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Trump Proposes Policy To Make Government Or Insurance Pay For IVF; Harris Defends Biden Administration's Economic Record; Lloyd Austin Meets With Ukrainian Defense Minister At Pentagon. Aired 2- 2:30p ET

Aired August 30, 2024 - 14:00   ET

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

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[14:01:16]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Former President Donald Trump stirring confusion when he was asked about how he would vote on Florida's abortion ban. His campaign is trying to clarify his remarks as he also promises his administration would cover the cost of American's fertility treatments. Meantime, in her first sit down interview since becoming the democratic nominee, right here on CNN, Vice President Kamala Harris figured out (inaudible) see positions changing over the years. Hear her response.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: And a new twist in a long followed legal saga as Maryland Supreme Court reinstates the murder conviction of Adnan Syed, the man at the center of the popular serial podcast. We're following these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to CNN News Central.

SANCHEZ: Two years after Roe versus Wade was overturned, and with fewer than three months until Election Day, the Trump campaign's messaging on the critical issue of reproductive rights is causing confusion. Yesterday, the former president seemed to indicate that he would vote to overturn Florida's controversial six-week abortion ban when he cast his ballot in November. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (Former President of the United States (R) and current U.S. Presidential Candidate): Well, I think the six-week is too short. It has to be more time. And so that's -- and I've told them that I want more weeks.

WOMAN #1: So you'll vote in favor of the amendment?

DONALD TRUMP: I'm voting that -- I am going to be voting that we need more than six weeks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: I am going to be voting that we need more than six weeks. Shortly after that, his campaign tried to clarify saying, "President Trump has not yet said how we would vote on the ballot initiative in Florida." He simply reiterated that he believes six weeks is too short." This morning, Trump's running mate, Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio, also tried to explain what Trump really meant. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, UNITED STATES SENATOR AND U.S. VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The President is simply saying he doesn't like six weeks. He obviously has said he doesn't like late term abortion. And I think he will make an announcement on what he actually wants to do on the Florida law in particular. But again, President Trump has been extremely consistent that he's going to make this decision as a citizen of Florida, but he wants the national government that he intends to lead, to be focused on national issues.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: CNN National Correspondent Jason Carroll is in Pennsylvania where Trump is going to be campaigning today. Jason, Trump's comments also come as he's reiterated his support for the government or insurance companies paying for IVF treatments. Tell us more.

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. That's exactly right. But don't want to disappoint you there, Boris, because there's still going to be some unanswered questions when it comes to Trump's proposal, IVF proposal. When he said yesterday, is that if he were to be reelected under his administration, any couple seeking IVF treatment that would be covered either by the government or it would be mandated by insurance companies to cover all of those costs. What was not clear is how exactly that would be funded. Where is the money going to come from? Big question. Still looking for answers on that.

Earlier today, in fact, our own John Berman tried to get some more specifics from Trump's running mate. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN BERMAN, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: How is he going to pay for it?

[14:05:01]

Is this an expansion of Obamacare? Is this a mandate?

J.D. VANCE: Well, look, I think you have insurance companies that obviously are forced to cover a whole host of services. The President explicitly said that he wants insurers to cover additional fertility treatments. I think it's also important to point out that it's become way too expensive to raise a family in this country, John, thanks to Kamala Harris's policies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: Now, this is all an attempt in some ways, Boris, to reach as many voters as possible. And in some ways, perhaps trying to reach some of those voters who turned away from the GOP, who turned away from Trump, with the feeling that perhaps, this is a party that is not sensitive to those who really support reproductive rights. It's about getting as many votes as possible in a place like Pennsylvania where the race is a tossup too close. And when it comes to that, that means, in terms of messaging for voters to go out and vote any way that they can, the reason why I bring that up is because just up here on this jumbotron that you can't see me above here a short while ago, it's on a rotation, at what point it was telling those here in the arena, here at the first summit arena, to vote any way you can. And that means, voting absentee, that means mail in voting as well.

And as you'll recall, it wasn't that long ago that the former President said himself, he had expressed opposition to mail in voting in that interview that he did with Dr. Phil saying that mail in ballots should not be allowed. So as we're having this sort of conversation now between messaging and being clear on messaging, that seems to be something that needs to be cleared up as well. Boris?

SANCHEZ: Yeah, that is a good point. Jason Carroll live for us in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Thank you so much.

So Florida isn't the only state where abortion and reproductive access is on the ballot. According to a new Fox News poll, in the swing state of Arizona, 7 in 10, 70%, more than 70%, say they would vote to enshrine abortion access into law when they go to the ballot box in November. In nearby Nevada, 75%, three in four voters, said they plan to do the same.

Let's discuss the electoral implications of this with Larry Sabato. Larry nationally, let's zoom out, how is this issue of abortion affecting the race for the White House?

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: It's helping Democrats everywhere and particularly, obviously the national ticket. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, they're both longtime pro-choice politicians, whereas Donald Trump and you saw it again yesterday and then this morning, even with his running mate, he's all over the map. And he has been all over the map for decades. I'm old enough to remember when he said on a key Sunday morning show at the turn of the century, he is 100% pro-choice on abortion.

Ever since then, we know what he's done and why he's done it. I think it's fair to say it's not on the basis of principle, but that's true for a lot of politicians on a lot of issues. This is really a major problem for Donald Trump and for the Republicans. They got what they want. The dog caught the mailman. And now, just doesn't know what to do with it. And they're finally at that stage. They celebrated for a while, but then, they lost a lot of seats in 2022 that they would have won otherwise in the midterm elections. And it's really catching up to Donald Trump now in the presidential race.

SANCHEZ: So I'm curious about that because specifically in Arizona and Nevada, those are considered to be swing states. Obviously, abortion access, the repeal of that six-week ban is on the ballot in Florida. But I think even in your analysis, it appears that Florida is leaning toward Republicans, whereas Arizona and Nevada are more up for grabs. How is this issue having an impact there in those states?

SABATO: Well, it is clearly helping Democrats. And yet, it's not helping them as much as you would think, at least not to this point. Democrats have to figure out a way to get those moderate Republicans who are planning on voting for the Republican ticket and then switching over to vote for a pro-choice referendum or to support reproductive rights on the ballot issue. They have to connect the two for those voters and get them to move to the Democratic ticket. It's easier said than done. But of course, they don't need all of them. They need a few percent of them. And, you know, we'll see whether they're able to do it. On the republican side, you know, they have to do the opposite.

What Trump is doing is trying to demonstrate to those more moderate Republican voters. Well, he's not really that pro-life on abortion. He wants these exceptions.

[14:10:01]

And all he wants is for the states to deal with abortion. And, of course, a lot of that is malarkey. That is not what happened in the Dobbs case in the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court.

SANCHEZ: Another hot topic this election after a court in Alabama made it illegal statewide is IVF, in vitro fertilization. The former President told a crowd in Michigan that he would implement a policy as president that would pay for treatments either through a mandate on insurance companies or through the government itself. Does IVF have the same weight for voters that access to abortion does?

SABATO: Well, in one sense, it does. That is a very large majority support IVF. In fact, it's larger even than the majority that is currently supporting reproductive rights or the restoration of Roe v. Wade. So in that sense, I think it's important to stress both have support. The question is, what kind of intensity of support? Now, in places where it is threatened where IVF is threatened, I would think the intensity would be there. But it can't substitute for the more general question of reproductive rights.

So the Republicans are trying to clear away that one piece of the abortion dilemma that they're facing. That may help them to some degree, but it doesn't get rid of the bigger problem, which is focused on the turning over of Roe v. Wade as a direct result, singularly responsible, Donald Trump, singularly responsible for the overturning because of his appointment of the three very conservative justices to the Supreme Court.

SANCHEZ: Something he promised that he would do as he was running for office back in 2016. Larry Sabato, appreciate the analysis, as always. Thanks.

SABATO: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Brianna?

KEILAR: Now, to CNN's exclusive sit down with Vice President Kamala Harris. In it, our Dana Bash presses Harris on the Biden administrations record, especially when it comes to the biggest issue on voter's minds, the economy. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA BASH, CNN NEW ANCHOR: One of your campaign themes is we're not going back. But I wonder what you say to voters who do want to go back when it comes to the economy, specifically because their groceries were less expensive, housing was more affordable when Donald Trump was president.

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (D) AND U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, let's start with the fact that when Joe Biden and I came in office during the height of a pandemic, we saw over 10 million jobs were lost. The economy had crashed. In large part, all of that because of mismanagement by Donald Trump, of that crisis. When we came in, our highest priority was to do what we could to rescue America. And today, we know that we have inflation at under 3%. A lot of our policies have led to the reality that America recovered faster than any wealthy nation around the world. But you are right, prices in particular for groceries are still too high. The American people know it. I know it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Joining us now is the co-chair of the Harris-Walz campaign, Democratic Congressman Robert Garcia of California. Sir, thanks for being with us. I do want to ask you about some of this polling. We're seeing new polls from the Wall Street Journal and Fox out yesterday of crucial Sun Belt states, Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona, Nevada. Finding the economy is the top issue for voters and that Trump wins on the issue 53 to 45. What more needs to be done to alleviate voter concerns?

REP. ROBERT GARCIA (D-CA): Sure, I think -- first, I think some of those same polls are also showing that Vice President Harris is actually leading in vast majority of those states. And so her numbers are actually increasing as she's solidifying her support. And so I think what voters are saying is, one, the economy, of course, is important -- and the economy is important. And I think that obviously, she's addressing that. I think her home ownership proposal, I think, is part of that. But I also I think voters are saying that overall, they trust the Vice President to move the economy forward and not take us back. And I want to just go back to something the Vice President just said in your clip. She came into office with President Biden during the height of the pandemic, the single largest casualty of life. We lost 1.3 million Americans. The economy had crashed. So that recovery has taken time.

There's still more work to do, but we don't want to go back to the chaos and mismanagement of Donald Trump. And that's, I think, what she's talking about. And you're seeing that reflected in those, in those polls.

KEILAR: She addressed her stances on certain policies that have changed. Let's listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BASH: Generally speaking, how should voters look at some of the changes that you've made, that you've explained some of here in your policy? Is it because you have more experience now and you've learned more about the information?

[1415:02]

Is it because you were running for president in a Democratic primary? And should they feel comfortable and confident that what you're saying now is going to be your policy moving forward?

HARRIS: Dana, I think the most important and most significant aspect of my policy perspective and decisions is my values have not changed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Congressman, I want to ask you about that specifically, because many voters may not -- I mean, I think you could say, will not see a distinction between values and policy perspectives when it comes to, say, fracking, that if she was against it before, they might conclude, for instance, that she doesn't value the workers that policy would affect in, among other places, Pennsylvania. If you're four fracking, you might not value the groundwater for vulnerable populations like children and the elderly who could be affected. How does she convince those people that her values have not changed when really, they are concerned about the specific policy?

GARCIA: Well, first, I'll say that I've known Vice President Harris for a long time. Obviously, her work here in California as attorney general in the Senate, her values have always been one of protecting people and standing up for people. She's always been, of course, a climate leader and a supporter of working family. She understands that piece. But let's be clear. The Vice President has had her position on fracking. She made very clear years ago during the 2020 election and a little before that, she made clear that she supports fracking as a way of energy production in this country. So I don't think that's an issue anymore. People can have different perspectives, change their perspectives over time, but some -- but her values have always been consistent. And so I think that issue in particular, she's clarified numerous times and certainly did a few years ago.

KEILAR: Former President Donald Trump is now proposing to have in vitro fertilization, all costs paid for by either government or insurance companies. How worried are you that this could undercut Harris's appeal on the issue of abortion rights?

GARCIA: Well, first, let's be crystal clear. I mean, the reason that we are having all of this debate about IVF and states are rolling back rights. And we're losing and moving backwards as it relates to women's rights and access to their own reproductive health is because of Donald Trump and the Supreme Court that moved Roe v. Wade backwards and eliminated that right for women.

And so he has bragged openly about how he supports the decision and what the court did. And so it is comical that Donald Trump would talk about women's reproductive health in any way that is serious when it is he who has lauded the Supreme Court for their actions, for what is happening right now across the country that is moving us backwards. His own party has come out strongly against IVF. He is basically going around the country now trying to play cleanup for a mess that he created, and, by the way, has continued to stand by every single day.

And so Donald Trump is a liar and a conman. We know this already. His actions should speak for his record, and that is that, he has moved our reproductive rights for people in this country, women in this country, backwards. And Kamala Harris, of course, is going around the country fighting for a woman's access to abortion and IVF. And that, we'll continue to see throughout the campaign.

KEILAR: Is coverage or a mandate for coverage for IVF something that Harris would be open to?

GARCIA: Look, I think that obviously, she'll be announcing different policy positions in the weeks ahead. But what I will say is that there are few people in this country that has stood stronger on issues of reproductive healthcare than Kamala Harris. And, of course, when you look at Tim Walz and his experience, this is a ticket that understands the rights of women, that wants to move the country forward and not take us backward. As vice president, nobody in the country fought harder for reproductive rights before the road decision and after than Vice President Kamala Harris. And so we're going to continue to see this be a central issue of the campaign. And we are not going to allow Donald Trump to try to erase history, erase his standing and boasting about how he supported Roe v. Wade being eliminated within our court system and being sent to our states.

And so I think that this is a clear contrast and one that Kamala Harris will continue to make.

KEILAR: Congressman Robert Garcia, co-chair of the Harris-Walz campaign, thanks for being with us.

GARCIA: Thank you.

KEILAR: And to head this hour on CNN News Central, Ukraine says it gained more ground further inside of Russia. We are live from Kyiv. Plus, a popular podcast drew nationwide attention to Adnan Syed's case and raised serious doubts about his guilt. But two years after he was freed, long after his story was told in the serial podcast, Maryland Supreme Court has added a new twist to this case.

[14:20:07]

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KEILAR: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met today with his Ukrainian counterpart at the Pentagon to discuss Ukraine's current incursion into Russia's Kursk region.

SANCHEZ: And during this face to face meeting, Ukraine is expected to present the Biden administration with a list of military targets in Russia, attempting to persuade the U.S. to lift restrictions on the use of American weapons against the Kremlin. CNN's Fred Pleitgen joins us now live from Kyiv. Fred, what more do we know about this request from Kyiv?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, so the Ukraines really haven't talked very publicly about it.

[14:25:04]

But I was able to speak to some sources here on the ground in Kyiv, including a senior Ukrainian official, Boris. And one of the things that the Ukrainians are saying is that they believe that they need to use some of these American-supplied weapons, like for instance, the attack on surface to surface missiles to try and strike deeper into Russian territory than they have been able to in the past.

Of course, right now, with a lot of these long distance weapons, including air launched missiles, but also surface to surface missiles, they're mostly allowed to attack places in Ukraine that are occupied by Russia, like for instance, Crimea and some of the border areas in Russian territory, but not very deep into Russian territory. And the Ukrainians say that they are going to present the U.S. with a list of targets they'd like to strike for several reasons. Some of these places are, for instance, fuel depots. Some of these places could also be airfields, though, because the Russians in the past couple of months have become a lot more proficient at using their air force, dropping some very heavy so-called glide bombs on Ukrainian front line forces that are really making life difficult for the Ukrainians.

So those are things that the Ukrainians believe, if those restrictions are lifted, will bring them forward a great deal. Because right now on the battlefield, while the Ukrainians are still advancing in the Kursk region of Russia, they're having a really hard time in the east of Ukraine, where the Russians are making slow but very steady progress, guys.

KEILAR: All right, Fred, thank you for that report. Fred Pleitgen live from Kyiv. And we're joined now by retired Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton. I wonder what you think if the U.S. should sign off on some or all of these targets that Ukraine wants?

CEDRIC LEIGHTON, RETIRED U.S. AIR FORCE: Well, Brianna, it's probably going to be a some answer. It depends on what that target list actually looks like from the Ukrainians. But as Fred was reporting, there are certain areas where the Russians are using steam standoff weapons. And they're using these bases so they can actually launch and then fire these weapons from areas that are hundreds of miles away from Ukraine.

So if the Ukrainians are able to hit that base where those planes are launched from, or even the planes themselves, highly unlikely, but still technically possible, depending on the weapon system, that could then be somewhat of a game changer for the Ukrainians.

SANCHEZ: The fear or the apprehension thus far from the United States would be that allowing this would lead to an escalation from Vladimir Putin. In your mind, if this is greenlit, what would the worst case scenario be? LEIGHTON: Well, Boris, the worst case scenario would be that Putin

goes nuclear or does something, you know, at least with a tactical nuke that would change the equation of the war and potentially force involvement by NATO and the United States in this war. That would be an absolute worst case scenario. I don't think that will happen. What I think will probably happen is that what they'll end up doing is they'll end up going in and using basically the very limited approaches to certain airfields, and certain fuel depots, and other areas like headquarters entities or communications nodes. Those would be the kinds of things that I would expect them to hit.

If they don't hit that, then it's much harder for the Ukrainians to actually prevail, certainly in the east and certainly in their Kursk invasion -- incursion into Russian territory.

KEILAR: Yeah, let's talk about that. Because they say that they have made a further advances in that area over the last 24 hours. They've been getting a lot of headlines because of what they've been doing. It's sort of this bold move of moving into Russia. How do you see this moment, their objective, and what they can accomplish with this?

LEIGHTON: So I think this is a very interesting lesson, Brianna, in really the PR aspect of war, the public relations aspect of war. And the reason I say that is, yes, there is a military aspect to this which is critically important, and you can't have one without the other. But the PR portion of this is critically important because what it has done is exactly what you said, it has given Ukraine headlines. It has also given Ukraine a degree of success that they otherwise wouldn't have had. And it was -- it's very important for Ukraine to have that success. And the PR type efforts are really critical for Ukraine to get that leverage in potential future peace talks or ceasefire talks. And that's really what's going on here. We're looking at what comes after next.

And I think Zelenskyy's efforts, not only as a person who is media savvy, but also as someone who is knowledge in his -- knowledgeable in history. I really point to the fact that he understands what might be coming next. And he's trying to really work this in a way that will be advantageous to Ukraine.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, no question. It's a blow to Putin's image as this strongman if he can't defend his own border. Colonel Cedric Leighton, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

LEIGHTON: Thanks, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Still plenty more news to come on New Central, including former President Trump vowing to implement a policy that would pay for IVF treatments if he returns to the White House. Is this a winning issue for his party? We'll discuss with the republican congressman in just moments.

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