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Speaker Johnson Suggests Health Care Overhaul If Trump Wins; Voter Fraud Claims Sow Doubt About Election Results; Dodgers Win World Series After Thrilling Comeback. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired October 31, 2024 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:30:00]
KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: All right, 5:28 a.m. here on the East Coast. A live took at Raleigh, North Carolina. The Tar Heel State, of course, critical in this election season. Today, Donald Trump's running mate heading there.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Kasie Hunt. It's wonderful to have you with us. Happy Halloween to those who celebrate.
The House Speaker Mike Johnson preparing policy for a possible second Trump term and it includes a major health care overhaul.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): Health care reform is going to be a big part of the agenda. When I say we're going to have a very aggressive first 100 days agenda, we've got a lot of things still on the table.
ATTENDEE: No Obamacare?
JOHNSON: No more Obamacare.
ATTENDEE: All right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: No more Obamacare. The Louisiana Republican making that promise while campaigning in Pennsylvania, but he later had to clear some things up. He said, "The audio and transcript make clear that I offered no such promise to end Obamacare and, in fact, acknowledged that the policy is 'deeply ingrained' in our health care system."
Johnson's comments come as Trump and Harris make their final policy pitches to voters. The Harris campaign has warned that if Trump is elected again, he would look to get rid of the Affordable Care Act. Trump says he would improve the law.
Harris' running mate Tim Walz saying the GOP messaging isn't clear.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. TIM WALZ, (D) VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Now, that's weird because a couple of weeks ago I was in a debate and Sen. Vance was standing right here and said Donald Trump is the champion of the ACA. Donald Trump loves the ACA. And I responded, well, why did he run on getting rid of it? Why did he sign an executive order getting rid of it? Why did he sign onto a lawsuit getting rid of it? And why did he try 60 times to overturn it? And it was only the courage of John McCain who said no.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: All right, joining us now, political reporter for NOTUS, Reese Gorman. Reese, good morning.
REESE GORMAN, POLITICAL REPORTER, NOTUS: Good morning.
HUNT: Wonderful to see you.
So, Speaker Johnson seems to clearly realize he may have stepped in it a little bit having to walk this back because this really has become something that Democrats would be very eager to seize on and Republicans see as potentially politically damaging.
What do you see here from Johnson, and what is the -- does this matter?
GORMAN: I think it -- I mean, this is what Republicans always kind of touch on is Obamacare and health care and then whenever they realize just how unpopular it is they tend to walk it back. And that's why, I mean, I think you've seen Trump be very vague about saying we have concepts of a health care plan.
J.D. Vance kind of dabbled in this risk pools during an interview earlier this year. Then when I asked him about it in an interview, he kind of walked it back and said oh, we're going to protect preexisting conditions.
So it seems to be a theme that we're seeing with Republicans where they kind of dabble in it a little bit.
HUNT: You mentioned concepts of a plan --
GORMAN: Yeah.
HUNT: -- from Trump. Let's just watch that moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If we can come up with a plan that's going to cost our people, our population less money and be better health care than Obamacare, then I would absolutely do it. But until then I'd run it as good as it can be run.
LINSEY DAVIS, ABC NEWS DEBATE MODERATOR: So just a yes or no. You still do not have a plan?
TRUMP: I have concepts of a plan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: I mean, this has always been the issue, right --
GORMAN: Yeah.
HUNT: -- that Republicans wanted to repeal Obamacare, but they couldn't say what they wanted to do instead.
GORMAN: And again, to -- I mean, to Mike Johnson's point it is so ingrained in our -- I mean -- I mean, them trying to repeal Obamacare arguably kind of led to what happened in 2018 with this extreme red wave. It was extremely unpopular. Republican -- or blue wave, rather. Republicans lost a significant amount of seats. And this is not a popular thing. I mean, people -- it really is ingrained in our society now to Mike Johnson's point.
HUNT: One of the things that -- you know, I'm curious kind of how you're thinking about this because we're obviously -- we talk all the time about the presidential race but we are, of course, preparing for control of Congress to potentially shift. It seems likely that the Senate is going to go Republican. The House is a little bit -- well, it is much more up in the air in terms of what might happen.
But the idea of the potential for unified Republican government would prevent such moments as -- you might remember -- you know, I was -- I was at the Capitol covering this when John McCain went down to the Senate floor in this sort of stunning moment -- there he is -- and he turns his thumb downward. And he's the deciding vote, right, to say we're not going to repeal Obamacare at a time when Trump controlled the White House. Republicans were able to try to do that.
That's not going to be the scenario if Republicans take unified control of government.
GORMAN: I think that definitely is the case for sure. But you're still going to have the Susan Collins and the Lisa Murkowskis who might not -- I mean, they're going to be up for re-election and they might not want to kind of touch on it. Lisa Murkowski is more susceptible to a primary than anything else. Susan Collins is the one that's more general.
But, I mean, you're looking at -- and also the House, too. Like, I mean, you don't really know. Like, I mean, Trump has had problems wrangling Republicans in the past to get behind his deal. But, I mean, to your point exactly, the Republicans are significantly more behind Trump than what they were in 2016.
HUNT: Well, right. And if Trump were to get re-elected after all of that it does -- you know, the party is going to be that much more consolidated behind him, no?
GORMAN: One hundred percent I think, for sure, and especially the ones that he's helped get elected since whether being -- since being president. Like, these people love him. And Mitt Romney is going to be replaced, and so it's like a lot of the people that were intact and stick to Trump in his first term are no longer going to be there. HUNT: Yeah.
All right, Reese Gorman for us this morning. Reese, so grateful to have you. Thank you.
GORMAN: Thank you.
HUNT: All right, Nikki Haley has a message for Donald Trump: Put me in, coach. Haley confirms she hasn't spoken to the former president for months. And while she reportedly offered available dates to the Trump campaign, she has not been asked to join him on the trail.
The former U.N. ambassador did campaign in Pennsylvania Wednesday for Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick. She managed though to work Trump into the conversation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIKKI HALEY, (R) FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Now, when it comes to Dave McCormick, he's a great candidate, but this is the other part of it. I know it's noisy out there. When I tell you to take the emotion out and focus on the policies, Dave McCormick can't win if we don't elect Donald Trump at the top of the ticket.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[05:35:15]
HUNT: All right, we're joined now by Meg Kinnard, national politics reporter for the Associated Press. Meg, good morning. It's always wonderful to have you on the show.
What's going on with this dynamic between Trump and Nikki Haley? Her voters -- people who voted for her in the primary are the ones that Democrats are trying to turn to their side here at the eleventh hour of the campaign when you see Kamala Harris campaigning with Liz Cheney and others. There's clearly an opportunity there but Trump hasn't done it yet.
MEG KINNARD, NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER, ASSOCIATED PRESS (via Webex by Cisco): Hey, Kasie. It's good to see you.
That question about what is going on with this dynamic between Nikki Haley and Donald Trump, that's a question I feel like we've all been asking ourselves for many years now, not just these closing months and weeks of the campaign.
But it is really interesting to see the candidate who was the last remaining Republican challenger with Trump in that GOP primary race not out on the trail with him. We see plenty of other also rans from that primary but we're not seeing Nikki Haley.
But I think also a lot of context is important to really think about in terms of this. She was part of his administration and clearly served as U.N. ambassador for two years, but also ran against him in this cycle. And trying to figure out how close they really are and what that bad blood is like potentially between the two of them is important to think about.
And you -- when you consider all the people who did vote for her in the primaries and caucuses, the 93 delegates that she brought in. Clearly, not nearly enough to come close to really challenging Trump there in that primary race.
But still, those are voters, some of whom feel like they're without a home at this point with Donald Trump atop the GOP ticket. Some of them are considering Kamala Harris. Some of them may be sitting out.
And seeing Donald Trump saying, "I beat her really badly -- I don't really need her still at this point" -- I don't think that's hitting really well with a lot of the people who did back Nikki Haley during this contest.
HUNT: Well -- and Haley has also been out there saying that Trump should turn down the appeals to men because he's risking his relationships with women voters -- his opportunity to speak to them.
And Trump had a remarkable moment in Green Bay where he was talking about protecting women. Now, his line about protecting women is something that he used before. He says I'll -- you know, I will be a protector of women. But it was a little bit of a twist on it yesterday. Let's watch this moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: About four weeks ago I was saying no, I want to protect the people. I want to protect the women of our country. I want to protect the women.
Sir, please don't say that. Why? They said we think it's -- we think it's very inappropriate for you to say. I said why? I'm president. I want to protect the women of our country.
Well, I'm going to do it whether the women like it or not. I'm going to protect them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: "I am going to do it whether the women like it or not." And he acknowledges there are people who have said you shouldn't say the first part of this thing. The second part, in many ways, makes the statement that much more, I would imagine, concerning to the people who are worried about it in the first place, no?
KINNARD: It is a little strange way to phrase what he -- I think he's getting at in terms of the policies that he would purport to want to enact to stand up for protecting women or whatever it is he thinks that really means.
But that's exactly the kind of thing that Nikki Haley -- what she's criticizing Trump for this masculinity and this bromance -- the word that she used the other day to describe a lot of what's going on with his campaign. That's exactly what she's talking about, I think. And so for him to come and to use those words to try to say no, actually I am standing up for women, I don't know that it came off exactly the way that his advisers certainly would have wanted him to.
But for someone like Nikki Haley who did campaign a lot about yes, I am the woman in this contest but also I have a perspective that I bring to this race -- she talked about some of her own struggles with fertility and things like that that really only a female candidate can be talking about.
But when she's noting it's some of this verbiage and the way that he's campaigning is something that she finds concerning I think some of her supporters probably do too. And so that is for those who are still not really exactly sure where they're going to fall in this election -- this general election -- that could be part of what they're thinking about as well.
HUNT: Yeah. I mean, telling anyone -- well, I'm going to do something to you, for you, whether you like it or not suggests something that they -- the person in question does not have agency.
Meg, let's talk for a second about the -- another former Republican or -- actually, I should amend that statement. I'm not sure he's a former Republican. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former Republican governor of California may still be a member of the party, but he has come out and said that he going to vote for Kamala Harris.
[05:40:00]
He writes this. "My Republicans have forgotten the beauty of the free market, driven up deficits, and rejected election results. I will always be an American before I am a Republican. That's why this week I am voting for Kamala Harris." And he kind of leaned into that rejecting the election results.
What does this say as we head into the final days?
KINNARD: This is exactly the kind of thing that the Kamala Harris campaign has been angling for -- to be picking off -- I mean, he's obviously a celebrity politician or whatever kind of adjective you would like to use to describe who Arnold Schwarzenegger is these days, but he is a notable name.
And for these -- for the Harris campaign, they've really been trying to go after some of those people. A lot of them may have also overlapped with people who supported a Republican like Nikki Haley in that primary contest.
And so they're hoping it will show not only just an ability to appeal to a bipartisan audience for Kamala Harris as a candidate but also to make that argument that she's been saying, especially in recent days, I want to represent everyone. I am not just a Democratic candidate; I want to be the president for everyone. We hear that all the time.
But that is -- it's the star power but it is also I think that notion of I can be a president of everybody, not just the people in my party. And this is somebody coming out and saying yeah, I don't like what that party, the Republican Party, has been doing either, so I would be willing to cross the aisle and vote for somebody else. They're hoping to get more of those voters.
HUNT: All right, Meg Kinnard for us this morning. Meg, always grateful to have you on the show. Thanks so much for being here.
KINNARD: Thanks.
HUNT: All right, ahead on CNN THIS MORNING, sowing doubt.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: If they find no evidence of cheating anywhere, I'll accept the results. And I hope that's going to be the case. Win, lose or draw.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: How Donald Trump is setting up an election challenge before the votes are counted.
Plus, no joy in the Bronx. The Dodgers are champions thanks to Yankee mistakes. The Bleacher Report up next.
(COMMERCIAL)
[05:46:33]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY FALLON, HOST, NBC "TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON": Trump's election fraud claims are like the holidays. Every year it feels like they happen earlier and earlier. Pumpkin spice is already --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Amid Donald Trump's claims of voter fraud in Pennsylvania, state officials asking the public for their patience as they investigate more than 700 questionable voter registration applications in York County. The York investigation is just one of many incidents across battleground states that are preemptively sowing doubt in the election results and creating a tense election environment once again.
Today, the Philadelphia D.A. is asking for enhanced security ahead of a hearing over billionaire Elon Musk's million-dollar giveaway to voters.
In other battleground states officials tell CNN they worry about election workers' safety.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR, "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": What is it that keeps you up at night when it comes to elections, especially considering what is happening with all these conspiracy theories around the last presidential election?
ANN JACOBS, CHAIR, WISCONSIN ELECTIONS COMMISSION: That one of our election workers is injured or killed. (END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: That's stark.
Joining us now, CNN contributor and professor of law at Stetson University, Ciarra Torres-Spelliscy. Ciarra, thank you very much for being with us this morning.
So, obviously, we talked a little bit about some of these incidents. They are relatively small numbers in terms of the ballots that we expect to be cast, but still being seized on by Donald Trump and by other supporters of his to sow doubt in the potential results even though, of course, polls haven't even opened on Election Day.
What is most concerning to you sitting here today?
CIARA TORRES-SPELLISCY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR, PROFESSOR OF LAW, STETSON UNIVERSITY, FELLOW, BRENNAN CENTER FOR JUSTICE (via Webex by Cisco): Well, I'm concerned about him sowing doubt about the election. He did this in 2020. He repeated the big lie that he was the true victor of the 2020 election. And just repeating this lie does not make it true but it does sow this seed of doubt with voters, which I think is really reprehensible.
HUNT: Ciara, what are you seeing in terms of the lawsuits that are being filed? We've seen a number of them pop up already. There's a new Trump suit that says poll workers were turning away voters who were in line for mail-in ballots. Is there any there there to these lawsuits? What is going on?
TORRES-SPELLISCY: So, election law is complicated because of federalism. We have 50 different ways to run elections in each of the 50 states, and we also have 50 state Supreme Courts who are opining on election law. So there is this instinct to sow seeds of doubt through the legal system with lawsuits.
The Trump side has a pretty bad record with this. If we remember after the 2020 election they filed many, many frivolous lawsuits. Now, not all of them are going to be frivolous but I would take with a grain of salt just because someone is suing that there's a problem.
HUNT: Ciara, are there any places in particular that you are focused on as we barrel toward Election Day where you think this might be a particular issue?
[05:50:00]
TORRES-SPELLISCY: Well, like everyone else, I am concerned about the swing states because I think that will be outcome determinative for the 2024 election. So it matters what the rules in Georgia are. It matters what the rules in Pennsylvania are. And we've had a variety of rulings from courts coming to seemingly different conclusions, which goes back to my federalism point. It's going to get complicated really quickly.
HUNT: All right, Ciara Torres-Spelliscy. Thanks very much for being with us this morning. I appreciate it.
TORRES-SPELLISCY: Thank you.
HUNT: All right, time now for sports. The Dodgers are the World Series champs after a thrilling comeback to beat the Yankees in last night's game five.
Andy Scholes has this morning's Bleacher Report. Andy, good morning.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yeah, good morning, Kasie.
So, I mean, the Yankees -- they were rolling last night. I mean, it looked like we were heading back to L.A. for a game six. But then the Yankees just had a meltdown in the fifth inning.
And things, as I mentioned, started off great. Aaron Judge hit his first-ever World Series home run in the first. Then Jazz Chisholm came to the plate and connected for back-to-back home runs. Yankee Stadium just going nuts at that point. They were up 3-0 right away.
Then they were up 5-0 in the fifth when things fell apart. Judge dropping that fly ball in center field, and then Anthony Volpe makes a throwing error on this grounder. Then Gerrit Cole doesn't cover first. The Dodgers would end up getting five unearned runs in the inning to tie the game up.
Then in the eighth with it now tied at six, Mookie Betts with a sack fly. Tommy Edman scored to give L.A. the lead. And then starter Walker Buehler would come in in the ninth and close it out.
The Dodgers win 7-6 to take the World Series in five games. Freddie Freeman, who hit four home runs and tied a World Series record with 12 RBIs, was your MVP.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FREDDIE FREEMAN, WORLD SERIES MVP: This is everything. I'm telling you; I wouldn't be here without the support of everybody in these shirts tonight. It's been a grind these last three months but this organization -- Stan, Andrew, Brandon, Doc, my teammates, my family. It's been -- it's been a lot, and this is -- this is it right here. Not this; that one. That one. That's what it's about. That's what it's about.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: Certainly a cool moment for Freeman.
Now, this is the Dodgers' eighth World Series in team history. They win it in the first season after signing Shohei Ohtani to that record 10-year, $700 million deal.
And our Omar Jimenez was in the clubhouse celebrating with the team.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MAX MUNCY, THIRD BASEMAN, LOS ANGELES DODGERS: It's unbelievable. (INAUDIBLE) when they played the game. And now we're here. It's special.
WILL SMITH, CATCHER, LOS ANGELES DODGERS: We worked all year for it to win a World Series. You guys are special and we're going to celebrate this one. It's going to be all right.
BLAKE TREINEN, PITCHER, LOS ANGELES DODGERS: I'm blessed man, truly blessed. It's so fun to be able to act like a little kid with my -- with my full grown adult hat (PH) -- like, husbands, dads. We get to let loose. A lot of hard work and stress and pressure behind this career and -- whoo.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: And the party was also on in L.A. Fans taking to the streets of downtown to celebrate. But some fans were up to no good. A city bus was lit on fire. There was also reports of looting. L.A. Police tweeted for fans to not go to downtown and to celebrate responsibly.
Now, they will be having a parade Friday morning in downtown L.A. to celebrate, and a ticketed celebration at Dodger Stadium, Kasie. The team, you know, they did not get a parade when they won back in 2020 due to COVID, so Dodger fans certainly going to be excited and will show out this time around.
HUNT: Yeah, for sure.
So how do I get the assignment that Omar Jimenez had? That seems like --
SCHOLES: Yeah.
HUNT: -- a blast, first of all.
SCHOLES: Yeah.
HUNT: But also, did they -- like, does everyone go in with ski goggles so that they don't get champagne in their eyes?
SCHOLES: So, I --
HUNT: Is that what that's about?
SCHOLES: I've done it many times before. I've never done the goggles. But the champagne burns so bad, Kasie. I tell you what, I regret it every time. I always -- it always takes me like minutes to clear my eyes out afterwards. But yeah, goggles highly recommended because it burns.
HUNT: The more you know.
Andy, thank you.
SCHOLES: Yeah. HUNT: I really appreciate it.
SCHOLES: All right.
HUNT: All right. Coming up next here on CNN THIS MORNING battleground beat. Heading to the Badger State as new polling shows Kamala Harris with her biggest lead yet.
Plus, first, a fry cook, now a garbage man. Donald Trump campaigning from a dump truck.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, ABC "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!": He's driving a garbage truck. He went out and rented a garbage truck and put his name on the side. Shouldn't they have put him in the back of that? The garbage goes in the back of the truck.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL)
[05:59:00]
HUNT: It's Thursday, October 31. Right now on CNN THIS MORNING --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: How do you like my garbage truck?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Taking out the garbage. Why both campaigns are talking trash in the closing days of the race.
And --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Everybody has a right to be heard but right now, I am speaking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Protest pushback. The vice president handling hecklers on the campaign trail.
Plus --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. J.D. VANCE (R-OH), U.S. VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Make me the vice president and I'll come back to Wisconsin all the time.
HARRIS: And we need you to vote early, Wisconsin. (END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Winning Wisconsin. In our battleground beat we zero in on the Badger State and how third-party candidates might impact Wisconsin voters.
And this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This might be the best day of my life!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: A historic comeback. The Dodgers now celebrating one of the biggest comeback victories in the playoffs to win the World Series.
All right, 6:00 a.m. on the East Coast. A live look at Las Vegas, Nevada where it's 3:00 a.m.
