CONGESTION TIDBITS AS WE MOVE THROUGHOUT THE MORNING PLAYING ERIN? >> 6.45 ON NEWS 3 THIS MORNING. WE UPDATE OUR COVERAGE OF THE 2024 ELECTION JUST ONE WEEK AWAY FROM THE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE BETWEEN FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP AND VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS. A LOT OF TIME BETWEEN NOW TO SPECULATE ABOUT WHAT WE CAN EXPECT. OUR JOE SAINT GEORGE LIVE IN WASHINGTON WITH A PREVIEW OF WHAT COULD BE TO COME. JOE, GOOD MORNING TO YOU. >> GOOD MORNING. LET THE SPECULATION BEGIN. AS THEY SAY, IT'S REALLY NOT SPECULATION. IT'S FACT THIS IS GOING TO BE A KEY MOMENT IN THE 2024 ELECTION. NOW, IT SEEMS LIKE WE'VE BEEN SAYING THAT A LOT. THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF KEY MOMENTS HERE IN 2024, BUT THIS MAY BE THE ONLY DEBATE BETWEEN FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP AND VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS BETWEEN NOW AND ELECTION DAY. YES, OTHER TV NETWORKS HAVE THEIR PITCHES IN. BUT THIS IS THE ONLY ONE THAT HAS BEEN OFFICIALLY AGREED TO. IN FACT, THERE ARE SOME WHO EVEN THIS MORNING ARE SAYING THEY WON'T BELIEVE IT'S HAPPENING UNTIL IT ACTUALLY HAPPENS. BUT AS OF NOW, IT'S ALL SYSTEMS GO FOR THE BIG EVENT IN PHILADELPHIA ONE WEEK FROM TODAY. IT'LL HAVE A DIFFERENT SIMILAR FEEL TO WHAT WE HAD IN THE CNN DEBATE AT THE END OF JUNE BETWEEN PRESIDENT BIDEN AND FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP. NO AUDIENCE, 90 MINUTES. NO NOTES WILL BE PERMITTED. THE CANDIDATES WILL BE STANDING. IT'LL BE MODERATED BY ABC NEWS'S DAVID MUIR AND LINDSEY DAVIS. BUT THE STAKES ARE JUST DIFFERENT. NO ONE IS PREDICTING THAT A BAD PERFORMANCE BY ONE OF THE CANDIDATES COULD PROMPT ONE OF THEM TO DROP OUT WERE SIMPLY TOO LATE IN THE GAME. THIS TIME ALL AROUND. BUT WE ARE. WE KNOW THAT FOR FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP, VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS IS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT OPPONENT AND SHE'S SOMEONE WHO'S PROVEN OR TIME IN THE SENATE AS PROSECUTOR. SHE CAN BE TOUGH WITH QUESTIONS AND THE DEBATE BETWEEN HER AND VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE 4 YEARS AGO. SHE WOULD LOOK AT MISTER PENCE AT TIMES AND SAY EXCUSE ME, SIR, I'M TALKING. I'M TALKING. IT BECAME KIND OF AN ICONIC VIRAL MOMENT. THERE. MEANWHILE, VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS, SHE'S GOING UP AGAINST FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP WHO ANYBODY'S BEEN ON THE DEBATE STAGE WITH HIM. WE'LL TELL YOU THAT THERE IS NO ONE IN AMERICAN POLITICS QUITE YOU NEVER KNOW WHERE HE'S GOING NEXT. YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT HE'S GOING TO SAY OUT OF HIS OUT OF HIS MOUTH IS A VERY DIFFICULT INDIVIDUAL TO DEBATE AGAINST. MEANWHILE, VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS STILL HE'S FACING POINTED QUESTIONS ABOUT HER POLICY POSITIONS AND IN MANY CASES, AN EVOLUTION ON POLICY POSITIONS OVER THE YEARS. SO YES, WE'RE ONE WEEK AWAY, BLAINE, BUT THIS WILL BE THE BIG TALKER FOR THE NEXT 7 DAYS. >> ALL RIGHT, JOE, WE KNOW WE'LL BE TRACKING THAT ALONG WITH OUR FRIENDS AT SCRIPPS NEWS. THE POLLING REMAINS CLOSE IN SEVERAL STATES. SO WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT STRATEGY FROM HERE ON OUT, WHAT ARE YOU LEARNING? >> LET'S POP ON THE GRAPHIC, SHALL WE? BECAUSE I JUST STILL CAN'T GET OVER HOW RAZOR THIN, HOW CLOSE OF AN ELECTION THIS IS RIGHT NOW. THIS IS REAL CLEAR POLITICS POLLING AVERAGES. I LIKE LOOKING AT POLLING AVERAGES BECAUSE OF FACTORS IN A LOT OF DIFFERENT POLLS. NOT JUST ONE POLL. YES, IT SHOWS VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS UP NATIONALLY. YES, IT SHOWS VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS UP IN THE KEY SWING STATES OF PENNSYLVANIA, MICHIGAN AND WISCONSIN. THAT MAY BE ENOUGH FOR HER TO WIN. IF THAT IS THE ULTIMATE RESULT. BUT THE REALITY IS THESE MARGINS ARE SO AS WE'VE BEEN SAYING THIS MORNING, RAZOR THIN, IT'S SO CLOSE THAT. POLLS HAVE MARGINS OF ERROR USUALLY AROUND 2%, 3%. FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP MAY BE UP IN SOME OF THE STATES THAT HARRIS IS UP RIGHT NOW. PARIS MAY BE UP IN SOME OF THE STATES. THE FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP IS UP RIGHT NOW. IT'S JUST VERY CLOSE. NORTH INCREASINGLY. AND WE KNOW WE HAVE OUR VIEWERS IN THE COASTAL CAROLINA SIDE INCREASINGLY BECOMING BATTLEGROUND NORTH CAROLINA COULD BE THE DECIDING STATE IF HARRIS IS ABLE TO FLIP THAT, THEN SUDDENLY SHE DOESN'T NEED TO WIN A WISCONSIN, FOR INSTANCE, BECAUSE SHE'LL PICK UP THE 16 ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTES IN NORTH CAROLINA. IF TRUMP'S ABLE TO HOLD ON TO NORTH CAROLINA HERE IN 2024, THEN WHILE HIS PASS GETS A LITTLE EASIER, HE JUST NEEDS TO WIN. ONE OF THOSE BIG MIDWEST STATES. AND WE'RE KEEPING AN EYE ON VIRGINIA. BLAYNE. THERE WAS A REASON THAT THE SECOND GENTLEMAN WAS IN NEWPORT NEWS YESTERDAY. THEY DON'T JUST SEND HIM ANYWHERE. MAYBE THEY'RE PICKING UP SOMETHING INTERNALLY THAT VIRGINIA MAY BE GETTING CLOSER AS WE INCH EVER SO SLOWLY TO ELECTION DAY. SO FAR, VIRGINIA, NOT IN THE MAIN CATEGORY OF SWING STATES, BUT IT COULD BE CLOSE. >> AND WE KNOW YOU'LL BE