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Millions Bracing for Tropical Storm Francine; Harris and Trump Presidential Debate Tonight; Polls Show Harris and Trump Tied; Bridge Collapse in Vietnam; Russia Preparing to Use Iranian Missiles; Ukraine Strikes Moscow; Retired Military Leaders Voice Support for Harris. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired September 10, 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: -- not here in New York, Former New York Mayor. I will give you a hard time about it later.

BILL DE BLASIO (D), FORMER NEW YORK MAYOR: Attlebrown, Michigan. Attlebrown, Michigan.

SIDNER: I know why you're there. All right. Thank you, sir. Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Right now, millions along the Gulf Coast are preparing, preparing for a potential hurricane. Now, we've got the very latest for you on the track of what is currently a Tropical Storm Francine.

And we also have dashcam footage capturing a deadly bridge collapse.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:35:00]

BOLDUAN: This morning, millions of people in Texas and Louisiana are facing hurricane and tropical storm warnings. Louisiana's governor has already declared a statewide emergency -- a state of emergency in preparation of Francine's arrival. Let's get straight to Meteorologist Elisa Raffa. She's got much more on this. This storm is already close to becoming a hurricane last I saw. What's -- what are you watching here?

ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, we are expecting it to strengthen significantly before landfall. Right now, it's still a tropical storm with 65-mile per hour winds sending about 400 miles southwest of Louisiana. But you can see the outer bands already bringing some rain from New Orleans, Brownsville, Texas already getting some heavy rain. And look at all that lightning offshore coming in on those outer bands.

We've had some dry air kind of limiting Francine a little bit overnight, but these ocean temperatures are incredibly warm. So, that's why we are expecting it to get its act together and strengthen just before landfall. Hurricane warnings in effect for a lot of Louisiana here looking at a Category 2 hurricane just before landfall. Again, that could be significant when it comes to damaging winds, life-threatening storm surge, all of these impacts starting pretty much Wednesday morning. You could see the winds really starting to pick up on Wednesday. So, any preparations need to be done today. Things start to get nasty going into tomorrow morning.

Look at these winds, could pump 90 to 95-mile per hour winds for parts of Louisiana, 45-mile per hour gusts in New Orleans and these winds continue to travel through Louisiana and then into Mississippi as we go into Thursday.

Now, these winds will bring that onshore ocean push. So, we're looking at five to 10 feet of storm surge along parts of Louisiana here, two to four feet of storm surge in New Orleans. Also, this comes at a footprint of heavy rain, considerable life-threatening flash flooding possible. because look at the footprint of this heavy rain here, four to six inches would be pretty widespread, but we could find some totals approaching a foot.

Also notice how far inland this gets. We could be looking at some flooding concerns for parts of Northern Mississippi, then even going into Tennessee as well. Something we'll be watching for days. Kate.

BOLDUAN: Yes. I mean, today seems to be the last day to prepare as things are going to really start ramping up as we head into tomorrow. Elisa, thank you so much. Sara.

SIDNER: Thank you, Kate. I'm not sure you know this, but there's a debate happening tonight. And with us is Senior Data Reporter Harry Enten. who I like to call chief data reporter.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: Thank you.

SIDNER: You're welcome. So, debate, how much do -- the peanut gallery is really cracking up this morning. I hear you, Randy, I'm going to have to talk with your mother later. How much do debates really matter in the end when it comes to November and actually voting?

ENTEN: Yes. I mean, look, normally, when you're heading into a first debate, the debate really won't make that much of a difference because one of the candidates is so far ahead. So, if you go back since 1976, the average candidate, the average leader at this point, leads his opponent, or her opponent, by six percentage points.

But look how close we are right now. We are just a two-point race. While debates oftentimes really won't matter, because the fact is one candidate is so far ahead, this is one of those rare debates that actually could matter, because the race has been consistently, consistently close. Not just nationally, where we see right now Harris up by just two points, well within any margin of error, but in those key battleground states as well.

You know, I was talking with our dear colleague John yesterday, in the key battleground state -- or key Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, it was a tie, right? It was zero points that separated the two contenders. So, the bottom line is, while debates oftentimes won't matter, this is a year in which this potentially sole debate between Harris and Trump really could matter.

SIDNER: Yes. I mean, this is within the margin of error.

ENTEN: Yes.

SIDNER: So, it can't be tighter. I think this is --

ENTEN: No.

SIDNER: I think before, you talked about this being historically tight. So, who sort of might get a bump, Harris or Trump? Who stands to benefit the most if they do well?

ENTEN: Yes. I mean, look, I think most voters have made up their minds about Donald Trump, specifically undecided voters. So, how undecided voters feel? Just need to learn more about Donald Trump. Just 18 percent of undecided voters say they need to learn more about Donald Trump. But look at this, a near majority of undecided voters say they want to -- or need to learn more about Kamala Harris.

Look, undecided voters don't really like either one of these folks. Donald Trump, which just an 8 percent favorable. Kamala Harris with just a 13 percent favorable. But the bottom line is there's a lot more room for movement for Kamala Harris than there is for Donald Trump.

So, the real question tonight is, can Kamala Harris seize this opportunity, seize the spotlight, put to rest fears that they may have about her, because the bottom line is undecided voters have already made up their mind about Donald Trump. They're waiting to make up their mind about Kamala Harris and how they do so can make all the difference in the world at the end of the day come November.

SIDNER: How about the expectations? I mean, people literally put money on who's going to win the debate.

ENTEN: Yes.

SIDNER: You can bet on anything. What is the expectation?

ENTEN: Yes. You know, if the expectation going into the first debate of this year, remember this is the second first debate as my cover slide kind of indicated, right, they thought that Donald Trump was going to win that first debate by an eight-point margin. Now, the expectation game is on the other shoe, right? On the other foot.

[08:40:00]

Look at this. When it comes to Kamala Harris versus Donald Trump, Harris, the expectation is that she is going to beat Donald Trump. Now, it's not by that wide of a margin, but I think tonight, the real question is how does Kamala Harris get viewed and judged by the American public? Because as I said just a little bit ago, the American electorate has made up their mind about Donald Trump. They haven't made up their mind about Kamala Harris and this may be her last best chance to get them on her side of the equation and not go with the Republican nominee for president.

SIDNER: And this may be the most number of Americans that she will and he will ever get until the election. So, it's huge.

ENTEN: It's a huge audience across all the networks, including this one, which is where you should watch, of course.

SIDNER: 9:00 p.m.

ENTEN: There we go.

SIDNER: I can understand it.

ENTEN: Yes, that's why here.

SIDNER: Tonight, that's what's happening.

ENTEN: Yes.

SIDNER: All right. To our beloved colleague and friend, John Berman.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: And as Harry said, the foot is on the other shoe in this debate. Here with us now CNN political commentator and former Biden White House communications director Kate Bedingfield and Marc Lotter, former strategic communications director for the Trump 2020 campaign.

I am going to ask you both the same questions. We're going to take this in stages. I'm going to ask you what each candidate needs to accomplish and what each candidate needs to avoid. And I want to think about this is strategy, not necessarily as an advocate for each of you. So, Kate, first to you. What do you think Vice President Harris needs to accomplish tonight?

KATE BEDINGFIELD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR AND FORMER BIDEN WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Sure. Well, I think she needs to define herself for the American people. We've just heard, obviously, this is a huge opportunity. A lot of eyeballs, a lot of people who don't know as much about her are likely to tune in tonight. So, priority one for her should be to explain to people who she is, what she's motivated by, why she does what she does. You know, she has a really great opportunity to do that.

And then, I would say priority two for her is to define Donald Trump as more of the same. To really paint him as, you know, not a change agent, not a disruptor, but the guy who was president for four years, who has been on the national scene for 10 years, you know, contributing to the corrosion of civility in our politics. I mean, she really has an opportunity tonight to do that.

So, those are the two big things she needs to do. She needs to show the country who she is, talk about, you know, what motivates her and also paint him as more of the same yesterday's news, more of what people have rejected in 2020, frankly. BERMAN: All right. Marc, so what does Donald Trump need to accomplish tonight?

MARC LOTTER, FORMER STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, TRUMP 2020 CAMPAIGN AND FORMER SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well, first and foremost, he needs to put Kamala Harris on notice that she is the reason why that we have higher gas and grocery prices, why the border is not secure, why the world is at war. And so, as Kate says, more of the same, she literally is more of the same, more of the same failed Biden policies that two-thirds of the American people disagree with. So, that's mission number one for him.

Mission number two is remind people things were cheaper, the border was secure, world was not at war when he was in the White House.

BERMAN: So, Marc, what does Donald Trump need to avoid then tonight?

LOTTER: Well, I think he needs to avoid getting into kind of the personal stuff with Kamala Harris. He doesn't need to do it. He's basically got a built in well of fond memories about the economy and his record. So, all he has to do is remind people on a policy standpoint that it's her policy that it's her tiebreaking vote that caused the inflation. It was her who was the borders czar and let people make their own decisions about everything else on their own.

BERMAN: So, Kate, what does Kamala Harris need to avoid tonight?

BEDINGFIELD: She needs to avoid having this debate play out on Donald Trump's terms. I mean, she needs to avoid not letting the entire debate be sort of her on the defensive, her responding to him, her explaining. She really needs to think about tonight as an opportunity to tell her story, to talk about what she's going to do for the country, lay out her vision, chart her path, and not let this debate become a constant response to Donald Trump.

Now, that's easier said than done. That's easier said than done in any debate, frankly, but certainly, easier said than done when debating Donald Trump, who we know is going to be very aggressive, whether or not he chooses to -- you know, to go into the personal, which we know he -- you know, he likes to do as himself, that's -- we know that's where Donald Trump wants to go, clearly not where his team wants him to go.

But either way, her aim needs to be to not allow the terms of this debate to be set by Donald Trump and to not be constantly baited into responding to him, but to think about this as an opportunity to be on the -- on her front foot and talking about things in the way that she wants to frame things.

BERMAN: So, Kate, of the tens of millions of people who will be watching, what's the most important sliver of the audience that she needs to reach?

BEDINGFIELD: Well, the undecided voters in this -- in the key swing states in this country. There are, give or take, six, maybe seven battleground states where this is going -- where this election is going to be decided. And there are voters in those states who have not yet decided who they're going to vote for.

[08:45:00]

So, for her, she really needs to be talking to people who have not made a decision, who are open to her, they are open to her candidacy, that's one of the things that we have seen in the polling since she went to the top of the ticket, people have less concrete views of her than they did of Joe Biden, but that's an opportunity for her. So, she needs to speak to those voters in the Sun Belt states, in the Rust Belt states who are going to ultimately determine the outcome of this election.

BERMAN: So, Marc, that's kind of where those voters are, but who are those voters? Are those voters, Haley Republican voters who didn't vote for Donald Trump in the Republican primaries?

LOTTER: Well, I think they're probably a lot of folks that voted for Joe Biden in 2020, maybe in some of those suburban collar areas of our major cities who maybe didn't like the way Donald Trump tweeted or the tone that he used in 2020, but now they have buyer's remorse because they've seen the results of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in office and it shows up at the gas station, the grocery store. They see it happening with the southern border and they don't like it.

And so, reminding people that, look, things were better off when he was in the White House and she's the reason why you don't like where we are right now. That's the key that it's OK to be like, well, I tried it this way in '20, can't do it again in '24.

BERMAN: So, Kate, you hear Marc trying in this discussion to tie Harris to President Biden. How important is it for her, in 20 seconds or less, to separate herself from President Biden?

BEDINGFIELD: I think she should -- she needs to be her own candidate, and I think we've seen her do that. I think we saw her at the convention, what you heard was not a separation on policy. And actually, if you dig in, a lot of the Biden economic policies themselves are actually quite popular. And so, what she has an opportunity to do is to build on that foundation, but do it in her voice. And I think, again, you started that at the convention, and I expect that's what we'll see from her on the stage tonight.

BERMAN: Kate Bedingfield, Mark Lotter, thank you both so much. Very, very informative discussion. Kate.

BOLDUAN: Ahead of the debate, the Trump campaign is touting an endorsement of a group of former prosecutors. And also, ahead of the debate, Kamala Harris is getting some backup from a group of retired military officials saying Harris is the only candidate in the race fit to serve as commander-in-chief. One of those generals is our guest.

And breaking news this hour, Secretary of State Tony Blinken out now saying Russia is preparing to use Iranian missiles in Ukraine.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:50:00]

BERMAN: So, new this morning. Dashcam video captured the moment a bridge collapsed into the Red River following a typhoon in Northern Vietnam. Several vehicles fell into the water, claiming at least eight lives. There was also a landslide sweeping away a passenger bus that was full of people. At least 50 people have died so far in the storms, more than 40 people are missing.

More than 60 active wildfires have burned more than 2 million acres across the Western United States, fueled and gusty winds. One fire in Orange County exploded from seven acres to 1,900 acres in just four hours, prompting mandatory evacuation orders for about 1,400 homes in the city of Rancho Santa Margarita.

And we are all mourning the death of one of the world's most recognizable voices, James Earl Jones, passed away at the age of 93.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES EARL JONES, ACTOR, "STAR WARS": No. I am your father.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Disney CEO Bob Iger summed it up from the gentle wisdom of Mufasa to the menacing threat of Darth Vader, James Earl Jones gave voice to some of the greatest characters in cinema history.

On television, of course, he was the voice of CNN with his famous words. This is CNN. His introduction of our shows were also such a delight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: This is New Day with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world. It is a new day here. It is Tuesday, May 29th, 6:00 here in New York. How did that sound, John Berman?

BERMAN: That sounded awesome. That was Darth Vader. That was James Earl Jones just saying my name, which is really all I ever wanted in life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: It is true. I don't have the show anymore, but I do have that wonderful, wonderful memory. Sara?

SIDNER: Fantastic, John. I don't -- I didn't remember that. What a nice memory. All right. Breaking overnight, Russia says its air defense destroyed more than 140 Ukrainian drones launched on nine regions of the country, including the capital city, Moscow. Listen.

At least one person has been killed and three others injured in the attack that was captured there on video. Also breaking this morning, Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Russia has received ballistic missiles from Iran. CNN's Kylie Atwood joining us now from the State Department with more on this story.

Kylie, Russia is expected to use these weapons against Ukraine. How soon could we see some of this? And what are you hearing about them getting these ballistic missiles from Iran?

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So, the secretary of state said that Russia could use these new missiles, these new ballistic missiles that they have now received from Iran on the battlefield in Ukraine within weeks, Sara. That is a significant development.

[08:55:00]

We have seen Iran support Russia throughout the course of the Ukraine war. They have provided them with drones, they have trained Russian personnel on how to use those drones. But the secretary of state called this specific shipment, this additional support that they are providing to Russia with these ballistic missiles, a dramatic escalation. He announced this in a press conference earlier this morning with his counterpart from the U.K. Listen to what he said as they both head into Ukraine this week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: For some time, the United States has warned of an additional threat, the provision by Iran of ballistic missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine. We've warned Tehran publicly, we've warned Tehran privately, that taking this step would constitute a dramatic escalation.

Russia has now received shipments of these ballistic missiles and will likely use them within weeks in Ukraine against Ukrainians.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ATWOOD: Now, he also notably said that this is a two-way street, that Russia is providing Iran with technology when it comes to the nuclear space, when it comes to the space arena. He said those are also significant developments. He also said that we're going to see sanctions from the United States and its partners against Iran due to this action. The support that they have provided Russia, those could come as soon as today. He said there would be additional action taken specifically against Iran Air. So, we'll watch for that, Sara.

SIDNER: All right. Kylie Atwood, thank you. Important reporting for us this morning. Kate.

BOLDUAN: House Republicans released their report this week on the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. The scathing report placed blame not only on Joe Biden, but also tried to blame Vice President Kamala Harris for the chaotic withdrawal. And now, a group of military leaders is coming to Harris' defense.

The retired military officials writing in an open letter in part this, Vice President Kamala Harris is the best and only presidential candidate in this race who is fit to serve as our commander-in-chief. She has demonstrated her ability to take on the most difficult national security challenges in the Situation Room and on the international stage.

Joining us right now is one of the military leaders who signed that letter, retired U.S. Army Major General Randy Manner. General, thank you very much for coming in. Why did you decide to speak out publicly in signing on to this letter supporting Kamala Harris now?

MAJOR RANDY MANNER, U.S. ARMY (RET.): Bluntly stated, there was so much misinformation and lies coming from Trump about what exactly happened leading up to the situation in Afghanistan. We all felt it was our duty and responsibility to speak to truth, and that is why we signed that letter.

BOLDUAN: You know, last week. J. D. Vance went after Kamala Harris in a different way, for a different aspect of being commander-in-chief, saying that he thinks military recruitment will suffer if she is elected. Let me play this for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JD VANCE (R-OH), REPUBLICAN VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: We really are on the brink of serious readiness issues because nobody wants to put on a uniform and serve in Kamala Harris' military. This is a person who wants the United States Army to be about gender inclusion, ridiculous diversity politics, instead of about serving your country and uniting together as Americans to serve on the same team and defend your nation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: What do you think of that, General, coming from, well, a veteran himself?

MANNER: So, first of all, those are all absolutely lies. If you take a look at the data, there are more women and minorities and senior positions in the military than ever before. It is absolutely true that recruiting is struggling now. That is not related to the president, in any manner of speaking.

It's very, very important for me to have that message to all military and all veterans right now about saying -- and also, by the way, this is a message really to all parents of veterans, spouses, brothers, sisters, uncles, and so on, Trump continues to literally demean all of us, calling us suckers and losers and basically saying that what -- why would anybody possibly join the military?

I would advocate and believe this strongly that it's the absolute reverse. That it's something where with Trump, he is exclusive, he doesn't want women or minorities in positions. He wants white men only. His message is one of hatred and anger, whereas with Harris, it is absolutely the opposite, it's of hope.

So, I completely, totally disagree with that that hypothesis. I believe that we should be asking ourselves, and the parents of our veterans and our veterans in military, do we want a commander-in-chief that does not value our service to our country and, quite frankly, calls us again, suckers and losers?

[09:00:00]