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CNN NEWSROOM

Donald Trump Urges Philadelphia to Remain Vigilant at the Polls; Iraqi Forces Close In on Mosul; President Obama Hits the Campaign Trail; Cubs Win Game Five of the World Series. Aired 10:30- 11a ET.

Aired October 31, 2016 - 10:30   ET

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


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DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: You'll void your old ballot. They'll give you a new ballot and you can go out and make sure it gets in. Now in some places they probably do that four or five times, but we don't do that. But that's great.

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CAROL COSTELLO, CNN HOST: Trump says the election is being deliberately stacked against him and he has singled out Philadelphia as a top offender. I went to Philadelphia and let's just say election officials ain't happy.

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COSTELLO (voice over): Donald Trump does not mince words. "Big city America is rigged."

TRUMP: We have to make sure the people of Philadelphia are protected, that the vote counts are 100 percent. I hear these horror shows and we have to make sure that this election is not stolen from us and is not taken away from us. And everybody knows what I'm talking about.

COSTELLO (voice over): Commissioner Schmidt, a republican, and Vealy, a democrat, are in charge of elections in Philly.

COSTELLO: Is it a concern that Donald Trump has singled out Philadelphia?

AL SCHMIDT, PHILADELPHIA COMMISSIONER: Well, it's a concern when anyone says things that undermine confidence in elections and could potential dissuade people from participating in them.

LISA DEELEY, PHILADELPHIA COMMISSIONER: Quite honestly, it's insulting. It's insulting to our staff, who many of them have been here for their whole career. And we know how hard they work and they're working tirelessly to make sure that this election goes off without a hitch.

COSTELLO (voice over): But many conservatives think Trump has a point. They cite instances like this in 2008. VOICE OF STEVEN ROBERT MORSE, FORMER POLL WATCHER: Hi, I'm here at 1221 Fairmountain, Philadelphia and there's a guy with a billy club.

COSTELLO (voice over): As voters cast their ballots for Obama or McCain, a poll watcher named Steven Robert Morse caught two new Black Panther members standing in front of the Philadelphia precinct.

MORSE: I think it might be a little intimidating that you have a stick in your hand and that's why.

UNKNOWN MALE: Who are you to tell me (--)

MORSE: I mean that's a weapon, so that's why I'm a little worried(ph).

COSTELLO (voice over): Fox News pounced and did again in 2012 when a new Black Panther member was seen outside of a polling station.

UNKNOWN FEMALE: This is a member of the Black Panthers standing guard outside a polling place in Philadelphia.

COSTELLO (voice over): The U.S. Justice Department investigated the incident, but dismissed the complaint, to the chagrin of many conservatives. Although Morse is surprised to this day his video caused such a stir.

COSTELLO: You at one point went up and you talked with them. Were they hostile in any way?

MORSE: I mean, hostile, I guess, is a relative question. Was I scared to talk to them? No.

COSTELLO (voice over): But the perception of rampant voter intimidation remains strong among Trump supporters.

KAYLEIGH MCENANY, DONALD TRUMP SUPPORTER: I think he's setting up a scenario where he wants his supporters to be vigilant. He doesn't want a scenario where there's new Black Panthers outside with guns essentially, like, intimidating people from coming to the polls. I think he wants people to be on the lookout.

COSTELLO (voice over): Seth Williams is Philadelphia's district attorney. His office will deploy a voter fraud task force on election day to handle complaints. He says Trump's language:

TRUMP: And we can't lose an election because of you know what I'm talking about.

COSTELLO (voice over): Is racially charged.

COSTELLO: You know what I'm talking about. That's code for?

R. SETH WILLIAMS, DISTRICT ATTORNEY, PHILADELPHIA: I think it's code for people to think that somehow African American's are going to do something wrong with the election, steal it from him. COSTELLO (voice over): Commissioners say there is zero evidence of widespread fraud in Philadelphia today. Their challenge now is combatting rumors of fraud in the birthplace of America's democracy.

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COSTELLO: Donald Trump has asked his supporters to become poll watchers in Philadelphia. So far they have not heeded his call. Philly commissioners told me they've not received any calls from Trump supporters to man the polls. But if Trump supporters follow the law, they're welcome to come watch. Still to come in THE NEWSROOM: After months of fighting ISIS to get close to the city of Mosul, Iraqi forces could now be within hours of entering the city.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [10:35:00]

COSTELLO: An Iraqi commander says his troops are now within hours of entering the city of Mosul. You can see them here approaching the eastern city limits. And we've learned the civilians stuck inside Mosul can see them too. Some of them are already fighting back. Witnesses telling CNN four ISIS militants have been killed by resistance fighters in an outdoor market. This is happening after months of already fierce fighting. An even more intense battle could begin within the city at any time. Nick Paton Walsh has been embedded with U.S. trained Iraqi special forces. Hi, Nick.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Carol, we're seeing the noose tighten slowly around the city. It won't be that well sealed to some degree, but we'll see a lot of Iraqi special forces now nipping at the edges of the city limits. One area, Gugjali, seems to be part of their focus here. That is Mosul city proper and residents inside that area are reporting hearing gunfire clashes, and even air strikes too, as civilians also move out from there, fearing what may be coming down the road. Now, we saw ourselves the kind of intensity of the clashes between those special forces and ISIS at the front line just a couple of days ago.

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WALSH (voice over): ISIS, just beyond the berms. The incoming is from behind it. A truck that pops up opens fire and vanishes.

WALSH: ISIS less than a kilometer away, firing at Iraqi special forces position. This is a constant day in and day out.

(END VIDEO CLIP) [10:39:57]

WALSH: Now, of course you mentioned the resistance inside the city. Well there have been reports of drive-by shootings targeting ISIS officials there. We know from talking to those involved in planning this insurrection that they aim at high profile figures to try and disrupt the leadership, really. Three or four - two or three instances we've seen of this in the last 24 hours or so, and the attack on an ISIS checkpoint. Is it the beginning of something larger? Possibly. It certainly seems to match the timing of Iraqi forces reaching the city outskirts. Be in no doubt, though, Carol, this will be long and messy. It's a huge city, formerly 2 million, 1.2 million trapped in and around it at the moment. It will be bloody because we know for a fact ISIS has been prepared for this for months; many mines, many booby traps in the way of these Iraqi special forces. Remember, though, this is - these people are the tip of the spear, frankly, fighting for - on behalf of the world at this stage against ISIS and getting a lot of casualties as we saw ourselves in the past few days. Carol.

COSTELLO: Nick, you embedded with Iraqi forces. Did they seem a disciplined army to you? What was that like?

WALSH: Yes, to some degree. I think the lack of equipment and training sometimes impedes their ability to act in the way you might, for example, see a NATO military behave. You know, they face deep challenges in terms of their positioning, in terms of how they navigate around these huge areas. But be in no doubt, they're very dedicated, courageous frankly, and the speed in which they move against ISIS and which they held off an ISIS attack we saw as well. And, as I say, they're the ones who are really on the ground doing the fight on behalf of the rest of the civilized world against ISIS and its so-called caliphate, Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Nick Paton Walsh reporting live from in Iraq this morning. Supporters of a Turkish newspaper are protesting today after 13 journalists are arrested, accused of helping enemies of the state. One of those arrested is the editor in chief of that opposition paper. It's all part of a continuing crackdown in Turkey. The Turkish government says the journalist helped legitimize the summer's failed coup. Over the weekend, more than 10,000 public servants were fired and more than a dozen media companies shut down.

More than 15,000 people are now living in temporary shelters in Italy, forced to evacuate after a powerful earthquake hit central Italy over the weekend. Twenty people were hurt in the magnitude 6.6 quake. It was the strongest earthquake to hit the country in three decades. It follows a series of tremors that have shaken central Italy since last Wednesday and another earthquake that killed nearly 300 people back in August.

Still to come in THE NEWSROOM: With his legacy on the line, President Obama sounds off on the FBI, telling supporters to, "Ignore the noise."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [10:45:00]

COSTELLO: President Obama is working hard to get Hillary Clinton elected. He's hitting the trail in a big way, making multiple stops for her this week. And he might be the crucial figure on the trail as the FBI culls through Clinton-related emails, possibly connected to the investigation into her private server. The President telling volunteers on a campaign conference call that, "There's going to be noise and distractions over the course of the final days of this campaign. We knew that was going to happen. It always does. But you just have to be not distracted and fight through it." So let's talk about the significance of this message with President Obama's former speech writer, David Lit. Welcome, David. DAVID LITT, FORMER SPEECH WRITER FOR PRESIDENT OBAMA: Thanks, Carol, it's great to be here.

COSTELLO: It's great to have you here. Is it possible for voters just to, like, not pay attention to the noise?

LITT: Well, you know, what is possible I think is to get above the noise and to focus on the big issues. And that's something the President has always been consistent in urging people to do, to say no matter what the controversy of the day is, no matter what issue is in the news the most, let's remember this is about what kind of country we want to be.

COSTELLO: Surely, though, this email controversy bothers him.

LITT: Well, you know, I can't speak to exactly what he's thinking, but I would imagine, like most democrats, it's a little worrying. It's certainly bothersome, but it is not the most important issue at stake in this election. And I think that's something both the Clinton campaign and the President are making very clear.

COSTELLO: President Obama was so successful with young voter support, right? And this election season has been so negative and so nasty and filed with distractions. Do you think young people will turn out to vote in droves?

LITT: Well, I think we're seeing that Hillary Clinton has a very big lead among young people. But, like you say, the question is are those young people going to go vote? And I think that's one of the places where the President is very effective on the campaign trail. A lot of people my age really came of age with this president, and for him to say, "This is personal to me. If you want to protect my legacy, if you want to protect everything we've done together, you gotta go vote," I do think that will have an impact.

COSTELLO: And I just want to follow that up by reminding our viewers how hopeful the President was in 2008 and that it was his hopefulness that attracted young voters. Let's listen to President Obama in 2008.

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PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, BARACK OBAMA: Is there anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible? Who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time? Who still question the power of our democracy? Tonight is your answer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So there was that incredible cheer, Americans were so hopeful, but you can't say that now. We're kind of in this doom and gloom place that we can't get out of.

LITT: I guess that's one way to think about it. I think there's no question that this is a very different attitude and a different electorate than 2008. At the same time, I think that one of the reasons the President is on the trail is to look back and say for all the frustrations, for all the moments that it seemed like things were not going our way, for all the noise that he talks about, we've done a tremendous amount of good for people throughout America, and we can keep that going. And he goes back to that in his speeches on the trail. [10:50:02]

COSTELLO: Well it's interesting. He gave an interview to Snapchat and I'm just reading, because I just got it in my email box a short time ago. He told Peter Hamby, who's the political director for Snapchat, that Hillary Clinton may be in a position to negotiate with certain members of the republican congress, as she has done in the past on some basic(ph) things like rebuilding our roads. In other words, he made it seem like Hillary Clinton may be better equipped to work with the republican congress in a way President Obama was not.

LITT: Well, I think that something that he is rightly pointing out is she has a long track record of working with republicans when she was a senator and I think she had, as people also point out, very high approval ratings as secretary of state when she was in the senate from New York. And so, she has a history of getting into office, working really hard, finding ways to find common grounds. So I think the President is pointing out, you know, this election is unquestionably a little bit of a downer, but once she is in office we could see a very different version of events.

COSTELLO: All right, David Litt, thanks so much for joining me this morning. Melania Trump plans to step into the spotlight later this week. She'll deliver a speech Thursday in Philadelphia, where Trump is hoping to pick up female voters. This is Mrs. Trump's first speech since the republican national convention. Donald Trump says it's also the first of two or three speeches she will give before the campaign wraps up. He's promising they will be "Big, important speeches."

Coming up in THE NEWSROOM: The Chicago Cubs live to see another day, but now the pressure is on. Who will take home the title of World Series Champion?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [10:55:00]

COSTELLO: We're checking some top stories for you at 55 minutes past. An eight-day man hunt for a suspected killer ends in a shootout. Oklahoma fugitive Michael Vance was shot and killed overnight, after leading police on a chase. Vance was accused of killing two relatives and shooting two police officers. Before he was killed, Vance taunted police on social media, posting videos on Facebook showing off a weapon and hinting of more violence to come.

Jury selected today in the Walter Scott case, that controversial shooting death of an African American man by a white officer in South Carolina. Former police officer Michael Slager is accused of killing Scott after pulling him over for a broken taillight. Video evidence shows Scott getting out of the car and running away from Slager, who then shot Scott eight times. His death ignited a national conversation about race and policing. Twenty-two people injured after a NASCAR event in Martinsville,

Virginia. It happened in a handicapped parking lot just outside the speedway. The lot was filled with vehicles and pedestrians trying to leave when one driver attempted to pass another vehicle and ended up striking several pedestrians. Alcohol does not appear to be a factor.

The Cubs live to play another day, beating the Indians at Wrigley Field to force a game six in the World Series. Andy Scholes joins us live from Chicago with today's BLEACHER REPORT. Hi, Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hi Carol. Yes, the fans here in Chicago finally getting to see a Cubs win in the World Series at Wrigley Field. They waited 71 years for that, and they were so happy after the game, Carol. I got to tell you, they wouldn't leave the stadium. They were packing the streets right here. Everyone wanted a picture with the sign that said, "Cubs win." It was an awesome scene to see and the team even actually went back out onto the field to admonish all the fans that were hanging out in the stadium. And I'll tell you what for the games, all of the Cub's celebrity fans were here. Vince Vaughn with his fans(ph) giving fist bumps to everyone. Bill Murray hasn't missed one of these World Series games at Wrigley Field. And Eddy Vedder, he sang "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the seventh inning.

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SCHOLES: Now, there were some nervous moments for all the Cubs fans here. They were down 1 to 0. That was until kris Bryant came through with a solo run in the fourth. That was one of three runs the Cubs got in the innings, and that's all they needed. John Lester was great, the starter for the Cubs, and then he handed it over to Aroldis Chapman, who came out throwing heat, Carol. He was throwing over 100 miles per hour. He got the final eight outs of the ballgame for the Cubs. They came through with a big 3-2 win in game five, sending this series back to Cleveland.

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KRIS BRYANT, CUBS THIRD BASEMAN: Why not us? I mean, that's kind of our, you know - I feel like we play our best with our backs up against the wall and hopefully we can get out there and win game six, because, you know, you never know what can happen in game seven, so. You know, but we're all about writing our own history. You know, this team is a special one.

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SCHOLES: The Cubs are trying to become the sixth team in major league baseball history to come back from a 3-1 deficit in the World Series game six. It's going to be tomorrow night back in Cleveland. And, Carol, you know, Joe Madden, the manager for the Cubs, he always tries to keep the mood light around his team. And he advised all the players, you know what? Haloween, everyone dress up in your Halloween costumes for the flight over to Cleveland. So we could get some cool pictures on social media coming from the Cubs later on today.

COSTELLO: I think they should dress up as the Cleveland Indians, that would be quite interesting, right?

SCHOLES: Like they're in the movie Major League? Yeah.

COSTELLO: Exactly.

SCHOLES: Doubt it.

COSTELLO: You know what? A lot of Cleveland fans are saying, you know what, it's better that the Cleveland Indians lost, because they can win the series in Cleveland and fans can cheer along with the team.

SCHOLES: Absolutely. And you know what, Carol? You know the Cavs won their championship in California on the road. The city of Cleveland hasn't celebrated a championship in years. So it would be really cool, actually, if they do win it at home.

COSTELLO: It would be ultimately cool. Andy Scholes, thanks so much. And thank you for joining me today. I'm Carol Costello. "AT THIS HOUR" with Berman and Bolduan starts now.