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Biden, Harris to Formally Share Stage for First Time Since He Left Race; Trump Veers Off Message, Lashes Out at Harris During Economic Speech; Ernesto Could Become Cat 3 Hurricane By Tomorrow. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired August 15, 2024 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Reuniting for their first major event since President Biden bowed out. What they will say together on stage and what we just learned about Kamala Harris's first 100 days in office if she wins.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Donald Trump announces a news conference for later today. The last one he held, he invented crowds bigger than Martin Luther King and a helicopter conversation that never happened. So, will today's big event show the same rigid discipline?

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: And Taylor Swift back on stage for the first time since last week's terror scare. The major security operation underway as hundreds of thousands of Swifties are expected in London.

I'm Kate Bolduan with Sara Sidner and John Berman. This is CNN News Central.

Today, for the first time since President Biden decided to drop out of the presidential race, he and Vice President Kamala Harris are teaming up. The two sharing the stage in Maryland to talk about lowering drug prices for Americans. It all centers around Medicare's new power to negotiate with drug companies. The White House says the first round of talks saved billions of dollars for seniors and the federal government.

Reducing drug costs is part of Harris' economic message to voters, a plan she is set to lay out in her first major policy speech tomorrow in North Carolina.

CNN's Isaac Dovere joining us now. Isaac, what can you tell us about this? What's the very latest on this new messaging we're about to hear on Friday?

EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Yes. Look, we have the president and the vice president appearing together for the first time, really, since all the changes happened in the campaign, but they are using it to make that news that you just laid out about the drug prices. And that is something they say will save at least $1.5 billion for consumers on the ten most popular drugs, things that affect diabetes, heart disease, things like that. So, a really direct way of changing the money that is in people's bank accounts and having more of it and having less of it go to drug companies. That's how they are using this appearance and it's part of the buildup of her own larger economic rollout that we're going to start to see tomorrow.

SIDNER: All right. Isaac Dovere, thank you so much. We will be awaiting that. John?

BERMAN: All right, well, Donald Trump, new this morning, he went there again and again in a speech that was supposed to be all about the economy, which is what allies have been pleading with him to focus on. Trump fell back on the same messaging about Vice President Harris that some Republicans feel is losing him support.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: What happened to her laugh? I haven't heard that laugh in about a week. That's why they keep her off the stage. That's why she's disappeared. That's the laugh of a crazy person, I will tell you, if you haven't heard. It's crazy. She's crazy.

Her laugh is career-threatening. They said, don't laugh. She doesn't laugh. She doesn't laugh anymore. It's smart, but someday it's going to come out. That's the laugh of a person with some big problems.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So later today, Trump holds what his campaign is calling a press conference at his golf club in New Jersey.

CNN's Steve Conterno is with us. The last news conference, Steve, again, he said he had crowds bigger than Martin Luther King. He didn't. He said he took a helicopter trip with former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown. He didn't. So, is this news conference going to be along those lines?

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: John, if yesterday was any indication, then we really have no idea what Donald Trump is going to say, because yesterday was supposed to be about the economy. And I suppose if you listen long enough and hard enough, there was an economic message in there, but it was largely some of these same attacks that have gotten earned him criticism lately, including from some Republicans.

So, he did talk some about what he wants to do on the economy, his plan to not tax tipped wages and also to get rid of taxes on Social Security. A lot of it, though, was spent looking backward at the past four years and trying to tie Vice President Harris to Joe Biden's economic agenda and the inflation that we have experienced as a country. Take a listen.

[07:05:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Really, what she needs to explain is the present suffering that she's caused along with Joe Biden.

And, by the way, they're a team. You know, she's trying to throw him overboard. She doesn't want to know who he is anymore. She doesn't want to talk about him anymore. She says, let's not bring this guy in. Let's not bring him in. No, they were a team.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CONTORNO: Now, that team will be appearing together, as Isaac just laid out for us, later today. So, she is embracing certain parts of his agenda. And, Trump, though, as well, spent a lot of time going from right from that into attacking her again. In fact, he said at one point, he sort of joked, there's supposed to talk about the economy, but let's get back to the fun stuff because I know that's what you're here for.

And he did get some defense yesterday of this approach from his vice presidential nominee, J.D. Vance, who, on the campaign trail, said, quote to the people who say Donald Trump should do something different, they had an opportunity to make Donald Trump do something different by challenging him over three separate primaries every single one of which he won. So, I think that Donald Trump has earned the right to run the campaign that he wants to run.

Of course, John, it's not just former rivals, like Nikki Haley, who are criticizing this approach as we reported and you and I talked about yesterday, Kellyanne Conway, former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, they are also urging Donald Trump to get back on message and attack Harris' policies and not her personality.

BERMAN: As far as this news conference later today, Steve, do you have a sense of what the campaign hopes to get out of it? This was announced yesterday, and it does seem they're trying to get out ahead of what Vice President Harris is going to announce tomorrow. But are there concerns from insiders that Trump's just going to wander away again?

CONTORNO: There is certainly some shadow boxing going on here. You know, Donald Trump announced his hidden economic message yesterday. Harris does hers on Friday. Next week, he's going to be holding events across the country just as she's having her Democratic National Convention.

So, there is a bit of that going on. And as well, you know, Donald Trump has been watching as the spotlight has been seized for the past three weeks by Vice President Harris and they have been straining and trying to get him back into -- get some momentum back for his campaign. And one of the ways that has worked for him in the past is by getting in front of cameras, get being unscripted. The problem that they have had lately is that the unscripted Donald Trump is reminding a lot of people why they didn't vote for him four years ago instead of encouraging some new people to get into the mix.

BERMAN: Steve Contorno, great to see you this morning. Thanks so much for sharing your reporting. Sara? SIDNER: All right. Breaking overnight, Columbia University President Minouche Shafik is stepping down months after protests over the Israel-Hamas war gripped that campus. In a letter, she said, quote, it has been difficult to overcome divergent views across our community.

She faced criticism over her handling of the protest this spring after talks broke down between the university and demonstrators over an encampment that had grown quite large on campus. Protesters barricaded themselves inside an academic building, eventually prompting Shafik to call in the NYPD to remove them. At least 100 people were arrested.

The head of Columbia University's Medical Center, Katrina Armstrong, will serve now as interim president there. Kate?

BOLDUAN: There's new reporting today about President Biden, how unhappy he still is with certain Democrats who he believes forced him to exit the race. But more is going on behind the scenes. We'll bring that to you.

And is third party candidate RFK Jr. ready to step aside and endorse Kamala Harris? New details on what he may want in exchange for said endorsement.

And Taylor Swift set to return to the stage today a week after police stopped an ISIS-inspired terror plot to attack her concerts. The first time she'll be back with her fans after that scare.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:10:00]

BOLDUAN: So right now, Hurricane Ernesto is barreling toward Bermuda. It is a Category 1 storm now. It's already left me deep flooding and more than half a million people without power in Puerto Rico. The hurricane could become a major Cat 3 as soon as tomorrow.

Let's go over seen as Derek Van Dam, who's obviously been tracking this very closely for us. What are you seeing with this storm and the threat that it has and is now posing?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, the National Hurricane Center is still explicitly forecasting a major Category 3 hurricane on its approach to Bermuda with some slight weakening expected through the weekend.

I'll take you through the exact forecast in just one moment, but this is what, six to ten inches of rain can do to some of the roadways in Puerto Rico. It was a very difficult 24 hours. We all know from previous hurricanes that the power grid within Puerto Rico is extremely vulnerable. So, with what was a tropical storm yesterday, Ernesto, as it moved north of Puerto Rico, it was capable of knocking out nearly a half a million customers and that's still without power and that just, of course, gets very difficult because the heat will start to build in behind the system.

There's a lot of dry air in Ernesto, so it's not quite forming the center, the eye, that we would see in a rapidly strengthening storm. But that could change because there's a lot of favorable dynamics in the upper levels of the atmosphere, very warm water over this region.

Check this out. This is new this morning. We had a watch for hurricane conditions in Bermuda. That's been upgraded to a warning.

[07:15:01]

There's the Category 3. That is a major hurricane on its final approach Friday afternoon. You can see some slight weakening, but nonetheless, we do expect major impacts in Bermuda from this storm system. An expanding wind field means that they will not be spared from strong, at least tropical storm force winds. The real question is whether or not the eye wall gets close enough to Bermuda to bring the most powerful winds from Ernesto as it sweeps on through early Saturday morning.

One thing is for sure, this will bring heavy rainfall to the region, localized flash flooding, just like what we saw We're going to talk about hurricane season in Puerto Rico. And a lot of people along the eastern seaboard of the United States are curious how will this impact us. Well, you need to be careful. It is summer. The beaches along the East Coast will see high waves and rip currents all weekend long. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Yes. And this is just days after people are just feeling the final effects of Debby and now they're having this. So here we go, hurricane season. Thank you so much. exactly, thank you so much. John?

BERMAN: Here we go. All right, new reporting this morning that President Biden is holding a grudge against certain Democrats who pushed him to step aside.

And Taylor Swift set to take the stage for the first time since a terror plot forced her to cancel part of her Eras Tour. We are standing by to see if or even how she will publicly address the incident.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:20:00]

SIDNER: In just a few hours, Taylor Swift returns to the stage for the first time since canceling her Vienna leg of her Eras Tour because police had made arrest in an ISIS terror plot targeting one of her shows. Heightened security, of course, now in place in London at Wembley Stadium. London Mayor Sadiq Khan says the city is secure and ready.

CNN's Salma Abdelaziz joins us now from London. You were out there when this plot happened and the Swifties were out there in full force. What preparations are underway at this point for security?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Sara. London is gearing up for these five sold out shows that start tonight. They will be taking place at Wembley. And you mentioned the security concerns, of course, but the London mayor has pointed out that there has been additional security measures taken per se. It's just that they've outlined them carefully for concertgoers.

So, the rules include you cannot congregate outside Wembley Stadium. That's going to be a disappointment. If you know about tay-gating, that's a very popular thing for Swifties to do. Those who do have tickets will be moved on into the stadium and everyone who does not have a ticket has been asked not to go there, Sara, at all. So, what that means is away from the stadium, we might see some of the Swifties gathering and preparing.

You mentioned that foiled terror plot that was in Austria. What I saw there last week is the response to this very hateful potential attack on Swifties was love, was community, was exchanging friendship bracelets in the streets of Vienna. So, I expect to see a lot more of that in London as well today. And you have to remember, London has its own tragedy. England has its own tragedy with concerts. In 2017, the Ariana Grande concert was attacked by a terror plot. 22 people were killed. So, authorities are absolutely already prepared for the possibility of any potential attacks and those security measures are very much in place. But, again, the calls are do not congregate outside the stadium for those Swifties. No tay-gating today.

SIDNER: All right. Salma Abdelaziz, thank you so much for reporting. Kate?

BOLDUAN: So sources say President Biden will not soon forget the Democrats who were the most active in what he views as pushing him aside. The new reporting on that and the new focus for the president now.

Could there be a role for RFK Jr. in a Kamala Harris administration? Didn't RFK Jr. just propose the same to Donald Trump? What is going on here? The details, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:25:00]

BERMAN: We have new CNN reporting this morning on how President Biden is feeling about things. We are told he is embittered and angry at certain Democrats who pushed him out, but also relieved and not holding a grudge.

With us now, CNN White House correspondent Arlette Saenz. Arlette, embittered yet not holding a grudge, how can both things be true?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, apparently they are, John. And President Biden is still feeling the sting out around the whole process that led him to drop out of the 2024 race. And he has made clear to those close to him that he was particularly unhappy with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. In fact, the two leaders have yet to speak since Biden bowed out of the race.

Now, this new reporting from our White House team really provides some insight into President Biden's headspace at this time. Sources stopped short of using that word, grudge, but they did say that Biden would not soon forget those who had pushed publicly and privately for him to exit the race.

Now, Biden, as you mentioned, has been alternating between being embittered and relieved about the decision to bow out of the 2024 race, with some saying that he is still processing this entire situation. Now, another source said that while Biden was unhappy in the moment, he hasn't spent time ruminating about the decision.

But still, this reporting does highlight some apparent tension between Biden and Pelosi, two Democratic leaders who became friends early on in their political careers and rose in their own ways to lead the Democratic Party.

Now, Pelosi was actually asked about her current relationship with Biden in a recent interview with the New Yorker. Take a listen to that moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you think you'll have -- your relationship will be there?

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): I hope so. I pray so. I cry so. Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you worry about it?

PELOSI: I lose sleep on it. Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you think he's angry at you? Do you think he's angry at you?

PELOSI: I don't know. We haven't had a conversation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: Now, a White House spokesperson pushed back on the idea that Biden is still unhappy with Pelosi, saying that that's not accurate and that the president's attention right now is on the future and not the past. But it is clear that there have been times when the president has been frustrated about those efforts from within his own party 2024 race.

[07:30:06]

BERMAN: Embittered, but frustrated.