>> be well. there's a lot of news this morning. what do you say, let's get after it. >> virginia has told us to end the divisiveness. >> a lot of people see it. >> for republicans, they need to compliment do you embrace trump? >> now we have a strategy. fight hard in the primary, and then bury the hatchet and start winning elections. >> the world cannot tolerate the menace of a rogue regime that threatens with nuclear devastation. >> it's important for the president to act and sound tough on this. >> we don't care what that mad dog may utter. >> for those nations that choose to ignore this threat, the weight of this crisis is on your conscience. >> announcer: this is "new day" with chris cuomo and alisyn camerota. it's wednesday, november 8th, 8:00 in the east.

what a night for the democrats. voters sending a clear message to the trump white house and it was one of rejection. democrats sweeping to victory a year after trump's election. republican congressman, scott taylor, of virginia says it's a repaoutation of the trump administration. the for dems was that governor's seat there. you had lieutenant governor ralph northam who beat ed gillespie who harnessed the divisive rhetoric, and he got crushed. >> then, in new jersey, democrat phil murphy taking back the governor's office after eight

years of chris christie. what does the democratic momentum mean for next year? we have it covered for you. let's go to ryan nobles live from richmond, virginia. >> reporter: good morning. it was a rough night for republicans all across the country, but it was a very rough night for them here in virginia. this was a governor's race that was supposed to be close and it wasn't. many republicans i talked to blame one person for their big loss last night, and his name is donald trump >> the democratic party is back, my friends! >> reporter: an anti-trump wave fueling a big democratic sweep, including the hotly contested governor's race in virginia, crushing republican ed gillespie by nine points in a race that was expected to be close. >> virginia has told us to end the divisiveness, that we will not condone hatred and bigotry

and to end the politics that have torn this country apart. >> president trump blaming gillespie for the loss accusing him of not embracing him and what he stands for. many say trump was a factor in his decision, and they came out to oppose the president rather than to support him. >> you have sent a message across the globe to south korea. donald trump you do not stand for our values. >> in the final stretch of the campaign, gillespie rallied around the culture wars the president has fueled touting his support for confederate monuments and ads like this one. >> a strategy that led to

northam flip-flopping on sanctuary cities. and possibly forcing a number of recounts that could shift control of the shame pwur to democrats for the first time in almost 20 years. >> with donald trump in the white house, and steve bannon holding republicans in congress hostage, governors will have never mattered more. >> new jersey's phil murphy winning, and manchester, new hampshire and charlotte, north carolina, also breaking in the democrat's favorite. the first openly transgender person elected and seated in a state legislature, defeating a social conservative that

responsib sponsored a bill on which bathroom she could use. >> and the boyfriend of a reporter shot and killed on live tv in 2015 also elected in virginia, upsetting a three-time incumbent backed by the nra. now republicans are left wondering this morning how does this impact the upcoming 28 mid-term elections. the trump-backed candidate moore locked in a tight race according to polls, and is that a state that is deeply red. perhaps a sign to come for republicans across the country. alisyn and chris. >> appreciate it. joining us now, cnn political analyst, john avalon, and chris cillizza. the headline for you? >> just as shellacking, a

rejection of trumpism. in virginia, exceeding all expectations. republicans in congress are nervous about what is coming down the pike for '18. this was a rejection of donald trump and his policies. >> let me challenge you. >> do challenge me, alisyn camerota. >> that's not how voters saw it in new jersey. >> go. >> there, the democrat, phil murphy won, and here's what the exit polls say. was it because they support or oppose trump or trump not a factor. 59%. chris christie was a factor in that state, and it was a rejection of chris christie, but not of trump. >> 33% approval rate, that's how to answer that. in virginia, people did seem to motivate. >> virginia is the big prize, because that's the key swing

state. democrats have had four of the last five governors, and this was a state that was conservative and republican, and nobody saw this coming. the gender gap, he did better among women than hillary clinton, and that speaks. >> the polls are not going to be what is testing your proposition, and this is not to take any of the varnish off the democrats' celebration, and it was because they had to. they had to come out and show that this resistance is real. if they couldn't do it in jersey, against, you know, christie's lieutenant governor, and in virginia, they were going to have huge problems. the real testing of the proposition of the shellacking is when you look at the margins of white college educated and white non-college educated. they did better and it's not a home run yet, and that's the

window into where the fight for the middle voters is still very real, and that's the testing of handsome avalon. >> he's handsome. >> thanks, guys. >> i think let's do virginia, specifically, because i think chris christie's unpopularity was at 12% with his lieutenant governor running, and that's going to be a hard race for everybody no matter who the president is. i think you saw, maine, new hampshire, long island, virginia, washington state, those are all more of a piece. what you saw, i think, is the electorate that democrats thought they were going to see in 2016. they didn't. i think that's why everybody was wary of making preduck shuictio

because polling showed donald trump was not going to win the presidential race. what you saw on tuesday night was the biggest difference donald trump candidate versus one year into donald trump, loud in county virginia, swing area, growing into more of a suburban area. ed gillespie won that in 2014. he carried louden county. narrowly, but carried it. in this one he lost by 24,000 votes. why? only one reason, donald trump and what the first year of trump's administration looks like. >> you want to look at the swing counties and states, and there's something here, too. it's a perpetuation. with trump in the white house, that comes a major coalescing

for democrats that did not exist. >> what does it do with the republicans? do you go against your party's own president? you know he has 80% approval within that party. while that may not be enough for him that could be enough for him to squash you. >> the calculous on capitol hill changed because the first thing he did after gillespie lost was run him over with a bus and his surrogates as well. and you need to maintan the base, but there's no sense of continuity or loyalty if you are standing with this guy. that will change the calculous. i don't think running alongside and hugging donald trump is the safest place to be until you are in a deep, deep red district. >> i would just add that proposition -- john is right, but that proposition you laid out is the fundamental thing

that questioned -- >> high praise from cillizza. >> well, i like being on your show. i also think that you are right, because what you have -- look at the arc of ed gillespie's candidacy. he almost loses to a former trump official in the primary earlier this year. he raised no money and nobody thought that was going to be close. gillespie barely escapes because he's running an establishment pragmatist. he even keeps trump at a distance, and embraced trumpism, and sanctuary cities, and keep the confederate monuments up, and he gets blasting. that's concerning if you are a republican who is trying to negotiate what could be an ideological or a tonal primary against a trump-backed candidate and you have to win in a state that doesn't look like alabama, for example, and that is a tough

proposition and there's lots of house districts in the suburbs of pennsylvania and -- philadelphia, rather, and in suburban areas where i don't know that you can do the two-step, run with trump in the primary and then run against him, you wind up like ed gillespie. telling kim jong-un not to try us. jeff zeleny is traveling with the president. what is the latest from there, jeff? >> reporter: good morning, alisyn. donald trump arrived a few hours ago, and he's no doubt on the most cimportant stop. he's coming face-to-face to talk about the economic issues. of course, it's the matter of

north korea that is front and center on the agenda here. the president, when he was delivering that speech in seoul, south korea, he asked for the world's help in confronting the regime, and he also said don't try us. let's watch. >> i hope i speak not only for our countries, but for all civilized nations. when i say to the north, do not underestimate us, and do not try us. every step you take down this dark path increases the peril you face. north korea is not the paradise your grandfather envisioned. it's a hell that no person deserves. >> reporter: the difficult challenges remain, convincing china and russia and other countries, but particularly these two, to increase sanctions

and squeeze north korea economically. the reality is this has been going on long before the trump presidency and not much is likely to change because of the meetings, but we are struck by the flattery you can see, president of china is laying out the red carpet. this is the most important relationship that trump is dealing with of any world leader. >> you have north korea calling him a mad dog, and it screams for the influence of a third party, and will that be china? we will see. how will the gop react, and you will hearing is from a republican congressman from virginia, where one of the

elections took place. congressman scott taylor, next.

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the divisiveness, that we will not condone hatred and bigotry and to end the politics that have torn this country apart. >> all right. that is the winner of virginia's governor race, and that's what he was known for, ralph northam is not a name you probably heard before but it was his message that he would be a rejection of trump's divisiveness that led him past ed gillespie. republican scott taylor is from virginia, and he agrees with what you just heard northam say. he said that the democratic sweep is a repudiation of

trump's divisiveness. bold words from a bold man. we are not hearing people within your party put it the way you have. tell us why you say the party lost last night. >> well, i think, you know, logically, and if you want to be intellectually consistent, in 2009 when it was won by a republican it was said because of obama, and so now you have to give credit where credit is due. democrats showed up last night. no doubt about it. when you look at the factors, you can attribute some things to the candidate, and there was an overwhelming thing that was looming large, and that was the divisive rhetoric. you have heard me say last night

was a referendum. i don't think there's any way you can look at it in a different way, and be consistent. >> plenty say ed gillespie did not go far enough and he needed to go more trump and one of those people is the president himself. if you want to speak truth to power, have at it. what kind of message do you think about the divisive rhetoric, do you need to go all more in? >> with all due respect to the president, i don't agree with that. i believe in addition and not sub traction. i think it's important that we come together as a country. i think it's important -- well, leadership matters, and leading is bringing people together and achieving a purpose. tons of respect for the president. as i said, i support him, but

when i disagree with him i have no problem with saying it. >> so the message with the democrats, they have their own challenges going forward. what is the message for the gop? somebody like you, who has to run in virginia, very purple and trending blue with the last set of elections. what do you do, step away from your party's own president or risk him coming at you? if he comes after you and says, this guy doesn't embrace me, he's got to go? >> i think it's important to be authentic, and i think people see through when people are not authentic, if you believe in something say what you believe in. we work hard for our folks every single day. i think it's important that people are individuals, that we have the message that we are speaking about and how we are improving folks' lives. i believe in our party and ideals, and i believe they are timeless and will long-term help people raise out of bad

situations. i think we can do things to lead this party and move in the future the right direction, and we need to say that, of course, and people have to have the ability to be able to stand up and say, look, i agree with this, believe in it -- >> you are not seeing that. we talk on this show all the time about we -- we mock it, and we say hear that? that's mcconnell and ryan not saying anything about the inflammatory statement said by the president of the united states. when you run, people can look and say your score with donald trump is 97.9 pegs, a%, and youe a proxy for donald trump in your district. how do you feel about that? >> like i said before, i agree with a lot of policies. >> 97.9%. yes you do. >> the reality is, the republicans have control of the house, and if it was speaker

pelosi, my score would be in the opposite. that score is a little misleading. when we believe in something we should have no problem standing up and saying so and when you disagree with something you should have no problem standing up and saying so. >> what if people in your party don't say what you are saying now, we can't divide anymore. it won't get us where we want to be? >> again, i believe that leadership is bringing people together. i believe in the politics of addition and not sub traction. democrats are guilty of this, too. we saw that in virginia as well. when folks were being very divisive and racially charged, and i don't think it's helpful

for anybody or the country, and i don't care what side of the aisle you are doing that, if you are doing that it's failing in leading. >> you think democrats won last night because they were successful in being divisive, or there was a rejection of divisiveness. >> i believe there are democrats that have used divisive tactics as well, too. again, a little self reflection in our own party and divisive rhetoric, and i don't think it's good for the country at all. you had a couple folks on here talking and i watched the elections last night closely and i know virginia and the precincts, and there were folks that were talking about the issues, and those issues weren't in play last night. some of those issues, the individual issues were absolutely overshadowed by the national scene. >> i think that's why you are making news this morning is that there was a very clear message. health care matters, and there are a lot of things that matter, but what seemed to matter most

was people have had it in terms of the tone at the top. brave man, congressman, good to have you on the show. as always, always welcome here on "new day," congressman taylor. >> thank you. what does he think about his sweeping victory. we'll ask him about it next. when a critical patient is far from the hospital, the hospital must come to the patient. stay with me, mr. parker. the at&t network is helping first responders connect with medical teams in near real time... stay with me, mr. parker. ...saving time when it matters most. stay with me, mrs. parker. that's the power of and. [ click ]

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joining us now, the governor-elect of new jersey, phil murphy. you look happy right now. >> very happy. thank you for having me. >> we are entertained by how you seized the stage last night in sort of the rock-star leap on to the stage that people have been talking about. i know you are relieved and happy, but here's my question, do you think your win was a referendum on donald trump? >> i think first of all, i had john pan bon jovi in the house. the economy in our state was number one throughout the entire campaign. clearly after the president was elected and inaugurated, all the ill wins blowing our wa out of

washington has been a reality, and we are the tenth largest state in the nation, and the most diverse, so anything coming out of washington, health care, taxes, environment, you name it, will have an impact in new jersey. >> some say what happened last night is a referendum to donald trump, and when cnn had exit polling, they asked the voters what motivated them, to support donald trump, 11%, and oppose donald trump, 28%, and president trump not a factor, 59%. is it possible that you and the p pundits are misreading this? >> no, my speech was about what we need to do going forward.

if you followed me on the campaign trail you hear me talk about new jersey stuff, our economy needs to be stronger and we need to reignite some of the engines we used to dominate, and we have been overwhelmingly focussed on what we need to do within the four walls of our state. you can't ignore the president that does not stand for some of the values we stand for. >> it seems like the unpopularity of chris christie, 77% of the voters disapprove of the job he has done versus just 22% approve. what is your first order of business towards repairing your state or bringing the both sides together in this divisive

climate? >> other than getting my voice back, number one, the economy. we have to get the economy going and make it fair again. it's become profoundly unfair. we have one of the biggest inequities of any state in america. and getting back to the things we used to so proudly stand for. we are a progressive blue beacon state that many other states used to look to for leadership on issues like women's health and the environment and we have gotten away from that, and so it's reigniting the economy and making it fair again and getting back to standing what we used to so proudly stand for. >> and president trump tweeted about you, and this is what happens when people vote, and congratulations to ralph northam. your thoughts?

>> amen. i spoke to the president last night, and joe biden and many others. this is not just about our next lieutenant governor who is a rock star and myself, but this is a whole up and down the ballot referendum. i am in hoboken right now, and we have the first american in robby, and we are proud to stand with everybody who won last night. >> last question. bon jovi or bruce springsteen? >> i love them both, but jon is one of our closest friends. we were proud to have him and many hundreds of other friends with us. >> there you go. thanks for not dodging that.

thank you very much for being with us. >> thanks. let's get to the bottom line. the democrats needed this and the headline is going to be the governor's races, but they really needed the state seats. what do you believe the headline is? >> the headline here is the sweeping democratic victory, a bigger margins than either party predicted. this is what it looks like when the resistance shows up. by resistance i don't mean the people you saw marching in the streets the day after president trump's inauguration, i am talking about democrats. it was a little more democratic and less republican than it was just last year when hillary clinton won the state by five points. democrats were showing up to vote and there's a reason for that and it's president trump. you really can't read the magnitude of the results across the country.

manchester, new hampshire, the mayor for the first time being a democrat in a decade, and seeing what is going on at the county level in pennsylvania, and winning the state senate in washington state, and this is one complete response on the year anniversary of trump's election to what happens in a 60/40 anti-trump nation when they go to vote. >> is there any way to connect what happened last night to 2018 or is there so much ground between last night and that day next year that it's just way too soon for democrats to take a victory lap? >> there is so much ground. no doubt about it. political environments can change rapidly based on external events. we did see inklings of this in 2009 that did foreshadow a huge 2010 takeover of the house for

republicans that year. there are some lessons here. i think they are in the suburbs because that's where a lot of the congressional battles will be fought next year, and the suburbs were turning out in huge ways against the president, and for the democratic candidate. you also see it in this divide we have been talking about for the better part of two years now, white college-educated voters which was a staple of the republican coalition, and in the trump era they drifted away. ralph northam yesterday won a majority of white college educated voters, and that's an improvement on the inroads that hillary clinton made last year, and that was when she was doing well with white college educated voters. >> of course it matters for the midterms, if, if all caps, you see the democrats continue to do

things to respond to their challenge because there party is just as much in the dumps as the republicans in polls, and that takes us to paul ryan. and the divisive rhetoric beat us last night. that is a brave position to stakeout. paul ryan, not known for political bravery when it comes to president trump and opposition. today is a big day for him. >> it is a big day. you are right to point out the immediate aftershocks being felt on these election results because it's paul ryan's challenge to get tax reform through, chris, and that's where we are going to immediately feel the response to where the electorate is. will republicans, as they are trying to rally behind tax reform, though, some divisions within the party are being exposed right now, will they see some returns here, some competitive district republicans who are going to be a lot more worried this morning than yesterday about their prospects

and rethink this tax bill or how they want to position themselves around it. paul ryan may want to try and write it off as local elections, but i bet he will use it to see this is why we as a republican conference must pass big ticket legislation and it's demanding them to get something to the president's desk and show accomplishment. >> thank you very much. so other story for you this morning. the sports world is heartbroken this morning over the shocking death of former pitching star roy halladay. we have the story for you in the "bleacher report" next. and a las vegas performer is living his dream, and his story in "turning points." >> i first saw a flyer for an addition, and i was like, you know, i think this is my chance. >> we held up his picture and said this is the guy. >> four days after that audition

i was struck by a car on my motorcycle while riding home from work. i had three surgeries to try and save my foot. the doctor told me that amputation seems to be the best option. i made the decision to get back up probably after a week of being at home, and that's when i started fighting. i got my first prosthesis. i hit the gym as soon as i could. >> he sent me videos and did a round off backhand spring. from the day i started walking to the day i walked back into the audition room was eight months, and then i got the call to join the cast. i was completely beside myself. i have four different prosthetic legs that i use for the show. i don't think that i can take for granted every second that i get to spend on that stage because there was a time where it never would have happened.

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the sports world is mourning the loss of a former cy young award winner, roy halladay, he died yesterday in a plane crash. what a shock. affected so many people. >> certainly did, chris. roy halladay one of the best pitchers of his generation, winning two cy young awards. authorities say he was piloting a single engine aircraft and he was the only person onboard the two-seater plane. police say they received no distress calls. ntsb is investigating the crash. halladay was 40 years old, and

leaves behind a wife and two children. and liangelo could face up to ten years in prison for shoplifting a bag in china. the bruins, they are in china to play the opening game of the season on friday. his father, also in china with the team, and he told espn, quote, it ain't that big of deal. it could be a big deal because china has a 100% conviction rate. and the players are not being allowed to leave the hotel in china until this process plays out and that could take days, weeks, even months. one year ago today donald trump won the presidency, and last night democrats swept their races. what does it mean about where we are as a country? dan rather is going to join us live to talk about it next.

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it's a new day for democrats. i think the electrorate woke up. >> i support the president, and if i agree i say and if i don't i say. >> reacting to the democratic sweep last night one year after donald trump's historic win. joining us to talk about it is cbs anchor man, dan rather. great to see you. >> thanks for having me. >> how do you characterize where we find ourselves today? >> it's a perilious time for the country. >> because we are so divided? >> partly because we are so divided, and partly because, to use a phrase your colleague used

earlier, because of the tone at the top. americans are better than this tone. the tone of the administration, it's a tone that gives a wink, wink to bigotry and the divisiveness of the country. part of the returns last night, the country gets that. we have a collective conscience in the country, and i think that is beginning to reassert itself. i read the election returns, not so much as we love the democratic party, we love the policies they stand for. health care is obviously a big issue for them. but that's not what this is about. there's an ebb and flow to american politics, and when either side goes too far in one direction one of the great things about our country, and one reason i am so optimistic about it, and one reason in the

book, what unites us so much is hope, and i have great confidence in the people, and they are hearing what is being said at the top, and at the polls they are saying we don't like this. it's too early for the democrats to celebrate too much, and some were moon walking in the end zone but it's way too early for that. the election on december 12th, that's the next big battleground, and democrats are decided underdogs but you can bet they will reemphasize that race hoping that what happened last night will carry over to alabama. >> a few candidates characterized the divisiveness of donald trump more so than former chief judge down there, roy moore. he's an interesting example of what is going on, but what you are saying, democrats underdogs

no matter what the polls say righted now. >> just looking at the last month, and happy 70th birthday to you, and the month was book-ended by two of the biggest mass massacres we have seen in our country, and in between that, there's all kinds of things that play into bigotry and divisiveness, and what does your perspective teach you about where we are and where we have been before? >> if there's anything in the book i am proud of is a small bit of historical perspective of what you are talking about. it's a perilous time for the country, and we have been through these things before. the 1960s, people tend to forget, those who were alive during the time, it was extremely divisive. every bit as divisive, even more

so than not, in a different way, this is a unique period, and in the '60s it was divisive, and after wobbling a bit, the country held steady. we americans are steady people. not in every decade and in every way, and that's the reason i think we will come through this period. that is what fuels my hope. >> i was interested to read you would love to be in the current white house press briefings. i am interested in that since some of the journalists are frustrated by them, and what would you have for press secretary, sarah sanders? >> it depends on the news of the day. i don't want to dodge the

question. i was there for years, and i loved every minute of it, and given the day's news i would bounce a question off the press secretary. the press briefings have changed. the white house press corps has gotten h gotten h gotten big. >> you set a standard at a time when people did not directly question power in the form of the president. we all remember the clip from you going back and forth in a direct exchange with the president. do you think about the terms of legacy, the affect you had in setti setting the standard, and covering storms because you did it with the complete calm and ease, which is almost impossible, as we have learned. your legacy, do you think that's something you are seeing played out today? >> i appreciate the compliments.

i never think about legacy. i am a reporter that got lucky, very lucky, and i have a lot of flaws, but i am deep into gratitude. i don't think about legacy. i do think in the 1970s when we had the wide-spread conspiracy that was watergate, it was very important to remind one's self as a journalist and the republic, our president are not descendants of sun kings, they are other citizens that we honored with the highest office, and therefore they should be asked tough questions and have follow-up. i am sure -- i know many of the people in the white house press room now, and it's true of them, all of the worry about donald trump and the tone he set that links to bigotry and all of that, and no president is stronger than the country as a whole. the country is a whole lot

stronger than the president. anything that i did during that time that supports that tone, well, i am happy for it, but in terms of legacy, everything in television, i'm sorry to tell you, none of us in television will have anything approaching a legacy. >> great to have you here. great to talk to you. the book again "what unites us." great to talk to you. >> thank you. cnn "newsroom" with poppy harlow and john berman starts right now. good morning, everyone. i am john berman. >> i am poppy harlow. a year to the day the democrats suffered the defeat they thought would be unthinkable, they are

save ring. democratic lieutenant governor ralph northam is governor-elect after walloping ed gillespie. >> virginia has told us to end the divisiveness, that we will not condone hatred and bigotry, and to end the politics that have torn this country apart. >> now despite the fact that polls show there was palpable anti-trump sentiment, the president trump says it's not my fault. this is what he wrote. ed gillespie worked hard but did not embrace me or what i stand for. still, republicans are reeling. one said to me, unblanking believable. the losses when in every state at every level including in n