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Five Days Left, Trump and Harris Making Their Final Push in Battleground States; Dodgers Clinch World Series Title in Thrilling Comeback; Musk Tries to Move Philadelphia D.A.'s Case to Federal Court. Aired 7-7:30a ET
Aired October 31, 2024 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[07:00:00]
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Whether the women like it or not, Donald Trump's message about protecting women that does not seem to give them much of a choice. This morning, new sharp reaction from the Harris campaign.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Elon Musk ordered to show up today at an emergency hearing over his million dollar a day voter giveaways to voters in swing states. Philadelphia's top prosecutor says that prize breaks the law.
SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: The champagne is flowing. Say hello to your new World Series champions, the L.A. Dodgers, winning their eighth World Series title in franchise history at Yankee Stadium.
I'm Sara Sidner with Kate Bolduan and John Berman. This is CNN News Central.
BERMAN: Indeed, breaking this morning, the Boston Red Sox are still the only baseball team ever to come back from a 3-0 series deficit. So, congratulations to them for their place in history. Accordingly, today's show is brought to you by the number five, five games for the Dodgers to win the World Series with a fifth inning rally with five days left in the election.
Today, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump both head to events in Arizona and Nevada, with Harris focused on reminding voters what a Trump supporter said about Puerto Rico, with Trump reminding voters what a Harris supporter said about garbage, Trump also raising eyebrows saying what he would do for women, whether they like it or not.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: About four weeks ago, I was saying, no, I want to protect the people, I want to protect the women of our country. I want to protect the women. Sir, please don't say that. Why? They said, we think it's -- we think it's very inappropriate for you to say. I said, why? I'm president. I want to protect the women of our country.
Well, I'm going to do it whether the women like it or not. I'm going to protect them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: All right. A lot to digest this morning, let's get to CNN. Steve Contorno with the very latest. Good morning to you, sir.
STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Yes, John. Donald Trump actually practiced that line ahead of that speech last night at his earlier rally in North Carolina and asked his crowd, do you want to be protected? And they overwhelmingly -- the women in that crowd said yes. But the problem for Donald Trump is his rally audience is not necessarily reflective at all of the overall voting population. In fact, take a look at this latest ABC poll of likely women voters. Vice President Harris comes in at 56 percent to Donald Trump's 42. That's a 14-point gap there.
And that is something that Republicans have been concerned about for months leading up to this race and are increasingly raising the alarm of over. You saw Nikki Haley's remarks about Donald Trump's, quote, overly masculine MSG rally, not doing enough to add votes.
Yesterday as well, Charlie Kirk, who is a very important ally for Donald Trump because his organization, Turning Point, is in charge of Trump's ground game in several states, he issued this warning on social media, writing, quote, early vote has been disproportionately female. If men stay at home, Kamala is president. It's that simple. So, those are the stakes.
Donald Trump, though, continues to push toward, pulling out his base, especially by seizing on President Biden's remarks about supporters being garbage. Take a look at what he said yesterday, continuing to get mileage out of those remarks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: How do you like my garbage truck? This truck is in honor of Kamala and Joe Biden.
Joe Biden should be ashamed of himself if he knows what he's even doing. And she should be ashamed because she shouldn't let him do it. She's the vice president, but I assume she's acting as the president. She should never have let that happen. I hope you enjoy this garbage truck.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CONTORNO: Trump now heads out west for a trip to several swing states, although he will also step outside of the traditional battleground map with a rally in Albuquerque, New Mexico, before heading to Nevada and Arizona. John?
BERMAN: All right, Steve Contorno. Just note that that note from Charlie Kirk there contained a sexist line after the one you read there, so the message very, very clear.
[07:05:01] Steve Contorno, thank you very much. Kate?
BOLDUAN: And today, Vice President Kamala Harris is headed out west, heading to Phoenix, also before making two stops in Nevada. She ends the night in Las Vegas where she's going to be joined by Jennifer Lopez, one of the many bold faced Latinos who have jumped in to support Harris, especially after the garbage remarks that were sparked by Trump's MSG rally that we've been talking about.
CNN's Jeff Zeleny joins us from Madison, Wisconsin, where both Harris and Donald Trump campaigned yesterday. And, Jeff, Harris is also responding to Trump's take now and how he's talking about protecting women. What's she saying and what is her campaign planning to do with it?
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kate, good morning. It was those comments from former President Donald Trump in Green Bay, Wisconsin, that certainly caught the fresh attention of the Harris campaign and the vice president. And I would not be at all surprised if she references those again. As she leaves Wisconsin, she'll be waking up here and traveling out west to those western battleground states.
The gender gap in this campaign in the closing days is one of the most important things we are watching in terms of an outcome next week. Harris has a strong lead among women. Donald Trump, of course, is doing much better among men. But the Harris campaign was seizing on those comments the former president made about protecting women.
Now, at her rally last night here, she's also trying to draw a contrast, of course, with the former president, but at the same time trying to reach across the aisle and saying she would be a president for all Americans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: As your president, I pledge to seek common ground and common sense solutions to the challenges you face.
And I pledge to listen to experts to those who will be impacted by the decisions I make and to the people who disagree with me.
Unlike Donald Trump, I don't believe people who disagree with me are the enemy from within.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENY: So, talking about seeking common ground there, the question of that, of course, is this is a base election trying to turn out their respective bases, how many undecided voters are still listening or perhaps persuaded by that message. But the vice president was here because early voting is so key in this race, of course, and the deadline in some counties is Friday, others is Sunday, here in Wisconsin. That is why both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are coming back to Wisconsin on Friday. Of course, the blue wall is so important in both of their strategies. It's her strongest path to the White House. It was the narrowest margin of the three states four years ago. That's why all of their focus, at least a lot of it, is on Wisconsin, even as they travel out west today. Essentially, these candidates are chasing one another, Kate.
BOLDUAN: Absolutely right. And speaking of the blue wall, Jeff, there's new polling showing that Harris has a narrow, narrow advantage in two blue wall states.
ZELENY: It does. Our new CNN polling, really fascinating of the three states, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. In Pennsylvania, of course, that is the biggest battleground prize of all, 19 electoral votes. Our polling shows that the former president and Vice President Harris are tied there. We know that Vice President Harris will end her campaign with a big rally in Philadelphia after barnstorming Pennsylvania on Monday.
But Michigan also so key there, Vice President Harris has a narrow edge, but just within the margin. And in Wisconsin, of course, she has a slight edge in the polls. But I am told that both sides are confident here in Wisconsin. But, again, those undecided voters in the early vote so key for both Harris and Trump. Kate.
BOLDUAN: So great to see you, Jeff. Thank you so much. Sara?
SIDNER: All right, still ahead, why a judge granted a request from the Trump campaign to extend a ballot deadline in one key Pennsylvania County.
Plus, a date has now been set for the Menendez brothers to be resentenced in California after they murdered their parents.
And a wild celebration, exciting, L.A., after the Dodgers clinched the World Series in dramatic fashion. We'll show it all to you.
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[07:10:00]
SIDNER: What a game. The Los Angeles Dodgers, once again, world champs after clinching their eighth World Series title last night in a dramatic Game 5 comeback. Fans got a little too rowdy after the game. The LAPD said a hostile crowd, you see, they're doing donuts in the street, surrounded a bus and tried to set it on fire. You all calm down.
CNN Sports Anchor Andy Scholes is joining us now. Andy, let's go to the game highlights. We saw what happened afterwards.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, Sara. So, I mean, the Yankees, they were rolling last night early. You know, it looked like we were going to head back to L.A. for a Game 6. But then the Yankees just had an epic meltdown in the fifth inning. But as I mentioned, things started off great. Aaron Judge hitting his first ever World Series home run in the first. Then Jazz Chisholm connected for back-to-back home runs. Yankee Stadium was just going nuts. They were up 3-0 right away. Then they were up 5-0 in the fifth. So, things fell apart. Judge dropping this fly ball in center field. Then Anthony Volpe makes a throwing error on this grounder.
[07:15:01]
Then Garrett Cole doesn't cover first on this grounder.
Dodgers would end up getting five unearned runs in the inning to tie the game up. Then in the eighth, now tied at six, Mookie Betts coming through again, Zach Fly, Tommy Edmond scored to give L.A. the lead. Then starter Walker Buehler would come in in the ninth. He closed it out. Dodgers end up winning seven to six to take the World Series in five games. Freddie Freeman, who hit four home runs, the title World Series record with 12 RBIs is named the MVP.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FREDDIE FREEMAN, 2024 WORLD SERIES MVP: This is everything. I'm telling you, I wouldn't be here without the support of everybody in these shirts tonight. It's been a grind these last three months, but this organization, Stan, Andrew, Brandon, Doc, my teammates, my family, it's been, it's been a lot. This is it right here. Not this, that one. That's what it's about. That's what it's about.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: Happy for Freddie Freeman there. Now, this is the Dodgers' eighth World Series and team history, and they went in the first season after signing Shohei Ohtani to that record ten-year, $700 million deal. Our own Omar Jimenez, he was in the clubhouse celebrating with the team.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAX MUNCY, LOS ANGELES DODGERS THIRD BASEMAN: It's unbelievable, man. This is what you strive for. This is why you play the game. Now we're here. It's special. There's nothing better.
WILL SMITH, LOS ANGELES DODGERS CATCHER: We worked all year for it for the World Series. Celebrating with these guys, it's special. And, you know, we're going to celebrate it right.
BLAKE TREINEN, LOS ANGELES DODGERS PITCHER: I'm blessed, man. I'm truly blessed. It's so fun to be able to act like a little kid with my full grown adult, like, husbands, dads, we get to let loose a lot of hard work and stress and pressure behind this career.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: And now that party was also on and L.A. fans taking to the streets of downtown to celebrate. But some fans were up to no good. A city bus was lit on fire. There were also reports of looting. L.A. Police tweeted fans not to go to downtown and to celebrate responsibly.
Now, they will have a parade Friday morning in downtown L.A. to celebrate and a ticketed celebration at Dodger Stadium.
And, Sara, as you know, L.A. fans very salty about when the Lakers won in 2020 and the Dodgers won in 2020 and they didn't get any parade. So, I'm sure they're going to show out big time this time around Friday for the celebration.
SIDNER: Oh, yes, they are. Andy, would you like to go? Let's go. Maybe John will come. I mean, he likes Mookie Betts. You know what I mean? Best in baseball.
SCHOLES: He basically counts those as Red Sox titles, Berman does.
SIDNER: Yes, let's go. He does. He doesn't -- like he's not even a little bit. Congratulations.
SCHOLES: I'm sure he's happy this morning after watching that fifth inning.
SIDNER: Oh, he is. He is. There's no doubt. But congratulations to the L.A. Dodgers, they deserve that win.
All right, Kate?
BOLDUAN: You guys will go to L.A. for that parade. And then, John, just to do it again, just for a little more salt, he's going to go to Boston and he's just going to have his parade to Boston. He's going to be like, let's --
SIDNER: We're in a Mookie Betts outfit. I love it.
BOLDUAN: Oh, goodness. Back to politics. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Brett Favre, Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Lopez, the celebrity star power jumping in to help in the final days of the 2024 race.
And John King visiting five battleground states in five days, this time headed back to battleground Wisconsin.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From a let's make a deal standpoint and from an economics and financing perspective, I think he's got the right mindset for how the country should be run.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What I'm seeing right now is and enthusiasm and excitement that's even bigger than when Obama won.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:20:00]
BERMAN: This morning, Elon Musk is trying to move a lawsuit against his $1 million sweepstakes to federal court. That could delay or even cancel a hearing set for today in Pennsylvania, which Musk was ordered to attend. Philadelphia's district attorney is suing Musk and his super PAC, claiming Musk's million dollar giveaway to registered voters violates state law.
Let's get right to CNN's Marshall Cohen in Philadelphia for the latest on this. Marshall?
MARSHALL COHEN, CNN REPORTER: Hey, John. Good morning. I am in Philadelphia, right across the street from the courthouse, where we were expecting a high stakes hearing at 10:00 A.M. where Elon Musk was required to attend. The judge made that clear in an order yesterday. But this whole thing might be on ice because Elon Musk and his attorneys rushed to federal court overnight to try to move this case out of the Pennsylvania courts and into the federal system.
I'll explain in a moment why they want to do that, but the bottom line pragmatic result here is a delay. It's almost certain that the hearing won't go on as scheduled. And this is a daily sweepstakes that the D.A. here at least believes is his unlawful interference in the election. Every day that it goes forward without being stopped by a judge is a win for Elon Musk, let me just make that crystal clear.
So, his lawyers want to move this into federal court because they think that the D.A. in Philly, who is a well known progressive, is basically abusing the court system to try to stifle his free speech. Let me read for you a little bit of what they put in their federal court filing. They said that although disguised as state law claims, the complaints focus is to prevent defendants' purported interference with the forthcoming federal presidential election by any means.
They've had strong words for the D.A. here. They have -- Elon Musk has agreed with posts on his platform that called this a leftist abuse of the system.
[07:25:07]
But, look, John, this is not a joke. These are a million dollar payments. The Justice Department has already warned Elon Musk's super PAC that this could violate federal law. Obviously, the D.A. here in Philly believed that it violated state gaming laws as well. But for the moment, it looks like this sweepstakes will live on to see another day as Elon Musk spends tons of his own money to try to get Donald Trump back in the White House.
BERMAN: And to be clear, any day you can delay court proceedings on this is a win for what Musk is trying to do here.
Marshall Cohen, thank you for your reporting on this. Kate?
BOLDUAN: Five days until the country starts counting votes and five days for Donald Trump to consider if telling women whether you like it or not is a good idea.
And if you're deciding still on a last-minute Halloween costume, Google has the winners and top picks of the season for you. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:30:00]
