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Biden Launches Outreach Campaign To Key Groups Of Lawmakers; Trump To Rally Today In Battleground Pennsylvania; Biden Campaign Uses Social Influencers To Court Youth Vote; Top Hamas Military Official Targeted In Gaza Airstrikes; Frustrated Texans Facing Another Day Without Power, Blame Utility; New Study Revealed Nearly Half Of Cancer Deaths In U.S. Are Preventable; Sex Therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer Dead At 96. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired July 13, 2024 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:00]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: With President Biden's latest push to save his reelection bid. Today he is taking a short break from the campaign trail as he scrambles behind the scenes to shore up support from members of his own party who are unsure if he should continue his race.

Over the next few hours Biden expected to hold phone calls and conference calls with groups of moderate and progressive Democrats in Congress in an effort to convince them that he can win in November. So far nearly 20 Democratic lawmakers have called for Biden to step aside. But at a rally in Michigan last night, Biden was defiant, vowing to stay in the race. He returns to the campaign trail on Monday.

We have a team of correspondents covering this for us. Priscilla Alvarez is covering the Biden campaign. But let's begin with Capitol Hill reporter Annie Grayer.

Annie, what's at stake today as President Biden reaches out to elected Democrats on Capitol Hill?

ANNIE GRAYER, CNN CAPITOL HILL CORRESPONDENT: Fred, everything is at stake with these calls. Biden is trying to make direct outreach to House Democrats to try and stop the bleeding of Democrats calling for him to drop out, as we've seen a slow trickle of Democrats making those calls ever since Biden's disastrous debate performance more than two weeks ago.

So Biden is going to speak with two key groups of House Democrats. First, the progressive wing of the caucus, and then a more moderate group, many of whom are running in very competitive House races who have raised serious concerns about the president's ability to remain atop the ticket.

Now, Biden started his formal outreach last -- started his formal outreach yesterday, and he heard in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, he heard from Democratic Congressman Mike Levin, who said to him directly I think it's time for you to step aside. I'm going to read to you a portion of Biden's answer from a source

that was provided to me. Biden said to Levin, quote, "It's a legitimate concern for people, but that's why I think it's important I got to get out and show people everything from how well I move to how much I know, and that I'm still in good charge." That's according to a source.

So these calls are happening later this afternoon. We're going to keep you posted on all of the updates from them.

And the question, Fred, really is, will these calls be enough to House Democrats who've been asking the president to speak to them directly for over two weeks. It's taken this long to make this direct outreach happen. So we will see what happens in these calls later today.

WHITFIELD: All right. Keep us posted, Annie Grayer. Thank you so much.

Let's bring in now Priscilla Alvarez.

Priscilla, what more can you tell us about this strategy and how confident the reelection campaign is about it?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's a private and a public strategy unfolding here. The private strategy is these behind-the-scenes calls with key groups of lawmakers and allies. It's been an outreach campaign that the president has been engaged on over the course of the weekend especially in these last 24 hours as he tries to get the Democratic Party in line because there are still multiple concerns that are held by corners of the Democratic Party about his viability as a candidate and as a nominee.

And of course also seeking reassurance that the president can serve a second term. So as all of that is underway, the president is also publicly keeping the focus on Donald Trump and using opportunities on the campaign trail to draw the comparison between his record and that of Trump's. That's what we saw in Michigan yesterday. It's what we anticipate seeing in Texas and Nevada next week.

So the president being on the campaign trail is also a critical component of all of this because it is what his allies have asked of him. They want him to have unscripted candid moments on the trail. They want people to see him and engage with him in addition to these calls to try to alleviate any sort of concerns that members of Congress have. So it's not easy. Clearly these concerns persist despite what the president has done already, especially this week with his solo news conference.

But it is these moments that the president is trying to capitalize on to assuage the concerns that are held within his party and also just try to keep moving forward because as we heard from the president yesterday in Michigan, he is defiant that he wants to and plans to stay in the race.

WHITFIELD: All right. Priscilla Alvarez, thanks so much.

So as President Biden fights for his political survival, his challenger, former president Donald Trump, is set to hold a rally in battleground Pennsylvania today. All eyes are on Trump as we await his pick for vice president. The most likely candidates right now, Senators Marco Rubio and J.D. Vance, and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum.

CNN's Alayna Treene joins me now from Butler, Pennsylvania, where Trump's rally will be taking place.

All right. Lots of anticipation on and who his running mate will be. When might this announcement come?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, it could come as soon as tonight. However, when I talked to Donald Trump's most senior advisers, they say they're still unsure about the exact timing.

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They really view Monday, Monday evening when Donald Trump is expected to be nominated for the third time to become the Republican Party's official presidential nominee. That is when they view the deadline for when they must announce.

I will also note that the Senators J.D. Vance and Marco Rubio, as well as North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, all three of the top contenders that you mentioned, none of them are slated to be appearing with Donald Trump this evening. So that may give you some sense of perhaps it's not coming tonight. But that's of course us reading the tea leaves.

Now Donald Trump himself has been mulling this decision over, has been watching all of these candidates on television. He's talking to many of his allies who are lobbying each of their preferred candidates this year.

I want you to take a listen to how Donald Trump phrased this entire search during a radio interview yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I watched Tim Scott on television yesterday. He was fierce and great. He was great. I watched Mark all over the weekend on television. He was incredible. J.D. has been great. You have a man named Burgum. He's a fantastic governor in North Dakota, and you know, it's a state that's very, very prosperous, very successful. And he's done a good job there. You have some terrific people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: Now, Fred, also during that radio interview, Donald Trump said that he really thinks you have to go with your instinct and that aligns with what I've been hearing from those close to Donald Trump that really he is making this a gut decision. He's going to be looking at the facts, looking at all of the pros and cons for each of these people, but at the end of the day it really is going to be up to Donald Trump to decide who he wants that person to be. WHITFIELD: And, Alayna, the RNC just released the full list of

speakers for the convention. Who are some of the notable guests?

TREENE: There are a lot of speakers at the convention. There are dozens of people on this list who are going to have prime speaking slots on stage in Milwaukee next week. And look, I'm going to start with some of the family members which I find very notable. We know that Donald Trump Junior as well as his son, Eric Trump, both of them are going to be speaking next week. You also have his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump. She's the co co-chair of the Republican National Committee, and Kimberly Guilfoyle, an adviser to the Trump campaign, as well as the girlfriend of Donald Trump Junior. All of them are going to have speaking slots.

I will tell you as well from my reporting, I know that the force former first lady, Melania Trump, is going to be present in Milwaukee next week. A very rare move for the first lady who has for the majority of Donald Trump's campaign remained out of the spotlight. Since he actually launched his third presidential bid in November of 2022 she's only appeared publicly with him twice. So keep that in mind.

Now there's also going to be a lot of celebrities who are going to be seeking. That includes Dana White. He's the president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, as well as Amber Rose. She's a reality television star. She surprised many people earlier this year when she came out and endorsed Donald Trump. So they will be speaking as well. And then you have really a large list of congressmen, senators, governors, all of them were going to be taking the stage and defending Donald Trump.

And of course, on that list of federal lawmakers, you also have the three top contenders for his vice presidential nominee. Doug Burgum, Marco Rubio, and J.D. Vance are all slated to speak next week as well -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Fascinating. Alayna Treene, thank you so much in Butler, Pennsylvania.

All right. A recent CNN poll shows a clear and unmistakable defection of young voters from Biden's column. Voters who were critical to his 2020.

CNN's Danny Freeman spoke to some young voters in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania to hear what they're saying about their enthusiasm for November's election.

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DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): As President Joe Biden worked the rope line in Harrisburg, Sunday, trying to fight off questions about his age, a younger face in the crowd was creating content.

Did you ever think that you'd be influencing for a presidential campaign? KENNY SCREVEN, SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER: Definitely not.

FREEMAN (voice-over): Kenny Screven is a social media influencer in Pennsylvania, one of many the Biden campaign has recently partnered with to try and reach younger voters.

SCREVEN: Things can get much harder if we don't vote.

FREEMAN: In addition to makeup tutorials and LGBTQ advocacy, Screven now posts about the importance of voting for Biden.

Do you feel young people are energized right now to vote in this election?

SCREVEN: Truthfully, no. I feel like a lot of people are discouraged. But I think that's where influencers come in. We can really help motivate them, encourage them to vote.

FREEMAN (voice-over): In 2020, younger voters overwhelmingly supported President Biden over former President Trump. But recent polls show the two candidates running about even among this key demographic.

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Twenty-four-year-old Jahnavi Rao runs a group out of Chester County. The goal, to register young voters in crucial swing states and motivate them to vote.

JAHNAVI RAO, PRESIDENT, NEW VOTERS: There are more than enough people in this country who don't want you to vote as a young voter. All we're doing is giving you the tools and the resources so that you can.

FREEMAN: But resources are one thing. Enthusiasm is another. We asked several young voters on a scale from one to 10 how excited are they to go to the polls in November.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd say like a five.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a seven right now, seven or eight.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'd say probably a five.

SARANYA SINGH, 18-YEAR-OLD PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: I mean, I would put myself at a one, like I'm not excited at all.

FREEMAN: 18-year-old Saranya Singh said she will 100 percent vote for President Biden because reproductive issues are so important to her. But she worries about the president's appeal to other young voters.

SINGH: A lot of my friends and a lot of people in our age group are really hesitant to vote this year at all because, I mean, Biden is not the ideal Democratic candidate in any way.

FREEMAN: Anish Garamidi is a rising sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania. And while he's also all in for Biden, he's nervous about the lack of enthusiasm, too. ANISH GARIMIDI, 18-YEAR-OLD PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: The Biden campaign

should definitely be seeing that as, like, if the youth vote slips away, like, Pennsylvania slips away.

FREEMAN: Here, former President Trump's campaign season opening. Though his team did not provide examples of state-specific youth outreach, the campaign points to their recent launch on TikTok as a sign of its youth voter push.

TREVOR TAYLOR, ADAMS COUNTY YOUNG REPUBLICANS: When we talk about, you know, the economic issues, that resonates more with the youth vote. And that's my advice to engage with them. And we're having success.

FREEMAN: Trevor Taylor leads the Young Republicans in bright red Adams County. He says the past few weeks have been pivotal.

TAYLOR: Especially seeing Biden's debate performance, I think that the trend is definitely moving towards not only Biden losing support but Trump gaining support, and momentum.

FREEMAN: The Biden campaign hopes volunteers like Lauren Kuntz will be able to change that momentum.

LAUREN KUNTZ, BIDEN CAMPAIGN VOLUNTEER: I couldn't sit by and not participate in a campaign that's so essential to keeping America how we know it.

FREEMAN: The 26-year-old mom from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, started volunteering with the Biden campaign earlier this year, and she understands the youth challenge.

What's your pitch to younger voters to say you should be excited about this election?

KUNTZ: I think it's going to be less about the candidate itself and more about the policies that are going to help us as a generation. I mean, it's becoming more expensive to just live. And there are a lot of policies that the Biden administration has put in place to make it more affordable, which we should be excited about.

FREEMAN: Danny Freeman, CNN, Philadelphia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Coming up, at least 90 people are reported dead after an airstrike in Khan Younis, Gaza. Israel says the target was an alleged mastermind of the October 7th attacks. What we're learning, next.

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WHITFIELD: All right. We're hearing new details about massive Israeli strikes on a humanitarian zone in Khan Younis, part of Gaza. Palestinian officials say at least 90 people were killed and 300 more injured. The moment when one of the strikes hit was caught on video. Israel says it targeted Hamas' military chief who was one of the

alleged mastermind of the October 7th attacks. And just a short time ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said they still are not certain whether their target was killed.

Elliott Gotkine is joining me right now.

So, Elliott, CNN analysis also shows that a U.S. made munition was used in this strike. Tell us more about that and the effort to determine whether they were able to take out their intended target.

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: So to answer your second question, first, Fredricka, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself says they don't yet have proof as to whether Mohammed Deif, who was, as you say, one of the alleged masterminds of the October 7th terrorist attacks and the leader of Hamas' military wing. They do not yet have evidence that he was killed in that strike. And indeed, it could take weeks before we know if they were successful in that effort.

As far as the U.S. made munitions are concerned, CNN analysis, as you say, together with help from explosive weapons, munitions expert have from looking at the video of one of the ordnances that were dropped as part of that strike identified what is known as a joint direct attack munition, a JDAM, which is a kind of Boeing-made GPS kit that can be added to so-called dumb bombs of at least 500 pounds in size to help make them smarter, to help direct them to a specific target.

And that is what CNN analysis has identified as being used in that strike and indeed which munitions were going to be used in this attack was indeed one of Prime Minister Netanyahu's considerations before he greenlighted this attack, as he outlined when he gave that news conference earlier this evening -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And then, Elliott, what else did the prime minister say?

GOTKINE: Well, he said quite a number of things. We've already outlined that of course the target was indeed Mohammed Deif as well as his deputy who was the head of the kind of Rafah brigades of Hamas. As I said, there's no evidence yet that Israel can point to, to say that it was successful in that effort.

But Prime Minister Netanyahu saying that among his considerations before giving the go-ahead was that there were no hostages, no Israeli hostages nearby. There are still 120 that Israel believes to be held in Gaza. About a third of whom are believed to be dead.

[15:20:04]

That the kind of munition that was going to be using, also the scope of the damage, Prime Minister Netanyahu in that news conference saying once he got answers to those questions, he, in his words, gave the operation his blessing and wished them luck. He said as well that the leaders of Hamas, you said of them, that we will find them. They're days are numbered. And he also referred to the ongoing ceasefire negotiations being mediated by Egypt and Qatar between Israel and Hamas. And he said that Israel has not deviated, in his words, one millimeter from the ceasefire plan outlined by President Biden about a month ago.

He said Hamas came back with some 29 changes that it wanted and that he didn't accept a single one of them. And he said that an agreement will be reached, but Israel will continue fighting until its war goals have been met -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Elliott Gotkine, thank you so much.

All right. Coming up, back in this country, lieutenant governor of Texas, Dan Patrick, joins me as hundreds of thousands of people across his state are still without power after Hurricane Beryl.

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WHITFIELD: Happening right now, more than 600,000 people in southeast Texas still have no lights or air-conditioning nearly a week after Hurricane Beryl hit. The power has been out for six days now with the average temperature hitting the 100-degree mark. People have been trying to get to cooling stations, even find drinkable water. Frustrations are mounting over repair delays from Houston's main utility provider, CenterPoint Energy, which supplies power to the region.

Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick is joining us right now.

Lieutenant Governor, good to see you again. We spoke a week ago ahead of Beryl.

LT. GOV. DAN PATRICK (R), TEXAS: We did.

WHITFIELD: Right. And now, people in the hardest hit areas of your state are dealing with a lack of power and clean drinking water. So what is the latest on restoring comfort?

PATRICK: The latest is CenterPoint is working hard to catch up as you accurately gave the numbers, over 600,000 people still without power at the peak of the storm. After Monday, there were about 2.4 million of their customers. So they have cut it dramatically.

But, Fredricka, here's the bottom line. They weren't prepared in my view. When we talked last week and I was in the operations center for all of last weekend preparing for the storm, we as the state were ready. We did not take any chances at the storm, wouldn't be the worst scenario. You pray for the best.

And I've talked to their CEO Jason Wells and I've said, look, anytime there's a tropical depression that could turn into a hurricane or tropical depression, whether we know it will or not, you have to assume and be prepared that it will come into the greater Houston area, and for people around the country who don't know Houston is a city of over 2.5 million and a county of another 2.5 million.

So Harris County, if it were a state, would be like the 25th or 26th, 27th largest state in the country. It's a huge population center. And the weather casters as much as they try are wrong more than they're right. And even the hurricane center will tell you that even when they give you a prediction of landfall, two or one day out, it could move 50 or 60 miles. So we were prepared at the state, everything we were asked for at the state, we've provided everything. We're on top of our game.

CenterPoint was not prepared as they should have been. And that's created a lot of these problems. We're going to have hearings, we're going to have investigations, but I'll get all the answers from them later. I want the power up right now.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And so do people who are suffering in the heat. They want the power up. And you know, last week, yes, that was the focus of our conversation that you and I had about preparedness. And you were saying obviously CenterPoint Energy was not prepared but then if you are in a home, you know, when you're oxygen tank relies on the power or you're at home with small kids and you need electricity to keep it cool, you need drinking water, these residents are going to say, wait a minute, we were not only failed by CenterPoint energy, but we're also failed by the preparedness of the state and localities to not be able to address or have a backup plan if these things were to fail. So what do you say to them?

PATRICK: Well, Fredricka, that part of your question is not right. We were prepared. Everywhere that needed a generator we provided. Everyone that needed water, we provided.

WHITFIELD: But residents, residents who were suffering, and I'm not the ones who are going saying --

PATRICK: Well, let me finish. Let me finish.

WHITFIELD: -- that they were failed.

PATRICK: Yes. Look, you do all you can to provide water, ice, generators, everything you can do, we've provided. Law enforcement, everything that's been asked for the state has replied and it's been there. You won't find a county judge or you won't find a city in the whole one area of 121 counties that would say we weren't prepared as a state and we didn't deliver. You might find one or two out there who are unhappy, but I've been all over the state. I've seen them all.

WHITFIELD: So there are enough cooling stations, there is enough water distribution.

PATRICK: Yes, well, the cooling stations --

WHITFIELD: All of that's happening?

PATRICK: Fredricka, yes, the cooling stations depend on power. And so CenterPoint failed. We can provide everything to back them up. But you have to have power.

Look, the city of Houston, again a massive city, basically didn't have any traffic lights for several nights. That's their job. Nine fire stations didn't have power. The vulnerable assisted living centers, the nursing homes that they're supposed to take care of first, they were not taken cared of first. There should be a plan and there's going to be plenty of time again to analyze this after the fact but the state doesn't run the utility.

We oversee it, but we don't run their action. We don't run their business plan. We don't put up their poles and we don't put off their wires. And by the way, the biggest thing about this storm, Fredricka, that not only weren't they prepared but this is -- it was a cat one storm, but the eye went over Houston for about four hours and about 80 percent of the damage are trees on wires.

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You can't imagine the massive debris that's everywhere. It'll fill up a stadium plus, so it was a big job after the fact. But here's the deal. You cannot underestimate a hurricane in the Gulf, or tropical storm, and they did and they were not ready as they should have been. They told me they were ready. We talked to them last week. We're ready. But they weren't.

They normally have, Fredricka, about 1675 people or linemen. Well, they're now off to around 12,000 but those people started coming into light. They should have been pre-positioned about an hour to an hour- and-a-half outside of the city as we were. So you can get into the city in an hour. So those issues are paramount.

The other things that we have done, Fredricka, just in the state, we had the hospitals backed up because they wouldn't release people to homes that didn't have power. So we brought in 25 ambulances, we set up a hospital of 250 beds in 24 hours. They didn't have enough police. Everybody was working 12 hour shifts. And so we brought in 100 police officers and nearly 100 state troopers in 24 hours within the storm.

Everything Mayor Whitmire has asked, everything everyone has asked, the states delivered on, and we will hold, we will hold CenterPoint accountable. Let me say this. I put out 10 questions for CenterPoint. One of them was that we're going to ask, were you prepared? Did you take the storm seriously? But the biggest question is, is Houston still your number one priority?

WHITFIELD: Yes.

PATRICK: They've become a much larger company. They're concerned in a lot of businesses, investments along in the energy area. And if they're not focused on Houston, their biggest customer being their number one priority, and in their mission statement, then we're going to have a real problem with that. And a lot of people are saying, is this the same CenterPoint of old because it does not appear to be today.

WHITFIELD: Yes. So there are going to be reviews. I hear you loud and clear.

PATRICK: Sure. Sure.

WHITFIELD: But there are going to be a lot of residents who are wondering now, you know.

PATRICK: Sure, and they deserve to be.

WHITFIELD: Who should be --

PATRICK: And they deserve to be mad.

WHITFIELD: Who and how many should be held accountable for right now what is very uncomfortable. I wonder, though, on long view, you know, it's been a concerted goal, right, you know, on a federal and state of Texas level to make infrastructure more resilient in an era of climate change. You know, to kind of end this repeated cycle of floods, power outages, I mean, what's the biggest challenge right now for Texas to make a change after not just this huge power outage, but remember, 2021, there was a winter storm related power crisis? That, too, was very uncomfortable with devastating --

PATRICK: Yes, Fredricka, two different -- yes.

WHITFIELD: Two different, but it also does speak to kind of the power grid there and how it goes. So --

PATRICK: Well, those two different issues. Very quickly before we run out of time.

WHITFIELD: OK.

PATRICK: So '21, the grid failed.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

PATRICK: And without question. And we have put billions into that. In fact, we have a -- we put a loan program out to build more natural gas.

Look, we are the fifth renewable leader for wind in the world. So we have plenty of renewables. We don't have plenty of dispatchable because renewables have gotten all the federal subsidy. And so the people who invest in dispatchable and natural gas do not invest. So we've increased that investment.

But we received the same report, by the way, Fredricka, that every states and every country because of AI now, not then, but now AI between EVs, between data miners for crypto, and data centers everybody's utilities, the need for power is going to skyrocket. We have 85,000 megawatts of power now in Texas. The prediction is in six years we have to have 150,000 megawatts.

So everyone is going have to face that challenge and Texas is facing it. But this is different. This was just the storm. This wasn't the grid. This was massive trees, massive trees, falling on lines. Power lines are there. You can't bury power lines. Number one, the cost would be tremendous. It would take decades and decades. And even when you get the lines underground, water seeps in, water and electricity do not mix. And if you have a problem, you can't fix it as fast underground as you can when you can see where the damage is. So all the people say everything should be put underground. It's not

practical and it doesn't work and it makes recovery even longer. But this is a situation where we love our trees. We have trees all over East Texas. It's the piney woods of Texas. And in Houston, we have massive trees everywhere and 80 percent of the reason the power is down is because we had 80-mile-an-hour winds sustained for a while and gust higher than that when the eye went over Houston for hours.

But the bottom line is, even when that happens, you should have been prepared if you're CenterPoint sooner and locals, look, our county judges and city mayors have done a really good job, the state really has done a good job. But if you don't have power, if you don't have electricity, nothing works. And there's going to be a big shake-up at CenterPoint I believe after this because they weren't ready and their communication skills were terrible to the public, to the media. And it's going to change.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

PATRICK: But a big storm is a big storm.

WHITFIELD: Sure.

PATRICK: You just have to be ready for it in advance and you have to then help the people. The people have a right to be angry. They have a right --

WHITFIELD: Right. There are a lot of people who are very angry and still very uncomfortable. So I know hundreds of thousands are hoping for a very quick resolution and power back on.

Lieutenant governor of Texas, Dan Patrick, glad you could be back with us. Thank you so much. All the best.

PATRICK: Thank you for having me.

WHITFIELD: All right. Coming up, as calls for President Biden to exit the race grow, I speak to one of the lawmakers who was firmly sticking behind this president. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: This hour President Biden is expected to speak on the phone to key Democrats on Capitol Hill as he scrambles to convince members of his own party that he should stay in the race following his shaky debate performance. Earlier this afternoon, I spoke with the Democratic Congresswoman Nikema Williams from Georgia, who responded to these three fellow Democrats who are calling on President Biden to step aside.

[15:40:09]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. SETH MOULTON (D-MA): As painful as this is, as much as I respect Joe Biden, as much as I love the work that he's done as a president and as a senator for decades. We need a change so that we can.

REP. SCOTT PETERS (D-CA): As a candidate, you know, he's -- I'm not sure he's bringing what we need to the table. We have to have someone who both can explain his record in an articulate way and take it to Donald Trump. And we're already facing a situation where we have big headwinds in the swing states that will decide this race. I think we would be better off looking to our deep bench of elected leaders.

REP. JIM HIMES (D-CT): Imagine that three months from now we get another performance like there was in the debate right before the election. Do you want to take that risk? I don't.

WHITFIELD: All right. So two things here. I mean, what does this internal struggle about? And separately, just exemplified from some of those sentiments, are some Democrats kind of doing the work for Trump by undercutting the -- their own presumed nominee?

REP. NIKEMA WILLIAMS (D-GA): Well, we're a big tent party in the Democratic Party, and we all come to this with our lived experiences. And so I hear my colleagues when they talk about their fears because I also have my fears. I fear for my 8-year-old black son, who is growing up in a country where we have someone who has all of his people that wrote Project 2025. I know what their hope is for my black son, for my family, for my husband.

But then we have a president who is looking to bring our country together. And at the end of the day, all of my colleagues who have called on the president to step down, we still want the same end goal, defeat Donald Trump. So that's what we're focused on. We have different paths that we think we need to get there. But right now we have President Biden at the top of our ticket.

I watch that rally in Detroit yesterday. He was on fire. He spoke like the person who we need on the campaign trail between now and November 5th, to bring it to Donald Trump, call him the liar that he is, a failed former president, and he also laid out his vision for the next term, standing the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, making sure that we can codify Roe v. Wade giving women the protections that we need when Trump has bragged about overturning Roe v. Wade.

So there are real things at stake in this election. We understand that wholeheartedly as a caucus, and we're united on defeating Donald Trump. And after our convention, when we nominate officially President Biden we'll be united in supporting him as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Congresswoman Nikema Williams earlier today.

And tomorrow night on a special edition of "ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT," former Democratic presidential candidate representative Dean Phillips joins Erin to give his take on Biden's choice to stay in the race. That's live tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. right here on CNN.

All right. Straight ahead, new data suggests that nearly half of all cancer deaths in the U.S. could be prevented. We'll talk to the head of the American Cancer Society on what changes you can make now that will reduce your risk later.

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[15:47:27]

WHITFIELD: All right. A new study shows a dramatic number of cancer cases in the U.S. can be prevented. Data from the American Cancer Society finds that nearly half of cancer deaths in the U.S. can be attributed to preventable risk factors. Lung cancer, breast cancer, and skin cancer are among the highest number of cases that can be linked to preventable causes.

Dr. Karen Knudsen is CEO of the American Cancer Society, and she's joining me right now, I hope I'm seeing that our signal may not be as reliable as it was a few seconds ago.

Doctor, are you with me?

DR. KAREN KNUDSEN, CEO, AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY: I am with you. Can you hear me?

WHITFIELD: OK. I can hear you. Can't see you yet, but at least I've got your voice. That's great. All right, so we've known for -- there you are. We've known for many years that in some cases lifestyle changes can help prevent some cancers. We're talking about the use of sunscreens can help cut down on skin cancer or perhaps even staying away from tobacco products certainly could make a dent on lung cancer.

So what are some of the new data telling us about how we need to change some of our ways of living?

KNUDSEN: The latest data are telling us that we can take agency over our own health. So this new report tells us that approximately 40 percent of new cancers and almost half of cancer deaths are associated with preventable or modifiable risk factors.

You mentioned one of them, smoking. Certainly this is a major component. Almost 30 percent of cancer deaths are attributed to smoking. It's not just lung cancer, but also pancreatic cancer, bladder cancer, and a host of other smoking-related cancers. So something you can certainly do is stop smoking and if you do smoke, get into a lung cancer screening program.

But there are other ways ensuring that healthy lifestyle, healthy diet, active living, and reducing alcohol can contribute. But a third component that's so important is prevention through vaccination. We know that there are a host of cancers that are associated with infection from virus, including the human papillomavirus, for which we have a highly effective vaccine. So healthy living, vaccination and smoking reduction can significantly reduce your chances of developing cancer or dying from cancer.

WHITFIELD: Does this kind of data also kind of underscore to us that cancer is something that is going to be with us for a while?

[15:50:05] And this is one way in which I guess trying to take the reins on your own health or your longevity because of some of the choices that you make. Is that what I should read from this?

KNUDSEN: Absolutely. I think it is empowering to individuals to let them know that they can take steps right now to reduce their risk of cancer. I hope everyone listening to this is doing this every day -- it's summertime -- by putting on sunscreen. It's something that you're doing that is natural for you to prevent ultraviolet ray induced cancers, including melanoma. And so take that and move it forward and understand that when you are exercising, eating fruits and vegetables, increasing your fiber intake, reducing your alcohol intake, reducing smoking, and hopefully eliminating smoking, that that's not just for your overall health, but that is very active cancer prevention.

WHITFIELD: All right. Dr. Karen Knudsen, thank you so much. Very enlightening. Appreciate it

KNUDSEN: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: All right. Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Dr. Ruth, she has died at the age of 96. With her distinctive German accent, the iconic and cheerful sex therapist helped educate millions with her witty advice. Dr. Ruth's publicist tells CNN that she passed away late Friday today with her two children beside her.

CNN's Stephanie Elam looks back at Dr. Ruth's legacy on lovemaking.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In 1980 sex therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer gave a lecture to New York broadcasters that changed her life forever. A local radio station manager at the top heard her plea for quality sex education programming. She offered her a chance to do just that.

DR. RUTH WESTHEIMER, SEX THERAPIST: I said to the broadcasters, you have a responsibility to get a program like this on the air. In one week I was on the air.

ELAM: And so Dr. Ruth Westheimer became Dr. Ruth, giving advice on her radio call-in program, "Sexually Speaking." It was an immediate success that led to high-profile appearances on national talk shows like "Late Night with David Letterman" and "The Tonight Show."

WESTHEIMER: If we could bring about talking about sexual activity the way we talk about diet, the way we talk about food.

DAVID LETTERMAN, LATE-NIGHT HOST: Right.

WESTHEIMER: Without it having this kind of connotation that there's something not quite right about it, then we would be a step further.

Hello, you are on the air.

ELAM: Before long, she launched her own TV shows. "Good Sex with Dr. Ruth" and "Ask Dr. Ruth."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have never had a sexual encounter.

WESTHEIMER: Wait a moment, how old are you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm 21.

WESTHEIMER: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a college senior.

WESTHEIMER: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I --

WESTHEIMER: It's not the end of the world.

ELAM: Westheimer had created a safe space for Americans to open up about sex but her sunny personality masked a childhood marked by hardship.

She was born Corolla Ruth Siegel in Germany in 1928. At the age of 10 her parents sent her to Switzerland to escape the Holocaust. She never saw them again.

WESTHEIMER: I knew I have to make a dent with my life in order to prove to myself that there is a reason why I'm around.

ELAM: After the war, the 17-year-old orphan immigrated to what was then Palestine and joined a group of Jewish freedom fighters who trained her to be a sniper.

WESTHEIMER: I've never killed anybody. Everybody in those years, in the early year of Israel, was in some kind of a military group.

ELAM: Westheimer studied psychology in Paris, and then moved to New York, where she earned her master's in sociology and doctorate of education. During her studies, Westheimer worked at the family planning organization, Planned Parenthood, where she first experienced frank discussions about sex. After some initial discomfort, she discovered she had a gift for talking about sex in a straightforward non-judgmental way. It served her well for many decades and in many mediums.

Westheimer continued to put her skills to use well into her golden years. She was 95 when New York's governor appointed her the state's first honorary loneliness ambassador, a role aimed at combating the ills of social isolation.

Dr. Ruth Westheimer, a tireless advocate for frank talk about human nature and sexual literacy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Dr. Ruth joyfully giving sex advice at 95 and beyond. She has just died now at the age of 96. And she also authored more than 37 books in her lifetime. Our thoughts and prayers are, of course, with her family.

We'll be right back.

[15:55:03]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, live pictures right now. Vice President Kamala Harris is speaking now in Philadelphia to APIA vote, an advocacy group focused on mobilizing Asian-American voters. We'll be listening to what she is saying. And of course, bring you any updates as it happens.

Also today, we learned that President Biden will sit down with BET Wednesday night for his first interview with that network.