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CNN International: Biden Exits 2024 Race, Endorses Kamala Harris; Kamala Harris Gathers Support After Biden Drops Out Of Race; Later: JD Vance Holds His First Solo Campaign Rally. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired July 22, 2024 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Of course, speaking first and foremost about the challenging times that Ukraine is facing and the support that the Ukrainian are getting from the U.S. Of course, all that a little bit in doubt with a possible Trump President on the horizon. We know that there was a phone call between former President Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy just in the past couple of days. And finally, Justin Trudeau of Canada, the U.S.'s neighbor, "I've known President Biden for years. As President, he is a partner to Canadians and a true friend. To President Biden and the First Lady: thank you." So, as you can see, John, a lot of praise coming in internationally for the President's decision and for his legacy, John.

JOHN BERMAN, HOST, "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Yeah, more than boilerplate, I think, in some cases here. Frederik Pleitgen in Berlin, thank you very much. Great to see you this morning.

A new hour of "News Central", a busy hour, starts now.

AMARA WALKER, HOST, "CNN NEWSROOM": Hello, everyone, and welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Amara Walker. This is CNN Newsroom.

Just ahead, the race for the White House turns on its head. Vice President Kamala Harris works to rally support behind her campaign after President Joe Biden drops out of the race. We will have full coverage this hour. Plus, the Secret Service in the spotlight. The agency's director is set to face tough questions on Capitol Hill over the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. And feeling the heat, the Paris Olympics are just days away, as the city faces climbing temperatures. We will show you how organizers are aiming to keep the games cool.

An event that both seemed inevitable and also impossible to imagine has happened. Joe Biden pulled out of the race for reelection on Sunday, finally acknowledging, what so many in his own party have been saying ever since his disastrous debate performance, that it was in the best interest of his party and country for him to drop out of the race. President Biden swiftly endorsed his Vice President Kamala Harris to take his place on the ticket. Harris raised almost $50 million in a matter of hours Sunday, and Democratic donors are set to be celebrating the passing of the torch to a new generation of leaders. Now, it's unclear if any other Democrats will challenge her, but many Democrats are already saying Harris should be the nominee.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JARED POLIS, COLORADO GOVERNOR: I personally am backing Kamala Harris. She is the best candidate for our future to save people money with a forward-looking vision for our country, what a contrast with Trump's regressive tariff policies that would cost American families $2,000 to $3,000, the instability that he would create in the world, not to mention that he lacks the moral fiber to lead our nation.

REP. JAMES CLYBURN (D-SC): I do think she is the best candidate, the best prepared candidate at this particular juncture. I think that American people will see that in her and they will compare her to the alternative. Just as Joe Biden often asked people to do with him and Donald Trump, she gets that opportunity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Kamala Harris is pledging to earn and win the Democratic nomination for President, but we are in uncharted waters, and it's unclear exactly how Democrats will pick a new nominee. Now, the Democratic Convention Rules Committee will meet on Wednesday to discuss that very question.

CNN's Brian Todd looks at the challenges of replacing Biden on the ticket at this late date.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The process for replacing Joe Biden as the Democratic candidate is uncertain and somewhat messy. It's likely too late for voters to have a chance to weigh in.

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: The primaries are over. The caucuses are over. You can't redo the primaries or caucuses. You can't elect new delegates.

TODD (voice-over): The Democratic Convention scheduled to begin August 19th could be a free for all, or at least be full of entry. Names of replacements could be put forward, and the roughly 3,900 Democratic delegates from across the country could decide who to vote for as the nominee.

SABATO: Oh, it's up to the delegates. In the end, it's up to them.

TODD (voice-over): President Biden won almost all of those 3,900 delegates in the primaries. But, does he have control over who they support if he is out of the race?

ZOLAN KANNO-YOUNGS, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, THE NEW YORK TIMES: It's not like Joe Biden can say, OK, I'm stepping down. All of you delegates that signed on for me have to now support this other candidate. That's not how it works. Those delegates would essentially be free to move in the way they want.

TODD (voice-over): Like the days of old, backroom deals and lobbying could prevail at the convention, as potential nominees try to convince the delegates to get behind them. In the end, how many of the 3,900 delegates would a candidate have to win at the convention to get the nomination?

ELAINE KAMARCK, MEMBER, DNC RULES AND BYLAWS COMMITTEE: Ultimately, they would have to convince somewhat somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,000 plus Democratic delegates to vote for them on a roll call vote.

TODD (voice-over): There are also additional so-called super delegates, about 700 of them, comprised of party insiders and elected officials who could also be allowed to join in the voting. It all means a late start for any candidate, including in the money race. If Vice President Kamala Harris won the nomination, she would presumably be able to use Biden's campaign war chest because her name is on all the filings.

[08:05:00]

But, any other candidate may have to raise their own money.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: And as we mentioned, many Democrats are endorsing Harris to be the new nominee. But, some say there should be some kind of process rather than a coronation. Independent Senator Joe Manchin, who used to be a Democrat and still caucuses with the party, told CNN just a short time ago that all Democrats need to have a voice in this. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOE MANCHIN (I-WV): Let me just put it this way. The calls and everything that's coming in is not quite sure unless they see a process where they really are, has changed any at all in a coronation, and doesn't always basically produce, I think, the strongest, if you will, the strongest team. Very well, Kamala couldn't be that person. And I think going through some sort of a process would have been very enlightening to everybody. So, I'm pursuing the process I really believe strongly, along with I think that former President Obama and Speaker Nancy Pelosi both think there should be a process. They spoke out about that.

You're going to find out, as number two, you have your own views, but you're basically part of that team. What's her own views on some of these issues? And it's going to be whether the border is going to be a hot, contentious situation. Is anyone taking seriously the debt that we have, the educational opportunities or lack of educational opportunities --

KASIE HUNT, HOST, "CNN THIS MORNING": Yeah.

MANCHIN: -- or student, basically, performance, things of this sort? These all need to be talked about, and we seem to be basically -- people who are opposed to Donald Trump is thinking that's going to carry the day. It's not. People want issues. HUNT: You said I'm pursuing the process. Are you going to --

MANCHIN: I'm just continuing to push this process.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: We, of course, are covering this historic story from a number of angles. Let's start with the Biden camp, and CNN's Arlette Saenz is joining us now from Delaware. Hi, Arlette. I think the world is really still reeling from the shock of President Biden's announcement on Sunday afternoon, even though many saw this as being inevitable. What is the Biden team and the family focusing on now?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, President Biden is still here in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, his home here, as he is recovering from COVID. And one thing to watch, excuse me, in the coming days will be when President Biden addresses the nation about his decision to drop out of the 2024 race. He said that he planned to speak when he posted that letter on social media yesterday, saying that he was bowing out of the race. We still have not heard from the White House when exactly he will return back to Washington, D.C. But, it is his intention to speak very soon about his decision to drop out.

But, what you've also seen the President and his allies and campaign do is really mobilize around Vice President Kamala Harris. The campaign apparatus itself has started shifting towards Harris. They've changed accounts on social media to be from Biden HQ to Kamala HQ. They've shifted their fundraising towards the Vice President, with one source saying that since yesterday alone, they raised $49.6 million for her campaign. The President is also later in the week was scheduled to attend some fundraisers out on the West Coast. It's unclear how exactly those will proceed.

But still, many questions going forward about whether Vice President Kamala Harris can actually secure this Democratic nomination. She has earned support from many prominent Democrats, but some in the party have still said that they want to see an open process play out before that Democratic Convention in August.

But, for President Biden's part, he, within 30 minutes of bowing out of the race, endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, making his belief clear that he does think that she should be the next Democratic nominee. And so, it's likely that he will be out there supporting her in some way in the days and weeks to come.

WALKER: I mean, this clearly was a really difficult decision for President Biden. Obviously, he is being hailed by many within the party for his courage and for his patriotism. But, this really was a rapid turn of events, or at least it felt that way. Could you walk us through the timeline and what made the difference over the weekend for him to make this choice?

SAENZ: Yeah. It really was a stunning and unpredicted by his campaign team "moment" when President Biden announced yesterday on social media in the surprise letter that he was dropping out of the 2024 race. Now, sources have told us that the plans were really set into motion on Saturday night. This came after the President held a very small meeting with two of his longest-serving advisors, Steve Ricchetti and Mike Donilon. And in that meeting here in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, they really laid out the election picture for the President, presenting him with polling, presenting him with where exactly Democrat -- top Democrats stood about him remaining in this race.

[08:10:00]

And one source told CNN that ultimately what they presented to the President was that the path to victory in November for him was essentially non-existent. Sources tell us that by the end of that sit- down meeting on Saturday night, the President told his team that he planned to drop out of the race. He asked them to start drafting the letter that was eventually posted, and they really kept this very close to the vest. President Biden's family knew about this. Just those very small group of advisors knew just before the letter was posted, as President Biden really stunned his own campaign and the political world when he announced Sunday afternoon that he was dropping out that.

WALKER: Arlette Saenz, thank you so much for following the story for us there in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, where the President is still recovering from COVID, as you say. Thank you.

So, with the Democrats in an unprecedented transition period, the Republican candidates are hitting the campaign trail. And in the coming hours, Vice Presidential hopeful J.D. Vance will hold his first solo rally in his home state of Ohio. He will likely keep up his attacks on Kamala Harris, like he did the day before Biden dropped out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. J.D. VANCE (R-OH), 2024 VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Kamala Harris said something to the effect that I have no loyalty to this country. Well, I don't know Kamala. I did serve in the United States Marine Corps and build a business. What the hell have you done other than collect the check?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: On Monday night, Vance and Donald Trump will sit down for an interview with Fox News. Speaking of Trump, he is making his opinion on Joe Biden leaving the race known. The former President writes, "Crooked Joe Biden was not fit to run for President, and is certainly not fit to serve and never was."

Let's bring in CNN Reporter Daniel Strauss, covering the story from Washington. Hey there, Daniel.

DANIEL STRAUSS, CNN REPORTER: Hey.

WALKER: What more can you tell us about Donald Trump's reaction to not only Biden dropping out of the race, but he is also focusing on his new potential rival Kamala Harris. STRAUSS: It's a shift for Trump and his campaign. They had always sort of mused about the prospect of President Biden teetering on dropping out of the race. But, the fact that this actually happened is another example of the Republican Party being the dog that catches the car. They didn't sort of want this situation where a new candidate with all the novelty and youth that Harris provides would be their primary adversary. Now, of course, she is not necessarily the official Democratic nominee, but she is the heavy favorite as of this morning.

And you can already see the Republican Party and the Trump campaign shifting a bit toward emphasizing Harris's record on immigration and her involvement in the Biden administration's policymaking on immigration, as well as her youth and her background as a prosecutor. But, it's still something that Republicans are a little annoyed about. They were happy to bash Biden and continue to argue that he was unfit for office, that he was too old, that he was, as the former President likes to say, too sleepy, and now the situation is different. They have to rewrite their own playbook.

So, it doesn't take very much to get Republicans to admit that this is not the ideal situation, but it's something that they feel they can still handle and take advantage of.

WALKER: Yeah. Tell us more about that. And I guess they've already rolled out their attack ads against Kamala Harris. Right? I mean, this development -- I mean, for Trump, the campaign, they really believe that they would be able to beat President Joe Biden. And now, potentially, it will be Kamala Harris that they will have to beat.

STRAUSS: Right. And they were essentially on cruise control --

WALKER: Yeah.

STRAUSS: -- before this change. Republicans -- look, throughout being at the convention last week, it was pretty clear that the Republican Party as a whole felt that as long as they didn't rock the boat, as long as they stayed the course and stayed disciplined, they felt that they had a very strong chance of winning in November. But now, this is -- there is a new situation here. There are unfamiliar possibilities and iterations about how this race will go. And it also means that President Trump will likely have another debate to participate in and one that's going to be far more formidable than the last one where he -- when he squared off against Joe Biden.

WALKER: Daniel Strauss, good to have you this morning. Thanks so much.

STRAUSS: Thanks, Amara.

WALKER: So, Joe Biden dropping out of the race is apparently not enough for some Republicans. House Speaker Mike Johnson is calling on President Biden to resign from office now, saying if he is not fit to run for President, he is not fit to serve as President through the remainder of his term. The Speaker also slammed the Democratic Party, saying "When they forced Biden off the ballot, they invalidated the votes of those who wanted him to be their nominee."

[08:15:00]

Let's bring in CNN's Lauren Fox on Capitol Hill. I guess this is a reaction that was anticipated by Democrats. Right? What are you hearing?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. I mean, Republicans are arguing right now that Joe Biden should no longer be the President if he doesn't want to run for reelection. Of course, there is no rule that says if you choose to forego an election bid that you cannot keep your term going in office. But, today, we expect that Representative Nancy Mace, a Republican from South Carolina, is going to introduce a resolution to force this question. She said in a tweet last night quote, "If Joe Biden does not have the cognitive ability to seek reelection, he does not have the cognitive ability to serve the remainder of his term. Tomorrow, I will introduce a resolution calling for Kamala Harris to invoke the 25th Amendment and assume the duties of the acting President."

Meanwhile, Democrats are coalescing around Harris, arguing that it is time for Democrats to put differences aside to work hard to try to get her elected to be the 47th President of the United States. Just a few minutes ago, we saw Peter Aguilar, a member of Democratic leadership in the House, releasing a statement, saying he was going to do everything he could to ensure that she wins this November.

We still have not seen statements from Hakeem Jeffries or Chuck Schumer, the leading Democrats in the House and Senate respectively. But, our colleague, Dana Bash reporting last night that they don't want to get ahead of their members. They want to give voters and Democratic lawmakers an opportunity to really coalesce on their own around Harris. They don't want to be perceived as forcing her as the heir apparent. But, obviously, we're going to be watching over the course of the next 48 hours if that starts to shift, as lawmakers return to Washington.

It was really remarkable, because in the days leading up to this announcement, I had been talking to Democrats around the clock, and even some of the frontline members in difficult swing districts had been arguing that what they wanted to see was Harris quickly become the heir apparent, because they argued uncertainty was just not something that was going to help them in their reelection. So, it's really interesting, as we saw last night, so many Democrats coming out so quickly, saying that they were backing Harris.

WALKER: It's just such an extraordinary time in this country right now, as they watch this unfold. Lauren Fox, thank you very much for your reporting.

And as we mentioned, Kamala Harris is already racking up support from many key Democrats, and she is scheduled to deliver remarks at the White House in just a few hours.

CNN's Eva McKend joining me now live now from the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., the official residence of the Vice President. Hey there, Eva. So, what are we expecting to hear from VP Harris today? EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning to you, Amara. Yeah. Later this morning, she is going to give remarks honoring NCAA championship teams. It's unclear if she is going to address this shake-up in the Democratic ticket. She may want to allow President Biden to be the first one to really give these public remarks.

But, we know behind the scenes, she has just been working the phones over 10 hours, calling governors, members of Congress, civil rights leaders, labor leaders, as she is trying to shore up Democratic support internally. And I spoke to the head of the Congressional Black Caucus and he told me that she understands that she is going to have to win and earn this nomination, that just because she received President Biden's endorsement doesn't mean that this is a sure bet and that she is going to have to work hard over the coming weeks. What she does have in her corner, though, is the support of key Democratic coalition.

I'm talking about groups like Higher Heights PAC and Black Voters Matter PAC. Thousands of black woman were on a call in support of her strategizing and organizing last night. Amara.

WALKER: And there is just a few weeks, what, four weeks to the day before the Democratic National Convention, less than four months before the presidential election. I mean, time is obviously of the essence. How do we expect Kamala Harris to campaign in terms of her position against former President Trump?

MCKEND: Well, we know, Amara, that whatever it looks like, it's really going to be unconventional. Right now, her allies are putting a lot of pressure on the delegates to throw their support behind her, to switch their support from Biden to Harris, but also her allies are really eager for this contrast to come into focus. They believe that it is going to be a winning strategy for Harris to go up against Trump for a prosecutor to be able to make the case against a convicted felon.

[08:20:00]

And I can tell you that I've heard a little bit of this over the last few weeks, as she has been out on the campaign trail. She said in North Carolina recently, listen, I'm a former prosecutor. So, let's deal with the facts.

WALKER: Eva McKend, thank you so much.

And still to come, the U.S. Secret Service is very much in the open today and in the spotlight, as its director faces questions in the aftermath of the Trump assassination attempt. We will have a live report when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALKER: The U.S. Secret Service will be in the spotlight on Capitol Hill this morning. The agency's director Kimberly Cheatle is prepared to testify before a House Committee, expected to tell lawmakers quote, "We failed." It'll be her first time testifying since a would-be assassin opened fire on Donald Trump at a rally on July 13. And we will bring it to you when that hearing begins.

Evan Perez joining us now from Washington with more. I mean, this is going to be a heated back and forth, I'd imagine.

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Oh yeah. We expect that this is going to go about six hours today, Amara. We expect that the Secret Service director is going to get some very, very tough questions about the many, many lapses really that have emerged that we've now know about in light of the attempted assassination of the former President, beginning with the fact of the preparations, the amount of assets they had there, the reliance on local law enforcement, and the fact that a would-be assassin managed to get on a roof with a clear sight at the former President, managed to fire off multiple shots before Secret Service's Counter Sniper managed to kill him.

Now, here is part of what we expect Kimberly Cheatle, the director of the Secret Service to say. These are some of her prepared remarks. I'll read you just a part of it. She says "The Secret Service's solemn mission is to protect our nation's leaders. On July 13th, we failed. As the Director of the Secret Service, I take full responsibility for any security lapse." And the importance of that -- of those words is that this is the first time we've heard the Secret Service and the director actually say the words that they failed on July 13, which of course everyone realizes was the case.

We know, for instance, that local police were searching for him, and the people there, the security were looking for the would-be gunman for about 19 minutes. We know that they spotted him with a range finder and believed he was suspicious. They were looking for him. We also know that the former President's team was not told that they were in search of someone who could be potentially dangerous. And he was allowed to take the stage while that search was ongoing. Of course, thank goodness, the former President was not killed in that incident. One person was killed and two other rally-goers were injured. Amara.

[08:25:00]

WALKER: Yeah. So many questions about why there were these security lapses. And on that note, I mean, Kimberly Cheatle has so far resisted calls for her to resign. Will there be more of that at this hearing?

PEREZ: I expect that you're going to hear a crescendo of that, not only from Republicans. Some Democrats are clearly, clearly frustrated with the way this has been handled. And I think what you're seeing from the director is an attempt to try to at least take some of the -- some of that incoming fire for the agency and promise that they're going to fix things. They're going to make things better. We also know that there is a number of investigations ongoing, an internal one. And also, they've appointed a number of officials to lead a bipartisan commission, essentially, that is going to review everything that went wrong. She says that the goal here is to cooperate and make sure this could never happen again.

WALKER: Absolutely. Evan Perez, appreciate your reporting. Thank you very much. PEREZ: Sure.

WALKER: Good to see you, Evan.

Well, five people have been killed after a gunman went on a shooting rampage inside a home for the elderly in Croatia. Now, this happened on Monday, about 120 kilometers from the capital of Zagreb. That is according to Croatian media reports, which also say the gunman ran away but then was later arrested. No word on a motive.

Still to come, a momentous and possibly transformative moment in U.S. politics. We're going to take a look at what comes next, now that Joe Biden has dropped out of the presidential race, and what do American voters of Kamala Harris's think of Kamala Harris's chances if she goes up against Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential race. We're going to ask some voters in a key swing state.

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WALKER: Now, let's turn back now to our top story. It is 105 days until the U.S. presidential election, and the race has completely changed. Key Democrats are now throwing their support behind Kamala Harris. It comes after Joe Biden endorsed his Vice President after his announcement that he will be ending his bid for a second term. And in just a few hours from now, we are going to hear from Kamala Harris herself in her first public remarks since that momentous decision. Top Democrats, meanwhile, are praising the President for his unprecedented exit and his service to his country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have you spoken to Biden about it, and what are your initial reactions?

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): I had a private conversation with President Joe Biden earlier today. He is a tremendous patriot, a tremendous President, who has done an amazing job on our behalf over the last three and a half years. America is better off today because of the incredible leadership of President Joe Biden.

[08:30:00]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you support Harris? Do you support the ticket of Harris?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: All right. Let's take a look at the international reaction now, and CNN's Fred Pleitgen joining me from Berlin. Fred, I mean, this is really a historic, an extraordinary moment in the U.S. How are leaders around the world reacting to President Biden's decision?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think, Amara, that a lot of leaders around the world do also see this as a very historic moment. There is a lot of praise for President Biden for his decision, a lot of respect for President Biden and the legacy that he was going to leave behind as well after, of course, finishing this term as President, nowhere more so here that in Europe. President Biden, of course, very much credited with bringing transatlantic relations back on track after the Trump years, of course, right now, especially with all the things that Europe is going through all the turmoil with that war that's going on in Ukraine.

And of course, there is almost a special relationship, Amara, between the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Biden, really something that's almost traditional. You already had big relations between Angela Merkel and then President Obama as well. But, I want to read some of what the German Chancellor said. He said, "My friend Joe Biden has achieved a lot: for his country, for Europe, and the world. Thanks to him, transatlantic cooperation is close. NATO is strong and the USA is a good and reliable partner for us." Of course, in that case, essentially meaning for the Europeans in these very difficult time. The same, of course, goes for that special relationship that the U.S. has with the United Kingdom. I want to also listen to what the British Prime Minister had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I respect the decision that he has now made, not an easy decision, but a decision that I know that he will have arrived at taking into account the best interests of the American people. We will work with whoever the American people elect into office, as you would expect, particularly given the nature of the special relationship between our two countries.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: So, that's a lot more of what we're hearing here in Europe, European leaders obviously praising President Biden for his decision, but at the same time, of course, saying that Europe and European countries will always remain strong allies of the United States, and hope that that goes vice versa as well.

But, one of the other leaders I want to speak about as well, Amara, is, of course, Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine. President Biden has, of course, gotten a lot to support Ukraine in its fight, as it tries to fend off that Russian invasion. Just a little bit from the Ukrainian President. He says "Ukraine is grateful to President Biden for his unwavering support for Ukraine's fight for freedom." And then he goes on to say "Many strong decisions have been made in recent years. They will be remembered as bold steps taken by President Biden in response to challenging times." Of course, first and foremost, those challenging times, meaning the war in Ukraine.

Interestingly, we haven't really heard very much in the way of the Russians so far. The spokesman for the Russian President only saying that he believes this is not something that the Russians should comment on, that they want better relations with the United States. But, in general, you do hear a lot of praise for the decision that President Biden has made, and certainly a lot of respect also for a lot of the things that he has done, especially here in Europe, Amara.

WALKER: Yeah, being hailed as a patriot for putting his country and his party first. Frederik Pleitgen, thank you so much.

So, what comes next? CNN Political and National Security Analyst David Sanger joining me now. Good morning to you, David. Talk about a rapid --

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL & NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Good morning, Amara.

WALKER: -- rapid turn of events, I mean, whiplash for a lot of us. So, Biden withdraws. He endorses his Vice President Kamala Harris. And of course, a lot of the endorsements come pouring in from top Democrats in Congress, in the Senate, from the Clintons, from governors like Gavin Newsom, and what have you. How would you describe, David, what has been going on, the sentiment, and just I guess maybe the frenzy within the Democratic Party in the last, well, it hasn't been 24 hours, 19 hours or so?

SANGER: Well, Amara, first of all, what a three weeks, right?

WALKER: Yeah.

SANGER: The Biden-Trump debate was only June 27, about three weeks and a few days ago, and that put the President on this course that we saw unfold yesterday. In the interim, we've had an attempted assassination of Donald Trump. We've had President Biden try several times to try to turn the narrative around post-debate, and he simply could not do that. And now, he has done something truly historic. We have not had a President decide not to run when they could since Lyndon Johnson in 1968. That's a long time to have had something like this happen.

[08:35:00]

You could almost see the tension go out of the faces of many Democrats when this announcement came out. I happened to be in a room out here in Aspen, Colorado, during a security conference with several members of the Senate, other administration officials, and they knew that this was inevitable, but they weren't sure how they were going to get there. Now, there is a big challenge, because while the polls, some of the polls show that Kamala Harris could do a bit better than President Biden could, they don't really show that necessarily right now she could beat Donald Trump. And so, with 106 days left, they have to change her -- the public's view of her, and she is a bit of a known quantity.

WALKER: Right. I mean, it's easy to say what you don't want, right, but more difficult to figure out --

SANGER: Right.

WALKER: -- what exactly you do want. And on the question of what comes next, we've -- top Democrats, top party leaders like former President Barack Obama, he hasn't explicitly endorsed VP Harris. In fact, let me read you a part of the statement from the Obamas. And it says, "We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead. But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges. I believe that Joe Biden's vision of a generous, prosperous, and united America that provides opportunity for everyone will be on full display at the Democratic Convention in August." So, it sounds like he is calling for an open primary. How does this all play out?

SANGER: Well, we've never seen one before. So, people are going to be making this up a little bit as they go along, or at least I should say, we haven't seen that in modern times. So, what the Democrats seem to want to do is run an open process that gives greater legitimacy and true backing to the next candidate. But, most of them seem to want that process to come out to be Kamala Harris. Now, whether they can get both of those together, we don't know. It is interesting that so far she is the only one who has declared that she is running. Now, others could. You've heard talk of Joe Manchin retraining the Democrats. Certainly, almost everybody who is on the Vice President's list could announce for President. But, so far that hasn't happened.

And one of the interesting sort of backroom dramas taking place here is, Can Harris lock up enough support that it won't happen?

WALKER: So, I want to give a bit of news that we just got in. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear has announced that he will not be running, and he is now putting his endorsement behind Kamala Harris. Of course, he was one of several governors who was being mentioned --

SANGER: That's right.

WALKER: -- as a running mate. What is your reaction to that, and does it seem like the party is coalescing, uniting behind Kamala Harris?

SANGER: Amara, I think we'll know more in 24 to 48 hours. We have to hear from Governor Whitmer. We have to hear from other potential nominees out here. But, my guess is, just watching the body language here, is that most of them will get aboard, and one of those people who could have run for President may well end up with a nomination for Vice President, not certain. She sort of has two routes to go. One is to get a popular governor someplace in the Midwest, probably. The other possibility would be to go with a military figure, somebody with has military experience make up for what she doesn't have. And I think that's the big decision she is going to have to make. But, if you don't see that a true, viable competitor emerge in the next couple of days, then they're going to be running a process with one or two candidates.

WALKER: I wonder what Trump's campaign is thinking right now, truly, because it seems like their preference was to run against Biden, as they saw that --

SANGER: Sure.

WALKER: -- he would be the easiest to beat. We saw at the Republican National Convention that they already had their lines of attack ready for potential Kamala Harris being Trump's challenger, calling her the border czar and pointing to her quote unquote "failures at the border."

[08:40:00] Will she be a formidable opponent, a potential opponent for Trump, given the age contrast, given the fact that she was a prosecutor and may do well or much better than Biden in a debate?

SANGER: So, the strengths and weaknesses out here, the strength is obviously she is far younger. She is 59. So, this flips the script, is Donald Trump too old to run? She is a good and articulate debater and a tough debater. So, that's useful. The downside is, she is responsible in the administration for working on immigration policy. That's Donald Trump's biggest issue, and in many ways the one that is most popular for him. So, you'll see a lot of attacks aimed at that.

And I -- she has a reputation in Washington of having had a hard time holding on to staff, grabbing on to big issues and cutting out a space for herself here, and one of the exceptions to that is on the abortion issue in which she has been quite outspoken and sort of plays to her past as an attorney general in California. So, it's going to be a mixed message, I think. And the question is, can she bring those numbers up? She doesn't need to go up by much and attract a lot of the so- called double haters, the people who weren't going to vote for Biden or Trump.

WALKER: So much to watch for, and honestly, at this point. Anything truly can happen, as we've seen --

SANGER: Yes.

WALKER: -- in just the last three weeks.

SANGER: Yes.

WALKER: David Sanger, it's always good to talk with you. Thanks for your time.

SANGER: Great to be with you, Amara.

WALKER: Thanks, David.

Well, outside of Washington, voters across America are reacting after President Biden's stunning withdrawal from the 2024 race. His endorsement of his Vice President, Kamala Harris, could set the stage for her to make history as the first black woman and first Asian American to top the ticket of a major political party. She still, however, must win the nomination of her party. And CNN asked voters in Pennsylvania, which is a key swing state, how they view Harris and whether they believe she can beat Donald Trump in November.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Harris polls well against Trump. I think she has a real shot at winning.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It feels pretty hopeless at the moment.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's exciting. However, I still don't know.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would absolutely vote for Kamala.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, I don't think she is always too late.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I don't know if a woman -- I still think there might be issues with her getting elected. I think if she is the nominee, for her to have a strong male running mate, I think would boost her.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think she is going to pull, take with her I think Pete Buttigieg or Newsom. And I'm just scared. I mean, same as when Hillary ran. Like, what are we going to see all that misogyny again?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think anything should be given to Vice President Harris. I mean, I think the DNC needs to look hard at all possible options. We have a wonderful governor here in the state of Pennsylvania in Josh Shapiro. So, could it be a Harris-Shapiro ticket? I don't know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think any rivalries that might come up, if people started re-vetting (ph) the Democratic candidates, it's going to be -- it's too close to the election. We need to get somebody that's been running, that has been on the campaign trail already with Joe Biden. That's Kamala Harris. So --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If they had made her the nominee in the first place, she could have been a very good candidate. I think that everything that's happened with the attempted assassination on Donald Trump and the way that the -- what's going on in Palestine currently, we really are broken up in as Democrats at the moment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: So interesting to hear their perspectives, especially in such a crucial swing state like Pennsylvania.

All right. Still to come, Israel's Prime Minister heads to Washington to meet his longtime friend Joe Biden and to address Congress. We'll have a preview ahead.

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[08:45:00]

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WALKER: All right. Let's turn now to the Israel-Hamas war, and on the Palestinian Ministry of Health says at least 14 people were killed, including six children and four women, in an Israeli attack on Khan Younis in southern Gaza. Now, earlier on Monday, the IDF ordered people in eastern neighborhoods of the city to evacuate, saying Israel would be acting against terrorist organizations in the area. Now, in the meantime, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his country will remain America's most important ally in the Middle East, regardless of who is in the White House. Netanyahu spoke in Tel Aviv ahead of a flight to the U.S., where he will meet with President Biden and address Congress, saying the visit would give him an opportunity to thank an old friend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELU PRIME MINISTER: I will tell my friends on both sides of the aisle that regardless who the American people choose as their next President, Israel remains America's indispensable and strong ally in the Middle East. I plan to see President Biden, whom I've known for over 40 years. This will be an opportunity to thank him for the things he did for Israel in the war, and during his long and distinguished career in public service as Senator, as Vice President, and as President.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: All right. Let's bring in CNN's Nada Bashir, who is joining us now from London. Nada, let's first start with what's happening in southern Gaza and the situation in Khan Younis. Well, what are you learning?

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, we're seeing once again dramatic footage emerging, showing the civilians in Khan Younis attempting to flee once again. And remember, many of these civilians have been forced to flee, to relocate time and time again since the beginning of the war, ordered to move to what is being described as safe zones by the Israeli military, as the military operation deepens in southern Gaza.

Now, we know, of course, that the Israeli military has said that it has redrawn a humanitarian zone around the Al Mawasi coastal area. They've ordered civilians in eastern parts of Khan Younis to move to this area for their protection, to mitigate civilian risks, according to the Israeli military. But, of course, there is a huge amount of concern over the safety and protection of civilians. We've seen these so-called humanitarian zones being targeted in the past by Israeli airstrikes, including in this Al Mawasi coastal area and across southern Gaza. So, a huge amount of concern over those safety guarantees.

And as you mentioned, Amara, we have seen yet again air strikes around Khan Younis, killing civilians, at least 14 killed, more than 30 said to have been injured in strikes just today. So, a significant amount of concern for those civilians taking shelter in southern Gaza. And again, that warning we've heard repeatedly now from the United Nations, from other aid agencies, there simply isn't a safe zone left for civilians, because while we are seeing airstrikes continuing, there is also that deepening humanitarian catastrophe, lack of food, lack of water, lack of medication, of course, that deepening famine, as warned by UN experts.

WALKER: Let's talk about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington. He will be addressing a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, but before that, he was supposed to have a meeting with President Biden. They've had strained relations, especially since the Israel-Hamas war began. It's been quite public. And I guess the anticipation was that that meeting would have been a bit awkward, especially with just all that has happened, and the political fortunes of Biden changing so dramatically. Now that President Biden is stepping aside, do we expect that conversation to be less tense perhaps?

BASHIR: Well, look, there is a decades-long relationship between President Biden and the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. We have seen tensions and fraught relations between the two, as you mentioned, over the last few months.

[08:50:00]

We've seen the Israeli Prime Minister publicly contradicting U.S. policy objectives, statements put out by the Biden administration, particularly, of course, when it comes to ongoing ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas. That has been a key sticking point between the U.S. and Israel. Well, we've seen the Biden administration putting a pause on weapons shipments to Israel back in May, a specific pause on those 2,000-pound bombs which were found to have been used in populated areas in Gaza. So, there certainly has been mounting tensions between the two, despite those long-standing relations between the U.S. and Israel.

We heard, as you mentioned, from Prime Minister Netanyahu on the tarmac, addressing reporters, and also sending a message to both sides of the political aisle in the U.S. that whoever takes the leadership in the U.S. that Israel remains America's strongest ally in the Middle East. And while this will be an interesting meeting between Biden and Netanyahu, I think all eyes will also be on Netanyahu's address to Congress on Wednesday, what he has to say there to American lawmakers but also what the reaction will be from the Democrats there.

WALKER: Nada Bashir, appreciate your reporting, as always, from London. Thanks so much, Nada.

And still to come, the Olympic Games in Paris are just days away, and heat is the major concern. CNN spoke exclusively with the team monitoring the extreme weather threat, and that conversation is ahead.

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WALKER: The Paris Olympics is just days away with preparations now in the home straight. One major concern for organizers this year is the heat.

CNN Meteorologist Derek Van Dam has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): The Olympics are about to kick off in Europe's most vulnerable city to heat. Extreme weather fueled by increasing temperatures may be one of the event organizers' toughest challenges.

DAM: While rain could postpone the events, heat waves threaten spectators and athletes in this city. This device detects heat using infrared. The yellows are the hottest, the purples are the coolest, something meteorologists will be watching closely. DAM (voice-over): CNN spoke exclusively with the meteorologists

responsible for monitoring incoming severe weather and advising the Olympic Committee on potential impacts.

FRANCOIS GOURAND, METEOROLOGIST, METEO-FRANCE: So, we have something I can show you here. We have really hot summers that we never had before the 21st century's in Paris.

DAM (voice-over): This year's games will take place around the same period of the year as France's most lethal heatwave in 2003.

GOURAND: It was the worst event we had in France overall, and especially in Paris here. Paris is vulnerable because we have very, very big urban heat effects.

DAM (voice-over): Because Paris is such a densely populated city, heat is amplified by various surfaces like asphalt, concrete and even buildings. While Olympic athletes strive to break records, our own planet is breaking records too, as 2023 was Earth's hottest year ever, with 2024 on track to be even warmer.

DAM: And what I see is a concerning trend of more frequent --

GOURAND: Yeah.

DAM: -- extreme heats --

GOURAND: Yeah.

DAM: -- and longer-lasting heat.

DAM (voice-over): While extreme heat is just one element monitored here, forecasters from Meteo-France will use an arsenal of tools to warn of any incoming severe weather.

ALEXIS DECALONNE, HEAD OF METEO-FRANCE SPORTS: It's like rain detection at street level.

[08:55:00]

DAM: This little-known device could determine whether or not an Olympic event is postponed or canceled. It is the mobile radar that measures rain in real time. So, Meteo-France forecasters can advise the Olympic Committee.

DECALONNE: If a threshold for a given sport is exceeded, postponement or calendar adaptation, or the worse, cancellation could happen.

DAM (voice-over): Heavy rain already postponed an opening ceremony rehearsal on the Seine, as the river was flowing too quickly. The last time Paris hosted the Olympics in 1924, the French capital was five and a half degrees cooler than it is today, helping fuel the climate with more extreme weather. 2024 is certainly on track to rewrite both the climate and Olympic history books.

Derek Van Dam, CNN, Paris. (END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: All right. Thanks so much for joining me here on CNN Newsroom. I'm Amara Walker. Connect the World is up next.

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