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First Gold Medal Events Today at Summer Olympics; French Rail Line Repair Underway after "Coordinated Sabotage"; Harris Picks Up Obamas' Endorsement, Wipes Out Trump's Lead; Police-Involved Killing of Sonya Massey; Inside Help in Cartel Arrests; FBI Confirms Trump Hit by Bullet; Trump Zeroes in on Harris, Often with Lies; California Fire out of Control; USA Aims for Basketball Gold. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired July 27, 2024 - 03:00   ET

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

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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to all you watching us here in the U.S, Canada and all around the world.

I'm Kim Brunhuber.

This is CNN NEWSROOM.

Paris officially opens the 2024 Summer Olympics with flash and fanfare.

Kamala Harris picks up a key endorsement from former U.S. president Barack Obama and his wife.

And it turns out that U.S. federal agents had inside help in luring two top Sinaloa cartel kingpins into custody.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from Atlanta this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: The 2024 Summer Olympic Games are underway in France with the first gold medal set to be awarded in just a few hours in mixed team shooting and women's synchronized diving.

The Games opened Friday with an elaborate opening ceremony that was breathtaking in size, sometimes wild and uniquely French. CNN's Coy Wire has the day's highlights.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COY WIRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was pouring down rain in Paris. It did not matter. France did their best to put on an Olympics opening ceremony for the ages.

The bells of Notre Dame rang for the first time since the cathedral was gutted by fire, water cannons blasting along the River Seine. There were odes to the French Revolution, a theatrical display with a bunch of beheaded Marie Antoinettes.

Lady Gaga kicked things off French cabaret style. At one point, 80 artists from Moulin Rouge performing the iconic dance that dates back to the 1820s. It was part music festival, part fashion show, a diverse and inclusive display that had something for everyone.

May seem over the top at times but not for Paris. As for the athletes, 85 boats floated with nearly 7,000 athletes from more than 200 delegations, many of their uniforms were covered with a bunch of plastic ponchos. But they were still dancing and celebrating in the rain.

This was the first ever opening ceremony outside of a stadium. Then one of the most iconic moments of any Olympics, the torch making its way around the country here to Paris, with sporting legends from all over the world getting to touch it.

Rafa Nadal, Serena Williams, Nadia Comaneci, Tony Parker; finally made its way to two French Olympians, Teddy Riner and Marie-Jose Perec. The Olympic flame was ignited and the cauldron lifted up, floated up into the air, marking the start of the 2024 Summer Games in Paris.

And after all that, about four hours in, legendary singer Celine Dion, who has been battling a rare neurological condition, performed for the fans and athletes from the Eiffel Tower. With that, the 2024 Paris Olympics are officially underway.

Back to you.

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BRUNHUBER: All right, so here's a look at some of the many competitions happening today.

Fiji takes on Australia and South Africa will face France in the semifinals in rugby sevens. The gold medal match takes place later in the day.

And there'll be several heats in men's and women's swimming, most notably, USA's Katie Ledecky will swim in the 400 meter freestyle in her fourth Olympics. She's hoping to win her eighth Olympic gold medal.

Basketball team France faces Brazil and Greece will battle Canada.

Some of France's high-speed train services have been restored hours after what officials say was coordinated sabotage attacks to disrupt several rail lines before the opening ceremony.

Two trains carrying Olympic athletes were affected. The Paris prosecutor's office is investigating but so far no one has claimed responsibility for the attacks. CNN's Melissa Bell has more.

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MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The organizers of Paris 2024 believed they were ready for anything but it was early this morning, just hours from the opening ceremony that French authorities said "coordinated sabotage" and arson caused chaos.

PATRICE VERGRIETE, FRENCH MINISTER DELEGATE FOR TRANSPORT (through translator): Today, all the information we have clearly shows that it was deliberate, the simultaneous nature. Everything happened at the same time.

Everything now points to the fact that these were arson attacks, particularly the timing, which is more than suspicious.

BELL (voice-over): Security in Paris is tight with authorities keen to make sure that things go smoothly. But this was one attack carried out simultaneously across the country that was impossible to imagine. Intelligence services say this tactic has been used before by far-left groups.

ANNE HIDALGO, PARIS MAYOR (through translator): Playing against the games is playing against France. It's playing against your camp, it's playing against your country.

[03:05:00]

BELL: These are exactly the kinds of images that the organizers of Paris 2024 had hoped to avoid, with French authorities warning that it is 250,000 travelers likely to be impacted this Friday; 800,000 over the course of the weekend.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I was supposed to go to the Olympics. This morning they told us they would be 3:20 late and in the end the train was canceled. So we had to take a bus to Paris.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I wanted to get to Paris for the Olympics. So I have no idea what I m going to do because they told us there won't be any trains until this afternoon. And they don't know when it will start again.

BELL (voice-over): It wasn't just speculators affected, with one official telling reporters that only two of the four trains carrying athletes were able to run. As repairs get underway, the national railway company's regional director said it could take a day or more before lines start functioning again.

The latest drama likely to dampen the spirits of the French, many of them heading off from family holidays, even as Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo believed that enthusiasm for the Games had finally gripped the country.

HIDALGO (through translator): I felt that the enthusiasm arrived a little before during the passage of the flame in Paris on July 14th and 15th. The Olympic flame was paraded in Paris and there were people everywhere -- children, elderly people, all social classes. Everyone was really happy. And I said to myself that it's the magic of the games working.

BELL (voice-over): With the Olympics now firmly underway, organizers will be hoping that this will be a short-lived memory -- Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.

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Beatrix Renaut is a regional security manager in Paris and she joins us now.

Thanks so much for being here with us. So I want to start there with those attacks.

What do you make of them?

Who could be behind them and why?

BEATRIX RENAUT, REGIONAL SECURITY MANAGER, INTERNATIONAL SOS PARIS: Well, Kim, I think at the moment investigations are ongoing. So it's obviously too soon to speculate on who could be behind. Here at International SOS, our goal is to provide reliable information to our client organizations who were also directly affected.

From a logistics perspective by these acts what appears to be sabotage and that terrorism is due by the authorities.

In addition to that, from passing down reliable information to our organizations, it's a goal of ours to also provide actionable advice.

And so we wanted to make sure that our clients were able to reconfirm their journeys and also just make them aware that the disruption was expected to last throughout the weekend, given the volume of people affected.

And I think this is certainly coinciding with the opening ceremony day, it does appear initially to demonstrate that there was intent to create additional chaos on a day that presented very high stakes for the French authorities and for the organizing committee.

BRUNHUBER: High stakes, indeed. The opening ceremony, as you mentioned, incredible display. Also an incredible challenge from a security standpoint.

So how were they able to secure such a huge area of outdoor space, from dangerous below, above ground, on the water and in the air?

RENAUT: Right.

Well, it's officially the morning after the opening ceremony and I think we can all breathe a sigh of relief because the opening ceremony actually passed off without any security incidents.

And of course, when the project of having an open air opening ceremony, which has never been done before, having a six-kilometer long procession of boats on the River Seine, everybody thought that this concept was absolutely delirious.

And especially within a security industry, an impossible challenge to address. The reality is that the security forces, the state are also very much aware of different types of risks that were weighing on the opening ceremony.

And we'll continue to weigh at the Olympic and Paralympic games. This is just -- this is just the beginning and so, as a result of this, robust security measures had been implemented, have been implemented.

There are -- there were huge displays of manpower on the ground. There were 45,000 police and gendarmes officers displayed, deployed, supported by private security agents, supported by the military as well.

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There were very robust checks conducted prior to allowing anybody to enter the perimeter along the -- along the river banks, supported by additional perimeters that had been implemented --

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BRUNHUBER: Because I want to -- I want to ask you about some of those checks because it's not just securing the area; the visitors there are coming there. I mean, there are some 1 million people involved in the Games.

We are talking volunteers, security guards, people who work in the stadiums and so on.

How hard would it be to accurately vet each and every one of those as well?

RENAUT: Yes.

No, absolutely. And there have been close to 1 million background checks conducted.

And like you say, it wasn't just a matter of securing the general public, assisting, physically present along the Seine but also securing underwater with military sonars, securing the airspace as well.

Immediately above the river but also in the vicinity, fighting drones. And this was one of the prerogatives of the military. And a lot of work that goes unseen to the general public.

But I think it's also important to state that France was not alone in doing so and has partnered with over 85 intelligence agencies from allied countries, just to make sure that, should there be any threats, they're detected as soon as possible and they're thwarted.

And I think it's also interesting to see that there have been at least four terror plots that were directed toward the Games that were thwarted, which means that the people behind these weren't able to actually materialize their plans.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. Let's hope things remain safe. Really appreciate getting your perspective. Beatrix Renaut in Paris. Thank you so much.

RENAUT: Thanks for having me.

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BRUNHUBER: U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is headed to a campaign fundraiser in Massachusetts later today. That's on the heels of a new CNN poll, showing she's closing the gap with Donald Trump among registered voters in the presidential race.

She's also clinched a major endorsement from two of the biggest names in the Democratic Party. Karin Caifa has more.

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BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We called to say Michelle and I couldn't be prouder to endorse you and to do everything we can to get you through this election and into the Oval Office.

KARIN CAIFA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Barack and Michelle Obama endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as presidential bid Friday capping off a week that transformed the 2024 race and raised Democrats' hopes of swaying swing voters.

REP. DAN KILDEE (D-MI), MEMBER, HOUSE WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE: They wanted a choice other than Donald Trump or President Biden. That may not be fair to President Biden in my view but that was the fact. So the enthusiasm level is so much higher now than it was just a few weeks ago. And that's going to make a big difference.

CAIFA (voice-over): But Republicans see the flood of endorsements and campaign cash since President Biden ended his reelection bid on Sunday and backed Harris as a honeymoon.

MARC LOTTER, CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER, AFPI: The more you go out there and talk about the bad policies, that is the reason why Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were the most unpopular president and vice president in the last 70 years.

You keep reminding them of it. People will come back after this little honeymoon period and the campaign will continue just like it was going.

CAIFA (voice-over): Polls this week show no clear leader in the race between Harris and former president Donald Trump. And the campaigns are already in debates about a debate, previously agreed to by the Biden and Trump campaigns on September 10th.

Harris said she's in. The Trump campaign, says they won't agree to debate Harris until she's confirmed as the Democratic nominee -- at the White House, I'm Karin Caifa.

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BRUNHUBER: Speculation is swirling around who Kamala Harris will choose to be her running mate.

There's a long list of potential candidates, some of them being Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro, Arizona senator Mark Kelly, Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer and California governor Gavin Newsom.

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BRUNHUBER: And joining me now out of Dubrovnik, Croatia, via Skype is Gavin Reynolds. He's the former chief speech writer to Kamala Harris and first lady Jill Biden.

Good to see you. Normally you are here in Atlanta with us, now across the seas there. Really appreciate you being with us here. So I want to start with what we were just talking about, Kamala Harris' running mate.

Do you have any insight into who might be best to balance the ticket?

GAVIN REYNOLDS, FORMER ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF SPEECH WRITING TO KAMALA HARRIS: Well, Kim, thanks so much for having me and I want to make a slight correction.

I was associate director of speech writing to Vice President Harris. Just wanted to correct my title for the record and not take any credit where it's not due.

However, Kim, you're right. This is so much excitement and so much chatter so far about the vice president since her entrance into this race. And of course, a lot of names in the mix in terms of who she might be considering for her running mate.

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REYNOLDS: There's a long list of those she's vetting right now. That includes people like Mark Kelly, Andy Beshear, Roy Cooper, Pete Buttigieg and others. But right now, a lot of folks have narrowed their search down to four candidates.

That would be Josh Shapiro, Mark Kelly, Roy Cooper and of course, Andy Beshear.

Now I think each one of these, Kim, brings distinct strengths to the table, which we can talk about.

But I think overall what the vice president is really looking for, right now, is someone who can not only bring balance to her ticket from an electoral standpoint but who also can serve as a true governing partner with her in the White House, much like as she served as a governing partner to President Biden.

BRUNHUBER: One of the things I guess she might be looking for is to help her in areas where she might struggle. Now polls show that she has closed the distance with Donald Trump.

But the question is, how is she going to capture that vital blue wall, those blue wall states, Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, that went for Trump in 2016 but Biden was able to flip?

REYNOLDS: That's right. So Kim, the path to the White House, the path to 270 electoral votes for the Democrats certainly must include those critical blue wall states.

And I think that's why a lot of people have narrowed in on a candidate like Josh Shapiro, who was the governor of Pennsylvania, and could really help put them that state in play, just like it was and which Joe Biden won four years ago.

However, there's some candidates on that list as we -- as I talked about a minute ago, who don't necessarily come from the Midwest, right?

And don't come from that blue wall region but instead come from the Sun Belt. Someone like Mark Kelly. And I think I think strength of his, that he comes from a border state, is able to talk about that issue and just give additional credibility to the ticket when talking about that issue.

And Roy Cooper, an example, another governor, governor of North Carolina, a state that Democrats truly feel is winnable for them right now, Joe Biden was not able to win that state four years ago. Instead, he won our home state, home state of Georgia.

But Democrats really think they have a shot there and so I do think that that's a big part of the calculus for the vice president in thinking through, what state does this potential running mate bring to the table?

And I think someone like Andy Beshear, who a lot of Democrats like, is from a state, the state of Kentucky. Most Democrats don't think Kentucky's necessarily in play.

But could he put all their surrounding states in play?

That's the question.

BRUNHUBER: Yes.

You brought up the border, so I wanted to ask you about that issue. Republicans, of course, are trying to define Kamala Harris. Donald Trump had this to say in a speech last night. Let's play it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: She was a bum three weeks ago. She was a bum, a failed vice president and a failed administration. With millions of people crossing and she was the border czar, now they're trying to say she never was the border czar.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: All right. So let's put aside the childish bum insults.

I want to focus on the term "border czar." This is something that Donald Trump and the GOP had been hammering on. They feel that one of her weaknesses will be being tied to the Biden administration immigration policies and sort of making her, I guess, responsible for those.

That's an issue that Biden obviously has polled poorly on.

So how vulnerable is she on this issue specifically, do you think?

REYNOLDS: I think it's really important that the campaign, Harris campaign really come out as they've been doing to set the record straight. The vice president has never been the border czar. That's a term that the Republicans have thrown around to label her in a very negative way.

The vice president was tasked with thinking through and understanding the root causes of migration. That's not that dissimilar from an issue that Joe Biden had in his portfolio when he was vice president.

And I think it's important again that the Democrats come out and remind the country which party, which candidate tanked the bipartisan border bill that those in the Congress had come to an agreement on. And that was Donald Trump.

Members the Republican Party in Congress we're ready to come to the table and to advocate for that bill. Donald Trump killed it at the last minute. And so I think it's going to be vitally important for the Harris campaign to continuously be doing, which is to set the record straight there.

And to uplift the accomplishments on that issue, which is that the president took strong executive action. The president has taken action to support those who are in this country as DACA recipients. The president has -- and the vice president together have also enacted strong steps that have helped reduce illegal border crossings as well.

So I think there's a lot of, from a messaging standpoint, a lot that the campaign can do to simply set the record straight.

BRUNHUBER: Right.

All right. Listen, we only have a minute left but I did want to ask you this because of your unique perspective as one of the vice president's speech writers.

You know, Harris, I mean, so how do you think she will have felt about that moment she got the phone call, the endorsement from the Obamas?

[03:20:00]

It must have really all just kind of sunk in there, being, being suddenly catapulted into this moment at this crucial time in our history.

REYNOLDS: I think that must have been a huge moment for the vice president. There's a photo that's been circulating on social media. And it shows the vice president then, certainly not the vice president during the Obama campaign.

It was New Year's Eve and then Kamala Harris, not yet Vice President Kamala Harris, was there in one of the Obama field offices. And I think it must have been an incredibly full circle moment for her, now receiving the phone call from someone, President Obama, who's been a supporter of hers and who she has supported along the years as well.

just reminding her of the incredible gravity of this moment that she talks many times how being a first, ,right but not being the last.

And she has the opportunity here to build on her incredible record and to build on the many firsts that she's accomplished in her career and become the first woman, the first Black woman, the first woman of color to ever serve as President of the United States.

And to get that call from someone like Barack Obama, who helped paved the way for her and so many others following, I can only imagine how special that moment must have been. And now it's time for the campaign to build on that momentum, to continue doing the work to elect her as the next President of the United States.

BRUNHUBER: We shall see. Always great to talk to you. Thanks so much for joining us, Gavin Reynolds, really appreciate it.

REYNOLDS: Likewise, thanks, Kim.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: And the U.S. Vice president's office is rejecting the suggestion that her critical remarks about Israel's conduct in Gaza could hurt ceasefire talks.

Kamala Harris said on Thursday she won't be silent about the suffering and humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Listen to this.

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KAMALA HARRIS (D), VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I also expressed with the prime minister my serious concern about the scale of human suffering in Gaza, including the death of far too many innocent civilians.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Now in response, a senior Israeli official told the "Times of Israel," quote "Hopefully the remarks Harris made in her press conference won't be interpreted by Hamas as daylight between the U.S. and Israel, thereby making a deal harder to secure."

An aide to the vice president dismissed that suggestion, telling CNN, Harris delivered the same message as President Biden when she met with Netanyahu.

All right. This just in to CNN, the Israeli military has issued an evacuation order to people in southern Khan Yunis in Gaza. The IDF warned it would, quote, "forcefully operate" in the area and

told residents to head to al Mawasi. However, the designated humanitarian area in al-Mawasi has come under repeated Israeli attacks, including a strike on July 14th, which reportedly killed 90 people and injured 300 more.

Israel says the orders to evacuate comes after what it calls "significant terrorist activity and rocket fire" coming from the area.

A police officer killed a Black woman after she called them for help. Still ahead, a new autopsy report and why a lawyer says it reveals a lot about what really happened to Sonya Massey. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Vice President Kamala Harris has spoken with the family of Sonya Massey, a Black woman killed by police in their home, own home. That was announced hours after officials released an autopsy report on Friday, which showed she died from a gunshot to her head.

Massey herself called police earlier this month to report a possible prowler at her home in Springfield, Illinois.

This police body cam video shows one deputy was concerned she may throw boiling water at them before shooting her. The civil rights attorney says the autopsy showed there's much more to the story. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN CRUMP, ATTORNEY: Today the autopsy has been released by the state's attorney and it shows exactly what Malachi said, that his mother was shot beneath her eye. And the bullet exited the back of her neck under her ear.

And what it tells us is that he shot her in a downward trajectory. And, you know, we know that she was stupid ass sorry (ph) and he shot anyway.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The deputy who shot Massey, Sean Grayson, was later fired and now faces first degree murder and other charges. He has pleaded not guilty.

One of Mexico's most notorious drug lords is now in U.S. custody, thanks to the help of El Chapo's son. CNN's Polo Sandoval has the latest details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) POLO SANDOVAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, as we learn more about this takedown, it seems that betrayal is really one of the prevailing themes in this investigation. Oftentimes the heads of these drug cartels have to decide between fleeing from authorities and potentially getting hunted down by them.

Or do they choose to cooperate with them?

And thus far, based on information coming in, it seems that this may have been the latter. According to a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation, telling our colleague, Evan Perez, it is believed that one of the sons of Joaquin Guzman, who we know as El Chapo, likely provided U.S. authorities with critical information.

That allowed them to nab this narco, Ismael Zambada (ph), known as El Mayo. Remember Mayo and Chapo Guzman were two of the partners who created the Sinaloa cartel decades ago.

The DOJ yet to confirm the following plot but we have heard from multiple sources briefed on the investigation who say that it's likely that Mayo was led to believe that he would be flying to go see a property, potentially to purchase it, and not head to an airstrip near El Paso, where federal agents were waiting to actually detain him.

So essentially, it is believed at this point, though the DOJ has not confirmed it, that he was hand-delivered by the son of his former partner, by Joaquin Guzman Lopez, who is the 38-year-old man who was also aboard that plane, also behind bars in federal custody and also stands accused of taking part of this massive criminal enterprise.

Responsible for quite literally tons of narcotics that have ended up in the United States, specifically fentanyl. As for El Mayo, he was in court at the end of this week and entered a plea of not guilty.

[03:30:00]

Now in terms of what could be to come, the Sinaloa cartel certainly not going anywhere even though one of its leaders is now in federal custody.

What we do know is that over the years that group has actually splintered into other factions. So the arrest of El Mayo certainly leaves behind a massive power void, a vacuum, so to speak. And it's very possible that we could see some infight, some infighting within the Sinaloa cartel.

So yes, this arrest of now a second founding member of the Sinaloa cartel could be the end of one era. But this may likely lead to the bloody start of another -- Polo Sandoval CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: All right after the break, Donald Trump's tongue, how he's resorting to name calling as his lead in the presidential race slips away. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around on the world.

I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

The FBI is now confirming that former U.S. president Donald Trump was hit by a bullet at a Pennsylvania rally two weeks ago.

It's the most direct statement yet from federal law enforcement on Trump's injury, saying, quote, "What struck former president Trump in the ear was a bullet, whether whole or fragmented into smaller pieces, fired from the deceased subject's rifle."

Now it comes after Trump pushed back on some officials who questioned whether he had been hit by a bullet at all. Former FBI director, deputy director Andrew McCabe says this new statement supports director Christopher Wray's testimony to Congress earlier this week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: The statement they just put out, did it actually -- all they've done is basically said the same thing.

They just emphasized the word "bullet."

[03:35:00]

They are saying, yes, he got hit by a bullet, either whole or in part, which essentially what Wray said the first time, whether he was hit by a bullet or from some shrapnel, piece of a bullet, what have you.

So we're still in the same spot here and I guess the main point is they can't be -- they can't be absolutely sure what hit him until they see things like the medical records; they'll probably never get those here. And it probably just doesn't matter because we all know what happened that day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Trump announced Friday that he will return to Butler, Pennsylvania, where he was shot for, quote, "big and beautiful rally."

On Friday the Republican presidential nominee targeted Kamala Harris before a crowd of conservative Christian activists. He claimed, among other things, that Harris, quote, "doesn't like Israel." CNN's Kristen Holmes has more from West Palm Beach, Florida.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Former President Donald Trump speaking to a crowd of conservative Christians, (INAUDIBLE) to his attacks on Kamala Harris, a very different Donald Trump than the last couple of days, trying to home in on his messaging when it comes to Harris (ph).

We had seen him trying out various lines but this speech had more direct attacks, not just on her record as vice president but also as a record as a senator, as a record in California.

Now of course, it was still a Donald Trump speech though it went here, there; there was a lot of riffing. However, it was clear that they're trying to complete this mission of defining Kamala Harris in this race.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: She was a bum three weeks ago. She was a bum, a failed vice president and a failed administration. With millions of people crossing and she was the border czar, now they're trying to say she never was the border czar.

She had nothing to do with the border. She was the border czar.

We have a new candidate to defeat the most incompetent, unpopular and far-left vice president in American history. That's what she is, the most incompetent but certainly the most far left.

They were explaining to me, you can say Kamala, you could say Kamala. I said, don't worry about it, doesn't matter what I say. I couldn't care less if I mispronounced it or not, I couldn't care less.

Some people think I mispronounce it on purpose but actually, I've heard it said about seven different ways.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now one other notable moment tonight came as he was talking about abortion. Again, this was a Christian conservative group. He started talking about exceptions when it came to abortion in terms of mother's health, incest and rape.

There was a section of the room that began booing what he was saying.

Trump himself didn't react to the booing but he did start talking about the fact that you have to believe, you have to follow what your heart believed but that you also have to win elections, something we have heard him say before -- Kristen Holmes, CNN, West Palm Beach, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: So as the Trump campaign zeroes in its attacks on Vice President Harris, one thing that's often missing is the truth. Tom Foreman explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I say bring it on. Bring it on.

(CHEERING)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I mean, cheers from fans and jeers from foes, Vice President Kamala Harris is being pelted by Republican claims about her life and career, many unfounded. At his first rally since Harris became the presumptive nominee, former President Donald Trump tore into what he said are her views on Social Security.

TRUMP: She's talking about re -- let's take the retirement age.

FOREMAN: On when abortion should be legal.

TRUMP: Even after birth, the execution of a baby.

FOREMAN: And on his own legal cases, which he long blamed on President Joe Biden.

TRUMP: There was all headed up by her.

FOREMAN: All three of those cases about his opponent are patently false but never mind.

SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS HOST: By the way, on this show, our vetting has only begun.

FOREMAN: While some right-wing media stars are erupting over the new Democratic challenger, others are accusing Harris with no evidence of building her career primarily on race and gender. Some on the right in the past rebooted Trump's birther claims against former President Barack Obama by falsely saying Harris, who is born in California to immigrant parents, is not a U.S. citizen, now they say switching Biden to Harris on ballot this fall is illegal.

Listen to Trump's running mate.

VANCE: This was fundamentally illegitimate.

FOREMAN: And Republican speaker of the House, Mike Johnson.

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: It would be wrong. And I think unlawful in accordance to some of these states rules for a handful of people to go in a back backroom and switch it out because they're -- they don't like candidate any longer.

FOREMAN: But that's false too. CNN contacted every state and aside from two which did not reply, they all said there are no obstacles to putting Harris on the ballot.

And on it goes.

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): Kamala can't have my gun. She can't have my gasoline engine and she sure as hell can't have my steaks and cheeseburgers.

[03:40:00] FOREMAN (voice-over): Suggestion that Harris wants to outright ban guns, gasoline cars and red meat, that she couldn't pass the bar exam and is totally against Jewish people. All of those are false.

FOREMAN: Harris has talked about some gun control, about alternative fuels, about everyone eating better. So there are real issues that Republicans can engage her on. But right now it looks like what they're doing is just throwing everything at her to see what sticks, whether it is true or not -- Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: All right.

Still ahead. Justin Timberlake's legal team's latest defense strategy after the singer's DWI arrest. We will have the details when we come back, please stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: A wildfire in California has exploded in size, burning nearly 375 square miles or 240,000 acres north of Sacramento. More than 1,600 firefighters are working to contain the fire that scorched the vast area that is still growing. CNN's Camila Bernal has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Triple-digit temperatures and dry terrain fueling the quick spread of these flames. So much so that this fire was spreading at about 50 football fields per minute, destroying so much in its path, including about 100 structures, like what you see here behind me.

It's hard to even tell what's here aside from some of the burned cars. And unfortunately, authorities say that this was likely caused by a 42-year-old man, who they say was witnessed a pushing a burning car down about 60 feet into an embankment.

This man has been arrested and authorities say that there are witnesses who saw him doing this. Unfortunately, he did it at a park. And this local park only has one way in, one way out. Firefighters telling me it was very hard to get to those flames and so that only helped the spread of these flames.

[03:45:00]

They are working around the clock, about 1,500 firefighters currently working this fire. And they say some of them are working 48 hours straight. They're calling this fire challenging and say they are prepared for a very difficult fire season.

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CAPT. DAN COLLINS, CAL FIRE: It is concerning that we're having these larger fires earlier in the season. Based on my experience, for having big fires like this in July and August, we may have bigger fires come the fall as the fuels get drier and the winds start to pick up.

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BERNAL: And these conditions affecting a large portion of the Western U.S. The largest fire currently burning is in eastern Oregon. And authorities there say they have made some containment progress. But there is still a lot of work to be done. At least two homes were destroyed there and at least a dozen more structures.

It is not easy to come back to a property that looks like what you see here behind me and it's especially not easy for the people here in Butte County. They already experienced the deadliest wildfire in California history in 2018.

And some of these people are having to relive this again, with evacuation orders and with having to deal with all of this, happening to the community again. So it has not been easy for the people of this county -- Camila Bernal, CNN, Butte County, California.

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BRUNHUBER: Justin Timberlake's defense team is disputing that the star was intoxicated when he was arrested last month. After a hearing on Friday, Timberlake's attorney claimed the police made a significant number of errors in the case.

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EDWARD BURKE, JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE'S ATTORNEY: Justin Timberlake was not intoxicated and we're very confident that that charge, that criminal charge, will be dismissed.

BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Timberlake was arrested in June, when police initiated an early morning traffic stop in Sag Harbor in New York. Timberlake told police, he, quote, "had one martini and followed his friends home," according to court records.

The singer is currently on tour for his latest album and wasn't present at the hearing. An arraignment in the case is scheduled for next month.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: An Irish museum will withdraw a wax work of late singer- songwriter Sinead O'Connor just a day after putting it on display.

The National Wax Museum Plus in Dublin unveiled a figure on Thursday to coincide with the anniversary of O'Connor's death. But her brother objected, saying it looks nothing like her. Fans chimed in as well, with one calling the representation "shockingly bad."

The museum got the message and announced it would remove the current figure and work to create a more accurate likeness of the singer.

Officials in the U.S. have reunited more artwork stolen by Nazis to its rightful owners. The Manhattan district attorney and the Department of Homeland Security announced the move on Friday. They said the previous owners were unaware the artwork had been stolen decades ago and fully cooperated with officials.

This is the 11th piece of art returned to the family of Fritz Grunbaum, an Austrian Jewish cabaret performer, who was killed in a Nazi concentration camp in 1918. Artwork titled, "Seated Nude Woman, Front View," is by Austrian expressionist painter, Egon Schiele.

One of the most anticipated events of the Olympics kicks off today. When we come back, a look star-studded men's basketball competition.

Who's the favorite to take home the gold?

Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: The Paris Olympics opening ceremony had less than ideal weather but there was no raining on Team USA's parade. Basketball star LeBron James and U.S. Open champ Coco Gauff leading the American team as flag-bearers. Gauff, just 20 years old, set to compete in her first ever Olympics.

Meanwhile, the 39-year-old James is a basketball two-time gold medalist, who made his Olympic debut in 2004. That's the same year that Gauff was born.

And one of the most anticipated events in every Summer Olympics is men's basketball. And this year could be even better than ever. The U.S. of course, heavy favorites to win their fifth straight gold medal.

But this year's games have a number of NBA superstars playing for their country.

So could this finally be the year the Americans are knocked off the top of the podium?

Andy Scholes has a preview.

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ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS REPORTER: Despite a couple shaky exhibitions against South Sudan and Germany, Team USA is still the team to beat in

Paris. ANTHONY DAVIS, TEAM USA: Obviously, you know, championship is on our mind.

BAM ADEBAYO, TEAM USA: You can't just win the game on paper. For us, we know we're up against. We know what everybody's going to bring.

STEPHEN CURRY, TEAM USA: The competition and the challenge to win is probably going to be as hard as it's ever been. And I think we're up for

it.

SCHOLES: The U.S. has failed to win gold only three times at the Games. In 1972, they got silver losing to the Soviet Union in one of the most

controversial endings in Olympic history.

In 1988, they again lost to the Soviet Union. And that would be the last time the U.S. used amateur players.

Because in 1992, we had the Dream Team with Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. It was one of the most iconic and dominant teams in sports

history.

The U.S. dominance continued until 2004 but that team, despite having a young LeBron James and Dwayne Wade and Hall of Famers Allen Iverson and

Tim Duncan just didn't mesh. They lost three games in Athens. The most ever by a men's Olympic squad.

The U.S. finishing a disappointing third place watching Manu Ginobli and Argentina capture the goal.

After that loss, the U.S. reevaluated how they built the Olympic roster stressing team chemistry as they vowed to not have another poor performance

at the Games.

In 2008, Kobe Bryant led the Redeem Team to an undefeated run to reclaim U.S. dominance. And ever since, it's been nothing but gold for Team USA at

the Games.

But could this be the year the streak of four straight goals comes to an end?

This team has LeBron and Steph Curry playing together for the first time ever.

LEBRON JAMES, TEAM USA: It's fun. You know, we played a game at a higher level but more importantly we just played a game that we loved the right

way.

CURRY: We just want to win gold. I mean whatever that takes. So we always talk about it no matter what your stats are. No matter how many minutes you

play like everybody on the floor commits. You're just doing what your asked to do, we'll be good.

[03:55:03]

SCHOLES: It also has former MVPs Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid, making this year's roster arguably one of the most talented groups ever.

But the world is catching up. More than 45 NBA players will be competing in Paris. Giannis Antetokounmpo is an Olympian for the first time, leading

Greece to the Games.

GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO, TEAM GREECE: As a team, we are very hungry. The atmosphere is unbelievable. We have nothing to lose. We just got to play

great basketball and go there and give everything that we have.

SCHOLES: Host France have five NBA players on their team, including defensive player of the year, Rudy Gobert and rookie of the year, Victor

Wembanyama.

VICTOR WEMBANYAMA, TEAM FRANCE: I can't wait. It's really a dream for me to be in the Olympics, lifelong dream.

SCHOLES: Serbia has four NBA players led by three-time MVP, Nikola Jokic and the Hawks' Bogdan Bogdanovic.

BOGDAN BOGDANOVIC, TEAM SERBIA: USA is the favorites. It's always, you know, chip on the shoulder playing against USA and every other team.

SCHOLES: Australia who just narrowly beat the U.S. in an exhibition game, has eight NBA players and are looking to make some noise.

PATTY MILLS, TEAM AUSTRALIA: Last Olympics, we, you know, won a bronze medal which we call the rose gold -- rose gold game. So we're looking to do

one better there.

SCHOLES: And then there's Canada with a whopping 10 NBA players on their roster led by Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER , TEAM CANADA: It goes to show the growth of basketball in the world, not just Canada or USA or North America, whatever

it is. The world is coming to -- basketball has become a bigger sport. Yes, what the game deserves.

SCHOLES: The U.S. is, of course, the heavy favorites but this could be the most competitive and entertaining two weeks of international basketball

that we've ever seen.

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BRUNHUBER: And in just a little over an hour, Australia and Spain will get the ball rolling for the men's basketball competition.

All right, that's it for me. I'm Kim Brunhuber. CNN NEWSROOM continues with Max Foster.