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Netanyahu Set To Address Congress; Biden Back At The White House, Preparing For Address To Nation; Biden To Speak About Decision To Exit 2024 Race; Controversial Laws Allow Japan to Deport Most Asylum Seekers; Harris Trends on Social Media, Energizes Young Voters. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired July 24, 2024 - 02:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:26]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and to everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris hits the campaign trail, gaining momentum, with two of the most powerful Democrats in Congress throwing their support behind her.

Some of America's deep partisan lines expected to be on full display in the nation's capital today as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a joint meeting of Congress.

And are you having a brat summer? Brands and politicians are jumping on the trend started by pop star Charlie XCX. But what is it? We'll explain.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Good to have you with us. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is vowing to fight for the future as the presumptive Democratic nominee kicks off the first rally of her presidential campaign in the key battleground state of Wisconsin. Harris fired up the crowd in Milwaukee just two days after launching her bid for the White House in the wake of President Joe Biden's exit from the race.

Harris made clear she's ready to take on Donald Trump and drew a sharp contrast with her likely rival in November.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, UNITED STATES VICE PRESIDENT: Before I was elected vice president, before I was elected United States Senator, I was elected Attorney General of the State of California and I was a courtroom prosecutor before then. And in those roles, I took on perpetrators of all kinds. Predators who abused women, fraudsters who ripped off consumers, cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain. So hear me when I say, I know Donald Trump's type. (END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: At that rally, Harris began her speech by honoring President Joe Biden and what she called his legacy of accomplishment. Mr. Biden is set to deliver a primetime address on Wednesday, which will focus on his decision to exit the 2024 race and on what lies ahead. Harris is racking up key endorsements with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries joining the growing list of Democrats backing her White House bid. Meantime, Trump has wasted no time attacking Harris.

During a call with reporters the Republican presidential nominee criticized her record on immigration and crime and even portrayed her as radical.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: She's the same as Biden, but much more radical. She's a radical left person and this country doesn't want a radical left person to destroy it. She's far more radical than he is. She wants open borders. She wants things that nobody wants.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Harris is trying to keep building momentum and says she will spend the coming weeks continuing to unite the Democratic Party. CNN's Kayla Tausche has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Good afternoon, Wisconsin.

KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Vice President Kamala Harris taking the reins of President Biden's campaign.

HARRIS: The baton is in our hands.

TAUSCHE (voice-over): Her first rally is the presumptive Democratic nominee in battleground Wisconsin.

HARRIS: The path to the White House goes through Wisconsin.

TAUSCHE (voice-over): Where she put a new twist on a familiar message.

HARRIS: This campaign is also about two different visions for our nation. One, where we are focused on the future. The other focused on the past.

TAUSCHE (voice-over): And a familiar foe.

HARRIS: We'll stop Donald Trump's extreme abortion bans.

TAUSCHE (voice-over): In just two days since President Biden tapped Harris to replace him on the ticket, Harris has rallied the party at the breakneck speed, raking in more than $100 million from mostly new donors, recruiting 58,000 new volunteers across the country and racking up critical endorsements from her former staff, foreign policy experts and prominent leaders of the party.

GOV. ROY COOPER (D-NC): I endorse Kamal Harris 100 percent for this job as president.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): Vice President Harris has done a truly impressive job securing the majority of delegates needed to win. The Democratic Party's nomination to be our next president to the United States.

[02:05;04]

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): Kamala Harris is a common-sense leader who knows how to deliver real results.

TAUSCHE (voice-over): With delegates on board too, the Democratic Party moving forward to make her official. In a process that pledges will be open and fair and conclude by August 7th. In Wilmington, Harris helming a rebranding of Biden headquarters as Biden tells staff she's suited to finish the job.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TAUSCHE: President Biden now back at the White House, where he is continuing to work with advisers to craft a Wednesday primetime address where he'll talk about his decision to end a decades long political career and the work that's left to do.

Kayla Tausche, CNN, the White House.

CHURCH: Larry Sabato is the director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics and the editor of Return to Normalcy: The 2020 Election That Almost Broke America. He joins me now from Charlottesville, Virginia. Good to have you with us.

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA'S CENTER FOR POLITICS: Thanks, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So, Vice President Kamala Harris hit the campaign trail in Milwaukee Tuesday, energized and emboldened as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee attacking Donald Trump by comparing her record to his in an effort to define herself before he does.

How was her message received?

SABATO: Very well. I would say Democrats were not only energized, they were relieved. Remember, this is the first opportunity they've had to see her as the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party. And with all due respect to President Biden, who's been ill but is also elderly, they were delighted with the way she presented the case. She actually did serve as prosecutor of the case against Donald Trump.

That's something that president Biden really is no longer capable of doing. So, it came across well, the crowd loved it. The point she made will help her to do well in the election, because as she noted several times she has a history as a prosecutor, local and state and she's running against somebody who has been convicted of quite a number of felonies.

CHURCH: Meantime, Donald Trump's going on the attack as well in a race to define Harris as more radical than Joe Biden, highlighting policies in San Francisco when she was a prosecutor and now refusing to debate her on ABC in September saying he wants to, but hasn't agreed to anything specific yet. Is he afraid to debate her do you think? What is going on here?

SABATO: Well, that's what it looks like, which is why I think in the end he'll have to agree to a debate. He's not going to like that. And he remembers the debates he had with Hillary Clinton. While Clinton was judged the winner by just about everybody who has any experience in debating. That was not the way it was received by a critical swing group, mainly, white, non-college voters.

And that's what enabled him to carry the blue wall. So, he will have less to fear than he thinks. But he also tends to get nasty, and I use that word because already today, he was calling Kamala Harris a nasty woman. That's precisely what he said about Hillary Clinton during one of the debates in the most memorable segment of those debates.

COLEMAN: Yes. And of course, as you mentioned, the Vice President made it very clear that she will draw on her experience as a prosecutor to go after Trump and he -- he's attacking back, of course, as you've said, it's going to get nasty. He's using the word nasty. How will voters likely respond to this? Because they've been really wanting this political rhetoric to be toned down, haven't they?

SABATO: They have. And the key is going to be how Kamala Harris presents herself in the debate or debates that she has with Trump. She needs to come across as warm, but serious. Hillary Clinton came across as serious. I don't think she was ever terribly warm. I think Kamala Harris and it's sexist, men don't have to worry about this combination, but women candidates do. They have to be open and warm to people, and at the same time, be very incisive.

And she's certainly showed she can do that in the past. There's no reason why she can't do it against Donald Trump. She has a way of using his past phrases to come after him. You may recall that on several occasions when Trump was accused by women of sexual assault or rape, he answered the charge outrageously by saying, she's not my type. And so, what did Kamala Harris say in her speech today? I know his type.

CHURCH: And of course, Larry, for most voters, this election is about the economy, immigration, abortion rights, and other big issues that are also out there. But getting a clear message on these issues is getting harder and harder with so much misinformation and disinformation out there. Many voters, for instance, think that we're in a Recession.

[02:10:08]

We are most definitely not. So how do voters work through the lies and find the facts here going forward?

SABATO: Well, thank God for the fact checkers, you know, they do have an effect and the time they're given is important on T.V. shows as well as in print publications, but it's difficult to do. The best technique which has been honed over the years by politicians on both sides is to immediately change the subject. So, let's say the border, which is a real weakness for the Democrats.

Whenever asked about the border, she should somehow move that into reproductive rights. Now, I don't know exactly how she does it, but I'm not running for president.

CHURCH: Good answer. Larry Sabato, many thanks, as always for joining us. Appreciate it.

SABATO: Thank you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Israel's prime minister will deliver a high stakes address to a joint meeting of U.S. Congress in the coming hours. But the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal talks are looming over his visit to Washington. Benjamin Netanyahu is under pressure from families of the hostages being held by Hamas to take the deal that's on offer. After Netanyahu's meeting in Washington with the families of hostages, the father of one hostage expressed his disappointment that the meeting, "was not a dialogue." But the Prime Minister says he is determined to return everyone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL (through translator): This is an important visit that will give us an opportunity to bring to the representatives of the American people as well as the American people. The importance of their support in the efforts we're making together with them to bring about the release of all the hostages. Both the living and the dead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Israel's response to negotiations is expected on Friday but may include 11th hour demands from Netanyahu touching on key sticking points. Netanyahu will meet with U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday and with Republican U.S. presidential nominee Donald Trump on Friday. But dozens of Democrats are expected to skip the Prime Minister's speech as the party remains divided over his handling of the war in Gaza.

CNN Global Affairs Analyst Kim Dozier joins me now from Washington. Appreciate you being with us.

KIM DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Absolutely.

CHURCH: So Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will address a joint meeting of Congress in the coming hours. What are you expecting to hear him say and how significant is it that Vice President Kamala Harris will not be presiding over this? DOZIER: Well, he has said that the speech will in part center on

thanking President Biden for his contributions since October 7th and to Israel over the past 40 years that Biden has been in government, but expect also to hear some veiled criticism of the U.S. Some thanks for support, but possible mention of those 2,000 bombs that the Biden administration still isn't supplying. Then again, this is a day before Netanyahu will be able to meet with Biden.

That inter -- that meeting at the Oval Office has been pushed back because of COVID from before the speech to Congress until after the speech to Congress. So, whatever he says to Congress, he's going to have to answer for. Now, the fact that Kamala Harris has decided not to preside over the meeting, what that does for her is give her an opportunity to meet him instead at the White House more on his level instead of having to sit behind him during this address that might be partially critical of the U.S. and the Biden administration able to say nothing.

So, it puts her more on an evil, even footing with him, which is something the Democrats will want to do as they build up her stature ahead of the election.

CHURCH: And as you mentioned, Netanyahu will meet with President Joe Biden later this week. How much pressure would you expect the President to bring to bear on Netanyahu to press him to end the war, move in that direction to end the war in Gaza, bring the hostages home and bring this to an end?

DOZIER: But we know administration officials and Biden in particular have been harsher and harsher and more blunt with Netanyahu behind closed doors. And since Biden has said that, since he's now focusing, instead of running for the next election, on the last half year of his presidency resolving the situation in Gaza.

[02:15:04]

You can imagine he will be pushing Bibi Netanyahu to make the kind of compromises that get at least some of the remaining hostages out. That said, the last we heard, the U.S. and Israel thought they'd come to a certain agreement on things, and it was Hamas that had changed some of the demands and made it impossible to get over the line. So, you'll have some harsh exchanges. But at the same time, Netanyahu now knows that Biden has bowed out. It's not a time to kick the U.S. President when he's down.

CHURCH: Yes. And of course, as you mentioned, Netanyahu will also separately meet with Vice President Kamala Harris. What would you expect to come out of that meeting? How awkward perhaps or difficult would that meeting be at this junction?

DOZIER: Well, Harris doesn't want anything to come out of the meeting that would damage her in her three months sprint for being officially named the Democratic candidate and then running for the office of president. And she's already been out front in terms of public statements that go further than what Biden himself has said, calling for a ceasefire, calling for more aid to Palestinians.

So, she's already on the watch for being criticized for being anti- Israel, even though her husband is Jewish and has been fighting against anti-Semitism inside the U.S. So, it's going to be a really as you say, awkward and delicate meeting. She also can't get too far out in front in terms of what her policy is going to be while she's still the vice president. And her job has been to represent and fight for Joe Biden's policy.

What she would do in office, we would more likely find out further along. I don't think she's going to want to tip her hand that much.

CHURCH: And of course, we have also learned that Netanyahu accepted an invitation to meet with Donald Trump at his resort home of Mar-a-Lago. What's your reaction to that arranged meeting?

DOIZIER: Well, this is an opportunity for Netanyahu to try to make amends with Donald Trump, since Donald Trump still is doing very well in the polls. And, you know, some of them have him running neck and neck with Kamala Harris. And Trump, as we all know, has said publicly that he was angry at Netanyahu for being one of the first world leaders to congratulate Joe Biden on his victory over Trump.

So, this is an opportunity for Netanyahu to try to get back in Trump's good graces and, of course, for Trump, if past is any guide to make Bibi kind of beg for that return to the fold.

CHURCH: All right. We'll all be watching very closely. Kim Dozier, thank you so much for joining us and sharing your analysis. Appreciate it.

DOZIER: Thank you.

CHURCH: The head of the U.S. Secret Service has resigned one day after admitting to security lapses in the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. The announcement by Kimberly Cheatle comes after a combative hearing before the House Oversight Committee, where she angered lawmakers by refusing to answer questions about the shooting. CNN's Manu Raju has more now from Capitol Hill.

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A rare moment of bipartisan unity and the capital in the aftermath of Kimberly Cheatle, the U.S. Secret Service director deciding to resign after encountering more than a week of really unwithering criticism over handling of the security lapses that occurred in the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania when she came before the House Oversight Committee.

Just on Monday she struggled to answer questions, refused to answer a number of questions, and that just caused made things even worse for her politically. Democrats and joining Republicans calls for her to step aside, and some Republicans even pushing for her impeachment. That was what Nancy Mace, a congresswoman from South Carolina, had offered a measure to actually force an impeachment vote on the floor of the United States House by Wednesday of this week. But she decided to step aside before that were to happen. It was clear that she -- her support was pretty much gone on Capitol Hill and within different aspects of the Biden administration as well. But I caught up with some Democrats and Republicans in the aftermath of that decision, including one congressman, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee.

You told me that Cheatle gave him the wrong impression, apparently a misleading impression about why she wasn't able to provide him with more details.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MARK GREEN (R-TN): She said that the FBI had constrained her from, you know, talking to her own people because it's an active investigation. I talked to the deputy or director at FBI and he said that wasn't true. So --

[02:20:07]

RAJU: Se's lying to you.

GREEN: Well, that was a false statement. According to the FBI, you know, I don't know. But according to the FBI director, they do not do that. And so, it's really disappointing. I mean, that's when you find out the after action stuff for, you know, you get in there and find that out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: So where do they go from here? They still plan to investigate in the House. There's some talks of investigation ongoing in the Senate. There's going to be a bipartisan task force created with the support of the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, and the Democratic leader, Hakeem Jeffries to investigate the security lapses. That will play out through the course of this fall. We'll see if it devolves into any sort of partisan acrimony, which is typical on Capitol Hill.

But at the moment, this is a bipartisan investigation. As they say, they're trying to figure out what happened in Butler, Pennsylvania and to ensure it doesn't happen again.

Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.

CHURCH: When we come back. All eyes are on Paris with just two days to go until the Olympic opening ceremony. A live report from France next.

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CHURCH: We are just two days away from the start of the Summer Olympic Games. The torch relay made its way to Versailles on Tuesday. Right now, it's on the outskirts of Paris before it makes its final journey to the River Seine, where Friday's opening ceremony takes place. Meanwhile, athletes are arriving at the Olympic Village, and the atmosphere is buzzing as events for the games kickoff today with men's football and rugby. And CNN's Saskya Vandoorne joins us now live from Paris. Good to see you, Saskia. So, the opening ceremony is now just two days away with the Olympic torch making its way toward Paris. What more can you tell us about what we can expect in the days ahead?

SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN SENIOR FIELD PRODUCER: Yes. Well, Rosemary, excitement really is mounting here. You mentioned the torch and it is going to be carried by that U.S. rapper Snoop Dogg on Friday through Saint-Denis, a suburb of Paris. Now that suburb is also housing the Olympic village. And Rosemary, I was lucky enough to go and visit it recently. And let me tell you, it is impressive.

Paris 2024 has set itself a goal of being the most sustainable games yet. And you can really see that at the village, you know, you've got these solar rooftop panels, these rooftop gardens, you've got these cardboard beds and stools quite similar to what was in Tokyo. But it's a neighborhood that's really been built to last. Now, meanwhile, I'm here in central Paris, and Rosemary, everybody's talking about one thing, and that is the opening ceremony on Friday.

Now, it is the first time an opening ceremony for the Summer Games is taking place outside of a stadium and it's going to be here on the Seine. So, we're talking about a six-kilometer route, down the Seine you're going to have up to 7, 000 athletes on boats making their way down the river. And here you may be able to just see the seats up to 300,000 spectators are expected to cheer them on. Rosemary?

[02:25:04]

CHURCH: An exquisite backdrop there. And of course, Saskya, what is the latest on security preparations ahead of Friday's opening ceremony?

VANDOORNE: Yes, Rosemary. Well, the terror alert in France is currently at its highest. It was raised after that attack on the Moscow concert hall. And officials have been telling me that their greatest threat, their main concern is from Islamist, terrorism. But, you know, police here say that they are ready, they are prepared that these games are going to be safe. Take a listen to this general who we spoke to.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. ERIC CHASBEOUF, DEPUTY COMMANDER, OLYMPIC GAMES MILITARY FORCES: We'll have, more than 10, 000 soldiers, more than 35, 000 policemen, it will be completely secure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VANDOORNE: Now, Rosemary, they have carried out over 900,000 investigations ahead of the games. And just yesterday, a Russian national was detained as he was suspected of preparing something to destabilize the games. So, there is a big, you know, security apparatus. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Good to know. Saskya Vandoorne joining us live from Paris. Many thanks. Very exciting there.

Well, immigration reforms in Japan could cause thousands of asylum seekers to be deported. We're live in Tokyo with the details.

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CHURCH: Japan is revising its immigration laws, allowing the country to deport most asylum seekers who've applied for refugee status three times or more. This move is part of an effort to reduce the number of asylum seekers in Japan's detention centers and to remove those with fraudulent cases, according to the Immigration Services Agency. But critics say this new law denies asylum seekers a fair judicial process and goes against the U.N.'s 1951 Refugee Convention which Japan has ratified.

And CNN's Hanako Montgomery is live in Tokyo. She joins us now. Good to see you, Hanako. So, what more are you learning about Japan's new deportation rules and how they're impacting asylum seekers?

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Rosemary. It's good to see you as well.

[02:30:00]

So right now, the immigration agency is currently in the process of reviewing and reassessing asylum seekers' applications, specifically those who have applied for asylum more than three times are subject to deportation.

But the fact of the matter is the immigration agency has remained very elusive about who gets to stay in the country and who actually gets deported. We've spoken to them. We've had several conversations with them, but they haven't identified a clear set of rules, clear guidelines about who gets to stay and is granted asylum.

This has been very frightening for people who seek refugee status because they live in limbo. They don't know if each day will be their last in a country they thought would be a safe haven. And as you mentioned, critics have criticized this new law and have said that it is a real step back for the country and its immigration policy, especially as the country is in desperate need of more foreign workers to help address its demographic crisis and its ailing economy.

Japan in fact, accepted a record number of refugees last year, but it was only about 2 percent of the total number of applications, which means Japan still lags far behind other G7 nations. We spoke to one man who has been living in Japan for nearly two decades now and is still fighting for his legal right to be here. And now, he says he might be returned to a country that he says he absolutely cannot return to. This is his story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MONTGOMERY: Lot of demonstration here in Tokyo, where people are protesting Japan's immigration law revisions. They are angry and they are scared because they say Japan is tightening its borders even more to refugees who actually need protection.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Among the protesters is Myou Chou Chou who for 18 years has called these streets home, but not by choice. Born a Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, ethnic and sectarian violence governed his life.

MYOU CHOU CHOU, ASYLUM SEEKER (through translator): I'm still scarred by the bullying and discrimination that I experienced. It has brought me great trauma.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Fueled by anger at injustice, Myou joined now deposed leader, Aung San Suu Kyi's democracy movement at 16. Survival was a daily battle, but he left the fighting behind when the military junta repeatedly and unlawfully detained his father in his place, Myou says. He escaped in 2006. His father enlisted a broker who got Myou a passport and a one-way ticket to Japan, a destination Myou only learned about on the day he left.

CHOU CHOU (through translator): I didn't even have time to say goodbye to my mother. I still can't forget that day. I've put my father through so much.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Since fleeing, Myou hasn't seen his family who are now in a refugee camp in Bangladesh. Has only tie to Myanmar is through friends still fighting for democracy, who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of persecution. They lamented how Myou, even after years in Japan, was still denied human rights. As one of nearly 14,000 asylum seekers currently in Japan, Myou is safe from political persecution, but assimilating into a country that's more than 98 percent ethnically Japanese has been a challenge for Myou, a reality underscored with three rejected refugee applications.

But now, even safety is no longer guaranteed. He fears a sudden deportation under Japan's new controversial immigration law.

MONTGOMERY: We just got off the phone with immigration agency. They said that anybody who is facing any real danger back home wouldn't be forcefully deported, but they acknowledged that this was still a really long and arduous process and one that they haven't really figured out entirely.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Now, Myou says he faces an impossible choice.

CHOU CHOU (through translator): I don't want to be sent to Myanmar and lose my life at the hands of the dictatorial military regime over there. I don't want to waste what my father did to save me.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Myou, just one of thousands of desperate asylum seekers, finds his life hanging in the balance in Japan with no refuge in sight.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MONTGOMERY: So Rosemary, for an asylum seeker who might not have the language skills, who might not have the legal representation and who doesn't even have any family in Japan, you can only imagine how frightened they must be when they navigate this very, very uncertain time for them. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Absolutely terrifying situation. Hanako Montgomery joining us live from Tokyo with that report. Appreciate it.

And we'll be right back.

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[02:36:50]

CHURCH: While President Joe Biden at the age of 81, was struggling to win over younger voters, it seems his 59-year-old vice president and now presumptive presidential nominee is brat and that's a good thing in the world of Gen Z. Here is CNN's Anna Stewart to explain what 'brat' actually means.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Last summer, the world went pink -- buses, shop fronts and billboards. This year, pink is out and lime green is in. From cosmetics retailers, this now TikTok famous deli in Charleston, even London Zoo got in on the action. Charli XCX spawned this trend with the launch of her 'Brat' album in June. Slime green, basic font, it is irreverent.

STEWART: Am I surprised it has inspired a whole summer trend? Little bit.

STEWART (voice-over): You can look to music videos like '360' for inspiration, or get the definition from the artist herself.

CHARLI XCX, SINGER: But it can also be like so, like trashy, just like a pack of cigarettes and a bit (ph) lighter?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

CHARLI XCX: And a like a strappy white top?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.

CHARLI XCX: With no bra.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.

CHARLI XCX: That's like kind of what it means (ph).

(LAUGH)

STEWART (voice-over): Beyond that, it is hard to really nail down what brat girl summer looks like.

STEWART: Do you know the answer to this question?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Charli XCX.

STEWART: Yes. (LAUGH)

STEWART: You know. You know.

STEWART (voice-over): Stumbling upon film director, a good write was worth further investigation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Charli XCX, there you go.

STEWART: Are you brat girl summer?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I hope so. Not today, I don't feel like I am today, but like the boots kinda (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: SPF in your girlies.

(LAUGH)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: SPF.

(LAUGH)

STEWART: What? What does that even mean?

STEWART (voice-over): This is just the latest micro-trend, recent ones include gorpcore, coastal grandma, and last year's tomato girl summer.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it has a bit of that if-you-know-you-know angle, like if you understand it, you want to buy into it. It doesn't guarantee viral success, but it is just very easy to hop on and people will enjoy it.

STEWART (voice-over): With engagement that easy, even politicians are having a brat girl summer. It was a bratty election campaign for the U.K. Green Party and now, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is hoping slime green will appeal, and Charli approves.

STEWART: Going to be a brat girl summer?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my God, thank you. You too, have a brat girl summer.

STEWART: Bye.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bye.

(LAUGH)

STEWART: I like brat girl summer.

STEWART (voice-over): Anna Stewart, CNN, London.

STEWART: Do you know what brat girl summer is?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

(LAUGH)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Consider yourself educated. Now, earlier, I spoke with Washington Post Columnist Taylor Lorenz and I asked her whether the young voting bloc that's been energized by Harris' candidacy could also become her secret weapon as she hits the campaign trail?

TAYLOR LORENZ, COLUMNIST, WASHINGTON POST: We had record youth turnout in 2020 when Biden was running, a huge part of that was driven by getting Trump out of office.

[02:40:00]

You saw a bunch of content creators rally in this big collective called 'TikTok for Biden' to group behind him. However, four years later, those same content creators really had lost faith in Biden. The biggest collective of them, as I mentioned, 'TikTok for Biden' changed its name. It was no longer endorsing him. Now, this group has come out in support of Harris.

So, I think Harris being able to leverage these young voters turn out -- turn them out at the polls, I guess, this fall could be a huge boost. I think it could be a, yeah, real secret weapon.

CHURCH: I mean, that is the key, isn't it? Does this enthusiasm translate to votes?

LORENZ: Yeah, we know that online enthusiasm can translate to votes. I mean, you see huge efforts by a lot of these young activists to get kids registered to vote through platforms like Snapchat, using social media, and kids feel really motivated. I mean, I spoke to one 20-year- old who was previously kind of on the fence about Biden and said this is the first time in her entire life that she has felt excited about a presidential candidate.

And that's what a lot of Gen Z-ers told me. They didn't have that 2008 Obama moment that a lot of millennials had where they felt really excited about this candidate. They had Hillary in 2016, some of them, but most of them were too young to vote in that election. And then 2020, Joe Biden was not their top pick. So, Kamala is really resonating and I do think that it could be reflected in the polls this fall.

CHURCH: Right. And of course, since Joe Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris, the internet has been flooded with memes of coconut trees, Harris dance moves, laughing it up. How are young voters defining kamala Harris?

LORENZ: Yeah, Kamala is seen as their kind of cookie aunt. You know, she is seen as relatable and funny. She has got these viral moments that make great memes. People make fan cams of her, which are these videos that edit her in this positive light. I don't think that they're as familiar with her actual track record. I mean, some of them have expressed hope that she might support certain policies. I think right now, Kamala herself has not really released a lot of her agenda yet to the public.

We know that she has an extensive career in the criminal justice system. But I think a lot more people are supporting her right now based on her vibe. I think once she starts announcing her policies, you know, we'll see if that changes.

CHURCH: And you can watch my full interview with Taylor Lorenz next hour. Thank you so much for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. "World Sport" is up next. Then I will be back in about 15 minutes with more "CNN Newsroom." Do stick around.

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