Return to Transcripts main page
Connect the World
CNN International: Harris Campaign Senior Adviser Defends Biden after "Garbage" Comment, says Harris "Is Running Her Own Campaign"; U.S. Condemns "Horrifying Incident with a Horrifying Result"; U.S., South Korean Officials Meet to Discuss Ukraine War; Black Voters in Key Georgia County on Why They're Undecided; New York Yankees Avoid World Series Sweep. Aired 9-9:45a ET
Aired October 30, 2024 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ERICA HILL, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: It is 09:00 a.m. here in New York. I'm Erica Hill. Thanks for joining me on "Connect the World". Just ahead
this hour, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris crisscrossing the battle ground states with just six days now until Election Day in the U.S.
New details this hour about an Israeli strike that left nearly 100 people dead. CNN latest reporting is just ahead and deadly floods striking in
Spain. We are live in the Valencia region, this hour. Six days now until Election Day here in the U.S., both campaigns really in an all-out sprint
at this point to win votes in those critical swing states.
We've told you so much about, and they are critical because, of course, this is basically a deadlocked election. Vice President Kamala Harris
picking a symbolic spot to offer her closing message to the American people on Tuesday night. The ellipse outside the White House where Donald Trump
stood on January 6, 2021.
Just before a number of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in a violent insurrection. Harris hoping to capitalize on that contrast in her
pitch to voters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S., (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We know what Donald Trump has in mind, more chaos, more division and policies
that help those at the very top and hurt everyone else. I offer a different path, and I ask for your vote.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Donald Trump still dealing with the fallout from that controversial comment at his weekend rally in New York, where a comedian called Puerto
Rico, a floating island of garbage. The former president trying to distance himself by claiming the comedian probably shouldn't have been there, while
honing in on a new controversy.
Courtesy of President Biden, who, on Tuesday, appeared to call Trump supporters garbage. The Trump campaign seizing on that remark in a fund-
raising email while Trump himself addressed it at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Remember Hillary, she said deplorable, and then she said irredeemable,
right? But she said deplorable. That didn't work out, garbage, I think is worse, right? But he doesn't know you have to please forgive him. Please
forgive him, for he not knowing what he said.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: President Biden later tried to clarify his comment posting on X, it referred to the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico's spewed by a Trump
supporter. Lot happening on this Wednesday. So, who better discuss it with and CNN's Senior Political Analyst, Mark Preston.
Mark, good to see you this morning. So, as we look at this, these comments by President Biden. I want to play those quickly, in case folks haven't
seen them yet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Just the other day, a speaker at his rally called Puerto Rico, a floating island of garbage.
Well, let me tell you something. I don't know the Puerto Rican that I know, or Puerto Rico, where I'm in my home state of Delaware. They're good,
decent, honorable people. The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: So, Mark, look, there is plenty of clean up happening. The fact that these comments as well were made when Kamala Harris is making her closing
argument. The timing not great for Democrats. How much impact do you think this is going to have?
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, you know, I was -- funny. I was talking with a colleague of ours earlier, Erica. And I say, gosh,
this had been 10 years ago. Just imagine the outrage there would be over these comments by Joe Biden, but we've really become numb to it.
The problem, though, for Democrats and for Kamala Harris is, to your point, is that these comments were made at a time when her campaign seemed to be
moving ahead smoothly. The speech last night went very well. She was able to lay out her vision, and she was to do it in a way that was more
encompassing.
Let's say, then what we hear, what Donald Trump has to say. But then, you know, it's very hard to make the argument to go out there and say that
Donald Trump is vulgar and rude when you have the President of the United States going out and saying something similar.
So, I do think it is going to have a little bit of an effect, in the sense that it's going to consume some time, some valuable time, over the next
couple days, you know, for the discussion about, you know, who is cruder. But I do think that in the end, it really is just going to kind of fade
away with everything else we've seen.
HILL: Fade away. I mean, an unforced error, for sure. It's fascinating, too, when we see, as we watch today, right throughout the day, how much
traction these comments actually get. You still have the former president who has called the entire country garbage.
PRESTON: I mean, look, there is --
HILL: There is still --
PRESTON: There is something to be said about a false equivalency.
HILL: Yeah.
[09:05:00]
PRESTON: And the fact is, you can't necessarily compare what Joe Biden has said with anything that Donald Trump has said. So, yeah, you know, to your
point, there is this false equivalency sometimes that we've seen play out, you know, here in the U.S. media. No question about it.
HILL: And when we look at, I'm really struck by all of the early voting numbers. So early voting, I believe, available in 47 states, plus the
District of Columbia, more than 50 million Americans have already cast their votes.
PRESTON: Yeah.
HILL: That's impacting the fact that we saw a closing argument a week before the election last night from Vice President Harris. It is impacting
the way these candidates are going about these next six days.
PRESTON: It really is. And if we were to stop in time right now and look at who they were trying to attract over the last, let's say, four or five
weeks, and where their focus is right now. Right now, it's about their base. That's why we see Donald Trump out there, you know, holding these
rallies that you know, are in some ways, his -- are spewing hate.
You know, and certainly trying to really get his really hard-core mag up base out. At the same time, we're seeing like Kamala Harris out there with
her surrogates, you know, trying to talk about abortion, because they know that if they can get women out, young women out to the polls, out to vote,
then they have a really good chance of winning.
So, look, it's going to go down to the -- no doubt about it. And there are just a few voters. We're going to decide this election in a few states, and
that's why we'll see these candidates just hob jumping around over the next four or five, six days, between five or six states in this country.
HILL: Yeah, and barely missing each other in some of those moves, in some of those states, Mark --
PRESTON: Maybe they could share a plane, Erica, who knows?
HILL: Could you imagine --
PRESTON: -- I --
HILL: That would be, oh, to be a fly on the wall, on that plane. Mark, thank you.
PRESTON: Thanks, Erica.
HILL: We'll take a closer look at what each candidate does have planned, today. Kamala Harris is going to hit three battleground states, North
Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. CNN's Kevin Liptak, joining me now. You know Kevin, as Mark was just saying, both candidates really playing to
their base.
Kamala Harris, we're going to see her really try to engage women, try to engage younger voters. That specifically going to happen in Wisconsin
today.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah, and I think this is all an extension of what she laid out last night in that closing argument
speech. Today, she is really trying to bring that to the ground, to these specific groups of voters, and to try and bring them into her camp.
And it was so remarkable last night, just the imagery of that speech. You know, she was standing right in front of the South Portico, exactly where
Donald Trump was speaking on January 6, almost four years ago. And I don't think any Americans who are watching that would have necessarily that it
would have been lost in them, that that was the message that they were trying to send.
Those clips have been so ingrained in people's minds for the last four years, but at the same time, she was really also trying to present this
vision of what she would do in office. You know, she ticked out a series of policy items from Medicare, from immigration, from trying to restore the
protections in Roe Versus Wade.
All with the point of making the contrast with Donald Trump. And that is essentially her closing argument, and it is what we'll see her doing in all
three battleground states today, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, is to try and deliver this message specifically to voters.
And to try and make this contrast with what she says would be Donald Trump in the Oval Office ticking off his enemies list, compared to what she says
she'll do, which is to tick off her to do list. And I think in a lot of ways, this was an introductory speech for the vice president, which is, you
know, in and of itself, pretty remarkable in the final week of a campaign.
It gives you an idea of just how abbreviated her own 101-day campaign has been up until now. In the eyes of her advisors, there are still a lot of
what they call conflicted voters out there who they think that they convince, can convince these are people who might be turned off by what
they've been hearing from Donald Trump on the campaign trail, but aren't necessarily sold yet on Kamala Harris.
And really what she was trying to do, and what she'll be trying to do over the next week, is to show voters a little bit more of herself, to try and
demonstrate not only what she would do in office, but what kind of presidents she would be. So, you heard her last night talking about some of
her motivations for leadership, what inspires her as a leader.
And I think that in the eyes of the Harris campaign is the message that they need to drive as they work to talk to every single undecided voter in
those seven battleground states in the week before Election Day.
HILL: The message they do not want to be dealing with is the one that President Biden gave last night, clearly a gap, but still, the fact that
they are batting clean-up at this point. The president has not really been out there for the vice president. And as I understand it, that's sort of
the way the campaign wants this. How damaging are those comments from President Biden last night?
[09:10:00]
LIPTAK: Yeah, well, I think we can clearly say that there's nothing that the Harris campaign wants to be doing the morning after her closing
argument speech. Then explaining away, a comment from President Biden at the end of the day. That's why a lot of Democrats breathed a sigh of relief
when he stepped out of the races, because they did have to explain away a lot of what he was saying so much of the time.
Now we should clarify, President Biden has clarified what he said. He said he wasn't talking about all of Trump's supporters when he referred to them
as garbage, he was talking about the specific supporter who spoke at Madison Square Garden. But at the end of the day, President Biden's
campaign appearances have been limited.
In part, that's political because Harris wants to distance herself from an unpopular incumbent, but it's also because Harris campaign knows that he
can be a liability. He's known for these kinds of misspeaks and these kinds of gaffes. And as they are finding out today, that didn't necessarily go
away when he stepped down from becoming the standard bearer of the party.
HILL: Kevin Liptak, appreciate it. Thank you. Donald Trump also hitting some of those battleground states today for his last few days of
campaigning, North Carolina and Wisconsin also on the itinerary. Steve Contorno is following the Trump campaign for us, and he's in Rocky
Mountain, North Carolina today.
So obviously, two very important states, since both candidates are going to be in North Carolina and Wisconsin, what can we expect from the former
president today?
STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Well, you're already seeing him seize on those remarks from President Joe Biden that you and Kevin just discussed.
Trump yesterday, writing on truth social that you can't lead America if you don't love the American people. And that was in response to that
inarticulate mention about Trump supporters being garbage by the current president.
I should point out Trump obviously has been incredibly divisive about Vice President Harris supporters. He has said that her supporters are, quote,
the enemy from within. He has said her Jewish supporters should have their head exam, and so just putting -- doing some level setting there.
The agenda today, though, in North Carolina and in Wisconsin is really a different approach to both states. In North Carolina, this is a state that
Donald Trump narrowly won by in 2020 in a state that he is hoping to fend off a very aggressive push by Democrats to flip this state, this time
around.
In Wisconsin, he is the person trying to flip the state, and you are seeing him spend aggressively in that state, spend a lot of time there, trying to
turn it from a blue state to a red state, and really penetrate that blue wall that the Democrats are relying on. What's interesting though, here is
that we are seeing the approach shift from going from trying to attract new voters to really trying to get out his base.
And you are seeing them really put an emphasis and focus on trying to convince -- over yet there has been a lot of chatter on social media and
from Trump's supporters online, suggesting that he is running away with this thing. And we have seen them push out a lot of suspect polling that he
is ahead.
And in the last couple of days, we are seeing some of his top surrogates, people like his running mate, J.D. Vance, as well as Charlie Kirk, someone
who's been very influential in a circle. They have been telling their people, we need to stop being so cocky.
We need to realize this is going to be a very, very closely contested race, and we need to make sure we are we are fighting for every vote all the way
through November 5. So, I think that's what the message will be here in Rocky Mount later today, when the former president --
HILL: All right, Steve Contorno. Steve Contorno, live for us there in Rocky Mount. Appreciate it, thank you. Of course, our coverage of the race for
the White House will continue throughout the hour. A little bit later, you have my colleague Elle Reeve, who takes us to meet some undecided voters in
the battleground state of Georgia, in a county that made a massive difference in 2020.
That's still to come here on "Connect the World". Meantime, we do want to get you caught up on the situation in the Middle East. Israel, at this
hour, urging people to evacuate the City of Baalbek in northeastern Lebanon. Just two days ago, IDF attacks in the same part of the country
killed 82 people.
Israel's deadliest bombardment in Lebanon in nearly a month. Meantime, in the southern part of the country, rescuers picking through the rubble from
Israeli strikes there that left 14 people dead. And in Gaza, the U.S. is condemning Tuesday's strike in the north of the Enclave that strike killed
nearly 100 people.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATTHEW MILLER, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: We are deeply concerned by the loss of civilian life in this incident. This was a horrifying
incident with a horrifying result. I can't speak to the total death toll, but there are reports of two dozen children killed in this incident. No
doubt, a number of them are children who have been fleeing the effects of this war for more than a year now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[09:15:00]
HILL: Horrifying from the State Department, the United Nations calling that strike part of a quote, endless spiral of death and destruction in Gaza. We
are starting to see that there could be more information about this in fact, emerging. CNN's Matthew Chance joining me now from Jerusalem. So,
Israel has added a little bit more detail. What are we hearing at this hour about that strike.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. First of all, Erica, I think we're seeing particularly outspoken criticism about this one
strike which has killed so many people inside the Northern Gaza Strip, from the United States, from the United Nations, from others as well,
expressions of outrage that so many more bodies are being picked from the rubble, including, according to Palestine health officials, lots of
children as well.
And so that's what's causing this particular outrage, and it's put the Israeli authorities, the military, on something of a back foot as well,
because they say that they have started an investigation to try and work out what exactly happened. Military officials have said that they didn't
intend to demolish the building or to collapse the building that was struck on Tuesday.
A source in the Israeli military has told me that what was targeted was an individual, suspected Hamas militant, a spotter who was seen on the top of
the roof of the building, he was fired upon, and then the building collapsed. And what there was some surprise about amongst the Israeli
military is that so many people were killed inside a building that they did not know was occupied, they say.
And which -- in an area which they say had been evacuated, or at least there had been evacuation orders in force in that area of Northern Gaza,
Beit Lahia for the past several weeks. And so, the investigation the Israeli military are running right now is to try and get to the bottom of
why there were so many people inside that building.
And one of the theories being explored by those investigators in the Israeli military right now, according to our sources inside the Israeli
military, is that this was a gathering of Hamas members inside the building. That's why so many people were killed, they say the Israeli
military.
And that's why the Israeli military says that some of the people who have been named as dead by the Palestinian health authorities in this attack
have been identified positively by the Israelis as being members of Hamas or other jihadi terrorist groups. That's the words, of course, as the
Israeli military.
But none of this takes away from the fact that there is immense human suffering unfolding, excuse me, on a daily basis in Northern Gaza, with
hundreds of people now being victims of an incessant barrage of Israeli attacks against what they say are resurgent Hamas activities in the area.
And of course, it's now provoking very outspoken criticism from allies, including from the United States, Erica.
HILL: Yeah, absolutely. And continued concerns about those in the Enclave who have been moved around so many times forced to evacuate and are
struggling now just for their basic daily needs, including food and water. Matthew, I also want to ask you about so as I understand, top U.S.
officials will be heading to the region again for more talks. What is the sense at this point? Is there hope that there may be some sort of a
breakthrough?
CHANCE: I think there's hope, yes, that there might be some sort of breakthrough. And I think that's why there's been an announcement that
there's a whole group of U.S. officials in different capacities are heading towards the region over the course of the past next few days, to try and
talk about bringing peace on the border
For example, between Israel and Lebanon, trying to negotiate a cease fire and a hostage release inside Gaza. And generally, just to try and reaffirm
the U.S. support for Israel's defense, while at the same time, sort of trying pushing the Israeli government towards some kind of negotiated sort
of settlement when it comes to a variety of these conflicts it's engulfed in.
We know that the White House Officials, Amos Hochstein and Brett McGurk from Washington, will be coming here to Israel on Thursday, they will be
talking about Iran and Gaza and the hostage releases. Bill Burns, who is the Head of the CIA, is heading to Egypt where we'll be speaking with his
Egyptian counterparts about the possibility, among other things, of a hostage deal there.
There's been some speculation that Israel may be able to broker a small- scale hostage release, and there are other official meetings, including military meetings underway as well. So, a period of intensive diplomatic
activity as we approach the U.S. election, of course, in the states.
HILL: Yeah, absolutely, that really does sort of hang over. So many things at this moment, not just here in the U.S., obviously, but globally, as we
all wait to see what happens. Matthew Chance in Jerusalem, thank you.
[09:20:00]
Still to come this hour in Spain, flood waters ravaging the country's southeast with deadly consequences. We'll show you what was left behind in
terms of damage. Plus, intelligence officials say they believe North Korean troops are actually now on the ground inside Ukraine. Those details just
ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: U.S. and South Korean security officials are meeting at the Pentagon this hour to discuss North Korea's deployment of troops to Russia and
Ukraine. And this comes as Western Intelligence sources tell CNN they believe a small number of North Korean soldiers are now deployed inside
Ukraine, a number that is expected to rise.
The U.S. estimates, roughly 10,000 North Korean troops are training in Eastern Russia and could soon be sent to Ukraine. CNN U.S. National
Security Correspondent, Natasha Bertrand, joining us from the Pentagon. So, the fact that this meeting is happening, what are you expecting to come out
of it? What could we learn?
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Well, South Korean officials are expected to brief the Pentagon and other U.S. officials on
the intelligence they have about the North Korean troop deployments to Russia, and we are told to Ukraine as well. And this is something the South
Koreans have been raising the alarm about for several weeks now.
They were actually just at NATO headquarters in Brussels, briefing NATO allies about this as well. It is deeply concerning to them, and we do
expect to hear from South Korea's Defense Minister in a joint press conference later today with Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, where they
will likely disclose more information about just what the North Korean troops are expected to do.
But for now, what we are hearing from the Pentagon as well as our sources, is that the North Koreans have deployed Special Operations Forces to
Russia. And they are expected to engage directly in combat operations with Russian troops against Ukrainian forces.
We are also told that a small number of these North Korean troops are already inside Ukraine, and that is deeply concerning to U.S. officials as
well as the South Koreans, because it does further indicate that the North Koreans are preparing to potentially take on a greater role here in helping
the Russians fight this war against the Ukrainians.
Now it remains to be seen just how effective the North Koreans are actually going to be, because, of course, there is a language barrier with the
Russians. And according to officials, they do expect that some of these North Korean troops are going to desert their posts once they get to
Russia, once they get to Ukraine, because they will have that freedom, really, for the first time.
But still, the North Koreans are confident that they are going to perform pretty well on the battlefield there, because they are highly specialized.
They are highly trained, and it remains to be seen, you know, by the U.S. and by the South Koreans, and by really the international community, how
this is going to play out, because the North Koreans really haven't been tested in war in over 70 years.
And so just how consequential this is going to be on the battlefield in terms of turning the tide of the war, that is something that the South
Koreans and the U.S. are expected to discuss at length here today, Erica.
[09:25:00]
HILL: That's really something. Natasha, appreciate that. Thank you. We are following the developments out of Spain, where flash flooding has now
claimed more than 60 lives. You see that flow of water there in Valencia, parts of southeastern Spain, inundated with up to 30 centimeters, about 12
inches, a foot of rain in just a few hours.
There it is cascading through just one neighborhood. Another angle there to show it to you in Valencia in the aftermath of these floods, of course, a
massive muddy mess left behind. a Atika Shubert joining us now from Valencia. So, walk us through what you're seeing, Atika. But also, the
numbers that death toll is so high, did people not have enough warning, enough time to get out?
ATIKA SHUBERT, JOURNALIST: Yes, that's exactly what happened. It happened so quickly. There was drizzle throughout the rain, and then all of a
sudden, just buckets of water came down in a very short period of time. And so, what happened was those neighborhoods or rural areas that were closest
to the river became inundated.
Many people went to go check their cars or their belongings and basements and first floors, and that's where they became trapped unfortunately. Also,
you can probably --
HILL: I think we may have just lost Atika there, but we will continue to follow that story again out of Spain. I want to take a look at some of the
other stories on our radar at this hour, Taiwan, bracing for impact from Super Typhoon Kong Rey. That powerful storm moving Northwest, close to the
Philippines, with sustained winds of 240 kilometers per hour.
That is the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane. And forecasters do expect that Kong Rey will make landfall Thursday morning, local time. The U.K.
government says it will raise an extra $52 billion in tax. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, delivering her first budget statement
since the Labor government took office.
It's raising more than half of the extra tax from employers. The chancellor also said that Britain's economy is forecast to grow 2 percent next year.
Coffee chain Starbucks is scrapping its olive oil coffees in the U.S. and Canada. In case you hadn't heard of them, yes, it was an oil infused drink.
The brainchild of Former CEO Howard Schultz, which was launched last year. The chains new CEO, though, is simplifying the menu as Starbucks tries to
reverse a downturn in sales. Still ahead here the White House in damage control mode after President Joe Biden unleashes a firestorm by appearing
to call Donald Trump supporters, garbage.
Plus, the most democratic County in all of the swing states this year. Why some voters, especially black voters in this important Atlanta suburb are
not yet sold on the vice president.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:30:00]
HILL: Just about half past the hour now. Welcome back. I'm Erica Hill in for Becky Anderson today, joining you from New York for "Connect the
World". With just six days to go now until the election, the Harris campaign is dealing with a political headache caused by the President.
Joe Biden appearing to call supporters of Donald Trump, garbage on Tuesday night while trying to condemn a racist comment made by a comedian at
Trump's rally on Sunday. Biden was speaking during a get-out-the-vote call on Tuesday, which was actually meant to help Harris.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: Just the other day, a speaker at his rally called Puerto Rico, a floating island of garbage. Well, let me tell you something. I don't know
the Puerto Rican that I know, or Puerto Rico, where I'm in my home state of Delaware, they're good, decent, honorable people.
The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters. His demonization seen as unconscionable, and it's on American is totally
contrary to everything we've done, everything we've been.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: The Trump campaign seizing on that remark, saying there's no way to spin it, as you see in a fund-raising email, saying Joe Biden and Kamala
Harris don't just hate President Trump. They despise the tens of millions of Americans who support him.
CNN's Arlette Saenz joining me now from the White House to say this is not what the Harris campaign wanted to deal with or the White House probably,
may be an understatement. How is the explanation and the statement from the president and the White House landing this morning?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erica, how the White House moved very quickly to try to clean up President Biden's comments,
which have really created a political opening for Republicans and a political headache for Vice President Kamala Harris, with just six days to
go in this campaign.
As you mentioned, the Trump campaign quickly seized on this, already sending out a fund-raising email saying to their supporters, you are not
garbage. I love you. J.D. Vance has really tried to tie Harris directly to Biden in this moment, posting on social media that Harris and Biden are
attacking half of the country.
There's no excuse for comments like this. Now President Biden, as you heard there, appeared to reference and refer to Trump supporters as garbage. This
came as he was talking about those comments that were made by that comedian at Trump's rally in New York City on Sunday night, where that comedian
referred to Puerto Rico as an island of garbage.
The White House is trying to argue that when Biden said his supporters that there was actually an apostrophe in there, that he was specifically just
speaking about the remarks that were made by that comedian at the Sunday Trump rally. Then the President took things further and posted on social
media trying to explain what he meant.
Saying that he referred to the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by Trump's supporter at his Madison Square Garden rally as garbage, which is
the only word I can think of to describe it. He went on to say, that's all I meant to say. It comes at a time when every word, every statement in the
closing days of this campaign is being dissected.
Now the Harris campaign so far has defended president, Biden. Governor Tim Walz said that he -- that Harris and himself are really open to trying to
provide a vision for all of the country. And he said that the president had explained his comment that he was referencing specifically those comments
made by that pro Trump comedian on Sunday.
But we'll see if Vice President Kamala Harris tries to discuss this or clean up in any way what the president said when she leaves a little bit
later today.
HILL: All right. Arlette, appreciate it. Thank you. Well, President Biden was actually the first Democrat in nearly 30 years to win the State of
Georgia in the last election. One of the reasons, of course, there is so much focus on it in 2024. It was voters in Clayton County, just south of
Atlanta, who really pivotal in delivering that result. But a CNN's Elle Reeve found, it is not so clear cut this time around.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRUCE WRIGHT, PET STORE OWNER: It's -- the hardest election decision I've ever had to make, because I'm basing it off of not my personal self, but
just my core belief of who Trump is inside is what's driving me towards Kamala.
ELLE REEVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is Clayton County, Georgia, just south of Atlanta, where more than 84 percent of voters picked
Biden in 2020, that makes Clayton the most democratic County in all this year's swing states.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 2020 when Biden won, it was Clayton County who turned Georgia blue and got Biden the presidency.
REEVE: How so?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our people turned out. Clayton County turns out we expect the same for Kamala Harris.
REEVE (voice-over): Almost 300,000 people live here, and nearly 70 percent are black. The campaigns are fighting hard for these voters. Kamala Harris
was just here with Stevie Wonder.
[09:35:00]
We spoke to people at black owned businesses about what they were thinking in the last weeks before the election.
CHAI RICHARDSON, BARBER: I'm really not into politics, but Kamala Harris her movement, I will say I support two things that she said, and is doing.
The $20,000 loan thing for the black entrepreneurs. I really like that because it gives us a chance to, you know, get our businesses up off the
ground.
And another thing is, she's trying to legalize marijuana. Because, you know, a lot of us get locked up just for our car smelling like weed. It's a
lot of synthetic weeds out here, a lot of fake weeds that's, you know, bad for us.
REEVE: You wanted to be legalized and regulated?
RICHARDSON: Yes, and what gets me the most is it's banned in the south, where it's mostly African, Americans or black people down here, but up in
the other states, the Union States, the blue states, where they want to call them, it's legalized.
REEVE: Well, who would you vote for if you do decide to vote?
VALERIE BURKS, HAIR STYLIST: I don't know, maybe Harris.
REEVE: And why? Just listening to some of the stuff that she's said so far, as far as like helping people, I'm big on helping.
REEVE: So why would you be undecided right now?
BURKS: I would have to say, because this will be my first time.
REEVE: Yeah.
BURKS: First time. Like, OK, my mom, they they've never done it so --
REEVE (voice-over): We found a little more ambivalence about Harris than we expected based on past voting here.
SHARON LOVE NELSON, PODCASTER: Am I decisive? I'm going to be straight up.
REEVE: That's OK -- why?
NELSON: Because it's two of the Lesser Evils. They're all bashing each other and saying this and saying that. Then I take that and I go do
research. When I research it, I'm like, but I do know one thing, Trump is so bold that if the aliens have come, he going to tell you.
REEVE: Yeah. In an Independence Day scenario?
NELSON: Yes.
REEVE: He would tell you --
NELSON: He would tell you. I mean he just can't keep his mouth shut.
REEVE: What are your constituents saying about the election?
REP. ERIC BELL (D-GA): You get a mixed bag of peanuts. You get a lot of people that say, go Kamala. You get a lot of people say, I'm not into
politics, and then you even have voices say that I'm voting for Donald Trump.
REEVE: Early voting numbers were really high. What do you think that means?
BELL: I think that means people have something to vote for. I think that people are impassioned and bolden. They're excited to vote for something.
I'm just hoping they're voting for Kamala Harris, honestly.
BRITTNEY TUCKER, REGISTERED NURSE: We are house divided at this time my husband, he's more leaning towards the Trump side, and I'm leaning more
towards the Harris side, but I'm still trying to persuade him to come to the other side.
REEVE: And what is his objections?
TUCKER: Well, he just doesn't feel that like a woman is fit for the job, so to speak.
JAMAL SIMS, BARBER: What you getting tough, hey, and then we bringing the top down. I'm going to be honest with you, during his time in presidency, a
lot of money was flowing around.
REEVE: Yeah.
SIMS: You know what I mean?
REEVE: Yeah.
SIMS: So that was kind of like my reason for being like, hey, if you don't do that again, you know, we run that back. He does a lot of stuff for shock
value, just to get you to look at, you know what I mean. So, I don't really be taking none of that stuff here. I'm going to take my time with it.
Because, you know, it's like the less of the two evils type of thing.
REEVE: One topic of conversation has been the idea that some men don't want to vote for a woman president. Do you think that's a factor?
CRICK THE BARBER, CLAYTON COUNTY RESIDENT: I hear that a lot.
REEVE: Yeah, what do they say?
CRICK THE BARBER: Women are too emotional to run the country.
REEVE: What do you think of that?
CRICK THE BARBER: What do I think of that I'm married. You think I'm about to answer that?
REEVE: What do you say to him?
CRICK THE BARBER: What do I say to him?
REEVE: Yeah, when they say that.
CRICK THE BARBER: I tell them the same thing, I told you. I'm married so and my wife run my household. So, you know what? If they run the household
like that, they could, I believe they can do it. I just thought about it. I believe I wanted to run the presidency. I believe that.
SHARESE BING, VOTED FOR KAMALA HARRIS: I never seen a president tweet so much out of emotions. So, to say a female cannot run the country because of
emotions, and then the person she's running against stay on Twitter all day reacting because of emotions doesn't make sense.
There are some men that are very much emotional. Their emotions might come out in different ways, anger, rage, but it's still an emotion. If y'all say
a woman can't run a country because she's emotional. Well, then he can't run a country because he's emotional. And that's all we got.
And like we got 10 candidates to pick. We got one and two. So, it's you want the emotional female, so to speak, when I say, and I'm quoting it,
emotional female, since women are emotional, or do you want the emotional male?
REEVE (voice-over): Elle Reeve, CNN, Clayton County, Georgia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:40:00]
HILL: The Yankees really showing up in game four here in New York. What a night! Fans still riding the high of that 11-4 win today, after the Bronx
Bombers managed to stop a Dodgers World Series sweep. Amanda Davies joining me now. My children were very, very happy.
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: I was sure Erica, I was going to say, I know you're sitting in New York. My sister actually lives in LA.
HILL: Oh.
DAVIES: And this is a whole new event for her. She's like, what on earth is going on? It's certainly a World Series that has captured the attention,
hasn't it? And it's really very much a case for the Yankees of if not now, then when wasn't it? Heading into this game for three nothing down.
Looking to do what no team has ever done in World Series history and win the crown from that position. They forced this game five in somewhat
controversial fashion, haven't they? There's a little bit of help from some of their fans along the way.
HILL: Yeah.
DAVIES: Which I know has got a lot of people talking but they've still got a very, very long way to go. Can they, do it? Can they do the unthinkable?
That's what we're looking at in just a couple of minutes.
HILL: Looking forward to it, we will catch you on the other side of the break. Amanda, thanks.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:45:00]
(WORLD SPORT)
END
