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Trump, Harris Give Final Pitches with 9 Days Left in Race; Turmoil at Washington Post Over Presidential Endorsements; Ceasefire and Hostage Talks to Resume Today; Georgia's Ruling Party Claims Win; Opposition Cries Fraud; Western North Carolina Could Lose $2B Plus in Tourism Revenue; North Carolina Businesses Slow to Reopen Post- Hurricane Helene. Aired 5-6 am ET

Aired October 27, 2024 - 05:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:00:34]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber, this is CNN Newsroom.

Kamala Harris bringing more clout to her campaign as a former first lady joins her on stage. We'll hear Michelle Obama's message for American men.

And Donald Trump tries to appeal to young male voters with a rally near Penn State. What he has to say about Kamala Harris' recent rallies.

Plus, it's been a month since Hurricane Helene devastated the city of Asheville. We'll look at recovery efforts and how you can get involved.

With election day fast approaching, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are preparing for their last full week of campaigning. Later today, Trump will hold a rally in New York's Madison Square Garden.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Vice President will be courting black and Latino voters in Battleground, Pennsylvania. Michelle Obama brought star power to the campaign trail in Michigan Saturday. The former first lady rallied for Harris and offered this message on what's at stake for women on November 5th.

Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELLE OBAMA, FORMER U.S. FIRST LADY: It is reasonable to be frustrated. We all know we have a lot more work to do in this country. But to anyone out there thinking about sitting out this election or voting for Donald Trump or a third-party candidate in protest, because you're fed up, let me warn you, your rage does not exist in a vacuum. If we don't get this election right, your wife, your daughter, your mother, we as women will become collateral damage to your rage.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Polls across the board find there's no still leader, but Harris exuded confidence at a rally in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: This is going to be a tight race till the very end, so we have a lot of work to do. But we like hard work. Hard work is good work. Hard work is joyful work. And make no mistake, we will win. We will win. We will win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: And CNN's Danny Freeman has more on how Trump is campaigning in Pennsylvania.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think the best way to characterize the early part of this weekend is that the campaign of former president Donald Trump is all about reaching out to young male voters, specifically perhaps young men who might not be as plugged into the news or who might not otherwise be as likely to vote.

This event here on Saturday evening was in State College, Pennsylvania on the campus of Penn State. The former president spoke for about an hour and 20 minutes, and there was much of his normal Pennsylvania- type speech. He spoke about fracking. He bashed Vice President Harris and the Biden administration on their handling of immigration.

He also actually at one point made fun of Vice President Kamala Harris and her rally with Beyonce on Friday night, saying that Harris can't draw a crowd on her own and making fun of Beyonce, the superstar, because she did not sing.

But when I mean that the campaign has been reaching out specifically to young men, part of the theme of this particular event at State College was all about focusing on the Penn State wrestling team. The former president admiring the members of the wrestling team's muscles at one point, bringing them up on stage. Take a listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Just like your wrestling team dreams big, you know, where the hell are they? Where are they? I hear that team is brutal, I can tell. It's easy to tell. I could pick every one of them. Jim Jordan told me about you guys. You know, Jim Jordan, he told me about -- look at the muscles all over the place. You better get ready, because they're going to bring you up here in a little while. So you guys better get ready. You guys better get ready. Maybe I'll wrestle one of them or two of them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: Now, I should say the crowd loved this part, even if the crowd did start to winnow out towards the end of his speech.

Now, I also mentioned that this is really the through line of the early part of the weekend, because this comes on the heels of his three-hour interview with podcaster Joe Rogan that took place on Friday in Texas. That interview was meandering, it was freewheeling, but again, it speaks to the campaign's effort to try and reach out to these younger male voters who perhaps wouldn't be encouraged to vote otherwise.

[05:05:12]

Now, on Sunday, former President Trump is not going to be in any of these battleground states. Instead, he's going to be in New York City in the evening for a rally at Madison Square Garden. Danny Freeman, CNN, State College, Pennsylvania.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: And Trump's running mate also hit the campaign trail in Pennsylvania. J.D. Vance spoke at an event in Erie Saturday afternoon and held a town hall in Harrisburg that night.

Earlier, he campaigned here in Georgia, taking questions from a crowd in Atlanta. When asked about reports that Chinese government hackers targeted his and Trump's phones, Vance said it showed that Beijing doesn't want a Trump victory. He also said he will accept Georgia's election results even if Trump loses the state again.

Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE (R-OH) VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yes, ma'am. Look, of course we will. But of course, we're going to try to make sure that every legal ballot is counted and illegal ballots aren't counted, right?

There's no --

(APPLAUSE)

VANCE: We believe in two very important principles, one, that, yes, we're going to accept the results of the election. But, two, we're also going to fight to make sure that every legal ballot and only every legal ballot is counted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Meanwhile, the issue of presidential endorsements is causing turmoil at "The Washington Post." The paper announced it wouldn't endorse a candidate this year or in the future. So far, owner Jeff Bezos isn't commenting on the controversy or on reports that he squashed an endorsement for Kamala Harris drafted by the editorial board. At least one editor has resigned and some high-profile staffers have publicly condemned the decision.

CNN Media Correspondent Hadas Gold has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HADAS GOLD, CNN MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: "Washington Post" owner Jeff Bezos has so far remained silent on the drama that's caused turmoil within the newspaper after "The Washington Post" chose not to endorse any presidential candidate just days before the 2024 election, a source close to the matter telling CNN that there had been endorsement for Vice President Kamala Harris in the works, but "The Washington Post" itself reporting that it was ultimately spiked by owner Jeff Bezos.

Now some of the biggest names, both current and former, in "The Washington Post" are speaking out about this. Former editor Marty Baron, who led the paper under Bezos during the first Trump administration, coming out swinging against his former boss, calling the decision not to run an endorsement cowardly. He also said that the explanation given that readers should make their own choice laughable given the timing. Take a listen to what he had to say to CNN's Michael Smerconish.

MARTY BARON, FORMER EXECUTIVE EDITOR, WASHINGTON POST: Look, the fact is, is that Bezos has other commercial interests, as we know. He obviously founded Amazon, has a huge, big, big stake in Amazon. He has a space company called Blue Origin. Trump has threatened to pursue his political enemies and he rewards his friends and he punishes his perceived political enemies. And I think there's no other explanation for what's happening right now.

GOLD: Washington Post Publisher Will Lewis pushing back on the idea that Jeff Bezos was intimately involved in nixing the endorsement, saying Jeff Bezos was not sent, did not read, did not opine on any draft. As publisher Lewis says, "I do not believe in presidential endorsements. We're an independent newspaper and should support our readers' ability to make up their own minds."

But Washington Post journalists who I have spoken to said that while not all of them mind with the idea of not endorsing any candidate, they do question the timing of all this, saying that it landed like a bomb in the newsroom and saying that it puts them in a very uncomfortable position. They pointed out that the Trump campaign has already pounced on this non-endorsement. And they also pointed to the awkward timing of the fact that on Friday, the same day that The Washington Post announced that they would not be endorsing any candidate, executives from Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin space company met with former President Donald Trump.

And in fact, Donald Trump's spokesperson reposted a picture of that meeting with heart emojis as a Washington Post staffer commented on the timing of all of that happened. Another Trump advisor writing on X saying, you know, that's all you need to know is the fact that even The Washington Post won't endorse Vice President Kamala Harris.

Other really major big stars from The Washington Post, including Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein of Watergate fame, coming out against this, questioning the timing, saying that it's a problem for American democracy if The Washington Post cannot come out and endorse a candidate, especially with the specter of what former President Donald Trump has said he will do to the press.

And then within The Washington Post itself, columnists, a group of columnists also put out their own letter condemning this decision. And then there is the business side of this. And that's the fact that The Washington Post is losing subscribers as a result of this.

A source telling our colleague Brian Stelter that thousands of subscribers have now canceled their subscription to The Washington Post as a result of this non-endorsement. Hadas Gold, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[05:10:10]

BRUNHUBER: We're following a breaking story in central Israel. Ten people are injured, four seriously after a truck hit a bus stop in the town of Ramat Hasharon north of Tel Aviv. A police spokesperson says the driver was, quote, "neutralized" and that the incident is being treated as a deliberate attack. Some of the victims were trapped under the truck.

Israeli emergency services say ten people have been taken to hospitals. Ambulance crews were treating several more at the bus stop. And we'll have more information on this as it becomes available to us.

Iran says it will respond to Saturday's Israeli airstrike, but it hasn't said how. Israel says the strike damaged military targets, but isn't providing detailed results of the damage. U.S. President Joe Biden says he hopes the strike on Iran prevents what some fear could become a wider war in the Middle East. Here's what he told reporters on Saturday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: The reason we're a little late, I was on with the intelligence community for the last half hour. It looks like they didn't hit anything other than military targets. My hope is this is the end.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Meanwhile, protesters in Tel Aviv are demanding that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reach a ceasefire and hostage release agreement. This as the first negotiations in more than two months are scheduled to happen today.

CNN Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Matthew Chance is live in Jerusalem. So, Matthew, you've been tracking the reaction and the implications of Israel's attack on Iran. What's the latest?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think, Kim, in terms of the reaction politically here in Israel, it's been mixed to the Israeli strikes at the weekend on Saturday morning on Iranian military targets. And one opposition figure is saying the strikes don't go far enough. Another one saying that military logic has prevailed and that the Israelis seem to have carried out a retaliation attack that doesn't necessarily threaten to drag the country into a direct war with Iran.

And so, yeah, again, mixed response politically here in Israel to that. I think the key question is, has this retaliation by Israel done enough to restore deterrence in the ongoing conflict between Iran, its proxies, and Israel? I guess we're just going to have to wait to see what the Iranian reaction, if any, is to this latest Israeli strike.

In terms of the prospects for, you know, a ceasefire and a hostage release elsewhere in the region, well, as you rightly pointed out, for the past two months there's been a hiatus in negotiations to secure a hostage release and a ceasefire. But that is now coming to an end as well because Israel has sent top security officials to Doha in Qatar to engage with the Qatari authorities and the Egyptians and others, the United States representatives are also there, to talk about what can be done to secure a hostage release and to implement a ceasefire in the region as well.

The big problem, of course, in Gaza we're talking about here, the big problem, of course, is that the Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar, was killed recently by an Israeli military patrol and it's not clear what the negotiation, who the new leadership is of that organization. And once that leadership is appointed, what their negotiating position would be, would it be hardline or would they be more prepared to compromise? And so that's something that we hope to get some clarity on in the hours ahead and in the days ahead as these talks continue. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, so many questions still swirling there. Matthew Chance in Jerusalem, thanks so much.

All right, coming up, Russia launches a deadly missile strike on a hospital in Ukraine and the former Soviet Republic of Georgia is being torn in two directions. Now, the pro-Western opposition movement is crying foul after a pivotal election. We'll tell you why ahead. Stay with us.

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[05:18:00]

BRUNHUBER: Russian forces have targeted residential buildings in a major hospital in south-central Ukraine, killing at least five people, and one of the victims is a child. Russian missiles slammed into the city of Dnipro overnight Saturday, leading to a terrifying sleepless night, according to the city's mayor. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the hospital hit was one of the country's most important. It's being used to treat injured soldiers. At least 21 people were wounded in the attack.

The post-Soviet Republic of Georgia could be pulled closer to Russia after a crucial parliamentary election on Saturday. Georgia's ruling Dream Party claimed victory. Near-complete results show it won more than 54% of the vote, the electoral commission announced today, with the prime minister thanking Georgians for their support.

IRAKLI KOBAKHIDZE, GEORGIAN PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Thank you to the Georgian people, who are experienced and wise people. Thank you for standing together. The Georgian people are the main authors of this victory. More than a million of our citizens came to the polling stations and supported peace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: However, the country's deeply divided pro-Western opposition movement is rejecting what it calls falsified election results and claims the ruling party orchestrated a, quote, "constitutional coup."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TINA BOKUCHAVA, LEADER OF UNITED NATIONAL MOVEMENT: We believe, we are convinced, and we are certain that this is due to election fraud, and therefore, unity national movement does not accept these falsified election results.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Now, earlier, I spoke with former CNN Moscow Bureau Chief Jill Dougherty on how the international community will likely respond to the claims of election fraud and where Georgia goes from here. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: There's a lot of lack of clarity, actually, where we go, because you have now, I would call them, incomplete final results. We probably today will get the final results from the central election commission, but both sides really are claiming victory, and that's the problem that I think the country faces right now.

[05:20:06]

BRUNHUBER: Yeah.

DOUGHERTY: As you said, government, the ruling party, Georgian dream, is definitely saying it won and won big. And then the opposition is saying, no, there was vote buying, intimidation, ballot stuffing, other things like that. So they essentially say it was stolen.

So what we have today, what will happen is the international and the Georgian observers will be speaking at various news conferences, and they will explain what they've seen and whether they can, you know, justify these charges that it was stolen. And then we'll have to see what foreign governments, including the United States and European governments say. Russia has already pretty much spoken that it's happy with the results.

But I think it could potentially be dragged out for quite a long time. And that means that things will be unstable. So even tonight, we don't know whether the opposition protests and what could happen from that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Polls close in about an hour and a half. In Japan, a big test for the nation's new leader. Voters are deciding who will fill the 465-seat House of Representatives, Japan's lower House of Parliament. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba called the snap election immediately after winning the leadership of his liberal Democratic Party. He wants a public mandate after one of the country's biggest political scandals. Some lawmakers have been accused of taking kickbacks or failing to properly declare their income.

A polling may show Donald Trump and Kamala Harris locked in a dead heat. But Harris appears to be struggling with male voters of color when compared to her predecessor. We'll have more on the U.S. presidential race next.

And the U.S. presidential election will have consequences far beyond America's borders. Still ahead, we'll see what people in Mexico are saying about the choice between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. Stay with us.

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[05:25:28]

BRUNHUBER: And welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.

I want to give you an update on a breaking news story we're following in central Israel. We're now learning that at least 35 people were injured after a truck hit a bus stop in the town of Ramat Hasharon north of Tel Aviv. It's not clear what the extent of all those injuries are.

A police spokesperson says the driver was, quote, "neutralized" that the incident is being treated as a deliberate attack. Some of the victims were trapped under the truck. Israeli emergency services say 10 people have been taken to hospitals. Ambulance crews were treating several more at the bus stop and we'll have more on this story as it becomes available.

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are in the final stretch of the U.S. presidential race later today. Trump is set for a rally in Madison Square Garden in New York while Harris will be looking to connect with Black and Latino voters in Pennsylvania where polling is showing a very tight contest.

So with only nine days left, Harris and Trump are now making their final pitches to American voters using fiery rhetoric. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Pennsylvania, you have to stand up and you have to tell Kamala that you've had enough. You're not going to take it anymore. You're the worst vice president. You destroyed San Francisco. You are horrible to the great state of California. You're just horrible. Kamala, you're fired. Get out of here, Kamala. Get the hell out of here.

HARRIS: I took on perpetrators of all kinds. Predators, fraudsters, and repeat offenders. I took them on and I won. Well, Michigan, in 10 days, it's Donald Trump's turn.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: And joining us now from here in Atlanta is Gevin Reynolds. He's a former Associate Director of Speechwriting for Vice President Harris and a contributor to "The Root." Great to see you again.

All right, so looking ahead to today, part of Harris' focus is on Black voters. She'll be stopping at a Black church, a barber shop. What does that say about what she's trying to accomplish in this final push to Election Day?

GEVIN REYNOLDS, FORMER ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF SPEECHWRITING TO VP HARRIS: Absolutely, Kim, and it's always a pleasure to be with you. Thanks for having me back on.

Well, look, the polls in some of the key battleground states are as close as they've ever been, and I think the Harris campaign understands that in order to make that final push over these next few weeks, they can't take a single vote for granted.

Vice President Harris said during an interview with the National Association of Black Journalists just a few months ago, specifically talking about Black men, that she knows that she does not have Black men in her pocket, that she intends to earn every single vote.

And what I think is so fascinating about the Harris campaign's approach to targeting Black voters is that they're showing that they recognize the Black community, that Black voters are not a monolith. They have a unique engagement strategy to target young Black voters, older Black voters, Black men in particular, Black women in particular, and saw the release of the opportunity agenda for Black men just a few weeks ago. Again, the Vice President demonstrating that she sees Black men and she intends to earn their vote, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right, so we heard from Michelle Obama that she was angry and frustrated at reasons why some in the community haven't supported Harris. We talked about how she doesn't have them in her pocket, so to speak. I want to look at some of the softening of the American -- the African-American support for Harris.

Now, according to polls, for example, here in Georgia, where you and I are, Harris' support is 10 points lower among Black voters than for Biden in 2020, and then nationally polls show her attracting the lowest share of any Democratic nominee in decades. So why is there this gap in support?

REYNOLDS: So, Kim, let me first say I actually don't believe that there's a gap in support. I've seen polling suggesting that Vice President Harris is running at the same level, if not higher, than President Biden was when he was in the race and certainly relative to four years ago. And at the end of the day, Kim, polls don't vote, people do.

And what are we seeing, especially right here in Georgia? We're seeing record-breaking voter turnout. Last I checked, according to the state officials, we had over 2.6 million voters who have already cast their ballot. That includes me, and I can tell you that through my voting and through my canvassing here in Georgia, Black folks are fired up for Vice President Harris. And so --

[05:30:11]

BRUNHUBER: Well, let me -- let me jump in.

REYNOLDS: You just have to keep in mind is that --

BRUNHUBER: Gevin, let me jump in because I know, you know, we've disagreed before on this gap in black voters, but, you know, certainly you listen to the campaigns themselves. They know that there is a gap there, and they're really going out of their way to try and address this. And today, former President Barack Obama will join the Win with Black Men roundtable.

In his first campaign appearance for Harris, someone accused him of finger pointing at black men. He seems to have softened his approach. Do you think it's working?

REYNOLDS: So I definitely think it's important to keep in mind that black men vote for Democratic candidates at the second highest rate, second only to black women. So again, the support that we've seen from the black community for Democratic candidates in recent memory is certainly very strong.

Now, Kim, I think one thing that we can certainly acknowledge is that the Democratic Party, regardless of the outcome in this election, you know, must continue to grapple with how to engage especially younger black voters in light of the fact that we're now decades beyond the civil rights movement.

We know that decades in the past, there was a stronger association between the Democratic Party sort of being the party of civil rights that sort of was on the forefront of pushing for rights for black folks. And now that we're a little bit further past that, I think there are a lot of black voters who are looking for more. And I think the Harris campaign recognizes that.

And that's why we've seen them release the opportunity agenda for black men. Just again, as one example, showing, hey, black men, we see you, we hear you. We don't want to just help you get by, but we want to help you get ahead and lead in your communities.

And I believe that it's the intentional decisions that the Harris campaign has made that has led to this record-breaking turnout across the country and which I believe will help carry her across the finish line. BRUNHUBER: Well, let's look at what Donald Trump is doing. He seems to be going after a more male-focused approach, which seems to be making, you know, some inroads with Latino and to a lesser extent, black men. Can you make sense of what that appeal might be specifically for males?

REYNOLDS: So I think there could be reasons why men versus women are attracted to Donald Trump. I personally can't think of very many reasons why women would be attracted to Donald Trump, given just his vile, not only rhetoric, but also the very dangerous policies that Donald Trump has when it comes to reproductive freedom. And certainly same can be said, you know, for black voters in terms of his Project 2025 agenda.

But again, I do think there are certain cultural reasons that are pushing, you know, men toward, especially in Latino and black communities, that might push young men to someone like Donald Trump who feel like, for whatever reason, he gives them a voice. But again, that is not an overwhelming portion of the community, Kim. And what I think is striking to me is the fact that the Trump campaign made such a big deal about all these minority outreach centers that they opened in these communities across the country.

Last I checked, every single one of them has shuttered. So what I've seen for the Trump campaign right here in Georgia, Kim, is a lot of photo ops that mean virtually nothing.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. Listen, it's going to be fascinating. I'm going to connect with you definitely after the election, and we're going to see where the votes truly went in terms of the black vote. It'll be fascinating to see.

Always great to speak with you, Gevin Reynolds. Thank you so much.

REYNOLDS: Likewise, Kim. Take care.

BRUNHUBER: Well, hundreds of millions of people around the world are paying close attention to the U.S. election campaign, of course. The outcome could make a big difference in their lives. And with immigration and trade among the hot button issues in the campaign, it's clear Mexico has a big stake in who wins on November 5th.

CNN's Nick Valencia looks at what residents there are saying.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A few days away from the presidential election in the United States, and the anticipation is growing not only in the U.S., but also in Mexico. Many are wondering who will be the winner and what this will mean for the bilateral relationship with their neighbor and commercial partner, Mexico. Kamala Harris or Donald Trump?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hope Kamala wins.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kamala. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Kamala.

VALENCIA: The winning candidate will implement policies that could affect the day-to-day lives, for better or worse, of more than 100 million Mexicans.

ARIBEL CONTRERAS, IBERO-AMERICAN UNIVERSITY (through translator): No, we cannot say that for Mexico only Kamala Harris or only Donald Trump is convenient. No matter if the president is Democrat or Republican, this relationship has always had its ups and downs.

VALENCIA: In the meantime, what do Mexican citizens think? My colleague Karol Suarez spoke with people in the capital.

KAROL SUAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Do you really care about what happens with the presidential election in the United States?

VERONICA GOMEZ, MEXICO CITY RESIDENT (through translator): Of course I care. Mexico has a hand-to-hand relationship with the United States.

[05:35:02]

SUAREZ: How much do you think that Donald Trump's or Kamala Harris's politics will affect you?

NANCY RIVAS, TORREON RESIDENT (through translator): Yes, I think it will. Because to begin, you can see that they say the dollar will rise.

MIGUEL CHAVEZ, MEXICO CITY RESIDENT (through translator): Let's say if Mr. Trump wins and closes the border, as he has said before, well, how are all the Mexicans who cannot find jobs here going to leave?

SUAREZ: In terms of the bilateral relations, who do you think Mexico would benefit from winning?

CARLOS HERNANDEZ, MEXICO CITY RESIDENT (through translator): Wow. Kamala Harris is very nationalistic, and Trump talks too much, too much. But the advantage we have over Trump is that the Mexican government already knows him.

VALENCIA: The Mexican government is keeping an eye on the outcome. The winner will have to work closely with the Mexican president, Claudia Sheinbaum, to address the most critical issues in the relationship. For her part, Sheinbaum has said she will work with either of the possible winners.

CONTRERAS (through translator): The immigration issue, border security, fentanyl, illicit arms trafficking, and the USMCA issue are the main pillars on which there is not always agreement.

VALENCIA: Economic issues are key in the upcoming years, with the review of the Mexico-US-Canada free trade agreement, which both presidential candidates have expressed interest in renegotiating.

CONTRERAS (through translator): Rather, the question or the approach here is Mexico as a country. As a government, are we ready to face the challenges, whether it is a Kamala Harris or a Donald Trump from January 2025?

VALENCIA: This bilateral relation, marked by challenges and opportunities, is more crucial than ever. Regardless of whether Trump or Harris are elected, the decisions taken will not only affect the United States, but will also directly impact the economy and safety on both sides of the border.

Nick Valencia, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Presidents of Western North Carolina paid a price for Hurricane Helene. Ahead, how the storm's devastation robbed them of much-needed income during what should be their business tourist season. We'll have more on that coming up. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:40:16]

BRUNHUBER: Well, an update on a breaking news story we're following in central Israel, we're learning that at least 35 people were injured after a truck hit a bus stop in the town of Ramat Hasharon, north of Tel Aviv. Some of the victims were trapped under the truck, according to the Israel Emergency Services.

Six of the injured were in severe condition and five moderately injured. Ambulance crews were treating several more at the bus stop. A police spokesperson says civilians at the scene shot at the truck driver and, quote, "neutralized" him. The incident is being treated as a deliberate attack. Stay with CNN for updates on this breaking story.

Well, Asheville, North Carolina's world-famous fall foliage brings in hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue, but not this year. Hurricane Helene has left residents and businesses in the state scrambling to recover during what should be peak tourism season. CNN's Channon Hodge has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROL SPAGNUOLA, PHOTOGRAPHER: A lot of times when there's tragedy, people hype it up for a few days and then it falls to the wayside. We can't be forgotten.

CHANNON HODGE, CNN PRODUCER (voice-over): Weeks after Hurricane Helene hit, business owners here in western North Carolina are working overtime to rebuild. Any other year and things would be booked solid all fall season.

JOSH COPUS, OWNER, OLD MARSHALL JAIL HOTEL: This flood hit 27. I mean, you can see the flood water mark.

HODGE (voice-over): A half hour north of Asheville, Josh Copus had turned an old jail into a popular hotel and restaurant. COPUS: We've done $18,000 of refunds so far. So I'm like taking the money that we've raised for rebuilding the restaurant and just using it to refund the hotel rooms. Fall in Appalachia is pure magic. Our color in the leaves is like world famous. For a lot of the businesses in this region, that's the moneymaker.

HODGE (voice-over): Without tourists, communities in western North Carolina will be out $2.1 billion in revenue this year. Jacob Sessoms co-owns several businesses in the area with only one restaurant open. His biggest problem is a pretty expensive one and it's affecting everyone.

JACOB SESSOMS, ASHVILLE RESTAURATEUR: The lack of potable water is keeping a lot of people from opening. So we have a 2,100-gallon cistern filled on a daily basis with potable water that has to be tested twice a day.

The cost to lease the equipment and pay for the water is greater than $600 a day. It is a large expense for a small restaurant, but you can only imagine if the population's paychecks have stopped. There's going to be some hell to pay, I think.

All the furniture down here was destroyed, ruined, washed everywhere. And you can still see the dust from the mud removal. The question is, what do we rebuild? What shouldn't be rebuilt? What is too close to the river?

SPAGNUOLA: This building, the water was to the second floor. And now all you see is rubble and leftover artwork. I believe it's over 300 artists. They're going to need help because nobody's walking around here buying their art. The best way to support any local business here that has an online shop, definitely go online.

COPUS: Like, book a room, buy a gift card, buy a t-shirt. I'm going to reopen as soon as possible.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: All right, I'm joined now by Hayden Plemmons. She's the executive director of the Asheville Downtown Association and she joins us from Asheville, North Carolina.

Great to see you here. Thanks so much for talking to us. So we got a snapshot there of what things look like there in Asheville. I mean, 500 roads were closed, 100 bridges needed to be replaced. So much of the roads and infrastructure were damaged. So paint me a picture from your perspective. What does the town look like these days in terms of what you're still missing and how hard it is even to -- to get in and out?

HAYDEN PLEMMONS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ASHEVILLE DOWNTOWN ASSOCIATION: Sure, so downtown Asheville was actually spared much of the physical damage, just a little bit of wind damage. But unfortunately, as the person was mentioning, our potable water systems are not available. So we got non-potable water a few weeks ago, about a week and a half ago. And now just awaiting that potable water to be able to welcome guests back to hotels and our restaurants.

Downtown Asheville is pretty accessible. However, we were not welcoming, you know, tourists outside of our region at this time. So we're really working in downtown to bring locals and those regional visitors.

[05:45:05]

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. And just in terms of the people themselves in the wider community, I mean, so few people have flood insurance. How are people building back?

PLEMMONS: Goodness, the lack of flood insurance is astonishing, and it's been very difficult for folks to be able to even navigate the process of filing for insurance. So we've been hosting meetings with our business owners just to try and get them connected to resources to understand what was included in their policy, what was not, and how that's going to impact them during the rebuilding phase.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. And speaking of resources, I mean, your mayor has spoken about how conspiracy theories around the government's response to the flood has made things more complicated and distract from that important process of recovery. I mean, what have you seen?

PLEMMONS: Absolutely, you know, we've seen a great response from our government leaders, city, county, state and federal leaders coming into Asheville, making sure that we are connected to resources. And Asheville serves as a little bit of a hub for our region because so many of the adjacent towns were destroyed. You know, we are able to kind of take in those resources and disperse them out and be the hub for those.

BRUNHUBER: There was so much optimism before this hurricane going into this fall season. I was reading some of your posts and you were really upbeat. We heard there from some of the business owners. I mean, this will just be a devastating blow.

PLEMMONS: Absolutely. FEMA estimates that 40% of small business will not make it through a disaster like this, and we believe we're facing two disasters. The first is the hurricane and the aftermath, but then the failure of our water system.

And so we're just not sure how many businesses are going to be able to make it through given October is our busiest season and what kind of keeps them afloat for the rest of the year.

BRUNHUBER: And, you know, you have to build back physically, emotionally as well. Many folks must have a long way to go to feel safe again. And the problem is, I imagine with so many people having -- having left during the hurricane, some might not come back. Are you afraid of a hollowing out of your city?

PLEMMONS: Absolutely. We're already hearing from -- especially our hotel owners and our restaurateurs that half of their staff have left the area, and unfortunately, they don't know whether or not they will be coming back. So it does feel like, you know, kind of a repeat of our COVID times where we're wondering what is the city going to look like once we are able to reopen our doors?

BRUNHUBER: All right. So I don't want this to sound like a list of insurmountable problems here. Certainly where there are problems, the community comes together and the wider community as well. And we heard in that piece there, you know, folks are asking the public to help Asheville out by shopping online, for instance. And I know you have a program going. How -- how can people help?

PLEMMONS: Absolutely. Visit loveashevillefromafar.com. And that is a list of more than 500 businesses and their e-commerce sites. So you can shop online, buy gift cards, donate to their causes directly. And just think about Asheville this holiday season. Be sure to shop local in your own communities. But if you get the chance, check out loveashevillefromafar.com and shop with our local businesses.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, listen, so many people having to buy stuff for -- for holiday seasons. You got to buy it anyway. You might as well help somebody who could really use it in this this -- these terrible circumstances.

We'll have to leave it there, but really appreciate speaking with you and certainly wish you and everybody the best there in Asheville. Hayden Plemmons, thank you so much for being with us.

PLEMMONS: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: All right, we'll be right back. Stay with us.

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[05:52:37]

BRUNHUBER: Well, Los Angeles Dodgers held off the New York Yankees once again, taking a two nothing lead in the World Series, but might have come at a massive cost.

CNN Sports Anchor Coy Wire joins me now with more. Just one person you could pick not to get injured. I mean, that would be it. Take us through it.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS: You think all the people who wanted to see Dodger superstar Shohei Ohtani on the biggest stage and then to see him leave in the game with an injury, we'll get to that in a minute, Kim, but first let's check out how it all went down in L.A. last night.

We'll go to the bottom of the third game tied at one and Teoscar Hernandez says see you later. A two-run home run, the penultimate at bat before some Dodgers history.

Next batter was Freddie Freeman, hero of game one when he became the first player to hit a walk off grand slam in the World Series. He's raking again. The fourth straight World Series game with a homer for Freeman.

Dodgers hit back-to-back homers in a World Series for the first time in 43 years. Now, while their stars was rising to the occasion, it's a different story for New York's biggest star, Aaron Judge. Major slump over four in this game, struck out three times.

Last inning, Yankees still have a great shot at a comeback. Jose Trevino at the plate. Base is loaded and Tommy Edman makes the game sealing catch. Edman went two for four. He had a homer in this one. Dodgers take a commanding 2-0 series lead. Teams that have done that have gone on to win 82% of the time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TEOSCAR HERNANDEZ, LOS ANGELES DODGERS OUTFIELDER: A special, not only for me personally, but because I put the team in front, that's all that matters for me in this World Series. And just, you know, trying to do the things that I know how to do and just help the team. And, you know, it's an amazing feeling just to do that in front of those fans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: All right. Now, here's the moment L.A.'s win was overshadowed by their superstar Shohei Ohtani suffering a minor dislocation in his left shoulder while trying to steal second base in the seventh inning. After the game, manager Dave Roberts says he is, quote, "encouraged" by the initial test and that he is expecting Ohtani to be in the lineup for game three on Monday.

And in the NFL, all signs are pointing to Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa playing Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals. Tua has cleared concussion protocols after missing the last four games with a concussion, his third in the past two years. His coach, Mike McDaniel, says that none of the experts Tua met with suggested that he should retire and that he is ready to get back onto the field.

[05:55:14]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE MCDANIEL, MIAMI DOLPHINS HEAD COACH: He's been fully engaged, but he's also become very aware that he is not interested in becoming a coach anytime soon, that his love is playing football. So I think he's -- he's eager as everybody is. He's excited to play with his teammates. And it's a I'm very happy for all of all of those involved.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: A lot of folks will be holding their breaths when Tua takes that field later today, Kim. He did vow that he will play smarter moving forward.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, let's hope so. It was a terrible sight to see when he got injured there. Coy, thanks. I want you to stick around to see this before we go.

So have a look. More than 100 "equestrians," I put that in quotes, competed at this horse-riding tournament in Hungary over the weekend. Yes, as you can see, the horses are up the hobby variety. But this fast-growing sport apparently has fans around the globe.

Now, the stick horses with stuffed heads are, quote, "ridden" in many different events from dressage, jumping and racing. And obviously the riders are doing all the work there. One competitor who's also a judge says it's just fun.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LOTTA KEMPPINEN, FINNISH JUDGE AND HOBBY HORSER: There is this one thing that pulls us all together and we can have a really good time hobby horsing. And it's like you can use your imagination. And it's if you love horses, you love hobby horsing, isn't it?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: And she adds that break dancing and skateboarding were also misunderstood when they got started.

Coy, those two became Olympic sports. Could we see hobby horsery in L.A. 2028?

WIRE: If -- if they do, yes. You and I in the team event, the bucking bald brothers going for gold.

BRUNHUBER: I think with my weight, that thing would probably just snap. All right. We'll have to leave it there. That wraps this hour of CNN Newsroom.

I'm Kim Brunhuber. For viewers in North America, CNN This Morning is next, for the rest of the world, it's Next Stop, Macau.

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