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Kamala Harris Sees Bump After Taylor Swift Endorsement; Donald Trump Says He Will Not Participate In Third Debate; Undecided Voters Could Determine Election; Boeing Employees Strike For First Time In 16 Years; Justin Timberlake Pleads Guilty To June DWI. New NFL Kickoff Rule Could Limit Injuries. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired September 13, 2024 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

SARA SIDNER, CNN NEWS CENTRAL CO-ANCHOR: Which is what they're going to use They're going to be having these digital billboards in Vegas and in Times Square. With Taylor Swift in the game, if you will, how much impact might she have? Because historically, celebrity endorsements haven't had a huge impact on the actual numbers at the polls, the numbers of young voters. Do you think she's a game changer?

CAROLYN DEWITT, PRESIDENT, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ROCK THE VOTE: Yes, I mean, this is very exciting. Listen, for over 30 years, as you mentioned, right, Rock the Vote has been working to build the political power of young people. And we do that largely through iconic partnerships with artists, actors, athletes and other cultural figures.

And it's awesome to see a musical icon like Taylor Swift, who's really a role model for so many young people, because she shares a lot of the same values and is concerned about a lot of the issues that they care about. And she's being vocal and encouraging new voters to get to the polls and really emphasizing that no one can sit out in this election.

I think the hidden power from her endorsement and her speech at the VMAs that might be lost on some, but for those of us who work to -- work in the youth space, understand that she is actually providing and encouraging basic voter education in both her call to action to register to vote, but also in researching the candidates and the issues. And the reality is, young voters are new voters, right? So, they need that information.

SIDNER: All right, I've got one last thing to ask you. Because back in 2020, there was an op ed in the Washington Post, and basically it said that Rock the Vote was the worst thing that ever happened to politics, because, this is the headline. How did politics get so awful? I blame MTV circa 1992. They said, look, it's because it made it into a celebrity game and entertainment. How do you see it?

DEWITT: Yes, the reality is, you know, this is someone who's clearly misinformed and doesn't understand how our democracy is actually structured. And that the reality is young voters are new voters, And that is why they're turning out at lower rates. And so, one of the big things that we need to do, and this is not a

generational problem, this is a systematic problem, is since Rock the Vote's beginning is we have been reaching out to young people where they are and welcoming them into the political space and helping them through the process. So, the celebrity and the sizzle of it all is the beginning. And then it's walking them through the process step by step, which we have a plethora of tools and information that young voters can get actually at rockthevote.org.

SIDNER: Anything that can bring people in to vote, I'm for it. Carolyn Dewitt, thank you so much. I appreciate you coming on early this morning. A new hour of CNN News Central starts right now.

(MUSIC)

JOHN BERMAN, CNN NEWS CENTRAL CO-ANCHOR: This morning, new strategies for both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. We've got new reporting on how the candidates are reaching out to voters in crucial swing states.

New bad news for Boeing after tens of thousands of workers walked off the job this morning. What this means for the manufacturer and the economy.

And back in the Hamptons, Justin Timberlake set to enter a plea in court after he was arrested there on DUI charges. I'm John Berman with Sara Sidner and Kate Bolduan. It is Friday the 13th, the most Friday the 13th ever. And this is CNN News Central.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN NEWS CENTRAL CO-ANCHOR: This morning, new CNN reporting on how Kamala Harris is now viewing the final sprint after the big debate. I guess it could be summarized in two words: Swift and swing. Here's the Swift: Huge DNC campaign ads touting Taylor Swift's endorsement have just launched in Times Square and in Las Vegas. You're seeing an image of it there.

As for the swing, Harris is going big on swing state battleground Pennsylvania in a major new push for swing voters, if they exist. And all of this as her campaign today hits its halfway mark. Just 54 days ago, she jumped in the race. Just 53 days now left to go. CNN's Isaac Dovere leads us off with new reporting on what is going on behind the scenes in the Harris campaign in this final sprint. What are you learning, Isaac?

EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, look, Kate, the Harris campaign feels really good about that debate on Tuesday and the way the Vice President performed, the way that Donald Trump performed. That said, in the reporting that I have up on our site, I get into how the Harris campaign is looking at numbers and saying that they still do not see a clear shore path to 270 electoral votes to a win.

[09:05:00]

They see a lot of potential pathways and they are working hard to try to figure out how to get the undecided voters there and how to get the enthusiasm to stay high among her supporters to counter what they know will be high and devoted turnout from Donald Trump supporters. That is a big question for these next seven weeks of the campaign. And

it's something that they are looking at how they inject as much energy as they can over and over to do that. And it's also why Harris has continued to pick at Donald Trump like she was in North Carolina yesterday. Let's take a listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald Trump intends to end the Affordable Care Act. As he said in the debate, he made clear he has no plan to replace it. In fact, you remember?

(LAUGHING)

HARRIS: Concept. You remember! He has, quote, concepts of a plan. Concepts of a plan.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

DOVERE: So, you're going to see more of that. More of also small events, like, remember that video we saw over the weekend when Harris was hugging supporters at a spice store in Pittsburgh. And less of policy rollouts.

BOLDUAN: So, I mentioned the -- kind of leaning into the Taylor Swift endorsement off the top of DNC, rolling out these new ads. You also have mega, mega, mega superstar Beyonce. What are you hearing in from campaign sources? Is -- What is the plan or the hope, I guess, maybe among the campaign to get her involved?

DOVERE: Yes, I would say at this point it's more a hope and a dream than a plan, but it is something that folks are working on to try to get Beyonce and Taylor Swift to be doing concerts, to sort of, one person described it to me as trying to make a Coachella feeling for the campaign less than the normal political campaign, a cultural force into November.

BOLDUAN: If you can pull off Coachella feel when it comes to a political campaign, I mean, you've really pulled something off.

DOVERE: We'll see if they can do it.

BOLDUAN: We shall. It's good to see you, Isaac. Thank you. Great reporting. Sara?

SIDNER: Campaign Coachella. It's an interesting concept. Interesting.

BOLDUAN: When you say it like that, it makes me really excited.

(LAUGHING)

SIDNER: Donald Trump says he will not debate Kamala Harris again, insisting he won despite most of the major polls saying otherwise.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP) DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So, because we've done two debates and because they were successful, there will be no third debate. It's too late anyway. The voting's already begun. You got to go out and vote.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

JOHN BERMAN, CNN NEWS CENTRAL CO-ANCHOR: Donald Trump is in California and Nevada today. CNN's Kristen Holmes on the campaign trail. You're in California first. Kristen, what are you expecting from him today?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so, the event here is being billed as press remarks. We are told by campaign advisors that he may take questions. Obviously, we've heard this story before. He was up on the stage in New York and went on to ramble for over an hour or roughly 60 minutes and then never took questions. It's something that they were billing as a press conference.

So, we'll see what he does here. But what I would expect today is largely what we've heard from Donald Trump in the last 48 plus hours, which is trying to relitigate the debate. What we saw in Arizona yesterday was essentially him trying to go line by line to prove that he won the debate and that Kamala Harris was lying.

He called her a liar multiple times, went after her with personal attacks, went after the moderators with personal attacks, saying it was completely unfair. He has now called for an investigation into this debate, all while again saying that despite the fact that it was unfair, he was the winner. So, we do expect to hear some of that today. He's clearly been airing his grievances.

Now, I do want to mention a little bit here about their outreach because their strategy is not so different from what we just heard from Isaac when it comes to Harris's strategy. Everyone knows, both Harris and Trump's team know that this race is going to be incredibly close, that it's going to be decided in the margin. So, what you're seeing is these events in Nevada, which today, possibly one tomorrow.

We are told as well, these are trying to reach out to any group that they possibly can to siphon off as many voters as they possibly can. You're going to see Donald Trump way more in these battleground states. Clearly, there is an intense battle being already played out in Pennsylvania, and we're going to see him across the map. Michigan as well, possibly Wisconsin.

They are trying to vote in the -- They are trying to reach out to the margins as well. They are trying to expand their electorate with people who don't usually show up to the polls, which is why you're seeing them engage so much in very specific kind of social media, the social media that reaches outside of traditional voting blocks. But it'll be interesting to see what he decides to do today.

There are a lot of questions that reporters have for Donald Trump coming out of that debate and the circumstances around it, particularly who attended the debate with him, including Laura Loomer. So, that'll be something to see whether or not he actually takes questions about that.

SIDNER: All right, well, when the sun rises, you will be in such a beautiful place. There's that. Kristen Holmes there in Rancho Palos Verdes this morning. John?

BERMAN: All right, with us now, CNN senior political commentator, former senior adviser to Barack Obama, David Axelrod.

DAVID AXELROD, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good to be with you. You guys are having entirely too much fun this morning.

DOVERE: It's what happens when everything goes wrong.

[09:10:00]

AXELROD: I want thumbs up, I want fireworks. I want the whole treatment. BERMAN: Every -- We told Jason Kanter (ph), now that fireworks went off behind him, everyone's gonna want him. So, in talking with people on TV from the Harris campaign and then hearing from Democrats involved with the campaign, one of the things you hear is that everyone feels they did great in the debate.

The question is, can it reach the undecided voters? And I'm not sure they have an answer, at least not the answer they want yet. So, it leads me to this question. What really is an undecided voter? Where are they? And who are they?

AXELROD: Yes, well, look, part of the challenge here is that undecided voters are undecided because they're not really focused on this campaign. They are low information voters. They tend to be younger, and likely they didn't watch the debate. They may be seeing some social media on it, but they're hard to reach voters and they may make the difference in this race.

BERMAN: Are they undecided between the candidates, or are they undecided about whether they show up to vote?

AXELROD: Well, I think a little of both. I think one important thing to note is they probably have a pretty strong judgment about Donald Trump. They're skeptical about politics generally. They don't particularly like Trump, but they don't know very much about Kamala Harris. They're open to her, but they're also prepared to be disappointed by her as well. So, a big task for the campaign is to continue to fill in the picture of her and particularly around sort of transactional issues about the economy. What is she going to do for me?

BERMAN: On that note, one of the things you hear in the chattering class is, oh, you know, Kamala Harris needs more distinctive policy proposals. Is that what undecided voters want?

AXELROD: Well, I don't know if, you know, I don't think what she needs is a voluminous list of policies, but there may be a few signature policies that speak to the economic experience, quality of life experience of voters, in which she wants to go deeper and drive with those voters to give a sense that, yes, she gets it. I think she might help. I'll take a chance on her. But these voters are not going to be -- this is not 2008. This is not -- they're not going to be swept along here. They're going to grudgingly conclude that I'll take a chance on this.

BERMAN: Which is why the Harris team, I think, genuinely does want another debate, another chance to reach people who may not be paying attention.

AXELROD: And the problem with her debate, John, performance, one of the problems with it, it came rather early in this. I mean, there's going to be an eternity between now and November. And so, the other motivation for a second debate is it's a second chance to do well. And I think they're pretty confident she would. And I think Trump's people are like, you know what? This didn't benefit us very much. Why should we take the risk of doing another?

BERMAN: Yes. For all the argument that goes on out there, inside a campaign, you do a debate if you think it will help you, and you don't do it if you don't think it'll help you. Full stop.

AXELROD: Yes.

BERMAN: You know, and that's, I think, the only analysis on the Trump team right now. They may change their mind because they think they need it, but not --

AXELROD: I don't know if they'll change their mind. He may change his mind, and they keep goading him to try and change his mind by making it seem like he's not courageous enough to do another.

BERMAN: I do want your take on the Laura Loomer thing. Donald Trump has been traveling the country with her. George Bush, when I covered him in 2000, used to say, you can judge the character of a man by the company he keeps. Donald Trump is keeping company with this person who said just wildly racist things. You know, what does he get out of that?

AXELROD: Including anti semitic, by the way, which is interesting, given Trump's rhetoric about that. I think, first of all, I don't pretend to live inside of Donald Trump's head, so I can't tell you exactly, but it may be that if there's a strategic reason, he's thinking, look, I got to get these people out who aren't particularly activated, or I have to get my base out.

And she speaks to that base, and I don't really care what the rest of the world thinks. I'm speaking to these voters who may make the difference. And right now, this is a motivational race to try and get your base out. It's not a persuasion race. She can help persuade. Look, he had all those influencers who are, you know, there was a kind of exotic character to them, but they speak to, like, tens of millions of people.

BERMAN: David Axelrod, next time, I promise there will be fireworks.

AXELROD: Yes, please. Arrange that. BERMAN: Thanks so much. Thanks so much for being here.

AXELROD: I insist.

BERMAN: All right. President Biden signaling a new openness to Ukraine's use of long range missiles targeting deep inside Russia. Vladimir Putin says he would consider this an act of war.

[09:15:00]

Justin Timberlake in court this morning, expected to enter a plea on his DWI charge stemming from an incident in June. And overnight, 33,000 Boeing workers walk off the job. The impact the strike could have on the economy.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: Happening now for the first time in 16 years, Boeing is on strike. You're looking at -- We're showing you live pictures, a live camera, as workers have walked off the job. They're striking. 33,000 workers striking now. The strike was authorized early this morning, with the vast majority of machinists rejecting a tentative contract agreement that was reached last week.

And the strike will pretty much bring commercial airplane production at one of America's largest manufacturers to a halt. Boeing put out a new statement this morning saying this: We remain committed to resetting our relationship with our employees and the union, and we are ready to get back to the table to reach an agreement.

[09:20:00]

The strike is another blow to the aerospace giant, which you remember has faced massive scrutiny and safety issues of its planes, sparked by that terrifying mid-flight door plug blowout in January. Sara?

SIDNER: All right, this just in, CNN, pop star Justin Timberlake is due in court in Sag Harbor, New York, where he is expected to plead guilty to driving while impaired, stemming from his June arrest. National correspondent Brynn Gingras live with us. She is in Sag Harbor. What are you expecting to see this morning there?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Sara. We're expecting to see Justing Timberlake actually here go in front of a judge and plead guilty, like you said, to that lesser charge of driving while impaired. Of course, the judge is the one that makes the final decision, and that would mean a lesser penalty than he would have faced with a DWI, which is what he was charged with back in June.

Now, what he could face is basically a fine and maybe some other penalties that the judge might impose. So, we'll have to wait and see once court begins in just a couple of hours. But look, we have not seen Justin Timberlake here, not since that day in June when he was arrested after leaving really this bar that's not too far behind me in a hotel.

Police say, according to the police reports, that he got in his car and drove really down Main Street here in Sag Harbor in the Hamptons and failed to stop at a stop sign, was swerving in lanes. And when he pulled over, he didn't do well on the field sobriety test, refused a breathalyzer several times, and he told the police officers, allegedly, that he had one martini and followed his friends home. He actually spent the night in jail that night. And that was the one time that we actually saw him leaving that jail, that morning.

But now, we expect to see him again, actually appear before the judge and with that plea agreement that he made with the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, who is handling this case. So, we'll see if he says anything in court. And of course, we're standing by for that. And any comments, possibly, from his attorney. Guys?

SIDNER: I'm sure that we'll be checking back with you, as soon as you see Justin Timberlake walk into that court. Brynn Gingras, thank you so much. I appreciate it.

BERMAN: All right, new this morning, the United States expected to charge Iranian backed hackers allegedly responsible for breaching Trump campaign documents. And Vice President Harris heading to the critical battleground, commonwealth of Pennsylvania. So many syllables, it must be important.

(MUSIC)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:25:00]

SIDNER: Terrifying moment in Miami last night, as Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sustained his third, potentially his fourth career concussion. A hard hit from Bills safety Damar Hamlin took him down in the third quarter last night. CNN chief medical correspondent doctor Sanjay Gupta shows us how changes to one of the game's most iconic plays could potentially make a difference.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

ANNOUNCER: To start the third quarter. And Bailey puts it in the air.

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT DOCTOR: What you're watching is perhaps the most dangerous play in football.

ANNOUNCER: Five yards deep out of the endzone --

GUPTA: The kickoff return.

ANNOUNCER: -- down the sideline.

ALLEN SILLS, NFL CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: It's space and speed. So, if you think about where we're standing here, you've got players that are lined up, in this case, maybe 50, 60 yards away from where we are. They're running down the field as fast as they can possibly run. So, coming down the field at speed and then having collisions obviously is a driver for injury.

GUPTA: The NFL says last season, concussions occurred four times more often on a kickoff than any other play. It's exactly why Riverdale Country School in the Bronx wants to change the game.

JOHN PIZZI, RIVERDALE COUNTY SCHOOL DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS: I sort of jokingly said to him, like, I want to change football in America. Like, we need to figure this out.

GUPTA: Want to change football in America. It's pretty audacious.

PIZZI: Yes. I don't know if I actually realized what I was saying at the time.

GUPTA: John Pizzi is the school's athletic director.

PIZZI: Yes, so in 2018, we had 18 players left for the last game of our season. We had a bunch of concussions and a bunch of season ending injuries. So, we made a decision to cancel our last game. But when that season ended, we had to figure out how we were going to manage the next football season.

GUPTA: So, together with the Concussion Legacy Foundation, they proposed something pretty radical: getting rid of the sport's most iconic play. No more kickoffs, no more returns. The beginning of their games now look like this. Play just starts at the 35 yard line.

And so far, Pizzi says they've seen a 33% decrease in concussions across the league, and importantly, an 18% increase in participation. Parents certainly like the idea, and it turns out so do the players, like team captain Tristan Cornell.

TRISTAN CORNELL, RIVERDALE COUNTY SCHOOL FOOTBALL CAPTAIN: I see all these injuries that happen from kickoffs. So, the fact that we don't have that probably allows us to keep healthy and play throughout the entire season.

SILLS: It's a fascinating approach.

GUPTA: But the NFL's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Allen Sills, says the league is not yet ready to give up on the kickoff altogether.

SILLS: All options are on the table. I mean, I think that certainly eliminating the play is one of those options, but I believe there are potentially other solutions.

GUPTA: So, this year in the NFL, you're going to see a very different sort of kickoff, what they're calling a dynamic kick off. Now, again, previously, as soon as the ball was kicked, all 11 members of the kicking team would start sprinting down the field to try and tackle the receiving team. Lots of speed, lots of space.

This season, only the kicker is back here while the opposing teams are lined up all the way over here, separated by just five yards. And none of those players can move until the ball has been caught by the receiving team or it hits the ground. It reduces the speed and the space of the play. It's what Competition Committee Co Chairman Rich McKay says is one of the biggest rule changes in 30 years.

RICH MCKAY, COMPETITION COMMITTEE CO-CHAIRMAN: The problem is, is we're trying to not just make this game better next year. We're trying to keep the game going for 10, 20, 30, 40 --

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