Im ed harding along with political reporter, janet wu. Thank you for joining us on the record this morning. This morning well debate one of the four questions you will decide here in massachusetts. Its on the ballot in november, question 3. Let me walkthrough it so you understand what we are talking about. A yes vote would end the practice of containing farm animals like chickens, calves, and pigs in tight cages here in massachusetts. And also prohibit the sale of such foods raised in other states that do not meet the a no vote would leave Farm Practices as they are right now. Let me introduce to you our guest to discuss both sides of this issue. In favor of question three is stephanie harris, Campaign Director for citizens for farm protection. Opposing is dianne sullivan, the Campaign Manager for citizens against food tax injustice. Thanks for joining us being as i put it on the table the way it should be . You have. Ed thats the launching point. Janet ms. Harris, quickly, what succinctly. Its a modest measure on novembers ballot that will finally establish commonsense protections for farm animals and commonsense protections for food safety for massachusetts families because there are currently no rules regarding how farm animals can be confined in massachusetts. Janet give us one or two quick examples. Hence are kept in dages so small they are essentially the size of your i pad thats where they eat, sleep, and later for human consumption. Egg laying hence deserve spa around and extend their limbs. Massachusetts families desiff to be protested from contaminated food. Ed obviously you know what the size of an ipad is. Is that accurate . Question three actually is is a social injustice that will victimized low and middle income families by creating a 250 million new food tax here in massachusetts. It would impact one farm in western massachusetts where the cages where they do have one larger and the i pad you have. California is the only state in the country that bans the sale of eggs that come from caged hence. Essentially this is a washington d. C. Lobbyist group in massachusetts trying to dictate our food choices and take away what 90 of us purchase. Ed as i said this also affects interstate sales in massachusetts too, rise . Correct. California again is the only state the cost of are double across the rest of the contrip. The usda puts out a report that demonstrates since the implementation of that law in california in 2015 thats the case. Janet any eggs sold here in massachusetts regardless whether they are here in massachusetts or arkansas or any other state would have to follow these same protections, is that correct . It applies evenhandedly regardless of where the food is produced. Janet my question to you will food costs be more at the supermarket as dianne suggested . Additional 70 a year per family. For some people it does make a difference that rely on eggs as their soul protein. The cornal study was funded by our opponents. If you look at the studies before the campaign took place it shows the will only increase production by about a penny an egg. When you look at shifting from inseminated pigs cant turn around. They are living in a coffin for their entire lives. It will shift from that to group housing. Would cost it would be 11 cheaper. This is part of a global trend in the right direction. There are 10 states sha have passed similar laws whether at the ballot or through state legislatures. Since we launched more than 200 food companies, including the most cost Cautious Companies out there, dollar tree, dollar general, walmart, taco bell, keeping their prices low, has pledged to go 100 cage free without changing their prices a single cent. Ed i wanted to ask you, you mentioned in your first answer something about a 250 million explain that please. Yes. Cornell university has estimated that this would be a quarter of a billion dollar food tax. Ed is that accurate . No. The cornell study is looking to california. California implemented a similar Animal Protection and food safety law a ce soon after that law took effect, there was an avian flu outbreak. As a result of that outbreak tens of millions of hens had to be killed to control it. Here we are now that the market has settled and the farms are back up to production and prices in california are on par with the national average. In fact this summer they dipped below the national average. The avian flu took place about four or five months after the new law was implemented in california. And we can actually go tote ourselves the cost of cagefree eggs. They are about double, two to three times what the cost of a conventional egg is. In california, prices they have not settled. They remain double what they are across the rest of the country. I understand it may be convenient for my opponents to ignore that, but i challenge your viewers and the voters of massachusetts to go look right now in their Grocery Store and see what the price differential is. Janet we have been talking about eggs. What are some of the other Food Products where the prices would jump up . Days. And there was a food safety issue there was just last week, there was a cagefree egg farm that the c. D. C. Put out a warning on and they had to recall all their eggs. Penn state did a study where they compared the level of salmonella between small farms and large farms, and they found that on these small farms the cases of salmonella were bigger. And the most recent case last week a 1yearold and janet is she right about the cost of pork, specifically pork . A study out of the heart of pork country, iowa, shows that it can actually be 11 cheaper to raise pigs without using these cruel crates. If you think the issue of food safety is very important, and its not too long ago that a massachusetts girl was sickened by salmonella, the leading cause of food poisoning. And that outbreak, in a rare instance of a c. E. O. Being held accountable, the owner was sentenced to jail. Nonetheless this summer the Human Society documented egregious cruelty and food safety violations at another facility this time in maine. A known supplier of eggs to massachusetts. They found hens forced to live and lay eggs for human consumption on the carcasses of their rotting cage mates. They found poison rats in the of Public Health safety and safety of the animals themselves. What is your argument . I have actually had the opportunity to visit the farm in western massachusetts that is being vilified. One farm here in massachusetts would be impacted. In massachusetts the other two animals we dont even raise is trying to be banned. This farm you can see for yourself, for anybody who has had an opportunity to see these two different types of systems, when a hen is in a cage, waste falls below them and the egg falls and rolls away. They never comingle. I am not interested in purchasing a cagefree egg. Certainly im more driven by my wallet when i go to the Grocery Store. That is certainly again, we have 784,000 residents here in massachusetts who rely on federal public support to feed their families. That doesnt even scratch the surface of what Food Insecurity really looks like in said in there before break . There are hidden costs involved with this cruelty. There is a hidden cost of animal cruelty paid by the animals. Also the hidden cost to the public at large borne out by these food safety concerns. Study after study, analysis after Analysis Shows there are significantly higher rates of salmonella in these cruel cage facilities. Ed we continue to discuss question three. You are going to decide it on november 8. Stay with us. Many of my guests have told me that there is no way that they would have been able to take the trips that they were taking if they hadnt had the option of staying in an airbnb. Airbnb is bringing business to the local small businesses. We send our guests to the local restaurants and the local businesses. Fios is not cable. Were wired differently. So we wired the wagners house with 100 meg internet. Which means in the time it takes mr. Wagner to pour a 20 oz. Cup of coffee, tommy can download 30 songs, and jan can upload 120 photos. 12 seconds. Thats the power of fiber optics. And right now, get our best offer ever. Super fast 100 meg internet, tv and phone for just 69. 99 per month online, janet we are back with massachusetts ballot question number 3 debate. Farm animal containment. Our guest this is morning are proponent stephanie hairs, and opponent dianne sullivan. The question also bans the use of veal or pork products with other foods like soups, sandwiches, and pizza, with a penalty up to 1,000. Does this sound like something clarify. The measure will only impact whole cuts of veal, pork, and eggs. It doesnt include like a pizza. It is such an important issue to massachusetts voters who have showed overwhelmingly they care about the issue of preventing cruelty to farm animals. Also the issue of food safety and those hidden costs are currently being borne out by the animals and massachusetts consumers. Janet response . I agree that massachusetts absolutely does care about their society of the would work so hard against a piece of legislation that would have actually looked at confinement issues for all livestock, not just the three they selected to put here on the ballot. If they want to get at farmers in other states, they need to take this battle to other states. Question three is a nonissue for massachusetts farmers. Ed should this go into effect, whatever you decide, if it should go into effect january, it doesnt go into effect until january of 2022, a number of years from now. One farm in western massachusetts. Why massachusetts . This issue in the Massachusetts Legislature for about a decade. This is something that people in massachusetts have shown that they really support. We were the only ballot question to qualify for the ballot without paying a signature gathering firm. We did this without the help of massachusetts volunteers, gathering more than 170,000 signatures. The Humane Society is a proud partner. Supporting this Animal Rescue league of boston. Massachusetts sierra club. More than 100 massachusetts family farmers, 500 massachusetts vetenarian. They know this is the right thing to do for animals. Its also the right thing to do for farm workers which is why the united farm workers is endorsing us. Janet is there a political component here . Of course there is. If you ask the question do you want to prevent cruelty to animals, naturally you want to say yes. It feels counter intuitive to quarter of a billion more for our eggs and pork. Janet why massachusetts . Because we do care about our animals. When you can pose that question, do you want to prevent cruelty, yes, we want to say yes. Also massachusetts voters will not be dooped. Duped. My friends have called me a pawn for big agriculture. Thats not the case. I have been doing antipoverty work for more than a decade now. What this is, the question three is asking the massachusetts agenda. Ed thank you so much for coming in. As i have been saying this is something you will decide when you vote whenever it is. October 24, november 8. Whenever you vote. Stephanie harris and dianne this year for the first time do most voters know that and when it starts . Do you know what that date represents . Early voting starts. Do you know what that date represents . October 24. I dont, no. October 24 represents what in massachusetts . First day of early voting. Very good. Do you know what october 24 represents . No. I do not. The first day you can vote. Wil part of things or ballot questions in massachusetts . President ial. Ed let me introduce todays o. T. R. Political round table analyst mary ann marsh with us and kristen, thank you for joining us. You just heard what ted was talking about, october 24 becoming a new voting date around here. Is it going to affect the outcome of the vote . How will it impact the race . Election day every single day except the actual election day in november. Mitt romney won that day, but barack obama was reelected. That tells you everything about what early voting can do and why republicans spent the last four years trying to kill it. Ed that sounds powerful. I think its interesting because a lot of voting has already begun in iowa and other places. And theres still more information, another debate, still more to come. Late october surprises, who knows. I dont know how that will affect things. People want to take back their vote, they cant. Running a very robust get out the vote operation. Janet more and more republicans are walking away. Trump claims he doesnt need them. But his Campaign Manager had this to say. Not since that pussyfooting around in terms of do you support us or not support us, the fact is janet any accident she chose that expression . Will there be lots of republican the fact is donald trump after the tape last friday where he made those comments. And why hes going after Hillary Clinton so hard now with the red meat, put her in jail, im going after her. After her husband and everybody else, to get republicans back. Thats what buoyed them in the polls. With a he will never get back are women voters. No question about the fact that republicans are uncomfortable about some of the campaign tactics, some of the last couple weeks. This goes back to what this the heart of this election. Risk versus change. How much risk are you willing to take to get the change that you want . Now, donald trump ramp upped the risk factor last week. A lot of these revelations. However, nobody motivates people to get the change they want like Hillary Clinton who is the poster child for politics as usual. And political establishment. Janet if you are giving the thesis that women voters make up the largest demographic of automatically move them away from donald trump with revelations coming out day after day . Again, he apologized. He came out. We have talked about it. I think folks know that this is troubling language. This is troubling things from the trump campaign. Well have to see what happens. Ed he apologized. Does that balance it out . I have been in a million locker rooms i never heard that level of conversation. I have heard nasty levels of conversation but not that level. Heres whats worse. How much get here to finally say especially women, maybe i wont be with donald trump. Come on now. Number two, in that debate the second debate, Anderson Cooper said did you ever act on the things you said in that tape . No, i did not. Here it is, now this week because he was trying to avoid it. Now we have 10 people, that was before we are on the air today, 10 people who have come forward said yes, he did that to me. 10. Janet lets switch the conversation over to donald trump. Emails released by wiki leaks. Clintons Campaign Chairman points the finger squarely at russia. Will this move the undecided voters . And if yes, how . Yes, heres why. The fact is these emails were stolen from private american citizens. Private emails stolen from american citizens by a foreign government, in this case russia, who provided them to wikileaks to take downhillry clinton. They the president of the United States. I will tell you right now its any american found out to have cooperated in this effort, they will be in bigger trouble than anyone else because it is the worst crime you can commit against the United States of america, period. Janet my question is, can the democrats successfully move the question to that as opposed to the content of the emails . I dont think they are able to in this Conspiracy Theory smoke and mirrors game that they are engaging in is not going to change the fact that these her weakness. Her trustworthiness. People dont trust her, they dont believe her, she doesnt apologize, she doesnt talk about when shes wrong. So i think that this is what voters have had the most problem with. And you saw her trouble with that in the primary. Shell continue to struggle. Its not the democrats. Its the president of the United States, the f. B. I. , the department of Homeland Security, the c. I. A. , and the defense spence agency, every single one of them has said russias behind this. This isnt a partisan thing. This is an american thing. You are undermining the United States of america and our election process. That is unamerican. Making it a partisan issue. It is not. It is a patriotic issue. Patriotic when democrats are on the wrong side the president , the c. I. A. , the f. B. I. , d. H. S. , d. I. A. , and all of them are lying, is that what youre saying . I asm saying are you saying the president of the United States that is just to do a smoke and mirrors game lying. The fact is janet wow, this is quite a sunday. Lets see how this turns out. Ed move on. Janet we could spend the rest of the show on this. Republicans need at least five of their senators to win reelection or theyll lose control. Start with New Hampshire. Now that kelly ayotte wont be voting for trump. Does this make the road easier . Kelly was ahead in the polls trump and said she wouldnt vote for him. The reason is because she has a proven track record in New Hampshire working for New Hampshire folks. Making sure our country stays secure. Janet latest decision too little, too late . Of course it is. Voters are punishing anyone who is with trump and others are punishing him for leaving him. Democrats will win New Hampshire, illinois, wisconsin, look at pennsylvania and nevada for the five. Janet silence. Trying to be short here. Ed well you know your heart loves megared omega3s. But did you know your eyes, your brain, and your joints introducing megared advanced 4in1. Just one softgel delivers the omega3 power of two regular fish oil pills. So give your body mega support i have no respect for that group by the way. Im done. It sounds good. President ial commission, give me a break. Janet the final president ial debate is wednesday night in las vegas. Donald trump was talking to his supporters. What will their strategic be do you think . This is an arms race. Avoid mutually de