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Roland Gutierrez is Interviewed about Raids in Texas; Hostage Rescued from Gaza; Kerry Kennedy is Interviewed about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.; Wesley Clark is Interviewed about Ukraine. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired August 27, 2024 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: League of United Latin American Citizens says the raids in three counties are a, quote, "direct attempt to suppress the Latino vote." One longtime member says she was still in her nightgown when her home was raided early in the morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIDIA MARTINEZ, MEMBER, LEAGUE OF UNITED LATIN AMERICAN CITIZENS: At one point they had me outside in front of all my neighbors while they searched the living room. And - and they never let me get dressed. And it was just very embarrassing, intimidating, harassment. They searched everything in my house.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: That was 87-year-old - one of the LULAC members.

Joining us now is Texas State Senator Roland Gutierrez.

No charges have so far been filed since the raids in three counties last week. The attorney general's office says that they were all tied to allegations of voter fraud. First of all, do you think the rates are legitimate?

ROLAND GUTIERREZ (D), TEXAS STATE SENATE: No, I don't, Sara. I mean the attorney general is basing his claims on an affidavit that's from an election two years ago. There is no basis to what he's alleging.

I want to be very clear who we're talking about. This is the attorney general, Ken Paxton, who was indicted for securities fraud, was on some form of felony, deferred disposition where he has to pay $271,000 in restitution to the people that he defrauded.

So, essentially, we need to consider the source here. This is an 87- year-old great grandmother. The other two women were also in their 80s. They were mistreated. One of the - one of the people who was targeted had people draw guns on him. The things that the Texas rangers didn't do in Uvalde they did to these people. They treated them as if they were El Chapo or something.

We have some real problems here in Texas with disinformation, like your last story, with this kind of influence peddling because what they want to do is intimidate Latino voters, suppress the vote in south Texas because they're fighting for every race. And they have a seat that they think they can win in House District 80, and they're trying to do everything that they can to do it. And Ken Paxton will stop at nothing.

SIDNER: I do want to ask you this because some people will say, well, a judge signed off on the warrants for them to go and search or raid some of these homes. What do you say to people who say there must be something there since a judge signed off on it?

GUTIERREZ: I - listen, nobody was arrested here. Nobody has been arrested. Ken Paxton has done this before. This is not his first time. This is not his second time. This is not his third time. He has done this election after election. And in none of those investigations, in Fort Worth, or in San Antonio, or this one in south Texas, or the ones that he's conducted in Houston, not one of them has led to any kind of indictment or charges down the road.

You know, I just have to look at this man's history and look at who he is, and look at how partisan he is. And I'm certain that tonight we'll hear this at the next Trump rally because what happens in Texas forms the narrative for these Republicans nationwide.

SIDNER: I do - I do want to ask you -

GUTIERREZ: And it's quite sad because the people that end up getting hurt the most are Texans.

SIDNER: I do want to ask you if you have had the chance to speak with any of those whose homes were rated or heard from any of their family members?

GUTIERREZ: I spoke to Lidia Martinez, the woman that you had on your - on your video tape. I spoke to Manual Medina (ph). He said that nine officers had guns pointed at him at his house where his children were sleeping. I spoke - Lidia Martinez, they went into her refrigerator looking for God knows what. They stayed there for hours. She asked to change out of her morning nightgown and they - they said no. They sat there and questioned her about all sorts of tactics. She said, look, all I do is volunteer for the Democrats and the Tahano (ph) Democrats, the Democratic Party.

And so they are - yes, I've spoken to them and all of these people are victim to Ken Paxton's schemes to try to disinform people. They're already raising money in that House district against the person, the candidate that they allege, Cecilia Castellano, that they allege was part of this supposed scheme. It's - it's really quite disgusting.

SIDNER: I do want to ask you, lastly, you brought up Uvalde and the fact that they - they had guns according to the gentleman you spoke with who they raised his - his home. You have talked about Uvalde and you have asked for an assault weapons ban. And I'm curious where that lies right now.

GUTIERREZ: There won't be any kind of legislative action in Texas. We have all seen across the nation the failure of the cops because they were afraid of that gun. There has been zero transparency in Texas, zero accountability. It's over two -- almost two and a half years now and there is - there will be no policy change as long as Greg Abbott, Ken Paxton and others like them remain in control of this state.

[08:35:08]

Sadly, what happened in Uvalde will happen again in Texas because Republicans don't want to fix their loose gun laws.

SIDNER: Texas State Senator Roland Gutierrez, thank you so much for joining us this morning and getting up early for us. Appreciate it.

GUTIERREZ: Yes, ma'am. Thank you.

SIDNER: John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, we do have breaking news, Sara. We are just learning that a hostage who was abducted by Hamas on October 7th has been rescued. We are getting new details coming in. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:40:38]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

BERMAN: All right, we do have breaking news. Israel has announced the rescue of a hostage from Gaza who was abducted on October 7th by Hamas of last year.

Let's get right to CNN's Jim Sciutto, who is there.

Jim, what are you hearing this morning?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: John, this can only be described as good news and certainly relief for the hostage families in Israel that have suffered so much since the terror attacks on October 7th. This just coming in in the last several minutes. A joint statement from the IDF and the Shin Bet, the domestic security services, saying that the hostage Kaid Farhan Elkadi, age 52. He was a security worker at one of the kibbutzes in southern Israel raided during October 7th, that he has been freed. This under special operations from the 401st Brigade and other forces that are involved typically in operations like this one, rescue operations.

They say that he is in stable condition right now, being transferred for medical checks at a hospital. And his family, of course, has been updated with his details. So, his family is now receiving that - what can only be described as joyous news for them.

It has been some time since a successful operation inside Gaza to rescue some of these hostages, you have to go back to June 8th when four Israel the hostages were rescued. That in central Gaza. I should note, this operation took place in southern Gaza. And, of course, just last week you'll remember, John, that six

hostages bodies were recovered. Of course, it has been a number of weeks since a live hostage was rescued from Gaza. That brings the total number of hostages remaining there to 108, not 100 percent certain how many of them are still alive though. Israeli officials have acknowledged that many, many are - are dead.

We do have a reaction as well from the family - the Hostage Family Forum. They call this nothing short of miraculous.

So, John, you don't get news like this often. And it's been - well, we're coming up on 11 months since the October 7th terror attacks. Successful rescue operations, like this one, are few and far between. But some good news today for one of those hostage families.

BERMAN: Yes, it has to be such a relief to that family, but a reminder, there are still some 108 families who are looking for closure like this.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

BERMAN: CNN anchor, chief national security analyst, Jim Sciutto, who is there in Tel Aviv. Jim, thank you so much. Keep us posted as we get new developments in.

All right, new this morning, Robert Kennedy Junior says Donald Trump has a job for him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR., FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm working with the campaign. We're working on policy issues together. Or - I will - I've been asked to go on to the transition team. And, you know, to help pick the people who will be running the government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: The Trump transition team.

With us now, Kennedy's sister, Kerry Kennedy.

Thank you so much for being with us.

When you hear this drip, drip, drip of news from your brother, how does that make you feel?

KERRY KENNEDY, PRESIDENT, ROBERT F. KENNED CENTER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS: I mean, it's - it's overall disappointing personally, but this really isn't about me and my brother. This is a campaign about our country and about our world. And, you know, the stakes this November couldn't be higher, which is exactly why my entire family, with the exception of Bobby, will be fighting so hard to re-elect Kamala Harris and Coach Walz, who have been champions for our - for our family values for years and years and years. Donald Trump is the polar opposite. He's a threat to our most basic freedoms that - that are core to who we are as Americans, the right for women to control their bodies, to live in communities safe from gun violence, to love who you love. He said he'll be a dictator on day one and is willing to suspend the Constitution in order to take revenge against those who do not support him. And he's pledging to repeal the Affordable Care Act and cut Social Security and Medicare, leaving millions without the programs that (INAUDIBLE).

[08:45:08]

So, he's afront (ph) to everything our father and uncle stood for.

BERMAN: You know, and apparently an afront to some things that your brother used to stand for because the K-file unearthed overnight some things that - that - that Robert Kennedy Jr. had been saying about Donald Trump, saying that Trump was a terrible president, a threat to democracy, a bully. He appealed to bigotry, hatred, xenophobia, and prejudice.

You know, you - you know your brother. I know you haven't talked too him much recently. But what do you think might have changed his mind on Trump?

KENNEDY: You know, I - I can't say. I don't - all I can say is that when I think about, Bobby carries my father's name. And throughout his campaign, he relied on daddy's images and Uncle Jack's images to promote that campaign. So, he has an extra duty to protect their values and their vision.

And were he alive today, the real Robert Kennedy would have detested almost everything Donald Trump represents. His lying, selfishness, racism, hatred, fascist sympathies, deliberate misinformation about vaccines, criminal felony convictions. Daddy was the attorney general of the United States, the chief law enforcement officer. Donald Trump raped E. Jean Carroll, has 34 felony convictions. His contempt for the poor and suffering, for ethics, democracy, and healing, his cruel sneering at human rights for suffering people in America and around the world, the cause that was so loved passionately by my father, Robert Kennedy.

So, I am, frankly, outraged and disgusted by Bobby's, my brother's gaudy and obscene embrace of Donald Trump.

BERMAN: What do you think Trump gets out of it?

KENNEDY: You know, Trump (INAUDIBLE) what does he get out of it. But I think that he is trying to attach himself to the Kennedy name and Kennedy values and vision, which is not possible for him to do because he is the polar opposite of everything my family stands for.

BERMAN: Obviously it was a couple of weeks ago that the story about the bear in Central Park, your brother admitted that he was the one who placed the bear there some years ago. Overnight, "Axios" was reporting on a story, an environmental group - an environmental advocacy organization called for the investigation of Robert Kennedy Jr. following the resurfacing of an interview where his daughter said he cut a dead whale's head with a chainsaw. It has a quote in this - in the "Axios" article does from the daughter. "Every time we accelerate on the highway, whale juice would pour into the windows the car, and it was the rankest thing on the planet, Kick Kennedy said in the interview."

Some pretty colorful, strange stories involving large mammals with your brother.

KENNEDY: Yes. You know, there's lots of stories about Bobby. But I think what the American people are concerned about are (INAUDIBLE) Bobby Kennedy Jr. I think they're looking at what's going on in their lives.

This administration, the Biden-Harris administration, has really created change. Wages are up. Inflation is down. Small businesses are booming. Manufacturing jobs are back. They (INAUDIBLE) are back. They've capped the cost of insulin to $35 for those on Medicare, lowering prescription drugs and health costs (ph) and they - and they've addressed student loans for over 4 million Americans, passed the first bipartisan gun safety legislation in 30 years. And then you think about this. Since 1989, the United States has created 51 million new jobs, 51 million. How many were under Republican administrations and how many of those under Democrat? The answer, 1 million under Republicans, 50 million under Democrats. So, if you care about your job, you care about your children, you care about your grandchildren, you've got to vote Democratic.

I have one more thing to say. I'm the president of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, the organization that was started by my father's family and (INAUDIBLE) to carry forward his unfinished work on social justice.

[08:50:03]

But today I'm speaking personally. I'm not speaking as the president of that organization.

BERMAN: I really appreciate that. And I know there are complicated loyalties here. And I know you also love your brother. So, I appreciate your time today. Kerry Kennedy, it looks like you're in Logan (ph). Go enjoy some (INAUDIBLE) seafood, send us the bill. Thank you so much for your time.

KENNEDY: Thank you. Thanks.

BERMAN: All right, the Harris campaign this morning is focusing on the economy in a new ad now out in a key battleground state.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIDNER: New for you this morning, Eli Lilly's weight loss drugs, Zepbound, is now available in single dose vials in the United States. It says that this will help expand the supply because demand is only going up. Those doses are easier to make because you use a syringe and not an auto-injector pen.

[08:55:02]

They are also cheaper and only available for those who pay out of pocket.

A 21-year-old man, who had just been baptized, died minutes later trying to save a teenage girl from drowning in that same lake. Lincer Lopez had seen her struggling and went to help her. They were there with a church group. A boater performed CPR on the girl and she survived. He did not.

Mariah Carey is mourning the loss of both her mother and her sister. She says they both died on the same day. No details yet about what happened. Kerry says she was blessed to have spent the last week with her mom. Patricia Carey was a Juilliard-trained opera singer and a vocal coach, and was 87 years old. Mariah Carey was reportedly estranged from her sister, who had sued the singer a few years ago trying to get money.

John.

BERMAN: All right, breaking overnight, a new round of deadly missile and drone strikes across Ukraine. Some of the places hit, the capital in Kyiv, Kryvyi Rih here, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia over here, Odessa was hit the day before. You can see the breadth of the strikes all over the nation. At least five people killed in the latest round. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is vowing to respond to the attacks.

With us now is retired NATO supreme allied commander General Wesley Clark.

General, great to see you this morning.

GEN. WESLEY CLARK, FORMER NATO SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER (RET.): Hey, John.

BERMAN: Russia is continuing this relentless string in this aerial bombardment here. What are you seeing? Why are they doing this now?

CLARK: This is Putin's way of striking back after the incursion in the Kursk region. This is what he can do. It demonstrates to the world, and to his own people, that he's taking the offensive, that he's powerful, and it's part of a continuing campaign, obviously, to - to eradicate the energy infrastructure in Ukraine.

BERMAN: One of the things that Volodymyr Zelenskyy is saying, is he's saying that this assault into or this invasion into Russian territory in Kursk here, it's the first stage of what he is saying is a four- stage plan to win the war here. How do you see this as forcing Putin's hand?

CLARK: So, first of all, Putin's going to have to divert forces. And apparently he's diverted maybe 30,000 troops to try to contain this. Secondly, it does undercut his authority with the Russian people. It shows that he can't protect.

It also shows to the west and to the United States that the Ukrainian forces have offensive capability. And it provides a strong argument that the United States should stop holding back on the use of its weapons that it gives to Ukraine, to let the Ukrainians use them, let them strike deep into Russia.

Meanwhile, it buys time for Ukraine to develop its own deep strike capability. President Zelenskyy's release to - of information of a new Ukrainian drone missile it's called and it's going to go deep and maybe be effective. So, there are lots of arguments in favor of this. The question, though, John is, is this operationally significant or strategically significant? And right now it has political significance strategically. The whole world sees it. But in terms of military operations, it's not yet accomplished a strategically significant resulted. It hasn't cut major rail lines, hasn't stopped the supply of logistics forward to the Russian troops, hasn't caused them to divert from their Pokrovsk (ph) offensive. So, it remains to be seen how this plays out.

BERMAN: You know, General, you brought up the idea that Zelenskyy continues to plead with the west as for deep-strike capabilities inside Russia. You can see this is Ukraine. This is Russia here. When we talk about that capability, which Ukraine may have the capability, but at least at this point not the clearance from the United States to do so. What would the targets be? How far into Russia do you think Ukraine would like to strike?

CLARK: Well, I think Ukraine would like to strike first in the Kursk region. That's where these glide bombs are being produced as of now. And they'd like to make all of the airfields within let's say 300, 400 kilometers unusual through repeated strikes, through keeping their drones overhead, through watching what's happening and being - bringing immediate response. And then later, they've got to go - they've got to go much further into Russia, as far north as Vermont, as far east as the euros (ph) and maybe further than this. And certainly in the south to take out the launching pads and the - and the air bases that are feeding these missile strikes.

But more than that, they've got to obtain escalation dominance over the Russians. So, the Russians understand that they can't just fire a few more missiles.

[09:00:03]

The more they fire, the more they're going to lose. So, Ukraine's got a ways to go. But it's not impossible.