afternoon. you're live in the "cnn newsroom." i'm ana cabrera in new york. 16 days and counting until the election. we're learning of a superstitious president trying to replicate the winning atmosphere from 2016. that means the same advisers, the same rhetoric, the same nonstop rallies, including another in nevada tonight, following events in wisconsin, michigan, florida and georgia. according to a person briefed on president trump's oval office sessions, the president is insistent his 20e 16 strategy will work again. 2020 is not 2016. the reality star is now an incumbent saddled with the pandemic and a rising death count. there's almost nowhere in america where covid cases are trending in the right direction. the u.s. is now averaging more than 55,000 new cases a day over the past week, up more than 60% since a mid-september dip.

experts say this is the fall surge we have been promised for months, months the president promised there was nothing to worry about. the president himself who contracted covid, is still attacking the governor of michigan for his pandemic restrictions. >> the democrats will terminate our recovery with a draconian, unscientific, lockdown while your governor is doing right now. and then i guess they said she was threatened. she was threatened. and she blamed me. she blamed me. and our people were the ones that worked with her people, so let's see what happens. >> the "lock her up" chant, another throwback to 2016. this time it is said in the wake of very real and violent threat.

governor whitner was the target of a domestic terror plot. more than a dozen men face charges. this more than governor whitmer put blame on the president's rhetoric. >> you know, it's incredibly disturbing that the president of the united states, ten days after a plot to kidnap, put me on trial and execute me, ten days after that was uncovered, the president is at it again and inspiring and incentivizing and inciting this kind of domestic terrorism. it is wrong. it's got to end. >> cnn's ryan nobles is in carson city, nevada, where the president holds a rally later tonight. the trump campaign was pressed on the president's comments over governor whitmer. what are they saying? >> reporter: well, they're not really backing down on it, which is not much of a surprise despite the fact that governor

whitmer herself believes the president's rhetoric pointed in her direction is what inspired this group to come up with this alleged plot. the president isn't backing down on that harsh criticism of how she handled the pandemic and inciting the chant to lock her up. he does that with political opponents across the country, not just in michigan. we were with him yesterday in georgia. there was a similar chant towards some of his political opponents there. and it's something his crowds eat up. they believe it, a chapter and verse, and they support the president when he says that. today on "state of the union" jake tapper pressed lara trump, who is one of the president's senior advisers as to how the president handled this and if he should be accountable. this is how she responded. >> he wasn't doing, i don't think, to provoke people to threaten this woman at all. he was having fun at a trump rally. look, the president was at a rally. it's a fun, light atmosphere.

he wasn't encouraging people to threaten this woman. that's ridiculous. >> i don't think lock her up is fun. >> reporter: the point being here that it's not just whitmer that is often the target of these very harsh attacks by omar, the congresswoman from minnesota, the president talks about her going back to where she came from, and sometimes he'll play cute with this crowd. someone will start the "lock her up" chant and say i can't say that and laugh and that encouraging them to fire them up even more. so, you know, you have to go no further than the people themselves that are the targets of this. governor whitmer, ralph northam in new york say the president's rhetoric is what led to this threat. he shows no sign of backing down from that and we'll see if that continues today in nevada. >> we'll check back. with us is us the former republican governor of michigan,

rick snyder, who has endorsed joe biden in the 2020 race. i want to get your reaction to the comments about governor whitm whitmer, lock her up" chants and lara trump saying the president was just having fun. >> it's great to be with you. it's just flat out wrong. it's inappropriate to help drive comments like that from a crowd, to encourage people to do that. that's not how america should be. he's not learned anything from the time he was running in 2016. he's doubling down now on dividing our country. that's one of my huge issues. why i don't support him and i support joe biden. he's been our divider in chief in this country and we need to get back to civility in our nation. >> why aren't we hearing more of that from leaders of your party, current republican lawmakers? why aren't they telling the president to knock this off? >> some of us are. in a lot of ways he intimidates,

he's a bully. they worry about what he'll do to their state, cutting off aid and other things. that's further representing why he shouldn't be in office any longer. he's proven that he's not done a good job. he's actually driven division. he's caused many problems in our country. and we need new leadership. so, the way i looked at it is not just supporting trump, but joe biden shows an ability to heal. if you look at his track record, his history, and what he's talking about today, it's talking about bringing people back together. i know i'll have policy differences with him but at least i'll have someone i can have a reasonable discussion with and someone who will listen. >> governor whitmer's deputy digital director tweeted this. i see everything that's said about and to her online every single time the president does this at a rally, the violent rhetoric towards her immediately escalates on social media. it has to stop. it just has to. governor, is the president endangering the current governor's life? >> again, i want to be careful

about not making speculative comments like that. what i would say is, it is absolutely wrong. there's no doubt about it. it's inappropriate. it's not helping our country. it's not helping michigan. it's not helping our current governor. we should all be rallying together. we're in a pandemic. look at the deaths going on, the challenges in our country that we need to bring our economy back. we shouldn't be in discussions like this or have people bring out nasty, ugly comments like this. we should be talking about how we can heal both in terms of the covid issue and our economy. >> i think everybody can appreciate your message about unity, but what make you think this will stop if joe biden is elected? trump is just one person. a lot of people say trump is a symptom, not the root cause of the divisiveness. >> i think he's both but he is part of the cause. he's fueled these fires. so, i don't think it's going to change overnight but we need to get back on a more positive path of people working together. what i encourage joe biden to

do, assuming he does get elected president, and i hope he does, is to find some common ground issue we can all rally around to show we can all win. this shouldn't be about someone winning and someone losing. we need to get back to the model of how do we make everyone better off in this country in a collective fashion versus having winners and losers and having people say, you know, you're on my side or you're against me. we're americans. >> the fear -- >> the greatest threat to our country is us. and in terms of this incivility and how we're treating one another. >> right. that fear, that divisiveness, the current climate, has a lot of people concerned about what happens on election day or after, no matter who wins. the michigan secretary of state has now issued this directive that banned open carrying of guns at polling places, clerk's offices and other places where absentee ballots are counted. do you think this directive was necessary? >> what's going on with the kidnap attempt and things like

that, i think it's reasonable to look at during the circumstances. there's so much rhetoric that are discouraging people from voting in some fashion. we need to encourage everyone to vote. i put a message out on social media about how i voted and it was great. the clerk in my community sent me an email saying they got my ballot, they verified it, waiting to be counted on election day. that's good service. that's the kind of service we need. hopefully that will encourage people to using these mechanisms as opposed to standing in line on election day. >> they say the ban on open carry is about voting intimidation and preventing that. are you worried about voter intimidation in michigan? >> i worry about it in michigan and everywhere because of the environment we're in. this is where we need to have a civil election. again, they've had rules for years about you can't do certain things within so many feet of a polling place. i remember those days. i've gone through that myself. not in this nasty environment. it's only gotten worse.

let's try to keep our polls safe, try to create an environment where we encourage people to vote. everyone should do that. it was amazing. when i posted how i voted, i had people criticize me -- i didn't say how i was voting one way or another. it was simply, please, go vote. people can't even be nice when you say you voted in this country today. that's awful. >> yeah. when you look at the current health situation, the covid cases there in michigan, do you think governor whitmer has been too strict? would you have done anything differently? >> again, i'm not here to make comments on my successor. other than to say, this has been a terrible circumstance. she needed to take action. the governors collectively in our country had more responsibility placed on them because the president abrogated much of the federal responsibility to act. so, i appreciate governors speaking up, and i appreciate our governor speaking up trying to solve a terrible situation. there is no perfect answer. nothing is going to go without some issues happening.

the main thing is, how do we support one another as opposed to how do we tear one another down? >> in 2016 president trump beat hillary clinton in michigan by just 10,704 votes. that is about 0.2 of a percentage point. do you think it will be this close this time around? >> i don't believe so. i don't take it for granted, though. that's one reason i'm happy to talk about my support for joe biden. if you put it in context, there are two inthings that drive an election. in terms of turnout, hillary clinton didn't get huge support in terms of people turning out to vote compared to donald trump. that was the difference there in terms of more people in certain parts of michigan turned out for trump but turnout was down compared to prior elections for the democratic candidate. in this case, you have undecideds. the undecideds in this case last time gave donald trump the benefit of the doubt in many cases because he was an unknown coming into the political world.

he's a known and he's a known train wreck. so, we need to get ba better leadership in this country and show how we can come back together and be a great country again. >> so you think joe biden will win michigan? >> i do. again, i'm going to keep working to assure that as much as possible because i think it's really important. you don't take an election for granted. until the votes are counted and you know the answer, stay on the gas and support your candidate. >> rick snyder, thanks so much for joining us. >> great to be with you. with the coronavirus case count surging, why is the doctor, the president listens to the most on covid, mocking masks? we'll dig into that next. and the veterans that never quit on their team. when being a fan gets tough, and stretching your budget gets even tougher... ...our agents put in the time and legwork for you, ...so saving on auto insurance is easy.

because saving a little extra goes a long way. usaa. what you're made of, we're made for. omnipod delivers insulin through a discreet waterproof pod... to help simplify life. no more daily injections. it's game-changing. and the wireless controller helps deliver the right amount of insulin. plus, take your insulin anywhere with a small tubeless pod. get started with a free 30-day omnipod dash trial today. go to omnipod.com for risk information, instructions for use and free trial terms and conditions. consult your healthcare provider before starting on omnipod. simplify diabetes. simplify life. omnipod. monitoring patients in hospitals around the world so that doctors and nurses can make sure you feel safe. as new challenges have arisen, we've grown to bring that same safety and support to the place that you want to be most.

together. masimo. together in hospital. together at home. that i've started to do on ancestry. having ancestry to fill in the gaps with documents, with photographs, connecting in real time means that we're having conversations that are richer. i have now a closer relationship with my grandfather. i can't think of a better gift to give to my daughter

and the generations that come after her. bring your family history to life like never before. get started for free at ancestry.com to save you up to 60%. these are all great. and when you get a big deal... ♪ ...you feel like a big deal. ♪ priceline. every trip is a big deal.

he's the doctor who has the president's ear, wielding great influence over this administration's action when it comes to this deadly pandemic.

this is what the doctor is spending his time doing, tweeting out misinformation that flies in the face of science, putting american lives at rivsk. his tweet which argues against the effectiveness of masks was taken down by twitter for sharing false content that could lead to harm. dr. rhiner is with us. is there any doubt at all about the science here? >> no, no doubt at all. when i saw dr. atlas' tweet yesterday, i thought the only rational conclusion was someone had hacked his account. no physician in the united states should issue that kind of nonsense. look, there have been over 200 case control and observational studies. when you look at a meta-analysis over 25,000 people in those studies, masks work. the better mask you wear, the more protection you get. we know from countrywide data that masks work. look at japan, a country with very large adoption of masks.

they've in 9s 0,000 total cases. that's about a day and a half of cases in the united states. 90,000 cases. their population is 30 million. taiwan has had a total of seven deaths. universal masks. they had their first case the day after ours. look at arizona, when the shutdown was lifted, they have 151% increase in cases. then they instituted a mask mandate, it dropped 75%. we know from hospital data during the hottest days of the pandemic in new york, hospitals with mask mandates in the hospital had lower incidences than in the community. there's no doubt it works. the president has a lot of people around him that know a lot about this. scott atlas isn't one of them. >> it doesn't make sense why he's saying what you're saying. the president is in nevada today but he made a stop earlier at a church service in vegas where you could see folks were crowded together. not everyone is wearing masks.

this is a state where covid cases are 17% as of friday. what's your reaction to cease these images? >> it's a blatant disregard for the health of people in this country. weal talk about this almost every weekend because the president behaves like this every weekend. it's not going to stop unless there's leadership change in this country. i'm a doc, no one cares what my political views are, but i don't see any change in policy right now. and these kinds of reckless behaviors on the part of the president cost lives. we've seen this in minnesota. over 20 people were infected at that rally he had two weeks ago. we saw it at the white house with the scotus announcement. over 30 people were infected. his actions have consequences. there's blood on his hands. >> to your point about the impact and what we're seeing as the fallout from some of these events, the president was asked about that, pushed on why he

continues to hold large rallies while nearly every state in the country is seeing cases spike. listen to his answer. >> i had a rally yesterday where i didn't see anybody without one. and you could see because the people were behind me. and i mean, almost everybody has it. you know, we hand them out at the rallies. we give masks to everybody at the rallies. the rallies, again, are outdoor. we have heard of no instances, and i've had big rallies, 35,000, 40,000 people come to the rallies, and we've had no instance where we've had a problem. >> take couple fact-checks there. first of all, video shows many if not all of these people are not wearing masks and 20 cases have been linked to just one of the president's rallies in minnesota last month. so, how do you square those numbers with what you heard him say there? do you think he really believes what he's saying? >> well, if he believes what he's saying, it's even worse.

look, the only people who wear masks at his rallies are the people standing behind him, who are told to wear masks. we've seen people at the rallies, when interviewed and asked if they would wear a mask if the president told them, they said yes. when they go to rallies and given maga masks and told to wear them, they care them. if he told people that attend his rallies to wear masks, they would wear them. if he told his supporters to wear masks, they would wear masks, yet he doesn't do it. you know, he's going out, sticking to his guns and that has cost tens of thousands of lives in this country. >> and so many more potentially to come based on all of the science and the way the u.s. has handled it. thank you for your expertise. taking the time to share with us. >> my pleasure. with just two weeks to go until election day, we're starting to see more republicans

criticize the president. the latest, a gop senator likening his relationship with president trump to a woman who gets married thinking she can change her husband. that's next. you're live in the "cnn newsroom." let's be honest. quitting smoking is hard. like, quitting every monday hard. quitting feels so big. so try making it smaller, and you'll be surprised at how easily starting small can lead to something big. start stopping with nicorette.

our essential mist transforms fragrance infused starting small can lead to something big. with natural essential oils to create a mist. to invite the scents, comfort and warmth of the season into your home. it's air care, redefined. connect to nature this holiday season. wow, i wish i could get a deal on a smartphone, but i'm not a new customer. well, actually now, new and existing customers can get our best smartphone deal. it's historic. that is historic. which means... i'm making history, right? yea, i don't know if i'd exactly sa- wow. me, dave brown. existing customer who got the greatest deal in history. just like every other customer gets... oh that's cool too. it's not complicated. at&t is making history. everyone gets our best smartphone deals, including the lates pre-orders.

good morning, mr. sun. good morning, blair. [ chuckles ] whoo. i'm gonna grow big and strong. yes, you are. i'm gonna get this place all clean. i'll give you a hand. and i'm gonna put lisa on crutches! wait, what? said she's gonna need crutches. she fell pretty hard. you might want to clean that up, girl. excuse us. when owning a small business gets real, progressive helps protect what you built with customizable coverage. -and i'm gonna -- -eh, eh, eh. -donny, no. -oh.

i'm running as a proud democrat but i will govern at an american president. no red states, no blue states, just the united states. >> democratic presidential nominee joe biden campaigning in durham, north carolina, this afternoon, just 16 days out from election day.

urging voters to cast their ballots early. cnn is following the biden campaign in durham. biden is trying to speak to ind pebt voters. is north carolina a must win in biden? >> reporter: well, ana, north carolina isn't necessarily a must win nor joe biden but a win here would help biden cut off president trump's path to the presidency so they are spending time in this state as they are trying to win back one of the states the president won in 2016. you saw him here in durham, north carolina, this afternoon at a drive-in style event. everybody was socially distanced in their cars. and he was encouraging his supporters to make a plan to vote in these final days before the election, with-in person early voting under way here in north carolina. now, biden once again hammered away at the. the for his response to the coronavirus pandemic, but he

also offered this vision for the country, trying to argue the country needs to step away from its divisive nature. take a listen to his message earlier today. >> there's nothing beyond our capacity. we have never, ever failed. there's no limit on our future. the only one that can take america apart is america itself. know knows who donald trump is. let him know who we are. we choose hope over fear. we choose unity over digs. science over fiction. and, yes, we choose truth over lies. >> reporter: so, that is a reliable message biden has been relaying over the course of his campaign, something he's really trying to hone in on the final weeks before the election. now, this coming few days will have a busy campaign schedule for the former vice president

surrogates. kamala harris is heading down to florida. her first in-person trip after they had to suspend campaign travel for her after two members of her traveling team tested positive for coronavirus. on wednesday we'll see president barack obama hitting the campaign trail. this is his first in-person appearance for his former vice president. obama will be campaigning in philadelphia. the biden campaign believes he can turn out black men, latinos and young voters. this will be a solo stop. biden is expected to be deep in debate prep on that day but there's the possibility biden and obama could appear together in those final days. >> the pressure is on, 16 days and counting. joining us is cnn's john avlon and margaret hoover. take a listen. >> they said, sir, we have a

little problem. what? obama's going to campaign for him. i said, that's good news, he campaigned harder for hillary clinton than hillary and it made us stronger. i want him to campaign so much. i79 him to campaign because we're going to do even better. >> john, i'll start with you. do you think he really believes that? >> i'm sorry. i'm cracking up because whenever donald trump tells a story with someone calling him sir, he's lying. it's one of his many tales. dan o'dell has done a good job chronicling that for us. whatever his version is, look, there may be some folks in trump's base alienated by barack obama but the real contrast between trump and obama is so clear that obama is a real asset to the democratic ticket. he brings energy, particularly if he campaigns in areas where he can get young african-american men and young hispanics to heed the call to turn out.

hillary did not do nearly as as well with african-americans as barack obama did. he needs that number to be high. as well as the hispanic vote. >> barack obama also campaigned for hillary clinton. >> yes. but that was also hillary clinton. >> look, there's a couple things here. one, barack obama does pull stronger with the suburban women trump has lost and he can drive up numbers of african-americans as john just said. but there's another thing most republicans who still support donald trump who are looking at the numbers always counted on when -- six weeks ago when it looked like donald trump was in a far stronger position than he appears to be now. there's a small percentage of african-american men who are falling in favor of trump. and -- >> a very small favor. >> it is a very small number. to be clear,ist single digits because republicans traditionally don't win between 10% and 20% of the african-american vote.

trump counted on some african-american men falling away. so when barack obama is out campaigning, all he's doing is solidifying the obama coalition to rally the troops. the big guns come out in the last week. >> do you really think the president was in a stronger position six weeks ago? if that's the case, what happened? >> 100%. six weeks ago, before the first debate, before the president himself succumbed to -- got sick with the coronavirus, and that became the dominant issue in that campaign, we were talking about law and order, we were talking about the economy recovering. the national mood and focus of the debate, the narrative was far more in favor of donald trump's re-election, frankly, and the wind was in his sails. i'm not saying he was ever going to run away with it, but what changed was the debate and what changed was coronavirus taking over the narrative and really

reminding us that that's the center point of this debate. >> what should she said. >> still, john, biden's campaign member wrote this saying the searing truth is donald trump can win this race. every indication we have is this is going to come down to the wire. is this about being overly cautious since the shock of 2016 or are they seeing something that worries them? >> no. look, first, it's campaign 101. you should always campaign like you're behind. you should never be complacent. joe biden is racking up big numbers we haven't seen in decades in conventional polling. it makes sense his campaign says, don't take this for granted, show up and vote. the only poll that matters on election day. you're darn right, she has to remind folks about that. that's basic common sense in a campaign, especially because donald trump did shock the world last time around because, in part, some democrats got complacent. voted third-party.

>> it's 16 days out from the election. as everybody knows, we still have another debate this week. another opportunity for donald trump to at least change the narrative or to get some momentum in his own direction, truly. >> maybe. >> and that could happen. so, i don't -- this goose is not cooked yet. it's cooking but it's not cooked yet. and i think that's what everyone needs to keep in mind. a lot can happen. >> republicans clearly believe the president is trailing with women and suburbans. listen to republican senator ben sa sasse this week. >> i'm now looking at the possibility of a republican blood bath in the senate. that's why i've never been on the trump train. i think we are staring down the barrel of a blue tsunami. >> margaret, do you think that's what will happen?

>> i think we are staring down the barrel of a blue tsunami. of all the republicans who are going to return to the senate, ben sasse being one of them, it's a lonely minority. it's hard to hear that as a republican who -- sasse made a calculation to be on the trump train. now that he's cleared his primary and up for re-election and he's safe and going to return to the senate, he's now not? on the one hand, i appreciate that he's being candid now. but it's just tough to square. >> i mean, but, you know, in the fullness of those comments he said, he said he kisses the butts of dictators, he's spending like a drunken sailor, he's terrible for the country, divisive, all of the things that sound like a democratic campaign ad, but it's a little too late because they have not stood up to donald trump up to this point. it's truth, what a lot of senators, including republicans, think of donald trump. >> although i would say that

phone call was not necessarily in private. that was a call with his constituents, 17,000, we're told, and clearly he had a sense that could end up becoming public and, you know, widespread. i do want to also get your reaction, though, before you continue, because let's add in what we're now hearing from john cornyn and what he told the ft. worth star telegram, that paper writes, cornyn initially described his relationship with trump as maybe like a lot of women who get married and think they're going to change their spouse and that doesn't usually work out very well. and cornyn continued, they write, i think what we found is we're not going to change president trump. he is who he is. you either love him or hate him and there's not much in between. what i tried to do is not get in public confrontations and fights with him because what i've owned, those don't end too well. so, is buyer's remorse setting in for republicans? >> i think it says john cornyn is worried about his race. when you're worried in texas,

that's a problem. i don't know about women in marriages trying to change their spouses thinking you can change them, otherwise john avlon would be a die-hard republican at this point. but i do -- you know, there is a lot of buyer's remorse. it's a littlittle too little to. john cornyn is trying to peel off the women, because they're in texas as well and they agree with him, trump has been an irresponsible leader to this point. >> i'm sure he'll change, he'll learn his lesson. nope and nope. >> he's still the same donald trump. you know, that comment you made about john avlon being republican if you had your way, it goes to show republicans and democrats, people with different political feelings and leanings can still get along, can still love each other. >> absolutely. >> can we get back to those

days? you're a beautiful day. we can all aspire to be like you. >> take care. >> have a good one, guys. tonight hear from former trump administration officials including john bolton, olivia troy and myles taylor joining jake tapper with an urgent message for america. that's tonight at 9:00 p.m. eastern on cnn. this is a game changer. the new iphone 12 pro with 5g meets verizon 5g ultra wideband. remember when the song of the summer took the whole summer to download? but these g's don't blink. (phone chimes) remember when the only way multiplayer gaming worked was with wi-fi? boom! legendary fast with verizon 5g. remember when i told you to clean your room? nope. ♪ (chris) 5g just got real. pow! 5g ultra wideband. now in more and more cities.

i'm a talking dog. the other issue. oh...i'm scratching like crazy.

you've got some allergic itch with skin inflammation. apoquel can work on that itch in as little as 4 hours, whether it's a new or chronic problem. and apoquel's treated over 8 million dogs. nice. and...the talking dog thing? is it bothering you? no...itching like a dog is bothering me. until dogs can speak for themselves, you have to. when allergic itch is a problem, ask for apoquel. apoquel is for the control of itch associated with allergic dermatitis and the control of atopic dermatitis in dogs. do not use apoquel in dogs less than 12 months old or those with serious infections. apoquel may increase the chance of developing serious infections and may cause existing parasitic skin infestations or pre-existing cancers to worsen. do not use in breeding, pregnant, or lactating dogs. most common side effects are vomiting and diarrhea. feeling better? i'm speechless. thanks for the apoquel. aw...that's what friends are for. ask your veterinarian for apoquel next to you, apoquel is a dog's best friend.

unlike ordinary memory want supplements-ter? neuriva has clinically proven ingredients that fuel 5 indicators

of brain performance. memory, focus, accuracy, learning, and concentration. try our new gummies for 30 days and see the difference. it's got our sharpest five german blades ever and unlike some other companies, we don't raise the price when we make you something new. harry's. not the same. flat out lies and wild con spercy theories are taking hold in the key battleground state of florida. much of of that misinformation targets the latino voters. cnn reports. >> reporter: coffee is a part of daily life for susie and her daughter amore. what's really brewing? something you rarery see inside a conservative cuban-american

home. amore is for biden, the rest of the family, trump. >> it's been very difficult for us, for my mom, for me, to see her defending something that is completely wrong for us because we came from a communist country 36 years ago. >> it was very worrisome, is how i see the republican party, republican propaganda, almost manipulating the trauma of my people, and using it as a fear tactic. >> reporter: the strong opposing views have caused tension for the family and some in their community. much of it, experts say, fueled by rampant misinformation aimed at latino voters, especially in florida, where they make up about 20% of the electorate, according to pew research. many cubans and venezuelans who fled the socialist and communist regimes in venezuela and cuba. a researchers is tracking disinformation on social media

targeting the latino community. where is this coming from? >> a lot of times it's difficult to find out who is spreading this information. we know there is a network of facebook pages that tend to work together. and they tend to coordinate a lot of these attacks. >> reporter: he says he isn't sharing the post his team is tracking in order to help stop the spread. but he confirms, false claims have been shared thousands of times, taking aim at candidates on the left on social movements, like black lives matter. >> we also see specifically within the latino community a lot of them trying to build racial tension between communities. >> reporter: some of the conspiracy theories he mentioned have ended up on spanish language radio and popular messaging apps. >> whatsapp is used by latinos. it's closed platforms. >> reporter: whatsapp says it is taking steps to combat misinformation. users can send claims to special accounts to verify information.

the twisted accusations are being echoed at official trump campaign events for latinos. >> if you don't have law and order, you have anarchy, which is obviously what soros and the entire what i call regresses ives like aoc and stuff like that just embrace. >> reporter: the trump campaign argues voters should fear the influence of democratic socialist like alexandria ocasio cortez and bernie sanders over the democratic party and joe biden. >> i beat the socialist. that's how i got elected. that's how i got the nomination. do i look leak a socialist? look at my whole career. i am not a socialist. >> reporter: the latest poll shows latinos in florida are leaning towards biden. >> we're taking care of you and i'm never letting you down. >> reporter: leaving latino voters divided on how to vote for and what information to trust. but agreeing, too much is at stake for the country. >> democracy.

>> our thanks for that reporting. record breaking numbers of people are showing up to the polls, especially in georgia, a state that could turn blue for the first time in nearly 30 years. is the surge in early voting all due to the pandemic or is something more at play? we'll live with voters in atlanta next. hope is the light in all of us that cannot be extinguished. to stir that fire, university of phoenix is awarding up to one million dollars in scholarships through this month. see what scholarship you qualify for at phoenix.edu.

♪ i feel good ♪ i knew that i would, now ♪ i feel good ♪

get a dozen double crunch shrimp for one dollar with any steak entrée. only at applebee's. monitoring patients in hospitals around the world so that doctors and nurses can make sure you feel safe. as new challenges have arisen, we've grown to bring that same safety and support to the place that you want to be most. together. masimo. together in hospital. together at home. with priceline, you can get up to 60% off amazing hotels. and when you get a big deal... ...you feel like a big deal. ♪ priceline. every trip is a big deal. and then what happened? where's our family from? was he my age?

so nana and pops eloped? ...and then what happened, daddy? well, before us, there were your great, great, great grandparents. turn questions you've always had into stories you can't wait to share; with ancestry. proposition 16 takes on discrimination. some women make as little as 42% of what a man makes. voting yes on prop 16 helps us fix that. it's supported by leaders like kamala harris and opposed by those who have always opposed equality. we either fall from grace or we rise. together. proposition 16 provides equal opportunities, levelling the playing field

for all of us. vote yes on prop 16.

. now more than ever americans want their voices to be heard. with 16 days before the election, it's showing. more than 22 million americans have already cast an early ballot. voter enthusiasm fuelled in part by a pandemic that's affected more than 8 million people in the u.s. that surge of early in-person voting is causing hours-long lines at polling places across the country. and cnn's natasha chen has been following what's happening in the state of georgia, which could be a swing state this year. seeing record early voteser turnout. what's the latest today? >> reporter: the secretary of state's office here has said the numbers today show that the overall turnout is now 152% higher than it was at this point in the 2016 election. that's compared to the end of the sixth day of voting back in 2016 versus today, which is the seventh day of voting in 2020. so -- and if you break that

down, we show that for early in-person voting by itself, that has been more than a 62% increase compared to the last presidential election. and the absentee ballots, this is huge, it's 648% higher than it was in 2016. so, you can see that energy, the enthusiasm. yesterday when we talked to you in marietta, which is a suburb north of atlanta, that was an area that was seeing very long lines. it's a very different story today, though. it's sunday. some people did know that sunday voting was an option for them. this place we're in front of, atlanta proper, has not seen any wait all day. just a few minutes tops. someone saw our live shot and saw there was nobody here so they said they came over. but all in all, we're hearing that there are a lot of people who really want to vote in-person, even though absentee was available to them. here's what one person said

about that. >> i absolutely wanted to vote in person. i don't want any issues with possibly my ballot being rejected in any way because i know some people in the past, their signatures haven't been accepted because it was their signature from when they were 18 and registered to vote and obviously it changes as you age. >> right. so, there was some distrust we were hearing among voters about especially the mail-in process as well, being able to track their ballot, you know, really got into the hands of the right people and got counted. some people say they just want to touch the screen, the machine, to see their vote has been cast. all in all, we're seeing some themes here. people willing to wait as long as it takes even if they were pleasantly surprised. and really saying that the issues most important to them this time around are the response to the coronavirus pandemic and the divisiveness in

this country. >> natasha chen in atlanta for us. democracy in action, that's great to see. thank you. since 2014 cnn hero carol rosenthine has been helping those battle dementia, parkinson's and others and she moved her program online after covid hit and their work has become more crucial than ever. >> covid just makes us doubly difficult for people to sustain their levels of wellness because they've got so much isolation going on. we are going to see people de r deteriorating faster. ♪ zipty >> we can provide a great suit that will help keep us healthy and well during quarantine.

♪ >> music is medicine for the mind. ♪ don't worry >> the complexity excites so many centers in our brains. all of that excitement miraculously pushes neurotransmitters that help us function. ♪ >> medicine with a side effect that is pure joy. >> where's my kleenex? >> amen. we could all use more music in our lives. to see anderson cooper's full story about carol's great work, go to cnnheroes.com right now. (avo) what kind of value are you looking for

with your next new vehicle? with subaru, you get kelley blue book's 2020 best resale value brand, 2020 lowest 5-year cost to own brand, and most trusted brand for six consecutive years. no wonder kelley blue book also picked subaru as their 2020 best overall brand. a trusted brand and a proven value. it's easy to love a subaru. get 0% apr financing for 63 months on select new 2020 models, now through november 2nd. i can'twhat? ve it. that our new house is haunted by casper the friendly ghost? hey jill! hey kurt! movies? i'll get snacks! no, i can't believe how easy it was to save hundreds of dollars on our car insurance with geico. i got snacks! ohhh, i got popcorn, i got caramel corn, i got kettle corn.

am i chewing too loud? believe it! geico could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.

i do motivational speakingld. in addition to the substitute teaching. i honestly feel that that's my calling-- to give back to younger people. i think most adults will start realizing that they don't recall things as quickly as they used to or they don't remember things as vividly as they once did. i've been taking prevagen for about three years now. people say to me periodically, "man, you've got a memory like an elephant." it's really, really helped me tremendously. prevagen. healthier brain. better life.

i'm voting 'yes' on prop 19. nineteen limits taxes on seniors. it limits property tax on people like me. nineteen limits taxes on wildfire victims. it says so right here. if 19 passes, seniors can move closer to family or medical care. i looked at moving but i can't afford the taxes. will you help california's most vulnerable? vote 'yes' on prop 19.

i'm ana cabrera in new york. you're live in the "cnn newsroom." just over two weeks until election day, 16 days, to be exact, and stories of a superstitious president trump is emerging. the president is trying to recreate the atmosphere of 2016, believing that is the key to victory. that means gathering the same advisers,