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CNN This Morning

Trump, Harris Give Final Pitches With Nine Days Left In Race; CNN Poll Shows Harris And Trump Remain In A Locked Race; Michelle Obama Makes Passionate Plea For Women's Health; Michelle Obama Campaigns With Harris In Michigan; Biden Returns To The Campaign Trail For Harris; Trump To Hold Rally At Madison Square Garden; Trump Visits Penn State In Bid To Appeal To Younger Voters; Israeli Police: Dozens Injured After Truck Hits Bus Stop In Central Israel; Gaza Hostage And Ceasefire Talks To Resume Today; Gaza Officials: Dozens Killed, Wounded By Israeli Strike. Iran Says It Will Respond To Strike, Has Not Said How; Dodgers Hold Off Yankees To Take 2-0 World Series Lead; Pilot Program Provides Kit With Newborn Essentials For Moms In Need; Dry And Warm October Weather To Continue Into Next Week; Hot Temps, Dry Air Making October Feel Like Summer. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired October 27, 2024 - 06:00   ET

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

[06:00:39]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Welcome to CNN THIS MORNING. It is Sunday -- it's already the 27th. Does October have somewhere to be? I mean, what is the rush?

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: It is in a rush, for sure.

BLACKWELL: Good to have you. I'm Victor Blackwell.

WALKER: Good to be with you. I'm Amara Walker. Nine days out from Election Day and both presidential candidates are on the trail with drastically different messages for voters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We become like a garbage can for the rest of the world.

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's either Donald Trump in there, stewing over his enemies list, or me working for you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: How Vice President Harris and running mate Governor Tim Walz are trying to reach young male voters, and what to expect during former President Trump's rally at Madison Square Garden this evening.

BLACKWELL: And today, talks to get Hamas to release hostages and a ceasefire started in Gaza are set to pick back up. This is the first time in more than two months they're trying to get these talks back on track. We're live in Jerusalem with morning -- this morning with the latest developments.

WALKER: Stark statistics reveal one in three U.S. families struggle to afford diapers. We go inside the pilot program giving parents and newborns a successful start.

BLACKWELL: And the L.A. Dodgers are two wins away from taking a World Series title, but they might be without their superstar Shohei Ohtani. He's the highest-paid baseball player in history. The test he'll undergo today, that's coming up.

Nine days. You heard Amara say it, nine days away now from the election, the votes to start to be counted. And Vice President Harris and former President Trump are crafting those final messages to voters.

Harris travels today to Philadelphia for a series of local stops and a campaign event. Meanwhile, her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, he'll hold campaign events in Las Vegas.

Instead of speaking to voters in a battleground state, Trump will be in New York City to host a rally at Madison Square Garden.

WALKER: A rally in the iconic landmark could be one of the most- covered moments of the race. Two days later, the vice president will speak at the Ellipse where Trump's speech nearly four years ago set in motion the attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Now, these two events could deliver key moments in a race that is on a razor's edge with CNN's final nationwide poll showing each candidate with the support of 47 percent of likely voters. So far, more than 36 million pre-election ballots have been cast.

Now, both campaigns are urging supporters to cast their ballots early and attempting to reach the vanishingly small pools of undecided voters. Now at Harris' rally last night, former first lady, Michelle Obama, encouraged undecided voters, especially men, to think of the women in their lives before sitting out the election.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELLE OBAMA, FORMER FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: 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)

WALKER: CNN's Eva McKend was in Michigan and she has the Harris campaign's message to voters.

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Vice President Harris focused on the pillars of her closing argument, asking Michigan voters to take advantage of early in-person voting that started in the state this weekend.

She talked about the former president's enemies list contrasting that with her to-do list for the American people. She argued that Trump, in a second term, would operate with no guardrails, and reminding voters about his calls to terminate the Constitution. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: This is going to be a tight race until 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.

[06:05:01]

We will win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKEND: It was the first time that we saw Vice President Harris on stage with former first lady, Michelle Obama, who argued that this race should not even be close and asked supporters to do something, not look at the polls, but instead do all that they could to support the vice president.

She also asked women to lean on the men in their lives on this issue of reproductive rights, arguing that they have every right to be angry at people that, in her words, assault their sense of safety.

Eva McKend, CNN, Kalamazoo, Michigan.

BLACKWELL: All right. Eva, thanks so much. While Harris hit the trail in Michigan, President Biden headed to another swing state, Pennsylvania. He's leaning in to his own key voter-base to energize them for Harris.

CNN's Betsy Klein joins us now. Betsy, good morning to you. Tell us about President Biden's message.

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE PRODUCER: Well, President Biden rallying union workers in Pittsburgh on Saturday, and he had a strong and forceful argument against former President Donald Trump, who him he repeatedly cast as a loser while saying that Vice President Harris has a, quote, "backbone like a ramrod."

He also had a notable message for male voters. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There's not a damn thing that I could do that my sister couldn't do as well or better. We're finally, finally getting to the point where women are beginning to have a shot, a fair shot, a fair shot. Like I said, they can do anything any man can do including being president of the United States of America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KLEIN: Now, President Biden's appeal there is an acknowledgment that the Harris campaign has work to do to turn out male voters, particularly male voters who may be unenthusiastic about voting for a female candidate. Now, Harris, for her part, she actively avoids talking about the history making nature of her candidacy. Instead, Amara, letting those surrogates, like President Biden, do the talking for her.

WALKER: Yes. And, Betsy, let's talk more about this gender gap. It's a historic one that's a very deep and wide between men and women. And it could really help decide the outcome of the election.

KLEIN: Yes. It absolutely could, certainly. And taking a look at the latest CNN polling, if you see that breakdown there, you have about 50 percent of women who support Harris versus 44 percent for Trump. And on the male voters' side, 51 percent of male support Trump with 45 percent for Harris.

And digging just a little bit deeper into that data, 65 percent of voters said that Harris' potential to be the first female president, doesn't make a difference to their vote. Whereas, 24 percent say that that is a positive thing, and 11 percent say that's a negative.

Now Harris, for her part, has been trying to make inroads with key groups of male voters. She launched an economic plan aimed at Latino men, and she has also laid out an agenda for Black men. But she has also tried to reach them where they are. We've seen her do those interviews with the Shade Room, also at Charlamagne Tha God.

And we're about nine days out. And the idea here really is not just convincing male voters to not vote for Trump, it's about turning out voters who otherwise would stay home.

WALKER: All right. Betsy Klein, appreciate your reporting from Delaware there. Well, later today, Donald Trump is heading to the iconic Madison Square Garden for one of his final campaign events, capping off a weekend battleground blitz.

BLACKWELL: Yes. First, he visited Michigan where he invited several local Muslim and Arab American leaders onstage. He, of course, is courting that critical voting bloc in the swing state. And then he headed to Pennsylvania.

CNN's Danny Freeman was there.

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 in 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)

TRUMP: Just like your wrestling team dreams big. You know, where the hell are they?

[06:10:01]

Where are they? I hear that team is brutal out there. I can tell. It's easy to tell. I can pick every one of them.

Jim Jordan told me about you guys. You know, Jim Jordan, he told me about -- look at him with 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 throughline 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 efforts to try and reach out to these younger male voters, who perhaps some wouldn't be encouraged to vote otherwise.

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.

BLACKWELL: Thank you, Danny. Joining us now, political reporter for "The Washington Post," Mariana Alfaro. Good morning to you.

Let's start. I mean, Danny covered the rallies. They were the typical Trump fair except for what we saw onstage in Michigan bringing up some of those Arab-American and Muslim leaders who support his campaign. Tell us about, you know, what this campaign, what the Harris campaign, what they're trying to do for this segment of -- especially the voters in Michigan because the margin is so tight, they could be decisive on the state.

MARIANA ALFARO, POLITICAL REPORTER, THE WASHINGTON POST: Yes. And I think the most recent polling we saw from Arab-Americans, we put out at "The Post," is showing that, basically, Trump and Harris are neck and neck with this population. I think it was kind of even just maybe split by two points. And this is a massive population in Michigan. Like really make the difference.

If we look back in 2016 the margin was so frail there that really anyone who wins this vote could win the state. And I think, you know, we saw a lot of it also with Michelle Obama last night. She mentioned, you know, I understand your rage. I know that you are upset, making reference to, you know, the actions in Gaza and Israel. And, you know, she was appealing to them by saying, it is OK to be upset about that, but also take into consideration the bigger picture, you know, what happens if Democrats lose, what could happen to women, what could happen to other rights in the country. And I think that that's Democrats' appeal on that side.

On the other side, Donald Trump is, you know, promising a lot of the state group with the -- the things, the evidence, the record he has speaking about Gaza and (INAUDIBLE) has really perhaps align with a lot of what the people in Michigan protesting, the Biden's administrations there, you know, it doesn't align with what they planned.

BLACKWELL: All right. Let's -- you mentioned former first lady Michelle Obama, her case yesterday in this rally in Kalamazoo, Michigan, it was an appeal to men on reproductive rights. Let's watch a portion of it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: If your wife is shivering and bleeding on the operating room table during a routine, the delivery gone bad, her pressure dropping as she loses more and more blood, or some unforeseen infection spreads and her doctors aren't sure if they can act, you will be the one praying that it's not too late. You will be the one pleading for somebody, anybody to do something.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: You know, the Harris campaign is working to bring men in the fold to narrow that gender gap with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Governor Tim Walz playing Madden and speaking to male voter groups. But this seems like a unique approach to male voters. The reproductive rights issue that that many thought was to reach female voters now turning it toward men.

ALFARO: Yes. And, I think, that it has been -- she voiced a lot of frustrations that I've heard within Democratic Party voters and, you know, strategists saying, you know, we don't understand why they were just so close and why this messaging isn't landing. And I think a lot of strategists who have suggested maybe they lean a little bit more from to the economic message. And, you know, Vice President Harris has laid out in several podcast, that you guys mentioned, trying to reach the Black and Latino male vote by explaining how she would help them and the economy because that is the top issue.

But, I think, this time, you know, having Michelle Obama really lean into and it was such a, you know, graphic, detailed, emotional appeal to why women's bodies matter and why women's lives need to be defended. That was very -- I don't know, come out very surprising to a lot of us that they weren't really, you know, nailing this in Michigan, specifically. And I think that that, you know, might be a message that helps him carry them for the next nine days.

BLACKWELL: Yes. And the audience was really engaged there. I mean, there were moments where it was silent as she was describing what could be down the road from her perspective. President Biden, let's talk about him, spoke to union workers in Pennsylvania, kind of a small group there. Here's what he said about his predecessor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: I've never been this direct.

[06:15:02]

But I'd tell you what, he's about making sure he pushes people down. He thinks the way you get ahead is push people down.

Donald Trump is a loser. He's a loser as a candidate and more importantly in my view, and I'm just going to say it straight-up, he's a loser as a man.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Last nine days of this campaign, how do we expect or what do we know about how the Harris campaign will utilize President Biden?

ALFARO: I think, specifically, like by playing with this crowd that is exactly who they should be reaching out with. And, with having Michelle Obama, Beyonce, show up in bigger events, they are trying to appeal to a more broad public. But I think they're still trying to nail that union vote that, you know, voter and Pennsylvania who's, you know, putting in a lot of hours at work and still not, you know, reaching their paycheck.

I think that President Biden was super successful in reaching out to them in 2020. So, I think that that's, you know, the replication I think we're going to see a lot -- trying to get to that collar worker, blue-collar worker, who might still be not sold out, and he is a person that, you know, speaks (INAUDIBLE) party for now.

BLACKWELL: All right. Mariana Alfaro, thank you so much.

WALKER: All right. Still to come, talks to restart hostage and ceasefire negotiations for Gaza are expected to resume today. We will go to Jerusalem for a live report.

Plus, a new program is providing crucial support to new mothers by providing newborn kits. How this is helping to support the health of mothers and babies and vulnerable communities. And days without rain. Why the U.S. is experiencing an unusually warm and dry spell this month. That's ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:21:24]

WALKER: Just in to CNN, Israeli emergency services say 35 people were injured after being hit by a truck at a bus stop north of Tel Aviv. Police say a bus was stopping to drop off passengers. At the same time, the truck collided with the bus and passengers at the station.

Now, police are treating the incident as a deliberate attack and say witnesses on the scene killed the driver. The victims were taken to four area hospitals, six of them are said to be in serious condition. Now, emergency services say some victims were trapped under the truck and they are treating more who are wounded on site.

Now, talks to secure the release of the hostages and reach a ceasefire in Gaza will resume today. For the first time in two months, top negotiators from the U.S., Israel, and Qatar will meet in Doha, including the heads of the CIA and Mossad. But officials tell CNN that there is little expectation of a breakthrough before the U.S. presidential election.

BLACKWELL: Gaza officials say an Israeli strike on a residential block in the north of the strip killed and wounded dozens of people, Saturday. Israel says the numbers are exaggerated and that it conducted a -- their words, precise strike on Hamas. Now, CNN is unable to independently verify that claim.

CNN's Matthew Chance is live in Jerusalem. So, where do things stand right now with the ceasefire negotiations and hostage negotiations there?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, Victor, on the ground as you just mentioned there, the violence, the bloodshed, is very much continuing inside the Gaza Strip with that latest Israeli strike, a precise strike, according to the Israeli military, on Hamas inside Gaza. But we've seen over the past couple of weeks that area of northern Gaza, Jabalya, being very, you know, kind of hard hit by ongoing airstrikes by the Israelis against what they say are Hamas operatives. But, of course, civilians there paying a very high price indeed.

In order to try and bring that violence to an end and to secure the release of the 101 Israeli hostages still being held inside the Gaza Strip, talks have got underway in Doha, in Qatar, to try and sort of, you know, work out if there's any window of opportunity following the killing by Israeli forces of the Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar, recently.

At the moment, you know, all sides are playing down the possibility of an early agreement, not least because it's not clear who's the new leader of Hamas. And once that leader has been appointed, what the negotiating position of that figure might be when it comes to a ceasefire. Will they be hard line like the previous figure? Or will they be more open to compromise? But at least after a hiatus of about two months in ceasefire negotiations and hostage release negotiations that process has got underway again in Qatar. And so, we're hoping over the next couple of days, we'll get a bit more clarity on whether there's any possibility of some deal finally being done, Victor.

WALKER: Perhaps a glimmer of hope. Matthew Chance, thank you for your reporting.

Joining me now to discuss is the president of the U.S.-Middle East Project, Daniel Levy, and retired Major General Lenny Richoux. Major General Lenny Richoux and Daniel Levy, thank you both for joining me.

Daniel, let's start with you. And given the fact that, you know, Israel tailored its attacks to give Iran this off-ramp from a wider conflict and, obviously, allowed it to, you know, downplay the damages which Iran did immediately despite losing four members of its military, do you see this moment as the best window of opportunity for diplomacy?

[06:25:15]

DANIEL LEVY, PRESIDENT, U.S.-MIDDLE EAST PROJECT: Well, let's slightly separate out the two things. There'll, of course, be a lot of claims and counterclaims as there were up to the Iran strike on October 1st, as there were in April, as to what extent damage has been done. I think once you treat -- everything we're hearing with a great degree of skepticism because there's a lot of psychological warfare, narrative warfare going on.

The attempt to try and get a regional de-escalation without a ceasefire in Gaza has failed throughout and will probably continue to fail. And therefore, the question is, is there an opportunity now in Gaza? That's been the attempt to portray the post Sinwar moment that Sinwar was the obstacle.

But if you ask many people in Israel, including the hostage families, including many in Israeli security establishment, Netanyahu has not wanted a deal, and people don't think that has changed. And therefore, the prospects for a breakthrough in Doha, Qatar, are probably very low.

Netanyahu managed to get to a place where the issue of the hostages has been put on the backburner. He's happy to have it there. His politics, his ideology, his coalition, all align with continuing the devastation in Gaza.

The pictures from northern Gaza are terrible. You journalists aren't allowed in. You can't verify, but we see U.N. aid workers, others on the ground. And the pressure, if anything, is to continue to go deeper, to displace people in northern Gaza, and to maintain that occupation. Those things don't allow a breakthrough and that's the Netanyahu position.

WALKER: Major General, do you agree with Daniel that the biggest obstacle seems to be Netanyahu? MAJ. GENERAL LENNY RICHOUX, U.S. AIR FORCE (RET.): Well, whether it's Netanyahu or not, I think, the important thing to remember here is that the strikes against Iran were limited in nature as the reporting of the casualties and the types of targets that were selected. Military targets around energy resources tells us that Israel has proven that it can conduct a sophisticated operation moving forward and can do so at a time and place of its choosing.

And so, Israel definitely owns the shot clock, if you will, on their response. And they can do so again with the other fronts that they're working on right now. Back to you.

WALKER: Yes. Just on the note Daniel earlier was mentioning, psychological warfare that Israel is also waging with this attack. I mean, what kind of message then does it send, Major General, that, you know, Israel used dozens of war planes for this retaliatory strike in terms of its capabilities and willingness, I guess, in the future?

RICHOUX: That's right. Thank you. That's a great question. And so, the use of aircraft should tell Iran and any other adversaries that Israel conducted a very detailed planning of this response. Using aircraft requires -- likely required air refueling possibly through contested airspace, likely had to take down integrated air defense systems, traversing international waters and over -- over other territory.

So, Israel was able to project itself. And it's no surprise that the time that it took to respond three weeks or more reflected this planning that gave them the option to recall or redirect a strike at any time. So, whether, of course, it's psychological, there's a psychological aspect with their intent. They can -- they can strike a target at will perhaps even deeper into Iranian territory.

WALKER: Daniel, our Nic Robertson wrote an analysis, you know, about what potentially happens next. And he said that the retaliatory strikes by Israel is just a place -- could be a place-holding strike by Netanyahu. How much of what happens next depends on the outcome of the U.S. election in your opinion?

LEVY: Well, indeed. First, I think, let's acknowledge everyone is in this game of psychological warfare. And I wouldn't attribute to Israel freedom of maneuver and escalation dominance necessarily. I do think the Israelis looked closely at what was done by the Iranians. They see that Hezbollah is still able two hit Israel with rocket fire. Hamas is far from defeated.

So, this isn't a cake walk by any stretch of the imagination. Israel is facing also a challenge with its own reservists. Netanyahu will like to keep maximum options open as one would imagine, whatever the outcome in the U.S. People suspect, and I think with very good reason, that his preference is for a Donald Trump victory. But it's worth also pointing out that this time around the Arab states, the Gulf states, went quite some way to distance themselves what is -- to what Israel has done. And that shows you that Israel's position in the region, I would suggest is weakening, because everyone sees what's going on, especially with the Palestinians. And those images are very hard for any leader in that region to sell to their public as acceptable or as a country one would ally with.

But Netanyahu wants to keep his options open, that's clear.

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: In terms of what happens next, Major General, what about Iran's response? I mean, do you expect that this, for it to end here and that the worst is over?

MAJ. GEN. LENNY RICHOUX, RET. U.S. AIR FORCE: Yes. So, Iran indicated that they reserve the right to respond, but clearly, they have not yet.

We think, you know, apparently that Israel has responded in such a way, in such a limited way, that perhaps we could see a bit of a truce, at least on the Iran front going forward, at least through the U.S. election. Clearly, that's in the backdrop here. But Iran, you know, Israel is still fighting on several fronts, to the north and to the south, and they have to maintain their political charisma, if you will, with the United States and other players.

If I were guessing, I would say that perhaps we're at a point where each side has responded proportionally, and we'll wait a bit to see what happens with the rest of the conflict to the north and to the south with Hamas and Hezbollah.

WALKER: All right. Major General Lenny Richoux and Daniel Levy, thank you both.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Another exciting one, game two of the World Series, the Dodgers escape through the wind, but at what cost? What we know about the injury that sidelined the Dodgers' $700 million man, Shohei Ohtani.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:36:15]

BLACKWELL: Top stories for you this morning.

The death toll from Tropical Storm Trami in the Philippines has risen to 85, 41 people are still missing, that's according to the AP.

The storm has brought massive flooding and landslides to the region some areas have seen up to two months worth of rain in just 24 hours. Officials are calling it the deadliest and most destructive storm to hit the region this year.

WALKER: The daughter of the Los Angeles Times owner says it was her and her father who decided that the paper would not endorse Vice President Kamala Harris. Nika Soon-Shiong said that the decision was motivated by Harris's support for Israel in its conflict with Hamas. She has no official role at the paper and has been accused before of meddling and coverage.

Now billionaire owner Patrick Soon-Shiong later said his daughter was not involved in the decision. Three members of the Times editorial board resigned after the decision and some readers have canceled their subscriptions.

BLACKWELL: Country music star Jelly Roll gave Apalachee High School students and faculty in Georgia a concert that they soon won't forget.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JELLY ROLL, COUNTRY MUSIC STAR: I don't care what it takes. I've got to down there and I have yet to meet these people. Now if we're coming together, we're doing this in change of the world in Georgia slowly. I want to come talk to the kids in Apalachee High School. That's what I want to do, baby. So (INAUDIBLE) you all today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: And made a special stop in winder to give the school a private performance before his show at State Farm Arena in Atlanta yesterday. You remember that community is mourning the loss of two teachers and two students in the September 4th mass shooting at the school.

WALKER: All right. Another dramatic game and the World Series as the Dodgers held off the Yankees again (INAUDIBLE) nothing lead.

BLACKWELL: But did it come at a cost for L.A.

Coy Wire is joining us now. So, what do we know?

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR (on-camera): Yes, the hype right, L.A.-New York to I kind of franchise is going out of here and you have L.A.'s superstar Shohei Ohtani leaving the game with injury. We'll get to that in a minute.

First let's check out how it all went down in L.A. last night bottom of the third game is tied at one and Teoscar Hernandez says see you later. A two-run home run the penultimate at bat before some Dodgers history because the next batter is Freddie Freeman the 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. His fourth straight World Series game with a homer Dodgers hitting back-to-back home runs in World Series for the first time in 43 years.

While their stars are rising to this occasion it's a different story for New York's biggest star Aaron Judge major slump went over for. Our floor director here shaking his head because he's huge Yankees fan, he struck out three times. I n the last inning though Yankees still have a shot to come back. Jose Trevino at the plate bases loaded but Tommy Edman who went two for four and hit a homer in this one he ends it.

As you mentioned Victor and Amara, this win was overshadowed by the health of their superstar Shohei Otani. The team saying, he suffered a minor dislocation right here his left shoulder trying to steal second in the seventh inning though after the game manager Dave Roberts seemed a bit optimistic.

Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVE ROBERTS, LOS ANGELES DODGERS MANAGER: You know, obviously when you get any one of your players that goes down it's concerning. But after kind of the range of motion the strength test, I felt much better about it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you have to play the rest of the World Series without Shohei Otani how equipped are you to do that?

ROBERTS: I'm not there Jason (ph). I'm expecting to be there. So, I'm expecting to be in the lineup.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE (on-camera): All right, so those Dodgers up two nothing now, and teams that have gone ahead to own a World Series have gone on to win 82 percent of the time. So even without Shohei, things are looking pretty good if you're a Dodgers fan. If you're a Yankees.

[06:40:00]

WALKER: Just swiping on the camera.

WIRE (on-camera): (INAUDIBLE).

WALKER: Call them out. Coy, thank you so much.

WIRE (on-camera): Got it.

WALKER: All right. Still to come. How a program providing newborn kids to new mothers is helping to battle the maternal health crisis here in the U.S.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALKER: Well, more and more families say they are struggling to afford diapers. And now it's up to nearly half of all households with young kids. This is according to a study from the National Diaper Bank Network. And when you add in all the wipes, the creams, the lotions, and other newborn expenses, it can be overwhelming for new mothers in need.

[06:45:09]

BLACKWELL: But a new pilot program based on one in Finland aims to ease that burden. Here's CNN correspondent Sunlen Serfaty.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JERRICA NEAL (PH), MOTHER: I was completely surprised.

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jerrica Neal's (ph) unplanned home birth.

NEAL (PH): I caught him. He was born in the bathroom. SERFATY (voice-over): Led to a chaotic first few days becoming a mother of two, much earlier than she expected. It was this kit, given to her at their first pediatrician appointment in Atlanta, that alleviated stress at a crucial time for her family.

NEAL (PH): I felt like I was a kid getting a bag from Santa Claus. I was just pulling out stuff here and there.

Having it in one place, it was a lifesaver.

SERFATY (voice-over): Neal (ph) is one of the nearly 10,000 women across 10 states and high-need areas who have received a newborn kit since 2023 as part of a pilot program from the U.S. government, filled with diapers, clothes, among a wealth of other items, including education for the new mom.

XAVIER BECERRA, SECRETARY OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES: This is more about investing, supporting the mom than it is the baby.

SERFATY (voice-over): New data exclusive to CNN suggests the test run of the program has brought overwhelming benefits to new moms in the U.S. over the last two years. Ninety-seven percent of moms said they were satisfied or extremely satisfied with their kit. Two-thirds reported feeling less anxious and two-thirds felt less stressed about money.

The HHS secretary hopes this data will help spur Congress to act.

BECERRA: Raising a family is not a partisan issue. Helping a child succeed is as red as it is blue. And I think Congress will take a look at this program and say, makes total sense. And it's working.

SERFATY (voice-over): The program was born out of an almost public dragging online.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's designed to give every child for the first six months of its life, all the essentials that you need.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What?

SERFATY (voice-over): With baby kits, which for decades have been given away to new moms in Finland, among other countries, going viral.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You all, I got it. This is the famous Finnish baby box.

SERFATY (voice-over): Amplified by moms in the U.S., shocked and mad over what other countries provide for their new moms that they don't get here in America.

The U.S. heard and teamed up with governments like Sweden, which has seen success in its program to create their own version after partnering with non-profits in the Dunbar company Huggies.

LYRIC SANDERS, NEW MOM: I do feel like most moms deserve to have that because everybody can't afford to have a baby shower. SERFATY (voice-over): Lyric Sanders in Birmingham, Alabama, says it helped her financially and perhaps most importantly, mentally, in hopes the program will become permanent.

SANDERS: It made me feel like there was somebody out there that, hey, knew what I was going through and they thought about me and it helped.

SERFATY: But keeping this program permanent will mean some major investment from Congress. On Capitol Hill, there's been some bipartisan momentum around this. A group of members in the House has introduced a bill that would appropriate $5 million over the next five years to create a new national program. But there's been no firm movement on this yet.

Sunlen Serfaty, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Sunlen, thank you.

Still to come, Halloween will likely be warm and dry in most parts of the U.S. Details on the unusual weather this week.

It's after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:53:02]

BLACKWELL: This morning, there is still an elevated risk of wildfires for a lot of the Northeast.

WALKER: Yes, several places like New Jersey and Connecticut haven't seen any rain at all this month. And because of these elevated fire concerns, any outdoor burning is being strongly discouraged.

Joining us now is meteorologist Tyler Mauldin. So, tell us more.

TYLER MAULDIN, CNN METEOROLOGIST (on-camera): Good morning, Victor. Good morning, Amara. It's hard to believe that we're talking about a wildfire risk in the Northeast because it's quite a cold start to Sunday.

But that is what we're talking about from New Hampshire all the way down to Delaware. A gusty wind is bringing us some dry air and that is leading to that elevated risk. Exacerbating that fire risk is the fact that some of us haven't seen any rain for 27 days. Talking to you, New York City. Also talking to you, Atlanta. Mind you, today is October 27th.

So, the entire month has been dry for New York City and Atlanta. Expanding the view here, it's not just those two areas. It encompasses much of the eastern two-thirds of the country. Houston hasn't seen a drop of rain at all this month either. When you total it up, about 80 percent of the country is abnormally dry right now. Good news, though, we do have some relief on the way. There is a system that's moving into the Pacific Northwest. It's going to bring some heavy snow across the higher elevations out west. But notice what happens once it pushes east of the Rockies. We are going to see some very beneficial rainfall. Houston, I think you'll finally break your streak as we end the month of October. But we're right on the cusp here in Atlanta and New York City.

Ahead of that system, we are going to see some record heat. So that chilly start to the day that we're seeing in the northeast, that's going to be a thing of the past once we get to the end of next week. Notice this, our temperatures are going to go from the 60s in New York City all the way up to 78 degrees. The average temperature right now, 61, and that temperature of 78 degrees on the last day of October, that could break a record.

Amara, Victor?

BLACKWELL: So, these Halloween costumes should be short sets.

[06:55:02]

WALKER: Too late, I already bought mine. It's all long.

BLACKWELL: All right, Tyler, thanks so much.

Quick break, we'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALKER: Good morning, everyone. Welcome to "CNN This Morning." It is Sunday, October 27th. I'm Amara Walker.

BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. So good to be with you and thank you for being withs us. Here's what we're working on for you this morning.

Just nine days, count them, until election day and both candidates are and the surrogates (ph) are sharpening their messages and rhetoric. Their appeal to voters in this final stretch.

Plus, our Eva McKend standing by with new reporting just out on Vice President Harris's efforts to close the gender gap --