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CNN International: Biden To Travel To Michigan For Campaign Rally; House Democratic Leader Says He Met Privately With Biden Last Night; 18 Congressional Democrats Calling On Biden To Drop Out. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired July 12, 2024 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello, and welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

Ahead on the CNN NEWSROOM, an uneven performance by the President on the world stage. Democrats still scrambling to figure out what to do about the top of their ticket. I'll discuss with my panel. Plus, a mass exodus continues from Gaza City amid intense Israeli military action around the area. We're live in Jerusalem with the latest. And wedding bells are ringing for the youngest son of Asia's richest man, among the guests, some of the world's biggest celebrities.

And we begin with the fallout from the U.S. President Joe Biden's closely scrutinized NATO press conference, the President's performance, something of an illustration of why there is such a deep divide in his own party right now over whether he should continue his campaign. There were notable flubs coupled with strong in-depth takes on U.S. foreign policy and the economy. It was a rough beginning for the President before he even faced White House reporters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Now, I want to hand it over to the President of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination. Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin -- (applause) -- President Putin -- he is going to beat President Putin -- President Zelenskyy. I'm so focused on beating Putin, we got to worry about it. Anyway, Mr. President.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The President, of course, noticing his mistake there and quickly trying to correct it. But, this is how he answered the very first question of the news conference.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: Look, I wouldn't have picked Vice President Trump to be Vice President. I think she is not qualified to be President. So, let's start there. (END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN has now learned that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries met privately with the President last night. He says he expressed the quote, "heartfelt perspectives and conclusions about the path forward for the party". Mr. Biden remains defiant, confident that he gives the Democrats the best chance to keep Donald Trump from returning to the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If your team came back and showed you data that she would fare better against former President Donald Trump, would you reconsider your decision to stay in the race?

BIDEN: No, unless they came back and said there is no way you could win, me. No. I am saying it. (Inaudible).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The President is back on the trail today, traveling to the key battleground state of Michigan for a rally. Despite the chaos surrounding his campaign, he is pushing forward in an effort to convince voters that he is mentally fit to stay in the race.

Let's bring in my panel now, CNN Political Analyst Seung Min Kim is with us, she is a White House Reporter for the Associated Press, and Stef Kight, a Political Reporter for Axios. Great to see both of you, ladies.

All right. Seung, you first. We're learning that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries met with Biden, expressing views from his caucus. I mean, what are you learning, if anything, about what may have been said if Jeffries leaned in any way with a point of view or a directive or suggestion about what Biden should do next?

SEUNG MIN KIM, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER, ASSOCIATED PRESS, & CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, we know that at least in his letter to his other members, and what -- which was sent out publicly to reporters, that he didn't say whether he nudged President Biden one way or the other. But, we know that there has been a diversity of views in the House Democratic Caucus about what President fighting needs to do from the upwards of nearly 20 lawmakers who say he has to go, who say he has to end his candidacy, to another faction who is really dug in in favor of Joe Biden and is really focused on defending him. He spoke particularly against Donald Trump in November. And I think it's really -- it'd be really indicative in the coming days who else talks to President Biden.

Hakeem Jeffries, he is a new leader. He doesn't have the established relationship and that history with Joe Biden that other congressional leaders do, certainly leaders like former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Representative Jim Clyburn of South Carolina. But, I think this was a really critical meeting so that if Jeffries was as candid and honest with the President, as he seems to have indicated that he was through his letter, especially conveying the views of his caucus, it would be really interesting to see what future meetings, what more of these direct conversations other congressional leaders have with President Biden in the coming days.

[11:05:00]

WHITFIELD: OK. And Seung, I mean, there has been this expressed relief coming from some people in the White House, even on Capitol Hill. But, after the presser, two more elected Democratic leaders said that Biden needs to step aside. We're now talking about 18 lawmakers who say they want the next generation. This is what Representative Himes said last night. This is shortly after listening to their press conference, and he joined the list of those who said Biden should step aside. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JIM HIMES (D-CT): This needs to be resolved, I don't know, in the next five to seven days, because we just went 10 days where the story was not Donald Trump promising totalitarianism, it was how is Joe Biden going to do in the Big Boy press conference.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And then, Seung, in addition to that sentiment and that language about the Big Boy press conference, that's a very similar language that even former President Trump used on social -- on his Truth Social site. So, that's a curious coincidence. Now, when the Democrats are talking about this next generation, while they're saying they want the next generation, no one is giving the real detail on plan B. So, where is this going?

KIM: Well, it's actually three House Democrats after the press conference last night that announced their call or that made their public calls for President Biden to step aside. It really did seem like they were waiting, regardless of how he performed at the press conference, whether he bombed or whether he tapped dancing upside down at the ceiling, that they wanted him to go, and they were really waiting for just kind of out of respect for this international summit, waiting for that summit to conclude.

I think the lack of substantive plan B is just pointing to the fact that President Biden has really dug in. He has said over and over that he is still in this race, that he wants to move on. I think you're going to start to see a more forceful message from this allies and advisors that we need to turn the page from this intra-party fight and focus on Donald Trump, and the threat, in their view, the threat that he poses in November. But, certainly, at least for the time being, that's not going to stop the chatter about what that plan B should be. Of course, a lot of that attention is focused on vice President Kamala Harris. But, that's also not stopping the speculation around certain governors or other rising stars of the party about who that next generation of leaders should be, and how quickly that next generation steps and even perhaps as early as this presidential cycle.

WHITFIELD: OK.

Hi, Stef. I know you're here too. The rest is all you. So, the President right now, I mean, he is heading to the battleground state of Michigan. He'll be heading to Texas and Nevada over the next few days as well. He said last night only he can beat Trump right now. So, isn't it hard to dispute that, as long as Democrats just speak in generalities about another candidate who represents the next generation?

STEF KIGHT, POLITICAL REPORTER, AXIOS: I mean, yeah. I think this conversation changes significantly if Biden were to actually step aside, the polling would shift. And actually, looking at what Kamala Harris would look like as someone at the top of the ticket is going to be different than perspectives of her as Vice President. There is no question that Kamala Harris would have some real vulnerabilities if she were to ultimately become the presidential nominee.

And most people I speak to agree that she would really be the only plan B option at this point. It would be very unusual for the Democratic Party to decide to move past their -- the first black female Vice President and look for someone else. She also has her name on the campaign. So it'll make it easier. It would make it easier to move the campaign funds and use them to support Harris versus some other candidate.

But, yeah, right now, it seems very clear that Biden is dug in and thinks that he can just kind of keep pushing through and outlive this new cycle, which has dragged on now for about two weeks. And the responses I was hearing from last night's presser were very varied. On one hand, I heard from some lawmakers, Democratic lawmakers who said that was a perfectly fine presser. If he had acted like that during the debate, we never would have been -- we never would be here. But, on the other hand, I had other lawmakers say, yeah, sure, that wasn't that bad. But, it also wasn't enough. There is already so much concern. There were some lawmakers I spoke to who really wanted to see even more from Biden just to quell some of the concerns we've been hearing throughout the party.

WHITFIELD: All right. Ladies, a great hearing from you. Thank you so much, Stef Kight and Seung Min Kim.

All right.

[11:10:00]

Two major Democratic figures are apparently privately expressing concerns over the Biden ticket, but neither seems quite sure what to do next. We've learned that former U.S. President Barack Obama and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have spoken to each other about President Biden's political future, and how much harder they think it has become for him to beat Donald Trump. The party is looking for guidance from the former Democratic President, who has not made any public comment on the election for two weeks now.

Let's bring in CNN Senior Reporter Edward-Isaac Dovere, who joins us now from Washington, D.C. All right, Isaac. I mean, this is going to be a very difficult conversation, if indeed it is to happen. But, it seems like the only person who could have this conversation with President Biden would be former President Barack Obama. Do we think it's going to happen?

EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, Obama or Pelosi, and Pelosi has very clearly signaled to people where she is on this, that she does not think that Biden should continue. But, as for Obama, look, this is a long and complicated relationship. Obviously, Obama chose Biden to be his Vice President, but he has been skeptical about Biden as a political figure all throughout, including importantly in this moment in 2015 when in the summer after President Biden's son Beau died, he was thinking about a last-minute jump into the 2016 race, into the primaries. His memory of that is that Obama did not encourage him to run. What Obama's sense of that meeting was and those conversations were is that it he was trying to get Biden to focus on grieving for his son and think about just how hard the race would be.

But now, if Obama were to step in and say to Biden, I think you should step aside, if that's where he wants to be, then people who I've talked to, who know Biden, said to me that that might lead Biden to say to him, listen, Mr. President, you use that chip in 2015 and you got me not to run, and that's what brought us Donald Trump. So, that's part of the dynamic here. It's rolled into all of the difficult political dynamics on top of it, all the things that people expect out of Barack Obama, and maybe don't get out of him, and just trying to sort out, for many of them, how they get to the endpoint of whatever this is going to be, whether it's Joe Biden or another candidate, who will, they hope, as Democrats, begin to turn the conversation back to Donald Trump.

WHITFIELD: And of course, then there is that lingering concern, right? If Biden doesn't beat Trump, then the party blames Biden. If Biden gets out at the urging of the former President or any one in particular and that candidate doesn't win, then there is egg on their face too. So, I'm sure everyone is kind of thinking about the potential consequences before they even make a decision about who, if anyone, should have that hard conversation with Biden.

DOVERE: Yeah. And look, it's not just egg on the face. I don't think that Barack Obama or Joe Biden or any of the people who have said it are being insincere when they say --

WHITFIELD: OK.

DOVERE: -- they feel like democracy is on the line here that this is --

WHITFIELD: Yeah.

DOVERE: -- bigger than any normal presidential election, any political contest that we have seen. And there is a lot of evidence to support that.

WHITFIELD: Yeah.

DOVERE: When you look at the plan that Donald Trump has for what he would do, what people around him with Project 2025 and others have built here, it would be a radical change from where this country has been so far. WHITFIELD: Sure. All right Edward-Isaac Dovere, thanks so much.

DOVERE: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: So, while the Democratic Party considers its options leading up to its convention August, Republicans are preparing for its national convention next week. The party will formally approve the official platform for the election. But, the spotlight will be on former President Donald Trump. There is speculation that he could announce his choice for Vice President at the convention.

Let's go now to Alayna Treene with the latest on the Trump campaign. Does anyone not think he is going to make that kind of announcement during the convention?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: I mean, honestly, Fredricka, it has been so difficult, as a Trump reporter, trying to figure out this timing. I can tell you from my conversations with Donald Trump's top advisors that they still do not know when this announcement is coming. However, I am told it is expected anytime between right now and Monday, just before Donald Trump is officially nominated. So, we have a very short timeline for when we will ultimately know who Donald Trump's running mate is going to be. But look, the facts remain the same. We have been reporting for weeks now that the top three contenders on Donald Trump's shortlist, as I will call it, are Governor Doug Burgum of North Dakota, and both senators Marco Rubio and J.D. Vance.

And so, it really is a game right now guessing as to when this will happen. And of course, with Donald Trump, it's even harder to predict because he changes his mind on what he wants to do, depending on the day. But, I would keep in mind that tomorrow, Donald Trump will be in Pennsylvania, in Butler, Pennsylvania. It's actually just on the border of Ohio, which, of course, his home to Senator J.D. Vance.

[11:15:00]

He will be giving a speech there, remarks at a rally, and then Sunday, he'll be back at his Bedminster resort, and then Monday, traveling to Milwaukee for the convention. And so, we're all kind of holding our breath about when this announcement will be. However, I will say there are a lot of events already slated for whoever his vice presidential pick is. We know that Wednesday is being dubbed as the Vice President's night. The Vice President nominee will make a speech that evening. He will also attend a high-dollar fundraiser featuring whoever this pick is. And then, of course, Donald Trump will speak on Thursday. And so, there is a lot of anticipation about who this will be.

I can also tell you that some of the reasons that this timing is being pushed so close to the convention is because of all of the hand- wringing we're seeing happening in the Democratic Party and the questions over whether Democrats themselves believe Joe Biden is fit to serve for another four years. So, that has definitely weighed on Donald Trump's team's mind, as they are thinking about this decision. Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. A lot on the line. Alayna Treene, thanks so much.

All right. Still to come, this is what's left of parts of Gaza City after a fierce offensive by Israeli forces. Civil defense officials say more than 100 bodies have been recovered so far. Plus, a harrowing account of eight months in Hamas captivity, a former hostage speaks to CNN about the psychological abuse he endured.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: U.S. President Joe Biden has a warning for Israel, as he says it's time to end the war to Gaza. During his news conference at the NATO summit last night, Mr. Biden said he is concerned about the day after the war, insisting Israel must not occupy Gaza. He acknowledged there are things he wishes he had been able to convince Israel to do, but says he is hopeful about the prospects for a ceasefire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: But the bottom line is we have a chance now. It's time to end this war. It doesn't mean walk away from going after Sinwar and Hamas. And if you notice, you know better than most, there is a growing dissatisfaction in -- on the West Bank, from the Palestinians about Hamas. Hamas is not popular now. And so, there is a lot of moving parts. I just have to keep moving to make sure that we get as much done as we can toward a ceasefire, a ceasefire.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: On the ground in Gaza, the full extent of the destruction in Gaza City is still unfolding, after Israeli forces retreated from some areas following heavy combat. Gaza's Civil Defense says it has now recovered more than 100 bodies. It believes more are buried under the rubble. Israel has ordered mass evacuations from Gaza City, as it battles Hamas, calling it a dangerous combat zone.

[11:20:00]

Let's bring in now Jeremy Diamond for more on all this. He is live for us from Jerusalem. What's the latest from your point of view?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, we have seen the Israeli military carrying out this military operation in Gaza City for much of the beginning of this week. They had ordered the evacuation of several hundred thousand people. And this morning, it appears that the majority of that operation is now complete, the Israeli military partially withdrawing from Gaza City, many residents who were displaced from that area beginning to return. And what they are finding now in Gaza City in many of these neighborhoods that saw some very intense fighting over the last several days is just absolute widespread destruction. And particularly, it appears that much of the destruction was concentrated around the headquarters for UNRWA, that main UN agency based in Gaza.

It should be noted that the -- that UNRWA has not been inside that building at that headquarters for months now. Instead, the Israeli military says that Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad began using that building as an operations room where they say they found weapons as well as a surveillance room that Hamas was running. We can't independently verify that information in part, because we are currently barred from actually entering Gaza and being able to independently report there.

But, the Israeli military says that there has been intense fighting in that area for several days and that they completed that operation in the early hours of this morning and began to withdraw from that area. Not only was that UNRWA headquarters damaged, but several high-rise buildings, including one housing the Palestine bank, were severely, severely damaged, almost completely destroyed, other than the fact that they are still standing as kind of skeletons of the buildings that they used to be. And as you mentioned, the Palestinian Civil -- Civilian Defense, the rescue crews, they have been finding more than 100 bodies already in the wake of this fighting, and they believe that many more bodies are still buried in the rubble.

WHITFIELD: And then, Jeremy, when people are told to evacuate Gaza City, what's the path that they're taking?

DIAMOND: Well, the Israeli military says that they've opened up several roads leading from Gaza City to the southern part of the Gaza strip, to the central areas of Al Mawasi that quote-unquote, "safer humanitarian zone" that the Israeli military has set up. And it appears that people were able to use those routes to get out of Gaza City. But, for so many of them, not only are they finding inadequate resources at those areas because of the lack of humanitarian aid getting in, the lack of infrastructure in those areas, but also for many of them, this is the second, third, fourth, even fifth time for some of them that they are being displaced.

And so, there is no question that there is a sense of immense, immense fatigue, and a lot of hopes that these ceasefire negotiations that are still ongoing in Doha and Cairo could perhaps bear fruit and perhaps provide much needed respite for the people of Gaza.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jeremy Diamond, thanks so much.

There are still 120 hostages being held captive inside Gaza. Andrey Kozlov was one of them. He was working as a security guard at the Nova Music Festival when Hamas fighters attacked. The Russian-Israeli citizen was soon captured and taken to Gaza as a hostage. In an interview with CNN's Bianna Golodryga, Kozlov detailed his months of captivity, the psychological torture he endured, the threats he faced, and finally after his rescue, the emotional reunion with his mother.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR AND SR. GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: We all saw the video of when you were reunited with your mother at the hospital. As a mother, it brought tears to my eyes to see how you fell down on your knees, hugging her. Do you know how difficult I would imagine you do, those eight months were for them?

ANDREY KOZLOV, RESCUED RUSSIAN-ISRAELI CITIZEN HELD HOSTAGE BY HAMAS: I was so afraid to see them.

GOLODRYGA: You thought you'd never see them again?

KOZLOV: I possibly, right. I mentioned how like my mother and father and brother, they will not hear the words, I love you, anymore.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And you can see the full interview with rescued hostage Andrey Kozlov today on Amanpour at 1 p.m. Eastern. That's 6 p.m. in London, 8 p.m. in Tel Aviv. It will also air Friday night at 8 p.m. in the U.S.

[11:25:00]

That's 5 p.m. on the U.S. West Coast.

All right. Just weeks after raising millions of dollars for the Biden campaign, A-list actor George Clooney called on the President to exit the race. Why are other big money donors now following his lead? That's next. Plus, Biden, pass the torch to a new candidate. We'll hear what older voters in the battleground state of Michigan had to say after watching his appearance Thursday night.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back. You're watching the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

On the day after, it's not clear whether President Biden's high-stakes news conference did anything to help reassure voters that he can once again beat Donald Trump, but it did little to extinguish the growing firestorm within his own party, with more Democrats calling on Biden to drop out of the race. There are now 18 congressional Democrats publicly urging him to step aside as the nominee.

Earlier, Democratic Senator Chris Coons, a longtime Biden allied, told my colleague Sara Sidner that the President is still the party's best hope to keep the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHRIS COONS (D-DE): The path forward is that Joe Biden, who ran for and won the primaries in state after state after state, and is the only Democratic candidate for President who has a huge number of delegates at our convention next month, is that President Biden will keep doing what he has been doing the last two weeks. After the debate, which I recognized was a terrible performance by Joe Biden, a shocking performance, I urged him to get out and to engage with voters.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: President Biden's NATO news conference was a mixed bag of sorts. It included some awkward verbal gaffes, but it also contained some strong takes on the economy and foreign affairs. Here is what Mr. Biden had to say about reports that he won't schedule events after 8 p.m. in order to get more sleep.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: What I said was, instead of my every day, starting at seven and going to bed at midnight, it'd be smarter for me to pace myself a little more. I just got to just pace myself a lot more, pace myself. In the next debate, I'm not going to be traveling, and there are 15 time zones a week before. Anyway, that's what it was about. That's what it was about. And by the way, even with that, I love my staff, but they are athletes (ph), athletes all the time -- very -- I'm catching hell from my wife.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: OK. Let's welcome in Brian Stelter, a Special Correspondent for Vanity Fair. He is also a former CNN Chief Media Correspondent.

[11:30:00]

Great to see you. So --

BRIAN STELTER, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT, VANITY FAIR: You too.

WHITFIELD: -- we're talking about now 18 Democratic lawmakers who have come out against Biden's reelection. I mean, while that represents a very small fraction of the more than 200 members in the House, 100 in the Senate, what might determine the outcome here, the number of voices or the loudest ones?

STELTER: It is about the loudest voices, and it's also about how President Biden performs from here on out. Good days do not negate bad days. And this is the dynamic we are now all witnessing, something that I think many people can relate to if they've had a parent or a grandparent who is aged in front of their eyes. Biden had, in some ways, a good day yesterday. But, the next time he has a so-called proverbial bad day, this news cycle will come roaring back. So, I think, Fred, we've moved out of the debate cycle. That was two weeks of hell for the Biden campaign, two weeks of uncertainty in the Democratic Party. We're now in a different phase where attitudes have hardened and where nobody knows how this story ends.

WHITFIELD: I mean, the President -- I mean, he is fighting hard, right? He is digging in. Representative Himes, he was among those who joined the chorus of Democrats after the presser, saying Biden should step aside. And among the many things that Himes said is that he needs to hold his breath every time Biden speaks and clear about what is going to be said and how it's going to be said. We'll contrast that with voters for a very long time, saying they needed to get their kids out of the room, for example, when Trump speaks, because they weren't sure what he was going to say. So, what is the criteria that voters will apply when making a selection, and how might the media influence that?

STELTER: Will voters even bother showing up? Will they decide to vote at all? I think there is going to be a big gap between Americans who are paying attention to this election, who are disappointed by this election, who might choose not to engage at all. The most interesting, most overwhelming result in every single poll is that people are dissatisfied by both these choices, by Biden and Trump. And by the way, they're not running to RFK Jr. either. They are dissatisfied by these options. And right now, the noise about that is really high around Biden, but the noise about that will get higher around Trump at various points in the next four months as well. Yes. Right now, the media is focusing on Biden for good reason because of this crisis inside the party. It's being driven by the party, not by the media.

But, as you know, Fredricka, Trump is going to have more rallies. He is going to be out there. He is going to stumble. He is going to rant. He is going to go on -- he is going to have his own incoherent moments. And those are going to generate news cycles as well. And I think the ultimate impact of all of that is that a lot of people are going to view this even more than just the lesser of two evils. They're going to say, maybe I don't bother voting at all, and that's a disappointing reality of this election.

WHITFIELD: Yeah. That's really disappointing. So, now, some of Hollywood's top elite, I mean, they're calling on Biden to step aside as well, including, of course, actor George Clooney, who wrote in The New York Times, and then he wrote that OpEd just a month after he helped the Biden campaign haul in 30 million at a star-studded Los Angeles fundraiser. So, could these revolts be a bigger deal for Democrats? I mean, we heard the President last night. He said he has got a pretty good --

STELTER: Yeah.

WHITFIELD: -- war chest for his reelection. But, does he still need more in order to be a viable candidate?

STELTER: He does. And this all gets back to that idea of enthusiasm. I was talking about voter enthusiasm. There is also donor enthusiasm. And if the likes of George Clooney do not want to be engaged this fall, do not want to help raise more money for the Biden campaign, that is a severe problem for the Biden campaign. Ultimately, because this is going to be a war of attrition, where both sides are saying the other side is evil and degenerate and anti-democratic, sad but true, money is going to drive a lot of the conversation this fall, paid ads, paid work by these campaigns.

So, to the extent that Biden donors are less excited about Biden, or not as confident in Biden, that is going to have a big impact. And I think that's a big reason why we've seen these Democratic lawmakers break from Biden, because they're thinking about the money rates as well.

WHITFIELD: Yeah. How much do you think the conversation or the focus will change next week with the Republican National Convention getting started, all of this anticipation too about whether Trump will make the announcement about his vice presidential pick, or how or when he'll make that announcement? Might this upstage what's happening with Biden?

STELTER: Well, 100 percent, it will. 100 percent, it will. And it should. This is a chance for the Republican Party to what is in some ways a very different platform than we've seen in prior years, because this party is now so firmly the Trump party with a cult-like support of one individual personality. The policies have changed. The platform has changed. We're going to hear lot about that next week and it will help make clear the differences between these two parties.

[11:35:00]

But, of course, at the same time, whenever Biden has a senior moment, whenever he misspeaks, it's going to have a lot more salience than it did a month ago. And I think Donald Trump knows that and is allowing that and is encouraging that to happen.

One of the most interesting elements of this, Fred, is that the Trump campaign clearly wants Biden as the opponent. They don't want Kamala Harris. They don't want any of these Democratic governors. They want to be up against Biden. And that's clearly factored into the conversations about what the Democratic Party should do, because as much as it seems a little calmer today, this is still a very live issue for the Democrats in a way that it's not for the Republicans.

WHITFIELD: It is indeed. All right. Brian Stelter, great seeing you. Appreciate it.

STELTER: Good to see you too.

WHITFIELD: All right. So, we've heard from Democratic lawmakers. But, how are voters reacting to President Biden's news conference? CNN's Gary Tuchman spoke with a group of seniors in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Take a listen to what they had to say last night on Anderson Cooper 360.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We are in the battleground state of Michigan in the western part of the state. This is the Portage Senior Center where seniors between the ages of 50 and 150 could come for exercise and fun. These ladies, we have seven ladies, all of them like Joe Biden. None of them are voting for Donald Trump. But, we want to see how they feel about the problems that Biden has been having and how he thought his news -- how they thought his news conference just went.

Now, out of all seven of you, how many of you think it was better than you expected, this news conference? How many think it was better than you expected it would be? One, two, three, four five. How many of you think it was worse than you expected it would be? How many of you think it was the same? So, overall, it's a fairly positive review. I know I was -- we were watching it together. They all just got out of exercise class. So, that's why they're dressed like. I need to -- I told you I won't tell everybody. But, we're watching all together, and when he confused the names of Trump and Harris, I am talking about Vice President, (inaudible), but it got better. Right? So, is that what you think?

Now, four of you, one, two, three, four, all of you think that Biden should be staying in the race. You told me you think that he should pass the torch. The two of you weren't decided. My question for you, you weren't decided before this happened if he should stay in the race. How do you feel now after watching this news conference?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Relieved. I think he should stay in.

TUCHMAN: So, your opinion has changed from not sure, to he should stay.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

TUCHMAN: OK. And how about you? How do you feel? You weren't sure how do you feel now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Same. I think he is the logical choice.

TUCHMAN: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.

TUCHMAN: Now, you thought he should pass the torch. How do you feel like?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I still believe he should pass the torch.

TUCHMAN: And why do you say that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think he conveyed more defensiveness versus confidence, and I think we're really craving to be able to be confident about the candidate that we carry into the November election.

TUCHMAN: How did you feel about this news conference just now? Did it give you more confidence in Job Biden?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have all the confidence that I did yesterday. So, I just --

TUCHMAN: Were you confident yesterday?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah, because everybody has a bad day, and I could see that he was sick. But, for some reason, they decided to do what they were going to do, even though he was sick. And I think that might have been a bad choice. And you just saw him, when he is sick and when he is tired and those sorts of things. But, at the heart of it, he is a strong guy.

TUCHMAN: What do you think? Do you agree with that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I would agree with that. I think what came across was that of what he is. Joe Biden is very caring about people. He is very knowledgeable and experienced. And he is not just out for himself that he really cares about the country.

TUCHMAN: And there is no chance that you would be more confident with the Kamala Harris or your governor here, Whitmer, here in the state of Michigan.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right. Yeah. I think Joe Biden did an excellent job.

TUCHMAN: During this newscast.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hmm.

TUCHMAN: But, was there any part of you before that said, I'm not so sure that I can still support --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.

TUCHMAN: -- him, and I want another Democrat?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've always been confident.

TUCHMAN: Any of you is going to be watching the Republican National Convention? It starts Monday. No hands going up. Democratic National Convention, five weeks after that? OK. Not all of these people are Democrats. Some are independents, but they all like Joe Biden. And it's fair to say that none of you are going to be switching to Donald Trump.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Gary Tuchman there in Michigan. That might be a little encouraging, maybe a lot encouraging if you're in the White House. Kayla Tausche is there. And Kayla, tell us more about what kind of pep in the step perhaps the President has as a result of the press conference, mixed reviews, but he is on his way to Michigan and he might encounter some voters just like those.

KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, there might have been an interim event that took some of that pep out of his depth, Fredricka, and that is a meeting that took place following his press conference last night here at the White House with the top house Democrat Hakeem Jeffries. Jeffries had kept a fairly low profile about his thoughts on the race throughout the course of the week, as he was soliciting feedback from members of his caucus.

[11:40:00]

He would only reiterate the support that he had first voiced in the days after the President's debate that inspired the crisis of confidence that the Democratic Party is currently going through. But, Jeffries visited the White House last night, and in a letter to his colleagues, he says he shared the breadth of their concerns and their heartfelt discussions with the President directly. There had been a fear that some of the President's aides were insulating him from some of the worst criticism of his colleagues. So, it's unclear exactly what the President will decide to do with the information that he learned in that meeting.

As of right now, the trip to Michigan is still planned, where we expect the President to be flanked by multiple elected officials in the state, and to try to drive home the contrast that he sees between himself and Donald Trump. We got more of a taste of that last night, despite the NATO backdrop, he said that he wanted to use that opportunity to hit back at his opponent in a way that he had not been able to on the debate stage just a couple of weeks prior. Certainly, there are still questions about the viability of the President's candidacy. Officials inside the White House and the campaign were pleased with how he did yesterday.

But, there are still a lot of lawmakers who have yet to say exactly where they stand. And there are some close to the President who expect that there still could be defections in the coming days. But, Michigan thread is critical, because Biden's campaign says if there is a path to victory, it requires Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, all to stay for Biden.

WHITFIELD: Kayla Tausche, thank you so much.

All right. Still ahead, an expected witness now likely won't be called today in the Alec Baldwin involuntary manslaughter trial. We'll have a live update on the court proceedings. Plus, one of the biggest celebrity events of the year is taking place right now in India. But, it's not an awards show. It's a wedding. We'll tell you who is attending this lavish event.

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WHITFIELD: All right. Proceedings in Alec Baldwin's involuntary manslaughter trial have resumed. We have thought the armorer for the film "Rust", who was responsible for firearm safety on the set, would testify today. But, we've just learned that Hannah Gutierrez-Reed will not be called to the stand today. Gutierrez-Reed was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter over the 2021 shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and is serving time in prison.

Joining us right now from Los Angeles with the very latest, Elizabeth Wagmeister. OK. What changed?

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, we are hearing from Hannah Gutierrez-Reed's attorney that she is not expected to testify today. But, I do want to caution that the court has not announced what the order of these witnesses would be. So, she is still expected to you testify.

[11:45:00]

Right now, we are just hearing that that won't be today, as her attorney had originally said.

But, I've got to tell you, Fred, right now, things are very tense in the courtroom. The jury isn't even in yet because attorneys from both sides have been arguing over what Baldwin's defense says could be critical information. Baldwin's defense says that there is now new evidence, new bullets that were never turned in and were not shared with Baldwin's defense that could match the bullets that were found on set and the bullet that fatally shot Halyna Hutchins. Let's take a look at what went down in the courtroom just moments ago. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LUKE NIKAS, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: We're talking about a prosecution that didn't preserve those bullets, that didn't collect them at all, that didn't turn them over. This is critical evidence in the case that was never disclosed to us. This case should be dismissed, your honor. This is over and over and over and over again. And your honor, you've given them a fair chance.

KARI MORRISSEY, PROSECUTOR: Your honor, there have been absolutely no violations of our obligations as prosecutors. Everything that has occurred in this regard, everything that these defense attorneys knew well before today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WAGMEISTER: So, as you see there, the prosecution really shooting down what Baldwin's attorneys are saying, but they have filed a motion to dismiss this case, saying that this could be critical evidence and why weren't these bullets turned over to the FBI for testing. So, literally, right now, Fred, the judge is looking at bullets. Our Josh Campbell, who is in the courtroom, tells us that it is very tense in there. So, we're waiting to see what happens.

But yet, there is more. Before that argument, one of Baldwin's attorneys also said that he received a photo last night via email in his office that showed that the prosecutors were signaling witnesses from the stand. So, the judge has asked to see that photo. They're going to take a look at it. So, this is really a continuation, quite frankly, of bickering from both sides that has been going on for nearly three years. This is the latest attempt from Baldwin's side to dismiss this case. But, this time, it really appears to be dealing with what could be very critical evidence relating to these bullets.

WHITFIELD: Wow. That's very fascinating. All right. Elizabeth Wagmeister, thanks so much.

Meantime, jury deliberations are expected to begin later on today in the federal corruption trial of a high-profile U.S. Senator from New Jersey. Bob Menendez and two co-defendants face more than a dozen conspiracy and bribery-related charges. The Democratic Senator is accused of accepting gold bars, hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and other bribes in exchange for his political influence. Menendez has pleaded not guilty.

Let's get the latest now from Kara Scannell, who is outside the courthouse in New York? What is the latest?

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, the judge has been instructing the jury this morning on what the law is in this case for all of those multiple counts that you just explained, of bribery, extortion, conspiracy. He is telling the jury what the government needs to prove in order for them to find Senator Bob Menendez guilty of the charges. This is very technical, very legal, but the judge is going through it methodically. So, the jurors understand before they go back behind closed doors to deliberate what they need to look at and how they need to understand all of the evidence that they've seen in this case for the past nine weeks.

Now, the judge is getting toward the end. He did say he expected the jury to have the case before lunch. So, we're waiting to see when he will finish this. But then, at that point, the jury will begin their deliberations. The Senator is accused of accepting bribes, those gold bars, nearly half a million dollars in cash that the FBI found when they searched his home, also a convertible. And in exchange, prosecutors say that he took steps to try to interfere with criminal investigations to benefit those New Jersey businessmen, and also that he took steps to help the government of Egypt, including by ghost- writing a letter for the Egyptians to use to try to sway other senators to move -- take actions in their favor.

The Menendez team has been adamant that these were normal, that these were routine actions that the Senator was acting for his constituents, saying that he was doing his job and he was doing it well. As for the alleged bribes, they say those were just gifts from friends. Soon, this will be in the hands of the jury. Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Kara Scannell, thanks so much. Keep us posted.

All right. Still ahead, one more thing. A vivid portrait from space. We will show you brand new images from the James Webb Space Telescope, just in time for its two-year anniversary.

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[11:50:00]

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WHITFIELD: OK. So, one of this year's biggest celebrity events isn't an awards show or a movie premiere. Take a look at this. It's actually from a mega wedding of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant in India. Ambani is the billionaire heir and younger son of Asia's richest man. Merchant is a pharmaceutical heiress. Well, today is the main ceremony of a three-day celebration in Mumbai. And among those attending are the Kardashians, John Cena, Lee Kun-Hee, the former Samsung Chair, and Priyanka Chopra and singer Nick Jonas, a whole lot of A-listers there, looking so beautiful and ravishing and enjoying a super mega event. Happy nuptials to the lucky couple.

All right. Joining us with more from the star-studded wedding, or about the star-studded wedding, don't you wish you were there, Salma Abdelaziz?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I heard the invite alone was this big, beautiful red box --

WHITFIELD: That was gorgeous.

ABDELAZIZ: -- with golden embroidery.

WHITFIELD: I mean, it was gorgeous.

ABDELAZIZ: Yeah. WHITFIELD: I just want the invite.

ABDELAZIZ: Me too.

WHITFIELD: I won't even go. Just give me the invite. It's so fascinating.

ABDELAZIZ: But, this --

WHITFIELD: And how do you get on that list? Anyway.

ABDELAZIZ: I know. This wedding is very much underway. The last person I saw arrive at the red carpet, not actually the last, but the last images we have are of the one and only Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian in their Indian attire. I think we have those images to show you. And it's really the question about what happens once they finish that red carpet and go inside the wedding venue. The expectations are sky high. That's because they've already been celebrating, if you can believe it, Fredricka, for seven months.

WHITFIELD: That was crazy.

ABDELAZIZ: There have been events on and off for nearly six weeks. These events that are the warm up to the wedding have included Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, a luxury cruise. So, how are they going to top all that with the actual big wedding today? Well, they've turned their venue into the recreation of an Indian city. It's known as a very spiritual city, the cultural cradle of India. They've hired hundreds of artisans and singers and weavers and chefs to bring you the sights and feel of this very holy city on the Ganges. They want to bring their guests there, and they are absolutely in for a treat. But the key question today, who is going to perform? Which entertainer will be on tonight? And rumor has it. It could be Adele. So, that's my next question, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Wow. Ooh, that's a nice one. I must say the guests look more enthusiastic than the groom, the bride and the family. But, nonetheless, everyone looks really gorgeous. A lot of excitement. Give us the post-wedding bliss details on Monday, Salma. Thank you so much.

All right. Before we go, one more thing. NASA has released a brand new image from the James Webb Space Telescope. This marks the second anniversary of the first photo from the premier observatory. NASA is calling the picture a vivid portrait of two galaxies interacting. The one at the center is called the Penguin and the smaller galaxy on the left is the Egg. NASA says both are locked in an active embrace. The galaxies first passed near each other between 25 and 75 million years ago. Gorgeous.

Thank you so much for spending part of your day with me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Stick with CNN. "ONE WORLD" is up next.

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