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The Lead with Jake Tapper
Race Remains Tight As Battleground Blitz Continues; Pentagon: Around 100 U.S. Troops Will Be Deployed To Israel; Israel: 4 IDF Troops Killed In Drone Attack On Israeli Base; Harris Makes Push To Sway Black Male Voters; New Panda Pair Heading From China To DC's National Zoo. Aired 4-5p ET
Aired October 14, 2024 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: And listen to this, one of these skeletons was found holding a ceramic chalice resembling the Holy Grail. Yeah. So it's not like Indiana Jones. It's like Monty Python, the Monty Python.
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Yeah.
CAMEROTA: Basically the reference for all of this I think.
SANCHEZ: No sign yet of the knights who say nee, but we do have THE LEAD WITIH JAKE TAPPER which starts right now.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Vice President Kamala Harris just agreed to do an interview on Fox.
THE LEAD starts right now.
The 2024 race enters new territory, new targeted media interviews, new voter outreach, and new lines of attack just 22 days before Election Day.
Plus, the Justice Department is suing Virginia, accusing the commonwealth of trying to illegally clean its voter rolls just weeks before the election. Virginia's Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin is here to respond.
And an arrest in North Carolina after reports of an armed militia threatening FEMA personnel, forcing critical hurricane recovery to be put on hold.
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TAPPER: Welcome to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper.
And off the top, let's cue the election music.
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TAPPER: Thank you. Only three weeks until Election Day, three weeks, one day. And today, there are multiple signs that this race that was pretty tight is getting even tighter. Vice President Kamala Harris, sitting down Wednesday for her first interview ever, ever with Fox, delivering her message to a conservative audience that may be skeptical of what she has to say to say the least, recall, of course, that Fox had to pay Dominion voting systems $787.5 million defamation settlement for Fox's platforming of 2020 election lies. Also recall, an anchor at that network leaned on the decision desk to put the Arizona call for Biden into the Trump category and to, quote, slow- walk Nevada. That's according to "The Daily Beast".
The Harris interview is set to air just hours after Fox televises a town hall with former President Donald Trump in front of an all female audience in Georgia. Then there are, of course, the poles, a new CNN poll of polls shows no clear leader in the matchup between Harris and Trump on a national level.
The race is also deadlocked in Pennsylvania, the critical battleground where both candidates are campaigning today.
Another way to know how close this race is. There is a new outreach initiative from Kamala Harris that hints at a big concern for Democrats. She's rolling out policy proposals specifically aimed at Black men, because her support among that group is historically low, below President Biden's numbers in 2020. As Harris tries to rally Black voters, Trump yesterday announced do you plan to hire more border patrol agents as he makes immigration and fear of migrants a central part of his campaign message, which he is delivering with increasingly dark rhetoric.
CNN's Priscilla Alvarez reports now on how both campaigns are ramping up efforts to reach voters in these final 22 days before Election Day.
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PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tonight, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump on a sprint to Election Day with both candidates beginning a week long stretch, crisscrossing swing states. First in Pennsylvania for their race remains deadlocked. Harris trying to lock in her coalition unveiled new economic proposals, appealing to black voters.
That plan includes forgivable loans to Black entrepreneurs of up to $20,000 promoting apprenticeships, and legalizing recreational marijuana. Taken together, its a sweeping proposal aimed at trying to persuade Black voters amid signs of lagging enthusiasm.
Harris, recognizing the ground her campaigns still needs to cover because in an interview with "The Shade Room".
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES & 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Black men are no different from anybody else. They expect that you have to earn their vote and that's why I'm out here doing the work that I'm doing about talking with folks, listening with folks because I'm running for president in United States and it is incumbent on me to earn the support.
ALVAREZ: Monday's stop is the first in a travel blitz that will include the blue wall states of Michigan and Wisconsin in addition to Pennsylvania, as the Harris campaign tries to secure a path to 270 electoral votes.
Harris and Trump are also taking to the airwaves to reach voters. For Harris, that has included nontraditional media like the "Call Her Daddy" podcast this month. And later this week, the vice president will sit down for her first ever interview with Fox News.
Trump, meanwhile, trying to appeal to women in a town hall on Fox and targeting his own base by going after men with a potential sit down with podcaster, Joe Rogan.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think Joe Rogan has to have you on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT & 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would you do that?
TRUMP: Oh, sure, I would.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think Joe like -- besides of us, Joe is --
TRUMP: I think I'm doing it actually.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.
ALVAREZ: In Pennsylvania, both sides also set to pour millions of dollars into ad spending, underscoring how critical the state is for both campaigns.
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ALVAREZ (on camera): Now, both Harris and Trump are trying to increase their exposure and take advantage of the popularity of those smaller settings like podcasts. So, the vice president in particular today in Pennsylvania, trying to make up for the erosion in Black voter support. That's an area that Harris advisers are concerned about it, particularly a vote or sit out of the election, or vote for her Republican rival Donald Trump.
So that is where she is targeting her message today, and over the course of the week -- Jake.
TAPPER: All right. Priscilla Alvarez, I recognize that shot -- Erie, Pennsylvania. Thanks so much for being with us with us now in studio here in Los Angeles, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
Mayor Bass, thanks so much for being here. Really appreciate it.
So, millions of Americans are already voting by mail.
REP. KAREN BASS (D), LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: That's right.
TAPPER: We're 22 days out from Election Day. We shouldn't overstate the case. African-Americans are still anticipated to vote for the Democratic ticket --
BASS: Right.
TAPPER: -- like 80 percent.
BASS: That's right.
TAPPER: But that is slippage from how Biden did, et cetera.
What do you think about Harris's outreach to Black men? Are you concerned that she might not have -- she might have missed the mark by not doing this sooner.
BASS: No, I don't think so, but one thing that I am excited about is the level of enthusiasm is still really there, but we have to channel that. So all of those people that were interested in volunteering, getting them out, doing the door knocking, going to places where people are gathered, it's going to be absolutely critical until election day. We can't put our foot off the gas.
TAPPER: And what are you hearing from the Black community here in Los Angeles about Kamala Harris, about why maybe there has been some slippage, especially with Black men?
BASS: Well, I -- I have to tell you what I've seen in L.A., is enthusiasm. There's a lot of Black men who are leading efforts in the Los Angeles area to make sure that the communication is out there, and that people understand the significance of this selection.
But, you know, people do have short-term memories. And it's about reminding people of what the four years under the Trump administration was like, and also promoting the accomplishments of the Biden administration.
TAPPER: President Trump held a rally in California over the weekend, Coachella. He said this, which was directed at your Governor Gavin Newsom. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We're going to take of our farmers. We're going to take care of your water situation and we'll force it down his throat. I will say, Gavin, if you don't do it, we're not giving you any of that fire money that we sent you all the time for all the fire -- forest fires that you have.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: Just -- just to be clear, this is Donald Trump saying if he is reelected, if he becomes the president, he will threaten to withhold disaster funds --
BASS: Right.
TAPPER: -- for the forest fires that play California, if the state does not do what he wants when it comes to agriculture policy.
What are your views of that?
BASS: Well, I mean, I think that's the kind of memory that Californians need to have because he attempted to do that when he was president. Our attorney general at the time, Xavier Becerra, filed over 100 lawsuits against the Trump administration because the administration tried to do exactly that when there were wildfires, he said that we didn't take care of our forests and so he thought we should be punished for that.
So we can't allow that type of behavior to begin. He, too, to start over again, which is why this election is so critically important. That's why we have to remind people of these things.
TAPPER: One of the topics that you and I talk about a lot, I came out here to cover specifically and I will come out again you've been championing an issue that we follow very closely in THE LEAD with a series called homeless in America. A nearly half of all people experiencing homelessness in United States, are doing so here in California.
You recently announced that more than 1,000 people were able to enter new shelters, thanks to a new program in Los Angeles. That allows you to slash red tape, for the construction. This is through a partnership with HUD.
The city says it has seen a 10 percent drop in street homelessness. Is this a model that others should copy?
BASS: I think so, but it's also a perfect example of why we need to have President Harris because the Biden-Harris administration has been incredible working with HUD. They've been willing to slash regulations. And one that we were working on when you were here was around veterans homelessness, that if you were a veteran and you receive benefits, we counted it as income, and then said you made too much money to get a housing voucher.
So we were able to get waivers on that and we are going to be able to house veterans. Now we have over 3,000 vouchers that veterans can now use, but that's an example of the progress that was made aid during this administration and why we have to make sure we turn out the vote and elect President Harris. It's no telling what Trump would do if he was in. I actually think he would decimate HUD.
If you look at project 2025 and the chapter that's on HUD, they're basically talking about dismantling it by taking in pieces of the entity and distributing them around.
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So I think homelessness would get far worse under a Trump administration. We've made progress under this administration and we need President Harris.
TAPPER: But I should just note -- I mean, homelessness is at record highs now.
BASS: That's right.
TAPPER: And why do you think that is? I know that's not a simple answer, but why do you think it is?
BASS: Well, I think it's for a variety of reasons. Number one, California and Los Angeles in particular, the cost of housing is very, very high and a lot of people are priced out the market. The fastest growing sector continues to be senior citizens in their late '60s and '70s who worked in the service industries, didn't have 401ks or pensions. Rent goes up, they don't have family to take the men and they wind up on the street.
TAPPER: All right. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, I will be back with you after the election.
BASS: Good.
TAPPER: And we'll cover more on the homelessness issue because it's so important thing it does not get enough coverage. Thank you for being here. Appreciate it.
The new Harris campaign outreach to Black men, Trump's town hall with women, could any of this really break through this close to Election Day? We'll show you how easily either one of these candidates could tip the numbers.
Plus, why the Pentagon says today it needs to put some U.S. troops on the ground in Israel.
We're back in a moment.
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TAPPER: And we're back with more on our 2024 lead, with just 22 days until Election Day.
Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are all but deadlocked in key battleground states, Wisconsin and Michigan and the commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
CNN senior data reporter Harry Enten is here to dive into all the latest CNN polling.
And, Harry, show us just how close this race is right now.
HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: I appreciate that you called that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, not the state. I wouldn't expect anything less than you, my dear friend. Look, let's take a look at these key battleground states. You know,
you mentioned Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan. You will go look three weeks ago -- look, it was a two-point lead for Harris and Pennsylvania, two points in Wisconsin, two points in Michigan.
Now, that was a pretty gosh darn tight race. I didn't think it could get any tighter. Turns out, I was wrong, not the first time my girlfriend would tell you.
Look at where we are today: Pennsylvania, a point, Wisconsin, a point, Michigan, a point. I have been covering presidential campaigns now for more than a decade. I'm starting to look my age, but I've been following significantly longer than that.
I have never seen consistently tight polling such as this across the battleground states and all the time that I've been looking in covering politics, Jake.
TAPPER: And, Harry, how is Harris doing in those states compared to how Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton were doing at this same stage of the race?
ENTEN: Yeah, I think this is what gives Democrats agita, because, yeah, it looks like Harris is slightly ahead the well within the margin of error, but compared to where we were four years ago and eight years ago at this point, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, an average across all three, right now, you've got Harris by a point and all three across the average of the three.
But Joe Biden was up by eight. Hillary Clinton was up by eight. I don't have to tell you, Hillary Clinton lost all three of these states. Joe Biden barely won all three of these states.
And so, I think the question that Democrats have to ask themselves at this particular the point is, can Harris actually hold on given that Joe Biden barely did and Hillary Clinton did not across these three states, Jake.
TAPPER: Yeah. I mean, that's the question because obviously Donald Trump tends to overperform on Election Day compared to the polls. How is the race to 270 electoral votes? Because, obviously, this is not a popular vote race.
It is an electric total vote race, race to 270. How's that looking?
ENTEN: Yeah. All right. So let's say the final result matches the polls exactly right, and note taking into account our last discussion I had Nevada here in yellow. But if we look at Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, if she carries all three, that gets Kamala Harris to exactly 270 electoral votes.
But that that is well within the margin of our way too close to call. And you hinted at it, Mr. Tapper, what happens if Trump outperforms the polls by just a mere point, something that in 2016 and 2020 did more of that than that. Look at that, he gets the 312 electoral votes because he carries Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. So at this particular hour, this race is way too close to call. I have
no clue who's going to win, Jake.
TAPPER: Nor do I. Harry Enten, thanks so much. Always good to have you on.
ENTEN: Thank you.
TAPPER: Let's go right to our panel.
Alyssa, how are Republicans feeling about this battleground state polling?
ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Cautiously optimistic. Listen, Kamala Harris had tremendous momentum coming out of her -- her convention and then she did have this great debate performance where the majority of voters thought that she beat Donald Trump, but somehow the race is just simply tightening up. There's a level of optimism. Donald Trump's moving up in the key Sun Belt states as well.
So all eyes are really go beyond the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as they have been for the last six months and Donald Trump is playing smart there. And I want to know a specific demographic that I'm not convinced this properly measuring in polls and could actually end up benefitting Donald Trump, which is young white male voters who are first-time voters.
He has been targeting these folks on podcasts, calling the Joe Rogan, the Barstool Sports voters. Those are people we may not actually be seeing turnout in some of these polls, but were going to show up for the first time for Donald Trump. So nobody should be resting easy, right now.
TAPPER: Ashley, the Harris campaign has a new proposal aimed at Black male voters, including 1 million in forgivable loans for black entrepreneurs and others to start businesses, training and mentorship programs, investing in Black male teachers, regulating cryptocurrency, addressing health challenges that disproportionately affect Black men, legalizing recreational marijuana usage. That's kind of burying the lead on that one.
How does the Harris campaign turn this into actual votes?
ASHLEY ALLISON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, today, she was having conversations with "The Shade Room". She did conversation with Roland Martin. Tomorrow, she's going to be in conversation with Charlamagne Tha God.
A lot of people still had been saying they need to know more about her. And the last couple of days, there's been this media frenzy about whether or not Black men are going to support Kamala Harris? Well, she then laid out a policy proposal exactly for Black men, and now she's going to push this message where a lot of them get their news.
So, in addition to the media, in addition to the policy, then she has the ground game, the infrastructure in battleground states having surrogates its out there talking to voters. And now it's about turning those individuals who like what she has to say into actual votes by either early voting, voting by mail, or getting them to the polls on time.
So I think this approach is smart. She knows that Black men are important part of her constituency. They are not bleeding as many people believed but we want them that percentage point to go up higher to make her chances of winning in many of these battleground states stronger.
TAPPER: Keith, what do you think?
KEITH BOYKIN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, I agree with Ashley, said, I mean, Allison said. I think the campaign is now really super focus -- hyper focus on getting out those persuadable voters or voters who just haven't yet had the incentive to turn out.
Black men are key component of that. Black men voted 87 percent for Joe Biden, his last election. I think she wants to get that number up around the same percentage point for this election and I think she's doing it effectively.
This is a full-court press that they have going on right now. They're going everywhere, all across the media. They got Barack Obama. They got Magic Johnson out. They got Raphael Warnock. They've got everybody out there talking about these issues, and she's actually listening to Black men.
She's not just throwing out some platinum plan as Trump tried to do a few years ago, pretending that's supposed to be an excuse for Black men, a panacea to reach Black men. She's actually listening to our concerns and proposing real ideas, not just business loans, but more jobs without -- for people without college degrees, or more Black male teachers. I'm a former Black male teacher myself.
I know how important it is to see Black men in the front of the classroom. Those types of things actually make an impact in creating pathways through apprenticeships and mentor programs will actually make it happen. It's going to be super effective in terms of reaching Black men.
But it's a long stretch and a lot of work to do. I think she's doing everything she needs to do to make that happen.
TAPPER: Alyssa, what do you think of Harris sitting down with Fox for an interview in Pennsylvania?
GRIFFIN: I think it's smart. I think she's going where the voters are. I probably would have advised her to do it a month ago.
Listen, there are reachable voters at Fox news and what she needs to show up and do is make that -- make people who've been fed a steady appetite, steady diet of she's unintelligent, she's not serious enough to be president. She couldn't stare down Vladimir Putin, the lines that they're hearing from Donald Trump and his allies. And she needs to show up and give a performance like she did in the
debate that showed she's prepared, she has a command of the issues. So even if she may not be where some of these voters are uncertain issues, she can talk about the key ones where she's with them.
Think of the border security the bill that Donald Trump blocked. She can talk about how much of an impact it would have actually had over the last several months to secure the border. Talk about how his tariffs would contribute to inflation and be a tax on consumers.
So, there's some areas for her to win its high risk, but potentially high reward.
TAPPER: It's certainly her stepping outside her comfort zone, which is not something, Keith, that we've seen Donald Trump do. He is stuck almost exclusively I think with friendly conservative interviewers.
BOYKIN: Yeah, I think Trump is running clear based election. He's trying to get out his -- his people. He's running a very, I think, a mean-spirited campaign to be honest with you, Jake. And I think he's hoping that that will actually motivate some people in his base to turn out.
I don't think he's trying to reach the middle -- the people who are in the middle and he's not trying to reach a moderate voters. He's trying to persuade those people who are far right, MAGA Trump possible people to actually turn out and vote.
And I don't know whether that's going to be an effective strategy. I mean, I don't know if the polls are actually accurate and that's one of the things I want to say about what you were saying with Harry Enten earlier. I saw a CBS News poll that came out just yesterday. They said that Kamala Harris's Black support is pretty much where it was with Joe Biden four years ago.
So I'm not -- I don't want to focus on the polls. I don't want people to get their head out of the polls and start focusing what we could do to elect Kamala Harris. And that means turning out the vote volunteering, campaigning, donating to her campaign.
TAPPER: I don't think any of these polls are factual assertions. There the best analysis of the data they have in front of them. And I think the conclusion is, you know, it's really tight in every battleground state. I think I think that's a fair point.
Ashley also on Fox, Trump is going to participate in this town hall with all female voters. Obviously, that's an attempt to shore up what is a real gender gap. What do you think?
ALLISON: Well, it's interesting. People talk about pieces of Kamala Harris is coalition that are weak. There's parts of Donald Trump's coalition that are as weak also -- white women are looking at Kamala Harris because of reproductive freedom, because of the overturning of Roe.
There is a massive gender gap, right now, and Donald Trump is trying to persuade those women that he will, quote/unquote, be his protectors. I don't think it will resonate with them, but he needs to talk to women voters as well. He cannot just rely on young white males to get him over the finish line.
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TAPPER: All right. We'll bring back you guys a little bit later in the show. Thank you so much.
Look for a special town hall with Vice President Kamala Harris on CNN. That's going to be next Wednesday, October 23rd, moderated by my friend and colleague Anderson Cooper.
Coming up here on THE LEAD, we're going to speak with Democratic strategist James Carville. He has a specific critique of Kamala Harris and her campaign right now. He also has a pretty pointed take on Donald Trump.
Plus, the major announcement today from the Pentagon. Some U.S. troops are going to be deployed to Israel. What is their operation? That's next.
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TAPPER: In our world lead today, the Department of Defense says it's sending about 100 U.S. service members to Israel in order to help Israel defend itself against unprecedented attacks by both Iran and its terrorist group proxies such as Hezbollah and Hamas.
Let's get right to CNN's Oren Liebermann, who's at the Pentagon.
Oren, how rare is this kind of U.S. service member deployment and what exactly will they be doing in Israel?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Jake, we have seen since October 7, some U.S. troops deployed to Israel, but not with these numbers, about 100 troops all at once here, and not with this sense of a apparent urgency. The Pentagon hasn't put an exact time on when they'll be there. But Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin did tell his Israeli counterpart, there'll be there within quote, the coming days.
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They're there to operate what you're looking at on the screen right now, the THAAD system, Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense. It's one of the U.S.'s most advanced anti-ballistic missile systems, capable of intercepting short, medium and long-range ballistic missiles at about 100 miles or more. And crucially, it can detect them at more than ten times that range.
On top of that, it can work with Israel's existing air defense system, the short range Iron Dome, the medium-range David Sling, and then the long-range Arrow interceptor missiles. And it can work with U.S. Navy destroyers who have their own intercepting capabilities in the waters of the eastern Mediterranean Sea. So what this does is it adds quality of very high-quality system in
the THAAD, to quantity as well. So there are more interceptor missiles available should Iran launched another attack. And that, of course, is the great concern here. The U.S. has been consulting with the Israelis on how they will respond to an Iranian ballistic missile barrage that was launched on October 1st. According to our reporting, Israel hasn't made a final decision on that, but the U.S. has tried to be involved in that discussion.
And Iran has promised that if Israel attacks, they will respond. So, this THAAD system in Israel will add to Israel's already very capable air defenses, Jake.
TAPPER: All right. Oren Liebermann at the Pentagon for us, thank you so much.
As Israel continues to strike Lebanon and Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces are reeling from an attack on a base of their own, just 40 miles south of the border with Lebanon. Four IDF soldiers were killed, more than 60 people were injured after a Hezbollah drone struck a common area at the base on Sunday.
CNN's Nic Robertson reports from Israel for us now as questions remain about how this Hezbollah drone was able to escape detection and cause so much damage.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Moments after impact, elite Golani Brigade trainees struggled to save lives. The worst of the wounded were still way to nearby hospitals by helicopter.
Others taken by ambulance, medics swarming to the IDF base 40 miles from the front line in Lebanon. Within hours, the toll becoming clear four dead, eight others seriously injured, making it the deadliest for troops outside of combat zones since October 7 last year.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need an improvement to our defense.
ROBERTSON: Israel's prime minister on site, inspecting the damage inside the canteen, which appears to have been the target, time close to 7:00 p.m. when troops would have been having dinner, uncompromising in his response.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: I want to clarify, we will continue to strike Hezbollah without mercy, everywhere in Lebanon including Beirut.
ROBERTSON: After the strike, Hezbollah claiming it was a complex attack involving rockets to decoy Israel's air defenses, and a swarm of drones.
Regardless of this claim, in recent days, they've been threatening strikes on gatherings are troops away from the war at Lebanon's border. And in recent months, have released what they claim is drone surveillance video of sensitive sites deep inside Israel. But Hezbollah may have had unwitting help from the IDF in their intelligence gathering. An IDF promotional video of the base 30 miles north of Tel Aviv reveals its layout in detail, including the location for canteen.
As the IDF expands its cross-border raids, it says, are targeting Hezbollah in an increasingly protracted campaign that a new reality is emerging. After heavy blows, Hezbollah is finding its feet and its wings becoming a lethal threat far from the front lines. The four trainee troops who died, all 19-years-old.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTSON: You know, and I think that really kind of underscores the feeling at that base, a real sense of shock that this could happen where they're training, before they get to combat so far from the front lines. And, of course, that shock is felt by the country. And I think we got a sense of that through the prime minister.
And anyone who thought that Prime Minister Netanyahu was going to trade, getting the thuds for down scaling his strikes in Lebanon, specifically Beirut, specifically where he thinks are maybe high-value Hezbollah figures, you know, he made it very clear that there's no hiding for Hezbollah. Beirut is still on the target list for the IDF.
TAPPER: All right. Nic Robertson in Jerusalem, Israel, thank you so much.
[16:35:01]
Vice President Kamala Harris is now on her way to that previously mentioned rally tonight in Erie, Pennsylvania, longtime Democratic strategist James Carville has a take on how her campaign's doing, what he says Harris needs to do and not do with only three weeks and one day left in this race.
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TAPPER: And we're back with more on our 2024 lead as we enter the final three weeks and one day of the campaign. Both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are trying to shore up enough critical votes to win.
We want to check in with longtime Democratic strategist James Carville.
James, always good to see you.
[16:40:00]
Thanks for joining us.
So the Harris-Walz campaign has numerous events in battleground states planned this week for this final three-week push, not to mention some of her media outreach, which is going to include an interview on Fox with Bret Bair. What do you think of this strategy? And is she doing enough with 22 days left until Election Day?
JAMES CARVILLE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, I -- look, she's obviously working hard, right? I not a fan of doing interviews with different people because the problem to interview is you have to he answered a question that the interviewer asked you.
I think with three weeks ago, that's fine, she does one with Bret Baier but she needs to start asking Trump about his rally at Madison Square Garden. She needs to start asking Trump who said that he would use the military to round up this political -- his domestic political enemies.
I think what Trump is saying now is unprecedented. And I'm afraid that people just don't know how -- I don't know if radical is the word of the things that he's really proposing. And she's got to put a light on this -- a big, big, shiny light.
TAPPER: So if you were advising the Harris campaign, what would you be -- what would you be telling her?
CARVILLE: Well, first of all, I have a flood of people say that to use the U.S. military to round up domestic enemies is about any constitutional -- there's anything you can think of, and that he's holding a rally in Madison Square Garden that I'm sorry, is a mimic of a rally held on February 20, 1939, by the American Nazi party. And (INAUDIBLE) being timid about making these connections that he is going out of his way to make.
And the battle of pressure, I got a call from some Fox entity saying what should you say to Trump once to arrest his enemies and he's been the victim of assassination attempt? Well, I'm just repeating what Trump is saying. And by the way, the guided shot at him was, I think a registered Republicans, some loser that had nothing to do with this.
But the idea that he can propose these really any democratic authoritarian -- General Milley says he's fascist to his core. General Milley was a former joint -- head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. We're going to get serious here with the threat that we face with. That's my -- that's my point. We're not near serious enough.
TAPPER: I'm familiar with that rally in 1939 of the Bund in America. The people who wanted the United States decide what the Nazi party. You're showing it.
CARVILLE: That's the poster.
TAPPER: Yeah, the poster for it.
CARVILLE: The poster from it.
TAPPER: Why -- why are you -- why do you think that Trump's Madison Square Garden rally is meant to mimic that and not just any other rally in New York? CARVILLE: Well, OK, first of all, where's Harris campaign? Where are normal people campaigning on October 27 before Election Day? They're generally in places like Cheboygan and Flagstaff and Reno and Macon and --
TAPPER: Battleground states. Yeah, sure.
CARVILLE: Rally in battleground state.
So, he's -- he's right in front of you. He is telling you. General Flynn is saying, we're going to implement this. And Trump is saying we're going to round up our political enemies and what's going to happen is if he wins the election, he has positioned to say, I told you all of this, I have the authority of election behind me to round up my political enemies and somehow or another, we're not getting that word out, and that's it.
This is a very -- Jake, it's a very dangerous time when you think about it and he, he is going full throated authoritarianism. He's telling people there to beat some woman up at his rally and he's going to say and Michael Flynn is going to say it all, and all of them are going to say, we told you so and you voted for us.
So we have no choice but to arrest our political enemies. That's literally what's happening right in front of our face.
TAPPER: He is stating it pretty directly.
James, before you go -- obviously, anything could happen. The polls have it neck and neck nationally and neck and neck in battleground states. If the vote -- if the votes were counted today and cast today, who do you think would win?
CARVILLE: The idea of white knuckle event, I agree. David Plouffe did an interview. I think it was somebody, "New York Magazine" and the polls are 48-48.
[16:45:00]
That's just where they are.
And I refuse to believe that we're going to lose. I just don't -- I don't hit that thought anymore. But we have got to tell people what exactly is at risk here. And if we don't, then they'll make a choice based on some perceived thing that a migrant is slowing FEMA down or something, makes no sense.
But if they're not making a decision based on the whole body of knowledge about Donald Trump then I'm afraid we could lose this. If we make our case well, I don't think we're going to lose. I have a very positive attitude. I'm hopeful that we close well.
But it is 48-48 right now. I don't -- I don't think anybody can really deny that. That's just where we are.
Twenty-two days left. James Carville, always an honor to have you, sir. Thank you.
CARVILLE: Well, thank -- thank you, Jake. Great respect for you and your show. Glad to be on it.
You pay attention to what they say, please pay attention to 'em. Thank you.
TAPPER: Onto the national lead, a North Carolina man has been charged for allegedly threatening workers with the Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA, responding to Hurricane Helene recovery. Authorities arrested 44-year-old William Jacob Parsons over the weekend, charging him with, quote, going armed with a handgun and rifle to the terror of the public, unquote. That's according to the Rutherford County sheriff's office in western North Carolina.
Parsons is accused of threatening to harm FEMA employees. Investigators believe he acted alone. He is now free on a $10,000 bond, according to the sheriff's office.
The arrest happened in just one of the hurricane ravaged areas where misinformation is snarling critical aid efforts in the state. FEMA's recovery operations in Rutherford County were paused after National Guard troops reported threats. In an email obtained by "The Washington Post", troops said they quote, had come across trucks of armed militia saying they were out hunting FEMA, unquote.
The misinformation fallout did not stop there. About 100 miles north in Ashe County, the sheriff posted on Facebook urging residents to stay calm and steady and to not stir the pot, noting that these false rumors are not just spreading fear. They're also delaying much needed aid for the hurricane survivors.
Former President Donald Trump perpetuating many of these baseless rumors regarding FEMA, such as the idea that some of its funds were diverted specifically to help migrants. The rumor so rampant, FEMA created a special section on its website to try to rebut them. That means critical time is being spent trying to beat back this hurricane misinformation and implement new safety measures for FEMA workers, instead of taking that time to help hurricane survivors.
FEMA teams are now operating from secure locations instead of going door to door. A famous spokesperson saying in a statement, quote, FEMA continues to support communities impacted by Helene and help survivors apply for assistance for the safety of our dedicated staff and the disaster survivors. We are helping FEMA has made some operational adjustments.
Disaster recovery centers will continue to be open as scheduled. Survivors continue to register for assistance. And we continue to help the people of North Carolina with their recovery, unquote.
There is a special flight from China headed to D.C. right now in and onboard two noteworthy emissaries. CNN's exclusive access in China before this flight, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [16:52:36]
TAPPER: A new era of panda diplomacy marks our world lead today. Giant pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao are right now on their way from China to Washington, D.C.'s National Zoo on a chartered FedEx plane aptly-named the Panda Express.
And CNN's David Culver is in China with an exclusive look at the bilateral effort that is sending the new panda pair to the nation's capital.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We've traveled here to Sichuan, China, for a rare look at preparing these pandas for their very long journey.
We're in and around the city of Chengdu. It's known for spicy hot pot, its mountainous landscape, and giant pandas.
We're actually going to go meet now with some of the folks from the Smithsonian National Zoo from D.C. who are flown here, and are part of that transition team to bring Bao Li and Qing Bao back to the U.S.
We can't go back there. But that's where Bao Li and Qing Bao are.
They're in quarantine. And those you saw there were the zookeepers from the National Zoo, as well as some caretakers from China.
MARIEL LALLY, SMITHSONIAN'S NATIONAL ZOO PANDA KEEPER: So they both have pretty different personalities. Bao Li has a huge personality, so he's very vocal. He's very energetic when he's always kind of like up doing something.
Qing Bao is the polar opposite. She can be almost always found in a tree or sleeping on her climbing structure.
CULVER: The panda pair will fill a void at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C.
For the past 11 months, the panda exhibit has sat empty. Now as part of the terms of this Smithsonian's exchange program with China, late last year, the zoo's three pandas were sent back here to Chengdu.
ELLEN STOFAN, UNDER SECRETARY FOR SCIENCE AND RESEARCH: I don't think people realize how (INAUDIBLE).
CULVER: When you're here, I mean, in this setting, what stood out to you?
STOFAN: Here, the sheer number of pandas.
CULVER: It's crazy, right?
STOFAN: It's crazy.
CULVER: You turn here and you're like, oh, wait, you can go there. You can go there and nowhere else do we have something like this.
STOFAN: Nowhere else in the scenery is obviously beautiful and the commitment.
CULVER: Pandas were on the brink of extinction. But in recent years, they've moved from endangered to vulnerable. But there's still more work to go.
The panda exchange, also called panda diplomacy, dates back more than 50 years now, when China gifted two pandas to the U.S. following President Nixon's historic visit.
[16:55:00]
Today, they're given on loan and they are a strategic diplomatic tool, serving as ambassadors of hope and spreading global goodwill.
Somehow pandas are able to unite nations, something we could use about right now.
David Culver, CNN, Chengdu, China.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TAPPER: And our thanks to David Culver for that report.
We're going to go back to the 2024 race next in Virginia. The Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin is going to join us. I want to ask him about Donald Trump's recent rhetoric. Plus, his response to a new election lawsuit against the commonwealth of Virginia.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TAPPER: This is CNN, the world's news network.
Welcome to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper. This hour, there is a last- minute scramble underway to save the life of Robert Roberson. He's a man on death row in Texas who's set to be executed this week. The efforts our backed by a group of bipartisan lawmakers and the main detective on the case who now says he believes Roberson is likely innocent and that detective will join us live ahead.
Plus, lawsuits are already being filed held over the 2024.
