Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Kamala Harris, Tim Walz And J.D. Vance Hold Competing Campaign Events In Wisconsin; "Squad" Member Rep. Cori Bush Loses Democratic Primary In Missouri; U.S. Tries To Deescalate Tensions As Iran May Strike Israel; J.D. Vance Reopens Line Of Attack In Tim Walz's Military Record. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired August 07, 2024 - 14:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:01:39]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: We are just three months away from the election, and here in just minutes, the two presidential campaigns will pitch their messages to voters in the critical swing state of Wisconsin.

Any moment now, we expect to see Vice President Kamala Harris and her new running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz in Eau Claire, which is the second stop on their battleground state blitz and their first full day of campaigning together since Harris chose Walz to complete the Democratic ticket.

In the meantime, we're watching as Republican vice presidential hopeful Senator J.D. Vance is set to give remarks at a competing event in the very same city just minutes from now.

So, let's get there to Alayna Treene on what we're expecting with Vance today. Alayna?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, Brianna, you know, we did see him in Michigan earlier. He really leaned into his attacks more so on Vice President Kamala Harris than he did on her running mate Tim Walz, although he did address him in his back and forth with reporters following those remarks.

But then later, he's going to Wisconsin. We will see him soon in Eau Claire, the exact same city where Harris and Walz will be speaking soon as well. And look, I actually just want to point that out first, how remarkable it is. We've really seen Vance travel to the same exact battleground states that we're seeing Harris and Walz go to as well. And that is by design.

Last night we saw Vance, he held a rally just four miles away from where we saw the Harris campaign roll out Walz as her official running mate in the rally to kind of introduce him to the country, and then today, again, same city that both of them will be at as well.

Now, I do want to point you to some of the attacks that he had on Harris, particularly around some of the criticism and controversy around Trump's remarks from last week, where he falsely claimed and questioned Harris's heritage. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. J.D. VANCE (R-OH), U.S. VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I was not bought at all by what President Trump said, and I didn't take it as an attack on Kamala Harris's biracial background at all. What I took it as was an attack on Kamala Harris being a chameleon. She pretends to be one thing when she's in front of one audience, she pretends to be something else when she's in front of another audience. And I think he was observing the basic foundational reality that Kamala Harris pretends to be something different depending on which audience she's speaking to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: Now, Brianna, as we had been reporting that these comments had received a lot of criticism and backlash, not only from Democrats, but also from Republicans, who were very uncomfortable with the comments that Donald Trump made last week.

However, as you can see there, Vance is not running away from them. Instead, when I talk to the Trump campaign, they argue that this is going to be a line of attack moving forward.

And all of this comes, I should note, as the Trump campaign continues to struggle with how to best define Harris, I know that her announcement of Walz as her running mate has really in their minds given them a new opportunity to try -- to try and define the two of them together, and we're seeing that play out more today with a lot of the attacks they have been lobbying at the Minnesota Governor.

But all of this comes as they're still trying to figure out exactly what attacks work best and what sticks with the voters that they're trying to reach.

KEILAR: Yes, they're throwing a lot of it at them. Alayna, thank you. And let's go to Eva McKend, who is live in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, with the latest there. Eva?

[14:05:04]

EVA MCKEND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Brianna, there's just a tremendous amount of energy in this crowd. It's filled to the brim here past the gates, people still trying to get in, and they really argue that Governor Walz is a good addition to the ticket that he speaks to their Midwestern values of kindness, respect and compassion, and that is what the campaign is hoping to lean on.

There are also lots of veterans and teachers in this crowd. Take a listen to what they're telling us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm just really pumped for education. I'm pumped that Tim Walz is on the ticket as a former educator. We just need to do great things for our kids, get them reading, getting educated, all the things.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKEND: So, Harris and Walz expected to really make the case against Donald Trump today, talking about how another administration would bring more tax cuts for the wealthy, and that a Harris administration would be principally concerned about all Americans.

In addition to attract -- attacking Trump, they will make an affirmative case talking about extending fundamental freedoms, protecting reproductive rights, all messages that resonate with this crowd.

I asked a young teacher in this crowd what was most important to her, and she said, protecting reproductive rights and protecting LGBTQ rights because of her young brother who is trans, Brianna.

KEILAR: All right, Eva, we will continue to monitor that rally there in Eau Claire, thank you for that report. Omar?

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN HOST: Let's talk more about this with Democratic Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal of Washington. She's the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Congresswoman, thanks for being here.

Look, I know, generally speaking, the progressive caucus is excited about the Harris-Walz ticket. Is there anything in particular that excites you about the Governor Walz pick?

REP. PRAMILA JAYAPAL (D-WA): Yes, Omar, you know, the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC endorsed the ticket yesterday in record time. And I think what really excites people is several things. One, Governor Walz is somebody that many of our members know and served with, this is somebody who understands the House, understands the importance of Congress.

Secondly, I think in terms of his presence out there, people feel like he can win those Midwestern states, he has already popularized a lot of terms that just resonate for ordinary Americans. And we feel that he is somebody who is so down to earth and so clear about his values and his principles that he is going to connect with a lot of the folks that we need in some of these Midwestern states in particular.

And finally, I think he is 1,000 percent in with the Biden-Harris agenda that we already implemented and put forward, and now with the Harris-Walz campaign agenda that is really about lifting up people, providing freedom and opportunity to every American.

Governor Walz has done this in Minnesota. He is pro union, he's a veteran, he's a teacher. He's -- you know, he has been putting forward policies like paid leave that lift up families across the state of Minnesota, and very much what we want to do.

So, I think we're very excited about what he adds to the ticket, and we feel like the Harris-Walz ticket is just continuing to pick up the kind of momentum that we saw in the first two weeks of Kamala Harris becoming our nominee,.

JIMENEZ: And let's talk -- let's talk about the agenda a little bit, specifically Vice President Kamala Harris, who I know you're also excited to work -- to work with here.

But I also want to ask about some changes in policy from when she first ran for president for the 2020 cycle and now -- and now, including reversal on a fracking ban. And now supported an immigration bill that would have provide ICE with so many more resources when she questioned its investment previously.

I guess my question is, do you have any concerns working with a potential Harris administration, especially in some of those areas where some of the folks in in your caucus may differ in opinion?

JAYAPAL: Look, that's always going to be the case. We're always going to have some areas where we are out front, in front of our Democratic president, as we sometimes were with Joe Biden. We're always going to have places where we're side by side, pushing together, and there's always going to be some times when we're maybe behind and pushing from the back. That's OK.

I have to say, I was one of the first surrogates out for the vice president when she became the -- when she announced her nomi -- that she was running for the nomination and I was in Georgia.

And I cannot tell you how exciting it was to be on the ground to see Black folks, Brown folks, working people, women, you name it, every category of people out there excited, volunteer sign ups up.

You know, first time registrations with particularly young people. 83 percent of new registrations between the ages of 18 and 30.

This is the coalition that I know we put together in 2020 to win. And it's the coalition that I've been saying for months we needed to put together this time to win. I feel it.

[14:10:04]

I'm going out to Michigan next week for the vice president. I'm going to continue to travel around the country, but the energy and the enthusiasm is real, and the joy and the candidacy of two people who understand what it means to be working class in this country and what it means to actually have government stand up and fight for you to have a chance, to have the opportunity that Tim Walz and Kamala Harris had. I think that's huge, and I think it's going to take us to victory.

JIMENEZ: So, while you might not see eye-to-eye on every issue, it does sound like you're excited to work with them, no matter what.

I want to ask about another thing here, because look, I know you just won your primary last night, so I'll say congratulations on that. But also, I'm sure -- as I'm sure you may have seen your colleague and progressive caucus member, Congresswoman Cori Bush, did not win hers, and I want you to take a listen to something she said as she conceded. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. CORI BUSH (D-MO): AIPAC, I'm coming to tear your kingdom down. And let me put all of these corporations on notice. I'm coming after you too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: So, I guess my question to you is, what do you think she means by that? What's your reaction to seeing that from one of your colleagues?

JAYAPAL: Well, I can't speak to what she means by it. I can just say that Cori Bush was a great member of Congress. She really represented a population that hadn't been represented. I'll never forget her sit in on the steps that really helped to make sure that we continued to not evict people during COVID. I think she has been a loud and proud champion for working people and for poor people across this country. I'm sad to lose her.

I think that the scourge of big money in politics is something we have to contend with, whether it's, you know, whatever PAC is coming from, whether it's AIPAC and DMF Phi (ph), whether it's crypto, whether it's big corporations putting money in. This is not a sustainable way to have a democracy. It should not be the people with the most money that get to just pour money in to elections and attack people often with no basis or with a lot of lies, and be able to win a seat in Congress. I don't think that's how it should be anywhere. I don't think any big money should be able to come in.

And so, I hope that when we take back the White House, with Kamala Harris and Tim Walz as president and vice president, when we have the Senate, when we have the House again that we can pass our for the people act which the House passed multiple times, which wouldn't reign at all in, but would at least start to bring some transparency and accountability.

Because I think at the end of the day, the American people want to know that what matters is their votes from just looking impartially at the candidates and making a decision. People win, people lose, but if you feel like it's not big money coming in to buy an election, that is really what democracy should be about.

JIMENEZ: And look, Bush is -- Cori Bush's primary was the second most expensive in American history behind only Jamaal Bowman's in New York.

And your colleague, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said a little bit of what you're saying now, blaming outside spending from Super PACs and interest groups here. But I guess the question is, do you think that dynamic outweighed what people on the ground in those jurisdictions actually were feeling?

JAYAPAL: I just don't think you can even assess it, because when you have in Cori's race, it was $14 million of attack money coming into her district. And often this money is coming in over a very short period of time. And in media markets where 14 million in St. Louis is, like, I don't

know, 30 million in -- you know, in New York or California. So, this is money that is just going 24/7 on the airwaves, in the mailers, across the board, it's extremely difficult to beat, even when you are a candidate, as I believe Cori Bush was, a candidate that is grounded in the electorate.

And so, let's make these fair competitions. Let's get this big money out. And if there's a fair competition, and it's not, you know, $14 million I think the spending for Cori may have been two or three million, but all of this should go away. We should just be able to pick candidates based on their qualifications, based on what they say on the doors or on the phones, but not with big money coming in and trying to buy elections, which is what we're seeing increasingly in both Jamaal's race, Cori's race, and certainly some other races across the country.

JIMENEZ: And yes, we did see millions of dollars infused into this from some outside groups, AIPAC supporting ones as well in this particular race.

Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, really appreciate you being here. Thanks for the time.

JAYAPAL: Thank you, Omar.

JIMENEZ: All right. Ahead this hour on CNN NEWS CENTRAL, both presidential campaigns descend on a small city in Wisconsin, good old Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

[14:15:02]

Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican V.P. nominee J.D. Vance are holding dueling events just three miles apart. We're live at both of them. We'll bring you in a little bit later.

Plus, U.S. officials tell CNN that Iran and its proxies are getting ready to possibly retaliate against Israel, and it could happen in days. We have a live report from the Middle East.

And new surveillance video shows Dvontaye Mitchell's final moments. Authorities say he was pinned down outside a Milwaukee hotel, and four hotel workers are charged with felony murder. We'll explain coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:20:10]

JIMENEZ: All right, we're continuing to watch what were expected to be two dueling rallies right now, we're monitoring for J.D. Vance, that's one of the setups there. And then also, Vice President Kamala Harris, expecting to make her campaign trail debut outside of the introduction of her running mate, Governor Tim Walz.

So, as we continue to monitor once they get up and start speaking, we'll bring you some of their remarks live. But we're also following a number of other stories, including Egypt

today issuing what could be the latest sign Iran is about to retaliate against Israel with an attack that could widen war in the Middle East.

Now, Egypt has instructed all its airlines to, "Avoid overflying Tehran from 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time to midnight Thursday morning."

In the meantime, President Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a flurry of calls to partners to try and deescalate tensions which are heating up after Israel assassinated the highest ranking military commander of Iran's most powerful proxy, Hezbollah in Lebanon, which Israel blames for an attack on an Israeli occupied area.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond is in Haifa, Israel has been tracking all of these dynamics as they've played out over the last few weeks.

So, Jeremy, what are you learning at this latest juncture right now?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Omar, it's been over a week now since the assassination of Hamas's political leader in Tehran, has put this entire region on edge as Iran vowed to retaliate, and so far, we have not seen that retaliation play out.

And so, there are a number of different reasons, different scenarios for why that may not have happened. It suggests that perhaps Iran is working to get all of its ducks in a row, to prepare its proxies in the region for a larger attack, to prepare itself for the possibility of regional war. It could also mean that Iran is giving space for the flurry of diplomatic activity that we have seen play out over the course of the last week. There are just a number of different ways that this is being interpreted right now in the region.

We did hear earlier today that the Iranian president spoke with the French president and suggested that there are ways that war could be prevented and insecurity in the region. And that is, he said, according to the Iranian readout of this call, to stop Israel's war in Gaza and to get Israel to accept a cease fire. Is that a potential diplomatic off ramp here? That is one possibility.

But what is also another possibility is not only that Iran has not backed off of its threats to carry out a strike against Israel, but that Hezbollah, a key Iranian proxy to the north in Lebanon is still vowing to retaliate, not only for Haniyeh's killing the Hamas political leader, but also for the killing of its senior military commander Fuad Shukr, just hours before that assassination.

And there's also the increasing possibility that Hezbollah could act on its own without an explicit green light from Iran. That is also certainly something that I can tell you Israeli officials are very aware of and watching for.

But at this hour, Israel's top general Herzi Halevi, saying that Israel is at peak readiness, prepared not only to defend itself from potential attacks, but also to strike back, Omar.

JIMENEZ: It's a situation we'll continue to monitor. Jeremy Diamond, really appreciate the reporting. Brianna.

KEILAR: We're waiting for J.D. Vance to speak at an event in Wisconsin. You're seeing live pictures here coming from Eau Claire.

Earlier today, he was in Michigan where he launched this attack against Vice President Kamala Harris's running mate, Governor Tim Walz.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VANCE: United States of America asked me to go to Iraq to serve my country. I did it. I did what they asked me to do it, and I did it honorably, and I'm very proud of that service.

When Tim Walz was asked by his country to go to Iraq, you know what he did? He dropped out of the army and allowed his unit to go without him, a fact that he's been criticized for aggressively by a lot of the people that he served with.

I think it's shameful to prepare your unit to go to Iraq, to make a promise that you're going to follow through, and then to drop out right before you actually have to go.

He said we shouldn't allow weapons that I used in war to be on America's streets. Well, I wonder, Tim Walz, when were you ever in war? When was this? What was this weapon that you carried into war, given that you abandoned your unit right before they went to Iraq and he has not spent a day in a combat zone?

What bothers me about Tim Walz is the stolen valor garbage. Do not pretend to be something that you're not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: And with us now is our Tom Foreman. And Tom, you have a fact check on this for us.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, there's -- as you would expect, often with Team Trump out there, there's some truth, there's some falsehood in him.

Let's start with the initial claim there, the notion that somehow what Tim Walz did was dodge going to service. He was in the Guard for 24 years. J.D. Vance was in the Marines for four years.

Yes, while he was in there, he filed papers to run for Congress in February of 2005, he retired from his Guard unit that May, the orders to deploy did not come until two months after that. So, the claim that he was somehow dodging going over here after 24 years of service to say, well, I just don't want to go to combat. There's just no evidence to back that up right now.

[14:25:13]

Did J.D. Vance go and serve over there? Yes, he did go as he said he did. And Tim Walz has said he thanks J.D. Vance for his service and honors that service. That's one part of it.

The second part of it, though, is this notion about the claim about being an actual combat, that's different. Walz did make a comment speaking to a group, he's done it a couple of times where he has used language that has suggested that he carried weapons in a fighting situation, as you know, with your contact with the military. I know from coming from a military family, there is a difference between being in a combat area, being involved at a time of war, and actually being in a position where people are shooting at you.

There is no evidence that at any time Governor Walz was in a position of being shot at, and some of his language could easily be seen to suggest that he was, so that is absolutely false when he said that about gun rights out there.

The campaign has essentially come forward to say, look, he had a long career. He would never want to purposely mislead people about this, what campaigns tend to say. And I'm sure we haven't heard the end of this, but it's an interesting argument that brings to mind past conflicts we've had in politics where military people start going at each other, and then you start saying, well, what is the basis for this, how much of it is true, and what are we to draw from that as voters?

KEILAR: Yes, sort of besmirching each other's service, right? In this case, yes, the quote was, we can make sure that those weapons of war that I carried in war is the only place where those weapons are at. And certainly for someone who wasn't familiar with their record, they might draw different --

FOREMAN: And people who aren't -- who aren't aware of the nuances of that language carried in war to most of us, means I carried into a situation where I was shooting at other people, they were shooting back at me.

Other people might say, well, it was a war time. I was posted forward. I was deployed. The fact that that never happened. My father served in Korea. I have pictures of him serving on post, holding his weapon behind sandbags. He was never shot at, nor did he ever shoot at anybody else.

So, he could say he served in war, he never really did, because it wasn't combat as such.

KEILAR: All right. Tom, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

And ahead, we are live in the small town of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Both Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz and Republican vice presidential nominee Senator J.D. Vance have scheduled appearances just three miles apart, and we're live from both.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)