Sunday, November 1, 2020

Biden, Trump battle for battlegrounds

"It's up to the voters to be informed and look past the disinformation that is out there,"

-- Former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson on foreign interference in 2020


Welcome to the "Face the Nation" Five at Five newsletter. Scroll down for your five takeaways from today's broadcast with moderator Margaret Brennan on CBS.

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1. Election day prognosis: RNC sees surge for Trump

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RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel forecasts a surge in support for President Trump come Election Day, something she says will solidify his lead as Trump seeks to secure a second term in the White House

What we asked: Is your turnout get out the vote operation enough to help you close this on Election Day?

What McDaniel said: "COVID has changed things, so it's pulled a lot of Democrat Election Day voters into that absentee and early vote category. And Republicans are wanting to vote on Election Day in person and cast their ballot that way. So we feel very strong that we have a surge coming on Election Day. We've also built the best ground game in history with 2.5 million volunteers and 3,000 staff on the ground. And we are contacting these voters right now all weekend through the next few days to make sure they turn out to vote. But he's exactly right. The margins are going to be based on that Election Day turnout and Republicans will have a surge that day. We're going to- we're going to have that, and that's why we're going to win."

Why it matters: McDaniel's analysis comes as new CBS News Battleground Tracker polling shows Joe Biden with a strong lead in support from voters who cast their ballots early or absentee, but Trump maintaining preference among voters who intend to vote on election day.

2. Inferring interference: Jeh Johnson on lasting concerns

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Jeh Johnson, Former secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, warned Sunday that foreign actors are currently taking action to interfere in the 2020 election and urged Americans to ensure they are informed and looking past disconfirmation spread in the run-up to Election Day.

What we asked: How do you assess the security of this election and what the Trump administration has done?

What Johnson said: "There is, in fact, foreign interference right now in the 2020 election. We know this from our own government. The Iranians have attempted to intimidate Democratic voters. We know that there was a large-scale targeting exercise by the Russian government, but our government does not know exactly what their plan is. So there is, in fact, foreign interference. And so I'm encouraged that DHS is taking this very seriously. They plan for this. They've had four years to plan for this, but there's no complete line of defense against a sophisticated foreign actor. So it's up to the voters to be informed and look past the disinformation that is out there."

Why it matters: Johnson's concerns come as intelligence officials continue to stress that Russian and Iranian foreign actors intend to disrupt the U.S. election process, by sowing discord and disinformation.

National security and intelligence officials revealed just last month Iran was behind an email campaign targeting Democratic voters in several states, including Florida, in which emails that purported to come from The Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group, threatened recipients to vote for President Trump "or else." The Proud Boys has been designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights advocacy group.

3. If Biden wins Florida, it's "over" for Trump, says Rep. Demings

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Florida Congresswoman Val Demings projected that should Biden and Harris take Florida, the race call would come early in the Election night proceedings, leading to a likely demise of the Trump campaign.

What we asked: What is it going to take for Biden to win Florida?

What Demings said: "If Joe Biden and Kamala Harris win Florida and we would expect if we win it, we win it early in the night, then it is over for President Trump. Look, we are taking nothing, absolutely nothing for granted here on the ground. We know Florida, large swing state, battleground state has always been very close. Matter of fact, for the last 20 years in the presidential race, it's been within one percentage point or less. Who could forget Bush Gore in 2000, where it was 537 votes? And so we were taking nothing for granted. The vice president has spent, I think, a significant amount of time here. You know, President Obama has been here as well, Dr. Biden and Kamala Harris. So we're excited about what we are seeing on the ground. But understand me clearly, we are taking absolutely nothing for granted because we know regardless of what the numbers are, it's going to be a close race."

Why it matters: Demings noted, however, that the margins were thin for her homestate. Trump clinched the Sunshine State's vote in 2016 and could certainly make for a repeat performance this time around.

4. Gottlieb's Thanksgiving forecast: Dark winter ahead

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With coronavirus infections spiking in more than three dozen states, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, predicted Sunday that the Thanksgiving holiday will be an "inflection point" for the pandemic.

What we asked: The president continues to say we're rounding the corner. That's just not factually accurate

What Gottlieb said: "No, things are getting worse around the country. I think Thanksgiving is really going to be an inflection point. I think December is probably going to be our toughest month. But when you look at what's happening in states right now, you're seeing accelerating spread. We're right at the beginning of what looks like exponential growth in a lot of states, the Midwest, the Great Lakes region, even states like Texas, where you see 6,000 cases, Illinois, 8,000 cases, Florida 5,000 cases, Wisconsin 5,000 cases reported Friday. These are very worrisome trends. There are about 23 states right now that are accelerating the spread. Right now, there's- the positivity rate is above 10% in 15 states. And all the states have an R above one, which means that they're an expanding epidemic right now. So this is very worrisome as we head into the winter."

Why it matters: Gottlieb said the spread of the virus is accelerating in 23 states, including across the Midwest and the Great Lakes region, while 15 states have a positivity rate above 10%. There is an expanding epidemic in all 50 states, he said.

5. Battleground Blitz: The race to 270

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Joe Biden heads into Election Day preferred by voters who have already cast their ballots early. President Trump has a lead among those who plan to show up on November 3. So will Biden's lead hold up?

Take a look at CBS News' latest polling to see the likely scenarios for Tuesday.

TUNE IN: CBS NEWS ELECTION 2020

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CBS News will deliver multiplatform election coverage on the CBS Television Network, CBSN, the 24/7 live streaming news service, CBSNews.com and CBS News Radio on Tuesday, Nov. 3. CBS EVENING NEWS anchor and managing editor Norah O'Donnell will lead the Network's primetime coverage beginning at 7:00 PM, ET that day.

CBS News' Election Day coverage begins on CBSN at 7:00 AM, ET and on CBS THIS MORNING at 7:00 AM.

For the first time, CBS News will broadcast its Election Night coverage from the heart of Manhattan in Times Square, at the ViacomCBS headquarters at 1515 Broadway. The new state-of-the-art Election Night studio will use augmented reality and the latest technology, including dozens of visual displays showcasing the latest data and mapping to help tell the complex stories of this election.

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