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Some districts return to remote learning as COVID-19 cases rise

Fox News correspondent Rich Edson joins 'Special Report' with more from Washington

Oct. 30, 2020 – This is a rush transcript from “Special Report” October 30, 2020. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: He said we're doing it because we in America, we refuse to postpone. I refuse to postpone the work America must do. There's nothing beyond our capacity. There is no limit to America, including guys like that,

The only thing that could tear America apart is America itself. And that's exactly what Donald Trump has been doing from the beginning. Divide America, putting Americans against one another, based on race, ethnicity, national origin. That's wrong, that's not who we are!

Everybody knows who Donald Trump is. Let's keep showing him who we are. We choose hope over fear. We choose unity over division, science over fiction.

And yes, we choose truth over lies.

So, it's time to stand up, take back our democracy. We can do this. We're so much better than this. We can be who we are at our best, the United States of America. God bless you all, and may God protect our troops. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRET BAIER, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Good evening, welcome to Washington. I'm Bret Baier. You are listening live to former Vice President Joe Biden in St.

Paul, Minnesota, making his closing pitch there. "BREAKING TONIGHT", on the final weekend before the election.

The latest Fox News poll shows Joe Biden's lead over President Trump has narrowed slightly to eight points, from 10-point advantage in early October. The challenger is leading among women, suburban women, Hispanics, Blacks, and younger voters. President Trump polling at 14 percent with the black vote in this poll. The president leading among white men, rural voters, and Evangelicals.

But in the closing days, the Real Clear Politics Average of battleground state polls, now shows Biden lead continuing -- Biden's lead continuing to narrow to just three points in the battleground. That's the average of recent battleground state polls.

Almost 87 million people have already voted already. 87 million, with at least one state, Texas reporting more ballots turned in right now than in all of the 2016 voting.

The two candidates are crossing paths for the second day on a row. Joe Biden, as we saw speaking in Minnesota, spoke earlier in Des Moines, Iowa.

Finished up there in St. Paul, he'll be in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, next hour.

President Trump was in Michigan earlier, appears in Rochester, Minnesota in just a few minutes, and was in Green Bay, Wisconsin, a short time ago, where he touted the endorsement of hall of famer qb, Brett Favre. That's where chief White House correspondent John Roberts, is tonight. Good evening, John.

JOHN ROBERTS, FOX NEWS CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Bret, good evening to you. While early voting has set records, there are still millions of Americans who have yet to cast a ballot.

Historical voting trends would suggest that the majority of those people are Republicans. So, President Trump is burning jet fuel by the barrel in an effort to reach every one of them.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTS: President Trump, bracing the cold of the upper Midwest today, with a warning to voters about Joe Biden. Winter is coming.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He said the long dark, winter. Oh, that's great, that's wonderful. That's just what our country needs is a long dark winter, and a leader that talks about it.

ROBERTS: The president, again, taking a run at the blue wall: Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. He turned two of them red in 2016 and would like to get all three this time around. Telling voters in Michigan, a Biden victory would be bad for the economy.

TRUMP: Biden twisted a knife into the back of Michigan workers and workers all over the country. In 2016, Michigan voted to fire this corrupt political establishment, and you elected an outsider as president who is finally putting America first. If that's OK -- is that OK?

ROBERTS: President Trump, pledging today that a new coronavirus relief bill to boost the economy will come soon after the election. And the president today repeating the much-criticized claim that doctors are inflating coronavirus death numbers to line their pockets.

TRUMP: You know, our doctors get more money if somebody dies from COVID.

You know that, right?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

TRUMP: No, it's true. Now, they'll say, oh, it's terrible what he said, but that's true. It's like $2,000 more.

ROBERTS: In Michigan and Green Bay, there were big crowds. But in Minnesota, COVID restrictions limited his audience to just 250 people. The president accusing democratic officials of trying to box him out.

TRUMP: 25,000 people want to be there, and they say you can only have 250 people. So, they thought I'd cancel. But I'm not canceling. And they are there because they're angry at the riots, and they know that I stop to them.

ROBERTS: The president's campaign also in a dispute with Washington, D.C.'s mayor over an election night victory party at the Trump International Hotel, the idea of hundreds of people gathering in a ballroom not in line with D.C. COVID restrictions.

TRUMP: I don't know if it's yet -- if you're allowed to use it or not, but I know the mayor has shut down Washington, D.C. And if that's the case, we'll probably stay here or pick another location.

I think it's crazy, Washington, D.C. is shut down. Can you imagine?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTS: In truth, Washington, D.C. is not shut down, it is in phase two coronavirus reopening, but events are limited to 50 people, which in the parlance of the president, does equate to a shutdown.

As he did back in 2016, President Trump will go full out for this final weekend, hitting 14 cities in seven states before Election Day, the president this morning saying, Bret, he may even go out on Election Day if necessary to get out the vote. Bret?

BAIER: John Roberts in Green Bay. John, thanks.

As we showed you just a moment ago, Joe Biden has an aggressive schedule today, three appearances in the Midwest, especially compared to what the campaign schedule has looked like in recent days.

Correspondent Peter Doocy reports tonight from Saint Paul.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PETER DOOCY, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: On Joe Biden's busiest day on the trail, all cycle.

BIDEN: These final days stay empowered.

DOOCY: He is trying to reach people who haven't voted yet.

BIDEN: Villages of America is already voting, millions more are going to vote by late Tuesday night.

DOOCY: A new Fox News poll finds Biden leads Trump with mail-in voters, 65- 31. Trump leads Biden with in-person voters, 53 to 44.

BIDEN: He will not be able to stop us at all.

DOOCY: The Democratic nominee's platform proposes trillions in new spending.

BIDEN: If I'm electing these passes, I'm going to be good to go down as almost progressive presidents in American history.

DOOCY: But some to his left are leery. A spokesman for Justice Democrats tells Axios, "Progressives gave Obama a honeymoon in 2009, and then, he appointed all these Wall Street people. So, we need to be vigilant."

Will Kamala Harris help ease their concerns? After all, Biden has said, he is just setting the table for the next generation.

BIDEN: Look, I view myself as a bridge, not as anything else.

DOOCY: If Biden is elected, Elizabeth Warren plans to privately lobby to be treasury secretary. So, a lot's changed there since she wouldn't say thanks for his help creating the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

BIDEN: I got votes for that bill. I convinced people to vote for it. So, let's get those things straight too.

SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA): I am deeply grateful to President Obama.

DOOCY: Biden's trip to Iowa today is his first since finishing fourth in the caucuses.

BIDEN: I'll mobilize a true international effort to stop China's abuses.

So, we can strengthen manufacturing and farming in Iowa and across the country. I'm going to hold China accountable, which he hasn't from the pandemic on.

DOOCY: And his trip to Minnesota is just his second all-cycle.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why Minnesota? Democrats won Minnesota in 2016, are you concerned?

BIDEN: I take no, I'm not concerned. We're going to be in Iowa, we're going to be in Wisconsin. So, I thought I'd stop in Minnesota.

DOOCY: And Biden hope it helps to have a chorus of car horns.

BIDEN: Honk if you want America to lead again.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DOOCY: Biden is still on site here. He just finished speaking to a few hundred of his own supporters in the shadow of a grandstand that has several thousand seats. That seat unoccupied because the campaign would prefer to have people socially distanced in their cars. There were a few dozen Trump supporters that showed up outside the event as well. They were making a lot of noise. Apparently, noise that could be heard from the stage because Biden referred to those Trump supporters as ugly. Bret.

BAIER: Peter, thank you.

Democrats winning Minnesota last time in 2016, losing Michigan and Wisconsin.

Let's bring in pollster, Frank Luntz, and tell us about the most effective advertisements of the campaign. Frank, good to see you. Let's start out with a Trump-ad this cycle. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: Everybody knows how tough she is.

You know the rapidly rising --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAIER: OK. So, that's a piece of that Trump-ad. What about that, Frank?

FRANK LUNTZ, POLLSTER: It's a tiny piece of a very important Trump ad that shows Joe Biden in the comparison between 2016 and 2020, where Biden's had his biggest advantage is over the comparison of personas. Who do you like?

Who do you trust? And that ad goes into how Joe Biden's whole presentation, his demeanor has changed over the last four years. That he's not the same man today than he was four years ago.

The reason why it's effective, and these ads matter, because it is Donald Trump's best way to communicate to the most number of people over these last five days, is that it shows that Joe Biden just isn't the person that people remember him from 2008 and even 2016.

BAIER: And you're saying that resonates. Let's go to the other side. This is a Biden ad, hammering the president's handling of the pandemic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trump keeps up the false message.

TRUMP: It will go away, just stay calm.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donald Trump didn't build a great economy. His failure to lead destroyed one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAIER: What about that one, Frank?

LUNTZ: Coronavirus is the number one issue. And because it's back and it's affecting more people than ever, that -- the public wants a solution, they want a plan. And so, what Biden is trying to do there is to remind people that this has been going on now for the last seven months -- eight months, and to remind them that the president -- and that ad also, I would urge viewers to see it online that ad goes into the details. We call it a tick tock. Every month, the things that Trump said and what did and did not happen.

Both of those ads, these campaigns are going negative right now. They're trying to drive home the message that you cannot trust the opponent, that America will be worse off with opponents, and I'm not surprised, if five days, they're trying to motivate people to get them to participate.

BAIER: Last thing, Frank, I mean, you know, Election Day traditionally and now we believe Republicans will have really a great turnout to vote effort, and it really depends in these swing states. Those swing state polls have narrowed. Where do you see this race just days out?

LUNTZ: So, in an overall national analysis, Joe Biden has a clear lead. And every poll shows him ahead by significant numbers. But those swing states have been getting closer and closer every single day. And I've been following them on Real Clear Politics or 538, and it is narrowing.

The question is, are there enough voters who haven't participated, yes -- yet? I think there is. Is there enough time? That, I'm not sure.

BAIER: All right, Frank, as always. Thank you. Check in with you next week.

This Sunday, Martha McCallum and I will host an election special, 6:00 p.m.

Eastern. We'll bounce around the country to reporters in every major race -

- obviously, the presidential race as well. We'll find out what to expect in the final hours of the presidential campaign. 6:00 p.m.

Technology companies lead the markets down to end a rough week on the markets. The Dow loss 158. The S&P 500 was down 40. The NASDAQ fell 274 today. The week saw the biggest sell-off since March. The Dow dropping 6-

1/2 percentage points. The S&P 500 and NASDAQ lost about 5-1/2 percent.

The U.S. has eclipsed the 9 million mark of COVID-19 infections. The global count is about 45.4 million. The U.S. broke its single-day record for new coronavirus infections, Thursday, reporting, at least, 91,248 new cases. 17 states reported their highest daily number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients since the pandemic started. That's according to a Reuters tally of publicly reported data.

More than a thousand people died of the virus yesterday as listed. This marks the third time in October that milestone has been passed in a single day. The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients has risen more than 50 percent in October to 46,000. That's the highest since mid-August.

Overseas, Parisians are fleeing for the countryside, jammed roads ahead of France's lockdown. One traffic jam stretched for 435 miles, Thursday evening ahead of a long holiday weekend.

We're taking a look tonight at the U.S. coronavirus and children. How

COVID-19 is affecting children? Their education and their parents? Here's correspondent Rich Edson.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LYNNE ORMSBY, PARENT, VIRGINIA: I would love, love, love, love the children to be back in school. And I think that they would love to be back in school as well.

RICH EDSON, FOX NEWS WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Lynne Ormsby is like many parents. She wants her kids back in the classroom. But she is also in the majority in Virginia with concerns about reopening schools.

A recent Washington Post poll shows 59 percent opposed requiring Virginia schools to open for in-person classes five days a week.

ORMSBY: There's no plan. I don't know, I don't feel comfortable that they're going to be able to manage this.

EDSON: In New Jersey, there are reports of a school district scuttling plans to reopen as county officials cite in school transmission. In Wisconsin, a high school is back to distance learning as six staff members are in quarantine.

And the nationwide spike of COVID-19 cases has prompted schools in Utah, Maryland, Boston, Chicago and elsewhere to delay plans to reopen. Yet, there are other worries. Students learning remotely risk falling behind, have internet access challenges, mental health concerns, and widening disparities between rich and poor.

MIRANDA TURNER, MEMBER, ARLINGTON PARENTS FOR EDUCATION: There's research, there's data, there's evidence, and there are natural experiments happening all the time in other school systems that we ought to be paying close attention to, and seeing what we can do for our kids here.

EDSON: Miranda Turner is a parent and part of Arlington Parents for Education, an advocacy group pushing in-person instruction with COVID precautions. She points to a nationwide survey of schools in COVID-19 showing in person class is not a super-spreader event.

The study, led by a Brown University economist, finds virus rates for students and staff reflect the rates in their broader communities. And top government scientist, say resuming classroom learning should be a priority.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS

DISEASES: We should, right now, to the best of our capability, trying to get children back to school. I think children getting back to school will be much, much sooner than getting people into theaters at full capacity.

EDSON: Doctors acknowledge, children can still spread COVID-19 between each other and adults, a serious concern for students with compromised immune systems, and vulnerable or elderly adults at home.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

EDSON: Scientists also recommend enforcing mask wearing, monitoring for those with symptoms, and keeping buildings ventilated and clean. Bret.

BAIER: Rich, thank you.

Up next, the latest from the Tony Bobulinski allegations and the Hunter Biden business deal story. First, here is what some of our Fox affiliates around the country are covering tonight. Fox 29 in Philadelphia, as the Pennsylvania National Guard arrives to help the state and local law enforcement agencies maintain peace following looting and unrest sparked by the officer involved fatal shooting of an African-American man.

State and local patrol cars have been posted on virtually every block in center city, protecting border businesses there.

Fox 2 in San Francisco, as actress Lori Loughlin starts her two months prison sentence for her role in the college admission scandal. Loughlin has reported to the federal correctional institution in Dublin, California.

And this is a live look at New York from our affiliate Fox 5. One of the big stories there tonight, a stop work order is issued for a skyscraper under construction in midtown Manhattan. Last night, a crane began spinning and strong wind sending debris falling to the ground below. Fortunately, no one was injured. Video shows the top of the crane revolving in a full circle at the top of the 1,400-foot building.

That's tonight live look "OUTSIDE THE BELTWAY" from SPECIAL REPORT. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BAIER: Walmart is reversing its decision to remove guns and ammunition from its sales floors. The company initially said the move was out of concern for possible looting. Today, Walmart said, since looting incidents have remained geographically isolated, it will return the items to the sales floor.

An Illinois judge is ordering the extradition of a 17-year-old accused in the fatal shooting of two demonstrators in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Lawyers for Kyle Rittenhouse tried to persuade the judge to block their client's transfer to Wisconsin to face homicide charges, they say he acted in self- defense.

Coverage of the Tony Bobulinski story has not been -- well covered at all widespread. However, one network is taking issue with the overall story.

Now, the story from a former business associate of Hunter Biden that disputes Joe Biden's statements regarding his involvement in his son's affairs.

There's also now a surprising show of support for Tony Bobulinski. Senior political correspondent Mike Emanuel shows us tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TONY BOBULINSKI, FORMER ASSOCIATE OF HUNTER BIDEN: There was no other reason for me to be in that bar meeting Joe Biden than to discuss what I was doing with his family's name in the Chinese CFC.

MIKE EMANUEL, FOX NEWS CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Today, a show of support for Tony Bobulinski from a progressive California Democrat, who was a key surrogate for the Bernie Sanders campaign.

While noting he has no personal knowledge of the Hunter Biden matter, California Congressman Ro Khanna sent this e-mail verified by his staff to Bobulinski this morning. Writing, "I have said I respect your service to our country and that you have never been a partisan hack in our interactions and have talked about putting country over party. I also have made it clear that i do not think you are a Russian agent."

Since coming forward with his concerns about Biden family overseas business dealings, Fox News has confirmed, Bobulinski spent five hours answering questions from six FBI agents one week ago. And bureau investigators examined his cell phones which contained text messages, e-mails and business documentation, which Bobulinski has released publicly.

Still, NBC News came out with this report last night. How a fake persona laid the groundwork for a Hunter Biden conspiracy deluge. It alleges one month before a purported leak of files from Hunter Biden's laptop, a fake intelligence document went viral on the right-wing Internet.

Democrats on House foreign affairs jumped on the report, concluding, "So, whoever is pushing this nonsense in the remaining days before the election, just remember, it's Russian propaganda, and anyone who repeats it is helping Putin undermine American democracy."

But the director of National Intelligence said nearly two weeks ago, that isn't the case.

JOHN RATCLIFFE, DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: The Hunter Biden's laptop is not part of some Russian disinformation campaign, and I think it's clear that the American people know that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

EMANUEL: A spokesman for the Senate Homeland Security Committee tells me the document mentioned in that NBC report was not a factor at all in the Committee's report or investigation. Adding, they relied almost exclusively on financial records and interviews with Americans. Bret.

BAIER: And we know, Mike that Tony Bobulinski did talk to the FBI with his story.

EMANUEL: At great length last Friday, a week ago, with a handful of FBI agents for multiple hours with his attorney by his side and handed over his cell phones as well. So, he appears to be totally transparent with the federal authorities at the FBI.

BAIER: OK, Mike. We'll continue to follow it. Thank you.

EMANUEL: You bet.

BAIER: Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is disputing a report in foreign policy magazine that he served on the board of a Chinese joint venture for the first two years of his term. Ross says he has provided a dated and signed letter of resignation from that company. He cites -- says that the Chinese do not believe that, that letter is accurate, but he took it to be a resignation from the board when he started at his time, commerce secretary. Foreign policy continues with that story.

Up next, we'll go to the big board to look at some of the scenarios for election night. But first, "BEYOND OUR BORDERS" tonight.

A strong earthquake hits the Turkish coast and the Greek Island of Samos.

Several buildings collapsed in western Turkey, at least, 19 people were killed, hundreds more were injured.

Armenia and Azerbaijan are promising to avoid targeting residential areas amid their fighting over separatist territory. The two sides spent the day negotiating in Geneva.

And mourners' light candles and pray silently to honor the three people who were killed in an apparent terror attack in Nice. France is heightening security nationwide amid religious and geopolitical tensions around published cartoons mocking the prophet Muhammad.

Just some of the other stories "BEYOND OUR BORDERS" tonight. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BAIER: Welcome back. The countdown to Election Day is on. Let's take a look at a what-if scenario for the presidency. It takes 270 electoral votes to win. The blue states, the red states, these are states we know traditionally how they go based on polling, and how they voted before. The whitish gray, those are the battleground states, and those are where this race will be decided. If you look at the margin of error of polls in these various states, sometimes in the past, in 2016, Trump outperformed that margin there. So if we go with that tonight, that thinking, Republicans could pick up Florida, Georgia, which is very tight, but traditionally Republican, North Carolina, Ohio, Iowa, Nebraska. We'll give the extra congressional district that's set aside in Nebraska as well, and then Texas, which would traditionally be Republican, although it's very tight there, and Arizona.

Democrats tonight looking across the country, Maine also splits out a congressional district, and we'll give that to Joe Biden as well. New Hampshire. The Midwest, it looks like Joe Biden could hold on if those numbers are right tonight, and that includes Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, as well as Nevada. Look at that, 259 to 259. The state we haven't pushed, Pennsylvania. It's 20 electoral votes. It could be the decider again this year, and that is why you're seeing so many visits to the keystone state.

Obviously, we're watching the situation with the U.S. Senate, control of the U.S. Senate, 53-47 Republicans right now. But there are some weak spots in the Republican lineup. Right now, in Georgia, there are two Senate races. Let's just say looking at the polls, that Republicans lose one, one of those two. North Carolina, let's say they lose that race, but they pick up in Michigan in a race where John James is definitely closing and within striking distance. They pick up in Alabama. Perhaps they lose a seat in Arizona and Colorado, that's if. In this scenario, then you have a scenario where the balance of power goes from 53-47 to 51-49.

Now, remember, there is still one race we haven't talked about there, and that is a race that is extremely tight, the race for Maine's Senate seat.

The incumbent Susan Collins fighting off a Democratic challenger. It could be a major opportunity for the Democrats not only to flip this seat, but to flip control of the Senate.

Correspondent Molly Line takes a look from Portland.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MOLLY LINE, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: New England's last Republican in Congress, Maine's long serving Senator Susan Collins, is fighting to hold ground once for them beneath feet. Six years ago she soared to victory with

68 percent of the vote. Now Collins challenger, speaker of the Maine House of Representatives, Democrat Sara Gideon, holds a narrow three-point lead in the latest Colby College poll, a statistical dead heat. In a final debate, neither woman pulled any punches.

SARA GIDEON (D), MAINE SENATE CANDIDATE: They have worked for 10 years, 10 years to take the Affordable Care Act away from you. We cannot afford Senator Collins to continue to be in the U.S. Senate or Mitch McConnell to continue to be majority leader.

SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R-ME): I do not know a single senator who supports taking away coverage for people with preexisting conditions. Everybody supports that coverage, and I worked in state government to provide that protection while Sara was still in Rhode Island.

LINE: Collins often touts her own home state routes and has refused to back President Trump's reelection even as Gideon aims to tie her to the top of the ticket. Foreign governor of Maine, Democrat John Baldacci.

JOHN BALDACCI (D), FORMER MAINE GOVERNOR: I think Sara Gideon is a good candidate and a good person, but I think the race is really a referendum on Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell and Susan Collins.

LINE: Fought across the airwaves, it's been a bitter contest, with more than $160 million poured in, per Colby College researchers. State GOP leaders lament the impact on their candidate.

JASON SAVAGE, MAINE REPUBLICAN PARTY: All these special interest groups from the Planned Parenthoods to the radical environmental groups, they are all attacking Senator Collins on behalf of Sara Gideon right now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LINE: And for the first time in decades, Democrats now outnumber Republicans and independent voters in Maine. Bret?

BAIER: Molly, thank you.

One point on our earlier Senate what if scenario -- a 50-50 Senate would mean whenever side wins the White House would control the Senate since the vice president is the tiebreaker. Also important to point out, those two races in Georgia, they might not get to 50 percent, so they could be in run-off territory, and the Senate could hang in the balance with the Georgia races yet to go in January. Just some scenarios.

Up next, Californians vote on the most expensive ballot measure in U.S.

history. We'll take you -- tell you what it is and what's at stake. And you're looking live in Rochester, Minnesota, I think we see the wing of Air Force One touching down there, rolling in. President Trump will be speaking. We'll take you there when he does.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BAIER: Californians are voting on the costliest balanced measure in the country's history. It has to do with the gig economy, ride-sharing and deliveries. Senior correspondent Claudia Cowan explains tonight from San Francisco.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRANDON O'NEIL, UBER DRIVER: One of the biggest things for me is the flexibility of driving Uber.

CLAUDIA COWAN, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: As an independent contractor, 22- year-old Brandon O'Neil can decide when and where he works and earns enough to cover his living expenses while going to USC. But that flexibility now hinges on Proposition 22. Bankrolled mainly by Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash to the tune of a whopping $200 million, the most expensive ballot measure even in U.S. history. Passage will maintain the status quo, with some added employee benefits like health care. But defeat will mean nearly a million rideshare and delivery drivers in California would be classified as employees, with rules that Brandon says would upend his life.

O'NEIL: I would have assigned hours, I may have assigned locations, and that could clearly interfere with a lot of other things in my life.

COWAN: Those opposed to Prop 22 argue Uber is exploiting its drivers by not paying a minimum wage and violating a state labor law that requires ap- based transportation companies to provide employee benefits like overtime, worker's comp, and unemployment.

ASH KALRA, (D) CALIFORNIA STATE ASSEMBLY: And you'll see workers' pay and benefits continue to be dwindled, and the taxpayer ends up holding the bag when it comes to taking care of social safety net services.

COWAN: But Uber says the alternative will cost hundreds of millions of dollars, warning if Prop 22 loses, the company will be forced to lay off 75 percent of its 200,000 drivers, and may be forced to pull out of California altogether. Critics don't care.

KALRA: If they are not willing to comply with the laws required by the state of California, then they shouldn't operate here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COWAN: The race over prop 22 is a virtual dead heat. The latest statewide poll gives the initiative a slight lead, but not enough to pass, and with plenty of voters still undecided over how best to classify and protect the drivers of California's gig economy. Bret?

BAIER: Interesting. Claudia, thank you.

Another live look as Air Force One has landed. The president getting ready to speak shortly. You can see the door opened up there in Rochester, Minnesota. We will take you there live and bring you that just like we brought you Joe Biden's speech in Minnesota earlier.

Up next, the panel on the final Friday before the election. We'll see if we have Candidate Casino, Winners and Losers, and obviously the president.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In 2016, Michigan voted to fire this corrupt political establishment, and you elected at an outsider as president who is finally putting America first.

(APPLAUSE)

BIDEN: My campaign is a broad coalition. It welcomes Democrats, Republicans, and independents. I'm running as a proud Democrat, but I will govern as an American president. I will work as hard for those who don't support me as those who do. In my administration, there will be no red states or blue states, just the United States of America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAIER: The president and former vice president on the campaign trail as you look at the map where they have been, where they are going. The president in Waterford Township, Michigan, Green Bay, Wisconsin, and we showed you Air Force One, Rochester, Minnesota. Biden in Des Moines, Iowa, St. Paul, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin in a bit. Vice President Pence in Flagstaff, Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, and Senator Harris in Fort Worth, Texas, McAllen, Texas, and Houston, Texas today and tonight.

Let's bring in our panel, Charlie Hurt, opinion editor for "The Washington Times," Leslie Marshall, Democratic strategist, and Bill McGurn, columnist for "The Wall Street Journal." Charlie, where do you see this, the closing days, the final Friday before Election Day?

CHARLES HURT, OPINION EDITOR, "WASHINGTON TIMES": It's 2020, so I guess it's only fitting that it has to be the craziest election I've ever seen.

You go out there out in the country, and you see more enthusiasm for Donald Trump than we have -- I've ever seen for any political candidate for any office anywhere. And it even eclipses what we saw four years ago, and it was pretty crazy four years ago.

And then you look at these polls and you see polls that suggest that President Trump is going to lose states that he won by 10 points four years ago, albeit they're conducted by pollsters who got it disastrously wrong four years ago. So it's kind of hard to figure out exactly where we are.

But I do feel pretty confident about one thing. We are also seeing a media behaving unlike we've ever, ever seen in a political campaign. They have thrown everything they can at this president for four years, and they're doing it still now. They're refusing to cover certain very, very important issues with Joe Biden. And I think if it weren't for that, I would say President Trump would be up by 15 points.

BAIER: And I think your camera is tilting up, too. It's a giant problem.

HURT: There we go.

BAIER: No, I'm kidding.

(LAUGHTER)

BAIER: Leslie, let me ask you about our new poll. We had it at eight points. I want to go to a couple other poll points. FOX poll three, guys in the control room, describe the vote for president, for your candidate or against the other person. And if you look at the breakdown, Biden supporters and Trump supporters, Biden supporters for the candidate, 57 percent, against President Trump, 41 percent, and there you see the split for Trump supporters, 80-18. And then the FOX poll four is if voting today, your choice, whether it's Biden or Trump. And you can see the breakout is a little bit more in person voters for Republicans. And I guess that's the fear of Democrats is not knowing what the electorate looks like on Tuesday.

LESLIE MARSHALL, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Yes, definitely. And I'll only agree with Charlie a little bit, which is it's 2020. Look, this is not going to be a landslide for anybody. This is going to be very tight. I love the map that you showed, Bret, because visual aids are helpful to everyone, myself included. And we see how some states really could go either way.

Virtual ties, though, in states like Texas, Georgia, where Joe Biden is leading right now, simply unheard of, if the poll can be trusted.

So let's look at numbers that can be trusted. Right now, Democrats have been outperforming in early voting Republicans, but Republicans are catching up. Young people are voting state-by-state in numbers like never before, especially like North Carolina and Florida. But Joe Biden is not seeing the numbers that Hillary Clinton saw in 2016 so far with Hispanics and African-Americans. That's where he's sunk to Democrats. Donald Trump is not seeing the numbers that he saw in 2016 with women or with older people.

So, honestly, I'm not going to Vegas either way. These deals are going to be gone next Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday, and it's going to be very close.

BAIER: Yes. Bill, a lot of times you can tell where campaigns are focused by where they go. If you look at the Trump team just put out moments ago their schedule for the weekend, we'll just take a quick bounce around here.

Rallies on Saturday, four stops in Pennsylvania on Saturday for the president. And then on Sunday, Michigan, Iowa, North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, and then Monday, North Carolina, Pennsylvania again, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

A lot of stops, and we don't have the Biden schedule as of yet. But it seems like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and shoring up Georgia is on the mind of the Trump campaign.

BILL MCGURN, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, absolutely. Look, a lot of people make fun of the president's rallies, but I think they are very important.

When a president lands in a town, it's a big deal with Air Force One, and I think it's one of the keys to his strength.

I agree with Leslie that this is going to be a close election. It's why I look at some of these polls, like there's a poll about Wisconsin that I think had Joe Biden up 17 points. I think that's absurd. It's not going to be that high. If there's a surprise showing where really big numbers, I think the surprise would be Donald Trump.

I also agree with Leslie was mentioning the old seniors -- I'm a senior now so I can say that -- seniors and young people. But one of the differences is the seniors have soured on President Trump a little bit over COVID, they're nervous about it. But a lot of the young people, I'm hearing from some pollsters that there is a surge, and a lot of them are more for Trump because they don't want the economy locked down. They want to go to their colleges, they want to get their jobs. They're not feeling as vulnerable as, say, old people. So I think it's very, very competitive. The last time around, they missed a lot of Trump voters in the polling.

BAIER: So this is a tie, where I can pull it out of you guys, and we go to a place called Candidate Casino. And you have $100 in chips, you have to spend them, $100, how are you spending it, Charlie Hurt?

HURT: All in on red.

(LAUGHTER)

BAIER: You've got one black chip, that's the first black chip that we have seen, and the dealer acknowledges your black chip on Trump. Leslie Marshall?

MARSHALL: It's $60 for Biden, $40 for Trump.

BAIER: OK, interesting split, 60-40. All right, Bill, round us out.

MCGURN: OK, I love candidate casino because it's actually your chips, right, you're giving us, so there's not much risk.

(LAUGHTER)

MCGURN: I'm $75 for Trump. So I'm $75th Trump and $25 for Biden.

BAIER: OK, guys, the bets are going to come to an end. I think Monday is our last time in the casino before Tuesday.

HURT: But we still get free drinks, right?

BAIER: So thank you all. We still get free drinks, that's right. Tip your waiters and waitresses. Thanks, guys. We'll see you.

When we come back, the politics of daylight savings time.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BAIER: Friendly reminder there, finally tonight, daylight savings time and early Sunday morning. You may want to move your clocks one hour back when you go to bed Saturday night. However, a few members of Congress would like to change that, politics and everything. Congressional correspondent Chad Pergram tells us live from Capitol Hill. Good evening, Chad.

CHAD PERGRAM, FOX NEWS PRODUCER: Bret, let's get one thing straight. You can blame Congress as to why we change the clocks twice a year.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PERGRAM: Time policy is steeped in law. Bipartisan senators recently pushed for the U.S. to remain on daylight savings time, meaning more sunshine, less moonshine during the pandemic, hoping it would decrease the winter doldrums.

SEN. RICK SCOTT (R-FL): With COVID, we want people to get outside. It's positive from a health standpoint, positive from a mental health standpoint.

PERGRAM: But Congress ran out of time before leaving D.C. for the election.

Time has been an issue for some time now. President Trump wants your days to be longer and nights shorter. He tweeted last year the U.S. should remain on daylight savings time year-round. Back in the day, it was Congress which mandated summertime during World War I. President Woodrow Wilson wanted to go back in time, losing an hour after the war. But Congress said it was the timekeeper and overrode his veto, one of only 112 veto overrides ever.

The Uniform Time Act of 1966 established time zones which determine when we change the clocks, and Congress put the U.S. on daylight savings time for two years after the 1973 OPEC oil embargo, because more daylight meant less energy used. But not even Congress is the father of time.

DAVID PRERAU, "SEIZE THE DAYLIGHT" AUTHOR: The amount of daylight doesn't change. Unfortunately I haven't found a way yet to move some daylight from the summer to the winter, which would be very nice.

PERGRAM: That means 2020 isn't going to be any shorter.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PERGRAM: No matter what the clock says or Congress says, everybody can agree, this pandemic can't be over soon enough. Bret?

BAIER: No kidding. Chad, thanks. One day closer to that.

This Sunday, Martha MacCallum and I will host an election special staring

6:00 eastern. We'll lay out what to expect, the final days, hard to believe it's coming to an end. As we go to Martha's show, I want to show you live Rochester, Minnesota, Air Force One there. President Trump speaking to the overflow crowd. This event, actually, was restricted in the amount of people. So there's 250 people there on the ground, we're told. There's others outside that area, and he's going to talk to them, or at least drive-by.

Thanks for inviting us into your home tonight. That's it for this SPECIAL REPORT, fair, balanced, and still unafraid. THE STORY hosted by Martha with a bunch of live events in her show starts right now. Martha, I'll see you on Sunday.

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