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CNN International: Today: Netanyahu Addresses Congress, Biden Addresses Nation; Biden To Address Nation For First Time Since Exiting Race; Biden Vows To "Get As Much Done As I Possibly Can" During Remaining Time In The White House. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired July 24, 2024 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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BIANNA GOLODRYGA, HOST, "CNN NEWSROOM": Hello, and welcome to our viewers from around the world. I am Bianna Golodryga in New York.
Ahead on CNN Newsroom, it is a big day in Washington, D.C., from the FBI Director in the hot seat at a hearing into the Trump assassination attempt to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to Congress, and President Biden's Oval Office address to the nation, where he'll discuss his decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race. CNN has teams across it all, bringing you the very latest. Plus, the battle is on to win over key battleground states, as Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump hit the campaign trails. And ahead of Friday's opening ceremony, the first event of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games is underway.
Well, it is an incredibly busy day in Washington with so much at stake on domestic and foreign policy fronts. Just three hours from now, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will address both houses of Congress for a record fourth time. Then tonight, President Joe Biden will speak to the nation from the Oval Office, explaining his decision to exit the 2024 race and pass the torch to Vice President Kamala Harris.
Netanyahu's speech comes at a critical point for the war in Gaza, a war subsidized in part at least by U.S. weapons and cash. He is trying to shore up support from friendly faces and wants to keep the focus on the threat from Hamas and Iran and bringing the hostages home. But, after ignoring U.S. calls to rein in operations in Gaza, as the humanitarian crisis spirals and the death toll soars, he is facing considerable pushback. At least nine senators and 39 representatives are boycotting the speech, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Bernie Sanders. He says Netanyahu should never had been invited.
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SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): It will be the first time in American history that a war criminal has been given that honor. Frankly, this invitation to Netanyahu is a disgrace and something that we will look back on with regret. I hope that for one second, the members who attend will focus just for a second on the starving children in Gaza. I hope while they applaud that they will think about the hundreds of aid workers killed, the dozens of hospitals bombed, the housing destroyed --
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GOLODRYGA: Vice President Harris is another absentee. The Democratic presidential candidate declined to preside over the speech in her constitutional role. President Biden will also stay away. He and Harris are expected to meet separately with Prime Minister Netanyahu tomorrow.
We're joined now by Oren Liebermann in Washington, D.C., and Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv.
Oren, let's start with you. And I think people would be remiss not to acknowledge the fact that despite a lot of tensions surrounding this speech and controversy, those staying out and not going at all, this was an invitation that was extended by all four House leaders, even though some were begrudging in that invitation. What more can we expect to see in the coming hours before the speech?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Sure. So, first, there are just under 50 Members of Congress as of right now that will not be attending Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech. It's worth noting that it was almost exactly the same number the last time Netanyahu spoke before Congress in 2015. Then, it was 58 members of Congress who didn't attend. Still, Israel has bipartisan support. We saw that with the billions Israel gotten the supplemental several months ago. And that's what Netanyahu says part of his speech will be about, maintaining Israel's bipartisan support of Congress.
Now, of course, it's a different scenario. Then, Israel was two weeks before the election. So, it was an overtly political speech, regardless of the bipartisan statements in it. This time, Netanyahu facing that same criticism that giving a speech right now in the middle of a war that he has left Israel to speak at here is also a political speech, at least to some extent. So, that criticism is very much there, as he takes the podium here in several hours here.
Now, it's expected, of course, he will talk about trying to present the united front against Iran. That is something that certainly has bipartisan support in Congress. But, we'll see how this speech develops. It's worth noting there are certainly some notable Jewish members of Congress who will not be attending, for example, Senator Bernie Sanders as well as Congresswoman Sara Jacobs.
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Worth noting that Congressman Jerry Nadler has said, although he is incredibly critical of Netanyahu, he will be there to support Israel, and there are several other members who have put forward that same sentiment, criticism of Netanyahu, but bipartisan support for Israel. And that's why they'll be listening to what Netanyahu has to say when he speaks just a bit later on today. GOLODRYGA: And Oren, aside from this speech that's highly publicized, also of note are some important meetings the Prime Minister will be having, as we noted, with President Biden, with Vice President Kamala Harris, and then on Friday, those two meetings will be on Thursday, and then on Friday, with former President Trump. I'm wondering what kind of surprise perhaps among the Israeli delegation the past few days have been with President Biden saying that he will no longer be seeking the Democratic nomination.
LIEBERMANN: So, we haven't heard sort of an overt reaction to that. Israel has and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made it clear he is going to meet Kamala Harris. You rightly pointed out that Harris will not be attending as the Vice President. She could have, perhaps should have, in her constitutional role, presided over this. Instead, that will fall to Senator Ben Cardin, a Jewish member of the Senate. Also worth noting that in 2015, then-Vice President Joe Biden did not preside over that Netanyahu speech before Congress.
But, Netanyahu making sure that even if they're not here, he will meet with them. He will meet with President Joe Biden. He'll meet with Harris. And then according to former President Donald Trump, it was at Netanyahu's request that Netanyahu will meet with Trump. That will occur on Friday in Mar-a-Lago. So, Netanyahu will take the Israeli version of Air Force One down to Florida. Netanyahu essentially checking all of his boxes here, making sure he is playing it safe, and making sure that no matter what happens in November, he will have met the person who will become President. That's Netanyahu trying to make sure he has covered all of his bases, no matter what happens in American politics.
GOLODRYGA: Oren Liebermann, thank you.
Let's go over to Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv. Jeremy, what more insight can you give us in terms of what we're expecting to hear out of this speech? Perhaps, there will be less divisiveness. At least that's what was being promoted by the Prime Minister and more focused perhaps even on the hostages and the threat from Iran.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, that's because the last time the Israeli Prime Minister spoke to Congress during the Obama administration, it was a fairly charged political speech that really kind of cast into question this kind of notion of bipartisan support for Israel and also a kind of nonpartisan approach from the Israeli Prime Minister. But this time, the Israeli Prime Minister's advisors are indicating that his speech will be -- have a bipartisan intent behind it that one of his main goals here is to revive bipartisan support for Israel, and also, of course, having a massive audience here, not only of lawmakers, but of Americans who will tune into this speech to try and make his case for why Israel feels this war is necessary, to remind the world what happened on October 7 that launched this war.
But, of course, beyond all of that, the Israeli Prime Minister is also going to be looking to a domestic political audience for himself over here in Israel, where people are waiting to see, first of all, how he is received, of course, by American lawmakers, given the importance that people here give to the U.S.-Israel relationship. But also, there has been a lot of criticism already of the fact that the Israeli Prime Minister traveled to Washington before having any kind of ceasefire deal, as he is still holding up his negotiators from traveling to meet with the mediators until after he meets with President Biden tomorrow to submit the latest Israeli response.
And just in the last couple of hours, Benny Gantz, a former member of the war cabinet, who is now once again a member of the opposition, has accused the Israeli Prime Minister of delaying progress on a deal that would have secured -- that could potentially still secure the release of the hostages out of political considerations, suggesting that the Israeli Prime Minister is waiting for the Knesset, Israel's parliament, to go into summer recess next week before he moves potentially towards a ceasefire deal. And that's because once the Knesset is out of session, it's not impossible, but it is somewhat harder for a vote of no confidence to be taken for efforts to be made to collapse the Israeli government.
And so, the suggestion is that the Israeli Prime Minister has been waiting for that moment in order to do this. But, as Benny Gantz says, the hostages, in his words, quote "do not have another day," noting the fact that since the outline was proposed back in May, that is the basis for these current negotiations, we have lost, he says, about a quarter of the hostages alive. Some of those, of course, were declared dead -- believed to be dead since October 7, but only declared so now. Bianna.
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GOLODRYGA: Yeah, and we've been seeing and hearing from so many hostage families whether in Israel or those that traveled here to Washington, D.C., to continue to put that pressure on the Prime Minister to agree to a deal and do so now. Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv, thank you so much.
Well, let's get some perspective now from Steven Cook, a Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. He is also the author of "The End of Ambition: America's Past, Present, and Future in the Middle East." Steven, it is good to see you. Welcome to the program. So, I think for most of those who are hoping to hear from the Prime Minister in his speech that a deal has been reached and agreed to, they likely will be disappointed, because as we heard there from Jeremy, if any deal does come through and optimism is higher than it has been before, it likely would happen when the Knesset is out of session, and it'll be out of session, we should note, until the end of October.
So, given that, given that there may not be many deliverables he will bring other than perhaps and attempted bipartisanship after being so divisive for so many years, what is the purpose of this speech for the Prime Minister?
STEVEN COOK, SR. FELLOW FOR MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Well, this is really something that the Prime Minister needs to do to -- for a domestic audience to demonstrate that he hasn't wrapped the U.S.-Israel relationship, which is, of course, of utmost importance to large numbers of Israelis. Netanyahu is a divisive character here in Washington, D.C. I think, in a city where there is very little bipartisanship, I think there is bipartisan agreement that he is at least problematic, and at most someone who is mistrustful.
But, nevertheless, Israel and Netanyahu do have a reservoir of significant support here. And since his opponents have been accusing him of undermining that relationship, it's important for him to demonstrate that in a bipartisan way as best as he can. But certainly, he'll bask in the glow of support from Republicans in the Congress.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah. And I would imagine that like all of us, he has been glued and his advisors have been glued to the nonstop political developments here in the United States, had he been writing his speech last week. Many in Israel, and as you know, many here in the United States, thought that this was an election that looked like it was Trump's to lose. Things are a bit different now that President Biden said he will not be seeking reelection. And now, you have Kamala Harris in the mix. I'm wondering if that puts increased pressure on the Prime Minister, a, given that -- I don't know that there is much history between the two of them, and b, perhaps he shouldn't put all his eggs in the Trump basket at this point and try to kick the can down the road, hoping for a better deal.
COOK: Well, Prime Minister Netanyahu has been playing in American domestic politics since his first term in the prime ministry in the mid-1990s. And he seems to be someone who feels more comfortable with Republicans. And we know that some of his closest advisors believe that the Israeli government should double down and seek more support from the Republicans. And that is indeed one of the reasons why he is going to see former President Trump, with whom publicly he had a good relationship, but privately, President Trump disliked Netanyahu, believing him to be mistrustful.
But, you do raise the very interesting and important point that there is a new factor here, which is the Vice President is now at the top of the presidential ticket. There has been some political momentum since President Biden dropped out in support of Vice President Harris, and Netanyahu is going to have to at least consider the possibility that she may become President. I think that this initial meeting with her is certainly going to sign her up as the potential President of the United States.
GOLODRYGA: And as President Biden, we're probably going to hear more from him tonight, is going to be looking towards the remainder of his term this lame duck session, we hear he is very committed not only to a hostage deal, but pursuing other policies as well in the Middle East, and that is securing a longer term peace deal with Saudi Arabia. What are the prospects in your view of that happening between now and then?
COOK: I think it's quite unlikely that there will be a deal, a security pact with the Saudis. The time is running out. The Saudis have, in fact, all but word said they don't expect this to happen before the end of this term, though. They were -- have been very, very interested in trying to complete something before the President's term.
As far as the ceasefire deal goes, as you pointed out in your discussion with Oren Liebermann and Jeremy Diamond, there is a sense that there is a political aspect here of Netanyahu's delay in terms of a ceasefire. But, of course, at the other end is Hamas, which has over time undermined deals that the United States and other mediators thought that they had.
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So, it seems that the administration believes that it's close to some sort of deal, but I'll believe it when I see it. We've been hearing for the better part of six months that a deal would be imminent.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah. And you're so right to bring in the other big player here, and that is Hamas itself, which started this war on October 7th, and obviously is a key decider in whether or not they agree to a deal to. This isn't just a unilateral decision by Prime Minister Netanyahu, though it would be really helpful to hear that he is more focused on this, and many in Israel and here in the U.S. believe he is.
Steven Cook, thank you so much. Great to see you.
COOK: Thank you so much.
GOLODRYGA: Well, as Israel's Prime Minister prepares to address the U.S. Congress in around three hours' time, he also faces protests both at home and now in Washington. Those demonstrations from families of hostages, pro-Palestinian groups and Israeli anti-war groups alike. Benjamin Netanyahu's controversial U.S. visit was orchestrated by Republican leaders, and many prominent Democrats are choosing to skip his speech.
Meantime, President Biden is preparing for what might be the most important speech of his 52-year political career. In the hours ahead, he is set to address to the nation on his shocking decision to end his reelection bid. We'll have a preview live from the White House next. Plus, this speech will mark only the fourth time Joe Biden addressed the nation from the Oval Office. Our political panel will tell us their expectations for tonight.
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LYNDON B. JOHNSON, 36TH U.S. PRESIDENT: Accordingly, I shall not seek and I will not accept the nomination of my party for another term as your President.
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GOLODRYGA: Well, in just a few hours, U.S. President Biden will address the nation about something no sitting American President has done in more than half a century, decline the chance to seek reelection. From the Oval Office, President Biden is expected to detail how and why he made the stunning decision to exit the presidential race and pass the baton to Vice President Kamala Harris. The President will also likely make a case for his legacy, one Harris has already begun defending.
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KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S., (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Joe's legacy of accomplishment over his entire career and over the past three and a half years is unmatched in modern history. In one term, think about it, in one term as President, he has already surpassed the legacy of most presidents who served two terms in office.
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GOLODRYGA: CNN's Arlette Saenz joins us now from the White House. We played that clip from LBJ, and obviously a big difference here, Arlette, is one that there is not an ongoing U.S. war at this point, and his announcement, LBJ's, that is, was far earlier in the election cycle. Here we've had a bit of whiplash.
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As of Friday, the President said that he'd be back on the campaign trail, and yet, here we are less than a week later where he is expected to announce to the nation his decision why he is stepping down. What can we expect to hear?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bianna, President Biden is preparing for perhaps what will be one of the most, if not the most important and historic speeches of his more than 50 years in political life. The President this evening will be speaking from the Oval Office, really a rarity for presidents. This will be the third time Biden is doing so, and the second time since he did just this month. He had spoken earlier in the month following former President Donald Trump's assassination attempt.
But, it really comes as President Biden is looking for the very first time to offer a fulsome explanation to the American public for why he decided to bow out of this 2024 race. Of course, the President stunned his own party and upended this political race on Sunday when he released that letter on social media, saying that he would step aside from this race in the best interest of the country, and ultimately wanted to ensure that he was addressing the American people about this decision going forward.
Now, we're told that President Biden has been working on this speech since his announcement to bow out of the race went public on Sunday. He has been working closely with one of his top advisors and longest serving advisors, Mike Donilon, to craft a speech that aides say will really give him a chance to explain why he dropped out of the race, but also talk about the vision for the path forward. President Biden, at this point, will be heading into a lame duck presidency. This is something that has frustrated many presidents in the cycles past. But, Biden himself has tried to argue that he isn't going anywhere, that there is still a lot more he wants to accomplish. Take a listen to what he told his former staff when he called into the campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, on Monday.
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VOICE OF JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I won't be on a ticket, but I'm still going to be fully, fully engaged. I've got six months left in my presidency, and I'm determined to get as much done as I possibly can, both foreign policy and domestic policy; keep lowering costs for families; continue to speak out on guns and childcare, eldercare, prescription drugs, and climate.
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SAENZ: And another area President Biden has said will be a key priority for him is relates to the Gaza conflict. He told his staff on Monday that he believes that they could be on the verge of reaching some type of deal to end the conflict and bring those hostages home to their families. Tomorrow, here at the White House, President Biden will sit down with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, where the potential ceasefire deal is something that likely will come up in those conversations. But tonight, for President Biden, it will be an opportunity to explain why he bowed out of this race, reflect on his more than 50 years in political life, and talk about how he sees the next few months of his presidency panning out.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Arlette Saenz, thank you, from the White House. We appreciate it.
Now, let's bring in our panel. Lynn Sweet is the Washington Bureau Chief for the Chicago Sun-Times, and CNN Political Analyst Seung Min Kim, she is White House Reporter for the Associated Press.
Lynn, let's start with you. Just the significance of this moment, as I noted there with Arlette, what a change in tone and sentiment and mood among Democrats, in particular, in this country, in less than a week. Talk about the pivotal nature of this decision by the President, which clearly wasn't an easy one to make.
LYNN SWEET, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: Well, however he came to it, it was clearly the right decision by any way you measure it. The mood over the 2024 presidential election went in a snap from gloom to glee. The convention, the events and the run up to it, the rallies that presumptive Democratic nominee Harris will preside over, will have and we've seen already an exuberance that just would not have existed with Biden. At the same, time, what President Biden has done is he cemented his legacy, and that I think we will hear a lot about tonight when he speaks.
If he had stayed in the race, he would go out as a loser who might have brought down a lot of the Democratic Party with him. If he -- now that he is staying in the race, these last weeks since his disastrous debate performance will later be diminished, as his fuller legacy goes in the history books.
GOLODRYGA: Seung Min, what will you be looking for in his speech tonight? SEUNG MIN KIM, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER, ASSOCIATED PRESS, & CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I'll be looking for how much he leans into promoting Kamala Harris as a successor without being overtly political. Obviously, it is an Oval Office address. It's the official side. It is not a campaign speech. But, he does really want to focus on his legacy here and remind America -- remind voters, remind Americans what he has been able to do in office, and so much of his legacy and the success and the endurance of that legacy depends on Kamala Harris and whether she could win in November against Donald Trump.
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Obviously, the survival of so many of his legislative accomplishments will -- would be very much at risk if Trump wins the White House and particularly if Republicans take control of the Congress. And just, if she, for example, if she loses, there could be some sort of second guessing, did Biden -- did President Biden bow out kind of too late in this process in a presidential year? Obviously, this timing, this moment is unprecedented in modern history. And I would be really interested in hearing how he frames his legacy, what he has been able to do for the American people, and where he kind of sees himself in the -- in sort of the arc of American presidential history, all points that I think he'll try to lay out for the American people tonight.
GOLODRYGA: And Lynn, to that point that Seung Min made, there had been reports, there had been leaks from within this own administration that perhaps one of the reasons that President Biden didn't bow out earlier was because there were some who viewed his Vice President is not up to the task or as a weaker potential candidate. Clearly, that is all changed. He has now fully endorsed her. But, how much concern is that that that can be used against them, in particular, by Republicans?
KIM: Well, whatever the Republicans are going to use, they're going to use no matter who the President is, every name that's been mentioned, as somebody who has been in public life, who is going to have something that the Republicans will go after. Going after the Democratic nominee over immigration, over the southern border was going to happen whether or not Harris was the nominee.
The only thing I hope people understand is that if the Democrats vaulted over Harris for some reason, it would have caused as much of a problem as anything it would have addressed by putting in another person, which by the way would have been enormously difficult, given the timetable of the primaries. In a sense, these few weeks since the debate technically did not make much of a difference in terms of replacing a Democratic nominee. The most important thing is it had to be done before the convention, and Democrats just to have a safety, just to pad their safety lane here are going to probably today in a few hours decide to have a virtual roll call as soon as August 1, if no other Democrat surfaces.
So, this talk that Harris was or was not up to it, I just thought is irrelevant, and probably never true, and by -- and what's put forth by people who didn't have a realistic view of how anyone but Harris would have replaced Biden on the ticket GOLODRYGA: Seung Min, from your reporting, what kind of a role can we expect to see the President have going forward on the campaign trail there alongside the Vice President? I would imagine he is going to play a role at the Democratic National Convention next month. But, from there, what are some of the reporting that you're hearing on that front?
KIM: Right. Well, Biden advisors have actually told us that we do expect the President to be as engaged as he can when it comes to campaigning for Vice President Harris, obviously, not as much as he would have been had he been the candidate at the top of the ticket. But, he is still going to be very much involved in the ways that he can in terms of doing events, doing fundraising, whatever he can do to make sure that sort of Biden-Harris administration legacy is going, and a big part of that is, again, his legacy is so intertwined with her successes in November.
I mean, he -- every President wants to leave a good mark behind when he leaves the White House. But, so much of what he has done, whether it's on the executive orders front or all the legislative accomplishments, the domestic policy achievements, really depends on Harris -- Kamala Harris winning the White House and Democrats retaining control of Congress, and that's what's really going to be motivating him here to make sure that his party, his broader history, his broader legacy is secured in the history books by helping her win.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, because clearly at this point, her legacy is closely tied to his as well. Lynn Sweet and Seung Min Kim, thank you so much for joining us.
SWEET: Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: Still to come for us, another high-level hearing on the Trump assassination attempt, one day after the Secret Service Director resigns. We'll go live to Capitol Hill. Plus, both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are hitting the campaign trail with only a little more than 100 days until the November election. Details ahead on their contrasting messages for voters.
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GOLODRYGA: All right. Welcome back. You're watching CNN Newsroom. I am Bianna Golodryga in New York.
Well, now to the very latest on the investigation of the Trump assassination attempt. As congressional leaders prepare to vote on establishing a bipartisan task force, a high-ranking federal law enforcement official is now in the hot seat. Right now, in this moment, FBI Director Christopher Wray has been testifying before the House Judiciary Committee, a key takeaway from his testimony that the shooter flew a drone near the Pennsylvania site before the rally. Wray's appearance comes one day after the Secret Service Director resigned in the wake of July 13th attack.
CNN National Security Reporter Zachary Cohen is following all the developments, and joins us now from Washington. Zach, what more can you tell us about what we've heard from the Director at this point?
ZACHARY COHEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yeah. Chris Wray already providing some new details about what investigators have recovered and found at the scene of the shooting, including the explosive devices that we knew were recovered from both the shooter's car and from his home. But, take a listen to how Christopher Wray described these devices in the potential threat they posed.
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CHRISTOPHER WRAY, FBI DIRECTOR: Around 03:50 p.m., four o'clock in that window on the day of the shooting, that the shooter was flying the drone around the area.
REP. JIM JORDAN (R-OH): Two hours --
WRAY: About 11, I want to be clear. But, when I say the area, not over the stage and that part of the area itself, I would say about 200 yards, give or take away.
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COHEN: So, I apologize. Wray is describing the drone that they also recovered from the shooter's car and vehicle at the scene. And he remarkably said that the shooter was able to fly this drone. It was in the air for about 11 minutes, just two hours before the rally began and before Donald Trump took the stage on July 13th, which is really shocking considering the fact that the U.S. Secret Service and local law enforcement partners on the ground specifically are looking out for drone, aerial devices like that, and are supposed to prevent that from happening.
But, I want to go back to the explosive devices as well, because Chris Wray did elaborate a little bit on those, and he said that, yes, there were three explosive devices recovered from two different scenes. Two of them were found in the shooter's car. Interestingly, Wray says that a transmitter was also found on the shooter, suggesting that they had the capability to be detonated remotely.
Now, the only reason that investigators said they don't believe that these things would have gone off if the shooter had tried is because the receivers in the car were on the on switch -- or the off switch instead of the on switch. So, really still trying to learn more about the intent and the motive of this shooter. Really some interesting new details about the weapons that have been recovered, and the potential for more casualties.
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That was something that Chris Wray really emphasized is that the evidence so far suggests there was certainly a potential for more casualties to have been inflicted in this attack. But, ultimately, Chris Wray will resume testifying here once they return from break. And he has indicated that he is willing to answer any of the questions from lawmakers that he can.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, and many of them are presumably will be tough questions as well. But, I would assume that unlike the Secret Service Director Cheatle, who had really lost confidence from members of Congress from both sides of the aisle, that's not the case here with Director Wray or at least over this particular issue?
COHEN: Certainly, it seems that he is taking the opposite approach of Director Cheatle which, as you mentioned, was kind of the last straw and ultimately forced her to resign after her testimony. She didn't really get into any issues. She cited ongoing investigations as the reason that she couldn't provide really details to even the most basic questions. Chris Wray making clear at the outset in his opening statement today, though, that he will provide new information in response to questions from lawmakers' specific questions. So, he is making them ask the right question, but if they do, he will provide them as much new information as he possibly can.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Zachary Cohen, thank you so much.
Well, Donald Trump is back on the campaign trail for the first time since Joe Biden dropped out and Kamala Harris stepped in. Coming up, we'll be live in D.C. with the latest, including the new tactics Trump is taking against Harris. Plus, we're tracking Kamala Harris out on the campaign trail, as the Vice President prepares to rally in red states this week.
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GOLODRYGA: President Biden's reelection bid reportedly raised more than $90 million at the end of June. Well, now, with Biden out of the race, Donald Trump's campaign argues that that money should not be going to a new candidate. The Trump campaign has filed their complaint with the Federal Election Commission. They accuse Kamala Harris of committing a quote "heist of Joe Biden's leftover campaign cash." Well, aside from funds, Donald Trump is also escalating his attacks on Harris's record. During a press call on Tuesday, Trump slammed Harris for the Biden administration's handling of the southern border crisis.
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VOICE OF DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: As a result of her dangerously extreme immigration policies, the largest invasion in history is now taking place at our southern border, and it's getting worse, not better.
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GOLODRYGA: Vice President Kamala Harris is planning out her strategy in the White House and the race for the White House as well. A new campaign memo reveals how the Harris campaign is planning their path to victory. With Harris at the top of the ticket, the campaign says they have created a quote "expanded universe of swing voters." Voters, the campaign is confident they can win over. The Harris campaign believes in an optimistic push to go beyond the so-called blue wall of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Today, the Vice President heads to Indianapolis before traveling to Houston.
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She already has been in front of a raucous crowd this week, holding her first rally in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Tuesday.
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(CROWD CHANTING "LOCK HIM UP. LOCK HIM UP. LOCK HIM UP. LOCK HIM UP.")
HARRIS: And in this campaign, I promise you, I will proudly put my record against his any day of the week.
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GOLODRYGA: Our team is covering these major campaigns from all angles. Let's bring in Priscilla Alvarez and Alayna Treene. Both of them are joining us live from Washington, D.C.
Priscilla, let's start with you, and Vice President Harris. We heard a bit from her yesterday in terms of what she will be focusing on during this campaign, and that is really digging into her past as a prosecutor going against what they've already labeled a convicted felon, also taking on issues important to many American voters, in particular, undecided voters and women, and that is reproductive rights.
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, and in some ways, we had already seen this unfold as the running mate. She has been on the campaign trail over the course of the year, and she has taken these arguments and each of her speeches, especially reproductive rights. She started a tour on that in January. And she has continued to slam the Trump and -- former President Donald Trump, while defending the Biden administration's record, and also laying out a path forward. And so, what we're seeing now is her elevate those speeches in her remarks as now the expected Democratic nominee.
And so, this has been a moment that her and her team are trying to capitalize on and that they have already seen quite a bit of success, not only raising millions and breaking records, but also just trying to again capitalize on what had been a seismic shift in this operation. Now, she is today in Indianapolis, where she will be addressing a black sorority, and tomorrow, she'll be in Houston, where she will be talking to the American Federation of Teachers - or the American Teachers Federation. And so, these are all packaged together a moment for her to be on the trail in a way that was happening, but is now front and center, and to almost reintroduce her as the presumptive Democratic nominee.
And so, we expect to see more of that to come. Of course, she is also going to face some headwinds when it comes to those Republican attacks on her immigration portfolio. And on that, I've talked to sources who say, over the last three years, they were fully aware that Republicans had been casting her as the border czar. But, that is not what she was charged with. She was charged with addressing root causes of migration in three countries, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. And there has been some success. It's always very hard to know for a fact what is impacting migration. But, we have seen that the number of migrants coming from those three countries has dropped considerably.
And so, how she starts to talk about that portfolio, if at all on the campaign trail, will also be closely watched, as Republicans start to fine tune what had already been political attacks on the U.S-Mexico border against this administration, to now tailoring that specifically to the Vice President. But certainly, she is kicking off this week after a massive change by taking her message on the campaign trail, fine tuning it, and really trying to gin up that enthusiasm that over the last several weeks had been quite absent amid all of the circles circling over the President's candidacy.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah. Quite a difference. 24, 48 hours have made not only in just the enthusiasm, but also just the amount of cash that's come into the campaign as well. Priscilla Alvarez, thank you.
Let's bring Alayna Treene in here and pick up where Priscilla left off, because whether or not she was the border czar or she was tasked with the portfolio of looking at the root causes of migration, that's a play on words at this point, because it's not highlighting an area viewed as a strength of hers as Vice President, and that's exactly why the Republicans are seizing on this particular policy. What else do we expect to hear from the Trump campaign?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, I will tell you that. Some of the key themes that they were going to be targeting Joe Biden on issues like crime, immigration, the border, the economy, all of those things they still believe will be their best issues, as they look ahead to November, even if it means that Kamala Harris is going to be the Democratic nominee or whoever ends up at the top of the ticket.
However, when I privately talked to people close to Trump and some of his advisors, they also admit that she has thrown such uncertainty into this race. Biden's decision over the weekend to step aside and end the campaign has made it very unclear how they're going to move forward.
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And remember, for over a year now, they have this well-worn playbook that was designed to go after an 81-year-old unpopular incumbent, and now they have to really rearrange that and reimagine what that playbook looks like when it comes to someone like Kamala Harris. And it's interesting, because Donald Trump is going to be in North Carolina tonight. Just four days ago, he was in Michigan, and that was on Saturday. He was still acting like Joe Biden was his opponent. And now, the political landscape has really changed beneath him.
So, what I'm told is they've been work -- shopping some of these lines of attack against Harris and other Democrats, but mainly Harris, behind the scenes. And we're very likely to hear many of those new lines of attack at that rally this evening. But, we also heard some of them yesterday. Donald Trump did a call with reporters. I want to point out that that's actually the first of its kind this election cycle. Donald Trump does not normally host these type of press calls. And he test drove some of those lines as well. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOICE OF TRUMP: Kamala Harris was appointed border czar, as you know, in March of 2021. And since that time, millions and millions of illegal aliens have invaded our country. And as weak on crime prosecutor in sanctuary jurisdiction of San Francisco, Kamala refused to seek the death penalty against anybody. I agreed to debate with Joe Biden. But I want to debate her, and she'll be no different, because they have the same policies.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TREENE: Now, Bianna, both you and Priscilla did point this out. But, I do want to just reiterate that fact check that Kamala Harris was never appointed border czar, but she was in charge of working on the diplomatic relations with Central America. Of course, the Department of Homeland Security is responsible for the border. But, all to say, to your point at the top, is this is the issue they are going to be honing in on, specifically immigration and the border. And they do believe that they can try to give Kamala Harris that responsibility because she was part of the Biden administration.
I'm also told, over the next few weeks, Donald Trump is really going to try and define Harris. Even though she is the VP, they argue that she doesn't have as much brand identity with American voters. And they see this period as crucial for trying to define her on their own terms. They're also, of course, very closely monitoring some of the things that Priscilla laid out, which is the Democratic donations pouring in and the Democratic enthusiasm. And so, all of this is kind of playing out behind the scenes, and I think we'll get that first public glimpse of that strategy tonight in North Carolina.
GOLODRYGA: And I believe Donald Trump said he was still open to a debate in September?
TREENE: He did. He actually said on that call yesterday that he wants to debate and he thinks it's his obligation. And so, he kind of put down a marker that he says he wants to do it. It's all we know. If he changes his mind, it'll be interesting to go back to those phone tapes and call him out on it. But, I think as of now, he seems like he is ready to debate with Harris. So, we'll see what happens.
GOLODRYGA: And on ABC, where it was initially scheduled, I know last week he was asking perhaps it to be moved to Fox --
TREENE: For Fox.
GOLODRYGA: -- News or -- yeah, maybe a few days ago. But, that's not the case.
Alayna Treene, thank you so much.
TREENE: Thank you. GOLODRYGA: Still ahead for us, the Olympic Games are officially
underway. We'll have the latest on today's events and the final preparations ahead of Friday's opening ceremony.
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GOLODRYGA: Well, the Olympics opening ceremony isn't until Friday, but the 2024 Olympic Games are officially underway.
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Today's events include football and rugby sevens. French President Emmanuel Macron is in Paris, stopping by the Eiffel Tower Stadium this morning for a look at the sights and to talk to volunteers. Final preparations continue ahead of the opening ceremony taking place at the River Seine, with more than 100,000 spectators expected in the stands along the banks.
We are covering all the angles, as we look ahead to the Olympics. Melissa Bell is in Paris, as organizers carry out last-minute checks, and CNN World Sport's Patrick Snell has the latest on today's events.
Melissa, I'm surprised to see you not swimming again in the river. That aside, what can we expect to see in these final hours before official kickoff?
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Bianna, I decided I would stand above the river this time. It felt safer. Let me just show you what Paris looks like. It's all really been locked down, as you'd expect, because we're very close now to the opening ceremony. You can see it's been decked out. Apart from the odd police barge that you can see there, there is really no traffic at all on the River Seine, as authorities prepare for what's likely to be the most spectacular opening ceremony that was ever known simply because, Bianna, none has ever been held outside of a stadium.
So, all along the River Seine, there are seats. There will be many standing positions as well. And what's that meant in terms of security. If you look above the keys of the Seine, all of those houses, all of those homes had to be secured. It is 20,000 Parisians that the police have had to check and keep an eye on to make sure that the six kilometers of river along which this opening ceremony will happen are completely secured.
But, beyond that, there have been other security operations going on. We've heard from the interior minister that they've carried out a million checks on the volunteers, the workers that are going to be working to make sure the -- not just the opening ceremony, but the Olympic Games function properly. Of those million checks, 5,000 have led to security clearances being canceled.
And what we've heard from French authorities is that they've already had to take someone for preliminary questioning, a Russian national that they say was planning to disrupt the games. In fact, we've heard from France's interior minister, Bianna, that it isn't just Russian nationals that might be trying to disturb things, without giving any precisions as to what other nationalities had been involved in some of those foiled attacks that they say they've been able to make sure weren't successful. So, huge security operation.
Let me just show you, Bianna, outside Paris Town Hall. They're also all decked out for the games, the tremendous police presence that is here. QR codes are checked for people wanting to come in to what is an extremely secured perimeter, as you'd expect, to ensure that this opening ceremony happens as peacefully as Paris organizers hope that it will do, Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: And no doubt a daunting task, so much focus here in the United States on security, especially in an outdoor setting. You've got so many high-profile officials who will be attending as well. But, as you know, this is the first time this won't be happening in a stadium, in a confined space. This will be in the open, and security has been preparing for this for months. Melissa Bell, thank you.
Let's go to CNN World Sport's Patrick Snell, who has been watching today's events. So, what are have we seen, Patrick?
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Hi Bianna. Yeah. Plenty to get to talking about. Wednesday marking the first day of competition. What is on the slate? Well, we've been watching men's football, men's rugby sevens as well. A great double bill of action, by the way, between France and the USA.
Let's start with the men's rugby, where so much of the focus is always on Les Bleus superstar Antoine Dupont, a player widely regarded as one of the best in the world, if not the best, but Dupont and the host nation, a little earlier today, frustrated by the Americans who scored a very, very late try at the Stade de France, and it all ends on as even, 12 points apiece there. That one ending in a draw. A great result for Team USA.
Men's footy also underway, World Cup champs Argentina getting a really late goal Boca Juniors star from Cristian Medina. This in the 16th minute, would you believe, of stoppage time to salvage 2-2 draw against the very frustrated Moroccan team. The Albiceleste having been 2-0 down at one point. And Spain, who just won the Euros last month, I do want to say this is -- remember, it's an under-23 tournament with teams allowed three players over 23, they opened their campaign with a 2-1 win over Uzbekistan. Sergio Gomez getting the game winner for La Roja.
Later on today, we got France taking on America in Marseille. The U.S. men haven't appeared after the Olympics since 2008. But, the Americans have revealed a team movie, a movie night, actually inspiring them. The whole squad gathering to watch "Miracle".
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That's a film about the American ice hockey team that defeated the Soviet Union in a massive upset at the 1980 Winter Olympics. That huge shock known as the Miracle on Ice.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TANNER TESSMANN, TEAM USA MIDFIELDER: Yeah. I think a lot of the
players took away that the group is the strongest thing, not an individual player. And in that movie, they really show that any group of guys that really believe in each other and believe in the group can achieve anything, and I think our team feels that way and understands that the best chance we have is, is we stick together. So, I think that was a good movie for us to watch going into the games.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNELL: We will see about the impact. Now, this is a surreal one, a curious one this, Bianna, because of when it comes to women's football, it's Canada. They are the reigning Olympic champs, just to remind our viewers, but their campaign off to shall we say a really challenging and even embarrassing start, to say the least. What happened? Well, this after the North American country's Olympic chiefs apologizing after a Canada soccer staff member allegedly flying a drone. This was right over a Team New Zealand training session. The defending champs take on the Kiwis on Thursday.
Now, the New Zealand Olympic Committee saying a shocked and disappointed two staff members of the Canadian team dismissed, sent home immediately, and implications for the head coach as well, Bev Priestman. She has removed herself from coaching the fixture against the New Zealanders. And a short while ago, the Canadians revealing a second drone incident. Earlier, it took place on July the 19th, again a New Zealand practice session. That also now being investigated and reviewed. We will stay across the latest twists and turns, Bianna, because I suspect there will be more. Back to you.
GOLODRYGA: Listen, you lost me at the movie "Miracle" because it's one of my favorite movies of all times. So, I've watched that so many times. So, I'm so glad to hear that the U.S. team has as well. Patrick Snell, thank you so much.
And thank you all for spending part of your day with me. I am Bianna Golodryga in New York. Stick with CNN. One World is up next.
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