November 4, 2024 - PBS News Hour full episode

GEOFF BENNETT: Good evening.

I'm Geoff Bennett.

AMNA NAWAZ: And I'm Amna Nawaz.

On the "News Hour" tonight: This election eve, the presidential candidates and their running mates make their final push in the swing states that will determine who wins the White House.

GEOFF BENNETT: A new PBS News poll shows Kamala Harris ahead of Donald Trump nationally, but the path to 270 electoral votes remains as tight as ever.

We game out the candidates' potential paths to victory.

AMNA NAWAZ: And we examine how various legal challenges could potentially prolong or disrupt this presidential election.

DAVID BECKER, Executive Director, Center for Election Innovation and Research: We have seen a lot of preelection litigation.

It's very likely it is the most preelection litigation we have ever seen before.

AMNA NAWAZ: Welcome to the "News Hour" on this election eve.

With only hours left for Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump to reach voters, the candidates are crisscrossing crucial swing states tonight that could decide the election.

GEOFF BENNETT: More than 80 million Americans have already cast their ballots in this year's election.

And, tonight, there are new signs of momentum for Vice President Kamala Harris.

But neither side is taking anything for granted in the waning hours of this unprecedented election cycle.

Our coverage tonight begins with Laura Barron-Lopez.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: In a mad dash to the finish, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump rallying their supporters tonight to get out and vote.

DONALD TRUMP, Former President of the United States (R) and Current U.S. Presidential Candidate: Here's my only purpose in even being here today.

Get out and vote.

You know that.

KAMALA HARRIS, Vice President of the United States (D) and U.S. Presidential Candidate: Are we ready to do this?

(CHEERING) KAMALA HARRIS: We're ready to get out the vote?

(CHEERING) KAMALA HARRIS: We're ready to win?

(CHEERING) LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Trying to convince any remaining undecided voters to come to their side.

Most national polls show the race in a dead heat, but there are some signs that voters may be opting for Harris.

The latest PBS News/NPR/Marist poll shows Harris up four points against Trump among likely voters nationally.

It's the first time she's shown a lead greater than the margin of error.

Harris even appears to have a slight lead in decidedly red Iowa.

The final Des Moines Register-Mediacom poll shows Harris ahead by three points among Iowa voters.

KAMALA HARRIS: Momentum is on our side.

Momentum is on our side.

(CHEERING) KAMALA HARRIS: Can you feel it?

We have momentum, right?

(CHEERING) DONALD TRUMP: You know, they have an expression.

I hate the expression, actually, but it's ours to lose.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Both campaigns are engaging in an all-out battleground blitz today, former President Trump fanning out across three states with two stops in Pennsylvania.

But Vice President Harris is holding every single one of her five final events in the Keystone State, the biggest Electoral College prize of the swing states.

KAMALA HARRIS: We need everyone in Pennsylvania to vote, because you are going to make the difference in this election.

(CHEERING) KAMALA HARRIS: You will.

So here's how I think about things.

We are all here together because we love our country.

And when you love something, you fight for it.

(CHEERING) LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Trump and Vance were also out today in North Carolina and Wisconsin.

DONALD TRUMP: I'd like to begin by asking a very simple question.

Are you better off now than you were four years ago?

AUDIENCE: No!

SEN. J.D.

VANCE (R-OH), Vice Presidential Candidate: You don't have to agree with everything that I say, every policy proposal that we have.

You don't have to agree with everything that Donald J. Trump says.

But what we know is that, when Donald Trump was president, you could afford to pay your bills.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: It builds on a weekend of campaigning by both candidates at breakneck pace, including media appearances.

Vice President Harris popped in for a lighthearted surprise on "Saturday Night Live."

MAYA RUDOLPH, Actress: Now, Kamala, take my palmala.

(LAUGHTER) MAYA RUDOLPH: The American people want to stop the chaos... KAMALA HARRIS: ... and end the dramala.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: For equal airtime, NBC played a 90-second special message from Trump during two major Sunday sporting events, a NASCAR race and "Sunday Night Football."

At a Sunday rally while surrounded by bulletproof glass, Trump made menacing remarks toward the press.

DONALD TRUMP: And I have this piece of glass here.

But all we have really over here is the fake news, right?

(CHEERING) DONALD TRUMP: And to get me, somebody would have to shoot through the fake news.

And I don't mind that so much.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Trump's campaign tried to defend the remark, claiming that the former president, who regularly calls reporters the enemy of the people, was actually looking out for the press.

And despite running well behind Harris with women voters, Trump laughed when a supporter of his compared the vice president to a sex worker.

DONALD TRUMP: She's a significant liar.

And when you lie about something so simple, so she never worked there.

WOMAN: She worked on a corner!

DONALD TRUMP: But I did -- I did a little bit.

(LAUGHTER) LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: This weekend, Trump also appeared to endorse a proposal to remove fluoride from public water utilities, an idea floated by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who frequently spreads public health conspiracy theories.

In the final stretch, Trump has repeatedly said he will put Kennedy in charge of health policy if he wins.

DONALD TRUMP: We have a mess in our hands.

We got a bunch of cheaters.

That all they do is think about how they can cheat.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: And as Trump lays the groundwork to call the election stolen with baseless claims of cheating, Harris is warning voters that Trump may prematurely claim victory Tuesday night, like he did in 2020.

KAMALA HARRIS: I would ask, in particular people who have not yet voted, to not fall for his tactic.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: The former president wraps up tonight with a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the same city where he ended both his 2016 and 2020 campaigns.

And Harris will hold a star-studied event from the Rocky Balboa Steps in Philadelphia.

AMNA NAWAZ: With more on the candidates' final sprint to Election Day, let's bring in Laura Barron-Lopez, who's been covering the Harris campaign.

GEOFF BENNETT: And Lisa Desjardins, who has been reporting on former President Donald Trump.

It's great to see you both.

So, Laura, we will start with you.

What has been the final message from Vice President Kamala Harris?

Have you noticed a shift?

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: We have noticed the shift.

In the final month, Harris was being much more explicit when she was talking about Donald Trump and what she sees as a threat to democracy that he poses, calling him unstable, looking for unchecked power.

She was repeatedly quoting former Trump officials like his longest-serving Chief of Staff John Kelly, as well as the former Chiefs -- chief of the -- sorry -- Joints Chief of Staff.

And their words, as they described him as -- they described Donald Trump as fascist and as dangerous.

But in her closing remarks, starting this weekend, Harris has not been naming Donald Trump specifically.

She's been trying to create more of this unity message.

And that is a notable shift.

I asked Jen O'Malley Dillon, her campaign chair, about that today.

And the campaign chair said that she wants to end with optimism, this theme of unifying the country, that she will be a next generation.

AMNA NAWAZ: Lisa, what about the Trump campaign's final messages here?

Any big shifts?

LISA DESJARDINS: As you know, Donald Trump has very many messages, most often.

But one that they like as their final message is this idea that Harris broke it, Trump will fix it.

That does a couple of things when you talk to senior campaign advisers for Trump.

They say, first of all, it tries to tag Harris to the Biden administration, but it also leaves a much more vague opening, so that any remorse, any grievance that voters have, they will blame on her, whatever it is that's broken.

And it also helps with his brand which, of course, is a get it done kind of businessman.

So they like that message, she broke it, we will fix it.

Something else they're doing in ads, though, is, they're focusing on the economy and immigration and, as Laura has been reporting, in some specific markets and online, especially anti-transgender rights commercials.

Talking to campaign advisers about what's going on with that, they say they're trying to make up ground that they concede they have lost with women, suburban women, over abortion and trying to see if that helps.

Not clear if it will, but that's part of their final strategy.

They do feel like they gained ground earlier this fall.

They think the vice presidential debate may have been a turning point for them for momentum.

They also like to point out that Harris has not had a traditional news conference, but overall, right now, they're trying to portray Harris as someone who's not ready to be president.

GEOFF BENNETT: Laura, how has the Harris campaign been spending these final days?

What are your sources telling you?

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: The Harris campaign is feeling pretty good about the election right now at this point, Geoff.

They point to their expansive ground game, specifically that, in the final weekend they had volunteers knocking on hundreds of thousands of doors across the battleground states.

In total, campaign officials said that the campaign has knocked on 16 million doors across the battlegrounds.

The bottom line is that Harris' campaign and Democrats are relying big on turnout amongst women, and they're also really hoping that they are going to be getting a bigger margin of those disenchanted Republicans than Joe Biden got in 2020, those people who voted for Nikki Haley in the primary, those Liz Cheney-type Republicans.

But when I asked Jen O'Malley Dillon, the campaign chair, today about those remaining undecided fence-sitters, she said that the campaign is still consistently seeing them in the final two weeks breaking for Harris, and she has in the past specifically noted the Madison Square Garden rally and Trump's rhetoric in the final stretch.

AMNA NAWAZ: Lisa, how is former President Trump looking at this moment?

It was striking to see Vice President Harris say she feels she has the momentum and he was saying, well, this feels like ours to lose.

What does this moment look like to them?

LISA DESJARDINS: Well, they have an interesting communication strategy.

They have gone dark, essentially, with the press.

They haven't had a press call in the way that the Harris campaign has.

One of them said, if you're spinning, you're not winning.

But they still weren't giving me numbers like we have from the Harris campaign on how many door knocks.

Part of that is because their get-out-the-vote and canvassing strategy all along has been unorthodox.

They have changed the playbook that the Republicans had four years ago.

It was a role of the dice.

They have been trying to go for low-propensity voters, but also from Trump volunteers, some of them, people who've never canvassed before.

So it's a question of whether those folks will get out the vote or not.

How many doors they have knocked on, we don't know, because they're also relying on a myriad independent groups to get out there on the abortion issue, Americans for Progress.

There are many -- for Prosperity.

There are many different groups doing this out.

One thing that they like right now, the Republicans and the Trump campaign, is the early vote turnout.

They like that rural counties have turned out, as we have reported here.

They think that that is going to be a boost for them.

They admit they don't know, are those new voters or are those just voters who would have come out anyway?

But they think they feel some momentum in the early vote going their way.

But any source that I trust is one who will admit it is very close.

They see many paths, Trump campaign, to winning, but they also admit they don't know.

AMNA NAWAZ: All right, Lisa Desjardins, Laura Barron-Lopez on the campaign's views before this last day of voting, good to see you both.

Thank you.

LISA DESJARDINS: Thank you.

AMNA NAWAZ: The day's other headlines start in Eastern Spain, where heavy rain has battered Barcelona.

It comes just days after catastrophic floods pummeled the Valencia region down the coast, killing more than 200 people.

The search for bodies continues there as frustration builds over the government's response.

ITV Europe editor James Mates has this report.

JAMES MATES: Deep under a shopping center in the suburbs of Valencia, the water is as deep as ever,this car park still barely accessible to rescue workers.

In some places, only a canoe is good enough.

It's in places like these that they fear many more victims are still to be found.

Being caught in your car when the floods hit was often fatal.

Finally now, but much too late, the full resources of the Spanish state are being deployed in the city.

The anger here is that it took five days for the army and its heavy equipment to be on their streets in these sort of numbers; 7,800 are now at work here.

What a difference it might have made to Valencians if they'd seen them the morning after the floods.

Instead, they're not just desperate at the loss of almost everything they own.

They're angry too, anger they took out on their king and queen yesterday afternoon, spattering them with clods of the mud that had invaded their homes.

"We have to give them hope," the king said late last night, "give them hope and guarantee to them that the state in all its power is present."

Almost unbelievably, it's still raining torrentially on Spain's Mediterranean coast,Barcelona Airport partially evacuated today, roads nearby turning into minor rivers, though nothing like as dangerous as the wall of water that hit Valencia.

Some of the streets of Tarragona, south of Barcelona, are also awash.

Back in Valencia, the search has moved downstream not so much for survivors as for bodies in vehicles swept miles away by the water.

Nighttime infrared pictures show the moment a sniffer dog alerts its handlers to the presence of a possible victim along a riverbed.

These searches could be going on for many days yet.

Longer still, though, will be the anger and recrimination at both the lack of warning and lack of help.

James Mates, ITV news.

AMNA NAWAZ: In the Middle East, Israel says it's terminated a decades-old agreement that officially recognizes UNRWA, the U.N. agency providing aid and services to the Gaza Strip.

That comes a week after Israel's legislature passed two laws that would sever ties with the agency and stop its operations there.

Israel says the organization has been infiltrated by Hamas terrorists.

UNRWA says it's purged any suspected Hamas from its ranks.

In the meantime, health officials in Gaza say today there are no emergency crews left in the north, where Israel has waged a renewed offensive for nearly a month.

EYAD ZAQOUT, Palestinian Health Ministry (through translator): There are no longer any ambulances in the Northern Gaza Strip governorate to carry out the duty of transporting the injured.

A large number of injured people are bleeding on the roads and in the places of various targets.

And there are no civil defense or first aid crews to perform humanitarian duties and transport and provide the necessary medical assistance to them.

AMNA NAWAZ: Separately, health officials in Lebanon say that more than 3,000 people have been killed during the last 13 months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

The Iran-backed group began firing rockets into Northern Israel the day after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.

Last month, Israel began a ground invasion into Lebanon to target Hezbollah fighters there.

Turning now to India, authorities say at least 36 people were killed when an overcrowded bus plunged into a gorge earlier today.

The accident happened in the remote Almora district and the mountainous north of the country.

Onlookers at the base of the 200-foot ravine watched as emergency crews pulled bodies from the wreckage and attended to the survivors.

At least 20 people were injured, in addition to those killed.

Officials say that the bus was poorly maintained and may have skidded before swerving off the road.

Western leaders have welcomed the reelection of Moldova's pro-European president.

Maia Sandu defeated a Russia-friendly opponent in a race that was marred by claims of Russian interference and voter fraud.

In a statement, U.S. President Joe Biden congratulated Sandu on her historic reelection, saying -- quote -- "Russia sought to undermine Moldova's democratic institutions and election processes, but Russia failed."

Sandu campaigned on a promise to push forward Moldova's candidacy for European Union membership.

The country applied to join the E.U.

shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The U.S. Supreme Court will take up a long-running dispute over redistricting in Louisiana involving two mostly Black districts.

The decision marks at least the third time the justices will step into the battle over voting lines in the state.

A lower court had invalidated the most recent map, saying it relies too heavily on race.

But the justices allowed it to be used in this election cycle after civil rights groups appealed.

The Supreme Court will hear arguments early next year, with the decision expected by the summer of 2025.

In Ohio, a white former police officer has been convicted of murder in the fatal shooting of an unarmed Black man.

A jury delivered the verdict to Adam Coy in a Columbus courtroom today.

Coy had testified that he thought 47-year-old Andre Hill was holding a silver revolver when he shot him four times in a garage nearly four years ago.

The object turned out to be keys.

Coy faces at least 15 years in prison.

His sentencing is set for later this month.

On Wall Street today, stocks ended lower as investors hold their breath for tomorrow's election.

The Dow dipped about 250 points.

The Nasdaq and S&P 500 also lost ground.

Still to come on the "News Hour": election security experts warn about misinformation and militant groups trying to sow chaos; Tamara Keith and Amy Walter break down the latest political news on this election eve; And we remember the towering legacy of the late music producer Quincy Jones.

GEOFF BENNETT: Both candidates are using the final hours of campaigning to make their messages clear in key battlegrounds, which we will be keeping a close eye on tomorrow.

AMNA NAWAZ: Our Lisa Desjardins is at the PBS News super screen for a look at the various paths to victory for both candidates.

Lisa, good to see you.

LISA DESJARDINS: Good to see you.

AMNA NAWAZ: All right, let's talk about Pennsylvania.

We have heard about Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania.

Why is it so critical for both candidates on their path to 270?

LISA DESJARDINS: The Keystone State living up to its name.

Let's look at how The Cook Political Report rates these races, as you know, seven key swing states.

And if you look at what both campaigns see as a potential likelihood in the way states are leaning right now, then you have North Carolina, Georgia going for Trump, Arizona going for Trump.

And let's even say Nevada, which right now is about even goes for Trump.

In this situation, if Kamala Harris is able to win Wisconsin and Michigan, the so-called blue wall, her only way of getting to the presidency is through Pennsylvania.

Now, even if she was able to win here in Nevada, if she loses Pennsylvania, Trump still wins.

Same thing.

Even Arizona, if she's able to win there, she still needs to win in Pennsylvania.

So, for the Democrats, the Keystone State is absolutely critical.

GEOFF BENNETT: So if Pennsylvania is a must win for Harris, what are the must-wins for Trump?

LISA DESJARDINS: Right.

Let's look at the alternate scenario here.

So let's say that Trump is able to win in Arizona and in Nevada.

Now, here we go.

Let's leave Pennsylvania off the board for just a second and leave it blank.

Now, he -- if he can't win in North Carolina and Georgia, his path gets much more difficult.

I will show you what I mean, 16 points here in North Carolina.

Let's say it goes to Kamala Harris.

That puts her at 267, just three points away from winning at all.

So, in other words, if Trump wants to win, he's got to win in Pennsylvania and in Georgia.

And that's a strange combination.

If he's able to do well enough in Pennsylvania and still lose North Carolina, that's a scenario Republicans don't really see happening because of the way voter groups overlap.

In other words, some of these early states in the night, North Carolina and Georgia, the South, the Southern wall, Republicans really want that to come in for them.

If Trump can't win in both of these states, he really may have a problem for the rest of the night.

AMNA NAWAZ: So, Lisa, move us away from the battlegrounds for a second, because Iowa and New Hampshire are back in the headlines, some surprising polling over the weekend and some shifts.

What happens if those states are in play?

LISA DESJARDINS: That's right.

Two different sets of expectations and effects from these states.

Now, let's talk first about Iowa.

Again, let's start with this base scenario where Harris is able to win the blue wall and that second district in Nebraska, Trump wins these other states in the Sun Belt.

Let's say Harris is able to switch Iowa and its six electoral votes.

That gets her up to 276, but it really doesn't change the map for her.

She can still win here, lose here.

It really doesn't affect her win or loss ability as much as it would give her more points on the board.

New Hampshire is a different situation, because this is the situation Republicans fear is Harris running the blue wall through these three states, getting 270 electoral votes.

They need another path.

This is why you saw vice presidential candidate J.D.

Vance go to New Hampshire, try to pick up these four electoral votes, gets them to 272.

They just want another potential pathway to the presidency.

Now, is this likely?

Both parties say maybe not, but Republicans think they have a real chance in New Hampshire, where they don't have early voting, and voting will be starting tomorrow.

GEOFF BENNETT: Well, let's shift our focus back to the battlegrounds, Lisa.

How are things shaping up there for the campaign?

LISA DESJARDINS: OK, so where the heck are these battlegrounds?

Folks, it is unbelievably close.

Let's take a look at these races.

Arizona, Trump plus-two, Georgia plus-one.

Look at this, Michigan, Harris plus-one, Trump plus-one.

Even in North Carolina, even in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin plus-one.

I don't know if I have ever seen a Group of Seven battleground states this close.

Now, of course, this isn't a statement of the exact state of the race, but it tells you that it's close.

It's a virtual tie, all of these races within the margin of error, most certainly as we stand and look at it right now.

AMNA NAWAZ: Lisa, meanwhile, some new polling from PBS News as well.

What stands out to you?

LISA DESJARDINS: Right, some big numbers.

As we heard earlier, look at this.

Right now, in national likely voters, we see Trump down by four points over Harris, and that is Harris outside the margin of error.

So that's a trend that the Democrats would certainly like to see.

And something else Democrats like to see, the gender gap in terms of men has certainly changed just since October.

Look at this, it was a 16-point gap Harris had with men.

Now look at that, just four points.

That's an incredible 12-point difference.

But I will also say Trump and Vance have also made up ground with women.

They have started to close that gap on their end.

GEOFF BENNETT: Lisa Desjardins, our thanks to you, as always.

LISA DESJARDINS: You're welcome.

AMNA NAWAZ: Today, federal officials responsible for securing the election and U.S. critical infrastructure said that, while they were tracking small-scale disruptions to tomorrow's vote, they saw no evidence of activity that could affect the outcome.

GEOFF BENNETT: The threats to influence and interfere with the vote include disinformation, hacking and even attempts to foment violence by both domestic and foreign actors.

Let's start with Nick Schifrin, who's reporting on this year's foreign threat.

So let's start there, Nick.

What is the biggest concern this election about foreign interference, foreign actors?

NICK SCHIFRIN: Geoff, the intelligence community believes that Russia favors former President Trump, that Iran favors Vice President Harris, and that China's focused on downballot races.

But all are united in wanting to sow chaos and deepen division in the U.S. And so one of the main concerns is actually after Election Day, that if, for example, former President Trump were to declare victory, his campaign declares widespread fraud, or even as there are allegations of any kind of fraud after the election, Russia, Iran would then amplify any of those claims of fraud and even try and foment violence.

And so one of the main officials -- one of the main messages from officials tonight who want to secure the vote is listen to state and local authorities, not any candidate, not any campaign, and that election night results are unofficial.

GEOFF BENNETT: Let's talk more about Russia.

What's the specific concern?

NICK SCHIFRIN: Intelligence community officials say that Russian actors are the most sophisticated, even knowing which swing states to target, and they have generated the most viral content.

This weekend, the FBI called out a new video you see there.

It makes false allegations about early voting.

The intelligence community has not identified this video as Russian-created, but multiple researchers today told me it was likely by the Russian group Doppelganger.

Overall, the intelligence community says Russian actors have released a -- quote -- "fire hose of disinformation," including videos like this one, about Haitian voters that undermine Americans' faith in the election results.

And officials say many videos like this one, false claims about ballots in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, are designed to help Trump and amplify his claims of fraud and at the same time denigrate Vice President Harris.

You see another one there with a false claim about Harris and rare rhinos.

Russia's attempts are largely through proxies, Geoff, with ties to Russian intelligence, with an attempt to launder their Russian origin using P.R.

companies, unwitting, witting Americans, even influencers.

GEOFF BENNETT: What about Iran?

NICK SCHIFRIN: The Department of Justice indicted three Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officials earlier this year for hacking the Trump campaign, stealing e-mails and documents, and trying to leak those e-mails and documents to the media and even to the Harris campaign.

Intelligence officials and election researchers also say that Iran has used fake news articles, fake online personas, even offered people money to go to pro-Palestinian protests.

But those efforts largely have not been considered effective.

And a former senior military official told me that Cyber Command inside the military is -- quote -- "hammering" these Iranian groups online to try and stymie their operations.

Another point, Iran's efforts, Russia's efforts are not new at all.

But what is new, the speed at which the intelligence community has been able to call out some of these fake disinformation and some of these fake accounts.

That said, it's not clear social media companies have all complied with some of these findings, especially X, which is run by Elon Musk, the world's richest man, who's endorsed Donald Trump.

GEOFF BENNETT: Yes, indeed.

What about China?

How is China trying to influence this election?

NICK SCHIFRIN: Much more focused on downballot races, rather than the presidential race.

Intelligence officials, researchers say that China's disinformation has, frankly, largely been ineffective, a sign that China simply doesn't understand the American electorate or American voting patterns, as much as especially Russia.

But, Geoff, that doesn't mean that they're not trying.

GEOFF BENNETT: Nick Schifrin, our thanks to you, as always.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Thank you.

AMNA NAWAZ: Well, as we have been discussing, the threat of political violence still hangs over the country nearly four years after a violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol and tried to overturn the will of the voters.

With just one day left of voting, what lessons have we learned, and how does the threat compare to the last cycle?

Joining us now is Mary McCord.

She's a former acting assistant attorney general for national security, now teaches at Georgetown Law School.

Good to see you, Mary.

MARY MCCORD, Former Justice Department Official: Nice to be here.

AMNA NAWAZ: So, law enforcement, we know, is on alert for Election Day.

We have seen election offices and other locations ramping up security.

How worried are you about violence on Election Day or the days to follow?

MARY MCCORD: I'm more worried about the days to follow.

Many things have come into play to protect voters and election workers on Election Day.

First of all, unlike four years ago, I mean, we have seen this movie before, right?

So election officials at the local level, at the state level, law enforcement across parties, community organizations, mayors have all worked together really over these four years to make sure that they can provide a safe voting venue, not only for the voters, but also for the poll workers, right?

And if that means more security, they have it.

If it means different facets of law enforcement presence, again, carefully, so it doesn't intimidate voters, because law enforcement in voting sometimes itself can be intimidation.

But they have worked individually, community by community, to create plans that will work.

I also think that the effect of over 1,500 prosecutions coming out of the January 6 attack has made -- has been a real deterrent for those who would otherwise maybe think about engaging in armed and even unarmed forms of voter intimidation.

There's been tons and tons of public education and statements and people in positions of authority talking about voter intimidation.

DOJ has been forward-leading.

And a lot of these people, I think they see others who've gotten in trouble.

That wasn't voter intimidation.

That was a violent attack.

But, still, they know this could cross -- things could cross the line.

I'm more worried about after the election.

AMNA NAWAZ: Well, let me ask you about the scenario that Nick reported on as well.

It's likely we may not have a result on the night on the presidential election.

If former President Trump comes out and declares victory, Elon Musk, his supporter, amplifies that on X, does that change or alter the potential for violence?

MARY MCCORD: So this is exactly what I think -- why I'm more worried about the post-election period, particularly during the time of uncertainty, because, as you said, and as we saw in 2020, Donald Trump, I think will, as he did before, come out and say he won, he won in a landslide, the voting should stop, and that votes counted after this period are fraudulent.

He will attack mail-in voting, absentee voting, drop boxes, election workers, et cetera.

And false -- and that -- he will be aided because we know from Nick's reporting and from the intelligence community's warnings that Russia and Iran and China, all our adversaries, have an interest in seeding additional false information that, frankly, we as Americans do a great job of propounding and spreading.

And those false narratives are what become the justification for people to engage in political violence.

That's what we saw in 2020.

That's what led to January 6.

And that might be individual acts.

It might be physical.

It might be threats, intimidation, harassment.

It might be pressuring election officials not to certify, governors not to certify, state legislatures to try to somehow take their own action and send up their own slates of electors.

All of those are things that could be -- could happen if this false narrative spreads and people either believe it or pretend to believe it.

AMNA NAWAZ: There's been some reporting and tracking of online chatter, in particular in the kinds of social media platforms that are very lightly moderated, where we know a lot of far right and extremist groups gather and share information, like Telegram and Gab.

There was one nonprofit that said in October that election denialism increased by 317 percent on Telegram, by 105 percent on Gab.

How likely is that online chatter to fuel real-world violence or action of any kind?

MARY MCCORD: So what we're not seeing as much of -- or I should say we.

I get all my information through researchers, right?

Like, I'm a lawyer and a former prosecutor and former national security official.

But I talk with researchers regularly.

And what we are not seeing is actual mobilization, logistics, planning.

Now, some of that could be because there's more operational security now than there was back in 2020, they're more careful about not speaking on public forums and public chat rooms about those plans.

But, still, if it was big enough and massive enough, these kind of things would start to leak out.

So I do think there's probably planning going on, again, at that hyper-local level, and there will be some disruptions tomorrow and disruptions going forward.

But something massive like a January 6, we're not seeing that kind of mobilization.

AMNA NAWAZ: Mary, briefly, before we let you go, people want to know that they can vote, and vote safely, and they're worried about what's ahead.

What would you say to folks out there as we head into this last day of voting?

MARY MCCORD: I do not think voters should be concerned about going to the polls tomorrow.

But even armed groups who have agitated online, a lot of it is all talk.

We see very little uptick in those who actually want to show up.

And, again, they are worried about prosecution.

I think voting -- I think this election will be safe for voters.

I think it'll be secure in terms of the results.

And we just have to take a breath and wait for those results to come.

AMNA NAWAZ: Good advice.

Mary McCord, always good to see you.

Thank you.

MARY MCCORD: Thank you.

GEOFF BENNETT: The tight race for the White House is fueling a wave of election litigation by both Democrats and Republicans as they spar over the ground rules for early voting, mail-in ballots, and voter eligibility.

For a closer look at that and what's to come, we're joined now by election law expert David Becker.

He's the executive director and founder of the nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation and Research.

Thanks for being with us.

DAVID BECKER, Executive Director, Center for Election Innovation and Research: Thanks for having me, Geoff.

GEOFF BENNETT: So more than 80 million Americans have already voted, key swing states like North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Michigan experiencing a high volume of mail-in and absentee voting.

Have you spotted any disruptions, irregularities, any problems that could lead to legitimate questions about the integrity of the vote or the vote count?

DAVID BECKER: It's remarkable.

As you mentioned, we have seen about 80 million ballots cast already.

States like North Carolina and Georgia are over four million ballots cast.

That's likely around 75 to 80 percent of their total turnout already voting.

And we have seen hardly any problems at all, certainly nothing that would involve voter safety or any kind of conflicts at the polling places.

We're really even not hearing many stories about lines.

Most of the stories about lines occurred on the last day of early voting in some states.

And, of course, that always happens.

That's just reflecting enthusiasm and the fact people waited until the last minute a little bit, which is always understandable.

But it's remarkable how smoothly voting has gone, how few problems there have been.

And that's particularly so while we're dealing with things like our foreign adversaries spreading disinformation and the highly divisive environment we're currently in.

It's really remarkable, a testament to our election officials.

GEOFF BENNETT: I want to ask you about that in a bit.

But, first, both parties are preparing massive legal operations to file and respond to litigation on and after Election Day.

2024, according to one estimate, is the most litigated election ever.

What are you tracking in particular?

DAVID BECKER: Well, I think we have seen a lot of preelection litigation.

It's very likely it is the most preelection litigation we have ever seen before.

And we should put this in context.

In 2020, there was a lot of preelection litigation that was trying to clarify rules, particularly changes in adaptations that were made due to COVID.

And it should be noted that Republicans won about 85 percent of those cases preelection in 2020.

In the 2024 election, we're seeing some cases like that, we're seeking to clarify rules, but we're seeing Republicans push last-minute changes a lot more, and we're seeing them lose a majority of cases.

We're seeing things like cases raised about the voter lists, which they have known about for days, weeks, months, years, and could have brought at any given point in time.

We see challenges about mail voting laws that have been around in some cases for decades in states like Nevada.

And then we're seeing challenges to even military and overseas voting procedures that have been around in some cases for as long as 40 years.

So those kinds of cases have been dismissed by courts, even by judges appointed by former President Trump himself.

And we will be then moving on to the post-election period.

We will have to see what happens, obviously.

In a really close election, there is legitimate litigation that can be brought.

Think Florida 2000, when it's that close, hundreds of votes.

But when we see an election that's decided by margins like we saw in 2020, it's very, very unlikely any post-election litigation will succeed.

And that's largely because the candidate who's behind will still have to bring evidence that they can somehow make up the margin.

And once you get over a few hundred votes, it's almost impossible to do that.

GEOFF BENNETT: Well, I was going to ask you that.

Does the number of cases floated by the GOP and Republican-affiliated entities, does that suggest anything about the number of legitimate concerns connected to the vote?

DAVID BECKER: So I think what's been surprising is, it hasn't reflected legitimate concerns.

It seems to be -- have the effect -- we have the normal kind of litigation that seeks to clarify rules that need clarifying.

But there's a lot of litigation, as I mentioned, that seeks to challenge rules that were never going to be successfully challenged.

They were never going to win a lot of those cases.

And you have to wonder if what we will see after the election is that the losing candidate might bring up some of these same dismissed claims to try to suggest the election was stolen.

That would be very dangerous if that happens.

There are a lot of sincere supporters of a losing candidate that could be incited to anger or potentially even violence.

And, of course, we remember that to some degree from 2020.

GEOFF BENNETT: Returning to the issue of foreign interference, which you mentioned earlier, has the effort by U.S. intelligence agencies to expose Russian disinformation, has that been effective in disrupting them and diminishing the impact?

DAVID BECKER: Well, I think our adversaries are highly motivated.

They see a big reward in potentially disrupting our elections.

And, again, they're not disrupting our elections by attacking actual election infrastructure.

We're way too decentralized.

We have paper ballots.

We have a lot of protections and redundancies and checks and balances in place so that no foreign adversary or domestic actor could change or alter the votes in an election.

We should say, for everyone in the United States, don't trust social media.

Don't trust videos.

Don't trust claims about election fraud or something that they're seeing just on the Web.

Trust your local and state election officials.

Go to those sites.

Find out what's really going on.

Do not rely upon social media and the Internet right now, because there's a lot of disinformation.

GEOFF BENNETT: That's good advice.

David Becker with the nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation and Research, thanks for being with us.

DAVID BECKER: Thanks, Geoff.

AMNA NAWAZ: For more on the tight race for the White House, I'm joined by our Politics Monday team.

That's Amy Walter of The Cook Political Report With Amy Walter and Tamara Keith of NPR.

It's great to see you both.

TAMARA KEITH, National Public Radio: Good to be here.

AMNA NAWAZ: Can't believe it's finally here.

AMY WALTER, The Cook Political Report: I know it.

AMNA NAWAZ: Here we go.

AMY WALTER: Election eve, my favorite eve of all time.

AMNA NAWAZ: Of all the eves.

AMY WALTER: Of all the eves.

(LAUGHTER) AMNA NAWAZ: I want to ask you about that new PBS News poll we have got, Tam, because you saw there, as Lisa reported earlier, Harris with her first national lead that's outside the margin of error, just four-point lead among likely voters at a 3.5 percent margin of error on that poll.

But you have been in the battleground states.

You were in Arizona, Wisconsin, Nevada.

That's where the races are won or lost.

Are you seeing any shift that tells you which way this race is going?

TAMARA KEITH: I have spoken to a lot of people who believe it's really, really close.

So I don't know that you -- when you're out there in these states, it's like you're looking at the toenail of an elephant, but you don't know whether it's a rock or an elephant.

And so what I will say is that I was covering Harris.

I was going to some of her events.

The enthusiasm is quite intense among her supporters who are showing up at these events, 10,000, 12000 people showing up.

One thing that really stood out to me was, we were in Wisconsin.

She did a rally in a town called Little Chute, which is a population-12,000 town in a county that went for Trump.

And there was a lot of enthusiasm in that gymnasium.

Driving up, there were a supporters outside waving and banners.

But then you get a little bit closer and you see this long line of people who didn't get into the event because it was oversold.

Inside, there was a lot of enthusiasm.

That is part of their effort to lose by less in areas, more rural areas outside of the urban centers.

Now, is this part of a big trend and we're going to see, oh, well, gosh, she lost by less in all these counties out there, and that's how she won?

I don't know.

AMNA NAWAZ: Yes.

TAMARA KEITH: No idea.

AMNA NAWAZ: Yes.

Amy, what do you think?

AMY WALTER: It still feels to me like we're coming down to Pennsylvania, like we did last time.

AMNA NAWAZ: Yes.

AMY WALTER: And, once again, it is a combination of for both candidates losing by a little bit less in certain areas, winning by a little bit more.

There are going to be some swing counties that may tell us the story early on in the night, especially in the northeastern part of the state in those places around Scranton, in Northampton County, in Bucks County, that could give us a sense of who's doing a little bit better, a little bit worse than the numbers were in 2020.

AMNA NAWAZ: I have to ask you, though, about Iowa.

AMY WALTER: I know.

Everyone is talking about Iowa.

AMNA NAWAZ: Because this poll by - - she's a renowned pollster... AMY WALTER: I know.

Absolutely.

AMNA NAWAZ: ... Ann Selzer, we should say, highly respected.

AMY WALTER: Absolutely.

AMNA NAWAZ: This poll that shows her -- that shows Harris leading Trump in a state that he won easily twice, what does that say to you about Iowa or what it means for others?

AMY WALTER: I know it.

And she -- it's not just that she's well-renowned.

She's also well-renowned for being an out -- what looks like an outlier in 2020 and in 2016.

AMNA NAWAZ: Yes.

AMY WALTER: She was showing in Iowa basically the opposite of what a lot of people thought that was going to happen, not just in Iowa, but nationally.

And she ended up being right.

So I think that's why she gets a lot more weight than any other poll.

Part of the challenge we have with Iowa, because it's not a swing state, we don't have a lot of other pieces of data.

What we do have, though, are competitive House races there that are showing Harris doing a little bit better... AMNA NAWAZ: Yes.

AMY WALTER: ... than what -- how Biden did in those competitive districts.

So there is, there is a sense that, in those places where Democrats are competing, Harris is also doing a little bit better there.

Those areas where Harris is doing a little bit better, they are in more urban areas like around Des Moines or college towns like Iowa City.

The other thing that I think is really interesting is, this is driven, the lead for Harris in this poll, by independent women, older women.

AMNA NAWAZ: Yes.

AMY WALTER: You know where else we have seen some swings to Harris in states that aren't very -- aren't polled very often?

Kansas, Nebraska, Plains states, which also have a overwhelmingly white population, where older women are going to have a bigger part,they play a bigger part because of the demography of that state, and also places where abortion has played a big role, the Kansas initiative, of course, in 2022.

And in Iowa, there's a six-week ban that is very unpopular.

A poll that came out, I think, in September showed 70 percent of women in Iowa disapprove of that six-week ban.

AMNA NAWAZ: Yes.

Tam, I know you have reported on this.

We have talked about the gender gap before.

We know abortion is on the ballot in 10 different states, including Arizona and Nevada.

How much of an issue is it going to be tomorrow?

TAMARA KEITH: I don't see how it can't be a big issue.

It is a defining issue in this race.

It's a defining issue in the way Harris has campaigned.

It's also defined Trump's campaign and his effort -- when he the other day said, "I'm going to protect women, whether they like it or not," he was talking about his -- his policy on abortion and other issues.

He continues to try to figure out a place to be on this issue, which is challenging ground.

Republicans won.

He -- Trump got the Supreme Court that he wanted.

The Republicans got this issue where they wanted it.

And now it's a challenge for them, because a lot of voters, especially women, are upset.

AMNA NAWAZ: You agree with that, Amy?

AMY WALTER: Yes.

Yes, I do think that is part of it.

And I have said sort of fundamentally what this race really is about for -- especially for the undecided voters right now... AMNA NAWAZ: Yes.

AMY WALTER: ... but what it's been about for a lot of voters all along, is the sense of, who is the bigger risk?

If you don't like either candidate, which candidate is going to be less risky and what does it mean to have control and choice?

And some of it is about abortion.

Some of it too is about the kind of country that they want to live in.

So it's going to cut different ways.

The other thing that's really hard in polling the issue of abortion is, it doesn't necessarily show up as abortion.

This is why you hear Harris talking about it as control, freedom, right, that this is less about the issue of abortion and more about this idea that, when I talk about -- an individual voter would say, when I talk about control or freedom, I mean this.

And for many voters, it means reproductive control.

AMNA NAWAZ: Tam, as you know, you have been covering this race.

It's been largely stuck at 50/50 for many, many months.

Lisa reported earlier on those key battlegrounds in particular, where we have not seen a lot of movement, one or two points the -- one direction or the other, within the margin of error.

As you're watching tomorrow, as results start to come in, as we get a sense of where things go, what are you going to be tracking?

What are you looking at most closely.

TAMARA KEITH: Well, and I will say that our poll shows Trump at 47 percent, which is where he was in 2020.

It's where he was in 2016.

For all of the things that this country and this campaign has been through, for him to be in exactly the same place is quite remarkable.

Whether he lands there, I don't know.

But I'm -- that is one thing I am definitely watching.

And I will be watching North Carolina and Georgia, because their returns are likely to come in earlier than some of the other states.

I will be watching there to see how that goes.

If Trump wins those states, then all eyes go to the blue wall.

AMY WALTER: Absolutely.

TAMARA KEITH: And if he doesn't, then this is a different race.

AMNA NAWAZ: What does that say to you if he doesn't?

TAMARA KEITH: If he doesn't, then there's a path, but it's not an easy path.

AMY WALTER: Exactly.

I think that's right.

And there are also congressional races in those places that can also give us a clue maybe to how the presidential race is going, especially if the House races get called earlier, but also could give us -- at least tip the hand of where House control is going.

It's unlikely we're going to know until long after Wednesday, because so many of the competitive House races are on the West Coast in states like California that do take longer time to count their ballots.

But I'm -- there are competitive House races in some of these battlegrounds, Michigan, Pennsylvania, that will also give us early on in the night at least a sense, if the race is breaking one way or the other, which way it's going.

AMNA NAWAZ: I got to ask, even though I don't know if either of you will answer, do you care to make a prediction about what we're going to see tomorrow?

AMY WALTER: Absolutely no.

TAMARA KEITH: No.

No.

(LAUGHTER) TAMARA KEITH: I don't even predict whether we will know by the end of the night.

So it's probably a safe bet that we... AMY WALTER: I can predict it will be earlier -- I will make a just prediction, that it will not be Saturday by the time we know... AMNA NAWAZ: OK. AMY WALTER: ... like it was last time.

AMNA NAWAZ: We will take that.

AMY WALTER: OK. AMNA NAWAZ: From Amy Walter's mouth to our... AMY WALTER: Oh, no.

(LAUGHTER) AMNA NAWAZ: Amy Walter, Tamara Keith, great to see you.

Thank you.

AMY WALTER: Thank you.

AMNA NAWAZ: And we hope that you will join us for a live election night coverage tomorrow as the votes are counted.

Our livestream online begins at noon Eastern, and then special coverage right here on your PBS station starts at 7:00 p.m. GEOFF BENNETT: A giant in the music and entertainment industry has died.

Quincy Jones was revered as a record producer, songwriter, composer, arranger and performer throughout his seven decades in the business.

Through his vast range of projects, from the producer of the bestselling album of all time to composer of some of the most recognized music in film, he racked up 80 Grammy nominations and 28 Grammy Awards.

Senior arts correspondent Jeffrey Brown has this for remembrance, part of our arts and culture series, Canvas.

JEFFREY BROWN: From Michael Jackson's biggest hits to some of Frank Sinatra's most classic arrangements, few loomed larger in American popular culture or had more success than Quincy Jones.

QUINCY JONES, Record Producer: Love, laugh, live and give, that's what it's all about.

JEFFREY BROWN: Born on Chicago's South Side in 1933, Jones began his life in music as a jazz trumpeter.

He became fast friends with Ray Charles when both were in still in their teens.

He soon began composing and arranging, including 1962's classic "Soul Bossa Nova" and Lesley Gore's hit "It's My Party," which arrived a year later.

Across a career that spanned more than 70 years, he worked with seemingly everyone, including jazz legends like Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington, and rappers such as Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg.

His most impactful moment, a three-album run with Michael Jackson that included the bestselling record of all time, 1982's "Thriller," along with "Off the Wall" and "Bad."

QUINCY JONES: Anyone who says they have figured out how to make records that sell more than 50 million records is lying and smoking Kool-Aid.

(LAUGHTER) QUINCY JONES: Doesn't work like that.

You just find a group of songs that touch you and give you goose bumps.

And that's why I go by my goose bumps.

I don't need survey groups or anything like that, and let the rest take care of itself.

JEFFREY BROWN: In 2010, Jones was awarded the National Medal of Arts by former President Obama.

MAN: For his extraordinary contributions to American music as a musician, composer, and arranger.

JEFFREY BROWN: And he is one of just 27 members of the rarefied EGOT club, winner of an Emmy, Grammy, an honorary Oscar and Tony.

The Oscar came in 1995.

QUINCY JONES: I did not engineer this journey.

To tell you the truth, I don't think I could even see this far.

JEFFREY BROWN: He composed dozens of memorable soundtracks for film and television, including "The Color Purple," a film he also produced, another prominent role he played in popular culture.

In 1985, in a role only someone of his stature could have filled, he organized the recording of the smash-hit single "We Are the World," a session that featured music's biggest stars and would become one of the bestselling songs ever.

Jones had seven children and married three times.

One of his daughters, the actress Rashida Jones, directed a 2018 documentary on his extraordinary life.

QUINCY JONES: I have a feeling that God will prevail and the light will prevail.

You have to think like that, because we have come a long way.

Got a long way to go.

JEFFREY BROWN: In a statement, his family said he died peacefully Sunday evening surrounded by loved ones.

Quincy Jones was 91.

For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Jeffrey Brown.

GEOFF BENNETT: And that is the "News Hour" for tonight.

Don't forget to join us tomorrow evening for our live election night coverage here on PBS.

And that starts at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

With that, I'm Geoff Bennett.

AMNA NAWAZ: And I'm Amna Nawaz.

On behalf of the entire "News Hour" team, thank you for joining us and we hope to see you back here tomorrow.