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'Veep' Viewership Soars With Harris Running For President; U.S. Leads Olympic Medal Count; President Biden to Propose Supreme Court Reform. Aired 11:30a-12:00p ET
Aired July 29, 2024 - 11:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:32:11]
PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: Well, in just a few hours, President Biden will call for major Supreme Court reforms. And his plan includes term limits for what is now a lifetime appointment, in the Constitution, by the way, a binding code of ethics for justices and a constitutional amendment that would put a limit on presidential immunity if crimes are committed while in office.
CNN chief legal affairs correspondent Paula Reid joins us now.
And you just are getting this statement, right, from Leonard Leo?
PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: That's right.
I mean, what the president here is proposing, this is big, and it comes at a time when the Supreme Court is increasingly under scrutiny, right? Their approval rating is declining, questions about ethics, questions about recent decisions like overturning Roe v. Wade and the immunity decision related to former President Trump.
But, look, a lot of things that he's proposing right now, these require congressional action. That's hard to do when there is consensus across the aisles, but this is increasingly a partisan issue. Republicans have made it clear they oppose these reforms.
Now, the reason the president is bringing this up now is because the Supreme Court is and has been a big issue in the election, right? He campaigned on a promise to try to bring some change to the Supreme Court. And he had a committee present a report, but that was submitted in 2021 and they haven't done anything.
And, likely, Vice President Harris is going to be running against former President Trump, who very successfully leveraged the Supreme Court during his campaign and while he was in office.
And just a short time ago, I got a statement from Leonard Leo, and not necessarily a household name, but someone who helped former President Trump while he was in office execute his vision to transform the court. He is largely responsible for a lot of what we see right now on the High Court and in lower federal courts.
Here's part of his response to Biden's proposal. He says -- quote -- "No conservative justice has made any decision in any big case that surprised anyone. So let's stop pretending this is about undue influence. It's about Democrats destroying a court they don't agree with."
Then he goes on to say: "Let me be clear. If Democrats want to adopt a process across the board, an ethics ban for all branches, I'm in favor of that. No jets, no meals, no speaking honorariums, no gifts for anyone for any reason in any branch starting with Congress. Until they support that, let's be honest about what this is, a campaign to destroy a court they disagree with."
And the reason that his response matters is, again, because he was the one who helped Trump really transform the Supreme Court and help give him the conservative supermajority that Biden and really now Harris are having to campaign against.
BROWN: All right, Paula Reid, thank you so much. Yes, we rarely hear from him.
Well, one of the Olympic organizers' biggest fears comes true. Swimming practice is canceled for a second day due to poor water quality. We are live in Paris up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:39:18]
BROWN: Well, this morning the action continues in Paris, with today's Olympic events already under way.
Serbia's Novak Djokovic scored a huge win earlier this morning, defeating Spaniard Rafael Nadal in an epic showdown between the two tennis icons.
And, right now, the U.S. is in first place for a total medal count at 12, while China leads the pack in gold medals with five. Meantime, officials say they are confident triathlon events will take place tomorrow. And that is despite the fact that a training session in the River Seine was canceled for a second day due to poor water quality.
CNN sports analyst Christine Brennan and CNN's Coy Wire joins us now from Paris.
So, Coy, is that event going to happen?
[11:40:02]
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Well, French authorities, Pamela, invested $1.4 billion over the last decade, according to some locals I have spoken to, even pulling entire old sunken vehicles out of the river to prepare the Seine for this moment.
But here we are a day before the first triathlon and organizers and reps of World Triathlon canceled swimming practice in the Seine for a second straight day. They met this morning after water quality tests showed bacteria levels were too high. Two straight days of rain pummeled Paris, overwhelming the city's
sewage system, sending untreated water with high levels of E. coli flooding into the river. Organizers, as you mentioned, do say that, with higher temps and more sunshine the next 36 hours, they're confident there will be acceptable limits by tomorrow's competition.
Now, if they do have to cancel the swim portion, they're going to go with a run/cycle/run triathlon, and that would be the competition.
Now, you mentioned Nadal and Djokovic, one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports, Pamela, the 60th installment of Djokovic versus Nadal. And this was in Roland-Garros. And it's the Serbian Joker putting an end to Rafael's comeback, winning the best-of-three sets match.
They have combined for 46 Grand Slam titles. Joker has the slight 31- 29 lead in this rivalry. And this win puts him through to the third round of the Paris Olympics as he chases his first ever Olympic gold.
Now, the Olympic dream for many of these athletes starts when they're just young kids. I caught up with Team USA fencer Lee Kiefer, and I asked her, what would you tell your younger self?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEE KIEFER, OLYMPIC ATHLETE: I would tell my younger self that I'm awesome then and I'm going to be more awesome in the future and to just like keep at it, girlfriend.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: And she is awesome, to the tune of the first Americans ever repeat as champion in fencing's women's foil competition, Lee Kiefer from Lexington, Kentucky, defending her gold from the Tokyo Games.
She told me she's in medical school. If she's going to be a surgeon, we can rest assured she has precision, Pamela.
BROWN: For sure.
WIRE: Part of a power couple too. Her hubby, Gerek Meinhardt, is a fencer in these Games.
Kiefer defeated 20-year-old Lauren Scruggs from Queens, so more history there. Jessica is -- this was the first time Team USA won multiple medals in women's foil since 1904. And over, by the way, Lauren Scruggs is a Harvard student, first black female fencer to win an individual Olympic medal for the U.S., so inspirations abound at these Olympic Games.
BROWN: Real underachiever there, huh?
(LAUGHTER)
BROWN: Obviously kidding. This morning, I also want to note this other story, Christine, this
investigation into the spine controversy surrounding the Canadian women's soccer team. That's been intensifying. Over the weekend., the team's coach, Bev Priestman, and two staff members were banned from working in soccer for one year.
The staff members allegedly used a drone to spy on an opponent's closed practice session earlier this month. What more are you learning about that Christine?
CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: You know, Pamela, we're usually talking about doping when we're talking about cheating at the Olympic Games, but this is drones.
BROWN: Yes.
BRENNAN: I mean, this is this is cheating kind of the old-school variety.
And the Canadian women won the Olympic gold medal three years ago in Tokyo. This has been a great time for Canadian soccer. And to think now that there are questions kind of reminiscent of maybe the New England Patriots and some of the things going on over the years with Bill Belichick, the idea now you start to question.
And in Canada, this is a huge story, because it's not just the women's soccer team. Now the question is about the men's soccer team and the mind-set and their strategy and their schemes. And it is truly a big story north of the border. But it is also a big story here, because it goes to the very heart of competition.
And, as Coy is describing these incredible stories of these athletes doing so well, the idea that now you have got drones and cheating -- and it started with one drone over one practice. New Zealand noticed it, and everything has cascaded from there.
BROWN: Yes, for sure.
I want to talk about also the U.S. women's basketball that will be making its Paris debut in just a few hours in a game against Japan. What can we expect?
BRENNAN: Well, the U.S. is -- the women's basketball team is the most dominant team in any sport, male or female, on Earth. They last lost, Pamela, in 1992.
However, there is a lot of controversy following this team, because, of course, this is the team that Caitlin Clark was not picked to play on. And I think they will still -- they should beat Japan, although Japan was their gold medal opponent three years ago in Tokyo. And Japan's a good team. I think the U.S. will win.
Brittney Griner had 30 points in that game against Japan three years ago. So expect good things from this dream team of U.S. women. But Dawn Staley, one of the committee members on the selection for USA Basketball, went on television and basically said that Caitlin Clark is playing head and shoulders against -- better than most players, and if they had made the decision now, they would have picked her.
So, what that does, that reignites an entire controversy. The last thing the U.S. women's basketball team or their coach, Cheryl Reeve, want right now is to be revisiting the Caitlin Clark story. But Dawn Staley has now made sure that that's going to be the case.
[11:45:10]
And I guess, in some ways, it's appropriate, because it was a big controversy six weeks ago and it's still a big controversy now.
BROWN: Right. I mean, they can't expect to snub her and then have it not continue to pop up, so there you go.
Christine Brennan, Coy Wire, thank you so much.
Well, will talk about life imitating art.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS, ACTRESS: POTUS is not going to be running for a second term.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Oh, my God.
LOUIS-DREYFUS: I'm going to run.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Ma'am, give me the straight poop here. Is this for real?
LOUIS-DREYFUS: It's totally for real.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: The hit TV series "Veep" is seeing a resurgence. We're going to talk to the show's executive producer up next.
And you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:50:04]
BROWN: Well, Vice President Kamala Harris' surprise last-minute of candidacy has renewed interest in the HBO political satire "Veep."
The show ran from 2012 to 2019 and is now streaming on our sister network Max. The day after President Biden withdrew from the race, the first season of the hit series saw a 353 percent increase in viewership.
Fans across social media observed that, once again in American politics, life seems to be imitating our here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOUIS-DREYFUS: I'm not leaving. POTUS is leaving. He's not going to run for a second term. I'm going to run.
(CHEERING)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: Wow.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: I did not see that coming.
(CROSSTALK)
(SHOUTING)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: Boom. Let's go to the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) moon!
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: I was this close to living on my boat.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: All right, well, that was just a tease because we had the executive producer and show runner of "Veep," David Mandel, but we just lost him, so we're going to try to reconnect with him and hopefully speak with him right after this quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:55:30]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOUIS-DREYFUS: I'm not leaving. POTUS is leaving. He's not going to run for a second term. I'm going to run.
(CHEERING)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: Wow.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: I did not see that coming.
(CROSSTALK)
(SHOUTING)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: Boom. Let's go to the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) moon!
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: I was this close to living on my boat.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Scenario look familiar?
Welcoming back the executive producer and show runner of "Veep," David Mandel.
I mean, could you have ever imagined that what we saw on "Veep" could actually be playing out essentially in real life?
DAVID MANDEL, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, "VEEP": No.
Actually, that was sort of the point of "Veep." It was supposed to not happen. We used to sit around and think of, what are the silliest things that could happen? What is the worst thing a candidate could do? What's the worst thing a candidate could say?
And now that they're actually happening, it's actually both hilarious and, dare I say, sometimes a little frightening.
BROWN: Why frightening?
MANDEL: Well, again, we were trying to entertain people, make people laugh. That's not really what I want from politics most of the time.
BROWN: Yes, it's interesting because the "Veep" creator actually wrote this op-ed on "The New York Times."
MANDEL: Yes.
BROWN: If we can scroll to that on the prompter, I want to read this to you, because he basically was talking about how, look, what worries him is that politics has become so much like entertainment that the first thing we do to make sense of the moment is to test it against sitcom.
And he's actually discouraged people are comparing Selina Meyer to Kamala Harris. What do you make of that and what he says?
MANDEL: I completely agree.
I mean, I think -- I mean, I want Kamala Harris to be judged on her own merits. I also think, unfortunately -- and I have said this elsewhere -- I think people are trying to use Selina Meyer sometimes to attack Kamala, that it makes her -- because the show is about a -- forgive me, a sort of sometimes incompetent woman vice president.
It's an easy sledgehammer with which to attack our current vice president. I think there are a lot of people that are celebrating things. There are people that are celebrating the show and they're celebrating Kamala. And that's fantastic.
But it's not lost on me that there are some with less honorable intentions. But, yes, I think our -- we should be holding our candidates up to levels of former great candidates, the Lincolns, et cetera, not the great sitcoms.
So, Armando is completely right.
BROWN: But, I wonder, as the executive producer of this show, as this is all playing out, right --
MANDEL: Right.
BROWN: -- Joe Biden steps aside, saying he's not going to run for reelection, Vice President Harris quickly becomes the presumptive Democratic nominee, essentially, what is going through your mind?
I mean, I can't imagine. Like, this is actually happening? Life really is imitating art.
MANDEL: It is -- I was starting to say it's been very ironic, but I don't use the word ironic properly and nobody else does either.
I find it -- I do find it funny. I have enjoyed -- I have enjoyed the ride. But I am -- I will say, as exciting as that is, I'm more excited, I think, by just in general the energy that I'm seeing coming out of the campaign by the changeover.
So I'm sort of -- I'm enjoying it, but I am surprised, I am shocked. On the plus side, more people are watching "Veep." More people are talking about "Veep." I'm here on CNN for no reason, and I haven't made an episode of "Veep" in six years.
(LAUGHTER)
MANDEL: So it counts for something.
BROWN: Well, to be clear, there is a reason. But, yes -- I mean, yes, it's true. I mean, you're getting free P.R., right, I mean, a lot of it.
(LAUGHTER)
MANDEL: I'm making pennies in residuals. So this is fantastic, yes.
BROWN: Oh, my goodness.
(LAUGHTER)
BROWN: All right, so let's just play this moment again where Selina learned --
MANDEL: Please.
BROWN: -- that her boss would not seek reelection.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: POTUS knows how this is all going to end. So he drank the poison Kool-Aid from my very big blue mug.
LOUIS-DREYFUS: Huh?
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: He isn't going to run again in two years.
LOUIS-DREYFUS: Are you serious?
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: No, I'm Joan (EXPLETIVE DELETED) Rivers. Of course I'm serious.
LOUIS-DREYFUS: So, why didn't he tell me this? Why are you telling me this? UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Because he couldn't stomach the look like that,
just like that, of unbridled joy.
LOUIS-DREYFUS: Ben, I am -- I'm crying very quietly on the inside.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: While, in your mind, you're doing pirouettes on his grave.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: How do you imagine Vice President Harris reacted to the news?
MANDEL: I think she took it a lot better than that.
