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Trump Holds Rally in Georgia; Numbers on Senate Races; El-Sayed Holds Rally in Michigan; Jane Doe's Lawyer Accuses Defendants' Attorney of Leaks. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired October 16, 2026 - 08:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[08:30:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Hero now credited with taking down the shooter before police arrived.

And a clash over alleged leaked records in the Cornell University sexual assault investigation. We've got the latest details coming in and we'll bring you -- we'll bring to you what we are learning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: We are 18 days out to Election Day and there's new data out on how much money the candidates have, well, to burn in these final days. Fundraising numbers just out from last quarter. In Minnesota, Republican candidate Michele Tafoya outraised Democrat Peggy Flanagan, but it's close in this one. Tafoya raised $4.9 million. Flanagan, $4.3 million.

In Texas, the Senate race between Democrat James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton, I mean, the numbers are just wild. Talarico raised a record-breaking $64 million. But there's also the news that Elon Musk has contributed more than $150 million alone to boost Ken Paxton.

[08:35:04]

In Kansas, the Democrat running for Senate there, Adam Hamilton, is far outraising Republican Senator Roger Marshall. Hamilton with $9.4 million raised last quarter. The senator, Senator Marshall, raised $866,000.

To Georgia now. Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff is also dramatically outraising the Republican challenger, Mike Collins. Ossoff with $33 million raised last quarter. And Collins bringing in $2.8 million.

Today, the president's focused is turning to that state. He's holding a rally in Dalton, Georgia, this afternoon.

Let's get to CNN's Alayna Treene, live at the White House for much more of what is to come.

Take us -- take us there. ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I'll take you

there. He is back on the campaign trail again, Kate. And look, I mean, I was just catching up with some people in the press shop here at the White House who said he's basically going to be on the campaign trail every single day for the next three weeks or so in the lead up to November 3rd.

But what's interesting about his trip today is that it is to Dalton, Georgia. I should note, Dalton is a more conservative area within Georgia. But unlike some of the places we know Trump has really been spending his time in recent weeks, he's been going to a lot of red states. Places like Alaska, where he was on Tuesday, Montana, Tennessee, Alabama, the list goes on.

Georgia is different. It is actually a battleground state. And the candidates that he is there to boost for, one is the Republican, Mike Collins, the Senate candidate there. He is a congressman. And then the gubernatorial nominee, Rick Jackson. Both of them in tight races. One Collins is running up against the Senate incumbent, Democrat Jon Ossoff, and then Jackson running against the former Atlanta mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms.

So, interesting to see how the president might try to massage, change, modify some of the aggressive rhetoric he's been using on the trail lately when talking to a more, you know, to a state that is a battleground. To a more purple state.

I will note as well that he has a lot of travel, like I said, coming up tomorrow. He is going to be in Kentucky. Monday we're going to see him in Kansas. Tuesday, North Carolina. So, a lot to expect from the president in the weeks ahead.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: That's absolutely right. It's great to see you, Alayna. Thank you so much.

Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, thank you, Kate.

Fiery, personal attacks and fallout from the Iran War marked last night's debate in Maine and Alaska. Now, Democrats and Republicans are battling it out to squeeze out an advantage as the showdown for control of the Senate is coming down to the wire.

Joining me now is CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten.

Look, let's take a look at what the polling is telling us about these key Senate races.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Yes.

SIDNER: This one is far tighter in the polling than when you look at the House. ENTEN: Yes. Yes. The Senate is the one where -- is where we are going

to be focusing our attention on election night, for the most part, unless there's a big surprise in the House of Representatives.

And I want you to take a look at the Senate polling margins right here, OK. This is the average in each of these key swing states. The key swing states in the United States Senate. Democrats likely need to win at least three of these in order to win control.

Now, if you see it across the board here, look, they are, in fact, ahead, even if marginally so in Ohio by four, Michigan, three, Texas, three, Maine, two, Iowa, one. And even in Kansas, which hasn't had a Democratic senator since 1932 elected, even there we're talking about a tie. If these polls were exactly right, and that is that they match the result on Election Day, matches what the polling shows right now, the Democrats would, in fact, take control of the United States Senate.

The question is, are the results on election night going to match what the polling shows right now?

SIDNER: And that is the question that I would like you to answer. On average, when you look at these polls, what's the error? What happens?

ENTEN: Yes. OK. So, let's take a look at the final polling averages. That is the polls conducted over the final 21 days in each state. Compile up an average of them. And let's see how they do, historically speaking. And keep these numbers in mind on your screen.

Take a look here. OK, final Senate poll aggregates in close races. That is races within five points. The average race, look at this, the average error rate, they are off by 3.7 percentage points. Polls are a tool. Poll aggregates are a tool. When you have all of these close races, you have to keep this in mind. Those races -- most of those races on the last screen are well within that average error rate. And that is why the Senate, at this point, is too close to call if these poll averages hold and they go to Election Day with what we saw on slide number one, with all these races, many of which are well within three points.

SIDNER: OK, so what does this look like if the error went to the Republican side? Because when you look at this average and then you go back, there's only one that is above that average.

[08:40:02]

ENTEN: Yes. That's exactly right. And this, to me, is the big siren warning sign for Democrats right here. Because I know you feel like it's Lucy and the football. You've seen yourselves ahead before. And then Election Day, the votes are cast and counted and the Republicans come out ahead. So, let's just say, in fact, we get this average error rate and it goes and the Republicans outperform the polls yet again. This is what we're talking about.

OK, the 2026 Senate map. If, in fact, Republicans outperform the averages by 3.75 points. Look at this. This is the key nugget on your bottom right of the screen. Republicans would get 52 seats. Democrats would get 48. Republicans would easily maintain control of the U.S. House. They'd win up here in Maine. They'd win in Michigan. They'd win down here in Texas. They'd win in Kansas. They'd win in Iowa. And they'd also win, I'm going to come over to Sara's side of the screen right here, they'd win in Alaska as well.

So, the bottom line is this, we have a few weeks to go left in this campaign. The polling has been tight. It's -- Democrats are able to get the polls to match results. Hey, they get a majority. But I think we've seen this story a little bit before. And that is why this Senate map is still way too close to call. Republicans very much in the ball game.

SIDNER: It is really interesting to look at this.

Harry Enten, thank you so much.

ENTEN: Thank you, my friend.

SIDNER: Appreciate it.

John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: With us now, Tia Mitchell, the Washington bureau chief for "The Atlanta Journal-Constitution," and Susan Page, the Washington bureau chief for "USA Today."

So, polling margins and errors have Democrats nervous. And there's also a few races if you look around the country where Democrats, I think, are feeling a little bit less good than they would like. And one of them is in Michigan, right, where you have Abdul El-Sayed campaigning. He was in the upper peninsula of Michigan yesterday with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. And there are some Democrats now raising concerns about whether he's running the right type of race.

In "Politico" this morning, they had some extraordinary quotes here. They wrote, if there's a new -- this is from Haley Stevens, I should say. This quote is from Haley Stevens, who was the Democrat that El- Sayed beat in the Democratic primary. She endorsed him right away, but they haven't been on the trail together. And she said, "there's a new coalition that Abdul has built, and some people are a die-hard part of it, and some people are not. We're seeing some constituent community pain coming out," Sevens said, referencing resistance among some black and Jewish voters who backed her in the primary. Stevens said Republican rival Mike Rogers "is working the black community harder and more successfully than we have ever seen a Republican do, or at least that I can remember -- ever."

So, Tia, that message again from a Democrat whose coalition you would think Abdul El-Sayed would like. It's pretty telling 18 days before the election.

TIA MICHELL, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, "ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION": Yes, I think, when you read that "Politico" reporting, it reminds us that we can talk about all the data and all the polling and all, you know, these national trends. But at the end of the day, a candidate has to work it and win it. And you can lose an election despite having the money and the momentum if you don't do the kind of grassroots, boots on the ground type of things that wins a close race in a toss-up state. And so what we're hearing from Haley Stevens is, you know, maybe she's -- maybe he and his team, Abdul El-Sayed, are missing the mark on some of that, you know, again, that ultra local drilling down on how to win that specific state of Michigan. And it is something that I think his team is going to need to look at as they try to close out this race.

BERMAN: You know, Susan, we had Paul Begala on last hour and he said, yes, El-Sayed is campaigning with AOC and may campaign with Bernie Sanders soon. He would rather see him, you know, campaigning with Bart Stupak, the former congressman for the upper peninsula, or Barack Obama or Haley Stevens, instead of people on the progressive left.

SUSAN PAGE, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, "USA TODAY": Yes. You know, the Michigan Senate race has become a test of the progressives case that they can win in swing states. And El-Sayed has, unlike many of the other Democratic Senate candidates, chosen to stick with that progressive lane without doing all the efforts that we've seen some other Senate candidates do to reach out to the middle.

So, if that works, that will be a big boost to people like AOC and others who might be considering on the left for the presidential race. But if he loses, that will be a sign that those voices from the Democratic middle, from the establishment that said Haley Stevens would have been a better candidate in Michigan, that they would be able to argue that they told you so.

BERMAN: It's a great point. It's got 2028 implications either way. Either way it has implications.

Susan, I'm going to ask you a debate question, because you're one of my favorite debate moderators. There was a debate in Alaska overnight with Dan Sullivan, the incumbent Republican, and Mary Peltola, the Democrat running against him. And there was this interesting moment in it. I just want to play it and let it speak for itself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. DAN SULLIVAN (R-AK): We weren't supposed to get these questions beforehand, were we?

[08:45:01]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, sir.

SULLIVAN: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Neither one of you got questions beforehand. Absolutely not.

SULLIVAN: OK. I'm just watching my opponent read from questions that seem to be answered.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, that is -- absolutely not. MARY PELTOLA (D), ALASKA SENATE CANDIDATE: Thank you. I'm prepared.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: All right, it didn't read when we played it out. It -- I mean but what happened was, Dan Sullivan was accusing basically the debate team of giving the questions to Mary Peltola. And Mary Peltola, the Democrat, was like, I'm just prepared here.

How do you think that plays on a debate stage or the debate audience? How much do they care about sort of the shenanigans of point scoring on stage?

PAGE: I don't think they -- I think that's not a smart, political point. It's kind of a viral moment. But when you go out and talk to voters, you know what they talk about? They don't talk about, are -- did you prepare in advance? Are you reading your answers? They talk about affordability issues, concern about the war in Iran. A sense that America has gotten off track.

This is a really focused electorate. And it is focused not on some of the kerfuffles that we've seen in these final debates. They're focused on what's happening in their own lives. And that is, I think, one reason that Republicans have struggled so much because Republicans are being held to account for what's happening on inflation and affordability and housing and health care.

BERMAN: Tia, let's talk about money. The Texas fundraising numbers for the third quarter are staggering. James Talarico brought in $64 million. Ken Paxton, the Republican incumbent, $18 million. Two numbers jump out there. $64 million is just a staggering amount to raise. And then the margin there also really big here. Now, outside spending is going to help prop up Ken Paxton here. But when you see a disparity like that, what does it tell you?

MITCHELL: Well, it tells me that just Democrats have a lot of enthusiasm in some of these high-profile Democratic candidates and high-profile races are getting money from across the nation. So, there are people who live far from Texas who now feel invested in helping Talarico win that Senate race. And that helps him, you know, raise money, and big amounts of it.

But again, I just think the bottom line is, you can raise all the money, but that alone, even though he has a huge fundraising advantage, will not win the race for him.

BERMAN: Yes, you use a great point there. You've seen enthusiasm from around the country for Texas Democrats before. Those Texas candidates actually want that enthusiasm harnessed within the borders of the lone star state.

Tia Mitchell, Susan Page, thank you both very much. Have a great weekend.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Coming up for us, police are now investigating after a robot allegedly sexually assaults a teenage girl.

And the need for speed. A new world record set for the fastest speed reached on a skateboard. How fast this man actually went on an open road.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:51:46]

SIDNER: All right, developing this morning, a fight over alleged leaked records and a gag order in the Cornell University sexual assault case. A former student, known as Jane Doe, is suing the university and seven men alleging she was drugged and gang raped at the Chi Phi fraternity house in 2024.

Now, "The Washington Post" is reporting that her attorney is accusing defense lawyers for some of the men accused of leaking records from Cornell's investigation to promote their client's version of the story, which portrays the encounter as consensual. Lawyers for at least one defendant deny that allegation. The dispute comes as lawyers for another defendant are seeking a gag order against Doe's attorney, arguing public comments could taint a jury pool.

Joining me now, CNN legal analyst and criminal defense attorney Joey Jackson.

Look, what crosses the line here between aggressively advocating for your client in the media and professional misconduct?

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes, Sara.

So, what happens is, is that both sides are, obviously, looking to co- opt the narrative because there, of course, is the court of law. And then there's the court of public opinion. Although the plaintiff's attorney, that is Jane Doe's attorney, if you want to say, started it, so to speak, right? They, of course, he fired the first shots, getting on the airwaves, giving a narrative with respect to what actually happened, how his client was taken advantage of, indeed, raped, et cetera. You know there's going to be a clapback to that. And the defense, they're going to defend their client by bringing out information, to your point. So, that's what this is all about, controlling the narrative because it matters. What does the public think, right? Why? Because ultimately, if this becomes a criminal case, if it does, it's investigated, that public is going to be on the jury. So, you want to sort of give information to them early on.

To your question in terms of what crosses the line. If there's something in the public domain already, well, then it's fair game, right? We have a First Amendment right to speak about the evidence. Now, you, Sara, might view the evidence differently from me. We can argue what the evidence means. We can move, we could spin, we could do whatever we want. But if it's out there, it's all good. If there's information that's protected by the court or otherwise should not be disclosed that you're speaking about, then it's another story. And I think that's what they're attempting to do, have the judge set limits on what can be out there by a protective order. And in fact, this -- one of the attorneys is very upset, it could even

rise to a defamation claim saying, hey, what are you doing? Let's correct the public record. You're the one who put this out there. You didn't even consult me. So, there's a little dispute. Judges don't like to get involved in these little disputes. They just want there to be a fair trial and for the process to proceed as it should.

SIDNER: Just quickly, do you think, in this case, because there has been so much media attention, that the judge will potentially put in a gag order?

JACKSON: I mean, judges don't like to, because there's that First Amendment issue. And, quite frankly, Sara, there's a lot else out there. I think the judge will bring everybody in, say, cool it, right? Maybe issue a protective order over information that's not yet publicly available and have the sides really try the case in court, if it comes that way or, you know, but just follow the rules, play nicely in the sandbox and do what you're ethically required to do as an attorney.

SIDNER: All right, let's turn to another case that's getting -- has gotten plenty of attention over time, the Alex Murdaugh murder case. Prosecutors and lawyers for Murdaugh are returning to court because of escalating disputes over evidence for his retrial.

[08:55:08]

The defense wants access to more DNA testing on all sorts of materials that were found, like the material under his wife's fingernails and ballistics evidence. I mean what do you think is going to happen here? What are you watching for in this case as they turn to try him again?

JACKSON: Yes, so very important because, of course, the case was overturned. He gets this trial now. And I think what the attorneys want is they want access to the information and they want to be able to test it. You mentioned the issues with the DNA, and that's under his wife's fingernails. Allow us, for the defense, to test that DNA to determine whether it had someone else's. Sometimes there are defensive wounds, you scratch. That's fair.

They're looking also, the defense, to see about ammunition. The ballistics. How is it used in other counties. Why is that relevant? Because maybe it's so common, this ammunition, that somebody else could be involved. Issues relating to whether an officer came and helped him out, who was a friend of Murdaugh, did that officer conceal a weapon? Did they conceal clothing? Where is his bloody clothing? Was it found?

So, what I'm looking for, as I think, is I think the judge should be broad with respect to what the judge does.

Why do I say that? You always want to defend it, no matter what we think, about a defendant's guilt, to have a fair trial.

SIDNER: OK. JACKSON: And if I give you the ability to test the fingernails, if I give you access to this ballistic in other counties, if I give you the information you want concerning, you know, what happened to this officer, were they helping or not, that helps you at least have a fair trial.

And what do we want? Fairness. And that's what it's about. So, that's what I'm looking for the judge to do in terms of making rulings.

SIDNER: They're also thinking about, you know, later on whether something comes up, an appeal, if you give all the information to the defense as well, that they are requesting, right?

JACKSON: A thousand percent, Sara. Great point, because those are all appealable issues. If the judge denies --

SIDNER: Right.

JACKSON: And the defendant's convicted, you know you're appealing that. Super point. Thank you.

SIDNER: All right, Joey Jackson, thank you for coming in on this Friday. We do appreciate you always.

JACKSON: Appreciate you.

SIDNER: Kate.

BOLDUAN: Police in Germany are investigating a possible sexual assault by a robot. The alleged incident took place during a live streamed event on a busy street in Germany. Police say that the robot allegedly touched a 16-year-old girl's but and then made thrusting motions against her. And they're now looking into whether that robot was being controlled by two other teenagers at the time.

Take a look at this video showing Florida police wrangling a gator. Just another day in Florida. Port Saint Lucie police say they had to use a makeshift pole, security straps and some good old teamwork to safely haul this gator off and return him to the water. The police department adding this, case closed, suspect relocated, no charges filed.

A man from Spain has now broken the Guinness World Record for downhill skateboarding. To do so, he reached a top speed of just over 94 miles an hour on a skateboard. According to Guinness, he broke the record by three seconds of the same -- on the same Canadian hill where the previous record was set nine years ago. Fun fact, apparently this man said that he actually wanted to be a Formula One race car driver until he discovered his calling to downhill skateboarding.

Sara.

SIDNER: I'm trying to see if I can even bend down that far.

BOLDUAN: Stand like that, let alone go 94 miles an hour.

SIDNER: Without a skateboard. I am in heels, but that seems cray (ph).

BOLDUAN: You can do anything.

SIDNER: Thanks, Kate.

All right, ahead, in an all new episode of "The Detour with David Chang," Chef Chang hits the road with actor and comedian Eric Andre to showcase Florida's best eats from Miami to Key West. And it was a wild ride.

I sat down with David to eat some wonderful food and discuss his family, career and his best bites.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: What are we eating here?

DAVID CHANG, HOST, "THE DETOUR": Well, this is a mini bossum (ph). It's a slow-cooked pork butt. We have some bread, some sam (ph), and you just make a little, a little hand roll.

SIDNER: You like a hand roll? I like to eat it separately.

CHANG: That too.

SIDNER: Maybe I'm a weirdo.

You talk about being a product of tiger parenting. Can you give me some sense of what was imparted by your family as far as cooking?

CHANG: Well, it's funny, it's like, so many parents that come to this country do it to actually have a life that is very different from the country they're coming from.

My dad worked his entire life really to make sure that his kids would never work in a restaurant. Yet I still did it.

SIDNER: Give me also an idea of what you're trying to tell people with the food that you make now, because you're not just someone who's like, yes, I was -- I worked in kitchens. You freaking have restaurants all over the country.

CHANG: I think it's a misnomer. I'm not in the kitchen anymore. And that is because of the teams that we have. And that's the next generation that are taking a lot of it, the DNA that we created in 2004. The same ideas about the flavors, about what American food could be. I never once said our food was Asian. I always said it was American.

SIDNER: I did read some of your book. You talked about sort of having these feelings of not being good enough. Do you still feel that way because you're kind of top dogging it?

[09:00:03]

CHANG: I always feel that way. That it's never enough. This is such a hard business, which is why, you know.