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With Harris & Trump Debating Tonight, A Look At Pivotal Moments in Debate History; SpaceX Launches Historic Polaris Dawn Mission With Private Crew; Report: More Than 35 Percent Of U.S. Counties Are "Maternity Care Deserts". Aired 1:30-2p ET
Aired September 10, 2024 - 13:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[13:30:00]
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: -- and I think we can agree on this, was really exhibit a for a transformational debate performance.
Let's play a quick clip from one of the four debates in 1960.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN F. KENNEDY, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think the fate of the world and the future of the human race is involved in preventing a nuclear war.
UNIDENTIFIED DEBATE MODERATOR: Mr. Vice President, your comment?
RICHARD NIXON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Yes, I am going to make a major speech on this whole subject.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: OK. So that was a game changer for Kennedy. And historically, we know that. He was the clear winner.
It was a new medium. Talk a little bit about that. But also, if a candidate now, in the here and now, can get that transfer informational effect.
TIM NAFTALI, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: Well, the reason it was transformational at the time was that it was an opportunity for John F. Kennedy to have a national audience and define himself. And of course, define himself as the challenger. Vice President Nixon was far better known.
We just saw in a "New York Times"/Sienna poll that a significant number of Americans polled felt that Vice President Harris had to define herself. I think the numbers are at --
(CROSSTALK)
NAFTALI: -- 23 percent, 3 percent.
KEILAR: Yes. NAFTALI: So in a sense, even though she's the incumbent vice
president, she has an opportunity to define herself. It might not necessarily be like 1960, but 1960 is sort of the gold standard of how to define yourself in a way that catapults you ahead of your challenger.
That's what happened to Kennedy.
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: I would go back further. I would say probably not since Wendell Wilkie in 1940 has there been a candidate at this point in the race that voters had less firm opinions about than Harris.
Because her ascension was so unusual, I mean, right? Since 1968, every nominee has either been and an incumbent president or someone who went through a year of triumphs and disappointments and primaries.
I mean, she -- you know, the vice presidency is a little bit like the witness protection program, right?
(LAUGHTER)
BROWNSTEIN: I mean, people do not have a stemming -- since abortion, since Dobbs, she has had a more defined role.
But generally speaking, the opportunity -- the canvas is not nearly as full for her as it is for Trump. And that, in many ways, frames her challenge in tonight's debate.
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: So a chance to introduce yourself to the American people or those who may not be as familiar with you.
BROWNSTEIN: Yes.
SANCHEZ: But there are also a lot of pitfalls.
I actually want to play a clip from 1988 years. Here's Michael Dukakis answering a question from CNN's own Bernard Shaw about whether or not he would favor the death penalty for someone who raped and murdered his wife.
Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BERNARD SHAW, DEBATE MODERATOR: If Kitty Dukakis were raped and murdered, would you favor an irrevocable death penalty for the killer?
MICHAEL DUKAKIS, (D), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No, I don't. Bernard, and I think you know that I've opposed the death penalty during all of my life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: There were a number of moments in that race that --
BROWNSTEIN: Yes.
SANCHEZ: -- wound up leading to the outcome, but that was one in which Dukakis wasn't seen as empathetic.
BROWNSTEIN: Absolutely.
SANCHEZ: I'm wondering what you think candidates can learn from a moment like that, how they should handle it moving forward.
BROWNSTEIN: Well, you know, I think if you talk to political strategists and political scientists, they will tell you that the presidential debates often and have not mattered except for when they do matter. And then they can matter a lot.
And usually when they have mattered, I think it has been more because they reaffirm an existing story line in the race, then they create something totally new.
Dukakis had this big lead early in the summer. He lost the lead because Bush and the late Lee Atwater, his great, fierce campaign manager, portrayed him as an out-of-touch liberal.
And that answer, so bloodless, you know, it lacked the passion. You know, I would beat him to death with my bare hands, you know? And then I oppose the death penalty, is what people often said, you know, they expected from Dukakis.
George H.W. Bush, checking his watch in 1992. It wasn't that that came out of nowhere. It reaffirmed an existing story line in the public that he was kind of running out of energy and running out of time.
That's when I think debates can be most powerful when they're reaffirmed.
Now, this is unusual because I'm not sure what the existing story line about Kamala Harris is.
KEILAR: The last woman that Trump debated was Hillary Clinton, Tim. And he kind of -- if we can play some video of this, he kind of stalked around the stage --
NAFTALI: Yes.
KEILAR: -- a little bit, memorably. The memorable stalk.
But then he also said, this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, (D), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: -- contribution will go up, as will Donald assuming he can't figure out how to get out of it.
But what we want to do is to replenish the --
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Such a nasty woman.
CLINTON: -- Social Security trust a fund by making sure that we have sufficient --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Called her a nasty woman. Very memorable.
Do you think he's trying to avoid a repeat of that or -- and if he can't resist, how should Harris handle it?
NAFTALI: Remember what -- what Ron just said about story lines. Trump's story line is that he doesn't like strong women. And that he reacts badly and that he's a misogynist.
The fact that he is stuck behind a podium will prevent him from stalking. And the fact that the mics will be turned off will prevent some of the asides. But you know we can still hear them.
[13:35:00]
His people will want him to stay away from anything that shows what he actually thinks about smart women. So it's a real trap for him.
And I suspect that the vice president is going to sort of poke the bear.
BROWNSTEIN: I bet his people want him to avoid that. I bet, in his heart of hearts, he thinks he's going to win more by maxing out among men and then cutting his losses among women.
I think he thinks the aggression, the breaking of norms, you know, the kind of the implied violence and rhetorical violence toward all the groups that his coalition doesn't like is the core of his appeal. And I'd be surprised if he dials it down.
SANCHEZ: At least from the polling that we've seen, it appears that there might be a historic gender gap in this election.
BROWNSTEIN: Yes.
SANCHEZ: You mentioned the pitfall about reaffirming perceived --
BROWNSTEIN: Yes.
SANCHEZ: -- attributes of a candidate. There are opportunities though to redefine yourself, as was the case in 1980 with -- or 1984 -- Ronald Reagan.
BROWNSTEIN: Yes.
SANCHEZ: Let's play the clip.
BROWNSTEIN: That was memorable for both.
SANCHEZ: Yes. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RONALD REAGAN, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: It was '84.
NAFTALI: Yes.
SANCHEZ: But that was a moment that, to this day, is recognized as a way for you to shift perceptions. Who can do that --
NAFTALI: Well, here's the challenge for Vice President Harris. She is the incumbent vice president for an unpopular president.
She is the fourth to take on the challenge of being elected in the modern era as an incumbent vice president then. And the odds are not good for her.
But we also have the example of Richard Nixon, who was the vice president, a very popular president. And of course, he loses in 1960.
Her challenge is to create some distance between her and the administration that she serves. Because administration, for a number of reasons, is not popular.
So that's the shift that she's got to make. And this is a debate opportunity for her.
BROWNSTEIN: Very clearly, if you look at the results of '16, '18, '20, and 2022, there is not a majority of the country that wants to live in the country that Donald Trump has on offer.
So hurt job is not so much to convince a majority not to live in Trump's America. It's to convince enough voters in the key swing states that she is capable and, you know, equipped to do this job as president, focused on their needs.
I think it's more about her than it is about him. That's not a terribly original thought. But, in some ways, this is as much a job interview for her as it is an encounter with the former president.
SANCHEZ: Ron and Tim, can I just say I love seeing your bookshelves when you guys come --
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: -- only the background. And it's even better to see you in person.
NAFTALI: Thank you. BROWNSTEIN: Thank you. It's great being here. Thank you.
SANCHEZ: A pleasure to have you on. Thanks so much.
Still to come, we could soon see the first civilian crew conducting a spacewalk. The latest on the Polaris Dawn mission as they orbit earth in just moments.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:42:14]
KEILAR: Right now, trailblazing Polaris Dawn astronauts, they're in orbit. The four-person SpaceX mission launched early this morning. It was spectacular, picture-perfect form.
Here's the moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED NASA ANNOUNCER: (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED NASA ANNOUNCER: (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED NASA ANNOUNCER: (INAUDIBLE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Quite loud. That's the SpaceX Falcon Nine rocket blasting off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The five-day expedition is set to make history attempting the first ever spacewalk conducted by all private citizens using those brand-new upgraded spacesuits and also traveling further from earth than any humans since NASA's moon-landing more than 50 years ago.
Joining us now is former NASA astronaut, Garrett Reisman. He's former director of space operations for SpaceX and still does some consulting work for the company.
Sir, thanks so much for being with us.
A lot of firsts on this mission. What was going through your mind as you were watching that liftoff?
GARRETT REISMAN, FORMER NASA ASTRONAUT & FORMER DIRECTOR OF SPACE OPERATIONS, SPACEX: I was just thinking about my friends on there. You know, it changes everything when you know that people that are sitting in the rocket.
And I hired two of those crewmates, Anna and Sarah, to work at SpaceX. And we all work together in the space operations group. So when, when you have a personal connection like that, it really amped sit up. And so it was super exciting.
KEILAR: Tell us a little bit more about them. REISMAN: Wow. Well, they're both incredibly smart. They're both wonderful people to be around. Anna has got two kids, James and Grace.
Her husband, by the way. is also -- I hired both of them, her and her husband. Her husband's a flight surgeon who, just a few years ago, was selected by NASA also to be an astronaut.
And his wife, this morning, beat him into space. It's a bit -- a little bit of an interesting conversations around the dinner table I suppose.
But -- and Sarah is also incredibly gifted. She was leading some of our training programs and working within the lab of our previous crews, which is how she got selected for this mission.
SANCHEZ: Talk to us about the risks associated with a spacewalk. Because, obviously, that is one of the most significant firsts on this voyage, civilians conducting a spacewalk. Talk to us about that.
REISMAN: Yes, the risks on this mission are high. In fact, one of my USC students, Phineas, just asked me the same question. Its -- it's higher than, I would say, a typical NASA mission.
Even because, first of all, they're going higher, which, in and of itself, is not so dangerous. But it puts you into the Van Allen Belt. So they'll be taking today, in one day, the same amount of radiation dose that I took being up there for three months.
[13:45:00]
Now it's not a whole lot. It's about equivalent to about eight C.T. scans, but you don't want to normally do eight C.T. scans in one day. So that's a risk.
It's also a risk to the equipment on the vehicle because the electronics are bombarded by this radiation. They have to be able to withstand it.
But the EVA is the biggest risk. When they go outside in a suit that's never been used outside before by two crew members who are going to go out the hatch that have never been on an EVA before, that automatically ramps up the risk.
But it's also the type of suits they're using, which are fed by umbilicals or hoses connected to the ship for all their oxygen and further communication and for the cooling.
There's only a limited amount of time because it's open-loop. You're blowing the oxygen through the suits and exhausting it. And the tanks are going down and going down. So you're on a clock and you have to get things right.
There's a margin, of course. But if things start going wrong, they don't have a whole lot of time to fix it.
And that's why I'm going to be biting my nails until they are back inside with the hatch closed and the pressure backup and coming home.
KEILAR: Yes. Those suits are pretty cool. But in this case, that is not all that matters for sure. In fact, that's probably just a little bit of it.
Garrett, great to have you. Thank you so much.
REISMAN: Always great to be with you. See you next time.
KEILAR: All right, Garrett Reisman, we appreciate it.
And coming up, a new report warning of a maternity care crisis that is going on right now in the U.S. One in three counties do not have a single obstetrician/gynecologist.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:51:10]
KEILAR: And welcome back to CNN NEWS CENTRAL. Here are some of the headlines that we're watching this hour.
We are keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Francine as it is building towards hurricane strength. Evacuation orders are expanding across coastal Louisiana and some other parts of the gulf coast.
Francine is expected to bring severe flooding, powerful winds and potentially life-threatening storm surge to some areas. Francine is expected to make landfall as early as tomorrow.
And Senator Tommy Tuberville back at it, holding up yet another military promotion. You may recall that the Alabama Republican issued a blanket hold well done promoting servicemembers last year over the Pentagon's abortion policy.
This time, Tuberville is blocking Lieutenant General Ronald Clark from becoming the commanding general of the U.S. Army Pacific. Clark is currently a top aide to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
Tuberville's spokesperson says the Senator has concerns about Clark not immediately disclosing the hospitalization of Secretary Austin earlier this year.
And a major moment for the battle over reproductive rights in Missouri. The state Supreme Court hearing oral arguments today over an appeal to keep a statewide constitutional amendment on the ballot.
It's known as Amendment Three. An attorney says it would remove the state's ban on abortion on Friday. A circuit court ruled the amendment's ballot petition violated state law.
It is one of a number of similar measures appearing on ballots in 10 states this November, including Florida, Nevada, New York and Arizona.
Boris?
SANCHEZ: A new report says the United States is facing a maternity care crisis. It found more than one in three counties don't have a single obstetric doctor or birthing facility to provide care during pregnancy or childbirth.
CNN health reporter, Jacqueline Howard, joins us now with more.
So, Jacqueline, how many of these so-called "maternity care deserts" are there?
JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Boris, we know that there's about 35 percent of counties are considered maternity care deserts. And these counties are home to more than two million women of reproductive age.
So we know there is a need for maternity care in these counties. Just in 2022, women living in maternity care deserts gave birth to more than 150,000 babies. So we know the need is there.
And what's concerning about this, Boris, is that women who live in maternity care deserts, they are less likely to receive prenatal care and they experienced a higher rate of preterm birth.
So these are the real-world impacts that we're seeing of maternity care deserts.
Again, this is a county that does not have an obstetrician to provide care. They don't have a hospital with an obstetric care unit. That's what a maternity care desert is -- Boris?
SANCHEZ: And, Jacqueline, what factors are creating these deserts? And what can be done to fix it.
HOWARD: Yes. Well, one of the factors, we know that recently we have seen more hospitals closing their obstetric care units. In fact, between 2021 and 2022 one in every 25 obstetric units were closed in that time period.
We also know that we're experiencing a physician shortage in this country. And actually, since the Dobbs decision, we have seen declines in the number of Ob-Gyn residents who are applying to work in states with strict abortion laws.
We also have seen a decline in nursing just in general as well. We have a nursing shortage. We have a physician shortage right now in this country.
But to address these factors, the non-profit March of Dimes put forward some recommendations. They called for expanded training for midwives to be included more in health care.
[13:55:01]
They also called for investment in telehealth, to use telehealth to really reach those women who do live in maternity care deserts. So those are just some of the solutions that we've seen emerge as part
of this conversation -- Boris?
SANCHEZ: Important recommendations.
Jacqueline Howard, thanks so much for walking us through that.
The stakes could not be higher going into tonight's debate as Vice President Harris and former President Trump still maintain a razor- thin margin in polls.
Another hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts in just a few minutes.
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