. >> cnn senior reporter isaac dovere has new reporting about this delicate balancing act terrorists and her campaign are doing in this final stretch of the election. so isaac, what did you find? >> yeah, that's right, omar, the story up on our site right now has one person top cop calling this to me, the ultimate balancing act here. this is of coursshe credibly, but also substantially differentiates herself from joe biden in a way that makes her look like she is part of change that a lot of voters say they want is not just a continuation of the biden administration as donald trump and jd vance have accused her being, and you see, for example, and what's going on in the middle east right now? how can she for political reasons may be say that she wants to be in a different place from joe biden. but of course then be at his side in the situation room when it comes to the actual work of figuring out what to do about that situation. on the economy as well. and when you look at the broader points of this remind you in the debate, the kamala harris had with donald trump a couple of weeks ag

battleground, states of arizona and nevada, where trump is holding an edge over harris, cnn's isaac dovere is joining me now with new reporting on why obama's returned to the campaign trail has a lot of layers to it isaac, let's just start first. clearly, the former president feels very personally vested in this. what's at stake in his eyes? >> well, that's right, jessica, in the story i've got up on our site right now. what i get into is that there are all the issues that democracy and what america should be that are on obama's mine. but there are also, of course, all the things like the policy priorities that he pushed through when he was president, that would be under threat of trump were to come back and office. but it goes deeper than that. as you said there is in obama's mine clearly a sense of how much is at stake personally for him in the legacy that he would have. people that i've spoken to that are close to the former president say to me, they know that there is a possibility if trump were to win, it would be obama who would be seen as the aberration in american politics here. wh

start taking questions again, but maybe we will find out as the day continues, want to bring in isaac dovere covering the harris campaign isaac, we did here sure. in see something new from harris on the trail overnight. really leaning into this idea that donald trump is unhinged, unstable into an extent week and it plays into something that she has been talking about since over the weekend when she released her medical records called on donald trump to do the same as he has not. >> and calling attention to things that he has been saying with this idea that he is not up to the job that he's not stable, that he won't debate her, that he won't he didn't do the interview with 60 minutes. but as you say, it did seem it was a little different last night the way that you did it. so let's take a look at what she did at this rally in erie, pennsylvania donald trump's worldview and intentions please roll the clip the worst people are the enemy from within. >> i think the bigger problem are the people from within. we have some very bad people. we have some sick people, radical left, lunatics and i thin

other people define you and usually those people who will attempt to do it don't know you satan's isaac dovere is joining us now with his new reporting on how the harris campaign hopes to create some distance between harris and president biden isaac. >> this has been really a fascinating dynamic from the start. but what are you hearing as we close in on election day? >> yeah, that's right. jessica, in a story up on our website right now, i've got reporting that gets into what one person called to me, the ultimate balancing act here that harris, in these last couple of weeks of the campaign is trying to break through to the people full who are still undecided, still wavering, say to them is different from joe biden, even though i'm part of the biden administration. and you see various ways that this is becoming part of the strategy from when she spoke very bluntly about abortion rights in georgia two weeks ago to her trip to the southern border, but also at some policy proposals that she's been rolling out and will continue to roll out. it's a tricky situation that i, as i said, because when yo

alex thompson, cnn political analyst, national political reporter for axios, isaac dovere, cnn senior reporter, kendra bark off as secretary to joe biden and matt gorman, former senior adviser to tim scott's presidential campaign welcome to all of you. thank you for being here. i actually want to start with you on this kind of somber incredibly somber anniversary. we obviously speak all the time in terms of you are having worked for the white house and for president biden, but you've also done so much work with these families of those who were taken into gaza on this horrible day. what are your reflections having gotten to know? so many of these people about what happened that day, what those families are feeling right now, and what happens next yeah. >> i mean, they've been living in agony each and every day for all of them, there are seven americans that are still being held hostage in gaza there are more than 101 total that are being held from around the world. different ethnicities, different races from different countries. and i think the thing that is so remarkable is how these

and on that note, i want to turn to a terrific piece by our colleague isaac dovere, which you can read on cnn.com today. and we'll just give you a little taste of it. entitled to jittery harris campaign makes big plans to clinch an narrow win, expect more events like the vice president's interview with charlamagne, tha god, and julia roberts trip to georgia, both ideas that came right out of the campaigns research. we're not throwing spaghetti against the wall. we have literally studied who these voters listen to, set a campaign official, which kind of reminds me of what david plouffe was saying on this show on friday, which is when he was talking and unhinged and all of those things it was pretty clear every one of those terms, never mind the strategy to go after trump. it's all based on the data that they are seeing. >> it does sometimes from afar have the spaghetti against the wall feeling because they're careening from talking about abortion to democracy, to trump's lunacy, to narrowcasting at these very specific swing groups that are up for grabs. and in a way, when everything is

>> our panel's here to discuss isaac dovere, cnn senior reporter, elliott williams, cnn legal analyst, former federal prosecutor, doug jones as the former democratic senator from alabama. and mike dubke, former trump white house communications director. welcome to all of you. thank you all for being here. senator, i want to start with you just because you are you have a personal relationship with president biden. you heard what he said there. his his tone a little bit risharp honestly, in a way that he hasn't always been as this war has unfolded. what did you make of what he said here and what kind of position is is the president in as israel moves forward here? >> well, i think it's a tough position. obviously, he does not want to see this conflict escalate the way it seems to be escalating right now, i think he's done a lot to try to tone that down and try to get a ceasefire. we've had you know, we've had our diplomats over there, all of the time trying to negotiators, ceasefires. and it is a difficult situation. so he isn't really difficult spot. he does sincerely want to protect t

this is entirely an expectations game, right to harris county yeah putting out telling our isaac dovere, well, he nervous or we of course heard that walz had warned harris and the selection process. well, i'm bad. i'm bad at debating this, isn't my thing and now, of course you've got trump, who doesn't really do the traditional expectations game setting, basically saying, well j.d vance is going to be going up against a moron what do you make of how they're talking about this leading up to the debate and what do you expect to see tonight? it's always funny how the candidates and they size up their opponents and such a different manner when you're right before the debate, i think that this is typically what we see candidates trying to lower the bar. they're close allies trying to lower the bar. so any performance that's decent clears that bar and could actually maybe be a resounding performance. so this is sort of what were, so we typically see donald trump taking his own on convention central approach to it. not completely surprising, but what have you it's 1980 fascinating because it's

cnn's isaac dovere has this new reporting alright how exactly does this manifest itself? how strong is the feeling? and how might it affect plans over the next 30 days well, it's a big question for the harris campaign over the course of this next month. >> one person that i spoke to call this the ultimate balancing act, harris has to speak to the change that voters clearly say that they want. but also be credible about this. she is, she has been part of this administration. she continues to be part of this administration. but you look, even what's going on this week, even today, we are talking about how she and joe biden are marking october 7 she has not distanced herself from joe biden on any of the policy issues when she also is sitting in the situation room with him dealing with these things but they put at separate statements this morning marking the anniversary. they will have separate appearances joe biden lighting a candle and a ceremony. the white house, kamala harris, playing a good tree at the naval observatory they will not be together. that is not a mistake. t

what are the plans of the vice president in that state today, cnn's isaac dovere is with us. what is the message she wants to send today? >> well, she's. starting the day. first event is in grand rapids, talking to people there, then she will be doing an event with union workers and then end the day in oakland county outside of detroit with a rally there all of it pushing this very clear focus on michigan, a state that of course was the closest state in 2016, it was decided by 10,704 votes. it was close again in 2020 and she is hoping that she can make it not so close this time around but it is a pitched fight and looking for all the different so that she can appeal to there while there is, of course, all the what is roiling the arab american community there over the war in gaza. >> interesting going to go into grand rapids, kent county, which flipped from trump to biden 2016 to 2020, going to oakland county where biden really expanded his lead he there helped him win michigan in the messaging she is delivering. it really does seem now this has been happening every day in alm

like or they didn't trust donald trump and katie, i want to ask you about a dynamic that i had isaac dovere, my colleague on his new reporting that the harris campaign is trying to distance the vice president from president biden in these last few weeks of sometimes aren't does imitate life. so we have an snl clip kind of underscoring this will watch mama. >> it's joe biden. >> i can't talk right now. tom, i'm not here. no, no. he's in the room >> got to make. a grip biden in 2020 i. mean katie, when snl is doing that, i don't think it's a great secret. >> but again, isaac trying to underscore over reporting and underscoring just what the harris campaign is trying to do. they said that one of the best moments she had at that debate was when she said clearly, i'm not joe biden obviously trump and jd vance would very much love for her to be tied to joe biden. how do you think they're doing and do you think there's there's obviously very difficult to distance yourself from an administration when your name is literally on the letterhead is the biden/harris administration. >> you and your number

ordinary times, and these are not ordinary elections all right, joining us now on the panel is cnn's isaac dovere, who has got some brand new reporting about brock obama, isaac, good morning your story is headline, obamas re-emerges on the trail for harris comes as he recognizes his own legacy is at stake. >> could just reading you a passage from her excellent article here it says, but thought has circulated amongst several people close to the former president. if they told cnn, if trump wins, obama way be seen as the aberration in the history of american politics rather than trump and his native authoritarianism obama acolytes have spent the last eight years rationalizing trump as the last gasp backlash, the democrat in his presidency, what are you hearing about his strategy in his own thinking about why he's in this involve at this point of the campaign. >> i can tell you that appearance at the campaign office on thursday was one that even people close to obama did not think would go quite like that. there's something bubbling in him, an a frustration with trump's continued hold on, america and

. >> elliott williams, cnn legal analyst isaac dovere, cnn senior reporter karen finney, cnn political commentator, former hillary clinton campaign spokesperson and marc lotter, former special assistant to president trump. welcome to all of you. thanks very much for being here isaac. >> you cover the harris campaign day in and day out. this is a clear shift in strategy from what we saw over the summer to these final closing at closing days. why do they think this is the message that they should close with? and is it working? >> well, this is what the last two weeks are going to be focused on a lot is a combination of saying we know that the country doesn't seem like it's going in the right direction. but donald trump would be worse and would make it worse. and that to say she would do things to make it better, trying to get to those voters who are really concerned about where america is. of course, joe biden is the president. she has been vice president for last three-and-a-half years, but making the case that there is a plan to get it to something different on the economy, on how immi

he may be a clown, but he's threatened to do really harmful things cnn's edward isaac dovere reports the harris campaign wants voters to focus on the dangers from a second trump administration. >> listen to what pollster frank once said earlier today about that. listen to this trump basically has reached the ceiling of his votes and it's enough for him to win. >> let me be clear about that harris has a higher ceiling. i agree with her campaign and that in that assertion, but she's not going to get there until she gives voters what they need to know to have faith, trust, and confidence in her it's a good strategy that she's doing, but i assure you if she just beating up on donald trump, she's going to fail. >> so john, how does she balanced talking about trump with telling voters about her plans? >> yeah, which has to do both. they are doing both. they are running contrast ads that are about not only the threat trump poses but what kamala harris will do to make people's lives better story about what does best with undecided voters. and it was kamala harris is proposal to help people a

our panel's here, isaac dovere, cnn senior reporter kate bedingfield, cnn political commentator, former biden white house communications director matt gorman, former senior adviser to tim scott's presidential campaign. welcome to all of you 20 days it's a way how do the approaches here? and, you isaac harris had been pushed into saying this is fascist in that clip, there. trump's campaign responded saying, well, this is why donald people tried to assassinate donald trump twice but of course, questions looming about a peaceful transfer sir power me, play that clip in a second. but what did you make of her her answer there in her interview? >> she had to be pushed into saying it. she responded right away. it was not where she started i do think that trump saying that this is different in character from what he said maybe over the weekend when there's an enemy within that might need the military, the national well guard to deal with it. it's not like he's just talking about peaceful roses and happy times every day right? the rhetoric is high and the trump campaign does seize on every time

isaac dovere. thank you so much. appreciate your reporting. >> it's completely here here in some places where they are voting, including georgia early voting began today. donald trump is plenty, two stops there today. let's go right to nick valencia in atlanta at a polling site. what are you seeing it? >> hey, john, the early voting was the big news of the day, but about 30 minutes ago we got a ruling from the superior court that we've been waiting for related to the voting process here in 2024, judge robert mcburney had a couple of lawsuits in front of him. one related to and being brought forward by a fulton county elections official named june fully adams, who made news this past spring by refusing to certify the results of the presidential primary. but judge robert mcburney, sending a clear message saying that certification under georgia law is mandatory. and here's what he's saying in part of his ruling, saying, quote, give me one second here to bring that ruling. if election officials, i'm sorry, if election su

the challenge for harris figuring out how to top that in an interview with our isaac dovere, david plouffe, who's the kind of coup wrote on harris he'll say, okay, we've got to figure out how to fit our target, hit our target, whether it's 50% in the state, 49.5% in the state. bottom line, it's incredibly close what does what harris did yesterday, what she's doing today, say to you about her strategy here in the final weeks? >> yeah. >> i mean, we saw her out in all three blue wall states yesterday, right pennsylvania, michigan, wisconsin, and what they're trying to do is speak very directly to this slice of independent moderate, republican leaning voters who aren't thrilled with donald trump and maybe are persuadable. and of course when it's this close and has been this close, as you know, pretty much the whole time well, since since harris she's stabilized stable, she she she she improved on biden's numbers, but it's been very stable since you took the race. there just aren't that many persuadable voters are. and so they are really micro targeting on both sides, which groups are talking

first to you, i want to ask you about this new reporting from cnn's isaac dovere. he's reporting at the harris campaign is confident that trump is going to continue with his references to the enemy within alluding to what he describes as radical left lunatics. he's talking about nancy pelosi and adam schiff, suggesting the military go after them. the harris campaign is hoping that he continues doing that so that they can point to that and show voters that she's the actual change agent and the rational candidate in this race. >> well, first of all, he is continuing to do that. we saw that today, so i think that's a pretty good bet. and in talking to people inside the harris campaign, i can tell you that it's taken this turn and what they want to do, they believe they're like 4% undecided voters and all the battleground states. i mean, who knows, but that's what they think and that the concern of those undecided voters is about his temperament and what they're trying to do is over and over again say that he is unstable, that he is a risk to the country. now it is dif

let's bring in cnn's isaac dovere for more on this where do you want to begin? what exactly happened last night? >> it's a little bit strange to even wrap our heads around kid donald trump was doing a an event that was meant to be him speaking at a town halls, answering questions and talking about what he would be doing as president. there were some medical incidents to people for one and then another collapse apps were being treated and donald trump just started to ask for music to be played instead. and then he danced. but look, i can talk about and i think we should just take a look at what happened there last night. >> go and vote. >> let me hear that music plays and i wanted think i should ahead. >> let's go nice and loud of president trump with three weeks to election day. >> we did not hear a lot about his policy proposals are what he is saying he would do right now, we got a lot of dancing for about 40 minutes last night honestly, people there, they were there for it. >> that's for sure. his plea, therefore, his playlist and there for the dance moves, i

. >> cnn's isaac dovere, and cnn's priscilla alvarez. and cnn's jamie gangel we wanted to play a lot of this and there's more audio of john kelly speaking. and i want to talk jamie to you first about this moment because there's so much incoming from donald trump around donald trump. and that has been the sort of story line on the last 99 years talk about this moment and how this is or isn't different well, i think it is different because even though general kelly has said things like this in print, reporters he's talked to reporters on the record, but not on tv. >> i think it does make a difference when you hear his voice i think it would be even more powerful if you went on, on tv and the other thing i think you have to remember about general kelly is talk to people who've known him, worked with him you can take his word to the bank. this is credible and he did not want to do this. there is a feeling among general officers that they don't want to become i'm political so for him to speak out like this really is going the extra mile, i th