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Democratic, GOP Tickets Sharpen Attacks With Election Now 99 Days Away; Biden Says, No One is Above the Law, Not Presidents and Not Justices; Netanyahu Warns Response to Golan Heights Attack Will be Severe. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired July 29, 2024 - 10:00   ET

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

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PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, good morning to you on this Monday. You are live in the CNN Newsroom. I'm Pamela Brown in Washington.

Countdown to Election Day, we now have only 99 days left in a presidential race that has been turned upside down in the past week, to say the least. Kamala Harris, the Democrats' presumptive nominee, and her surrogates are road testing a one word attack on their Republican rivals, weird.

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KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT, PRESUMPTIVE DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Some of what he and his running mate are saying, well, it's just plain weird. I mean, that's the box you put that in, right?

GOV. TIM WALZ (D-MN): These guys are just weird. That's who they are. So, it isn't much else.

But we're not afraid of weird people. We're a little bit creeped out, but we're not afraid.

DOUG EMHOFF, U.S. SECOND GENTLEMAN: It's not about her or her opponent, really. It's no matter what kind of weird stuff they keep saying.

GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO (D-PA): It's the weirdest thing. He'll go in, like, literally hug an American flag. Now, I love the flag, but, I mean, it's like weird what he does, right?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Well, Donald Trump is also sharpening his attacks on his presumptive rival, but also couldn't resist a dig at Biden.

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DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: If a crazy liberal like Kamala Harris gets in, the American dream is dead.

She made Bernie Sanders look like a moderate Democrat.

We have a man that can't put two sentences together, and now we're replacing him with, worse than he is, a dangerous person who's not smart. You know, she couldn't pass a law exam, right?

Kamala wants to be the president for criminals and illegal aliens.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Well, by any measure, whether it be money or volunteers, Kamala Harris has really fired up Democrats and showed (ph) Biden dropped out of the race. But the big question today, can she sustain that enthusiasm for this crucial and really daunting 99 days ahead?

CNN National Politics Correspondent Eva McKend joins us now. I mean, Eva, by any measure, Harris' numbers are eye-popping. The question is how confident is Harris's campaign that they can keep this momentum going through Election Day?

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pam, Harris is even cautioning her own supporters. She spoke to donors over the weekend that they are still the underdog in this contest. But she's characterizing this moment as a people-powered election and says that they are the ones with the clear momentum.

Listen, Republicans are dismissing this, saying that the buzz around her is manufactured, but $200 million is quite significant. That's money for advertising, operations, getting staff fanned out across the country to advance her message.

And then I think what's even more instructive about that $200 million is that the campaign says that 66 percent of that money is coming from first time donors. So, those are people who are new to the process, brand new, and just getting engaged.

BROWN: Right. And so when you look at that and those movable voters and favorability, what do you know about that?

MCKEND: Well, we know that Harris is outperforming President Biden with key parts of the Democratic coalition, that includes younger voters and voters of color. So, what we will likely see in the days ahead and tomorrow on the campaign trail from Vice President Harris in Georgia is them really hone in on those coalitions since they know that there is the interest there to drive up those numbers.

But also many people are just getting to know her. So, this is a really important period because you're going to see both sides really work over time to try to define her, but she has the opportunity to really define herself.

BROWN: All right. Evan McKend, I know you'll be following all of this very closely and reporting through it. Thank you.

Well, tonight -- today, tens of thousands have signed up to participate in what's being described as a White Dudes for Harris video call. That call is tonight.

Joining us now to discuss, that call's organizer Ross Morales Rocketto and Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg. He'll be participating on this call this evening. Gentlemen, thank you for joining us today.

Ross, I want to start with you as one of the organizers, right?

[10:05:01]

You've got some big Democratic names who are set to be on the Zoom call. You have David Hogg, who is with us right now. You have Roy Cooper, the former governor of North Carolina. You have Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Congressman Adam Schiff, lots of big names.

And, you know, the original goal was to have 20,000 registrations for this call. That number has more than tripled. What's your reaction? Are you surprised by this level of support that you were seeing for this?

ROSS MORALES ROCKETTO, ORGANIZER, WHITE DUDES FOR HARRIS: I am. I'm surprised and humbled. And also thanks for having us sit -- you know, I just checked the numbers right before we went on. We're now at 75,000 people who signed up and we've raised over $350,000 for the campaign. To be honest, we thought if we were lucky, you know, we sent a 20,000 number. I thought if we were lucky, maybe we'd get 10, 000 people on. It's been a real groundswell.

And I think it represents something really important, which is the fact that there is a silent majority of white men out there who are not MAGA supporters. They're not a part of the MAGA Republican Party. And they are looking for a place and they are interested in casting votes for the vice president this November.

BROWN: David, let's bring you in. I want to know you were on a donor call with V.P. Harris Friday, if I'm not mistaken. Tell us about that, because she was on that call, I believe you asked a question. And why do you think it's important to be on this one tonight?

DAVID HOGG, PARKLAND SHOOTING SURVIVOR: I think it's important to show that we aren't just white dudes for Kamala, but also that we're younger white dudes or older white dudes or people of all ages are for Kamala. And I also have to note too, that this would not have been possible. This was inspired by, you know, following in the footsteps of black woman for Kamala, which was one of the first calls that was set up.

And I was on that National Finance Committee call earlier and I can just say that the vice president is fired up. Young people are fired up. People of all ages are fired up and they're donating. Just after it was announced that the vice president was going to become the nominee, I set out a challenge to people to raise $100,000 on Twitter in one hour for the vice president. And not only did we do that, we ended up raising about $345,000 to support the vice president from over 6,000 people around the country. So, people are fired up, and we're ready to be out there.

BROWN: Why is she so appealing to younger voters compared to how Biden was with the youth vote? Help us understand that, David.

HOGG: Well, I think it's that because we're constantly seeing her on our social media and she's authentic and she's funny. You know, we see her constantly out there talking and people making different edits of her to Brat by Charlie XCX and other very culturally significant things. And I think her -- you know, we have to give credit, too, to her comms team that has really been on top of this and making sure that she's out there and especially as well, of course, to the president himself who's been so gracious in this transition and being so supportive of the vice president.

I've never seen so much Democratic unity in my life. You know, it's often said that organizing Democrats is like organizing -- trying to herd cats. But I really feel like we've come together in this moment in a way that I've never seen before. And I'm super excited to be on this White Dudes for Kamala call tonight. And maybe by the by that call, we'll have $100,000 people on there. I don't know, but, Ross, if we've already passed 20,000 people and we're at 75,000, I think we might be able to get to 100,000 as well. And I'm super, super excited to be part of it.

And just make sure that young people know that we're out here, we're listening to them, and we're delivering for them, whether that's the largest climate spending in human history, whether that's the first gun law passed in 30 years, student debt cancelation, or so much more.

BROWN: Ross, I want to get you in just a second, but I want to follow up with David here. When you're talking about Kamala Harris and the enthusiasm among youth for her, you mentioned you know, you think she's funny and her appeal now. But I'm wondering, did you think that about her before she wasn't announced and endorsed and became the essentially the presumptive Democratic nominee?

And I ask that because what I sense in talking to folks is they had one perception of her when she was V.P. and a very different perception of her now. What do you think?

HOGG: Yes, I think that, in many senses, is true. I think more than anything though, when you're the vice president, obviously, you are not getting a lot of the attention, not nearly as much as the president themselves. But now that she is the nominee, a lot of that attention has shifted to her, and it's been to her benefit.

And we've seen, too, how the Democratic coalition has really come around her, and how we're all feeding off of each other. You know, Governor Tim Walz really started to lead into that idea of, you know, these Republicans just being weird in talking about that. And we've seen the Kamala Harris campaign or Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign, sorry, really adopt that messaging and go forward with it.

And I think it's true. You know, it, it's said over and over again. They want to be in our exam rooms, they want to be in our bedrooms, and they want to be in, you know, our kids' classrooms trying to challenge what they can read or not. And it's just weird. It's really weird. Meanwhile, we're out here talking about making sure kids are fed in schools, making sure that people have healthcare and that kids aren't dying in schools from gun violence.

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BROWN: It's just weird. That's the buzz line, right, from the Harris campaign. Are you just picking up on that organically, or were you told by the Harris campaign to start using that word?

HOGG: No, I was not told by the Harris campaign to start using that word. I think it is just genuinely the right messaging to be going on, and that's part of the reason why I'm also so supportive of, you know, Tim Walz as vice president. But no matter who vice president picks, I'm sure she'll make the right decision and I will be fully supportive of her in that decision because we have to defeat Donald Trump.

BROWN: We're going to get to that in just a moment. Here are some of the V.P., the top V.P. contenders for Harris's ticket.

Before we get to a deeper discussion on that, though, I want to bring you and Ross to talk about this polling from The New York Times that shows 37 percent of men say they'll vote for Harris. 56 percent say they're backing Trump. What do you think Harris needs to do to garner more support from male voters? And why do you think there is that gap?

ROCKETTO: First of all, I would say that about -- you know, according to exit polls in the last two elections, about 60 to 62 percent of white men supported Donald Trump. So, I think, first of all, those numbers are already we're already doing a little bit better. But, secondly, I think we need to go out there and talk to people.

For too long, the Democratic Party has just seated men overall, but especially white men. And, you know, part of why we're organizing this White Dudes for Harris call is because is to show folks that it's okay to support the vice president. Actually, the vice president has an economic agenda that works for people. She has a health care agenda that works for people. She is pro-choice. You know, she has an agenda that works for working people.

And, you know, a big part of the work that we're going to be doing, you know, from now until Election Day, is making sure folks know that, making sure folks feel like they have the information, they need to go out and talk to their friends and neighbors, and just going out there and doing good old fashioned organizing.

BROWN: The consensus seems to be that Harris will go with a white male as her running mate. There are names like Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. They have been mentioned. Also, of course, as you mentioned, David, Governor Walz is a top contender as well.

So, tell us a little bit more, David, about why you think Governor Walz should be the pick.

HOGG: Look, I think Governor Walz frankly is one of the most qualified people to be out there. When he was in Congress, he was running in a congressional district that was rated as R-plus 7, and he consistently won there over and over again in rural Minnesota.

He grew up in a very small town and his graduating class of high school, for example, had about 24 students in that graduating class, from what I know. And on top of that, he's just a very down to earth guy. You know, he's not gimmicky or anything like that. And he just gets out there and he's relatable. He's funny. As I mentioned, he came up with that whole line of, you know, these Republicans are just weird. He's an excellent communicator and I know a lot of people have concerns about his age. But he's actually only one year older than Kamala Harris. And I would attribute much of that difference in appearance to the fact that he supervised the lunchroom as a teacher for 20 years, which will definitely age you.

And, ultimately, I really think he helps us lock up the blue wall and he's just extremely qualified to be in that position, not to mention his enormous successes as governor. But like I said, I will be supportive of the vice president, no matter who she chooses, because I know she will make the right decision for her in this country.

BROWN: All right. David, Ross, thank you both so much.

With the clock ticking on his presidency, Joe Biden is looking to shake up the Supreme Court. The changes he's proposing and what it would take to make them a reality, up next.

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BROWN: New this morning, President Biden makes it clear that, quote, no one is above the law, not even presidents or members of the Supreme Court. In a Washington Post op-ed published this morning, Biden lays out his plan for huge reforms in the nation's highest court and also puts forward a constitutional amendment limiting presidential immunity.

The president writes, quote, we can and must prevent the abuse of presidential power. We can and must restore the public's faith in the Supreme Court. We can and must strengthen the guardrails of democracy.

CNN's Chief Supreme Court Analyst Joan Biskupic joins us now. Joan, so the president will lay out his plan in a speech tonight in Texas. These are pretty big proposals for the Supreme Court.

JOAN BISKUPIC, CNN CHIEF SUPREME COURT ANALYST: They're very big proposals. They're also pretty much a wish list. This is mostly a political document because we're going to take it at face value, but it's not going to happen, just so you know, just because to get this passed would be a big thing.

First of all, he wants a constitutional amendment that would essentially reverse the Supreme Court's decision just in June in the Trump case, giving former President Donald Trump broad immunity from criminal prosecution. It was a case that really, you know, shocked many people, including the Biden administration. He wants a constitutional amendment to reverse that. That's a big lift, which would take the approval of 38 states for that. You know, we haven't had a new constitutional amendment since the 90s.

He also would like term limits for justices. Right now, as you know, they're appointed for life and that's in the Constitution that they have lifetime appointments.

[10:20:01]

He would like them appointed for 18-year terms by a president who would essentially get two justices each of the presidential term. That's another one that potentially has to be enforced only through a constitutional amendment.

And the third one is one that actually Congress could do, and it's an enforceable code of conduct for the justices. President Biden has complained about, you know, not just the rulings by the justices, but also he's been suspicious of some of the justice's conduct, you know, for example, taking trips with wealthy interests and not reporting them, or, you know, we've had a few other issues involving, for example, Justice Alito. But, you know, those, those are ones that kind of come into another category of off bench behavior, what the first to get at is the actual rulings by the court.

BROWN: Right. And as you point out, this isn't direct rebuke to what we've seen from the court and reporting over the months and years. But, you know, he's proposing term limits now. Lifetime appointments for Supreme Court justices were there for a reason.

BISKUPIC: That's right. It was supposed to be so that they wouldn't be buffeted or influenced by outside pressures. You know, the idea that you're appointed for life, you're not going to be removed and that would, in effect, make you more independent. But what these proposals, the underlying premise of these proposals, especially the 18-year term limits one, is that that these justices actually aren't so independent and they're staying -- you know, let's just take Clarence Thomas, for example, he was appointed in 1991 at the very young age of 43. And he is still there. He's into his third decade.

And there's been a lot of pressure, not just from the Biden administration, but for many people thinking that this kind of, you know, decades-long tenure for any justice on either side of the ideological spectrum is too long, and that there would be more fairness brought by actual term limits.

And there have been times Pamela when individual justices themselves have talked about a supporting term limits, but I have to say in this case, you know, first of all, 18 years, Clarence Thomas is way beyond that. Even Chief Justice John Roberts, who was appointed in 2005, is already beyond an 18-year limit. So, it would be quite dramatic, and, as you note, the Constitution does give lifetime tenure.

BROWN: Right. All right, Joan Biskupic, thank you so much.

Coming up, more than just athletes, how the women who are part of the U.S. gymnastics team are becoming role models to a new generation and inspiring those who came before them.

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BROWN: Breaking news out of Israel, a short time ago, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that the response to the rocket strike that killed 12 children in Israeli-occupied Golan Heights will be severe. Netanyahu issued this warning while visiting the site of the attack, which was the deadliest on civilians in Israeli territory since October 7th. Israel and the U.S. are blaming the militant group Hezbollah for the incident.

Jeremy Diamond joins us now from Israel. Jeremy, Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with the Israeli president this morning. What was Blinken's message?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Secretary Blinken speaking with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, talking about the United States' ironclad commitment to Israel's defense, including its right to defend itself from attacks by groups like Hezbollah. And that is who the Israeli government says was responsible for this rocket attack over the weekend in the Golan Heights community of Majdal Shams, where 12 children were killed in a gruesome attack, dozens others injured.

But the secretary of state also making clear, emphasizing, according to this statement, the, quote, importance of preventing escalation of the conflict and talking about the need for a longer term diplomatic solution to what has been a long, simmering conflict between Israel and Hezbollah since the beginning of the war in Gaza on October 7th.

What is clear is that the United States understands that Israel will have to respond to this attack over the weekend, but it is hoping that this will be a measured response that sends a message, but that prevents this conflict from spiraling into all out war between Israel and Hezbollah, an all-out war in this region, with the risk of Iran also being pulled into this conflict.

I just returned from that community of Majdal Shams, Pam, and I can tell you that this is a community still trying to piece together the horror of what happened. We came across so many people who had been on the scene in the first moments after this rocket struck, and they described absolutely atrocious and gruesome injuries to the children who were simply trying to play soccer on a hot summer evening there.

And we also spoke with the father of one of the victims, 11-year-old Alma. She was playing soccer that day and her father arrived on the scene only able to identify her by the bracelet on her hand. He says that there is no question in his mind that Hezbollah was responsible. He wants to see an Israeli response. And he was actually one of the families of the victims who met with the Israeli prime minister today in Majdal Shams.

Although we should note that the Israeli prime minister's visit was not welcomed by all. He was also heckled there by dozens of people from that community who told them to go home, who told them that he was not welcome there. Pam?

BROWN: All right. Jeremy Diamond, thank you so much.

And we are following new developments and the CNN the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. We're getting some new details. And we're going to bring you that new reporting right after this quick break.

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Stay with us.

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