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tonight chief national affairs reporter jeff zeleny takes a closer look. >> reporter: one month beforen. >> catherine cortez masto. so we've got crime? it's dangerous. >> mandela barnes, not just a democrat, a dangerous democrat. >> reporter: and democrats are trying to find their footing, pushing back against a barrage of familiar attacks in a new way. >> can you imagine one guy saying out of one side of his mouth he is pro cop, and on the other side of his mouth, he is raising money for the insurrectionists who were beating up the capitol police? >> reporter: the age old gop argument that democrats are soft on crime, a critique often accompanied with racially charged undertones, is facing a new test. with images from the assault on the capitol still seared into the minds of americans. but it's an open question whether this message from democrats -- >> everyone can see it. you're not pro cop, kevin mccarthy. you're pro coup. >> reporter: will overtake an onslaught of advertising from republicans, who spent $40 million last month alone airing 150 unique ads on crime in races across the

>> jeff zeleny, appreciate it.ue of fishermen fending off trucks in the gulf of mexico after their boat sank. our randi kaye has that next. this is going to be great. taking the shawl off. i did it. is he looking at my hairline? my joint pain isn't too bad. well, it wasn't this morning. i hope i can get through this. is plaque psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis making you rethink your everyday choices? otezla is a pill, not a cream or injection that can help people with plaque psoriasis achieve clearer skin. otezla is proven to reduce joint swelling, tenderness and pain in psoriatic arthritis. and no routine blood tests required. don't use if you're allergic to otezla. otezla can cause serious allergic reactions. it may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. otezla is associated with an increased risk of depression. tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts or if these feelings develop. some people taking otezla reported weight loss. your doctor should monitor your weight and may

>> jeff zeleny, thank you very much.n philadelphia, where president biden and vice president harris will soon appear. jessica, what do democrats need from this joint appearance in pennsylvania? >> they need kamala harris and joe biden to really rile up the base of this party and this democratic stronghold of philadelphia. if you were a democrat running statewide in the commonwealth of pennsylvania, you need giant turnout, out of philadelphia and out of pittsburgh. to that end, we saw president biden here last week. we are seeing him here tonight. we're likely to see him again before this is all said and done. we know that lieutenant governor john fetterman, the democratic nominee for senate here will be with him tonight as well. so they certainly are hoping to fire up the base here. this is a dinner for the pennsylvania democratic party. a very friendly crowd here tonight. and just interesting to note, john. biden's connection to pennsylvania. of course, it's where he's from. scranton joe. we all know that story. my coll

our great reporters are back, including jeff zeleny part of this reporting.in georgia, if kemp wins, if he can hold onto the lead does he pull other republicans with him, walker. you can say the same in new hampshire, ohio, if you look at the polling, mike dewine. >> it's going to be fascinating to watch on election night. i feel like our list of fascinating things is growing here. you're on top of it. that is something we'll be looking at, split tickets versus coattails. each state may do it differently. it is not a monolith. i was in georgia last week, and boy, one of the big reasons for republican optimism in the senate race is, you know, all these allegations of abortion payments and things seem to have sort of run off herschel walker. just have not been as effective as democrats were hoping. but -- even probably brighter spot is that governor's race with governor kemp going against stacey abrams again. on the flip side, i was in pennsylvania last week, as well, josh shapiro is probably the democrat in the most commanding position of any prominent race in

first, let's go to jeff zeleny in harrisburg, pennsylvania. the senate debate begins two hours or so from now. what do we expect? >> reporter: wolf, this is the marquee senate debate. when they go head-to-head for just an hour this evening. the first time they've ever encountered one another in person let alone on stage. but i'm told by advisers to both campaigns that both men have spent considerable time practicing for this session. that is because this race has been a narrowing and closing throughout the summer and early fall months. n more than a half millionp pennsylvania voters have cast their ballots and many more are expected to do so. the top senate superpac are investing $6 million more into ads here. largely focused on crime. here is a sample of what has been driving the race on that issue alone. >> fetterman said releasing murderers early was most critical thing he's ever do in office. john fetterman is reckless. he's a far left fraud. >> john fetterman's record on crime is crazy. >> he's not like most democrats. >> he was the only

jeff zeleny, cnn. >>> herschel walker accused by another woman of pressuring her to have an abortion. the woman identified only as jane doe spoke virtually at a news conference at her lawyer's office. she claims she was in a years' long relationship with walker that led to the 1993 pregnancy. she said she is coming forward now because shtoe a u.s. senato. >> he's publicly taken the position that he is, quote, about life, end quote. and against abortion under any circumstances when, in fact, he pressured me to have an abortion and personally enshurtd that it occurred by driving me to the clinic and paying for it. >> walker responding the same way he did to an earlier similar accusation from a former girlfriend calling jane doe's claim a lie cooked up by political opponents. >> they would do and say anything for power and they don't realize that they messing with the wrong george began right here. this seat is too important for me to stand by, step down so now they going to have to come through me to get to anyone else because if they can do it to me, they going to come after you next.

jeff zeleny, cnn, dearborn, michigan. >>> 19 days and counting. let's bring in alex shepherd.ter for "the new republic." thank you for joining us. even divide. republicans gaining some momentum. democrats find themselves, alex, on the wrong side of it's the economy stupid bumper sticker here. >> yeah, sort of classic problem for american politics. for most of the summer democrats are looking for falling gas prices. starting to get hopeful. they saw voters start to listen to their overall message, which is that they were the party of common sense, they were the adults in the room, that republicans were extremists but what we've seen over the last month or so is inflation continued to doggedly stick around, gas prices tick up, as a result the sort of generic ba ballot, who would you rather have in congress, that has switched. it correlates very, very closely with gas prices. democrats i think are largely trying to ignore inflation or hope that it went away over the summer, it's not going away and they're now rushing to find a message as we get into the home stretch of the mid-te

. >> cnn's jeff zeleny is with us now. jeff, what's behind this wave of optimism for the gop?well, victor, bianna, part of it is this campaign is closing as it was really beginning with economy and inflation still a chief concern for democrats. and these head winds that are facing the president and democratic candidates in his party are very real. republicans would not have imaged encroaching so much into this blue democratic territory we're seeing competitive races in california for the house. connecticut, new york, other states across the country. so in the house, we should keep in mind there was only a five-seat majority that democrats had. there was a wave of retirements that senior members retired. it was always going to be a challenge for democrats to maintain their house majority. eight days remaining, republicans feel very confident about winning the house. the key is the senate, though. the race is for senate in every one of these battleground states are so competitive and so close, but again those head winds that democrats are facing on the economy, on inflation, on

>> jeff zeleny, thank you. they're going to see them using closed captioning in real time.ow is this going to play out? if dr. oz calls out fetterman's physical weakness after his stroke, that could go either way for mehmet oz. >> for sure. we have seen john fetterman talk about how there are a number of people around the country, especially the state of pennsylvania, that have family members, that have their own personal experience with health issues and they don't want to have a doctor in their life criticizing them or attacking them over their challenges. that's something that's going to be a sensitive topic and something oz will have to deal with carefully. trump was someone who would be aggressive, who would push the envelope, who would do things that were offensive. that's in part why he lost his re-election bid. oz is going to have to figure out a way to highlight the differences between the two candidates without harping on the issue, without coming across looking too harsh and not having empathy for someone going through a health challenge. while fetterman will hav

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cnn's jeff zeleny is in harrisburg where the debate is happening. jeff, what should people expect to see tonight? >> reporter: well, victor, i think people can expect to see fireworks as we've seen in debates across the country. more interestingly this has a unique element to it and that is because of john fetterman. of course he's the lieutenant governor of pennsylvania but he's been recovering from a stroke for the last several months. so this debate tonight is going to be slightly different. it's going to have a closed captioning system. john fetterman is still having auditor processing issues. he can't always hear and see things in realtime so he'll be using closed captions as many americans do when they watch their television programs. but those words are going to be on a screen. the tv viewer at home will be able to see all of this so there are going to be two pretty large monitors on the stage with the two candidates. so all that of course sets the backdrop to answer this question. is john fetterman healthy enough to be a u.s. senator? his doc

. >> go great to atlanta, cnn's jeff zeleny is there awaiting the campaign return of barack obama. jeff? >> reporter: there's no question the former president has been engaged already. he's been filming television commercials in key races across the country. tonight we'll see him here in georgia. the reason is this, trying to urge democrats, urge voters to cast their early ballots, trying to inject some enthusiasm into the democratic side of the campaign. the headwinds are clear and no one knows that better than the former president, who had bruising midterm elections of his own in 2010 and 2014. like most sitting presidents, it's a difficult road for the president's party. they do think at least on the margins, they can motivate some democrats. tomorrow he'll be campaigning in michigan and wisconsin. next week in nevada and then the final campaign week in pennsylvania. what do all these states have in common? of course, key governors' races and senate races. i'm also told the former president is going to specifically talk about democracy. he's taken a keen interest in secretary of

cnn's jeff zeleny has more from saginaw. >> the deal with inflation you have to reduce costs while we get through this. >> reporter: congressman dan tilde is still talking about inflation three weeks before voters here in michigan and across the country decide whether democrats should retain control of congress. by now president biden and his fellow democrats hoped high costs would have eased by the fierce economic headwinds seem as strong as ever. >> is it a challenge for us? absolutely. people tend to hold the party who controls the white house responsible for everything. we ask folks to think carefully about what the alternatives are. look at the current condition of the republican party. look at their policies. >> tilde is sounding the alarm about the possibility of republicans taking rein of the house even as paul young is trying to keep the economy and the race at the center. >> people are concerned about the cost of living. everywhere i go, gas prices, grocery prices, it's really hitting their budgets. >> reporter: the battle for control of congress runs through michigan's eigh

>> jeff zeleny, thank you so much. joining us now, political commentator errol louis. biggest names are fanning out across the country today, hitting the campaign trail. recent polls have indicated that tuesday night could be rough for democrats. how much do you think these big names are going to be able to help candidates in these key states? >> good morning, boris this. is classic strategy. you make your closing argument, you try to create some crowd, some excitement, some momentum. keep in mind in the're era, eve day is voting day. they're setting records in georgia. i'm sure having the former president come into town will only add to that. that's what you do in the final week. but make no mistake about it, the democrats from the very beginning were trying to buck history. the president's party typically in a midterm will lose 26 seat on average. that's more than enough. in fact, even half of that is more than enough to lose control of the house of representatives. democrats are trying to change that around. they thought the overturning of roe versus wade would give

jeff zeleny is in harrisburg and athena jones is with us in new york following a closer than expected new york governor's contest. let's first go to the action in pennsylvania. jeff, what's the pulse there right now? >> reporter: there's no doubt this senate race has been a marquee race of the cycle. tonight's debate is a marquee event. th th it's the only time these two candidates will come face to face. they have never met one another or shared a debate stage at all. democrats believe still this is their best opportunity to pick up a republican-held senate seat but this is certainly a unique debate and here is why. john fetterman of course still recovering from that stroke he suffered late in the spring. and tonight at the debate it's going to look very different than the other debates. there's going to be closed captioning. there's going to be two large television monitors that will be typing out all of the words from the moderators, from dr. oz and this is something that john fetterman still uses because he has auditor processing issues. what that means, his doctors say, he's able

>> jeff zeleny for us there setting the table in pittsburgh. let's extend the conversation now with cnn senior political correspondent abby philip and scott jennings. we don't know the answer on fracking was so bad. we don't know if it was auditory processing or if he didn't have a good answer to it. the campaign wants to move on. is there any indication with the national party what goes outside of pennsylvania democrats believe about that performance if they're losing confidence? >> well, you're right. we don't really know what went on with the fracking answer. i mean, the reality is there's not a really good explanation outside of politics for the changing of positions both for fetterman and for oz by the way on fracking, but when you try to figure out, okay. how do both sides think this debate went, just look at what they're doing. democrats are putting out ads and focusing almost exclusively on oz's comments on abortion. they are talking about that one moment where oz said it's between you, your daughter and a local politician. they're not

jeff zeleny, appreciate it.>>> affirmative action in college admissions is the focus at the supreme court today. justices are considering whether some universities violated student rights by using race as a factor. a decision could mean fewer higher education opportunities for some black and hispanic students. cnn justice correspondent jessica schneider is at the supreme court. help us better understand the arguments the court is hearing today. >> reporter: well, two cases today. one against the university of north carolina, the other one against harvard. the unc case just wrapped, and the harvard arguments will begin at any minute now. interestingly, the newest justice, ketanji brown jackson, is actually not hearing the harvard arguments. that's because she recused herself from the case because before she joined the court she was on the board of overseers at harvard. the supreme court will be considering whether or not to completely ban affirmative action at colleges and universities all across the country desp

. >> let's bring in jeff zeleny in atlanta, abby phillip also with us. abby, let me start with you.ficials, law enforcement officials and analysts and experts we had on the show say if this conspiratory political rhetoric continues, some day we would reach this moment. we're see what is on social media. he says he was looking for nancy. we're now at the moment. >> the moment has arrived for this country. i mean, think this has been years frankly in the making building and building of accelerating political rhetoric and also, political violence. i mean, this is -- these conspiracies already produced violence on january 6 th and so it's no surprise that would continue because now, the honest truth is that these conspiracies have actually been totally main streamed in our political system and this is the consequence of that. it's real. we've heard these warnings not just from people on the outside but members of congress themselves who are scared for their well being and that of their families because they are receiving threats, threats that are not just about free speech, that are abo

first to jeff zeleny at the pennsylvania debate site in harrisburg. jeff, the republican senate super pac is planning to make a $6 million buy, hence, my bad bionic man joke, to boost mehmet oz ahead of this crucial debate. >> reporter: and, john, that is a sense republicans believe pennsylvania is a critical piece of the puzzle that we'll be watching two weeks from tonight as they try and win the majority in the u.s. senate from democrats. they do believe that pennsylvania offers a good opportunity, that dr. mehmet oz has been gradually climbing throughout the last several weeks and months and now is within striking distance of john fetterman. all of that dynamic is coming onto the stage where for an hour this evening these two men, john fetterman and mehmet oz, will come face-to-face for the first time. the last several months they've been going after each other quite aggressively from a long distance range, but doesn't all those issues that have been playing out will be front and center, crime, the economy, inflation, abortion rights. so it sounds l

john. >> jeff zeleny, thanks. the trees behind you is how i know election day is close behind us, the trees are changing across the midwest. >> reporter: fall. >> yes, indeed. with me to share that cnn's dana bash, jack si kucinich of the daily beast. there are two very competitive house races in the neighborhood where he is right now. the speaker of the house is traveling quite a bit in these final weeks to try to help democrats with turnout. interesting interview published in "punch bowl." a piece about inflation. this is nancy pelosi, inflation is there but it's global and not as bad as it is in some countries. we'll have to message it in the next three weeks ahead. i think we're in great shape. the part we'll have to message it better. on the one hand many voters don't tune in until it's late. on the other hand if you need to message it better three weeks from election day when some are voting is a concession we have a problem. >> a bit concession. that comment from the house speaker, the fact as phil reported

we're joined by chief correspondent jeff zeleny and commentator john kasich.hat does it say about your party that key republicans are doubling down now in support of herschel walker in the wake of these allegations? >> well, wolf, look, i'm republican. i've been a republican all of my life and remain a republican. but i have to tell you, at some point enough is enough. and it is not just these allegations. it is what his family said about him. i think he's a very poor candidate. and at some point, winning is not all that matters in life. and i'd like to see the republicans win the senate. i think they are going to win the house. but, you know, at some point you have to say, this kind of crosses the line and it is amazing -- well i know it is about who is going to control what and who is in charge and who is going to do this and that and it is a problem with both parties. we just happen to have the republicans now that are in this situation. but, look, democrats do the same thing but unfortunately in this country it seems as though the only thing that matters i

jeff zeleny has more. >> to deal with inflation, have to reduce costs for the american family, whilet through this, for sure. >> congressman dan kildee still talk about inflation, three weeks before voters here in michigan still decide whether democrats should retain control of congress. by now, president biden and his fellow democrats hope that high cost from the spring and summer would have eased. but the fears economic headwinds seamstresses ever. >> is a challenge for us, absolutely. people tend to hold the party and the white house responsible for everything. we just ask folks to really think carefully about what the alternatives are. look at the current condition other publican party, look at their policies. >> kildee is sounding the alarm of the prospect of the role of taking the reign of the house, even as his rival poll youngest trying to keep the economy and inflation at the center of the race. >> people are really concerned about the possibility. i mean, everywhere i go, gas prices, grocery prices, it's really hitting their budgets. >> the battle for control of congress ru

jeff zeleny on the ground on the day after. what do we know? >> reporter: john, there's no doubt the debate is certainly the talk of pennsylvania this morning. the voters we've been talking to, though, largely are thinking what they thought going into the debate, one woman here just a few moments ago said it was embarrassing, she said it was a spectacle she does not believe john fetterman is ready to be senator. i asked who are you supporting going in, i was with dr. oz, a few moments later i talked to a man out walking dogs. he said that it showed that john fetterman was gaining strength, he said he was impressed by his ability to, a, show up, but, b, show his resilience. i said who are you voting for before? he said john fetterman. the debate after the debate, ads are already beginning to air including the abortion ad the fetterman campaign and democrats are trying to seize on dr. oz tying him to doug mastriano, the republican candidate here who does not favor any exceptions for abortion. of course, the oz campaign is focusing on fracking, a

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jeff zeleny, thank you very much.tive from cnn political commentator scottgenics, and a long-time political advisor to senate minority leader mitch mcconnell and terry mcauliffe, chair of the democratic national committee. t if anyone knows how tough midterms are it's president obama. so what difference do you think he can make in georgia for raphael warnock? >> first of all, president obama is a star in the democratic party. what he is doing, going to the handful of states, is to ene energize votes to come out. democracy is on the line. he is such a great sur drogate r the democrats to be enter skbriezing people. i would be remiss if i didn't mention paul pelosi. he has been a friend of mine for 40 years. literally one of the nicest people you have ever met. and i communicated with the speaker several hours ago and to think what that family is going through today, it is just wrong. and we as a nation have got to come together. we got to go back to the united states of america. i am on the show with scott. we differ p

just do your job. [ applause ] >> jeff zeleny is "outfront" tonight at the fetterman rally.s was a crucial debate. how much did it impact voters? >> erin, there is no doubt this is one of the most important senate races. it was yesterday, it certainly is tonight. talking to voters throughout the day here, there is no doubt it did have an impact on voters. fetterman supporters of course are going to stay with him. but i talked to one here tonight who told me it simply gives the oz campaign more ammunition against him. but the reality here is there is still a sliver of undecided voters. so the question is, did he make the case that he's ready to serve in the senate. that's something that will be playing out over the next 13 days. take a listen to two supports, how they watched the debate last night. >> pennsylvania is in deeper trouble if they vote for fetterman. i don't think he has recovered from the stroke. i think that he's in trouble. and i do not think he is a very healthy person. i think that his thought process is not working, and he really needs some help. >> dr. oz k

joining me now is jeff zeleny. hey, jeff. so you've been on the ground in several of the states that i was just ticking through with harry. from michigan and north carolina and georgia and pennsylvania and you've been on the ground and talking to voters. so putting the polls to the side for just a moment, what is the feeling and the nuance, if you will, that you are getting on this cycle from your reporting. >> well it is very much sort of ending as the campaign began. and the economy and inflation really are front and center as we talk to voters and democrats could feel that of course. there was a bit of a change in the summer, of course abortion rights and they are protecting democracy, certainly are important to some voters. but across the board, generally we're getting the feeling that this is coming back to a typical midterm election. when it is a referendum on the president. but we should point out, this is not state by state grind it out kind of campaign here. it is very difficult to put a national lens over this midte

jeff zeleny, cnn, dear born, michigan. >>> it's being described as a desperate move by a desperate leader. vladimir putin declaring martial law across four ukrainian regions. this despite the fact russia doesn't have full control over those areas. amongst them kherson where russian installed leaders have ramped up the leaving of 60,000 people. putin is tightening security acrossed those annexed regions and across russia. right now the ukrainian people are facing a sharp reduction in electricity at a time of year when they depend on it most. with winter looming, 1/3 of the country's power stations have been hit by russian missiles and drones. 40% has been impacted and energy restrictions are in effect until 11 p.m. local time. the government is asking everyone to conserve more. cnn's nic robertson standing by and claire sebastian tracking developments in london. nic, this is an attack on the morale of the country in a way going into the winter. >> reporter: it certainly brings the war that's happening hundreds of miles away in the east of the country to the homes of people here in the capi

joining me now for more is cnn chief national affairs correspondent jeff zeleny. so jeff, looking at the broader contest. midterm elections and talking about president obama and his impact and you have a great piece reminding everybody of the more famous lines from obama whether it comes to midterm elections. let me play this for everybody. >> i'm not recommending for every future president that they take a shellacking like i did last night. >> and as you remind everyone, at least in part, midterms are rough for obama. so what does that mean to everything that we're talking about in this midterm? >> well, look, when he was serving in the white house, midterms were not his strong suit. of course that is the same for virtually every other president in power with the one recent exception of george w. bush in the wake of 9/11. he's the ome recent president is not suffer big term midterm election losses. but democrats could see and feel these head winds on the economy, on inflation and crime. there is obviously limited things that the former president could do. but one

as cnn's jeff zeleny tells us, the gop sees this as a winning issue in key races. >> reporter: one monthe using crime as a campaign weapon. >> katheryn cortez masto, so weak on crime it's dangerous. >> mandela barnes, not just a democrat, a dangerous democrat. >> reporter: democrats trying to find their footing. >> can you imagine one guy saying out of one side of his mouth he's pro cop and the other side of his mouth he's raising money for the insurrectionists that are beating up police. >> reporter: the age old mantra that democrats are soft on crime is facing a new test. with images from the assault on the capitol still seared into the miennds of americans, but is an open question whether this message -- >> everyone can see, you're not pro cop, kevin mccarthy, you're pro coup. >> reporter: will take on an onslaught on advertising airing 150 unique ads on crime and races across the country. it's become one of the loudest republican sound tracks in the fall particularly in pennsylvania. >> john fetterman wants ruthless killers, mothers and rapists back on our streets and he wants them b

let's get straight to cnn's jeff zeleny live in atlanta with the latest. e concern there and see the concern from senate majority leader chuck schumer. that reflects what democrats here in georgia are saying as well. they are concerned about this senate race in so many other places across the country. that is exactly why former president barack obama is beginning his week-long push and rallying democrats and pushing them to the polls. >> you have the power to change america. >> reporter: barack obama is heading back to the campaign trail, firing up democrats in the final push for the fall election. >> hello atlanta. >> reporter: starting in georgia he's hitting at least five states hoping to stop or slow the prospect of a republican wave in november. it's familiar terrain for the former president who for weeks has been popping up in television ads and campaign videos across the country. >> pennsylvania, it's up to you. you can count on john fetterman. gretchen whit mmer is michigan tough. this is going to be a close

joining us is jeff zeleny. and errol lewis and the former republican congressman charlie dent. jeff, i want to begin with the prediction from president biden that we just heard that we'll see a shift back to democrats in the democrats' favor in the days leading up to the midterm elections. is that wishful thinking on his part. >> it is certainly optimistic on the president's part. but that is -- he's the leader of the party. would you expect him to have a optimistic message in the final couple of weeks. but there is reason to doubt that. the economic head winds and the inflation are quite strong as i travel across the country talking to voters. there are deep pocketbook concerns and issues. the president and the white house, they certainly are doing many things to try to show they are in control but the reality is that spending is a big concern on the minds of voters. so a lot of the help they are giving people, student loan debts are controversial in the sense that the government is spending so much money which is contributing at least to a small degree or a degree to inflation

jeff zeleny in atlanta, thank you so much. >>> joining us now, cnn's chief political correspondent and host of "state of the union" dana bash. >> people are -- this is breaking news because you haven't been covering this at all on this show. people are really, really anxious, really anxious. you know, i've been thinking about this, how many campaigns have we covered where we focus on gas prices, sort. of the issues where they go, ugh. i have not had the sense like i have now that people are again u winly worried about the kitchen table things. eggs up 30%, all of the things in their lives. if you go up a notch, i've spent time with small business owners, it's them trying to not just make payroll but also try to figure out if they raise their prices because all of their expenses are higher, so on, so forth. it's little really in the fact of everyday lies. the question is whether or not the people who are historically on the fence going to take that ballot and use it as a weapon against the people in power just because they're so angry and so anxious. >> of course, so much hanging in the

jeff zeleny is live for us this morning in saginaw, michigan with a look at the races there. jeff? >> reporter: good morning, john. the economy has always been a concern shaping the midterm election races but now it is the primary concern with just 20 days left in this midterm election campaign. it certainly is not the position that democrats wanted to be in as they're trying to hold the control of congress, which is increasingly giving republican optimism about their chances. >> the deal with inflation, you have to reduce costs for the american family while we get through this for sure. >> congressman dan kilde is talking about inflation still three weeks before voters decide whether democrats should retain control of congress. by now, president biden and his fellow democrats hoped that high costs from the spring and summer would have eased. but the fierce economic headwinds seem as strong as ever. >> is it a challenge for us, people tend to hold the party, the white house responsible for everything. we ask folks to think carefully about what the alternatives are. look at the curr

. >> cnn's jeff zeleny spoke with some voters in spotsylvania and asked them what they thought of the vote. >> reporter: do you think he's healthy enough to be a -- >> he gets healthier every day. you see that by watching him on television. >> i was embarrassed to think that anybody with that present situation health and the way he thinks in his mind and his -- what he wants for pennsylvania would actually be running. >> after listening with him against fetterman, it's definitely oz. >> what i was picking up today was the sense of disappointment against some of fetterman's supporters. he was not able to prosecute his case against oz. his social media accounts have been going after him about his residency, the number of homes he owns and that was not something fetterman was able to do with much success. >>> police in phoenix are investigating a break-in at the campaign headquarters. katie holt is the current secretary of state. she's in a close battle with republican carrie lake. they say it's not clear exactly what was taken but hobbs and her staff have received hundred bes of death t

jeff zeleny, cnn, harrisburg, pennsylvania. >>> new york is one of 36 states voting for governor this year. governor kathy hochul and lee zeldin squared off on tuesday in their one and only debate. hochul criticized zeld in. they talked a lot about gun control and fighting crime. >> there is no crime fighting plan if it doesn't include guns, illegal guns, and you refuse to talk about how we can do so much more. you didn't even show up for votes in washington when a group of bipartisans talked about the assault weapon ban. we lost another teacher and child yesterday. >> unfortunately kathy hochul believes that the only crimes that are being committed are the crimes with guns and yet you have people afraid of being pushed in front of oncoming subway cars, they're being stabbed, beaten to death with hammers g. talk to the asian-american community, jewish people targeted with raw violent anti-semitism on our streets. it happened yet again. we need to be talking about all of these other crimes. kathy hochul is too busy patting herself on the back, job well done. >> as democrats continue, t

jeff zeleny, thank you for being there for us. with me in studio, cnn's nia malika henderson, margaret talib of axios. first let's get to the horse race. here are the two latest polls. cbs with a poll in the field october 21st to 24th has it 51-49. that is a statistical tie. we had a poll here at cnn in the field that had it at six points. so did it close the race a little bit? that's a snapshot of a very, very close race. to jeff's point, this one is currently held by a republican. if you're a democrat, you're 50-50, you're worried you may lose a seat out in nevada. it's possible you lose a seat in arizona. georgia is a big question mark. you want this pickup to give you a cushion. >> i think that's right. it's funny because we have been -- the way we talk about this race and the debate tonight, it almost makes it seem like democrats have to hold pennsylvania. it's a republican seat that's being vacated. but the stakes are so high because it's a huge insurance policy against nevada or some other shoe that could drop that could fl

joining me now is jeff zeleny. it is good to see you, jeff. let's start with mike pence. what do you think of this latest answer and what are you hearing about what his possible lane is in the republican presidential primary? >> well, look, the former vice president wants to run for president. you could see it there. there would be someone else would you prefer. but a good follow-up might have but if not you, is donald trump your second choice. look, the reality here is that the divide between the former vice president and the former president is well-known right now at this point. but it is hard to see much of a lane for former vice president mike pence. yes, he's out there campaigning aggressively on the midterm election cycle, he's very popular in some conservative circles. but if the former president jumped in, it is hard to imagine that mike pence could suddenly leap frog over some of the other potential 2024 stars like ron desantis, nikki haley, the list goes on and on. so i think he'll be in the mix but it is hard to imagine him finding a very specified lane. but w

. >> joining me now, paul callahan and jeff zeleny. so there is a lot to get to. i want to go back to the letter that we got just a short time ago. this letter from the former president which really i guess is just re playing his greatest hits if you read through it. it is a lengthy response, it does not directly address the subpoena, what do you see in this letter? >> well, look, the letter, if you read it, it is a bit of a time warp. you may think it is in the days an weeks after the november 2020 election or in the month of december of that year. but it is not. we've learned so much from the committee's work over the past year, learned so much information from the doj and what the attorney general, other judges across the country have said there simply was not election fraud enough to overturn the election. so the president, the form he president started out in all caps saying the election was stolen. it simply isn't true. so he included attachments of photos of crowds from that day. it is largely beside the point. is the question is, is he going to comply with

cnn's jeff zeleny reports from college park, georgia, for us.sident obama will be taking the stage in just a little while. what's the latest there? >> reporter: barack obama is back on the campaign trail firing up democrats in hopes of stopping a republican wave in the midterm elections. >> hello, atlanta! >> reporter: his first stop is georgia where democrats are suddenly sounding the alarm about the senate race with raphael warnock locked in a tough race with republican herschel walker. chuck schumer said so himself this week in that hot mic moment with president biden. the former president is trying to boost enthusiasm among democrats and for weeks has been popping up in television ads and campaign videos across the country. >> pennsylvania, it's up to you. >> you can count on john fetterman. >> wisconsin, you've got a big responsibility this year. >> gretchen whitmer is tough. >> this is going to be a close race and we can't afford to get it wrong. >> vote democrat. . >> reporter: but during his time in the white house midterm elections were

. >> cnn's jeff zeleny is here with us right now. look, you expect to hear confidence from campaign chiefs a week before election day. rick scott says 52. where does he get that number? >> they're not exactly sure which seats will make up the 52 but it comes from a collection of these states, nevada, arizona, potentially new hampshire, pennsylvania of course, and georgia. so republicans feel fairly good about this. we should point out there is republican optimism out there, no question about it. largely in the house. republicans are on a position really to win a majority in the house. only five seats make up the difference. the question is how big of a majority will there be. the white house is planning for this, they've been planning for a long time. so a sense of ms. pessimism the. so yes, 52, not sure where they make those up, but the math is there for them to get 52 at least. >> what are democrats saying behind the scenes? in. >> democrats are saying we need more time, more obama. >> they don't get more time. the election is next

jeff zeleny is in harrisburg for us. he spent a lot of time in pennsylvania, you know the campaign and the candidates as well, what do you expect tonight, which would be looking for? >> the debate has just gotten underway, as you said. one of the things first and foremost is the john fetterman, the lieutenant governor of pennsylvania making the case that he is fit to serve in the senate. that, of course is because that he is in recovering from a stroke since may. he actually suffered that days before winning the primary. he is been building his speech back, he's been building his strength back, but tonight, he will be referring to questions through closed captioning. that is being explained to the audience right now. why he is able to see the printed questions, and mehmet oz's answers. this is something that has been a big issue in this senate campaign, but i'm told that it will not be nearly as much of an issue tonight. the odds campaign is trying to move beyond that, i am told, and talk about the differences and issues

official telling our colleague jeff zeleny that they were surprised and these comments caught the administration officials off guard. now, we have to remember, poppy, that way back in february when this war started, president putin put his nuclear forces on a state of high alert. so there has been this nuclear threat throughout the conflict. it is higher now because where we are seven months into the conflict. russia doing far worse than they expected, certainly on their back foot. we've seen 300,000 russian reservists and seen them on the front lines with just one or two weeks training. this just really speaks to the weakness of those russian forces. they are being beat back. they are -- the ukrainians are certainly on the offensive. and so what russia has in their back pocket, and always has, is nuclear weapons. and we should be clear, what we're talking about here are tactical nuclear weapons. so those are much smaller than the strategic nuclear weapons. we're talking about a nuke fired from rocket launchers and that is not to diminish it because you heard president biden saying this could le

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here to help us break the rest of all of it down is cnn's kasie hunt, jeff zeleny and francesca chambersf "usa today." classic steve bannon outside of that courthouse today. he is clearly really eager to come out of this a martyr. >> he's certainly trying to and i think that that that's what his audience is looking for from him because i think one of the interesting things about bannon as a figure in all of this is that he really had lost the support of anyone in establishment washington no matter what party they were a part of. there were republicans on the hill, trump supporters on the hill, who were very frustrated with how he dealt with the intelligence committee, for example, and that kind of went all the way through, you know, up to how the trump -- the former president handled the trial piece and kind of how he was involved in this case. so i don't know if it's going to provide any other lessons for others on the committee for that reason, but certainly bannon is going to try to use it to increase his own notoriety. >> i want to remind folks about why bannon was such a crucial wit

. >> i was expecting right there, jeff zeleny and mcmuffin to just go full spooning. senator lee was willing to eveni sacrifice our constitution hod n order for it i him and his allies, donald trump and his other political allies, to hold on to power. >> would you go as far as the saying he violated his oath ofta office, he violated h the constitution, he violated the lae violw? d i think he violated his oath, certainly. and i think he violatedin the constitution. >> if your number one issuet is defending democracy, you won't be able to builda a coalition with thoseknow who republican senators don't even know who that person is . >> that anchoron. enjoy the fruits of your cowardice, mittens. joining me now is newt gingrich, former speaker of the house fox news contributor newt, look, i supported romney in 2012.2012 i mean, i've known. romney on back to the early 2000s. i always liked him personally, r but this trump derangement syndrome has really revealedreay a lot about the establishment and what they really stood for all along, has it not? >> well, it was particula