AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
We begin this hour with the week that was in the presidential race, starting with the threat of even more political violence.
RASCOE: We begin this hour with the week that was in the presidential race, starting with the threat of even more political violence.
(SOUNDBITE OF MONTAGE)
DONALD TRUMP: The fact is that I'm not a threat to democracy. They are.
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: They're doing things in politics that have never been done before in the history of our country. And worst of all, with their open borders and bad elections, they have made us into a third-world nation, something which nobody thought was even possible. Americans...
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Vice President Kamala Harris says that she is thankful former President Donald Trump is safe after Sunday's incident.
TRUMP: A little while ago, I got a very nice call from Kamala.
(BOOING)
TRUMP: No. It was very nice. It was very nice. It's - it was very, very nice, and we appreciate that.
KAMALA HARRIS: One in three women in America lives in a state with a Trump abortion ban. This includes Georgia and every state in the South except Virginia. Think about that. When you also combine that with what we know has been longstanding neglect around an issue like maternal mortality.
TRUMP: Now, I'll put it to you very simply and as gently as I can. I wasn't treated properly by the voters who happened to be Jewish. I don't know - do they know what the hell is happening. If I don't win this election - and the Jewish people would really have a lot to do with that if that happens because at 40%, that means 60% of the people are voting for the enemy.
US VICE PRES/DEM PRES CAND: Some people have been pushing a really false choice - to suggest you're either in favor of the Second Amendment or you want to take everyone's guns away. I'm in favor of the Second Amendment, and I'm in favor of assault weapons bans, universal background checks, red-flag laws.
(APPLAUSE)
US VICE PRES/DEM PRES CAND: And these are just common sense. These are just common sense.
OPRAH WINFREY: I thought it was so powerful at the convention when you said you have guns. No - at the debate.
US VICE PRES/DEM PRES CAND: I'm a gun owner, too.
WINFREY: I did not know that.
(LAUGHTER)
US VICE PRES/DEM PRES CAND: If somebody breaks into my house, they're getting shot.
WINFREY: Yes. Yes. I hear that. I hear that.
US VICE PRES/DEM PRES CAND: Probably should not have said that.
(LAUGHTER)
US VICE PRES/DEM PRES CAND: But my staff will deal with that later.
(LAUGHTER)
RASCOE: And with that, we'll turn our attention to the week ahead. And here to help us this weekend is NPR senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro. Hi there, Domenico.
RASCOE: And with that, we'll turn our attention to the week ahead. And here to help us this weekend is NPR senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro. Hi there, Domenico.
DOMENICO MONTANARO, BYLINE: Hey, there. Be careful whose house you go into (laughter).
RASCOE: I know. Exactly. You got to be very careful these days. This is the final week on the congressional calendar before Capitol Hill clears out until after the election. Do you expect a bill to fund the government to pass this week?
RASCOE: I know. Exactly. You got to be very careful these days. This is the final week on the congressional calendar before Capitol Hill clears out until after the election. Do you expect a bill to fund the government to pass this week?
MONTANARO: It might. I mean, it's the big thing that I think everybody is going to be watching this week because if nothing passes, the government's going to shut down on October 1. There've been a couple sticking points with the funding bill. I mean, one has been about additional Secret Service funding. Some Republicans don't want to put that in a stopgap funding bill. I find that kind of ironic, considering that they've been pretty critical of the Secret Service's handling of former President Trump's security after two assassination attempts.
But the biggest hangup has been about something that's already illegal, Ayesha, noncitizens registering and voting. This is something that's exceedingly rare, but some Republicans, including former President Trump, want this in there. But it looks like it won't be included because many Republicans, including the speaker of the House, are pushing back, saying it won't pass. Lawmakers want to get home, and Republicans, you know, don't want to be blamed for shutting down the government, which is something that they're really nervous about.
RASCOE: So explain the politics here because it seems obvious that a shutdown probably wouldn't be good, especially heading into Election Day. But former President Trump has called for a shutdown if Congress doesn't pass this law requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote. Democrats say this is redundant, since you already have to be a citizen to register. What's the angle here?
RASCOE: So explain the politics here because it seems obvious that a shutdown probably wouldn't be good, especially heading into Election Day. But former President Trump has called for a shutdown if Congress doesn't pass this law requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote. Democrats say this is redundant, since you already have to be a citizen to register. What's the angle here?
MONTANARO: I mean, it's really a cross section of two things that Trump really cares about, immigration and raising false ideas of election fraud. So he really wants to do anything he can to highlight immigration, make that the front-and-center issue. But look, he's facing significant pushback from Republicans. This continuing resolution may well pass with significant Democratic support. Even if lots of Republicans defect, it would mean keeping the government open likely until mid-December.
So once again, we could be talking about the during the holidays, which is something we've seen over and over again through the years, where they seem to fund the government almost right up until Christmas time, and you wind up having these late Saturday night votes on whether or not they're going to keep the government open again.
RASCOE: Yeah. Merry Christmas to everyone. You are NPR's polling guru. What's your read on where the race stands right now?
RASCOE: Yeah. Merry Christmas to everyone. You are NPR's polling guru. What's your read on where the race stands right now?
MONTANARO: I know you're shocked, Ayesha, but it's close.
RASCOE: Yeah. Yeah.
RASCOE: Yeah. Yeah.
MONTANARO: I will say that the debate was very important for Vice President Harris. You know, it seemed to solidify for a lot of voters who were potentially open to her that she could do the job better than Trump. We've seen a slew of polls out recently, since the debate, and they've mostly been positive for Harris. She's gotten some good results in Michigan in particular, even Pennsylvania. Wisconsin, meanwhile, looks like it's gotten even tighter, where she did seem to have a little bit of a bigger lead.
MONTANARO: And those three blue wall states are critical for both candidates. Harris wins all three, she likely wins the White House. It's been consistent since Harris got in that the race has flipped in her favor. But I have to say it's very, very close in all of these states, definitely within the margin of error everywhere.
RASCOE: So finally, my home state, North Carolina, CNN uncovered some shocking stuff online reportedly posted by the Republican running for governor there. Can he stay in the race?
RASCOE: So finally, my home state, North Carolina, CNN uncovered some shocking stuff online reportedly posted by the Republican running for governor there. Can he stay in the race?
MONTANARO: Well, he's still in the race. I mean, there was a ballot deadline on Thursday, you know, for him to be able to be replaced, but he didn't, you know, go through with that. And I will say that he continues to trail Democrat Josh Stein for the governorship, and given how incredibly close the presidential race is, there's really a lot of fears among Republicans that he could drag Trump down.
Many Republicans, though, in the state are sticking with him. You know, they're citing this as an issue for his family and his marriage. There's also such a lack of trust in the media from the right that he can, you know, try and insulate himself and say it's all made-up stuff, which we've seen Trump try to do. But he may be an anchor around Republicans' legs in this state. And, you know, it's a state that's been diversifying, has an increasing white, college-educated population that's leaning more toward Democrats. That's why he's trailing, and it really is something that could hurt Donald Trump.
RASCOE: That's NPR's Domenico Montanaro. Thanks, Domenico.
RASCOE: That's NPR's Domenico Montanaro. Thanks, Domenico.
MONTANARO: Hey, you're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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