed, adding that the Search engine is popular because people want to use it, not because anybody is forced to. Well, for the latest on the story, visit our website at cnn.com. A new app could make flying easier amid the coronavirus pandemic. The app called CommonPass says if someone tested negative for the virus on arrival at their destination. A transatlantic flight which lands in Newark, New Jersey, later on Wednesday will see the app in action for the first time. More now from CNN's Anna Stewart.</s>ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The world is a patchwork of travel restrictions. Closed borders, quarantines, pretravel testing requirements, all of which keep changing.</s>STEWART: It is enough to put people off travel altogether and that is damaging to the aviation sector, for tourism, for the whole global economy. However, one solution to travel could be a passport, not this kind but this, a digital health passport.</s>STEWART (voice-over): The app is being developed by the Commons Project Foundation in partnership with the World Economic Forum. The concept is simple enough: a traveler checks the app to see what the COVID-19 rules are at their destination. For example, it might require a PCR test 24 hours before travel. The app tells them where they could get a government approved COVID-19 test and upload that test result to the app. If negative, the app generates a QR code, confirming the traveler's compliance to be scanned by airline staff and border officials. However, testing prior to travel has its limitations.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The moment that person is safe to fly on the way to wherever they are, if it's PCR negative, it might be meaningless if they were about to turn PCR positive 5 minutes after the test.</s>STEWART (voice-over): CommonPass says the screening minimizes the risk, it is already a requirement for entry into many countries. A trial of their app is underway for volunteer passengers, flying with United Airlines and Cathay Pacific, between London, New York, Hong Kong and Singapore. If it goes well, CommonPass hopes more airlines and airports will use this in the future.</s>PAUL MEYER, CEO, THE COMMONS PROJECT: We have actually managed to convene over 50 countries that have come together through dialogue that led up to CommonPass, most of the world's biggest airlines, most of the world's biggest airports. I think one of the realizations they've come to, through these discussions, is this kind of system has to work in a globally (ph) operable way. It can't only work within one bubble or with one travel corridor.</s>STEWART (voice-over): If a COVID-19 vaccine is successfully developed, CommonPass hopes travelers will be able to log their vaccination into the app. Yes, there are concerns that too little is known about vaccine efficacy.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would not feel comfortable, as a sort of minister of health, to be stamping, sealing the legislation on these immunity passports</s>STEWART (voice-over): Immunity passports are pie in the sky, at least for now, helping people to take to the skies with an app that simplifies and coordinates COVID-19 travel restrictions is at least on the horizon -- Anna Stewart, CNN, London.

Former POTUS Taking Aim At President Trump; Coronavirus Infecting And Killing More People; Mitt Romney Does Not Support Trump; Some GOP Members Walking Away From Trump.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN HOST: He talked so long, it got dark. No, seriously. He really went through a mission statement and a referendum on this Presidency, the likes I have never heard from a former president. Now what impact will it have? How does it help Biden? How does it help turnout? Does it hurt Trump? Compelling questions, let's bring in a compelling figure, D. Lemon. He's about to take over anyway.</s>DON LEMON, CNN HOST: Preach, brother. I felt like I was in church with the ladies shouting on Sunday. I'm not kidding. I had a friend who texted me who said "Obama was an assassin. Did you watch that speech?" I just - I think people were sitting at home going "It is about time." That's what I think.</s>CUOMO: Which people though? Because you don't expect Trump supporters to say "I forgot how much I loved that Obama."</s>LEMON: No.</s>CUOMO: Most of the people who voted for Trump--</s>LEMON: No.</s>CUOMO: --probably did so in reaction formation to Obama.</s>LEMON: It was like balm on a wound - salve on a wound, right, that - because you don't hear that from a former President. This is unprecedented. There is that sort of "Bro Code," so to speak, between presidents, where you don't really talk about it, and this President did. And what he said, every single word he said was the truth. So, I don't think anyone is persuadable at this point. There are very few people who are persuadable. And if you are undecided, right now, listen, I got to, I don't know, it's not even "The Twilight Zone." I don't know where you're living. But I think most people are decided. But what it will serve to do is make Democrats, I think, people who - Democrats who usually wet the bed, make them feel better about the election, right? It may galvanize actually some Trump supporters. But I think, in Philadelphia, in Pennsylvania, where there are - it's a swing state, and some independent-minded voters, it may help some of those independent-minded voters, and it may help the turnout, which is what Democrats really need.</s>CUOMO: White voters?</s>LEMON: Oh, yes, of course.</s>CUOMO: Black male voters?</s>LEMON: I do - I think so. Listen, we talk about the fringe Black male vote, right, for Donald Trump, and let's see how many people actually show up at the polls. Because I don't really know any Black men, who are going to vote for Donald Trump, except for people who have a ton of money in the bank, and maybe they're looking at some taxes, and they have - they think - here's what they think. Unlike Black women, who are the most educated, right, of the voting bloc, who know what it's like to be in a boardroom, or in a business meeting, and have - and be mansplained, when your idea is better, and you're smarter than the man in the room. I think what these black men think is that well, if I just get the money and I just get the capital therefore I will be equal, and I will be treated equally. They're in for a rude awakening because it doesn't work that way. That's not how it works, and women know that, especially black women, they know that. So, I think this guy -- these men honestly are being bamboozled, they're being played by the Trump folks. But yes, I actually do think it's going to sway some black -- motivate some black not sway them, but motivate some black men to get to the polls. Listen, President Obama very popular among all demographics, right, except for, you know, the folks who hate him because they're strong Trump supporters. But the women who we call the church hot ladies, my mom, my aunts, my sisters, my young nieces, yes. I mean, if it's not for Barack Obama it's certainly Michelle Obama, trust.</s>CUOMO: And do you think that the poll for Biden with those who love Obama is stronger than it was for Clinton?</s>LEMON: Yes. The poll for Biden -- this is not 2016 anymore, I mean, just look at the likability. Remember we were doing -- remember back during the '16 election we were saying, these are the two most unlike candidates in history of the, you know, modern history. And it was true, their unfavourability rating was very high, their favorability ratings were very low. So yes, I don't think Joe Biden is Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden is pretty much universally like. Joe Biden is like a warm sweater, and I know that, you know, Republicans or the Trump supporters will say, you know, it's Mr. Rogers and they make fun of him on SNL, but that's what many Americans want at this point given all the history --</s>CUOMO: Yes. Since when does Mr. Rogers a bad thing?</s>LEMON: And Mr. Rogers is a great dude. I love watching Mr. Rogers. We have the rest of America.</s>CUOMO: We got him so buck nasty, you know, who would ever thought that on a night with breaking news, I know that you are taking on tonight, that Iran is behind those e-mails from the Proud Boys trying to scare voters. Iran's efforts and Russian's efforts would not be as powerful of our own president to shake confidence in our election.</s>LEMON: OK, so let me say this. In these times, I think that we have to approach the news and information like that with more skepticism than ever. That doesn't mean it's not true, but I just think that anything that happens -- who was it? Was it you or someone? We were -- someone who is a very politically minded person said, if there is new information or some sort of scandal that happens in the last two weeks of an election you need to be skeptical of it, because you don't know what's behind it. So, I'm very skeptical of this information, I'm not saying that it's not true, but I also think it should be maybe Christopher Wray's hand could have been forced. Who knows? Maybe Ratcliffe --</s>CUOMO: Well, I think Ratcliffe was the one who said that --</s>LEMON: Ratcliffe.</s>CUOMO: -- they are after (Inaudible) Trump also and it just happen to be the same night that Obama is going to dominate coverage.</s>LEMON: So, there you go. So, I think that could be --</s>CUOMO: I'll say for you, Don.</s>LEMON: No, that could be happening here, and so I just think listen, to think that someone can get someone's address and phone number and send them a letter or an e-mail, it's not that hard to do. You don't need some sort of --</s>CUOMO: No, but it's scary getting that kind of message from the group of the Proud Boys.</s>LEMON: It is scary. I would imagine it's scary, I would imagine it's scary for some of the folks at home. Most of the people at home would look at that and say, really? OK, I know that's B.S. I would laugh at it. I wouldn't think it's real. Someone is going to tell me that I must vote for somebody else, come on? Really? No. I'm not going to do that. That's the same people who e-mail you and say, give me your social security number, I have some money to mail you back. It's not -- it's not going to happen.</s>CUOMO: I still haven't gotten the money?</s>LEMON: Yes. Well, there you go, because it's not real. So, and to think over the last four years what we've been talking about, that the Russians, that the Chinese, that Iran, that there's going to be election interference. They are doing it now? What is the big revelation?</s>CUOMO: That the president is doing it worse.</s>LEMON: Yes.</s>CUOMO: That's the revelation. You've got a big show, bud. I'll be watching.</s>LEMON: I'll see you.</s>CUOMO: D. Lemon, I love you.</s>LEMON: Thank you. Sometimes I love you, not all the time. This is our breaking news tonight. I'm Don Lemon. We are following multiple huge breaking news stories at this hour. Thirteen days, just 13 days before election day, a hastily called press conference reveals election interference as the former President Barack Obama takes aim at the current president on the campaign trail today, and this time it's personal.</s>BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: He hasn't shown any interest in doing the work, or helping anybody but himself and his friends or treating the presidency like a reality show that he can use to get attention. And by the way, even then his TV ratings are down, so you know that upsets him. But the thing is this is not a reality show, this is reality, and the rest of us have had to live with the consequences of him proving himself incapable of taking the job seriously. At least 220,000 Americans have died.</s>LEMON: Just as much as it's political helping his former Vice President Joe Biden defeats Donald Trump. Remember President Barack Obama, is O and one as a campaign surrogate against Donald Trump who built his political career by the way on the racist birther lie against Barack Obama. That he wasn't born in this country. Well President Barack Obama asking you to consider the man, consider the man running for office this time, and that is Joe Biden.</s>OBAMA: I can tell you this. Joe Biden would never call the men and women of our military suckers or losers. Who does that? Why are folks making excuses for that, that's just -- that's just him. No, it's -- no. There are consequences to these actions, they embolden other people to be cruel and divisive and racist. And it phrases the fabric of our society and it affects how our children see things. And it affects the ways that our families get along, it affects how the world looks at America. That behavior matters. Character matters.</s>LEMON: So, this is what I was just talking about with Chris. So literally minutes after that bomb burner of a speech wraps up after President Obama tears President Trump to shreds in a key swing state in front of a large television audience, a speech that finished at 6.30 p.m. OK? The FBI director and the president's director of intelligence John Ratcliffe who is an overtly political appointee of this president rather than an intelligence professional. He announces at 6.50 p.m., right, a hastily schedule press conference where they took no questions but revealed both Iran and Russia have obtained U.S. voter registration information in an effort to interfere in our election including Iran posing as the far-right group Proud Boys to send intimidating e-mails to voters. Here it is.</s>JOHN RATCLIFFE, DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: We have confirmed that some voter registration information has been obtained by Iran and separately, by Russia. This data can be used by foreign actors to attempt to communicate false information to registered voters that they hope will cause confusion, sow chaos, and undermine your confidence in American democracy. To that end, we have already seen Iran sending spoofed e-mails designed to intimidate voters, incite social unrest, and damage President Trump.</s>LEMON: Well, that raises a whole lot of unanswered questions. Timing just being one of them, and we're going to get into all of that tonight. What motivation does the DNI have in releasing this now and framing the way he has? Well CNN has learned that e-mails were sent to voters in multiple states that purported to be from the Proud Boys and threatened, quote, "you will vote for Trump on election days or we will come after you." Well, Ratcliffe did not explain how those and e-mails were intended to damage the president, I mean, he really glossed over the whole Russia part of it. The FBI director Christopher Wray who has earned the wrath of this president by repeatedly saying Russian election interference is real. Well, Wray is saying this.</s>CHRISTOPHER WRAY, DIRECTOR, FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION: We are not going to tolerate foreign interference in our elections or any criminal activity that threatens the sanctity of your vote or undermines public confidence in the outcome of the election. When we see indications of foreign interference or federal election crimes, we are going to aggressively investigate and work with our partners to quickly take appropriate action.</s>LEMON: OK, so that's Wray, but that hastily called press conference with Ratcliffe and Wray taking no questions comes on the biggest night yet on the campaign trail with just 13 days. Thirteen days to go until election day. And less than 24 hours until the scheduled final presidential debate, and with the coronavirus death toll in this country over 221, 000, the former president slamming Trump for ignoring the pandemic playbook the Obama administration literally left behind for them.</s>OBAMA: We literally left this White House a pandemic playbook that would have shown them how to respond before the virus reached our shores. They probably used it to, I don't know, prop up a wobbly table somewhere. We don't know where that playbook went. Eight months into these pandemic cases are rising again across this country. Donald Trump is suddenly going to protect all of us, he can't even take the basic steps to protect himself.</s>LEMON: That was a burn. I think I miss that one earlier. You know, yet President Trump would like you to know that he doesn't care at all about the former President Barack Obama. Not at all.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: And somebody said, sir, maybe this isn't good. President Obama is campaigning for sleepy Joe Biden, and I said, ha, that's good news or bad news? Tell me, are you saying it's good or it's bad? I guess it's good. No, it's good. There was nobody that campaigned harder for crooked Hillary Clinton.</s>LEMON: Look, who am I to talk when during the pandemic when we are on lockdown, I'm sure some nights you watch me and said, what the heck is going on with his makeup? But what is happening, he is like orange. I've never seen him that color? What is happening? You guys didn't -- haven't notice that? It's very, very odd. OK, anyway. I had to say that. Just look, Pete that. All that as the coronavirus is surging all across this country, not one single state is trending in the right direction. Cases are rising in 26 states, and holding steady in 24. More than 221,000 Americans are dead. And yet the president says, he wouldn't do anything differently.</s>ERIC BOLLING, TV HOST: With COVID, is there anything that you think you could've done differently, if you had a mulligan, or a do-over on one aspect of the way you handled it, what would it be?</s>TRUMP: Not much. Look, it's at all over the world, you have a lot of great leaders, a lot of smart people, it's all over the world.</s>LEMON: Not much? As our Dr. Sanjay Gupta says, it's absurd that the president is basically saying, the best he could do is be the worst in the world. We are best at being worst? I don't know. Maybe. These are just a few suggestions, OK? Few suggestions. Take notes if you're watching this president. Maybe he might want a do-over on saying ingesting disinfectant or using a powerful light would kill the virus maybe.</s>TRUMP: I said supposing you brought the light inside the body in which you can do either through the skin or in some other way. And I think you said you're going to test that, too? It sounds interesting.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll get the right folks who could.</s>TRUMP: Right. And then I see the disinfectant where it knocks it out in a minute. One minute.</s>LEMON: OK? Maybe he might have second thoughts about refusing to wear a mask because he didn't want to be seen in one in front of presidents, prime ministers, and quote, "dictators." Or repeatedly saying the virus would just disappear, like a miracle.</s>TRUMP: I think wearing a face mask as I great presidents, prime ministers, dictators, kings, queens, I don't know. Somehow, I don't see it for myself.</s>LEMON: He sure didn't, did he? Maybe he can rethink saying this.</s>TRUMP: People are saying, maybe we shouldn't do anything, just ride it. They say ride it like a cowboy, just ride it. Ride that sucker right through.</s>LEMON: So, maybe he might want a do-over on saying this about more than 221,000 dead Americans.</s>TRUMP: They are dying, that's true, and you have -- it is what it is.</s>LEMON: It is what it is. That's why he is where he is tonight. Fighting, for his political life with just 13 days to go until election day. You know, we are certainly learning that President Barack Obama will head to Florida, he's going to keep on the campaign trail, he's going to head to Florida on Saturday to campaign for Biden in a state that is a must win for President Trump. And I'm going to speak with a former Obama administration official about the strategy behind the president's speech. We've got much more to come on all of our breaking news tonight, including that hastily arranged press conference to announced Russia and Iran have interfered in our election. Lots of unanswered questions about all of this, and Evan Perez, Josh Campbell are here to break it down, after the break.

Iran And Russia Interfering In 2020 U.S. Elections

LEMON: So, here's our breaking news with only 13 days to go its until election day. The director of national intelligence in a very hastily arranged press conference saying tonight Russia and Iran are interfering in the election. Completely glossing over, over the Russia part and accusing Iran opposing as the far-right group the Proud Boys, and sending intimidating e-mails to voters. So, joining me now is CNN's senior justice correspondent, Mr. Evan Perez, and our former -- and a former FBI supervisory special agent Josh Campbell. Good evening, gentlemen. Thank you so much. So, listen, Evan, what is going on here, why did they come out and announce this tonight in this manner at this time?</s>EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Don, I mean, I hear your skepticism, but it is something that, you know, from talking to people in the intelligence community over the last couple of hours, it appears this is something that they're very, very concerned about. This is obviously a couple weeks out from the election, and it is the kind of -- it is an indicator of how concerned they are about the activity from some of these countries, including Russia, Iran, and China and what could happen in the coming weeks. And of course, the whole setup of this, is that the president has been the one that has been trying to undermine some of the fate that people have -- the fate that people have in the integrity of the system. So, it appears these intelligence agencies from these countries are taking advantage of some of what the president has laid out. But this, in particular, the Iran case according to the officials tonight, it is the case that these e-mails were being sent by the Iranians, it was -- it was, you know, intimidating people, threatening people, that if they did not vote for Trump they would come after them. It appears that this data was stolen from some of the state systems. And so that raises a lot of concern. We don't know what the Russians are going to do with the data. They appear to have the same information, they haven't done anything with the yet, and that's why there is so much concern about this.</s>LEMON: OK, so is this stolen from the system, because it's publicly available data because addresses and e-mails, that is -- that's publicly available? What is that stolen from?</s>PEREZ: Right. I think --</s>LEMON: You don't need like some sophisticated operation to get people's e-mails and addresses and names.</s>PEREZ: Right, I do hear some of that skepticism as well. Some of the states are saying that they have no indication of an intrusion. I can tell you, that in the recent days we have alerts that have gone out from the FBI, from the intelligence agencies alerting the states that there were -- there were indications that there were intrusions of systems. And essentially warning them to patch their systems, that is a warning that was issued in recent days. So, it does appear that there was some legitimate concern, that some of the systems were not as secure. And again, the bottom line here is that your vote is safe, none of these intrusions really could get to change your vote, or to affect the vote count. But there are some problem sometimes that need to be fixed to make sure that people aren't losing faith, or don't lose faith come election day.</s>LEMON: OK. So, OK, so listen, let me play, I got a whole bunch of questions for you, Josh. I just want to play again the part of what the Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe said tonight.</s>RATCLIFFE: We have already seen Iran sending spoofed e-mails designed to intimidate voters, incite social unrest, and damage President Trump.</s>LEMON: OK, so, CNN has obtained these e-mails sent to voters in multiple states. One read you will vote for Trump on election day or we will come after you. OK, so listen, how is that intimidating and not like a spoof, and how is this damaging to Trump?</s>JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, there are a lot of questions there, and what we got today was attribution, as the intelligence committee calls it where you are attributing these efforts to a particular nation state, but we didn't get a lot of information about the motive and the why and what else officials are seeing. What we got there was a little snippet of analysis from the director of national intelligence as you mentioned saying that this was designed to hurt President Trump. The problem here with the Iranian issue, is that if you play it out logically, and you risk running a deducted fallacy here. Essentially what he is saying, is that the Iranians knew that they are going to get caught, and then that would then expose this as, you know, the Proud Boys being set up as the victims here. Which, that's a jump in logic there that, you know, requires a couple steps. So, basically, we don't know, Don. We don't have a lot of information. I think it is important to note what he did not say, the DNI didn't mention the Russia issue. We know that going back to 2016, the intelligence community had assessed that Russia was working to help President Donald Trump, here today we had the DNI talking about Iran, saying that the victim here was President Trump. Talking also about Russia, but not mentioning that that was potentially designed to hurt Vice President Joe Biden. I will say that what we saw today, Don, in one way is precisely what the intelligence community is expected to do, whenever you see an influence operation, because the way to mitigate these types of threats is to inoculate the public. If they're getting these e-mails, they don't know what they are, it's incumbent upon the intelligence community to inoculate them, to describe what this is, what this isn't. So that party did by the book.</s>LEMON: Josh, listen, I agree --</s>CAMPBELL: But the other part is --</s>LEMON: I agree with you 100 percent. And listen, I'm not -- my skepticism is not for Christopher Wray, he's a straight shooter. It is actually for Ratcliffe. Because if you look at the press conference, if you watch it essentially what they said you would think they were holding two different press conferences. Wray is saying, you know, your -- your vote is safe, right? You should feel -- you should feel confident that your vote is going to get counted even with the mail, blah, blah, blah. And then you have Ratcliffe giving some whole other thing that I don't know what it had to do with anything.</s>CAMPBELL: Yes.</s>LEMON: But my question is, did they need to -- I have to run here if you can just tell me quickly. Do they need to do a press conference, could they just put out a press release and have the media give this information and say you might have gotten these e-mails but these e- mails pay no attention to the e-mails behind the closet or whatever, the man behind the curtain?</s>CAMPBELL: Yes. The timing --</s>LEMON: I mean, it just it was just odd?</s>CAMPBELL: The timing is obviously a question and the method, and this was at FBI headquarters which is also, you know, raises questions about putting that FBI good housekeeping standard from approval on this.</s>LEMON: Right.</s>CAMPBELL: I will say that as you mentioned, Chris Wray, Director Wray, that was more a public service announcement.</s>LEMON: Right.</s>CAMPBELL: The DNI Ratcliffe it was more getting somewhat into the weeds. The problem here and this is why folks are right to be skeptical in the sense, and that is the DNI's history. He's already raised a lot of eyebrows with some of his actions by selectively declassifying information. And so, just to circle back quickly on what I was saying earlier it is right for the intelligence community to inoculate the public --</s>LEMON: Right.</s>CAMPBELL: -- to try to mitigate these threats. But when you have someone out there a former politician leading the effort that just going to raise questions from the other side --</s>LEMON: Thank you.</s>CAMPBELL: -- about whether this is actually being done above board.</s>LEMON: One hundred, 100 percent what you just said. Thank you, Josh. Evan, thank you. Evan is going to be back a little bit later. He's got some more reporting to do and we will certainly have him on with that new reporting. Thank you both. I appreciate it. So, stay with us, we got more on our news tonight. President Obama stumping to for Joe Biden making the case that President Trump inherited pretty good things from his administration and he squandered them. I'm going to speak with someone who worked in the Obama White House, former White House press secretary, there he is. Mr. Jay Carney, next.

Feds Say Russia And Iran Interfering In Presidential Election

DON LEMON, CNN HOST: Thirteen days until Election Day and there's breaking news on stories that could impact your vote. The Director of National Intelligence in a hastily arranged news conference saying Russia and Iran are interfering in the election saying, Iran's posing as a far right group, the proud boys, and sending intimidating emails to voters. That, as Barack Obama, the former president, campaigning tonight for Joe Biden in Philadelphia, delivering a blistering rebuke of Donald Trump's presidency. Let's get right to our breaking news now on the Feds accusing Russia and Iran of election interference. Let's discuss now, CNN's Senior Justice Correspondent is Evan Perez, our national security and legal analyst, Susan Hennessey and Miles Taylor, a former top official in the Department of Homeland and Security under President Trump. Great having all of you on. Thank you so much for joining. Evan, what is the latest on the attempts by Russia and Iran to interfere in our election?</s>EVAN PEREZ, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, according to the Director of National Intelligence, what the Iranians and the Russians both did was they were able to obtain voter registration data, which, you know, is very concerning, right? On the Iranian side, according to the DNI, they were responsible -- the Iranians were responsible for sending these spoof emails that people reported getting in states around the country that were threatening people saying you've got to vote for Trump or else. And according to John Ratcliffe, the DNI, he says this was some way attempted to undermine President Trump. There's a lot of skepticism because of John Ratcliffe's history. Obviously he's somebody who has done a lot of partisan things. And I can hear some of the skepticism that you have voiced about this. But I think the larger point here is that there's enough concern about the activity of Russia and Iran and China in the closing weeks of this campaign that I think everybody in the intelligence community and law enforcement is very concerned about all of this activity. And of course part of the reason why there's such concern is because these foreign intelligence services are taking advantage of some of the efforts of President Trump has made to call into question the credibility of our system, the idea that there might be vote fraud. I think that's why everybody is extra on edge. And I think part of it is because of the president.</s>LEMON: Susan, and listen, if they hadn't had the press conference, right? And didn't tell people about it, they would probably get some -- a bunch of criticism for that as well. Susan, this is what the Director -- this is what Director Ratcliffe said tonight. Here it is.</s>JOHN RATCLIFFE, DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: We have confirmed that some voter registration information has been obtained by Iran and separately by Russia. This data can be used by foreign actors to attempt to communicate false information to registered voters that they hope will cause confusion, sow chaos, and undermine your confidence in American democracy. To that end, we have already seen Iran sending spoofed emails designed to intimidate voters, incite social unrest and damage President Trump.</s>LEMON: OK, so, Susan, these emails say, vote for Trump or else. That doesn't seem damaging to the Trump campaign unless it's like some Jedi mind trick. Do you think Ratcliffe is putting his own spin on this intelligence?</s>SUSAN HENNESSEY, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY AND LEGAL ANALYST: Well, of course based on DNI Ratcliffe's prior record of sort of overtly politicizing intelligence, there's reason to be really suspicious of his account that this particular operation was designed to harm President Trump. That said, you know, we could imagine an explanation where that was true. This was an effort to generate headlines that were going to be damaging to the president, sort of reverse psychology. We can also imagine this was designed to hurt Joe Biden. That this was about sort of voter suppression. One of the most significant things is though is that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has come out and said that this account is not consistent with what was briefed to Congress. But what Congress was told and was left with the impression was that this was really just about creating chaos, attempting to just undermine confidence in the election writ large, that it really wasn't about hurting anyone in particular, and considering sort of the ambiguity of what actually occurred here, that certainly seems like the most logical explanation. And so, while I think we can have a lot of confidence that this did in fact occur, I do think that there's real reason to be suspicious that Ratcliffe may have included sort of his own personal assessment about the motivations. Notably FBI Director Wray did not repeat that whenever he came to the podium.</s>LEMON: Yes, it was almost as if it was two different press conferences. How does this compare -- how does this compare to Russia in 2016, with Russia did in 2016, Susan?</s>HENNESSEY: Well, so in one hand it is similar sort of activity of overt interference attempts to sort of create chaos, undermine confidence writ large. One thing that's dramatically different of course is that in 2016, we had a candidate, then candidate now President Trump who we know was openly welcoming that interference and was privately attempting to sort of capitalize and benefit from it. One thing that's quite different about how we've seen candidate Biden respond to this is a rejection of any kind of foreign interference. You know, clear response that if elected president, he will you know, respond to this aggression and that he views this as a bipartisan national security issue. That this is really not about an opportunity to score political points. Another thing that's notable is this press conference tonight, is hastily gathered, 7:30 p.m. on a Wednesday press conference mentioned that Russia had also obtained this information. We don't know whether it was a hack or sort of commercially available information. When it described a lot of what Iran was up to but doesn't say -- it didn't tell us anything about what the Russians are doing with this information. So, it really raised a lot more questions than answers.</s>LEMON: So, Miles, you've been waiting patiently. So, let me bring you in here. Trump's own FBI and intelligence directors are confirming that Russia is still interfering in our election. The president said nothing about this at his rally tonight. How significant is it that this president still won't condemn Moscow or threaten retaliation?</s>MILES TAYLOR, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: It's significant, Don, and we've got to remember that just a few days ago Donald Trump was bragging about his warm relationship with Moscow. And now, as you note, his FBI and intelligence directors are saying that the Kremlin is actively interfering again in U.S. democracy. The big question right now is when is Donald Trump going to call them out for their interference, and when is he going to threaten retaliation? In fact, if the president does not open tomorrow night's debate by noting this issue and calling out our adversaries, it's pretty damning. It's a pretty damning indictment of his inattention to this subject. Now, let's say there's bad news, good news, good news. The bad news of course is that because the president didn't act decisively enough after 2016 to punish the Russians, more countries are getting in the game. And that's why we've seen the Iranians involved. We know that Chinese are involved and of course, the Russians are back. The good news here though and I think voters should know this. This does show that the FBI, DHS, the intelligence community have gotten better at uncovering and thwarting some of these activities. And then it's also good news that right now preliminarily this looks like it's more of a disinformation operation. The voting infrastructure itself is more secure than ever. And I think Americans can still feel confident that their votes will be counted and they will be counted correctly. So, they've got to ignore this disinformation. That's why it was good that it was called out. And tonight, behind the scenes, the intelligence community and law enforcement are focused on how to further stop this plot. And they're probably looking at proposals to take to the White House of how they can deter this activity and potentially punish it in ways that are seen and unseen. And hopefully the president will accept those recommendations.</s>LEMON: And we will be following it. Thank you, Miles. Thank you, Susan. Thank you, Evan. I appreciate it. The former President Barack Obama stumping for Joe Biden tonight and back on the trail Saturday in Miami. Can Biden hold on to the Obama coalition where Hillary Clinton did not?</s>BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The president spent some time in Erie last night and apparently he complained about having to travel here. And then he cut the event short. Poor guy. I don't feel that way. I love coming to Pennsylvania.

Obama In The Campaign Trail For Joe Biden

LEMON: The former president Barack Obama on the campaign trail in Philadelphia tonight stumping for Joe Biden. Obama delivering a blistering takedown of President Trump who has systemically tried to undo his legacy.</s>OBAMA: Tweeting at the television doesn't fix things. Making stuff up doesn't make people's lives better. You've got to have a plan. You've got to put in the work. And along with the experience to get things done, Joe Biden has concrete plans and policies that will turn our vision of a better, fairer, stronger country into a reality.</s>LEMON: Well, the former president also trying to make the case for his vice president with a coalition that twice sent him to the White House, which in part consisted of black voters, college educated voters and white Democrats.</s>OBAMA: This notion of truthfulness and democracy and citizenship and being responsible, these aren't Republican or Democratic principles. They are American principles. They're what we're -- there what we -- most of us grew up learning from our parents and our grandparents. They're not white or black or Latino or Asian values. They're American values, human values. And we need to reclaim them.</s>LEMON: Well, the former president cautioning voters tonight to ignore polls that show Joe Biden with a wide lead in Pennsylvania, right. And with more than 40 million votes already cast, can Obama help Biden put the race away? It didn't work in 2016. So, joining me now to discuss, David Axelrod, the former senior adviser to President Obama and CNN's senior political commentator, Angela Rye. Hey guys, how are you? Good to see both of you.</s>DAVID AXELROD, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Don.</s>ANGELA RYE, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: How are you?</s>LEMON: So, David -- I'm doing very well, thank you. David, Obama campaign for Hillary in Philadelphia before she lost that state in 2016. She didn't pull together the Obama coalition. Is Joe Biden doing it or is he building a different coalition?</s>AXELROD: Look, I think there are certainly elements of the Obama coalition and Joe Biden is adding to it. He has reached into more deeply into that white non-college vote that helped propelled Donald Trump. That's one of the reasons why Trump feared him as a candidate. We've seen a strong move -- you know, Trump carried the suburbs back in 2016. He's losing by a wide margin there now. And yes, I think he is going to reassemble the other elements of the coalition. But I should mention seniors as well. He won those by 8 points, seniors by 8 points. He's losing them now. So, he is losing his own coalition to Biden. I think the role that President Obama can play is really rally young voters, voters of color. I thought he had a very, very focused message for those voters today about what the stakes were in this election. But, you know, I think what Biden is doing is adding to that coalition in ways that Hillary Clinton simply did not.</s>LEMON: Angela, you heard what David just said, that Joe Biden has strong support among black voters in the polls when he's saying, you know, what Obama can do here. So, Joe Biden already has strong support among black voters. Both campaigns are reaching out to black male voters. Which voters are most motivated by Obama in the entire spectrum of voters?</s>RYE: Well, I think that what we have to remember -- and I feel like we sound like a broken record these days talking about it. But black voters aren't monolithic. There are some people who Barack Obama inspires greatly. I'm watching that like can he just come back for a third term? He makes me feel way better than Joe Biden has during these campaign. He has a way not only with words but with assuring people that he sees all of us. And I think that's a skill and a gift that frankly Joe Biden still has to get ahold of. So, absolutely they need Barack Obama on the campaign trail to close but it is important to remember that things aren't as they were in 2008. They aren't as they were in 2012. They certainly aren't as they were in 2016. Things are so different now. And there are a group of young people who are eligible to vote this term that, yeah, they lived under Barack Obama and I think it was a time of a privilege, right, to live under the first black president. But they weren't eligible to vote yet. They're eligible to vote now. They're eligible to vote with suit and deck that is crippling. They're eligible to able to vote with COVID taking out parents and loved ones and their families. They're eligible to vote with frankly, Don, parents who may have just come home or who may still be incarcerated. And I think that those are all things that we really have to wrestle with and level with people. Tell people that you can't fix everything that systemic oppression has given us in 401 years overnight. Level with people and tell them that things aren't perfect even with ACA but it's a hell of a lot better than not having any coverage at all which could very well be the case if Amy Coney Barrett is confirmed. Things are bad but they could get much worse if three of the justices on the Supreme Court becomes, if Amy Coney again, Coney Barrett is confirmed, become the judicial team from Bush versus Gore. It will be the court that decides this election. Things can get worse, and I think that has to be the closing pitch. This is a new group of voters and they just have to be levelled with. They're living Armageddon.</s>LEMON: And the closing pitch has to be to get people motivated, right, because --</s>RYE: Yeah.</s>LEMON: -- they need people unmask. David, listen, beyond making the case for Biden as a candidate, Obama gave a powerful argument for staying engaged in the Democratic process. Here it is.</s>OBAMA: Voting is about using the power we have and pooling it together to get a government that's more concerned and more responsive and more focused on you and your lives, and your children, and your grandchildren and future generations. And the fact that we don't get 100 percent of what we want right away is not a good reason not to vote. It means we've got to vote and then get some change and then vote some more and then get some more change and then keep on voting until we get it right.</s>LEMON: OK. So, listen, I don't want to read too much into that. I'm just --</s>AXELROD: That was exactly Angela's point.</s>RYE: Yeah.</s>AXELROD: I mean, that was the message that President Obama was making. And he was speaking directly to these young people who are rightly impatient for change and their impatient with incremental change. And what he was saying is we can't make everything better overnight, but we can make things better. And then we keep fighting to make them better again and again. And that's what the Democratic process allows. That's the power of the Democratic process gives us. And I think you're going to hear that message again and again. And that's the message younger voters need to hear.</s>LEMON: I think he was listening to our phone calls, Angela.</s>RYE: No, you know what, Don? I've got to tell you this. I was on a focus group conversation earlier with folks in L.A. and folks in Chicago. David I know you'll also appreciate this. They sound like they've been listening to the phone calls, and I think what that has to mean, Don, is that these are conversations that people are having in Zoom conversation, on text message. Everywhere. People are frustrated and they feel stuck. What we have right now overwhelmingly so. And I hate to say it but it's true. A bunch of reluctant voters for Joe Biden because they know Donald Trump isn't the choice. But what I think is the task for Kamala and for Joe Biden is to turn that reluctant into the type of hope that Barack Obama displayed on that stage today. It is so important to do that. We are running out of time, so we've got to do it quickly.</s>LEMON: Yes, and I'm running out of time. So, I got to get to the break quickly. Thank you both. It's good to see both of you.</s>RYE: Thank you.</s>LEMON: President Obama telling voters the next 13 days will matter for decades to come. We're going to break down where the race currently stands and who could have a path to victory come Election Day. Plus this country adding over 60,000 coronavirus cases in one day. With cases surging across the country, we're going to tell you what you need to know.

The Path To 270 For Joe Biden And Donald Trump

LEMON: Election Day is just 13 days away and we have new polls showing the race is tied in the critical swing state of Florida. Phil Mattingly is at the magic wall to lay it all out for us, Phil.</s>PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Don, 13 days out. Everybody wants to know what's going to happen on November 3rd. And I'm here to tell you I don't have those answers, but I do have new polls from two crucial states. These polls aren't going to tell you what's going to happen, but they do give you a snapshot in time. And that snapshot really corresponds with what you've seen in the CNN race tracker over the course of the last several days. Just to kind of refresh some memory here, Joe Biden in the CNN race tracker when you have safe Democratic states plus states where they are leaning in the Democratic, the Biden campaign's direction. It already over, the requisite number of Electoral votes he needs to win, 270. However again, snapshot in time. What does this mean going forward? Well, take a look at the polls and you'll see how closely they correspond with where things stand. Florida, right now currently gold. That means it's a toss-up. Right now no clear leader in the CNN poll conducted by (inaudible). Joe Biden is at 50 percent, Donald Trump at 46 percent, that's within the margin of error, pretty much tied up right now. Pre-consistent across polling right now. That this is extremely close as -- it's Florida, it's always extremely close. Now, let's pull up Pennsylvania, right now leaning blue, leaning towards the Biden campaign. Good sign for them. They obviously need Pennsylvania or at least want Pennsylvania. Where do things stand there? More comfortable for the Biden campaign. A 10-point lead, 53 percent for Joe Biden, 43 percent for Donald Trump. Now, again, snapshot in time, this isn't going to happen in Pennsylvania, but it underscores a key point here that we've seen over the course of the last several days, to some degree, weeks. And that is Midwest, these crucial areas that used to form the blue wall, the blue wall that Donald Trump blew apart back in 2016, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Joe Biden is consistently showing fairly solid numbers in polling, Again, it doesn't mean it's going to go his way, but certainly Democrats starting to feel better that perhaps that area, those three states are starting to revert to the Democratic norm. Let me go down to Florida, you could add Georgia. You can have North Carolina in there as well. And these are razor, razor thin races across the board. Now, what does that all mean? For the Trump campaign it means everything because basically they need to sweep every single toss up state. There is no pathway that I think they're aware of right now or that they're considering right now that doesn't include them winning Florida. But take a look, if you give the Trump campaign every single toss-up state at the moment. You give them Florida, they pull out Georgia, they pull out North Carolina. They win again in Ohio. They win again in Iowa. They win up here in Maine too. One electoral vote, give it some credit. It even perhaps, you know, that doesn't keep Joe Biden under the 290 where he at is. So, why don't you give him Arizona too, Republican state traditionally, Donald Trump won in 2016. Joe Biden still at 279 electoral votes. It underscores the importance of Pennsylvania for the Trump campaign as well. Keeping Pennsylvania and all of a sudden once again he's over 270. Now what happens if Joe Biden wins the state of Florida? Give him Florida. Now, they can win Pennsylvania. They can win all the toss ups.</s>MATTINGLY: They can win Wisconsin, as well. Flip that over to Republican, and Joe Biden would still be over 270 votes. So again, the Trump campaign wants Pennsylvania. They're spending a lot in Pennsylvania. Donald Trump was in Pennsylvania yesterday. They understand that's the core of the Midwest poll that brought Donald Trump to presidency in the first place. But always pay attention to Florida, because if Joe Biden turns Florida blue, light blue, dark blue, any color blue, Joe Biden will likely end up over 270 electoral votes. Don?</s>LEMON: Oh, thank you very much. Phil has spoken. Now, I want to bring in CNN senior political analyst Kirsten Powers and White House reporter for The Washington Post Toluse Olorunnipa. Good evening. Kirsten, you first. A lot can happen. And you know this, right? A lot can happen in 13 days. This is what the former president said about that today.</s>OBAMA: We can't be complacent. I don't care about the polls. There were a whole bunch of polls last time, didn't work out, because a whole bunch of folks stayed at home and got lazy and complacent. Not this time, not in this election.</s>LEMON: So, do you see this race tightening, Kirsten?</s>KIRSTEN POWERS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yeah, yes. I think when you look at the people who study the polls and you talk to them, they are very confident that Joe Biden is in a very strong position. But, you know, the president -- former President Obama is exactly right. People can't look at those polls and just think that the person that they think is going to win is going to win because of what the polls say. The polls can be wrong. The polls also can reflect the fact that some people who said they were going to vote decide not to vote because they think that the person that they want to win is going to win. So, I think if you're somebody who wants -- is very passionate about who you want to win this race, not only do you need to vote, you need to get every single person you know to vote. You need to be making phone calls on behalf of the candidate and you need to act like your candidate is way far behind in the race regardless of who it is, because, you know, right now, I really don't think you can't say confidently who is definitely going to win the race.</s>LEMON: Toluse, Obama talked not only about the specifics of how to vote, but also about the biggest issue on the campaign trail and that is health care. Take a listen.</s>OBAMA: When they've been asked, they keep on promising, we're going to have a great replacement. They said it is coming. It's been coming in two weeks for the last 10 years. Where is it? Where is this great plan to replace Obamacare? They've had 10 years to do it. There is no plan. They've never had one. Instead, they've attacked the Affordable Care Act at every turn, driving up costs, driving up the uninsured. Now, they're trying to dismantle your care in the Supreme Court as we speak as quickly as they can in the middle of a pandemic with nothing but empty promises to take its place. It's shameful.</s>LEMON: Democrats have been pounding Trump on health care, on the health care front. It is a tough issue for a lot of people, especially, Toluse, with the pandemic.</s>TOLUSE OLORUNNIPA, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER FOR THE WASHINGTON POST: Yeah, there's been a lot of noise around this election, especially when it comes to President Trump's campaign. They've been flailing about with different messages, trying to brand Joe Biden as a socialist, trying to talk about his son, trying to talk about China. When it comes to the Democrats, they have had very disciplined message, even if they have at times been taken off their message by Trump's antics. It's always been about health care. They have been very focused when it comes to the Affordable Care Act, defending Obamacare, even using the Supreme Court opening and the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to focus on health care, focus on the fact that there is a court case coming up next month that could lead to Obamacare being ruled unconstitutional and 20 million people losing their health care. So, this is a message that all the way from President Obama, all the way down to Joe Biden, his running mate, and all the Democrats up and down the ballot, they have been focusing on health care. If you listen to some of these senatorial debates, if you listen to some of the gubernatorial debates in the various states, there is a clear message on the democratic side, which is we want to defend Obamacare, we want to defend health care. And the Republicans don't have an answer for that. So, when it comes to message discipline, at least on that issue, Democrats have the edge whereas Republicans don't really have an answer because they have not been able to come up with a plan for the better part of the last four years and even going much far beyond that into the last --</s>LEMON: It's been -- yeah, I was going to say it's been 10 years at least that they have been saying repeal and replace. Listen, so, Kirsten, you know, there is -- The New York Times has a reporting about this, President Trump having this secret Chinese bank account, right? Well, the former president brought that up.</s>OBAMA: He's got a secret Chinese bank account. How is that possible? How is that possible? A secret Chinese bank account.</s>OBAMA: Listen, can you imagine if I had a secret Chinese bank account when I was running for re-election? You think -- you think my -- you think Fox News might have been a little concerned about that? They would have called me Beijing Barry.</s>LEMON: Kirsten, Beijing Barry. You used to work at Fox News. He has a point.</s>POWERS: Oh, well, I mean, he would have -- there almost -- on a daily basis --</s>LEMON: The secret Beijing Barry bank account and the fake false phony Democrat and the --</s>POWERS: But --</s>LEMON: Yeah. I'm doing my best -- trying to do my best Fox News.</s>POWERS: But it's everything that Donald Trump does. Yeah. But everything that Donald Trump does. They -- Barack Obama was doing. I mean, if Barack Obama had interacted with Vladimir Putin the way that he did, if he interacted with Kim Jong-un the way that he did, if he lied as much as Donald Trump did -- I mean, you know, they got upset because he wore a tan suit in the Oval Office, right? So, it's -- it is just this unbelievable double standard. But, you know, I think, you know, President Obama really showed tonight just how seriously concerned he is about Donald Trump getting re-elected because he was, you know, really going to town against him. He was not holding back at all. And I think that, you know, you typically don't have former presidents campaigning and campaigning with the kind of passion that he was. And so I think that, you know, it's very clear -- and I would also say, you know, I'm really disappointed that we're not seeing the same thing from George W. Bush. I mean, he has been completely absent, you know. He certainly let it be known that he doesn't like Trump, but he's just completely checked out and is not speaking up in the way that you have, you know, President Obama speaking up and the way that you see other Republicans speaking out against Donald Trump.</s>LEMON: Yeah. And I've read an article the other day that said it would be -- he's the one that folks need to come out if they really want to seal --</s>POWERS: Mm-hmm.</s>LEMON: -- the deal, meaning traditional Republicans. Listen, I mean, come on, Kirsten --</s>POWERS: Yup.</s>LEMON: -- who wears a tan suit? He deserved that. I got to go. I'm kidding. That was sarcasm.</s>LEMON: That was so dumb and so hypocritical. Thank you, guys.</s>LEMON: Coronavirus hospitalizations hitting numbers not seen for months now. And one person who spent seven days in the ICU is telling Americans to wear a mask. That person, Chris Christie, got sick after not wearing a mask at the White House. Plus, the Trump campaign had hundreds of millions of dollars. Where did it all go?

U.S. Tops 222,000 Deaths And 8.3 Million Coronavirus Cases; CDC Updates Guidelines For Close Contact

LEMON: With less than two weeks to go until Election Day, coronavirus cases are surging around the country. I want you to take a look at this. Not a single state trending in the right direction. Twenty-six states on the rise, 24 holding steady, and with an average of about 60,000 new cases a day, the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 is also continuing to climb. We're not far off from the peaks we saw earlier in the spring and summer. And with all these pain and chaos, all the lives lost and the economy in tatters, the president says there's not a thing he would do differently.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With COVID, is there anything that you think you could have done differently if you had a mulligan or a do-over on one aspect of the way you handled it, what would it be?</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Not much. Look, it's all over the world. You have a lot of great leaders. You have a lot of smart people. It's all over the world.</s>LEMON: Well, I mean, joining me now is Dr. William Haseltine, a former professor at Harvard Medical School. Thank you, professor, for joining us. We really appreciate it. So, here is someone talking about what they do differently. Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has a new op-ed about his time in the ICU with coronavirus. I just want to read some of it for you. He says, "When you get this disease, it hits you how easy it is to prevent. We are asked to wear a cloth over our mouth and nose, wash our hands and avoid crowds. These minor inconveniences can save your life, your neighbors and the economy. Seldom has so little been asked for so much benefit. One of the worst aspects of America's divided politics is the polarization of something as practical as a mask. It's not a partisan or cultural symbol, not a sign of weakness or virtue. Wear it or you may regret it -- as I did." This is something that we hardly hear if ever from the president, right?</s>WILLIAM HASELTINE, FORMER PROFESSOR, HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL: That's correct. Governor Christie was preparing the president for the first debate. He was doing that without a mask. A lot of people in a debate preparation were infected. And I think it's a tribute to the governor that he has changed his opinion and he's come out on the side of public health, having had a near death experience.</s>LEMON: Professor, the CDC is updating its definition of close contact to include multiple brief exposures that add up to a cumulative 15 minutes spent six feet or closer to an infected person. I mean, this is a big deal because previously, it was 15 minutes of continuous exposure that we needed to worry about. So, what did people need to know about this new guidance?</s>HASELTINE: They need to know that the infection is transmitted by an aerosol that hangs in the air. And that the longer you're there, even with most masks, the higher your risk is. If you want to reduce your risk when you're indoors and you don't know the people that you're with, you should wear an N95 or a KN95 mask, and very importantly, a face shield. A face shield in hospital settings dramatically reduces transmission. So a face mask and a face shield can help you. But you should follow the CDC guideline and stay as short a time as possible in a room with people you don't know and haven't been isolated with.</s>LEMON: Does this new guidance show why it's so important for people to be wearing masks in their everyday lives?</s>HASELTINE: Yes, it does. And I think Governor Christi does, too, as well as the infection that ran right through the White House. I think those are all signs, in places where you think you should be protected and you're not. It's really important. I'd like to go back, if you have a minute, to one other point, which is the president said every leader in the world has failed to control the epidemic. That's not true.</s>LEMON: Yeah.</s>HASELTINE: The governor of -- the president, prime minister of New Zealand was elected with a landslide because of her ability to drive the infection to zero. The leader of China, a country of 1.4 million people, has driven that infection to zero ever since March and April. It's basically not there. Where we have 60,000 people, they have 11. Now, everybody is going to say that's totalitarian, but what it really is, is following every guidance for public health.</s>LEMON: Yeah.</s>HASELTINE: You identify somebody, isolate them for 14 days, and you can drive this to zero. And it's not too late for us.</s>LEMON: I think you meant 1.4 billion.</s>HASELTINE: It's 1.4 billion. Six hundred and fifty million people travelled --</s>LEMON: Yeah.</s>HASELTINE: -- over the last golden week and nobody got infected.</s>LEMON: Thank you.</s>HASELTINE: It's safe. And it's not totalitarian. It's public health.</s>LEMON: Thank you, professor. I'll see you soon. Be safe.</s>HASELTINE: Thank you very much.</s>LEMON: Private plane rides, stays at Trump properties, salaries paid out to family members, we're taking a look at where the Trump campaign spent hundreds of millions of dollars, next.

Questions Raised About How Trump Campaign Spent Funds.

LEMON: Less than two weeks until Election Day and the president is not only trailing Joe Biden in most polls, he is tens of millions of dollars behind Biden in campaign cash. And as the race gets down to the wire, questions are being raised about how the Trump campaign spent hundreds of millions of dollars in funds. Here's CNN's Ryan nobles.</s>RYAN NOBLES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From the day he took office --</s>TRUMP: I, Donald John Trump --</s>NOBLES (voice-over): -- Donald Trump has been running for re-election, filing his paperwork on his inauguration day, and raising money ever since.</s>NOBLES (voice-over): Trump and his party are on track to raise and spend more money than any political candidate in history, more than $1 billion. But, despite all that cash flooding into his campaign coffers, he finds himself in a remarkable position. Down in the polls and with a lot less money than his opponent, Joe Biden.</s>TRUMP: I could be the king of all fundraisers. I would be the greatest that ever lived.</s>JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Hello, hello, hello.</s>NOBLES (voice-over): Since Biden became the Democratic nominee, he has been steadily eating away at Trump's significant cash on-hand lead. That is the amount of money available for a campaign to spend at the end of every month. Trump went from being $200 million ahead in this category to being close to $1 million behind for the last month of the race. Now, after raising and spending hundreds of millions of dollars, Trump is claiming fundraising isn't all that important.</s>TRUMP: You know, they got all this money. They'll spend money like crazy. But, you know, ultimately, money doesn't get you there.</s>NOBLES (voice-over): Money, alone, does not win elections. Trump won 2016 spending far less than Hillary Clinton. But in 2020, the difference is he has raised plenty. So, the question is: Where did it all go? The Trump political operation has poured tens of millions of donor dollars into things like buying hundreds of copies of the book written by Trump's son, Don, Jr., Facebook ads for campaign staffers like former campaign manager Brad Parscale, ads in the Super Bowl and in the 2019 World Series, months and months before Election Day, ads in the pricey D.C. media market which is not a swing state. And that's not all. The Trump campaign spent millions on expenditures that directly benefit the Trump family, including private jet travel for his campaign surrogates like his children, salaries for family members, and payments to Trump properties. Much of the spending was overseen by Parscale, who claimed to have built a massive data and ground operation that he dubbed "the death star" with his tweet over the summer. An analogy that raised some eyebrows, since in the "Star Wars" movie "Return of the Jedi," the death star is destroyed. The single largest expenditures, more than $300 million, went to two companies, American Made Media Consultants and Parscale Strategy, both affiliated with Parscale.</s>NOBLES (voice-over): The practice hid much of the campaign spending and led to a challenge by a watchdog group to the Federal Election Commission. Parscale was demoted by Trump in July and left the campaign, outright, in September. But his spending, combined with lackluster fundraising, has put his replacement, Bill Stepien, facing tough decisions about where to spend dwindling resources in the final days of the race. Something Trump says is not a problem and one he could solve in an instant.</s>TRUMP: If we needed anymore, I'd put it up personally, like I did in the primaries last time.</s>NOBLES (voice-over): But so far, Trump has put in only $8,000 to his own campaign in 2020. And with time running out, he may be in a position where any amount of money won't be able to change the trajectory of the race.</s>NOBLES: And, Don, it is important to point out that the president's campaign account is not the only money being spent in support of his re-election. There is hundreds of millions of dollars being spent by Super PACs. But that money has very specific restrictions attached to it. His campaign account is the money where he has the most flexibility. And right now, Joe Biden has a lot more of that money for the final stretch of the campaign. It is a little bit ironic that a man who got into politics by selling himself as a businessman, who is good with money, is now lacking money in order to finish out his campaign. Don?</s>LEMON: Ryan Nobles, thank you so much for that. And thank you for watching, everyone. Our coverage continues.

Pope Francis Endorses Same-Sex Civil Unions; Interview with James Martin, Author, "The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything; " Black Women Forms Backbone of the Democratic Party; Interview with Xernona Clayton, Civil Rights Activist, and Martha S. Jones, Author, "Vanguard"; Latinx Largest Minority in U.S. Presidential Election; Voting During a Pandemic; Interview With Author Paola Ramos.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, everyone, and welcome to "Amanpour." Here's what's coming up. Making history, Pope Francis backs same-sex civil unions. Jesuit priest and LBGT ally, Father James Martin joins me. And --</s>WENDY CALDWELL-LIDDELL, FOUNDER, MOBILIZE DETROIT: I think that the apathy has just grown and has just become so pervasive in our communities because people are just trying to survive.</s>AMANPOUR: African-American women, the backbone of the Democratic Party. I asked civil rights leader, Xernona Clayton, and historian, Martha S. Jones, about why what they did for equal rights is so often ignored. And --</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The reality is that we have two very distinct candidates in front of us and that's what we have to choose from.</s>AMANPOUR: Latinx voters could be this election's king-makers. Vice correspondent, Paola Ramos, warns us not to mistake them for a monolithic group. Then --</s>JESSICA HUSEMAN, REPORTER, PROPUBLICA: I certainly do not believe that fraud is as prevalent as voter suppression.</s>AMANPOUR: ProPublica reporter, Jessica Huseman, tells our Michel Martin about the challenge for voters in this norm-busting election. Welcome to the program, everyone. I'm Christiane Amanpour in London. In a truly momentous move for the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis has publicly endorsed same-sex civil unions for the first time. The pontiff made the comment in an interview for a new documentary, saying homosexual people have the right to be in a family. He added, what we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered. Let's talk about the impact of this and ask how will the wider church react. Father James Martin is editor of the Jesuit magazine, America, he met with Pope Francis last year to discuss pastoral care for LBGT Catholics. And he's joining me now from New York. Father Martin, welcome back to the program. Obviously, this is a good day for you. You've been lobbying the pope for this, and you've been wanting to see something like this. Tell me exactly what the pope has done. Has he broken from official doctrine? Has he created something new? Is he just clarifying views? What's going on? JAMES MARTIN, AUTHOR, "THE JESUIT GUIDE TO</s>EVERYTHING": I think he's creating a new space for LBGT people. There is a 2003 document from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith against same-sex unions, and the pope is obviously saying he sees things a little differently. It is -- it's momentous because he's saying it as pope. He said it before as archbishop of Buenos Aires. He's saying it on the record, and he's being very clear. It's not simple he's tolerating it, he's supporting.</s>AMANPOUR: So, what does it mean in practice, do you think, because I'm going to go back to what you mentioned about 2003 and then, of course, his predecessor, Pope Benedict, had some very different things to say about this issue, and we know that there is a struggle within the church hierarchy over how far to go with reform versus traditionalism?</s>MARTIN: Well, I think one thing it says is that the bishops, who are many in different countries, who are sort of violently against civil unions are going to have to rethink their positions. You know, you often have bishops in the United States and especially places like Poland who says that they are a threat to traditional marriage. Now, you have the pope saying he supports them. And so, they're going to have to rethink what they are talking about. And I think on a broader level, it basically is more of a welcome mat for LBGT Catholics to make them feel more welcome in their church.</s>AMANPOUR: There's quite a lot to unpack because, obviously, the pope has been saying that. His very first comment on this when asked about gay rights was, who am I to judge, and that went all over the world. It became a slogan. It went viral. So, he's sort of been moving in that direction ever since. But certainly, here in the U.K., the Catholic Church, the cardinal has, I believe, also endorsed the idea of same-sex unions. Same happened in Argentina, which is the homeland of the pope. When he was cardinal though, he had a different view on all of this, and he then basically said, OK, well, same-sex unions stave off the idea of same-sex marriage. Can you unpick all of this for us?</s>MARTIN: Well, I think it seems like the church is understanding LBGT people and perhaps reflecting on their experience of being in civil unions, of being in partnerships like that and he may have changed his thinking and he may just have had more experience of talking with LBGT people. He has, I know, you know, for a fact, he has friends who are LBGT. He speaks to them. You know, I spent half an hour with him last year speaking about LBGT issues. So, he's well informed and he may have, in a sense, as we say in the church, developed his own doctrine, right. He sorts of come to an understanding of things in a different way which enabled him to speak more positively in this documentary.</s>AMANPOUR: As you know, the official doctrine in the church still considers and states in black and white that homosexuality is a disordered state. I believe Pope Benedict went further and, you know, aligned it had with the work of the devil and such. There is a very strong conservative group in the Vatican, and they have been pushing back on many other of the pope's efforts at reform in other areas. You've talked to him about this, I said, and we have a picture of you with him. How has he talked to you about how he's going to manage this?</s>MARTIN: Well, I can't reveal what he said to me in the meeting. He asked me to keep it private. But I would say that, you know, he was very open and very warm and you don't though what he said to me, just look what he's saying today. He has been speaking very warmly about gay people. He's the first pope to ever to use the word gay. And I think what he's trying to do is take a more pastoral approach. I mean, we have to reckon with the fact that the head of the church has now said that he feels that civil unions are OK and we can't dismiss that, and I know you're not trying to, but I think bishops and other people can't dismiss that as easily as they might want to. This is, in a sense, a kind of teaching that he is giving us.</s>AMANPOUR: Certainly, we're not dismissing it. We're all for progress and human rights obviously, but I'm asking you in the context of the very real opposition, for instance, in the wider church, in Africa where you know whether it's in the Catholic or the wider Christian community, it's very heavily condemned, even governments there condemn homosexuality on pain of death and torture and imprisonment. How do you think it's going to, you know, filter down into those communities?</s>MARTIN: I think that's a great question. I mean, places in Sub-Saharan Africa, even places like Poland where bishops are violently anti-LBGT, I think it's going to be a challenge for them and, you know, we can't mince words. I think it's going to be really shocking for a lot of these bishops to hear this. You've already had a bishop in the United States come out against it, you know, within the last hour or so. So, it's a real challenge. But, you know, Pope Francis is encouraging us to see LBGTQ people as our brothers and sisters, and he's always reaching out in a pastoral way and this is what got Jesus in trouble, too. So, he's -- you know, he has -- he's in good company.</s>AMANPOUR: What about the idea that the pope is also -- I mean, he's talking more and more about these human rights issues and these humanitarian and pastoral issues and compassion. His new encyclical, you know, condemns I think what he calls a myopic vision and I think he uses the word cruelty. He's spoken out against what he calls cruelty against children who are being separated at the U.S. border and now, we have news that more than 500 of these kids separated from their parents and have no way of the system trying to know where the parents are, where the kids are and how to get them back together. He's really making some quite clear -- well, obviously moral comments but also political, particularly on the eve of a major election in the U.S. What is his message, do you think?</s>MARTIN: Well, you know, in a sense, his message is the gospel which sometimes has political overtones, and the major of</s>AMANPOUR: You've seen a film. Of course, this is part of a documentary, they got the pope on the record. They said these things himself. You've seen the film. What did you think -- and I think you saw it before it was released, what did you think when you heard and watched that, and what else should we expect and anticipate that's in storage in that film?</s>MARTIN: I was shocked frankly because, you know, I had heard that he said things in Buenos Aires. I read interviews where he averts to it, where he sorts of tolerates it. But it's quite something to hear him say it. And in fact, I wrote down the comments and sent it to our national correspondent at America magazine because I know it would be a big story. The rest of the film is just as interesting. The rest of the film does speak about people in the margins, migrants, refugees, the poor. So, it's really looking at him in terms of his teachings on social justice. It's a very effective and very good film, and this is, in a sense, a very small part of it, but I sort of figured that this would be the most newsworthy part.</s>AMANPOUR: Yes. Well, you have a good nose then for what makes news and what really shifts the ball down the field on this issue for sure. Father Martin, thank you so much indeed for joining us. Now, of course, religion plays a huge part in American politics. Christians form President Trump's base. And with less than two weeks to go before the election, more than 27 million people have already voted. Former president, Barack Obama, hits the campaign trail in earnest now, and he's tweeted a video aimed at young people.</s>BARACK OBAMA, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: I know there's plenty out there to make people feel cynical, and plenty of people are going to seize on that to convince you that your vote doesn't matter. It's not new. It's one of the oldest voter suppression tactics there is. What is new is a growing movement for justice, equality and progress on so many issues. This is really a tipping point.</s>AMANPOUR: A tipping point indeed, and black women form the backbone of the Democratic Party, and their vote matters. In 2008 and 2012, they turned out in historic numbers to make Obama president. But in 2016, fewer voted for Hillary Clinton. A warning to Candidate Joe Biden that their vote cannot be taken for granted. Here to discuss their Democratic journeys and the hurdles they still face are civil rights activist and businesswoman and journalist, Xernona Clayton, the first black woman to have a primetime T.V. show in the south. She's joining us from Atlanta, Georgia. And Johns Hopkins University professor, Martha S. Jones, who is new book "Vanguard" traces this crucial history. And she's joining us from Baltimore, Maryland. Let me start with you, Xernona Clayton, because you are also part or you have been of the Turner Family, our company, and I just want to ask you what your thoughts are right now about what President Obama said in terms of trying to mobilize people just to vote. He's not saying who to vote for but to get out and vote. And you spoke about that issue at John Lewis' funeral a few months ago. Xernona Clayton, Civil Rights Activist: Well, I remember when I was working for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we really put forth so much effort to try to go out to people's homes, knock on the doors trying to get them out to vote. We had so many excuses given to us. It would just shatter your thoughts and your heart and pierce your heart that people would not go out and vote. And I had to remind them all the time about how many people have lost their lives, have been beaten severely trying to get black Americans the right to vote. It was an awful, awful feeling for us. But can you imagine now how proud I felt the last few days when I saw people standing in line who were going to be there for hours just to vote. Such a heartwarming feeling for me that now we're getting the message that your voice does count, your vote is important and that we absolutely must vote. I know John Lewis is smiling from heaven just seeing the people standing in line waiting for their moment to cast their ballots.</s>AMANPOUR: And yet, Xernona, and also, Martha S. Jones, we know that nobody's vote can be taken for granted. And particularly, as we said at the beginning, you know, Black women do form the backbone of the Democratic Party and we've seen, certainly, with reports that we have from, let's say, in Michigan which went very narrowly for President Trump in 2016 that there are a lot of, you know, activists on the ground trying to get out vote. Here's a little clip that I want you both to discuss when we finish. Here's a little clip of an activist there expressing somewhat her frustrations.</s>WENDY CALDWELL-LIDDELL, FOUNDER, MOBILIZE DETROIT: Absolutely they take us for granted, because they know that black women are going to help them get the big wins they need where it matters, but they also know that they can give us the bare minimum knowing that we aren't going to choose other side.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What does that say about the country?</s>CALDWELL-LIDDELL: It says we still got a long way to go when the backbone of the country is the most neglected.</s>AMANPOUR: And, of course, the backbone of the Democratic Party. Martha S. Jones, you have written, obviously, this great book "Vanguard" about essentially how black women's contribution to not just equal voting rights but equality in general is too often overlooked and how this young woman, activist, you know, is saying, don't take us for granted. Don't just count on us. How do you react to what she said?</s>MARTHA S. JONES, AUTHOR, "VANGUARD": I think she's speaking a refrain that black women have been speaking for generations. It is a lonely place to occupy in an American democracy when you are, as she so eloquently put it, the backbone of a party, when you are, as I have put it, the vanguard of American politics speaking this country's best ideals, holding this country up to its best ideals and yet, yes, too often overlooked when it comes to setting policy, to sharing power and to really driving the course of American politics. It's an old frustration.</s>AMANPOUR: Let's just point out the obvious that Joe Biden has chosen, you know, a black American woman, black Indian-American woman, Kamala Harris, to be his running mate, and we have some 122 black or multi-racial black women filed to run for congressional seats in this year's election. That really does seem to be progress. Xernona, what do you make of that, the numbers that are increasing, the representation on the vice-presidential ticket and yet, still some frustration at the grass roots?</s>CLAYTON: Well, one thing we realize is that we can overlook when it comes to qualifications, talent, ability. We have to reach a point where we've got to overlook this thing called race, the color of a person's skin. None of us chose to be who we are and what we look like. And so, to hide behind it, to ignore it or to make it an issue, all of these are mistakes we make as citizens that there's talent, ability, energy and skill that comes in all colors. And I'm just so happy that we have come to a point now where we're kind of confusing what were the original decisions and the issues of the Declaration of Independence, that we're all created equal. And now, we're coming closer to equality, and the choices that we are making now with getting women in the right places, doing the right things I think is progress, and I'm happy to see it.</s>AMANPOUR: Let me just run down a little bit of the history. You know, the U.S. gave white women -- sorry, white men with property first the right to vote in the late 1700s. In the mid-1800s, black men were initially allowed to vote, then Jim Crow cracked down on that. Then in 1920, the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote, but it was all the way until 1965 in the Voting Rights Act when black men and black women really were allowed to vote. So, Martha, I want to ask you, because there's such an entangled and close history between the party and black women. And in your book, you write -- I'm just going to get the quote. In your book you write, for black women ratification of the 19th Amendment was not a guarantee of the vote but it was a clarifying moment. More than anything, it marked a turn. Black women were the new keepers of voting rights in the United States. They were the fore of a new movement, one that linked women's rights and civil rights in one great push for dignity and power. Expand on that because you do point out in your book that it's not just about suffrage, it's about everyday rights like transportation and the like, that black women were, you know, active for.</s>JONES: There's nothing in the 19th Amendment in 1920 that prohibits individual states from now imposing on African-American women the same Jim Crow strictures that have kept black men from the polls since the 1890s. There's nothing in the 19th Amendment that curbs intimidation and violence that will also keep black women from the polls. And so, it's necessary out of the ashes, if you will, of the 19th Amendment for black Americans, men and women together, to build a new movement for voting rights, one that white American women will not join them in frankly. Black Americans look in 1920 to win federal legislation that would give teeth to the 15th and 19th Amendments, and that will be a project that takes 45 years until after the extraordinary courage and sacrifice of a modern civil rights movement finally black Americans force the hand of Congress, force the hand of President Lyndon Johnson, and we have in 1965 passage of the Voting Rights Act.</s>AMANPOUR: Xernona, you grew up in the Jim Crow south, and you went on to have an amazing career as a black woman. I mean, you're not just, as you say, with your amazing work with Dr. Martin Luther King, as an activist, but then, you know, as a business person in Atlanta, as a person who had, I think, the first T.V. show, first black woman to have a T.V. show. You worked for Ted Turner. You became a vice president of the company. What was it like trying to get there for you? What were the steps like? How hard was it?</s>CLAYTON: Well, I think it would start with my mother and father who taught me and my sister and our family members not to ever feel inadequate. Don't feel insecure. We didn't choose to be black. We're here now. Let's make the most of the individual progress that can be made if you'll just be fearless, work hard and just things that parents will tell you. I grew up feeling secure. So, I never felt that just because I knew what the laws were that I had to be governed by that. I was a very strong person in pursuing what I wanted, going to the right places to get it, and feeling like I had to bring people with me. And so, my security, I think, has carried me a long way. I don't want to feel pompous about this, but I've made the marks I've made because I felt as an adequate person, not an inadequate person, that I knew what I knew and I could act on what I knew and felt were the right things to do.</s>AMANPOUR: Well, it's just so amazing to hear you say that and it's so empowering to hear you say that, and I'm just going to point out that you clearly knew who you were. You always felt more than adequate to the extent that you were once called the dragon slayer. You actually, and I want you to tell me about this because reading on one of your programs you actually, I think, convinced the Ku Klux Klan grand dragon away from the movement. I mean, that must have taken some persuasion.</s>CLAYTON: Well, it was a great moment when it happened. I didn't know it was going to happen. We saw each other often, and he always treated me with respect, but always had silly ideas about colored people living in the north didn't do as well with homeownership as colored people in the south, and his point was, they do better in servitude because you had more homeowners in the south, and I used to say to him after I found out that he was a Christian, I found out he was a deacon in his church, and I knew he was a parent, I used to say to him, I would ask him this question. I said, let me ask you to do something for me. Go into your bathroom, close the door which is a very private place and ask yourself these questions. What kind of Christian am I? What kind of parent am I? What kind of deacon am I sending these kinds of ideas, planting these ugly seeds in people's minds not only for now but for the next generation? Does that make you feel good? Tell me about it. He didn't give me an answer, but when I found out that he had called a press conference shortly after this and denounced the Klan and announced he was coming out and credited a black woman with changing his whole attitude about life and named me as that black woman, that was a great moment.</s>AMANPOUR: Right. It was --</s>CLAYTON: But Dr. King said -- let me say this. Dr. King said, if you change a man's heart, you can regulate his behavior.</s>AMANPOUR: That's brilliant.</s>CLAYTON: That's what he said to me.</s>AMANPOUR: That's pretty amazing, and it's really good to be reminded a of that. And lastly, again to you, Martha. You know, that's a phenomenal story but we've heard the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI warning that one of the greatest terror threats in the United States is the rise of white supremacy today. And frank, the enabling of that permission from the highest occupant in the land of public office. We're hearing already, you know, intimidation tactics at some of the polling stations. We're hearing people saying, you know, sending messages to voters saying, vote Trump or else. We actually hear that is coming from foreign countries, Saudi Arabia and other countries. But put that into context in terms of trying to get the black vote out today and the history that you've been charting.</s>JONES: The history of terroristic violence, voter suppression by those means is one that is thoroughly interwoven into the story of voting rights in this country. Black Americans know this story going back to the earliest decades of the 19th century when those black American men who could vote were met indeed with wanton violence at the polls in many American cities in the north. By the time African-American women come to the polls in 1920, those that do like Florida's remarkable Mary McLeod Bethune face direct Klan intimidation and violence so much so that too many African-American women will retreat from the polls in the 1920s because that violence is not only wanton but it is unchecked by the state, and that, I think, is the eerie parallel with 2020, not only the fact of the violence but the fact that state, local and federal officials do not appear to be prepared to act to counter that violence leaving black Americans, yet again, in another generation to take safety in numbers, to gather their courage and to risk bodily harm in order to exercise a fundamental democratic right like the right to vote.</s>AMANPOUR: It's so important. Thank you both so much. Martha Jones, Xernona Clayton, thank you very much for joining us tonight. Now, another major constituency both parties want on their side, Latinx voters, some 32 million are eligible to vote, and for the first time, they are predicted to be the largest minority in a U.S. presidential election, and both candidates have taken note.</s>JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: More than any other time, the Hispanic community, Latino community holds in their palm of their hand the destiny of this country.</s>DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We're going to win a record share of the Hispanic vote this November. Get out and vote.</s>AMANPOUR: So, Paola Ramos is a correspondent for Vice and she has worked for both Hillary Clinton and the Obama administration in the past and her new book "Finding Latinx" is a reflection on identity and why fewer than half in her community voted in 2016. She's joining us now from New York City. So, fewer than half voted in 2016, and they are talking about the Hispanic vote. Your premise is basically is there's no such thing as the Hispanic vote. It's not had a monolith, right? What do you want politicians and us to know?</s>PAOLA RAMOS, AUTHOR, "FINDING LATINX": What I want them to know or I guess what I want us to know is that we don't know Latinos, right. I think the idea that politicians have of Latinos is that of my father's generation, right? Is that we speak Spanish, that when you talk to us, you talk to us about immigration. No. Is that our story -- the heart of our story is the immigrant narrative and the reality is that I think we haven't taken enough time to really dig deep in understanding what did the younger generation, right, what did folks like myself do with those rights that my parents fought for? You know, how did I become free enough to call myself a Latina and a queer person and a woman and how do all of these different identities recite themselves? And so, what I try and do in the book is to paint a picture of who we are, right. And when you look at us, right, when you allow everyone to sort of step out of the shadows, you start to understand that Latinos, yes, look like me, but you also see that there's 3 million</s>AMANPOUR: So, that's really changed, the different of focus for your generation to your father's. You mentioned your father, so I will say that he is Jorge Ramos, a very well-known correspondent for Univision. We've had him on this show many times. And you're right, he has talked about other issues that were important to his generation. What are you finding then as you travel around the United States, particularly in this moment of election? What are people saying they want and how -- what will mobilize them to vote?</s>RAMOS: So, I think they are mobilized. I think we're already seeing that Latinos are mobilize. I think right now with COVID-19, that was it for many young Latinos. I think a lot of young Latinos have seen -- you know, 36,000 Latinos die because of this virus, right. These are young people that have seen their parents die, their abuelas die, they have seen that in the peak of the virus, almost 18 percent of Latinos were unemployed. And so, that's an image you don't forgot about, right. And so, I think, for many Latinas, for many young Latinas, it's become a matter of life and death. But the thread that I find in the book is that the younger generation doesn't -- is rejecting this pain and trauma, right, and is rejecting this sort of assimilation that they saw their parents going through, right? They reject the criminalization. They reject the injustices. And so they are going out to vote for COVID, but they are going out to vote because they don't want that anymore. No, they don't want the status quo in a way that perhaps our parents sort of took for granted, right, and thought that that was the way that they were to be treated in America. I think COVID is one thing. But I think that the deeper thing, I think there's -- it goes beyond issues, and I think there's a deeper ache of belonging, right, of -- when people talk about it, they want to talk about the issues, and that's important, but I think the thing that's missing is that a lot of young people feel like they do not belong in this country, right? We saw it very clearly in the horrible massacre that happened in El Paso. We see it in the stats, where hate crime and hate violence against Latinas reached a peak in the last 10 years under this administration. And so I think it goes deeper than that, is that we want to be talked to. We want the candidates to show up. We want to be in the tables. We want to see ourselves reflected. And so I think that's the bigger question.</s>AMANPOUR: So, you mention, of course, it's happening in the context of COVID. And you're absolutely right. Latinx and black Americans, minorities have suffered disproportionately on every level from this terrible pandemic, because of all the institutional racism, the socioeconomic divisions. Let me ask you, then, which candidate -- because both are spending tens of millions, if not more. I don't know the actual figures, but they are certainly pouring millions in terms of ads and reach-out to your community. Right now, it seems that Biden leads Trump 60 percent to 26 percent in the so-called Latino vote. Of course, you have told us that it's not a monolith. But does Biden have it in the bag, or do you have a word about that?</s>RAMOS: I think he will win the national Latino vote, right? I think that's evident. I think the interesting part is, the gains, the slow, but stable gains that Trump is making, right? I was just in Arizona recently just last week, and there's a stat where you find that at least 40 percent of young Latino men in Arizona might vote for Donald Trump, right? And I think that that's -- it's kind of shocking for a lot of people, and I think many people still don't understand how Latinos would vote for someone like Donald Trump. And the more I travel and I -- even in this book, I get it, right, because part of our story is wanting to assimilate, right, is wanting that proximity to white power. And I have had countless conversations with folks. And so there are some Latinos out there. The further -- the more generations you are of America, there are some people that want to forgot that they are immigrants, right. There are some Latinos that want to forgot where they come from. And so Donald Trump offered this illusion, right, that they are American, that they are not the other, and that is working. I mean, I have seen it myself in Arizona. I have seen it myself in Florida. That works for a lot of people, right? They want to forgot that they are the other, and so proximity to white power becomes a very intriguing concept for them, and that that's working particularly among Latino men, right, where this power, no...</s>AMANPOUR: Yes.</s>RAMOS: ... that symbolism that Trump represents works.</s>AMANPOUR: We have seen this, particularly, as you have said, men under the age of 45. Can I ask you, because we use the word Latinx? What is the correct term now? Is there a consensus on what term to use? Is there any controversy?</s>RAMOS: No.</s>AMANPOUR: Tell me about it.</s>RAMOS: There's a lot of controversy. I mean, in fact I would say most people -- and that's why I wrote the book. Most people don't like the term Latinx. Most people reject the -- and most people don't even know how to pronounce it, right?</s>AMANPOUR: Right.</s>RAMOS: And that's -- but it's good. It's good to have these conversations, because we have never had a moment in history in which we get to define what it means to be us, right? And so the way that I'm defining the X, right, the sort of conversation that I want to do or that I want to have is that the X is nothing but an invitation for anyone among the 60 million of us that has ever felt left out of the community or of the narrative, right? And, again, that's is you're an Afro-Latina, that is if you're a woman that -- a Latina that felt like they deserved more rights than those that were given to them. That is if you're trans, you're queer, you're indigenous, right? Latinx is meant for every one of us. And it's meant not just to talk about our intersection, the intersectionality of identities, but also of issues, right? It's to force people to look beyond the story that has been told about us. And there is a lot of rejection, a lot, in -- but I think that's good.</s>AMANPOUR: Yes. Yes.</s>RAMOS: I think it's forcing people to understand why they feel uncomfortable with the term itself.</s>AMANPOUR: On the issues, again, you've talked about health care as well. And let me just say that you know, in 2018, which is before the pandemic, 61 percent of uninsured people in Texas were Hispanic. That is a pretty huge number. But I do want to ask you this, because, again, we're hearing a lot about tactics that are being used against, like to suppress the vote in various different parts of the country. Seventeen percent of Florida voters are Latinx, and there are troubling reports that Spanish-speaking Florida voters are being inundated with misinformation, disinformation, conspiracy theories. What do you know about that, and is it -- do you think it will have an effect to suppress the vote?</s>RAMOS: It is having. I mean, it's very common. If you land right now in Miami, it's extremely common to hear, "Joe Biden es un comunista." That's in the airwaves. That is in conversations. You will find that. So, yes, 17 percent of the electorate is Latino. Around 17 percent of the Latino vote in Florida are Cuban, right? And so one of the reasons why Latinas are very vulnerable right now is because, since COVID, the way that we have consumed, the way that we have been online and on our phones is higher than for black folks and for white folks, right? Our consider digital consumption is out the roof. And so people know that. And what you hear in Florida, right, a lot of the right-wing conspiracy theories is that they're trying to make the case that a vote for Biden is a vote for communism, right? They're trying to sort of exploit the real trauma of Cuban exiles and Venezuelan exiles, and they're trying to create fear. A lot of people will tell you that they don't know the source of that, right? I also even heard on the radio someone, in Cuban anger, compared Black Lives Matter to the devil, right? And so it is fear. Far is a tactic that they're using. Most people will tell you they don't really know the true source of that. But what we do know is that the president of the United States himself has said, falsely, that voting for Kamala Harris and for Joe Biden is basically voting for communism, right? And so the spread of misinformation starts from the White House.</s>AMANPOUR: It's really fascinating. Thank you so much for your insight, Paola Ramos. Thanks a lot. And now, voting in a pandemic and during a serious health crisis means this is not a normal election. Ensuring everyone's voice is heard has never been more important. And our next guest is on that beat covering voting rights. Jessica Huseman is lead reporter for ProPublica's Electionland project. It's a coalition of newsrooms across the U.S. which investigates problems with ballot access, vote by mail and misinformation. And, here, she's talking to our Michel Martin about those challenges during this pandemic.</s>MICHEL MARTIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Christiane. Jessica Huseman, thanks so much for joining us.</s>JESSICA HUSEMAN, PROPUBLICA: Thank you so much for having me.</s>MARTIN: Let's talk about sort of the two different perspectives. So, Republicans tend to complain about voter integrity, and Democrats tend to complain about voter suppression. But is there a truth to either of those claims?</s>HUSEMAN: I think that the truth exists somewhere in the middle, as all things. I certainly do not believe that fraud is as prevalent as voter suppression. So, I think that the truth exists more towards that angle of things. But I do think that there has become a strain of left-wing advocacy that is, in its -- at the end having the exact same impact as the right-wing voter fraud advocacy. So, you can only insult the system and say that your vote will not count so many times before people start to believe you, regardless of the cause of your vote not counting. So, whether you believe that the system is inherently flawed and not worth your vote because it's overrun by illegal immigrants who are casting fraudulent ballots, which is not true, or whether you have decided not to cast a ballot because you believe that your vote won't count because of who you are or because of suppressive tactics or because you think that the machines are inherently flawed, and you choose not to vote, at the end of the day, you're still choosing not to vote. And so I think that activists on both sides, which is a phrase that I hate to use, but is unfortunately apt here, I think that activists on both sides need to take not only their end goals into account, but the way in which they are de-motivating and discouraging people from going to the polls right now.</s>MARTIN: But if your goal is to de-motivate people from going to the polls right now, then you have succeeded, right?</s>HUSEMAN: That's true. But I don't know that the left would say that that's their goal. But I think that might be the impact of some of the things that they're doing, blowing a long line out of proportion. Or saying, for example, that the city of Louisville is going to have four-hour wait lines because they have assigned one polling location to 600,000 residents is technically true, but not helpful. That's, like, not a helpful way to look at that voting situation. And there were no lines in Louisville all day. So, while election administrators did the best they could with a gigantic facility with lots of polling sites in it, how many of those people heard there's going to be a four-hour-long line in Louisville, and just chose not to show up? So, I think that there is a fine line between very loudly advocating for change, and then going so far that you sort of push people over to thinking that there's no point, and there's no point in engaging with the system at all.</s>MARTIN: Let's talk about some of the issues that have the -- that have surfaced very loudly, or been surfaced very loudly, during this sort of current election cycle, which, of course, is taking place during -- in the context of a worldwide -- a worldwide health crisis, a serious disease, which is spread by people being in close contact with each other, whether they want to be or not.</s>MARTIN: So, let's just throw that into the mix. Mail-in ballots is something that President Trump has been harping on, his conservative or far right conservative conspiracy-minded theorists have been and supporters have been harping on. What's the deal with mail-in ballots. Why is this kind of the focus of their ire? The president has voted by mail for years. I think everybody knows that. So, why is this the focus of their concern right now?</s>HUSEMAN: I think that they view this as a bit of a Hail Mary pass. I think that they see where the polls are. And so their intention -- and they have been foreshadowing this since 2016, even after he won -- is to call the results of the election to question, rather than being very concerned about going after those votes with different messaging or with an altered approach. I think that his intention is really to cause so much confusion that people either do not exercise their right to vote by mail, or it becomes so confused, that he can litigate then after. And both things are not good. And I think that he has perversely had, and obviously intentionally, a really interesting impact on turnout. If you look at the rates at which people are returning their vote-by-mail ballots, they are doing it much quicker than they have in previous years. And so I think that all of his complaints about vote by mail and the system and the lack of credibility of the USPS has encouraged people to interact with the system in a way that actually makes it work better. So, we will likely know the results of Election Day way sooner than we otherwise would if we didn't have a president using his bully pulpit to talk about vote by mail a lot. So, I don't know if that's his intended effect, but that's what's happening.</s>MARTIN: Well, talk to me about vote by mail, because you say that there actually is the potential for fraud...</s>HUSEMAN: Sure.</s>MARTIN: ... in vote by mail. And you're, frankly, just one of the few reporters who's been willing to say that. Why is that, particularly given that a number of states, a minority of states, but a number of states have a long history of voting by mail? Oregon votes entirely by mail. I mean, they have a few in-person voting locations. Mainly, what I hear is that people haven't made up their minds until the last minute, so that's why they go to the sort of the few polling places that are available. But their system is overwhelmingly vote by mail. But you said there is that potential. Why is that? Objectively, there is.</s>HUSEMAN: Yes. So, there are states that do this really well, and have done this for a long time. There are, of course, the states that vote all by mail. There are also states like Arizona, or Georgia, for example, where a very -- or Florida, where a very high percentage of the population votes by mail, because it's a no absentee -- no-excuse absentee state, and anyone can vote by mail. And then there are states where almost no one votes by mail. So, for example, the state of Kentucky was in the single digits for percentage of the population that voted by mail. And now about half of the state is going to vote by mail. And while Oregon had a decade and Washington had six years and Hawaii had seven, the rest of the states that have gone from zero to 100 have only had six months. And that's if they immediately went that direction, and only a minority of states have. And so while they can certainly use the lessons that the states that have been doing this for a really long time have learned, every state's election system works so much differently, that you still have to make incredible adjustments, issue a lot of funding, to make sure that people have the paper goods, the sorting and letter opening equipment, the scanning equipment. It's an entirely different way of voting. And so, while people have in states across the country have been buying new voting equipment, and really sort of preparing themselves for a 2020 election for years, they didn't anticipate the 2020 election would look like this. So, we're having to redo a lot of our efforts in the last few months. And that speed can lead to -- can lead to mistakes. And so I want to be very clear that I don't think that this would lead to increased intentional voter fraud. And I don't think that this will lead to, like, intentional election fraud either. But I do think that, as we have already seen, there are room for errors in states that have just not done this before</s>MARTIN: Speaking about sort of a deep concern generally of progressives, it is a fact that the statistics have shown that African-Americans and Latinos tend to have their ballots rejected at a higher rate. Why -- and that leads to the obvious concern on the left that there's some sort of conspiracy or two, there's a motivated effort to disqualify these ballots.</s>HUSEMAN: Yes.</s>MARTIN: Why is that, based on your reporting?</s>HUSEMAN: You know, I think that something that a lot of people don't take into consideration is that a lot of voters of color are brand-new voters, or have never voted by mail before. So, even if you have been voting in the same way for a really long time, and you are a traditional voter, you go to the polls every time they open, you may not have ever cast about on your own by mail. And voting by mail is a very difficult thing to do. There's a very specific list of instructions that you have to follow. Those instructions vary by state, and sometimes by county. And so it's difficult to have a statewide or a national education campaign on going to vote, because you can have a statewide education campaign that says, Election Day is November 3, go to your polls, because that applies to everybody. You can't really say, hey, everybody, the ballot -- the deadline for requesting your absentee ballot is October 15. And please sign the back, because that's not the rule in every state. So, education campaigns are a lot more limited. States have not dedicated enough money to them. And so the people that that's going to hit hardest are people who do not vote often or whose vote is being cast in a new way for the first time.</s>MARTIN: Another complaint that many people have raised is polling stations themselves. ProPublica pointed out that non-white Georgia voters tend to be living in areas where the lines were, in fact, the longest. That is a fact...</s>HUSEMAN: Absolutely.</s>MARTIN: ... as reported by your organization. So why is that? I mean, people look at something like that and say, how is that not an effort to keep people from voting by making it so inconvenient that they will get discouraged?</s>HUSEMAN: I think that a lot of the issues that we see in these large cities are -- and this sounds quite firm, but issues of incompetence, rather than malice. I think that these areas have been so poorly funded, which is a remnant of the long history of racism in America, that they don't have enough resources to be as effective as they needed to be. They cannot hire enough staff, they cannot get enough equipment. And then you toggle that on to very political struggles between local governments and the state government, and we're kind of setting these very populous cities up to fail. I think that the Republican Party loves to focus on meltdowns in large inner cities, like Detroit or Atlanta, and talk about how elections in these places are rife with fraud. That's not true. They're rife with mismanagement. And then, also, Republican cities are not exempt from this level of mismanagement. There have been several large Republican cities and suburbs that have had major election malfeasance. I think we just need to take a couple of steps back. The suppression does not necessarily happen at the level of the county clerk or the elections office. It happens at the state legislature level by choosing not to give election administrators the resources that they need and by choosing to allow counties to apportion their own tax dollars to this county or that county, thereby allowing this county to have more polling locations and that county to not. So, in the same way that there have been disputes over education funding and the equity of education funding disbursement, I think there should also be for issues of election administration.</s>MARTIN: Are there places that contradict the stereotype? The Kentucky secretary of state, for example, campaigned on a platform of opposing mail-in voting, opposing absentee balloting and so forth, and in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic has completely pivoted, who's a Republican?</s>HUSEMAN: Yes, and I think that this is a little bit of an undertold story. If you focus just on the congressional and Senate debates over voting and vote by mail and the coronavirus, you get a very different picture than if you just go one step down and look at state election administrators. By and large, Republicans have not been nearly as opposed to vote by mail as federal level Republicans who are screaming and crying in Washington, D.C. I mean, you saw, for example, the Republican secretary of state for Kentucky expanded early voting. His state has literally never had early voting before. There was no vote by mail in Kentucky before this. I think that they have taken a really, interestingly, bipartisan approach. The secretary of state is, obviously, as I said, a Republican. The governor is a Democrat, and so is the director of the state board of elections. And so they, I think, decided to see where the political reality was and came up with a very realistic solution. The same has happened in Iowa under Republican Secretary of State Paul Pate. And this is going to surprise voters, but one of the few states that proactively sent not just notifications that vote by mail was expanding, but actual absentee applications to every registered voter, was the state of Georgia. So there's a very different sort of outlook on this election and the severity of COVID and the importance of vote by mail for state and local Republicans, even if there's not for federal ones.</s>MARTIN: I understand that there are hundreds of legal challenges already being made around the sort of election processes. And give me some of the broad patterns.</s>HUSEMAN: Yes. So, I mean, I think that there are lawsuits that have taken kind of two types. So, the first type of lawsuit is over how people cast their ballots, right, how many drop boxes there should be in the state of Texas and the state of Ohio, whether or not it's OK to have a polling location here or There. Those impacts sort of a small number of voters who are accessing that specific type of voting. And then there are lawsuits that I think are more concerning in the long run, which are a section of lawsuits that talk about how the votes are counted, when they're counted, how long ballots can be accepted after Election Day, as long as they're postmarked by Election Day, when people can start counting. This is something that's going to affect the entire trajectory of the election. So, I'm particularly interested in decisions like the one that came out yesterday about Pennsylvania from the Supreme Court that was 4-4 that essentially ruled that Pennsylvania could continue to count absentee ballots as long as they were postmarked by November 3, and the ongoing litigation in Wisconsin about how long and in what way the clerks there can process absentee ballots. So, those lawsuits, I think, are very likely to have an impact not only on those states, but on the entire country. As you have heard President Trump message repeatedly, he's under the impression, which is false, that if we don't have definite results on election night, then fraudulent behavior has occurred. We have, in fact, never had the result on election night. But the litigation moving closer and closer and closer to the time where that decision has to be made will only confuse things more and delay that decision even more. So, his own lawsuits are really having more of an impact on this than he would if he said nothing.</s>MARTIN: What concerns you most about November 3, recognizing that voting has already taken place, as you have pointed out?</s>HUSEMAN: Right.</s>MARTIN: But is there something in particular that concerns you about Election Day itself?</s>HUSEMAN: I think that Election Day is such an emotional day, and it will be particularly emotional because we are in such a polarized place right now. And I think that the thing that concerns me most is people taking very expected election setbacks -- they occur every year -- elections are run by people -- and panicking about them and setting off quite a lot of emotion that's not necessarily justified. We have seen that as we have watched the election in the last couple of years, in 2016 and 2018. So, certainly, that's already happened. But this year, we seem to be at such a high emotional tenor, that I'm worried that we're going to see sort of eruptions of people screaming at each other at the polling location, even if they didn't set out to go to that polling location to scream at people. Like, emotions are just running so high. And so I think that people who experience solvable and expected setbacks will assume that those are either fraud or suppression, and act accordingly, rather than just sort of calmly solving the issue as it presents itself.</s>MARTIN: Jessica Huseman, thank you so much for talking with us.</s>HUSEMAN: Thank you. I appreciate it.</s>AMANPOUR: And we hope you have enjoyed that program on all the ins and outs of what's ahead on the voting issues. That's it for now. You can always catch us online, on our podcast and across social media. Thank you for watching, and goodbye from London. END

Coronavirus Pandemic Worldwide; U.S. 2020 Race; Ireland Prepares for Lockdown; Czech Government Limits Free Movement

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We can come out of this moment stronger than before.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Former president Barack Obama will hit the campaign trail in Philadelphia.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Trump is presenting a familiar closing argument, attacking his enemies and firing up the base.</s>DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Before the plague came in I had it made. We had this thing won. We were so far up, we had the greatest economy ever.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nationwide the virus is surging.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're facing a tough circumstance right now, we will see accelerating cases headed into the next four to six weeks.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.</s>BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: Tonight remember this? It's the Bretton Woods conference when the West essentially reimagined the political and financial apparatus of the world in their image after the Second World War. The status quo fathomed in this scene essentially lasting ever since with America and Europe still very much in charge of global affairs. But alas, the pandemic slowly but surely changing everything we once thought we knew just a few short months ago because, this hour, 2.5 million years' worth of lives have been lost due to the pandemic in America alone. That is the projection from a preliminary new study. Wondering how we get to that, well, each person killed by the virus could have lived on average for another 13 years. Multiply that by the number of those who have sadly died, you get to 2.5 million years. For context, our species, that is, we homo sapiens, came around about 200,000 years ago. A lot more sickness and death could soon be on the way in America. We have cases on the rise across the country; health officials warn that a wave of coronavirus cases is coming, unlike anything we have seen thus far.</s>DR. SCOTT GOTTLIEB, FORMER U.S. FDA COMMISSIONER: We're about a week away from starting to enter a period where we are going to see a rapid acceleration in cases. I think November and December will be tough months. We're seeing hospitalizations go up in 42 states right now. Cases are going up in 45 states and there really is no backstop.</s>ANDERSON: The president of the United States with some incoherent message in the pandemic, a message so counter to medical facts as to be considered by many as reckless. As just one example among many he kept on attacking Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert. A source tells CNN that the president's allies have told him that the attacks are, quote, "the dumbest thing in the history of politics," not to mention scientifically unsound. But Mr. Trump doesn't like much of Dr. Fauci's guidance, like wear masks, stay out of crowds and other sensible measures like in a pandemic. As you can see here, Mr. Trump remains insistently fond of getting people together in potential superspreader events. Not so for Joe Biden, who is keeping far more low-key and who will have a powerful new ally starting today in Barack Obama, who will be making his first live appearance on behalf of Biden.</s>OBAMA: Your generation can be the one that creates a new normal in America, one that's fair, where the system treats everybody equally and gives everybody opportunity. I know Joe better than almost anybody. I trust him to be a great president. He's different. He's on the right side of the issues. He will get the job done. And Joe and Kamala will want you to keep pushing them to get the job done.</s>ANDERSON: As CNN's Elle Reeve discovered, for some Americans, Donald Trump can get the job done just fine.</s>MIKE BUCK, TRUMP SUPPORTER: I like alpha males. I think President Trump is an alpha male.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whenever I watch the news, it seems like they're bagging on Trump. They make it sound like nobody's going to vote for him. So, we feel like we all need to get together, just to show people, that "Hey, there are people that are going to vote for him."</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the "Dunes & Deplorables Let Freedom Ride" Trump rally protest. It was unfurling a 30 foot by 50 foot American flag, having everybody gather around, play the national anthem and just be able to be with a bunch of friends and family.</s>ELLE REEVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Unofficial Trump events like this have been happening all over the country.</s>REEVE (voice-over): Boat parades, car caravans, bike parades. What attendees have in common is disposable income to spend on fun. While Trump's working-class supporters have gotten lots of attention, in 2016, a third of his voters made more than $100,000 a year. In fact, support for Trump is particularly strong among White voters, who have high incomes for their area, the locally rich.</s>PAUL VELUSCEK, TRUMP SUPPORTER: The people on the Left that really think we're deplorable think we're deplorable. If hanging out with families, bringing your kids out and having a good time, is deplorable, then I guess we'll take it.</s>REEVE (voice-over): I went for a ride in the dunes with Eric Nelson, who has been riding motorcycle since he was 14. Eric drove two hours to come to the rally.</s>ERIC NELSON, TRUMP SUPPORTER: Hopefully, you heard her scream.</s>REEVE (on camera): Yes. That's what the mike is for.</s>NELSON: The reason we're here supporting Trump is because we believe that Trump will help us to keep the money that we make and let us be able to work as hard as we want and not give our money away. People like Nancy Pelosi can get her fundings through - that's given money to people that aren't willing to work for it. I worked for it all my life. I had to work to put myself through college and so I can get a job and do what I enjoy, which is an activity like this and spend $15,000, $20,000 on toys because I choose to.</s>VELUSCEK: He really is for your hard-working people. Do I think he's racist? No. I think he's racist against lazy people.</s>REEVE (voice-over): The rally was mostly men. That's no surprise, given national polls. Men are much more likely to support Trump than women. And what these men said they liked about Trump was that he's a guy who is just like them.</s>NELSON: He's not a politician. He's one of us. Yes, he is one of us on steroids, because he runs a great big business and, makes a lot more money than we do.</s>BUCK: He can be crass. But we didn't hire him as a President. We hired him because he was a businessperson and that's what America needed, because our country was starting to tank.</s>REEVE (on camera): But isn't part of his job being like a moral leader?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't believe so.</s>REEVE (on camera): You don't think so?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. He says things that upsets people and we just don't care. And we think he's helping all those people because they don't fully understand what's going on.</s>ANDERSON: Elle Reeve reporting. Let's discuss what's going on in this presidential race right now. We have less than two weeks out from Election Day. Here is CNN's John Harwood. Always good to have you. Donald Trump's latest tweet reflecting the views of those supporters that we were interviewing there. "Biden is going to raise your taxes to a level never seen before." I wonder, does Joe Biden have a realistic plan that counters that narrative or not?</s>JOHN HARWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Joe Biden has vowed not to raise taxes for anyone earning less than $400,000 a year, which would seem to encompass the people in that piece that you just played in setting up the segment. So Joe Biden does have a plan to raise taxes on people at the top of the spectrum, to raise taxes on business, to try to fund a variety of services, from education to child care to health care expansion. And the question is whether those are going to be popular to voters. Polls show they are. But the proof is going to be what happens on Election Day.</s>ANDERSON: Absolutely. So many people, of course, have voted already. But Election Day, as I said, November the 3rd. Joe Biden has about tripled the cash on hand that Mr. Trump does. And he is spending it, John, on ads like this during the World Series. Have a listen.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Joe Biden doesn't need everyone this country to always agree, just to agree we all love this country and go from there.</s>JOE BIDEN (D-DE), FORMER U.S. VICE PRESIDENT AND PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm Joe Biden and I approve this message.</s>ANDERSON: For those who might say that he is sort of preaching to the converted there, those who already buy into Joe Biden, will like the ad. I wonder whether you think that that ad is likely to change the minds of, for example, those voters that Elle spoke to.</s>HARWOOD: Well, I think it's not necessarily designed to change a lot of minds. But Joe Biden has got a 10-point lead in this race, Becky. It's designed to hold people that he's already got. The task for Donald Trump over the last two weeks is to claw voters away from Joe Biden. And that was an extraordinary ad that we saw played during the World Series last night. And it reflects the uniquely divisive character of Donald Trump's presidency.</s>HARWOOD: That was an ad that resembles, more than any that I have seen in my career, the "Morning in America" ad that Ronald Reagan ran in 1984 when he was running for reelection. He won in a landslide. He was trying to pull the country together and say things are going well. Joe Biden is trying to say things are not going well but they can go well. That was something that tells you about the core appeal that Joe Biden is making and so far the polls seem to indicate that it's working.</s>ANDERSON: Your wealth of experience is always so insightful, John, particularly as we -- those of us who are watching this internationally, try to get our head around what is going on. Joe Biden will be getting a big boost today from an old friend of his, Barack Obama, who we heard from before Elle's reporting. Is Barack Obama getting to the party just a little late at this point?</s>HARWOOD: I think the calculation that Barack Obama makes in election campaigns, including this one, is that, as a former president, you only -- and when you're campaigning for somebody else -- you only have so much ammunition to use -- use it -- wait to use it when it counts. We are now at the countdown to the election. One of the things that Democrats are laser focused on is not having the kind of dropoff in turnout, especially from people of color that Hillary Clinton experienced in 2016, that helped Donald Trump edge out Hillary Clinton in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan. So Barack Obama is going to Philadelphia; a lot of African American vote there as well as vote in the suburbs of Philadelphia, more of the white women, who are powering the Biden campaign. And I think Joe Biden is very welcome to have -- or very happy to have Barack Obama trying to propel that turnout, to safeguard the lead that he's got, which is over 6 points in Pennsylvania.</s>ANDERSON: Both these campaigns fully focused on what are known as these swing states. John, thank you. The White House behind you, there, shrouded in what looks like an eerie fog. We will have to see if Donald Trump has the political mouse (ph) to work his way out of the fog of what is electoral war, as it were. Thank you, sir. All states are equal in American politics except some that are not equal, perhaps some others that are not as equal as others, as it were, as some swing. And they can decide who wins and who loses. Places like Pennsylvania and Michigan, where CNN's Kate Bolduan spoke to several Black women who are getting as many people out to vote as they can.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Women are the backbone.</s>KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: But do you think the Democratic Party takes you for granted?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely. Absolutely.</s>ANDERSON (voice-over): Black women are often called the backbone of the Democratic Party, which makes their voice so important to this election. More of that interview is just ahead in what is this two-hour show.</s>ANDERSON: Well, coronavirus, of course, the cloud that shadows not just America and its election at present but much of the rest of the world. We have been spending a lot of energy over the last few weeks showing you Europe's collapse back into COVID-19. Now the region desperately trying to pull itself back from the precipice of what feels like utter disaster. Perhaps the most extreme example is Ireland. It will become the first E.U. country to return to a national lockdown just hours from now. Everyone who lives there being urged to stay home for the next six weeks. That is until December. CNN's Nic Robertson collecting all of that from London. Why? Because he hasn't been able to get to Ireland, given his strict travel restrictions. It's a mizzy day there. When and where are people actually allowed to go out, Nic, at this point in Ireland?</s>NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Sure. And unless you are an essential worker and you have to go out to work, the instruction is work from home. You can't go out and visit your neighbors because households can't mix. You can't meet them in the garden so you can't do that. You can't travel more than 5 kilometers, three miles, from your home, even for exercise so the limits really are in. They're tight. The government is restricting the way that people can use public transport; 25 percent capacity only. So the opportunity to go out then, the limitations are really proscribed at the moment, Becky.</s>ANDERSON: Nic, I spoke to a family in Ireland yesterday. Have a listen.</s>JOHN MARTIN, DUBLIN RESIDENT: So it's - I suppose the difference this time, but the lockdown, last time we didn't know what was coming. This time we know what's going to happen. We know, you know how difficult it's going to be for all of us</s>CAROLINE MARTIN, DUBLIN RESIDENT: We really need to try to flatten the curve again. We did a really good job at the start back in March so it's just to get it back down again, you know. From a business point of view, it's been full on for John and myself and an awful lot of people. And I think these six weeks, especially with retail, there will be a lot of shops that won't reopen, which is going to be really hard on the economy.</s>ANDERSON: Is she right about retailers, Nic?</s>ROBERTSON: Yes, sure. Look, only essential retail stores will be allowed to open. As they say, they've already gone through a lockdown once already; 25 people will be able to go to a wedding, 10 to a funeral. We are talking about tiny sectors of the economy that will get a tiny infusion of money. We spoke to people who run a couple small stores in Ireland. They're worried.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would say devastated to be honest. You know, I think it was flagged that it was going to happen. But at the same time I was hoping that maybe common sense would prevail because, from our point of view, we feel retail is a safe environment.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you're strong enough you can actually</s>ROBERTSON: You got a hint of it there, Becky, from that storekeeper, saying we thought common sense would prevail. We need the retail sector. There is a fear that as many as 150,000 jobs could be lost through this. One of the Irish newspapers is right now reporting that Gap retail store chain may close some of its outlets. That's been reported in the "Irish Times." So you know, if you live in Ireland that's going to be within of your go-to newspapers, that's the headline you are seeing at the moment. Lockdown begins midnight tonight, Becky.</s>ANDERSON: Nic Robertson in what looks like a very dreary London today, thank you. Ireland has had to bite the bullet and go back into a lockdown. But other places, facing far worse pressure, simply aren't doing that. But there are tougher restrictions hitting Poland and now the Czech Republic from tomorrow. Tomorrow morning, Prague will ban all but the most essential trips. Shops will shutter. Services will close. It is a dramatic move but a clearly necessary move to get Europe's fastest growing case count back under control. Scott McLean is live for you in Berlin. And you've been reporting on these situations in the Czech Republic. What are the new rules and when will they come into effect?</s>SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sure. So Becky, I should point out this morning there was actually an emergency session of Parliament. And after that the prime minister conceded the current set of restrictions simply were not working to get this pandemic under control, the second outbreak of the virus. So starting tomorrow, the Czech Republic will go back into something that you might describe as a lockdown. So only essential businesses will be allowed to open. And movement will be severely restricted to only essential trips or to work. Yesterday, the Czech health minister had already announced that masks, face masks, will have to be worn almost everywhere outdoors. We spoke to some people in Prague about it yesterday. Listen.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the Czech Republic we had the facemask and the epidemic was contained and, therefore, I believe in face masks and I think it makes sense to have the new measures</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think mask wearing is important and it certainly helps, maybe it's coming a little too late.</s>MCLEAN: A little too late, perhaps, because the Czech health care system is actually nearing its capacity. And so the country is going to be accepting help from the U.S. National Guard. Doctors from Nebraska will be coming in soon to help deal with the overflow of patients. The government is also building right now a field hospital in Prague with 500 beds. The health minister told me last week he expects those beds could be needed as soon as this month. I want to walk you through a couple graphics, Becky, that illustrate the problem here in Europe and just how bad things are in the Czech Republic. The European average, the case counts are much higher on the second wave than they were in the first, at least on paper. But there are other countries like the Netherlands, Belgium and Czech Republic, you can see there in white, that have many more cases than the European average. The difference with the Czech Republic, though, is that most other European countries have not seen their death tolls come anywhere close to what they were in the first wave; while the Czech Republic is different, theirs actually has eclipsed the first wave. So the prime minister got a lot of praise for his early handling and his ability to tamp down the first wave of the virus. Now he's actually apologizing for not taking action to tamp down the second wave sooner. Becky?</s>ANDERSON: Scott McLean on the story for you. Thank you, sir. A northern rebellion of sorts has been emphatically shut down by the British prime minister. That, if it hadn't, one, could have meant that London needed to negotiate every lockdown with every region every time it happened. So now Manchester will be forced into the harshest set of coronavirus measures after talks with local leaders ended without a deal. Residents responding with both resignation and anger. You can see graffiti lining the streets, saying, "The North is not a Petri dish, and "Full pay." Manchester wanted more money to help cushion the blow of a lockdown. The mayor asking for nearly $85 million but the British government just wouldn't hit that number. Take a look at the moment Andy Burnham realized defeat was inevitable.</s>MAYOR ANDY BURNHAM, MANCHESTER, ENGLAND: It's brutal to be honest, isn't it? This is no way to run the country, in a national crisis. It isn't -- this is not right, they should not be doing this, grinding people down, trying to accept the least that they can get away with, 22 million pounds to fight the situation that we are in is, frankly, disgraceful.</s>ANDERSON: Andy Burnham, the mayor of Manchester. Still ahead on this show, there are reports of multiple deaths and injuries at a protest in Nigeria but a top official is denying the claims. So what is going on? More on that coming up. Then, scientists and space buffs are over the moon, applauding NASA's big success in deep space. I will be talking to the man in charge about the space agency's historic first. That is coming up a little later.

Violence at Protests in Nigeria

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Protests against police brutality turned violent as eyewitnesses and soldiers opened fire on demonstrators.</s>ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Witnesses tell CNN that multiple people were shot.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was saying that you're our government (ph). You guys are a shame to the world.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We spoke to so many eyewitnesses, everyone traumatized, disappointed.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE (from captions): For a soldier to face their own citizen and be shooting them, it's not right in any way in this country.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're comforted that we have not recorded any fatality.</s>ANDERSON: This is a story that has defined parts of this year, albeit in a different place and a far different context to what we have seen elsewhere. It's a story that mirrors some of the feelings we saw back in May, when the killing of George Floyd by police led to protests across the United States and other parts of the world.</s>ANDERSON: But now protests against police brutality have taken a violent turn in Nigeria where there are distressing and conflicting reports this hour. Witnesses say multiple demonstrators have been killed or injured in Lagos after being shot by soldiers at a toll gate.</s>ANDERSON (voice-over): These protests against police brutality have been taking place now for nearly two weeks. You may have seen the #EndSARS on social media, referring to a police unit known as the Special Anti-Robbery Squad. It's been mostly peaceful, mostly, until now that is. These are images of fires burning across Lagos, smoke dominating the horizon, even though the video was taken from some distance away.</s>ANDERSON: We don't have clear numbers on how many people may have been killed or hurt; in fact, the Lagos governor denies reports of fatalities but says one person died from blunt force trauma. Stephanie Busari has the latest for you.</s>STEPHANIE BUSARI, CNN PRODUCER (voice-over): Gunshots ring out in a wealthy suburb of Lagos, Africa's largest city. The target: young Nigerians, who have been protesting peacefully against police brutality in the country for close to two weeks. Eyewitnesses tell CNN that military trucks barricaded them and started shooting from both sides, hitting multiple demonstrators. The Lagos state governor has appealed for peace and said only one person has been confirmed dead so far, contrary to what witnesses have told</s>CNN. BABAJIDE SANWO-OLU, LAGOS GOVERNOR: I want to plead to parents and to appeal to guardians and appeal to our citizens, especially our youth, that I am for you. I am with you. I feel the pain and I understand that indeed you are not happy with what the turn of events have been last night. I want to say once again that, as your governor, I will do everything to ensure that every life indeed do matters (sic).</s>BUSARI (voice-over): The military has also taken to social media to cry "fake news." So far 15 people have died since the protests started earlier this month, according to Amnesty International. Police turned water cannons, tear gas and live ammunition on protesters early on in the marches in the capital city. But on the streets of Lagos this morning, those shock and anger as the city comes to terms with a night of violence.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE (from captions): For a soldier to face their own citizen and be shooting them, it's not right in any way in this country. So let the government just do the right thing or they will see more anger of the people.</s>BUSARI (voice-over): -- Stephanie Busari, CNN.</s>ANDERSON: And more on that as we get it. Up next, over the moon and into the history books. We are connecting you with NASA's deep space success. The man in charge will be talking to me live up next.

NASA Makes Historic Touchdown on Asteroid.

ANDERSON: In the time of coronavirus amid political upheaval something amazing, almost otherworldly, is sparking joy and not a little curiosity, a daring landing in deep space. NASA nailing it, making history along the way as the Osiris-REx spacecraft confronted a scary rock that scientists worry might even come too close to Earth in the next century. The Bennu asteroid didn't make the trip easy for the folks at NASA. This was no walk in the park, believe me. It took two years and more than 300 million kilometers for Osiris-REx to get there. Then it wasted no time using its robotic arm to collect ancient bits of rock and dust, all in the name of getting the inside track on the galactic soup that surrounds us. It took teamwork to do it and NASA's administrator, Jim Bridenstine, is applauding audibly. He says, quote, "made it possible to hold a piece of the most ancient solar system in our hands," and he joins me now live. It's wonderful to have you. As simply as you can make it, what has NASA achieved and why does it matter?</s>JIM BRIDENSTINE, NASA ADMINISTRATOR: OK. So first of all, we orbited the smallest object that's ever been orbited before, which is fantastic. Then we turned around and we characterized that object. And then we went down and we grabbed some material from that object that we're going to bring back to Earth in 2023. And we're going to characterize all of that -- all of that material. As you mentioned, Bennu has about one in 2,700ths of a chance of contacting Earth in the years 2175 through 2199. So we're trying to characterize, what is this asteroid made of and ultimately make a determination as to what we want to go do next. Part of NASA's mission is planetary protection. And that's really what this mission was all about. Now I will tell you, there is a very low chance that this asteroid will hit Earth but, at the same time, we want to make sure we are characterizing it in a meaningful way.</s>ANDERSON: Were it to hit Earth -- and you say it's very unlikely -- what would happen, out of interest?</s>BRIDENSTINE: We have seen -- you probably remember, back in 2013, there was an asteroid that hit the Earth. It actually burned up in the upper atmosphere but it was over Russia. And so those kinds of activities happen, they happen frequently. Mostly over the ocean but every once in awhile it impacts humanity. When we find meteorites, that's what they are. This is just an opportunity -- really this is about science. It's about studying the early solar system.</s>ANDERSON: Sure. One assumes, therefore, you are trying to avoid us going the way of the dinosaurs at this point, right?</s>BRIDENSTINE: Yes, there's no risk of that. It wouldn't have that kind of an impact. But I will tell you what we're doing is we're characterizing a very primitive object from the early solar system so we can characterize, what did the solar system look like 4 billion years ago?</s>ANDERSON: So we are looking at some images that you have sent us, which are fascinating. We see that arm at work. Just how hard is this to do, I mean, compared to, say, going to the moon or Mars, for example?</s>BRIDENSTINE: This is very difficult. You know, it's one of those things -- orbiting an object this small is very difficult in itself and then, ultimately, there's no gravity so you're basically flying in formation with this object. And then how do you -- when you touch down, how do you collect all of that data? How do you collect all of those samples? This was -- this project was started back in 2011, if you can imagine and, of course, we're thrilled with the amazing success.</s>ANDERSON: Look, this is not a political question, I don't want to get into that. But Donald Trump has made space a key part of his foreign policy in many ways. Has he or that decision been a boost to NASA?</s>BRIDENSTINE: Yes, so space is an amazing way of bringing people together all around the world and it has been for years. We think about tonight we're bringing home two Russian cosmonauts and an American astronaut from the International Space Station, which is going to be another -- it's another achievement. And the partnerships that go around the world with space, we've got 15 nations operating the International Space Station right now. We've had astronauts from 19 nations and it's growing. And, of course, we have had experiments from 103 different countries. So it is a tool of diplomacy for all countries.</s>ANDERSON: What's next?</s>BRIDENSTINE: Yes, so, like I said, tonight we're bringing home three astronauts; we are grateful to our Russian partners. They're going to be coming home in a Soyuz spacecraft. And then, of course, we're launching more astronauts to the International Space Station here next month. In November, we will launch astronauts on a SpaceX, what's called a Crew Dragon, which is a commercial vehicle that NASA now buys rides to get our astronauts to the International Space Station.</s>ANDERSON: Fascinating stuff. Well, enjoy and congratulations on this latest success. Amazing stuff. You will remember, viewers, that the UAE where we are based here in Abu Dhabi launched its first space mission to Mars a few months ago, the Hope probe. Where is it now? Take a look, 93 days after takeoff, the Hope probe is rocketing through space at just under 100,000 kilometers per hour and is more than halfway to its destination, that being the Red Planet. The Hope expects to arrive in February to mark the 50th anniversary of the UAE's formation. Keeping you bang up to date with what's going on up there. Coming up, a first in 16 years, Paris Saint-Germain with an at-home loss after Tuesday's Champions League match. More on that with "WORLD SPORT" after this.

President Donald Trump Blames Coronavirus For Poor Polls; Joe Biden Leads Donald Trump In Three Swing States; Debate Organizers Take Steps To Fight Interruptions

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.</s>BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Well, this hour we're connecting you to the pulse of the American people. Less than two weeks out from the U.S. general election, an election that will send shock waves around the globe. Like so much of the world the Coronavirus dominating the lives of American people with predictions that a new surge of cases is just weeks away.</s>DR. SCOTT GOTTLIEB, FORMER COMMISSIONER, U.S. FOOD & DRUG ADMINISTRATION: We're about a week away from starting to enter a period where we're going to see a rapid acceleration in cases, and I think November and December are going to be tough months. We're seeing hospitalizations go up in 42 states right now and cases are going up in 45 states and there really is no backstop.</s>ANDERSON: Well as you can see, on this map not one state, not one is trending in the right direction with another 60,000 cases alone on Wednesday. COVID, as you would expect, will likely loom large over Thursday's final presidential debate. The U.S. President himself expected to downplay the virus as usual, likely using what his Adviser Kellyanne Conway called Mr. Trump's alternative facts.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We're rounding the turn on the pandemic. Epic job growth, safe vaccines that quickly end the pandemic it's ending. Normal life, that's all we want. You know what we want? Normal life.</s>ANDERSON: Well, that's the U.S. President. Joe Biden, his opponent, has been laying low this week preparing for the final debate while Mr. Trump continues to zigzag across the country to battleground states, something he thinks he shouldn't really have to do.</s>TRUMP: Before the plague came in, I had it made. I wasn't coming to eerie. I mean, I have to be honest. There's no way I was coming. I didn't have to. I would have called you and said, you know, eerie, if you have a chance, get out and vote but we had this thing won.</s>ANDERSON: Pennsylvania is one of three battleground states and Joe Biden has a firm grip on it according to our Poll of Polls however the race tightens up in seven other key swing states. So that's the pulse of the race. We're also taking you across the country to really get the pulse of American voters themselves buckle up. We're going to the states of Michigan and Oregon. First up Oregon in the Pacific Northwest, we sent CNN's Elle Reeve to a June Buggy rally similar to other events for Trump supporters like car caravans and boat rallies. Elle took a ride with one group to find out why they are backing Mr. Trump.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I like alpha males and I think President Trump is an alpha male.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whenever I watch the news it seems like they are bagging on Trump. They make it sound like nobody is going to vote for him, so we feel like we all need to get together just to show people, that, hey, there are people that are going to vote for him.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the dunes and deplorable freedom ride Trump rally protest. It was unfurling a 30-foot by 50-foot American flag, having everybody gather around, play the national anthem and just be with able to be with a bunch of friends and family.</s>ELLE REEVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Unofficial Trump events like this have been happening all over the country. Boat parades, car caravans and bike parades. What attendees have in common is disposable income to spend on fun. While at times working class supporters have gotten lots of attention in 2016 a third of his voters made more than $100,000 a year. In fact support for Trump is particularly strong among white voters who have high incomes for their area, the locally rich.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The people on the left that really think we're deplorable think we're deplorable. If hanging out with families and bringing your kids out and having a good time is deplorable, then I guess we'll take it.</s>REEVE: I went for a ride in the dunes with Eric Nelson who has been riding motorcycles since he was 14. Eric drove two hours to come to the rally.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hopefully you heard her scream.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.</s>ERIC NELSON, TRUMP SUPPORTER: The reason we're here supporting Trump is because we believe that Trump will help us keep the money that we make and let us be able to work as hard as we want and not give our money away. People like Nancy Pelosi can, you know, get her funding through this giving me to people that aren't willing to work for it. I've worked for it all my life.</s>NELSON: I had to work to put myself through college so I can get a job and do what I enjoy which is an activity like this and spend, you know, $15,000, $20,000 on toys because I choose to.</s>PAUL VELUSCEK, TRUMP SUPPORTER: He really is for your hard working people. Do I think he's racist? I think he's racist against lazy people.</s>REEVE: The rally was mostly men. That's no surprise given national polls. Men are much more likely to support Trump than women and what these men said they liked about Trump is that he's a guy just like them.</s>NELSON: He's not a politician. He's one of us. Yes, he's one of us on steroids because he runs a great big business and makes a lot more money than we do.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He can be crass, but we didn't hire him as a president. We hired him because he was a business person and that's what America needed because our country was starting to tank.</s>REEVE: But then - part of this job being like a moral leader?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't believe so.</s>REEVE: You don't think so?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. He says things that upsets people and we just don't care and we think he's helping all those people because they don't fully understand what's going on.</s>ANDERSON: Well, that's Elle's reporting. From there to Michigan CNN's Kate Bolduan spoke to black women there who feel the heavy burden of this election and are encouraging people to get out and vote. We're going to bring you the full story later in this show. Here's a preview of that interview.</s>KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Trump says often that he's done more for the black community--</s>MARKITA BLANCHARD, BIDEN SUPPORTER: That's. Go ahead.</s>BOLDUAN: No, I don't even need to finish.</s>BLANCHARD: He's full of --. You know what I'm saying. He's not done anything; I've had people say well, he's not my president. I didn't vote. I said did you vote at all? They say no I didn't vote and I say if you did not vote you didn't vote for him.</s>BOLDUAN: Why didn't you vote in 2016?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I didn't want Trump and I didn't want Hillary. I didn't really care who won that election?</s>BOLDUAN: So what's your plan in this election?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't like Biden but I'm voting for Biden, this Coronavirus, everything that's going on. It's just horrible so he's got to go.</s>BOLDUAN: Do you think the Democratic Party takes you for granted?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely, absolutely they take us for granted because they know that black women are going to help them get the big wins they need where it matters, but they also know that they - that they can give us the bare minimum knowing that we aren't going to choose the other side.</s>ANDERSON: More of those voices a little later this hour but to connect the pulse of the people to the political landscape let's bring in David Gergen. He has been an adviser to four U.S. Presidents. He's probably forgotten more about U.S. politics than most of us will ever know. He's now our Senior Political Analyst for all the right reasons. David, this hour it's all about the pulse of the American people. What is on the mind of voters two weeks out?</s>DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Becky, good question. I don't think we have one answer that fits the whole country. There are different sections of the country and have very different views. As you well know we are the most divided people since the middle of the 19th century and that led to a civil war. I don't think we're on the brink of a civil war, but there's no question that democracy is now threatened in the United States. Many people understand that, and they are speaking out. You have these pro-Trump people on. We have to understand their perspective if we're going to heal this country that's very important. And there are probably a lot of hidden voters out there that are not showing up in the polls yet but will show up on Election Day for Republicans so that Trump is likely to pick up some from where he is now. At the same time though, Becky, we have this counter-veiling force and that is the avalanche of people who are going to the polls early. We've never seen anything like this, and from all reports in places like Pennsylvania and North Carolina and elsewhere, Florida, the predominant vote and people who are coming out early seems to be leaning much towards the Democrats.</s>ANDERSON: Which could, of course, create what's known as these blue waves as these votes are count asked on and after Election Day?</s>GERGEN: Yes.</s>ANDERSON: At this point with just less than two weeks to go, it is a tight race in seven of the ten what are known as key battleground states with Joe Biden only leading in CNN Poll of Polls in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. What do you make of this polling? And what can the campaigns do to move the dial in what is this last sort of 12 days?</s>GERGEN: Well, there are two separate questions. One is on the polls themselves, it's important that Biden does have and has had a lead of five or six points in places like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin and Michigan, and those are critical, critical states.</s>GERGEN: If Trump loses Pennsylvania, it's very hard to see a pathway for him to win everything, to win - to win the White House, so those are important states. What's happening in the battleground states is in the upper Midwest in Pennsylvania; Biden is doing pretty well in the South, in the Sunbelt, as you say, very, very tight. Trump may well win several of those states like Florida and Georgia and Texas. We'll have to wait and see. And in terms of what the candidates can do, I think the burden frankly is on Trump. He's - he's the underdog now. He's got an uphill fight. We've had two presidential debate, a vice presidential debate and head-to- head town hall. Biden team, according to the polls, won all three of those appearances and now we've got this big night tomorrow night, the final debate of the campaign. That's where Trump has to get and convince people he's going to be a steady - steadier president. He's been so erratic recently and that he has a message. He's not had a message recently. I think that his big opportunity. Other than that he has to depend on Biden making some big gaffe or Biden running into trouble or something else because there are not many other things - his - Trump's messages simply have not resonated so far. He keeps on missing. Becky, to go into this last week and first attack the most popular scientist and epidemiologist in the country Dr. Fauci, virtually attacking him as an idiot and a few days later to personally attack Leslie Stahl and "60 minutes," the most popular news program in America, to do that back-to-back, complete distractions, it shows that, you know, these are really dumb steps. It looks like he can't control himself.</s>ANDERSON: It's fascinating, isn't it? Even Trump allies have called his comments about Dr. Fauci some of the dumbest comments in politics ever. Look, Barack Obama, a man you know well, is ready to hit the campaign trail. Just have a listen to this.</s>BARACK OBAMA, 44TH U.S. PRESIDENT: Your generation can be the one that creates a new normal in America, one that's fair, where the system treats everybody equally and gives everybody opportunity. I know Joe better than almost anybody. I trust him to be a great president. He's different. He's on the right side of the issues. He'll get the job done, and Joe and Kamala will want you to keep pushing them to get the job done.</s>ANDERSON: And this is a video aimed at youngsters. What difference can Barack Obama make in these closing days? And is he a bit late to the party, as it is was at this point?</s>GERGEN: I don't think late to the party. Let's be honest. It comes down to, you know, the question are you going to be for Biden or are you going to be for Trump? I do think Obama is not going to change that fundamental dynamic. What I do think Obama can do is be a calming influence. He's a reassuring figure now in contrast to the hurly burly politics that we've been experiencing from Trump. And I also think that Obama can be helpful in generating and pulling out more black voters, you know. Black voter is real critical for the Democratic Party, and getting young blacks out, appealing to the younger generation, getting women out. Obama is good at all that. He appeals to those constituencies. People of color are really important to the campaign.</s>ANDERSON: David Gergen, your insight and analysis is as important as we around the world watch what is going on in this U.S. Election because, of course, what happens in America doesn't stay in America. Appreciate, it sir. Thank you very much--</s>GERGEN: Thank you, Becky. Good to see you.</s>ANDERSON: --indeed for joining us. Thank you. We've been talking about the pulse of the American people but what about those looking on like us from the outside in after all the result of this election will send shock waves around the world? So let's take a look at where both candidates stand on America's role on the global stage?</s>JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: The Biden Foreign Policy will place America back at the head of the table, working with our allies and our partners.</s>TRUMP: As long as I'm president we will always put America first. For years and years and years we've put other countries first. We now put America first.</s>BIDEN: Working cooperatively with other nations to share our values and goals doesn't make America as a seasonal - implying this administration as suckers. It makes us more secure, enables us to be more successful. No country, even one as powerful as ours, can go it alone in the challenges of the 21st century.</s>TRUMP: Globalism enriches foreign countries at our expense, globalism. I love our country. I'm the President of the United States of America. I'm not the president of the world. America first does not mean America alone. When the United States grows, so does the world. American prosperity has created countless jobs all around the globe.</s>ANDERSON: So foreign policy and America's position on the rest of the world is not on the list of major topics for Thursday's debate, and that is causing somewhat of a kerfuffle in the Trump camp. They want to discuss foreign affairs where Donald Trump would likely tout, for example, the recent normalization deals with Israel while taking the chance to blast China. A Biden Campaign Spokesman responded to the Trump Campaign's complaints saying the president is just afraid of answering questions about his COVID response. Well, this debate may be the last chance for the candidates to address the nation directly before Election Day. So let's talk about it with our Chief Media Correspondent Brian Stelter who is in the house. Why is there such uproar over the choice of these topics? Do candidates usually get to weigh in on what is chosen as the topic of conversation during these debates?</s>BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: No, not formally. There are back channel negotiations about all the details, even the heights of the podium and things like that, but when it comes to the topics, the moderator, in this case Kristen Welker of NBC chooses the topic and the Debate Commission announces the topics. This is a system that's been in place for decades. It is designed so that there's no interference from the parties or the candidates and instead an independent moderator is making these choices. Now national security is on the list, well leadership is on the list. I think there are plenty of opportunities for Trump to bring up foreign policy if he so chooses but the Trump Campaign is crying foul claiming that it should have been more prominent in this debate. They say that always at the third and final debate foreign policy is a big topic. Well, that's true a number of years ago was not true in 2016 and at no point this year was there an indication that foreign policy would be a big part of the agenda. So the Trump Campaign is kind of pulling out of a thin air. But you know trying to cause a stir and trying to create some drama ahead of the debate. That's, of course, right out of Trump's playbook.</s>ANDERSON: Yes, once - right. National security, of course, is what generally shapes foreign policy so, you're right, it is on the agenda. But anyway the Trump Campaign pushing for more, and calling the commission biased.</s>STELTER: Right.</s>ANDERSON: And he's already zoning in on the moderator, as you rightly point out, NBC News White House Correspondent Kristen Welker. For an international audience, Brian, who is she and what should we expect from tomorrow night keeping in mind that Donald Trump walked out on a "60 minutes" interview yesterday over tough questioning, apparently?</s>STELTER: This is the biggest moment of Kristen Welker's career as you mentioned, a White House Correspondent, the Co-Host of "Weekend Today" on NBC. She co-moderated one of the primary debates that was on MSNBC and co- sponsored by "The Washington Post." She used to work at the NBC station in Philadelphia, and she has a very strong reputation among her fellow journalist and among her rivals in this industry. She's very well respected and well regarded. However, the president is calling her terrible and calling her unfair trying to work the ref ahead of Thursday night's debate. The president will often do this to lower the bar right, in multiple ways, what he's doing is lowering the standards for civility but also lowering expectations for his own performances and giving excuses ahead of time in case he doesn't do well. So already, he saying he'll blame the moderator if it doesn't go well. NBC has been batting away these claims and Welker has been busy in debate prep but even the president's anti-media agenda comes through these debates. It shows he wants to portray himself as a fighter. He wants to portray himself as the enemy of the elites.</s>ANDERSON: Yes.</s>STELTER: And Welker is elite. Come on, there's nobody more elite than the American President.</s>ANDERSON: Good point. The mute button which can be used is likely to be used. Are you for or against this?</s>STELTER: For it. It's a halfway measure by the commission after Trump railroaded Biden at the first debate. They say now that every beginning of every 15-minute period of this debate tomorrow, the first two minutes each candidate will be able to speak uninterrupted and the other candidate will be muted so that it will limit interrupted. Look, the reality though is if Trump wants to go and babble what Biden is talking, Biden is still going to hear it on stage even if viewers at home aren't able to hear it very clearly. So this is a half way measure by the Commission. I'm not sure it is going to make a big difference.</s>STELTER: Fundamentally it's sad that we're talking about the kinds of devices or solutions that would usually apply to kindergartens or may be first grade if we're being generous, that they have to be applied to a debate. The idea that there needs to be talk about a mute button to try to control one of the candidates, it's laughable and it is sad. And of course in that way it's very 2020.</s>ANDERSON: Absolutely. Good point. Thank you, sir. Be sure to tune in to CNN for the final presidential debate our coverage begins at 7:00 pm eastern on Thursday. That is 12:00 am in London and a very early 3:00 am here in Abu Dhabi on Friday. Well, up next, politics and the pandemic in England. What was starting to look like a northern rebellion over COVID rules is completely shut down. We are live there in Manchester. Plus--</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was losing my mind because I could not trust anyone.</s>ANDERSON: Well, she says her husband changed from a loving man to a violent one after losing his job earlier this year. Coming up, CNN covers the rise in domestic abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Czech Government Limits Free Movement

ANDERSON: Every day we are bringing you news of new COVID restrictions in Europe because the fact of the matter is the number of confirmed cased in the Europe and UK, this isn't turning around yet and the continent itself is desperately trying to pull itself back from the precipice. Perhaps the most extreme example is Ireland. It will become the first EU country to return to a national lockdown just hours from now. Everyone who lives there, being urged to stay home for the next six weeks. That is until December. Well, parts of the UK and the Czech Republic also getting hit with tougher rules trying to curb the violence. In Northern England British Prime Minister Boris Johnson facing the greater Manchester region putting them into tougher COVID restrictions amid plenty of pushback, and now the Czech government limiting free movement across that country. We're on those stories with our reporters. Let's start with Manchester and with Salma Abdelaziz who is there. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson now enforcing these tier three restrictions, these are high-level restrictions on Manchester. Walk us through the events that led us here, Salma.</s>SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: It's been a bitter political debate for ten days, Becky, but we finally have a resolution, but it's not the one that this city wanted. Essentially ever since Prime Minister Boris Johnson put into place this tier system, three tier regional lockdowns that are limited and spoke to the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham have called them flawed, unfair, he has rejected them out right refused to implement them. They have been engaged in on and off talks with the government over his calls for a larger financial package to help affected businesses, to help those who wages will be harmed under these restrictions.</s>ABDELAZIZ: He did ultimately after these ten days of course, the government essentially threw its hands up and said we're tired of the back and forth. They laid down a deadline on Tuesday of midday. If that deadline was not met then they would going to unilaterally impose the restrictions. Of course, that deadline came and past with no resolution. The Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham was actually on camera at the moment that it was relayed to him that the measures would go into place or will go into place rather on Friday just after midnight. Take a look at this extraordinary moment.</s>ANDY BURNHAM, GREATER MANCHESTER MAYOR: It's brutal to be honest isn't it? This is no way to run the country in a national crisis. It isn't. This is not right. They should not be doing this. Grinding people down, trying to accept the least that they can get away with 22 million pounds to fight the situation that we are in is frankly disgraceful.</s>ABDELAZIZ: Now you hear him mention that figure there of 22 million pounds. The House Secretary Matt Hancock later made clear that it's actually going to be 60 million pounds offered to the city. But still less than what the Mayor wanted and although his rebellion has failed it does set a precedent for this country. The first question here is what is the strategy? Does every town and city get to bicker with politicians over their own financial package, over their own specific measures for days while the virus spreads through its population? Is that what a regional strategy means, and that - is that lend itself to needing a nationwide strategy instead? The second question here is really one of compliance. What the Mayor of Greater Manchester did is really tap into regional tensions, tap into a sentiment that people have of fatigue against these Coronavirus measures, of anger towards the government towards mishaps and missteps and all controversies that we've seen play out in these last few months. So the question really here is what happens next? How much areas have to enter tier three restrictions, has to enter this very high level restrictions in order for the entire country to be shut down. For now, of course, Manchester is preparing to shut down its pubs and it's bars to ban households from mixing together but the virus here, Becky, it is still a question of how you get a grip on it?</s>ANDERSON: Yes, absolutely. Salma Abdelaziz is in Manchester, city that had to give way and go with the new restrictions. And in Central Europe the Czech Republic also getting hit, too, from tomorrow morning, Prague will ban all but the most essential trips. Shops will shutter. Services will close. It's a dramatic move, but clearly a necessary one to get Europe's fastest growing case count back under control. Scott McLean is live for you in Berlin that is of course in neighboring Germany, and Scott, what are these new rules? When do they come into effect?</s>SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sure. So Becky, first of all, yesterday was the Health Minister that announced that masks would be mandatory even outdoors in most places, and then this morning there was an emergency session of parliament after which the prime minister conceded that the current restrictions in place simply were not working. So starting tomorrow the Czech Republic will go back into something that you might describe as a lockdown, only essential businesses will be allowed to stay open. Movement will also be severely restricted to only essential trips or to go to work. The country's health system is also nearing its capacity until the prime minister announced that they would be getting help in the way of doctors being sent with the U.S. National Guard from Texas and Nebraska in order to help out with the effort. The government is also building a field hospital, a temporary field hospital to house about 500 patients expected to overflow from the regular health care system. The health minister told me last week that those beds could be needed as soon as last week. I wanted to show you a couple of graphics that illustrate the issue here in Europe and specifically in the Czech Republic. You can see the second wave of the Coronavirus in Europe has long exceeded the first one, but in some countries in particular, the Netherlands, Belgium and the Czech Republic you should be able to see there in white, it's far exceeded even the European or the European average, I should say. And what makes the Czech Republic, what sets it apart is the fact that most countries in Europe, their death tolls were much higher during the first wave, but the Czech Republic has actually seen its debt toll far exceed what they saw earlier on. The prime minister is taking a lot of heat for his handling of this second wave of the Coronavirus earlier this week. One of his own cabinet ministers was caught on a hot mic calling him a moron. The prime minister hasn't responded to that. Obviously, he has bigger fish to fry, but he took a lot of praise for how he handled the first wave, and now he's having to apologize for not taking action to tamp down the second one sooner, Becky.</s>ANDERSON: Fascinating. Thank you, Scott. Scott McLean in Berlin for you, and you heard from Salma in Manchester.</s>ANDERSON: Still to come, there are reports of multiple deaths and injuries at a protest in Nigeria; we speak to one of Nigeria's most prominent public figures live on "Connect the World" that is coming up next on.

Two Weeks Of Protests Against Police Brutality In Nigeria

ANDERSON: Witnesses in Nigeria say multiple demonstrators have been killed or injured in Lagos after being shot by soldiers at a toll gate. Now protests against police brutality have been taking place for nearly two weeks. You may have seen the #endsars or SARS on social media referring to a police unit known as the Special Anti-Robbery Squad. It has been well mostly peaceful until now. These are images of fires burning across Lagos, smoke dominating on the horizon and even though the video was taken from some distance, well we still don't have clear numbers on how many people may have been killed or hurt? In fact the Lagos Governor denies reports of fatalities and says one person died from blunt force trauma. Stephanie Busari wraps the very latest for you.</s>STEPHANIE BUSARI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Gunshots ring out in a wealthy suburb of Lagos, Africa's largest city the target, young Nigerians who have been protesting peacefully against police brutality in the country for close to two weeks. Eyewitnesses tell CNN that military trucks barricaded them and started shooting from both sides hitting multiple demonstrators. The Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has appealed for peace and said only one person has been confirmed dead so far, contrary to what witnesses have told CNN.</s>BABAJIDE SANWO-OLU, LAGOS GOVERNOR: --and to appeal to our citizens, especially our youths that I am for you. I am with you. I feel the pain, and I understand that indeed you're not happy with what the event has been last night. I want to say once again that as your Governor I will do everything to ensure that every life indeed does matter.</s>BUSARI: The military has also taken to social media to cry fake news. So far 15 people have died since the protests started earlier this month according to Amnesty International.</s>BUSARI: Police turned water cannons, tear gas and live ammunition on protesters early on in the marches in the Capital City of Abuja, but on the streets of Lagos this morning there was shock and anger as the city comes to terms with a night of violence. Stephanie Busari,</s>CNN. ANDERSON: Well, let's speak to one prominent public figure in Nigeria Aisha Yesufu, who is an Activist and Organizer. You may remember her from the "Bring Back Our Girls". She is in Abuja today. I just want to get your reaction firstly to what you're seeing on the streets in Lagos? What's going on to your mind?</s>AISHA YESUFU, ACTIVIST & ORGANIZER, "BRING BACK OUR GIRLS": Hello. My reaction is absolute horror. I'm still numb. I can't believe that our military men turned bullets on our citizens and - young adults; I mean our youth who came out and just simply to stay by. They want the right to lean. And by coming out they have been killed, and it's just horrible what I'm seeing right now.</s>ANDERSON: Stephanie's report reflecting that this latest incident is just one in a couple weeks worth of trouble. The major protests do seem to be occurring in Lagos. The President Buhari has finally spoken about this calling on people to have patience for police reforms. What's your response to the president, and what sort of reforms are needed at this point? How bad are things?</s>YESUFU: Things are absolutely bad. We have a culture of impunity amongst our - amongst the Nigerian police, and, you know, in a situation they will waste you, they will kill you and nothing will happen to them. The president will not be able to do anything and indeed we have seen it with the youths who are constantly being profile, who are being killed and who are being maimed and who are being escorted from. Coming out to make the minds of the president to say stop this killing, I want to have --. Let's not forgot that in June 3rd, 2019 a report was given to the president on the - 2018 and the president needs to say in 2020 and 19 that within six months he was ready to implement the recommendations from the panel and still we have 16 months but the president hasn't done that. So whatever the president says, I used to note - because his words and his actions always differ.</s>ANDERSON: Listen. This story has hit the international headlines. The U.S. Democratic Presidential Nominee Joe Biden has called on authorities to end the violent crackdown on protesters, calling for the U.S. to stand with Nigerians. We've just got some images in of protests outside the High Commission, for example, in London. What's your message to the International Community and what sort of support does Nigeria or perhaps I should say do Nigerian people need to ensure that this isn't a story that slips off the international headlines once again?</s>YESUFU: Well, what we learned from the international world is that this is not - on the Nigerian people. And we should look at the fight that we have a shared humanity and also to call on the Nigerian - he sadly seems to listen to the voices from outside rather than the voice of his people. So for the Nigerian government to stop killing its people and listen to the demise of the youth. The youth aren't asking for too much. They're simply saying that they should not be killed again. They are simply acting for compensation for victims of police brutality. They want an end to police brutality. They are asking for protestants that they arrest them to be released. They're asking for reforms. They are not asking for too much. So please do watch the fault on government of Nigeria and - Muhammadu Buhari to stop killing the Nigerian people. It's a crime against humanity. Genocide is happening in Nigeria right now and the world must not look away the way it has done in other genocides that have happened. Let's put an end to this,</s>ANDERSON: Aisha, we'll keep our eye on this story. Thank you for joining us. Pope Francis is calling for a major change in Vatican Doctrine.</s>ANDERSON: A civil union law for same-sex marriages a move sure to cause an outcry amongst many Catholics. CNN's Delia Gallagher joins us now on the phone from Rome. What do we know at this point?</s>DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well Becky, hello to you. Yes, so the Pope, getting a little bit of feedback there. The Pope has a film out today in Rome in which he says as part of this film, according to various colleagues who have seen it. I should say I haven't seen the film itself yet, but he does declare support for a civil union law. He says that homosexuals have a right to be a part of the family. He says they are children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out or made miserable because of it, he said. What we have to create, the Pope says, is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered, so that is the quote from this film which is out today in Rome. I believe it will be out internationally on Sunday, and it shows us kind of a stronger stance on the part of Pope Francis when it comes to civil unions. He has said in the past in various interviews that, you know, he would not necessarily be opposed to civil unions as distinct from marriage, in other words, that countries need to have their own laws to cover civil unions and that he would not necessarily be opposed to that. So what is new in what he says in this film is that he's actually sort of positively supporting it in that sense. Certainly, it is a change from the years under Pope Benedict when he came out under John Paul II even, both of them were saying no to even civil unions. But Pope Francis we've seen throughout his pontificate in various instances back in interviews in his meetings with gay people and so on an openness towards at least allowing them legal protections under the state which, again, will say is a different thing from saying marriage in the Catholic Church, let's say, but at least an opening surely to allow states to create laws to protect them as they do for married men and women.</s>ANDERSON: Yes. This will be a move applauded by many, particularly the gay community in a world of populism where many gay people feel under attack. How big a backlash should Pope Francis expect from those within his own church?</s>GALLAGHER: Well, certainly in so far as this diverges from what John Paul II and Pope Benedict stated in the past, there's going to be that for sure. Now you know typically with Pope Francis what we have are things that he says in interviews or things that he says to other people. You know, this is not sort of written down in some kind of church law, let's say, on the part of Pope Francis. So he's sort of - he likes to kind of chat and give his opinion and that sort of thing without saying, well, this is, you know, my final declaration on the matter. He says, you know, let's be open to this, and there's also obviously even under John Paul II and Pope Benedict an understanding that they don't create civil laws, you know. They don't make the laws for countries, so countries have to decide for themselves. But they tend to give a kind of direction in terms of what they think would be the right thing to do did, and in this case obviously Francis is diverging from that and saying, you know, it would be a good idea in the sense. He says he - what we have to create is a civil union law. You know, back when he was archbishop in Buenos Aires he - there was a same-sex marriage amendment there, and he was arguing for civil unions there as well. So it's not a change if you know the Pope's own history and his own stance on things. It is a change in terms of the larger teaching of Popes from the past. So that as you rightly say will probably cause something of a backlash, but, again, it's not something which is going to be written down in some kind of church laws, as it were, because it would have to do with state laws.</s>ANDERSON: Sure. Yes, of course.</s>GALLAGHER: I should mention another thing that he says in this film, Becky, is about the Trump Administration's policy of separating families. He says its cruelty and separating kids from parents goes against natural rights.</s>GALLAGHER: It's something a Christian cannot do which echoes, you know, his comments before about President Trump and building walls, you know, something that a Christian shouldn't done that kind of an interesting thing to come out right now just before the U.S. elections. Of course, this was filmed - this started filming back in 2018. It's a Russian Director, so, you know, not to say that the Pope would know when this was coming out or that sort of thing.</s>ANDERSON: Right.</s>GALLAGHER: But certainly that quote will also be taken as - as something that he's saying against the Trump Administration and the policy of separating families who are trying to come to the United States, so there's a lot in here. As we always see with Pope Francis, frankly, when he starts talking openly, you know, he says what he thinks. Now, whether that represents, you know, any kind of major change on the part of the Catholic Church, I don't think so, but certainly for the Pope, I think that will be, you know, welcome news for people to know that he will support civil unions.</s>ANDERSON: OK. And with that we'll leave it there. Delia. Thank you for that reminder of that breaking news Pope Francis calling for a major change in Vatican Doctrine, a civil union law for same-sex couples. We'll be right back. You're watching "Connect the World."

When Lockdowns Aren't Safe: Domestic Abuse Amid The Pandemic.

ANDERSON: Well, further COVID-19 restrictions are popping up across Europe and the UK meant to help keep people safe, but they are also producing what is the U.N. is calling a shadow pandemic. The rise of domestic abuse with families struggling with job loss little government helps and backlogs in the court. Victims are left to face their abusers at home. Isa Soares spoke to some survivors in the United Kingdom.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I loved this man more than anything, and I left everything for him.</s>ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Away from her home in Morocco and beguiled by her new husband.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He made me fall in love with him slowly.</s>SOARES: This 32-year-old woman who prefers to remain anonymous tells me her partner became a different man mid-pandemic.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He said to me you have to bring 4,000 a month.</s>SOARES: With the economy in a deep recession and a frustrated husband unable to work his usual job as a taxi driver she says her life became his to control.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He hit me too many times, and the last time he give me to slap he damaged my face, I was losing my mind because you cannot trust anyone, and the person you give him all your life, from here life is finished.</s>SOARES: She's one of seven other women at this Iranian/Kurdish Women's Refuge who left home during the pandemic with many more waiting for a room and a guiding hand. The manager here tells me COVID-19 has proven to be the perfect storm.</s>REFUGE MANAGER, IKWRO: They were intensely living together with the perpetrators. There was no time for them to breathe. No time to see friends, relatives, go out. Perpetrators have used their conceived control, more authoritarian way.</s>SOARES: According to Women's Aid April Survey 78 percent of women living with abusers felt they could not leave or get away because of the pandemic. Those that do escape face further anxieties with a backlog and a criminal justice system and limited access to support services or safe havens.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everything definitely taking longer, more uncertainty.</s>SOARES: This 40-year-old Iranian only recently managed to escape her husband of four years. Not even an attempted suicide that letter in the hospital cleared her path. She did eventually escape just days ago and now tells me the pandemic has only made it worse.</s>SOARES: He was violent to you. Was he also - did he also sexually abuse you? Did the pandemic reveal the real man?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.</s>SOARES: Harrowing tales of intimate terrorism at an uncertain time of heightened isolation. Isa Soares, CNN, London.</s>ANDERSON: Well, if you or someone you know is being affected by domestic violence, you can get help. One site is endvawnow.org, for example, and to learn more about the explosion of domestic violence since the pandemic began, do use CNN's digital site, cnn.com and click on this tint active map to see how women across the globe are speaking out about this crisis. Well, you're watching CNN. We'll be right back after this.

Feds Say Russia And Iran Have Interfered With The Presidential Election

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, ANDERSON COOPER 360: The news continues. Want to hand it over to Chris for "CUOMO PRIME TIME."</s>TEXT: BREAKING NEWS.</s>CHRIS CUOMO, CNN HOST, CUOMO PRIME TIME: All right, thank you, Anderson. I am Chris Cuomo and welcome to PRIME TIME. We have breaking news on our watch. Both Iran and Russia are actively interfering with our election right now. This comes from the Head of our Intelligence Community just tonight.</s>JOHN RATCLIFFE, DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: We would like to alert the public that we have identified that two foreign actors, Iran and Russia, have taken specific actions, to influence public opinion, relating to our elections. We have already seen Iran sending spoofed emails, designed to intimidate voters, incite social unrest and damage President Trump.</s>CUOMO: Now, we reported last night on those emails from what looked like a Proud Boys account. They were sent to voters in Florida and elsewhere, threatening them to vote for Trump. Officials say those were not from the Proud Boys. The Proud Boys themselves have denied any involvement in this. But our officials say they are from Iran. But then, the Director of National Intelligence also said there was an additional motive to hurt Trump. We've seen no evidence of that and none was offered. The House Homeland Security Committee tweeted this in response. "DO NOT listen to Ratcliffe. Partisan hack," and followed up to say that Americans should listen to the FBI Director instead. Now, about the emails we have seen, our government says, again, Iran is behind messages like this. I say it twice because a lot of you are getting them. And, yes, they are threatening, whether you are in Florida, or Alaska, or wherever they're going now. It is not from the Proud Boys, according to Iran, all right? Now, you will see threats in these emails. "If you don't vote for Trump, we have your information. We know where you live. We will come after you." A lot of people who were getting these have already voted. But still, very scary to receive one, I'm sure. The choice to use the Proud Boys is also relevant. It is proof that the President's influence, at home, and abroad, is real because he talked this group up, and he made them a target of opportunity for our enemies. Remember his message to the hateful Proud Boys of "Stand back and Stand by," at the last debate. Now we know at least one foreign actor was listening. These foreign efforts are expected, by the way. We saw them in 2016. We see them all the time. What's not expected is for their goal to be given a boost by our President. No word from him about these findings tonight. And the timing, of these findings, also very interesting, they come as President Obama hit the trail today for Joe Biden. And he gave the most forceful case against Trump that we've heard in this campaign. We have all the high points and analysis of what former President Obama said, but we have to see just how big a shadow he will cast over Trump's fate in this election. Certainly, Obama seemed more concerned, about our national security, from events like this tonight, before the revelations, than Trump has even after them. So, let's discuss the threat level, involved in what we learned tonight, in this breaking news, and what can be done about it. Let's bring in Andrew McCabe and James Clapper. Gentlemen, thank you very much. So, we heard from the DNI and the FBI. They said Iran and Russia got their hands on voter information. Andrew, what does that mean, voter information? How invasive do we believe this can be? What can they do with this kind of information?</s>ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST, FORMER DEPUTY DIRECTOR, FBI: Well, that's a - that's a really good question, Chris. It's not clear from the statements we got at the press conference, tonight, exactly how the Iranians or the Russians accessed voter information. There is some voter information that's pretty easily acquired online. That's very different from actually probing the voter registration databases of individual states and staging a cyber-intrusion into those systems and stealing information. That's the sort of activity that we saw back in 2016. We know the Russians probed the voter registration databases of every state. If that's what's happening here - and, again, it's not clear that that's what - that's not how they described it. Altering voter registration information can be a very serious threat because you could essentially eliminate many people from the voter rolls, and then when they show up on Election Day, they don't get to cast a vote.</s>CUOMO: Right.</s>MCCABE: But the statement was pretty vague.</s>CUOMO: Right.</s>MCCABE: Just simply said that they had acquired voter information.</s>CUOMO: Jim, first of all, great to see you. Thank you for being on the show tonight. And the idea of what Andrew is talking about that this was a little vague, does that mean they're still developing an understanding of this situation, or is this about also how much you tell the American public about the risk?</s>JAMES CLAPPER, FORMER DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE UNDER PRESIDENT OBAMA, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, unfortunately, Chris, you have to wonder about what were the ulterior motives at work here. Why a sudden press conference, which evidence itself on the heels of President Obama's pretty historic speech. So--</s>CUOMO: Good.</s>CLAPPER: And I just wonder--</s>CUOMO: I'm glad you said it, Jim, because I didn't want to seem cynical about it. But the timing is a little curious, right? They've known about these emails. They could have told us about this. They could have flushed more of it out, so that it wasn't so vague about what they were able to pass on. And yet it came tonight. It's interesting, Jim, that you see that as a little suspicious as well.</s>CLAPPER: Well, I do, just given the track record of DNI Ratcliffe, where he's used Intelligence for political purposes. So, unfortunately, I hate to say it, but you have to address what he says with some skepticism. And just to add-on to what Andy said about what happened in 2016, the Russians, we saw reconnoitered, I'll put it that way, voter registration rolls, which weren't all that hard to penetrate. We saw, I think, well some 39 states, and they probably did it with all 50. So, they know how to do it. And I remember our speculating about what the purpose was for some future use, so just a historical note here. The other thing about the statement that the DNI made was that he just mentioned Russia, and then went on to Iran. Well, Russia has been interfering in the run-up to the election all along, so that's not a startling revelation. And he didn't amplify that. And I would continue to believe that Russia poses far more of a threat. And I see - I think we're going to see more of this. And as to the ascription that this somehow hurts President Trump, well, I can make the case that it helps him. So--</s>CUOMO: Well, certainly the Proud Boys stuff helps him because it's scaring people, who obviously were sent messages because they didn't vote for him. What I found a little unusual, I'll bounce it back to Andy, and then obviously, Jim, whatever you want to add, please, we have the emails. I reported on them last night with one of our reporters about what we had learned so far. No proof offered of the intentions to hurt Trump. Why not? You know that this is going to be something where people are only going to want to know what you can show. You showed the emails. Why didn't you show what supposedly was being put out there that was bad for Trump? They had to know, if you don't put down any proof, it smacks of politics.</s>MCCABE: It really does. And I'll tell you, from my own experience, having been through the process with Director Clapper, in 2016, the Intelligence Community doesn't come out with an official analytical judgment along the lines of, "You know, the Iranians were trying to hurt President Trump," without rock-solid evidence to prove that. And we got none of that evidence tonight from DNI Ratcliffe, who has proven himself, to be a overtly political influence on the Intelligence process with the things that he's been involved in over the last couple weeks, releasing Intelligence for political purposes. So, it's hard to imagine how the two instances he cited, in his comments, actually hurt President Trump. The Proud Boys issue that you mentioned and, also, he said that there was indications that Iran had a video that implied that people could cast fraudulent ballots from overseas. That also supports a main line of President Trump's argument that the election could be replete with fraud. So, I am not buying it, at this point. I think we should all kind of have a skeptical eye at that until we see some proof.</s>CUOMO: Right. And also, look, you guys are a blessing tonight, because you represent the two schools that were out there, tonight, the two different institutions. And, Jim, not only did they not offer any proof, but there are two other suggestions. One, Wray did not echo, the Head of the FBI, did not echo what Ratcliffe said. He did not talk about the threat posed by Iran. And he doubled down, because he had said this before, on "Don't believe internet reports about votes not counting or the election being messed with." Now, here's the weird part about that. We don't need Iran or Russia to plant that idea in our head. The President bangs on it all the time. What's more menacing to people's state of mind than their own leader telling them that it's fraudulent?</s>CLAPPER: Yes. That's the unfortunate thing. Another unfortunate dimension of this is that the - unfortunately, these foreign narratives agree with the President and vice versa. That's really unfortunate. But the bigger point here, Chris, to me, is that it would really be nice if we could just take at face value, when the Director of National Intelligence, and the Director of FBI, come out at a special - quickly-called press conference. And it would be so nice if we could just accept what they said, at face value, and not spend all this time parsing and trying to analyze what's really going on. And that, to me, is a sad commentary.</s>CUOMO: And then, some more sad commentary, "The Washington Post" has reporting, Andy, that the President is increasingly upset with Christopher Wray and thinking about replacing him as the Head of the FBI. This can't help because I'm sure he didn't like that he wasn't in line with the DNI tonight. And he doesn't probably - again, this is just crazy world that we're living in. But, yes, these words are about to come out of my mouth. The President of the United States probably didn't like the Head of the FBI saying not to worry about our election being fraudulent, your votes will count. That is a bizarro world, but that is Trump's disposition. He wants people not to trust the count. What does that mean if he were to get rid of Wray over something like this? You don't think he'd do it before the election?</s>MCCABE: Well I think it's unlikely he'll do it before the election. But you know he's - really, anything is possible with this President at any moment. What do we know about this President? We know that he really doesn't like it when the people who work for him say things that he disagrees with or things that he finds to be uncomfortable. Chris Wray went on national television, in this press conference, and made statements that directly contradict the President's false narrative about fraud in - voting fraud and electoral fraud. That is not going to be taken well by this President. I can tell you from personal experience, he does not like it when people don't tow the political line that he prefers. So, even if the election doesn't go his way, it is possible that he comes in, after the election, and removes the Director simply out of spite.</s>CUOMO: Hey, Jim, last question, and I'll let you guys go. Thank you so much on such a busy night. Do you think it makes it more or less likely that the President has been outspoken about wanting the Attorney General to investigate Biden even after the DoJ passed on its latest investigation in terms of bringing any charges about unmasking, and that him saying he wants Director Wray at the FBI, to investigate Biden, do you think that actually makes it less likely that it happens because it would look so overtly political?</s>CLAPPER: Well, exactly. And it seems to me it's sort of counter - from the President's perspective, it's sort of counterproductive for his purposes to say things like that, which I don't - you know, I just don't think are going to happen. In fact, the Attorney General says so. So, I don't understand - well, like so many things, I don't understand about the President, why he's doing that, and how that helps his cause.</s>CUOMO: How could you have ever believed we would be having a conversation on national television about foreign adversaries doing things to interfere in the election that are less damaging than what our own President has been saying about our election process? That's where we are, Gentlemen.</s>CLAPPER: Yes.</s>CUOMO: But thank you for making sense of it for the audience tonight. I appreciate it. Andrew McCabe, James Clapper, the best to both families. God bless. All right.</s>CLAPPER: Thank you.</s>CUOMO: So, Joe Biden has a not-secret-at-all weapon, who hit the hustings today, with righteous fury, for the country, former President Barack Obama. He hadn't been there a lot. He wasn't there early on, but, boy, did he make his presence felt today. He said things not just about this President, but about this country, in a way that we have never seen. What will this mean for the outcome of this election? We haven't seen a bigger influence on Biden's fate, as we saw tonight, and maybe the President's as well. Two of our sharpest minds will take us through what we saw today, all the highlights for you, and the implications, next.</s>TEXT: CUOMO PRIME TIME.

Obama Goes After Trump In Sharpest Attacks Yet With 13 Days Left In Election

TEXT: LET'S GET AFTER IT.</s>CUOMO: There are so many people around the country who are desperate for something to sway them in what is absolutely a binary choice. This country is going to move in one of two very different directions after this election. And for those who are open, boy did they get a powerful solicitation tonight, former President Obama unplugged and unloading on Trump and the status quo.</s>BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He hasn't shown any interest in doing the work, or helping anybody but himself, and his friends, or treating the presidency like a reality show that he can use to get attention. And, by the way, even then, his TV ratings are down. So you know that upsets him. We know that he continues to do business with China because he's got a secret Chinese bank account. How is that possible? How is that possible, a secret Chinese bank account? Listen, can you imagine if I had had a secret Chinese bank account when I was running for reelection? You think - you think - you think Fox News might have been a little concerned about that? They would've called me "Beijing Barry."</s>CUOMO: And he was just getting warmed up. You got to hear what he said about the President's character and the pandemic, two very, very big issues for a lot of voters. But, look, he's not running, right? I'm sure, a lot of Democrats would be more happy, if he were. But Biden, Obama's case was, is the closest thing to him that you have certainly in this election. Biden is going to have to deliver the knock-out. I know they say he's getting ready for the debate, and it's a big night for him tomorrow night. But eventually, he's going to have to make his own luck here. He's either going to have to win people over or get put on the mat himself, and a big part of it is going to happen tomorrow night. Why? Come on! You don't have to be an analyst for this. It's the last best hope for both Biden and Trump to make an impact on you versus the other. But remember the real enemy, especially for this President, is the pandemic. Will he be able to hide from it? Everybody thinks it's going to be about Biden and his son. I think it's just as likely to be about this President and the pandemic. Dana Bash, Tim O'Brien, here tonight, thank you very much, lot of news breaking all over it. Dana, fair assessment, that this was a different Obama than we've seen post-presidency?</s>DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. This is a different former president than I think any that we've seen, certainly in modern times. This is - is breaks the "Former President" code, and this is a former president, who clearly does not do that lightly. I mean all of our reporting and everything that we've seen and heard from him, up until, I think, the Convention, but certainly, until today was that he didn't want to wade into the political pool too often, even though he felt that his successor poses an existential threat to democracy. I mean, they're nothing short of that. But now it's different. Now it's time for him to make that argument, to get out there. It's time to get people to vote. So, it was a complete combination of getting people fired up, to use his term, to convince members of the Democratic base who just aren't sure. I mean, he articulated this. "Am I going to make a difference? Yes, you are. Do I really think this is a guy - this is the guy? Yes, he is." And then just a total take-down, as you played, of President Trump, in a way that I don't think that we ever expected, in our lifetime, we would see and hear from a former president about his successor.</s>CUOMO: Well, let's be honest, it's necessary for Joe Biden.</s>BASH: Yes. I mean I'm not saying that it was a - it was a bad thing, making judgment on that. I think it's a sign of the times.</s>CUOMO: Yes.</s>BASH: We're exactly there.</s>CUOMO: Certainly a sign of the state of play. So, Tim, he hit him with a one-two punch today in very simple fighting parlance. He hit him on the man, and then he hit him on his main mission, which is the pandemic. First, let me play what he said about Trump, the man.</s>OBAMA: Why are folks making excuses for that? "Oh, well, that's just - that's just him." No, it's - no. There are consequences to these actions. They embolden other people to be cruel, and divisive, and racist, and it frays the fabric of our society, and it affects how our children see things. And it affects the ways that our families get along. It affects how the world looks at America. That behavior matters. Character matters. (AUDIENCE SHOUTS "YES!")</s>CUOMO: I'll tell you what, systemic inequality, racism is not new. But having people run around the streets, the way they are right now, in righteous indignation, because of what this President does, on both sides, is certainly a fomenting that we never saw under any past president since the '60s. What is the relevance of this kind of attack from Obama, about Trump, Tim?</s>TIMOTHY O'BRIEN, AUTHOR, "TRUMPNATION," SENIOR COLUMNIST, BLOOMBERG OPINION: Well I am, you know, I imagine that Barack Obama has been siting on these thoughts, and emotions, for quite some time. Let's think back to the dignity and grace Obama displayed, during the transition, after Trump was elected and on Inauguration Day. He didn't go anywhere remotely close to where he went today. And in the span of time since then, you had Donald Trump, in the Oval Office, openly embracing financial conflicts of interest, undermining a number of U.S. institutions, smearing our reputation abroad, and flagrantly embracing racism and bigotry. I am - I have to suspect that this is almost therapeutic for Barack Obama to finally be able to speak about what's on his mind, that Donald Trump lacks the character, integrity, and composure to sit in the Oval Office. And you can say anything you want about ideological differences with Barack Obama, partisan differences with Barack Obama. He is an immensely sophisticated and dignified man, and couldn't be more of a polar opposite from Trump. And I think that's important to highlight right - and contrast, right now, for American voters.</s>CUOMO: I think he gave us a little bit of a window into what Biden is going to bring tomorrow night as his main--</s>BASH: Yes.</s>CUOMO: --missile against the President. It's going to be the pandemic. I still believe the big opposition for Trump is not Biden. It's the pandemic. Here is what Obama said about the response.</s>OBAMA: Look, I get that this President wants full credit for the economy he inherited, and zero blame for the pandemic that he ignored. But you know what? The job doesn't work that way. Tweeting at the television doesn't fix things. Making stuff up doesn't make people's lives better. You've got to have a plan. You've got to put in the work, and along with the experience to get things done. Joe Biden has concrete plans and policies that will turn our vision of a better, fairer, stronger country into a reality. We literally left this White House a pandemic playbook that would have shown them how to respond before the virus reached our shores. They probably used it to, I don't know, prop up a wobbly table somewhere. We don' know where that playbook went.</s>CUOMO: So, Trump is going to come long and strong on Hunter Biden tomorrow night. We know it. And I don't know how Biden will deal with the irony that Trump wants to talk about sons, and how money is made, and what is abusive. But I don't know that Biden is better-served by going head-to-head about family and fiduciary responsibility or just keep going back to the pandemic. What do you think, Dana?</s>BASH: From all of my reporting, the former Vice President has been extremely reluctant to do an eye for an eye, meaning, "Oh, yes, you're going to talk about my kids? Let's talk about your kids, who are working in the White House," and it could go on from there. Having said that, I think President Obama did give us a little bit of a window into one potential line of attack or a retort, which is the story that we've seen this week about the allegations that President Obama has money in a Chinese bank account and pay taxes in China. I mean, the fact that Obama brought that up is certainly a signal that his former Number Two is going to do that as well, and is going to try to pivot as much as possible every time Trump brings up - brings up his son's name. Unclear if he can do that. I mean he was supposed to try to ignore the attacks on his son--</s>CUOMO: Right.</s>BASH: --at the first debate, and he couldn't do it. One other thing I would want to tell you because, right before coming on, I got, we all probably got, on our email a advisory from the Biden campaign. President Obama is going to do another event, on Saturday, in Florida. So, he's going - he's kind of hopscotching to the key puzzle pieces that the Biden campaign have out there on their, you know, on their map where they need to win. Trump needs to win Florida. He probably needs to win Pennsylvania, if he's going to - if he's going to defeat Donald Trump.</s>CUOMO: Yes. I think - I think Pennsylvania is the state to watch. I'm out of time. Thank you very much, Dana. Tim O'Brien, as always, appreciate you being here on short notice. I'll see you both really soon. Another important story tonight, so I got to keep it moving tonight, Coronavirus. The CDC just gave out new information, refining the risk of what kind of contact matters, OK, especially with somebody who's positive. Now, this has been changing over time, and it's going to change once again, and I think it's important for us to kind of consider what they're telling us now, and how it will work in everyday life. The Chief Doctor is here, Sanjay Gupta. We're going to have to change our habits. Let's talk about it, next.</s>TEXT: CUOMO PRIME TIME.

Erratic Trump and Deliberate Biden Prepare for Debate; Worsening Pandemic About to "Rapidly Accelerate"; NYT: Trump Pursued Foreign Interests During White House Run

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Stark contrast on display as Donald Trump and Joe Biden prepare for their final debate. And homeland security officials urge patience. Don't expect a quick election result.</s>LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: If this isn't a rapid acceleration, what is? A dire pandemic warning from a top health expert.</s>ROMANS: And another bombshell from the president's taxes. We'll tell you which foreign power could hold major sway in Trump Tower. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world, this is EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.</s>JARRETT: And I'm Laura Jarrett. It's Wednesday, October 21st. It's 5:00 a.m. here in New York. Just 13 days to the election. Early voting starts today in West Virginia. And today is the deadline to request a mail-in ballot in Missouri. So, with the U.S. inching ever closer toward an election that will define its future, top Homeland Security officials are now urging patience from voters. They warn that election results likely will not be known on election night despite President Trump's demand for immediate results. And tensions are starting to boil over. Election officials in Florida and Alaska contacted law enforcement after voters reported receiving threatening emails saying, vote for Trump or else. The president for his part is still struggling to find a compelling rationale for his re-election ahead of the final debate tomorrow.</s>ROMANS: He has been expanding his list of enemies, narrowing the scope of his campaign to attacking them rather than focusing on voters' needs, mocking Biden for supporting scientists, attacking reporters and debate moderator before the debate has even started and lashing out at Dr. Anthony Fauci. Now, a source tells CNN one Trump ally told the president that the attacks on Fauci are, quote, the dumbest thing in the history of politics. This with the pandemic worsening surpassing 60,000 cases for the third time in a week. That hasn't happened since July.</s>JARRETT: The president last night holding yet another rally in Pennsylvania with few masks and no social distancing, on the same day the state saw a thousand new COVID-19 cases for the 15th consecutive day. The first lady backed out of joining the president because she is still dealing with the effects of the virus we're told while the president gave his supporters a rare reality check on the state of the campaign. CNN's Kaitlan Collins is on the ground in Erie, Pennsylvania.</s>KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Laura and Christine. As the president was rallying his supporters in Pennsylvania on Tuesday night, with two weeks to go before the election, he at one point seemed to recognize the dire position he's in, when it comes to political polling.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Before the plague came in, I had it made. I wasn't coming to Erie. I mean, I have to be honest. There is no way I was coming. I didn't have to. I would have you and said, hey, Erie, you know, if you get a chance, get out and vote, we have this thing win.</s>COLLINS: Basically, he told the crowd he had to show up given that his poll numbers right now are behind those of Joe Biden in Pennsylvania, a state that he carried in 2016. That rally came, just a few hours after the president had sat down with CBS's Lesley Stahl at the White House for an interview for "60 Minutes", in which we are told the president abruptly ended the interview, before it was scheduled to be done after about 45 minutes, but as he grew frustrated with the line of questioning from Stahl and we're told he left the room and did not come back to do what was supposed to be a taped portion of the interview with the Vice President Mike Pence. And this is not exactly the closing political message that aides had hoped he would have, given the fact that he is trailing Joe Biden in so many states, so few days left to go.</s>ROMANS: All right. Kaitlan, thank you so much for that. President Trump says he may try to interrupt Joe Biden less, during Thursday night's debate. Biden for his part approves of the debate commission's plan to mute the opposing candidate's microphone while the other answers the question at the start of each segment. And the former vice president is getting a big boost from his old boss who had a message for young voters before heading the campaign trail. We get more this morning from CNN's Arlette Saenz.</s>ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Christine and Laura, while Joe Biden is preparing for that final debate against President Trump, he is getting a little bit of help out on the campaign trail, from a long-time friend who happens to be the Democratic Party's biggest political surrogate. Former President Barack Obama, will hit the campaign trail, in Philadelphia, his first in-person campaign appearance, as he is vouching for his former vice president, in these waning days, before the election. Obama's events will be a drive-in style rally that's following many of the state's safety protocols put in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, like social distancing and mask wearing. And the Biden campaign believes that the former president can help mobilize black men, Latino and young voters to get out there and vote for Joe Biden in these closing days of the campaign.</s>BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT: Your generation can be the one that creates a new normal in America. One that's fair, where the system treats everybody equally, and gives everybody opportunity. We can come out of this moment stronger than before.</s>SAENZ: Now, for Joe Biden's part, he is spending much of the day with his advisers focusing on preparing for the president in that next debate. This debate comes two weeks after that first initial chaotic debate, and the Biden campaign believes that the president will bully and deflect his way through this one, they are preparing for attacks not just on Biden and his record but also personal ones on his family. So Biden huddling with his team, trying to prepare for that next face- off, as American voters will get to see the two men on stage together, one last time before election day -- Laura and Christine.</s>JARRETT: Arlette Saenz, thank you so much for that report. Well, 933 deaths from coronavirus were reported in the U.S. yesterday. That is the highest the American death rate has been in almost a month. And here's why. Take a look at this. The seven-day average of cases is up 44 percent, in three weeks, and the rate of increase is not slowing.</s>DR. SCOTT GOTTLIEB, FORMER FDA COMISSIONER: I think we're about two or three weeks behind Europe, so we're about a week away from starting to end a period where we're going to see a rapid acceleration in cases. There really is no backstop. You know, the summer was a backstop of sorts to the spring surge and we have no therapeutic backstop in the season, the fall and winter season is when the coronavirus is going to want to spread.</s>ROMANS: Now, the CDC says about 299,000 more Americans are now dead than in a typical year, 299,000. It says almost a third of them were either undiagnosed COVID, deaths at home, or in nursing facilities. Or people who did not or could not seek medical care, while hospitals were full. Homes lost, businesses shuttered, virtual school, holidays canceled. People desperately sick. All of these statistics, every day, can cloud the reality that families are suffering. Remember that almost 400,000 Americans are expected to die by February 1st.</s>DR. CHARLES R. MARMAR, NYU GROSSMAN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: Along from the 300, 400,000 deaths, we have 3 million to 4 million Americans who are recently bereft, and that's over a brief period of six or seven months, but that is an epidemic of pathological situation, which is a downstream consequence of the pandemic.</s>JARRETT: To that point, the student journalists at the University of South Carolina say they won't be putting out any content for almost two weeks. They say lack of sleep, forgetting to eat, and too much stress have the entire staff near the breaking point. And the University of Michigan undergrads announced, an emergency shelter in place order. Data shows that 60 percent of local cases there are among students, and vaccine front-runners Moderna and Pfizer set to make presentations for the FDA tomorrow but they won't be sharing late stage clinical trial data. That's a welcome sign that they don't appear to be bowing to pressure to rush out a vaccine.</s>ROMANS: All right. That deadline has passed with no new stimulus. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin spoke Tuesday in a last ditch effort to get a last minute deal before Election Day. But Senate Republicans continue to throw cold water in any deal with the $2 trillion price tag. Pelosi said that two sides are close to resolving a key sticking point over money for coronavirus testing and contact tracing. There, though, are still plenty of outstanding issues, including funding for state and local governments, jobless benefits and funding for schools and liability protections, for businesses. One thing is clear, government intervention saved people's personal finances, early on in this crisis. We know that people use their stimulus checks to pay rent, to keep up with bills, and in some cases, even pay off debt. Do you know FICO scores actually rose to a record average high? Consumer spending rose, savings rates spiked at the beginning of the crisis. That was huge government intervention to help people's pocketbooks and it worked but the jobs recovery more recently has stalled. Three key swing states Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania have unemployment rates higher than the national average.</s>JARRETT: A new revelation this morning about President Trump's taxes, dealing a big blow to the effort by him to paint Joe Biden as soft on China. "The New York Times" now reports that Mr. Trump pursued a range of business projects in China for years, and even maintained a previously-unknown Chinese bank account. Trump spent a decade chasing business deals in China without success, even operating an office there, during his first run for president. A Trump Organization lawyer told the times the company opened the Chinese account to pay local taxes and no deals ever materialized. Also, China's biggest state-run bank leased three floors in Trump Tower until last year. This is all prompting more conflict of interest accusations. China remains an issue in the 2020 campaign as well, from the origins of the coronavirus, to the ongoing trade war.</s>ROMANS: All right. New overnight, lawyers say they have been unable to reach the parents of 545 children separated from their families by U.S. border officials between 2017 and 2018. Now, this disturbing news comes from a Tuesday court filing by the Justice Department, and the ACLU. The filing also says hundreds of parents may also have been deported without their children. The lawyers say COVID-19 has hampered court-ordered reunification, but on the ground efforts to find parents have now resumed. About 2,000 children were separated under the zero tolerance border policy, meaning about a quarter, a quarter of those children have not been reunited.</s>JARRETT: That's just an enormous story there. And there is so much focus on the children when they were initially separated but people forget, those families have not been reunited. And it's 545 children. It's just astonishing. Well, it's almost here. Joe Biden and Donald Trump face off in the final presidential debate. CNN's special live coverage starts tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

Dodgers Dominate Rays in World Series Game 1.

ROMANS: All right. Twenty-three minutes past the hour. The Dodgers dominate the Rays to take game one of the World Series. Andy Scholes is at the game and is live in Arlington, Texas, with more in this morning's "Bleacher Report". Hi, Andy.</s>ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, good morning, Christine. Game one of the first ever neutral site World Series is in the books and Dodgers fans travelling in full force here to Texas, to support their team. They're about 11,000 fans at game one in Globe Life Field, this neutral site World Series. And I'd say it was at least 75 percent Dodgers fans. The fans were spread out throughout the stadium, with zip ties on all the seats that were not sold, to keep everybody at a social distance. Now, former Red Sox star Mookie Betts giving Dodgers fans plenty to cheer about in this one. He was just dominant on the bases, getting two steals in the fifth before scoring and then he homered in the sixth inning. Betts joined Chase Utley as the only two players to steal two bags and homer in a World Series game. Clayton Kershaw, on the mound for the Dodgers, he struggled in the past in the World Series, but pitching well back home in Texas. He went six, striking out eight. Dodgers dominate game one, winning 8-3 to take a 1-0 lead in the series.</s>CLAYTON KERSHAW, LOS ANGELES DODGERS PITCHER: For as much of a home game as we would have liked it to have been and be at Dodgers Stadium and have the 56,000 chanting, after everything that's gone on this season, to have, you know, 10,000, 11,000 people in the stands, and a good bit of them being Dodgers fans is pretty cool. And definitely, it definitely helps us to have that type of support for sure.</s>SCHOLES: And we have fans to the World Series and soon, the Saints will join the NFL teams with fans at their home games. The mayor of New Orleans giving the Saints the go ahead to allow fans in the stand force home games starting this Sunday. This after the team was exploring playing in Baton Rouge so they could have fans in the stands. The Saints will start with 3,000 season ticket holders Sunday as they host the Panthers at the Superdome. Then if local health and safety guidelines remain in place and the number of COVID-19 cases remain stable, they're going to increase to 6,000 fans in November and then 15,000 in December. All right. And, finally, it's two a time in Miami. According to multiple report, the Dolphins are naming the rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, their starter, the fifth overall draft pick, battle his way back from a potentially career-ending hip injury in college almost a year ago and he made this NFL debut this past Sunday, Miami on a bi- week right now. So, two of the first games at home against the Rams on November 1st. So, congrats to Tua on just an amazing comeback. And, Laura, you know, here at the World Series, not a must win tonight in game two, but it certainly feels like it because they don't want to fall down 0-2 in the series, because of all games are here in Arlington, Texas, and it certainly feels like these are Dodgers home games the way the fans have traveled here and cheering for their team.</s>JARRETT: A lot of excitement there, I'm sure, Andy. Nice to see you this morning. Thanks so much. All right. Homeland Security officials well, they are managing expectations this morning. Warning: don't expect a quick election result. The president and Joe Biden also taking very different approaches as they get ready for their final debate.

Trump Lashing Out As 2020 Campaign Reality Sets In; Obama Campaigns For Biden Today In Philadelphia; Health Experts Warn To Expect Period Of Rapid Acceleration In Coronavirus.

LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: Stark contrasts on display as Donald Trump and Joe Biden prepare for their final debate. And, Homeland Security officials urge patience. Don't expect a quick election result.</s>CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: If this isn't rapid acceleration, what is? A dire pandemic warning from a top health expert.</s>JARRETT: And another bombshell from the president's taxes. We'll tell you which foreign power could have held major sway in Trump Tower. Good morning, this is EARLY START. I'm Laura Jarrett.</s>ROMANS: Hi there, Laura. I'm Christine Romans. It's 31 minutes past the hour. And with the U.S. inching closer toward an election that will define its future, top Homeland Security officials are now urging patience from voters. They warn election results likely will not be known on election night despite President Trump's demand for immediate results. And tensions are starting to boil over. Election officials in Florida and Alaska -- they contacted law enforcement after voters reported receiving threatening e-mails saying "Vote for Trump or else." The president, for his part, still struggling to find a compelling rationale for his reelection ahead of that final debate tomorrow.</s>JARRETT: All of this with the pandemic only worsening, surpassing 60,000 new cases for the third time in a week. That hasn't happened since July. And the president, last night, holding a rally in Pennsylvania with very few masks seen in that crowd and no social distancing whatsoever. This, on the same day that state saw 1,000 new COVID cases for the 15th consecutive day there. The president gave his supporters a rare reality check, also, on the state of his campaign.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Before the plague came in, I had it made. I wasn't coming to Erie. I mean, I have to be honest -- there's no way I was coming. I didn't have to. I would have called you and said hey, Erie, you know, if you have a chance get out and vote. We had this thing won.</s>ROMANS: The president has been expanding his list of enemies, narrowing the scope of his campaign to attacking them rather than focusing on voters' needs. A source tells CNN one Trump ally told the president that the attacks on Dr. Anthony Fauci are, quote, "the dumbest thing in the history of politics."</s>JARRETT: President Trump says he may try to interrupt Joe Biden less during this coming Thursday night's debate. Biden, for his part, approves of the new plan to mute the opposing candidate's microphone at the start of each segment in the debate. And the former vice president is getting a big boost from his old boss who has a message for young voters before hitting the campaign trail today.</s>BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Your generation can be the one that creates a new normal in America -- one that's fair where the system treats everybody equally and gives everybody opportunity. We can come out of this moment stronger than before.</s>JARRETT: There's a chance that President Obama and Joe Biden could also hit the campaign trail together before Election Day.</s>ROMANS: All right, 13 days to the election. It's time for three questions in three minutes. Let's bring in CNN senior political analyst John Avlon. Nice to see you, John.</s>JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning, humans.</s>ROMANS: You know, I've got to tell you, the president has spent the last week lashing out at everyone in sight, going to rallies for crowd size but ignoring the voters so he can -- he's airing his own grievances, right? Joe Biden, on the other hand, has laid low, prepping for the debate. What's going through your mind if you're a voter watching this all play out?</s>AVLON: Well, where you stand on that one is probably a matter of where you sit, although it's hard to take rational comfort from Donald Trump's behavior on this stuff. If you say -- erratic is almost too dignified a way to describe what Donald Trump has been doing in recent days. He's been venting his spleen, airing grievances, lashing out. I mean, the quote from the GOP ally who called his attacks on Dr. Fauci the dumbest thing ever in the history of politics is pretty stark, but that's the unvarnished truth as some folks see it. Then, of course, there's the storming out on "60 MINUTES," which I have a feeling will dominate a lot of stories on Sunday night. Look, for Joe Biden, he's taking the debate prep seriously. He's taking his campaign seriously. It's a strange sensation, I know. But, if you don't like Joe Biden, you may say that why isn't he out more?</s>ROMANS: Right.</s>AVLON: Why isn't he playing offense more? And that's a real risk. I think, you know, President Obama getting on the -- on the campaign trail could make a big difference today but it's all going to be about the debate at the end of the day.</s>JARRETT: So, John, overnight, "The New York Times" publishes more of its investigation into the president's taxes --</s>AVLON: Yes.</s>JARRETT: -- and it shows a couple of interesting things. Trump had a previously unknown bank account in China and even operated an office there during his first run for president. Now, his lawyer says that no deals ever materialized so what's the big deal. But it seems that this really goes to where are the president's interests and how he makes decisions about things based on some of these business dealings that we didn't know about. Is this something that you think Joe Biden will sort of leverage?</s>AVLON: Absolutely -- because look, you know, Donald Trump has been trying to tie Joe Biden to China. It really is a counter way to rational, serious, and extensive questions about Russia and his campaign and his contacts. So he's been trying to tie Biden with China. There are many problems with Donald Trump and China -- this simply adds to them. The fact that he had a bank account in China that was previously undisclosed, that he was operating an office in China previously undisclosed during the last presidential campaign, it takes all the existing questions about the president's projection and amplifies them dramatically. This is a big deal because Trump has tried to make such a big deal about China in this election.</s>ROMANS: Let me ask you about this new story overnight, John. Lawyers say they cannot find the parents of 545 migrant children separated at the border by the Trump administration. That's one in four kids separated who may never see their parents again. We've spoken a lot this election cycle about empathy or the lack of it, right? What's the reaction to this today?</s>AVLON: Not nearly as much outrage and shame as there should be. Look, this was a huge story a year ago but whether you have -- are skeptical about government's ability to be competent or you believe the government has a responsibility to act as a moral force, this is a massive failure. This is 545 children who have been separated from the president -- from their parents and the government can't seem to find them -- can't seem to reunite them. And we know now this was a policy of intentional cruelty designed to deter people from crossing the border. It has separated and destroyed families and now it cannot reunite them. It'll get lost in a lot of the noise of the campaign -- it shouldn't.</s>ROMANS: Well, that's why we're doing it --</s>AVLON: That's right.</s>ROMANS: -- to remind -- to remind everyone how important this is and what it says about the moral character of the country we are in. John Avlon, senior political analyst. Thank you, John.</s>AVLON: Thank you, guys.</s>JARRETT: Thanks, John -- appreciate it. All right, 933 deaths from coronavirus were reported in the U.S. just yesterday. That is the highest American death rate it's been in almost a month and here's why. The seven-day average of cases is up 44 percent in three weeks and the rate of increase -- well, it's not slowing.</s>DR. SCOTT GOTTLIEB, FORMER COMMISSIONER, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION: I think we're about two or three weeks behind Europe, so we're about a week away from starting to enter a period where we're going to see a rapid acceleration in cases. There really is not backstop, you know. This summer was a backstop of sorts to the spring surge. And we have no therapeutic backstop. And the season -- the fall and winter season is when this coronavirus is going to want to spread.</s>ROMANS: Homes lost, businesses shuttered, virtual school, holidays canceled, people desperately sick. All these statistics every day can cloud the reality that families are suffering. Remember that almost 400,000 Americans are expected to die by February first.</s>DR. CHARLES MARMAR, NYU GROSSMAN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: Alone from the 300,000-400,000 deaths, there are three to four million Americans who are recently bereft, and that's over a relatively brief period of six or seven months. But that is an epidemic of pathological grief, which is a downstream consequence of the pandemic.</s>JARRETT: Pathological grieving. And to that point, student journalists at the University of South Carolina say they won't be putting out any content for almost two weeks. They say lack of sleep, forgetting to eat, and just too much stress have the entire staff near the breaking point.</s>ROMANS: And a new audit alleges Iowa's governor, Kim Reynolds, misused $21 million in federal CARES Act funds to pay for staff salaries and accounting software. Reynolds' office justifying the expenses as helpful to assist in pandemic response. All right, the coronavirus recession is speeding up automation and that could displace 85 million jobs within the next five years. A new report from the World Economic Forum warns inequality will likely increase unless these displaced workers can be retrained for new jobs. "Automation, in tandem with the COVID-19 recession, is creating a 'double disruption' scenario for workers," the report finds. The pandemic has caused consumers and businesses to adopt more technology, increasing demand for cloud computing and e-commerce services, but hurting businesses that can't serve their customers online. Workers unable to work from home, either because they need to be there in person or they have limited Internet access -- they've been put at a real disadvantage here. Some workers whose jobs are at risk may be able to move into careers. The report found 94 percent of businesses surveyed expect employees to pick up new skills on the job.</s>JARRETT: Well, the British government is forcing Manchester into heightened restrictions as the pandemic worsens. Meantime, a partial lockdown is about to take effect in neighboring Ireland. CNN's Nic Robertson is live for us in London. Nic, nice to see you this morning. Of course, no one wants to go backwards, no one wants a backslide. How is this new lockdown being received?</s>NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes. Well, the government is saying it's absolutely necessary in Manchester. Quite simply, the numbers of people infected with coronavirus are going through the roof, particularly in the older age group -- 65-plus -- meaning hospitals are filling up. What happened -- 10 days of negotiations where the government was negotiating with local regional leaders in the Manchester area to try to find a formula of what could close and what government support could be available for those beleaguered businesses and people that were going to be hurt by this. They failed to agree. The regional leaders said they needed a minimum of about $85 million -- a population of about 2 1/2 million in that area -- $85 million. The government came up just $6.5 million short of that. So the lack of agreement there is sending quite a negative signal to people of this city and to other regions who are going to have to go through these negotiations with the government. Meanwhile, Ireland -- the</s>JARRETT: Yes -- certainly, the trade-off everyone's trying to struggle with there. All right, Nic, thank you so much. Nice to see you. Well, it is a lengthy and potentially historic battle in store between Google and the Department of Justice now. In a landmark move that could alter Silicon Valley, the government is suing Google, accusing the company of stifling competition. It argues Google unfairly dominates online search and digital advertising. For example, Google pays Apple billions a year to have its search engine on -- as the default on its devices. Google also has contracts with smartphone makers to make its search engine the default. Now, Google says these agreements don't box out competitors. The company says people use Google by choice and most of its services are offered for free.</s>ROMANS: The bottom line here is what hangs in the balance for Internet users is a potential breakup of the Internet search and advertising components. Google says that could hurt search results and force prices up. It's the most significant legal pursuit for the Department of Justice since the landmark case against Microsoft nearly 20 years ago. That took a decade to play out so get ready for a long legal battle here.</s>JARRETT: Yes. It will be interesting to see how that plays out.</s>ROMANS: Yes. We'll be right back.

Obama: Trump "Hasn't Shown Any Interest In Doing The Work Or Helping Anybody But Himself And His Friends"; Trump Holding Rally In Key Swing State Of NC After Obama Rips Trump In Blistering Speech On His Presidency; Trump On What He'd Do Differently On COVID Response: "Not Much"

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: You can always follow me on Twitter and Instagram @WOLFBLITZER. You can tweet the show @CNNSITROOM. "ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.</s>ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next breaking news, the closer. President Obama making his passionate case for his former VP taking President Trump head on point on point. Plus Trump about to rally supporters in North Carolina, a must-win state for him. Will he respond to Obama? And new CNN polls tonight on two crucial states and how they impact that all important raise to 270. We're live at the magic wall. Let's go OUTFRONT. And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett. OUTFRONT tonight, Obama's blistering takedown of Trump. For more than 30 minutes, the former president delivering a scathing speech tearing into President Trump and it got personal.</s>BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What we do these next 13 days will matter for decades to come. Now, last time I was in Philadelphia, I was at the Constitution Center. And I was delivering a speech for the Democratic National Convention this year. And I said during that speech, I've sat in the Oval Office with both of the men who are running for president and they are very different people. I explained that I never thought Donald Trump would embrace my vision or continue my policies, but I did hope for the sake of the country that he might show some interest in taking the job seriously. But it hasn't happened. He hasn't shown any interest in doing the work or helping anybody but himself and his friends or treating the presidency like a reality show that he can use to get attention. And by the way, even then his TV ratings are down, so you know that upsets him. But the thing is, this is not a reality show, this is reality. And the rest of us have had to live with the consequences of him proving himself incapable of taking the job seriously.</s>BURNETT: And you hear the horns, the people in the audience there responding by beeping. The former president then attacking Trump's policy record. And from economy, health care and the coronavirus outbreak that has killed nearly 222,000 Americans.</s>OBAMA: Tweeting at the television doesn't fix things. Making stuff up doesn't make people's lives better. You've got to have a plan. You've got to put in the work and along with the experience to get things done, Joe Biden has concrete plans and policies. We literally left this White House a pandemic playbook that would have shown them how to respond before the virus reached our shores. They probably use it to, I don't know, prop up a wobbly table somewhere. We don't know where that playbook went. Eight months ago into this pandemic cases are rising again across this country. Donald Trump isn't suddenly going to protect all of us. He can't even take the basic steps to protect himself. Just last night, he complained up in Erie that the pandemic made him go back to work, I'm quoting here. He was he was upset that the pandemics made him go back to work. If he'd actually been working the whole time, it never would have gotten this bad. This idea that somehow this White House has done anything but completely screw this up is just not true. I'll give you a very specific example. Korea identified its first case at the same time that the United States did, at the same time. Their per capita death toll is just 1.3 percent of what ours is. In Canada, it's just 39 percent of what ours is. Other countries are still struggling with a pandemic, but they're not doing as bad as we are because they've got a government that's actually been paying attention and that means lives loss, and that means an economy that doesn't work. And just yesterday, when asked if he'd do anything differently, Trump said, not much. Really? Not much? Nothing you can think of that could have helped some people keep their loved ones alive.</s>BURNETT: As you could see, the strongest and most passionately we have seen him speak of all this also, then bringing up Trump's finances and the New York Times report that President Trump has a Chinese bank account. Here's President Obama.</s>OBAMA: As it turns out, this was just reported in the last 48 hours. We know that he continues to do business with China, because he's got a secret Chinese bank account. How is that possible? How is that possible? A secret Chinese bank account. Listen, can you imagine if I had a secret Chinese bank account when I was running for reelection? You think Fox News might have been a little concerned about that? They would have called me Beijing Berry.</s>BURNETT: Well, the former president then turning to the importance of this election and its effect on America's democracy.</s>OBAMA: Our democracy is not going to work if the people who are supposed to be our leaders lie every day and just make things up and we just become numb to it. We just become immune to it. Every single day, fact checkers can't keep up. And look, this notion of truthfulness, and democracy, and citizenship and being responsible, these aren't Republican or Democratic principles they're American principles. They're what most of us grew up learning from our parents and our grandparents. They're not white or black or Latino or Asian values, they're American values, human values and we need to reclaim them. We have to get those values back at the center of our public life and we can. But to do it, we've got a turn out like never before.</s>BURNETT: Jeff Zeleny is OUTFRONT live in Philadelphia where the President just spoke. Jeff, that was the toughest assessment of Trump yet from Obama and you could see it building. When he's talking about coronavirus, you could really feel the anger and the passion.</s>JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORREPONDENT: Erin, there is no question that was the most at once blistering and at once mocking assessment that President Obama has ever delivered on his successor. This is something that really was building as a crescendo throughout the course of the speech here tonight, but it has been building as a crescendo for the last four years. For the first year or so, Barack Obama didn't say much. During the midterm elections, he said a little bit more. But this year, certainly this summer, he has raised his voice and this certainly now is as forceful and as loud as he has ever spoken. Erin, this was not a speech to sell the strength of Joe Biden. This was a speech designed specifically to say that Donald Trump is not fit for the presidency here in the United States or around the world. This was targeting Democrats, particularly. This was not trying to necessarily reach someone in the middle. This was saying that Democrats need to not be complacent. He went back to this point four years ago, saying, look, Hillary Clinton was leading in the polls as well, but some Democrats got lazy. So he was also showing some tough medicine to Democrats here to come out and vote for Joe Biden and for Kamala Harris. And he certainly gave a litany of reasons why. Erin, I'm told this is the first of several speeches that the former President is going to give. He's going to be targeted in these battleground states going where people are already voting like here in Pennsylvania. He's going to be looking at Florida and other key states. There's so much on the line here, but no mistake why he started in Philadelphia. Before he arrived here, he spoke with some black community leaders, also making the case why it is important to vote. So going after young voters, black voters in particular and Latino voters, that is his overall message. But today, this was a broader message. I'm told the former president wrote many of these words himself earlier today as he flew here, was sort of weighing how tough he was going to be. Erin, he decided to go all-in for this.</s>BURNETT: Yes.</s>ZELENY: Again, we've ever heard him this tough. The question is what effect will it have. But again, so much more about why Donald Trump shouldn't be elected and why Joe Biden should, Erin.</s>BURNETT: Yes, yes, that was absolutely it. He was also clearly proud of his Beijing Berry line, which he delivered there.</s>ZELENY: He certainly was.</s>BURNETT: As you say, mocking - yes, he was. All right. Thank you very much. I want to go now to Michael Smerconish, Host of CNN's SMERCONISH, Nia- Malika Henderson, our Senior Political Reporter and John Harwood, White House Correspondent who also covered the Obama-Biden administration. Michael, we wanted to play each of those segments there just to give everyone a flavor for how passionate this speech was how detailed it was, how personal it was. And I think Jeff Zeleny summarized it so well. It was at once blistering and mocking. How important is speech like this in the middle of early voting for turnout?</s>MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN HOST: So a comment first about style before substance, I thought it was remarkably well-staged. I pay attention to these sort of things, because I once had the privilege of doing advanced work for George Herbert Walker Bush, not easy to pull off a live event that is socially distant and incorporate as you referenced, Erin, the honking of the horns.</s>BURNETT: Right, no applause but horn honking.</s>SMERCONISH: And he was also at the top of his game - exactly, right, old drive-in days. And he also was very polished as he always is in his delivery. As a Pennsylvanian, I took something else away beyond the clips that you've played. And it's this, he began with instructions as to how you vote by mail in Pennsylvania. See, we've never had absentee voting without cause before and if the so called secret envelope isn't inside the exterior envelope, your vote doesn't count. And there's a great deal of concern in Pennsylvania that folks on this first time around in a presidential race won't get it right and will have their ballot discounted. So I thought it really significant that he wanted to be first in explaining how you vote in the Commonwealth by mail.</s>BURNETT: Right. To the point that Jeff is making, he's going to go to these crucial states, Pennsylvania, Florida and he was targeting it, specifically at those voters. He knew, obviously, there's a national audience for this definitionally, but he did have that specific point as well. Nia, what about there were just a few points in there that the whole mocking tone of certain parts of it is going to get under the skin of the President for sure. The whole the anecdote about Erie where the President said I didn't need to come back here until coronavirus blew everything up and that's the only reason I'm back and we picked up on that. He called him out on his TV ratings. It was designed to get to the President.</s>NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: I think that's right. At a time when the President is about to have a huge audience tomorrow with this debate, you can imagine that this President watched President Obama. He watched him, I'm sure, because he has not liked this president for years and years and years and launched his candidacy for the presidency on a racist lie about Obama. And so I think in that way, it was perfectly timed. It was mocking, it was trash talking, but it was very elegantly delivered, I thought. He was incredibly loose on stage. It looks like he looks very tan and very fit. And we know that President Trump himself is sort of superficial in that way where he thinks about and cares about the way people look. And so there was Obama with that thousand watt smile really trash talking this president. I thought it was also interesting, too. He did some work for Biden even though much of it was about tearing down Donald Trump. He said something to the audience in Pennsylvania, but obviously the broader audience. He said about Joe Biden, you know him and he knows you. It's a familiar line. If you remember, Jim Clyburn used a similar line in South Carolina in those closing days leading up to the South Carolina pointers.</s>BURNETT: Yes.</s>HENDERSON: So I thought that was a really nice touch in this speech. I think this was one of the best speeches that Barack Obama has ever delivered in his career. There are a few in the top five or so in Philadelphia, in this crucial state for Joe Biden.</s>BURNETT: And John Harwood, he did make a very specific decision. Most of it was about not just things to get under Trump's skin, although he did that, and he had the funny parts as well with Beijing Berry, but that was, of course, laced in a very serious comment about this president's bank, the bank account story. But he did also get into policy. But it really was about Trump. It was a case against Trump more than anything and that was purposeful.</s>JOHN HARWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I think it was purposeful. And as Nia-Malika just said, by getting under Trump's skin that is especially valuable, first of all, to see how the President reacts tonight at his rally in North Carolina, how he reacts on the debate stage tomorrow night. Because one of the problems for President Trump is that he's shown no interest in sustaining a message to the American people about what he's going to do for them. He's been venting his grievances at all the people he thinks have been unfair to him, whether it's Anthony Fauci or Lesley Stahl on 60 Minutes or the media or Bill Barr and members of his cabinet who haven't done enough to protect him. All of that stuff is not about what the American people want to hear in terms of the President's agenda and that has prevented the President from making any sort of comeback. I do think there was a second message from President Obama which was very significant and that is the argument to many of these marginal voters, people who might not think it's worth it to say, no, everything is not going to change or be solved overnight, but we can make it better. We all remember four years ago, that there was a drop off in voters of color, especially younger voters of color, especially men who did not turn out for Hillary Clinton. And that made a difference in places like Philadelphia and Milwaukee and Detroit and other places where Donald Trump narrowly defeated her. So trying to sustain that motivation for a group of people who might either not vote or some of them might be tempted to vote for President Trump. I think that was part of the President's strategy as well.</s>BURNETT: So Michael, I just want to play a little bit more of what President Obama had to say. Here he is.</s>OBAMA: Joe and I actually protected your policies to make sure people with pre-existing conditions could get health insurance and have coverage. We did it through something called the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare. And Republicans tried to repeal or undermine it more than 60 times. And when they've been asked about they keep on promising, we're going to have a great replacement. They said, it's coming. It's been coming in two weeks for the last 10 years. Where is it? Where is this great plan to replace Obamacare? They've had 10 years to do it. There is no plan. They've never had one. With Joe and Kamala at the helm, you're not going to have to think about the crazy things they said every day and that's worth a lot. You're not going to have to argue about them every day. It just won't be so exhausting. You might be able to have a Thanksgiving dinner without having an argument. You'll be able to go about your lives knowing that the President is not going to retweet conspiracy theories about secret cabals is running the world or that Navy SEALs didn't actually kill bin Laden. Think about that. The President of the United States retweeted that.</s>BURNETT: Michael, there was a lot of detail and detail about stuff Trump cares about. I played, obviously, detail on the Affordable Care Act, that was the policy, the substance. But specifically mentioning things like the QAnon reference and the Osama bin Laden conspiracy theory, also very specific, very purposeful.</s>SMERCONISH: I think it's important to remember and the comment I'm about to make doesn't apply to those of us right now having this conversation nor, frankly, a lot of your audience, Erin. But many Americans just haven't paid attention until now, right? Those lower information voters, we tend to be the junkies, we pay attention to all of this stuff. We hang on every word of it. And what I thought President Obama was successful in doing was bringing into the loop someone who may not have been paying attention to all the trials and tribulations of the last four years and now is playing catch up just as they are getting ready to go cast their vote.</s>BURNETT: All right. Thank you all very much. So literally, as President Obama wraps that detail, passionate, blistering and yet mocking speech, the President of the United States is about to take the stage in North Carolina for a campaign rally where he just has a moment to go again in Gastonia. We're gonna see how he responds to that scathing takedown by President Obama. North Carolina is where the President is because he must win that state to win. And by the way, he did win it in 2016 by nearly four percentage points. It was an easy win for him at that time. Trump, though, is spending time here now with only 13 days to go because polls show North Carolina a dead heat between Biden and Trump. And just to show how important that state is, Joe Biden's running mate Kamala Harris is actually there as well right now, there she is in Charlotte. Ryan Nobles is OUTFRONT. He's at the Trump rally. So Ryan, there were so many things in President Obama's speech that were designed for the audience of one in some senses, the references to ratings, do you expect Trump to respond to him at all?</s>RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erin, if past practices any indication of what will happen in the future would be a big surprise if President Trump didn't respond to President Obama's scathing commentary of the Trump presidency. The President certainly has had enough time to digest it. There are plenty of televisions on Air Force One and he's often watching those televisions as he makes his way to these rallies. And you just have to look at who President Trump has focused on over the past two weeks, everyone that he perceives to be his enemy. He continues to hammer the press. He's now put Dr. Anthony Fauci in his crosshairs. He continues to attack Joe Biden, Kamala Harris even brings up Hillary Clinton. So the idea that he wouldn't go after Barack Obama, after Barack Obama so harshly criticized him tonight would be a surprise. Now, the President just started his speech. It's just underway here in North Carolina. You mentioned this is a crucial swing state for the President. So far, he's largely stayed on script but as we know, Erin, these speeches often go in directions that no one including his campaign aides can predict. So the President is here with a captive audience that loves him and audience that probably is not a very big fan of President Obama, it is very likely that President Obama's name will come up at some point tonight, Erin.</s>BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, Ryan. And let's go now to Bakari Sellers. He was a Democratic member of the South Carolina House of Representatives and joining me as well, Scott Jennings, who was Special Assistant to President George W. Bush. So Scott, so if you're advising President Trump tonight is going after President Obama a smart thing to do to shore up support in a, for him, must win state?</s>SCOTT JENNINGS, FORMER SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: Well, I think to the extent that he was attacked on certain issues that they feel are germane to winning the race. Sure, you'd want to rebut something from someone as famous and well known and as powerful as speaker as Barack Obama. At this point in the campaign, though, I think if I were the Trump people, persuasion is not really a thing at this point. I mean, you've got virtually nobody is persuadable. If you're still persuadable or if you're undecided, let me just welcome you to Earth from Zalaxon 9 (ph) or wherever you just landed from. There's no ambivalence in the electorate out there. What the Trump campaign though could do is persuade some people to vote who didn't vote in 2016, who maybe they just registered, maybe they've never voted before, but they fit the demo that low info flow voter not engaged in politics, not following it that closely, but maybe they fit a demo like male, non-college degree that is going to break for the President. So I would expect and advise the President to talk to an audience that might actually respond to that, because at this point, a persuasion game probably ain't going to cut it.</s>BURNETT: So Bakari, earlier today on Twitter, President Trump was focusing on the economy, which people like Scott have been telling him to do, focus on that, not any of these pejorative takedowns of people like Fauci. In part he tweets, "Remember, Biden is going to raise your taxes at a level never seen before. This will not only be very costly for you, it will destroy our economy, which is coming back very rapidly." He then tweeted, "Your 401ks will crash with Biden. Massive Biden tax and Regulation increases will destroy all that you have built." Do messages like that, Bakari, resonate in crucial must win states for this president, his path to 270, it includes North Carolina, does that help there?</s>BAKARI SELLERS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think it does help. I mean, I think that Scott and Rick Santorum and all my friends who are further right than I have been coming on this TV screen with me for the past two months, telling the President to hammer home that message. That's probably the only message that works for him. But just as the President does, Kellyanne Conway or Kayleigh McEnany or Mark Meadows or the list goes on, and on and on. He doesn't listen to them like he doesn't listen to Santorum and he doesn't listen to Scott Jennings either and so he's in the bad state that he is today. Look, the message on the economy is probably the only message he has that will resonate, but we are not in a try to woo voters to your side stage anymore in the campaign. We are strictly in 1920 , which means that you have to get your voters to the polls. And because we're going to get out the vote, it's a little late to be trying to convince people. Look, Scott is right, if you're undecided right now, then you ain't paying attention. And I don't know too many undecided voters, he has to be speaking to people to get them to the polls. And Fauci, Stahl, CNN, those things, they're not getting people to the polls, the economy may work better.</s>BURNETT: So Scott, one person not at the rally tonight is the first lady. She has actually not set foot on the campaign trail once this year. That's a historic break of precedent and in fact she was supposed to join him last night in Pennsylvania, that was on the plan. She backed out because of a lingering cough from coronavirus. Her not being there though is a reminder of the thing Trump does not want to talk about the most, coronavirus. He doesn't want to talk about that.</s>JENNINGS: Of course, I mean, his job approval on it is bad and it's costing him support among a lot of voter cohorts, most importantly senior citizens. It's unfortunate that the First Lady can't campaign. I hope she feels better and her health fully recovers.</s>BURNETT: Sure.</s>JENNINGS: Because first ladies in the last few elections have really helped the incumbent presidents. Michelle Obama was a great help to Barack Obama, Laura Bush was a great help to George W. Bush. So, first ladies can often soften the edges around a candidate who's out there feeling rather under attack. And so it's unfortunate for President Trump that she can't be out there, but hopefully her health gets better and she can make an appearance or two before the end of the election.</s>BURNETT: All right. So I want to play this and our producer, Jason here, this is a really amazing thing that we have. Are you ready for this? OK. The names may have changed from where we were four years ago today, four years ago today, but the story is the same. OK. So here is President Trump last night after and four years ago on the exact same day, here you go.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Hillary Clinton is the most corrupt and dishonest person ever to seek the office of the presidency. Joe Biden is a corrupt politician. He's going to raise your taxes. He will massively raise your taxes. Mexico will pay for the wall. And Mexico is paying for the wall. You're going to look back at this election and say this is by far the most important vote that I've ever cast for anyone at any time. This is the most important election in the history of our country.</s>BURNETT: OK. So nothing's changed. I mean, a hell of a lot has changed and yet here we are with the same message, Scott.</s>JENNINGS: Yes. Look, he's trying to run the same race that he ran before. The structural problem in the polling on this race is the voters just don't hate Joe Biden as much as they hated Hillary Clinton. And so trying to run the same playbook against a dramatically different kind of opponent doesn't often work. He got to figure something else out. The correct framing of this race for him would have been to have a choice election my policies versus yours. In the last campaign, he could afford to run that kind of race because Hillary's numbers and her personal image were so bad that people were willing to buy into that sort of theory. This time around, it doesn't look like it's working which means a choice on policy would have been better. Instead, right now what we're getting is a referendum on Trump's job approval, especially on coronavirus and that's not working for him, but it is of course working for Joe Biden.</s>BURNETT: It is pretty stunning, though, to hear that Bakari. I mean, it's word for word and frankly what are extemporaneous ad libbed environments?</s>SELLERS: I mean, I don't know how surprising it is, it's Donald Trump, right? He has one sheet of music. He is a blunt force object. You don't really change the trajectory of blunt force objects. What I'm about to say is more so to my proverbial bedwetting Democrats than anybody else. But 2020 is not 2016 and people want to analyze them as the same thing. And I think that Scott was correct in saying that in 2016 you had the candidates running for president with the two highest unapproval ratings in the history of this country. You don't have that today. You had a third party candidate, Jill Stein, who did not cost Hillary Clinton the election, but she definitely didn't help Hillary Clinton by any stretch. She gave those left leaning voters a place to go. You had Comey 11 days out with his investigation into the Anthony Weiner laptop. So the things have changed drastically and I think that you saw tonight a president who was well-liked and Barack Obama in the colloquialism he had time today, I felt like Barack Obama was probably listening to Hit 'Em Up by 2Pac on the way to the venue tonight. I mean, he was focused, he was ready to go.</s>BURNETT: All right.</s>SELLERS: And you just now see all of this fire aimed at Donald Trump and he cannot get out of his own way.</s>BURNETT: All right. Thank you both very much. And next, 24 hours until the final presidential debate. We're going to go inside the campaign strategies and a new CNN poll shows Joe Biden with a 10-point lead in Pennsylvania. Now, what does the poll really say and what does that mean for the race to 270? Live tonight at the magic wall.

Feds: Iran And Russia Have Interfered With Presidential Election.

BURNETT: Tonight, new CNN polls from two battleground states. They could decide the election. In Pennsylvania, Vice President Joe Biden with a double-digit lead. Fifty-three percent of likely voters say they backed Biden, 43 percent for President Trump. And in Florida, Biden and Trump mathematically tied -- 50 percent support Biden, 46 support Trump, that is within the margin of error. Phil Mattingly is at the magic wall for us tonight. Phil, look, these are -- these are crucial states, and it could make all the difference on election night. So, what are these polls, you know, combined with other information we are getting come out of polls in these states tell us about the race to 270?</s>PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I want to start with Florida, and shocking, Florida is closed. But Florida is one state that the president cannot lose. I want to demonstrate why. This is the race ratings where things stand right now based on CNN race ratings. If you look, dark blue, light blue, means either comfortably for Joe Biden or leaning towards Joe Biden, he's already over the 270 electoral votes that he needs. But say you give President Trump every single toss-up state every, gold state except for Florida, you give him Georgia, you give him North Carolina, you give him Ohio, you give him Iowa, you give him Maine as well, and why not just give him Arizona? Which is currently leaning towards Joe Biden as well because that's traditionally a Republican state. But you give Joe Biden the state of Florida. You could then give President Trump, Pennsylvania where Joe Biden currently has a lead, according to polling. You could even given Wisconsin as well. Joe Biden is still 270 electoral votes. I think why this matter is a couple of things. One, while this will always be a razor-thin margin in the state of Florida, if the Biden campaign can win Florida, there is a pretty decent chance you are going to have a sign that this race could be over on election night. Florida knows how to do mail in balloting, I know there's plenty of stories over the course of the last couple of years, decades maybe, where Florida has gone haywire on the voting, but they have dealt with mail-in voting for a long period of time, and the expectation is we are going to start seeing results from mail in balloting pretty early in the night once the poll start to close. So, Florida is crucial. The Biden campaign can close out Florida. They will know that they are on path. The other thing the polls show and I think it's important to note is you look at this part of the country, if you look at North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, all razor thin margins. If you look at the Midwest, places where Donald Trump punctured the blue wall back in 2016, the Biden campaign is showing strength, maybe not reverting to the normal Democratic mean, but showing some strength. The Biden campaign can sweep Pennsylvania, can sweep Wisconsin, can sweep Michigan, also pretty good shape up there as well, Erin.</s>BURNETT: Phil, you know, you are going through Pennsylvania, right, and a poll with double digit spread right now. We know Ohio obviously is right next door when you look at parts of counties, they're very much similar tail. No Republican president has ever won the White House without Ohio, right? We all know this, you got to win Ohio. So, what do you see there?</s>MATTINGLY: Look, if the Trump campaign is having problems in Ohio, they are not going to win on November 3rd. I think that's just a reality, and the reality is for a couple of reasons. One, if you look at the margin back in 2016, Donald Trump won by 446,000 votes. It was a blowout for all intents and purposes from Ohio. What changed is a couple of things. One, the expectations of Democratic strongholds both and some of the urban areas, particularly in Cleveland, a little bit in Toledo area as well, the voter turnout was way down. African-American turnout was down, but also in the northeast part of the state. The Youngstown where he may have won the city, he may have own Mahoning County, but he did win up in that area. And you talk about the bleed over from Pennsylvania, where was President Trump last night? President Trump was in Erie, Pennsylvania, right around here, Erie, right on the border of the northeastern part of the state. Those were traditional Democratic strongholds. Those were union strongholds. There's not a necessary sign right now, Erin, that those are all flowing back into the Democratic column. However, when you talk to Democrats on the ground, spoke to Sherrod Brown a couple months ago, in the hallways of Congress, he walked up to me, said is President Trump going to win Ohio? He said, no, not a chance. And I started laughing, and he said, don't laugh, I think this is serious. He started talking about the places where Democrats feel like they have an advantage. They think it's in play if it's even close to in play, Erin, Donald Trump has a problem.</s>BURNETT: Yeah, when you talk about the margin, for 400,000-plus votes last time. All right. Phil Mattingly, thank you very much. So, I want to go to two people who know these states the best -- John Kasich, former Republican governor of Ohio, and the former Republican senator from Pennsylvania, rick Santorum. Both of you also, of course, have run for the White House. So, Senator Santorum, I just want to talk about that poll that we have now in Pennsylvania. Double digit, now, that's just one poll, but that's the latest poll. Do you think the spread could be that wide?</s>RICK SANTORUM, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Now, I don't. Now, I don't. If you look at the average, it's 5, 4.9, I think. That's probably more realistic, and I've always said that looking at the public polls, if we could be within 3 points, you've got a shot. And -- because if you look at the ground game, it's pretty clear we've -- it's been outrageously Democrats, only 725,000 more Democrats than Republicans, when I last ran, it was 1.2 million. So, a lot of demographic changes have occurred in Pennsylvania that are pro-Trump, but I think this race is going to be a lot closer than 10 points.</s>BURNETT: Governor Kasich, what do you see in Ohio? Do you believe -- the margin last time was -- it was a blowout win?</s>JOHN KASICH, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: No, I don't. No. Ohio is a hockey stick when you think about it. It's -- you know, on the western part of the state, it's going to be very strong for Trump, the bottom of the state will be strong for Trump. But the middle of the state, everything else that's left is, right now, going well for Biden. I'm a little surprised. I thought it would be just easy for Trump to win Ohio, but I'm not so sure now, and part of it is turnout, who's going to turn out, it's the African American turnout? I think it'll be bigger, not just an Ohio, but all across the country. And, you know, it's interesting, as Rick talked about Pennsylvania --</s>BURNETT: Yeah.</s>KASICH: -- the reason why Barack Obama was out today, where was he? He was in Philadelphia, trying to drive that turnout. The other thing happening in the state of Ohio, is yet to look at suburban voters, and now exurban, people who are farther away from the suburbs, and they are not Trump people like they were. In addition to that, working men have been moving away from Trump. So, you know, it's going to be a lot about turnout, but I'd have to say right now, it's extremely close. My gut tells me Trump still wins, but I will not be shocked at all if Biden wins Ohio.</s>BURNETT: OK, which again, with the 400,000 plus margin last time, was it really significant thing to say, right? I mean, if you think about Ohio and across the country. So, I just want to ask you something, each of you but let me ask you first governor, there's about Ohio, you have now the highest number of new cases since the pandemic began, and that is not just testing, right? That is a real surging threat across the Midwest in this country, right, hospitalizations are surging as well. Deaths are going up. In the near -- "Axios" poll, 40 percent of Americans said the president's diagnosis with COVID made them less likely to trust him about the virus. Now, obviously, that is -- you've got Democrats who feel passionate that way, much more so than Republicans. But does the coronavirus, situation in Ohio matter to the outcome? I mean, were 13 days away from the election and you're --</s>KASICH: Yeah, sure does, and look, look, you know, I'm not on here to try to promote Biden or whatever. You're asking me questions I'm giving my honest analysis of this. What the coronavirus has done is two things -- one is it's taken Trump off of his message of jobs and the economy. That matters always the most of any election. And secondly, it's really greatly concerned our seniors. We're going to have a debate tomorrow night, one of things they had to be done in the last debate was for Joe Biden to convince seniors that he was capable of doing the job. I think he passed that test. It'd be another test tomorrow night. But seniors are particular nervous because they're particularly vulnerable. And they don't like what he's done, but you're right there are partisan divisions and how they see this virus, but I think it is not help the president in the least, it's hurt him for sure.</s>BURNETT: So, Senator, I want to ask you about something you raised, which is this issue of registration and voter registration that we have seen in Florida, North Carolina. You mentioned Pennsylvania, right? We have seen this spike in Republican voter registration. How much do you read into that?</s>SANTORUM: Well, I mean, I just saw a report out of the Erie town hall -- excuse me, Erie rally, that 21 percent of the people at that rally who did not vote in the 2016 election. Many of them are not registered. So Trump is at a strategy, because I think the campaign knew that John Trump wasn't going to change his stripes. They had to get more people that like Donald Trump who didn't vote to vote and get them out to the polls. And I think that's what he's doing. They've done a very good job in western Pennsylvania, you know, which is very similar to eastern Ohio, there are really two sides of the same coin, they've done a great job of getting those voters out.</s>BURNETT: All right. Thank you both very much.</s>KASICH: Thank you, Erin.</s>BURNETT: And breaking news now, last-minute news conference just happening, the president's director of national intelligence, John Ratcliffe, announcing that both Iran and Russia, have interfered in this presidential election, including, quote, specific actions to influence public opinion. They are hosting this press conference in primetime, also the director the FBI, mentioning specifically Iran being behind the series of threatening emails to Democratic voters this week, that claim to be the from the far-right Proud Boys group. Senior justice correspondent Evan Perez is OUTFRONT. Evan, we didn't know about this press conference coming up. They did it in primetime, the director of the DNI, the chief of the DNI, and the director of the FBI. What else can you tell us?</s>EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erin, I think this is an indication of how worried the officials are about the next couple of weeks, and the fact that they were expecting interference from not only Iran and Russia, but other countries as well. And so, what we heard from John Ratcliffe is that Iran is the country behind these series of emails, thousands of them that have been received in states around the country, threatening Democratic voters, saying that it's coming from a group come called the Proud Boys, who are, of course, are associated -- supporters of President Trump, and threatening them, the Democratic voters, saying that we know how you're going to vote, and we will watch to see how you vote, and if you don't were to come after you. That is the sense of the threat that's been sent to voters around the country. And so, according to Ratcliffe and according to the FBI, none of that is true. The Iranians were able to get into election system, registration systems. They were able to get some data, but they can't threaten to -- they can't do anything about your vote, they can't change a vote. I think that is the reason why they held this press conference, to try to reassure voters, that even though they clearly did -- were able to get into the systems, both Iran and Russia, they are trying to reassure voters that your vote will not be interfered with, Erin.</s>BURNETT: All right, you know, Evan, stay with me here. I want to bring in Carrie Cordero, and also bring in Steve Hall, who, of course, was the former CIA bureau chief for the CIA. Carrie Cordero, let me start with you here. What is the significance of this, and I guess I want to start with why you chose to do this joint press conference. They chose to do it in primetime, the come out with this announcement, right? They obviously felt like this merited by something unusual, right? More significant than they would already do.</s>CARRIE CORDERO, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Absolutely, and I think that what is interesting about it, Erin, what a change this is from 2016. There have been a lot of lessons learned the intelligence community, in terms of information that held back, that was concerned about revealing publicly. And this year, especially as these days and weeks leading up the election, the intelligence community chiefs are working collaboratively, first of all. So, I think it's really important that there are several of them, appearing jointly, because they give each other credibility, that this isn't just one actor. For example, DNI Ratcliffe has come under a lot of scrutiny, for allegations that he's acting politically. But the fact that the other leaders were there, the FBI director, the assistant director was there from DHS, and assistant attorney general, these joint statements together show that they are working collaboratively, and after trying to warn the American people in real time about foreign interference in the election. And that is a real significant change, in the transparency from the election community versus the last major election.</s>BURNETT: It's a really amazing point. And, Steve Hall, you know, also, you have, you know, this campaign, right, threatening voters, basically change your voter registration or else, from the Proud Boys. The group that came up at the last debate, most Americans had never heard the Proud Boys, right, the far-right internationalists group until then, right? Trump supporters, they had not heard of that group. So this would appear that this was scrambled together pretty quickly. Does that mean, when you think about it Steve, that you think wow, I think they could've done better than that? I don't or do you think this is the tip of the iceberg?</s>STEVE HALL, FORMER CIA CHIEF OF RUSSIA OPERATIONS (via telephone): No, I think this is part of a much larger, certainly the Russians and the Iranians are also involved in. And what really strikes me about this, Erin, the amazingness of how down in the weeds both the Russians and the Iranians understand the society that we're living in right now. Because when the one thing I want to make clear that that I alluded to, is that in 2016 has been that before the Russians, and the Iranians, of course, were involved in much smaller science. Now it's gotten bigger, this cooperation between those two. But in 2016, the Russians had to establish these accounts that they've then had to backstop, and they make look realistic. Now they understand or amplifying so much of this ourselves, whether it's the Proud Boys, whether it's Black Lives Matter. Doesn't matter what side of the political traction, the Russians and the Iranians will jump on to that, knowing that all they need is a quick fix, and then we ourselves will do a heck of a job amplifying that. So, if that initial insertion of stuff like that I think is really concerning to the DNI and to the intelligence community because there's so much less effort that have to be done for it to be very efficient this time around. And that's going to be a very big problem.</s>BURNETT: All right. Well, I appreciate both of your time very much, Steve and Carrie, jumping on this very quickly, as that press conference just happened. And again, the significance, right, of DNI Ratcliffe who has been accused of acting politically, joining with the head of the FBI, Christopher Wray, and doing that together. Thanks for joining us. Anderson starts now.

Negotiators Make Progress On Relief Aid, But Is The U.S. Senate On Board?; Netflix Growth Slows As The Lockdown Boom Fades; The Hong Kong Airline, Cathay Pacific, Is Slashing Jobs And Closing Its Regional Carrier.

JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Live from New York, I am Julia Chatterley. This is FIRST MOVE and here is your need to know. Stimulus stumbles. Negotiators make progress, but is the U.S. Senate on board. Pressing pause. Netflix growth slows as the lockdown boom fades. And Cathay cuts. The Hong Kong airlines slashing jobs and closing its regional carrier. It's Wednesday, let's make a move. Welcome once again to FIRST MOVE. Wonderful to be with you as always and lots going on in the show today. We'll introduce you to the CommonPass App System that could finally get us traveling internationally again. Plus, former presidential candidate and stimulus super hero, Andrew Yang will be here to talk Trumpnomics, Bidenomics and what kind of fix the U.S. economy needs, so it's a perfect day to summon the Yang Gang as financial aid talks continue. U.S. futures relatively unchanged at this moment. We will call it watchful. Nancy Pelosi's 48-hour deadline for these talks wasn't in fact a deadline. She cited the progress last night, but I think the biggest road block seems to be the Senate Republicans who are giving no indication of being willing to agree to a big financial aid package just two weeks before a presidential election when the Senate is up for grabs. We'll be discussing that very shortly. That said, firms that would benefit have been big gainers. Heavy machinery firm, Caterpillar hitting all-time highs yesterday. Wow. Look at that chart. Airlines have also rallied over the past few weeks, too. The market is still baking in some form of stimulus help for these guys. The good news was already baked into their cake, I think, for Netflix investors. Shares are lower, as you can see, premarket after weaker than expected subscription numbers in the third quarter. They had a record first half, remember. All the details on that coming up because I want to take you to currency land. The Chinese yuan posting its biggest advance against the U.S. dollar in more than two years amid Chinese growth hopes. The pound jumping, too versus the dollar on optimism that the U.K. and E.U. can come to some form of trade agreement and avoid a hard Brexit. We have been there before. There is no end to global negotiations going on. It is clearly now time for action. Let's get to the drivers and to the financial aid talks which resume today. Christine Romans joins us now. Christine, if only there were a two-way fight between the Democrats and the Republicans. The problem is, it's simply not. It is a three-way fight and this involves the Senate Republicans and right now, Mitch McConnell who doesn't sound like he is budging.</s>CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: No, it doesn't and it sounds like we keep hearing the same thing that they are still talking, and that's good news. That they are making progress, but differences remain. If I had a nickel for every time I heard that they are making progress, but differences remain, I'd be a rich woman. Look, it is clear here that they are trying to get to yes, the White House wants to get to yes, Steven Mnuchin wants to get to yes, but the Senate is more recalcitrant here. There are many members who just don't want to spend $2 trillion and honestly don't think what they're getting in return is good enough for their own objective. So, where we wind up is anybody's guess, but it certainly feels like a long shot to get something done here in the next few hours.</s>CHATTERLEY: Yes, it's a political calculation here for some of the Senate leadership. Do you want to agree to a big deal, annoy some of the fiscal conservatives here? Potentially allying yourself with the President, if you agree to this? Probability, Christine, that this gets agreed by the Senate before the Presidential Election? Does it even come on the floor of the Senate?</s>ROMANS: I mean, and if it does, then it sort of forces these senators to say, it's almost a litmus test, right, for the President of the United States where they stand on that. Look, I've been hearing more recently about concerns about deficit spending from some quarters of the Senate than I have in a long time. There weren't really many questions earlier in the crisis about spending borrowed money and now, you're starting to hear that again, and I wonder if they are hearing it on the campaign trail, if they are hearing it from home. But I do know that there is incredible popularity in the polling for more stimulus. I think, a recent poll I saw said 72 percent of people think there should be another stimulus and the question I get from real people across the country every day is, when do you think there will be a check in the mail for me, Christine? I could use another check in the mail because my earnings haven't gotten back to where they were before pandemic and I have all these other costs.</s>ROMANS: So, I think there's a huge public popularity for another deal, but you just can't get the politicians to decide on how big it is, what's in it, and then there is this political calculus so close to the election.</s>CHATTERLEY: Yes, deal or no deal this year, that check is not arriving before the beginning of next year.</s>ROMANS: No.</s>CHATTERLEY: At the earliest, and that's the heartbreaking thing. Politics before people, sadly. Christine Romans, thank you for that.</s>ROMANS: Bye.</s>CHATTERLEY: As the battle over stimulus continues in Washington, President Trump and his rival Joe Biden are gearing up for Thursday's final presidential debate. Jessica Dean reports from Nashville, Tennessee, the scene of their final encounter.</s>JESSICA DEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): At President Trump's campaign rally in Pennsylvania, no signs of the coronavirus pandemic that's impacting much of the country, as supporters stood without practicing social distancing and very few wearing masks. Trump telling the crowd in Erie, he was not expecting to make a stop there at all this year.</s>DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Before the plague came in, I had it made. I wasn't coming to Erie. I mean, I have to be honest. There's no way I was coming. I didn't have to. I would have called you and said, hey, Erie, you know, if you have a chance, get out and vote. We had this thing won.</s>DEAN (voice over): While the President continued to make false claims about the status of the coronavirus crisis in the United States --</s>TRUMP: We're rounding the turn on the pandemic. Normal life will finally resume.</s>DEAN (voice over): The truth is, cases are on the rise in at least 26 states this morning and Pennsylvania has seen spikes in new cases in recent days.</s>TRUMP: Pennsylvania's been shut down long enough. Get your governor to open up Pennsylvania.</s>DEAN (voice over): The President's complaints come just nine days after the White House Coronavirus Taskforce urged the Keystone State to maintain aggressive community mitigation efforts. Former Vice President Joe Biden is off the campaign trail to prepare for tomorrow's final presidential debate, but his biggest surrogate is making his first appearance in Philadelphia later today. President Barack Obama is looking to give the Biden campaign a massive boost, with Election Day now less than two weeks away. This as Trump uses the final days leading up to the election to distract from the massive crisis at hand, attacking everyone from Dr. Anthony Fauci, to Biden, to journalists. Sources telling CNN, the President abruptly walked out of an interview with "60 Minutes" at the White House Wednesday.</s>TRUMP: You have to watch what we do to "60 Minutes." You'll get such a kick out of it. You're going to get a kick out of it. Leslie Stahl is not going to be happy.</s>DEAN (voice over): Meantime, Senator Kamala Harris telling voters, now is the time for the country to work together.</s>SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA), VICE-PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: It is about building back up better. It is about unifying our country. We are all in this together. And we're going to get through this together.</s>CHATTERLEY: Jessica Dean reporting there. Be sure to tune in to CNN for the final presidential debate. Our coverage begins at 7:00 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday. That's midnight in London and 7:00 a.m. in Hong Kong on Friday. Okay, let's move on. It is press pause for Netflix pandemic boon. The service reporting a slowdown in new subscribers for the third quarter as well as lower than expected profits. Shares are down some four percent premarket. Paul La Monica joining us on this. I think this is a bit of great expectations, Paul, quite frankly. How much Netflix can we watch even in a pandemic? And they had a record first half of the year. What do you make of these numbers?</s>PAUL LA MONICA, CNN BUSINESS REPORTER: Yes, the numbers, let's be honest, Julia, they were phenomenal. This is a company that is continuing to grow very rapidly, but that being said, I think investors are worried about maybe the fact that the numbers were so strong in the first half of the year, as you alluded to, maybe that's pulled forward a lot of the demand. Are there that many subscribers -- people left -- particularly in the United States that haven't already signed on to Netflix? Where's the growth going to come from? I think increasingly it's going to have to be internationally and that's why Netflix is really looking to bet more on hot Asian markets because the U.S., I think we are close to being a mature saturated market for streaming.</s>CHATTERLEY: I love that you've gone there, Paul. Speaking of hot markets like Asia Pacific, 46 percent of all global paid net ads coming from the Asia Pacific region and I mention the word Black Pink to you, would you know what I'm talking about?</s>LA MONICA: I would because I looked it up, not necessarily because I am the world's most foremost expert.</s>CHATTERLEY: Cheat.</s>LA MONICA: I do my homework, Julia. So, yes, I will admit, I'm not out there streaming Black Pink and BTS, but apparently, K-pop is a pretty big thing in America and the rest of the world, and obviously, that is something that I think Netflix is benefitting from, having these series that can cater to K-pop fans. So you're seeing strong growth in South Korea and Japan in particular in Asia, but one issue is that Netflix is still trying to replicate its success in India, which is clearly the next hot lucrative market that Netflix really needs to become a bigger presence in if it's going to have the type of global growth that matches the success it's already had in the U.S. and other Asian markets.</s>CHATTERLEY: Wow, Netflix now to take on Bollywood. How exciting. But did say the number of Netflix originals quarter-on-quarter next year will be higher than we've seen this year despite some of the lockdowns and the shutdowns and the issues over production, so quite fascinating to see what they come up with. Paul La Monica, thank you so much for that, and thank you for googling K- pop stars. Ever the professional there. All right, from a pandemic winner the one of the pandemic losers, Cathay Pacific reducing its head count by almost a quarter. The Hong Kong airline eliminating 8,500 positions including almost 6,000 layoffs. Selina Wang joins us with all of the details. Selina, I was poring over some of the statistics here and actually, they are being a lot less aggressive than we've seen in terms of cuts from other airlines. Talk us through the details of this. What are they doing to try and cut costs?</s>SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Julia, that's right. There has been worse, but for Cathay Pacific, this is the worst layoffs in the airline's history. This amounts to a cut of about a quarter of its position. So that's more than 5,000 jobs cut in Hong Kong and hundreds of jobs overseas, in addition to shutting down a regional carrier called Cathay Dragon. Now, Cathay Pacific was already struggling financially before the pandemic. They were hit very hard by the Hong Kong protests, which had deterred Mainland tourists from coming and when the pandemic hit, Cathay Pacific didn't have any domestic market to cushion the blow from the closures in travel, the borders shutting down, and so they've experienced a 98 percent fall in passenger traffic compared to a year earlier. Now, they have received some help. They received a $5 billion rescue package led by the Hong Kong government, but hasn't been enough to cushion the blow and as you mentioned, we've seen this industry overall struggle incredibly hard. You saw layoffs about 20 percent at Singapore Airlines and nearly 30 percent at Qantas, and of course, in the U.S., they are laying off tens of thousands of people in this industry. That's despite Congress giving the industry a $50 billion bailout package earlier this year. And I just want to read to you a comment from the CEO of Cathay Pacific who said that, quote, "The global pandemic continues to have a devastating impact on aviation and the hard truth is we must fundamentally restructure the group to survive."</s>CHATTERLEY: I mean, this is the problem, isn't it? I was looking through some of the numbers here and there are still going to be burning through cash. It's absolutely devastating and even in their most optimistic scenario here for 2021, Cathay is saying less than half of its pre-COVID capacity will be used. Selena, what are we thinking here? Do you think, actually, they will have to take further steps to cut capacity if we don't see some kind of dramatic rebound in passenger travel next year?</s>WANG: Well, Julia, you're seeing the numbers there and many analysts are asking that question as to whether these cuts are actually aggressive enough, even though they are historic layoffs. When you pour through the data, as you've said, they have been burning through 1.5 billion to 2 billion Hong Kong dollars of cash every month and this restructuring is only going to reduce that by about 500 million Hong Kong dollars. So that's still a major cash burden. Now, of course, the executives are saying that they think this is enough to get them through the pandemic, through the crisis, but of course, that's dependent on several factors including whether or not a vaccine is going to be widely available, as fast as they are making their projections on. It also depends on how many travel bubbles Hong Kong can strike with other countries around the world, but we know that this pain is going to continue for carriers around the world. The International Air Transport Association is predicting that things aren't going to get back to normal until 2024 and they are reporting some staggering industry statistics as well, predicting the airline industry is going to burn through $77 billion of cash during the second half of 2020 and Julia, get this, that amounts to $300,000.00 per minute.</s>CHATTERLEY: Wow. I mean, it's devastating, isn't it, for the industry and also devastating for all of those workers that continue to lose their jobs and our hearts are with them and their families. Selina Wang, thank you so much for that. And there is going to be more Cathay Pacific later in the show, too, because they are trialing a new health app for passengers aiming to facilitate getting us all back into the skies and taking up more international travel. Selena, thank you for that.</s>CHATTERLEY: All right, let me bring you up to speed now with some of the other stories making headlines around the world. Witnesses tell CNN Nigerian Security Forces opened fire on protesters in Lagos causing multiple deaths. The Lagos Governor denies those reports of fatalities, but says one person died from "blunt force trauma," quote. Demonstrations against police brutality have been taking place now for nearly two weeks. Ireland is reentering a nationwide lockdown with stay-at-home orders starting at midnight. The country is struggling with coronavirus. Ireland reported 13 new deaths on Tuesday. That's its highest number since May. The restrictions will last for six weeks. All right. We're going to take a break here on FIRST MOVE, but still to come, stimulus Yang Gang style. Former U.S. presidential candidate, Andrew Yang says Americans need cash now. He joins us after the break with his take. And the app that hopes to save the travel industry. We speak to the CEO of the Commons Project, as it trials a digital health passport. Stay with us. More to come.

Trump Lashes Out in Final Days of Race, Biden Preps for Debate

BERMAN: So this morning, the president is attacking Leslie Stahl, Anthony Fauci, Kristen Welker, the debate commission, science, Hunter Biden, Hillary Clinton, am I leaving anyone out? Ponies?</s>CAMEROTA: No, I think you got it.</s>BERMAN: That's a pretty conclusive list. He's also telling Erie, Pennsylvania, that he wouldn't be there if the election were not close. This is a roving nationwide mayhem tour, presenting this kaleidoscope of chaos. So what is Joe Biden doing? He's been off the trail in debate prep. It's a heck of a contrast. And most probably a deliberate one from the Biden campaign, which last night spent a heap of money to run this ad during the World Series.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Joe Biden doesn't need everyone in this country to always agree. Just to agree we all love this country and go from there.</s>JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I'm Joe Biden, and I approve this message.</s>BERMAN: The voice of Sam Elliott, by the way, or as I like to call him, the guy from "Roadhouse." Joining us now, Alex Wagner, the co-host and executive producer of the Showtime series "The Circus." Also with us, Laura Barron-Lopez. She's a national political reporter for Politico. And Alex, I want to start with you, because I had this sort of epiphany as I was watching the World Series last night, and I saw that ad. First of all, it shows the cash advantage the Biden campaign has right now, but it also answers the question a little bit of, gosh, what's Joe Biden doing? He's taking these days off the campaign trail to prepare for the debate. What's he doing? Well, he's presenting this stark contrast with the president, who is out there -- your show is called "The Circus." I mean, Joe Biden is running against the circus right now. And I think trying to provide that chaos. And if the president wants to be out there with this mayhem tour, so be it.</s>ALEX WAGNER, CO-HOST/EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, SHOWTIME'S "THE CIRCUS": Yes, I mean, it is a study in contrast, also known as a view into the parallel universe where reason, logic, and science preV.A.il, John. But the reality is, you know, the president, we look at these closing days, and we say, oh, each campaign has a strategy. Joe Biden most certainly has a strategy and is executing on that -- on that strategy. The idea that President Trump has somehow hatched a multi-pronged plan to make a closing argument in the last remaining days of the election is a fallacy. He is hemorrhaging support among suburban women and seniors. And what is he doing? Taking on a fight with the elder statesmen of the most venerable news brand in America. She is an older woman at precisely the time that he needs to be getting women and seniors. He's also giving "60 Minutes" the best on-air promotion they've ever had, virtually guaranteeing that everyone is going to tune into what can only be imagined is an acrimonious interview. I mean, he is throwing so much spaghetti at the wall in these closing hours, there's going to be no left pasta left in the pot.</s>CAMEROTA: Yes, Laura, I'm just not sure that vilifying Leslie Stahl is what voters put at the top of the list of their concerns for 2020. But I think that we should also just talk about, Joe Biden is also employing an unorthodox campaign strategy, which is within these final two weeks, just lay low and stay inside.</s>LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ, NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER, "POLITICO": That's right. I mean, a big part of why Biden decides to call a lid some days as early as 9 a.m. is because of the fact that, yes, he's following this campaign adage that, if your opponent appears to be imploding or doing the work for you, then you let them do that. But it's also because we still are in the middle of a pandemic. And that was the very reason why his campaign decided to be on the road less. And right now, we are starting to see increases in states across the board, in COVID cases. So, that's the main reason why his campaign has decided to hold smaller events, socially-distanced events. But again, he's also allowing Trump to dominate the campaign coverage, which doesn't appear to be helping Trump, as Alex was talking about. Which is that Trump is attacking the most prominent infectious disease expert, Dr. Fauci, at a time when cases are rising. And also, Fauci is considered to be one of the most trusted people in government when it comes to the coronavirus. And coronavirus is the main issue for a lot of voters right now. So -- so that doesn't make sense in the closing arguments of this campaign.</s>BERMAN: I guess the point I'm making, is I actually now do think this is a concerted strategy from the Biden -- Biden team. I mean, the president was out yesterday in Erie, Pennsylvania, literally saying, Joe Biden will be so boring. And I imagine the entire Biden campaign erupting in cheers saying, Yes, yes, Joe Biden will be boring.</s>BARRON-LOPEZ: Right.</s>BERMAN: That's what we are now running on. It's this closing message of normalcy, as highlighted by, you know, the sonorous tones of Sam Elliott. One other thing -- sorry, Alex.</s>WAGNER: I would just say it's not just boring; it's responsible. It's what you do when there's a surge in a deadly virus across the country.</s>BERMAN: And there's something else I think that's increasingly obvious, which is where the Biden team is focused. So former President Obama is -- is making his first appearance on the trail for Joe Biden tonight in Philadelphia. He has a new campaign video out to accompany that. Let's just take a quick look at that video.</s>OBAMA: Your generation can be the one that creates a new normal in America. One that's fairer, where the system treats everybody equally and gives everybody opportunity. I know Joe better than almost anybody. I trust him to be a great president. He's different. He's on the right side of the issues. He'll get the job done.</s>BERMAN: So, as much as what he's saying, it's where he's saying it that interests me. He's going to Pennsylvania, Alex. And if you look at the map, all you need to know is what Joe Biden needs to do to win is flip Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. If he wins all Hillary Clinton states and just flips those three back to the Democrats, he gets 278 electoral votes. That is the simplest, clearest path for the Democrats to retake the White House. And it seems that the Biden campaign is saying, you know what? That's where we're going to put President Obama. Everything we do is going to try to get the clean, sure hit.</s>WAGNER: Yes, that's the brass ring. They realize that they need to make an uplifting, optimistic, forceful argument in the closing days of the race. If Biden is not going to make it, then you bring in the best closer there is, and that's Barack Obama. That message that you played, John, he's talking a lot to young voters. And the Biden campaign knows, look, the animating factor in this race, the reason we have seen early voting numbers where they are is because Donald Trump is a huge motivator. But you also need to have a message beyond just, it won't be Donald Trump in office for four more years. And they clearly think that the most effective messenger to articulate that is Barack Obama. He has a long history of getting young people excited about voting. And it is not a surprise --</s>CAMEROTA: All right. We lost Alex for a second. Laura, let's talk about for a second the cash on hand and the story that that tells. And so at the end of October, Joe Biden had basically three times as much cash in his coffers as Trump did. So Trump was $63 million. Biden, $177 million. What does that tell us? And can the RNC supplement that for Donald Trump and pick up the slack?</s>BARRON-LOPEZ: So a lot of the grassroots money that's going to Joe Biden, you can see it, potentially, as a sign of enthusiasm among Democrats in this campaign, despite the fact that up until this point, you know, polling has shown that Biden appears to have a bit of an enthusiasm gap. But it's just an obscene amount of money, Alisyn. And so Biden is spending it in places like Phoenix, Arizona, which for about four weeks running, was the top media market for the Biden campaign. So even though he has focused, as John was saying, on the blue wall states, rebuilding Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, he is keeping an eye on those expansion states like Arizona, which a Democrat hasn't won since 1996. And you're seeing that Trump's campaign is struggling to keep up. They're having to spend in states that they never expected to have to spend that much money before. Florida being one example, where they're dropping far more money there in the final stretch than they thought they were going to have to at this point in the race.</s>BERMAN: Laura Barron-Lopez, Alex Wagner, we employed new debate rules to you and cut off your mic inadvertently.</s>CAMEROTA: And camera.</s>BERMAN: Thank you so much for being with us this morning. So Joe Biden and Donald Trump face off tomorrow night in the final presidential debate. This is so important. CNN's special live coverage begins at 7 p.m. Eastern Time. So several states now putting back new restrictions as the nationwide coronavirus hospitalization trends hit levels we haven't seen for months. And we're getting these stark new warnings from experts. We'll tell you what they are, next.

New Cases Rise in U.S., Hospitalizations Highest in Two Months.

DR. SCOTT GOTTLIEB, FORMER COMMISSIONER OF THE U.S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION: So we're about a week away from starting to enter a period where we're going to see a rapid acceleration in cases. And I think November and December are going to be tough months. We're seeing hospitalizations go up in 42 states right now. Cases are going up in 45 states. And there really is no backstop.</s>CAMEROTA: That's the former commissioner of the FDA, warning that the coronavirus pandemic is about to get worse. This morning, there is not a single state that is trending in the right direction. That would be green on your screen, of which there is none. Twenty-six states are seeing cases increase. Overnight, ten states reported record hospitalizations. The nationwide hospitalization rate reaching levels not seen for two months. Joining us now is CNN medical analyst Dr. Reiner. He's a professor of medicine at George Washington University and the cardiologist for former Vice President Dick Cheney. Dr. Reiner, what does that mean? The rapid acceleration that Dr. Gottlieb -- Scott Gottlieb is predicting, what would that look like?</s>DR. JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Well, we're already having that. If you look at states, you know, throughout particularly the Midwest and Plains, we're seeing record cases almost every day. If you look at states like Idaho, South Dakota, Nevada out in the west, we're seeing positivity rates, for instance, in Idaho, it's almost 30 percent. In Nevada, it's 46 percent positivity rates, which means two things. First of all, it means that we're not testing enough in those states, but moreover, it means that there is an enormous amount of virus in the community. So we're already -- already seeing this. We're averaging almost, if you look at the seven-day moving average, it's about 60,000 cases a day, but it's on the rise. Soon it will be 70,000 cases. But the -- obviously, the major implication of this dramatic rise in cases will be, in two weeks, a dramatic rise in deaths. And the rough way to think about how many deaths a daily case of 60 or 70,000 cases translates to is to multiply that by about 2.5 percent. So, you know, yesterday, we had about 900 deaths. You know, once we start to get, you know, 70,000 plus cases a day, you'll start to see closer to 2,000 deaths per day. Really a horrifying turn of events.</s>BERMAN: Yes, we had one day of 70,000 new cases. That was last Friday. There is every reason to believe that we will be averaging that number before too long, if not higher. It's just headed in the absolute wrong direction, as we sit here this morning, Dr. Reiner. Some interesting new facts and figures out of the CDC that I do think bear repeating. The CDC put out a study. It compared coronavirus to the flu, COVID to the flu. And I think this is important. And one of the main findings was, is that people who go to the hospital die at five times the rate if they have coronavirus. Five times more frequently than with the flu. In other words, it's five times more deadly than the flu. It's the first type of study like this to be rather definitive. And I think it's worth telling people, because they keep getting misinformation here, just how dangerous this is.</s>REINER: Right. One of the, I think, most damaging myths propagated by the pandemic deniers has been that this is not much more than just the seasonal flu. It's kind of the bad flu. But we've known that, using the most optimistic projections, the mortality rate for COVID-19 is about five times seasonal flu. So seasonal flu has a mortality rate of about 0.1 percent. We think, if we knew the denominator, and we obviously don't, because we don't test everyone, we think the mortality rate for all comers would be about 0.5 percent. So in that V.A. study you mentioned, looked at 4,000 patients. So you were twice as likely to need the ICU, five times more likely to die. Twice as likely to get pneumonia or have myocarditis, inflammation of the heart. And disturbingly, the COVID-19 affects underrepresented communities at a much higher rate than the flu. So you know, for instance, in that V.A. study, almost 50 percent of COVID patients were black or Hispanic, compared to about 25 percent for influenza admissions. So it's a disproportionate afflicter in this country.</s>CAMEROTA: Dr. Reiner, how about kids? There's a new report out by the American Academy of Pediatrics. They've seen a 13 percent increase in cases just since the beginning of October.

President Trump Walks Out during Interview with Lesley Stahl; Democratic Presidential Candidate Joe Biden Prepares for Final Debate with President Trump; Former President Barack Obama Campaigns for Joe Biden in Philadelphia

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That it could cause unknown side effect, but an official with China's National Health Commission says so far no serious adverse reactions have been reported.</s>BARACK OBAMA, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: We can come out of this moment stronger than before.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Former President Barack Obama will hit the campaign trail in Philadelphia.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Trump is presenting a familiar closing argument, attacking his enemies, and firing up the base.</s>DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Before the plague came in, I had it made. But we had this thing won. We were so far up, we had the greatest economy ever.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nationwide the virus is surging.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're facing a tough circumstance right now. We're going to see accelerating cases heading into the next four to six weeks.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're going to get scared. You're going to get depressed. This is a normal response to a very stressful situation.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.</s>JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY. And the coronavirus situation in the United States is bad, and it's about to get much, much worse. That is according to the former head of the FDA. Overnight more than 60,000 new coronavirus cases were reported. Ten states reported record hospitalizations. The nationwide hospitalization rate is now reaching levels we have not seen for two months. And there's one thing we know is increased hospitalizations leads to increased deaths. Not one state, not a single one, is trending in the right direction now. All the states in orange and red there are seeing a pretty steep rise in new cases. The first lady had to cancel a campaign appearance because of ongoing symptoms of coronavirus. Yet despite all that, despite the evidence in his own house and the evidence around the nation, President Trump continues to spread a demonstrably false statement that the United States has turned a corner in the pandemic.</s>ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: The president's strategy in the final days of the 2020 campaign appears to be to attack, well, lots of people, from Dr. Anthony Fauci to Lesley Stahl to Hillary Clinton and many more. Joe Biden, meanwhile, has been off the campaign trail this week, preparing for tomorrow's debate and attempting to portray a positive path forward for the country. Overnight new financial filings show Joe Biden's campaign with a substantial cash advantage, nearly triple the amount of cash on hand that the Trump campaign has. And President Obama delivering a video message to young voters as he gets ready to hit the campaign trail today for Biden. We are less than two weeks before Election Day, and more than 33 million votes have already been cast. That is 72 percent of all of the early votes cast in 2016. So let's begin with CNN's John Harwood. He is live at the White House for us. John, make sense of life for us, would you?</s>JOHN HARWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Alisyn, look, we're getting a demonstration from both candidates of why Joe Biden is winning this race and President Trump is losing it. Joe Biden, who has got a 10-point lead if you look at the average of national polls, lead in the critical battleground states, is hunkering down, preparing for the debate, which may be the last significant opportunity for the trajectory of the race to be changed if Donald Trump were somehow able to pull off an effective response. He had a disastrous performance in the last debate, which blew that chance. He's got one more. So Joe Biden is staying off the trail, preparing for that as a disciplined candidate should. Donald Trump, by contrast, is showing a complete lack of discipline. And it's hard to reach any other conclusion, guys, that he's not even trying to win votes anymore. What he is doing is trying to accommodate himself and his supporters with what's happening to him, explain it to lay the groundwork for why I'm losing the election. He is saying that the media is against him, the debate commission is against him, Tony Fauci is against him, Bill Barr, the attorney general, is against him because he's not prosecuting Joe Biden. He had this bizarre performance in Erie last night where he said, I had it made. I had a great economy. I wasn't going to come to Erie, but then the virus happened to me, and now I'm here asking for your vote. Nothing to do with the needs of Erie, Pennsylvania. It was all a transaction where he said I wouldn't even have to be asking for you had I not been victimized by the coronavirus. That is not the performance of a candidate who understands what Americans are concerned about and is trying to resolve their problems.</s>BERMAN: I'm sure the fog behind you is a metaphor for something.</s>BERMAN: I don't know what it is, but it's absolutely, I'm willing to say, a metaphor for something. John Harwood, the president walked out of an interview with Lesley Stahl with "60 Minutes," a preplanned interview, and didn't even do part of the interview that was scheduled, a walk and talk with the vice president, Mike Pence, and Lesley Stahl. Why? CNN has reporting on what transpired here.</s>HARWOOD: Well, the reason, John, is that, as you said in the intro, the coronavirus situation is bad in this country, it's about to get worse, it's happening on Donald Trump's watch, and he can't take the heat. So Lesley Stahl sat down with him to question him about coronavirus. He's been trying to pretend that the pandemic is essentially over, we rounded the corner. That, of course, is not true, and everyone can see that it's not true from the case counts. And so when Lesley Stahl was sustaining a line of questioning about that, he couldn't take it. He decided to get up. He's now casting it as kind of I'm doing a sting on "60 Minutes." He released a photograph intended to show Lesley Stahl disregarding mask wearing requirements when, as we have learned since, that was just her talking to her producers after the interview happened. Again, this is a president who is struggling mightily under the pressure and does not appear to be making any political progress.</s>BERMAN: John Harwood in the fog of Washington, D.C. thanks so much for being with us. Joining us now, CNN political commentator and former Republican senator from Pennsylvania Rick Santorum. Also with us, CNN political commentator Bakari Sellers. He is a former Democratic state representative from South Carolina. Senator Santorum, I want to start with you. You have said and continue to say that the president's demeanor is what is keeping him from doing better in this campaign, maybe even leading in this campaign. What do you mean?</s>RICK SANTORUM, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I think you hear it all the time from voters that a lot of them like what the president's policies are and what he's been able to accomplish but don't react very well to his focus, as John just pointed out, his focus on himself. I think the last two weeks, since the debate, the debacle, I agree it was a debacle because it was a debacle that was a bit of a gripe session on himself. But since then I think he's actually been a lot more disciplined and focused on what he's going to do for the American public. That's why he won four years ago, because he went out and said I'm going to take on the swamp. I'm going to do all these things, listed the wall and a whole host of other issues that he was going to take on. And he hasn't done that effectively in this campaign. I think the last two weeks he's been better at it, but he's got to focus on what he's doing for America, not the grievances that are going on with him personally. People don't care that the press is mean to him. They don't care that there is all these sorts of things that people aren't -- whether it's Fauci or Barr, it's all personal. He's got to get away from the personal and focus on what he's going to do to help the American public.</s>CAMEROTA: And, Rick, just to clarify that, yesterday he went after, as you said, Dr. Fauci, Kristen Welker, the upcoming moderator, Lesley Stahl from "60 Minutes," the debate commission he's angry at, Hillary Clinton, Bill Barr. How is that more disciplined?</s>SANTORUM: The answer is you can do that, you can go after those things, but you have to turn it into why it matters to the American public. What does it mean? That he's fighting these people, but he's not fighting for himself, he's fighting for them. And it's not about him, it's about you and the American public, and what I'm trying to do is actually work for you. Effectively, yes, I think he can do that. I don't think you can get the president to not talk about himself. I think that's just impossible. But it's OK if he can talk about himself and put it in the context of how it helps the American public that he's fighting this battle.</s>BERMAN: Bakari, I think more than ever over the last 24 hours we have seen the Biden campaign embracing that contrast. There have been people who criticized him for not being out on the trail, doing debate prep in Delaware these last few days. But I think we're seeing exactly why he's doing that, because the Biden campaign is perfectly willing to let Donald Trump go out there and stir chaos because of the contrast it presents. And then we saw during the World Series last night -- first of all, as Alisyn was saying, the Biden campaign is just outraising team Trump in ways that are astounding. They have three times the cash on hand, and we saw them put it to use with an expensive commercial during the World Series last night. And I want to play just a little bit of it here.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Joe Biden doesn't need everyone in this country to always agree, just to agree we all love this country, and go from there.</s>JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I'm Joe Biden and I approved this message.</s>BERMAN: So it seems, Bakari, to me, at least, they're jumping all over the contrast that President Trump himself is providing.</s>BAKARI SELLERS, CNN COMMENTATOR: Yes, the contrast couldn't be clearer in this race and in this election, but I don't think it's new, John. Joe Biden when he came out of the gates was talking about how Charlottesville -- and him getting involved in this race. And so this contrast is extremely, extremely clear, and they are just laying it out. And it's not just the energy at the top of the ticket, you talk about the fundraising, but look at Jaime Harrison in South Carolina. Rick Santorum can talk about this. Imagine if Rick raised $57 million in one quarter, or MJ Hegar, or the list goes on and on and on with the amount of money that's being raised by Democrats up and down the ballot because the energy is there. Now, I do want to say that there ain't no changing a 70-year-old man, 70-year-old men don't change. And so this president, if we're expecting him to be anything different as we are beginning to finish this race, we will just be waiting until eternity because that's simply not going to happen. We are in the GOTV phase of this campaign. It's get out to vote. Whatever happens in this debate, whatever happens on the stage in Erie, Pennsylvania, doesn't matter much. Everyone right now is trying to make sure they get their voters to the polls. And the Trump campaign seems to not be able to get out of its own way. It has no focus, it has no operations, it has no -- it does not have a central theme or central message. And what you saw last night in that commercial was that Joe Biden at least has that central theme, has that operation, has that central message.</s>CAMEROTA: Hey, Rick, about that money, obviously it's been pointed out it's an obscene amount. The astronomical figures of $177 million on the Biden side and $63 million on the Trump side. Obviously Trump has less, but is that too paltry a sum for him to do everything he wants to and needs to for the next two weeks?</s>SANTORUM: Well, as you know, Donald Trump commands the media, and so he gets a lot -- he gets a lot of air time that he doesn't have to pay for. So I don't think you can necessarily match that up. And, look, the Trump campaign has invested a lot on grassroots activities, I would argue more than -- more effectively than the Democrats, in part because the Democrats have been hampered by their decision not to go grassroots campaigning because of COVID, and Republicans have sort of blown through that. And if you look at the registrations in Pennsylvania and Florida, North Carolina, and other places, Republicans have made gains. Their grassroots activity has been quite effective. So we'll wait and see how that turns out. Look, I agree with Bakari on Biden's strategy. Joe has not been a particularly effective campaigner. You can hear from your report earlier that there's very little enthusiasm for him out there, and so his objective, which I think is smart for the Biden campaign, which is to keep him out of the limelight, don't have him say anything, and let Donald Trump be the issue.</s>BERMAN: I covered Rick Santorum running for president, almost winning the Republican nomination on pocket change. So when you see the fundraising figures that are out there now, it blows your mind.</s>SANTORUM: It makes me sick, John. It makes me sick.</s>BERMAN: I knew it. I could see it in your eyes that you looked at that money and were like, oh, my.</s>SANTORUM: I won the Iowa caucuses in 2012, and I spent less than $1 million to win the Iowa caucuses. So just the idea of having this kind of money is just insane.</s>BERMAN: Let me tell you something, there is a story about where the Trump money has gone, because you can't spend that kind of money without there being a problem or a mistake or potentially even worse there. But Bakari, that's for another time. For this morning, former President Obama going out on the campaign trail for the first time in Philadelphia, which is interesting. It tells us where the Biden team thinks it is most important right now. Also, the message. What do you think the message will be and what can the former president accomplish?</s>SELLERS: Look, the former president, Barack Obama, is the most popular elected official, former elected official, in the entire country bar none. Democrat, Republican, you've got to let the big dog eat, and Barack Obama is the big dog. Whether or not he is in North Carolina, which I'm pretty sure they will probably trot him down to North Carolina or in Florida, starting in Pennsylvania, he is somebody who can tell you about the presidency, can tell you about the pressures of the presidency and what type of man or woman you have to be in order to assume that office and do it well. he got over 330 electoral votes not once but twice. So contrary TO the criticisms that anybody on the right may want to levy, this is somebody who has won the White House by good margins, and amongst people of color. I remind people, most mornings I come on the show, I remind you that the most crucial number is not that people who are voting for Donald Trump or Joe Biden, but there is a large group of people who elected to vote for the couch in 2016. There are 4.4 million people who voted for Barack Obama in 2012 who sat at home in 2016. If he can get a quarter of those people back out, the excitement for black folk and Hispanic folk coming out to see Barack Obama is palpable. And I think that that is going to be something that the Trump campaign doesn't have. He can't get nobody to campaign for him. Who wants to campaign for Donald Trump?</s>BERMAN: Bakari, Senator Santorum, thank you very much for being with us this morning. We're out of time. Thanks so much.</s>RICK SANTORUM, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You got it.</s>ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you both. All right. So Joe Biden and Donald Trump face off tomorrow night in the final presidential debate. CNN's special live coverage starts at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. All right. There is a new coronavirus warning from a former top health official. What he says we need to be on the lookout for next week.

Former FDA Chief: U.S. 1 Week from "Rapid Acceleration" of Cases.

CAMEROTA: A former FDA commissioner has a dire warning about what the pandemic could look like next week here in the U.S.</s>DR. SCOTT GOTTLIEB, FORMER COMMISSIONER OF THE U.S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION: We're about a week away from starting to enter a period where we're going to see a rapid acceleration in cases, I think November and December are going to be tough months. We're seeing hospitalizations go up in 42 states right now, cases going up in 45 states and there really is no backstop.</s>CAMEROTA: OK. Joining us now, CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Sanjay, great to see you again. Last hour, we talked about this, but I do think it bears repeating. If we are at 60,000 new cases a day right now today, what is next week going to look like?</s>DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, we're starting to go into that sort of exponential growth here I think is the concern, that's what Dr. Gottlieb is talking about, and the reason he is putting a sort of a week or two-week marker on it is because we're sort of tracking along the European Union. We can show this graphic comparing the E.U. to the United States. And we can see what happened at the beginning of this pandemic, sort of in the middle, you know, the E.U. was able to bring the numbers way down, the E.U. is in green on that chart. But then it's this period on the far right of the graph, that's the concern. Look, they have a straight up sort of trajectory. That's the exponential growth that we're talking about, no longer linear growth. We're are starting at a higher level and starting to actually have that exponential growth as well. What are we talking about? It's tough to say. I remember in July, middle of July, at some point around there, Dr. Fauci said we could potentially hit 100,000 people becoming infected daily at some point this year. I think that time may be now. You know, I hope it doesn't get that way, but that's the real concern.</s>BERMAN: I'd like to have seen us at 10,000 cases heading to the fall. We're now at 60,000 cases.</s>GUPTA: Right.</s>BERMAN: Sanjay, it begs the question, what can we do about it? The deal now is mitigation, we have to figure out away to mitigate this and you find some lessons from Arizona.</s>GUPTA: Yeah, I think this is really important because everyone is focused on the vaccine, which is understandable, but that's sort of the nature of our society, you know, let's wait for the quick fix and not do the hard work that's necessary. But it can work. Let me show you Arizona, I wanted to get hyper local with some of these data, because I think this makes a difference. If we look at what happened in Arizona, we see that after they lifted their stay at home sort of orders and I'm talking the beginning of June now what happened? A hundred and fifty-one percent increase in people becoming newly infected. OK. That's the bad news. But take a look at the second line there and this is really important. They were able to decrease new infections by 75 percent over about a three-week period between July 13th and August 7th. No stay-at-home orders in place, mask requirements, limiting large public events and certain businesses which were primarily bars that were closed at that point. They were able to bend the curve for that period of time. I think it's -- you know, we've been saying this for months, right, going back to February now, March. It works. And I will keep giving examples of how this might work. I think -- I think it's really important. People still question the efficacy of masks. They still question the efficacy of limiting these large outdoor or indoor even gatherings. They work. That's one example, but you can see examples of that all over the world.</s>CAMEROTA: The surgeon general is just tweeting something. It's a tweet.</s>BERMAN: Yes.</s>CAMEROTA: Can you do a dramatic reading about herd immunity?</s>BERMAN: I can do a dramatic reading. This is Surgeon General Jerome Adams who was talking about herd immunity. He says it is a bad idea. He says it could overwhelm health care systems and lead to many complications or deaths.</s>CAMEROTA: Uh-uh, he won't be around long, Sanjay.</s>GUPTA: Welcome to the show, Dr. Adams. I mean, look, I don't mean to be facetious. We've been saying this for months, okay? Dr. Adams is part of the coronavirus task force. Unfortunately, Dr. Scott Atlas who is also a member of that task force has essentially been advocating for this for months. It's a terrible idea, it's always been a terrible idea, unfortunately, that is sort of the policy right now in this country, whether it's implicit or not -- I mean, this idea that, you know, don't even wear a mask, you know, having these large gatherings of people. I mean, the virus is spreading. This is essentially a herd immunity mentality. The reason it's a terrible idea is many more people -- many exponentially more people will die than is necessary, hospitals will become overwhelmed. Dr. Adams is right. But that's been the case for a long time. Why are we just saying this now? I mean, this has been a strategy that we have essentially been using in this country and it's a terrible strategy and we have the numbers on the right side of why you are screen to show for that.</s>BERMAN: There's also a mess in communications. We have the surgeon general disagreeing with the coronavirus task force adviser, disagreeing with Anthony Fauci, degree agreeing with Deborah Birx. You know, it's a mess. It is just a mess, Sanjay. Thank you very much for being with us this morning.</s>GUPTA: You got it.</s>BERMAN: We've got more news for you. A woman who spent 18 years working for Donald Trump has a new tell-all book. What she says about the president's alleged racist comments, next.

Trump Lashes Out in Final Days of Race, Biden Preps for Debate

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN NEW DAY: We want to welcome our viewers in United States and all around the world this is New Day. And this morning, all signs points to the coronavirus pandemic getting worst in the United States. Overnight, more than 60, 000 new cases were reported. One expert predicts cases will, quote, rapidly accelerate in the next week. Ten states reported hospitalizations on Tuesday. The nationwide hospitalization rate now reaching levels we have not seen for two months. President Trump is ignoring those numbers and the science. He continues to insist we have turned the corner in the pandemic but that's not what experts are seeing.</s>JOHN BERMAN, CNN NEW DAY: So, 13 days left to vote, tens of millions of people not waiting. Look at this numbers. More than 33 million votes have already been casted, and, frankly, that's a low estimate that will go up by a lot in the next hour or so. That is 72 percent of all early vote cast in 2016. It's about a quarter of the total votes cast in 2016. It is staggering. So what are the candidates doing this morning? There is such a stark contrast coming into focus, probably a deliberate contrast, at least from the Biden campaign. The president is traveling all over the country on the attack against, well, everyone, Lesley Stahl, Anthony Fauci, Kristen Welker, the Debate Commission, Hunter Biden, Hillary Clinton, dishwashers. The message, have attack, will travel. And the Biden campaign seems to be saying, have at it. Their message is that Joe Biden will reset the tone in America, a return to calm, a return to the deep, soothing voice of Sam Elliott. We will play you some of their new deliberate ad in just a moment.</s>CAMEROTA: Okay. Joining us now, we have CNN Political Correspondent, ABBY Phillip and CNN Senior Washington Correspondent, Jeff Zeleny. He's in Philadelphia, where former President Obama will campaign today. But I want to start with Abby. Unorthodox campaign strategies that you don't normally see within two weeks of an election from both sides. And so as John just pointed out that sort of litany of people that President Trump is going after, Lesley Stahl, Hillary Clinton. You know, okay, I mean, what's the -- I know we always ask what the strategy is and it's often just the politics of personal grievance. But do voters care about Lesley Stahl?</s>ABBY PHILLIP, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: I don't know that voters care about Lesley Stahl in the way that the president and perhaps the White House do. What was so perplexing about this is that the president really -- you know, I mean, I have to just say, he loves 60 Minutes. He wants to be seen on one of the most popular news programs on television. And yet, when he had his moment, it kind of blew up based on what we understand from the reporting that's out there. And as a result now, they're trying to counterprogram by tweeting mean things about Lesley Stahl. And it just does not seem to be something that will work. Millions of people are going to see what happened in that interview, and it's not going to be counteracted by the president's tweets. And on top of that, you know, this is a president who is operating almost entirely by impulse right now, from the rallies, to the attacks on the media. This is a president who is angry at the people around him. He thinks that he's being treated unfairly. He wants to hold campaign rallies, because they make him feel good, but the rallies in particular really run counter to the message that the campaign should be getting out there, which is that he takes this virus seriously. And what the American people see every time he goes to a massive rally is that he doesn't. He doesn't take the virus seriously nor apparently the health and safety of his own supporters.</s>BERMAN: What's clear to me now, and it's not clear to me that there is a strategy from the Trump campaign, is that the Biden campaign does have a strategy. I'm not saying it will work, but it just became clear to me last night, Jeff, when I was watching the World Series and this ad came on narrated by Sam Elliott. I want to play a little bit of it for you here.</s>SAM ELLIOTT, AMERICAN ACTOR: Joe Biden doesn't need everyone in this country to always agree. Just to agree we all love this country and go from there.</s>JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm Joe Biden and I approve this message.</s>BERMAN: So while you have the president on the trail, on the attack against everybody, you have the Biden campaign with this weaponized normalcy, is how I would call it. This deliberate moderation, small M, not political moderation, but I mean temperamental moderation, and that seems to be the closing message here, Jeff. And it's in such stark relief now with that very expensive ad during the World Series last night.</s>JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: John, it absolutely is. I mean, think of Joe Biden's candidacy right now. At least he's hoping to present it as, you know, Xanax for Democrats, milk of magnesia for Americans. Just like I will bring calm to you. That is, of course, benefited by the fact that they have the money to do so. That ad in the World Series speaks volumes about where the Biden campaign is right now. They have the resources and he is in command of this race. So he is trying to present an air of calm, really like he's been trying to do from the very beginning, trying to restore the soul of the country. He's been talking about that a lot. So he is not talking about President Trump at all. President Trump, of course, is talking about everything but the matter at hand. Going back to Lesley Stahl for one second, we're told he walked out of that because of her questions on coronavirus. It is coronavirus that this president cannot get away from. He has tried every way possible. He will try it at the debate as well. But this is something that Americans are living, they're seeing, they're experiencing in their own daily lives. And that is what is frustrating the president. That is what is driving him crazy. So the Biden campaign is trying to just say, look, two more weeks and you can have a sense of calm in the country. Of course, that is sort of glossing over how difficult any of this will be should he win. And we should point out, with 13 days to go, we do not know the outcome of this race. Millions of people are voting, but millions of people have not yet voted. Others will have a hard time voting. So let's let this play out here. But for right now, at least, the Biden campaign is projecting an air of calm.</s>CAMEROTA: Well, it's interesting, Abby, on the message, on that message, they seem to be in agreement, the Trump campaign and that the Biden campaign in terms of the milk of magnesia message. And so here is President --</s>BERMAN: I'm not sure that milk of magnesia specifically does, what Jeff was suggesting it does. I don't know this thing.</s>CAMEROTA: It doesn't lull (ph) into a sense of calm.</s>BERMAN: I don't know, it's more of a digestive thing, isn't it?</s>CAMEROTA: That's, well, who doesn't have</s>DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: If you want depression, doom and despair, vote for Sleepy Joe Biden, and boredom. If you had Sleepy Joe, that nobody is going to be interested in politics anymore. That's going to be the end of that.</s>CAMEROTA: Boredom.</s>PHILLIP: Right. I actually thought -- I mean, when that ad played, it felt a little bit like a lullaby. It was like that thing that you play in a child's room that goes around in circles. I think that's what the Biden campaign wants. These two men have two completely different views of what the American people want from the political sphere. And Biden is arguing that people want to turn this whole thing off. The president on the other hand is saying to voters, at least I'm interesting, at least I keep you on your toes. Look, it's been four years. You know, I think that this is the referendum on whether the American people want to be kept on their toes with another four years of a Trump presidency, which has been really impossible for people to turn away from. But what you do hear from a lot of voters is that they really are tired. They really are kind of exhausted by this whole thing. And they really do want things to be a little bit more calm. It's particularly pronounced among women and particularly pronounced among women in those suburbs that the president likes to keep talking about. They want politics to be less dramatic, less grievance-filled, and more responsive to them and what they're going through day-to-day. That's where I think the president may be a little bit disconnected. He's thinking about this as a T.V. producer wanting to produce the most interesting show when the American people are kind of looking for something else.</s>BERMAN: Jeff, former President Obama hits the campaign trail for the first time today in Philadelphia, where you are. You have new reporting on what he will say. And I'm also fascinated by the choice of Philadelphia as the location for the first appearance from the former president.</s>ZELENY: John, there is no question that the road to 270, which is how a presidential candidate wins, runs directly through Pennsylvania and indeed here in Philadelphia. And these 20 electoral votes were critical to President Trump four years ago. They will be critical this time, as well, also important to Joe Biden. So as Joe Biden tries to lock up Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Philadelphia in particular are in center stage here. And President Obama, former President Barack Obama, is coming here to Philadelphia, specifically for his first stop, returning to the campaign trail, to make an appeal to younger voters, to black men in particular, to come out and support Joe Biden. Barack Obama, of course, won Pennsylvania, you know, in record numbers, largely because of turnout from African-Americans. And that, of course, fell off somewhat four years ago. So that is his message here today, to try and reach out to some of those voters who supported him, who may not have turned out four years ago. And I am told by some advisers to the former president that, look, he has been trying to delay this as long as possible, coming out to campaign, because he does not see this, I'm told, as a personal grudge match with President Trump. He tries to, you know, imbue some forward- looking nostalgia, if you will, again, back to, as Abby said, a lullaby moment. Back to where you may not think of your president at every waking moment in terms of exhaustion. So he is going to be out on the road over the next couple of week, just a handful of times, I'm told, but going after particularly some of those Obama voters who may have stayed home or not voted four years ago.</s>CAMEROTA: I like forward-looking nostalgia, back to the future.</s>BERMAN: I was going to say, it is like</s>CAMEROTA: There is.</s>BERMAN: Milk of magnesia, a strange thing.</s>CAMEROTA: Jeff, Abby, thank you both very much. So, Joe Biden and Donald Trump face off tomorrow night in the final presidential debate. CNN's special live coverage starts at 7:00 P.M. Eastern. All right, coronavirus, the hospitalizations are hitting levels we have not seen for months. The FDA's former chief says things are about to get worse. We discuss what he means, next.

New Cases Rise in U.S., Hospitalizations Highest in Two Months

DR. SCOTT GOTTLIEB, FORMER FDA COMMISSIONER: -- that we're about a week away from starting to enter a period where we're going to see a rapid acceleration in cases. And I think November and December are going to be tough months. We're seeing hospitalizations go up in 42 states right now. Cases are going up in 45 states. And there really is no backstop.</s>BERMAN: About a week away from a rapid acceleration. That's former FDA Commissioner, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, warning that the pandemic is about to get worse. It already is, in many ways, worse. More than 60,000 new cases reported overnight in the United States and the nationwide hospitalization rate is now reaching levels we have not seen for months. Joining us now, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Sanjay, Dr. Gottlieb talked about the rapid acceleration that will happen next week. We may already be there already, but what is he talking about? What is he seeing, what are you seeing there?</s>DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, we have been following these numbers very closely. And you remember, we were seeing these different waves around the country in the northeast, and then the Midwest, and then south. They sort of started to consolidate. You are still seeing rapid increases or more rapid increases in certain places in the west and the Midwest. But what I think Dr. Gottlieb is really referring to is sort of tracking this with the European Union to some extent. We could show, and you'll remember, we were all following what was happening in Europe, specifically Italy at the beginning of this pandemic. This is going back to sort of end of March. And you remember that green line is the European Union. It spiked up about, you know, a week or two earlier than ours. We kept looking at Italy thinking is that going to happen here. It did, and you can see what happened over the next several months. But now look at the far right side of the graph. European Union really spiking and we are just a couple of weeks probably behind that as well. I think that's what Dr. Gottlieb is referring to. It's a reasonable model to sort of look at. But that's the number of overall confirmed people with the infection. I think your point about the hospitalizations is the key point. What is happening to the hospitalizations? Are people still being hospitalized? And we find that they are. You're seeing capacity in hospitals around the country really increasing. There are states now that have the highest number of people hospitalized throughout this entire pandemic. 14 or 15 states are in that category and many others are catching up. That's the real concern here. That's the real concern. Let me just point out one thing that I think might be a little bit of a bright spot here. We don't know yet, so I want to caveat it. But if you look at the death rates among hospitalized, okay, now compared to March/April, there's one hospital system in New York, and we can put up the numbers that, basically, death rates back in March/April were around 25.6 percent, and now around 7.6 percent. Is that because they are younger patients, healthier patients that are ending up hospitalized? Are we better at treating this disease or is this just, you know, again, caveating, is this going to be rebound into the vulnerable communities you saw in Kansas and that nursing home and is this kind of -- is the death rate going to go up? We don't know yet.</s>CAMEROTA: Sanjay, in terms of that rapid acceleration that you just described, can you just give me a specific? If we're at 60,000 cases, new cases, a day, which we are right now, what does rapid acceleration mean? What number are we going to be at in a week?</s>GUPTA: Yes. I mean, you know, if you look at where -- first of all if you go back to sort of middle of July, after July 4th, we got up to 77,000, I think, or so people becoming infected in a single day. I think, you know, it's hard to say it. And I'm always hesitant a little bit because I don't want to alarm people, but you remember at that point, Dr. Fauci even said, look, we could hit 100,000 or so people becoming infected every day. It's possible. I think we're keeping a very close eye on the European Union, because it is a good model in terms of what is happening here. But those are the sort of numbers that we're looking at. What does that translate to in terms of hospitalizations and into these tragic deaths? We don't know yet. We have had some improvements, again, with regard to how we treat patients, but what's it really going to mean. I think it's still though to say.</s>BERMAN: Yes. When you put up that chart comparing the United States to the European Union, if we can put that up again, what concerns me is you can see how quickly Europe shot up there. We're starting almost at where Europe is right now. That's sort of our starting point. If we shoot up as steeply as they are shooting up, we're just going to be in an awful, awful position. And soon, Sanjay, that, I think, is the concern. There's so much virus out there already.</s>GUPTA: Right. The two things are we are starting at a much higher level of virus. And also if you go back to seeing those spikes that we saw in the middle of July, you know, it was coming after these holiday weekends. There was a lot of COVID fatigue back then. Even you remember, people couldn't believe how long it was lasting, and that was July. But it was also, you know, warmer weather. People could be outside predominantly. So even if they were getting together, they were more likely getting together outside. We're seeing the same sort of thing now happened going into these months. People clustering inside a lot of time in their own private homes and things like that, that's a significant, significant problem and seeing it in Europe. Saw it back a hundred years ago in 1918. It was exactly around this time when you saw the huge second wave that they called it that was the most catastrophic of that entire pandemic.</s>CAMEROTA: I mean, Sanjay, it's not like you haven't been showing us that graph for all of these months. This has been predictable, knowable, and here it is. Sanjay, we have to go. Thank you very much for all of the information this morning. We do want to take some time right now to remember some of the more than 221,000 Americans lost to coronavirus. Lori Thomas was the Executive Director of Lubbock Impact, a Christian Ministry aimed at helping needy families in industry that helped needy families in Lubbock, Texas, with food, clothing, health care, and spiritual growth. The group remembered its former leader on Facebook as someone who worked in excellence in everything she did. 70-year-old Judy Hill of Mobile, Alabama, had been a dance instructor, attended nursing college and ran a small business applying permanent makeup. Friends say her passion was applying finishing touches at no charge for women who had undergone reconstructive breast surgery. They say she had a wonderful ability to reach people in a positive way. We'll be right back.

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) Warns Against Stimulus Deal before Election.

BERMAN: So, talks resume this morning on a new relief package to help millions of struggling Americans. Multiple sources though tell CNN that the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, is warning the White House not to get behind a deal at the risk of dividing Senate Republicans before the election. Joining me now is Democratic Senator Chris Coons, who is a big supporter of the Biden campaign. Senator, thanks so much for being with us. Let me read you a little bit of CNN's reporting on what's going on in the Senate in regards to this relief package. At a closed-door lunch on Tuesday, and McConnell indicated the deal was unlikely to get a vote in his chamber before Election Day, according to multiple sources, and he said he warned the White House against getting behind such a proposal before November 3rd that would badly divide Senate Republicans. So McConnell isn't jumping up and down about this. What do you want this morning?</s>SEN. CHRIS COONS (D-DE): John, I want us to make real progress towards delivering relief for the millions of Americans who are suffering through this pandemic, who are struggling through this recession. Both of which have been made far worse than they ever should have been by President Trump's bungled mishandling of this public health crisis. We have more than 25 million Americans on unemployment right now, more than 8 million Americans infected, more than 220,000 Americans dead. This is a public health crisis of epic proportions and our economy is barely hanging on because of the unanimous support of the Senate six months ago for the cares relief act. McConnell has been AWOL. He has been absent, a total nonparticipant, and is now actually being a critical speed bump in the last days as Speaker Pelosi is trying hard to work out a robust package of relief. We have 6 million Americans late on their mortgage or their rent. That should be in this bill. Every state is facing rising challenges both in terms of their budgets and the pandemic response. Robust state and local government relief should be in this bill. And there should be another round of support for families. I hope we can get this done. I have confidence in Speaker Pelosi and her negotiations. Many of us in the Senate are ready to support a broad and significant bill like this. But it's striking that Republicans in the midst of this public health crisis are signaling they will not support any more funding for American families in the middle of this recession and pandemic.</s>BERMAN: Regardless of what Mitch McConnell will do with it, leave his opposition or reticence aside here, do you want Speaker Pelosi to make the deal? Make the deal?</s>COONS: I do.</s>BERMAN: Maybe don't make the perfect the enemy of the good, maybe even take the deal a little bit north of what the $1.8 trillion the White House last offered was.</s>COONS: Look, let's put this into broader perspective. $1.8 trillion is an enormous amount of money. It's more than double the amount of the relief package, the Recovery Act that the Obama/Biden administration was able to get. I'll remind you, in 2009, when the Obama/Biden administration came in, our economy was in freefall because of the collapse in Wall Street and Republicans doggedly objected to moving forward with any relief, insisted on major tax cuts to get anything.

Coronavirus Cases in Children Jump

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: There's a new report out by the American Academy of Pediatrics. They've seen a 13 percent increase in cases just since the beginning of October. They say that's in children. But that's not terribly descriptive. Do we know what's happening? How old these kids are? How severe the condition is?</s>DR. JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Well, you know, fortunately, this disease is often or usually tolerated to a much better extent by children. But, remember, what's happened recently? Kids have gone back to school. So that's why we're seeing this dramatic rise. We didn't really know what was going to happen in children because since the beginning of the pandemic, when schools closed in most places in the United States, kids were largely sequestered. But in parts of the United States, where in-person school exists now, we're seeing transmission from child-to-child. We know that children over the age of about 12 transmit the virus to adults probably as efficiently as adults transmit it to adults, maybe a little less for younger children. Most children will do pretty well with this virus. They will transmit it to adults, but a small number, still a tragic number, will not do well. Will either have long-term sequelle (ph) or will sadly die of this virus. This is nothing that we just sort of can let children have. This is not a chicken pox party, which you also shouldn't let kids have.</s>JOH BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Dr. Reiner, as always, thank you for being with us this morning. We appreciate you expertise. Please stay safe.</s>REINER: My pleasure. You too.</s>BERMAN: Voters in at least two states this morning say they have received e-mails threatening them to vote for Donald Trump or else. Who's behind these? What does it tell us? That's next.

Importance of Florida in Election

CAMEROTA: Both presidential candidates pulling to win Florida on election night, but how important is that state to their presidential hopes? Joining us now is CNN senior political writer and analyst Harry Enten. Harry, great to see you. So why is Florida so key?</s>HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL WRITER AND ANALYST: Yes, so, you know, let's just talk about where we are first in the state of Florida, and that is that former Vice President Joe Biden has a small advantage there and he's under 50 percent, unlike in a lot of other swing states, right? He's at 49 percent in my average polls. So Trump is at 46 percent. But to get to your point of why Florida is so important, just look at the history of the state over say the last 92 years. Look at this. Look how many times the state has voted with the winner. Pretty much all of them, except for just two times in 1960 and 1992. Every single election since 1996, the state has voted with the winner. And one other thing I'll point out, every single time Florida has had a final margin of six points or less. So the fact that the poll average right now is three points fits well within that. We're looking for another very close election in the state at this particular point.</s>CAMEROTA: And why is it that Trump needs Florida more than Biden?</s>ENTEN: Right. So this is something that I will point out is that President Trump needs the state more than former Vice President Joe Biden. You know, there are different sites that runs electoral simulations, right? And what it essentially tells us that if Trump were to lose the state of Florida, he would win less than 5 percent of the time, versus Vice President Joe Biden. If he were to lose in the state of Florida, he'd still have about a 60 percent chance of winning the election. And the reason for that is pretty simple. That is, you can paint a lot of different electoral maps where Joe Biden wins without Florida, right? If he just wins in the states where he's ahead by five points or more at this point, he would win. And he's obviously ahead by less than five points in the state of Florida because Bien has those leads in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania. And we add those to the Clinton states, he gets over 270 electoral votes. There's just, simply put, no electoral map like that for Trump. He could still win if says he lost Florida and carried all the other states he won in 2016, but that is a very difficult task.</s>CAMEROTA: Harry, tell us what's happening in the Senate. What are you seeing in the Senate races?</s>ENTEN: Yes, so, you know, all this talk about the presidential races and, you know, we still have a bunch of Senate seats that are up for control in -- later this year, in two weeks, actually, or less than two weeks. And right now it looks like Democrats are the favorite to win back the majority. They need a net gain of three seats, right, if Joe Biden wins the presidential race. And what you see on the left side of your screen, right, the Democratic pickup opportunities, they need probably at least four of those seats, because Alabama is probably going to go over to the Republicans. You can see right there, Tommy Tuberville has an 11-point lead. Probably going to knock off Doug Jones. So the Democrats need four -- at least four of the seats on the left side of your screen and they are leading in four of those states by four points or more. And, in fact, in North Carolina, they're up by three points. So they could, in fact, pick up more seats than that. And then the other thing I'll note here is, if you note, Michigan, which is probably the Republican's second best pickup opportunity, the Democratic senator there, Gary Peters, is actually up by five points. So the Republicans really don't have that much room in order to pick up seats and Democrats have a much wider map.</s>CAMEROTA: What about some of the other states that we keep hearing about in terms of the Senate, like Montana, say?</s>ENTEN: Right. So this is another reason why I think the Democrats have such, just such a good opportunity to pick up the Senate, which is, get beyond those five races, right, that we previously showed you. Look at some of these lower-tiered pickup opportunities for Democrats. You mentioned Montana. How about Georgia? There are two races there. Kansas, Alaska, Texas. While Democrats are probably not leading in any of those at this point, they are very competitive in a bunch of them. So even if say they lost a state like Iowa, they lost a state like North Carolina, they still would have an opportunity to pick up Senate control because of all these backup opportunities that Republicans simply don't have. And this is the same thing that we're seeing in the presidential race, right? We spoke about earlier how Biden could win without Florida. And the reason is, is there is just a wide range of different scenarios and that means that even if the first pathway doesn't work, a second, third, or fourth pathway may still work.</s>CAMEROTA: Harry, let me ask you about the -- where President Trump, we've talked about this a lot, where he would gain voters. Where he stands to gain some. And -- and there's always been a question of if he's just keeping his base or if he's adding. And so what about the reporting that there is strong voter registration, Republican voter registration, in three critical states, Florida, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.</s>ENTEN: Yes, I -- I hear this all the time, and it's always really interesting to me because, you know, if we were living in a vacuum and you heard about that, you might say, hey, that's really good news for Republicans. And in some cases it really is. But here's the thing that I will note, and that is that the polls really should be picking up on this. There are a number of pollsters who, in fact, wait by party registration, right, are you registered Democrat, Republican or no party at all, and pollsters like "The New York Times," Siena College, pollsters like Monmouth University should be keeping their list of registered voter up to date. And if they are, then the polls are capturing that. And the thing that I will note is that even though Republicans are gaining in registration, I asked my friend Nate Cohn at "The Times" for basically his cross tabs, right, of vote by party registration. And what you see is that former Vice President Joe Biden is winning a larger share of Democrats than Trump is of Republicans. And he's winning among those without party affiliation. So even though Republicans are gaining, Biden is still leading in the polls.</s>CAMEROTA: Really helpful, Harry, and great to see you. Thanks so much for giving us a snapshot of where we are right now.</s>ENTEN: Thank you.</s>CAMEROTA: OK, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the White House are still talking, but how close are they to a coronavirus relief deal? We have the latest for you, next.

McConnell Warns Against Stimulus Deal.

BERMAN: New this morning, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she is hopeful that a deal on a relief package can be reached this week. Negotiations will resume this morning with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin. But sources tell CNN that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is telling the White House, don't do it! Don't get behind a deal before the election. So joining us now, CNN chief business correspondent Christine Romans and CNN international anchor Julia Chatterley. Romans, what's going on here? These negotiations seem to be going on.</s>CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes.</s>BERMAN: Speaker Pelosi and Steve Mnuchin seem to be willing to reach some kind of agreement, or at least work towards one, and Mitch McConnell seems to be saying still, no, no, no, no, no.</s>ROMANS: Yes, there are three people dancing this tango here, right? You've got Senate Republicans, you've got Democrats, and then you've got the White House. And the White House has been saying, the president's been saying he wants to go big. Nancy Pelosi says Democrats have already gone big. They passed almost $3.5 trillion in new stimulus five months ago. But you've had cold water thrown on all of this, really, by Senate Republicans. And it seems they want to really focus on the Supreme Court nomination here, getting that through. Time is running out here. And there are -- there are Republicans who are increasingly vocal about the size of the package. They would not like to see a $2 trillion package here. They would rather see a piecemeal approach, something that the Democrats just won't do.</s>CAMEROTA: Julia, you have pointed out to us so many times, people are desperate. We've never seen, in recent memory, long lines at food banks like we're seeing right now. And so people who are desperate and hungry don't care as much about the Supreme Court nomination as they would about this relief bill. So what's that calculation?</s>JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the political calculation here from the Senate Republicans is the cost of doing some kind of splashy deal here pre-election and aligning with a weakened president, I think, too, versus the political cost, perhaps, of what that means if they lose the Senate as a result. And, unfortunately, when it comes down to it, the politics here matters more than the people. And we've been saying this all along, people don't care about the Supreme Court nomination as much as they care about paying their rent, being able to feed their families, for example. And the fact is, this has been a problem now for two, three months. This is what it's coming down to. The one thing that you could perhaps take heart from was the statement from Nancy Pelosi that said, everybody now, at least in terms of the negotiation, the two that are fighting this, not the three, as Christine Romans pointed out there, they get the seriousness and it will be retroactive.</s>ROMANS: Yes.</s>CHATTERLEY: So, when it comes, if it comes, it will be backdated. But that's small comfort for the people that need the money now.</s>BERMAN: Romans, I was talking to House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn yesterday and said -- he said if a deal doesn't happen now, then nothing will likely happen until the inauguration, whoever is the next president, whether it be Donald Trump or Joe Biden. That's January 20th.</s>ROMANS: Yes.</s>BERMAN: So if it doesn't happen now, you are talking months without people getting money.</s>ROMANS: Yes. And there -- I mean any question about whether the recovery has been stunted is answered by that because we know -- we know that the first stimulus worked. I mean we -- we look at FICO credit scores and we see credit scores actually rose because for the first time in a long time people actually had money to have a livable wage. And that was because of massive government intervention to get money in unemployment checks and to get extra checks out to all of those -- all of those people. So we know. We look at the retail sales numbers and consumer spending. And you can see that money went into the economy and also went into savings. People are still drawing down on that. But just not having it, right, and having an economy that is not completely healed yet is a really dangerous place to be for millions of families.</s>CAMEROTA: Julia, side note, tell us what's happening with Google and the anti-trust suit and why this didn't scare investors away.</s>CHATTERLEY: Yes, it was interesting, isn't it. You know, you've got a credibility problem when you announce the biggest anti-trust -- maybe the biggest legal case in over two decades and the stock ends up higher at the end of the day rather than lower. Look, I think there's a few things here. Timing, two weeks before an election. The Department of Justice, there were rumors behind the scenes that apparently people -- the investigators wanted more time here. And, of course, you've got a president that's criticized Google for being rigged against him. So there's a whole number of elements here. But what it boils down to is the suggestion from the regulators here that Google processes between 80 and 90 percent of all search requests in the United States. Critics say they simply have too much power. Power over search. No one else can get a look in. Power over the money, too, and the advertising spending. Google turned around and said, hey, you have to prove here that consumers are hurt. And Google search is free. The critics here would turn around and say, hang on a second, how do you know if innovation has been suppressed, how do you know what you're missing if you missed it and don't get a chance to look in. The bottom line is, guys, let's make a date for 2025 when we can come back and discuss this, quite frankly, because this stuff takes years.</s>ROMANS: Right.</s>CAMEROTA: I'll write that down.</s>BERMAN: Yes.</s>CHATTERLEY: Yes.</s>CAMEROTA: 2025. Got it.</s>CHATTERLEY: We'll see.</s>BERMAN: I can't make a date for Thursday, let alone 2025 at this point.</s>CAMEROTA: I know.</s>ROMANS: But, guys, the government's worried about the future because when you think of how you search, your car, your refrigerator, at some point search is going to be an interface for all of us. And Google has an empire in search, so they're worried about the future when Google really controls everything you're searching for.</s>BERMAN: Well --</s>CHATTERLEY: And it's been that way for years.</s>ROMANS: Yes.</s>BERMAN: And when Bill Barr and Elizabeth Warren are sort of in alignment, you know there is a kind of a trend going on here, right?</s>ROMANS: Well, they're -- well, I'm telling you, there are -- there are a lot of people who have agreed that Google is too big and too powerful, but everybody uses Google, right, and it's free. So the government will have to prove, as Julia said, that the consumer's been harmed.</s>CHATTERLEY: See you in 2025.</s>BERMAN: Christine Romans, Julia Chatterley, thank you very much for that.</s>CAMEROTA: We'll be there.</s>BERMAN: We have new details this morning about what former President Obama will say when he hits the campaign trail later today. NEW DAY continues right now.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The president's very angry. He's lashing out at the media. He's lashing out at his critics.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There's nothing fair about this debate, but that's OK.</s>KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The president says he'll still show up in Nashville Thursday for the next presidential debate.</s>BARACK OBAMA, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: In times as polarized as these, your vote doesn't just matter, it matters more than ever before.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The number of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths has gone up in just way too many areas.

Barbara Res is Interviewed about her Trump Book

BARBARA RES, FORMER EXECUTIVE VP FOR THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION AND AUTHOR OF "TOWER OF LIES": I had a young man waiting for me in the lobby, I was across at the building, and after I interviewed him, I saw Donald, where he grabbed someone, told me, he needs to see you. And he said, don't ever let that happen again. I don't want black kids sitting in my lobby where millionaires are coming into my apartments. So don't let it happen. And that really, really took me aback, I have to be honest with you. And I think, to this day, and I'm not sure, I didn't choose this man because I had a better candidate that I liked that was more interesting in following up on construction, but I -- would I have hired him, you know, I probably would have.</s>ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: And so when -- when Donald Trump, at the time, said things like that, I mean I know it was the '80s, did anybody ever say to him, call him on it and say, how dare you speak like that?</s>RES: Well, I did. I did. I said you're being ridiculous. You know, see, you had to pick your spots with Donald. And I tried to, you know, be honest about it but, you know, enrage him because what was the point of that? I wasn't happy about it, to be honest with you, but it's also -- it's a long time ago. It was a very different time. And, you know, people say, well, why did you still work for him? You know, there was that. There weren't a lot of choices at the time, especially for a girl engineer. So I figured being there I could do more than letting him hire another racist like himself to do my job.</s>CAMEROTA: Yes. You also say he cannot stand the working class people who make up his base. You write, his world is personal drivers, exclusive clubs, private planes and parties, but without the MAGA hat wearing white male, he has no political career. So he created this charade, friend to the common man.</s>RES: Absolutely.</s>CAMEROTA: Give me a break. Trump can't stand the common man. How do you -- how do you know that?</s>RES: Well, I mean, there's a story in my book, which is very telling. After a project structure is completed, the concrete or the steel, you have a big party celebrating that and -- and thanking the men for the work. And it's always men</s>CAMEROTA: And so -- so, Barbara, you worked for him for 18 years. Is the Donald Trump that you see today on your TV screen the same as the man that you worked for? Is there something that is surprising you now today?</s>RES: Well, that's sort of the essence of my book. I go back and talk about the seeds of what we see today being there when I was working for him way back when and because I had this very unusual relationship with him and so much access there really is no one that can speak to the Donald of that time probably better than I. Yes, he has changed, but, again, like I said, you could always see it coming. There were some things about him that did surprise me and maybe because he's sort of protected me from this side of him. But like that -- that remark -- that Billy Bush remark back, what, way back when, in 2016, about women and, you know, that shocked me. I didn't think that, you know, he would go on TV and admit to assaulting women. So there are things that do surprise me but things that don't surprise me. You know, they're all in the pattern. They follow the, you know, the patterns that he set.</s>CAMEROTA: I mean, quickly, what about all of the revelations about his taxes, that he hasn't paid taxes for many years, that he recently paid $750 taxes while he was in office. You say that he thinks that laws and things like that are for stupid people. What are -- meaning what?</s>RES: Yes, I absolutely agree with that. He -- you know, he thinks that every law can be skirted one way or another and he has been doing that and he's sort of gotten away with it. The taxes didn't surprise me at all. I would have -- I would have expected just that. What surprised me was a year ago, over a year ago, "The Times" did an article about how his family set up this scam corporation to do all the repairs and stuff at the Trump buildings and they were able to take all this money out of -- out of the company and not pay, you know, estate taxes on it and stuff like that. And I was shocked to see that there were people like Maryanne and Elizabeth that -- his two sisters, who I knew pretty -- pretty well, I was so disappointed in seeing that, that they were involved in something like that.</s>CAMEROTA: I just want to read from the Trump side, what his communications director for the Trump campaign says about your book. This is, quote, this is transparently a disgruntled former employee packaging a bunch of lies in a book to make money. We only have a few seconds, Barbara, your response.</s>RES: My response, not disgruntled. We left on very good terms. I got a couple letters of recommendations -- wonderful letters of recommendation from Donald. I didn't know what this was going to be like and I feel that, you know, everyone here has to do what they can to stop him from getting re-elected. And what I can do is write a book. And that's what I did.</s>CAMEROTA: The book, again, is called "Tower of Lies." It is out now. Barbara Res, thank you very much for being on</s>NEW DAY. RES: Thank you. It was a pleasure.</s>CAMEROTA: A woman whose husband died of coronavirus says she has just one plea to make as Americans get ready to vote and you'll hear from her, next.

Trump's Dishonesty in the Campaign

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, the wife of a New Jersey police officer who died of coronavirus in May is speaking out. Police Officer Charles Roberts, known as Rob by friends and family, served on the force for 20 years. He passed away at the age of 45, leaving behind his wife Alice and three children, Shay, Natalie and Gavin. Alice just published an op-ed in "The New Jersey Star Ledger" titled "My Husband Died Of COVID-19 And I Have Just One Plea To Make Of You." Alice Roberts joins us now. Alice, your piece is incredibly moving and, frankly, heartbreaking. It's about loss and it's also about love. If we can, I want to start with the love. You met Rob 20 years ago at a charity basketball game, cops, which he was, versus teachers, which you were. Just tell me about him.</s>ALICE ROBERTS, HUSBAND DIED OF CORONAVIRUS: I mean, I guess the message out of that is you can meet someone when you least expect to. So I teach in the town where I grew up and it was just a charity basketball game. And we had had some practices before the big night in the high school gym and apparently on the night of the game he told his mom, that's the woman I'm going to marry. And I guess that's what happened.</s>BERMAN: He got exactly what he wanted. And I'm so glad that he did and the family that you were able to build together. You wrote this piece in some ways as a message to voters and also as a message to President Trump. And you say in your mind the only thing he understands is winners and losers. So tell us, if you can, what you personally have lost.</s>ROBERTS: I mean, I think that's hard to put into words or even conceptualize it. I still think I'm learning. Every day I guess it hits me differently as to what I've lost. I don't think that's really measurable. I don't think it's just what I've lost, either. I think it's what this world has lost. This world has lost a really excellent police officer, especially during a time when that's sort of important to have. I have lost a partner. I've lost a cook. I've lost the guy who made me laugh all the time. You know, we were always joking. You know, you go into the supermarket and I saw Halloween chips and it made me laugh just because there was just so many good memories that we spent together just on ordinary things and on, you know, trips and just everyday life. You know, it went by -- it went by too fast. Everyone always says that, but it really did.</s>BERMAN: And, obviously, your children have lost a father and that loss is immeasurable. But also, like so many others in this country now, their lives have been upended. How?</s>ROBERTS: Right. I think part of my point of my article is -- is that I don't feel that Trump has lost anything, you know? And he says how sick we are of the virus. I mean, yes, we are all really sick of the virus. I can't say anyone is more sick of it than people who have lost loved ones. So, you know, we've lost an incredible amount and I think we just stand to lose so much more in the next four years if he is re-elected. I don't think most people can say their lives have been made better during these past four years, especially not during this past year. I certainly can say my life has turned at least 90 degrees, but it's hard to tell how much more -- I hate to question that because that's a scary question, how much more can we really take?</s>BERMAN: You tell your story when your husband got sick and ended up in the hospital. You were only able to see him twice, just twice, once he was in the hospital, which I know has got to be incredibly painful. And you say you've only made a few pleas in your life. Up until this point, what have some of those pleas been?</s>ROBERTS: I mean, I think, for the most part, we had a really great life together. We were both in jobs that we enjoyed and they were socially rewarding. We got a lot of positive feedback living and working in the town. You know, I don't -- I don't hope for a lot in life. You know, we prayed and hoped he would get better and that didn't happen. But, you know what, now I pray and hope that his death can have some meaning and greater purpose. We had hoped to donate his organs. He had signed up for the organ registry. And we weren't able to because of the virus. So now I just hope that his death can bring about some positive change in this country. And I want people to know we're a real family and we're really grieving and this isn't fake news and it's not exaggerated. So I plead with people to vote and to vote their conscious.</s>BERMAN: Yes, as you say -- you say this year the one plea you made was pleading for his life and now you're pleading for people to vote against President Trump. What was it like for you to watch the president's battle with coronavirus when he got sick?</s>ROBERTS: That's hard to say. I mean, I know a lot of people feel that he speaks for them and that he's just one of them, but he's not one of us. You know, he got top notch medical care. Not everyone who gets sick is going to get that. He was able to get tested multiple times in a week. My husband's tests were mixed up and they took weeks to return. I'm sorry, can you repeat the question?</s>BERMAN: I was just going to ask you how it felt to watch the president go through his battle with coronavirus.</s>ROBERTS: Yes, so -- so then he miraculously recovered and I thought then at that point, wow, he could really show a human side. Well, I didn't really think that. I would be silly to think that. But then when he -- when he went up those steps and unveiled his mask and then since then has had, you know, super spreader rallies, it's really like he's -- he's really spitting on all these loved ones' graves. I had a fellow high school classmate whose father also died of COVID and she said -- she spoke for CNN and wrote some articles saying Trump is spitting on my father's grave, and that's exactly how I feel. He had a choice to be more human and to show empathy, but I don't think he's possible -- he's not -- he's not possible -- it's not possible for him to show empathy because I don't think he can feel that emotion. I think he thinks of one person and that's himself and he likes to grandstand. You know, he hasn't called me to wish me his sympathies, you know. I've heard from the governor of New Jersey. I've heard from Joe Biden last night. They show empathy and caring and kindness and that's really lacking in the president.</s>BERMAN: I'm sorry, I didn't realize you heard from Joe Biden last night. What did the former vice president say to you?</s>ROBERTS: He -- it was just -- I mean it was incredible. He called me and he told me about his tragedies in his life, which I had already known about, and basically that no words that he could say would make a difference. He understood that. It was honestly just like talking to a friend. And, you know, it was late. It was like 11:30. And he -- and we just chatted for probably about 20 minutes. It was -- there's not a lot of highlights in my days recently, and that was definitely a highlight. He's a -- he's a kind, caring guy and that's, to me, a huge piece of what we need right now in the White House.</s>BERMAN: If the president did call you, what would you say to him?</s>ROBERTS: I think I would hang up. I'm sorry. I don't think I could say the words I would want to say to him. But I know his words wouldn't really be genuine, so they wouldn't -- they wouldn't really mean anything at all. I don't want to hear from him. He's spoken in his actions and, you know, as they say, actions speak louder than words.</s>BERMAN: Alice Roberts, we appreciate you being with us. We really do. We are so sorry for your loss and we wish the best to you and your family going forward. Thank you.</s>ROBERTS: Thanks for having me. Thank you.</s>BERMAN: Thank you for being with us.</s>CAMEROTA: What a woman, John. What a strong woman who obviously represents her husband, a police officer's memory so well. And is just as plain spoken as they get, but still the powerful message of their real, they're a real family, and she -- she is allowing her family to serve as, you know, a warning to so many others.</s>BERMAN: Yes, the piece, which everyone should go read, she just talks about the loss. And it -- obviously, the loss of her soulmate is just huge. She says, the hole will never be filled. But she also talks about the loss that her family has suffered over the last few months. She hasn't been able to work because she's been taking care of her family full-time. Her kids, two of them, are doing remote learning completely. One of her sons desperately wanted to go back to the classroom. So she has him back in the classroom, but she's terrified of that, like so many parents are, too. And it's just -- it's a struggle for her family like it is -- well, worse than so many others. And we're just so sorry for her pain and sorry for her loss. I have to say, I also didn't know that the former vice president called last night and to hear that he called at like 11:30 at night is interesting as well.</s>CAMEROTA: It is. OK. We are 13 days away from Election Day. It's crunch time for our CNN fact checker Daniel Dale. But it's always crunch time, I think, for Daniel Dale. He just tweeted this week, I fact checked Trump for more than four years. He has rarely before, if ever, had a period as comprehensively dishonest as this period right now. And Daniel Dale joins us now. Daniel, I don't know -- I don't know when you sleep either, to be honest. So -- so you have seen it get worse? You have seen the amount of misleading or down right false things increase?</s>DANIEL DALE, CNN REPORTER: Yes, the quantity has increased and the breadth of the false claims has increased. So what was notable to me about this Friday to Sunday period was that he made 66 separate, false claims. So that's not even counting the repeats of these same false claims, like sometimes he'd say the same thing at five different rallies. It was 66 entirely different, false things at minimum. That's the minimum count. And the other striking thing to me was that a lot of these false claims were written into his texts. So through the course of Trump's presidency, most of his lying has been ad-libbed. It's just kind of Trump being Trump. But in campaign season, what I find is that his staff, his team, puts a lot of the dishonesty in his prepared text. It's dishonesty as a deliberate campaign strategy.</s>BERMAN: I have to say, only Daniel Dale would do like an Excel spreadsheet of the types of lies you get from the president and the breakdown there. I want to go through some of them here. On the pandemic, the president said last night, as he has tended to say, that we're turning the corner. Listen. Or not.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're rounding the turn on the pandemic. Safe vaccines that quickly end the pandemic. It's ending. Normal life, that's all we want. Do you know what we want? Normal life.</s>BERMAN: Rounding the corner fact checks itself, Daniel.</s>DALE: It does. I mean it's a vague phrase, but it's just the opposite of reality. Cases are spiking. We now have a seven day average above 58,000 new confirmed cases per day, the highest since early August. And it's not only, you know, mild cases being caught by testing, like Trump keeps suggesting. Hospitalizations are also spiking. Fourteen states set hospitalization records in the past week as of -- as of Monday. So this is just getting worse around the country. It's not ending. And I did an analysis we published yesterday on cnn.com. I found that Trump had said at least 38 times since February that this pandemic was disappearing or would disappear. He said it again at that rally and it's just wrong.</s>CAMEROTA: He also seems to make things up out of whole cloth and these are kind of incredible fabrications that should be easy -- well, I would think -- easy to fact check. Here's one about mail-in ballots, tens of thousands of them, being found in a river.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Did you see they found 50,000 ballots in like a river? They found ballots in an ash can. They happened to have the word Trump on them, you know.</s>CAMEROTA: OK, is that one easy for you to fact check or hard for you to fact check? How do you get to the bottom of that?</s>DALE: Well, it's -- it was actually a challenge at first because when he seems to make something up whole cloth, it's hard to prove a negative like proving that something did not happen. But, anyway, this -- this one did not happen. What's notable to me about this one, in addition to the fact that it's just a total fabrication, was that this is an example of what I think of as Tramp-flation. So at first he was telling a story about some ballots being found in a river. Couldn't name the river. Even that didn't happen. But now it's gone from some ballots in a river to 50,000 ballots in a river. So, as usual, this story just keeps getting more and more dramatic even though it's completely invented.</s>BERMAN: And, you know, and these stories like this are so trite that you lie about the small things but then you also lie about the big things, like the policies that matter most to Americans, and that includes health care. So listen to this.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Biden plan would destroy Social Security and destroy protections for pre-existing conditions. We will strongly protect Medicare and Social Security and we will always protect patients with pre-existing conditions.</s>BERMAN: The facts, Daniel Dale.</s>DALE: This is, again, the opposite of reality. So these protections for people with pre-existing conditions were created by Obama when, of course, Joe Biden was vice president. Biden is running on preserving and strengthening Obamacare. So, of course, not proposing to kill those protections. Trump, conversely, has repeatedly tried to get Republican bills passed that would have significantly weakened the protections and he is now in court right now at president -- at present supporting a Republican lawsuit that would get Obamacare killed in its entirety, including those protections, if the courts agree. So, again, up is down, just complete inversion of what's true.</s>CAMEROTA: Right, and he says that one with a straight face. I mean that one is really remarkable. And then there's the one about fracking. Here it is.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If Biden's elected, he will wipe out your energy industry. Only by voting for me can you save your fracking.</s>CAMEROTA: All right, what's the fracking truth?</s>DALE: So the fracking truth is that Biden is running on a proposal to end new leases for oil and gas on public lands. So it is not a complete ban, it's only on public lands and waters, and it's a ban on new permits, so not existing fracking or other drilling. Now, I do give Trump a little bit of the benefit of the doubt on this one because during the Democratic primary, Biden made a bunch of vague comments that did indeed suggest that he wanted to ban tracking. So I think, in this case, there is at least something for Trump to point to and say, hey, he said it, but that's not Biden's actual proposal, no matter how vague or imprecise he was during the primary.</s>BERMAN: No fracking way. Daniel, we have -- we have 20 seconds left. But in closing, you say he is -- he is lying more now than he has almost ever.</s>DALE: He is. The only other comparable period, I think, was the 2018 midterms. And, again, that's when lies started being written into his speeches more often. He was lying about a whole variety of topics. But this is at least one of the most dishonest periods for this president.</s>BERMAN: Daniel Dale --</s>CAMEROTA: Daniel Dale, that was Trump-tastic. Thank you very much for all of that reporting.</s>DALE: Thank you.</s>BERMAN: We've got a lot of news this morning. Our coverage continues next.

Democrats Refuse to Stand By Feinstein Over Praise of Barrett Hearings

SEN. CHRIS COONS (D-DE): Republicans doggedly objected to moving forward with any relief, insisted on major tax cuts to get anything. This is about three times the size of the real stimulus that was in that bill. This is what Democrats care about. Providing support for American families who are struggling. That's why Joe Biden should be our next president. He knows how to lead us out of this pandemic. How to get our kids back to school safely. How to provide support for our seniors who are in skilled nursing facilities, who are most at risk. How to get a vaccine safely out to the American public and our economy reopened, and how to restore our place on the world stage. Joe Biden will show tomorrow night in the presidential debate that he's presidential. He's going to be standing opposite a guy who's acting like he's president, but doesn't have any idea how to actually do the job.</s>JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Have you -- the former vice president had been off the campaign trail the last few days doing debate prep. Have you had a chance to speak with him?</s>COONS: We haven't spoken in person. We have spoken by phone. He is listening to the public health experts. He's following the guidance of scientists. And he's been very careful during this pandemic, appropriately. He's been a great role model. As we saw at the debate in Cleveland, President Trump, his family, his senior campaign supporters, they all showed up unmasked and frankly, tragically, just a few days later, there was a pandemic outbreak at the White House that infected --</s>BERMAN: What did the former vice president --</s>COONS: Thirty five people.</s>BERMAN: What is the vice president preparing for most in this debate? What is he bracing for?</s>COONS: I think he is bracing for another groundless, baseless, cruel attack on -- excuse me, on former Vice President Biden's own family. And he will once again try and turn this back to what matters, which is the millions of American families who are looking for leadership, who are wondering how the outcome of this election will affect them, rather than having the two candidates standing there on the stage, exchanging barbs about each other's children, they want to know how Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are going to have a positive impact on their children. Joe did a great job of that on the debate stage in Cleveland, when President Trump was just unloading on him with this barrage of attacks and interruptions and sort of harassing the moderator. I think the moderator this time will be armed with a kill switch to cut off the president's mic, which means there may be something like a real debate. But at the end of the day, Joe Biden is bracing for Donald Trump to continue doing what he's done for four years, to be a disruptive bully, who has no clear plan for how to move our --</s>BERMAN: Let me --</s>COONS: Country forward. And Joe will show that he does have a plan for how to bring us together.</s>BERMAN: Part of your day job is being a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. And the ranking Democrat on that committee is Senator Dianne Feinstein of California. And there have been a lot of Democrats upset with her, saying that she did not do a good job representing the Democratic Party in the hearings for Amy Coney Barrett. As you sit here this morning, do you want her to be the lead Democrat on judiciary going forward?</s>COONS: John, let's be clear about these hearings. We were considering the legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Justice Ginsburg who had just passed, and who was appropriate to succeed her. And on that challenge, Senator Feinstein, who has a long record herself of fighting for reproductive rights and gender equity in her opening and her closing statements and her questioning of Judge Barrett was very clear and very effective at being one of the senators on my side who put the concerns of real people, of the risks to the Affordable Care Act front and center, and exposed Judge Barrett's extremely conservative record and the way she would do damage to our country. One of the hardest things for me this week is that instead of constructively negotiating a relief package, the Senate is -- the Republican majority in the Senate is solely focused on trying to --</s>BERMAN: Senator --</s>COONS: Rush through Judge Barrett's nomination.</s>BERMAN: That my question, though, is going forward, do you want Senator Feinstein to be the lead Democrat on this committee, either as ranking member or maybe the chair?</s>COONS: Look, I have a lot of respect for Senator Feinstein and her long record of leadership. And I think this is an issue that's best worked out by the caucus.</s>BERMAN: So not willing to answer this morning?</s>COONS: I have a lot of respect for Senator Feinstein, I think she's contributed immensely to the Senate, and I understand how angry many Democrats are about the Barrett confirmation, I share that anger. But I frankly think folks are taking it out on her, that at the very end of the hearings, she engaged in a brief moment of civility with Chairman Graham. I understand why folks are angry about the entire confirmation process, but I think that anger is more appropriately focused at the Republicans who are driving through this extreme nominee who is unqualified to serve because of her extreme views.</s>BERMAN: Senator Chris Coons of Delaware, thanks so much for being with us. Appreciate your time, sir.</s>COONS: Thank you, John.</s>BERMAN: Thirteen days left to vote in the election. The stakes could not be higher, especially in the battleground state of Michigan.</s>WENDY CALDWELL-LIDDELL, FOUNDER, MOBILIZE DETROIT: I know that as a voter and as a black woman, that there's a job that I have to do in order to get a representative who will come close to protecting my people in office.</s>BERMAN: You will hear what some of these crucial voters have to say there, next.

McConnell Warns Against Stimulus Deal Before Election; NTSB: Boat Disaster Likely Caused By Charging Cell Phone Batteries and Lack of Watchman.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Black voters in Michigan will be pivotal in deciding who wins that battleground state. But deep within Detroit neighborhoods, people are struggling and disengaged from the political process. So one woman from that community is doing what she can to turn that around. And CNN's Kate Bolduan joins us now with her reporting. Kate, I've loved watching your interviews with some of these folks. So tell us what you're learning.</s>KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you so much, Alisyn, I really appreciate that. Look, we all know Donald Trump won Michigan by a razor-thin margin in 2016. Part of the reason for that is tens of thousands of people stayed home and didn't vote. Now, the backbone of the Democratic Party, black women, they are fighting to make sure that does not happen this time around, and they feel the burden and they're worried.</s>CALDWELL-LIDDELL: OK, so let's say you don't -- you ain't registered. So let's get you two registered, OK? I think that the apathy has just grown and has just become so pervasive in our communities, because people are just trying to survive that we have to get back to empowering people. Let's cycle back this way.</s>BOLDUAN (voice-over): Twenty nine-year-old Wendy Caldwell-Liddell is a woman with no shortage of energy.</s>CALDWELL-LIDDELL: Hey, did she talk to you already?</s>BOLDUAN: She doesn't work for any campaign, but since August, she says she spends three days a week every week between her full-time job and taking care of two kids using that energy to try and convince fellow Detroiters their vote matters.</s>CALDWELL-LIDDELL: On countless days when I go out and canvass, I will go up and talk to someone, and they will say, listen, lady, I know that what you're saying is probably right, I know that you just want me to, you know, get out and vote, but I'm sorry, I've got to feed my kids, I don't even have time to listen to what you're saying. And that's a part of why I started doing this work with Mobilize Detroit. Because at this point, this is our survival now.</s>BOLDUAN (on camera): Ten thousand, seven hundred and four. What does that number mean to you?</s>CALDWELL-LIDDELL: Is that how many votes Trump won by?</s>BOLDUAN: That's exactly how many votes.</s>CALDWELL-LIDDELL: So that number, it hurts. It hurts.</s>BOLDUAN (voice-over): Wayne County, which includes Detroit, went for Hillary Clinton by a wide margin in 2016. But she got about 76,000 fewer votes there than Obama did in 2012. Remember, Trump won the entire state by just 10,704 votes. Are you voting for Joe Biden or are you more voting against Donald Trump?</s>CALDWELL-LIDDELL: Eighty percent against Donald Trump, 20 percent for Joe Biden. I would say that.</s>BOLDUAN (on camera): What does that mean?</s>CALDWELL-LIDDELL: It means that I know that as a voter and as a black woman, that there's a job that I have to do, in order to get a representative who will come close to protecting my people in office, but I'm not necessarily excited about having another representative there who really does not inherently understand the needs of our community.</s>BOLDUAN: Kamala Harris, how does she make you feel?</s>CALDWELL-LIDDELL: Kamala makes me feel a lot better than Joe, to be honest with you.</s>BOLDUAN (voice-over): Markita Blanchard, like Wendy, has lived in Detroit her whole life. But at 63 years old, she sees the choice this election a bit differently.</s>MARKITA BLANCHARD, BIDEN SUPPORTER: I'm a 100 percent voting for Biden.</s>BOLDUAN (on camera): Does Biden make you excited?</s>BLANCHARD: Yes, he does. His enthusiasm, his past record. It's like a charge.</s>BOLDUAN: President Trump says often that he has done more for the black community --</s>BLANCHARD: That's -- go ahead, no --</s>BOLDUAN: I don't even need to finish.</s>BLANCHARD: He's full of -- you know what I'm saying? He has not done nothing. I've had people say, well, he's not my president. I didn't vote. I said, well, did you vote at all? They said, no, I didn't vote. I said, if you did not vote, you did vote for him.</s>BOLDUAN (voice-over): Amber Davis is one of those Detroiters who voted for Obama in 2012, then didn't vote at all in 2016. (on camera): Why didn't you vote in 2016?</s>AMBER DAVIS, DETROIT RESIDENT: I didn't want Trump and I didn't want Hillary. I didn't really care who won that election.</s>BOLDUAN: So what's your plan this election?</s>DAVIS: I don't like Biden, but I'm voting for Biden. This coronavirus, everything that's going on, it's just horrible, so he's got to go.</s>BOLDUAN: One path to flipping Michigan blue again and a critical pursuit of the Biden campaign is getting those voters who sat out four years ago to show up this time. And a sign the Trump campaign knows this, it has an office right down the road from the Democrats, specifically targeting black voters in Detroit. (voice-over): How unusual is that to see Trump, but a Republican presidential campaign open an office in Westside?</s>MARY SHEFFIELD, PRESIDENT PRO TEM, DETROIT CITY COUNCIL: I've never seen it. I've never seen it ever before.</s>BOLDUAN (on camera): But what does it tell you?</s>SHEFFIELD: The importance of not only Michigan, but Detroit in the black vote. Because the party's -- both parties need us.</s>BOLDUAN: Really?</s>SHEFFIELD: Joe Biden is not really the most exciting person, and I think unfortunately in light of COVID, we lost that personal touch with him that a lot of communities need to get them excited and to get them engaged.</s>BOLDUAN: Are you concerned about just the lack of enthusiasm?</s>SHEFFIELD: Yes, I am. There is a mixed reaction, I believe, amongst our voters, some of which also feel that, you know, the Democratic Party has not done a great job at grassroots engagement. Making sure that they're going door-to-door and educating people. But I do think that what we saw with George Floyd did spark a reaction in so many people, and I think that's going to help also increase some of the voter turnout that we see in Detroit.</s>BOLDUAN: Are you going to help me? Everyone always talks about on TV, they always talk about how black women are the backbone of the Democratic Party.</s>CALDWELL-LIDDELL: We are. We are. Black women are the backbone.</s>BOLDUAN: But do you think the Democratic Party takes you for granted?</s>CALDWELL-LIDDELL: Absolutely. Absolutely, they take us for granted because they know that black women are going to help them get the big wins they need where it matters, but they also know that they -- that they can give us the bare minimum, knowing that we aren't going to choose the other side.</s>BOLDUAN: What does that say about the country?</s>CALDWELL-LIDDELL: It says, we still got a long way to go. When the backbone of the country is the most neglected.</s>BOLDUAN: Look, this is a slice of the electorate, of course. It's not necessarily predictive of how Michigan or the election is going to swing, but what is clear regardless of who wins, John, long-term both parties have a lot of work to do to either hold on to or win over the support of this passionate -- these passionate and reliable voters, black women.</s>BERMAN: Kate, I've got to say, I was struck by the explicit nature of the message from the Biden campaign to these voters, which is to say, don't do it again. Don't sit at home again. They're directly addressing what the problem was. I'm curious, how people are voting? What you were able to see there. Is -- are they being encouraged to go early, vote by mail? Is there a mobilization, an active mobilization process?</s>BOLDUAN: You can see it all over the place. We even had -- there is even a plane flying over Detroit as we were going through the city that was saying, "vote early" was like a big sign hanging behind it. The women -- it's vote -- the signs were everywhere. Vote early -- vote early, know where your voting place is. The women we spoke to, they were going to go to the polls. Markita, she says she has been there. She's done it every time. She goes right down the street. That's where she's going to vote. But one thing that is clear when you talk about the message from the Biden campaign, John, one thing is clear as you well laid out at the very top of the show. What these women are hearing overnight from the president, attacking journalists, attacking science, attacking Anthony Fauci, attacking Hunter Biden, that is going to do nothing to connect with these women. Because what they are talking about is -- this isn't about feelings or kind of what they'd like to read on TV or read in papers or see on TV, this is about survival. They -- as Wendy told me, John, why she's doing this, it's pain. It's the pain of living your life and feeling like you have lived in a city and a country that does not see you.</s>CAMEROTA: And good for her, with just that shoe leather determination, running around and registering people and getting them -- trying to gin up the enthusiasm and telling them how to change their feelings if they're frustrated. Kate, again, it's so interesting to hear you talk to these women. Thank you very much for bringing that to us.</s>BERMAN: Really, I've got to say --</s>BOLDUAN: Thanks, guys. Thank you so much for having me on.</s>BERMAN: The banner flying overhead there in Detroit telling people to go vote early really tells you everything. Terrific report. All right, more news this morning. The fire that killed 34 people on a dive boat off the California coast last year may have been sparked by cell phones and batteries left charging overnight. Federal safety investigators say the fire could have been prevented by a night watchman. The NTSB is condemning the boat company Truth Aquatics for failing to train their crew on emergency procedures. The chair of the NTSB tells the company, "clean up your act". CNN reached out to the dive company's attorney for a statement, but we did not hear back.</s>CAMEROTA: Listen to this update. Five hundred and forty five children separated from their parents by U.S. Border officials enforcing that zero-tolerance policy a few years ago, they are still not reunited with their parents. A court filing by the Justice Department and the ACLU also says hundreds of parents may have been deported without their children. The lawyers say the pandemic has only hampered these court-ordered reunifications. But we are told that on the ground efforts to find these parents and reunite them with these hundreds of children are resuming.</s>BERMAN: All right. Listen to this, this morning. NASA makes history with the OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft. It touched the surface of an asteroid Tuesday, a first for the United States reaching out its long robotic arm to collect a handful of cosmic rubble. Again, the spacecraft touched down on an asteroid -- we can say that more clearly. Scientists are hoping to study the sample to piece together more about the solar system's evolution. The space probe has orbited the asteroid for nearly two years. It is scheduled to return to earth in 2023. That's just plain cool.</s>CAMEROTA: I know a lot about this because I watched "The Martian" last week --</s>BERMAN: Yes --</s>CAMEROTA: And you know, this stuff is dangerous, John, it doesn't look it, but it's really dangerous.</s>BERMAN: What did you learn about growing potatoes? How -- what can you use to grow potatoes?</s>CAMEROTA: OK, oh, you have to first turn something into</s>H2O. BERMAN: You don't mean it.</s>CAMEROTA: Well, I guess the</s>H2O. BERMAN: Yes --</s>CAMEROTA: I think the H2O you are free to watch --</s>BERMAN: Anyway, congratulations, NASA. It's very cool to land on an asteroid. So President Trump is bringing some people together like never before. We will tell you about this next.

Campaign Strategies?; Voter Intimidation Concerns Growing; President Trump Expresses No Regrets Over Pandemic Response.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Welcome to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper. And we begin with the 2020 lead today -- quote -- "Not much." That's what President Trump said today when asked if there is anything he would do differently to combat the COVID pandemic, "Not Much." The president and Democratic nominee, Joe Biden, are in the final sprint of this historic election. And now, with more than 221,000 Americans dead from coronavirus, more than eight million Americans infected, tens of millions facing economic hardship, kids not able to learn in classrooms, President Trump is saying that, if given the opportunity to do it all over again, he would not change much about his handling of the pandemic, talking to Sinclair television's "America This Week."</s>ERIC BOLLING, SINCLAIR BROADCAST GROUP: Is there anything that you think you could have done differently? If you had a mulligan or a do-over on one aspect of the way you handled it, what would it be?</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Not much.</s>TAPPER: "Not much," the president says, an astounding claim, given that the us has both the highest death and highest infection rates in the world, according to official numbers, and the fact that the virus is right now on the wrong trajectory. No expression of regret for downplaying the virus in February and March, for not getting an aggressive nationwide testing and contact tracing program up and running, for not setting an example and wearing masks and social distancing. "Not much," the president said. Instead, President Trump is continuing to hold his reckless rallies during this deadly pandemic, no masks required, no distancing, just one potential super-spreader event after another, including tonight in North Carolina, risking their health and even the lives of his supporters, and everyone else with whom they come in contact, while he attacks the nation's leading infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and the restrictions put in place in other states, such as Pennsylvania, to keep Americans safe. Let's get right to CNN's Kaitlan Collins live outside the White House. Kaitlan, this "Not much" comment from the president is without question going to be used against him. But, according to Trump, that's how we think see, he's done a great job, and it's Dr. Anthony Fauci is the one who's made mistakes. This is an opinion, we need to point out, at odds with pretty much every one of the respected leaders in the medical and health community.</s>KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jake. And if you speak to those people in the medical community, they say that those statements made by Dr. Fauci, and even others, like the surgeon general, were made at a time when people learned more about this pandemic that people did not know about, and they learned as they went on. And that's why their guidance, including from the CDC, changed. But that's not the way the president has used it. Instead, he hasn't gone after the surgeon general for what he said about not wearing masks earlier on in this pandemic. Instead, he's chosen only to attack Dr. Anthony Fauci, who of course, has high approval ratings and has been a prominent figure out in interviews. And so the president's comment to Sinclair saying that there is very little he would change about his response to the pandemic is going to be a question of how that looks in the eyes of voters, who, of course, so far, Jake, have rejected the president's handling of coronavirus. And that's something he even acknowledged at his rally last night in Pennsylvania. I was there, and he was saying that, if it had been pre- pandemic, he likely wouldn't have even needed to go to a place like Erie, Pennsylvania, as he was last night, because his numbers were so good. But he acknowledged that his standing has been hurt by the fallout from coronavirus. And that's something that, of course, his advisers worry is going to cause him to lose reelection in two weeks just from today.</s>TAPPER: Last night, during his rally in Erie, he criticized the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for having more stringent lockdown measures than other states led by Republican governors. What's he getting at?</s>COLLINS: He also mischaracterized what we have seen as these surges in the United States. He talked about places like Florida and Texas and Arizona, saying that they saw surges, and then they were able to get them back down, though, Jake, of course, we know numbers are surging all over the U.S. at this point, even in places like Pennsylvania, where they had 15 days straight over 1,000 new cases per day. Yet the president was saying that they need to urge their governor to open the state back up, and saying the state wasn't open. And, of course, that was at a rally the president was holding that was in contradiction of what his own federal government has said should be the health guidelines during this pandemic, as we navigate our way through it. And the health and human services secretary was asked about these mixed messages going on between the task force and the president and Dr. Scott Atlas, who is the newest member of the task force, and he insisted there aren't any, Jake, though we can see it. There's living proof it in the president's rallies that he's holding each and every day.</s>TAPPER: Of course there's mixed messages. That's not even a question. That's just a lie from the secretary of health and human services. Thank you so much, Kaitlan Collins. While Joe Biden is off the campaign trail for last-minute debate preparations, he's rolling out arguably his most popular campaign surrogate, former President Barack Obama, who is making his first in- person appearance of the 2020 race this evening. CNN's Arlette Saenz is live in Nashville, which is the site of tomorrow night's debate. Arlette, what do you think we're going to hear from President Obama when he takes the stage tonight at this drive-in rally at Citizens Bank Park, where the Phillies play?</s>ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Well, Jake, President Obama is trying to bring it home for Joe Biden in this final stretch before the election. The former president can personally vouch for Biden in the White House after their time in the White House for those two terms together. And the Biden campaign really believes that the president has helped engage voters over the course of the past few months, both virtually and through fund-raising. And, today, he is taking that basically straight to the campaign trail. One group that they believe he can -- three groups that they believe he can help with are black men, Latinos and young voters, trying to mobilize them in these final weeks before the election. You saw the former president release a video yesterday targeted to young voters, saying that they are the generation that can help create a new normal in this country, and arguing that Biden is on the right side of the issues and can help advance their causes. And you are seeing President Obama hitting the campaign trail in that all-important Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, one of those three states in that Rust Belt area where the Biden campaign really believes that they can make a dent in President Trump's past advantage there after he had flipped those states red back in 2016. And those are exactly the type of areas in Pennsylvania that the Biden campaign is going to be targeting in these coming weeks. And they're hoping President Obama can help with that today.</s>TAPPER: And we will be bringing the viewers some new fresh polling from two of those battleground states, including Pennsylvania, in a few minutes. Arlette, besides Philly, where else is the focus for the Biden campaign today?</s>SAENZ: Well, while Joe Biden is back home in Delaware preparing for this debate against President Trump, his running mate, Kamala Harris, is down in the battleground state of North Carolina, where polls have shown a tight race right there now, after President Trump won that state back in 2016. The Biden campaign hoping to cut off every path that the president might have to regain the presidency, again, back in November. But it's not just important where these candidates are traveling to. It's also important to pay attention to where they are running advertisements on television. And, last night, you saw the Biden campaign roll out this minute-long ad during the World Series. This follows advertisements that they aired during NFL games, just showing the advantage and power of that money they have that they have raised, as they have a sizable advantage over the president when it comes to fund-raising in these closing days before the election.</s>TAPPER: All right, Arlette Saenz in Nashville, thanks so much. A record-shattering number of voters have already made their voices heard in this election. Just look at the lines. People are showing up in droves to polling sites and waiting for hours to cast their votes in early voting. Almost 40 million ballots have been cast so far, 40 million. That's almost 200 percent more compared to this point in 2016. Today, there is troubling new concern about voter intimidation, as CNN's Pamela Brown reports in our latest installment of "Making It Count."</s>PAMELA BROWN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With the election less than two weeks away, voter intimidation is coming to the forefront. Election officials in Florida and Alaska went to the FBI after dozens of people reported receiving e-mails threatening to vote for Trump, or else.</s>RYAN KENNELLY, FLORIDA VOTER: I think calling it out and letting it be seen for what it is will hopefully encourage people to ignore it.</s>BROWN: The e-mail was made to look like it came from a far right group, the Proud Boys, but they have denied involvement. And a CNN analysis found the e-mails were actually sent in a sophisticated way, routed through foreign servers. More cries of possible voter intimidation in Miami, a police officer in full uniform wearing a Trump mask inside a polling place called out by the mayor.</s>FRANCIS SUAREZ (R), MAYOR OF MIAMI, FLORIDA: His actions have violated departmental policy, and he will be disciplined.</s>BROWN: And, in Memphis, a poll worker was fired for asking voters to turn their Black Lives Matter shirts inside out.</s>SUZANNE THOMPSON, SHELBY COUNTY, TENNESSEE, ELECTION COMMISSION: This particular incident was the bad behavior of one poll worker.</s>BROWN: Tennessee laws ban any clothing worn to polling places that endorses a political candidate or party. Social justice messages like BLM are allowed. But, overall, early voting remains in high gear. More than 39 million ballots have been cast nationwide so far. Over a million people have already voted in the battleground states of Wisconsin and Ohio, and staggering numbers in Texas, where more than 5.3 million have cast ballots, representing more than 31 percent of registered voters.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just like to vote in-person. I just know it's going to be there, and I can guarantee it.</s>BROWN: It's clear many Americans have been relying on the post office to deliver their votes. But, as Election Day approaches, Michigan's secretary of state is encouraging voters to turn ballots in personally to drop boxes or their county clerk's office, if they can.</s>JOCELYN BENSON, MICHIGAN SECRETARY OF STATE: There are a lot of uncertainties and variables with the Postal Service.</s>BROWN: A new post office inspector general report finds the post office never investigated how controversial cuts to service in the summer would affect mail delivery.</s>BENSON: My office used the CARES Act funding from the federal government to install close to 1,000 -- over 1,000 drop boxes all around the state for that very reason.</s>BROWN: The postmaster general, who has defended the cuts as nonpolitical, postponed the changes, but on-time mail delivery is still suffering.</s>BROWN: And, Jake, that number for those early ballots cast continues to rise, now crossing more than 40 million ballots cast early. And I do want to point out, given the issues with the Postal Service and how close we are now to the election, election experts are saying, if you haven't already requested a mail-in ballot, your best bet is to go and vote in-person, preferably early. And if you still haven't received your ballot, you may want to come up with a plan B to go in-person, vote, and vote early -- Jake.</s>TAPPER: Definitely go vote. Whoever you're voting for, definitely go vote. Thanks so much, Pamela Brown. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez may get points for creativity, but can her unique approach to motivating young voters actually work? We will discuss. Plus, an alarming development for one of the vaccine trials. We learned today that a volunteer died. What does this mean for testing going forward? That's next.

Obama Hits Trail For Biden; New Presidential Polls

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Brand-new CNN polling from two key battleground states, Pennsylvania and Florida, just 13 days out from Election Day, and with one final debate tomorrow for candidates to make their closing arguments to the American people. Let's get right to CNN political director David Chalian. David, where did the candidates stand in these two critical states?</s>DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: They are critical to the path to 270, Jake. And we're seeing a pattern here form. Take a look at the Florida numbers. Our brand-new CNN poll conducted by SSRS. There's no clear leader. It's a margin of error race. We have Joe Biden at 50 percent, Donald Trump at 46 percent. But that margin of error is indeed plus or minus four points. And there's no clear leader in this big electoral prize. Different story in Pennsylvania. Look at the state of the race in Pennsylvania. Joe Biden has a clear lead, 53 percent in Pennsylvania among likely voters, 43 percent for Donald Trump among likely voters in Pennsylvania. And this fits what we have been seeing, where Biden has some real strength in that upper Midwest Rust Belt region of the country, where the Sunbelt states have been a bit more margin-of-error races.</s>TAPPER: And, David, we know that more than 40 million Americans have already voted this election. What does this poll tell us about early voting in Pennsylvania and in Florida?</s>CHALIAN: This is just so fascinating, and how different the Biden world is voting vs. the Trump world plans to vote. Take a look. Among those already voted in Florida, OK, Biden is getting 71 percent of those votes, Trump is getting 27 percent. Among those who tell us they still plan to vote in Florida, Trump beats Biden among those voters 56 to 40. So you see the huge amount of vote that Joe Biden is banking with those folks that already voted. It's a similar story in Pennsylvania. Among those who have told us they already voted in this poll, 88 percent Biden, 10 percent Trump. But then you look at that universe that say they still plan to vote, either in the mail or in person on Election Day, and Trump is winning those voters who haven't yet voted 54 percent to 42 percent, Jake. And there is a story here about enthusiasm as well. We see a slight enthusiasm advantage for Trump here in the state of Florida. Among likely voters, 58 percent of Trump voters in this poll say they're extremely enthusiastic about their vote; 49 percent of Biden voters save the same. In Pennsylvania, it's not quite as big a gap there, but still, numerically, Trump voters, 61 percent -- he has an edge in terms of people who say they're extremely enthusiastic about the vote, vs. 56 percent of Biden voters who say so in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.</s>TAPPER: All right, David Chalian. And that's another reminder, David, that the election results that we learn on election night might actually favor Donald Trump, if you don't count the ballots that have already been sent in, which is why it's important to count all the votes before we declare a winner one way or the other. Let's bring in CNN's Abby Phillip and Nia-Malika Henderson into this conversation. We're going to have even more numbers from that poll in a second. Abby, first of all, I mean, generally, those polls are good for Joe Biden, but pretty significant enthusiasm gap in Florida favoring Trump.</s>ABBY PHILLIP, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that is pretty notable. And it struck out at me, an enthusiasm gap, it seems, almost in general in some of the other states as well, maybe not as large as in Florida. But I think back to some reporting that our colleague Kate Bolduan just did in Michigan, where she was talking to some voters there, some Black women voters, who -- some of whom said, I'm not super jazzed about voting for Joe Biden, but I'm going to do it anyway because I think that this is a critically important election. The coronavirus in particular pushing people to do that. So, this time around -- I think, last -- four years ago, last election, the enthusiasm gap was a significant issue and a significant problem. This time around, I think the fundamentals are a little bit different. I think people are feeling a sense of urgency that perhaps they didn't feel before. I think the coronavirus has made this election much more visceral for many Americans. And while people might not be enthusiastic about voting for Joe Biden, the polls also show that they don't dislike him as much as they might have disliked Hillary Clinton four years ago.</s>TAPPER: Right. Four years ago, Trump said, what have you got to lose? And now people know. Nia-Malika, Biden holds the lead in both Florida and Pennsylvania among key demographics, women, voters of color, voters aged 65 and older. I mean, that's very worrying for the Trump campaign.</s>NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: Especially those seniors numbers. If you look back to 2016, seniors made up about 21 percent of the electorate in both Florida and Pennsylvania. Trump won seniors in Florida by about 17 points. He won seniors in Pennsylvania by about 10 points. So, this swing has got to be worrisome for the campaign, particularly because it's something you can't fix easily. This is a campaign that's about COVID, and it's also about character. And, obviously, seniors have been hit most of all hardest, in many ways, by COVID. And in character, all of those issues about the president's behavior, his Twitter feed, his comments on race, any number of issues that bedeviled this president in terms of character, seniors also care about that. So you have seen the president try to do any number of things. He had those $200 drug prescription cards that he was supposed to send out. It doesn't look like that's going to happen. We will have this moment at the debate, but it's not clear that you can turn this around, particularly with those seniors. The other groups, it's not really surprising that Biden is leading among women, that he's leading among people of color. It'll be about turnout of those groups. It'll be about margin with those groups. But these seniors numbers, a real reversal of fortune for this president and for Republicans more broadly.</s>TAPPER: And, David, Joe Biden's looking to Pennsylvania and the Rust Belt as his main path to victory. And, in Pennsylvania, there is this massive divide among white voters when it comes to education level. White voters who have four-year college degree support Biden over Trump 63 to 35. Those who do not hold college degrees favor Trump by 59 to 35. What do you make of this?</s>CHALIAN: Yes, this is one of the great divides in American politics now. And we saw this starting in the Clinton-Trump race. And we know that white non-college-educated vote is Donald Trump's base, especially white non-college-educated men. But when you look at that white college-educated vote, this is taking what Hillary Clinton was doing and sort of turbocharging it for Joe Biden. And, by the way, women, white women with college degrees is part of what is powering that to such a big advantage for Joe Biden.</s>TAPPER: And, Abby, one demographic where Biden is struggling -- or -- I'm sorry, David -- one demographic where Biden is struggling is with Latinos in Florida. And this poll suggests Biden is underperforming Hillary Clinton's 2016 showing in the state among Latino voters; 52 percent back Biden; 45 percent Trump; Clinton won 62 percent of this group, according to exit polling there. How big of a problem is that for Biden? Or does he make up for that with all the seniors that he's winning over?</s>CHALIAN: You just hit the nail on the head there, Jake. I mean, I do think what he makes up with seniors, with independents, also a group that Donald Trump won in Florida last time around, is enormous and really important to why Joe Biden's at 50 percent and Donald Trump's at 46 percent. But watch that Latino number in Florida specifically, because we know it's not monolithic at all. There are all different slices of the Latino electorate in Florida politics. And, yes, he's underperforming where Clinton was, which is something that the Biden campaign is consistently trying to work on. Obviously, that's a small sample. It's got a 10 percent margin of error, so some caution there with that number. But this has been on Joe Biden's to-do list for months now. And he still doesn't seem to be quite at sort of the Clinton levels. And, of course, she ended up losing that state anyway, Jake.</s>TAPPER: That's right. And, Abby, just last night, President Trump was in the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Take a listen to an interesting admission from the president. He was at a rally in Erie.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Before the plague came in, I had it made. I wasn't coming to Erie. I mean, I have to be honest, there was no way I was coming. I didn't have to. I would have called you and said, hey, Erie, if you have a chance, get out and vote. We had this thing won, and then we got hit with the plague. And I had to go back to work. Hello, Erie. May I please have your vote?</s>TAPPER: Really saying the quiet part out loud there.</s>PHILLIP: Yes, no kidding. How's that for a pitch to voters? I really don't want to be here talking to you, but I have to, because I need you to get out and vote.</s>TAPPER: Right.</s>PHILLIP: I don't -- the president's supporters actually would probably love something like that from him, the sort of, I guess they would call it self-deprecating humor. But I also think it's kind of not true as well. And we should point out that this really has been a very stable race. Joe Biden has been, according to the polls, leading President Trump for a long time, pretty consistently, in fact, in many of these states. And so the that trend, perhaps, you could argue was exacerbated by the virus, but there has been some fundamental weakness for President Trump all along in this race. And now, when it's crunch time, that situation is really bad. But he may be right in one respect, which is that there are parts of that state that he should have locked down, parts of that state where he should have very large margins. And that's going to be one of the big things that we look for on election night, is, in the places where he's supposed to do well, is he doing well enough to overcome Joe Biden's strengths in more of the urban areas and the suburban areas around the big cities in Pennsylvania?</s>TAPPER: Yes, I mean, the Trump team was worried about Biden from back in 2019, when the president was pressuring Ukraine to give him dirt. I mean, like, this is not just because of the pandemic. Nia, the Biden campaign has been warning supporters that this race is a lot closer than pollsters say. And, obviously, the party is still reeling from their shock of Hillary Clinton losing. "The New York Times" is reporting that some Democrats are beginning to consider that there might be a landslide. I want to under -- I want to underline, I am not saying that. Some Democrats are saying that to "The New York Times."</s>HENDERSON: You know, I was talking to a Democrat earlier who was saying the same thing. Maybe there'd be a landslide. She said she would never want to say that publicly, because of where this thing is and because of what happened in 2016. Another Democrat I talked to say she's afraid of the unknowns, right? If you think about 2016, there were all of these things going on, including Russian interference, but also sort of algorithms and Facebook digital ads and a strategy that wasn't necessarily visible to the Clinton campaign. So, that's one of the things that she's afraid of, as well as voter suppression. There are obviously efforts, known and unknown, about what the Republicans are trying to do to depress and suppress the vote. So, that is also something that's keeping Democrats up at night. So, I don't know that many of them are going to be a publicly proclaiming that they're expecting a landslide come November.</s>TAPPER: All right, Abby, Nia-Malika, David, thanks to all of you. Appreciate it. When asked what he would do differently in handling the pandemic if he got the chance to do it again, the president said -- quote -- "Not much." How is he justifying that incredibly tone-deaf response? That's next. Plus: what a major coronavirus vaccine developer is saying today about the safety of his vaccine after one of its volunteers died. Stay with us.

President Trump Expresses No Regrets Over Pandemic Response.

TAPPER: In our 2020 lead -- quote -- "Not much." President Trump in denial and on the attack in the final stretch of the campaign, asked what he would do differently when it comes to his handling of the coronavirus pandemic on Sinclair television's "America This Week" -- well, listen to the president's stunning answer.</s>ERIC BOLLING, SINCLAIR BROADCAST GROUP: Is there anything that you think you could have done differently? If you had a mulligan or a do-over on one aspect of the way you handled it, what would it be?</s>TRUMP: Not much.</s>TAPPER: "Not much," the president said, not much. With more than 221,000 Americans dead from coronavirus, more than eight million infected, tens of millions of Americans facing economic hardship, kids not able to learn in classrooms, President Trump is saying that he would not change much about his handling of the pandemic, a remarkable claim, given that the us has both the highest death rate and the highest infection rates in the world, according to official numbers, and the fact that the virus is right now again on the wrong trajectory. No expression of regret for downplaying the virus in February and March, for not getting an aggressive nationwide testing and contact tracing program up and running, for not setting an example and wearing masks and social distancing. "Not much," President Trump said. And, as CNN's Kaitlan Collins reports for us now, the president spent much of last night's rally going after Dr. Anthony Fauci, and the Presidential Debate Commission, and journalists, and Joe Biden, and the governor of Pennsylvania.</s>KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Less than two weeks until the election, President Trump's closing message to voters has been a series of attacks on the news media and his own health experts.</s>TRUMP: You have to watch what we do to "60 Minutes." You will get such a kick out of it. Look at Fauci, where he originally said, don't wear a mask.</s>COLLINS: That's not the argument the president's political advisers were hoping for as he plays defense in key states. Trump is spending every day on the road, and now heading for North Carolina, after downplaying the pandemic in Pennsylvania.</s>TRUMP: Pennsylvania has been shut down long enough. Get your governor to open up Pennsylvania.</s>COLLINS: At one point, the president bluntly acknowledged that his chances of being reelected were altered by fallout from the pandemic.</s>TRUMP: Before the plague came in, I had it made. I wasn't coming to Erie. I mean, I have to be honest, there was no way I was coming. I didn't have to. And then we got hit with the plague. And I had to go back to work.</s>COLLINS: Although coronavirus is surging across the U.S. again, the president has continued to hold large rallies that contradict guidelines from the federal government. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar insists there are no mixed messages.</s>ALEX AZAR, U.S. HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: I speak for him. And I'm telling you, our strategy is, reduce cases, reduce hospitalizations, reduce mortality. That is the message of this administration and the strategy of this administration.</s>COLLINS: Trump maintains there is nothing he could have done differently when it comes to his coronavirus response.</s>TRUMP: Not much. Look, it's all over the world. You have a lot of great leaders, a lot of smart people. It's all over the world.</s>COLLINS: The president is now threatening to preempt "60 Minutes" and release a recording of his interview with them before it airs, after he became frustrated with Lesley Stahl's questioning and abruptly ended the interview.</s>BRIAN MORGENSTERN, WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: He wants to make sure that he gets a fair shake, that there isn't some deceptive editing going on.</s>COLLINS: Trump and his daughter Ivanka will headline a fund-raiser in Tennessee tomorrow ahead of the final debate, after new filings revealed the extent of the president's money troubles. Trump is badly outmatched by Joe Biden, whose campaign has $177 million hand, while Trump's only has $63 million. At least one prominent member of the president's party has broken with him ahead of the election, Utah Senator Mitt Romney telling CNN today he didn't vote for President Trump.</s>COLLINS: Now, Jake, ahead of that final presidential debate tomorrow night, we are told the president is not doing formal prep sessions, like he did for the last debate. Of course, those were the sessions that were tied to so many of his close advisers getting coronavirus eventually, in addition to that Rose Garden event. And, instead, he's doing things like going to North Carolina to hold another rally with supporters, though it's a state that we should note is seeing record numbers of new cases right now.</s>TAPPER: Which won't be helped by a rally with no masks or distancing required. Kaitlan Collins, thanks so much. Right now, former President Barack Obama is in the great city of Philadelphia, as part of his campaigning for his former vice president, Joe Biden, in the critical battleground of Pennsylvania. And, as CNN's Jeff Zeleny reports for us, the Biden campaign is hoping Obama can motivate three key groups of voters, as Biden is off the trail working on last-minute debate prep.</s>BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Hello, Philadelphia!</s>JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Former President Barack Obama is back on the campaign trail, making his first stop of the 2020 race where he left off in 2016.</s>OBAMA: Are you fired up?</s>OBAMA: Are you ready to go?</s>ZELENY: But, four years ago, Donald Trump won Pennsylvania, which is exactly why Obama is starting his push for Joe Biden in Philadelphia, his first in a series of appearances over the final two weeks. To boost enthusiasm for Biden, Obama is making a direct appeal to younger voters.</s>OBAMA: Your generation can be the one that creates a new normal in America, one that's fair, where the system treats everybody equally, and gives everybody opportunity.</s>ZELENY: And he's working to solidify support among black voters in Pennsylvania and other key battlegrounds. It's the biggest test yet of Obama's political clout, after coming up short during the last presidential race, despite his aggressive campaigning for Hillary Clinton.</s>OBAMA: I'm betting that the wisdom and decency and generosity of the American people will once again win the day. And that is a bet that I have never, ever lost.</s>ZELENY: This time, Obama has a new argument in his arsenal, the record of Trump's first term, a case he spelled out during his Democratic Convention speech, also from here in Philadelphia.</s>OBAMA: Donald Trump hasn't grown into the job, because he can't. And the consequences of that failure are severe.</s>ZELENY: He's also injecting himself squarely into the fight for Democratic control of the Senate, making personal appeals in new television ads for challengers, from South Carolina.</s>OBAMA: If you want a senator who will fight for criminal justice reform, lower college costs, and make health care affordable, you have got to vote for my friend Jaime Harrison.</s>ZELENY: To Georgia.</s>OBAMA: You don't find a lot of people in Washington like Reverend Warnock. And that's exactly why we have got to get him there.</s>ZELENY: To Maine.</s>OBAMA: Help elect Sara Gideon and make sure, if Joe Biden wins, he will have a Senate ready to work with him to move our country forward.</s>ZELENY: And in Michigan for Democratic incumbent Senator Gary Peters.</s>OBAMA: Gary was there every step of the way helping save the auto industry, protecting the Great Lakes, covering preexisting conditions.</s>ZELENY: Yet there's little doubt Obama's chief focus is on Trump. And the feeling that the president's campaign rallies is mutual.</s>TRUMP: He campaigned harder than Hillary Clinton did for Hillary. And it just made us stronger. I want him to campaign so much. I want him to campaign, because we're going to do even better.</s>ZELENY: Now, the former president, Jake, is beginning his stop here in Philadelphia right now at a meeting with black leaders at a community center in North Philadelphia. This is one of the specific audiences the former president is trying to reach, black men. They believe that they need to increase their support for the Biden campaign, as well as younger voters and Latino voters. That is exactly why Mr. Obama is out on the campaign trail right now. And, Jake, he will also be appearing here at a drive-in rally. It's one of the things that Biden campaign has been doing, but certainly different from the last time that the former president appeared on the campaign trail. But he will be making the case for Joe Biden. Now, there's no question this is about Biden vs. Trump. But, Jake, it's also one more chance for this country to take a measure of the two men, Barack Obama and Donald Trump -- Jake.</s>TAPPER: All right, Jeff Zeleny, thanks so much. We have some breaking news for you now. The CDC is changing what it considers to be close contact with a coronavirus patient. We will discuss what that might mean for you with Dr. Sanjay Gupta. That's next.

New Filings Show Trump Campaign Had $63 Million Going into October Compared to Biden's $177 Million; Rep. Ocasio-Cortez's Get Out The Vote Stream on Twitch Racked Up More Than 4.7 Million Views

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: But that is a big difference when it comes to cash on hand.</s>MIA LOVE, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: So, Joe Biden came into October with three times the amount of money that President Trump came into. And I think that that's concerning for two reasons. One is you are no longer a challenger. You are an incumbent and if you are not getting more people to support you financially that should raise some eyebrows. And at least you should recognize something's wrong here. I think that if you go into this thinking that everything's OK, that is a sure way to lose a race. You always have to feel as if you are behind, and he certainly is financially, but that kind of shows -- well, I don't say kind of, it shows that he should have more support than he has right now, and Joe Biden shouldn't be outraising him as much as he is. Three times is a big amount.</s>TAPPER: And, Paul, I had to ask my kids what this was. Congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez last night held a huge "get out the vote" event, it was on Twitch, that's an online streaming platform where she played a game that my kids are familiar with. And she racked up more than 4.7 million views. You play this game while you're talking, you can take questions. I mean she's the first politician in the federal government, I know, to do something like this. What do you make of it?</s>PAUL BEGALA, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Just brilliant. It is brilliant. First, I didn't know what it was, either. I figured Mr. Trump probably doesn't. Probably thinks Twitch is like a side effect from the steroids they've got him on. But this is brilliant. They teach political organizers meet people where they live, right. And people are living on Twitch. They're gaming, and particularly the people that represented Ocasio-Cortez and the Democrats want to reach. I just think it's brilliant. More broadly as someone from the Clinton wing of the party, not the AOC Bernie wing of the party. I have been really impressed at how hard Bernie, AOC and the left have worked to bring people into this process and have them vote for Joe. Joe Biden probably their fourth or fifth choice. 2016 one of the reason Hillary lost is some -- too many on the left took a walk. Either stayed home or they voted for third- and fourth-party candidates. I don't see that now and I think people like me owe it to just to honesty and integrity to thank AOC, and to thank Bernie and the folks who in the primaries were on the opposite side of, for just what terrific team players they're being in this election.</s>TAPPER: Lastly, Congresswoman Mia Love, your fellow Utahan, Senator Mitt Romney, did not vote for Trump. He didn't say who he voted for. Last time I think he wrote in his wife, Ann Romney. Have you voted yet? You want to tell us who you voted for? You don't have to, there's privacy in this country, but -- have you voted yet?</s>LOVE: You know what, I have told you who I'm not voting for, and I have to tell you -- to me this is not about -- I just can't see myself voting for the best of two candidates that I just don't think are the best choices. I refuse to play that -- you know, I am certainly going to vote. Whether I write in a name is something that's left to be determined.</s>TAPPER: OK, so another Utah Republican not voting for President Trump is what I'm taking from that. Congresswoman Mia Love --</s>LOVE: I haven't said anything. I just haven't made a choice. You're right, yes.</s>TAPPER: OK. Congresswoman Mia Love, Paul Begala, thank you so much, appreciate you both. Coming up, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention doing something it has not done in months, with health experts warning of a painful winter ahead. Stay with us.

White House Gets Pushback on Size of Stimulus Plan from GOP Senators

TAPPER: We have some breaking news in our HEALTH LEAD now. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC, long regarded as the world's premier public health agency, is doing something we have not seen at all during this pandemic. The CDC is holding an in-person, on- camera briefing with Director Dr. Robert Redfield and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. CNN's senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is at the briefing which we expect to begin in moments. And Elizabeth, the CDC has been repeatedly sidelined by the White House during this pandemic, so the fact they're holding this briefing is significant in and of itself. What are we expecting to hear?</s>ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Jake, we'll be listening for tone. We'll be listening for does Secretary Azar and Dr. Redfield, will they be encouraging mask usage even though their boss President Trump has made fun of people who wear masks. Will they be encouraging other kinds of efforts when their President has said, people are tired of COVID, that's the kind of thing that we're going to be listening for. Also, how optimistic are they that there's going to be a vaccine by the end of the year -- Jake?</s>TAPPER: And ahead of today's briefing HHS Secretary Azar and the Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams, they both shared personal stories about how the pandemic has affected them. What did they have to say?</s>COHEN: Yes, it was actually very touching, Jake. So, Dr. Adams talked about how his wife has cancer, sadly, and that her diagnosis was delayed because of COVID. And so, he shared that story. And Secretary Azar revealed that his father had died during the pandemic and that he didn't get to spend his final months with him, and that he didn't get to mourn communally with other people as we like to do. And so, sharing those stories, I thought, was very touching, because people learn from people. And I thought that was very touching, especially since, again, their boss, President Trump, has repeatedly said, his virus is nothing. He makes it sound like not a big deal. These two men were saying just within their immediate families, it is a big deal, and hopefully people can listen to other people's stories and learn.</s>TAPPER: All right, Elizabeth Cohen at the CDC, thank you so much. Now to our MONEY LEAD. Nearly 24 hours after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's self-imposed deadline, negotiations on a new stimulus bill are still ongoing. White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows says he is optimistic that a deal will be reached. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is clearly less than enthusiastic about a costly spending package. CNN's Manu Raju is live on Capitol Hill with the latest for us. Manu break it down for us. Where are negotiations right now?</s>MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, actually, Mark Meadows was just up on Capitol Hill talking to Senate Republicans, and he got an earful from Republicans who are concerned about the direction of these talks with Nancy Pelosi. Several Senate Republicans who I spoke with who emerged from this lunch said that the concerns are that the President and the White House are moving way too close to what Nancy Pelosi wants and moving much further away to what their liking is about the overall price tag of this deal. And plus, they have a lot of questions about what exactly is in the negotiations? What have Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Nancy Pelosi agreed to? Mark Meadows didn't have many answers about what they've agreed to so far, I'm told one Senator Shelley Moore Capito told me that Meadows got a lot of, quote, pushback, the question being, why are they bidding this so high and they're going to lose so much Republican support? So, there's a growing expectation on the Hill, Jake, that any deal will likely slip until after the election, even if Nancy Pelosi and the White House say they have a deal in principle. Getting final passing through both chambers may wait for a lame duck session of Congress after the election when they're free of election pressures. But that is no relief for people who are waiting for Congress to do something. They may have to wait even longer as Pelosi and Mnuchin are still trying to nail down a number of details, but they are indicating they're moving closer to getting an ultimate agreement here -- Jake.</s>TAPPER: Yes, millions of Americans have fallen into poverty and need that relief. Manu Raju, thank you so much. More than 2 and a half million years of life have been lost in the United States due to the pandemic according a new study, and we want to take the time to remember just one of those more than 221,000 lives. Danny Gonzalez was 54 years old, he died just five days after being admitted to the hospital. Gonzalez worked as a land surveyor in southern California for more than 30 years. His family says one of his greatest accomplishments was working on the new Los Angeles Rams stadium. He was a provider for his wife of 36 years, four daughters, two grand granddaughters. They remember him as the life of the party, always in a good mood and smiling. May his memory and the memories of all those lost be a blessing. Coming up, children across the U.S. are enduring another devastating impact of the pandemic, as another city stops in-person learning due to surging cases. Plus, we're getting a brand-new CNN poll at the top of the hour. See who has the advantage in two key battleground states inside two weeks until election day. Stay with us.

Virginia School District Forced to Cancel Classes Due to Internet Outage.

TAPPER: In our NATIONAL LEAD, today Boston's public schools announced that they will move back to all virtual learning because coronavirus cases are spiking. In Michigan, 84 schools have reported COVID cases, but in New York City, the nation's largest school district where kids are learning in-person and virtually, there has been no reported major outbreak. Joining me now is Alexandra, Virginia's Public School Superintendent Gregory Hutchings where classes now are all virtual. Thanks for joining me, Mr. Superintendent. I appreciate it. Just today in Arlington, Virginia classes were canceled because of an internet outage. I have to say as a father whose kids are learning virtually, online learning brings so many challenges. Do you think kid are learning less because of this crisis?</s>GREGORY HUTCHINGS, ALEXANDRA CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT: You know, Jake, I think that is the million-dollar question. I really do think that kids are not learning the best in this situation, and we're trying to do everything possible in this, you know, pandemic that we're experiencing right now. But it is absolutely not the best learning for our kids virtually.</s>TAPPER: In Alexandria, you're planning to bring students back gradually and in smaller groups, starting first with children with disabilities. When do you anticipate that every student in your district will be back in the classroom? Not until there's a vaccine?</s>HUTCHINGS: So, you know, I think having all of our students at one time in our classrooms, it definitely, probably won't be until a vaccine occurs. You know, this pandemic is completely unpredictable and there's so many uncertainties that we have that it is clearly impossible to have all of our students back, especially trying to meet the CDC guidelines of 6-feet distancing.</s>TAPPER: Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said yesterday that it is not the Department of Education's job to track schools' coronavirus reopening plans. I would think that that attitude might make your job more difficult. I mean as a parent, I would love to know what works in some schools and some states and what has not worked? I assume you would as well. Is the Department of Education failing here?</s>HUTCHINGS: Yes, you know, we need a lot more support from the U.S. Department of Education. I really believe that not receiving the guidance especially at the local level it really puts us in a very, you know, tough situation because we are now forced to make these decisions in a vacuum. And I think the U.S. Department of Ed could provide more guidance as well as resources and suggestions for us, really dealing with this global pandemic and the needs of our students.</s>TAPPER: I'm sure you've looked into every possible option. I know you want to have the schools open. A simulation in one classroom found that open windows, glass, desk shields, hand hygiene, obviously, masks could dramatically reduce the risk of spreading the virus. Why not do that? Is that not enough?</s>HUTCHINGS: Well you know that's -- we can do some of those things. I think the bigger issue is the capacity, the building capacity. Trying to have or meet the CDC guidelines of six feet distancing in our classrooms, it really limits the number of students that can be in a classroom at a particular time which has building constraints. And then we also have our staff, and, you know, I think it's so important for us to remember that our staff members are a part of this global pandemic as well. So if they have challenges with health conditions or they have, you know, age restrictions or they have, you know, situations in their family circumstances that are impacting them and not making them able to be in our schools, that has a significant impact on our operations. So, beyond the safety component for returning to school, it's the building capacity, as well as the staffing constraints.</s>TAPPER: Is it fiscally impossible, is it just not affordable to come up with some sort of plan where you would be able to test students, teachers, faculty, support staff, et cetera, once every two weeks just so that you could have classrooms, you know, with mask wearing and everything you can do, and then you're just keeping a track on whenever there's an outbreak? Is there just not enough money, not enough testing for that sort of thing?</s>HUTCHINGS: I believe it's both money and testing. You know, I think when we were talking to our health professionals just recently and there are limitations in regards the amount of testing. If we are testing all of our students and all of our staff every couple of weeks, that has a significant impact on the testing out in the city or in our communities. So that could have a negative impact. So the testing of all of our staff and all of our students I think is unreasonable. But we will need to follow some of the other safety precautions such as six foot distancing and having the face coverings and making sure that we're doing our cleaning protocols on a continuous basis. I think those things can definitely help us.</s>TAPPER: I don't understand. How would testing adversely affect other people or in the city or -- I guess I don't understand. I can understand not being able to afford it but why wouldn't you do it, if you could do it?</s>HUTCHINGS: Yes, so what I was meaning by that is some of the tests that are being available to test our communities. If we are now using those tests for all of our students and all of our staff members that could have a negative impact --</s>TAPPER: Because you're taking them away from the other people.</s>HUTCHINGS: Yes, it's what I meant by that. Not necessarily that the testing was going to be a negative piece. But it's using those testing resources every two weeks. It would be significant having all of our staff and our students tested every 14 days.</s>TAPPER: Yes, I get it but, I mean, I just have to say as a parent, I mean, I don't know how much kids are learning during this and, obviously, you know this better than I do. It's causing tremendous emotional pain. There's increased suicidal ideation, increased alcohol and drug abuse, all sorts of horrific impacts on kids. I mean this is going to leave scars for some kids for decades. You know running a public-school system there are -- I mean I don't know what the situation is in your school system, but I've seen reports of other ones where there are just thousands of kids who don't logon. They have a computer, they have wi-fi, but their parents are out at work. How bad are those concerns? I know you share those concerns. How bad is that situation in Alexandria schools?</s>HUTCHINGS: Yes, so I do, I share those concerns as well. And what we are seeing is about 93 percent of our students are engaged in our online learning. We've been fortunate to have the technology devices and the technology infrastructure to actually accommodate the virtual leaning in Alexandria. I do think that some of the major challenges is the socialization that our students really thrive on and especially our youngest learners. I mean I was just talking to a parent recently via email around their kindergartener who's having to learn how to read virtually. And that has a significant negative impact on our students so we are trying to work through how we can at least meet the needs of our most vulnerable students. Meaning our early learners, our students with special needs, our English learners to make this possible. But it is going to be impossible to bring everybody back into our facilities.</s>TAPPER: All right, Gregory Hutchings, thanks so much, really appreciate it. And best of luck to you and all your students and faculty. Coming up, some brand-new CNN polls out in moments right here on THE LEAD. What it looks like in perhaps the two most critical battleground states and bringing the closer to a mound, very soon former President Barack Obama will make his first appearance on the campaign trail for Joe Biden in one of those states. Stay with us.

CDC Redefines Close Contact To Include Cumulative Exposure; U.S. Tops 221,000 Deaths And 8.3 Million Cases; Not One State Is Trending In The Right Direction

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: You can join me for the final presidential debate tomorrow night CNN special coverage begins 7:00 Eastern. And then we'll cover after the debate as well. You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @jaketapper. Tweet the show @theleadcnn. Our coverage on CNN continues right now.</s>WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM. And we're following breaking news out of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The director, Dr. Robert Redfield, saying only moments ago that the agency has now updated its definition of a close contact with a COVID-19 patient to include multiple brief exposures. The United States now has surpassed 221,000 coronavirus deaths and tonight has confirmed more than 8.3 million cases. And a stark sign of the worsening pandemic here in the United States, not a single state is trending in the right direction right now. If it was, we'd be showing that in green on this map. You don't see any green. Also breaking this hour. Just moments from now we're going to be hearing directly from the former president of the United States, Barack Obama in his first campaign stump speech since the Democratic Convention. He'll be making the case for Joe Biden. When it happens, we'll bring it to you live. This comes with just 13 days left until the election and more than 40 million votes already cast. We're tracking it all including the path to the 270 electoral votes needed to win the White House. Let's begin our coverage this hour with our Chief White House Correspondent Jim Acosta. Jim, with less than two weeks, 13 days to go until Election Day, President Trump appears to be growing more erratic.</s>JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf. President Trump is back to his old tricks of manufacturing bright, shiny objects. When he's in big political trouble. The President is on the attack against a slew of targets from the media to Dr. Anthony Fauci. But the President is defending his record on the coronavirus, saying there is, "not much he would change in how he handled the pandemic."</s>ACOSTA (voice-over): With the coronavirus surge blanketing the U.S. President Trump insists he has no regrets when it comes to his handling of the pandemic telling the Trump friendly program "America This Week" on Sinclair television, he wouldn't change much.</s>ERIC BOLLING, AMERICA THIS WEEK HOST: With COVID, is there anything that you think you could have done differently? If you had a mulligan or a do over on one aspect of the way he handled it, what would it be?</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Not much. Look, it's all over the world. You have a lot of great leaders. There's a lot of smart people, too all over the world</s>ACOSTA: Trying to switch subjects the President is raging out at a different T.V. show, "60 Minutes," tweeting out photos of his recent interview with Lesley Stahl who grilled Mr. Trump on his COVID-19 response and other matters before he stormed off. The President this morning over Twitter, "I am pleased to inform you that for the sake of accuracy and reporting, I am considering posting my interview with Lesley Stahl of "60 Minutes" prior to airtime. This will be done so that everybody can get a glimpse of what a fake unbiased interview is all about."</s>MARK MEADOWS, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: I've looked at every single minute of the interview and then some. We have tape of every single minute. Listen when you have a "60 Minutes" reporter, they should be a reporter not an opinion journalist and she came across more like an opinion journalist than a real reporter. Journalism should have standards. And we need to get to the bottom up. So I think the American people will be able to see it.</s>ACOSTA: For the President, the last two weeks of the campaign have become a journey into Mr. Trump's grievance filled psyche as he is making up accusations about upcoming debate moderator Kristen Welker, a well-respected NBC News journalist.</s>TRUMP: In fact that Kristen Welker is, you know, a dyed in the wool radical left Democrat or whatever she is.</s>ACOSTA: And alleging Dr. Anthony Fauci is a Democrat when he's not registered with a political party.</s>TRUMP: The only thing I say is, he's a little bit sometimes not a team player. But he is a Democrat, and I think that he's just fine.</s>ACOSTA: And calling Democrat Joe Biden all sorts of things without any proof.</s>TRUMP: Joe Biden is a criminal and he's been a criminal for a long time.</s>ACOSTA: Down in the polls, the President sounds like he's laying the groundwork for blaming the virus if he loses.</s>TRUMP: Because, you know, before the plague came in, I had it made. I wasn't coming to Erie. I mean, I have to be honest, there's no way I was coming. I didn't have to. We had this thing won. We were so far up. We had the greatest economy ever, greatest jobs, greatest everything. And then we got hit with the plague.</s>ACOSTA: Away from the virus critical questions are emerging about the President's finances. As the New York Times reported, Mr. Trump has had a bank account in China where he's paid taxes in recent years.</s>MEADOWS: Most the time, those accounts whether they exist or not, I don't know. I haven't talked to the President about that. Normally, those are more operational for the region.</s>ACOSTA: Biden remains in debate prep (ph) allowing former President Barack Obama to get out to vote.</s>BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is really a tipping point. And that momentum only continues if we win this election. In times as polarized as these, your vote doesn't just matter, it matters more than ever before.</s>ACOSTA: And I'm told by administration officials before Mr. Trump started trashing Dr. Anthony Fauci this week as a, "disaster." The two men did speak during the President's recovery from COVID-19. Following that discussion between Mr. Trump and Dr. Fauci, a White House official was also in touch with the doctor about the President's condition prior to last week's town hall. Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Very interesting. Jim Acosta reporting for us. We will have live coverage, of course, President Obama's speech in Philadelphia that's coming up very soon right here in THE SITUATION ROOM. Meanwhile, more now on the breaking pandemic news CNN's Brian Todd is working the story for us. Brian, major news about the coronavirus coming from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.</s>BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf. The CDC just out with a new definition of what it is to have close contact with someone who has COVID-19. The previous definition was if you were within six feet of someone for 15 minutes or more, but now they say it can be shorter spurts of that if it's cumulative, meaning it can be less than 15 minutes at a time, if it adds up to 15 minutes within 24 hours. Meanwhile, it's really local and state officials tonight who are left to be the ones making crucial decisions in fighting local outbreaks.</s>TODD (voice-over): A 24-hour diner in Chicago prepares to shut down indoor dining for at least a couple of weeks.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But I never thought something like this could happen, you know.</s>TODD: Illinois, one of several states experiencing rising cases and hospitalizations, and imposing new restrictions on gatherings in bars, restaurants and other businesses.</s>GOV. JB PRITZKER, (D) ILLINOIS: There is no easy fix for the effects of this virus on our economy and on our public health. But we can and we will manage through this. We're Midwestern tough here in Illinois.</s>TODD: It comes as state and local officials scramble to contain spikes across the country. Washington State's governor says college students in his state are contributing to what he calls a raging spread of the virus. And he's imposing mask requirements and a limit of two students per dorm room.</s>GOV. JAY INSLEE, (D) WASHINGTON: Today we have seen fully 35 outbreaks at colleges and universities with more than 800 cases directly attributable to these congregate living and social gatherings associated with campuses.</s>TODD: At the University of Michigan, a stay in place order imposed due to heavy cases. Tonight, more than half the states in the U.S. report a rise in new coronavirus cases, no states are trending downward. More than 60,000 new cases were reported in America yesterday alone with hospitalizations at around 40,00,0 the highest in two months.</s>DR. AMY COMPTON-PHILLIPS, CHIEF CLINICAL OFFICER, PROVIDENCE HEALTH & SERVICES: It's going to be up to local states to different jurisdictions trying to create a patchwork of capacity to stop the virus. Because right now we simply don't have national leadership leaning in and helping us get past this.</s>TODD: Also new tonight, the CDC updating its definition of close contact with someone who has COVID, instead of just saying 15 minutes within six feet, they are now also warning of cumulative exposure. So several short contacts could also be considered exposure if it 15 minutes over 24 hours.</s>DR. ROBERT REDFIELD, CDC DIRECTOR: Been determined an individual who had a series of shorter contacts, but over time added up to more than 15 minutes became infected.</s>TODD: And there's new pushback to the idea of so-called herd immunity, letting the virus run unchecked through communities so more people would contract COVID-19. The thought being some could later develop resistance to the virus. It's been promoted by some people in the Trump administration. But today the President's own Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams tweeted that herd immunity could lead to many deaths and, "there is no example of a large scale successful intentional infection-based herd immunity strategy." As martyrs in the nation's capital push for a safe coronavirus vaccine, Brazilian health officials say a volunteer taking part in Brazil's trial of AstraZeneca experimental vaccine has died. But the International Committee reviewing vaccines recommends that the trial continue.</s>DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It's not clear, at least initially when you hear these sorts of reports of deaths exactly what happened or even if the person received the vaccine or received the placebo. When you're dealing with 10s of thousands of people in these trials, I think the point that they're making is that sometimes the deaths can occur even in placebo groups for reasons unrelated.</s>TODD: And we should note that AstraZeneca vaccine trial in the United States is on pause because of an unexplained illness of a volunteer in that trial. But there's no reason to believe at this time that that illness and that death of a volunteer in Brazil are in any way connected. Wolf.</s>BLITZER: All right, Brian, thank you. Brian Todd reporting. Let's get some more on all of this. Joining us now the Dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, Dr. Ashish Jha. Dr. Shah, thanks so much for joining us. And I want your reaction to the breaking news. You just heard of the CDC now redefining what they consider to be a close contact with someone who has the coronavirus. Explain this new guidance for us.</s>DR. ASHISH JHA, DEAN BROWN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: Absolutely, Wolf. And thank you for having me on. You know, what it says is that we used to think about close contact and exposure as a single 15 minute you spent time with somebody. What we're learning is that it can be cumulative over time. So five minutes at the water cooler, five minutes later on in the morning or later in the afternoon. That overtime, if you're exposed to somebody and they're not wearing a mask, and they're infected, you can get infected. So, it reiterates the importance of everybody wearing masks, right, because the person who gave the infection wasn't wearing a mask. And second, it says you got to maintain some out of social distance more than six feet if you're in a situation where somebody could be infected.</s>BLITZER: It makes so much sense and it's so easy to do. Thousands of people would have survived if they would have just been doing that, had their friends, their associates, their colleagues. Does the fact that we're now considering cumulative exposure rather than just continuous exposure mean that additional people who might have thought they weren't at risk based on the old CDC guidance should actually now quarantine?</s>JHA: Yes, I think so. And again, we haven't seen the update on quarantining from CDC. But based on this new definition, it stands to reason that the definition of who needs to quarantine is also needs to change, Wolf. And so I think that's going to be important. The key point for people to remember is that there is no safe period of time to be with somebody who's not part of your bubble if both of you are not wearing masks. It's really critical that people wear masks if you're going to be with somebody for any extended period of time, even if it's less than 15 minutes.</s>BLITZER: I want you to take a look at this nationwide trend map of new coronavirus cases, Dr. Jha. Look at this, not a single state is reporting a decline. This is a very different situation than the outbreak in the early spring, which was mostly concentrated in just a handful of states. Now the virus, look at it, it seems to be everywhere across the country. Could these coming next few months be the worst of the entire pandemic?</s>JHA: Yes, I mean, you know, we've certainly heard from other experts like Dr. Auster Home (ph), who's more into this is going to be the hardest two to three months of the entire pandemic. I do think it's possible. We know so much more than we did three, six months ago, that we can stave off that kind of worst case scenario, Wolf. But there's a lot of pandemic fatigue setting in. We have no national leadership. We're really going to need governors to step up. And we'd have to have individuals just be much more careful if we don't want large scale outbreaks across the whole nation.</s>BLITZER: Yes, let's not forget 933 Americans died from the virus just yesterday, 933 Americans, they rest in peace. Our deepest, deepest condolences to their families. Dr. Jha, thank you so much for joining us.</s>JHA: Thank you, Wolf.</s>BLITZER: All right. We're standing by to hear from the former President Barack Obama, as he makes this first campaign stump speech for Joe Biden since the convention. He's already talking to voters out there. We're going to talk about it with his former senior adviser, Valerie Jarrett. She's standing by live. Also coming up with just 13 days until Election Day, we're following both candidates in their path toward the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency. We'll be right back.

Soon: Obama's First Campaign Stump Speech For Biden; Obama Campaigns At Drive-In Rally For Biden.

BLITZER: CNN's breaking news in the race for the White House. The former president of the United States Barack Obama is about to make his first campaign stump speech for the Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden, with only 13 days to go before the election. President Obama has been holding several events in Philadelphia, leading up to Pennsylvania, of course, a key battleground state. Our Senior Washington Correspondent Jeff Zeleny is on the scene for us in Philadelphia. Jeff, so what made President Obama decide to actively campaign and specifically today?</s>JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, there's no question that time is indeed running out in this race. But Barack Obama, the former president is hitting the campaign trail focusing specifically on states that are already doing early voting. And that of course, is Pennsylvania. This is a critical state. The 20 electoral votes here are so important. President Trump Of course in the state last night, but he's making his case here. And Wolf, we saw something just a few minutes ago, we've not seen in a long time, Barack Obama on a street corner here in Philadelphia with a bullhorn. As you can see, they're making his case to voters. He's been handing out some paraphernalia for the Biden and Harris campaign. And we are going to hear him deliver a speech at a drive in rally. You can hear the honking behind me here as other democratic speakers warm up this crowd. But we just heard from President Obama a few moments ago, talking about the importance of this race and particularly coronavirus, take a listen.</s>OBAMA: The degree of incompetence and misinformation, the number of people who might not have died, had we just done the basics. The degree to which it has impacted low income communities, so disproportionately. That's something that -- I'm not just confident that it can be fixed. There's proof.</s>ZELENY: So that message there from the former president talking directly about the Trump administration's handling of coronavirus. Wolf, if I'm told that Mr. Obama has three objectives in mind here, three key segments of the electorate of African American voters, Latino voters and younger voters in particular, they're trying to drive home the importance of this election and try and boost the enthusiasm for the Biden campaign somewhat. There is a bit of an enthusiasm gap among those three segments of the electorate, Wolf. But we are going to see the former president campaigning a handful of times, at least I'm told, over the next two weeks, but he's starting tonight, right here in Philadelphia. Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Yes. He will make sure the vote is turned -- that the turnout is huge for Biden. All right, thanks very much for that Jeff Zeleny in Philadelphia. We'll of course have live coverage of the former president speech. As we stand by to hear from President Obama, we're joined now by his former senior adviser, Valerie Jarrett. Her new book, by the way, is called "Finding My Voice; When the Perfect Plan Crumbles, The Adventure Begins. There you see it. So Valerie, what are you hoping that President Obama can do for Joe Biden's campaign at today's event in this the final stretch?</s>VALERIE JARRETT, FORMER OBAMA SENIOR ADVISER: Well, he's the closer and he is delighted to be back in a state that he and Vice President Biden won not once, but twice. You saw him out there with a bullhorn. You know how much he loves retail politics. And this gives him a chance to speak directly to the people of Pennsylvania, but also the people around the country about why he thinks that Vice President Biden is uniquely qualified to lead our country right now. And you heard him talking about the total mishandling of the COVID-19 epidemic. And what is particularly painful I think about this is it didn't have to be this way. We hand it over to the Trump administration, really basically a rule book from what we had learned from H1N1, Zika, Ebola, the steps that they could take to avert this kind of disaster. We did a tabletop exercise for them during the transition. Obviously, they weren't paying very much attention to that. And so I think drilling foam, how the disproportion impact that this has had on communities of color and low income communities, what's at stake in this election, and an affirmative message about the Biden-Harris presidency. And given the fact that he served with Vice President Biden for all eight years, it wasn't a decision he made without seeking Vice President Biden's counsel. And the vice president always looked at the decision making from the perspective of how is this going to help the American people.</s>BLITZER: Yes.</s>JARRETT: And there's no one better suited to deliver that closing message than President Obama.</s>BLITZER: And President Obama picked the Joe Biden to be his vice presidential running mate. For the most part, Valerie, President Obama, though has shied away from direct criticism of President Trump during these past four years. So, you expect him in the speech that's coming up very soon, we'll have coverage here in THE SITUATION ROOM, to address President Trump specifically?</s>JARRETT: Yes, I think he will provide a sharp contrast between the vision, the competency, the ability, the empathy, of Vice President Biden and Senator Harris in sharp contrast to what he's seen. And yes, I think, initially, as he said, before he left office, he would reserve his comments judiciously for when he thought that the values of our country were challenged, whether it was the Affordable Care Act or the separation of families at the border. You heard his voice in the equation and several other instances. And then you saw in the convention speech, a very sharp and pointed contrast, both by him and by his wife. And so I think tonight, as we enter into the final stretch of this election, it's important for him to raise the stakes dramatically, and to show the American people why he is so firmly behind Joe Biden. And in contrast, the track record of President Trump who's now running on that record. This is not an aspirational candidacy. He has a record that he will have to justify. And I think President Obama will be very clear about how far short he has fallen in delivering for the American people.</s>BLITZER: You heard Jeff Zeleny's report, President Obama's goal, at least part of his goal tonight, reach out specifically to black men, Latinos, younger Americans. Is this about making the case for Biden over Trump? Or is this more about persuading a lot of folks who stayed home and didn't vote in 2016, to come out and vote this year?</s>JARRETT: I don't think it's either or I think it's both and we know 100 million Americans did not turn out to vote in 2016. And that's a travesty. And I think so he wants to call to the attention of everyone what's at stake, encourage people to vote safely during early vote. We've seen a record number of folks turnout for early vote, as you know, Wolf, and that's terrific. And he will encourage that to continue to happen so that we don't see excessively long lines on Election Day. We're already seeing lines that are far too long and parts of the country. So he will encourage people to get out. Participate, exercise that most important fundamental responsibility of citizenship. And he is all interviewed Joe Biden and Senator Harris and you'll hear that loud and clearly tonight.</s>BLITZER: I find it always so interesting that the former Democratic president is out there campaigning for the current Democratic presidential candidate. The former Republican President George W. Bush is silent. He's not out there campaigning for the Republican incumbent President of the United States right now. A major difference right there. Valerie Jarrett, thanks so much for joining us.</s>JARRETT: You're welcome, Wolf. Good night.</s>BLITZER: Coming up an update on where the candidates stand in the all- important race to winning. The winning, you know, that margin that is necessary to become president, 270 electoral votes. We'll update you on that when we come back.

CNN Poll: Biden Has 10-Point Lead Over Trump In Pennsylvania; No Clear Leader In Florida

BLITZER: The breaking news, we're waiting former President Barack Obama's first campaign stump speech for Joe Biden. The former President is in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania right now, while President Trump will be campaigning in other key battleground state in a little while, North Carolina. Let's go to our CNN Political Director, David Chalian. Both campaigns focusing in on getting that winning total, David, of 270 electoral votes. So, what's the latest on the state by state races?</s>DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: We have two brand new exclusive CNN polls conducted by our polling partner SSRS. Florida and Pennsylvania, two critical states. And let me show you the state of play. In Pennsylvania, you see a 10-point lead here for Joe Biden. 53 percent for Biden, 43 percent for Trump, among likely voters in Pennsylvania, Wolf. You see why we have it as lean Democratic on our map, OK? How about Florida? Take a look at Florida, no clear leader. 50 percent for Biden, 46 percent for Trump. Florida remains a real toss up battleground state the way that we have it on the map. So, let's go to the map, knowing that state of play. And let me show you Donald Trump's trend here, which is that in the Sunbelt states, he's in margin of error races with Joe Biden. It's in this upper Midwest region, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, where Joe Biden is showing some strength, getting beyond margin of error and have a lead and that complicates Donald Trump's path to re-election. Because, again, Wolf, if we give him the Sunbelt region, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, let's say we give him Arizona, which right now we have leaving Biden, but let's give it for the purposes of this exercise to Donald Trump. And we give him Ohio and Iowa, OK? We'll give Joe Biden this congressional district up here in Maine for the purposes of this exercise. What do you have? You still don't have Donald Trump at 270. He has to dig into one of these upper Midwest states, if that is the way that the puzzle pieces fall here. But let me show you one other point here. Sorry, let me just get back here. So, let's say our poll has 50 percent to 46 percent in Florida, Biden-Trump. What if Florida actually goes blue? What if Joe Biden wins that race? I want you to see how that really blocks. Ohio, I'm giving everything to Trump. Now, I'm going to give him Arizona again. I'm even going to give him this congressional district up in Maine that he won in 2016. If Florida goes, Joe Biden's at 308 electoral votes. Even if Donald Trump were to win, Pennsylvania, even if he were to win Michigan, he still wouldn't be there without Florida, he would have to win all three of those Midwest states. And, again, remember where our map currently stands? Those Midwestern Rust Belt states, they are Biden strength right now.</s>BLITZER: The Electoral College, that is key, of course. David Chalian, thank you very, very much. Let's get some more in all of these. Joining us, our Chief Political Analyst Gloria Borger, and CNN Political Correspondent Abby Phillip. Gloria, Pennsylvania is obviously so, so important on that path to 270. That's where the former President Barack Obama will be delivering his speech very, very soon. His first stop out there on the campaign trail for Joe Biden. So what's the significance of this appearance in this location?</s>GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: The Biden campaign is on offense. They would, of course, love to win Pennsylvania, as David just pointed out, they have a lot of roads to get to 270. The President of the United States really needs to win Pennsylvania, and our poll shows that he's really far behind right now. So, Obama going there is really about getting out those voters, those younger voters, those African American voters, particularly young black men, and it is about voter enthusiasm. In our poll that David was just talking about in Pennsylvania, there was a concerning number for the Biden campaign, which is when you ask voters whether they are in Pennsylvania, whether they're extremely enthusiastic about their presidential vote, 61 percent of Trump voters say they are and 56 percent of Biden voters say they are. Now, that's not a huge gap, but it is a gap. And I think what Barack Obama is trying to do is narrow that gap, try to explain to these young voters to whom Joe Biden is kind of a foreign creature and say, yes, he can really do what you want a president to do. So, Obama becomes a big and important character witness.</s>BLITZER: Yes, certainly he does. You know, Abby, the Biden campaign knows, it needs that kind of support from younger voters, from people of color that they need to show up and vote. President Obama happens to resonate, obviously, particularly well with those voters. Is that who will be primarily speaking to in a little while in Philadelphia?</s>ABBY PHILLIP, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I think that's going to be a big part of the audience in Philadelphia. Four years ago, one of the last campaign rallies that Hillary Clinton had was also in Philadelphia, also featuring President Obama. So this has been actually a very long running project for him to prove that his resonance with younger voters and with black and Hispanic voters, but particularly black men, is not just a question of personality or charismatic politician. He's struggled to convey that to other people. And now he's trying to convey it to his former Vice President. Look, the problems that the Biden campaign is having with younger minority voters are not necessarily specific to Biden, himself. It is about a broader problem with the Democratic Party proving to these voters that that the party is working for them. And so, what Obama is trying to do is temporarily overcome that in this election by saying, you cannot sit this one out. And unlike four years ago, they've now had four years of a President Donald Trump. So in some ways, I think that argument is a little bit easier for the former President to make.</s>BLITZER: Yes, turn out, turn out, turn out, as they say, Abby Phillip, Gloria Borger, guys, thank you very much. We're going to have more breaking news coming into THE SITUATION ROOM. We're also learning now about the Democrats strategy for a crucial Senate committee vote on putting judge Amy Coney Barrett on the U.S. Supreme Court. And once again, we're standing by to hear directly from former President Barack Obama. His in-person campaign appearance for Joe Biden is getting ready to start. We're going live to Philadelphia as soon as it begins.

Steve Bannon Behind "Shoddy" Research Claiming Coronavirus Made In A Chinese Lab As A Bioweapon

BLITZER: We're standing by to hear directly from former President Barack Obama, he's in Philadelphia. He'll be delivering his first stump speech for Joe Biden. We're going to have live coverage of that coming up, standby. In the meantime, we have a CNN investigation new information coming in into a conspiracy theory about the origins of the coronavirus that's been eagerly promoted by allies of President Trump. Our Senior Investigative Correspondent Drew Griffin is joining us right now. Drew, you found what a direct link to former President Trump strategist Steve Bannon, is that what I'm hearing?</s>DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right. A disinformation campaign, you might call it, all linked to a Chinese scientist in hiding who's just everywhere on conservative media, Wolf.</s>GRIFFIN (voice-over): It is a right wing fueled conspiracy theory pushed to millions of Americans.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Li-Meng Yan.</s>GRIFFIN (voice-over): Dr. Li-Meng Yan, a Chinese scientist in hiding but appearing everywhere on right-wing media and claiming her two research papers prove the virus that causes COVID-19 was created in a Chinese lab and is a Chinese bioweapon.</s>DR. LI-MENG YAN, VIROLOGIST, WHISTLEBLOWER: It is a modern bioweapon in an unrestricted way.</s>GRIFFIN (voice-over): But a CNN investigation has found shoddy citations, questionable sourcing and so many scientists who say it's bunk. Yan's paper is not a credible scientific work, but it is directly linked to one of Donald Trump's former top strategists, Steve Bannon.</s>STEVE BANNON, FORMER CHIEF STRATEGIST TO PRESIDENT TRUMP: Do you believe that a super spreader or someone was actually sent and somehow is been focused on the White House or focused on President --</s>GUO WENGUI, CHINESE BUSINESSMAN: What was that?</s>GRIFFIN (voice-over): That 100 percent comes from Chinese billionaire in exile Miles Guo, who's using his money and Brannon's media expertise to try to discredit the Chinese government. Bannon and Guo appear together on Bannon's podcast, fill the pages of a website called Gnews and began to nonprofits together. The Rule of Law Society and Rule of Law Foundation. These are the groups who say they support Dr. Li-Meng Yan and appear on the top of her research reports. Columbia University Virologist Angela Rasmussen says the papers are scientific junk.</s>ANGELA RASMUSSEN, VIROLOGIST, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: Anybody with an actual background in virology or molecular biology who reads this paper will realize that much of it is actually nonsense.</s>GRIFFIN (voice-over): CNN spoke to a half dozen scientists who say Yan's papers are filled with half-truths, not scientifically tenable. One who even met with him and said her first study wasn't plausible. University of Michigan Professor Anna Mapp says the paper lacked a basic obligation to scientific practices.</s>ANNA MAPP, PROFESSOR OF CHEMICAL BIOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN: But it's also really disturbed to see such a shoddy piece of work.</s>GRIFFIN (voice-over): And CNN could find no trace of Yan's three co- authors in the U.S. or China. Yan didn't respond to tell us why, but a source tells us that those three co-authors are pseudonyms for U.S. based Chinese scientists who fear using their own names, but the source offered no proof. Miles Guo thought (ph) Li Yan's work is Yan's work, independent of any editorial control by me, Steve Bannon offered no response. Yet there is more about Yan's work. Some of the sources of her research appear not to be credible. Amanda Peiffer, who's getting a PhD in Chemical Biology first alerted CNN to issues with the citations at the very end of Yan's paper,</s>AMANDA PEIFFER, CHEMICAL BIOLOGY PHD CANDIDATE, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN: People who aren't experts, people who aren't scientists, people who really haven't done anything, these are not coming from credible sources. I think that's really concerning.</s>GRIFFIN (voice-over): A CNN analysis finds Yan citations include a paper that appeared only as a post on LinkedIn. A report written by a person that CNN cannot locate, running a company that does not seem to exist. Three of the citations that link to posts on a website opposed to genetically modified food. Then there is Citation 23, which links to anonymous blog posts published back in March. Parts of Yan's papers appear to be pulled directly from these anonymous blogs.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't want to say copied and pasted, but it almost has that same effect.</s>PEIFFER: They took the exact same figures, the exact same phrasing and the exact same captions and put those into the report that was Yan's paper. And that does not happen in science.</s>GRIFFIN (voice-over): And guess where one of those blogs first appeared months before Yan's paper, Gnews, the disinformation new site link to Steve Bannon and Miles Guo.</s>RASMUSSEN: And as much as I hate to think of the idea of competent scientists using their work for political propaganda, to me, that's what this seems to be.</s>GRIFFIN: There's just no information, Wolf. This is anything more than just made up disinformation. What's frightening is, millions of Americans may be being fed this disinformation and actually believing it. Wolf?</s>BLITZER: You're absolutely right. Excellent reporting, Drew, thank you so much for that report. And to our viewers, stay with us. So, we're about to go live to Philadelphia when the former President United States, Barack Obama begins his remarks at a drive-in rally for Joe Biden. We'll be right back.

CDC Redefines Close Contact With COVID-19 Patient To Include Multiple, Brief Exposures.

BLITZER: We're following breaking news on the coronavirus crisis. The CDC has just issued new guidance redefining close contact with an infected person to include multiple brief exposures that add up to 15 minutes, instead of only continuous contact with that amount of time. Let's discuss with Dr. Hotez, professor and dean of tropical medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine. So what's your reaction when you hear about this new guidance, Dr. Hotez?</s>DR. PETER HOTEZ, PROFESSOR AND DEAN OF TROPICAL MEDICINE, BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE: So this is a report, Wolf, that came out in the MMWR, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports, that came out about a 20-year-old correctional officer working in the Vermont correction system who came down with COVID-19. And he did not have the classic type of exposure, meaning at least 15 minutes with someone less than six feet apart. Instead, they were able to use cameras in the correctional facility to show that this officer actually had multiple short-term contacts over I think it was an eight-hour period. And based on that, they want to shift their recommendations to say rather than being with someone in close contact for 15 straight minutes, it's basically the same if someone, say, in your house or your place of work if they have COVID-19, and without adequate masks, then you could have multiple short-term contacts over a 24-hour period and still get COVID-19. And it's helpful information in terms of how to do contact tracing, because in the past, you might have missed inquiring about those types of individual. So it does make things a little more complicated, but it's helpful information.</s>BLITZER: Very helpful, but what's the practical impact for the folks who are watching right now, what should they come away with in terms of making sure they try to prevent themselves from getting COVID-19?</s>HOTEZ: Well, it also means you can't be too careless how you wear masks. Even if you have brief encounters with individuals, if you're without a mask and they're without a mask, there's still risk of exposure and you have to keep that in mind. It's a reminder that we don't have a lot of tools in our armament to fight this virus until vaccines come along next year. And for now, it's still masks and washing your hands frequently and social distancing. And just because you've been in contact briefly with somebody doesn't mean you can't get COVID-19, especially if it's multiple contacts over a period of time. And it's just another reminder of how easy this virus is to transmit and it's -- if you let your guard down unfortunately, you can get caught and get COVID-19.</s>BLITZER: So dangerous. Take a look at that nationwide trend map of average new cases, Dr. Hotez. On average, not a single state right now is heading in the right direction compared to last week. So, how dire is the situation as it's unfolding in the U.S. right now?</s>HOTEZ: Yeah. I'm very worried. We're looking at a big massive fall/winter surge. It's already starting up in Wisconsin, Minnesota is bad. The northern Midwest, Illinois, I predict Chicago could get hit pretty hard. And then it's going to spread across the Northern states and eventually the whole nation, possibly the Northern part will get hit worse than the southern part. But we're in for a very tough fall and winter. Things will get better next year after vaccines become available. But for now, the next four and five months are looking pretty dire. And I'm really worried about both the number of new cases and deaths and long-haul permanent injuries really going up. So now is the time you need to think about how you're going to protect yourself and your family and identify your social distancing unit.</s>BLITZER: And so many of the top medical experts, Dr. Fauci, Dr. Francis Collins of NIH have been saying as painful and as difficult as it is, maybe not having a Thanksgiving dinner, for example, celebrating the upcoming holidays together with your family. It's awful. None of us like this, but it may save lives. Dr. Hotez, thanks as usual for joining us. We're always grateful for you.</s>HOTEZ: Thank you so much, Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Finally tonight, we remember some of the victims of the coronavirus pandemic. Danielle Christine Arre of New York, she was just 36 years old. She was a lawyer who touched so many people with her kindness, from friends and family to her clients. Her best friend says she radiated goodness, and always knew the right thing to say. Guadeloupe Vargas of California was 78 years old. He loved to repair and fix cars. He was a talented baseball coach, and he was a mentor. His son says he was a very hard worker, but always found time for his wife of 55 years, Virginia, their three children, and four grandchildren. May they rest in peace and may their memories be a blessing. I'm Wolf Blitzer. Thanks very much for watching. You can always follow me on Titter and Instagram @WolfBlitzer. You can tweet the show @CNNSitRoom. "ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.

Flooding Claims Lives And Homes In Vietnam; U.S. Candidates Prepare For A "Muted" Debate; An American Company Works On A Type Of Biodegradable Material.

CARL AZUZ, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Flooding in the nation of Vietnam headlines today`s show. I`m Carl Azuz. Thank you for making us part of your day. October is part of the rainy season in the communist nation of Vietnam. But this year, precipitation has been particularly heavy, meteorologists say the natural La Nina phenomenon in the Pacific may be to blame. Hundreds of thousands of homes are underwater. There have been some major landslides. The "Reuters" news agency reported yesterday that 111 people are dead and 22 were still missing. The president of Vietnam`s Red Cross Society says the floods are some of the worst the nation has seen in decades. Everywhere we look, she says, homes, roads, and infrastructure have been submerged. Rescuers are bringing in supplies by air, sea and land. The floods aren`t just affecting lives. They`re affecting livelihoods. About 40 percent of Vietnam`s labor force works in agriculture and the government-run news agency says more than 17,000 acres of crops have been lost, in addition to over 691,000 cattle and poultry that have been washed away. Combined that with the loss of tourism revenue, first from COVID-19 and now from the flooding, and international aid workers say millions of people could be pushed toward the brink of poverty. The forecast isn`t helping. A tropical storm which recently caused flooding and evacuations in the Philippines is headed toward Vietnam. The second and final U.S. presidential debate of 2020 is scheduled to be held tonight. It will be at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. There were supposed to be three of these events between incumbent Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. But last week`s debate was canceled. After President Trump was tweeted for coronavirus early this month, the Commission on Presidential Debates decided the second one would be held virtually. But it didn`t consult with the candidates first, and while former Vice President Biden`s campaign agreed to it, President Trump did not. So, the candidates participated in separate town hall events instead. Tonight`s moderator is Kristen Welker, an anchor and correspondent for NBC News. She`s planning to cover six topics, spending 15 minutes on each of them. And there will be a change this time around. While each candidate has two minutes to answer the initial questions, the other candidate`s microphone will be turned off. The goal was to reduce the interrupting and bickering that took place in the first debate, on September 29th. The microphones will be turned back on after the candidates have each had two minutes to answer those initial questions so simultaneous arguments between them will still be possible after that.</s>SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I`m Scott McLean in Berlin where Europe`s second wave of the coronavirus is showing no signs of slowing, despite a patch work of curfews and restrictions being imposed across the continent. One popular vacation area in southern Germany has just kicked out hundreds of tourists and imposed a two week stay at home order with exceptions for work and essentials. The worst hit countries here are the Netherlands, Belgium and the Czech Republic, which has just recorded another record another record high case count. With the health system nearing its capacity, the government is building a field hospital in Prague to deal with the expected overflow. It`s also reimposing an unpopular but effective mandate to wear masks, even outdoors. This morning, the Czech parliament will meet in an emergency session to discuss even stricter measures.</s>NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: I`m Nic Robertson in London where in nearby island, the prime minister, the Taoiseach there has told the country he is putting it on the toughest lockdown in Europe. It will last six weeks, he says. The idea that they would be in a push down the surging coronavirus infection rate and nearby people would have a better Christmas. People are being told to work from home. They`re being told to work from home, they`re being told they cannot roam more than 3 miles from their houses. Only essential retail stores will be opened. There`s a lot of division in Ireland about this, a lot of disquiet and discomfort.</s>KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I`m Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. Since July, Chinese drugmakers have been administering experimental coronavirus vaccines under an emergency use program authorized by Beijing. Now, those receiving these vaccines are people working in high risk professions like medical workers and border patrol agents, as well as some diplomats and state-owned company employees who travel overseas. Because the vaccine is still in clinical trials, some experts worry that it can cause unknown side effects. But an official with China`s national health commission says so far, no serious adverse reactions have been reported.</s>AZUZ (voice-over): Ten-second trivia: A mixture of compounds formed by smaller molecules is called a what? Solvent, carbon, polymer or steroid? The answer is polymer, a compound that can be natural or artificial.</s>AZUZ: Plastic is an artificial polymer. It`s cheap, it`s lightweight. It doesn`t rust and it`s long-lasting. But that is one of its disadvantages. We reported on the lingering litter of plastics in our landfills and oceans. An American company is working on a polymer that can be shaped or molded like plastic, but it still breaks down completely in the environment. It`s not cheap. A set of AirCarbon cutlery costs $6.99. A set of plastic cutlery costs 4 cents. An AirCarbon handbag costs more than $500. A designer nylon one runs $150. But if the new polymer products can be scaled up and priced down, they could help with the plastic pollution problem.</s>MARK HERREMA, CEO, NEWLIGHT TECHNOLOGIES: When you think about it, greenhouse gas is the basis of life. Nature is gobbling greenhouse gas every day. What we found early on is that there are natural life organisms in the ocean that consume greenhouse gas as a food source.</s>RACHEL CRANE, CNN INNOVATION CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What they discovered was that with these organisms, they could create a safe plastic alternative and at the same time remove harmful carbon emissions from the atmosphere. For over a decade, they`ve been developing a way to do that at scale. This is their first commercial production plant.</s>HERREMA: This is one of the most beautiful things that I could look at.</s>CRANE (on camera): It is in the eye of the beholder I suppose. So, explain to me this in your words beautiful we`re looking at here.</s>HERREMA: Here`s why it`s beautiful. This is basically what happens in the ocean recreate on land.</s>CRANE (voice-over): These large tanks are full of saltwater and microorganisms found in the ocean. When the organisms are feed greenhouse gases like methane and CO2, they naturally produce a bio polymer.</s>HERREMA: We have this pure white powder than we can then melt and form in all kinds of parts and pieces.</s>CRANE: The company calls it AirCarbon, which like plastic can be molded into a variety of products from furniture into packaging, or products like straws and cutlery.</s>HERREMA: This straw as an example reduces the amount of carbon in the air by 30 grams. Now, by itself, it`s not a lot. But imagine companies that are using hundreds of millions of straws here. We`re talking about tens of thousands of CO2 that would otherwise be in the air now destroyed or sequesterd.</s>CRANE: And because AirCarbon is natural, it degrades in the ocean in about a year. Plastic? It can take hundreds of years.</s>HERREMA: You kind of solve two problems, both the plastic pollution problem and also climate change.</s>CRANE: To introduce AirCarbon to the world, Newlight is launching direct to consumer brands in food ware and in fashion, an industry which is responsible for 10 percent of global carbon emissions. (on camera): What do you think it`s going to take for plastic alternatives like AirCarbon to make a dent?</s>HERREMA: In order to really make the kind of impact that we want to make, we spent a lot of time working to bring something to the market that people can afford. We make premium products that are designed to go out in very, very large scale and can be head on with the incumbents that are out there in the world today. We`re making them available and we`ll find a direct to consumer basis. But we are also working very heavily on the B2B side.</s>CRANE (voice-over): In all, Newlight says the products made at its first commercial plant takes the CO2 equivalent of 6,000 cars off the road, a small start.</s>HERREMA: This is my wallet. I`m holding something that represents carbon that would have otherwise gone into the air. Imagine if all the products that we made when we made them, like growing tree leaves, actually improve the world. Whether it`s decarbonizing or going carbon negative, I think that`s the world needs to start to look towards.</s>AZUZ: For "10 Out of 10", vroom! This is the SSC Tuatara. SSC is the manufacturer, Tuatara is the model. It`s making news because it`s fast. How fast is it? In a recent drive outside Las Vegas, Nevada, the Tuatara hit 331 miles per hour, as in 331 miles per hour on a carbon fiber chassis and gas fueled twin turbo V8 engine that produces 1,750 horsepower. According to SSC, that makes the Tuatara the world`s fastest production car, a vehicle that has bunch of identical models that are available to the public. "A bunch" meaning 12 that are already sold out for next year. "Available" meaning maybe sometime after that, and "to the public" meaning to the public that generally has $2 million to spend on a car. So, Tua much for most Tua handle. But it does have a Tua-aura about it, so you can SSC why someone with a need for speed would be willing to burnout a bank account to win the race to get one. It is getting Tua late for us Tuataries (ph). So, we`ll say tu-do-do. But not before we say hello to West Warwick High School. We saw your comment at YouTube.com/CNN10. Thank you for watching from West Warwick, Rhode Island. I`m Carl Azuz. END

Trump and Biden Final Face Off; Both Candidates Scored Points.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: So, there you have it. A much more coherent debate compared to that first match up a few weeks ago. The President of the United States obviously listened to his key advisers here. There was very little interrupting. They mostly -- mostly -- followed the rules, but still focusing in on some of the major differences that they have. The American public clearly has a better appreciation of where these two men stand on some of the most important policy issues of the day. Their family members are coming up on the stage right now. We're going to watch a little bit of this before they both disappear. But, Jake, this was clearly, clearly a much different debate than the first one.</s>JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Yes, that's right, Wolf. It was definitely a more normal debate. President Trump behaved more like a regular person might theoretically. I think it's fair to say that Trump supporters and Republican office holders can relax for the night. They can exhale. He didn't set himself on fire tonight like he did at the first debate. I mean, he did lie like Pinocchio and I'm sure Daniel Dale will get to that in the fact checking section. But beyond that it's fair to say President Trump got in a couple of clean hits when it came to Vice President Biden, when it came to the 1994 crime bill, when it came to Joe Biden being in politics for so long. He even probably fed some raw meat to his base successfully using Breitbart and Fox lingo that most voters have no idea what he's talking about. But he got those shots in there however based in reality they are. The problem for the president as I see it is twofold. One, Joe Biden did fine. He had a fine performance. He definitely reached the threshold. And given that so much of this election is a referendum on Donald Trump and he is the underdog, according to polls, Joe Biden is ahead. Joe Biden did nothing to disqualify himself. It was a fine performance. And the second problem is that Joe Biden scored points. He got his licks in on issues that I think might affect voters more when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic, when it comes to healthcare and the fact that the Trump administration has not offered any sort of viable alternative to Obamacare. And then there was that rough moment that had to do with the fact that -- of the child family separation policy, there are still more than 500 kids that the Trump administration has not been able to place back with the parents whose arms they snatched them from. So, I think at the end of the day, Dana, the race has been fairly stable. I think, you know, there might be some movement when it comes to soft Trump supporters who are unsure feeling like, well, that's a more normal person than the last debate. And maybe even some points scored in terms of getting black men who really hate that 1994 crime bill and their families on board, perhaps. But I don't see anything that will change the trajectory of the race in a significant way. What do you think?</s>DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: I agree with you. Look, we all described in colorful terms what we thought of the first presidential debate. And this was a debate. It's what Americans should expect when they are watching two people who want to be the leader of their country, the leader of the free world to try to figure out where they stand on policy issues and where they are when it comes to their character. As you said, there were a lot of things that Daniel will get to that were just flat out lies and they got off course talking about things that probably most people don't care about, especially in where we are in a pandemic in very, very tough times. But Donald Trump listened to his advisers this time. I talked to a lot of them going into the debate. They told me exactly what they were trying to get him to do, which is much like they did the last time. He didn't listen last time. He did this time for the most part. But do you know what? So did Joe Biden. He did what he practiced to do.</s>ABBY PHILLIP, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and you know, honestly this debate was just the same content from the first debate except that now you can understand what people are saying. And so, in that respect, it was better because people could, you know, really evaluate the differences between what was being said. But in terms of the substance of what was being said, the president fell into some of the same patterns, continued to downplay the virus and the effect of this upswing that the country is currently in right now heading into the holiday season. He kept doing something that I think Joe Biden actually tried to exploit, which is dividing the country into red states and blue states. Repeatedly talking about the red states or the blue states are doing this and the blue states are doing this --</s>TAPPER: Your Democrats, your Democrat governors. Yes.</s>PHILLIP: -- your Democrat want that. And if you watch the ads that are on television for the Biden campaign right now, the message right now is not about, you know, coronavirus. It's not about fracking. It's not about any of those things. It's about unity. It's about bringing the country together. And you saw Joe Biden repeatedly saying I'm not going to do that. I think the president really walked back into that trap because if you listen to him day to day like we all do, you hear the same content that he gives off in all of his interviews, in his media gaggles. It happened on the debate stage in a calmer tone, but it still isn't bridging the gap with the voters in the middle.</s>TAPPER: Yes, and that's the thing is that the president has been lying about the coronavirus pandemic since February. I mean, just straight up lying about it. It's going to be over by Easter. You know, I could go through them, but you get the point. And we cover this every day. The three of us and all the journalists at CNN cover this. And the truth of the matter is the president did it again tonight. He said we're turning the curve. We're not going into a dark winter. The vaccine is going to be here in weeks. None of this is true. Every health expert including health --</s>PHILLIP: He criticized Fauci.</s>TAPPER: Yes, every health expert including those in his administration, Anderson, every single one says what Joe Biden said tonight. And they all say that what President Trump said tonight to the American people is not true. And this is the fundamental problem with the president's pitch is that the country can see that he's lying about the pandemic.</s>ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, and so many people in this country have already voted and will vote by election day. Let's go to our team standing by, David Axelrod, just for everybody's quick take, what did you think?</s>DAVID AXELROD, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Look, fundamentally if you're ahead and you get a draw, you win. And both of them were better than they were last time. But I thought that Joe Biden held his own. And that's all he had to do. He -- the trajectory of this race did not change. And as Abby pointed out on some, he did some big business in terms of speaking as an American president and swiping at Trump for being so partisan and talking about red and blue states and so on. I thought those were powerful points, and it's one of the reasons why he is in the position he's in.</s>COOPER: Gloria?</s>GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: You know, I think that I agree with David. I think that Biden was sharper tonight than he was at the last debate. Maybe that was because he wasn't given much of a chance, but I do think he scored some points really against Biden -- I mean against Trump, particularly on immigration. When they were talking about the children in cages.</s>VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: My God.</s>BORGER: What struck me was when Trump said they are so well taken care of.</s>AXELROD: Yes.</s>JONES: Total lie.</s>BORGER: It was just -- well, a, it's a lie. And b, the statement itself is just so stunning to me that I almost couldn't believe that someone would really say that. And then, you know, just looking over the whole debate, overall, what the president was trying to do was to present himself as the outsider talking about you politicians when, in fact, he's been running the country for the last four years. And I thought that was pretty striking also because it also isn't true.</s>COOPER: Senator Santorum, he did a lot of what you said was going to do.</s>RICK SANTORUM, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes. He sure did. You guys you watched a different debate than I did. And certainly, from everything I'm hearing from my folks, I mean, you guys watched a very different debate. I think Donald Trump was right on his game. I actually think that he completely skewered Joe Biden. You mentioned the point where he called Biden a politician, looking into the camera. I think every time after that, everyone thought about that line. Here he is just looking into the camera being a typical politician. The other thing, and I'll be curious to see how many people pick up on this. Joe Biden at the end of the -- I think looking at his watch. If you recall the campaign with George H.W. Bush, looked at his watch because he was sweating it out and I think that's what a lot of people are saying, that Joe Biden was bodily a little shaken at the end and looking at his watch to see when this thing would be over. I think that's going to be a meme out of this debate.</s>COOPER: Van?</s>JONES: Look, I think Donald Trump did his best ever and his best was not good enough. Bottom line. It was the same stuff just with a little bit less volume on it. But no plan for the future. A big apology for a bunch of failures and then smacking at Joe Biden all the time. But he literally he did nothing he has always done. He sounded better, he looked better, but there was nothing there. There was nothing there. And some of the stuff he said, I agree with Gloria that the shocking lack of humanity that he demonstrated talking about those children, no apology. I mean, a human being just would have said, hey, I can't sleep at night thinking about those kids. I'm doing everything I can for those kids. For him to sit up there and lie and say they're being treated well was horrific. It was -- it was inhuman. And I disagree with you, Senator when --</s>SANTORUM: Yes.</s>JONES: -- whenever Joe -- I just disagree with you. Whenever Joe Biden looked in the camera and cut through the crap and start talking about real stuff, I think it did land.</s>COOPER: Senator?</s>SANTORUM: Number one, we're not keeping kids in cages anymore. And the bottom line is --</s>JONES: Where are their parents?</s>SANTORUM: -- Trump I think very effect -- very effectively said who built the cages. And the reality is Joe Biden built the cages.</s>BORGER: Who separate the children?</s>SANTORUM: Not Donald Trump.</s>JONES: And who used them -- and who used them in a horrific barbaric way? Who used them in a horrific and barbaric ways that are --</s>SANTORUM: I agree. But what he was talking about --</s>JONES: -- stench in the nostrils of God. If you want to talk about what's happening to those children and what's happening to those families, we can talk about it. But yes, in fact those things were never used in the way that the Trump administration has used them. And the kind -- the horrific abuses -- I don't think that you guys want to have this conversation with the American people.</s>SANTORUM: What Donald Trump was talking about is how those children are being taken care of now, not how they were taken care of then. I think everyone agrees how they were taken care of then was reprehensible --</s>JONES: Their parents --</s>SANTORUM: -- and it's no longer taking place. Just like the people who built the cages probably wouldn't have built them again today.</s>JONES: I know a lot more about this than you do, Senator. Those children are still in very nasty situations. A lot of people. But the way that they are deliberately dehumanizing people at the border in this country is a stench in the nostrils of God. It is one of the worse things.</s>SANTORUM: It's a different issue.</s>JONES: It's not a different issue.</s>SANTORUM: It's a different issue.</s>JONES: This president has no humanity for those children, not one scrap of humanity. And you would have said, anybody would have said I can't sleep at night. I care about these kids. You can pull it off.</s>SANTORUM: He said --</s>JONES: He doesn't care.</s>SANTORUM: What he said was, Van, is they were trying -- they are taking good care of these children. That's what he said.</s>JONES: That's not true.</s>SANTORUM: That's showing humanity that we want to take care of those children.</s>BORGER: Where's his plan? Where's the plan?</s>AXELROD: Rick, Rick, can I just, to Gloria -- to Gloria's point, and you said he attacked him for being a politician and he was very effective there. What does it feel like to you when he stands up there and says we're going to have a big beautiful healthcare plan, that he's been saying that for five years?</s>SANTORUM: I -- AXELROD: It was a classic -- it was the classic politician dodge.</s>SANTORUM: It was the worst answer of the night.</s>AXELROD: What did it say to you when he tries to unload all of this Giuliani stuff on Biden and ends up in a long whine about his tax returns and how he's been mistreated by the IRS and he can't release his tax returns. I mean, the fact is, he can say you're a politician and I'm not but he behaved like a politician. I agree that he was far better than he was. And if I were you, I would be giddy too because you had to defend that performance and you didn't.</s>SANTORUM: No, I didn't --</s>AXELROD: No, you didn't do it. I give you that.</s>BORGER: Can</s>I -- AXELROD: He was much, much better tonight, but there were these moments that reminded people exactly what bothers them about him. And some of them were about where he, you know, he talked about the Biden wanting blue state bailouts and talking about how the blue states are doing badly on coronavirus, which is patently untrue. The whole country is suffering through the same thing. And every time Biden got to say I am running to be an American president, not the president of my base, I think that he rang up points with those voters who might be thinking one way or the other.</s>COOPER: I got to get a quick break in. Here's what to look for tonight as we break down the debate.

Candidates Acted Civil and Calm

COOPER: Gloria, one of the things that the president clearly felt he scored points on was Joe Biden talking about wanting to get off fossil fuels in 20 --</s>BORGER: Right.</s>COOPER: -- 30, I'm not sure the exact year in the 2030.</s>BORGER: Yes. So, for the man who's not a politician and he's an outsider, is not making a play for the state of Pennsylvania because fracking is a big issue there --</s>SANTORUM: I hope so.</s>BORGER: Right, right, Rick Santorum, you know that. So, the politician was making a play for the state of California. And the president -- and Joe Biden has said, you know, you have to, he is for keeping fracking now, but eventually in the distant future, obviously, you have to phase it out. He made a huge point about, you know, the president made a huge point about that. But what was -- where I thought he really lost his way because he has no answer is healthcare because, you know, he kept saying to Joe Biden, you had so many years to do x, y, and z, why didn't you do it? Well, the president had so many years if he hated Obamacare, and is repealing Obamacare, and is in the Supreme Court trying to get rid of Obamacare, why haven't they replaced it with anything?</s>SANTORUM: Yes, look --</s>BORGER: There is no answer for that, Rick.</s>SANTORUM: Well --</s>BORGER: Other that Republicans can't agree on what they want.</s>SANTORUM: I -- first off, I agree with you, it was a pathetic answer on -- and frankly, he's had a pathetic answer, I just wrote an op-ped today in The Hill --</s>BORGER: I'll read it.</s>SANTORUM: -- today with his former healthcare adviser --</s>BORGER: I'll read it.</s>SANTORUM: -- saying, hey, hey, you have an answer, Mr. President, actually conservatives have put forward a plan that actually will reduce premiums and increase the number of uninsured -- increase the number of insured and do all the things that you want to do. Please endorse it. So, I'm as frustrated as most Republicans are.</s>BORGER: Have you heard that?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.</s>SANTORUM: No, I haven't. I'm as frustrated.</s>AXELROD: You know --</s>SANTORUM: But here's the bottom line. What the president doesn't talk about is that Medicare premiums are down 30 percent since the beginning of his term. Prescription drug premiums for Medicare part "d" are down 12 percent since the beginning of his term. Why he doesn't go out and talk about the successes of actually lowering Obamacare premium, broadening the market for people as a result of Obamacare and some of the things he's done and, but you're right.</s>JONES: I tell you what --</s>SANTORUM: As long as he doesn't have a plan, he's in trouble with answering that question.</s>BORGER: Exactly.</s>AXELROD: You know, just on that -- just on that --</s>JONES: And then he --</s>AXELROD: I'm sorry, Van, go ahead.</s>COOPER: Van, go ahead.</s>JONES: Then he tried -- he doesn't have a plan. He has no regrets looking backwards. He's already said, I have no regrets looking -- he's standing on the graves of a quarter million Americans with no regrets looking backward and then no plan going forward. So, what does he do? He covers up that failure and he covers up all those deficits by attacking Hunter Biden and trying to dirty up a Biden. And no president who was proud of his past four years would ever mention Hunter Biden or any of that stuff. They would be doing exactly what you're saying, pounding away on successes. The reality is you have a president who knows that he has a colossal failure, and he has to distract Americans by attacking somebody that nobody believes is corrupt and nobody believes is a bad person. And that he wasted a lot of time tonight. A lot of time tonight.</s>COOPER: David Axelrod.</s>AXELROD: On the healthcare issue -- on the healthcare issue, I think a significant thing happened that actually helps Biden which is Trump was bearing down on him about socialized medicine, people were going to have to give up their healthcare. And Biden turned to Trump and he said, I think he's confusing me with someone else. He was talking about Bernie Sanders and the others he ran against.</s>BORGER: Right.</s>AXELROD: He said, I'm -- he's running against Joe Biden. Joe Biden. I beat all these people because I disagreed with them on this issue. And he's absolutely right about that. He took --</s>SANTORUM: Yes.</s>AXELROD: -- he took a more moderate position that preserved -- that preserved private healthcare, that builds on the Affordable Care Act. I thought that was an important piece of business for him, for any voter out there who is confused by Trump's rhetoric about socialized medicine.</s>BORGER: Right, and then --</s>SANTORUM: Hold on, if you recall, you guys discussed the whole public option thing when you guys were debating Obamacare back when and you abandoned it, why? Because of its impact on private insurance. There's no question you put a public option in there, you're going to destroy a lot of the private insurance markets. So, again --</s>AXELROD: That's not --</s>SANTORUM: President -- President Trump didn't make an effective case against it, but the reality is, Biden's plan is not going to help the private market.</s>AXELROD: That is not why -- that's not why the public option wasn't in there, Rick, the public option wasn't in there because there were a few Democrats with ties to the insurance industry who opposed the public option.</s>SANTORUM: Because it was going to destroy private insurance.</s>AXELROD: No, no, no, no. But, so, that wasn't why it was in there. And you know what, there's enormous public support for this, enormous. Just as there's enormous public support for the Affordable Care Act. You know, 55 percent, I think, in a poll today approve --</s>SANTORUM: Not in 2010, 2012, 2014.</s>COOPER: Let's turn to --</s>AXELROD: The president is not on the right side of this issue if you want to be on the side of the large majority of --</s>COOPER: Van Jones.</s>AXELROD: -- Americans.</s>BORGER: Right.</s>COOPER: Van Jones, in those states that, you know, John King right before the debate were showing in these key battleground states where polls are actually quite close. I mean, nationally, you know, national polls are one thing, but all that matters is these key states. And polls are pretty close. Did this, tonight, change that dynamic in any way? Did it change the dynamics of the race?</s>JONES: You know, I would be surprised if it did. I do want to give Biden some credit. It took courage for him to say what he said about the oil industry. For him to say, I am committed to transitioning them over time, in a responsible way, to a better business model, frankly, these energy companies could have, you know, a much better business model, even the energy companies themselves are talking about this transition. But for Joe Biden to not duck it, say, yes, we are going to move responsibly to that, that takes courage in an election where he's looking at a Texas as the senator just said, he's looking at a Pennsylvania. But that's the thing about Joe Biden. He actually believes in some stuff. He's willing to take some stands on some stuff and there are, frankly, more job, a lot more jobs putting up solar panels than there are going to be on the oil rigs the next several years and he is willing to make that case as well. I'm just very -- I'm very proud that Joe Biden stood up for his beliefs and stood up for better jobs in the future rather than trying to back in the line for the old jobs.</s>BORGER: You know, I'll tell you another thing that came out of Joe Biden's mouth that was surprising to me because it was so stunning and frank. And we hear all this back and forth all the time now so maybe it just kind of floats over our heads. He was trying to make a joke about Donald Trump and he called him Abraham Lincoln over here. And, of course, of course, Trump didn't get the joke. And he got very angry, but he said you're one of the most racist presidents in modern American history. Period. And Donald Trump was talking about the '94 crime bill and all the rest of it. We know the history of that. We don't have to go through that again. But he made a statement sort of a blanket statement here, and he said, this guy is dog whistle is about as big as a fog horn, period. And we're used to that kind of language, I guess, in this campaign, but one candidate just called the other candidate a racist and, you know, it's not out of the ordinary.</s>SANTORUM: So, you can make the argument, Gloria --</s>BORGER: It's not out of the ordinary.</s>SANTORUM: You can make the argument, Gloria, that Joe Biden got in the gutter and Donald Trump didn't --</s>BORGER: Well --</s>SANTORUM: -- in this race tonight.</s>BORGER: Well, no, I won't make that argument. I won't make that argument.</s>SANTORUM: I will, because I think he did.</s>BORGER: Because -- I won't make that argument because I think that --</s>SANTORUM: You think it's true. I don't think it's true.</s>BORGER: I think there are reasons to believe that it is true, yes.</s>SANTORUM: Nobody called Donald Trump a racist before he was president of the United States. No one.</s>BORGER: And Donald Trump --</s>COOPER: That's not true. Wait, I'm sorry.</s>SANTORUM: Central Park thing, but Donald Trump --</s>COOPER: No, no, but wait a minute. Wait a minute. Wait a minute.</s>BORGER: Wait a minute. Let me stand about --</s>COOPER: Other than the Central -- excuse me, other than the Central Park thing, the Central Park thing --</s>SANTORUM: I understand that case.</s>COOPER: -- actually has five human beings' lives who were sent to prison --</s>SANTORUM: I get it.</s>COOPER: -- convicted for crimes that they did not commit.</s>BORGER: Yes.</s>SANTORUM: I understand.</s>COOPER: And he refuses -- I mean, you know that, rick.</s>BORGER: And also, he says, you know, justice reform, I really wanted that, well, talk to Van Jones about how they had to talk this president into the kind of -- into that kind of reform. That he went into --</s>SANTORUM: He did it.</s>BORGER: -- it kicking and screaming. Kicking and screaming. Van.</s>COOPER: OK. Van, I want to --</s>AXELROD: Rick, three weeks ago, three weeks ago we were talking about him refusing to condemn the Proud Boys.</s>BORGER: Proud Boys. Right.</s>AXELROD: So, I mean, it isn't as if Gloria is pulling that out of the air. This has been part of the president's political project. He does -- he does dog whistle and he does stand down when he's called on to condemn --</s>BORGER: Biden called him out.</s>AXELROD: -- racist organizations and that has been a problem for him. And you know that as well. It makes you uncomfortable as well.</s>COOPER: Van, Van, go ahead.</s>JONES: I -- this is a complicated thing here. First of all, the right wing always says nobody called him a racist before he was president. It's just not true. Once he started on the birther thing, that shocked a lot -- Donald Trump did have allies in the black community. Donald Trump had been a supporter of civil rights causes. In fact, Donald Trump had been a supporter of Kamala Harris, believe it or not, but when he went down the road of the birther thing, that changed his relationship with the black community. That, it did. And then since then, he's trying to do two things that don't go well together. He's trying to put together a peanut butter and ketchup sandwich. OK, on the one hand he has done good stuff on criminal justice, on opportunity zones and on black colleges. That's true. But he's also appealed to white supremacist organizations and other stuff and so what happened -- what continues to happen is I think that campaign wants credit for the good stuff they've done and they don't take responsibility for the horrific climate that they have emboldened and helped in this country. If you are a black parent or parent or color trying to raise your kids in this environment, you do not appreciate the role that Donald Trump has played in poisoning the atmosphere.

CNN Talks About the Final Presidential Debate and 12 Days Left in Campaign; Fact-Checking the Final Trump-Biden Debate; As Cases Surge, Trump Claims U.S. Rounding Corner on Pandemic; Trump-Biden Clash Over COVID-19 Response; Trump Take Less Combative Approach to Final Debate; First Results of CNN Poll on Trump-Biden Debate.

VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: If you are a black parent or a parent of color trying to raise your kids in this environment, you do not appreciate the role that Donald Trump is played in poisoning the atmosphere. And so, two things can be true at the same time, but you got to -- what we will find out in a few days, if this coalition they are trying to build on the one hand saying, doing some good things for African-Americans, but then emboldening our worst enemies, is a good strategy. I think it's not a good strategy.</s>RICK SANTORUM, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, the reality is the black community prior to COVID had the lowest unemployment rate, lowest poverty rates, I mean, you just can't make up what he has done in focusing in on minority communities and trying to do things that particularly lift them up and spend time an effort, do lots of events at the White House, do lots of -- I mean, look, it's just not, you know --</s>JONES: I understand.</s>SANTORUM: -- a talking point. He's done the work and he's not getting credit for it and to do the work --</s>JONES: I think two things though.</s>SANTORUM: -- and at the same time be called a racist, to me, it just -- it doesn't make sense.</s>JONES: Well, look. Well, listen, there are two things that can be true at the same time. I appreciate the fact that they have done some reach out. I appreciate the fact that they have been trying to grow their party out. Frankly, it makes the African American community in a much better position when both parties are taking our pain seriously.</s>SANTORUM: Agree.</s>JONES: So, I appreciate that. But the problem is, what you guys don't want to take responsibility for is that, first of all, he lied on Obama's record. Obama did do stuff on criminal justice reform. The fair sentencing act, clemency, and in fact, the Department of Justice under Obama did a lot of good things on criminal justice that then Jeff Sessions undid. So, both of these presidents, Obama and Trump, Obama did better administratively, but didn't do as well legislatively. Trump did better legislatively, but did a bad job administratively. This is complicated stuff. And then when you just want to try to politicize it, I think it's not right. I don't think most African-Americans feel that we have a president that really understands the pain that we're going through and the damage that he is doing to the climate of the country. Has Trump not gotten fair credit for some stuff he's done? Yes. But it's his own fault. It's his own fault, because of the stuff that he does that pollutes the atmosphere.</s>ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: I want to go to Daniel Dale with his first fact check of the night. Excuse me, let's go to Wolf.</s>WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: All right, Anderson, thanks very much. Excellent discussion there. Daniel Dale has got his first fact check of the night here. He's going to be doing plenty of them over the next few hours of our special coverage. Daniel, let's start with the big picture on how much the candidates got right or wrong tonight.</s>DANIEL DALE, CNN FACT CHECKER: Wolf, President Trump was better behaved tonight. But he lied more. This was just a bombardment of dishonesty, much of what we heard before at his campaign rallies about subjects big and small, important stuff like the coronavirus pandemic, about Biden's policies, about his own record. About the -- about Democrats' record. It went just on and on. Biden was imperfect. There were at least a few false misleading or lacking in context claims from him, but for a fact checker you're kind of sitting there with Biden occasionally you're like, oh, that's wrong. With Trump, you're like that I love Lucy episode in the chocolate factory. You know, you don't know which one to pick up because there's so much. And so again, with this president, we just see a constant barrage incessantly of false or misleading stuff.</s>BLITZER: You know, Daniel, the president's handling of the pandemic certainly was a major topic certainly during the first part of this debate. The president claimed that at one point that 2.2 million Americans were initially expected to die from the coronavirus. Listen to this.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So, as you know, 2.2 million people modeled out were expected to die. We closed up the greatest economy in the world in order to fight this horrible disease that came from China.</s>BLITZER: All right. Daniel, so that 2.2 million figure, accurate?</s>DALE: So, Wolf, it's a real figure, but Trump falsely describes it and he's continued to do this at his rallies. Now, what this figure said, it was a report from British academics and it said that in the U.S. If no U.S. government did anything to mitigate the virus, to fight the virus, and no citizen took social distancing action, then we could see 2 million-plus deaths, but this was not an expectation. It was not a realistic estimate. This was a figure put out to say this is how bad it gets if you just let this virus run its course which, of course, the government was not about to do, Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Let's listen to a claim made by the president, Daniel, about the state of the coronavirus pandemic right now. Listen to this.</s>TRUMP: It will go away, and as I say, we're rounding the turn, we're rounding the corner. It's going away.</s>BLITZER: All right. The president keeps insisting the virus is going away. It clearly is not going away. The numbers are off.</s>DALE: It's not going away, Wolf. I did an analysis. I found the president had said between February and October 10th, Trump had said 38 times that it was going away. It was wrong eight months ago. And it's wrong today. Look, as you said, the numbers are terrible. We're now back above 60,000 confirmed new cases per day. The president doesn't like to use this metric of cases. He dismisses it. Well, hospitalizations are also rising. They're setting records in many states and, sadly, deaths are now rising again as they usually do with a lag after cases start rising. So, we're not rounding any turn. It's not going away. Things are getting worse in the United States.</s>BLITZER: Yes, 1,100 Americans died just yesterday in 1 day. Daniel, we're going to be getting back to you. I know you're doing a lot more fact checking. Jake, over to you.</s>JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Wolf. And I think one of the things that we need to talk about is in addition to coronavirus, the manner in which President Trump talks about this because this is obviously something that is affecting all of us even if we haven't lost somebody to COVID, and Vice President Biden tried to address people who have, specifically, lost people, and there are more than 222,000 Americans who have died from this. And then it's just the concept of empathy because that is what the Biden people keep hitting, what Joe Biden keeps hitting and it is an area that Donald Trump is -- is not able to communicate effectively at all if he even possesses it, which I'm not sure. And we saw it time and time again during this debate talking about, I mean, very coldheartedly about the more than 500 kids who were separated from their parents as a policy by the Trump Department of Justice, Jeff Sessions, the Attorney General, enacted it, and how they haven't been able to find their parents. And then you also just heard things about, like, people being deported, undocumented immigrants being deported and not coming back for their court date and then President Trump said, except for some with the lowest I.Q.'s and just the inability to talk about what we're all going through even if it's just your kids are struggling because they're learning on their commuters.</s>ABBY PHILLIP, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Right. The key moment that really encapsulated the president not understanding how to empathize on the coronavirus was that he repeated, as he often does, we're learning to live with it. And then Joe Biden came back and said, actually, we're dying with it. And I think that really was the moment on the virus that encapsulated how this president only wants to focus on re-opening, doesn't want to acknowledge the sacrifices that the American people have made, that I know many of the president's advisers and supporters would like him to do because the vice president does it. When he talks about coronavirus, he says, you know, I want to thank the American people for doing all that you've done all of these months.</s>TAPPER: You're talking about Vice President Pence.</s>PHILLIP: Vice President Pence.</s>TAPPER: Yes.</s>PHILLIP: President Trump almost never does it. But I want to add one more to your list. He was asked directly, do you understand why black families have the talk? The president literally never answered the question and never attempted to answer the question. That could have been a moment --</s>DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes.</s>PHILLIP: -- for him. To say something. To do something. To change the perception that some of these opportunistic talking points about the first-step act, about the opportunity zones, have more depth behind it and he refused to take that opportunity.</s>BASH: Instead, he talked about being the least racist person in the room, the room where there was a --</s>TAPPER: So he's less racist than Kristen Welker?</s>BASH: A female moderator of color.</s>TAPPER: I'm pretty sure Kristen Welker is less racist than Donald Trump.</s>BASH: So, right. But I will even bring another point in which -- which was really interesting to me, frankly, about empathy and about the coronavirus, which the president wrapped that all into one bow and when Biden did his thing where he looked into the camera and said, I know there are people out there who are missing somebody at the table, somebody who doesn't have somebody at home, you know, going to sleep, the president attacked him for being a typical politician.</s>TAPPER: It was for the -- this isn't about my family, it's not about his family, it's about your family.</s>BASH: Right. But he was having an empathetic moment.</s>TAPPER: Right.</s>BASH: And what the president did was try to call him out and say, that's -- to use Biden's term, that's malarkey, that's not real, he's just being a politician. I don't know that people are going to buy that because if you -- even if you're not really a big fan of Joe Biden's policies, he is genuinely empathetic. He means that. And so what Trump was trying to do globally for the whole 90 minutes was to say, you know, I might be the president of the United States, I might live in the White House, but I'm still the disrupter and he's the longtime politician. And the fact that he took it that far in that moment was risky.</s>TAPPER: That's interesting you say that, I agree, I think that does sum up the night, both Biden saying that and Trump's response. And I think one of the reasons why, in my view, it did not work, although I'm sure it worked with the MAGA bubble because they think that anybody that expresses affection for their son or empathy for someone they don't know is weak. So, but I think that's what it's indicative of. President Trump lives in an atmosphere of disinformation, false information, reinforcing itself. And that's why some of the things, some of the punches he threw at Joe Biden, I don't think landed because unless you were Sean Hannity, you probably had no idea what he was talking about.</s>PHILLIP: You need an encyclopedia to understand what is going on because it's a series of buzzwords that have meaning, perhaps, if you've been studying, you know, the daily caller, whatever it is. But if you are just a regular person going about your life, you're not going to understand where -- what rabbit holes the president is going down. So, you know, I noticed in this debate, you know, they were given two minutes to give their answers. The president gets a lot of words into his two minutes. When you listen to the words that are coming out, I do wonder how many people at home are really connecting the dots here between the words that he's saying and what it means for them. Because sometimes it does sound like he's trying to get as many of these buzzwords in, these buzz-attack words against Biden, but they don't connect with real people. And I think that's where, you know, tonight, you're really left wondering what did the president really accomplish in terms of advancing his agenda for the next.</s>TAPPER: And the other thing is people on his team, and you were saying this earlier, Dana, people on his team wanted him to talk about the economy tonight. They wanted him to talk about how he's going to be able to bring the economy back to normal after he deals with COVID. Even though he's not really dealing with COVID. That's a separate issue. You know, this is an area where polls indicate he's still competitive with Biden if not ahead.</s>BASH: Yes. It's the one area.</s>TAPPER: People do trust him more. The one area.</s>BASH: Right, it is the one area.</s>TAPPER: But all I'm going to say is he didn't do it.</s>BASH: No.</s>TAPPER: He didn't do it. He was off in Breitbart land talking about laptops.</s>BASH: Yes.</s>TAPPER: Americans were worried about food on the table or their kids not getting a good education, or when is this virus going to be over, they didn't get an answer from him.</s>BASH: Right. I mean, look, let's just be clear, the bar was very low based on the last.</s>TAPPER: Yes. He didn't set himself on fire.</s>BASH: Right.</s>TAPPER: Correct.</s>BASH: Very, very --</s>TAPPER: Yes.</s>BASH: And so he cleared that low bar. But, and he did, as I said before, listened to his advisers on some of the tactics that he should use, namely don't interrupt Joe Biden as much or at all. And also to try to pivot as much as he could. But one thing he didn't do that people I talked to who are in his camp on Capitol Hill have said over and over again is not just the economy but just broadly, what is your goal for your second term? What do you want to do? What are your agenda items?</s>PHILLIP: Yes.</s>BASH: Can you name any besides getting the economy back on track which is not a small thing.</s>TAPPER: And learning to live with the pandemic.</s>PHILLIP: He really struggled with this question.</s>BASH: There really aren't a serious agenda items that he can lay out in a very fair way which is a really important thing if you are asking the American people to get his job back.</s>PHILLIP: You get the distinct impression that the president, obviously, wishes this race were different, and wishes this race were kind of taking the clock back to January of 2020 before the coronavirus. He hasn't really come to terms with the fact that this is the race that he is in right now. And he can't just say to voters, well, I just want to take the clock back. He's got to figure out how to navigate through this new reality that people are living with. One of the key things, you know, a real practical thing that I -- Joe Biden spent a lot of time on, actually, in one of his answers, was about schools and you mentioned it, Jake, people are living with their kids at home. They want to know how their kids are going to be able to get back into schools. These are the kinds of specifics that he -- the president needs to walk people through what that looks like for them and not just say, well, the virus is coming and then we'll be fine.</s>TAPPER: Yes. While we need to live with it. There was a much more coherent answer from Biden on that. I thought he ticked three things that need to be done. Even though I do think, again, that Biden struggled when Trump confronted him with the question of, you've been in politics for 47 years.</s>PHILLIP: Yes.</s>TAPPER: You were vice president for eight years, why didn't you do that then? I thought that was the most effective thing that Trump did this evening. I don't think it will be enough. Can I just say one other thing about the Gates/Breitbart nonsense, that Trump spews that -- like this little code words that, you know, make Hannity's pins shine at specific moments when he utters them. The president even though he leaned into it a little bit but he didn't really go full-bore. Which I think was wise. Or at least not stupid. He is running the single most negative sleazy campaign in American history for a major party candidate. Now, it used to be that people would be negative --</s>BASH: That says something.</s>TAPPER: It used to be people would be negative and you could always say, well, don't forget the campaign against Dukakis or historians like Beschloss or whatever would come on and say, you know in 1800. Jefferson had pamphleteers who accused John Adams of being a hermaphrodite or whatever. The campaign, the Trump and his allies in the media and members of his family and the Trump allied websites and such are leveling with charges so heinous. I'm not even going to say them. Just nonsense, crap, tied into QAnon, tied into PizzaGate, tied into the worst things you can say about a person, with no evidence, just completely made up it is so disgusting and so beneath what this election should be. And I just want viewers at home to be ready because all of their grandparents' Facebook feeds and all of the Twittersphere, it's going to be so heinous over the next 11 days. And people should just be prepared for it. The president leaned into some of it, generally to some of the sleazier baseless accusations, not the worse, but it's going to get a lot worse.</s>PHILLIP: Yes, you know, I mean, it's a sign of how little in reality that they have to put up against Joe Biden. I mean, this is the problem for them. Is that so much of this stuff is either complete fabrications of falsehoods, and just innuendo that has very little evidence behind it and they have to go there. Well, to the imaginary in some ways in order to get at Biden and try to drive up Biden's negatives because that's been the single hardest thing for them to do up until this time.</s>BASH: You guys are talking about things that are potentially out of bounds or are out of bounds, but one of the things that has really frustrated Republicans is that the president has not until tonight, which I think he did much, much more of than ever before, has not defined Joe Biden on policy issues that are genuinely different from Republicans that are way inbound. And he did start to do that tonight. If the president can stay as disciplined -- and I use that word very loosely -- as he was tonight, just like he did four years ago at the end if the campaign, you know, things could change. But it's a very big if?</s>TAPPER: Well, yes, I mean it's the biggest if I ever heard. Anderson?</s>COOPER: Let's go back to our fact checker Daniel Dale. Daniel, another important debate topic was healthcare, the president made this claim about former Vice President Biden's plan.</s>TRUMP: One thing very important, we have 180 million people out there that have great private health care, far more than we're talking about with Obamacare. Joe Biden is going to terminate all of those policies.</s>COOPER: Daniel, what do you make of that?</s>DALE: Biden basically did this fact check for me, Anderson, during the debate. It's just false. As Biden said, Senator Bernie Sanders and others on the left proposed Medicare for all, single-payer government health care programs. Biden is not one of those people. He has vocally rejected that approach. What he has proposed is known as a public option, in which people can voluntarily enroll in a Medicare-like government program if they wanted to. They would not be forced off their private plans. Biden would not terminate private insurance. Now there are legitimate questions about how a public option if it was robust and popular would affect the availability of private insurance over time. As former Senator Santorum said on our air earlier. But this suggestion that Biden is just going to wipe away private plans, terminate them, is simply false, Anderson.</s>COOPER: Excuse me, President Trump once again went after Joe Biden on the issue of fracking to extract oil and gas. Let's listen.</s>TRUMP: It's all a pipe dream, but you know what we'll do, we are going to have the greatest economy in the world. But if you want to kill the economy, get rid of your oil industry. You want -- what about fracking?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right. Let me --</s>TRUMP: Now we have to ask --</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let me allow Vice President Biden to respond.</s>JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I never said I oppose fracking.</s>TRUMP: You said it on tape.</s>BIDEN: I did -- show the tape. Put it on your website.</s>TRUMP: I'll put it on.</s>BIDEN: Put it on the website. The fact of the matter is --</s>TRUMP: Showed it --</s>BIDEN: -- he's flat lying.</s>COOPER: Daniel, he then later on added that he had called for an inter fracking on federal land.</s>DALE: Yes, so in this case Trump is correct. Biden did make anti- fracking comments during the Democratic primary in 2019 and 2020. And Trump was not lying. Listen, for example, to something he said in 2019.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, Mr. Vice President. Just to clarify, would there be any place for fossil fuels including coal and fracking in a Biden administration?</s>BIDEN: No. We would -- we would work it out. We would make sure it's eliminated and no more subsidies for either one of those. Either -- any fossil fuel.</s>DALE: So, Biden did not say the words, I oppose fracking there, but he clearly was at least very strongly suggesting that he was an opponent. Now the thing about this, the nuance here, is that was never Biden's actual policy position. So we had this weird semi comical cycle during the primary where Biden would make these broad anti-fracking comments. And then his campaign spokespeople would have to say, no, no, that's not his actual plan, his actual plan as it is today is a ban on new leases for oil and gas on public land only. So Biden is not actually proposing a complete fracking ban but it just false for Biden to say that he never said he opposed fracking, Anderson.</s>COOPER: Daniel, overall, how did you think things compared to the last time?</s>DALE: I think it was -- it was worse for Trump. I mean, this was like the debatetification (ph) of his rally lies. Biden as usual had assorted exaggerations, some flat-false claims like the one we just fact checked. But I think the dominant story from a fact-check perspective was again this bombardment, this avalanche from the president, the same bombardment we've been trying with moderate success to deal with for the last five years.</s>COOPER: Yes, Daniel Dale, thanks, we'll check back in with you again shortly. Back now with our team. David Axelrod, just in terms of where things go tomorrow, I mean, the president is going to continue with large rallies which, you know, superspreader events potentially. Vice President Biden is going to continue with socially distant campaigning, I suppose. How do you see this race over the next two weeks?</s>DAVID AXELROD, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, well, look, I think this was the last big event that we know about. I mean, you know, as we learned throughout this campaign, there can be intervening events. No one expects. And the president is capable because he has the power of the presidency to do things, but I think anything that he would do that is overtly political will be seen as such. I really think this cake is baked and whatever's going to happen on the 3rd of November when the votes are counted, there isn't a big event that's going to intervene. I don't -- I think the president needed to change the trajectory of this race tonight. And you know, I was interested in this discussion earlier about the fact that he didn't really articulate his agenda. He totally defines it. He still is running as an insurgent and defines himself totally in opposition to his opponent. But he's the president and people expect the president to have something to say about what his own vision is. And he's not comfortable with that. He had a chance to do it tonight. He really didn't do it very well. And even on substantive differences like taxes, where you think he could have borne in on Biden more than he did, he really didn't come back to it. So I don't think he did anything to change the race. I think that Biden is in a good position. And I think it's just a sprint to the finish line and an organizational battle now.</s>COOPER: You know, Gloria, David raised an interesting point which when the president is asked during debates, you know, OK, for the next early on, he was asked, you know, as many as 200,000 people may die by the 1st of February according to the latest projections, you know, what are you going to do in the next several months about this? He doesn't answer that question.</s>GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: He doesn't answer.</s>COOPER: He pivots to other things, to attacking Joe Biden, or whatever it may be. To David's point, you know, Joe Biden, you know, says at least that he would hold up a -- he held up a mask. He said 100,000 people could be saved, or more than 100,000 people could be saved if people wore these. He didn't give a lot of specifics but the president doesn't really seem to focus at all on --</s>BORGER: No.</s>COOPER: -- actual, like, future governance.</s>BORGER: No, no, and Biden said, I'd have a different plan for testing, I'd have a plan for opening schools, you know, he went on a bit about that. The president has his little bumper sticker and then goes on to the next bumper sticker. Whether its health care, oh, well, you know, I got rid of the mandates, that's what I did, and I'm going to save pre-existing conditions somehow, although we don't know how, because he doesn't delve into policy. We all know that. To me, as I've sort of sitting back thinking about the whole difference between these two men as we look at this debate, Biden's strongest moments are when he reaches into his ethical, moral, self and gets outraged and talks about COVID and said it's not how you have to live with it, we're dying with it. Or when he talks about the cages, violating every notion of who we are as a country or when he talks about health care as a right, not a privilege. And that separates him from the president of the United States who doesn't, can't reach there because he doesn't have an empathetic bone in his body, to talk about these issues to the American people. Instead, what we saw tonight was a focus on him -- from him trying to make Joe Biden somehow corrupt. He said, they're calling you a corrupt politician. And then he went into his rabbit hole as Jake and Dana and Abby were talking about, about the Hunter Biden laptop and started going, you know, down that which nobody understood. Trying to paint Joe Biden as corrupt even though Joe Biden, most of the American people, over 60 percent of the American people, believe he's honest and trustworthy and all the rest of it and they believe it is Donald Trump who is corrupt. So the difference tonight between these two men was so stark to me.</s>JONES: I think -- I'm sorry, go ahead, Senator. I'll let you.</s>SANTORUM: No, no, I didn't see the debate on coronavirus the way you folks did. Look, I think Trump actually gave his best defense on coronavirus that we've seen. And he contrasted it I think very clearly between Joe Biden who wants to continue to shut things down and Donald Trump who wants to open things. And he did give an answer as to what he would do in the future. He talked about therapeutics. He talked about vaccines. He talked about ventilators. He talked about PPE. He talked about things that are going to improve --</s>COOPER: No, he said --</s>SANTORUM: -- lowering the death rates.</s>COOPER: He said that the United States was manufacturing a lot of ventilators and sending them overseas. He said that he received therapeutics, that they call them therapeutics but actually really he thinks they're a cure which, by the way, is not something which is readily available to most people and --</s>SANTORUM: But.</s>COOPER: -- there's no details of any kind of plan.</s>SANTORUM: But the bottom line is he talked about operation warp speed. He talked about that, you know, that they're working on cures and therapies and --</s>BORGER: That's the doctors.</s>SANTORUM: -- vaccines and that they would and they would get these things out very, very quickly. Now, he may be exaggerating when the vaccines come out. But if you look at what Joe Biden is saying, he's not really offering anything different. I mean, there really is only certain things you can do, is just how effectively and efficiently --</s>AXELROD: Right, what he's -- what he's offering is the truth which is that every expert says we are, in fact, headed into a dark winter. It is going to be a long, hard slog, and even if we did get a vaccine, we're still going to be in a difficult position for some time to come. And the president's answer to that was I know better than those scientists. Well, he's been telling us that since February. And every time he tells us it's going to be gone by April, it's going to be gone by Easter, it doesn't happen. He doesn't know better than the scientists. And I think there's an appetite for a president who actually listens to scientists.</s>COOPER: Also, the difference in their plans is Joe Biden is saying, we can save 100,000 people. I think the figure is actually, like, 70,000 to 75,000 according to the latest projections. But 75,000 people could be saved if 95 percent of the country just wore this little piece of cloth when they went outside.</s>SANTORUM: But Anderson, you --</s>COOPER: And the president is not talking about saving anybody. He's not talking about saving -- he can save 100,000 --</s>JONES: A couple things here --</s>COOPER: -- by encouraging people to wear a mask.</s>JONES: I think the Senator is right on a couple things. I think you're right. I do think that this was probably Trump's best attempt to answer and I think you're right, he can talked about the vaccine and that kind of stuff. But I think -- here's how I think it's going to actually impact the race. I think that there are going to be conservatives like yourself and libertarians like, you know, who are a part of your coalition, who are relieved tonight. They feel like they can now kind of get out there, they don't have to hang their heads in shame. He boxed smartly and he did well, but he needed two things to happen tonight. Not just one. One, Trump needed to not come across like a deranged madman who's just going to run over everybody and scare people, and he needed Joe Biden to completely bomb. And the problem is Biden did well, too. That's the problem I think --</s>SANTORUM: See, I would --</s>JONES: You'll see it differently.</s>SANTORUM: I'll disagree with that a little bit.</s>JONES: That's fine.</s>SANTORUM: Go ahead.</s>JONES: Go ahead, Senator.</s>SANTORUM: I would say, I disagree with that. Look, he made lots of -- I mean, looking at the watch. He made a lot of slurs of words. And made some not cooperative and things like that.</s>JONES: I think it's unforgivable. Sure. Nothing else --</s>SANTORUM: Nothing unforgivable. But he didn't look solid. He looked a little rattled at times. And you can say, well, that's nothing, but when you're kryptonite is just that, that's a problem for him.</s>JONES: Now, listen, for you guys --</s>SANTORUM: So, even a little bit can go a long way.</s>JONES: Listen, I understand. Let me just tell you from our point of view, at least how I see it. Yes, there are times he gets wobbly but that's baked into the cake. The same way you guys have stuff baked into the cake with Trump, just Trumpisms and we get upset, you guys say, we're already over that. Some of that stuff is baked into the cake with Joe Biden.</s>SANTORUM: Maybe. Yes.</s>JONES: But Joe Biden is able to box -- well, he's up 10. Joe Biden was able to box smartly. He was able to deal with the situation. He got himself into some trouble, but I think the key is that if you're going to vote for Joe Biden, it's because you believe that he's a good man, he's a solid man, and he cares about the country. And I think Joe is stronger today because of his performance on that and I don't think anything that Trump did outside of the Fox News world hurt him there. So I think that, yes, you are correct. I think Trump helped himself tonight. I don't think he helped himself enough. And I think Biden comes out. I think it's a draw. I think you guys will feel better about it, but we feel pretty good, too.</s>SANTORUM: Here is what I will say. You guys have been dancing around this Fox News story and the conservative world story. I understand that. I understand that, you know, the mainstream media is not reporting on that. But it's -- it's not like it is not getting out there and it is not like people aren't communicating that. And the fact is Joe Biden, interestingly enough, brought it up. I mean, that's really the interesting thing in this debate, is that Biden actually brought it up before Trump did, and to talk about it, sort of go after Trump a little bit, and he didn't effectively respond to it. He sort of blew it off.</s>JONES: Let me say something about --</s>BORGER: Oh, he said it was Russian disinformation. I mean, it was --</s>SANTORUM: Well, which is -- which is sort of hard to believe when their director of national intelligence says it wasn't.</s>JONES: Well, I just want to echo Jake Tapper. I just want to echo Jake Tapper on this. I think Jake Tapper speaks for an awful lot of Americans. It is disgusting and it is despicable, these online rumors, and frankly, very good people who know better are passing around on Facebook stuff that is disgusting and dishonest. And frankly, if it were remotely true, Joe Biden would already be in prison. So, let's just be honest about this stuff. One of the nastiest, ugliest smear campaigns online --</s>BORGER: Desperation.</s>JONES: -- in the history of American politics. And it's a desperation move. I think, listen, I don't care if you're Republican, Democrat, independent, whoever you are, stop promoting this -- these kind of smears. We have to be in a country where reasonable people can run for office and not be subjected to complete --</s>SANTORUM: OK. OK. Van, I'm going to agree with you.</s>JONES: I'm not talking about Hunter Biden. I'm talking about the other stuff.</s>SANTORUM: Hold on. Yeah, but remember the Steele dossier and what was floated about president -- at that time candidate Trump --</s>JONES: I was against that, too.</s>SANTORUM: So, well, I'm just saying. It's not like both sides don't do it. And it's -- and I agree, the salacious stuff, there's no -- there's no -- there's no point to it. There's no --</s>JONES: Is there evidence of it?</s>SANTORUM: But there are some legitimate concerns that are being raised and they're being ignored, and I think they're going to come back to bite him.</s>COOPER: We're going to find out --</s>JONES: All I'm saying is, you know, you know what I'm talking about. And for people to be promoting this stuff on Facebook and good people, including good Republicans, that needs to stop. Let's have an actual debate.</s>COOPER: Coming up, we are going to find out how undecided voters in North Carolina responded to tonight's debate, which moments had the biggest impact. We will also get the first result from (inaudible) poll and debate watchers, what's their verdict on who won. That's all ahead.

North Carolina Undecided Voters React to Final Debate

BLITZER: All right. Let's get back to our fact checker Daniel Dale. Daniel, the president once again claimed he was simply joking when he talked about injecting bleach to fight COVID-19. Listen to this.</s>BIDEN: Fact is that when we knew it was coming, when it hit, what happened? What did the president say? He said, don't worry, it's going to go away, be gone by Easter. Don't worry, the warm weather -- don't worry, maybe inject bleach. He said he was kidding when he said that. A lot of people thought it was serious. A whole range of things the president has said. Even today, he thinks we are in control. We're about to lose 200,000 more people.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: President Trump.</s>TRUMP: Look, perhaps just to finish this, I was kidding on that.</s>BLITZER: So, Daniel, we've heard this from the president before. That he was simply kidding. At one point, he said, then I see the disinfectant where it knocks it out in one minute, and is there a way we can do something like that, by injection inside or almost a cleansing, a cleaning, because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs, so it would be interesting to check that, so you're going to have to use medical doctors with it, but it sounds interesting to me. It didn't sound like he was kidding to me.</s>DALE: Wolf, that's dead serious. I mean, it's weird for a fact checker to fact check whether someone was joking or not. But in context, if you watch that video from April, it was entirely clear, he looked at the side of the room in the direction of his medical and scientific experts and said the quote you just said about the possibility of studying whether disinfectants, injecting them, could treat the coronavirus. Biden sometimes exaggerates on this, suggests that Trump actually actively recommended that people inject bleach. He didn't. He was talking about studying it. But there is question, Wolf, he was serious and not sarcastic and kidding, like he keeps claiming.</s>BLITZER: Yeah, remember, in the room, at the White House briefing room, you can see Dr. Birx. She was really uncomfortable when she heard the president --</s>DANIEL: Yeah.</s>BLITZER: -- say that.</s>DALE: Yeah.</s>BLITZER: That was a pretty awful moment. The president also talked once again about Dr. Anthony Fauci and his early, very early assessment of the coronavirus. This is what he said.</s>TRUMP: Anthony also said, if you look back, exact words, here are his exact words, this is no problem and this is going to go away soon. So, he is allowed to make mistakes. He happens to be a good person.</s>BLITZER: Did the president quote Dr. Fauci accurately?</s>DALE: He did not, Wolf. Wolf, the president has a long history -- he's been doing this for months -- of misquoting Dr. Fauci. In fact, to be more precise, he keeps inventing non-existing quotes from Fauci. So, here is what Fauci said in a February interview that people on the right have seized on as evidence for this kind of thing. He said on the NBC "Today Show," at this moment, there's no need to change anything that you're doing on a day-to-day basis. So people, you know, take that sentence and say, OK, he's playing it down. But that is not so, because listen to what Fauci said next. He said, right now the risk is still low, but this could change, I've said that many times even on this program. He went on to say, when you start to see community spread, this could change and force you to become much more attentive to doing things that would protect you from spread. He later said in that same interview this could be a major outbreak, I hope not, or it could be something that's reasonably well controlled. At the end of the day, this will ultimately go down. So, yes, he did say it will ultimately go down, but he certainly, Wolf, did not say soon, and again, he expressed considerable uncertainty as he continued to warn people of a looming risk.</s>BLITZER: I don't know why the president keeps attacking Dr. Fauci. Every time he does so, the president's own political aides, they get very, very nervous. They don't like this. They think it will only hurt the president in terms of public opinion. Dr. Fauci is one of the most respected men in America right now. Daniel, I know you're working some other issues. We're going to get back to you soon. Right now, I want to see how tonight's debate played with voters out there, still haven't made up their minds. We have a group of undecided voters in the truly critical battleground state of North Carolina. They've been watching the debate together with all of us. Gary Tuchman is with them in Davidson, North Carolina right now. So, Gary, the undecided voters, I take it, had a strong reaction to this discussion about coronavirus. Let me throw this bite.</s>GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf, we're at --</s>BLITZER: Listen to this.</s>BIDEN: And I don't look at this in terms of the way he does. Blue states and red states, they're all the United States. And look at the states that are having such a spike in the coronavirus. They're the red states. They're the states in the Midwest. They're the states in the upper Midwest. That's where the spike is occurring significantly. But they're all Americans. They're all Americans. And what we have to do is say, wear these masks, number one.</s>TRUMP: We can't keep this country closed. This is a massive country with a massive economy. People are losing their jobs. They're committing suicide. There's depression, alcohol, drugs at a level that nobody's ever seen before. There's abuse, tremendous abuse. We have to open our country.</s>BLITZER: So tell us, Gary, why it did resonate with the undecided voters who were with you.</s>TUCHMAN: That's right, Wolf. Those two comments from Joe Biden and Donald Trump, both regarding the coronavirus, were the highest-rated comments by each candidate, according to our panel here of undecided voters. Maybe a question you're asking right now, how can there possibly be at this time undecided voters? Well, I will tell you, these people have not voted in early voting because they don't know who to vote for positively yet. I will tell you that almost all of them are leaning towards one candidate or the other. A couple others have no idea whatsoever. But they all say they could still be swayed based on what they saw tonight or based on what happens over the next few days. But regarding those comments, I'll start with this gentleman right here. You go through the high points of both the candidates.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.</s>TUCHMAN: Unity that Joe Biden was talking about, the economy that Donald Trump was talking about. Tell me why those were positive comments.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean we have to be united. We can't -- we are the United States, right? Then, you know, the economy has to be open. If it's not, I mean, there's nothing for us to do.</s>TUCHMAN: You give them both the credit. You, sir, you thought they were both positive comments for both men, too. Tell me why.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, I would say compassion doesn't care about political party lines. Compassion is about all people. And so I thought that was quite a convincing stand for a much needed spirit of American unity.</s>TUCHMAN: What about the economy staying open? Donald Trump talked about it.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah. I think -- I think progress, progress through the challenges is important, but not at the expense of compassion for those who are suffering.</s>TUCHMAN: This young lady right here, you thought that was a positive comment by Joe Biden and Donald Trump also, correct?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Uh, I thought it was a positive comment from Joe Biden, yes.</s>TUCHMAN: With Donald Trump talking about the economy, though, what was your reaction to that?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I feel as though that the issues, the COVID needs to be addressed before we can get to that point and talk about opening up the economy.</s>TUCHMAN: OK. This gentleman right here, you told me that you thought it was important what Joe Biden said and also important what Donald Trump said. Tell me why.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely. Like we said, we're United States and Donald Trump uses the fact that he calls them our blue leaders, don't agree with him, and Joe Biden was having none of that. And I think the economy is important because, like Donald Trump said, if we -- if we shut down the economy at the expense of the people, there's not going to be a country to come back to.</s>TUCHMAN: One of the things we were talking about was the second biggest moment. A lot of you told us it was the last question, what would you say to voters who aren't voting for you? Why did you think that was such an important moment, the last question?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that was important because I think that we need to find a commonality to come together and grow as a country. I think Biden provided that type of answer.</s>TUCHMAN: Why did you think that was an important moment, the last question?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I think that where we're at now, our country is just divided. And I think that Biden basically told us that he's going to do what it takes for all Americans, not just people that follow a certain political party.</s>TUCHMAN: What did you think the most important moment of this debate was?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the most important debate -- moment of the debate was probably the transparency discussion that was permeating throughout all the conversation. The fact that transparency came up in tax returns, finances among overseas individuals, and also transparency that the COVID-19 vaccine is coming out, more than ever, we want to be able to trust those leaders in office. And so that is why transparency, I think, needs to be a discussion.</s>TUCHMAN: Do you think this was a better debate than the first one, lot less commotion, right?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I do think so. I think the moderator did a good job of handling both candidates and that they talked about the real issues and a lot of issues this time rather than just going back and forth with --</s>TUCHMAN: Was it refreshing for you to see a debate where there was less interrupting, less complaining, and more substance?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely. After watching the first debate, this one was much better. I mean, it was more controlled. And also with the mute button, it made a big difference.</s>TUCHMAN: The mute button. Everyone noticed the mute button today.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.</s>TUCHMAN: It did make a difference. It is something to keep in mind for four years from now. Wolf, back to you.</s>BLITZER: Yeah, I agree. I think that Kristen Welker of NBC News did an excellent job as a moderator tonight. Gary, the lowest moment of the night centered on the president's remarks about racism in our country. Listen to this.</s>TRUMP: I am the least racist person, I can't even see the audience because it's so dark, but I don't care who's in the audience, I'm the least racist person in this room.</s>BLITZER: So tell us about the reaction to that, Gary.</s>TUCHMAN: Yeah. It wasn't a positive reaction, Wolf. As you saw, at the very least, it was a bit presumptuous to say something like that. The racist comment -- let me start with you as I'm walking by you.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mm-hmm.</s>TUCHMAN: How did you feel about that when you heard the president said that?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was quite shocked, honestly. I thought that by this time, what we're looking for, that people would kind of teach him what to say, what not to say. But that's really how he feels, so at least we actually know going into the voting where he stands.</s>TUCHMAN: Sir, how did you feel about that comment when we heard --</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From Donald Trump comparing himself to Abraham Lincoln?</s>TUCHMAN: Yes. Well, yes, when he said -- he actually said that he's been the best president for black people since Abraham Lincoln. But when he said he is the least racist person, how did it make you feel?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it seemed like a bit of a show. I think his policy and his, like, weakness in bringing black people and white people together says it all.</s>TUCHMAN: I want to ask you now, this is what our viewers have been waiting for, and that is this question about who you think won this particular debate. If you can raise your hands, this is unofficial vote, the official vote will come at the ballot box for president, the unofficial vote about who won the debate, who thinks Donald Trump won this debate? I don't see any hands. That's a zero. How many people think Joe Biden won this debate? One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine. How many people think it was a draw? One, two. Two people say it's a draw. Zero people say Donald Trump. Nine people, Wolf, say Joe Biden. Back to you.</s>BLITZER: Thank everyone for doing this. Really interesting, Gary. Appreciate it very much. We're about also to get the first results from our instant poll of debate watchers and a verdict on who won tonight. We'll share that with you. A lot more is coming up. We'll be right back.

Final Trump-Biden Debate In Nashville, Tennessee.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: And we are just an hour away from the final debate between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. It is a last chance to reach millions of voters at one time with just 12 days left until the election. It is debate night in America. I am Anderson Cooper. We will soon find out if this debate is anything like the first chaotic Trump-Biden face off. Their 90-minute rematch is happening at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee with an unprecedented rule in place. Each candidate's microphone will be muted during his opponent's initial answers. See how much that actually deters the President from constantly interrupting as he did last time. Tonight is the final of what may be the wildest presidential debate series ever including the cancellation of the second debate after the President's COVID-19 diagnosis. As always, Wolf Blitzer is here as we countdown to the debate. Wolf, the President's illness escalated concern certainly about safety in this debate tonight.</s>WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: It certainly did, Anderson. We don't know if President Trump already was infected at the last debate, but the White House says he did test negative tonight as did Joe Biden. Viewers will still see social distancing on the stage. President Trump will stand at the podium to the left of your TV screen. He will be more than 12 feet away from former Vice President Biden who will be standing to the right. Plexiglas barriers had been installed between the candidates earlier for added protection, but both candidates agreed to take them down after Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden tested negative. Tonight's moderator is Kristen Welker of NBC News. She will be seated over 16 feet away from the two candidates. When the debate gets underway, we are told President Trump will get the first question that will be the first test of the new microphone rule. At the start of every new topic, when one candidate is giving his first two-minute answer, the other candidate will be muted. These are the topics chosen by the moderator: fighting COVID-19, American families, race in America, as well as climate change, national security and leadership. We're covering every moment of this debate as well as voter reaction. Daniel Dale is standing by to fact check the candidates. Gary Tuchman is with some undecided North Carolina voters who will be watching the debate. David Chalian will bring us the first word on who won from a CNN instant poll. But let's check in with our correspondents covering the campaigns. First, Jim Acosta, what are you hearing from the President's campaign adviser?</s>JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, campaign advisers tell me they now believe it was a huge mistake for President Trump to cancel on last week's debate making a breakout moment, a must tonight, to shake up this race. One adviser said the President needs a quote "leadership moment" at the debate as Biden is now seen as the frontrunner heading into the final stretch of this campaign. The President is expected to raise some topics that he has struggled to inject into the mainstream news cycle. Asked whether the President missed an opportunity to do just that last week, because he canceled on that debate, one adviser wrote back in all caps, yes -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: All right, standby. I want to go to Arlette Saenz. She is also covering the Biden campaign for us. Arlette, what are you learning about the former Vice President's strategy?</s>ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, Joe Biden's messaging for the past few months has been incredibly consistent focusing on the coronavirus pandemic, and the economy as he has tried to turn this election into a referendum on President Trump's handling of the crisis. Those are two issues he will hammer away at again tonight. And it's a contrast to the President who has thrown many lines of attack at Joe Biden's way justifying something that will stick. Now, one of the challenges for Biden tonight will be to not get bogged down in the directions that President Trump might try to take this debate. That is something his advisers have prepared him for as he has gotten ready for this debate, and one tactic that Biden is likely to employ again tonight that he used in that first debate is looking directly into camera as he tries to make his case to voters. The Biden campaign feels like this is something that really broke through with people that as he was trying to make his case and he will do again tonight in these waning days of the election.</s>BLITZER: We will see how that goes, all right, Arlette, thank you very much. Jeff Zeleny has some new reporting for us. Jeff, it's not only the presidential candidates that have a big stake in tonight's debate.</s>JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it's not just the race for the White House that has some Republicans anxious tonight. It's also their attempt to hold on to their majority in the U.S. Senate. And after that first debate, there certainly was a lot of heartburn from senators who were locked in key races across the country. Since then, we've seen a few of them gently step away and distance themselves from the President. I am told that if tonight's debate is a repeat of the first one, we will see several more Republican senators likely do that as well as Republican senators potentially beginning to make the argument that look, a Joe Biden potential presidency would need a Republican Senate to be a check on him. So of course, Republicans are hoping the President has a strong performance tonight, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell I'm told has also advised his senators to do whatever they have to do to try and win their races. So Wolf, it is, of course, the race for the presidency that's on the line, but as well, Republicans trying to hold the U.S. Senate.</s>BLITZER: Yes, that is critically, critically important. All right, Jeff, thanks very much. Let's check in with Jake Tapper. Jake, this is truly a historic night.</s>JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Big night, Wolf. Big night and Dana and Abby, one of the things that I'm wondering about with so much at stake is who is left to convince? Most Americans have made up their minds according to polls. There are, however, still undecided voters, and still soft Trump supporters and soft Biden supporters. So I'm willing to go out on a limb and say that Donald Trump's base, he's got them.</s>DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes.</s>TAPPER: He's got the base.</s>BASH: I don't think it's so far out there on a limb.</s>TAPPER: So if he goes out there tonight, and does the whole Breitbart, FOX, China, Hunter babble that most Americans and certainly the Americans who have not made up their mind yet, have no idea what he is talking about, I don't think that's going to convince anybody.</s>BASH: I agree. Have no idea what he is talking about and don't care. Because what they care about is a deadly pandemic. What they care about is the fact that maybe they lost their job, or they are trying to deal with their kids learning at home, or anything else that has a real world effect on their life, not some question about perhaps something having to do with his opponent's child which may or may not have happened. I mean, you know, maybe in some other times when we're all in prosperity and health, but not now. And that is what I'm hearing from the President's advisers over and over again. He has got to focus on the issues that people care about. It is a sliver of people, maybe who are undecided. But this might be decided on the margins.</s>TAPPER: He just need enough in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan.</s>ABBY PHILLIP, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: I do think though the strategy, as they see it is a little bit different. It's not so much about changing people's minds about Trump and making him seem better. It's actually potentially a turnout depressor, particularly for people who might be tempted to vote for Joe Biden. Remember, four years ago, around this time, this is the same basic argument they were making against Hillary Clinton. Effectively, this Hunter Biden argument is a redoux of that, and it was a way of sort of bringing down her positives, bringing up her negatives. The problem, though, is that that has been so hard for them to do when it comes to Biden. Biden has been consistently much more popular than the President, and these attacks are not breaking through. And it could be because people feel like they've seen this movie before. That this was the play that was made against Clinton four years ago, and it's not clear to me that it's working.</s>TAPPER: Right. And it was also a play that was made after, you know, 40 years of attacks on Hillary Clinton since 1991.</s>PHILLIP: It doesn't fit for Biden, with people's just sort of gut perception of him. That's just something that is hard to turn around in the last couple of months of a campaign. People feel like in some ways, they know who Joe Biden is as a guy and a person who they might want to go get a drink with or what have you. They don't think of him in the same way as they might have thought about Hillary Clinton for better or worse.</s>BASH: You're exactly right. The President is as I was just talking to one of his allies before coming on, he says he keeps running the 2016 campaign and it is 2020. Not only does it not work as well, for him, because it's Joe Biden and not Hillary Clinton. It's because he has been President for four years. The country knows him. They know what he is good at, and what he is not good at and he hasn't laid out a clear vision for what he would do in a second term. These are people who like him and want him to win, who are saying this, because they're so sick of telling him what they think he needs to do, and he just isn't listening.</s>TAPPER: Let's talk about Biden here for a second. What does he need to do to use a basketball analogy? I think UNC's four corners offense is what they need to do. He just needs to hold the ball as long as possible and not make any mistakes and run out the clock. Right? I mean, that's basically -- that's basically what he needs to do. It is just not screw it up.</s>BASH: Not mess it up. Do no harm is what I'm hearing from people who are close to Joe Biden, which is why he practiced a lot this past week. And he is not, just you know, taking this for granted and is not just kind of winging it. First of all, that's just not his style, but also because he understands that the stakes are so high, he has to know exactly what his moves are going to be very different from Donald Trump.</s>TAPPER: But can I say something, Abby, and tell me what you think. I think it's more that first of all, he is not a great debater, Joe Biden. He didn't win the last debate. It's just that Donald Trump, you know, went on stage and set himself on fire. Second of all, he can get rattled very easily. Any of us who have covered him as Vice President or as a senator on Capitol Hill, you challenge his integrity or the integrity of anyone in his family, and he can go wild.</s>PHILLIP: Right. Well, I think this is why your basketball analogy. This is kind of like putting a bull in the middle of the basketball court and having him just completely run wild. It's not going to be as simple as just Joe Biden trying to kind of keep the ball up in the air. He is dealing with a really unpredictable situation and the President is going to be coming after him really hard. I think it's going to take a lot more than simply just trying to dodge the President. He is going to have to have a real strategy to push back and to defend himself against some of these accusations.</s>TAPPER: All right, coming up, we'll take you inside the candidate's debate preparations. How will they deal with the moments when their microphones are muted? We have some new reporting on that. That's next. Stay with us.</s>BLITZER: We're back with our special coverage of Debate Night in America. You are looking at live pictures coming in from inside the Debate Hall. You see everybody wearing masks in contrast to what we saw during that first debate. The President and the former Vice President are facing something new tonight, periods of time when their microphones will actually be muted. Let's bring back Dana Bash. Dana, this new rule is designed to avoid a repeat of the first Trump- Biden brawl as it turned out to be. What are you learning about the candidates' preparations?</s>BASH: Well, their prep for this final debate couldn't be more different, Wolf. Joe Biden is once again traditional and Donald Trump says no.</s>BASH (voice over): Aaron Burrs' advice to Alexander Hamilton.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Talk less</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Smile more.</s>BASH (voice over): It sums up with sources close to the President tell CNN he is hearing about tonight's debate. Less this --</s>JOE BIDEN (D), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: They will under my proposal.</s>DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Not what you've said and it is not what you --</s>BASH (voice over): More this.</s>BIDEN: It would create an additional $1 trillion in economic growth.</s>TRUMP: There are a lot of people that say let him talk because he loses his train. He loses his mind, frankly.</s>BASH (voice over): But that's what Trump advisers told him before the first debate.</s>KELLYANNE CONWAY, FORMER COUNSELOR TO PRESIDENT TRUMP: My last piece of advice to the President, which I shared with him directly and I shared with him before the first debate, let Biden speak.</s>BIDEN: I am in favor of law, you follow a little bit of order.</s>TRUMP: Are you in favor of law and order?</s>BASH (voice over): This time, team Trump hopes he will listen.</s>CONWAY: Joe Biden in some places and spaces during that first debate was just about to say something that is out of touch with the American people. And so my argument is let him finish his sentence.</s>JENNIFER GRANHOLM, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think that Joe Biden was incredibly powerful in the Town Hall last week, because he wasn't interrupted, because he could talk about his plans.</s>BASH (voice over): The new debate rule muting candidates' microphones at the start of each segment intended to rein in Trump concerns some Biden allies.</s>BASH (on camera): What do you think about the mute button?</s>GRANHOLM: You know, I worry about the mute button a little bit. It doesn't mean that Donald Trump is not going to be over there talking and if we can't hear him talking, but Joe Biden can. That's still disruptive, you know, for Joe Biden.</s>BASH (voice over): CNN is told that Biden has been practicing not getting distracted if that happens again with Trump's stand in, Bob Bauer, constantly interrupting Biden during mock debates this week. As for the President --</s>TRUMP: What am I doing to prepare? I'm doing this.</s>BASH (voice over): He abandoned semi-structured sessions in the White House map room before the first debate, instead preparing in small doses with a few aides on the road between rallies where he works on his arguments with the help of his crowds.</s>BIDEN: If you vote for Biden, he will surrender your jobs to China.</s>BASH (voice over): Longtime adviser, Kellyanne Conway, who helped prep Trump for debate number one says, success, this time would be talking about promises kept from renegotiating trade deals to cutting taxes and adding some levity.</s>CONWAY: He can say, you know what, Joe, in my second term, I promise in my second term, I'll tweet less, but you have to tax less. Are you willing to make that -- are you willing to make that promise right here and now?</s>BASH (voice over): Biden is working to replicate moments that broke through like talking directly to camera.</s>BIDEN: You folks at home, you folks living in Scranton and Claymont and all the small towns and working class towns in America. How will you do it?</s>BASH (voice over): Jennifer Granholm who helped Biden in past debate prep sessions says he is best when he stays true to his brand.</s>BASH (on camera): Was there a moment watching the debate last time as somebody who has prepped Joe Biden in the past when you said, "Oh no, don't do that."</s>GRANHOLM: The only thing that I had a question about was him calling him a clown. Because it was calling somebody a name.</s>TRUMP: Some people don't --</s>BIDEN: Well, here is --</s>CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS CHANNEL ANCHOR: Go ahead. You have -- wait a minute, you get the final word, Mr. Biden.</s>BIDEN: Well, it is hard to get any word in with this clown. Excuse me, this person.</s>TRUMP: Hey let me just --</s>BASH (voice over): Biden himself later called that a mistake, one he'll try to avoid repeating.</s>BIDEN: I did get frustrated and I should have said this is a clownish undertaking instead of calling him a clown.</s>BASH: As for Trump's unprecedented attacks on tonight's moderator, Kristen Welker, Kellyanne Conway told me she thinks Welker is one of the hardest working members of the White House Press Corps, and unlike the former boss, she still advises, predicts that Welker will be quote, "very fair." Conway added, it is not just a female moderator, it is the President speaking to America's women -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Yes, Kristen Welker is an excellent, excellent journalist and a very, very nice person at the same time and I know you agree with me, Dana.</s>BASH: I do.</s>BLITZER: Everybody agrees. All right, one of the big questions tonight. How much will this debate really matter, especially for the President, as he looks for a boost with only 12 days left? John King is back with us. John put the stakes for this debate in perspective.</s>JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the President comes in trailing double digits to the national polls. Let's go back through history. Forty years of history to show if this President can come back in this race that would be a comeback of historic proportions. Let's go back to 1980. Ronald Reagan, the challenger versus the incumbent President Jimmy Carter a long time ago, right? Ronald Reagan came into the final debate with a slight lead or tie. Call that what you will, but a tie. Ronald Reagan would go on to win. Ten points he gained, 10 points Ronald Reagan gained from the final debate to Election Day. That is what Donald Trump needs to match. Ten points right there. That's back in time to 1980. Let's fast forward 1988, then Vice President George H.W. Bush against Michael Dukakis. Vice President Bush came in with a six-point lead, on Election Day, he won by seven points. Not much change between the final debate and Election Day in that campaign. In 1992, you remember it well, Wolf, this the three-way race with Ross Perot. It made the debates fascinating and interesting and made the numbers interesting, too. Governor Bill Clinton then of Arkansas, the Democrat came in with a lead. Look how low the incumbent President of the United States was coming in to the final debate, 28 percent. Ross Perot had 13. This is fascinating. Both Bush and Perot moved after the final debate, just not enough. H.W. Bush moved nearly 10 points. Again, that's about what President Trump needs. So it's been done. But in this three-way race, it's hard to make a direct comparison. Governor Clinton would win the presidency with 43 percent of the vote.</s>KING: Bush v. Gore, 2000. Before we got to the Supreme Court, Governor Bush of Texas then against the sitting Vice President Al Gore, they came into the final debate with Governor Bush with a five- point lead. On Election Day, Al Gore came back to win the Popular Vote, just by a little bit. It was very close. But of course, he lost at the Supreme Court, lost in the Electoral College because of that, and George W. Bush would go on to be President. But you see a little bit of movement in the race there with Gore coming up. Governor Bush held pretty static there. In 2004, people forget how close this race was. Senator John Kerry, against the incumbent President. The first presidential election after 9/11. They came into the final debate tied essentially, Kerry 48 and Bush 47. But he stressed national security in the final days, again, the first election post 9/11, and on Election Day, Governor Bush got 51 percent, 48 percent for Senator Kerry, Ohio, decided the winner in this one not a lot of movement, though, between the final debate and Election Day, the movement that did happen for President Bush. This was history in the making. The United States electing its first African-American President in 2008. John McCain was the Republican candidate. The Iraq War was the big issue. People were tired of it. Barack Obama came in with a big lead, 14 points there. He actually lost a little bit of ground, but he still won comfortably on Election Day. Again, the final debate, not changing the debate -- the campaign all that much. Now, let's fast forward. We all remember this, 2016. Right? Well, when they came into the final debate, Hillary Clinton had a five-point national lead, a five-point national lead coming into the final debate four years ago. We all know what happened on Election Day, President Trump actually gained four points in the national Popular Vote. But of course Hillary Clinton won the Popular Vote. Donald Trump, because of that game, where it played out in the states won the presidency in the Electoral College. So he went up a little bit from the final debate last time through to 2016 election. Here's the challenge in 2020, though. The President enters this debate 10 points down. Again, Ronald Reagan moved 10 points. George H.W. Bush moved nine points. Ronald Reagan was head momentum coming into the debate. George H.W. Bush was in that wacky three-way race. If Donald Trump is to reverse this using the final debate, Wolf, that would be something for the history books -- Anderson.</s>COOPER: John King, appreciate it. Let's go to our team. David Axelrod, you know, when we hear people talking about, you know, this is the last chance for both candidates to change any dynamics that they want in this race. They're going to have this large audience. But you also have to remember who both of these people are in particular. President Trump has come off a pretty erratic, you know, period of time since he last debated. I mean, he became infected with COVID. He might have been infected when he was on the debate stage last time with Joe Biden. I mean, most recently, he is calling for Joe Biden to be investigated and have charges brought against him by his own Attorney General. Do you see some sort of change in dynamics for this President on this stage tonight?</s>DAVID AXELROD, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It is hard to see it. Gloria said it earlier. I agree with her. The other problem that he has, Anderson, as I was listening to John King's recitation there. There are very few Americans who are undecided right now, if you believe the polls. There are very few movable parts left. We're a very polarized country. And a third of the country will have voted effectively by tonight or a third of those who are expected to vote. So there aren't that many movable parts. The President has to move 10 points, and he has a very short playing field here. So even if he behaves well, that is a difficult task and behaving well is a difficult task for him. Here's the problem. He in his own mind believes that he has a majority out there, and he just needs to mobilize them. And the way he sees mobilizing them is doing the things that he does at his rallies. When in fact he has to persuade people who have committed to voting for in their own minds to voting for Joe Biden that they need to switch, and he is going to do that by repeating his rally tactics.</s>GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: And you know, the thing is, what he's got to try and do is make Joe Biden completely unacceptable. He is just not an alternative to me. That's what he's got to tell the American public. Even if you don't like me, perhaps, look at this guy. He is a crook. You can't trust him. You can't -- whatever it is. That's what he is going to try and do tonight. And what you have out there is an American public that's completely polarized, a very small sliver of undecided voters, and Joe Biden's own supporters are moving up in enthusiasm. You know, they weren't very enthusiastic about Joe Biden. They're still not as enthusiastic as Trump supporters are about him. But they've warmed up to Joe Biden. So if he is going to try and convince people, okay, this guy is unacceptable. The best he can hope for I think, is to convince people to stay away. And to say, well, I don't like either one of these guys.</s>VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, but I think what's going on with him is that I think he is -- it is like a show that's in reruns, right?</s>BORGER: Yes.</s>JONES: So he is trying to do what he did last season. Last season, he criminalized Hillary Clinton because Comey through this kind of bombshell at the end. And so, he is trying to criminalize Biden, but it just doesn't work. But he forgets -- the other thing that Trump did was that he also calmed it down a little bit near the end. And he doesn't seem to understand, look, first of all, you can't criminalize Biden. In fact, if Biden is such a criminal, why haven't your -- why hasn't your own Department of Justice put him in jail?</s>BORGER: Well, that's what he is asking.</s>JONES: But that's my point. It is that he was trying to do this rerun strategy, but he actually is misreading what he did last time. Last time, he actually did calm down. I agree with Senator Santorum, he may calm down a little bit, he may not be as erratic and crazy, but he is going to be doubling down and tripling down on these themes that nobody cares about, but him. You know, nobody cares about Hunter Biden when they can't send their kids to school and when they don't have a job.</s>COOPER: Senator Santorum, can I just also ask you, do you believe these polls? I mean, you know, you're talking about a 10-point lead on the national polls. You know, we all know national polls at this point, Senator Santorum, national polls, you know, what matters is a bunch of different states and what's going to happen in those states. Do you think there is -- that Trump is pollable?</s>RICK SANTORUM, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, I think if you look at the individual states, and I know you guys had that up earlier, those races -- there's no 10-point gap in any of those states. I mean, they're all within the margin of error, or just outside the margin of error. And, and most of them have been closing in the last couple of weeks. And I think one of the reasons is we've gotten distance from that debacle debate, which has been a good thing. And so I don't think he's going to repeat it again tonight. The other thing is, I understand, you know, the President has been going out after people. He always does that. But if you listen to his speeches, and you listen to the meme that's out there, he is effectively, you know, separating himself and contrasting himself with Joe Biden and what a Joe Biden America will look like, and what a Donald Trump America will look like, and that's what he's got to do tonight. He's been doing that very effectively on the trail, and I think it's paying off. He has toned down. I know, he is still -- he is Donald Trump. When I say tone down, it's all relative. But the other thing is, we are two worlds, and the conservative world is on fire right now with this whole Hunter Biden-Joe Biden scandal and he's got to deal with it. He is going to mention it, and he's going to try to bring it out into the mainstream.</s>COOPER: We are closing in on the start of the final presidential debate of the 2020 election. Coming up, we are going to check in with some of those undecided voters we were just talking about. Let's see what they need to hear before they can make a decision. We'll also see First Lady Melania Trump for the first time since her bout with COVID-19. We have some new details about how she is doing, next.</s>BLITZER: As we come down into the final Trump-Biden debate right at the top of the hour, you look at the live pictures coming in. Our fact checker, Daniel Dale is getting ready for what's almost certainly going to be a very busy night. Daniel, what are some of the false or misleading claims you've been hearing from the President this week?</s>DANIEL DALE, CNN REPORTER: Wolf, there have been just so many of them. I've been fact checking President Trump for more than four years, the period from Friday to Sunday when he had a bunch of rallies was possibly the most dishonest period he's had during that entire stretch. I think the most important subject of his dishonesty is the coronavirus pandemic. One of the things he's been saying for months and keep saying this week is that the pandemic is going away or that we are rounding the turn, rounding the corner. That's a vague phrase Wolf, but it's just the opposite of the truth, whatever precisely he means. We are back to more than 60,000 cases per day. The President likes to dismiss the metric of cases. Well, hospitalizations are also rising again, and deaths are rising again. We're now having again, more than 1000 deaths, individual days. He's also saying, Wolf, that it was supposed to be 2.2 million deaths. He said, well, it's very bad. You know, we're above 200,000. It was supposed to be 10 times that. This is a gross, inaccurate description of a statistic from an academic report in March that said that if no U.S. government and no U.S. citizen did anything to try to fight the virus, then in this worst case, unrealistic scenario, in that case, there'll be 2.2 million deaths. I'd like to add, Wolf, he also continues to wrongly describe Joe Biden's policy positions. One of the things he keeps saying at his rallies is that under a Joe Biden presidency, 100 and 80 million people would be kicked off their private health insurance plans. That is not true. Joe Biden is a vocal opponent of single payer Medicare for all plans. Rather, he is proposing a public option in which people could voluntarily enroll in a government Medicare style Health Insurance Program. But, Wolf, they would not be forced onto it if they didn't want to be.</s>BLITZER: Yes, good points indeed. You know, Dan, base on all your fact checking, what do you see is Joe Biden's biggest vulnerabilities today?</s>DALE: Well, but from a fact check perspective, Wolf, Biden stretches a lot. So it's not quite at least usually the kind of egregious lying that we see from Donald Trump. But he'll say things like, I've heard that I would be the first non Ivy League educated president in 80 or 90 years or ever. In fact, he'd be the first since Ronald Reagan, who will say that, you know, Trump advise people to inject bleach. Trump did make weird comments we know about the possibility of studying the injection of disinfectant to treat the coronavirus. He didn't actually advise people to drink bleach or Biden will say, you know, Trump eliminated funding for community policing. Trump did propose a significant budget cut for community policing. But Congress didn't agree and even the Trump proposal wasn't the elimination. So, for Biden, I'm looking for exaggeration, Wolf.</s>BLITZER: All right, we'll see what happens. Thanks very much, Daniel Dale, our fact-checker. I want to check in with a group of undecided voters that are very important battleground state. We're talking about North Carolina. They'll be watching the debate tonight and giving us a real time reaction. Gary Tuchman is on the scene with them in Davidson, North Carolina. Gary set the scene for us.</s>GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, we want to welcome you to the beautiful campus of Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina, just north of Charlotte. And we are with 11 North Carolina voters. We're socially distant. We're wearing masks. We're outdoors, but it's a great night to be outdoors, perfect weather to watch an outdoor debate. But all these people have in common is none of them have early voted because none of them know positively who they're going to vote for. This is a critical state, as you said, Wolf, especially for Republican Donald Trump won it four years ago. But right now the poll show it's very tight. The Joe Biden has a slight lead. And this is an important state for Republican to win in the last half century. Only two Democrats have won here. In the Bicentennial year of 1976, Jimmy Carter won in 2008 when he first ran for president his first term, Barack Obama won. What we have here are 11 people. And the question you're probably asking right now, I'm sure you're asking this question is, how can these people know who they're voting for just yet, right? That's the question. I will tell you most of these people are leaning towards one of the two candidates, but there are a couple of the voters here who still have no idea whatsoever. First of all, Colleen (ph) is one of those people. Colleen is semi-retired, which means she's semi still working, right Colleen?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.</s>TUCHMAN: OK. I want to ask you How come you have no idea yet who you want to vote for? You voted for Gary Johnson. I know four years ago. How come you haven't decided between Trump and Biden?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I haven't gotten specifics that tell me that there's a candidate among them, who has the will and the wherewithal and the temperament to do what's right for our country. So I'm hoping to see some more specifics tonight and make a decision.</s>TUCHMAN: Do you think you'll have a decision after tonight? You're hoping for that?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It depends on how it goes.</s>TUCHMAN: OK. Now to your right, there's Harrison (ph). Harrison is sitting over there. Harrison is a student here at Davidson College. He's 20 years old, which means I'm doing my math four years ago, you were 16. You were too young to vote. First time you've ever voted. You are undecided completely. Why are you still undecided?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I really oppose abortion. But I'm concerned that President Trump is a threat to the fairness of elections. So I'm really telling (ph).</s>TUCHMAN: Do you think you'll have a decision by the time this debate is over? There's nothing big happening after this. That's the biggest event before Election Day?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, I surely doubt it. But the confirmation vote on Monday will be interesting.</s>TUCHMAN: OK, so you may wait until a couple of days longer. Thank you for talking with us. I do want to point out we've given everyone an iPhone here with a special program when they strongly agree with something during the debate, they swipe up, when they strongly disagree, they swipe down, we will present those results, the scientific results when this debate is all over. We will also find out who they think won the debate. And most importantly, we'll find out if they've decided who they're going to vote for, for President of the United States. Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Gary, looking forward to checking in with you right after the debate. And as people are gathering in the audience right now for tonight's debate their questions about the First Lady's health following her about with COVID-19 and the campaign trip she canceled two days ago. Kate Bennett covers on Melania Trump for us. Kate, so what can you tell us about how Mrs. Trump is doing?</s>KATE BENNETT, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: She's doing much better, Wolf. I'm told that she will be wearing a mask tonight that the lingering cough that she cited the other night when she canceled on that rally is doing a bit better. Of course, this is a first lady that has not made an appearance on the campaign trail outside of the RNC speech at the White House in over a year. So her appearance tonight is very important for the Trump campaign. Also, we have not seen her publicly since September 29 at the last debate, of course, that was right before she said she was diagnosed with COVID-19. She and her son, Baron, she said we're both ill here at the White House. So of course the past two weeks not on the trail that's perfectly normal and acceptable. She was quarantined in the White House, but for a first lady not to participate in campaign events, when typically they're utilized and deployed on behalf of the candidate. Historically, it's very unusual. And of course, we didn't see a lot of her in 2016 either. She wasn't a prolific speaker. She wasn't a visible presence that often on the campaign trail. I am told, Wolf, that she does have dates on her calendar next week to campaign for the President, solo and with him as well. So we will see that come to fruition. However, it's a week before the election and again, a first lady often serves to humanize her husband's sort of being empathetic party to what the candidate is like and sometimes to rally women voters are undecideds sort of like the ones we just saw there. So, absolutely seems like the First Lady is getting involve. Yeah?</s>BLITZER: By the Way, Kate, I just want to interrupt for a second. You see the motorcade arriving there Nashville at Belmont University. The President United States and his motorcade, they are arriving, Anderson. We're getting closer and closer to the start of this debate.</s>ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Yeah, we certainly are just a little bit more than 20 minutes away. I want to bring in our team again. David Axelrod, it's often one doesn't pay a lot of attention to what's going on in the audience at a debate, though tonight, given what happened in the first debate where most of the people in the Trump family took off their mask once they came into the hall, which was against the rules or what they had all agreed to for the debate commission. Tonight, I guess, there's certainly going to be a lot of people looking to see, does the family actually continue to abide by the rules of the debate commission?</s>DAVID AXELROD, FORMER OBAMA SENIOR ADVISOR: Yeah, well, there's no question about that. And it really underscores the fact that you can't get away from this COVID issue. And one of the problems the President has is that he wants to tell us, we're rounding the corner just at a time when we are cresting. And that is going to hang over this debate. And so I just want to say one other thing about, you ask question about polling before the single biggest predictor of a president's performance when they're running for re election is their job approval rating. This President has been mired in the mid 40s in the low to mid 40s throughout his presidency. It's around 43 and a half now. I think presidents rarely get much higher than they are number. And so he can't simply resist answering questions about COVID, about healthcare about things relative to his message as much as he wants to make it a comparative process if he's going to persuade those who are resistant to vote for him.</s>COOPER: Gloria we did hear from the campaign -- from the Trump campaign, they sent a letter to the Debate Commission. They were not happy they wanted more foreign policy in this debate?</s>GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Sure. Well, they're not happy about anything and they said that they wanted more foreign policy but they agreed to the rules. They agreed to the rules. They agreed to the moderators. They agreed to the format. They agreed to everything. And so suddenly, the candidate starts paying attention, which is what I believe is occurring. And they're complaining. And this is, you know, this is what Donald Trump does. He's all about grievance before he goes -- before it goes into a debate. He's about grievance before it goes into an election. And he tells you that it's rigged. And what they want him to do is to talk about the economy, to talk about what he's done for the country before COVID and convince the American public that he can get the country back. The problem that he has is not only his lack of popularity, as David points out, is that people don't trust him. They don't believe him. They don't think he's honest. So when he levels charges against Joe Biden, also about Hunter, et cetera, that could boomerang on him to.</s>VAN JONES, FORMER OBAMA ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: You know, the one thing we haven't talked about is the last two times he had Donald Trump on the national stage. He managed to use the highest office in the land to uplift some of the lowest people in the country. The first time he was talking, he wound up praising the Proud Boys or seemed to me to give a positive signal to the Proud Boys. Then the last time he couldn't deal with the QAnon question. And so I'm curious tonight, is he going to finally be able to stick up for the best in the country without applauding the worst in the country? And also, you know, these continue to tax on Joe Biden's character. The biggest smear on the President's character is these 545 children, these refugee children were torn away from their parents. And now this president cannot find their moms and their dads. So if he wants to make this an issue about character, and pro life and pro kit, no way, no way. And so you've got a president of the United States tonight, who's got it -- if he wants to come out here and play dirty, there's some real issues that can be talked about, but I hope that he will not continue to praise the worst elements of American society.</s>RICK SANTORUM, (R) FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Right. The Donald Trump that you're going to see is a Donald Trump that was at the last debate with Hillary Clinton, which is someone who was controlled, and did something that that he's actually good at, which is to becoming a be a little bit more of an entertainer. You know, try to -- if he's going to make those off comments, instead of being confrontational, to throw a little humor at Biden. Now, it'll be cutting humor no doubt. But try to be a little bit more less edgy, less angry, and more punchy, and going after the swamp, if you will. And so, remember that one of the big things that Donald Trump -- one of the big things that Donald Trump won this election, he was the outsider that was trying to drain the swamp. And that's why you're going to hear about the, you know, the scandal going on that's all over the conservative world because it feeds into that hold swamp nature, and that he's not part of that.</s>BORGER: But he's the president. He's the president.</s>JONES: And he's the swamp. I mean, at the --</s>COOPER: Anyone, go ahead.</s>SANTORUM: Well, look Donald Trump is not been a Washington creature. Let's just be -- I mean, he's been anything but a traditional president. I mean --</s>COOPER: We got a lot of --</s>SANTORUM: Everybody can agree to that.</s>COOPER: Yeah, certainly swimming in a pool with a lot of Washington creatures that he has around him, though. With just 12 days to go before Election Day, Joe Biden is facing different advantages and challenges. And Hillary Clinton faced four years ago. I want to go back to John King with that. John?</s>JOHN KING, CNN HOST: So Anderson, let's take a look at this. Many democrats say look at this map, Joe Biden with this electoral lead. We're good right up 10 points. And then other Democrats say no, wait a minute. We were leading heading into the last debate last time. In fact, heading into the final debate, last time we had Hillary Clinton passed 270 electoral votes in our outlook. What's different this time, let's look at some of the differences. And we'll also look at some of the similarities, if you will. Let's start with some big differences. Let's look at the demographics. When you go into the demographics of the polling this time, Hillary Clinton on Election Day One women across America in one big, Joe Biden does even better. Hillary Clinton lost among voters over the age of 65, incredibly reliable voters, important in a number of states. Joe Biden leads there right now. This is a warning sign for the Democratic candidate. Hillary Clinton on Election Day won Latinos by nearly 40 points. Joe Biden's lead is only 20 in the polls right now, that is a bit of a warning sign. And both, look, Hillary Clinton lost by nearly 40 points among white non college Americans, Joe Biden trails among that demographic, not by as much. So let me move this over, we'll go through a little bit of why and where this matters. Women help you everywhere. Women will be a majority of the electorate on Election Day. That giant gender gap helps Joe Biden. It's one of the reasons the map is favorable. Older voters, if Joe Biden can keep elite, if he can win senior citizens on Election Day, well, we right now have Florida as a toss up state. That's an advantage for Biden. It's one of the reasons that state is competitive. It's also one of the reasons we lean Arizona Democrat. If Joe Biden can keep that it helps him dramatically on the map. However, the flip side is if you look at those Latino numbers, if Donald Trump comes back in Florida, comes back in Arizona tries to mount a comeback behind that graphic there is Nevada. That's a warning sign for the vice president. If this is good debate for President tonight, and we have a tight race in those states heading into the final days. One last point before I switch maps, white non college voters, look Joe Biden's losing and losing by a lot, but not by as much as Hillary Clinton, which is one of the reasons this is in play. Not just that we live in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, Joe Biden's way right now. But that Ohio is a toss up. Joe Biden is in play in blue collar industrial America, in a way Hillary Clinton simply was not. Let's switch maps. We're just a couple more comparisons of this. And we'll go back to the map that makes Democrats cringe. This is 2016. Hillary Clinton wins the popular vote. She loses though, because of the Electoral College because of those three states right there plus Ohio. They flip. So why don't we want to look at this map? Voters view Joe Biden simply differently on questions of personal character. Abby Phillip talked about this a little bit earlier. Are the candidates honest? Only 34 percent of Americans thought that about Hillary Clinton. Joe Biden's 57 percent he's winning, if you will, the character test with American voters right now. Here's another way to look at that. His favorability rating, only 42 percent of Americans had a favorable opinion of Hillary Clinton liked her, 53 percent say they view Joe Biden favorably. That's a big challenge for the President tonight. Can you bring Joe Biden's favorability down, his views on honest and trustworthy? On the character question, people view Joe Biden not only more favorably than they viewed Hillary Clinton, they view Joe Biden a lot more favorably than they view the current president of United States who they do not see as honest and trustworthy. That is a giant Biden advantage. So Democrats can look at all this, Anderson, and say, OK then, that's good, right? We have all these poll numbers. I just want to show you one thing. This is why Democrats maybe get a little bit nervous. Let's pop up some battleground state polls and compare them to a couple years ago. Let me bring this up a little bit for you here and move it over a little bit here like this. Here we go. So, right now Joe Biden does have a lead, 10 points nationally. Right now he is leading in a lot of battleground states. And he's competitive and states that Hillary Clinton lost in 2016. But let's compare Joe Biden right now in Wisconsin up eight points. Hillary Clinton at this point was up seven. Joe Biden is up a little bit in Ohio right now. Hillary Clinton trailed. That's the strength for Biden, but still pretty close. Look at Pennsylvania, Joe Biden's lead is nine. But Hillary Clinton was up six at this point. Four years ago, North Carolina is about the same. Florida, let me move this down a little bit for you. The hours didn't stretch out there. Florida, Hillary Clinton was actually more at this point than Joe Biden is now. And Democrats say let's get Texas. Well, they said that four years ago, too. And it didn't turn out. So if you look at the horse race polls, everyone needs to be careful. We got 12 days to go. If you look deeper into the polls, this is a very different campaign. Voters do not view Joe Biden the same negative way they viewed Hillary Clinton. But guess what, that's why you have one last debate. We'll see if anything changes after tonight. Anderson.</s>COOPER: Yeah, I mean, seeing it by state by state comparison to 2016 is fascinating. John, thanks, I appreciate that. I want to dive into the huge early voting numbers that are breaking records right now. Pamela Brown is tracking the pre-election ballot. So, what are you seeing tonight?</s>PAMELA BROWN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, the bottom line here, Anderson, is a lot of voters have already cast their votes before this final debate. With less than two weeks ago until Election Day. Take a look here early voting continues to skyrocket with more than 46 million votes cast so far. And we're seeing record early voting turnout in states like Florida, Georgia, and Texas, as you see on the map right here. Let's take a closer look at the Lone Star State. So far, nearly 35 percent of all registered voters have cast their ballots compared to just 18 percent, this time in 2016. And then the critical state of Wisconsin the number of registered voters cast their ballots early, shot up 20 percent from 2020 points from 2016, with more than 1.1 million cast their ballots so far. And we still have a week and a half to go Anderson.</s>COOPER: How these big pre election voting numbers impact how quickly the votes are counted, do we know yet?</s>BROWN: Yeah, this is why these early voting numbers are so important. I'll tell you why. Because Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, these are two states that could determine who wins the presidency and they can't start processing and counting those ballots until Election Day and those two key states, which means there's a good chance they won't be done with the initial count until days after the election. So, you see right here on the screen in Pennsylvania, more than 1.1 million votes have been cast. Now, a majority of those votes were cast through mail in ballots, compared to going to person as you see this breakdown right here, just over 57,000 went in-person with more than 1.1 going actually in mailing their ballots. And Wisconsin, it's a very similar story there. If you look at the breakdown here, 981,000 mail-in ballots versus nearly 150,000 in-person ballots. Now in both of these states, absentee ballots are essentially processed and counted the same way. And again, they can't start until Election Day. And Pennsylvania mail-in ballots can be accepted up to three days after Election Day of cast by Election Day. And in Wisconsin, as of now all ballots must be delivered by Election Day. That case is still before the Supreme Court. Anderson.</s>COOPER: All right. Let's go to Jake. Jake?</s>JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Thanks, Anderson. And fascinating stuff and yet it really brings into focus how this thing isn't over when you remember what the polls looked like in these battleground states, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin. And how Hillary Clinton was up then just like Joe Biden is now. Now, I will say that if you talk to pollsters, they'll say that that they've gone back and figured out what they got wrong, which was that they had overestimated how many college educated voters would vote. And underestimated how many non college educated voters would vote. So that they feel like they're more accurate now, but you know, who knows?</s>ABBY PHILLIP, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. And I think turnout is one of the big questions that I still have, as we go into these final few days. A lot of people are voting, we know that huge, huge numbers of people. The question is, how much are we cannibalizing Election Day numbers? Or are we looking at a bigger electorate? Are we looking at more people who are choosing to vote because it's easier for them to do it? Maybe they have access to absentee ballots, and they're using it and they maybe they didn't vote in the past because going to vote on Election Day was too difficult? We still don't really know the answer to that question. And it's going to be critical, because typically, Republicans believe that when turnout is high, Democrats tend to do better when it's lower, Republicans tend to do better. I don't know if that'll be true this time around. But it's one of the many open questions that we have.</s>DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Completely unchartered waters, because of the remarkable early voting numbers that we're seeing thanks to the pandemic and all of the of the laws and the rules changing and so many these battleground states. But when you talk about turnout, what did happen four years ago, and states like Pennsylvania, where I was, if you -- if Commonwealth, sorry, like Pennsylvania. I know, I know, I got myself a few weeks ago is that turnout was much higher in Republican areas than anybody anticipated people kind of came out of the woodwork for Donald Trump and with the Trump campaign is banking on with his play to the base strategy is that that will happen again, and on top of what they got before, it is a very, very risky strategy. But they don't really have a choice, given the fact that they have a candidate who is behaving the way he behaves, despite the advice that he's given many times to act quite differently.</s>TAPPER: The other thing that's interesting, when you look back at 2016, is I remember, you know, Trump would land in the middle of Pennsylvania, in the middle of the night, you know, like at 1130. And there would be 20,000 people there. And Hillary Clinton would go to a gym in the Philadelphia suburbs in the middle of the day, and there'd be like 100. And we would discount that we didn't think it meant anything necessarily. It's just crowds. You can't go by crowds. And it's true, you can't go anything, you can't go by crowds. But it does reflect to a certain degree, voter enthusiasm. And I think that Donald Trump, at the polls bear out even polls that show Joe Biden winning the election, that Donald Trump has more enthusiastic supporters than Biden does. Now, does that mean anything, especially if attempts are being made to make it easier to vote so that you don't have to get up on Election Day and stand in line? I don't know.</s>PHILLIP: Yeah, I really don't know. And I also think that this cycle, Democratic voters, they have complicated motivations for going to the polls. Maybe they're not so jazzed about Joe Biden, but they've really, really disliked Donald Trump. And, you know, yes, they disliked Donald Trump four years ago. But I think that the urgency is different this time around. And I suspect that these polls that measure people's enthusiasm could be discounting the sense in which people are answering that question based on how they feel about Joe Biden, not based on how motivated they are to actually get out and cast a ballot one way or another.</s>BASH: Yeah, I think you're exactly right. And one thing I want to bring up as we wait for the debate to start tonight is that, you know, obviously the focus is on the presidential race. But what Donald Trump does or doesn't do, how he performs tonight is going to matter, not just for him and whether he wins a second term, but for so many down ballot Republicans, particularly in the Senate where the balance of power really is at stake. Republicans, of course, are in control. There are a lot of vulnerable GOP senators, and they are worried many of them said that they saw their numbers drop because of what happened in the first debate, and they're worried it could happen again.</s>TAPPER: Oh, yeah, absolutely. They're distancing themselves from them. We'll see what happens. Let's check in right now on what's happening on the stage as we await the start of this final presidential debate.</s>TAPPER: When the candidates make their debate pitches tonight, they will have voters in must win battlegrounds on their mind. Oh, there's the First Lady, Melania Trump, walking in she has a mask on. Presumably this time she will not take it off. David Chalian is with us, David we're keeping an eye on the first family as they walk to the arena there. You're keeping tabs on the key races to watch?</s>DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yeah, well, just as you heard, Pam Brown talking about 47 million people have voted, let me try to explain the stakes tonight, especially for the president here, because we have two battleground states and a brand new poll from CNN and each of them that tells us how people are casting those early ballots. Take a look in Florida, Jake, you see here, among those who have already voted, their vote is splitting 71 percent for Biden, 27 percent for Trump, plan to vote, meaning from tomorrow forward, 40 percent Biden 56 percent Trump. So the states tonight, when you look at something like that Donald Trump needs to win a much greater share of voters moving into this debate, because Joe Biden is banking so much of the early vote already. Anderson.</s>COOPER: Let's go back to our team. David Axelrod, I mean, what is going through candidates minds before they step on a stage like this?</s>AXELROD: You know, they basically are thinking of the things that they've been, generally, I don't know what the President does. Most candidates who have prepped, are thinking about those things that they want to hit with the cues that they're going to hear that will cause them to give the answers that they've been prepped day after day after day. Biden is probably thinking about what he's going to do if he's interrupted by the President. But there's a lot of tension associated with these moments. I remember being in the locker room with President Obama before good debates, when he said we're going to have a good night and bad debates, when he said, let's just get out of here, let's get this over with and get out of here. You walk into the hallway, and you know, pretty much how it's going to go.</s>BORGER: I'll tell you a story about Joe Biden that I learned when I was reporting our documentary on him, which is, before all his big debates, Beau Biden used to be the last person in the room with him. And he would he would say to him, dad, remember home base, home base. Just remember what you need to say and say it, home base. And that was their little code. And I bet he's thinking about that.</s>COOPER: Go ahead, Rick.</s>SANTORUM: Well, I can just say, you know, having been there, you know, you know, your vulnerabilities. For me, it was, you know, I, my wife, or somebody would come up and say, happy warrior. Because you know, you want to be out there you want to fight but you don't want to turn people off by being too combative. And if there's anybody that needs the admonition of happy warrior, it's Donald Trump. So hopefully someone is whispered in the president's ear, happy warrior tonight.</s>AXELROD: Yeah, he's got the warrior part.</s>BASH: Right. And who would that be?</s>COOPER: Van, for people watching tonight, I would just, if I'm going to ask this everybody, what are you going to be particularly watching for both candidates?</s>JONES: Look, I think that when Joe Biden looks into the camera speaks directly to the American people. And not only does he talk about their pain, but his plan, I think he's at his strongest. Donald Trump is going to do everything he can to get to make sure Biden doesn't do that very often. So I'm going to be looking for the discipline of Joe Biden, trust the American people, trust your plan, trust your connection to them, stay there, do not chase this guy or, you know, don't respond to stuff that you don't think Americans care about. And he's going to be fine. But if he gets rattled, all bets are off tonight.</s>BORGER: And Anderson, I would kind of use odd for me a sports analogy, but I would say you've got these two gentlemen here with different goals. One of them wants to run out the clock. And one of them is looking for a Hail Mary. And so they have two very different goals. And they're going to approach it in two very different ways.</s>AXELROD: I think the other issue is, does the President come out? And is he going to go very personal very quickly?</s>BASH: Yeah.</s>AXELROD: Or does he stick to policy distinctions? I think a lot of Republicans are hoping he'll go policy. If he goes personal, we could have a repeat of what we saw three weeks ago, that was a disaster for him.</s>COOPER: So David Axelrod, even though the mics are muted for two minutes during each statement, the candidate can hear the other candidate if they continue to talk to them when the mic is muted, that can actually be even worse for a candidate because then they're stumbling if they get thrown by that, and the audience doesn't know why they're stumbling.</s>AXELROD: Yeah, which is why I said earlier, I'm not sure that this actually benefits Biden. And I'm sure that a lot of their debate prep was, how do you talk when you have a heckler in your ear? You know, it is difficult, especially under the pressures they face. So this is going to be a test for him.</s>COOPER: I got to go back to Jake Tapper. Jake.</s>TAPPER: Anderson, thanks so much. Well, I think one of the big questions Abby and Dana is how disciplined Donald Trump and Joe Biden can be? To be complete, frank neither is known as completely disciplined although Biden has run a very disciplined campaign, aided in part by the fact that we're in the middle of this pandemic.

Final Trump-Biden Debate Begins Momentarily.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Neither is known as completely disciplined, although Biden has run a very disciplined campaign, aided in part by the fact that we're in the middle of this pandemic. But if they stick to their plans, then each one of them could make inroads, I think. But that's a wild card.</s>ABBY PHILLIP, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And the truth is Joe Biden has A, run a pretty disciplined campaign up until this point. And his debate performances--</s>DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes.</s>PHILLIP: --even dating back to the campaign, the primary campaign, was - were pretty disciplined. President Trump, though, on the other hand, has rejected, as Dana has reported, the kind of formal debate prep that you really need to do, in order to navigate a tricky situation. He has had a couple of opportunities in the last week, a "60 Minutes" interview, a Town Hall, to articulate his plan for dealing with the virus and his plan for four more years. He has struggled to do that. Will that change tonight, I think, is one of the biggest questions because he can talk about Biden's son all he wants, but a lot of Americans are tuning in to find out how their lives are actually going to get back to normal.</s>TAPPER: In fact, I would say that not only did he struggle in the "60 Minutes" interview, and the Town Hall with Sinclair, but he actually gave opportunities to Joe Biden. He said things - he told Eric Bolling of Sinclair, he's asked him "Would you do anything differently?" and he said, Trump said, "Not much." And then, he told Lesley Stahl, of "60 Minutes" that he hopes the Supreme Court overturns Obamacare, which is something that the Administration has been saying "No, we don't want that."</s>BASH: Right. Listen, this is a president who has no shortage of advice, of good advice, of good political advice, for a typical candidate or even for people - for somebody like Donald Trump, who is anything but typical. People who know him try to coax him into the right direction, and it has not worked, over and over again, for whatever reason. Before the last debate, every time he says something like going after Anthony Fauci, after the media, you know, pick your area where it's been a distraction, as opposed to what he has been told to do, focus on the economy, which is the one area where poll shows, he's even on par with Joe Biden. Focus on what you're going to do, and even talk about some of the accomplishments, things that you promised four years ago, like redoing the trade deal and he did it.</s>TAPPER: Well, if he sticks to the six topics that the Moderator Kristen Welker has picked, he'll probably be OK. One of those topics is not the fever dreams of the far right-wing swamps, which is what he seems to be focused on quite a bit. But there are six topics. In addition, the microphones will be muted, during the initial questions. Each candidate will get two minutes to talk. The other candidate's microphone will be muted. Then it goes to the other candidate, and the first candidate's microphone will be muted. Donald Trump gets the first question. He speaks for two minutes. Then it goes to Joe Biden. He'll speak for two minutes. And we'll see what happens. It's obviously a very, very high-stakes night with everything on the line in this election. Wolf?</s>WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: It certainly is. And only 12 days left in this election campaign. The final presidential debate of 2020, President Donald Trump, former Vice President Joe Biden, they're about to go head-to-head one more time, the last time. They're facing new rules, designed to keep them on the rails. And they're facing truly enormous pressure right now with this election once again. Only 12 days from now. You're looking at live pictures coming in from Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee.</s>KRISTEN WELKER, PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE MODERATOR: Good evening from Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. I'm Kristen Welker of NBC News, and I welcome you to the final 2020 presidential debate between President Donald J. Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. Tonight's debate is sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates. It is conducted under health and safety protocols designed by the commission's health security adviser. The audience here in the hall has promised to remain silent. No cheer, boos, or other interruptions except right now as we welcome to the stage former Vice President Joe Biden and President Donald J. Trump.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Hi, Joe. How are you?</s>JOE BIDEN, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Good.</s>WELKER: And I do want to say a very good evening to both of you. This debate will cover six major topics. At the beginning of each section, each candidate will have two minutes uninterrupted to answer my first question. The debate commission will then turn on their microphone only when it is their turn to answer, and the commission will turn it off exactly when the two minutes have expired. After that, both microphones will remain on, but on behalf of the voters I'm going to ask you to please speak one at a time. The goal is for you to hear each other and for the American people to hear every word of what you both have to say. And so with that, if you're ready let's start and we will begin with the fight against the coronavirus. President Trump, the first question is for you. The country is heading into a dangerous new phase, more than 40,000 Americans are in the hospital tonight, including record numbers here in Tennessee. And since the two of you last shared a stage 16,000 Americans have died from COVID. So, please be specific, how would you lead the country during this next stage of the coronavirus crisis? Two minute uninterrupted.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So, as you know 2.2 million people modeled out were expected to die. We closed up the greatest economy in the world in order to fight this horrible disease that came from China. It's a worldwide pandemic. It's all over the world. You see the spikes in Europe and many other places right now. If you notice the mortality rate is down 85 percent. The excess mortality rate is way down and much lower than almost any other country and we're fighting it and we're fighting it hard. There is spike, there was s spike in Florida and it's now gone. There was a very big spike in Texas, it's now gone. There was a very big spike in Arizona, it's now gone. And there are some spikes and surges in other places. They will soon be gone. We have a vaccine that's coming, it's ready, it's going to be announced within weeks and it's going to be delivered. We have Operation Warp Speed, which is the military is going to distribute the vaccine. I can tell you from personal experience that I was in the hospital, I had it and I got better and I will tell you that I had something that they gave me, a therapeutic I guess they would call it, some people could say it was a cure, but I was in for a short period of time and I got better very fast or I wouldn't be here tonight. And now they say I'm immune, whether it's four months or a lifetime nobody's been able to say that, but I'm immune. More and more people are getting better, we have a problem that's a worldwide problem. This is a worldwide problem, but I've been congratulated by the head of many countries on what we've been able to do with the -- if you -- if you take a look at what we've done in terms of goggles and masks and gowns and everything else, and in particular ventilators, we're now making ventilators all over the world, thousands and thousands a month, distributing them all over the world. It will go away, and as I say, we're rounding the turn, we're rounding the corner, it's going away.</s>WELKER: OK, Former Vice President Biden to you. How would you lead the country out of this crisis? You have two minutes uninterrupted.</s>JOE BIDEN, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Two hundred and twenty thousand Americans dead. If you hear nothing else I say tonight hear this, anyone who's responsible for not taking control, in fact, not saying I'm -- I take no responsibility initially, anyone who's responsible for that many deaths should not remain as President of the United States of America. We're in a situation where there are 1,000 deaths a day now, 1,000 deaths a day and there are over 70,000 new cases per day. Compared to what's going on in Europe as the New England Medical Journal said, they're starting from a very low rate, we're staring from a very high rate. The expectation is we'll have another 200,000 Americans dead be time -- between now and the end of the year. If we just wore these masks, the president's own advisers have told him, we could save 100,000 lives. And we're in a circumstance where the president thus far and still has no plan. No comprehensive plan. What I would do is make sure we have everyone encouraged to wear a mask all the time. I would make sure we move in the direction of rapid testing, investing in rapid testing. I would make sure that we set up national standards as to how to open up schools and open up businesses so they can be safe and give them the wherewithal, the financial resources to be able to do that. We're in a situation now where the New England Medical Journal, one of the serious -- most serious journals in the -- in the whole world, said for the first time every, that this -- the way this president has responded to this crisis has been absolutely tragic. And so, folks, I will take care of this, I will end this, I will make sure we have a plan.</s>WELKER: President Trump, I'd like to follow-up with you in your comments. You talked about taking a therapeutic, I assume you're referencing Regeneron. You also said a vaccine will be coming within weeks.</s>TRUMP: Yes.</s>WELKER: Is that a guarantee? Is --</s>TRUMP: No, it's not a guarantee, but it will be by the end of the year. But I think it has a good chance. There are two companies, I think within a matter of weeks and it will be distributed very quickly.</s>WELKER: Could you tell us which companies?</s>TRUMP: Johnson & Johnson is doing very well, Moderna is doing very well, Pfizer is doing very well -- and we have numerous others. Then we also have others that we're working on very closely with other countries, in particular, Europe.</s>WELKER: Let me follow-up with you, because this is new information. You have said a vaccine is coming soon, within weeks now. Your own officials say it could take well in to 2021 at the earliest for enough Americans to get vaccinated. And even then they say the country will be wearing masks and distancing in to 2022. Is your timeline realistic?</s>TRUMP: No, I think my timeline is going to be more accurate. I don't know that they're counting on the military the way I do, but we have our generals lined up -- one in particular that's the head of logistics. And this is a very easy distribution for him, he's ready to go -- as soon as we have the vaccine. And we expect to have 100 million vials -- as soon as we have the vaccine, he's ready to go.</s>WELKER: Vice President Biden, your reaction, and just 40 percent of Americans say they would definitely agree to take a coronavirus vaccine if it was approved by the government. What steps would you take to give Americans confidence in a vaccine, if it were approved?</s>BIDEN: Make sure it's totally transparent. Have the scientists of the world see it, know it, look at it -- go through all the processes. And by the way, he's -- this is the same fellow who told you this was going to end by Easter last time. This is the same fellow who told you, don't worry we're going to end this by the summer. We're about to go in to a dark winter -- a dark winter, and he has no clear plan, and there's no prospect that there's going to be a vaccine available for the majority of the American people before the middle of next year.</s>WELKER: President Trump, your reaction? He says you have no plan.</s>TRUMP: I don't think we're going to have a dark winter at all. We're opening up our country. We've learned, and studied, and understand the disease -- which we didn't at the beginning. When I closed and banned China from coming in -- heavily infected, and then ultimately Europe. But China was in January. Months later he was saying I was xenophobic, I did it too soon. Now he's saying, oh, I should have moved quicker. But he didn't move quicker, he was months behind me -- many months behind me. And frankly, he ran the H1N1 swine flu and it was a total disaster -- far less lethal, but it was a total disaster. Had that had this kind of numbers, 700,000 people would be dead right now, but it was a far less lethal disease. Look, his own person who ran that for him -- who, as you know was his chief of staff said it was catastrophic, it was horrible, we didn't know what we were doing. Now he comes up and he tells us how to do this. Also, everything that he said about the way -- every single move that he said we should make, that's what we've done. We've done all of it. But he was way behind us.</s>WELKER: Vice President Biden, your response?</s>BIDEN: My response is, he is xenophobic, but not because he shutdown access from China -- and he did it late, after 40 countries had already done that. In addition to that, what he did, he made sure that we had 44 people that were in there -- in China, trying to get to Wuhan to determine what exactly the source was (ph). What did the president say in January? He said, no -- he said, this is -- he's being transparent. The president of China is being transparent, we owe him a debt of gratitude -- we ought to -- we have to thank him. And then what happened was, we started talking about using the Defense Act to make sure we go out and get whatever is needed out there to protect people. And again, I go back to this he had nothing -- he did virtually nothing. And then he gets out of the hospital and he talks about we're -- don't worry, it's all going to be over soon. Come on, there's not another serious scientist in the world who thinks it's going to be over soon.</s>WELKER: President Trump, your reaction?</s>TRUMP: I didn't say over soon, I say we're learning to live with it. We have no choice. We can't lock ourselves up in a basement like Joe does. He has the -- he has the ability to lock himself up. I don't know, he's obviously made a lot of money someplace. But he has this thing about living in a basement. People can't do that. By the way, I, as the president couldn't do that. I'd love to put myself in the basement, or in a beautiful room in the White House and go away for a year and a half until it disappears -- I can't do that. And Kristen, every meeting I had -- every meeting I had, and I'd meet a lot of families, including gold star families and military families -- every meeting I had -- and I had to meet them -- I had to. It would be horrible to have canceled everything. I said, you know, this is dangerous -- and you catch it. And you know, I caught it, I learned a lot -- I learned a lot. Great doctors, great hospitals -- and now, I recovered. Ninety-nine point nine of young people recover, 99 percent of people recover. We have to recover, we can't close up our nation. We have to open our school, and we can't close up our nation or you're not going to have a nation.</s>WELKER: And of course, the CDC has said young people can get sick with COVID-19 and can pass it. Vice President Biden, I want to talk broadly about strategy, though. You have --</s>BIDEN: Can I respond to that?</s>WELKER: Thirty seconds, please, then I have a question.</s>BIDEN: For 30 seconds. Number one, he says that we're -- you know, we're learning to live with it. People are learning to die with it. You folks at home will have an empty chair at the kitchen table this morning. That man or wife going to bed tonight and reaching over to try to touch their -- out of habit where their wife or husband was is gone. Learning to live with it? Come on. We're dying with it, because he's never said -- you said it's dangerous. When is the last time -- is it really dangerous still? Are we dangerous? You tell the people it's dangerous now? And what should they do about the danger? And you say, I take no responsibility.</s>WELKER: Let me talk about your --</s>TRUMP: Excuse me, I take -- I take full responsibility. It's not my fault that it came here. It's China's fault. And you know what? It's not Joe's fault that it came here either. It's China's fault. They kept it from going into the rest of China for the most part. But they didn't keep it from coming out to the world, including Europe and ourselves.</s>WELKER: Vice President Biden?</s>BIDEN: The fact is that when we knew it was coming, when it hit, what happened? What did the president say? He said, don't worry, it's going to go away. Be gone by Easter. Don't worry. Warm weather. Don't worry. Maybe inject bleach. He said he was kidding when he said that, but a lot of people thought it was serious. A whole range of things the president has said -- even today he thinks we are in control. We're about to lose 200,000 more people.</s>WELKER: President Trump?</s>TRUMP: Look, perhaps, just to finish this -- I was kidding on that. But just to finish this, when I closed he said I shouldn't have closed. And that went on for months. What -- Nancy Pelosi said the same thing. She was dancing on the streets in Chinatown in San Francisco. But when I closed, he said, this is a terrible thing, xenophobic. I think he called me racist even, and because I was closing it to China. Now he says I should have closed it earlier. It just -- Joe, it doesn't work.</s>BIDEN: I didn't say either of those things.</s>TRUMP: You certainly did. You certainly did.</s>BIDEN: I talked about xenophobia in a different context. It wasn't about closing the border to Chinese coming to the United States.</s>WELKER: All right. I want to talk about both of your different strategies to handle --</s>TRUMP: He thought I shouldn't have closed the border. That's obvious.</s>WELKER: Is that -- do you want to respond to that quickly, Vice President Biden?</s>BIDEN: No.</s>WELKER: OK, let's talk about your different strategies toward dealing with this. Mr. Vice President, you suggested you would support new shutdowns if scientists recommended it. What do you say to Americans who are fearful that the cost of shutdowns, the impact on the economy, the higher rates of hunger, depression, domestic and substance abuse outweighs the risk of exposure to the virus?</s>BIDEN: What I would say is I'm going to shut down the virus, not the country. It's his ineptitude that caused the virus -- caused the country to have to shut down in large part. Why businesses have gone under. Why schools are closed. Why so many people have lost their living and why they're concerned. Those other concerns are real. That's why he should have been, instead of in a sand trap at his golf course, he should have been negotiating with Nancy Pelosi and the rest of the Democrats and Republicans about what to do about the acts they were passing for billions of dollars to make sure people had the capacity.</s>WELKER: But you haven't ruled out more shutdowns?</s>BIDEN: No. I'm not shutting down the -- but there are -- look, you need standards. The standard is if you have a reproduction rate in a community that's above a certain level, everybody says, slow up, more social distancing. Do not open bars and do not open gymnasiums. Do not open until you can get this under control, under more control. But when you do open, give the people the capacity to be able to open and have the capacity to do it safely. For example, schools. Schools, they need a lot of money to open. They need to deal with ventilation systems. They need to deal with smaller classes, more teachers, more pods. And he's refused to support that money, or at least up to now.</s>WELKER: Let's talk about schools. President Trump --</s>TRUMP: Well, I have to respond if I might.</s>WELKER: Please. And then I have a follow-up.</s>TRUMP: Thank you, and I appreciate that. Look, all he does is talk about shutdowns. But forget about him. His Democrat governors, Cuomo in New York, you look at what's going on in California, you look at Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Democrats, Democrats all, they're shut down so tight and they're dying. They're dying. And he supports all these people. All he talks about is shutdowns. No, we're not going to shut down. And we have to open our schools. And it's like -- as an example, I have a young son. He also tested positive. By the time I spoke to the doctor the second time, he was fine. It just went away. Young people, I guess it's their immune system.</s>WELKER: Let me follow up with you, President Trump. You've demanded schools open in person and insist they can do it safely. But just yesterday, Boston became the latest city to move its public school system entirely online after a coronavirus spike. What is your message to parents who worry that sending their children to school will endanger not only their kids but also their teachers and families?</s>TRUMP: I want to open the schools. The transmittal rate to the teachers is very small. But I want to open the schools. We have to open our country. We're not going to have a country. You can't do this. We can't keep this country closed. This is a massive country with a massive economy. People are losing their jobs, they're committing suicide, there's depression, alcohol, drugs at a level that nobody has ever seen before. There's abuse, tremendous abuse. We have to open our country. You know I've said it often, the cure cannot be worse that the problem itself and that's what's happening. And he wants to close down -- he'll close down the country if one person in our -- in our massive bureaucracy says we should close it down.</s>WELKER: Vice President Biden, your response?</s>BIDEN: Simply not true. We ought to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time. We ought to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time. We ought to be able to safely open but when they need resources to open, you need to be able to, for example, if you're going to open a business; have social distancing within the business. You need to have -- if you have a restaurant you need to have Plexiglas dividers so people cannot infect one another. You need to be in a position where you can take testing rapidly and know whether a person is in fact infected. You need to be able to trace. You need to be able to provide all the resources that are needed to do this. And that is not inconsistent with saying that what -- we're going to make sure that we can open safely. And by the way, all you teachers out there, not that many of you are going to die so don't worry about it. So don't worry about it. Come on.</s>WELKER: President Trump, let me follow up with you quickly.</s>TRUMP: By the way, I will say this. If you go and look at what's happened to New York, it's a ghost town. It's a ghost town. And when you talk about Plexiglas, these are restaurants that are dying. These are business with no money. Putting up Plexiglas is unbelievably expensive. And it's not the answer. I mean you're going to sit there in a cubicle wrapped around with plastic. It's -- these are businesses that are dying, Joe. You can't do that to people. You just can't. Take a look at New York and what's happened to my wonderful city for so many years. I loved it, it was vibrant. It's dying. Everyone's leaving New York.</s>BIDEN: Take a look at what New York has done in terms of turning the curve down in terms of the number of people dying. And I don't look at this in terms of the way he does, blue states and red states. They're all the United States. And look at the states that are having such a spike in the coronavirus. They're the red states. They're the states in the Midwest, they're the states in the Upper Midwest. That's where the spike is occurring significantly. But they're all Americans, they're all Americans. And what we have to do is say wear these masks, number one. Make sure we get the help that the businesses need that has monies already been passed to do that. It's been out there since the beginning of the summer and nothing's happened.</s>TRUMP: Kristen, New York has lost more than 40,000 people. 11,000 people in nursing homes.</s>WELKER: President Trump, what about ...</s>TRUMP: When you say spike, take a look at what's happening in Pennsylvania where they've had it closed. Take a look at what's happening with your friend in Michigan where her husband's the only one allowed to do anything. It's been like a prison. Now it was just ruled unconstitutional. Take a look at North Carolina, they're having spikes and they've been closed and they're getting killed financially. We can't let that happen, Joe. You can't let that happen. We have to open up. And we understand the disease. We have to protect our seniors, we have to protect our elderly. We have to protect especially our seniors with heart problems and diabetes problems. And we will protect and we have the best testing in the world by far. That's why we have so many cases.</s>WELKER: Let me follow up with you before we move on to our next section. President Trump, this week you called Dr. Anthony Fauci the nation's best known infectious disease expert quote, a disaster. You described him and other medical experts as quote, idiots. If you're not listening to them, who are you listening to when you fight this?</s>TRUMP: Let -- let me -- I'm listening to all of them, including Anthony. I get along very well with Anthony. But he did say don't wear masks. He did say, as you know, this is not going to be a problem. I think he's a Democrat but that's OK. He said this is not going to be a problem. We are not going to have a problem at all. When Joe says that I said Anthony Fauci said and others -- and many others. And I'm not knocking him a lot (ph). Nobody knew. Look, nobody knew what this thing was. Nobody knew where it was coming from, what it was. We've learned a lot. But Anthony said don't wear a masks, now he wants to masks. Anthony also said, if you look back, exact words -- here's his exact words. This is no problem, this is going to go away soon. So he's allowed to make mistakes. He happens to be a good person.</s>WELKER: Vice President Biden, your response quickly and then we're going to move on to the next section.</s>BIDEN: My response is that think about what the president knew in January and didn't tell the American people. He was told this was a serious virus that spread in the air and it was much worse than -- much worse than the flu. He went on record and said to one of your colleagues, recorded, that in fact he knew how dangerous it was but he didn't want to tell us. He didn't want to tell us because he didn't want us to panic. He didn't want us -- Americans don't panic. He panicked. But guess what, in the meantime we find out in the New York Times the other day that in fact his folks went to Wall Street and said this is a really dangerous thing, and a memo out of that meeting -- not from his administration, but from some of the brokers said sell short because we've got to get moving. It's a dangerous problem (ph).</s>TRUMP: Well this is one I -- this is one I have to (inaudible)...</s>WELKER: I'm going to give you 30 seconds to respond, and then we're going to move on.</s>TRUMP: The Wall Street woman (ph) I don't know, somebody went to Wall Street. You're the one that takes all the money from Wall Street. I don't take it.</s>BIDEN: I haven't (ph)...</s>TRUMP: Joe, you -- you have raised a lot of money, tremendous amounts of money, and every time you raise money, deals are made, Joe. I could raise so much money, as president and as somebody that knows most of those people, I could call the heads of Wall Street, the heads of every company in America, I would blow away every record, but I don't want to do that because it puts me in a bad position. And then you bring up Wall Street? You shouldn't be bringing up Wall Street, because you're the one that takes the money from Wall Street, not me.</s>BIDEN: My average...</s>TRUMP: I could -- I could blow away your records that -- like you wouldn't believe. We don't need money, we have plenty of money. In fact, we beat Hillary Clinton with a tiny fraction that she was able to (ph)...</s>WELKER: All right, gentlemen, we're going to move on.</s>TRUMP: So don't tell me about Wall Street.</s>BIDEN: Average contribution, $43.</s>WELKER: We're going to -- all right, we're going to move on to our next section, which is national security, and I do want to start with the security of our elections and some breaking news from overnight. Just last night top intelligence officials confirmed again that both Russia and Iran are working to influence this election. Both countries have obtained US voter registration information, these officials say, and Iran sent intimidating messages to Florida voters. This question goes to you, Mr. Vice President, what would you do to put an end to this threat? You have two minutes uninterrupted.</s>BIDEN: I made it clear, and I ask everyone else to take the pledge. I made it clear that any country, no matter who it is, that interferes in American elections will pay a price. They will pay a price. It has been overwhelmingly clear this election -- I won't even (ph) get into the last one -- this election that Russia has been involved, China has been involved to some degree, and now we learn that -- that -- that Iran is involved. They will pay a price if I'm elected. They're interfering with American sovereignty. That's what's going on right now, they're interfering with American sovereignty. And to the best of my knowledge, I don't think the president's said anything to Putin about it, I don't think he's talking to him a lot (ph), I don't think he's said a word. I don't know why he hasn't said a word to Putin about it, and I don't know what he has recently said, if anything, to the Iranians. My guess is he'd probably be more outspoken with regard to the Iranians. But the point is this, folks: we are in a situation where we have foreign company -- countries trying to interfere in the outcome of our election. His all -- own national security adviser told him that what is happening with his buddy -- well, look, I shouldn't (ph) -- well, I will -- his buddy, Rudy Giuliani, he's being used as a Russian pawn, he's being fed information that is Russian -- that is not true, and then what happens? Nothing happens. And then you find out that everything is (ph) going on here about Russia is wanting to make sure that I do not get elected the next President of the United States because they know I know them, and they know me. I don't understand why this president is unwilling to take on Putin when he's actually paying bounties to kill American soldiers in Afghanistan, when he's engaged in activities that are trying to destabilize all of NATO. I don't know why he doesn't do it, but it's worth asking the question, why isn't that being done? Any country that interferes with us will in fact pay a price because they're affecting our sovereignty.</s>WELKER: President Trump, same question to you, let me...</s>TRUMP: I have to respond (ph)...</s>WELKER: Let me ask the question.</s>TRUMP: Yes.</s>WELKER: You're going to have two minutes to respond.</s>TRUMP: Sure.</s>WELKER: For two elections in a row now there has been substantial interference from foreign adversaries. What would you do in your next term to put an end to this? Two minutes, uninterrupted.</s>TRUMP: Well let me respond to the first part as Joe answered. Joe got $3 1/2 million from Russia, and it came through Putin because he was very friendly with the former Mayor of Moscow, and it was the Mayor of Moscow's wife, and you got $3 1/2 million, your family got $3 1/2 million, and you know, someday you're going to have to explain why did you get 3 1/2 (ph); I never got any money from Russia, I don't get money from Russia. Now about your thing last night, I knew all about that, and through John, who is -- John Ratcliffe, who is fantastic, DNI, he said the one thing that's common to both of them, they both want you to lose, because there has been nobody tougher to Russia with -- between the sanctions, nobody tougher than me on Russia. Between the sanctions, between all of what I've done with NATO -- you know, I've got the NATO countries to put up an extra $130 billion going to $420 billion a year; that's the guard against Russia. I sold -- while he was selling pillows and sheets, I sold tank busters to Ukraine. There has been nobody tougher than -- on Russia than Donald Trump.</s>TRUMP: And I'll tell you, they were so bad, they took over the -- the submarine port, you remember that very well, during your term, during you and Barack Obama, they took over a big part of what should have been Ukraine, you handed it to them. But you were getting a lot of money from Russia, they were paying you a lot of money, and they probably still are. But now, with what came out today, it's even worse. All of the e-mails, the e-mails, the horrible emails of the kind of money that you were raking in, you and your family. And, Joe, you were vice president when some of this was happening. And it should have never happened. And I think you owe an explanation to the American people. Why is it -- somebody just had a news conference a little while ago who was essentially supposed to work with you and your family. But what he said was damning. And, regardless of me, I think you have to clean it up and talk to the American people. Maybe you can do it right now.</s>WELKER: Vice President Biden, you may respond...</s>BIDEN: I'll be straight here. I...</s>WELKER: ... for 30 seconds. And then I do want to follow up on the election security...</s>BIDEN: I have not taken a penny from any foreign source ever in my life. We learned that this president paid 50 times the tax in China, has a secret bank account with China, does business in China, and in fact is talking about me taking money? I have not taken a single penny from any country whatsoever -- ever, number one. Number two, this is a president -- I have released all of my tax returns, 22 years. Go look at them, 22 years of my tax returns. You have not released a single solitary year of your tax return. What are you hiding? Why are you unwilling? The foreign countries are paying you a lot. Russia is paying you a lot. China is paying you a lot. And your hotels and all your businesses all around the country, all around the world. And China is building a new road to a new -- a golf course you have overseas. So what's going on here? Why not release your tax returns and stop talking about corruption?</s>WELKER: President Trump, your response...</s>TRUMP: First of all, I called my accountants -- under audit. I'm going to release them as soon as we can. I want to do it. And it will show how successful, how great this company is. But much more importantly than that, people were saying $750. I asked them a week ago. I said, "What did I pay?" They said, "Sir, you pre-paid tens of millions of dollars. I pre-paid my tax, tens -- over the last number of years -- tens of millions of dollars, I pre-paid. Because, at some point they think -- it's an estimate; they think I may have to pay tax, so I already pre-paid it. Nobody told me that.</s>WELKER: Did your accountant tell you when you can release them?</s>TRUMP: Excuse me. And it wasn't written, whenever they write this -- they keep talking about $750, which I think is a filing fee. But let me just tell you. I pre-paid millions and millions of dollars in taxes, number one. Number two, I don't make money from China. You do. I don't make money from Ukraine. You do. I don't make money from Russia. You made $3.5 million, Joe. And your son gave you -- they even have a statement that "we have to give 10 percent to the big man." You're "the big man," I think. I don't know. Maybe you're not. But you're "the big man," I think. Your son said, "We have to give 10 percent to the big man." Joe, what's that all about? It's terrible.</s>WELKER: All right. Gentlemen, I want to ask you both some questions about...</s>BIDEN: I have to respond to that.</s>WELKER: I'm going to let you both respond very quickly. You just said you spoke to your accountant about potentially releasing your taxes. Did he tell you when you can release them? Do you...</s>TRUMP: As soon as the audit is finished.</s>WELKER: ... have a deadline for when you're going to release...</s>TRUMP: I get treated...</s>WELKER: ... them to the American people?</s>TRUMP: ... worse than the Tea Party got treated.</s>WELKER: ... don't have time.</s>TRUMP: Because they have a lot of people in there, deep down in the IRS, they treat me horribly. We made a deal. It was all settled, until I decide to run for president. I get treated very badly by the IRS, very unfairly. But we had a deal all done. As soon as we're completed with the deal -- I want to release it. But I have paid millions and millions of dollars. And I -- it's worse than paying. I paid in advance. It's called pre-paying your taxes. I paid (inaudible).</s>WELKER: OK. I want to ask you both about...</s>WELKER: ... questions regarding your potential foreign entanglements and questions that have been raised, to give you both a chance to...</s>BIDEN: At some point...</s>WELKER: ... talk about this more broadly. Respond very quickly, and then I'll get to my question.</s>BIDEN: Why did -- he's been saying this for four years. Show us. Just show us. Stop playing around. You've been saying for four years...</s>TRUMP: ... playing around. Everybody knows...</s>BIDEN: ... you're going to release your taxes. Nobody knows, Mr. President. What they do know is you're not paying your taxes, or you're paying taxes that are so low. When last time he said what he paid, he said, "I only paid that little because I'm smart. I know how to game the system." Come on. Come on, folks.</s>WELKER: ... President Trump, and then I want to get to two questions to both of you on this.</s>BIDEN: Sure.</s>TRUMP: I was put through a phony witch hunt for three years. It started before I even got elected. They spied on my campaign. No president should ever have to go through what I went through. Let me just say this. Mueller and 18 angry Democrats, and FBI agents all over the place, spent $48 million. They went through everything I had, including my tax returns, and they found absolutely no collusion and nothing wrong. $48 million. I guarantee you if I spent $1 million on you, Joe, I could plenty wrong because -</s>WELKER: All right.</s>TRUMP: -- the kind of things that you've done and the kind of monies that your family has taken, I mean, your brother made money in Iraq -</s>WELKER: Let me -</s>TRUMP: -- millions of dollars. Your other brother made a fortune, and it's all through you, Joe, and they say you get some of it. And you do live very well. You have houses all over the place. You live very well.</s>WELKER: All right, gentlemen. Let me just ask some questions about all of this broadly. Vice President Biden, there have been questions about the work your son has done in China and for a Ukrainian energy company when you were vice president. In retrospect, was anything about those relationships inappropriate or unethical?</s>BIDEN: Nothing was unethical. Here's what the deal. With regard to Ukraine we had this whole question about whether or not because he was on the board, I later learned, of Burisma, a company, that somehow I had done something wrong. Yet every single solitary person when he was going through his impeachment testifying under oath who worked for him said I did my job impeccably. I carried out U.S. policy. Not one single solitary thing was out of line. Not a single thing, number one. Number two, the guy who got in trouble in Ukraine was this guy trying to bribe the Ukrainian government to say something negative about me, which they would not do and did not do because it never ever, every happened. My son has not made money in terms of this thing about - what did he talking about (ph) - China. I have not had - the only guy that made money from China is this guy. He's the only one. Nobody else has made money from Trump.</s>WELKER: President Trump -</s>TRUMP: Let me deal with (inaudible) - by the way -</s>WELKER: -- let me - let me ask my question to you and then you will -</s>TRUMP: But could I just one thing?</s>WELKER: Very quickly.</s>TRUMP: His son didn't have a job for a long time, was sadly no longer in the military service. I won't get into that. And he didn't have a job. As soon as he became vice president, Burisma, not the best - not the best reputation in the world, I hear they paid him $183,000 a month. Listen to this, 183, and they gave him a $3 million up front payment -</s>WELKER: All right -</s>TRUMP: -- and he had no energy experience. That's 100 percent dishonest.</s>WELKER: -- I'm going to let the vice president respond to that quickly and then I need to get to a question to you very quickly, Mr. President.</s>BIDEN: No basis to that. Everybody investigated that. No one said anything he did was wrong in Ukraine.</s>WELKER: OK, President Trump, this is for you. Since you took office you've never divested from your business. You've personally promoted your properties abroad. A report this week, which was referenced, does indicate that your company has a bank account in China. So how can voters know that you don't have any foreign conflicts of interest?</s>TRUMP: I have many bank accounts and they're all listed and they're all over the place. I mean, I was a businessman doing business. The bank account you're referring to, which is everybody knows about it, it's listed. The bank account was in 2013. That's what it was. It was open in - it was closed in 2015 I believe. And then I decided because I was going to do - I was thinking about doing a deal on China like millions of other people, I was thinking about it, and I decided I'm not going to do it. Didn't like it. I decided not to do it. Had an account open, and I closed it.</s>WELKER: OK.</s>TRUMP: Excuse me. And then unlike him where he's vice president and he does business, I then decided to run for president after that. That was before. So I closed it before I even ran for president let alone became president. Big difference. He is the Vice President of the United States, and his son, his brother and his other brother are getting rich. They're like a vacuum cleaner. They're sucking up money every place he goes (ph).</s>WELKER: OK. President Trump, thank you. We do need to move on.</s>BIDEN: Not true.</s>WELKER: I do want to ask you, Vice President Biden, about China. Let's talk about China more broadly. There have, of course - President Trump has said that they should pay for not being fully transparent in regards to the coronavirus. If you were president, would you make China pay? And please be specific what would that look like?</s>BIDEN: What I'd make China do is play by the international rules not like he has done. He has cause the deficit of China to go up, not down - with China up, not down. We are making sure that in order to do business in China you have to give all your intellectual property. You have to get - have a partner in China that has 51 percent. We would not do that at all, number one. Number two, we're in a situation where China would have to play by the rules internationally as well. When I met with Xi and when I was still vice president, he said we're setting up air identification zones in the South China Sea. You can't fly through them. I said we're going to fly through them. We just flew B- 52 - B-1 bombers through it. We're not going to pay attention. They have to play by the rules. And what's he do? He embraces guys like the thugs like in North Korea and the Chinese president and Putin and others, and he pokes his finger in the eye of all of our friends, all of our allies. We make up only - we're 25 percent - 25 percent of the world's economy. We need to be having the rest of our friends with us saying to China these are the rules. You play by them or you're going to pay the price for not playing by them, economically. That's the way I will run it and that's what we did and uphold these steel tariffs and a range of other things when were president and vice president.</s>WELKER: All right, and let's talk about North Korea.</s>TRUMP: No -- no -- no --</s>WELKER: Let -- yes (ph), OK.</s>TRUMP: -- excuse me, no I have to respond to that.</s>WELKER: OK, very quickly and then we're going to move onto North Korea.</s>TRUMP: (Inaudible) walked out with $1.5 billion from China to --</s>BIDEN: Not true.</s>TRUMP: -- after spending 10 minutes in office and being Air Force Two, number one. Number two, there's a very strong e-mail talking about your family wanting to make $10 million a year for introductions.</s>WELKER: President Trump, on China policy though --</s>BIDEN: That's not true.</s>TRUMP: No -- no, but --</s>WELKER: -- what specifically are you going to do -- what specifically are you going to do to make China pay? You said you're going to make them pay.</s>TRUMP: First of all, China is paying. They're paying billions and billions of dollars. I just gave $28 billion --</s>WELKER: New sanctions? New sanctions?</s>TRUMP: Kristen, I just gave $28 billion to our farmers --</s>BIDEN: Tax payer's money.</s>TRUMP: It's what?</s>BIDEN: Tax payer's money. Didn't come from China.</s>TRUMP: No -- no -- yes. You know who the tax payer is, it's called China.</s>BIDEN: Not true.</s>TRUMP: China paid $28 billion, and you know what they did to pay it, Joe? They devalued their currency and they also paid up. And you know who got the money? Our farmers, our great farmers, because they were targeted. You never charged them anything. Also, I charged them 25 percent on dumped steel because they were killing our steel industry -- we were not going to have a steel industry --</s>WELKER: OK.</s>TRUMP: -- and now we have a steel industry.</s>WELKER: OK, Vice President Biden, your response, please.</s>BIDEN: My response is, look, this isn't about -- the reason -- there's a reason why he's bringing up all this mularkey there's reason for it. He doesn't want to talk about the -- the substantive issues. It's not about his family and my family, it's about your family and your family's hurting badly. If you're making less than -- if you're a middle class family you're getting hurt badly right now. You're sitting at the kitchen table this morning deciding, well we can't get new tires, they're bald, because we have to wait another month or so. Or are we going to be able to pay the mortgage. Or who's going to tell her she can't go back -- to community college? They're the decisions you're making, in the middle class families like I grew up in Scranton and Claymont. They're in trouble. We should be talking about your families, but that's the last thing he wants to talk about.</s>WELKER: I want to -- I want to talk about North Korea.</s>TRUMP: That is a -- listen -- excuse me. Just give me one (ph) second please.</s>WELKER: I do want to turn to -- 10 second Mr. President. Ten seconds.</s>TRUMP: That's a typical political statement. Let's get off this China thing and then he looks, the family, around the table, everything, just the typical politician when I see that --</s>WELKER: Let's talk about North Korea.</s>TRUMP: I'm not a typical politician. That's why I got elected.</s>WELKER: OK.</s>TRUMP: That was -- let's get off the subject of China and let's talk around sitting around the table. Come on Joe, you can do better.</s>WELKER: We're going to talk about North Korea now. President Trump, you've met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un three times, you've talked about your beautiful letters with him. You've touted the fact that there hasn't been a war or a long-range missile test, and yet North Korea recently rolled it's biggest ever intercontinental ballistic missile and continues to develop its nuclear arsenal. Do you see that as a betrayal of the relationship you've forged? Just 30 second here, because we need to get on to the next --</s>TRUMP: So, when I met with Barak Obama, we sat in the White House, right at the beginning, had a great conversation. It was supposed to be 15 minutes and it was well over an hour. He said the biggest problem we have with North -- is North Korea. He indicated, we will be in a war with North Korea. Guess what? It would be a nuclear war and he does have plenty of nuclear capability. In the meantime, I have a very good relationship with him, different kind of a guy, but he probably things the same thing about me. We have a different kind of a relationship, we have a very good relationship and there's no war. And you know, about two months ago he broke into a certain area. They said, oh, there's going to be trouble. I said, no they're not, because he's not going to do that. And I was right. Look, instead of being in a war where millions of people -- Seoul, you know, is 25 miles away, millions and millions, 32 million people in Seoul, millions of people would be dead right now.</s>WELKER: OK, President Trump, that's 30 seconds. Thank you.</s>TRUMP: We don't have a war and I have a good relationship.</s>WELKER: Vice President Biden to you, North Korea conducted four nuclear tests under the Obama Administration. Why do you think you would be able to rein in this persistent threat?</s>BIDEN: Because I'd make clear, which we were making it clear to China, they had to be part of the deal, because here's the re -- I made it clear and as a spokesperson in the administration when I went to China, that I said, why are you moving your missile defense up so close? Why are you moving more forces here? Why are you continuing to do military maneuvers with South Korea? I said, because North Korea is a problem and we're going to continue to it so we can control them. We're going to make sure we can control them and make sure they can not hurt us. And so, if you want to do something about it, step up and help. If not, it's going to continue. What has he done? He's legitimized North Korea. He's talked about his good buddy who's a thug -- a thug and he talks about how we're better off. And they are -- have much more capable missiles, able to reach U.S. territory much more easily than ever did before.</s>WELKER: Let me follow up with you Vice President Biden, you've said you wouldn't meet with Kim Jong Un without preconditions. Are there any conditions under which you would meet with him?</s>BIDEN: On the condition that he would agree that he would be drawing down his nuclear capacity to get that -- the Korean Peninsula should be nuclear free zone.</s>WELKER: All right, let's move on to American families.</s>TRUMP: Kristen, they tried to meet with him.</s>WELKER: Very quickly, 10 seconds President --</s>TRUMP: They tried to meet with him, he wouldn't do it. He didn't like Obama, he didn't like him - he wouldn't do it.</s>WELKER: OK, got to give him a chance to respond to that before we move on.</s>TRUMP: They tried, he wouldn't do it.</s>BIDEN: No, I ...</s>TRUMP: And that's OK. You know what, North Korea, we're not in a war. We have a good relationship. You know, people don't understand (ph), having a good relationship with leaders of other countries (ph) ...</s>WELKER: President Trump, we have to move on because we have a lot of ...</s>TRUMP: ... is a good thing.</s>WELKER: ... we have a lot of questions to get through.</s>TRUMP: Yes. (Inaudible).</s>BIDEN: (Inaudible) we had a good relationship with Hitler before he in fact invaded Europe - the rest of Europe. Come on. The reason he would not meet with President Obama is because President Obama said we're going to talk about denuclearization. We are not going to legitimize you, we're going to continue to put stronger and stronger sanctions on you - that's why he wouldn't meet with us.</s>WELKER: All right, let's ...</s>TRUMP: And it didn't happen.</s>WELKER: ... move on - let's move on ...</s>TRUMP: Excuse me. He left me a mess, Kristin.</s>WELKER: ... and talk about American families. President Trump - OK, we do need to move on ...</s>TRUMP: They left me a mess. North Korea was a mess, and in fact, if you remember ...</s>WELKER: ... so that we can get to all of our (inaudible) questions tonight ...</s>TRUMP: ... the first two or three months ...</s>WELKER: ... President Trump.</s>TRUMP: ... there was a very dangerous period in my first three months, before we sort of worked things out a little bit.</s>WELKER: OK.</s>TRUMP: There was a very - they left us a mess, and Obama would be, I think, the first to say it was the single biggest problem he thought that our country (inaudible) ...</s>WELKER: OK. Let's move on to American families and the economy. One of the issues that's most important to them is healthcare, as you both know. Today there was a key vote on a new Supreme Court Justice, Amy Coney Barrett, and healthcare is at the center of her confirmation fight. Over 20 million Americans get their health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. It's headed to the Supreme Court, and your administration, Mr. President, is advocating for the court to overturn it. If the Supreme Court does overturn that law, those 20 million Americans could lose their health insurance, almost overnight. So what would you do if those people have their health insurance taken away? You have two minutes, uninterrupted.</s>TRUMP: Sure. First of all, I've already done something that nobody thought was possible. Through the legislature I terminated the individual mandate - that is the worst part of Obamacare, as we call it. The individual mandate where you have to pay a fortune for the privilege of not having to pay for bad health insurance - I terminated it, it's gone. Now it's in court because Obamacare is no good. But then I made a decision, run it as well as you can, to my people - great people. Run it as well as you can - I could have gone the other route and made everybody very unhappy. They ran it. Premiums are down, everything's down. Here's the problem, no matter how well you run it, it's no good. What we'd like to do is terminate it. We have the individual mandate, done. I don't know that it's going to work. If we don't win, we will have to run it and we'll have Obamacare but it'll be better run. But it no longer is Obamacare, because without the individual mandate it's much different. Preexisting conditions will always stay. What I would like to do is a much better healthcare - much better, we'll always protect people with preexisting. So I'd like to terminate Obamacare, come up with a brand new beautiful healthcare. The Democrats will do it because there'll be tremendous pressure on them, and we might even have the House by that time. And I think we're going to win the House, OK? You'll see, but I think we're going to win the House. But come up with a better healthcare, always protecting people with preexisting conditions. And one thing, very important - we have 180 million people out there that have great, private healthcare, far more than we're talking about with Obamacare. Joe Biden is going to terminate all of those policies. These are people that love their healthcare, people that have been successful - middle income people - been successful. They have 180 million plans, 180 million people - families, under what he wants to do which will basically be socialized medicine, he won't even have a choice. They want to terminate 180 million plans. We have done an incredible job on healthcare, and we're going to do even better (inaudible) ...</s>WELKER: OK.</s>BIDEN: Let me respond ...</s>WELKER: Vice President Biden, yes, this is for you. Your healthcare plan calls for building on Obamacare, so my question is, what is your plan if the law is ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court? You have two minutes, uninterrupted.</s>BIDEN: What I'm going to do is pass Obamacare with a public option, become Bidencare. The public option is an option that says that, if you in fact do not have the wherewithal to be - if you qualify for Medicaid, and you do not have the wherewithal in your state to get Medicaid, you're automatically enrolled providing competition for insurance companies - that's what's going to happen. Secondly, we're going to make sure we reduce the premiums and reduce drug prices by making sure that there's competition that doesn't exist now by allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices with the insurance companies. Thirdly, the idea that I want to eliminate private insurance - the reason why I had such a fight for - with 20 candidates for the nomination was I support private insurance. That's why I did not -- not one single person with private insurance would lose their insurance under my plan, nor did they under Obamacare. They did not lose their insurance unless they chose they wanted to go to something else. Lastly, we're going to make sure we're in a position that we actually protect pre-existing conditions. There's no way he can protect pre- existing conditions. None. Zero. You can't do it in the ether. He's been talking about this for a long time. There is no -- he's never come up with a plan. I guess we're going to get the pre-existing plan the same time we get the infrastructure plan that we've waited since '17, '18, '19, and '20. The fact -- I still have a few minutes. I know you're getting anxious.</s>WELKER: I have a follow up for you, Vice President Biden.</s>BIDEN: Sure.</s>WELKER: It relates to something that President Trump said. He's accusing you of wanting socialized medicine. What do you say to people who have concerns that your health care plan which includes a government insurance option, takes the country one step closer to a health care system run entirely by the government? What's your response to them?</s>BIDEN: I say it's ridiculous. It's like saying that, you know, we're -- the idea that -- the fact that there's a public option, that people can choose, that makes it a socialist plan? Look, the difference between the president -- and I think health care is not a privilege. It's a right. Everyone should have the right to have affordable health care. And I am very proud of my plan. It's gotten endorsed by all the major labor unions as well as -- as well as a whole range of other people who, in fact, are concerned in the medical field. This is something that's going to save people's lives and this is going to give some people an opportunity, an opportunity to have health care for their children. How many of you at home are worried rolling around in bed tonight wondering what in God's name you're going to do if you get sick because you lost your home insurance -- your health insurance your company's gone under? We have to provide health insurance for people at an affordable rate. And that's what I do.</s>WELKER: President Trump, your response?</s>TRUMP: Excuse me. He was there for 47 years. He didn't do it.</s>TRUMP: He was now there as vice president for eight years. And it's not like it was 25 years ago. It was three and three quarters. It was just a little while ago, right? Less than four years ago. He didn't do anything. He didn't do it. He wants socialized medicine. And it's not that he wants it. His vice president -- I mean, she is more liberal than Bernie Sanders and wants it even more. Bernie Sanders wants it. The Democrats want it. You're going to have socialized medicine. Just like you were with fracking -- we're not going to have fracking. We're going to stop fracking. We're going to stop fracking. Then he goes to Pennsylvania after he gets a nomination, where he got very lucky to get it. And he goes to Pennsylvania and he says, oh, we're going to have fracking. And you never ask that question. And, by the way, so far, I respect very much the way you're handling this I have to say.</s>BIDEN: By the way --</s>TRUMP: But somebody should ask the question. He goes for a year, there will be no fracking, there will be no --</s>WELKER: We have -- we have -- we do have a number of -- we have a number of topics.</s>TRUMP: No, no, but that's a big question.</s>WELKER: We're going to get to it --</s>TRUMP: It's the same thing with socialized medicine.</s>BIDEN: I have to respond to health care.</s>WELKER: Vice President, your response, please?</s>BIDEN: My response is, people deserve to have affordable health care, period. Period, period, period. And the Biden care proposal will, in fact, provide for that affordable health care, lower premiums. What we're going to do is going to cost some money. It's going to cost over $750 billion over 10 years to do it, and they're going to have lower premiums. You can buy into better plans, the cheaper plans, lower your premiums, deal with unexpected billing, and have your drug prices drop significantly. He keeps talking about it. He hasn't done a thing for anybody on health care. Not a thing.</s>TRUMP: Kristen, when he says --</s>WELKER: Very quickly, then I want to talk about what's happening on Capitol Hill.</s>TRUMP: When he says public option, he's talking about socialized medicine. And when he -- and health care. When he talks about a public option, he's talking about destroying your Medicare, totally destroying --</s>BIDEN: Wrong.</s>TRUMP: -- and destroying your Social Security. And this whole country will come down. You know, Bernie Sanders tried it in his state.</s>BIDEN: Bernie --</s>TRUMP: He tried it in his state. His governor was a very liberal governor. They wanted to make it work.</s>WELKER: OK.</s>TRUMP: It was impossible to work.</s>WELKER: Let's hear -- let's let Vice President Biden respond.</s>TRUMP: It doesn't work.</s>WELKER: Vice President Biden, your response?</s>BIDEN: He's very confused. He thinks he's running against somebody else. He's running against Joe Biden. I beat all those other people because I disagreed with them. Joe Biden he's running against. And the idea that we're in a situation that we're going to destroy Medicare, this is the guy that the actuary of Medicare said if, in fact -- Social Security -- if in fact he continues to withhold his plan to withhold the tax on Social Security, Social Security will be bankrupt in -- by 2023, with no way to make up for it. This is the guy who's tried to cut Medicare. So, I don't -- I mean, the idea that Donald Trump is lecturing me on Social Security and Medicare. Come on.</s>TRUMP: He tried to get rid of ...</s>WELKER: Ten seconds, Mr. President, and then I have to go to another question.</s>TRUMP: He tried to hurt Social Security years ago -- years ago. Go back and look at the records; he tried to hurt Social Security years ago. One thing ...</s>WELKER: All right, let's move -- I'm going to move on. Let me ...</s>TRUMP: But this is the guy that when they announced ...</s>WELKER: Mr. President, I have to move on to the next question or else we're not going to have time to talk about it.</s>TRUMP: ... they said the stock market will boom if I'm elected. If he's elected, the stock market will crash.</s>WELKER: OK. Let's move on to the next question. Very quickly.</s>BIDEN: Look, the idea that the stock market is booming is his only measure of what's happening. Where I come from in Scranton and Claymont, the people don't live off of the stock market. Just in the -- just in the last three -- three years during this crisis, the billionaires in this country made, according to the Wall Street, $700 billion more because that's his only measure. What happens to the ordinary people out there? What happens to them?</s>TRUMP: 40l(k)s ...</s>WELKER: Let's talk about what's happening on Capitol Hill. We're going to move on, gentlemen.</s>TRUMP: Kristen, 401(k)s are through the roof.</s>WELKER: We're going to move on.</s>TRUMP: People's stock are through the roof.</s>WELKER: All right.</s>TRUMP: And he doesn't come from Scranton. That's like one of -- he lived there for a short period of time before he even knew and he left.</s>WELKER: We're going to -- OK. We're going to move on to the next question.</s>TRUMP: And the people of Pennsylvania will show you that.</s>WELKER: Let me move on to my next question, gentlemen.</s>TRUMP: They understand.</s>WELKER: As of tonight, more than 12 million people are out of work. And as of tonight, 8 million more Americans have fallen into poverty and more families are going hungry every day. Those hit hardest are women and people of color. They see Washington fighting over a relief bill. Mr. President, why haven't you been able to get them the help they need? 30 seconds here.</s>TRUMP: Because Nancy Pelosi doesn't want to approve it. I do.</s>WELKER: But you're the president.</s>TRUMP: I do but I still have to get -- unfortunately that's one of the reasons I think we're going to take over the house because of her. Nancy Pelosi doesn't want to approve anything because she'd love to have some victories on a date called November 3rd. Nancy Pelosi does not want to approve it. We are ready, willing and able to do something. Don't forget, we've already approved three plans and it's gone through, including the Democrats in all fairness. This one she doesn't want. It's near the election because she thinks it helps her politically. I think it hurts her politically.</s>WELKER: All right. Mr. Vice President let ...</s>BIDEN: You know the Republican leader in the United States Senate said he can't pass it. He will not be able to pass it. He does not have Republican votes. Why isn't he talking to his Republican friends.</s>WELKER: Let me follow up with you Vice President Biden because ...</s>TRUMP: Because we made a deal and Republicans ...</s>WELKER: Let me -- let me ask Vice President Biden a question. You are the leader of the Democratic Party, why have you not pushed the Democrats to get a deal for the American people?</s>BIDEN: Well, I have and they have pushed it. Look, they passed this act all the way back in the beginning of the summer. This is like it's not new. It's been out there. This Heroes Act has been sitting there and look at what's happening. When I was in charge of the Recovery Act with $800 billion, I was able to get $145 billion to local communities that have to balance their budgets -- the states have to balance their budgets and then have to fire -- fire -- they have to fire firefighters, teachers, first responders, law enforcement officers so they can keep their cities and counties running. He will not support that. They have not done a thing for them. And Mitch McConnell said let them go bankrupt. Let them go bankrupt. Come on. What's the matter with these guys.</s>TRUMP: The bill that was passed in the House was a bailout of badly run high crime Democrat -- all run by Democrats cities and states. It was a way of getting a lot of money, billions and billions of dollars to these states. It was also a way of getting a lot of money from our people's pockets to people that come into our country illegally. We were going to take care of everything for them. And what that does -- and I'd love to do that, I'd love to help them but what that does, everybody all over the world will start pouring into our country, we can't do it. This was a way of taking care of them. This was a way of spending on things that had nothing to do with COVID, as per your question. But it was really a big bail out for badly run Democrat cities and states.</s>BIDEN: By the way, if I get elected, I'm not going to -- I'm running as a proud Democrat but I'm going to be an American president. I don't see red states and blue states, what I see is American, United States. And folks, every single state out there finds themself in trouble. They're going to start laying off whether they're red or blue; cops, firefighters, first responders because -- teachers because they have to balance their budget. And the founders were smart. They allowed the federal government a deficit to spend to compensate for the United States of America.</s>WELKER: I want to talk about the minimum wage, gentlemen. Mr. Vice President, we are talking a lot about struggling small businesses and business owners these days. Do you think this is the right time to ask them to raise the minimum wage. You of course support a $15 federal minimum wage.</s>BIDEN: I do because I think one of things we're going to have to do is we're going to have to do is we're going to have to bail them out too. We should be bailing them out now those small businesses. You got one in six of them going under. They're not going to be able to make it back. They passed a package that allows us to be able -- they call it PPP, money that's supposed to go to help them do everything from organize how they can deal with their businesses being opened safely. School, how they can make classrooms smaller, how they can hire more teachers, how they can put ventilation systems in; they need the help, the businesses as well as the schools need the help. But this -- because these (ph) guys will not help them, is not giving them any of the money.</s>WELKER: We are going to move onto immigration, but I want to get your reaction...</s>TRUMP: Excuse me, one thing very quickly, he said we have to help our small businesses by raising the minimum wage? That's not helping -- I think it should be a state option. Alabama is different than New York, New York is different from Vermont, every state is different. It should be a state option.</s>WELKER: You -- you said very recently...</s>TRUMP: We have to help -- it's very important, we have to help our small businesses.</s>WELKER: You -- you said...</s>TRUMP: How are you helping your small businesses when you're forcing wages? What's going to happen, and what's been proven to happen, is when you do that these small businesses fire many of their employees.</s>WELKER: You said very recently...</s>BIDEN: Not true, by the way.</s>WELKER: ...you would consider raising the federal minimum wage...</s>TRUMP: Say it?</s>WELKER: ...to $15 an hour.</s>TRUMP: Say it.</s>WELKER: You said recently you would consider raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour; is that still the case?</s>TRUMP: I -- what I'd really like (ph), and I would consider it in -- to an extent, but what I'd really like...</s>WELKER: In a second administration?</s>TRUMP: ...what I really -- in a second administration, but not to a level that's going to put all these businesses out of business. It should be a state option. Look, I've lived in different places...</s>BIDEN: Every...</s>TRUMP: ...I know different places, they're all different. Some places, $15 is not so bad. In other places, other states, $15 would be ruinous (ph)...</s>WELKER: OK, President Trump, thank you. Quick response, Vice President Biden?</s>BIDEN: No -- no one should work two jobs, one job, be below poverty. People are making 6, 7, 8 bucks (ph) an hour. These first responders we all clap for as they come down the street because they've allowed us to make it, what's happening? They deserve a minimum wage of $15. Anything below that puts you below the poverty level, and there is no evidence that when you raise the minimum wage, businesses go out of business. That is simply not true. It's an old saw (ph).</s>WELKER: We're going to talk about immigration. We're going to talk about immigration now, gentlemen, and we're going to talk about families within this context. Mr. President, your administration separated children from their parents at the border, at least 4,000 kids. You've since reversed your zero tolerance policy, but the United States can't locate the parents of more than 500 children, so how will these families ever be reunited?</s>TRUMP: Their (ph) children are brought here by coyotes and lots of bad people, cartels, and they're brought here, and they used to use them to get into our country. We now have as strong a border as we've ever had. We're over 400 miles of brand new wall. You see the numbers. And we let people in, but they have to come in legally and they come in through (inaudible)...</s>WELKER: But how will you reunited these kids with their families, Mr. President?</s>TRUMP: But let me just tell you -- let me just tell you, they built cages. You know, they used to say I built the cages, and then they had a picture in a certain newspaper and it was a picture of these horrible cages and they said look at these cages, President Trump built them, and then it was determined they were built in 2014. That was him.</s>WELKER: Do you have a plan to reunite the kids with their families?</s>TRUMP: They built cages. Yes, we're working on it very -- we're -- we're trying very hard, but a lot of these kids come out without the parents, they come over through cartels and through coyotes and through gangs.</s>WELKER: Vice President Biden, let me bring you into this conversation.</s>BIDEN: This 525 (ph)...</s>WELKER: Quick response, and then another question to you.</s>BIDEN: These 500-plus kids came with parents. They separated them at the border to make it a disincentive to come to begin with. They -- real tough, we're really strong. And guess what? They can not -- it's not coyotes didn't bring them over, their parents were with them. They got separated from their parents. And it makes us a laughingstock and violates every notion of who we are as a nation.</s>WELKER: Let me ask you a follow-up question.</s>TRUMP: Kristen, they did it, we changed the policy.</s>WELKER: Your response to that?</s>TRUMP: They did it, we changed...</s>BIDEN: We did not separate the...</s>TRUMP: They built the cages. They -- who built the cages, Joe?</s>BIDEN: Let's -- let's talk about what we're talking about.</s>TRUMP: Who built the cages, Joe?</s>BIDEN: Let's talk about what we're talking about. What happened? Parents were ripped -- their kids were ripped from their arms and separated. And now they can not find over 500 sets of those parents and those kids are alone. Nowhere to go. Nowhere to go. It's criminal. It's criminal.</s>WELKER: Let me ask you about immigration, 10 seconds and then I need to ask a question...</s>TRUMP: Kristen, I will say this, they went down -- we brought reporters, everything, they are so well taken care of, they're in facilities that were so clean, have gotten such good...</s>WELKER: But some of them haven't been reunited with their families.</s>TRUMP: But just ask -- one question, who built the cages? I'd love you to ask him that. Who built the cages?</s>WELKER: Let me ask about your immigration policy, Mr. Vice President. The Obama administration did fail to deliver immigration reform, which had been a key promise during the administration and also presided over record deportations as well as family detentions at the border before changing course. So why should voters trust you with an immigration overhaul now?</s>BIDEN: Because we made a mistake, made too (ph) -- it took too long to get it right. It took too long to get it right. I'll be President of the United States, not Vice President of the United States. And the fact is I've made it very clear within 100 days I'm going to send to the United States Congress a pathway to citizenship for over 11 million undocumented people, and all of those so-called Dreamers, those DACA kids, they're going to be immediately certified again to be able to stay in this country and put on a path to citizenship. The idea that they are being sent home by this guy -- and they want to do that -- is they're going to a country they've never seen before. I can imagine, you're five years old. Your parents are taking you across the Rio -- the Rio Grande River, and it's -- and it's -- and it's illegal. And you say, "Oh, no, Mom, leave me here. I'm not going to go with you." They've been here. Many of them are model citizens. Over 20,000 of them are first responders out there taking care of people during this crisis. We owe them. We owe them.</s>TRUMP: Kristen,</s>WELKER: President Trump, your reaction?</s>TRUMP: ... he had eight years to do what he said he was going to do. And I've changed...</s>BIDEN: We did.</s>TRUMP: Without having a specific, we got rid of catch-and-release. We got rid of a lot of horrible things that they put in and that they lived with. But he had eight years he was vice president. He did nothing, except build cages to keep children in.</s>WELKER: Vice President Biden...</s>BIDEN: Wrong.</s>WELKER: ... your response?</s>BIDEN: The catch-and-release -- you know what he's talking about there? If in fact you had a family came across and they were arrested, they in fact were given a date to show up for their hearing. They were released. And guess what, they showed up for a hearing. And this is the first president in the history of the United States of America that's anybody seeking asylum has to do it in another country. That's never happened before in America. That's never happened before in America. You come to the United States and you make your case that "I seek asylum based on the following -- on the following premise, why I deserve it under American law." They're sitting in squalor on the other side of the river.</s>WELKER: President Trump, your response...</s>TRUMP: So important...</s>WELKER: ... 30 seconds, and then we'll move on.</s>TRUMP: It just shows that he has no understanding of immigration, of the laws. Catch-and-release is a disaster. A murderer would come in; a rapist would come in; a very bad person would come in. We would take their name. We have to release them into our country. And then you say they come back. Less than 1 percent of the people come back. We have to send...</s>BIDEN: Not true.</s>TRUMP: ICE out, and Border Patrol out, to find them. We would say "Come back in two years, three years; we're going to give you a court case. You need Perry Mason. We're going to give you a court case." When you say they come back, they don't come back, Joe.</s>BIDEN: They do.</s>TRUMP: They never come back. Only the really -- I hate to say this, but those with the lowest I.Q., they might come back, but they're very, very few...</s>WELKER: OK, President Trump, let's give Vice President Biden a chance to respond, and then we're going to move on to the next section.</s>TRUMP: You don't know the law, Joe.</s>WELKER: Vice President Biden...</s>BIDEN: I know the law.</s>WELKER: ... your response?</s>BIDEN: I know the law and what he's telling you is simply not true.</s>TRUMP: Well, check it out. They don't come back.</s>BIDEN: Check it out.</s>WELKER: All right. Let's move on...</s>TRUMP: But we don't have to worry about it because they terminated it. So we don't have to worry about it.</s>WELKER: Let's move on to the next section.</s>BIDEN: And you have 525 kids not knowing where in God's name they're going to be and lost their parents.</s>TRUMP: Go ahead.</s>WELKER: All right. Let's talk about our next section, which is race in America. And I want to talk about the way black and brown Americans experience race in this country. Part of that experience is something called "the talk." It happens regardless of class and income, parents who feel they have no choice but to prepare their children for the chance that they could be targeted, including by the police, for no reason other than the color of their skin. Mr. Vice President, in the next two minutes, I want you to speak directly to these families. Do you understand why these parents fear for their children?</s>BIDEN: I do. I do. You know, my daughter is a social worker. And she's all -- she's written a lot about this. She has her graduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania in Social Work. And, you know, one of the reasons why I ended up working on the east side of Wilmington, Delaware, which is 90 percent African-American, was to learn more about what was going on. What I didn't -- I never had to tell my daughter, if she's pulled over, make sure she puts -- for a traffic stop -- put both hands on top of the wheel and don't reach for the glove box because someone may shoot you. But a black parent, no matter how wealthy or how poor they are, has to teach their child, when you're walking down the street, don't have a hoodie on when you go across the street, making sure that you in fact, if you get pulled over, "Yes, sir; no, sir," hands on top of the wheel. Because you are in fact the victim whether you're a person making $300,000 -- a child of a $300,000 a year person or someone who's on -- on food stamps. The fact of the matter is, there is institutional racism in America. And we have always said -- we've never lived up to it -- that "We hold these truths to be self-evident, all men and women are created equal." But guess what? We have never, ever lived up to it. But we've -- constantly been moving the needle further and further to inclusion, not exclusion. This is the first president to come along and says, "That's the end of that. We're not going to do that anymore." We have to provide for economic opportunity, better education, better healthcare, better access to schooling, better access to opportunity to borrow money to start businesses. All the things that we can do and I've laid out a clear plan as to how to do those things just to give people a shot. It's about accumulating the ability to have wealth as well as it is to be free from violence.</s>WELKER: President Trump, same question to you and let me remind you of the question. I would like you to speak directly to these families. Do you understand why these parents fear for their children?</s>TRUMP: Yes, I do. And again, he's been in government for 47 years. He never did a thing except in 1994 when he did such harm to the black community, and they were called - and he called them super predators, and he said that. He said it, super predators. And the kept- never lived that down. 1994, your crime bill, the super predators. Nobody has done more for the black community than Donald Trump, and if you look with the exception of Abraham Lincoln - possible exception, but the exception of Abraham Lincoln, nobody has done what I've done. Criminal justice reform, Obama and Joe didn't do it. I don't even think they tried because they had no chance at doing it. They might have wanted to do it, but if you had to see the arms I had to twist to get that done, it was not a pretty picture, and everybody knows, including some very liberal people that cried in my office. They cried in the Oval Office, two weeks later they're out saying, gee, we have to defeat him. Criminal justice reform, prison reform, opportunity zones with Tim Scott, a great senator from South Carolina, he came in with this incredible idea for opportunity zones. It's one of the most successful programs. People don't talk about. Tremendous investment is being made. Biggest beneficiary, the black and Hispanic communities, and then historically black colleges and universities. After three years of coming to the office - I love some of those guys. They were great - they came into the office and they said - I said what are you doing? After three years I said why do you keep coming back? Because we have no funding. I said you don't have to come back every year. We have to come back because President Obama would never give them long-term funding, and I did. 10-year long-term funding, and I gave them more money than they asked for because I said I think you need more. And I said the only bad part about this is I may never see you again because I got very friendly with them, and they like me and I like them, but I saved historically black colleges and universities.</s>WELKER: OK, and we're going to talk about both of your records, but your response to that, Vice President?</s>BIDEN: My response to that is I never ever said what he accused me of saying. The fact of the matter is in 2000, though, after the crime bill had been in the law for awhile, this is the guy who said the problem with the crime bill there's not enough people in jail. There's not enough people in jail. And go on my website. Get the quote, the date when he said it. Not enough people. He talked about marauding gangs, young gangs, and the people who were going to maraud our cities. This is the guy who in the Central Park Five, five innocent black kids, he continued to push for making sure that they got the death penalty. None of them were - none of them were guilty of what the crime - of the crimes that were suggested. Look, and talk about he - granted he did, in fact, let 20 people - he commuted 20 people's sentences. We commuted over 1,000 people's sentences, over 1,000. The very law he's talking about is the law that, in fact, initiated by Barack Obama. And secondly, we're in a situation here where we - the federal prison system was reduced by 38,000 people under our administration, and one of these things we should be doing, there should be no minimum mandatories (ph) in the law. That's why I'm offering $20 billion to states to change their state laws to eliminated minimum mandatories (ph) and set up drug courts. No one should be going to jail because they have a drug problem. They should be going to rehabilitation, not to jail. We should fundamentally change the system, and that's what I'm going to do.</s>TRUMP: But why didn't he do it four years ago? Why didn't you do that? Four years ago, even less than that, why didn't you do it?</s>BIDEN: I am not -</s>TRUMP: You were vice president. You keep talking about all these things you're going to do and you're going to do this, but you were there just a short time ago and you guys did nothing.</s>BIDEN: We did -</s>TRUMP: You know, Joe. I ran because of you. I ran because of Barack Obama, because you did a poor job. If I thought you did a good job, I would have never run.</s>BIDEN: And I (ph) -</s>TRUMP: I would have never run. I ran because of you. I'm looking at you now. You're a politician. I ran because of you.</s>WELKER: All right. Vice President Biden, your response to that, and then I do have some questions for both of you.</s>BIDEN: Well I tell you what. I hope he doesn't (ph) look at me because what's happening here is you know who I am. You know who he is. You know his character. You know my character. You know our reputations for honor and telling the truth. I am anxious to have this race. I am anxious to see this take place. I am - the character of the country is on the ballot. Our character is on the ballot. Look at us closely.</s>WELKER: Let me ask some follow -</s>TRUMP: Excuse me.</s>WELKER: -- please respond and then we're going to have a follow-up question.</s>TRUMP: If this stuff is true about Russia, Ukraine, China, other countries, Iraq, if this is true then he's a corrupt politician.</s>WELKER: All right.</s>TRUMP: So, don't give me the stuff about how you're this innocent baby. Joe, they're calling you a corrupt politician.</s>BIDEN: Innocent. Nobody's --</s>WELKER: President Trump, I want to stay on the issue of race --</s>TRUMP: Laptop from --</s>WELKER: -- we're talking about the issue --</s>TRUMP: The laptop from hell.</s>BIDEN: Nobody --</s>WELKER: President Trump, we're talking about race right now and I do want to stay on the issue of race. President Trump --</s>BIDEN: But then I have to respond to that.</s>WELKER: Please, very quickly.</s>BIDEN: Because look, there are 50 former National Intelligence folks who said that what this he's accusing me of is a Russian plan. They have said that this is -- has all the -- four -- five former heads of the CIA, both parties say what he's saying is a bunch of garbage. Nobody believes it except the -- his and his good friend Rudy Giuliani.</s>TRUMP: You mean the laptop is now another Russia, Russia, Russia hoax? You've got to be --</s>BIDEN: That's exactly what -- that's exactly what was told.</s>TRUMP: This is where he's going. The laptop is Russia, Russia, Russia?</s>WELKER: All right. Gentlemen, I want to stay on the issue of race.</s>TRUMP: You have to be kidding. Here we go again with Russia.</s>WELKER: We're going to continue on the issue of race. Mr. President --</s>TRUMP: I can't believe that one.</s>WELKER: -- you've described the Black Lives Matter movement as a symbol of hate. You've shared a video of man chanting white power to millions of your supporters. You've said that black professional athletes exercising their first amendment rights should be fired. What do you say to Americans who say that kind of language from a president is contributing to a climate of hate and racial strife?</s>TRUMP: Well, you have to understand the first time I ever heard of Black Lives Matter they were chanting, pigs in a blanket, talking about police, pigs -- pigs -- talking about police. Pigs in a blanket, fry them like bacon. I said, that's a horrible thing. And they were marching down the street. And that was my first glimpse of Black Lives Matter, I thought it was a terrible thing. As far as my relationships with all people, I think I have great relationships with all people. I am the least racist person in this room.</s>WELKER: But, what do you say to Americans who are concerned by rhetoric and --</s>TRUMP: I don't what -- I mean, I don't what to say. I got criminal justice reform done and prison reform and opportunity zones, I took care of black colleges and universities. I don't know what to say. They can say anything. I mean, they can say anything. It's a very -- it makes me sad, because I am -- I am the least racist person, I can't even see the audience because it's so dark, but I don't care who's in the audience, I'm the least racist person in this room.</s>WELKER: OK, Vice President Biden, let me ask you very quickly and then I have a follow-up question for you.</s>BIDEN: Abraham Lincoln here is one of the most recent presidents we've had in modern history. He pours fuel on every single racist fire, every single one. Started off his campaign coming down the escalator saying he's going to get rid of those Mexican rapists. He's banned Muslims because they're Muslims. He has moved around and made everything worse across the board. He says to the -- about the Poor Boys, last time we were on stage here, he said I told them to stand down and stand ready. Come on, this guy has a dog whistle about as big as fog horn.</s>WELKER: President Trump, I'm going to give you 10 seconds to respond and then I have a follow-up question.</s>TRUMP: No, I -- you made a reference to Abraham Lincoln. Where did that come in? I mean --</s>BIDEN: You said you're Abraham Lincoln.</s>TRUMP: -- where did that -- no, no, where did that. No -- no.</s>BIDEN: You said --</s>TRUMP: I said, not since Abraham Lincoln has anybody done what I've done for the black community.</s>BIDEN: And I'm saying --</s>TRUMP: I didn't say I'm Abraham Lincoln. I said, not since Abraham Lincoln has anybody done what I've done for the black community. Now you have done nothing other than the crime bill, which put --</s>BIDEN: Oh God.</s>TRUMP: -- tens of thousands of black men mostly in jail.</s>WELKER: All right, let me -- let me -- let me ask Vice President --</s>TRUMP: And you know what, they remember it. Because if you look at what's happening with the voting right now, they remember that you treated them very, very badly.</s>WELKER: -- Biden about --</s>TRUMP: Just take a look at what's happening out there.</s>WELKER: Vice President Biden, let me give you a chance to respond within this context. Crime bills that you supported in the '80s and '90 contributed to the incarceration of tens of thousands of young black men who had small amounts of drugs in their possession. They are sons, they are brothers, they're fathers, they're uncles whose families are still, to this day, some of them suffering the consequences. So, speak to those families, why should they vote for you?</s>BIDEN: One of the things is that in the '80s we passed 100 percent, all 100 senators voted for a bill on drugs and how to deal with drugs. It was a mistake. I've been trying to change it since then, particularly the portion on cocaine. That's why I've been arguing that, in fact, we should not send anyone to jail for a pure drug offense. They should be going into treatment across the board. That's what we should be spending money on. That's why I set up drug courts, which were never funded by our Republican friends. They should not be going to jail for a drug or an alcohol, they should be going into treatment -- treatment. That's what we've been trying to do. That's what I'm going to get done, because I think the American people have now seen that in fact, it was a mistake to pass those laws related to drugs - but they were not in the crime bill.</s>TRUMP: But why didn't he ...</s>WELKER: OK. Sir (ph) ...</s>TRUMP: ... get it done? See, it's all talk, no action with these politicians. Why didn't he get it done? That's what I'm going to do when I become president - you were Vice President along with Obama as your President, your leader for eight years. Why didn't you get it done? You had eight years to get it done. Now you're saying you're going to get it done, because you're all talk and no action, Joe.</s>WELKER: Your response.</s>BIDEN: We got a lot of it done. We released 38,000 ...</s>TRUMP: You didn't get anything done.</s>BIDEN: ... we got 38,000 prisoners (inaudible) ...</s>TRUMP: You got nothing done.</s>BIDEN: Thirty-eight thousand prisoners were released from federal prison. We have - there were over 1,000 people who were given clemency. We - in fact, we're the ones that put in the legislation saying we could look at pattern and practice of police departments and what they were doing, how they're conducting themselves. I could go on, but we began the process - we began the process. We lost an election, that's why I'm running, to win back that election and change this (ph) terrible policy.</s>TRUMP: I just ask ...</s>WELKER: Your (ph) response, and then we're going to move on to climate change.</s>TRUMP: ... one question, why didn't you do it in the eight years, a short time ago? Why didn't you do it? You just said, I'm going to do that, I'm going to do this - you put tens of thousands ...</s>BIDEN: Because ...</s>TRUMP: ... of mostly Black young men in prison, now you're saying you're going to get - you're going to undo that. Why didn't you get it done? You had eight years with Obama. You know why, Joe? Because you're all talk and no action.</s>WELKER: All right. Vice President Biden, and then we're going to move on to the next section.</s>BIDEN: Because we had a Republican Congress. That's the answer.</s>WELKER: OK.</s>TRUMP: (Inaudible) you've got to talk them in to it, Joe.</s>WELKER: All right.</s>TRUMP: Sometimes you've got to talk them in to it.</s>WELKER: We're going to move on to our next section which is climate change ...</s>TRUMP: Like I did with criminal justice reform. I had to talk Democrats in to it.</s>WELKER: Gentlemen, we're running out of time ...</s>BIDEN: You (inaudible).</s>WELKER: ... so we've got to get on to climate change, please. You both have very different visions on climate change. President Trump, you say that environmental regulations have hurt jobs in the energy sector. Vice President Biden, you have said you see addressing climate change as an opportunity to create new jobs. For each of you, how would you both combat climate change and support job growth at the same time? Starting with you, President Trump. You have two minutes, uninterrupted.</s>TRUMP: So, we have the Trillion Trees Program, we have so many different programs. I do love the environment, but what I want is the cleanest, crystal clear water, the cleanest air. We have the best, lowest number in carbon emissions which is a big standard that I notice Obama goes with all the time. Not Joe, I haven't heard Joe use the term, because I'm not sure he knows what it represents or means - but I have heard Obama use it. And we have the best carbon emission numbers that we've had in 35 years, under this administration. We are working so well with industry, but here's what we can't (ph) do. Look at China, how filthy it is. Look at Russia, look at India - it's filthy. The air is filthy. The Paris Accord, I took us out because we were going to have to spend trillions of dollars, and we were treated very unfairly. When they put us in there, they did us a great disservice. They were going to take away our businesses. I will not sacrifice tens of millions of jobs - thousands and thousands of companies because of the Paris Accord. It was so unfair. China doesn't kick in until 2030. Russia goes back to a low standard, and we kicked in right away. It would have been - it would have destroyed our businesses. So, you ready? We have done an incredible job environmentally. We have the cleanest air, the cleanest water and the best carbon emission standards that we've seen in many, many years.</s>WELKER: Vice President Biden.</s>TRUMP: And we haven't destroyed our industries.</s>WELKER: Vice President Biden, two minutes to you, uninterrupted.</s>BIDEN: Climate change, climate warming, global warming is a existential threat to humanity. We have a moral obligation to deal with it. And we're told by all the leading scientists in the world we don't have much time. We're going to pass the point of no return within the next eight to 10 years. Four more years of this man eliminating all the regulations that were put in by us to clean up the climate, to clean up -- to limit the -- a limit of emissions will put us in a position where we're going to be in real trouble. Here's where we have a great opportunity, I was able to get both -- all the environmental organizations as well as labor -- the people worried about jobs to support my climate plan. Because what it does, it will create millions of new, good paying jobs. We're going to invest in, for example, 500,000 -- excuse me, 50,000 charging stations on our highways so that we can own the electric car market of the future. In the meantime, China is doing that. We're going to be in a position where we're going to see to it that we're going to take 4 million existing billion -- buildings and 2 million existing homes and retrofit them so they don't leak as much energy, saving hundreds of millions of barrels of oil in the process and creating significant number of jobs. And, by the way, the whole idea of what this is all going to do -- it's going to create millions of jobs, and it's going the clean the environment. Our health and our jobs are at stake. That's what's happening. And what -- right now, by the way, Wall Street firm has indicated that my plan, my plan will, in fact, create 18.6 million jobs, 7 million more than his. This is from Wall Street. And I'll create $1 trillion more in economic growth than his proposal does. Not on climate, just on economy.</s>KRISTEN WELKER, DEBATE MODERATOR: President Trump, your response?</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They came out and said very strongly -- $6,500 will be taken away from families under his plan. That his plan is an economic disaster. If you want to look at what he wants to do, you know, the -- if you look at his plan -- his environmental plan.</s>WELKER: It doesn't do with climate.</s>TRUMP: Do you know who developed it? AOC plus 3. They know nothing about the climate. I mean, she's got a good line of stuff but she knows nothing about the climate. And they're all hopping through hoops for ACO plus 3. Look, their real plan costs $100 trillion. If we had the best year in the history of our country for 100 years, we would not even come close to a number like that. When he says buildings, they want to take buildings down because they want to make bigger windows into smaller windows. As far as they're concerned, if you had no window, it would be a lovely thing. This is the craziest plan that anybody has ever seen. And this wasn't done by smart people. This wasn't done by anybody, frankly. I don't even know how it could be good politically.</s>WELKER: All right.</s>TRUMP: They want to spend $100 trillion. That's their real number. He's trying to say it was 6. It's $100 trillion. They want to knock down buildings and build new buildings with little, tiny, small windows, and many other things -- and many other things. It is crazy.</s>WELKER: OK. Let me have the vice president respond and we're running out of time and we have a lot more questions --</s>TRUMP: It will destroy our country.</s>WELKER: So, let's hear from the vice president, I have a number of questions.</s>BIDEN: I don't know where he comes from. I don't know where he comes up with these numbers.</s>TRUMP: (inaudible)</s>BIDEN: A hundred trillion dollars. Give me a break. This plan was -- this plan is endorsed by every major -- every major environmental group and every labor group. Labor because they know the future lies -- the future lies in us being able to breathe and they know there are good jobs in getting us there. And by the way, the fastest-growing industry in America are -- is the electric -- the -- excuse me -- the solar energy and wind. He thinks wind causes cancer, windmills. It's the fastest growing jobs and they pay good prevailing wages. Forty-five, 50 bucks an hour. We can grow and we can be cleaner if we go the route I'm proposing.</s>WELKER: President Trump --</s>TRUMP: Excuse me.</s>WELKER: -- please respond, and then I have some follow-ups.</s>TRUMP: We are energy -- we are energy independent for the first time. We don't need all of these countries that we had to fight war over because we needed their energy. We are energy independent. I know more about wind than you do. It's extremely expensive. It kills all the birds. It's very intermittent. It's got a lot of problems and they happen to make the windmills in both Germany and China. And the fumes coming up -- if you're a believer in carbon emission, the fumes coming up to make these massive windmills is more than anything that we're talking about with natural gas, which is very clean. One other thing -- solar.</s>BIDEN: Find me a scientist that says that.</s>TRUMP: I love solar. But solar doesn't have it yet. It's not powerful yet to really run our big beautiful factories that we need to compete with the world. So --</s>BIDEN: False.</s>TRUMP: -- it's all a pipe dream. But do you know what we'll do? We're going to have the greatest economy in the world. But if you want to kill the economy, get rid of your oil industry. You want -- and what about fracking?</s>WELKER: All right, let me have -- let me allow Vice President Biden to respond.</s>BIDEN: I have never said I oppose fracking.</s>TRUMP: You said it on tape.</s>BIDEN: I did -- show the tape. Put it on your website.</s>TRUMP: I'll put it on.</s>BIDEN: Put it on the website. The fact of the matter is --</s>TRUMP: Show (inaudible)</s>BIDEN: -- he's flat lying. But --</s>WELKER: Would you rule out banning fracking?</s>BIDEN: I do rule out banning fracking because the answer -- we need -- we need other industries to transition to get to ultimately a complete zero emissions by 2025. What I will do with fracking over time is make sure that we can capture the emissions from fracking, capture the emissions from gas. We can do that and we can do that by investing money in doing it. But it's a transition to that.</s>WELKER: I have one more question in this part (ph) and then we have --</s>TRUMP: Excuse me, he was against fracking he said it. I will show that to you tomorrow, I am against fracking -- until he got the nomination, went to Pennsylvania then he said, but you know what Pennsylvania, he'll be against it very soon because his party is totally against it.</s>BIDEN: Fracking on federal land I said. No fracking and or oil on federal land.</s>WELKER: Let me ask this final question in this section and then I want to move on to our final section. President Trump, people of color are much more likely to live near oil refineries and chemical plants. In Texas, there are families who worry the plants near them are making them sick. Your administration has rolled back regulations on these kinds of facilities. Why should these families give you another four years in office?</s>TRUMP: The families that we're talking about are employed heavily and they're making a lot of money, more money than they've ever made. If you look at the kind of numbers that we've produced for Hispanic or black or Asian, it's nine times greater the percentage gain than it was under, in three years that it was under eight years of the two of them to put it nicely. Nine times more. Now, somebody lives -- I have not heard the numbers or the statistics that you're saying, but they're making a tremendous amount of money economically, we saved it. And I saved it again a number of months ago when oil was crashing because of the pandemic. We saved it. We got -- say what you want about relationship, we got Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Russia to cut back -- way back. We saved our oil industry and now it's very vibrant again. And everybody has very inexpensive gasoline, remember that.</s>WELKER: Vice President Biden, your response and then we're going to have a final question for both of you.</s>BIDEN: My response is that those people live on what they call fence lines. He doesn't understand this. They live near chemical plants that in fact pollute chemical plants and oil plant and refineries that pollute. I just to live near that when I was growing up in Claymont, Delaware. And all -- there are more oil refineries in Marcus Hook and Delaware River than there is any place, including in Houston at the time. When my mom getting a car and when their first frost to drive me to school, turned on the windshield wiper there'd be an oil slick on the window. That's why so many people in my state were dying and getting cancer. The fact is those front line communities is it doesn't matter what you're paying them, it matters how you keep them safe. What do you do. And you impose restrictions on the pollutions -- that the pollutants coming out of those fence line communities.</s>WELKER: OK. I have one final question. It falls -- it falls ...</s>TRUMP: Would he close down the oil industry -- would you close down the oil industry?</s>BIDEN: By the way, I would transition from the oil industry, yes.</s>TRUMP: Transition.</s>BIDEN: That is a big statement because I would stop ...</s>WELKER: Why would you do that?</s>BIDEN: Because the oil industry pollutes significantly.</s>TRUMP: I see.</s>BIDEN: And here's the deal ...</s>TRUMP: But you can't do that.</s>BIDEN: Well, if you'd let me finish the statement -- because it has to replaced by renewable energy over time -- over time. And I'd stop giving -- to the oil industry I'd stop giving them federal subsidies. He won't give federal subsidies to the -- to the gas -- excuse me -- to the -- to solar and wind.</s>TRUMP: Yes.</s>BIDEN: Why are we giving it to oil industry.</s>TRUMP: We actually do give it to solar and wind. And that's maybe the biggest statement in terms of business that's the biggest statement.</s>WELKER: All right. We have one final question. OK. We have one final question, Mr. President ...</s>TRUMP: Because basically what he's saying is he is going to destroy the oil industry. Will you remember that Texas, will you remember that Pennsylvania, Oklahoma ...</s>WELKER: Vice President Biden, let me give you 10 seconds to respond and then I have to get to the final question. Vice President Biden.</s>BIDEN: He takes everything out of context. But the point is look, we have to move toward a net zero emissions. The first place to do that by the year 2035 is in energy production, by 2050 totally.</s>WELKER: All right. One final question to both ...</s>TRUMP: Is he going to get China to do it. Is he going to get China to do it.</s>WELKER: No, we're finished with this. We have to move on to our final question. We have to move on to our final question.</s>BIDEN: No, I'm going to rejoin Paris Accord and make China abide by what they agreed to.</s>WELKER: All right. This is about leadership, gentlemen, and this first question does go to you, President Trump. Imagine this is your inauguration day, what will you say in your address to Americans who did not vote for you. You'll each have one minute staring with you, Mr. President.</s>TRUMP: We have to make our country totally successful as it was prior to the plague coming in from China. Now we're rebuilding it and we're doing record numbers, 11.4 million jobs in a short period of time, et cetera. But I will tell you, go back, before the plague came in, just before, I was getting calls from people that were not normally people that would call me. They wanted to get together. We had the best black unemployment numbers in the history of our country. Hispanic, women, Asian, people with diplomas, with no diplomas, MIT graduates, number one in the class; everybody had the best numbers. And you know what, the other side wanted to get together. They wanted to unify. Success is going to bring us together. We are on the road to success. But I'm cutting taxes and he wants to raise everybody's taxes and he wants to put new regulations on everything. He will kill it. If he gets in you will have a depression the likes of which you've never seen. Your 401Ks will go to hell and it'll be a very, very sad day for this country.</s>WELKER: All right, Vice President Biden, same question to you, what will you say during your inaugural address to Americans who did not vote for you?</s>BIDEN: I will say I'm an American President, I represent all of you whether you voted for me or against me, and I'm going to make sure that you're represented. I'm going to give you hope. We're going to move, we're going to choose science over fiction, we're going to choose hope over fear, we're going to choose to move forward because we have enormous opportunities, enormous opportunities to make things better. We can grow this economy, we can deal with the systemic racism, and at the same time, we can make sure that our economy is being run and moved and motivated by clean energy, creating millions of new jobs. And that's the fact, that's what we're going to do, and I'm going to say as I've said at the beginning, what is on the ballot here is the character of this country, decency, honor, respect, treating people with dignity, making sure that everyone has an even chance, and I'm going to make sure you get that. You haven't been getting it the last 4 years.</s>WELKER: All right, I want to thank you both for a very robust hour and a half of fantastic debate, really appreciate it. President Trump, former Vice President Joe Biden, thank you to Belmont University for hosting us tonight, and most importantly, thank you to those watching tonight. Election day is November 3rd, don't forget to vote. Thank you, everyone, and have a great night.</s>BIDEN: Thank you.

President Obama Getting Under Trump's Skin; Trump Complains Debate Commission Rules; Trump Said Not Much Will Change

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. You are watching CNN Newsroom. And I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead.</s>BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Donald Trump isn't suddenly going to protect all of us. He can't even take the basic steps to protect himself.</s>CHURCH: A blistering rebuke by the former U.S. president on the trail for Joe Biden, Barack Obama makes his case against Donald Trump hours before the final presidential debate. Plus, as the U.S. president downplayed the threat, American intelligence agencies warn Russia and Iran are interfering in the U.S. election. And CNN's Freedom Project reveals during the pandemic a growing number of children and teenagers in India are being trafficked into slave labor. Good to have you with us. The final presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden is set to get underway in the coming hours, with the election less than two weeks away, and trailing Biden in most polls. The matchup could be President Trump's last best chance to make a compelling case for reelection. But it's clear many Americans have already made up their minds, so far, some 40 million people have voted in person, or by mail. That's almost a third of all the votes tallied in 2016. The president says he is preparing for the debate by holding campaign rallies, and doing interviews. Biden, on the other hand, is at home, pouring through briefing books, while former President Barack Obama campaigned for him in Philadelphia.</s>OBAMA: Just yesterday, when asked if he'd do anything differently, Trump said, not much. Really? Not much? Nothing you can't think of that could have helped some people keep their loved ones alive? And with Joe and Kamala at the helm, you are not going to have to think about the crazy things they said every day. And that's worth a lot. You might be able to have a Thanksgiving dinner without having an argument. You will be able to go about your lives, knowing that the president is not going to retweet conspiracy theories. We are not going to have a president that goes out of his way to insult anybody who doesn't support him, or threatened him with jail.</s>CHURCH: CNN's Ryan Nobles is following the Trump campaign, but first, to Jeff Zeleny, who was on the trail with Barack Obama.</s>JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Former President Barack Obama delivering one of the most mocking and blistering assessments of his successor. Coming out on the campaign trail for the first time this year, certainly touting Joe Biden, but making more of an effort to say why Donald Trump does not deserve a second term in office, talking first and foremost about coronavirus, and the Trump administration's handling of the virus. Saying the president did not take it seriously, saying that the, you know, mask mandate is something that should have been done, and talking about how other countries around the world did, indeed, handle this better than the United States did. Now from there, the former president went on to really deliver a broadside against President Trump, making fun of how he has conducted himself in office, also talking about the exhaustion factor. Just the day in and day out since the former president said, look, this is not a reality show. This is reality. But at the end of the speech, some more than 30 minutes or so, delivered in Philadelphia, Mr. Obama also talked to Democrats directly, delivering some tough medicine to them, saying four years ago, many Democrats thought Hillary Clinton would defeat Donald Trump. That didn't happen. So, he called on Democrats to not be lazy, to not be complacent, and he urged them to come out and vote. This is the first of many stops that former President Obama is going to be making in the next two weeks, certainly, making the case against Donald Trump, and for Joe Biden. Back to you.</s>RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Trump making yet another trip to the important battleground of North Carolina, a state he won four years ago, and a state he desperately needs in the win column if he were to win reelection in 2020. And as the president was making his way here to the Tar Heel state, President Obama was crushing him and his administration in a speech in support of Joe Biden. President Obama making his first appearance on the campaign trail, and had some pretty harsh criticism for President Trump. President Trump had the opportunity to respond here in North Carolina. And this is what he had to say.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: There was nobody that campaigned harder for crooked Hillary Clinton than Obama, right? He was all over the place. The only one more unhappy than crooked Hillary that night was Barack Hussein Obama.</s>NOBLES: Surprisingly, the president held his fire for the most part against Obama, refusing to get to in-depth in his response to President Obama's remarks. This is not going to be President Obama's last trip, though before election day on November 3rd. So, President Trump will have plenty of time to respond, the president saying here tonight, in North Carolina, telling this crowd, that he promises that he will deliver North Carolina, and said it is a key to his reelection bid. Ryan Nobles, CNN, Gastonia, North Carolina.</s>CHURCH: Joining me now is CNN political commentators Tara Setmayer and Jess McIntosh. Great to have you both with us.</s>JESS MCINTOSH, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Thank you.</s>TARA SETMAYER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It's great to be here.</s>CHURCH: We are just hours away from the final presidential debate, Donald Trump has been slamming the format, and the moderator calling this all unfair, but what each of the candidates need to do to sway undecided voters, and what risks do each face? Jess, let's start with you.</s>MCINTOSH: You know, I still want to put the brakes on the fact that we are sure there is going to be a debate happening tomorrow. A couple of things need to happen that Donald Trump has never agreed to before. He says he is going to this time, but we know that doesn't always work out. He is supposed to take a negative COVID test, he has said he's willing to do that, but he was unwilling to before the last debate. He also has to agree to have his mic shut off when Joe Biden is talking, which seems like it shouldn't be necessary, but it honestly is. All in all, this is a pretty risky debate for Trump. He seems like he can't afford to lose any more supporters that he already has, and the last debate performance certainly cost him with a few women. So, I'm still not entirely in the camp that thinks this is 100 percent definite tomorrow night.</s>CHURCH: Tara, how do you feel about this? And what do you think each of the candidates need to say and do?</s>SETMAYER: Well, I'm with Jess where, you never quite know what's going to happen until you actually see Donald Trump step foot on the stage. He's been so erratic lately, and he's throwing a lot of temper tantrums, and he's very upset with a lot of people, and that list is getting longer that you never quite know. But assuming that it does happen, Joe Biden needs to make sure that he does no harm. He needs to continue to represent the adult in the room, needs to continue to show the American people that he is presidential, ready on day one, and he is the complete opposite of Donald Trump. And the vision that he has for this country, moving forward, is one that, I think that the American people but want to see. They just want some normalcy back. Everyone is exhausted from the Trump show for the last four years, which President Obama was so articulate about today on the campaign trail. And for President Trump, I mean, he needs to have a moment where he could actually articulate his vision for a second term, and try to stop the bleeding. He has hemorrhaging voters, to Jess' point he's hemorrhaging women voters, his performance in the last debate was atrocious and he -- unless he does that and has a moment to stop the momentum for Joe Biden, which I think is probably not going to happen, but he -- that's what they need debates for. He needs this more than Joe Biden does --</s>CHURCH: Right.</s>SETMAYER: -- but I am not holding my breath Donald Trump is who he is, and he is not keen to change.</s>CHURCH: OK. So, you mentioned President Barack Obama, and former presidents don't usually criticize sitting presidents, but that's exactly what we saw happen on Wednesday when Mr. Obama hit the campaign trail for Joe Biden. He called Donald Trump incompetent, a liar on the eve of this final debate. What impact could this potentially have on the tone of the debate? Jess, to you first.</s>MCINTOSH: Barack Obama is one of the most respected man in America, and his voice carries a lot of weight. When he speaks, there is the gravity that used to come with the White House behind it. So, the fact that he is willing to make the strong statements that he is willing to make now, this is about fighting for the soul of our democracy. I think Barack Obama doesn't want to be the last Democratic American president, and I think that when he speaks, we feel the urgency of those words. That's what's going to happen with Democrats. It's one of their most trusted voices, telling them how important it is that they do everything they can in the next few days to make sure the elect Joe Biden. And I think that's how people are hearing it.</s>CHURCH: And Tara, your reaction to that?</s>SETMAYER: It is extraordinary. We've never seen anything like this before, and it speaks to the seriousness, and the gravity, and the existential threat Donald Trump represents for President Obama to come out of retirement, and go on the trail, and to be this forceful. We saw a preview of this during the Democratic convention, his speech was, it was remarkable to hear him be that forthright about the importance of protecting our democracy, and the threat that Donald Trump poses. And now he is taking it to the campaign trail, and I think, you know, he felt -- he seemed very comfortable. He loves speaking in front of people, maybe he misses it a little bit, I don't know, maybe he doesn't, but Barack Obama is the most effective surrogate for Joe Biden outside of Kamala Harris, and he is a secret weapon for him. And you know, I would love to see George W. Bush do something similar, not quite going after Trump, but speaking about the importance of maintaining election integrity, and maintaining our democracy. but I don't think, I'll hold my breath on that one either.</s>CHURCH: Right. And Jess, as we've been mentioning, the microphones will be cut off while each candidate speaks for that first two minutes, so they're not interrupted, but that's not going to stop the other one hearing what's said. I mean, if Donald Trump is talking on the stage there, Biden is going to hear him, and that may very well put him off. We saw moments of that in that first debate. What do you think is going to be the response to this? And does this improve the process?</s>MCINTOSH: I think it probably makes a more pleasant viewing experience for the audience at home. I can't imagine anybody watch the last debate and went away feeling good about the capable, steady hands that our country is being governed by and we won't have to hear as much of that this time. I do feel for Joe Biden in all of this. I think Trump walks into these debates looking for ways to destabilize his opponent. We saw some of the absolutely depraved things that he tried with Hillary Clinton in 2016. So, I certainly would not put it above him to make use of the fact that the microphone is off, and that we won't be able to hear what he says, but his opponent will. I think Joe Biden has a really strong closing argument, and I think that America is desperate to hear from a leader who wants to understand what they are going through, who cares about them, who has a plan for getting us out of the situation that we are currently finding ourselves stuck in. So, I think as long as he stays focused on who he is talking to, Trump can play whatever mind games he wants, and he is going to get his message out.</s>CHURCH: And Tara, you get to the final word on all of this.</s>SETMAYER: Yes, I agree with Jess on that. I think that Joe Biden is in a very strong position to give his closing argument. We've already seen that in ads, and he is uniquely qualified to bring the country together, given his own life experience, his own personal losses, and what better time to have someone who can be someone who can empathize with the loss and the tragedy that's going on in this country, when we have 221,000 dead Americans, and that was preventable, and it's directly correlated to the failure of Donald Trump's leadership on COVID-19. And Donald Trump, I think, is not having a great week, and the fact that President Obama is now out on the trail, someone that Donald Trump despises, on top of all the other things that are going on, I don't think that he is going to be able to contain himself, and all of a sudden have the magic presidential pivot that's never coming. So, strap in, folks because you never quite know what you are going to get from Donald Trump tomorrow night.</s>CHURCH: All right, Tara Setmayer and Jess McIntosh, thank you both for joining our panel.</s>MCINTOSH: Thank you.</s>CHURCH: I appreciate it.</s>SETMAYER: Thank you.</s>CHURCH: And be sure to tune in to CNN for the final presidential debate coverage starts this evening at 7 o'clock Eastern Time, which, of course, is Friday morning in much of the world. And you can also catch the replay on Friday at 8 in the morning in London, that's 11 a.m. in Abu Dhabi, and 3 in the afternoon in Hong Kong. Meanwhile, U.S. officials say they have evidence Iran and Russia are attempting to interfere in America's upcoming election. A live report from Moscow later this hour. But first, the number of coronavirus cases on the rise in many parts of the world, including in Europe. A look at some restrictions in place to slow the spread. That's next.

Iran and Russia Meddling in U.S. Elections; U.S. Intel Says Iran, Russia Interfering in United States Election; Iran Rejects Charges of Election Interference; How Election May Impact Energy and Environment in the U.S.; Child Trafficking in India is Up During Pandemic

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Iran and Russia have obtain U.S. voter registration information in an effort to interfere in America's upcoming election. That is according to U.S. Intelligence officials and the FBI. One example is an email sent to hundreds of voters, claiming to be from the far-right group proud boys, threatening recipients to vote for Trump or else. Intelligence officials and Google say it originated in Iran. The Director of National Intelligence says any attempts to interfere in America's election won't be tolerated.</s>JOHN RATCLIFFE, DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: We will not tolerate foreign interference in our elections. And we will continue to work with our many partners to disrupt and to impose costs and consequences on any adversary that attempts to interfere in our Democratic processes.</s>CHURCH: And CNN's Frederik Pleitgen joins us now live from Moscow. Good to see, Fred. So, you of course have reported extensively from both Russia and Iran. What motivates the two nations to try to influence the outcome of U.S. elections? And what are they saying about these specific accusations of election interference?</s>FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Russia has long been accused by the United States, Rosemary, of trying to undermine the political process in the United States, and undermine confidence, also in U.S. institutions. That is something that the Russians have denied for a very long time. We haven't heard from the Kremlin just yet as to these new allegations, and quite frankly also if you look at what the Director of National Intelligence was saying there in that press statement, there was a lot less substance on what they believe the Russians are currently doing, then with the accused the Iranians of doing at this point in time. We expect that maybe in an hour, maybe in an hour and a half, we might hear something from the Kremlin. Then a lot more substance there as to what the U.S. is accusing Iran of in this -- at this point in time, with those emails that were allegedly sent out, those phony emails. The Iranians were very, very quick, Rosemary, this time with a response. The spokesperson for the Iranian mission to the United Stations -- United Nations, Alireza Miryousefi, he came out last night, and I just want to paraphrase some of what he said. He obviously denied the allegation. He said, unlike the U.S., Iran does not interfere in other countries elections. The world has been witnessing U.S.'s own desperate public attempts to question the outcome of its own election at the highest level. Not so veiled saying they believe that President Trump and his administration have been undermining some of the confidence in the election, is what the Iranians seem to be saying there. They later go on to say these accusations are nothing more than another scenario to undermine voter confidence, and are absurd. Iran has no interest in interfering in the U.S. Election, and no preference for the outcome. That's interesting, because that's also something that Iran's foreign minister has been asked in the past, which presidential candidate Iran would prefer. And the Iranians have been saying for quite a while that they have no preference. They obviously though have been suffering a great deal under some of the policies of the Trump administration, the maximum pressure campaign, which has really put a strain to say the least on Iran's economy. And if we look back, it seems almost ages ago, but it was just last year in the beginning of this year, Iran and the United States, of course, at various occasions came very close to going to war with one another. And so, certainly relations, if one could speak of those, between the Trump administration and the Iranians have been at rock-bottom for a very long time, Rosemary.</s>CHURCH: Yes. Fred Pleitgen, many thanks. Joining us live from Moscow, I appreciate it. Well, here in the United States, voters face two vastly different choices when it comes to the presidential candidate's stance on energy, and environmental issues. President Donald Trump has called climate change a hoax and pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Accord, saying it killed American jobs. Democratic candidate Joe Biden has pledged two trillion dollars in spending for clean energy. CNN's John Defterios joins us now from Abu Dhabi. John, good to see you, and of course, you know, the two U.S. presidential candidates are polar opposite positions on every issue don't they? When it comes to world energy though, the differences are stark. What did you find?</s>JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Well, here's the energy equation, Rosemary, according to Donald Trump. Put all your chips on oil and gas, deny the science around climate change, become numero uno or number one in oil and gas, compete against the major players here in the Middle East and even Russia. For Joe Biden, it's embrace the science around climate change, support solar, wind, hydrogen, electric vehicles, put money on the table to change policies. I call it black versus green. Black gold versus green technology. Let's take a look.</s>DEFTERIOS: During the Trump era, oil remained king. U.S. productions surge to a record of nearly 13 million barrels a day, and the president wore it like a badge of honor.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The United States is now the number one producer of oil and natural gas anywhere on planet earth.</s>DEFTERIOS: This played well on the oil and gas states in America southwest, in the Rockies and as far north as Pennsylvania. In an industry supporting nearly 10 million jobs.</s>ROBIN MILLS, CEO, QAMAR ENERGY: That fits into this administration's world view, that were inclined to reduce regulations on the oil industry to partly to allow to reduce (inaudible) also to gather political support from it.</s>DEFTERIOS: The U.S. produce so much oil and gas, Trump was out to challenge Russia and Saudi Arabia overseas.</s>MILLS: The export of oil and gas has been seen as a tool, a geopolitical tool, even a weapon. This concept of energy dominance.</s>DEFTERIOS: That strategy of growth at all costs came crashing down when COVID-19 triggered an oil bust, taking down over 500 energy companies with nearly $300 billion of debt. This year's wildfires on the West Coast and hurricanes hitting the Gulf of Mexico raised awareness of the growing threat of climate change.</s>JOE BIDEN, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, 2020 U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When Donald Trump thinks about climate change, he thinks hoax. When I think about it, I think jobs. Good, paying union jobs that put Americans to work.</s>DEFTERIOS: The former vice president has pledged to not shudder U.S. Shale. But the winds of change would blow in the direction of renewable energy. A Biden presidency could accelerate what is known as the energy transition, away from fossil fuels. He's pledging $2 trillion to a green deal to speed up innovation and investment into clean energy. Is this the election that defines the energy transmission? Adnan Amin is the former Director General at the International Renewable Energy Agency in Abu Dhabi.</s>ADNAN AMIN, FORMER DIRECTOR GENERAL, INTERNATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY AGENCY, ABU DHABI: I've talked to him personally on a number of occasions about renewables. I know that he has a passion for this new technology, and the potential that it has, and the potential it has to create jobs and wealth in the United States.</s>DEFTERIOS: So too does Wall Street, with money flowing into renewable energy companies. In the last month, rising star Next Era topped the market cap of the once mighty oil and gas giant Exxon Mobil. And when it comes to international policy, Trump was proud to pull out of the Paris climate accord in 2017, saying it was a job killer. Biden has pledge to leap back in.</s>AMIN: I think there is a very important signal, when we are facing potentially catastrophic changes related to climate in the near future, that United States leadership in technology and the political sense in bringing other countries along, but mostly from my point of view, and inspiring others about what can be done is sorely needed today.</s>DEFTERIOS: A high stakes election that will also define the fate of fossil fuels and clean energy.</s>DEFTERIOS: And the world is watching very carefully, Rosemary. We've had the European Union, China, Japan. Japan in the last 24 hours, in fact, all announced policies after COVID-19 to accelerate the move to net zero in emissions, and carbon by 2050. And they are watching to see if America chooses that same path after November 3rd. It's a high stakes game, no doubt.</s>CHURCH: Yes. Great report there, John Defterios, joining us from Abu Dhabi.</s>DEFTERIOS: Thanks.</s>CHURCH: A month's long nationwide lockdown in India has failed to contain the coronavirus, but it has pushed the country's poor deeper into poverty, and that's led to more children being trafficked and forced into working in factories to help their families. CNN's Ivan Watson has our report.</s>IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: On the streets of Jaipur, India, one of the hidden costs of COVID-19 explodes. During this nighttime bust raid, authorities discovered 19 children, they say were being trafficked. Officials say it's repeating itself far more often since the virus took root here.</s>WATSON: Authorities say those children rescued during the pandemic, was young as 11 years old. Under Indian law, it is illegal for children under 14 to work. But the horribly economic toll of the pandemic is forcing many children and teens to take on what some times amounts to slave labor. 14-year-old (inaudible), is one of the children rescued during the raid. He says he, along with other boys, where lured away from their village by a much older man who gave families 500 rupees, the equivalent of 7 U.S. dollars, and promised them a holiday in Jaipur, about 800 miles from their home. Others like this 15 year old Aman, seek no other choice but to sacrifice themselves for the good of their family.</s>WATSON: At Bihar, already one of India's poorest states with a vast migrant population, sheered desperation, the key motivator for those like Aman, who volunteered themselves and those families with no job prospects and no government assistance, they see no other way to survive but to sell one of their children to feed the rest.</s>WATSON: 12 year old, Mujib (ph), one of the boys rescued in a raid on Bengal factory, says his parents sold him to the traffickers for 1,500 rupees, for $21. He says he was locked inside this dingy room for five months, and not allowed outside, working from morning until midnight each day, before he was given any food to eat to pay the debt his parents owed. And he says if he or the other children couldn't keep up with the demand, they would be beaten. Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi say the childhood movement is one of many NGOs sounding the alarm about the rise of what amounts to childhood slavery since COVID-19 began. Satyarthi says his group alongside local authorities have rescued 900 trafficked children, about 70 traffickers arrested between April and August of this year.</s>KAILASH SATYARTHI, NOBEL LAUREATE: That was just to send a strong message to all the state governments, and the local governments that look, this is happening, and that is growing. So we cannot simply wait and watch.</s>WATSON: Authorities in Bihar have acknowledged that they are receiving more reports about child trafficking since the pandemic began, and in response, quote, have increased guidelines and advisories, but have not done any field checks due to COVID-19. But Satyarthi says calls from the government to create a tougher anti- trafficking laws have so far yielded few results on the ground. His message for leaders is bleak.</s>SATYARTHI: If you're not able to protect these children, we are not going to protect all the generations to come. Children have never faced such crisis. This is not simply the health crisis, or economy crisis. This is the crisis of justice. This is a crisis of humanity. This is a crisis of childhood.</s>WATSON: At the shelter, Mujib and Amman, are among more than a dozen rescued children waiting to go home, and while Mujib is anxious to get back, Amman is less than optimistic. With no end in sight to the economic crisis caused by the outbreak of COVID-19, he will be returning to the very situation he gave up his youth to help his family escape. Ivan Watson, CNN.</s>CHURCH: Well, Nigeria's largest city is spiraling into chaos after soldiers and police open fire on peaceful protesters.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody sit down. Sit down.</s>CHURCH: Coming up, we will get the latest on the violence and what has triggered the unrest in Africa's largest country.

Nigeria Protesters Accuse Military of Deadly Violence; Star Athletes Used Social Media to Condemn Police Brutality

CHURCH: Two weeks of peaceful protest against police brutality are descending into violence in Nigeria's largest city. Buildings in Lagos was set alight Wednesday, including this television station and the city's high court. Police stations were also attacked. It came after witnesses say soldiers and police opened fire on peaceful protesters Tuesday night. Amnesty International said at least 12 were killed. And soldiers took their bodies away. The military dismissed reports that protesters were shot dead as fake news. One protester described a man behind him with a flag stained with blood. He said we didn't think they would harm us while holding the flag. CNN's Eleni Giokos is tracking this rapidly escalating crisis. She joins us now live from Johannesburg. Eleni, witnesses say police and soldiers shot and killed these peaceful protesters, but the military is calling this fake news which is exactly what protesters said they would do. What is the latest on this?</s>ELENI GIOKOS, CNN MONEY AFRICA CORRESPONDENT: Yes, exactly. I mean, look, you have the military saying that they did not open fire. You had a Lagos State Governors saying that it is not within his authority to give orders to the military so there's no sense of accountability or responsibility for the use of live ammunition, and of course what eyewitnesses tell us in the visuals that we have seen where you had men in military uniform shooting into a crowd. And that is what has created outrage. I was looking at some of the headlights from the main newspapers in Nigeria today, in the Vanguard total paralysis, as fires of furies gone Lagos. The Guardian newspaper of Nigeria outrage of the Lekki attacks and that's where you see smoke billowing from key landmarks. Not only in Lagos State, but actually in other states across the country. This is despite the fact that you actually do have a curfew currently in place. We've also heard incredible comments from the Nigerian (inaudible) and key figures as well. I want you to take a listen to what Aisha Yesufu say. She's an activist from the Bring Back Out Girls Movement. Take a listen.</s>AISHA YESUFU, BRING BACK OUT GIRLS MOVEMENT: This is absolutely bad. We have a culture of impunity amongst our -- amongst the Nigerian police. And you know a situation where back (inaudible) they will waste you. They will kill you and what will happen to them (inaudible). The press would not be able to do anything.</s>GIOKOS: In the meantime, Manchester United Odion Ighalo said that he is ashamed of this government. We heard from Hillary Clinton, from Joe Biden, from Dominic Raab as well. All voicing concern and calling an end to the violent and acts against protesters. But the Nigerians want to hear from the President Muhammadu Buhari where yesterday we only heard him call for an understanding and for calm in the country, but people want more. The residents of Lekki that I have spoken to are traumatized. They were scared to leave their homes. We are fearing of chaos playing out in Lagos, and really the essence of the start of the protest action, Rosemary, two weeks ago was to fight against police brutality, to prosecute police and specific units that was harassing and kidnapping people. And of course these are that we constantly hearing. So, they want more. They want leadership. And of course right now, this is going to be a turning point in the protest action that we have seen in Nigeria.</s>CHURCH: Absolutely. And with the footage coming out of that. It's so horrifying. We can't air it. CNN's Eleni Giokos joining us live from Johannesburg. Many thanks. Well, as Eleni mentioned, athletes around the world with links to Nigeria are using their influence to lend support and raise awareness of the events in Lagos. And CNN's world sport contributor Darren Lewis has that report.</s>DARREN LEWIS, CNN SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR: Death, destruction, and despair. This was the scene in Lekki tollgate in Lagos this week, as protests against police brutality in Nigeria turned bloody. Eyewitnesses have told CNN that soldiers opened fire directly on those demonstrators. The horror has sparked anger and anguish capturing global attention and criticism from Nigerian sports people. Manchester United's Nigerian striker Odion Ighalo was in no mood to celebrate the famous champion's league victory of the Paris Saint-Germain in Paris on Tuesday night. Instead, he took to Twitter to condemn the government of his home country. And to call for help from the international community.</s>ODION IGHALO, MANCHESTER UNITED'S NIGERIAN STRIKER: I am sad. I don't know where to start from. I'm not the kind of guy that talks about politics, but I cannot keep quiet anymore for what is going on back home in Nigeria. I want to say to the government, you guys are a shamed to the world for killing your own citizens, sending military to the streets to kill unarmed protesters, because they are protesting for their rights? It's uncalled for.</s>LEWIS: The demonstrators have taken part in daily protests around the country for nearly two weeks. The anger stemming from widespread claims of kidnapping, harassment and extortion by a police unit known as a special anti-robbery squad. And like Ighalo, other current and former stars are speaking out. Two-time African player of the year (inaudible) said in a series of tweets, why? Why? Why? Stop killing our people. Nigerian midfielder Wilfred Ndidi, who plays for Lester in the English Premiere League sent out two tweets. The first calling for an end to police brutality. The second, showing a blood soaked Nigerian flag. Britain's world heavyweight boxing champion, Anthony Joshua who is at Nigerian heritage tweeted, the situation has escalated. The violence and killings are horrendous. All because of people saying that they want to live in peace. Earlier he had posted a message of support for the protesters.</s>ANTHONY JOSHUA, WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT BOCING CHAMPION: From London and far and wide. Your voices are definitely being heard. So keep on pushing, keep on striving. You have my support through and through. My ears and my eyes have been opened. I understand the issue you guys are facing.</s>LEWIS: Athletes with a personal connection to Nigeria are using their individual platforms to call for help in the face of police brutality in plain sight. These stars have huge global followings and having seen athlete activists in both the U.S. and the U.K. speaking out on social justice issues with greater effect. They are hoping that their activism will lead to lasting reform in Nigeria. Darren Lewis, CNN, London.</s>CHURCH: Well, new comments from the pope on same sex couples are sending waves through the religious community, and while some are praising the progressive pope, others say, he has made a big mistake.

Pope Francis Speaks Out in New Documentary.

CHURCH: In a break with the past, Pope Francis has declared support for civil unions for same sex couples. But the churches prohibition of same sex marriage remains enforce. According to the catholic news agency, his comments are part of a new documentary examining the pope's work and views on other hot button issues. CNN's Delia Gallagher is following this story. She joins us now live from Rome. Good to see you, Delia. So, the pope is now supporting same sex unions. This of course will anger some Catholics. What will they say about this?</s>DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right Rosemary, we've already heard a bit of backlash because the pope's position on this is change from the position of his predecessor, John Paul the 2nd and Pope Benedict the 16th who were against the legalization of same sex unions. Now the pope's comments came in the context of a film documentary which was just released yesterday here in Rome. Let's just take a look at exactly what the pope said in that film according to the catholic news agency. He said homosexual people have a right to be in a family. Their children of God and have a right to a family. What we have to create is a civil union law. That way, they are legally covered. So, we have to say, Rosemary that the pope in the past has shown an openness to legalizing civil unions, but this is the first time as pope that he has come out directly in support of it. When he was archbishop in Buenos Aires, he actually argued for civil union over same sex marriage when Argentinian was discussing a same sex marriage law. So, the pope in this past has made the distinction between providing legal protections for gay and lesbian couples verses a marriage, same sex marriage law. So that is one distinction that he has certainly made in the past, but nonetheless, as you say there have been many people who have welcomed these comments by the pope. Equally, there are people certainly within the Catholic Church who say, wait a minute, this is a change from what the teaching has been so far. So, we will really have to wait and see, Rosemary. These were comments made in a film. The pope has not yet come out with some kind of official teaching from this. So, we will have to wait and see what happens from here. Rosemary?</s>CHURCH: All right. We will be watching. Delia Gallagher joining us live from Rome. Many thanks. And thank you for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. I will be back with more news in just a moment.

FBI Asserts foreign meddling in U.S. election

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone, I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. Coming up this hour. Election interference in the U.S., just like 2016. Only this time officials say it's not just the Russians but has an added extra of meddling by Iran. Global outrage after security forces in Nigeria are accused of shooting dead peaceful protesters after another night of violence there. We're live from the region with the very latest. And the unintended victims of a pandemic lockdown. Children from India's poorest families forced to work in factories or sold into the sex industry. In a sudden announcement Wednesday night in Washington, senior national security officials issued an urgent warning about foreign interference in the U.S. presidential election. The director of national intelligence, John Ratcliffe, appeared alongside FBI director, Christopher Wray, and said both Iran and Russia had obtained voter registration information which was being used by Iran in particular to send fake and threatening emails to Democrats in four states. One mass email claims to be from the far right pro-Trump group called Proud Boys. And warned "Vote for Trump or else." Ratcliffe claims the emails were intended to damage President Trump. Notably, there are few, if any, details on Russian attempts to influence voters.</s>CHRISTOPHER WRAY, FBI DIRECTOR: We are not going to tolerate foreign interference in our elections or any criminal activity that threatens the sanctity of your vote or undermines public confidence in the outcome of the election. When we see indications of foreign interference or federal election crimes we're going to aggressively investigate and work with our partners to quickly take appropriate action.</s>VAUSE: We have more details now from CNN's Evan Perez.</s>EVAN PEREZ, CNN U.S. JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: U.S. intelligence officials say Iran and Russia have obtained U.S. voter registration information in an effort to interfere in the election. Officials say Iran is behind intimidating emails received by voters around the country and purporting to come from the right wing group known as Proud Boys, associated with supporters of President Trump. The emails telling people to vote for President Trump or spoofs (ph) and appear to be designed to pit Americans against each other. Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe tried to reassure the voters that the intelligence and law enforcement agencies are working to ensure that votes won't be compromised.</s>JOHN RATCLIFFE, U.S. DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: We will not tolerate foreign interference in our elections. And we will continue to work with our many partners to disrupt and to impose costs and consequences on any adversary that attempts to interfere in our democratic processes.</s>PEREZ: Officials say that Russia has obtained some of the same data but officials don't know what the Russians are attempted to do with that information in the coming weeks. In recent months, officials say Russia has been waging a campaign to help Trump's reelection and spreading disinformation about fraud in the U.S. elections amplifying some of the fears that are fanned by the president himself. FBI director Chris Wray had told voters that those concerns about fraud are bogus.</s>WRAY: We've been working for years as a community to build resilience in our election infrastructure and today that infrastructure remains resilient. You should be confident that your vote counts. Early, unverified claims to the contrary should be viewed with a healthy dose of skepticism.</s>PEREZ: U.S. officials in recent days have warned states and vendors that supply their voting systems to patch vulnerabilities after detecting intrusions. Evan Perez. CNN, Washington.</s>VAUSE: Andrew McCabe is a former acting director of the FBI and he tells CNN that while the U.S. government now has better protections than it did back in 2016 when there was a failure to react to Russia's interference, he still wants more details on this latest plan. Here's McCabe speaking to CNN's Chris Cuomo earlier. And then the former director of national intelligence, James Clapper, weighs in.</s>ANDREW MCCABE, FORMER FBI DEPUTY DIRECTOR: It's not clear from the statements we got at the press conference tonight exactly how the Iranians or the Russians accessed voter information. There's some voter information that's pretty easily acquired online. That's very different from actually probing the voter registration databases of individual states and staging a cyber intrusion into those systems and stealing information. That's the sort of activity that we saw back in 2016. We know the Russians probed the voter registration debates of every state. If that's what's happening here -- and again, it's not clear that that's -- that's not how they described it -- altering voter registration information can be a very serious threat. Because you could essentially eliminate many people from the voter rolls and then when they show up on election day they don't get to cast a vote. But the statement was pretty vague. It just simply said that they acquired voter information.</s>JAMES CLAPPER, FORMER DIRECTOR OF U.S. NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: Well, unfortunately, these foreign narratives agree with the president and vice versa. That's really unfortunate. But the bigger point here, Chris, to me is that it would really be nice if we could just take at face value when the director of national intelligence and the director of the FBI come out at a special -- quickly call a press conference. And it would be so nice if we could just accept what they said at face value and not spend all this time parsing and trying to analyze what's really going on. And that to me is a sad commentary.</s>VAUSE: Well, the second and last presidential debate is just hours away and with Joe Biden taking time away from the campaign to prepare, former president Barack Obama has stepped in with a blistering takedown of Donald Trump.</s>BARACK OBAMA, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Tweeting at the television doesn't fix things. Making stuff up does it make people's lives better. You've got to have a plan, you've got to put in the work. And along with the experience to get things done, Joe Biden has concrete plans and policies. We literally left this White House a pandemic playbook that would have shown them how to respond before the virus reached our shores. They probably used it to -- I don't know, prop up a wobbly table somewhere, we don't know where that playbook went. Donald Trump isn't suddenly going to protect all of us. He can't even take the basic steps to protect himself.</s>VAUSE: A new CNN poll shows Biden leading Trump in Pennsylvania by 10 points. It's an important swing state, Trump won it four years ago. More details now from CNN's Jeff Zeleny.</s>JEFF ZELENY, CNN SNR. WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Former President Barack Obama delivering one of the most mocking and blistering assessments of his successor. Coming out on the campaign trail for the first time this year, certainly touting Joe Biden but making more of an effort to say why Donald Trump does not deserve a second term in office. Talking first and foremost about coronavirus and the Trump administration's handling of the virus. Saying the president did not take it seriously, saying that the mask mandate is something that should have been done and also talking about how other countries around the world did indeed handle this better than the United States did. Now from there, the former president went on to really deliver a broad side against President Trump making fun of how he has conducted himself in office. Also talking about the exhaustion factor. Just the day in and day out -- a sense (ph) the former president said look, this is not a reality show, this is reality. But at the end of the speech, some more than 30 minutes or so, delivered in Philadelphia, Mr. Obama also talked to Democrats directly, delivering some tough medicine to them. Saying four years ago, many Democrats thought Hillary Clinton would defeat Donald Trump. That didn't happen. So he called on Democrats to not be lazy, to not be complacent and he urged them to come out and vote. This is the first of many stops that former president Obama is going to be making in the next two weeks. Certainly making the case against Donald Trump and for Joe Biden. Back to you.</s>VAUSE: Jeff Zeleny, thank you. Now Donald Trump tried to brush off those harsh words from Barack Obama. In North Carolina, he told supporters it's actually good for him that Obama is campaigning for Biden. More now from CNN's Ryan Nobles.</s>RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Trump making yet another trip to the important battleground of North Carolina, a state he won four years ago and a state he desperately needs in the win column if he were to win re-election in 2020. And as the president was making his way here to the Tower Hill state (ph) president Obama was crushing him and his administration in a speech in support of Joe Biden. President Obama making his first appearance on the campaign trail. And had some pretty harsh criticism for President Trump. President Trump had the opportunity to respond here in North Carolina, and this is what he had to say.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There was nobody that campaigned harder for Crooked Hillary Clinton than Obama, right? He was all over the place. The only one more unhappy then Crooked Hillary that night was Barack Hussein Obama.</s>NOBLES: Surprisingly, the president held his fire for the most part against Obama refusing to get too in-depth in his response to president Obama's remarks. This is not going to be Obama's last trip though before election day on November 3rd so President Trump will have plenty of time to respond. The president saying here tonight in North Carolina telling this crowd that he promises that he will deliver North Carolina, and said it is a key to his re-election bid.</s>CROWD: USA, USA, USA. Ryan Nobles, CNN. Gastonia, North Carolina.</s>VAUSE: A diverse group of protesters marching through Bogota and Colombia with a long, long list of complaints. And near the top of the list, the coronavirus. Also ahead.</s>DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: When you're dealing with tens of thousands of people in these trials I think the point that they're making is that sometimes these deaths can occur even in placebo groups, for reasons unrelated.</s>VAUSE: A volunteer in an experimental trial has died but little is known about him, the cause of death and what, if any, link there is to that potential vaccine.

CDC redefines definition of "close contact"; America reports 60,000 COVID cases yesterday; Europe's Second Wave Deepens.

VAUSE: Nowhere in the U.S. is the coronavirus outbreak under control. New cases are either rising or holding steady in every single state. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention has redefined what it means to have close contact with someone with COVID-19. It was 15 minutes of continuous exposure but now that 15 minutes is cumulative. CDC Director Robert Redfield explains.</s>DR. ROBERT REDFIELD, DIRECTOR, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL & PREVENTION: There is some recent data that has been determined that an individual who had a series of shorter contacts but over time added up to more than 15 minutes became infected.</s>VAUSE: CNN's Brian Todd has details now on the new restrictions being imposed in many states.</s>BRIAN TODD, CNN U.S. CORRESPONDENT: A 24-hour diner in Chicago prepares to shut down in-door dining for at least a couple of weeks.</s>UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Well, I never thought something like this could happen. You know.</s>TODD: Illinois one of several states experiencing rising cases and hospitalizations and imposing new restrictions on gatherings in bars, restaurants, and other businesses.</s>GOV. J.B. PRITZKER, (D-ILL): There is no easy fix for the effects of this virus on our economy and on our public health. But we can and we will manage through this. We're Midwestern Tough here in Illinois.</s>TODD: It comes as state and local officials scramble to contain spikes across the country. Washington State's governor says college students in his state are contributing to what he calls a raging spread of the virus. And he's imposing mask requirements and a limit of two students per dorm room.</s>GOV. JAY INSLEE (D-WASH): Today we have seen fully 35 outbreaks at colleges and universities with more than 800 cases directly attributable to these congregate living and social gatherings associated with campuses.</s>TODD: At the University of Michigan, a stay-in-place order imposed due to heavy cases. More than half the states in the U.S. report a rise in new coronavirus cases. No states are trending downward. More than 60,000 new cases were reported in America yesterday alone, with hospitalizations at around 40,000, the highest in two months.</s>DR. AMY COMPTON-PHILLIPS, CHIEF CLINICAL OFFICER, PROVIDENCE HEALTH & SERVICES: It's going to be up to local states, to different jurisdictions trying to create a patchwork of capacity to stop the virus. Because right now we simply don't have national leadership leaning in and helping us get past this.</s>TODD: And the CDC has just updated its definition of close contact with someone who has COVID. Instead of just saying 15 minutes within six feet, they are also now warning of cumulative exposure. So several short contacts could also be considered exposure if it adds up to 15 minutes over 24 hours.</s>REDFIELD: (...) been determined that an individual who had a series of shorter contacts but over time added up to more than 15 minutes became infected.</s>TODD: As marchers in the nation's capital push for a safe coronavirus vaccine, Brazilian health officials say a volunteer taking part in Brazil's trial of AstraZeneca's experimental vaccine trial has died. But the international committee reviewing vaccines recommends that the trial continue.</s>GUPTA: It's not clear at least initially when you hear these sorts of reports of deaths exactly what happened or even if the person received the vaccine or received the placebo. When you're dealing with tens of thousands of people in these trials, I think the point that they're making is that sometimes these deaths can occur even in placebo groups for reasons unrelated.</s>TODD: We should note that AstraZeneca's vaccine trial in the United States is on pause because of an unexplained illness of a volunteer. But there's no reason to believe at this moment that that incident and the death of a volunteer in Brazil are in any way connected. Brian Todd. CNN, Washington.</s>VAUSE: Paul Duprex is the director of the Center for Vaccine Research at the University of Pittsburgh. He joins me now from Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. Paul, thanks for taking the time to be with us.</s>PAUL DUPREX, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR VACCINE RESEARCH, UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURG: Nice to be here, John.</s>VAUSE: OK. Right now, we just don't know if the death of this volunteer was caused by this trial vaccine or whether it was some kind of pre-existing condition triggered by the vaccine or something totally unconnected. But so far, AstraZeneca has seen two volunteers fall ill and one now died. And that's what we know of. When does this start to become a concern for you?</s>DUPREX: Well, I think we have to, first of all, realize that any death during the trial is a tragedy. Secondly, I think what is important to realize is during phase three trials when we have lots of individuals who are vaccinated with the candidate vaccine and many others who are vaccinated with the placebo -- (inaudible) instance, it's a licensed vaccine for meningitis. Given the fact that the individual died but the trial is continuing and there would have been an independent review, that tends to suggest -- although that's not been confirmed yet -- that the individual probably was vaccinated with the placebo. Because someone dying on a clinical trial, of course, is absolutely something that we don't want to happen, if it is linked to the vaccination.</s>VAUSE: Given all of that, how important, how crucial is it now that AstraZeneca come out and make a full disclosure, be totally transparent, be totally upfront about how this death occurred because maintaining confidence in the process is more crucial now than it ever has been?</s>DUPREX: Well, maintaining confidence in the process is absolutely vital, for sure. And I think you have to realize that these events will occur and do occur during clinical trials for both vaccines and other biopharmaceuticals. So it's important to note that AstraZeneca are following due process. They have paused the trials and they're still paused in the United States. Trials have commenced again in the United Kingdom. There will be a really full and independent investigation of that death in Brazil. And at present, AstraZeneca are doing what they are required to do.</s>VAUSE: It is important to note that this is happening under a microscope and it is happening at an incredible pace, the development of the vaccine. And with that in mind, here's the director of the National Institutes of Health.</s>DR. FRANCIS COLLINS, DIRECTOR, U.S. NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH: We are compared to every previous effort that has ever been undertaken in human history to develop a vaccine against a scary disease, we are moving this forward at a pace that is truly breathtaking. Generally, this might have been a six or eight or ten-year effort when in fact, in this case, we'd be able to achieve it, if all goes well, in a little less than a year.</s>VAUSE: So with that in mind, when we're looking at the pace of development here -- I mean, everything seems to be under this microscope and that means -- I take the point about confidentiality of the patient, but there's also this need for AstraZeneca to move just as quickly in reassuring the public about the safety of their trials, right?</s>DUPREX: Well, I think it's really important whenever we talk about speed and talk about developing vaccines fast, "fast" is fine. Sometimes people use the term "rushed" And absolutely impossible to rush because the connotations with "rush" is not doing correctly. Taking shortcuts, not investigating whether or not there are any adverse effects. And I think the fact that you're seeing these pauses and these reports indicates that we're doing it fast but it's not being rushed. Because vaccines are way, way too important to rush their development.</s>VAUSE: (Inaudible).</s>DUPREX: So I also understand why it's important to talk about these adverse events.</s>VAUSE: And, as you say, the mere fact we are is a good sign that there is a good degree of transparency. (Inaudible) we didn't hear a lot about the Russian or the Chinese human trials and what happened over there. But Paul, we're out of time. Hope you come back again because there's a lot to get to here with the vaccines and a lot to talk about. And maybe we could have you back on another night to keep going with this. We'd appreciate that. Thank you.</s>DUPREX: Absolutely, John. Nice to talk to you.</s>VAUSE: Likewise. Take care.</s>DUPREX: Cheers.</s>VAUSE: Next hour. New exclusive details about Russia's coronavirus vaccine which is being talked up by Moscow for the speed of development and apparent safety. But CNN has been told just a few thousand volunteers have taken part in human trials and the vaccine is not recommended for everyone. Next hour. CNN's Fred Pleitgen with an exclusive interview with one of Russia's leading scientists who is playing a major role in that vaccine program. Using data from Johns Hopkins University and the World Health Organization, a CNN analysis has identified that per capita both Belgium and the Czech Republic have the highest number of new coronavirus cases worldwide. And with that comes new restrictions. Czechs will be forced indoors, allowed to leave only when absolutely necessary. The ban on free movement is now in place until November 3rd. Ireland has moved to level five measures, the strictest coronavirus lockdown in Europe as of this time. France is moving to extend red alert status to more areas as the country as a whole surpasses more than one million cases. And Rome is now joining the list of European capitals with nightly curfews. It will run from midnight to five a.m. starting Saturday and for the next 30 days. That comes as Italy records more than 100 coronavirus deaths in a single day for the first time since back in May. Germany has not been spared by this new wave of infections reporting a record high of COVID-19 cases in a single day. As CNN's Scott McLean reports.</s>SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Europe's second wave of the coronavirus is showing no signs of slowing despite the patchwork of curfews, restrictions and even lockdowns being reimposed across the continent. Germany has reported more coronavirus deaths over the past week than it did in the entire month of August. The worst hit countries are The Netherlands, Belgium and the Czech Republic. On Tuesday, the Czech health minister made masks mandatory even in most places outdoors. On Wednesday after an emergency session of parliament, the prime minister conceded that the current set of restrictions simply are not working. So starting on Thursday, the Czech Republic will go back into something you might describe as a lockdown. Only essential businesses will be allowed to stay open, movement will be severely restricted to only essential trips and to work. And with the country's health care system nearing its capacity, the Czech Republic will be accepting some help from the U.S. National Guard sending in doctors from Nebraska. The prime minister was praised for his early handling of the first wave of the coronavirus, now he's apologizing for not taking action to tamp down the second wave of the virus sooner. Scott McLean. CNN, Berlin.</s>VAUSE: Thousands of protesters marched through the streets of Colombia's capital on Wednesday. Part of a nationwide strike with diverse groups with a wide array of grievances, not the least of which the government's response to COVID-19. Colombia has been under lockdown for more than five months set to reach one million infections this weekend. We get more now from Stefano Pozzebon reporting in from Bogota.</s>STEFANO POZZEBON, JOURNALIST: Thousands of people have taken onto the streets of Bogota on Wednesday. And there were several agendas colliding together. There were students demanding free education, there were indigenous leaders protesting the killings of their social leaders and massacres in the Colombian countryside. And there were, of course, a lot of unemployed people because unemployment has skyrocketed since the beginning of the pandemic here in Colombia. And what's taking place today in Bogota with all these protesters joining together in a single national strike against the government of Ivan Duque, what's taking place is not limited to Colombia. In many other countries in South America, COVID-19 is still going through, making inroads (ph). And the lockdown measures taken in place in some places since March are starting to produce fatigue because here the vast majority of the population, the marginalized, don't have the resources to (inaudible) the virus (inaudible) and they would like to. For CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Bogota.</s>VAUSE: The company that makes oxycontin has agreed to guilty pleas to criminal charges for its role in the U.S. opioid crisis. Purdue Pharma is unable to pay more than $8 billion in fines and penalties so the company will be shut down, its assets used to create a new company intended to benefit the American people. Oxycontin is a powerful pain killer at the center of the opioid crisis. U.S. officials say 450,000 people died from opioid overdoses in 10 years between 1999 and 2009.</s>JEFFREY ROSEN, DEPUTY U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: So today's announcement involves one of the most important participants in the supply chain of prescription opioids at the manufacturer level. And a resolution which, if approved by the court, will redress past wrongs and will also provide extraordinary new resources for the treatment and care of those affected by opioid's addiction.</s>VAUSE: Some U.S. states, though, object to the settlement say the U.S. Government should not be in the business of selling oxycontin. Well, still to come. A shocking night of violence in Nigeria where army soldiers are accused of opening fire and killing peaceful protesters. Also ahead, this.</s>UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: In this administration's worldview, they were inclined to reduce regulations in the oil industry partly to allow them to produce more but also to gather political support from it.</s>VAUSE: For four years, the Trump Administration has encouraged the oil industry but what will the future look like if Trump loses the election? That's next.

Nigeria Unrest; Second and Final U.S. Presidential Debate; Impact of U.S. Election on Fossil Fuels Clean Energy; Parents of 545 Children can't be Found

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back everybody. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. Well, even with parts of Nigeria under curfew there has been more unrest following a shocking night of violence. According to witnesses peaceful protesters were shot dead by army soldiers on Tuesday. The bodies were then dragged away. At least 12 protesters were killed according to Amnesty International. The army denies soldiers were at the scene. For nearly two weeks now thousands have been protesting police corruption and brutality. In particular one police unit accused of extortion, torture and murder. Fires have been burning across Lagos and residents reported hearing more gunfire despite the president appealing for calm. CNN's Eleni Giokos is live in Johannesburg with the very latest on all of this. So I guess what, the curfews are not working at this point and killing peaceful protesters obviously is a nightmare.</s>ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Exactly I mean this is just the aftermath. And looking at the state of chaos in Lagos that is what we're hearing from people on the ground, where you are seeing pockets of fire on key infrastructure like the ports authority. A broadcaster was a target yesterday as well. We saw the Lagos high courts being a target, the BRT (ph) buses set ablaze and also this violence playing out and erupting across the country. And John, this is absolutely many say symptomatic of what we saw -- after what we saw on Tuesday night where many eyewitnesses, the photographs, the footage that we've seen show that peaceful protesters were a target by the soldiers when they use live ammunition at the Lekki tollgate. And incredibly, we have seen so much anger, disappointment and just hearing from eyewitnesses what is playing out across the country. Now in Lekki in particular, we heard more gunfire on Wednesday after the Tuesday night's shooting. Amnesty International confirmed that there have been 12 deaths. Lagos said the governor yesterday had addressed the country and said that he had visited many hospitals and there was only one confirmed death at that point in time. And that was because of brute force but had confirmed that many people had been hospitalized because of other injuries. But he also importantly said that he does not have the authority to give orders, use live ammunition or any orders to the soldiers or the military. And in fact, no other governor has that authority. In the meantime as you said the military denies that soldiers were on the ground but the visuals tell us something completely different. So there's a question on accountability here, a sense of responsibility. The residents in Lekki right now, the people that I've spoken to are traumatized. They are scared. And of course there's a curfew in place right now, and many people are not obeying that.</s>VAUSE: Very quickly, we are actually now seeing at least some reaction around the world. Specifically, what is that and what impact is that likely to have?</s>GIOKOS: So John, remember, you know, the whole country was saying Muhammadu Buhari, the president had been very quiet. Yesterday he said that he's appealing for calm as well as understanding. But the Nigerians in the diaspora have been vocal, as well as important political figures. Manchester United Nigerian soccer player says that he was ashamed of the government. U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden also called for the Nigerian military to halt violent crackdown on protesters. So it's been loud, and it's been a very vocal time, I think, for people living outside of Nigeria.</s>VAUSE: Yes. Thank you, Eleni. Eleni Giokos there live for us in Johannesburg. The second and final U.S. Presidential debate of 2020 is just hours away. President Trump again complaining. This time over the microphones being muted, at least at times. He's calling the moderator unfair and biased. Democrat Joe Biden has called the new mike rule a good idea. It was President Trump who repeatedly interrupted and heckled and talked over Biden at their first debate. Well, the president isn't expected to do any formal debate prep -- at least that's what he says. preparing A source tells CNN the president told his advisers, he may try to interrupt less but won't hold back if he feels he's being treated unfairly. Let's go to John Defterios, he's live from Abu Dhabi. You know, these two men could not be further apart on pretty much everything when -- you know, climate change or the pandemic, you know, everything.</s>VAUSE: And on climate change in particular, you know, is it a hoax, is it for real? What influence will their policies have coming out of this election when it comes to energy, I guess? That's the big issue here.</s>JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Yes, it is. Let's set the framework. One believes in science and the other one is a denier when it comes to science and the climate change. And you know, there is a stark choice here, John, November 3rd across a number of issues as you're suggesting but when it comes to energy, I think the best way to frame it is black and green. Trump for black gold or the crude oil and particularly exports outside the states. And green for Joe Biden moving to this energy transition, as they call it, to renewable energy and he plans a $2 trillion package to support it. So let's take a look at the contrast of what is on the table for voters November 3rd.</s>DEFTERIOS: During the Trump era, oil remained king. U.S. productions surged to a record of nearly 13 million barrels a day and the president wore it like a badge of honor.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The United States is now the number one producer of oil and natural gas, anywhere on planet earth.</s>DEFTERIOS: This played well on the oil and gas days in America's southwest, in the Rockies, and as far north as Pennsylvania in an industry supporting nearly 10 million jobs. That fits into this administration's world view that we're inclined to reduce regulations on the oil industry to -- partly to allow just a small velocity (ph) to gather political support from it. The U.S. produced so much oil and gas, Trump was out to challenge Russia and Saudi Arabia overseas.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The export of oil and gas has been seen as a tool, a political tool, even a weapon. This concept of energy dominance</s>DEFTERIOS: That strategy of growth at all costs, came crashing down when COVID-19 triggered and oil bust. Taking down over 500 energy companies with nearly 300 billion dollars of debt. This year's wildfires on the West Coast and hurricanes hitting the gulf of Mexico raised awareness of the growing threat of climate change.</s>JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: When Donald Trump thinks about climate change he thinks hoax. when I think about it, I think jobs, good paying unions that put Americans to work.</s>DEFTERIOS: The former vice president has pledged to not shutter U.S. shale, but the winds of change would blow in the direction of renewable energy.</s>DEFTERIOS: A Biden presidency could accelerate what's known as the energy transition away from fossil fuels. He's pledging $2 trillion dollars to a green deal to speed up innovation and investment into clean energy. Is this the election that defines the energy transition? Adnan Amin is the former director general at the International Renewable Energy Agency in Abu Dhabi. ADNAN AMIN, FORMER DIRECTOR General, International Renewable Energy Agency in Abu Dhabi. I've talked to him personally on a number of occasions about renewables. I know that he has a passion for this new technology and the potential that it has and the potential it has to create jobs and wealth in the United States.</s>DEFTERIOS: So too, does Wall Street with money flowing into renewable energy companies. In the last month, rising star Next Era topped the market cap of the once mighty oil and gas giant ExxonMobil. And when it comes to international policy, Trump was proud to pull out of the Paris Climate Accord in 2017 saying it was a job killer. Biden has pledged to lead back in.</s>AMIN: I think there is a very important signal when we are facing potentially catastrophic changes related to climate in the near future that the United States leadership in technology and in a political sense, in bringing other countries along but mostly from my point of view, in inspiring others about what can be done is sorely really to be needed today.</s>DEFTERIOS: A high stakes election that will also define the fate of fossil fuels and clean energy.</s>VAUSE: You know, John. Donald Trump has had this desire, dream, vision for U.S. oil dominance. How is that now playing out in the midst of this pandemic?</s>DEFTERIOS: Well, there is some history here, John, to flag. Donald Trump is not responsible for the shale boom in Texas and other states down there in the southwest but he likes to take credit for it. His policies pushed it to get the number, one. And they rose to the first quarter to nearly 13 million barrels a day. And then it all collapsed because U.S. prices are higher than what you see here in the Middle east in Saudi Arabia, even Russia. So we've changed profoundly the equation here when it comes to oil and gas and exports to the United States. We're down around 10 million barrels a day, it could go even lower. But in COVID-19, John, every government around the world, particularly in the G7 decided to make each shift to renewables seeing the impact on the environment and the drop in energy demands. So Europe, Japan, China -- have all announced policy changes. Not the Trump administration. And we know if Joe Biden does get in, he goes back into the Paris climate agreement but has a plan to create jobs in the renewable space, not overly dependent on oil and gas.</s>VAUSE: John, thank you. John Defterios there for us in Abu Dhabi. Appreciate it.</s>VAUSE: Please stay with CNN for our coverage of this presidential debate. It starts at 7:00 p.m. eastern on Thursday; 12:00 a.m. Friday in London; 3:00 a.m. an update; 7:00 a.m. in Hong Kong. Remember back in 2018 the kids in cages on the U.S.-Mexico border, officially called family separation? It was meant to be a deterrence. According to a court filing from the Justice Department the parents of 545 children cannot be found. Hundreds may have been deported without their children. The pandemic saw the reunification efforts suspended for a while but now attempts to find families have resumed. The Trump administration ordered the family separations as part of its zero tolerance policy on illegal immigration back in 2017. Miles Taylor worked in the Trump White House until last year when as chief of staff to the secretary of Homeland Security. He's now a CNN contributor. And is with us this hour from Washington. And Miles, welcome back. Good to have you with us again.</s>MILES TAYLOR, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Hey John, thanks for having me.</s>VAUSE: Ok. So just very quickly off the top -- a couple of quick questions here. Firstly can you confirm that this policy of child separation at the border was underway in early 2017 -- a year before then Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced his new tolerance policy?</s>TAYLOR: Well John, what I'll tell you is this. First and foremost the first year of the Trump administration I was working national security and intelligence issues and not immigration. So I wasn't directly involved at that point in time but what I can tell you is that yes in the first year, the White House not only was running a pilot program through a DHS agency to see if this was workable. They wanted to go much further. And in the first year they pressured DHS leadership to implement a deliberate policy of ripping any child apart from their parents that showed up at the border. A proposal that was so extreme that the leadership at the DHS at the time said they would never accept it. And so Jeff Sessions at the Justice Department and the White House went back to the drawing room table and came up with what later became the zero tolerance policy.</s>VAUSE: And that happened in May 2018. Sessions made that announcement, and then a month after that 11 senior administration officials were called to a White House meeting by the senior advisor Stephen Miller. Is that correct? And he asked for a show of hands who supported the policy and notably by this time you are at Homeland Security and your boss Kirstjen Nielsen did not raise her hand. At any point did she tell you why?</s>TAYLOR: Yes, I mean definitely. There was a period where the attorney general had announced that he wanted to start prosecuting everyone who crossed the border illegally and he wanted that policy to go into effect immediately. But it didn't go into effect for several months because behind the scenes Kirstjen Nielsen said Mr. Attorney General and she said to the White House this isn't going to work. There is going to be a huge backlog of children because we don't have the resources to do this quickly enough to get these cases processed. So she said I can't implement this. The White House got so frustrated with her that they called a meeting and they outvoted her, and they said no, this policy is going to be implemented. And interestingly history was right, she was right. that, you know, it ended up creating a huge backlog of children that were in federal custody that should never have been. And it created one of the worst debacles of the Trump administration.</s>VAUSE: Do you know if anybody was in the administration raised objections beyond the question of logistics? Did they raise objections about this policy on the grounds that it was cruel, inhumane, immoral, disgusting?</s>TAYLOR: No.</s>VAUSE: Anything?</s>TAYLOR: Well, certainly. I mean John Kelly in the first year of the administration when he was Homeland Security secretary before he became White House chief of staff he was approached by the White House and they said we want to deliberately implement a policy of pulling kids away from their parents. And they said, it will be messy for the first few months but it will scare the migrants and keep them from coming the United States. And John Kelly told us behind the scenes we're never going to do this. Don't engage with the White House on this. And in fact when Kirstjen Nielsen came in as secretary she said the same thing. We will never implement such a policy and that's why the Justice Department fell back on a modified version and said well, we'll just prosecute every adult that comes across. They probably knew that the unintended consequence of that or perhaps in their case the intended consequence would be that a lot of children would be left stranded if that happened. So they knew what was going on.</s>VAUSE: Very quickly, in terms of logistics -- back to logistics here, was there ever a serious attempt made at planning for the needs of potentially thousands of children who would be separated from their parents? Was there ever an attempt at implementing a system for electronically linking these children with their parents until they could be reunited at some point in the future?</s>TAYLOR: By the White House? No. By the Justice Department? No. But the Department of Homeland Security, was saying behind the scenes, look, in order to do this we need many, many months, and many more people to make sure that kids don't stay in our custody for too much and aren't away from their parents for too long. [01 We told the White House it will take us at a minimum many months to get ready for this so that it doesn't result in a huge backlog of children stuck in the United States without their parents. They didn't listen. They were so desperate to implement this policy that they went forward with it before the interagency was ready and it had horrible consequences.</s>VAUSE: Consequences that we know -- 545 children whose parent's cannot be located. Is that definitive? Could you expect it to be much higher?</s>TAYLOR: Well, I don't think it's definitive. But the number may be higher. And here's why. A lot of those parents were given the choice before they were deported whether or not to take their children with them -- a terrible choice for them to face because they have the decision to either bring their child back to a country that they had a escaped and that they thought their child would not have a bright future in. Or leave their child in the United States, where they might have a better life, but where the family is apart, indefinitely. It's a horrible choice to face, but a lot of those parents I think will continue to make this decision to leave their children in the United States to have a better life. That's not a position we should put people in. And it's one reason why the president needs to use his political capital to do immigration reform, so that these parents can travel legally back to the United States and be with their children.</s>VAUSE: Miles, we are out of time, but thank you very much for that insider's view of how this all played out. At the time we thought the system was broken, that, you know, it couldn't be this cruel, but it seems that cruelty was in fact the point. Thanks for being with us. We appreciate it.</s>TAYLOR: Thanks, John.</s>VAUSE: Next up on CNN NEWSROOM, India's efforts to contain the coronavirus, and unintended consequences to some of the poorest children in the country. CNN Freedom Project reports when we come back.

Pope Endorses Civil Union Laws for Same-Sex Couples

VAUSE: Pope Francis is making history again by endorsing civil unions for same-sex couples. The Catholic news agency reports the Pontiff's support came in a documentary called "Francesco", which premiered in Rome on Wednesday. We get more details now from CNN's Delia Gallagher, reporting from Rome.</s>DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Pope Francis has declared support for same sex civil unions in a new documentary released in Rome on Wednesday. According to the Catholic News Agency, in that documentary, the Pope said, homosexual people have a right to be in a family. They're children of God and have a right to a family. That way they are legally covered. Now, in past interviews, Francis has suggested that he is not necessarily against civil unions. but this is the first time this pope directly in support of them. Indeed when he was archbishop, in Buenos Aires he advocated for civil unions over same-sex marriage at a time when Argentina was discussing the legalization of same sex marriage. And Francis' comments represent a departure from the position of his predecessor, John the II, Pope Benefit the 16th who were against the legalization of same sex unions. Delia Gallagher, CNN -- Rome.</s>VAUSE: Church conservatives asking the Pope to explain how his comments comply with Catholic doctrine, which opposes gay marriage, but others have welcomed the Pope's stand. Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin says it's an example of momentous leadership that he hopes will lead to change throughout the church. And here is Father James Martin. He's a Jesuit priest like Francis.</s>FR. JAMES MARTIN, JESUIT: I think he's creating a new space for LGBT people. There is a 2003 document from the congregation, for the doctor of the faith, against same sex unions, and the Pope is obviously saying he sees things a little differently. It is -- it's momentous because he is saying it as Pope. He said it before as archbishop of Buenos Aires. He's saying it on the record and he's being very clear. It's not simply he's tolerating it, he's supporting it.</s>VAUSE: Well, The Soyuz MS 16 spacecraft back on earth. About three hours, an astronaut and two cosmonauts returned from the International Space Station right near Kazakhstan. The three crew member roughed up. 196 days ago and that included more than 3000 orbits of earth. They just wen around and around and round around. I'm John Vause. Please stay with us. My colleague Rosemary Church takes over at the top of the break. You've been watching CNN NEWSROOM. Stay with us.

Trump and Biden Set to Meet Thursday for Final Debate; Obama Hits Trumps on Coronavirus Response; Trump Rallies in Battleground State of North Carolina; U.S. Intel: Iran, Russia Interfering In U.S. Election; Early Voters Turn Up in Record Numbers Before Election Day; COVID-19 Cases, Hospitalization Rising Across U.S.; Trump Says He Wouldn't Change Mush About His COVID Response.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM and I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead, former President Barack Obama hits the campaign trail for Joe Biden going after Donald Trump like never before. What he said, and how the current President responded. Then election interference, the U.S. says Iran and Russia are meddling. We will tell you how. And later.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because he really is for, you know, your hard- working people. Do I think he's racist? No, I think he's racist against lazy people.</s>CHURCH: Hear what's motivating some of the President's middle-class voters with time and money to spend at a dune buggy rally for Donald Trump. The final Presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden is set to get underway in the coming hours with the election less than two weeks away. And with Mr. Trump trailing Biden in most polls, the match up could be the President's last best chance to make a compelling case for reelection. But it's clear many Americans have already made up their minds. So far, some 40 million people have voted in person or by mail. That's almost a third of all the votes tallied in 2016. The President says he is preparing for the debate by holding campaign rallies and doing interviews. Biden, on the other hand, is at home pouring through briefing books while former President Barack Obama campaigned for him in Philadelphia, slamming President Trump's handling of the pandemic.</s>BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Tweeting at the television doesn't fix things. Making stuff up doesn't make people's lives better. You've got to have a plan. You've got to put in the work, and along with the experience to get things done, Joe Biden has concrete plans and policies. We literally left this White House a pandemic playbook that would have shown them how to respond before the virus reached our shores. They probably used it to, I don't know, prop up a wobbly table somewhere. We don't know where that playbook went. Donald Trump isn't suddenly going to protect all of us, he can't even take the basic steps to protect himself.</s>CHURCH: And despite his own hospitalization for COVID President Trump continues to regard the pandemic as a nuisance that he and his supporters are sick of hearing about.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: All you hear is COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID, that's all they put on because they want to scare the hell out of everyone.</s>CHURCH: Well, the President may wish the virus would simply disappear, but the fact is the pandemic has infected well over 8 million Americans and killed more than 222,000 of them in just seven months and the outlook is not encouraging. The former head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration predicts a sharp rise in new infections will begin sweeping across the country before election day. And we'll have the latest on the COVID-19 crisis in the U.S. and around the world in just a few minutes. But we want to begin with run up to Thursday night's presidential debate. CNN's Jeff Zeleny is in Philadelphia.</s>JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Former President Barack Obama delivering one of the most mocking and blistering assessments of his successor. Coming out on the campaign trail for the first time this year, certainly touting Joe Biden, but making more of an effort to say why Donald Trump does not deserve a second term in office, talking first and foremost about coronavirus, and the Trump administration's handling of the virus. Saying the President did not take it seriously, saying that the, you know, mask mandate is something that should have been done, and also talking about how other countries around the world did, indeed, handle this better than the United States did. Now from there, the former president went on to really deliver a broadside against President Trump, making fun of how he has conducted himself in office, also talking about the exhaustion factor. Just the day in and day out the since the former president said, look, this is not a reality show. This is reality. But at the end of the speech, some more than 30 minutes or so, delivered in Philadelphia, Mr. Obama also talked to Democrats directly, delivering some tough medicine to them, saying four years ago, many Democrats thought Hillary Clinton would defeat Donald Trump. That didn't happen. So, he called on Democrats to not be lazy, to not be complacent, and he urged them to come out and vote. This is the first of many stops that former President Obama is going to be making in the next two weeks, certainly, making the case against Donald Trump, and for Joe Biden. Back to you.</s>CHURCH: Thanks for that. And President Trump continues barn storming with rallies that ignore basic precautions to keep the virus from spreading. We get more now from CNN's Ryan Nobles in North Carolina.</s>RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Trump making yet another trip to the important battleground of North Carolina, a state he won four years ago, and a state he desperately needs in the win column if he were to win reelection in 2020. And as the President was making his way here to the Tar Heel state, President Obama was crushing him and his administration in a speech in support of Joe Biden. President Obama making his first appearance on the campaign trail and had some pretty harsh criticism for President Trump. President Trump had the opportunity to respond here in North Carolina. And this is what he had to say.</s>TRUMP: There was nobody that campaigned harder for crooked Hillary Clinton than Obama, right? He was all over the place. The only one more unhappy than crooked Hillary that night was Barack Hussein Obama.</s>NOBLES: Surprisingly, the President held his fire for the most part against Obama, refusing to get to in-depth in his response to President Obama's remarks. This is not going to be President Obama's last trip, though before election day on November 3rd. So, President Trump will have plenty of time to respond. The President saying here tonight, in North Carolina, telling this crowd, that he promises that he will deliver North Carolina, and said it is a key to his reelection bid. Ryan Nobles, CNN, Gastonia, North Carolina.</s>CHURCH: U.S. intelligence officials say they have evidence Iran and Russia are interfering in America's upcoming election and are trying to undermine voter confidence. Iran rejects the allegations, calling them absurd. CNN, Evan Perez reports now from Washington.</s>EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR U.S. JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: U.S. intelligence official says Iran and Russia have obtained U.S. voter registration information, in an effort to interfere in the election. Officials say Iran is behind intimidating e-mails, received by voters around the country and purporting to come from the right-wing group known as Proud Boys, associated with supporters of President Trump. The e-mails telling people to vote for President Trump or spoofs and appear to be designed to pit Americans against each other. Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe tried to reassure voters that the intelligence and law enforcement agencies are working to ensure that votes won't be compromised.</s>JOHN RATCLIFFE, U.S. DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: We will not tolerate foreign interference in our elections and we will continue to work with our many partners to disrupt and impose costs and consequences on any adversary that attempts to interfere in our democratic processes.</s>PEREZ: Officials say that Russia has obtained some of the same data. But officials don't know what the Russians are planning to do with that information in coming weeks. In recent months, intelligence officials say Russia has been waging a campaign to help Trump's reelection and spreading disinformation about fraud in the U.S. elections amplifying some of the fears that are fanned by the President himself. FBI director Chris Wray has told voters that those concerns about fraud are bogus.</s>CHRISTOPHER WRAY, FBI DIRECTOR: We've been working for years as a community to build resilience in our election infrastructure, and today that infrastructure remains resilient. You should be confident that your vote counts. Early unverified claims to the contrary should be viewed with a healthy dose of skepticism.</s>PEREZ: And U.S. officials in recent days have warned states and vendors that supply their voting systems to patch vulnerabilities after detecting intrusions. Evan Perez, CNN Washington.</s>CHURCH: And CNN's Frederik Pleitgen joins us now live from Moscow. Good to see you, Fred. So, what's been the reaction from Russia and Iran to these accusations of interference in the U.S. election?</s>FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Rosemary. For Russians of course, it's not the first time that they've been accused of allegedly trying to interfere, not in just this election, but elections in the past as well. The Russians have always shot those allegations down, have denied those allegations. So far this morning we have not yet heard from the Kremlin. We do believe that there is going to be a phone call with the press secretary for the Kremlin coming up in the next hour, maybe in the next couple of hours, and certainly, we'll keep you posted as to what exactly the reaction of the Kremlin is going to be. Now is far as the Iranians are concerned, we just heard that those e- mails were mentioned, those phony e-mails that the Iranians allegedly sent out apparently representing the Proud Boys group. Now the Iranians also have said that that is absolutely not true. They have denied those allegations. They came out quickly with a reaction. It comes from an Iran spokesperson with the U.N. mission in New York, Alireza Miryousefi. I want to just show some of what he said. He said, unlike the U.S., Iran does not interfere in other country's elections. The world has been witnessing the U.S.'s own desperate public attempts to question the outcome of its own election at the highest level. Essentially of course, throwing this back at President Trump, saying that President Trump is the one who has been sowing doubts as to the legitimacy of the upcoming U.S. election. He then goes on to post on Twitter, these accusations are nothing more than another scenario to undermine voter confidence and are absurd. Iran has no interest in Iran has no interest in interfering in the U.S. election and no preference in the outcome. That's something the Iranians, Rosemary, have been saying for the past couple of weeks. The Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif was also actually asked whether Iran has a preference as to who should in their minds be the next president of the United States. The Iranians are saying they do not have any sort of preference. But of course, one of the things we've been saying is that the relations between the Trump administration -- if one can call them relations -- and the Iranians have been at rock bottom for a very long time. It really seems like almost ages ago, but it was just last year that these two countries were almost at war at various stages of that time. Of course, with the Trump administration following that campaign of maximum pressure which has done a lot of damage to the Iranian economy -- Rosemary. All right, Fred Pleitgen bring us that live report from Moscow. Many thanks. Well, voters across the U.S. aren't leaving anything to chance with this election turning out early in record numbers to cast their votes. With more than a week and a half left until election day, early votes are up nearly 180 percent from the 2016 Presidential election and here's our Pamela Brown with more.</s>PAMELA BROWN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With the election less than two weeks away, voter intimidation is coming to the forefront. Election officials in Florida and Alaska went to the FBI after dozens of people reported receiving e-mails threatening to vote for Trump or else.</s>RYAN KENNELLY, FLORIDA VOTER: I think calling it out and letting it be seen for what it is will hopefully encourage people to ignore it.</s>BROWN: The e-mail was made to look like it came from a far-right group, the Proud Boys. The extremist group Trump failed to disavow at the last debate.</s>TRUMP: Proud Boys, stand back and stand by.</s>BROWN: But Proud Boys have denied involvement and a CNN analyst found the e-mails were actually sent in a sophisticated way, routed through foreign services. More cries of possible voter intimidation in Miami. A police officer in full uniform wearing a Trump mask inside a polling place called out by the mayor. Mayor Francis Suarez, Miami Florida: His actions have violated departmental policy and he will be disciplined.</s>BROWN: And in Memphis, a poll worker was fired for asking voters to turn their black lives matter shirts inside out.</s>SUZANNE THOMPSON, SHELBY COUNTY ELECTIONS COMMISSION SPOKESWOMAN: This particular incident was the bad behavior of one poll worker.</s>BROWN: Tennessee laws ban any clothing worn to polling places that endorses a political candidate or party. Social justice messages like BLM are allowed. But overall, early voting remains in high gear. More than 40 million ballots have been cast nationwide so far. It's clear many Americans have been relying on the Post Office to deliver their votes. But as election day approaches, Michigan Secretary of State is encouraging voters to turn ballots in personally to drop boxes or their county clerk's office if they can.</s>JOCELYN BENSON, MICHIGAN SECRETARY OF STATE: There are a lot of uncertainties and variables with the Postal Service.</s>BROWN: A new Post Office inspector general report finds the Post Office never investigated how controversial cuts to service in the summer would affect mail delivery.</s>BENSON: My office used the CARES Act funding from the federal government to install close to a thousand -- over a thousand drop boxes all over the state for that very reason.</s>BROWN: The Postmaster General who has defended the cuts as nonpolitical postponed the changes. But on time mail delivery is still suffering and triggering new lawsuits. And North Carolina an appeals court upheld the state's deadline to receive absentee ballots, nine days after election day. A decision Republicans are signaling they'll challenge at the Supreme Court. The second win for Democrats, on Monday, the high court handed down a ruling, allowing mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania to count if they're received within three days of November 3rd. (on camera): Well, given the issues with the Postal Service and how close we are now to the election, election experts say that your best bet if you haven't already requested a mail-in ballot is to go vote in person, early. Pamela Brown, CNN Washington.</s>CHURCH: As important as each vote is, the Electoral College is key o to winning the White House. A candidate needs 270 electoral college votes earned by winning individual states. And we will look at the all-important path to 270 later this hour. And we'll discuss what to expect in the final presidential debate tonight. Special coverage of that begins at 7:00 p.m. Eastern here on CNN. And COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations now climbing across the U.S. A doctor weighs in on President Trump's latest comment that he wouldn't change much about his response to the pandemic.

Trump and Biden Face Off in Final Presidential Debate Tonight; Feds Say, Russia and Iran Have Interfered with Presidential Election.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN NEWSROOM: All right. It is a huge day. It is debate night and we're glad you're with us. Good morning, everyone. I'm Poppy Harlow.</s>JIM SCIUTTO, CNN NEWSROOM: And I'm Jim Sciutto. Just hours from now, President Trump and Joe Biden face off for the final time before Election Day, and there are new rules tonight, including a mute button, but don't expect the president to play by them, his aides say.</s>ALYSSA FARAH, ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT: The topics themselves, I'd say, he's going to answer those topics but he's also going to, frankly, answer the questions he wants to.</s>HARLOW: Okay. One of the key topics of the debate tonight, the growing health crisis in this country. And just moments ago the CDC projected up to 247,000 Americans will die from COVID in this country by November 14th. Cases right now are surging in 31 states. We're following those headlines. Let's begin though with our Jessica Dean, who joins us in Nashville. It's the final one, Jess, and there is a mute button. How is it going to work?</s>JESSICA DEAN, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Yes. We have made it to the last presidential debate, Jim and Poppy. They are setting up here inside the debate hall finalizing everything. You mentioned the mute button, so let me walk you through these rule changes from the last debate. So here is what we can expect tonight. Each candidate is going to have two minutes of uninterrupted speaking time at the beginning of each new topic. Now, at that time, the opposing candidate's microphone will be turned off, will be muted. After the two-minute remarks though, there will be a period of what they're calling open discussion, that's when the mics will be reopened, so we can imagine how that will go. Again, running you through topics to expect tonight, fighting COVID- 19, American families, race in American, climate change, national security and leadership. You can imagine we heard from President Trump's adviser there that he's going to answer what he wants to answer. We also know that his advisers have cautioned him, warned him, that this is really his last chance to change public opinion of his behavior in some key demographic groups, which includes women and senior voters. And we know that they told him to kind of turn down the temperature from last time. He has indicated he is willing to do that but that he is going to push back pretty hard if he thinks he's being treated unfairly. And he has kind of bread crumbed that and telegraphed that he already he thinks he is being treated unfairly. So we will see how that all developed throughout the evening. As for Vice President Biden, he spent the last several days preparing for this debate. We know that that campaign and Biden are preparing for personal attacks against Biden and his family. They are prepared for what they say is for President Trump to bully and deflect from the stage and they are trying to focus in on the same thing that they did last time, which is to find a way for Biden to speak directly to the American people. One of his senior advisers on our air last night saying that this is about the temperament, presidential temperament, and that the debate will be what it will be, but that's what Americans will be judging. So we will see how it unfolds tonight, guys.</s>SCIUTTO: Yes. You remember those last moments of the debate when Biden deliberately looked into the camera and spoke to the American people. Jessica Dean, thanks very much. Among the topics we expect to be covered in the final debate, election interference and, of course, the coronavirus pandemic.</s>HARLOW: So let's bring in Sabrina Siddiqui, a CNN Political Analyst and National Politics Reporter for The Wall Street Journal, and David Swerdlick, CNN Political Analyst and Assistant Editor at The Washington Post. Okay. David, if you were moderating tonight, what's the important question you would ask?</s>DAVID SWERDLICK, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Poppy, good morning. I would spend 50 percent of the time on coronavirus. A couple of reasons, one, it's the biggest issue that affects the most people and it encompasses some of those other topics. Coronavirus touches health care, it touches race in America and it touches leadership. That's the issue that everyone is dealing with. And President Trump, by most accounts has failed in his ability or his willingness to address it, everything from allocation of resources to mask-wearing. So I think this really should be the focus, obviously, there will be other issues covered in the debate, but that just has to be the focus. These side jags into some other issues that we've seen in the other debates have been interesting and important but they're just not what this election is hinging on at the moment.</s>SCIUTTO: Sabrina, we know that the president is going to attempt to focus on the story of Hunter Biden's emails, allegations of impropriety with China. And I know there's debate, there has been debate within the Biden within team about how if to respond to that directly. Any answers to if they will and how they should best give an answer to that?</s>SABRINA SIDDIQUI, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I think this is a scenario that former Vice President Joe Biden has been preparing for. He has been hunkered down in debate prep all of this week. He hasn't held any public events in anticipation of tonight. And last time, the president also tried to go after Hunter Biden, he repeatedly interrupted and brought up where he claimed were conflicts of interest and some of -- many of the unfounded claims that he has made about Hunter Biden's work overseas. And he even brought up Hunter Biden's struggles with addiction. And, actually, the campaign, the Biden campaign believes one of his strongest moments in the last debate was when he looked directly at the camera and said, look, like many other Americans out there, my son has struggled with and overcome addiction. I'm proud of him, I love him. They felt like that really resonated with a lot of American families who may have at least on that front faced a similar situation at home. And so I think that some of these personal attacks have not really resonated with the public. And as far as the dealings -- hunter Biden's dealings are concerned, there was an entire impeachment investigation over this very subject with the president, of course, trying to use the power of the presidency to investigate his political opponent. So I think you could very well expect that Joe Biden will be prepared to hit back if this is something the president wants to talk about. But, by and large, the Biden campaign has dismissed, this as a distraction from the president's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, which, to David's point, I think you can absolutely expect will once again be Joe Biden's focus. Especially with cases, once again, on the rise, more than 8 million Americans who have been infected by the virus, a death toll that has surpassed 220,000. That is what they believe this debate and this election will be about.</s>HARLOW: David, the president is going to try to make it a lot about the economy. You could tell in the Lesley Stahl clip released by 60 Minutes this morning. She says, what's the biggest domestic issue. And he doesn't say COVID. He says it's the economy, et cetera, the greatest economy in the world, we're going to get it back. My question to you is on that front. Do you think Joe Biden needs to really, clearly defend his tax plan? Because he said on day one he would raise a number of taxes but not on anyone making under $400,000 a year. But there are holes in that that I think the president is going to try to poke at. And I wonder how you think Biden needs to respond</s>SWERDLICK: I think Biden has to do two things. He has to, one, as you say, Poppy, make clear that the increase in taxes that's proposed in his plan is on earners making over $400,000 a year and not average middle class Americans. $400,000 doesn't make you part of the 1 percent but it's far more than the average person makes. And he has to be very clear and precise about that and say why he wants to do it. Americans don't like their taxes raised, so if you're doing it, go ahead and give them a reason. The other thing that Vice President Biden has to do that Democrats, in general, have not been great at, that I saw former President Obama trying to do in a couple of appearances yesterday, is take credit for the economic recovery under the Obama/Biden administration. The stock market went up dramatically over the eight years of the Obama/Biden administration, unemployment went down pretty significantly over their eight years, but Democrats have not found a concise way to put that message out over and over again, and I think that has hurt them and let President Trump steal some of the economic glory.</s>SCIUTTO: So it would be an unwise bet to imagine that President Trump dramatically changes his approach given after four years, so many times, we've been at the point where some advisers are saying moderate, go for independent voters, et cetera. So let's set that aside for a moment. Do the changes that the Presidential Debate Commission has put in, including this mute button, do they solve the problem, you think, Sabrina, that we saw in the first debate, interruptions, shouting match?</s>SIDDIQUI: Well, only to some extent, as Jessica Dean was pointing out. These changes only affect portions of the debate. There are, of course, six topics. And for the opening statements that each candidate will be provided at the start of each of those topics, they will be allowed to speak uninterrupted while the candidate's microphone will be muted. But then it will go into open discussion. So I think you could fully expect that President Trump will use some of the same tactics he did in the previous debate. I can tell you, my colleagues have a story at The Wall Street Journal where sources have said that he was actually really pleased with his debate performance in Cleveland. And there was much pushback. He thought that his aggressive posture was a success. And it took Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, to implore other people close to the president to tell him that he needed to rethink his strategy, that he appeared too angry and too aggressive. Also as of Wednesday, sources told The Wall Street Washington Journal that the president had not attended any debate prep sessions either formally or informally. So it's quite clear, and we've seen this on the stump, we've seen it through his tweet, his mind is elsewhere. He has been occupied with matters not related to the debate. He is much more fixated on what he can do to change the trajectory of the race. We see him preemptively attack the debate moderator, Kristen Welker, an excellent journalist, trying to already lower expectations for the debate, claim that it's biased against him. So I really don't think that much will meaningfully change. And to your point, there's a smaller percentage of undecided voters out there, so it's not clear at this point with the president trailing in both national and battleground polls, barring anything significant, that tonight is really going to change the trajectory of the race with 12 days to go until the election.</s>SCIUTTO: Yes, we'll see.</s>HARLOW: Thank you both. We'll all be up late watching tonight. Sabrina Siddiqui, David Swerdlick, I appreciate your time this morning. We have a lot ahead this hour, Russia and Iran interfering in the U.S. election, they're doing it right now, full stop. What it means for national security just days ahead of the election.</s>SCIUTTO: Plus, a disturbing new update from the CDC, predicting deaths from the coronavirus in this country could reach 247,000 in less than a month. And schools in Boston forced to switch to online learning due to a spike in cases there. We're going to speak to the mayor.

CDC Ensemble Forecast Shows Up to 247,000 U.S. Deaths by Nov. 13

SCIUTTO: All right. This morning some good news on the pandemic. Our Elizabeth Cohen is reporting that Moderna, the pharmaceutical company, has now reached its target of 30,000 participants in a phase three trial of its vaccine. That means all volunteers have received the first shot. The participants receive a second injection four weeks later. This is, of course, the Moderna that is doing this in conjunction with the NIH, one of the more promising vaccine trials.</s>HARLOW: Yes, for sure. And they had trouble getting enough minority participants, so it seems like they reached that key number. Also this morning, the CDC is forecasting there will be 245,000 to 247,000 coronavirus deaths in the U.S. in just the next few weeks, by November the 14th. With us now is our Medical Analyst, Dr. Leana Wen. Good morning to you, Doctor. It's very good to have you. So, I mean, it's just a hard number to get your head around. And the fact that it's colder outside, all of these things, you've got the schools in Boston all closing. We'll talk to the mayor about that next. What do we need to buckle up for here?</s>DR. LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: We need to be prepared for a very difficult winter ahead. Because when we look at the numbers that we have down, we don't have just one or two hot spots, we actually have virus hot spots surging all across the country and it's not even that cold yet. Some parts of the country may be cold but many parts people can still easily be outdoors. And so I'm extremely concerned about what's ahead. We are already seeing test positivity rates that are very high, which means that we're not even detecting the infections that are there. And we know that the new places where the virus is surging include areas that have pretty limited health care capacity, rural areas, as an example, that don't have much infrastructure. And places like Indiana, Utah, Wisconsin, North Dakota are already reporting that their hospitals are reaching capacity. So there's some very difficult times that are ahead of us. And we have to hunker down and get ready for the winter.</s>SCIUTTO: I want to look back for a moment because Columbia University has a new study that estimates at least 130,000 deaths in this country, perhaps as many as 210,000 could have been avoided if there was more robust federal coordination and leadership. I'm quoting from the report there. I wonder if you agree that what was lacking in the response here nationally had those deadly consequences.</s>WEN: I do agree, Jim. When we look back, even at the initial response, if we had testing early on, we could have avoided the lockdowns that wreaked so much havoc on our economy. If we had used the time that the lockdowns bought us and really ramped up our testing, contact tracing, we also would have been able to rein in the infection at that point. There were so many other things that should have been done, for example, having enough personal protective equipment. If we did, we might not have lost so many health care workers who died because they didn't have masks. And not only our frontline workers, who are health care workers, but also bus drivers, grocery store cashiers, people who work in our nursing homes died because they didn't have enough PPE, all of these things that were preventable before. But I hope that the American people will see that their actions have made a difference, that in the absence of federal leadership, that individuals did their part and can still do their part moving forward wearing masks, physical distancing, doing these things that protect ourselves and our loved ones.</s>HARLOW: Why are COVID cases rising so much in the last few weeks among children, up 13 percent in the last two weeks, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics?</s>WEN: I think it's two things. One is that kids are back in school. And so we did expect for the overall numbers to rise as kids are up and about more. It's not only school, but also they're doing play dates and extra curriculars that also contribute to this. And also we're seeing the overall numbers increase. And it's not possible to wall off children. If the level community spread is increasing, we're going to see that in kids too. But I actually think, Poppy, that this is a significant underestimate. We don't have enough testing but, in particular, we don't have enough testing for children. It's very hard for young kids to find places that will test them, and especially because kids are asymptomatic or tend to be mildly symptomatic, I think we're actually missing many cases of children.</s>HARLOW: Wow. Thank you, Dr. Wen. Good to have you, as always. So we just talked about these spikes, and they're so bad that all of the Boston public schools are now being closed.</s>SCIUTTO: Yes, sad news. Joining us now, the mayor of Boston, Marty Walsh. Mayor, thanks for taking the time this morning.</s>MAYOR MARTY WALSH (D-BOSTON, MA): Thanks for having me today.</s>SCIUTTO: So we've seen other cities take different approaches when they've seen cases spike among children. New York had more targeted school closures in and around the areas where they saw spikes, kept the others open. And I just wonder, is shutting down the whole system, in your view, necessary or is there a way to do this in a more targeted fashion?</s>WALSH: Well, I think right now in Boston, our infection rate went from 4.4 percent in one week to 5.7 percent. So that's a pretty big jump. We haven't seen that type of jump since May, quite, honestly, and the virus. We have done a phased-in approach here in our school, the highest needs students started in school. Those are the kids that are in-person learning now. So when we shut down district, we didn't have to shut down the entire district. We had about anywhere from 1,300 to 2,600 kids in school. We're beginning to -- today was supposed to be the next phase of reopening, where our kindergarteners were supposed to start school today, and we have delayed that a couple of weeks. The doctor before you said it. I mean, it's about making sure that we are trying to contain the virus, stop the spread of the virus, and putting that many people in the building at this particular moment is not the smartest thing to do. We have spikes in certain neighborhoods in the city of Boston, but the way our district works is kids get bussed all over the city. So you might come from a district that has high numbers and go to a district that has low numbers, and we want to be able to keep our kids safe.</s>HARLOW: What happens to the special needs students? What happens to the non-verbal students that were brought up by the superintendent yesterday, and those without the technology access they need at home or the parents at home to help them with it? I mean, can they go to some of your school buildings still and you'll have some supervision for them, or can none of them go?</s>WALSH: No. We're working right now on a plan to do some in-home services. We're going to be doing some announcing of that next week. We're also looking at the idea of using some of our buildings. It was devastating for me to have to close the schools yesterday. I was at school October 1st, which was the first day. And these kids are the highest needs kids in our city, and they were just so happy to be in school. Many of them non-verbal, many have other issues they're dealing with, their families are dealing with. So we're looking at providing at-home services, which isn't the same thing as having in- classroom services, obviously. And we're also monitoring the numbers very closely. If we get to 5 percent or below for a two consecutive week period, we'll be bringing those kids right back to school. They're the first ones back. We're certainly better prepared today than we were in March when we closed the district down, but it's still -- it's very challenging for these families. I mean, they're dealing with a lot. These kids hadn't been in school for almost seven months when they go back. It was all opt in, so parents chose to opt in. And it's really -- I feel really sad about it. I feel sad that we're at this situation. But we need people to protect themselves. We need people to wear masks. We need people stop congregating. We need people to take this virus seriously. And here in Boston, we did for a long time. And we had 12 weeks of 1.8 to 2.8 percent infection rate. And now, we're at 5.7. So, clearly, something is going on here. And we're asking people, particularly people under the age of 30, to really -- to look out for each other. You might not be worried about the virus but you're impacting other people.</s>SCIUTTO: Yes, and young people have been so key to the outbreaks in a number of states. Mayor Marty Walsh, we wish you and the people of Boston and the kids of Boston the best of luck.</s>WALSH: Thank you.</s>SCIUTTO: Well, just days from Election Day, 12 of them, we're learning that Iran and Russia are actively interfering in the 2020 election. We're going to have the details, the extent, with two experts ahead.

Candidates Eye Possible Paths to 270 Electoral Votes; Trump and Biden Set to Meet Thursday for Final Debate; Trump Supporters Gather for Dune Buggy Rally.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: CHURCH: All right, returning now to the U.S. election, and CNN has just released new polls in the battle ground states of Florida and Pennsylvania. They indicate that Biden is leading Trump in Pennsylvania by 10 points. It's an important swing state, of course, which Trump carried four years ago. But the polling is tighter in Florida, 50 percent for Biden, 46 percent for Trump. That is within the margin of error. Now, along with his edge in the polls, Joe Biden has a big advantage in cash on hand. $177 million for Biden compared to Trump's 63.1 million. But in the end, the only number that counts is 270. That is the number of Electoral College votes needed to win the White House. Joe Biden and Donald Trump will earn those state by state, and CNN's John King spoke to Anderson Cooper about the possible paths to victory.</s>JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF U.S. CORRESPONDENT: Let's say Joe Biden has a shaky debate, or Donald Trump has a particularly strong debate. The Biden campaign could come out of that thinking all right, we need to protect. If Biden has a shaky debate or Trump is strong. One scenario you think of is the President takes away the toss up states, Iowa, Ohio, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida. President could even flip Arizona back to him. He won all those states in 2016, perfectly within the realm of he comes out of a debate with momentum. What's the Biden's strategy then? Then it becomes protect. Then it becomes protect, Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, the three most spoken words in presidential politics of the last four years, Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Biden then would protect them. But Anderson, imagine this. What if Biden thinks he has a strong debate? They come out of the debate thinking not only do we have all that money we had a strong debate. Well then, you start thinking about this. Number one, you think not only do you have money, Michael Bloomberg is spending money in Florida for you, Priorities USA Super PAC money, Future Ford Super PAC money, all these Democratic Senate candidates are blowing the Republicans away in fundraising. So, there's a lot of money to spend. And again, then you're thinking if you have a strong debate, then this is still going to hold true. You're going to be leading in Michigan, in Pennsylvania, in Wisconsin, and guess what you're in play in Arizona, you're even leading a little bit. You're in play in Iowa, you're in play in Georgia, you're in play maybe a little behind but competitive in Ohio, in play in North Carolina, even close in Texas, right, and Florida. So, then if you're Biden, a lot of Democrats are going to be saying you come out of that debate tomorrow night strong. Think big, think bold. Think about making a statement. You take Florida for Joe Biden, game over. The President can't win without Florida and it's 29 votes. If you get North Carolina back to the Democrats again, there is just no way the President can win. Plus, guess what, is a very important Senate race there. Then you're the Biden campaign, you start looking, two Senate races in Georgia, a Senate race in Iowa, a Senate race in Texas. And wow, if the Democrats won Texas, what a statement that would be.</s>CHURCH: Joining me now is CNN political commentators Tara Setmayer and Jess McIntosh. Great to have you both with us.</s>JESS MCINTOSH, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Thank you.</s>TARA SETMAYER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It's great to be here.</s>CHURCH: We are just hours away from the final presidential debate, Donald Trump has been slamming the format, and the moderator calling this all unfair. But what each of the candidates need to do to sway undecided voters, and what risks do each face? Jess let's start with you.</s>MCINTOSH: You know, I still want to put the brakes on the fact that we are sure there's going to be a debate happening tomorrow. A couple of things need to happen that Donald Trump has never agreed to before. He says he is going to this time, but we know that doesn't always work out. He is supposed to take a negative COVID test, he has said he's willing to do that, but he was unwilling to before the last debate. He also has to agree to have his mic shut off when Joe Biden is talking, which seems like it shouldn't be necessary, but it honestly is. All in all, this is a pretty risky debate for Trump. He seems like he can't afford to lose any more supporters that he already has, and the last debate performance certainly cost him with a few women. So, I'm still not entirely in the camp that thinks this is 100 percent definite tomorrow night.</s>CHURCH: Tara, how do you feel about this? And what do you think each of the candidates need to say and do?</s>SETMAYER: Well, I'm with Jess where, you never quite know what's going to happen until you actually see Donald Trump step foot on the stage. He's been so erratic lately, and he's throwing a lot of temper tantrums, and he's very upset with a lot of people, and that list is getting longer that you never quite know. But assuming that it does happen, Joe Biden needs to just make sure that he does no harm. He needs to continue to represent the adult in the room, needs to continue to show the American people that he is presidential, ready on day one, and that he is the complete opposite of Donald Trump. And the vision that he has for this country, moving forward, is one that, I think that the American people would want to see. They just want some normalcy back. Everyone is exhausted from the Trump show for the last four years, which President Obama was so articulate about today on the campaign trail. And for President Trump, I mean, he needs to have a moment where he could actually articulate his vision for a second term and try to stop the bleeding. He's hemorrhaging voters, to Jess's point he's hemorrhaging women voters. His performance in the last debate was atrocious and he -- unless he does that and has a moment to stop the momentum for Joe Biden, which I think is probably not going to happen, but he -- that's what they need debates for. He needs this more than Joe Biden does --</s>CHURCH: Right.</s>SETMAYER: -- but I am not holding my breath Donald Trump is who he is, and he is not keen to change.</s>CHURCH: The microphones will be cut off while each candidate speaks for that first two minutes, so they're not interrupted. But that's not going to stop the other one hearing what said. I mean, if Donald Trump is talking on the stage there, Biden is going to hear him and that may very well put him off. We saw moments of that in that first debate. What do you think is going to be the likely response to this? And does this improve the process?</s>MCINTOSH: Well, I think it probably makes him a more pleasant viewing experience for the audience at home. I can't imagine anybody watched the last debate and went away feeling good about the capable, steady hands that our country is being governed by and we won't have to hear as much of that this time. I do feel for Joe Biden in all of this. I think Trump walks into these debates looking for ways to destabilize his opponent. We saw some of the absolutely depraved things that he tried with Hillary Clinton in 2016. So, I certainly would not put it above him to make use of the fact that the microphone is off, and that we won't be able to hear what he says, but his opponent will. I think Joe Biden has a really strong closing argument, and I think that America is desperate to hear from a leader who wants to understand what they are going through. Who cares about them. Who has a plan for getting us out of the situation that we are currently finding ourselves stuck in. So, I think as long as he stays focused on who he is talking to, Trump can play whatever mind games he wants, and he is going to get his message out.</s>CHURCH: And Tara, you get to the final word on all of this.</s>SETMAYER: Yes, I agree with Jess on that. I think that Joe Biden is in a very strong position to give his closing argument. We've already seen that in ads, and he is uniquely qualified to bring the country together, given his own life experience, his own personal losses. And what better time to have someone who can be someone who can empathize with the loss and the tragedy that's going on in this country, when we have 221,000 dead Americans, and that was preventable, and it's directly correlated to the failure of Donald Trump's leadership on COVID-19. And Donald Trump, I think, is, you know, he's not having a great week, and the fact that President Obama is now out on the trail, someone that Donald Trump despises. On top of all the other things that are going on, I don't think that he is going to be able to contain himself, and all of a sudden have the magic presidential pivot that's never coming. So, strap in, folks because you never quite know what you are going to get from Donald Trump tomorrow night.</s>CHURCH: All right, Tara Setmayer and Jess McIntosh, thank you both for joining our panel.</s>MCINTOSH: Thank you.</s>CHURCH: I appreciate it.</s>SETMAYER: Thank you.</s>CHURCH: And stay with CNN for our coverage of the final presidential debate starting at 7:00 p.m. Eastern on Thursday. That's 12:00 a.m. Friday in London, 3:00 a.m. in Abu Dhabi and 7 a.m. in Hong Kong. Well, the number of coronavirus cases on the rise in many parts of the world, including in Europe. A look at some restrictions in place to slow the spread. That's next. And later, this.</s>ERIC NELSON, TRUMP SUPPORTER: We believe that Trump will help us be able to keep the money that we make and let us be able to work as hard as we want, and not give our money away. People like Nancy Pelosi can, you know, get her funding to give money people aren't willing to work for it. I worked for it all my life. I had to work to put myself through college so I could get a job and do what I enjoy, which is an activity like this, and spend, you know, 15 to $20,000 on toys because I choose to.</s>CHURCH: CNN goes to an unofficial Trump rally where supporters are unapologetic about the President's alpha male attitude and their own wealth. Back in a moment.

U.S. Officials Link Iran to Threatening Emails Sent to Voters

JOHN KING, CNN INSIDE POLITICS: Foreign election interference is front and center in the closing days of the campaign again, with a big new twist. Top national security officials called a news conference last night to announce Iran was behind a new effort to intimidate voters with the goal of fomenting election confusion. Now, there are still questions about this new information, including whether Iran hacked voter registration files or just used public information. And there are questions about how this alleged Iranian meddling was characterized by the director of National Intelligence. The emails allegedly sent by Iran were to Democratic voters and threatened harm if those voters did not vote for President Trump. But listen to how the director of National Intelligence, John Ratcliffe, explained it.</s>JOHN RATCLIFFE, DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: We have identified that two foreign actors, Iran and Russia, have taken specific actions to influence public opinion relating to our elections. We have already seen Iran sending spoofed emails designed to intimidate voters, incite social unrest and damage President Trump.</s>KING: Joining me now is our CNN Senior National Security Correspondent Alex Marquardt, and Shawn Turner, CNN National Security Analyst, former Director of Communications to the U.S. National Intelligence. Alex, I want to start with you. This is a remarkable, hastily arranged evening press conference. Take us inside the reasons they decided that was necessary and if you can, connect the dots for me. DNI Ratcliffe says this was to hurt President Trump but the emails threatened Democrats don't vote for Biden.</s>ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes. This was arranged very quickly, as you say, John, at 7:30 last night. We didn't really know this was coming, and it's remarkable because this really was a who's who of the top national security officials who are in charge of safeguarding this election. On its face, it is significant and new information that Iran and Russia have gotten hold of voter registration data and are using it. As you noted, it's less important that they got that data because much of it is publicly available, but more important perhaps is how they're using it. Iran, we now know, has sent out thousands of these emails, we've already reported, to voters in Alaska and Florida that are threatening voters, Democratic voters, saying, vote for Trump or else. One of them also said, vote for Trump or we will come after you. Now, look at what Ratcliffe said in that sound bite that you just played. They are designed to intimidate voters, that is true, they are designed to incite social unrest, that is absolutely clear. And where he gets himself into a bit of trouble is when he says that they are designed to damage President Trump. So, what a lot of Democrats are saying today is that doesn't quite follow. How is that possible if they're threatening Democratic voters, how does that work that they are designed to harm President Trump? Now, this comes after many -- several instances of Ratcliffe acting in a very political manner in order to help President Trump, but it must be said that the intelligence community and professionals within that community have said for the past several months that Iran is seeking to undermine President Trump. And what was also remarkable about this press conference was that -- was not just that they mentioned Russia but that it wasn't -- the emphasis was not really made there. There are countless experts and officials who say that it is really Russia who is doing the vast majority of the malicious work to meddle in this election here, to undermine and denigrate Joe Biden in favor of President Trump. That is not something that we heard last night. It was primarily about Iran. And we have seen the president go after Director Wray in the past when he has said that Russia is very actively meddling in this election. John?</s>KING: It is a tad confusing, which is why we have Shawn Turner here. Shawn, you know the inside workings of the intelligence community very, very well. So, as you watched this last night, one of the knocks on the Obama administration was they did not call out the Russian interference more plainly, more publicly in the last election. So, on the one hand, good, I believe, you believe, that they're coming out and talking about this, but you have questions about the motives.</s>SHAWN TURNER, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Right, John. Look, I think we have to acknowledge upfront that for the intelligence community to provide information to the American people about interference in our election is a good thing, whether that interference is foreign or domestic and we're seeing both in this case. But I do think it's a legitimate question to ask about the timing. Look, as Alex said, this event was put together hastily last night and we saw some information in this event that really didn't seem to ring true with what we're actually seeing. Look, when it comes to election interference in the United States, there is no bigger offender than Russia. It's not Iran, not North Korea, not China. We know they all attempt to interfere but none bigger than Russia. And for this administration, that is an inconvenient fact. Because what we saw in 2016, what we saw attempted in 2018, of course, what we're seeing again in 2020 is that Russian interference is universally designed to either directly or indirectly support the president. So when we saw Director Ratcliffe focus on Iran, which is a country that may be fourth or fifth down the ladder when it comes to interference, what we saw there is an attempt to do what we've seen Director Ratcliffe do repeatedly since he's been DNI, and that is to take intelligence that may be factual but interpret that intelligence on the spot so it is politically convenient for the president.</s>KING: We'll watch as this one plays out again. Again, a lot of questions, I think it is good they're coming forward but we'll spend a lot of time reporting to get more on this. Alex Marquardt, Shawn Turner, grateful for the reporting and insights there. Up next for us, a new study examining coronavirus death rates. Will the findings help us as we head back up toward a third peak?

Study Shows COVID-19 Death Rate Drops as Medical Efforts Improve

KING: The trend lines of this third COVID peak facing the United States right now are troubling. But there is a new study today that does suggests lessons learned over the past eight months can make this next phase less deadly. You can see it right here. The new study shows hospitalized patients in the United States are now much less likely to die from the virus than they were back at the start of the pandemic. That's thanks in part to modern medicine, that according to one of the study's authors, Dr. Leora Horwitz. Our findings suggest, she writes, while COVID-19 remains a terrible disease, our efforts to improve treatment are probably working even in the absence of a silver bullet treatment or vaccine, we are protecting patients through a host of small changes. Those findings faced (ph) in the media test, you see the graph right there, hospitalizations ticking up once again as cases rise across the country. Dr. Leora Horwitz joins us now. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Population Health Medicine at NYU Langone Health. Doctor, grateful for your time today. You say a host of small things are helping, no one silver bullet. What are they?</s>DR. LEORA HORWITZ, NYU LANGONE HEALTH: Well, we've learned an awful lot since March now that we've been six months into this epidemic. We know now not to rush to put people on ventilators. We know now that steroids are very effective for sick patients. We know now to put people on their stomachs to help them breath and open up their lungs. We know the complications to watch for, the blood clots, the kidney failure. And we know how to avoid this by treating early. We even know just to watch people's oxygen and get them into the hospital sooner than we did before. So all of these are small and they have small impacts. But, collectively, we think that they're being helpful.</s>KING: That collectively helps and every little thing helps. I just want to show the chart of deaths over the past several months, and it's a painful chart to show. But I show it to make a point. If you look back at the beginning, March, April, May, you see the death count much higher, and then you the summer surge, July through August. There were more cases in the July and August period than there were back in the March and April period. So, obviously, medicine has helped, knowledge has helped. How much of it is medicine and how much of it is, for example, that vulnerable populations may have learned the painful lessons and are being more careful protecting themselves?</s>HORWITZ: Yes. Well, that's exactly why we did the study, because we know that people who are being hospitalized over the summer are younger, they are healthier, they have fewer diseases, and we wondered, does that explain all of the difference in mortality. So, for this study, we looked just at NYU Langone Health, just our hospital system in New York City. We took care of over 5,000 patients so far. And we accounted for how old they were, how many other diseases they had or which other diseases they had, whether they were smoking, whether they were obese, even how sick they were when they got to the hospital, how low was their oxygen, how bad were their blood counts. And we accounted for all of those things and still found a substantial decrease in mortality. So it's not just about the patients being healthier now that are getting infected, it's also probably something about our treatment. But it also could be something about how crowded the hospitals are. Now we have more space to take care of them and there's fewer in the hospital at one time. And it might even have to do with how careful people are being at home. So there is a theory that if you are wearing masks and distancing and staying away from crowds, that even if you get infected, you might get infected with less virus and that might make your disease less severe.</s>KING: Very important, the way you put it all together there. All the little pieces add up to help in a way. Dr. Horwitz, grateful for your time. We'll check back and see how this plays out over the months ahead as we go up this third peak. Thank you so much. Coming up for us, the Supreme Court weighs in on a very important question. With all this pandemic voting, should Alabama allow you to vote curbside?

Supreme Court Blocks Curbside Voting in Alabama.

KING: Tonight's final presidential debate is too late to change the minds of more than 45 million Americans. That's how many votes, look at the numbers here, have already been cast, a record for early voting, represents almost a third of the total votes cast back in the 2016 election. Over 12 million of those early votes have been cast in 2020 battleground states so far. Some form of voting is under way in all 50 states. Early in-person voting is open in 42 of the 50. There are, as we've talked about in recent days, dozens of legal challenges to the new pandemic voting rules. Supreme Court handing Republicans in Alabama a win. Some voters there asked for curbside voting as an option, arguing it would be safer because of COVID-19, with the high court ruled 5-3 and siding with state Republicans who opposed that change. CNN's Kristen Holmes joins me now. Kristen, the Alabama case, one of many, where people are saying, let's expand voting in a lot of states, especially Republican states are fighting back.</s>KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. I mean, the thing about the Alabama law is that it doesn't call for or prohibit curbside voting. And, in fact, counties in past elections have used this system now during a pandemic at a time there are vulnerable people who might not be able to wait in long lines in a state where they don't require you to wear a fake mask, the Republican secretary of state banned counties from allowing any sort of curbside voting. A judge, a lower court judge had said they should allow it, now the Supreme Court ruling in favor again of this Republican secretary of state. And the really important thing to note here is that breakdown. You said 5-3, and it is the conservative-leaning judges in the majority. And as we start talking about Amy Coney Barrett, her advancement towards the nomination, and her confirmation, excuse me, this is likely what we're going to see more of is these conservative majority particularly when it comes to these election cases.</s>KING: Kristen Holmes for us, thank you so much. Kristen, thank you. Judge Amy Coney Barrett, as Kristen just mentioned, she is now one step away for a lifetime slot on the Supreme Court. The Senate Judiciary voting 12-0 this morning to send the Barrett nomination to the full Senate. The full Senate plans to vote Monday on President Trump's choice to fill the seat, of course, of the late liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The committee has 22 members, but Democrats boycotted the session this morning because they this vacancy should be filled by the winner of the presidential election. CNN's Manu Raju tracking this for us now on Capitol Hill. Republicans promised a fast track, Manu, and they are delivering.</s>MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they do. And, look, this is a very fast moving nomination. Typically, it takes between two to three months to advance the Supreme Court nomination. Here, they are doing it in just over a month's time. And this comes, of course, despite their own position back in 2016 when they refused to move on Barack Obama's nomination to the Supreme Court because they said eight months before an election was too close. But, nevertheless, the Republicans have the numbers, they moved ahead today. And Lindsey Graham, the chairman of the committee, said before the committee approved the vote with 12 Republican senators and no Democrats present, he argued that it was the Democrats who started all this back in 2013 when the Democrats at the time changed the rules to allow appellate court judges and other judges to move forward by simple majority rather than super majority of 60 senators. And he said, Democrats are coming to regret it.</s>SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): I remember telling Senator Schumer, you'll regret this. Today, he will regret it. All I can say is that Judge Gorsuch was filibustered two or three times, requiring us to change the rules. They started this, not me. If it were up to me, it would be a 60-vote requirement in the Senate today.</s>RAJU: So, after the Democrats made that move, of course, John, in 2013, then the Republicans in 2017, when President Trump was in office, they changed the filibuster rules again, removing it for Supreme Court nominees. So that's why Supreme Court nominees can advance by just the majority party support in the Senate rather than getting bipartisan support. So that's why the president has Justice Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, soon will have Amy Coney Barrett on the court, where she will be confirmed on a party line vote on Monday, despite the Democrats' protest here, John.</s>KING: So, Manu, giant consequences for the court here, 6-3 conservative majority, also political ripples out of those hearings. A lot of progressives are furious that the leading Democrat on the committee, Dianne Feinstein, they believe she wasn't tough enough, she wasn't strong enough, and then in the end, she offered a heap of praise on Chairman Graham, even a hug in these coronavirus times. And so one of the questions is, Chairman Graham is in a tight re- election battle, does that help him, Dianne Feinstein's praise?</s>RAJU: Yes. Look, that was one of the reasons why Democrats were so upset. Not only do they think that she lent legitimacy to a process that they are considering illegitimate, but also because Lindsey Graham is neck and neck in South Carolina against Democrat Jaime Harrison. And he is using the Judge Amy Coney Barrett proceedings central to his re-election campaign at the moment. Now, I just asked Lindsey Graham whether or not he would use Feinstein's remarks praising his stewardship of the committee as part of a campaign ad going forward. And he said, no. No, I'm not going to do that. He said, he and Feinstein are on polar opposite issues, but he will not use her praise as part of his re-election campaign and, of course, that praise where she did say, these are the best hearings that I have sat through, has had such an impact among Democrats. Some Democrats want her gone as a top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and their party takes the Senate in the fall, she would be chairman of the committee next Congress. But uncertain if she will get that position. Chuck Schumer, John, the top Democrat, has not yet said if he has confidence in her remaining in the top post, that he's had conversations with her. So while Democrats are concerned about it, Republicans like Lindsey Graham are defending her. John?</s>KING: That political fallout will continue for some time, as you rightly note. Manu Raju live on Capitol Hill, grateful for the live reporting there. Just ahead for us, it is debate night in America. President Trump, Joe Biden on the stage in Tennessee, perhaps the president's final big chance to turn around the campaign dynamic.

Obama Delivers Rebuke of Trump on Eve of Debate; Biden Has Cash Advantage Over Trump in Final Weeks.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Wherever you are around the world, thanks for joining us. I'm John Vause. And coming up this hour on CNN NEWSROOM, could this be the October surprise? U.S. security officials announced they have evidence Iran and Russia are attempting to influence the presidential election, now less than two weeks away.</s>BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The job doesn't work that way. Tweeting at the television doesn't fix things.</s>VAUSE (voice-over): Barack Obama making the case why his former V.P. should be the next president, with a blistering takedown of Donald Trump on everything, from a failed pandemic response to his failure as a business man. And later, a CNN investigation into a bizarre conspiracy theory about the origins of the coronavirus, embraced by supporters and allies of President Trump.</s>VAUSE: In a sudden announcement Wednesday night in Washington, senior national security officials issued an urgent warning about foreign interference in the upcoming U.S. presidential election. The Director of National Intelligence, John Ratcliffe, appeared alongside FBI director Christopher Wray and said both Iran and Russia had obtained voter registration information, which was being used by Iran in particular to send fake and threatening emails to Democrats in four states. One mass email claims to be from the far-right pro-Trump group called the Proud Boys and warned, "Vote for Trump or else." Ratcliffe says the emails were intended to damage Donald Trump, notably there were few with any details on Russian attempts to influence voters.</s>JOHN RATCLIFFE, DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: We are not going to tolerate foreign interference in our elections or any criminal activity that threatens the sanctity of your vote or undermines public confidence in the outcome of the election. When we see indications of foreign interference or federal election crimes, we're going to aggressively investigate and work with our partners to quickly take appropriate action.</s>VAUSE: But congressional Democrats and a number of former intelligence individuals are taking issue with reckless claims that Iran is trying to damage the president. The Homeland Security Committee tweeted, "Do not listen to Ratcliffe. Partisan hack." And here is former deputy FBI director Andrew McCabe.</s>ANDREW MCCABE, FORMER DEPUTY DIRECTOR, FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION: The intelligence community doesn't come out with an official analytical judgment along the lines of, "The Iranians were trying to hurt President Trump," without rock-solid evidence to prove that. And we got none of that evidence tonight from DNI Ratcliffe, who has proven himself to be a overtly political influence on the intelligence process with the things that he's been involved in over the last couple of weeks, releasing intelligence for political purposes. So it's hard to imagine how the two instances he cited in his comments actually hurt President Trump. Also he said that there was indications that Iran had a video, that implied that people could cast fraudulent ballots from overseas. That also supports a main line of President Trump's argument, that the election could be replete with fraud. So I'm not buying it at this point. I think we should all kind of have a skeptical eye at that until we see some proof.</s>VAUSE: The final presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden is just hours away. The Democrat, Joe Biden, has been off the campaign trail, preparing for that debate. But in his place, the Democrats have deployed one of the biggest hitters, former president Barack Obama. He launched a blistering attack on Donald Trump on Wednesday in Pennsylvania.</s>OBAMA: Tweeting at the television doesn't fix things. Making stuff up doesn't make people's lives better. You've got to have a plan. You've got to put in the work.</s>OBAMA: And along with the experience to get things done, Joe Biden has concrete plans and policies. We literally left this White House a pandemic playbook that would have shown them how to respond before the virus reached our shores. They probably used it to, I don't know, prop up a wobbly table somewhere. We don't know where that playbook went. Donald Trump isn't suddenly going to protect all of us. He can't even take the basic steps to protect himself.</s>VAUSE: A new CNN poll shows Biden leading Trump in Pennsylvania by 10 points. It's an important swing state that Trump carried four years ago. For more, here's CNN's Jeff Zeleny.</s>JEFF ZELENY, CNN SNR. WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Former President Barack Obama delivering one of the most mocking and blistering assessments of his successor. Coming out on the campaign trail for the first time this year, certainly touting Joe Biden but making more of an effort to say why Donald Trump does not deserve a second term in office. Talking first and foremost about coronavirus and the Trump administration's handling of the virus, saying the president did not take it seriously, saying that the mask mandate is something that should have been done and also talking about how other countries around the world did, indeed, handle this better than the United States did. Now from there, the former president went on to really deliver a broadside against President Trump, making fun of how he has conducted himself in office. Also talking about the exhaustion factor, just the day in and day out -- a sense, the former president said, look, this is not a reality show; this is reality. But at the end of the speech, some more than 30 minutes or so, delivered in Philadelphia, Mr. Obama also talked to Democrats directly, delivering some tough medicine to them, saying, four years ago, many Democrats thought Hillary Clinton would defeat Donald Trump. That didn't happen. So he called on Democrats to not be lazy, to not be complacent and he urged them to come out and vote. This is the first of many stops that former president Obama is going to be making in the next two weeks. Certainly making the case against Donald Trump and for Joe Biden. Back to you.</s>VAUSE: Donald Trump tried to brush off Obama's attack. In North Carolina, he told supporters it's actually good for him that Obama is out campaigning for Biden.</s>TRUMP: President Obama is campaigning for Sleepy Joe Biden. And I said, ha, that's good news or bad news? Tell me, are you saying it's good or it's bad? Well, I guess, it's good. No, it's good. There was nobody that campaigned harder for Crooked Hillary Clinton than Obama, right? He was all over the place. The only one more unhappy than Crooked Hillary that night was Barack Hussein Obama.</s>VAUSE: New rules will be in place for the next presidential debate on Thursday. After the Dumpster fire of the first debate, when President Trump repeatedly interrupted, heckled and talked over Joe Biden, the presidential debate commission has decided each candidate's microphone will be muted for the two minutes allotted to their opponent to respond to a question from the moderator. Last time, Trump came off as an abrasive bully. Campaign advisers are hoping he can lower the temperature and show a little restraint this time. Joe Biden has spent the last few days off the campaign trail and prepping.</s>JOE BIDEN (D-DE), FORMER U.S. VICE PRESIDENT AND PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think it's a good idea. I think there should be more limitations on us not interrupting one another. If you noticed last time, according to Chris Wallace, he interrupted the president and me 148 times, I think that's right. He interrupted -- Mike -- the president interrupted the Mike -- I mean, excuse me -- Chris Wallace and me 148 times. And so I hope he's going to come prepared to talk about what he's for. But my guess is he's kind of signaling it as, oh, it's going to be about personal attacks.</s>VAUSE: Former ABC News anchor Carole Simpson is the first woman and the first African American to moderate a presidential debate. She joins us now on the line from Washington. Ms. Simpson, it is a real pleasure to speak with. You thanks for being with us.</s>CAROLE SIMPSON, FORMER ABC NEWS ANCHOR: Thank you. It's a pleasure to be. Here</s>VAUSE: OK, it's notable that you were the first moderator of a new experimental town hall format and Thursday's debate will be a first as well. There's this new rule about muting microphones, at least for the first 2 minutes of a response to a question. After that, Trump will be free to interrupt as much as he wants. But what does it say to you that these -- this measure is needed right now? What does it say to you about where this country is, not just politically but just in terms of the division and people willing to listen to those with opposing views?</s>SIMPSON: John, it says we are in a mess.</s>SIMPSON: The second debate, the town hall, was canceled. Trump did what Trump does and that is not follow rules and play things his own way. So they had to institute this turning off of the microphones for 2 minutes. But realize each candidate will have 2 minutes so that's 4 minutes.</s>SIMPSON: And then the question will continue with debate amongst themselves for another 11 minutes. So anything could happen in that 11 minutes. He's going to be interrupting.</s>SIMPSON: They will be yelling at each other again. I expect another rambunctious. Debate</s>VAUSE: Rambunctious is a good word.</s>SIMPSON: Yes.</s>VAUSE: Donald Trump, as expected, is no fan of these changes. He made that known on Wednesday. Listen to this.</s>TRUMP: Oh, I think the mute is very unfair. And I think it's very bad that they're not talking about foreign affairs. And I think that the anchor is a very biased person. Her parents are very biased.</s>VAUSE: Well, the moderator is Kristen Welker of NBC News.</s>SIMPSON: -- it took 28 years but we have another one. And I'm really concerned about her because, as hard as she is on women in general, on Black women, he's twice as hard. And I'm concerned that he will get her rattled by saying something off-color, off-color. And I wish for her to be able to handle this and not be upset by his rhetoric, because I think he's going to try to rattle her and make her look bad, as he will be trying to do to Joe Biden.</s>VAUSE: Back in 1992, during the town hall, which you moderated, the biggest gaffe was I think from president George H.W. Bush. He already seemed pretty bored by it all when he was shown on camera, checking his watch for the time. This was the town hall when the president admitted he did not know the price of a gallon of milk, added to this whole image of a man who is out of touch. In terms of gaffes and controversy, that seems so tame compared to everything that we've seen in the Trump era.</s>SIMPSON: Exactly, from "shut up" and "idiot" and "clown" and all the words that were used. You just can't -- it would look like a kindergarten brawl rather than two men who would lead the free world, nation. It's sad.</s>VAUSE: Here's how CBS News reported on your debate back in 1992. The town hall star presidential debate began as a nerve-wracking experiment in live television. Moderator Carole Simpson was so nervous about turning over the microphone to regular folks, she spent days mapping out the presidential candidates and their issues on index cards, just in case."</s>VAUSE: Now we know the town hall style is part of the tradition and, in some ways, it's preferable. But what's your advice? You said that Kristen Welker, you're worried about her. What's the advice for her to keep this all under control?</s>SIMPSON: She has got to maintain her cool. And sometimes that's very hard to do when someone attacks you personally. But that would be the advice that I would give her. Be stalwart, do her job. don't let him get to you and demonstrate that you are a good moderator and that you will work</s>VAUSE: It's simple, advice it's good advice but it's also a pretty high bar, to stay cool in the face of a Trump tirade.</s>SIMPSON: It sure is. It sure is. I don't know what I'd do.</s>VAUSE: Well, you have played your role already and it was. Great and thank so much for being with us. We appreciate it.</s>SIMPSON: Thank you. Bye-bye.</s>VAUSE: Cheers. CNN's coverage of the presidential debate begins at 7 pm Eastern on Thursday, Friday morning in much of the world. It will replay at 8 am in London, 11 am in Abu Dhabi, 3 pm in Hong Kong. Set your DVRs and --</s>VAUSE: Using data from Johns Hopkins University and the World Health Organization, a CNN analysis has identified both Belgium and the Czech Republic with the highest number of new cases worldwide for COVID-19 per capita. With that comes new restrictions. Czechs will be forced to stay indoors, allowed to leave only when absolutely necessary. The government's ban on free movement begins in just a few hours from now and it will last to November 3rd. Rome is joining the list of European capitals with nightly curfews, which will run from midnight to 5 am starting Saturday and for the next 30 days. That comes as Italy reports more than 100 coronavirus deaths in a single day for the first time since May. Ireland now has the strictest lockdown in Europe. The country went into a level 5 just a few hours ago in what officials call a deteriorating situation with COVID-19. CNN's Nic Robertson explains what people in Ireland can expect for the next six weeks.</s>NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Ireland's new lockdown, stick and carrot.</s>MICHEAL MARTIN, IRISH TAOISEACH: If we pull together over the next 6 weeks, we will have the opportunity to celebrate Christmas in a meaningful way.</s>ROBERTSON (voice-over): Infections spiking to levels not seen since the pandemic struck in March. Now tougher new measures, backed by new fines to beat back the virus.</s>MARTIN: There should be no social or family gatherings in homes or gardens. Only essential retail may remain open. Everyone in the country has been asked to stay home, with exercise permitted within a 5-kilometer radius of your home.</s>ROBERTSON (voice-over): Restrictions also include working from home, for all but essential workers; bars and restaurants to open only for take away service. The list of what's off limits is long; exceptions for weddings and funerals, 25 people max, and for schools and child care.</s>MARTIN: This is necessary, because we cannot and will not allow our children and young people's futures to be another victim of this disease.</s>ROBERTSON (voice-over): Martin's predecessor, now his governing coalition partner, Leo Varadkar, predicts as many as 150,000 jobs are at risk. Retail expecting some of the biggest hits.</s>JOHN FARRINGTON, ANTIQUE STORE OWNER: It's devastating to see us in lockdown again for another six weeks during our busiest lineup for the Christmas period.</s>ROBERTSON (voice-over): Frustrations here, the government is mismanaging this COVID crisis.</s>SHAY HOWLIN, "FUN PLACE": I was hoping that, maybe, common sense would prevail, because, from our point of view, we feel retail is a very safe environment.</s>ROBERTSON (voice-over): And in Parliament, too, the PM taking heat from the opposition over recently discovered track and trace failures.</s>MARY LOU MCDONALD, SINN FEIN PRESIDENT: The system collapsed over the weekend. I think that is extremely alarming, happening as it does, on the eve of us moving into another lockdown. We need to come out of this six-week experience with a state-of-the-art, gold standard testing and tracing system.</s>ROBERTSON (voice-over): National infection rates are midrange for Europe but some areas, like Cavan, in the dark red, are on par with Europe's worst. If the lockdown stick fails, the PM's Christmas carrot will taste very bitter -- Nic Robertson, CNN, London.</s>VAUSE: Still to come, a volunteer in a human trial for a coronavirus vaccine has died. What we know, what we don't know and more on why total transparency from the drugmaker is absolutely crucial.

Bannon Behind Shoddy Research about Coronavirus Origin; Army Kills Protestors in Nigeria

VAUSE: According to one very popular conspiracy theory, the carnivorous was created in a Chinese lab as a bioweapon. While there's no actual proof or evidence or even evidence of possible evidence, the theory has been embraced by many allies and supporters of the U.S. president. Not only do experts say the science doesn't hold up, but the theory has a direct link to one of Trump's biggest backers. Here's Drew Griffin with a CNN exclusive investigation.</s>DREW GRIFFIN, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is a right-wing-fueled conspiracy theories pushed to millions of Americans.</s>TUCKER CARLSON, FOX NEWS HOST: Li Meng Yan.</s>GRIFFIN: Dr. Li Meng Yan, a Chinese scientist in hiding but appearing everywhere on right-wing media, and claiming her two research papers prove the virus that causes COVID-19 was created in a Chinese lab and is a Chinese bioweapon.</s>DR. LI MENG YAN, VIROLOGIST: It is a modern bioweapon in an unrestricted way.</s>GRIFFIN: But a CNN investigation has found shoddy citations, questionable sourcing, and so many scientists who say it's bunk, Yan's paper is not a credible scientific work. But it is directly linked to one of Donald Trump's former top strategists: Steve Bannon.</s>STEVE BANNON, FORMER CHIEF STRATEGIST TO DONALD TRUMP: Do you believe that a super spreader or something was actually set and somehow has been focused on the White House or focused on President Trump?</s>MILES GUO, EXILED CHINESE BILLIONAIRE: One hundred percent!</s>GRIFFIN: That "100 percent" comes from Chinese billionaire in exile Miles Guo, who's using his money and Bannon's media expertise to try to discredit the Chinese government. Bannon and Guo appear together on Bannon's podcast, fill the pages of a website called G News, and began two non-profits together: the Rule of Law Society and the Rule of Law Foundation. These are the groups who say they support Dr. Li Meng Yan and appear on the top of her research reports. Columbia University virologist Angela Rasmussen says the papers are scientific junk.</s>ANGELA RASMUSSEN, VIROLOGIST, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: Anybody with an actual background in virology or molecular biology who reads this paper will realize that much of it is actually nonsense.</s>GRIFFIN: CNN spoke to a half dozen scientists who say Yan's papers are filled with half-truths, not scientifically tenable. One who even met with Yan and said her first study wasn't plausible. University of Michigan professor Anna Mapp says the paper lacked a basic obligation to scientific practices.</s>ANGELA MAPP, PROFESSOR OF CHEMICAL BIOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN: I was also really disturbed to see such a shoddy piece of work.</s>GRIFFIN: And CNN could find no trace of Yan's three coauthors in the U.S. or China. Yan didn't respond to tell us why, but a source tells us that those three co-authors are pseudonyms for U.S.-based Chinese scientists who fear using their own names. But the source offered no proof. Miles Guo told us Yan's work is Yan's work, "independent of any editorial control by me." Steve Bannon offered no response. Yet there is more about Yan's work. Some of the sources of her research appear not to be credible. Amanda Peiffer, who's getting a Ph.D. in chemical biology, first alerted CNN to issues with the citations at the very end of Yan's paper.</s>AMANDA PEIFFER, PH.D. CANDIDATE: People who aren't experts, people who aren't scientists, people who really haven't done anything. These are not coming from credible sources. I think that's really concerning.</s>GRIFFIN: A CNN analysis finds Yan's citations include a paper that appeared only as a post on a LinkedIn; a report written by a person that CNN cannot locate, running a company that does not seem to exist. Three of the citations that link to posts on a website opposed to genetically modified food. Then there is citation 23, which links to anonymous blog posts published back in March. Parts of Yan's papers appear to be pulled directly from these anonymous blogs. (on camera): I don't want to copied and pasted, but it almost has that same effect.</s>PEIFFER: They took the exact same figures, the exact same phrasing and the exact same captions, and put those into the report that was Yan's paper. And that -- that does not happen in science.</s>GRIFFIN (voice-over): And guess where one of those blogs first appeared months before Yan's paper? G News, the disinformation news site linked to Steve Bannon and Miles Guo.</s>RASMUSSEN: And as much as I hate to think of the idea of competent scientists using their work for political propaganda, to me, that's what this seems to be.</s>GRIFFIN: Drew Griffin, CNN, Atlanta.</s>VAUSE: The company that makes oxycontin has agreed to a guilty plea to criminal charges for its role in the U.S. opioid crisis. Purdue Pharma is unable to pay more than $8 billion in fines and penalties, which means the company will be shut down, its assets used to create a new company designed to benefit the American public. Oxycontin is a powerful painkiller at the center of the opioid crisis. U.S. officials say 450,000 people died from opioid overdoses in 10 years between 1999 and 2009.</s>JEFFREY ROSEN, DEPUTY U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: So today's announcement involves one of the most important participants in the supply chain of prescription opioids at the manufacturer level. And a resolution which, if approved by the court, will redress past wrongs and will also provide extraordinary new resources for the treatment and care of those affected by opioids addiction.</s>VAUSE: Some U.S. states, though, are objecting to the settlement, saying the U.S. government should not be in the business of selling oxycontin. Nigeria's largest city and several states are under curfews after a night of violence. Witnesses say army soldiers shot and killed peaceful demonstrators on Tuesday. Their lifeless bodies were then dragged away. CNN's Stephanie Busari reports.</s>STEPHANIE BUSARI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Gunshots ring out in a wealthy suburb of Lagos, Africa's largest city. The target? Young Nigerians who had been protesting peacefully against police brutality in the country for close to two weeks. Eyewitnesses tell CNN that military trucks barricaded them and started shooting from both sides, hitting multiple demonstrators. The Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has appealed for peace and said only one person has been confirmed dead so far, contrary to what witnesses have told</s>CNN. BABAJIDE SANWO-OLU, LAGOS STATE GOVERNMENT: I want to plea to the parents. I want to appeal to guardians. I want to appeal to our citizens, especially our youths, that I am for you. I am with you. I feel the pain, and I understand that, indeed, you are not happy with that what the turn of events happened last night.</s>BUSARI: The military has also taken to social media to cry fake news. So far, 15 people have died since the protests started earlier this month, according to Amnesty International. Police turned water cannons, tear gas, and live ammunition on protesters earlier on in the marches in the capital city of Abuja. But in the streets of Lagos this morning, there was shock and anger as the city comes to terms with a night of violence.</s>ANTHONY EHIS, LAGOS RESIDENT: We are</s>ISAH ALIU, LAGOS RESIDENT: The youths are really, really angry. So I'm pleading to the federal government that they should try all their possible best. Let the president come and address the country.</s>BUSARI: Stephanie Busari, CNN.</s>VAUSE: Just ahead, Pope Francis making history again, sending some chills through conservatives at the Vatican with comments about same- sex couples. Details when we come back.

Pope Endorses Civil Union Laws for Same- Sex Couples

VAUSE: Pope Francis is the first pontiff to endorse civil union for same-sex couples. The Catholic News Agency reports his support came in a documentary called "Francisco." The film premiered in Rome on Wednesday. Celia [SIC] -- CNN's Delia Gallagher has more.</s>DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Pope Francis has declared support for same-sex civil unions in a new documentary released in Rome on Wednesday. According to the Catholic News Agency, in that documentary, the pope said, "Homosexual people have a right to be in a family. They're children of God and have a right to a family. What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered." Now in past interviews, Francis has suggested that he is not necessarily against civil unions, but this is the first time as pope that he has come out directly in support of them. Indeed, when he was archbishop in Buenos Aires, he advocated for civil unions over same-sex marriage at a time when Argentina was discussing the legalization of same-sex marriage. And Francis's comments represent a departure from the position of his predecessors, John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, who were against the legalization of same-sex unions. Delia Gallagher, CNN, Rome.</s>VAUSE: Many church conservatives are asking the pope to explain how his comments comply with Catholic doctrine, which opposes gay marriage. Others, though, have welcomed the pope's stand. The Irish prime minister, Micheal Martin, says it's an example of "momentous leadership" that he hopes will lead to "change throughout the church." Here's Father James Martin. He's a Jesuit priest, like Francis.</s>FATHER JAMES MARTIN, JESUIT PRIEST: I think he's creating a new space for LGBT people. There is a 2003 document from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith against same-sex unions, and the pope is obviously saying he sees things a little differently. It is -- it's momentous, because he's saying it as pope. He said it before as archbishop of Buenos Aires. He's saying it on the record, and he's being very clear. It's not simply he's tolerating it. He's supporting it.</s>VAUSE: More history from the pope. And we'll have more news for you in about 15 minutes. In the meantime, I'm John Vause. WORLD SPORT is up next.

Obama Goes after Trump in Sharpest Attacks Yet; "The New York Times": Trump Has Chinese Bank Account; Feds Say Russia and Iran Have Interfered with the Presidential Election; Trump Remains Strong among High-Income White Males.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): A presidential showdown: former President Barack Obama delivered a scathing takedown of U.S. president Donald Trump. But Trump says Obama on the trail for Biden helps his campaign. We will discuss. Plus, a second wave of COVID-19 cases surge across Europe. Ireland becomes the first E.U. country to revert back to a full lockdown. We will have the latest. Then a CNN exclusive: Russia declared itself the first country to approve a COVID-19 vaccine in August. But CNN has learned of new details that indicate concerns raised about the vaccine's safety and efficacy were justified. Hello and welcome to our viewers, joining us from all around the world, I'm Rosemary Church and this is CNN NEWSROOM.</s>CHURCH: Good to have you with us. Well, 12 days until Election Day here in the United States and there is new evidence of foreign interference. Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe says Iran and Russia have gotten their hands on your U.S. registration data and could use it to sow chaos and undermine confidence in American democracy. We get details from CNN's Evan Perez.</s>EVAN PEREZ, CNN U.S. JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: U.S. intelligence officials say Iran and Russia have obtained U.S. voter registration information in an effort to interfere in the election. Officials say Iran is behind intimidating emails received by voters around the country and purporting to come from the right wing group known as Proud Boys, associated with supporters of President Trump. The emails telling people to vote for President Trump were spoofs and appear to be designed to pit Americans against each other. Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe tried to reassure the voters that the intelligence and law enforcement agencies are working to ensure that votes won't be compromised.</s>JOHN RATCLIFFE, U.S. DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: We will not tolerate foreign interference in our elections. And we will continue to work with our many partners to disrupt and to impose costs and consequences on any adversary that attempts to interfere in our democratic processes.</s>PEREZ: Officials say that Russia has obtained some of the same data but officials don't know what the Russians are attempted to do with that information in the coming weeks. In recent months, officials say Russia has been waging a campaign to help Trump's reelection and spreading disinformation about fraud in the U.S. elections amplifying some of the fears that are fanned by the president himself. FBI director Chris Wray had told voters that those concerns about fraud are bogus.</s>CHRISTOPHER WRAY, FBI DIRECTOR: We've been working for years as a community to build resilience in our election infrastructure and today that infrastructure remains resilient. You should be confident that your vote counts. Early, unverified claims to the contrary should be viewed with a healthy dose of skepticism.</s>PEREZ: U.S. officials in recent days have warned states and vendors that supply their voting systems to patch vulnerabilities after detecting intrusions -- Evan Perez. CNN, Washington.</s>CHURCH: Iran is rejecting the accusation that it's interfering in the U.S. election. A diplomat at the U.N. calls the charges "a desperate attempt by the U.S. government to undermine confidence in its own election." There is a question, now, about President Trump's confidence in FBI director Christopher Wray. "The Washington Post" reports that Mr. Trump is considering firing him because Wray hasn't indicated that Joe Biden, his son, Hunter, or other people linked to the Bidens are under investigation. CNN's Anderson Cooper asked former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe what would happen if Wray is fired after the election.</s>ANDREW MCCABE, FORMER DEPUTY DIRECTOR, FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION: If there is a second Trump term, and if he decides to fire Director Wray, the question is, who does he bring in behind Chris Wray? We have seen a steady decline in talent and ethics, quite frankly, of the people who President Trump has put into positions.</s>CHURCH: And we will just have to wait and see if the issue of election interference comes up at the final presidential debate, now just hours away. But a new CNN poll shows a tight race in the key battleground state of Florida; Democrat Joe Biden holds a 4-point lead.</s>CHURCH: But that is within the margin of error. It's a different story, though, in Pennsylvania, where Biden leads by 10 points. Both candidates have been campaigning hard to win the state, which Mr. Trump carried four years ago. More than 40 million Americans have already voted. That's about 30 percent of the total votes cast back in 2016. Former U.S. president Barack Obama was in Pennsylvania Wednesday with a blistering rebuke of President Trump's policies. He questioned Mr. Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic and even took a jab at the shrinking ratings for his speeches and town halls. Here is more of what he had to say.</s>BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And with Joe and Kamala at the helm, you are not going to have to think about the crazy things they said every day. You'll be able to go about your lives knowing that the president is not going to retweet conspiracy theories about secret cabals running the world or that Navy SEALs didn't actually kill bin Laden. Think about that. The president of the United States re-tweeted that.</s>CHURCH: Donald Trump tried to brush off those harsh words from Barack Obama. He told supporters in North Carolina, it's good for him that Obama is campaigning for Biden.</s>TRUMP: President Obama is campaigning for Sleepy Joe Biden. And I said, ha, that's good news or bad news? Tell me, are you saying it's good or it's bad? Well, I guess, it's good. No, it's good. There was nobody that campaigned harder for Crooked Hillary Clinton than Obama, right? He was all over the place. The only one more unhappy than Crooked Hillary that night was Barack Hussein Obama.</s>CHURCH: The former head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration predictions the U.S. is about one week away from a rapid acceleration in new coronavirus cases. More than 222,000 Americans have already died since the pandemic began and many states are now seeing alarming spikes in hospitalizations. Yet President Trump says he does not think he'd handle the crisis any differently if given the chance again. And we get more now from CNN's Jim Acosta.</s>JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: With the coronavirus surge blanketing the U.S. president Trump insists he has no regrets when it comes to his handling of the pandemic telling the Trump friendly program "America This Week" on Sinclair television, he wouldn't change much.</s>ERIC BOLLING, SINCLAIR TV HOST: With COVID, is there anything that you think you could have done differently? If you had a mulligan or a do over on one aspect of the way he handled it, what would it be?</s>TRUMP: Not much. Look, it's all over the world. You have a lot of great leaders. There's a lot of smart people, too all over the world</s>ACOSTA: Trying to switch subjects the president is raging out at a different T.V. show, "60 Minutes," tweeting out photos of his recent interview with Lesley Stahl, who grilled Mr. Trump on his COVID-19 response and other matters before he stormed off. The president this morning over Twitter, "I am pleased to inform you that for the sake of accuracy and reporting, I am considering posting my interview with Lesley Stahl of '60 Minutes' prior to airtime. This will be done so that everybody can get a glimpse of what a fake unbiased interview is all about."</s>MARK MEADOWS, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: I've looked at every single minute of the interview and then some. We have tape of every single minute. Listen, when you have a "60 Minutes" reporter, they should be a reporter, not an opinion journalist. And she came across more like an opinion journalist than a real reporter. Journalism should have standards. And we need to get to the bottom up. So I think the American people will be able to see it.</s>ACOSTA: For the president, the last two weeks of the campaign have become a journey into Mr. Trump's grievance filled psyche as he is making up accusations about upcoming debate moderator Kristen Welker, a well-respected NBC News journalist.</s>TRUMP: In fact that Kristen Welker is, you know, a dyed in the wool radical left Democrat or whatever she is.</s>ACOSTA: And alleging Dr. Anthony Fauci is a Democrat when he's not registered with a political party.</s>TRUMP: The only thing I say is, he's a little bit sometimes not a team player. But he is a Democrat and I think that he's just fine.</s>ACOSTA: And calling Democrat Joe Biden all sorts of things without any proof.</s>TRUMP: Joe Biden is a criminal and he's been a criminal for a long time.</s>ACOSTA: Down in the polls, the president sounds like he's laying the groundwork for blaming the virus if he loses.</s>TRUMP: Because, you know, before the plague came in, I had it made. I wasn't coming to Erie. I mean, I have to be honest, there's no way I was coming. I didn't have to. We had this thing won. We were so far up. We had the greatest economy ever, greatest jobs, greatest everything. And then we got hit with the plague.</s>ACOSTA: Away from the virus critical questions are emerging about the president's finances. As the New York Times reported, Mr. Trump has had a bank account in China where he's paid taxes in recent years.</s>MEADOWS: Most the time, those accounts whether they exist or not, I don't know. I haven't talked to the president about that.</s>MEADOWS: Normally, those are more operational for the region.</s>ACOSTA: Biden remains in debate prep, allowing former President Barack Obama to get out to vote.</s>BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Can you imagine if I had a secret Chinese bank account when I was running for reelection? You think FOX News might have been a little concerned about that? They would've called me Beijing Barry.</s>ACOSTA: Administration officials tell CNN before Mr. Trump started trashing Dr. Fauci this week as a "disaster," the two men did speak during the president's recovery from COVID-19. Following that discussion between Mr. Trump and Fauci, White House officials also in touch with the doctor about last week's town hall -- Jim Acosta, CNN, Nashville, Tennessee.</s>CHURCH: Joining me now from Oxford, England, Thomas Gift is the director of the University College London Centre for Politics. Good to have you with us.</s>THOMAS GIFT, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON: Good morning, Rosemary.</s>CHURCH: The big news of the day, former President Barack Obama hitting the campaign trail for Joe Biden and, in a rare move, attacking Donald Trump, calling him incompetent for his handling of the pandemic, labeling him a liar, also saying he paid more taxes to China than his own country. The president responded, saying this helps rather than hurts his cause. How might this change the trajectory of the election, of course, the tone of Thursday's debate?</s>GIFT: Obama's critiques aren't entirely different from what we saw from him in 2016, when he campaigned for Hillary Clinton. Four years ago, for example, Obama lashed out at Trump for lacking basic honesty. The presumed risk is that there's generally a norm against former presidents criticizing their successors. Yet, even as Obama ratchets up the tone, it's hard to see that strategy backfiring. Not only does Obama still maintain fairly high popularity but Trump has also repeatedly challenged well-established norms, governing this course in decorum in American campaigns. And he has certainly taken his fair share of shots against Obama. So I think it's hard for Trump boosters to turn around and then convincingly take issue with Obama for a mildly veiled rebuke of the president. So all in all, I think this is just kind of politics as normal.</s>CHURCH: That's a surprise.</s>CHURCH: So what do the two candidates need to achieve in Thursday's debate, to sway undecided voters? And how might Donald Trump's reluctance to accept the muted microphone impact the evening, do you think?</s>GIFT: Well, I think that many Americans are actually thinking that the country would be better off if it turned down the collective volume of politics generally in the U.S. So maybe there's an underlying metaphor there. In terms of the debate, I think that the mute button could avoid the problem of Trump talking over Biden and lead to a more coherent discussion about the issues. Yet, even though there is supposed to be some back and forth, I think the risk is that this kind of turns the evening into a joint press conference, where the candidates aren't really able to engage each other and then it becomes more scripted. Trump has complained that the format is biased against him. But the mute button may actually help Trump, I think, by kind of restraining him from some of his impulses that led to criticism of his performance in the first debate.</s>CHURCH: Yes, of, course they will still be able to hear each other. We won't hear that discussion but they will. So let's turn to two new CNN polls for the critical states of Pennsylvania and Florida. Joe Biden has a 10-point lead over Donald Trump in Pennsylvania, 53 percent to Trump's 43 percent. In Florida, there's no clear leader when you consider the margin of error, Biden at 50 percent, Trump at 46 percent. But what do these numbers tell you about this very tight race? And where does it leave the path to victory for both candidates?</s>GIFT: Rosemary, a notable aspect of this election is how resilient Biden's lead has been over the last several months. That's actually an aberration, compared to most election years, including in 2016, when the gap between Clinton and Trump narrowed multiple times in the run- up to Election Day. Right now the polls in several swing states, as you know, including Florida with its 29 electoral votes, is clearly motivation that the Biden team will use to remind voters that they cannot be complacent. For Trump's part, I think news of tightening polls is encouraging but the campaign still has to be concerned that, given the economic downturn, the ongoing challenges with COVID-19 and so on, conventional wisdom has to be that many late-breaking voters will swing against the incumbent. So I guess we will see how that turns out next in the next couple of weeks.</s>CHURCH: And I just wanted to quickly ask you this, because we did see a hastily arranged press conference on the eve of the debate. The Director of National Intelligence claiming both Iran and Russia have obtained U.S. voter registration information in an effort to interfere in this U.S. election. Now this came on the night Barack Obama hit the campaign trail. What did you make of the timing and content of this news conference?</s>GIFT: It's really hard to know. This is kind of a broader issue about ensuring the integrity of American campaigns, that it has gone back to 2016. I'm not really sure about the politics, is kind of the short answer of it. Maybe it's coincidental. Maybe this is very deliberate in terms of the timing. It's hard to kind of give a clear answer to that question, simply because I think that there are still so many unknowns.</s>CHURCH: Fair enough. Thomas Gift, thank you so much for talking with us. We appreciate it.</s>GIFT: Thank you, Rosemary.</s>CHURCH: Be sure to stay with CNN as we get ready for the final debate of the U.S. presidential election. Our coverage begins at 7 pm Eastern time on Thursday in the U.S. That is Friday morning, of course, in much of the rest of the world. Still to come, the toughest new coronavirus restrictions in Europe now in effect. We will find out how tightly Ireland is locking down and for how long. And why Russia is lagging behind other countries in the race to develop a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine. An exclusive report on Russia's critical phase 3 trial. That is next.

Ireland Imposes Strictest Lockdown in Europe; Tests of New Russian COVID-19 Vaccine Moving Slowly; FDA Chief: No Timeline for a Vaccine

CHURCH: Ireland now has the strictest lockdown in Europe. The country went to level 5 just a few hours ago in what officials call a deteriorating situation with COVID-19. CNN's Nic Robertson explains what people in Ireland can expect for the next six weeks.</s>NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Ireland's new lockdown, stick and carrot.</s>MICHEAL MARTIN, IRISH TAOISEACH: If we pull together over the next 6 weeks, we will have the opportunity to celebrate Christmas in a meaningful way.</s>ROBERTSON (voice-over): Infections spiking to levels not seen since the pandemic struck in March. Now tougher new measures, backed by new fines to beat back the virus.</s>MARTIN: There should be no social or family gatherings in homes or gardens. Only essential retail may remain open. Everyone in the country has been asked to stay home, with exercise permitted within a 5-kilometer radius of your home.</s>ROBERTSON (voice-over): Restrictions also include working from home, for all but essential workers; bars and restaurants to open only for take away service. The list of what's off limits is long; exceptions for weddings and funerals, 25 people max, and for schools and child care.</s>MARTIN: This is necessary, because we cannot and will not allow our children and young people's futures to be another victim of this disease.</s>ROBERTSON (voice-over): Martin's predecessor, now his governing coalition partner, Leo Varadkar, predicts as many as 150,000 jobs are at risk. Retail expecting some of the biggest hits.</s>JOHN FARRINGTON, ANTIQUE STORE OWNER: It's devastating to see us in lockdown again for another six weeks during our busiest lineup for the Christmas period.</s>ROBERTSON (voice-over): Frustrations here, the government is mismanaging this COVID crisis.</s>SHAY HOWLIN, "FUN PLACE": I was hoping that, maybe, common sense would prevail, because, from our point of view, we feel retail is a very safe environment.</s>ROBERTSON (voice-over): And in Parliament, too, the PM taking heat from the opposition over recently discovered track and trace failures.</s>MARY LOU MCDONALD, SINN FEIN PRESIDENT: The system collapsed over the weekend. I think that is extremely alarming, happening as it does, on the eve of us moving into another lockdown. We need to come out of this six-week experience with a state-of-the-art, gold standard testing and tracing system.</s>ROBERTSON (voice-over): National infection rates are midrange for Europe but some areas, like Cavan, in the dark red, are on par with Europe's worst. If the lockdown stick fails, the PM's Christmas carrot will taste very bitter -- Nic Robertson, CNN, London.</s>CHURCH: Europe's second wave of COVID-19 is so catastrophic in some areas that Belgium and the Czech Republic are actually seeing the highest number of new cases worldwide per capita. That is what a CNN analysis shows, using data from Johns Hopkins University and the World Health Organization. France, meanwhile, is moving to extend red alert stages to more areas as the country surpasses more than 1 million cases. And Rome is now joining the list of European capitals with nightly curfews. It will run from midnight to 5 am starting Saturday and for the next 30 days. That's as Italy records more than 100 coronavirus deaths in one single day for the first time since May. Germany has not been spared by this new wave of infections. It is reporting a record high of COVID-19 cases in a single day. CNN's Scott McLean reports.</s>SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Europe's second wave of the coronavirus is showing no signs of slowing despite the patchwork of curfews, restrictions and even lockdowns being reimposed across the continent. Germany has reported more coronavirus deaths over the past week than it did in the entire month of August. The worst hit countries are The Netherlands, Belgium and the Czech Republic. On Tuesday, the Czech health minister made masks mandatory even in most places outdoors. On Wednesday after an emergency session of parliament, the prime minister conceded that the current set of restrictions simply are not working. So starting on Thursday, the Czech Republic will go back into something you might describe as a lockdown. Only essential businesses will be allowed to stay open, movement will be severely restricted to only essential trips and to work. And with the country's health care system nearing its capacity, the Czech Republic will be accepting some help from the U.S. National Guard sending in doctors from Nebraska. The prime minister was praised for his early handling of the first wave of the coronavirus, now he's apologizing for not taking action to tamp down the second wave of the virus sooner -- Scott McLean, CNN, Berlin.</s>CHURCH: A volunteer in Brazil's trial of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine has died, according to Brazilian health officials. It is not clear whether the volunteer received the vaccine or a placebo as part of the trial and why the person died. No more information was released due to privacy concerns. AstraZeneca says nothing happened to justify stopping or pausing the test. So the trial in Brazil will continue. Here in the U.S., a top health official says AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson may soon be able to resume their vaccines' trials. They had been placed on hold in the United States because of illnesses among volunteers. Now to Russia, where the development of a COVID-19 vaccine is moving slower than hoped. CNN obtained an exclusive interview with the top Russian scientist about the drug's critical phase 3 trial. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen joins us live from Moscow. Good to see you, Fred. Safety and efficacy concerns were raised back in August, when Russia announced what they referred to as a world- first COVID vaccine, before phase 3 trials had even started. What more are you learning about this?</s>FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You are absolutely right, Rosemary. The Russians were saying that they were powering ahead, not just with approving this vaccine, as you said, without going through these phase 3 trials but also saying they were powering ahead of the phase 3 trials as well. Last week they said that they had vaccinated 13,000 people with the Sputnik V vaccine in that phase 3 trial. Yesterday they said 17,000 people had already been vaccinated.</s>PLEITGEN: But yesterday when we spoke to the head of the Gamaleya Institute, Alexander Gintsburg, he acknowledged this vaccine needs a course of 2 doses to involve the full immunization and then also for the institute to glean any sort of significant data on the safety and efficacy. He then acknowledged that so far only about 6,000 trial participants have actually received those two doses. If you compare that to some of the big Western vaccine makers, like Moderna of the United States, which so far has given about 24,500 people 2 doses, or Pfizer and BioNTech with about 28,000, the Russians are actually still lagging pretty far behind those Western vaccine makers. I want to listen into a little bit of what Alexander Gintsburg had to say.</s>ALEXANDER GINTSBURG, GAMALEYA RESEARCH INSTITUTE (through translator): About 17,000 subjects were vaccinated with the first component. About 6,000 people were vaccinated with the first and second components as of yesterday evening. It did not have time to go through trials for obvious reasons in the age group 60-plus and below 18 just for the simple reason that the introduction of any mass use drug that interacts with the human immune system goes through stages.</s>PLEITGEN: That was the other interesting thing to us, Rosemary, that he was saying that, so far the trial, the vaccine has not gone through trials with people who are under 18 and people who are over 60. So far, the vaccine is approved for use in the age groups between 18 and 60. So not for people over 60, also not for people who have illnesses and also a wide array of allergies. That basically means all of the most vulnerable groups to severe COVID-19 infections. We asked Mr. Gintsburg about that. He said he still believes that people should be able to take that vaccine; they just need to be very careful and consult with their physicians -- Rosemary.</s>CHURCH: It sounds like they jumped the gun in the initial stages, didn't they? Frederik Pleitgen reporting live from Moscow, many thanks. Coming up, we will have more on vaccines, the CDC's new social distancing guidelines and what medical experts think as the number of COVID-19 cases continue to rise. We will be back in just a moment.

CDC Revises Definition of Close Contact

CHURCH: Some U.S. states are now taking a closer look at just how many hospital beds are available as COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to rise. Wisconsin has already set up an overflow medical facility. And this comes as the FDA commissioner says the agency doesn't have a timeline to review a vaccine. But the goal is to get a vaccine out by spring. Our Nick Watt has more.</s>TRUMP: Normal life, that's all we want. You know what we want? Normal life.</s>NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sure, we all want it. But we can't have it, not yet, nowhere close. Cue the actual experts.</s>DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: This looks like we are going to have a very difficult fall and winter.</s>DR. SCOTT GOTTLIEB, FORMER U.S. FDA COMMISSIONER: We are about a week away from starting to enter a period where we are going to see a more rapid acceleration in cases.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You'll start to see closer to 2,000 deaths per day.</s>WATT (voice-over): Average new case counts: not a single state is trending in the right direction, not one. But schools are open many places. In Michigan, infections now reported in 84 of them. Infections among kids jumped 13 percent in just the first two weeks of this month; very few serious cases or deaths in those under 18 but:</s>DR. AMY COMPTON-PHILLIPS, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Those kids live with adults and those kids bring that germ back home to adults.</s>WATT: In El Paso, Texas, more tests coming back positive now than ever. In California, under new guidance, Disneyland might not reopen for months. Some of us are tired, given up on masks and distance. For others --</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Probably giving up isn't the right term. Most of them never started.</s>WATT: Some due to a wink from the White House. Twitter just took down a Dr. Scott Atlas post undermining masks. He's now the President's closest COVID adviser, also promotes herd immunity, let it rip, among lower risk demos.</s>DR. SCOTT ATLAS, WHITE HOUSE CORONAVIRUS ADVISOR: We should be fine with letting them get infected, generating immunity on their own.</s>WATT: Today the surgeon general pushed back hard. This could overwhelm health care systems and lead to many complication/deaths. A vaccine might bring normal life, a volunteer in the Oxford University AstraZeneca trial just died in Brazil. Unclear if they had been given the vaccine or a placebo and the trial goes on. Following careful assessment of this case in Brazil, there have been no concerns about safety, Oxford University told CNN. Moderna and Pfizer meeting with an FDA advisory committee to discuss efficacy, safety, manufacturing, but not to present new data from trials. Not yet -- Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.</s>CHURCH: With us now, Dr. Murtaza Akhter, an emergency physician at the Valleywise Health Medical Center and an assistant professor at the University of Arizona's College of Medicine in Phoenix. Always good to talk with you, doctor.</s>MURTAZA AKHTER, EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN, VALLEYWISE HEALTH MEDICAL CENTER: Great to be back. Thanks for having me, Rosemary.</s>CHURCH: So more than 221,000 U.S. COVID deaths and not one state is trending in the right direction, but President Trump claims he wouldn't change much in the way he responded to the pandemic if he had his time over. What is your medical response to a leader saying that when this country represents 20 percent of the global death toll but less than 5 percent of the global population?</s>AKHTER: Yes. I would've done everything differently. Now I'm not surprised that President Trump has so much hubris, that's to say that he wouldn't change anything, that's very like him to say that even though he's clearly wrong on this. Listen, there are many other countries who have done it the right way and we could have done at the right way as well. And I'm not saying the president is to be blamed for everything, but he clearly sent the wrong message multiple times on this pandemic, even though he often had answers that most people didn't have. There is some clear things he could've done like advocating for masks more strongly, not advocating for opening of the economy while we're in the midst of a pandemic and as you said, we are one of the worst countries, if not the worst, depending on how you look at it in the world, in terms of COVID cases and deaths per capita and to say, you know, to be the worst country to say I wouldn't do anything differently. That's like saying I wouldn't be the first president possible, I would continue that way and I wouldn't change that, which is, I don't know why he would say something like that, but definitely medically, there are way better things we could've done.</s>CHURCH: And doctor, the CDC has redefined what constitutes close contact with a COVID patient. They now say it's considered high-risk if you are exposed for a cumulative or a total of 15 minutes, previously it was at least 15 minutes of continuous exposure. How significant is this?</s>AKHTER: Well, I think that everything in medicine, there is very few black and whites in medicine. Obviously close contact is bad, obviously longer exposure is bad. I've been saying that from the get- go. So, for the people who pass each other on the job, in the pathway, that's very short and probably not a close contact. For people who are in a room together, that's not well ventilated, even if they are 10 feet apart, but they've been in that room for an hour that's probably pretty bad.</s>AKHTER: Now you can talk about 15-minute cut offs, or 20-minute cut offs, or 10-minute cut offs, but again, nothing in medicine is a binary, everything is in gray scale. And so, I think, in general, that advice to take from this is avoid close contact with people in particular who isn't your family, distance as much as possible and when you have to be by people, when you have to be by them, wear a mask. It's actually a simple fix, it's unbelievable that people certainly need to be told that.</s>CHURCH: Dr. Murtaza Akhter, thank you for talking with us.</s>AKHTER: Thanks for having me, Rosemary. Stay safe.</s>CHURCH: You too.</s>CHURCH: A celebration of dunes and deplorables ahead. CNN goes to an unofficial Trump rally, where supporters are unapologetic about the president's alpha male attitude and their own wealth. Back in a moment.

Biden, Trump Face Off Tonight in Final Debate Before Election; Obama Delivers Scathing Rebuke of Trump in Closing Days.

JOHN KING, CNN INSIDE POLITICS: It's a busy news. Brianna Keilar picks up our coverage right now. Have a good afternoon.</s>BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN RIGHT NOW: Hi there. I'm Brianna Keilar and, I want to welcome viewers here in the United States and around the world. The final debate is just hours away. President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden will square off and make closing argument to America. And their matchup comes amid a national health crisis that has killed more than 220,000 Americans and put millions out of work. In an effort to bring more coherence and substance to the debate stage, something that was sorely missed in the first match up, the commission has put some new rules in place, this includes a mute button for opening remarks in an effort crackdown on interruptions. Tonight's topics include the pandemic, American families, race in America, climate change, national security and leadership. CNN's Jessica Dean is in Nashville ahead of tonight's debate. And the Debate Commission clearly wants this one to be more fruitful, Jessica. I wonder if there's any indication that's what we're going to get.</s>JESSICA DEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, yes, we're going to see about that, Brianna. You mentioned that new rule about the mute button, and what they're doing with microphones. So they are getting two minutes of uninterrupted speaking time, each candidate and the other opposing candidate's microphone will be muted during that time. But after that it's what they're calling open discussion. So, it remains to be seen just exactly how much that's going to play into it. Again, a 90-minute debate, no stopping. You went over some of the topics. We also know that they've installed plexiglass inside the debate hall. That is there for both of the candidates as well. As far as the candidates themselves and their preparations, we know that President Trump's advisers have counseled him and told him, look, this is likely your last chance to change the trajectory of this race, especially when it comes to your behavior and how two demographics perceive it. And that would be seniors and women. And they advised him to really cool it down, not come in as hot this time. And he has indicated he will do so but also that he feels like he is going to push back very strongly if he feels like he is being treated unfairly. Again, not much for formal debate preparation on that side. On Vice President Biden's side, he has been preparing now for several days. His team is prepared for personal attacks, both against Joe Biden himself but also his family. And their objective, Brianna, is very similar to what it was last time. They want him talking directly to the American people, talking about issues, the coronavirus pandemic, and what he would do to get that under control, and also the economy. And they believe when he is talking about those issues that he is winning, expect him to try to bring it back to that again and again.</s>KEILAR: Yes. We'll be watching with you, Jessica. Thank you so much for the report from Nashville. $this is one of the president's favorite claims, albeit false claims.</s>DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Ultimately, I tell you, it was happening. We created the greatest economy in the history of our country, and the other side --</s>LESLEY STAHL, CBS NEWS HOST: You know that's not true.</s>TRUMP: It is totally true.</s>STAHL: No.</s>KEILAR: She is correct, it is not true. In fact, nearly 700 leading economists are now strongly opposing President Trump's re-election, calling his time in office a sustained assault on democracy. For a look at how the economy fared under this president, let's go now to CNN's Chief Business Correspondent, Christine Romans.</s>CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Brianna, it was not the best economy in history. Even before the coronavirus wiped out millions of jobs, jobs growth in Trump's first 36 months trailed the job creation in Obama's last three years. And gross domestic product, GDP, that's widest measure of the economy, it never reached the rocket ship growth President Trump promised that his deregulation and tax cuts would spark. On an annual basis, GDP growth never topped his promise of 4 percent growth. And when you look quarter-by-quarter, the Trump economy looks a lot like Obama years. Where it was the best in history, the stock market, hitting highs even in the middle of a pandemic. Trump repeatedly takes the credit, though Federal Reserve and Congress deserve some of that credit. And Wall Street does not always reflect Main Street, of course. About half of American households own no stocks at all. In fact, the benefits of record highs in the stock market, well, the benefits go disproportionately to the richest Americans. The top ten percent by wealth own 87 percent of stock market holdings. Brianna?</s>KEILAR: Christine Romans, thank you for that. After abruptly ending that interview with Lesley Stahl from 60 Minutes, the president just made good on his promise to make the White House recording of the interview public. He tweeted that he felt Stahl was biased. And CBS just released this statement in part, quote, the White House's unprecedented decision to disregard their agreement with CBS News and release their footage will not deter 60 Minutes from providing its full, fair and contextual reporting, which presidents have participated in for decades. My next guest has interviewed Donald Trump during her career as an award-winning journalist, which included time here at CNN and, of course, CBS News, Connie Chung. Thank you for being with us.</s>CONNIE CHUNG, AWARD-WINNING JOURNALIST: Brianna, I just want you to know I am a big fan of yours, and I watch you all the time. And being an alumni feel as if I used to work with you, although I didn't directly.</s>KEILAR: Well, I mean, I am a huge admirer of yours, of course, as so many are who that enjoy news. And, Connie, we're going to be watching. We're going to see CBS's airing of this interview on Sunday. But acknowledging that it is the president and not 60 Minutes that is breaking with precedent. Could 60 Minutes though have handled this differently or do you think that they were best, just following their usual practices?</s>CHUNG: Clearly this was not Lesley's decision. As a correspondent, we all will weigh in but it is the management's decision of what to do. We used to call them the suits, you know, and whatever the suits decide is what's going to happen. I heard yesterday when you were interviewing Bill Carter of The New York Times, he used to be the media person, he said he did not understand why CBS didn't release it because it is news and that it could clearly affect the debate that's coming up. In other words, what was it that caused the president to walk out on the interview. I think I would have released it because both the White House and CBS seem to be playing a game of chicken. And I would have -- we have nothing to hide. You know we as reporters and the media, we have nothing to hide. So why not just put it out? But it is a management decision. So CBS probably had to think about it long and hard and decided to do it the way they always have.</s>KEILAR: I want to ask you about tonight's debate, because we are going to see changes, opposite mics muted during each candidate's the two-minute answer. The rebuttals will be dually mic'd. How do you think this is going to go down?</s>CHUNG: This presidency has been unpredictable, as you well know. So I cannot imagine that there isn't going to be some disruption because that's who President Trump is. He likes to filibuster, he likes to dominate a conversation. And once each person has his two minutes, I'm sure you'll be able hear the other person off mic a bit. In other words, if I am President Trump and Joe Biden starts to interrupt me, my mic might be able to pick up his utterings. I don't know, Brianna. It's going to be something that I'm not missing (ph). And I'm sure you and everybody else will be watching.</s>KEILAR: Yes. And it is not like it is not distracting, even if the audience can't fully hear their remarks. If you're there in the room, you hear what someone else is saying. It is certainly something that will interfere if it happens. I mentioned, Connie, that you've interviewed Trump before when he was a private citizen. You pressed him and he did not like it. And I would like to listen to part of this.</s>TRUMP: There is no reason to expose yourself to millions people.</s>CHUNG: Do you know why you do it?</s>TRUMP: Why? Tell me.</s>CHUNG: You love the publicity.</s>TRUMP: I hate the publicity.</s>CHUNG: Oh, come on. Get out of here.</s>TRUMP: No. I'm telling you, I hate the publicity.</s>CHUNG: Oh, please.</s>TRUMP: I sell great condominiums in New York. I have the best casinos in the world.</s>CHUNG: They aren't that great. Come on?</s>TRUMP: They're the best. What, in the Trump Tower?</s>CHUNG: Maybe if you can try to answer this question without giving me the normal spiel.</s>TRUMP: What is the normal spiel? I don't know that.</s>CHUNG: Well, the normal spiel is -- well, the fact is that many rich and powerful people do try to remain anonymous, but you became very public very clearly by your own design.</s>TRUMP: I don't know if it was by my own design.</s>CHUNG: You mean the publicity?</s>TRUMP: I do developments which get a lot of publicity. I mean, if --</s>CHUNG: Come on.</s>TRUMP: I mean this. If Trump Tower weren't a great building on 5th Avenue and 57th Street by a young guy --</s>CHUNG: One building in New York City with zillions of buildings.</s>TRUMP: Connie Chung is a disaster. She did an interview. Oh, please, please, do an interview with me, it's going to be so much fun. Now, I watched her interview, Marlon Brando, a couple of weeks before. She was a disaster. She was like a child. I mean, this girl has -- this woman has less talent than anybody I know.</s>KEILAR: He hated your interview. You really -- you called him. And at times you can see where he doesn't quite know how to respond to you. Did you see any parallels in his response to this interview with Lesley Stahl or with previous debate moderators?</s>CHUNG: Identical, especially if the person who is doing the questioning is a woman, there's something about it that -- I don't know. Well, he doesn't respect women, I think. My husband and I used to see him at golf tournaments, so-called celebrity golf tournaments. And he absolutely refused to acknowledge that I was physically there. I would be standing, he would -- my husband, he would say hello to my husband and I would be standing there, and it was as if I were invisible. It was remarkable. He uses the same words about women today. He calls them disasters. Of course, he does that with Dr. Fauci too, doesn't he, and many, many other people. But was it Dr. Fauci that he called a disaster?</s>KEILAR: Yes, it was. Yes, he did. You're exactly right.</s>CHUNG: You know, he needs to improve his vocabulary, I'm sorry to say, because it is rather limited.</s>KEILAR: And, Connie, you have endorsed a political candidate for the first time, which is -- that is breaking with tradition for someone with your resume.</s>CHUNG: Yes.</s>KEILAR: So why did you decide to do that?</s>CHUNG: Brianna, it was a big step for me. I've always stayed in my lane. I have never jumped the fence into the political fray. But when I found out that Asians, Asian voters can tip the balance in key battleground states and Asians are the minority least likely to vote, I thought, my gosh, I have to do something, because there are two groups that I relate to, women and the Asians. So I thought I would make some videos, speak to women and to Asians, and try and get them to not only vote but come out. And I'm not sure why. I don't know why they don't vote or I don't know why they're hesitant to. I wanted to go out and interview a whole bunch of Asians and find out why. I can only assume that it is -- sometimes Asians, because we're dead ringers for being foreigners. I mean, nobody -- I mean, the people just look at us and think we're foreigners. So maybe that's part of it, that they feel -- we, Asians, feel we're not really full-fledged citizens, even if we are. So I jumped over the fence, Brianna. It was a big deal for me but I felt it was necessary because of all of the issues that are plaguing us, not the least of which was the president calling it the coronavirus, the China virus, and sort of causing violent and not only physical but verbal abuse against Asians.</s>KEILAR: Yes, we've been reporting on it. It has been significant. And, Connie Chung, thank you so much. It is so wonderful to have you on. We really appreciate it.</s>CHUNG: Brianna, I am thrilled to be with you because I really am a big fan. I put -- I did these videos, and I put them on -- if I may, they're on YouTube. And now this, which is a website. So, if anybody wants to take a look what I have to say, if I have any measure of credibility left, I was expressing my feelings for the first time.</s>KEILAR: Connie, thank you.</s>CHUNG: Thank you, Brianna.</s>KEILAR: And next, the coronavirus numbers are getting worse. They're hitting levels that the U.S. saw at its last peak. Plus, a damning new report that the president's pandemic response resulted in up to 200,000 avoidable deaths. I am going to speak live with a professor behind the analysis. And Chris Christie apologizing for not wearing a mask at the White House event there, but he left one huge thing out of his mea culpa.

U.S. Sees Highest Number of COVID Deaths in Weeks

KEILAR: In just one day, the U.S. recorded more than 1,000 coronavirus deaths. We hit that grim milestone yesterday. It is the highest daily toll recorded in more than a month. The recent trends are similar to previous surges, but this time experts say the worst is still yet to come. 31 states recording more COVID-19 cases this week than last week, only one, Hawaii, is moving in the right direction today. The average of new cases per day has climbed to just under 60,000. It is a level we haven't seen since first week of August. There were more than 40,000 hospitalizations reported on Wednesday. Several states hit record highs, including Iowa, Kentucky, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Utah. And since it began, coronavirus has taken the lives of more than 220,000 people in the U.S. Of that number, it is estimated that between 130,000 and 210,000 may have been avoidable if there had been an adequate response to the crisis. This data coming from a report put together by a team of disaster preparedness experts. Jeffrey Sachs is one of the authors of the study and he's joining us now. I mean, the question then, Dr. Sachs, is what could have been done to bring the numbers down to what this data analysis shows would have been between 20 and only 90,000 victims?</s>DR. JEFFREY SACHS, CO-AUTHOR OF STUDY ON AVOIDABLE COVID-19 DEATHS: Thank you. It is grim to see this surge going on and we have no national policy at all. They have completely given up on any policy, whatsoever, and so the deaths are soaring. But it is basically like this since the start. What other countries did was the basics. People wore face masks because the government helped them to do so and advised them to do so. There was contact tracing. There was help for people to stay isolated or quarantine in public facilities. There were adequate tests available with quick turnaround time. There was safe workplace practices put in place very clearly without huge controversies early on. And so the United States has ended up with just about the highest death rate in the world and for a large country, at the top. And other countries just brought it basically under control. So there are almost no cases in many countries of East Asia, while in our country, it continues to soar out of control. It was the basics but Donald Trump can't do the basics. He doesn't care, he doesn't understand, he doesn't regret 220,000-plus lives lost. And so we have been without any policy. It is amazing to watch actually. It's almost unimaginable, given the talent in our country that could have brought this to a quick conclusion.</s>KEILAR: Yes. No, it shows you why leadership matters, because it brings all of that together to make a difference. And we're seeing it in numbers here. There was something the study did that was pretty fascinating, which was it examined the wide circle of tragedy that comes with every COVID-19 death. What did you find?</s>SACHS: There are 227,000 deaths by a current count, but 8.6 million people who have been infected. And we have to remember, and it's also extremely sad, many of those that have been infected and survived have long-term disabilities as a result of this. We're learning a lot of terrible things about this virus, brain infections, organ infections. But also, of course, for every person who dies, there are children left behind, there are spouses and family members and colleagues. The loss is calamitous. And so it is many times more than what is already a shocking number, and especially shocking, 220,000 deaths that were avoidable had we just followed the basics. But we have a president who just doesn't believe in anything. It is a kind of nihilism. It is such a dark cynicism that they did nothing. And until today, he says it is nothing, as if these deaths don't matter and as if the 8.7 million infections don't matter, and as if the burden on our society is nothing.</s>KEILAR: Well, we've watched the failure. We thank you for joining us and showing us how you've quantified what it would mean. Thank you so much, Dr. Sachs.</s>SACHS: Good to be with you. Thank you.</s>KEILAR: A historic rebuke, former President Obama with a blistering speech against his successor. Plus, a development in the standoff over stimulus relief between the White House and Nancy Pelosi. And Southwest will start selling every seat on flights as airlines are reporting huge losses.