Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Obama Endorsement Coming Soon for Harris; How History Will Remember Biden's Speech; Biden Gives Solemn Oval Office Address; Southwest Airlines to Ditch Open Seating; Team USA Going for Gold; First Lady Jill Biden Meets with Team USA Athletes. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired July 25, 2024 - 10:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:30:00]

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: But that is also because we are now in a position where the vice president is on track to be the Democratic nominee. And as we have learned from aides to the former president that he wanted to put -- or to put his endorsement in in an attempt to unify the party when we got to that point, Jim.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, the party is really coalescing around Vice President Harris very quickly. This would be a major piece of that. Priscilla Alvarez, thank you very much.

Coming up, passing the torch to a new generation. How will history remember President Biden's Oval Office speech outlining his decision to drop out of the 2024 race? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:35:00]

ACOSTA: After 50 years in public service, President Biden says he's putting aside his personal ambition for the sake of democracy. With the first lady and his grandchildren there for support, the commander- in-chief delivered a solemn address to the nation last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: I revere this office, but I love my country more. It's been the honor of my life to serve as your president. But in the defense of democracy, which is a stake, I think it's more important than any title. But I've decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: White House officials watched with tears in their eyes and described the speech as bittersweet and moving. Afterwards, Biden spoke to hundreds of staffers in the Rose Garden and then celebrated with his favorite treat, some ice cream. Let's bring in CNN contributor and associate professor of history at Johns Hopkins, Leah Wright Rigueur. Leah, thank you so much for being with us. What did you make of the president's speech last night? I mean, this is sort of the beginning of a long goodbye from Joe Biden, I suppose.

LEAH WRIGHT RIGUEUR, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: It was a long goodbye, but it's also a historical bye. And I think it changes the narrative around how we understand the executive office, the office of the presidency, and how we understand what is the role and what is the commitment of presidents to the United States and to country.

The first thing that I thought of as he kind of rolled out this speech was Lyndon Johnson resigning -- or declining to run for the nomination for president in March 1968. But that came with, I think, a much heavier load for Johnson. Johnson was battling illness, he was battling the conflict in Vietnam, overwhelming unpopularity, and a whole series of challengers of the primary contention.

Joe Biden isn't dealing with that. He's dealing with something else. And with -- I think, this speech and with his decision last week to step down and not seek re-election, he has changed the entire narrative around how we understand what presidents are expected to do for their country.

ACOSTA: Yes, and when LBJ stepped aside in 1968, correct me if I'm wrong, he left a Democratic Party that was in much more disarray than things appear to be right now with Kamala Harris, really just getting the Democratic Party to coalesce around her very quickly. We just mentioned in the last several minutes that Former President Barack Obama is expected to endorse her soon. It does not look like the Democratic Party is going to go into its convention next month bitterly divided and that sort of thing. And so, I mean, the way the president has handled it this time around, he kind of out LBJ-ed LBJ it seems almost.

RIGUEUR: Right. And I think one of the big things that sets this apart, you know, there will be lots of people who say, this is 1968, we're heading into a 1968, and I think I would urge caution around that. History is not destiny.

The difference here is the way that the party, the Democratic Party and the left seems to have coalesced around Kamala Harris very rapidly because of the decision that Joe Biden made as president. I don't think this means that all of those divisions and all those tensions that really undergird the current state of the party right now don't exist. But instead, the Democrats have really come together and united around the climate idea of solidarity in the face of over what originally were overwhelming odds.

There's also a way, and I think Biden's speech played into this really quite beautifully and brilliantly last night, in which the party can set itself -- the Democratic Party is now setting itself aside to -- in contrast to a figure like Donald Trump, who has refused to step down, who actively has sought his party's nomination and has become the figurehead of the party, even when he was down and out, when it looked like he had no chance at all, and really has refused to kind of relinquish control over the Republican Party. So, it is quite a contrast that has emerged particularly around questions of unity and duty to country.

ACOSTA: Yes. And, Leah, I mean, how much can the president accomplish with these six months that he has left? He's laid out goals for Supreme Court reform, ending the war in Gaza. He's technically a, a lame duck president, but it sounds as though he really does want to kind of go out with a bang.

RIGUEUR: I think he has to go out with a bang. And that part of the calculations that he made about stepping down -- say, what can I do that would be most effective and get my party and the American people behind me that would allow me to finish out my agenda? If he can finish out this agenda, one way or another, whether it be through Congress or through executive fiat, one of the things that we know is that he may go down as one of the most effective presidents of the modern 20th century.

[10:40:00]

And so, I think that's what's in his sights right now. He's been incredibly effective in a number of policy issues. There have been other places where he has not been so effective. And we can point to, say, Israel and Gaza, and the general unhappiness from the American public around that. He now has an opportunity to rectify that, unburdened by the challenge of campaigning during an election year. He now just gets to focus on the job of the presidency.

ACOSTA: All right. Leah Wright Rigueur, thank you very much for your time this morning. Really appreciate it. Coming up. The end of another era, Southwest Airlines is ditching what it's known for -- from so many passengers, open seating. If you fly Southwest, you know what this is all about. That is changing apparently. Why the big change? We'll talk about that, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:45:00]

ACOSTA: All right. New this morning, major changes are coming to Southwest Airlines. The carrier says it's getting rid of open seating. Yes, you heard that right. For the first time in the company's 50-year history, Southwest will switch to assigned seating for its passengers. And for many customers, they say this move cannot come soon enough.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't get it twisted, I love me some Southwest. I love a two free checked bag situation. I love their sassy former standup comic flight attendants. But what I don't love is that damn seating policy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I hate flying Southwest. The amount of anxiety that having to go on and find my own seat gives me is so high. I hate it so much. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: First thing about Southwest is that they do not assign seats. It is the hunger games out here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: CNN's Athena Jones joins me now with more on this. Athena, you and I have done a lot of campaign travel over the years. We can relate to this anxiety about open seating with airlines like Southwest. What's going on? What's behind this move?

ATHENA JONES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Certainly. Well, this -- you know, this first come best seats approach has been what they've been known for for their entire existence. So, this is a big change for the airline, this low-cost airline and it's all about making more money.

Southwest has been under pressure from activists investors who want to see changes in management and higher profits and this pressure is coming at a time when higher labor costs and fuel costs are really cutting into profits. In fact, Southwest just reported about a 50 percent drop in profit in the second quarter.

And so, they're hoping this move to assigned seating, which will allow them to charge more, a premium, for some of the seats on the flight will help them make more money and bring in more customers. This is something that United and American and Delta, the major carriers that are competitors of Southwest have been doing for a while now.

They're also going to be starting new overnight red eye flights, which they say will boost efficiency because it's going to be using the planes more frequently. And Southwest says that customers have been clamoring for this. In their statement they put out this morning, they said, when a customer decides to stop flying Southwest -- when a customer elects to stop flying Southwest and chooses a competitor, open seating is cited as the number one reason for the change.

Now, we don't know for sure when these things are going to be implemented, but we know that when it comes to the red eye flights, we'll hear more in September. When it comes to the premium seating, they're going to have to reconfigure the planes to give more leg room. So, that's not going to be happening until at least 2025. Jim.

ACOSTA: Yes. Athena, whenever I would fly Southwest -- and amazing people work for that company. But, you know, you would have to check in exactly 24 hours before your flight would depart the next day and it would just give you anxiety like, oh, my gosh, am I going to get there in time?

JONES: Yes. Don't forget or you're going to end up in the back of his -- back of the plane in the middle seat.

ACOSTA: In a middle seat. Exactly. And you don't want that. All right. Athena Jones, thanks very much. Appreciate it.

Coming up, going for the gold. With the Summer Olympics already underway in Paris -- about to get underway in Paris, a look at how Team USA's big matchup is shaping up today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:50:00]

ACOSTA: All right. New this morning, this just happened moments ago, there's the First Lady Jill Biden. She is in Paris for the Summer Olympics ahead of the opening ceremonies. Moments ago, she visited with the U.S. delegation to the U.S. Training Center in France. And earlier, the first lady also spoke at an event honoring and celebrating the families of Team USA athletes.

CNN Sports anchor Andy Scholes joins us now. So, Andy, the games are just about to get going in earnest. It's going to be a lot of fun to watch.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: It certainly will, Jim. You know, you saw the first lady there. And Steph Curry, he spoke earlier and he was asked about his thoughts on the presidential race and, you know, he and vice president Harris, they've been friends for a while now. Harris born in Oakland and, you know, has supported the Warriors her whole life.

ACOSTA: Right.

SCHOLES: Steph saying today, you know, he's looking to return that support during her presidential run. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPH CURRY, FOUR-TIME NBA CHAMPION, FIRST OLYMPICS TEAM: It's a big, big deal to say the least. And she now represents the Bay Area. She's been a big supporter of us. And so, I want to give that energy right back to her. And just excited knowing what's ahead. Like, it's all about positive energy and optimism, knowing how divided our country is right now. So, just excited for, you know, the journey ahead for her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: So, the U.S. men will tip off Sunday against Serbia. The U.S. Women's soccer team meanwhile, they're going to take the field today for their opening game. Lots of new faces on this squad. The team only has eight players returning from the 2020 Tokyo Games and Coach Emma Hayes, she's only been in charge for the past two months. But Rose Lavelle, she was a member of that team that won bronze in Tokyo three years ago. She's still on the team. She told our Coy Wire that despite the lack of experience, expectations are still the same.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROSE LAVELLE, MEMBER OF 2021 TOKYO BRONZE MEDAL TEAM: It's exciting. I think we have obviously a lot of new faces. But I think they're all really good and special. They bring something different and I think they've just like added so much to the group and elevated us.

When you play for the U.S. women's national team, like that's like pressure is just kind of there always. So, I think it kind of becomes your new normal and you like learn to live in it and learn to thrive in it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Yes. So, the U.S. will play Zambia at 3:00 Eastern today. Now, the opening ceremony, it's tomorrow and it's going to be one unlike we've ever seen before. It's going to take place on the River Seine. It's going to be the largest in the game's history. Only problem, Jim, there's some rain in the forecast. That could put a damper on things.

You got LeBron James and Coco Gauff, the flag bearers for Team USA. And Jim, heavy rumors. Celine Dion and Lady Gaga are going to perform. So, we'll see if that comes true.

[10:55:00]

ACOSTA: Wow. You know, the French are going to do it right. All right. Andy Scholes, thank you very much. Appreciate it.

Just minutes from now, Vice President Kamala Harris will deliver the keynote address at the American Federation of Teachers conference down in Houston. Also, we're awaiting a possible endorsement announcement from Former President Barack Obama. We're told that's going to happen soon. We'll bring it all to you live next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:00:00]