Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

DNC Kicks Off as New Polls Show Harris With Edge Over Trump Nationally; Hamas Claims Responsibility for Explosion in Tel Aviv; Heavy Rains Cause Flooding in Parts of the Northeast. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired August 19, 2024 - 07:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:00:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm John Berman with Sarah Sidner in Chicago. Kate Bolduan is in New York.

Behind us is the room where it happens, the big room, very big. The United Center, the site of the 2024 Democratic National Convention, and we are getting new details about this unprecedented gathering, one that is completely different than what had been planned just four weeks and one day ago. That is when it became apparent that Vice President Kamala Harris would be the nominee.

The theme of this convention is for the people, for our future. But tonight, the headliner kind of a reminder of the past, that past four weeks and one day ago, President Biden is the headliner tonight.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: CNN's Kevin Liptak is leading us off. Kevin, look, this is a huge week for Democrats. It is now here, it is beginning. And while the whole week is a party for Harris, tonight is President Biden's night. What do we know about what he plans to say?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. And we know he's been taking this speech incredibly seriously. He spent the entire weekend at Camp David, revising exactly what he wanted to say. And I don't think the weight of this moment is lost on President Biden. You know, he came to his first Democratic convention back in 1972. Then, he was a long shot candidate to become the youngest member of the Senate. Tonight is the end of that political arc. He's the oldest sitting president handing off to his vice president, his chosen successor.

And I think his goal, according to Biden's aides, is to really present Harris as the best inheritor of the legacy and the best person to carry on what he started in office. Kamala Harris will be in this arena while Biden is speaking. She thought that was very important. But after that, the Biden's head off to vacation in California and essentially turn the keys of this convention over to Kamala Harris.

And when you look at the program that Democrats have organized, you really do see this effort of two different themes. One is to try and reintroduce or introduce Kamala Harris to an American public that may just not have been paying attention until now. And she'll have a lot of help on that front. There are two former presidents on the speaking agenda, former first ladies, certainly a lot of high-profile Democrats to make the case for Kamala Harris.

The other goal is to try and frame the stakes of this election and really make that warning about the risk of a second Trump presidency, and we are learning new information on that front as well. Democrats have given high profile speaking slots to members of the congressional committee that investigated January 6th, as well as a police officer who was injured in that riot.

Of course, this will all culminate on Thursday evening, that high- profile address from Kamala Harris herself. She is working on this speech this week. Listen to what she said yesterday about her speech preparations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Essentially, it's much of what you've probably heard me talk about before in terms of just what I believe to be the promise of America and the fact that we're all in this and there's obviously a lot at stake, but there's also a lot to feel good about in terms of the future of our country. So, there will be a lot that is about what I believe is a way forward, a new way forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIPTAK: So there's no question that Harris is entering this convention with a swell of momentum. Polls have shown her taking a slight lead. But make no question, this is still a very tight race. And we talked to Harris aides, they acknowledge that the real work will begin after this convention ends.

BERMAN: So, Kevin, when President Biden has given speeches, even when they are about Donald Trump, sometimes he doesn't actually say Trump's names. He'll say things like the former president, the former guy. Do you know how much he's going to be speaking about Donald Trump tonight?

LIPTAK: Well, I think that's a major underpinning of his address. Remember, his whole theme of his presidency was restoring the soul of America. A lot of Democrats questioned that.

[07:05:01]

He is no longer the Democratic nominee, but that is certainly a thrust and sort of a driving compassion that he has made as he heads into this convention. Certainly that will be a huge factor in his speech, is trying to warn the country about the risk of another Donald Trump presidency.

SIDNER: And what a difference what 28 days makes from the time that he announced that he was not going to campaign.

BERMAN: It was like 28,000. SIDNER: It does. Kevin Liptak, thank you so much for reporting for us this morning.

Now, while the Democrats celebrate here in Chicago, Donald Trump and J.D. Vance, of course, looking to steal the spotlight, hitting battleground states every single day this week, traveling from Pennsylvania to Arizona and touching on a different theme every day. A senior Trump campaign official tells CNN, the message that we're trying to send, other than continuing to define Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, send a very clear signal that there will be no free shots on goal. If the Democrats are going to be out campaigning, then we're going to be out campaigning every single day.

All right, our Kristen Holmes joining us now for more on what's happening on the other side, which is hoping to sort of steal the limelight. I don't know how successful they will be. What is the campaign planning?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Sara, I don't know if it's necessarily steal the limelight because they do know that this is Kamala Harris' week, but it's trying to get as much media attention as possible, which they don't necessarily think it's going to be a lot.

But keep in mind, Donald Trump is a master of trying to manipulate the media narrative. So, for example, this week, all of his events are at 3:00 P.M. Normally, they're in the evening. There's a reason they're at 3:00 P.M. They know they're not going to break through in the evening when those high-profile speakers, like President Joe Biden, like Hillary Clinton, are speaking. So, instead, they're going to try and seize the media narrative earlier in the day.

So, let's take a look at where he's going to be Monday. He's going to be in York, Pennsylvania. This is being billed as an economic speech. Tuesday, Howell, Michigan, that is a suburb of Detroit. They're going to be talking about crime and safety. Wednesday. Asheboro, North Carolina. Thursday, he's going to be south of Tucson on the border there, obviously an issue talking about immigration. And then Friday, these are billed as two different events, one in Las Vegas, talking about the economy, and one in Glendale, Arizona.

Now, of all of these, only that one on Friday evening is a rally. The rest of them are what are being called internally messaging events. These are smaller venues. These are smaller crowds and it is meant to keep Donald Trump on topic. Obviously, Donald Trump will do what Donald Trump wants to do, but they are trying to create a scenario in which he can at least give him the runway to stay on topic.

Now, over the weekend, part of a very long speech that he gave in Pennsylvania was attacking Harris. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Her plan is very dangerous because it may sound good politically and that's the problem. And we have to be very careful. Because when somebody gets up and says, we're going to give you everything, $25,000 for a house, we're going to give you all sorts of little goodies, free health care, we're going to give you everything, universal health care, it sounds so beautiful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Now, that was the part where he talked about policy. The other part, there were personal attacks. He said he was more good looking than Harris. He once again went after her intelligence. So, clearly here, he is having a hard time threading the needle as he has been told by his allies and by his campaign to focus on the issues, yet he can't help himself.

BERMAN: All right. Kristen Holmes for us following Donald Trump and what will be a busy week for the Trump-Vance campaign. Thank you both very much, both Kristen and Holmes, both names all at once.

Let's go to Kate and Bolduan, who is in New York. Hello there.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: The world does not need two of us. The world does not need two of me. That is confirmed.

All right, we're going to get right back to you guys. It's good to see you, and I miss you. We'll be right back to you in just a second.

We are also tracking major flooding in parts of the northeast. Connecticut is facing a flashflood emergency, with many people being forced to evacuate their homes.

And breaking overnight, Secretary of State Tony Blinken is in Israel. He says this may be the last opportunity to get the hostages home from Gaza and bring about a ceasefire there.

And the politics, the policy, and the pure entertainment, the celebrities heading for the Democratic Convention this week. Why some Democrats are holding out hope for a Taylor Swift or Beyonce surprise.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:10:00]

BERMAN: All right. Breaking overnight, Hamas is claiming responsibility for a deadly attack in Tel Aviv. CNN geolocated video that shows the moment of the explosion on Sunday.

All Right, also breaking this morning, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for what he is calling a decisive moment in what he calls maybe the last opportunity to finalize a ceasefire and hostage deal. That meeting, we're told, ended just a few minutes ago.

Let's go right to CNN's Jim Sciutto, who is live this morning in Tel Aviv. First, Jim, the very latest on the explosion and what is now being said about it.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, John, to be frank, it's a deeply damaging development in the midst of these quite sensitive, high-stake talks over a ceasefire in Gaza.

[07:15:00]

The explosion took place not far from where we are now in central Tel Aviv on a busy street.

It was Sunday night and now this morning, Hamas' military wing is claiming responsibility for it, calling it a martyrdom operation. It appears the explosion, the explosive might have set off early. The bomber was caught on CCTV footage prior carrying a backpack. He was the only victim of this attack, although there was someone injured by shrapnel. So, the question is how much worse this could have been had he reached what might have been his target.

And listen, it's not what these negotiators certainly would not what Antony Blinken wanted to see in the midst of these talks. And, of course, it happened pretty much as Blinken was arriving here, to do to carry out what he hopes to be the final steps of reaching an agreement between the parties.

BERMAN: Yes. And the secretary of state doesn't travel to talks like this or moments like this, unless he or she thinks that there is a real chance of success here. So, Jim, what is the status? The secretary just met with the Israeli prime minister.

SCIUTTO: Well, he doesn't travel unless he thinks there's a chance of success or unless he believes it's absolutely necessary and this may be the last chance. And that's how he's describing this moment as an inflection point in these talks and perhaps the last chance for Israel and Hamas to reach some sort of ceasefire deal in exchange of hostage hostages. He has been expressing some cautious optimism, as have Israeli officials.

But Hamas also last night as Blinken was arriving here, released a statement saying that Israel is introducing new demands into these talks, including about control, quite a sensitive issue, control of the border between Gaza and Egypt, as well as security movements internally in Gaza, Hamas describing that as new conditions in these talks and saying that Israel wants to prolong the war.

So, the signs at this point are not quite as hopeful as the optimism we heard at the end of last week. Listen, it's a negotiation, John. Sometimes it could look darkest before the dawn. But the combination of that Hamas statement and this attempted terror attack right here in Tel Aviv certainly does not bode particularly well as these talks continue. Blinken will go from here to Cairo later this week to meet with the other parties. They are still making every effort.

BERMAN: CNN Anchor and Chief National Security Analyst Jim Sciutto in Tel Aviv, great to have you there, Jim. Thanks so much for being with us. Kate?

BOLDUAN: So, an incredible sight at a Wisconsin airport is the good stuff this morning. Teams of people hauling a 180,000 pound FedEx cargo plane across the tarmac. No, it's not just fun, folks. It's for good causes. It's called Pulling for Honor, and the event raises money to help sponsor veterans' trips to D.C. so they can visit war memorials. Teams of 20 took turns to pull the train 12 feet in the shortest amount of time. Some kids even got in on the action, pulling a, you know, smaller plane, we hope. This event, this time around, raised more than $150,000.

We are also tracking a wild storm that sparked a flooding emergency in the northeast, water rescues and evacuations overnight and flash flooding warnings across several states.

And as the DNC kicks off, new polling out shows Kamala Harris heading in to it all with new momentum.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:20:00]

BOLDUAN: Breaking overnight, torrential rain and flash flooding just rocked the northeast. In Connecticut, it's being called a one in 200 year storm, some areas seeing nearly ten inches of rain in just hours, which very quickly created understandably very dangerous conditions for drivers and everyone. Rescue crews carried out emergency water rescues through the day and the night. Roads, even some bridges were washed out. Mudslides complicated things even further. Connecticut's governor says search and rescue teams evacuated at least 100 people.

CNN's Derek Van Dam is tracking all of this for us. Derek, and more rain is still expected?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, that is some dramatic video that you're showing there. And, yes, there's even a lull in the activity now, but it's going to pick up in intensity once again today. So, with this type of moisture held into the soil of places like Connecticut, into Massachusetts, even Vermont and New Hampshire, the threat of flash flooding still exists today. This is one of the scenes unfolding yesterday in Oxford. Just incredible to see that river of water just flowing over what would normally be a roadway.

Now, some of the highest rainfall totals that we've seen in Connecticut, New York, they have top nine inches even approaching that ten inch mark in some locations.

So, like I said, a lull in the activity. You can see how it's exited New York, Connecticut, much of Rhode Island. Just a few showers remain across Cape Cod and into Martha's Vineyard. And then we get a break, a bit of cloud cover. But later today, that's when things we expect to pick up in intensity once again.

This is how much rain has fallen. You can see some of those pockets across Western Connecticut. That indicates anywhere from six to ten inches. That's why we still have ongoing flood warnings in place for that area. Look at the uptick in activity this afternoon and evening, right around that evening rush hour back home from work or perhaps dinner time tonight. National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center has a slight risk of excessive rainfall that could lead to flash flooding, so rapid rises in rivers and more waters over roadways as well. Kate? BOLDUAN: And Hurricane Ernesto still on the move. What do people need to keep an eye on still?

VAN DAM: It's just incredible. This storm is several hundred miles off the east coast of the U.S.

[07:25:01]

But it is the waves that are propagating outward. Think about if you're to jump into a swimming pool off of a diving board, do that big water slam, and then you see the water ripple out in all directions. Well, that's basically what Ernesto is doing, and it's sending these waves piling up into the eastern seaboard.

So, even though we're not getting direct impacts, we have indirect impacts from Ernesto and that is, if course, the dangerous surf and rip currents across the East Coast. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Need to keep an eye on. Derek, thank you so much, much more to come on that.

Let's go back to Chicago and Sara and John are there.

SIDNER: All right. Thank you, Kate B. President Biden is preparing to take the stage tonight, night one. Just four weeks ago, there was a very different plan. It was Biden expected to accept the party's nomination on the last night. We have new reporting on what President Biden plans to say.

And Caitlin Clark or Angel Reese? The bets are being placed. Who will be crowned the WNBA's Rookie of the Year?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:30:00]