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Isa Soares Tonight

Trump Attacks Harris at Mega Rally at New York's Madison Square Garden; A Comedian at Trump Rally Trashes Puerto Rico; U.N.: Entire Population of North Gaza is at Risk of Dying. Aired 14-15:00p ET

Aired October 28, 2024 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome, everyone, this is -- I'm Isa Soares, and tonight, we have eight days to go, Donald Trump's

rhetoric is reaching dark new extremes as allies label his opponent Kamala Harris, the anti-Christ. And at that very same rally, Puerto Rico is called

an island of garbage.

We'll speak to Puerto Rico's congressional delegate for reaction from his community and dire warnings. The entire population of northern Gaza is at

risk of dying. We'll speak with an emergency coordinator on the ground who just came from the north of Gaza for the very latest.

The rhetoric is being ramped up and the closing arguments are being made in the home-stretch to the U.S. presidential election. This hour, Vice

President Kamala Harris is in battleground Michigan to focus on U.S. manufacturing. Earlier in an interview with "CBS News", she was asked what

her first 100 days in office would look like. Have a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES & DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: It's going to be lowering costs in a package of

legislation, that is about lowering cost again. On the issue of housing, small businesses, child tax credit, basically putting more money in the

hands of American working people, but also cutting middle-class taxes.

A priority in equal form is going to be what we need to do to deal with reproductive health care and reinstate the freedoms and the rights that all

people should have, and women should have over their own body. And then dealing with immigration and particularly border security and bringing back

up that bipartisan bill that Donald Trump killed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: And speaking of Donald Trump, he is campaigning in Georgia right now, a Trump rally on Sunday at Madison Square Garden was marked by

inflammatory and as well as very disturbing rhetoric. One Trump ally referred to the Vice President as the anti-Christ, while another implied

that she was a prostitute.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID REM, SANITATION WORKER, NEW YORK CITY: She is the devil, whoever screamed that out. She is the anti-Christ.

SID ROSENBERG, RADIO PERSONALITY: Americans sleeping in their own feces on a bench in Central Park, but the -- illegals can get whatever they want.

GRANT CARDONE, BUSINESSMAN: Her and her pimp handlers will destroy our country.

HULK HOGAN, RETIRED PROFESSIONAL WRESTLER: When I hear Kamala speak --

(BOOING)

HOGAN: It sounds -- yes, it sounds like a script from Hollywood where there are really bad actress.

STEPHEN MILLER, FORMER TRUMP SENIOR ADVISER: America is for Americans and Americans only.

TUCKER CARLSON, POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Kamala Harris, she's just -- she got 85 million votes because she's just so impressive as the first Samoan-

Malaysian --

(LAUGHTER)

CARLSON: Low IQ former California prosecutor ever to be elected President.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: I am hoping you can feel -- my eyes rolled as we played that sound out. And let's get more from this. Senior White House correspondent, MJ Lee

and CNN reporter Steve Contorno. Steve, let me start with you. We played there a snippet really of some of the sound from yesterday, pretty dark,

pretty inflammatory rhetoric last night.

Alexandria Cortez called it, I think today, really dark, hate rally in fact. Just talk us through what we heard from the former President in what

relates also to immigration, because he's been doubling down on that on the aspect of mass deportation here as well.

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Yes, we're seeing Republicans pushing back against some of the rhetoric, even especially as it relates to Puerto

Ricans and the country of Puerto Rico. We heard from several people in the Florida Republican delegation calling those remarks classless, saying they

didn't represent the views of the Republican Party and Donald Trump himself -- or excuse me, his campaign.

[14:05:00]

Putting out a statement, trying to distance Trump from that kind of rhetoric. But look, this is the kind of themes and rhetoric and divisive

words and you know, sort of racist imagery are part and parcel of Trump rallies and have been for quite some time. And Donald Trump himself, while

everything around him was somewhat amped-up to an exponential degree, he sounded very much like he has in recent weeks, he has been talking a lot

about his plans to deport -- engage in the largest mass deportation in U.S. history from the moment he is elected.

Which we now know would include the children of undocumented people who were brought here when they were very young kids. I think that's what his

running mate, J.D. Vance recently said. He is speaking in very dark terms, very much leaning into culture wars over transgender healthcare, and this

is -- this -- what we heard yesterday is no different than what we've been hearing from him in recent weeks.

And in fact, his campaign has been putting a lot of that front and center in their advertising message that has been on there as well. We saw

yesterday during the Philadelphia Eagles football game, an advertisements saying our country has gone to hell and insinuating Donald Trump is the

person who can bring it back.

So, at this state of the race, we know the Trump campaign is basically written off any sort of middle of a ground folks, people in the middle who

don't like that kind of rhetoric and voted against him in 2020 because of how he comported himself, and are instead trying to drive out their base

and go for some of those people who didn't vote in years past, but who are considered themselves, you know, Trump supporters or sympathetic to Trump

and may come out this time.

So, that's sort of what you're seeing from Trump on the campaign trail in recent weeks and certainly, what we saw yesterday.

SOARES: Yes, and stay with us, Steve, look, I think it is part and parcel what we heard in the last two weeks, we shouldn't normalize it, of course,

this is very vulgar rhetoric. And let me go to MJ Lee, and MJ, last night - - and we didn't play this clip here. Trump once again called his political opponents the enemy -- as the enemy within. Just give us a sense of what

the Harris campaign is saying and responding to this rally.

MIN JUNG LEE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Vice President and her campaign are essentially pointing to this rally in New York City last

night as encompassing the very reason that they say the Vice President has a better case to make and a better vision for this country than Donald

Trump.

I think they are pointing to this one rally as showing everything that Donald Trump and his candidacy and his allies and his supporters stand for.

That is sort of this idea that Donald Trump is campaigning solely because he is in this for himself, that he doesn't stand for anything more than

sort of bettering himself.

And that his candidacy and his campaign is not about sort of bringing the country together, but it is entirely about divisiveness and tearing the

country apart. And interestingly, as Steve was talking about sort of the comments there from last night about Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans, the

Harris campaign has gone to some real lengths to rebut those claims and reject some of those ideas that were obviously very offensive, that were

put forward by some of the speakers last night.

She made a point of saying that she is going to make sure that in her administration, the island is going to be a priority. And also made a note

when talking to reporters earlier that she was very proud of the support that she has since received from Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny.

I think this is an area where even Republicans listening to the speakers last night knew that the politics were incredibly bad. You are going after

a really important voting bloc, and essentially denigrating them. We saw some Republicans coming out to say these are good Americans that these

speakers are talking about.

So, I think there's a recognition here even within the Republican Party of just the bad politics that were at play here. I also think all of this will

sort of get at the closing message that we are poised to hear from the Vice President tomorrow night when she speaks at The Ellipse. The Ellipse, we

should note is sort of the location of the infamous Donald Trump's speech from a few years ago back on January 6th when he was getting his supporters

fired up, and we ultimately ended up seeing some of those supporters go and riot on Capitol Hill.

I am told by sources familiar that yes, there's going to be sort of the evoking of the events of January 6th, but that ultimately, she's going to

sort of make the pivot and make the argument that her campaign is about turning the page on the Donald Trump era. So, all of this I think will feed

into that.

[14:10:00]

SOARES: MJ Lee, Steve Contorno, thank you very much to your vote -- both. And some of the biggest Puerto Rican stars as MJ Lee was just talking about

there on the planet are really lining up behind Kamala Harris in the wake of those comments made about the island at Sunday's Trump rally. Superstars

J. Lo, Bad Bunny as MJ Lee was saying, Ricky Martin are all showing support for the Vice President. Online following this so-called joke made by a

comic supposedly not very funny at the rally.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY HINCHCLIFFE, COMEDIAN: Look, I don't know if you guys know this, but there's literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean

right now -- yes, I think it's called Puerto Rico.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Well, a Trump spokesperson says the joke does not reflect the views of the -- of President Trump or the campaign, though he didn't say

anything when he took to the podium, I think it's important to say that. I want to welcome in to the show, Dr. Ricardo Rossello; he's the U.S.

congressional delegate for Puerto Rico and the island's former governor. Dr. Rosario, appreciate being with us.

I mean, our reporter said it very clearly. This was pretty dark and extreme anti-immigrant rhetoric. Just your reaction when you heard what was said

yesterday at the Trump rally?

RICARDO ROSSELLO, U.S. CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATE FOR PUERTO RICO: Well, thank you for the opportunity. You saw the expressions, it was a -- they called

the people of Puerto Rico garbage in Madison Square Garden, no less in the home state of over a million Puerto Ricans. This is egregious. It is

insulting and it will cost President Trump, if not addressed properly.

You know, our people are not garbage, they're quite the opposite. They're kind, they're talented, they're beautiful. Puerto Rico is the connector of

the Americas, both geographically and culturally. And we have a large legacy of patriotism. A lot of people from the island have gone to the U.S.

military and given the ultimate sacrifice.

We are U.S. citizens, and these statements should be rejected by everyone. I get that Hinchcliffe is a comedian, but saying a joke in a comedy club is

quite different from a political rally, and there are consequences. It is particularly troublesome when --

SOARES: Yes --

ROSSELLO: It reaffirms a certain belief.

SOARES: Let's talk about the consequences because an estimated 5.8, I should say, million people in the U.S. are of Puerto Rican origin. I wonder

what those consequences will be. What kind of impact you think these offensive comments will have, considering of course, how important, how

crucial the Latino vote is. I mean, how much damage was done last night, you think with these comments?

ROSSELLO: It's hard to tell, but damage was certainly done. It now remains --

SOARES: Yes --

ROSSELLO: To see if the buck stops with the President or not. But here's the point, you're talking about 6 million, but we can even go more granular

with this. There's 400,000 Puerto Ricans in Pennsylvania, a battleground state that could decide the election. Similarly, a 100,000 in Georgia and

in North Carolina.

So, it's not only the quantity, but where these Puerto Ricans are. And I can tell you as the leader of a bipartisan effort that's aiming for Puerto

Rican statehood, that's over 30,000 strong, these are the type of texts and messages I was receiving. People saying verbatim, I can't vote for him

right now until he says something about it. What the hell was my party thinking?

SOARES: Let me expand on that because this is important. This is -- you're talking about people who have messaged you post yesterday's rally, right?

So, people who have listened to that and have decided they're not going to vote for Trump. So, what does Trump need to do? You talked about addressing

this, do you want an apology? What do you think they should do?

ROSSELLO: Well, I think, look, we know President Trump is very skilled at using his social media platforms --

SOARES: Yes --

ROSSELLO: Instead of having a tertiary or secondary campaign staffer say that they reject the statements --

SOARES: Yes --

ROSSELLO: He needs to be full frontal out there. My recommendation to him is to recognize that this is unacceptable, that he rejects those comments

as everybody should, that he loves the people of Puerto Rico, having being authentic. And then let the people of Puerto Rico decide. And the truth of

the matter is that, you know, there, people decided, and we know this on one side or the other of the aisle.

But there's a lot of people that were still making their minds, some people that were leaning towards Trump, that now are stepping back that vote. And

some people that might have not considered going out to vote for the Vice President, coming out now to vote just because of these statements.

So, as time progresses, it becomes harder and harder, but it -- the buck stops with him and he has an opportunity to stop the bleeding.

[14:15:00]

SOARES: Let's look, Dr. Rossello, some of the latest polls because the latest polls that we have -- CNN's latest poll has Harris leading Trump

about 17 points, and that is among Latino voters that we have seen the Trump campaign as you all know are kind of dedicating a lot of effort to

reaching Latino voters particularly men as is a conversation we had on the show last week. Why do you think that some Latino men would find these

comments acceptable? Why are we seeing a turn to the right you think?

ROSSELLO: This has been happening for quite some time. Look, as governor of Puerto Rico, I had the benefit of having polls myself. And even though

people would instinctively think that Puerto Rico was center, center-left, it actually was center-right. And here's the big point over here. The

Latino vote is not a monolith --

SOARES: Yes --

ROSSELLO: It is a mosaic of different voters. You will have different voters, for example, Cubans from Florida will tend to vote differently

than, you know, Mexicans in California. And the same is true for Puerto Ricans in New York and Puerto Ricans in Florida. So, how do you address

those issues? And even though the Vice President is -- has a healthy lead over there, the important thing is what gains is President Trump making

with those?

And will these comments stop those gains that he was making, that were pretty clear? Will it reverse them or will it stay the same? I think if

nothing gets handled, if he doesn't come out and make a clear expression himself on this, it could very well cost him significantly.

SOARES: Dr. Rossello, very briefly, do you think he will come out? Do you think he will address this? Do you think he'll put something on X quite

honestly?

ROSSELLO: I don't know. President Trump is quite unpredictable with some of these things, but I can say that he has done so in the past with

different things --

SOARES: Yes --

ROSSELLO: Look, he -- we know he's very skilled at using the social media.

SOARES: Yes --

ROSSELLO: Do it. This is my suggestion as somebody that wants this to be about the issues for Latinos, for American citizens. Put this on the site,

be genuine about your true feelings and then let the voters decide.

SOARES: Yes, well, he had ample opportunity to do that when he took to the stage hours after those jokes. Dr. Rossello, really appreciate it, thank

you very much, sir.

ROSSELLO: Thank you.

SOARES: Now, Elon Musk and his Super PAC are being sued in the crucial swing state of Pennsylvania over the tech billionaire's daily million

dollar giveaway to voters. The district attorney has asked a state judge to shut down the controversial venture, calling it an illegal lottery scheme.

The giveaways run by pro-Trump group America PAC offers registered voters who sign a political petition, a daily chance to win $1 million.

It's seen by many as an attempt to influence voters. CNN has reached out to the Super PAC for comment. As soon as we have any response, we shall bring

that to you. Well, every day on the show, we have been looking at the states and voter groups who could, of course, tip the scale in this

presidential race with its razor-thin margins as we were showing you.

At the bottom of the hour, we'll get the view from Wisconsin, a critical swing state which Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are both desperate to win.

Plus, this --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sometimes you have to say, American first, conservative second, Republican third.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: CNN's conversation with Republican voters in Pennsylvania on the fence over whether they can support Donald Trump. Plus, as Israel

intensifies attacks on northern Gaza, the U.N.'s humanitarian office warns the entire population there is at risk of death. We'll look at the reasons

why after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:20:00]

SOARES: Well, the U.N. Office for Humanitarian Affairs warns the entire population of north Gaza is at risk of dying, accusing Israel of what it

calls blatant disregard for basic humanity and the laws of war. Yet, the Israeli parliament could approve measures today that would make the

humanitarian crisis even worse.

It's expected to vote on bills that would ban UNRWA, the U.N. Agency for Palestinian Refugees from working in Israel, which would hamper its ability

to aid Palestinians in territories occupied by Israel. A U.N. official says that could cause the entire humanitarian response in Gaza to -- in their

words, disintegrate.

Meantime, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he'll address parliament today focusing largely on Iran two days after Israel bombed

military targets there. Mr. Netanyahu accused Iran of trying to develop a stockpile of nuclear weapons aimed at destroying Israel.

He says in stopping Iran's nuclear program, quote, "is at the forefront of our minds", suggesting further action could be coming. Let's bring in our

Jeremy Diamond for us with the very latest. Jeremy, let's talk about, first of all, this proposal that's being put forward as being discussed.

A two-day ceasefire hostage proposal by Egypt being put forward. Any traction there? What are you hearing in terms of this and the talks that

are resuming in Doha?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it certainly seems like a proposal that the Israelis would support. We actually heard indirectly, I

should note from the Israeli Prime Minister during a private Likud meeting where he suggested that if this proposal was viable of a two-day ceasefire,

four hostages getting released during that time, that that's certainly something that he said he would take, quote, "right away" according to a

Likud member who was in that session.

But he also cast doubt on it, suggesting that it's not a proposal that Hamas would actually accept. And that is indeed the question here, because

Egypt really is trying to break the mold of previous ceasefire negotiations by putting forward not something that's a multi-phase process, that could

ultimately lead to an end of the war.

But rather something far more limited, almost a confidence building measure with just a two-day pause, four hostages being released and then the hope

that there could be ten days of negotiations between Israel and Hamas to ultimately perhaps get to a permanent ceasefire.

But the real question is going to be whether or not this is something that Hamas is willing to even entertain. In the past, of course, they've made

very clear that they won't release any hostages unless it's part of an ultimate deal that would end the war in Gaza, but has their calculus

changed in the wake of the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar?

That's something we may find out in the days ahead as the mediators are set to meet with Hamas to present to them a number of the formal proposals on

the table, including presumably this Egyptian one.

SOARES: Let me stay in Gaza for just a moment, because I just heard there -- we heard from the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian

Affairs, saying the entire population, this is their words of north Gaza is at risk of dying. This of course, as Israel continues kind of intense

military operations in the area. Can you give us a sense of the humanitarian situation on the ground in northern Gaza specifically?

DIAMOND: Well, I mean, with the flashing -- you know, warning sirens were flashing yellow or orange in recent weeks, they are now flashing red

because the situation in northern Gaza as U.N. and other humanitarian officials have made clear is simply becoming untenable as the Israeli

military tightens its grip on northern Gaza. And I don't say that just as a figure of speech.

I mean, there appears to be quite literally a siege of parts of northern Gaza with nothing being allowed in or out. The Israeli military's military

operations in northern Gaza are expected to continue for at least several more weeks I'm told, in Jabalya in particular, which has been the kind of

focus of this Israeli military operation.

[14:25:00]

There are still, even though some 50,000 civilians have fled according to the Israeli military, up to about 10,000 are believed to still remain

there. And those who do remain are getting very little humanitarian aid that is actually flowing in. Some of them are trapped in their homes

because of the intensity of the Israeli bombardment and the fighting with Hamas forces and Israeli forces in Gaza. And in addition to that, the

hospitals that still remain are only barely functional --

SOARES: Yes --

DIAMOND: Because of the lack of supplies, and as we saw late last week, there was also this Israeli military raid at Kamal Adwan Hospital which

damaged part of the hospital, including its oxygen center. Isa?

SOARES: Jeremy Diamond, appreciate it, thank you Jeremy. Well, let's expand on this, the U.N. has an extremely dire assessment in the last 24

hours of the situation in northern Gaza, saying the actions of Israeli forces -- in their words -- cannot continue. The U.N.'s top humanitarian

official says hospitals have been hit and health workers detained.

Shelters have been emptied and burned down. Families have been separated, and men and boys are being taken away by the truckload -- also their words.

Gaza Civil Defense says more than a 1,000 people have been killed since Israel intensified operations in northern Gaza this month. And it says

people there are being subjected to quote, "mass extermination".

We're joined now by Hamish Young; a senior Emergency Coordinator for UNICEF, he's in Rafah in southern Gaza. Hamish, appreciate you taking the

time to speak to us this evening. Let me pick up with really that dire assessment that my colleague was talking about, Jeremy Diamond just now.

But what we heard from the U.N. in the last kind of 24 hours, saying that the entire population of northern Gaza is at risk of dying. Just give us a

sense of what you and your teams have been seeing because I understand from my team that you've come back from the north of Gaza.

HAMISH YOUNG, SENIOR EMERGENCY COORDINATOR, UNICEF: Yes, good evening, Isa, yes, that's right. I got back from northern Gaza at about 45 minutes,

an hour ago. And what we're seeing -- what I've seen up there, it correlates exactly with what your -- Jeremy just reported. We have the same

figures, over a 1,000 killed, and many of those are children.

And I think it's important to recognize too, you know, sometimes we can get overwhelmed by these numbers, those are, you know, the people killed, the

moms and dads and brothers and sisters, grandmas, grandfathers. And it includes the eight-year-old son that the director of Adwan Hospital.

He was detained, and when he was released, he found that his eight-year-old son died in the fighting. Our figure is on the displacement, probably

higher, we're estimating between 75,000 and 110,000 displaced from Jabalya into Gaza City, and that is putting an intolerable strain on the health

system there.

Just to pick one example, Daraj Health Center was seeing 500 patients a day before the war, that went up to 1,700 a day during the conflict. It's now a

three and a half thousand per day of which we estimate about 800 children. That's putting an intolerable strain on the people, the system.

There's not enough fuel, there's no medical supplies, they've run out of basic essential medicines, they're running low on things like anesthetic.

The situation is really dire, we cannot overstate this.

SOARES: And as my colleague Jeremy Diamond was just stating, is that, you know, we've heard today from an Israeli military official speaking to media

-- to reporters today, saying that the nearly month-long, I should say, Israeli assault in and around the Jabalya Refugee Camp is expected to last

a few more weeks, this were their words.

The impact of these few more weeks on what already is a dire humanitarian situation is crippling so much of the healthcare and the shelters and the

challenges for doctors on the ground there.

YOUNG: Yes, that's right. I mean, we've seen 37 schools which are used as shelters destroyed since the start of the conflict in the north, since the

beginning of October, and tens of thousands of children severely injured. Just two days ago, there was an attack on the Asmaa School, which was

housing 60 displaced families.

There were 15 people killed and 20 severely wounded. So, it's not just the impact on Jabalya, which is direct, it's the impact that's being felt right

across the north, and that's what I saw today. There's not enough water -- couple of days ago, one of the main water wells was taken out, which takes

half a million liters an hour offline.

Two of the civilian engineers were killed there. The hygiene situation is absolutely shocking. There's raw sewerage on the streets in many parts of

Gaza city, and of course, children are extremely vulnerable to this and it's led to disease outbreaks, and of course, that's what led to what

contributed to the outbreak of polio.

SOARES: Yes --

YOUNG: It hasn't been seen in Gaza for 25 years.

ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Yes, and I was listening to James Elder, a friend of the show here, who I believe spoke at the U.N. last

week, Hamish, and he was basically saying that children are being medically evacuated from Gaza, fewer than one child per day, and he went on to say

that this will take more than seven years to evacuate the two and a half thousand children needing urgent medical care.

Just speak to why they're being denied this evacuation and where we are on the polio vaccination, because we went for a stage where we had two days

and then I never heard anything from that? Where are we? Is that continuing or is that paused?

YOUNG: Yes. Firstly, on your question of the children, I mean, there's a trickle of children coming out because of the restrictions that are placed

by the government of Israel on allowing children who are in urgent need of medical attention to be evacuated.

And on the polio yes there was, it was put on hold because of the fighting in the north. We're not able to reach all of the areas we want to reach,

not all the areas we were granted access to for the first round. We are going ahead from the 2nd of November. We are aiming to reach 120,000 people

-- children under 10, so that we can complete the second round, which is critical. Because as you know, there's a commitment to eradicate polio

globally.

SOARES: Hamish Young, really appreciate you taking the time. Hamish, I know you had a very busy schedule to today to speak to us. Appreciate it.

Thank you, Hamish.

YOUNG: Thank you, Isa.

SOARES: And still to come tonight, the blue wall state that voted for Donald Trump in 2016. We'll take a deep dive into where voters heads are at

in this critical swing State of Wisconsin. That is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:35:00]

SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. It's a crucial battleground state and one that both candidates are desperate to win. We are just eight days out from

the U.S. presidential election and every day on the show we have been looking at the voter groups in states which could make or break the race

for the White House.

Tonight, we are looking and delving at -- into Wisconsin. Latest polling has Kamala just slightly ahead of Donald Trump, as you could see there,

with 49 percent to his 46 percent, but her lead is far from locked in.

When he ran in 2016, Donald Trump flipped to a traditionally blue state, with the smallest of margins, less than 1 percent, and there are concerns

amongst Democrats he could do the same thing again.

Let's get more from Wisconsin. Anya van Wagtendonk is capital reporter at Wisconsin Public Radio, and she joins us now. Anya, welcome to the show. I

mean, as we've just shown our viewers there, it's such a tight race, right? Both candidates very much neck and neck with eight days to go. Just give us

a sense, and viewers a sense right around the world, what you would be hearing from voters.

ANYA VAN WAGTENDONK, CAPITOL REPORTER, WISCONSIN PUBLIC RADIO: Yes, it really is neck and neck, and it kind of always is this way in Wisconsin

elections. And I would just say, we always take polling with a grain of salt. Polling in 2016 and in 2020 showed the Democrats up pretty

significantly. And in 2016, the Democrat lost. In 2020, the Democrat won, but very, very narrowly.

And we're really kind of seeing that reflected on the ground. Everywhere you go you see, you know, really a kind of evenly divided set of yard

signs. People are really certainly turning out and understand that this is, you know, really the most kind of purple of purple battleground states. And

you're seeing that really kind of turned up to 11 at this point.

SOARES: And, Anya, I mean, in the last four of the last six presidential elections, I understand that Wisconsin, you know, being decided by less

than a percentage point on the kind of presidential level, this time around, we have seen already both candidates really convincing, right, hard

to vote in Wisconsin. Well, I wonder what has resonated the most with voters? Is it policies on the economy? Is it immigration? Just give us a

sense of what has really tapped in what voters really want to hear more on.

WAGTENDONK: Yes, certainly the economy is the number one issue for both Republican and Democratic voters. And so, candidates are speaking to both

of those. But here in Wisconsin, too, we're one of those states where the status of abortion was a bit up for grabs after federal protections were

overturned. And so, that for Democrats in particular, is very, very motivating. It's a little complicated. It's tied up in our court system at

the moment, but that's certainly an issue that you hear Democrats speaking about a lot.

Republicans are also focused on immigration. And so, when the candidates come through, and as you mentioned, they come through quite a lot, they

really speak to those issues at their bases. And I think a really key part of the strategy on both teams is to turn out the bases. There are a few,

you know, undecided voters at this point. And so, it really is about kind of churning out the guaranteed Democratic or guaranteed Republican voters

and just getting out that vote.

SOARES: Let's talk about immigration because, you know, you would have heard it, I think everyone's heard at this point, yesterday at the Trump

rally, Anya, in Madison Square Garden, we heard some pretty dark, right, and inflammatory rhetoric. I want to play a short clip of this. Have a

listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID REM, NEW YORK CITY SANITATION WORKER AND TRUMP'S CHILDHOOD FRIEND: She is the devil, whoever screamed that out. She is the antichrist.

SID ROSENBERG, RADIO PERSONALITY: Americans sleeping on their own feces on a bench in Central Park. But the -- illegals, they get whatever they want.

GRANT CARDONE, BUSINESSMAN: Her and her pimp handlers will destroy our country.

HULK HOGAN, RETIRED PROFESSIONAL WRESTLER: When I hear Kamala speak, it sounds -- yes, it sounds like a script from Hollywood with a really, really

bad actress.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Well, all those clips we just played you, I mean, that really -- I assume it works with his MAGA base, right? But does this put off, in your

view, Anya, any undecided voters? I mean, how risky is this? When you just said to me, you know, immigration is a key component besides the economy,

would that resonate with undecided voters, do you think, or would that put people off?

WAGTENDONK: You know, I think there is a little bit of a cultural difference here in Wisconsin. There's this concept of kind of Midwest nice

or Wisconsin nice, which is that you kind of -- you might have your own opinions, but when it comes to interacting with your neighbors, you kind of

keep that to yourself. And so, you don't hear necessarily that level of rhetoric here.

And I will say too, you know, speaking more at the state level, immigration policy, when it comes to, for example, workers here on special visas,

working in the agriculture industry, which is a huge industry here, you do see some bipartisanship around kind of trying to come to solutions there.

[14:40:00]

And so, while there is some rhetoric around border policy, and certainly issues around the border do crop up in terms of what voters and especially

Republican voters say is significant to them, you don't necessarily hear it at that level and it plays out a little differently because, of course, we

are quite far north of that border.

SOARES: Very ugly level, I think is fair to say. Look, we have seen in the last two weeks, I've noted the difference, some truly kind of eyewatering

rhetoric and some questionable political moves. And I'm thinking here, and I'm sure you can flesh this out for our viewers, is Elon Musk, who's Super

PAC, Anya, has awarded two $1 million prize is to register voters in Michigan and in Wisconsin. And today, I understand the Philadelphia's

district attorney has filed a lawsuit against Musk and is pro-Trump Super PAC.

I wonder how that million-dollar prize that was received in Wisconsin, how was that received? What kind of reaction have you heard there, Anya?

WAGTENDONK: Yes, I wasn't able to reach the gentleman in Eau Claire who received that award. And, you know, I haven't seen anything kind of at the

state level challenging it. We will see kind of how that plays out. We do have a Democratic attorney general here. And so, he's, you know, in charge

of taking up some of those issues.

But certainly, it's been really remarkable to see the amount of outside spending that is coming into the state. We saw -- you know, we could have

predicted that starting about last year when we had a state Supreme Court race that really broke records in terms of spending and outside spending.

Our U.S. Senate race has attracted more than $100 million in outside spending. So, just huge quantities of outside spending in our fairly small

but really significant little state.

SOARES: Anya, really appreciate it. Thank you very much for taking the time to speak to us. Thank you.

WAGTENDONK: Thanks for having me.

SOARES: Now, demonstrators are taken to the streets outside the presidential palace in Georgia's capital, Tbilisi. That's after the ruling

Georgian Dream Party claim victory in Saturday's parliamentary elections. The pro-E.U. opposition is accusing the party of stealing the election with

Russian help. Russia's president, who's leading the opposition response, says recognizing the elections would be tantamount to legitimizing Russia's

takeover of the country. She spoke earlier to our Christiane Amanpour and detailed the opposition's allegations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SALOME ZOURABUCHVILL, GEORGIAN PRESIDENT: The evidence is the fact that 70 percent of the Georgian population in all opinion polls is supporting the

European way and the European integration. And suddenly, it's turned around in one election when people have been coming out steadily to support this

European past.

Everything has been used in this election. All the different frauds and rigging of election, all the instruments, and especially a new one,

electronic voting, which has been proven that they have been using I.D.s that were taken from citizens and have been used seven times, 10 times, 17

times. All this evidence has been and is being collected. What is now in process is showing the systemic nature of the violations that have taken

place.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: And the Kremlin has rejected accusations that they interfered in the election. And still to come tonight, it's a critical swing state that

both candidates want, but some voters still aren't sure who they're going to pick next week. Up next, CNN's conversations with voters in

Pennsylvania. That's just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:45:00]

SOARES: In the pivotal swing State of Pennsylvania, the way certain voter groups lean could end up deciding who wins the state's crucial electoral

votes. CNN's John King spoke to a specific group of the electorate, those who cast a ballot for Nikki Haley in the Republican primary to find how

they're planning to vote on November the 5th. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Michael Pasce is methodical, a stickler for detail and preparation. Pennsylvania's archery

deer season is now open. This range, a place to shoot targets and adjust your gear.

Rifle season is a month away. And at this stop, Pasce is no nonsense. Just a few shots to help him adjust the sight. Two more to let a visitor get a

feel for the 30-06 deer rifle.

Conservative in every way. No wasted shots or time. Everything by the book. Not a fan of surprises. Yet, Pasce is voting for Kamala Harris because he

is even less of a fan of Donald Trump.

KING: You're going to vote for her, but do you know what you're getting?

MICHAEL PASCE, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: No, I don't. And that's the scary part is, you know, I'm not voting for a candidate, I'm not voting for a policy,

I'm voting against the candidate and policies and not even all the policies, just, you know, the unstableness of some of the things he says

are truly scary.

KING (voice-over): Pasce is a Reagan Republican, supported Nikki Haley in this year's GOP primaries. A never Trumper in a place where that really

matters, Bucks County, one of the suburban Philadelphia counties crucial to the math in battleground Pennsylvania. He wants his party back and sees a

second Trump loss as essential.

PASCE: Then I think that the Republicans will start coming back to what they were because they don't have that radical right side. They don't have

the craziness and the instability.

KING (voice-over): Berks County is a bit more away from the city, more rural and more Republican, yet not as deep and reliably red as just a few

years ago.

JOAN LONDON, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: This neighborhood is becoming a lot like the Philadelphia suburbs. This is a primarily Republican leaning borough,

has -- always has been. But when it comes to national elections, I do see more and more support for Democratic candidates.

KING (voice-over): Attorney Joan London switched her registration to independent after voting for Haley in the GOP primary. London was asked to

join this local political program not long after our first visit five months ago. Back then, she told us she would write in a conservative

because she viewed President Biden as too old. And later, she told us she viewed Vice President Harris as too liberal and untested. But then, she

watched the Harris-Trump debate.

LONDON: The last straw was what he said about the Ukraine, where he said that we have to have a negotiated settlement. For someone who claims to be

a conservative to say that was, in my opinion, outrageous. It's appeasement.

KING (voice-over): So, London is now voting Harris voting Democrat for president for the first time because she believes Trump must lose because

she gets the battleground state math.

LONDON: I needed to vote against allowing him to become president again. I don't want it on my conscience that I contributed in some way to that.

Sometimes you have to say, American first, conservative second, Republican third.

KING (voice-over): Media is in Delaware County, just outside Philly, reliably blue now. But still, a test of whether Harris can match or exceed

Biden's 2020 math. It's also a big test for Trump. He lost the Philly suburbs in 2016, but narrowly won statewide. But he lost these suburbs by a

bit more in 2020. And he narrowly lost Pennsylvania.

[14:50:00]

KING: We're getting to the end here. Have you made up your mind?

CYNTHIA SABATINI, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: No.

KING (voice-over): Cynthia Sabatini is another never Trumper. Another Haley primary voter. Another Republican who won't vote for him, but isn't

sure about her.

KING: Finish the sentence. Well, Madam Vice President, if you want my vote here in the very important Philadelphia suburbs, you need to do?

SABATINI: You need to answer questions on point. You need to provide more details about your economic plan. You need to provide more details about

your vision also for this country. I'm -- you know, I'm a bottom-line person. I want details.

KING (voice-over): Sabatini is mad at local Democrats she sees as tax and spend happy.

KING: Is she going to pay the price for that?

SABATINI: She may. She may.

KING (voice-over): But she does see an upside for Harris over Trump.

SABATINI: I believe she's a person of character. I have no qualms about that. I really do. I think she's an upstanding individual. It's just that I

really don't know what to expect from her, if she is indeed elected.

KING (voice-over): Sabatini meditates frequently to clear her mind and reduce stress.

SABATINI: Deep inhalations and long exhalations.

KING (voice-over): She predicts a final day decision to either vote for Harris or to write in Haley. A vote to help score the suburbs and settle

the biggest of the battlegrounds.

John King, CNN, Media, Pennsylvania.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: And still to come tonight, an emotional reunion between two of the biggest music stars, Adele and Celine Dion. We'll bring you that moment

next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOARES: McDonald's is ready to start selling quarter pounder burgers again after the recent E. coli outbreak that killed one person and left dozens

sick across 13 states. A statement from Colorado's Department of Agriculture said beef patties have tested -- it tested with negative for

the bacteria. Federal agency is still investigating the source of the deadly outbreak.

[14:55:00]

McDonald's says some 900 restaurants that got onions from Taylor Farms Colorado Springs facility will resume sales of quarter pounders, but

without any of the slivered onions.

One of Britain's most famous dairy companies has been victim of a sophisticated scam losing more than 22 tons of cheddar cheese. Neal's Yard,

which sells top quality cheeses in stores and restaurants right around the world said it was approached by a fraudulent buyer pretending to be a

wholesale distributor for a major French retailer. The company realized he had been the victim of a scam only after the cheese was handed over,

resulting in a loss of around $390,000.

And finally, tonight, two of music's biggest stars shared an emotional moment over the weekend. Take a look at Adele breaking down during her

concert, you can see there, in Las Vegas, after spotting Celine Dion in the audience. The two were in tears as they hugged each other at the coliseum

at Caesars Palace, where Adele, of course, is in the final stretch of her residence -- residency. Really beautiful to see both of them.

And that does it for us for tonight. Thank you very much for your company. Do stay right here. Newsroom Jim Sciutto is up next. And I'll be back with

Quest Means Business in about an hour or so.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:00:00]

END