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CNN NEWSROOM

Trump Stumps for Matt Rosendale in Montana; Trump Paints Dark Picture of Caravan Ahead of Midterms; Trump on Migrant Caravan, "It's Like an Invasion"; Michael Cohen Claims Trump Repeatedly Made Racist Remarks; Candidates' Final Push for Votes Could Be Key to Winning Tight Races; Steve Bannon: Suburban Women Could Be GOP Challenge on Election Day; Early Voting in Midterms Crush Numbers from 2014 & 2016 Elections; As Pittsburgh Mourns Synagogue Victims Rabbi Myers Speaks on Shooting; Remembering Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting Victims; Gunman Kills Two People, Wounds Five at Florida Yoga Studio. Aired 3- 4p ET

Aired November 3, 2018 - 15:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:00:18] ANA CABRERA, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Ana Cabrera, in New York. Great to have you with us on this Saturday.

Three days until the midterms, and President Trump is putting all of his energy into the state where the Republicans need him most. This hour, he's holding a rally in Montana. And he has six more stops until Election Day where he's expected to amplify his anti-immigration rhetoric to shore up his base. While the president has been talking about enforcing several controversial border policies, today, Border Patrol posted some images of U.S. troops installing barbed wire in Texas.

This as voters across the U.S. just swarming their early vote locations. More than 27 million early ballots cast as of yesterday evening. That number has eclipsed early votes for a presidential election in some cases, in some states, let alone a midterm year. We'll talk more about these remarkable numbers in a moment.

First, let's go to our CNN senior White House correspondent, Jeff Zeleny, who is at President Trump's rally in Belgrade, Montana.

Jeff, what is the president's argument today?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Ana, the president is making a direct argument about why Montana voters in his view should vote against Jon Tester. You can see behind me here, he is speaking in big sky country with Air Force One as a backdrop.

From the beginning, President Trump making clear this race is, indeed, personal. He said, "One of the many reasons I've been here four times is because of a personal vengeance with Jon Tester."

That, of course, is over Dr. Ronny Jackson. You'll remember earlier this year, Dr. Jackson was the president's personal physician that he nominated to lead the veterans affairs committee. Senator Tester was one of the Senators who raised questions about his qualifications. He ultimately ended up dropping out of that. The president has never forgiven him. So he went on and on at length about Senator Tester.

And then, of course, said a vote for Senator Tester is a vote for Nancy Pelosi. But the question is, will Montana voters actually believe that. Jon Tester is one of the more moderate Democrats in the U.S. Senate. He is seeking a third term to the Senate. No doubt it is an uphill challenge, a challenge by any means, because this is such a deep-red state.

But the president misstating Jon Tester's record on immigration, misstating his record on health care and other things. He's clearly trying to portray him as a national Democrat, if you will.

But the president also talking about how he feels good about what's coming up for Tuesday, at least on the Senate. But, Ana, they are acknowledging behind the scenes the White House does believe the Republicans are likely to lose control of the House of Representatives. It's one of the reasons he is trying to campaign in these Senate seats. So he's here in Montana. He'll be flying to Florida shortly -- Ana?

CABRERA: Jeff Zeleny, it's not just behind the scenes, they're acknowledging the House could change hands.

Thank you. We'll check back in with you throughout the afternoon.

Joining me now, the former head of Trump's Hispanic Advisor Council, Steve Cortes, Democratic strategist and former Clinton White House aide, Keith Boykin, and editor-at-large for "The Weekly Standard," Bill Kristol.

Bill, the president has been on this campaign blitzed. He's acknowledged a couple of times now that Democrats could take control of the House. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They will try to erase our gains and eradicate our progress. That's what's going to happen. They're going to work hard. And we will be fighting. It will be ridiculous, frankly. It will be bad for our country. The Democrats -- and it could happen, could happen. We're doing very well. And we're doing really well in the Senate. But could happen. And you know what you do? My whole life, you know what I say? Don't worry about it, I'll just figure it out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: I think he was actually telling the truth there for once.

Let me ask you, Bill, though, all kidding aside, it's looking like the outcome could play to the Democrats' favor here. He says he'll figure it out. But just how high are the stakes? BILL KRISTOL, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, THE WEEKLY STANDARD: Obviously, all

midterm elections feel important when you're in the middle of them. I remember in 2010 when the Republicans were going to check Obama and rebuke him, repeal and reverse Obamacare, that didn't happen. Things don't always play out as you think. If Trump were to hold both Houses, it would be a tremendous verification of the way he's governing. I don't think he'll hold, Republicans will hold the House. It looks like the late wave is reasserting itself. Things are moving somewhat in a Democratic direction.

I think the Senate is in play. I talked to three pollsters in the last 24 hours who think Texas and Tennessee are now closing and are pretty close. The turnout, it's very hard to judge, as people who have been around know this, early voting, and draw comparisons. But it looks like O'Rourke may have really expanded the electorate in Texas, and that's what they need to have a chance there.

I think it will be an interesting election, plenty of surprises. At the end of the day, it will be a medium-bad to very bad night for the Republicans. And that be a big moment in the Trump presidency, obviously.

[15:05:26] CABRERA: Steve, if Republicans are going to win, immigration is the issue to make it happen, as he's painting this dark picture about a caravan that is still thousands of miles away. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: At this very moment, large, well-organized caravans of migrants are marching toward our southern border. Some people call it an invasion. It's like an invasion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Steve, is this a message you can support?

STEVE CORTES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You know, it is. I think it's important for this reason. And look, I'll say, too, I think we're still underdogs. I think you're right that we're underdogs to keep the House. However, a few weeks ago. I thought we were prohibitive underdogs, and now we're slight ones. For two reasons. And to use alliteration --

(CROSSTALK)

CABRERA: But I asked about the comments on immigration. Can you just answer that question first --

CORTES: Right.

CABRERA: -- before you talk about your alliteration?

CORTES: I'm getting to that on the caravan. The caravan is a major reason why we have a shot at keeping the House. Whether they're at our door or not, the point is there's a large mob of trespassers who have trespassed into one country and are now promising to trespass into our country. They're waving a foreign flag and pledging to break into our country and demand entry. It's an affront to our sovereignty. It's an afront to common sense, to international law. And certainly Americans citizens take great umbrage at this. It has awakened a lot of people to the danger of open borders. And while the Democrats don't use the phrase open borders, they favor those policies. They want to eliminate ICE. They want a porous southern border. They want sanctuary cities. All of these policies don't benefit the security or prosperity of America. The president is pointing that out in a very powerful way, much like he did in 2016.

CABRERA: Keith?

KEITH BOYKINS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: In all of that racism and xenophobia and anti-immigration bashing --

CORTES: That's not racist. America is not a race.

BOYKIN: -- what you did not hear --

CORTES: America is not a race. You accused me of racism. I didn't say one thing about race.

BOYKIN: Let me just --

CORTES: America is not a race.

BOYKIN: Excuse me.

CORTES You accused me of racism.

BOYKIN: Steve, I let you finish.

(CROSSTALK)

CORTES: You can't just call me a racist without a reply.

BOYKIN: All of the xenophobia and hatred and anger that you just spewed out against a different group of people --

(CROSSTALK)

CORTES: No angry.

BOYKIN: -- one thing I didn't hear from you was anything about health care, education, tax cuts, anything about the things that the American people actually care about. Because the Republicans are running on fear. That's what Donald Trump has specialized in, this demagoguery, this racist, sexist, xenophobic, anti-immigrant, transphobic, Islamophobic fear campaign that is actually very effective at ginning up the support among his base but is not where the American people are. America is changing. The Republican Party has no black or Hispanic nominees for governor in 2018. The Democratic Party is putting up African-Americans, Hispanics, LGBT candidates, people of different backgrounds, people who come from different places and races. I don't see that in the Republican Party. You can't continue to be a successful party if you're just a party of straight Christian white men.

CABRERA: Now you can respond, Steve.

CORTES: Keith, America is not a race. Defending our borders -- look, I lock the doors to my house at night, not because I hate those on the outside but because I love those on the inside. It's the same for our country. I love all American citizens of every color, every creed. Protecting them is part of border security. It's also respecting legal immigrants, people like my father, who went through the difficult and expensive process of becoming a legal American immigrant. It's an affront to them to presuppose that others --

CABRERA: OK.

CORTES: Can cheat the system --

(CROSSTALK)

CABRERA: Here is the other thing. The president doesn't have to focus on immigration.

BOYKIN: Thank you.

CABRERA: Obviously, it's part of a strategy. The president does have very strong economic numbers he could be bragging about, 250,000 jobs added last month, unemployment holding at 3.7 percent.

CORTES: And it doesn't have to be either/or.

(CROSSTALK)

CORTES: It can be both --

CABRERA: Hold on.

Let's listen to the president on this unemployment and economic message.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: They all say, speak about the economy, speak about the economy. Well, we have the greatest economy in the history of our country.

(CHEERING)

TRUMP: But sometimes it's not as exciting to talk about the economy, right?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Bill, I know you and Steve don't always see eye to eye, even though you both align yourselves with Republicans traditionally. Would you rather the president be talking about the economy?

KRISTOL: I could care less what he talks about. I don't align myself with Donald Trump. And I think this minimizing of his unbelievable demagoguery about the, quote, "invaders," demagoguery echoed within the last week by a mass murderer in Pittsburgh, in which the Trump people just decided, that never happened. There's no reason for Trump to change his rhetoric and no reason for his surrogates to change their rhetoric because words have no consequences for Donald Trump and too many of his supporters. I don't think he's doing the Republicans any good, honestly. I think the late wave is clearly Democratic. I think Democratic. We'll see. We'll see. Obviously there's a lot of voters still to vote. There's some movement among voters, it looks like, in some states. I do not think Americans will be terrified by a couple of thousand people, a lot of them women and children, a thousand miles away, walking towards America to ask for asylum.

[15:10:36] CABRERA: Do you think it could work, Keith, the president's message?

BOYKIN: Again, it's very effective at reaching a particular group of people. That particular group of people are Republican Trump supporters. But you can't win national elections by just appealing to your base. When Donald Trump took the oath of office last year he said he was going to be the president for the forgotten man and women. He's forgotten a lot of people. He's trying to be the president of only red America, his supporters. Even George Bush, Ronald Reagan, other Republican presidents, who I did not support, never tried to be just president of their base. Donald Trump is unprecedent in his failure to even try to reach out and appeal to the rest of the country.

CABRERA: Let's talk about whether words matter.

Steve, the president's former personal attorney, long time so-called fixer, Michael Cohen, talked to "Vanity Fair" about multiple racist remarks he says he heard Trump make before he was president. Let me give you a couple of examples. He said back in 2016, Cohen told Trump, as they were talking about a campaign crowd, that that crowd, quote, "Looked vanilla on television," and he says Trump responded, "That's because black people are too stupid to vote for me." And then he said after Nelson Mandela died, Cohen says Trump said, quote, "Name one country run by a black person that's not an S-hole. Name one city."

Steve, will that impact voters?

CORTES: Not at all. This is Omarosa 2.0, the male Omarosa, somebody who has no credibility. By his own admission, he's a confessed felon and confessed liar. And by the way --

(CROSSTALK)

BOYKIN: And Trump's own lawyer.

CORTES: If he's actually -- if he's actually telling the truth --

BOYKIN: Why did Trump hire him?

CORTES: What a reprehensible guy he is. He actually headed our campaign's diversity outreach efforts. So if he privately knew that the president or the candidate were a bigot and then publicly told people of color how much they needed to vote for him, I mean, what a terrible representative --

(CROSSTALK)

KRISTOL: That's true of a lot of people who work for Donald Trump.

(CROSSTALK)

KRISTOL: That's true of a lot of people who work for Donald Trump.

(CROSSTALK)

KRISTOL: They know better.

CORTES: This is where the left goes, when they don't want to talk policy, they scream names.

BOYKIN: No, no, no.

CABRERA: Hold on, hold on. I just --

(CROSSTALK)

CABRERA: Finish you thought, Steve. Let me get Bill in here and then I'll get to -

(CROSSTALK)

CORTES: It's not working. Part of why it's not working is because the economy -- and listen, I think the president is incorrect. He should message more on that amazing jobs number we got on Friday.

CABRERA: All right.

CORTES: The great thing about capitalism, it's color-blind, it's benefiting everybody.

(CROSSTALK)

CABRERA: Yes. But he's not talking about the economy.

(CROSSTALK)

CABRERA: He says it's not as exciting.

Bill, go ahead.

(CROSSTALK)

KRISTOL: People who work for Donald Trump know that he's an unpleasant and nasty person and a demagogue. Of course, they'll tell you that privately, then go out publicly and defend him. Cohen has decided now apparently to say -- I agree, Cohen is a deplorable person. He shouldn't have never been working for the Trump Organization and paying off people with whom Trump had affairs for 10 years.

CABRERA: And final thought, Keith?

BOYKIN: Three quick data points. The Nixon administration sued Donald Trump for housing discrimination against African-Americans in the 1970s. Donald Trump led a racist campaign against the Central Park Five, five black and Latino teenagers here in New York City in the 1980s and 1990s. Donald Trump led a five-and-a-half-year campaign against Barack Obama about his birth certificate. If Michael Cohen didn't know that Trump was a racist after those three things, I don't know what else he needed to know. But I'm glad he's finally saying it now. I'm glad some people are coming to the realization that a lot of us knew already. I hope the American people will come to that realization on Tuesday and start to vote out all of the cronies and racists who enable and support Trump and vote for candidates who create change.

CABRERA: Thank you all for that spirited conversation. Really appreciate it, Steve Cortes, Keith Boykin, and Bill Kristol.

From the Florida governor's race to the Senate showdown in Texas, we'll break down some of the key matchups to watch this Election Day.

Plus, massive early voting numbers reported in some states at levels normally seen during presidential elections. What does it all mean?

And later, after the massacre, CNN is there as a rabbi for the Tree of Life Synagogue returns to the sight where 11 people were killed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[15:14:55] JEFFREY MYERS, RABBI, TREE OF LIFE SYNAGOGUE: No, I'm not scared. I'm angry. How dare you defile our holy space?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: With just three days until the midterms, candidates are spending the weekend making their final frantic pushes for votes, which could be the key to winning some tight races. We're keeping an eye on several big races, but let's focus on Virginia, Florida, and Texas.

I want to start in Dallas where CNN's Ed Lavandera is following the battle between Ted Cruz and Beto O'Rourke -- Ed?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ana, this is the last weekend of campaigning and we're seeing Senator Ted Cruz and Beto O'Rourke crisscross this state, trying to generate those last-minute voters and get voters here in Texas out to the polls. The early voting numbers in this state have been through the roof. Record breaking in terms of turnout. But no one really knows exactly what this will mean.

Beto O'Rourke is campaigning and banking on the fact that the excitement around his campaign is generating a new wave of voters to come out and support him. Even though polls have shown him consistently down in the last few months in this race, he's hoping that it's that younger influx of voters that is not being captured in those polls that will propel him to what would be a monumental victory here in this state.

[15:20:21] Ted Cruz and his supporters that I've talked to here at this particular rally that he held this morning with women in Houston believe that this race is in the bag. They would be shocked if Ted Cruz were to lose this race. Ted Cruz has tied himself directly to President Trump and made no bones about that. He's hoping that the strong economy will propel voters to continue to support him here in this race.

Here is a little sample of what the candidates have been saying on the campaign trail here in the last few days.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TED CRUZ, (R), TEXAS: If you share a love for Texas, if you share a love for freedom, if you want to keep the Texas economic boom moving forward, if you want to keep our community safe and secure, I would ask everyone here to go and get five other people to come out and vote on Tuesday.

BETO O'ROURKE, (D), TEXAS SENATE CANDIDATE: I'm counting on everyone here. You will decide the future, you will decide the fortune, you will decide the fate of everyone around you. Take a look at your mom, at your dad, at your son, at your daughter. Every one of us is counting on every single one of us at this most important time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: Again, these candidates wrapping up this final weekend of campaigning throughout the state. Beto O'Rourke knocking on doors across the state, Ted Cruz headed to rallies in Victoria and Corpus Christi as they make the final push to get people out to vote on Tuesday -- Ana?

CABRERA: Ed, thank you.

Now let's head to Boris Sanchez, in Pensacola, Florida, where the race for governor is neck and neck.

Democrat Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, he is stepping away from the campaign because of a shooting at a yoga studio.

Boris, fill us in on the latest.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Ana. Gillum was back on the campaign trail today. He was in Orlando earlier on Saturday talking about that shooting at the yoga studio, citing that and other violent incidents in Florida, the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando a few years ago, and the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, as reasons why Floridians should vote for Democrats to pass common-sense gun control legislation, something Gillum promised he would do as governor. In the next breath, Gillum went after Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump for rhetoric that he says has led to violence. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREW GILLUM, (D), TALLAHASSE MAYOR & FLORIDA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: I also have to tell you I think we've got to be real careful about the political rhetoric that we've seen. The president, Mr. DeSantis, others around the country. We used to be able to disagree principally on the issues. Quite frankly, in this race there are enough issues on which we can disagree. But the fact that that kind of rhetoric and disagreement is now leading to political violence in my opinion is unacceptable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Ana, this race is in a dead heat with essentially a 1 percent difference between Andrew Gillum and Ron DeSantis. We've seen DeSantis pick up momentum late in the game from Independents and Republicans. This comes as Republicans and the president have been bashing Andrew Gillum, linking him to an FBI investigation. The president calling the mayor of Tallahassee a thief. We'll see if the president brings that up at a rally in Pensacola -- Ana?

CABRERA: Thank you, Boris.

More on that yoga studio shooting is coming up.

First, let's stick with politics and head to CNN's Rebecca Berg in Virginia, where Republicans fear a Democratic congressional candidate could flip a seat the GOP has held for nearly 50 years -- Rebecca?

REBECCA BERG, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: That's right, Ana. We're right in the thick of it in Virginia's seventh district. This is exactly the kind of district that Republicans are watching very closely and are very worried about at this stage. This is a district, as you mentioned, that's been Republican for a very long time, a solidly Republican district. It was, at least. It may not be anymore. Congressman Dave Brat, the Republican incumbent, is in a fight for his political life. He's facing Democrat Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA agent. It is a tossup. They're both out canvassing today around the Richmond area. Those suburbs are going to be key, of course, as we've talked about many of these House races, suburban women could be a decisive factor.

We're a little north of Richmond in a more rural area, Culpeper, Virginia. Here today, Steve Bannon, the president's former chief strategist, was here campaigning, trying to get out the Republican vote, energize the president's base. But he conceded those women could be a big challenge on election night.

Listen to what he told us a little earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[15:25:04] STEVE BANNON, FORMER WHITE HOUSE CHIEF STRATEGIST: It's pretty obvious at this time that there's a certain weakness among college-educated suburban women and even (CROSSTALK)

BANNON: I just think, look, you have to ask them. I think people have to come to their own conclusion. But I think part of it might be House style. They don't like the style. They see the substance, they don't like the House style and the president's style, and that may keep some people from either not voting or even voting for the opposition.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERG: So the president's style one issue for voters here in Virginia and elsewhere.

But policy, of course, a big deal as well. We've seen a lot of health care ads in this district and elsewhere. Republicans trying to defend themselves on that key issue, and Democrats pushing hard on it.

So this will be a key district on election night, one that both parties will be watching as a sign of what's to come later in the evening as the map moves west -- Ana?

CABRERA: You'll be all over it for us.

Thank you so much, Rebecca Berg. Good to see you.

It's a critical election with a lot is at stake, the balance of power in Congress, 36 governors' races, thousands of local elections. We'll bring you all the key races with up-to-the-minute results. Our special live coverage starts on election night at 5:00 p.m. Eastern. I will be heading to Florida to report from there.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:30:53] ANA CABRERA, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. If you voted early in this midterm election, you are in a big group, surprisingly big compared to elections past. In fact, in some states, more people have voted early so far in these midterm races than they did for president two years ago. People who track these things are shocked at the high number of people who are voting for the first time.

Let's turn to our political digital director, Zachary Wolf, now.

Zach, when we look at this map -- I want to show our viewers -- these are just a few states where early voting appears to be off the charts, crushing the number of early voters in the last midterms back in 2014. What's different now from two, four, or eight years ago? Why are voters now flooding the polls early?

ZACHARY WOLF, CNN POLITICS DIGITAL DIRECTOR: First of all, you know, it's important not to read too much into early votes. This is something that's been gaining steam generally, so it makes sense there would be more early votes from midterm to midterm as more states do it and more people in those states do it. It's not just an Election Day thing. This is backed up by polls, people are really energized by this election. And it shouldn't be surprising that they're getting out to vote early, and let their voices be heard.

CABRERA: Are there any specific categories or voter demographics that stand out to you in terms of this early vote?

WOLF: Yes, there are. We've gotten a lot of data on early voting from a firm called Catalyst. Our colleague, Aaron Kessler, here, has done a lot of the work crunching this. It's really interesting to see the growth in the number of young voters, in particular, in some of these very hotly contested states, particularly in Texas, where the number of young voters compared to the last midterm election in 2014, it's almost on a presidential level now. In Texas, in Georgia, maybe not so much in Florida. But there's a rising percentage of young voters and a falling percentage, at least in their share of the vote, of older voters. So you see those younger voters playing a much more important role, at least in this early vote.

CABRERA: And I think it's really important that we underscore, when we look at these early voting numbers and demographics, we may be able to tell how old they are, if they're woman or man, if they are registered to a specific party. But we don't know who they're actually voting for. So given all of that, should any particular party be encouraged by what we know so far just based on the early vote returns?

WOLF: I think if you look in Texas, certainly, you know, the Beto O'Rourke campaign would be very excited to see the number of young voters rising, and the same in Georgia, in the governor's race there, potentially in Florida. But, you know, it's really hard to extrapolate exactly what this means. They are far and away above the last midterm elections. But they're not too much above and probably below the presidential election. In that most recent presidential election, Texas and Florida didn't exactly go for the Democrats.

CABRERA: Zachary Wolf, good to have you with us. Thank you for laying it out for us.

[15:34:00] So much has happened in just one week. It was a week ago, we were in full breaking-news mode on CNN covering an unspeakable tragedy. Coming up, a rabbi makes an emotional return to the Tree of Life Synagogue one week after the worst anti-Semitic attack in modern U.S. history.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFFREY MYERS, RABBI, TREE OF LIFE SYNAGOGUE: I'm a witness, I'm a victim and I'm a survivor. And I'm also a pastor, I'm also human. And I stand here and I'm in pain.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: Welcome back. Today marks one week since a horrific shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. This morning, the Tree of Life community held its first shabbat services since that shooting. Last night, more than 1,200 people of various faiths came together for a public service to show solidarity and support. Yesterday a visitation and funeral service was held for 97-year-old Rose Mallinger, the last of the 11 victims from the shooting to be buried.

CNN's Alisyn Camerota spoke to Tree of Life Rabbi Jeffery Myers about the fear and anger his community is feeling.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MYERS: These just showed up. We didn't put him here. They just showed up.

CAMAROTA: They just organically showed up. These are the names of the victims.

MYERS: These are all the names of the victims and it just showed up. This is just an outpouring of love from --

CAMAROTA: Oh, my gosh.

MYERS: -- from countless people. I'm floored by the love. I don't know where the tents came from. These weren't here yesterday.

[15:40:01] CAMAROTA: Is that right?

MYERS: This is -- the rain is coming in. Somebody brought in tents. This is amazing.

CAMARAOTA: To shelter all of you.

MYERS: This was not done by the synagogue. We didn't do this. The community did this. And I'm just amazed. Amazed.

CAMAROTA: What is it like for you to walk around here six days after you ran for your life from this building?

MYERS: It was painful. It still is. It's painful. I mean, I know it's part of the grieving process, but I'm a witness, a victim, and a survivor. And I'm also a pastor, but I'm also a human. And I stand here and I'm in pain.

CAMAROTA: Are you scared when you see this building? Do you --

MYERS: I'm not scared. I'm angry. How dare you defile our holy space. What made you think you could ever do that? How would you feel if someone did that to your mother's house of worship? How would you feel? Those are questions he's going to have to deal with.

CAMAROTA: You sense anxiety and fear from the community?

MYERS: Yes. Yes. They're afraid.

CAMAROTA: They're afraid this is going to happen again?

MYERS: Yes.

CAMAROTA: You've been so stoical on national TV and you have given your message of love and to tone down the hate, but I just wonder, do you have moments where you break down or are you still on adrenaline?

MYERS: A perfect example, the last funeral today -- it was the last one -- we were -- I appreciate the fact that outside, there's a side there with a contemplative garden. I just sat there and cried like a baby. I couldn't stop. I thought the procession was waiting for me. I couldn't stop. They just came out. Couldn't stop. I haven't held it in me nonstop, but this was the last funeral, and every time I do one, particularly for me, because when I check the memorial prayer, it takes a piece of my soul away and I have no more left to give. My tank is empty.

CAMAROTA: What do you say to your congregants who say, why? How does this happen? How does God let this happen?

MYERS: I don't believe God lets this stuff happen. Humans have a choice. And this person chose, made this choice. To me, God is the one I turn to when I have no strength, to say, God, give me strength to get through this and that's what I do. Every moment of every day, give me strength, and somehow, God does.

CAMAROTA: All of these people lined up here, why are they here? I mean, what do you think they're coming here to do?

MYERS: The community is just mourning. This is Pittsburgh and this is what Pittsburgh is. We're one community. And Pittsburgh is hurting. And we're here to mourn. And this is what Pittsburgh is about. That's what makes Pittsburgh such a special place.

CAMAROTA: Are you ever going back into this building?

MYERS: Yes. We're going to do whatever is necessary work. We have to redo our sanctuary. We have to figure out how and what that means and what's the best choice in terms of what to do. We'll sit and spend the time and plan properly and we will rebuild in whatever way we need to and we'll be back.

CAMAROTA: Seeing those gun bullet holes through the door, through the glass door, that's really chilling.

MYERS: It is. It is. I've walked through the sanctuary. It's a horror. It's worse than any sci-fi film because it's real. It's not phony Hollywood. I never thought I'd live to see that horror in my life because, I've faced anti-Semitism before. I faced it growing up as a kid. I never thought I'd see the horror of this ever. Ever.

CAMAROTA: Just show me here what stands out to you. When you come here to look at this outpouring of the community.

MYERS: It's the sheer immensity of love. It gives me hope because it reminds me there are so many good people, and this gives me strength to say, hate will never win.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: Hate will never win.

And we cannot forget the victims of this shooting. Here is how those who loved them are remembering them.

Brothers Cecil and David Rosenthal were lifelong members of the synagogue. Cecil loved to greet members at the door while David sat out the prayer books. They had developmental disabilities and dedicated their lives to helping others. They were inseparable.

At 97, Rose Mallinger was the oldest of the victims. She regularly attended the Tree of Life with her daughter who survived the shooting. Her family said she did everything she wanted to do in life. She was known as "Bubbe," Yiddish for "grandma," to everyone in the family and the entire community.

[15:45:07] Bernice and Sylvan Simon died together in the same synagogue where they were married 62 years ago. Their neighbors describe them as the sweetest people you can imagine, two people who shared a great love.

And 87-year-old Melvin Wax was usually one of the first to arrive at Saturday morning services. His passions were his grandson, his religion, and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Joyce Fienberg had a long career as a University of Pittsburg research specialist until she retired 10 years ago. Friends describe her as an engaging, elegant and warm person who lit up a room with her huge personality.

Jerry Rabinowitz was a primary care physician. One patient called him an amazing man, recalling how, in the early days of HIV treatments, when stigma surrounding the disease was high, Dr. Rabinowitz was known to hold patients' hands and embrace them when they left his office.

Irving Younger, greeted Tree of Life Synagogue members with a big smile and a handshake. The 69 year old was a former real estate agent and a little league coach.

Richard Gottfried owned a dental practice with his wife for over 30 years. Together they would serve patients who didn't have insurance or were underinsured.

Daniel Stein was a 71-year-old retiree who lived in Squirrel Hill with his wife. His nephew described him as a fun guy with a sense of humor that everybody loved. He had recently become a grandfather for the first time.

To the entire community there in Pittsburgh, and to those feeling the pain around the world, we continue to grieve with you and we wish you strength and healing.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [15:51:19] CABRERA: Police still don't know what motivated a man to start shooting people inside a yoga studio in Tallahassee, Florida. He killed two women and then himself. This happened yesterday evening. Five other people inside that yoga studio were wounded.

CNN national correspondent, Dianne Gallagher, is following the story as it has been developing all day today.

Dianne, we now have names and faces of these two women who were so senselessly killed in this, another, awful shooting.

DIANNE GALLAGHER: Yes, Ana. A doctor and a college student who were simply practicing yoga not far from Florida State University where both of them are connected. And 61-year-old Nancy Van Nessem, she's was an internist, and also the chief medical director at capital health plan and a member of the FSU faculty. And Maura Binkley, at FSU student in English and German, double major, from right here in the Atlanta area. She graduated from Dunwoody High School. She was a member of the Tri Delta Fraternity. The president described her as a Tri Delta woman, brave, bold, and kind.

Speaking of bravery, the police chief said the people in that yoga studio, they fought back. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL DELEO, CHIEF, TALLAHASSEE POLICE DEPARTMENT: So there are indications that several people inside fought back and tried to not only save themselves but other people, which is a testament to the courage of the people that don't just turn and run, but the strength of our community and the spirit of those people who were trying to help and save and protect others.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GALLAGHER: Now, in addition to Maura Binkley and Nancy Van Nessem, four other people were shot and a fifth person was pistol-whipped before that gunman turned the gun on himself, according to police -- Ana?

CABRERA: Dianne, what do police know about that gunman, the man they say opened fire in this yoga studio?

GALLAGHER: So as you said, they're still trying to figure out what the connection is between this 40-year-old man, who is from Deltona, Florida -- it's about four hours from Tallahassee -- and the yoga studio. He did attend Florida State University some years ago. And he had some issues with police in the past with phone calls about harassment of young women there in Tallahassee. He is a U.S. Army veteran, we are told. And, again, still trying to determine exactly what the connection is here. Investigators, federal, state, and local, Ana, are going through his social media accounts, electronics, and they have a search warrant that they've executed on his home there in Deltona to try and figure it out.

CABRERA: Dianne Gallagher, we know you'll keep us posted. Thank you. Coming up, the Trump economy on a tear with another strong jobs

report, but the president says he doesn't want to talk about it. Why? Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:58:36] CABRERA: Listen to this. More than 40 million Americans don't have enough food to eat even though up to 40 percent of the food supply in the U.S. is wasted every year. It's a paradox that Marie Rose Belding saw when she was just in the eighth grade. And what she decided to do about it is why she is one of this year's top-10 "CNN Heroes."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIA ROSE BELDING, CNN HERO: There was a food pantry in my church that I grew up working in. You have way too much of one thing and would be in desperate need of a different thing. Inevitably, some of it would expire. I would end up throwing a lot of it away. When I was 14, I realized that doesn't make sense. The Internet was right in front of us. That's such an obvious thing to fix. If it isn't claimed, it is turned green. You would really think the novelty of it would wear off. Think of it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: What a lady. Maria's nonprofit, MEAN, has helped to redistribute more than 1.8 million pounds of food since 2015.

If you want to vote for her for "CNN HERO OF THE YEAR," or any of your favorite top-10 "CNN Heroes," log on to CNN heroes.com.

Thanks for rolling with me. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Ana Cabrera, in New York.

On this Saturday, we are now three days until the midterms, and what some are calling the biggest referendum on a president in recent memory. President Trump is certainly campaigning like he feels the pressure, holding rallies in states where many midterm races are a tossup right now.