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Trump Attacks Harris' Racial Identity; Iran Holds Memorial Service for Slain Hamas Leader; U.S. Reached Plea Deal for 9/11 Mastermind, Minus the Death Penalty Sentence. Katie Ledecky Breaks New Record, French Swimmer Earns Double Gold in Paris; Maya Rudolph Returns to SNL as Kamala Harris; 14-Month Old Boy Miraculously Pulled Out of the Underground Pipe. Aired 3-4 ET
Aired August 01, 2024 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States, around the world and on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church, live in Atlanta.
Just ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, divisive and disrespectful. Kamala Harris hits back at Donald Trump's false attacks on her racial identity.
Thousands march in Tehran to remember slain Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. As the Middle East remains on edge over possibilities of a larger crisis.
And later, an incredible rescue caught on camera. The latest on how it all happened and the child's condition, just ahead.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.
CHURCH: Good to have you with us. Kamala Harris is firing back against Donald Trump after the Republican presidential candidate challenged her identity as a black and Asian-American woman. The vice president is contrasting herself with Trump in tone and in what she's offering for the future.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: It was the same old show, the divisiveness and the disrespect. And let me just say, the American people deserve better.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: This comes after Trump pulled a move straight out of his old playbook, resorting to false accusations and questioning her racial identity. Speaking to a panel of interviewers at the National Association of Black Journalists Convention, he made statements that Harris supporters call outright racist. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I've known her a long time indirectly, not directly very much. And she was always of Indian heritage. And she was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn't know she was black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn black. And now she wants to be known as black. So I don't know, is she Indian or is she black?
RACHEL SCOTT, ABC NEWS SR. CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: She is always identified as a black. (inaudible)
TRUMP: But you know what, I respect either one. I respect either one. But she obviously doesn't because she was Indian all the way. And then all of a sudden she made a turn and she went, she became a black person.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Trump doubled down in a rally later in Pennsylvania, calling the vice president phony and accusing her of being the architect of the, quote, "border invasion," another racially loaded accusation, which is also not true.
But Harris is gaining support and big endorsements. Some 300 tech investors say they will vote for the potential Democratic candidate. Now the United Auto Workers Union is also pledging their support. CNN's Arlette Saenz is traveling with the vice president.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Vice President Kamala Harris forcefully pushed back against former President Donald Trump's appearance at the NABJ convention in Chicago, portraying his moments on stage as divisive and disrespectful. It comes after Trump had baselessly questioned Harris' heritage and identity as a black woman. Harris said the American people deserve better. Take a listen.
[03:05:04]
HARRIS: The American people deserve a leader who tells the truth, a leader who does not respond with hostility and anger when confronted with the facts. We deserve a leader who understands that our differences do not divide us. They are an essential source of our strength.
SAENZ: Harris' husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, also forcefully pushed back on Trump. According to The "Washington Post," he appeared at a fundraiser in Maine where he directly addressed Trump's -- what he called insults against him and his wife, saying that Trump does not deserve a second term in the White House. Now, Harris was making her comments here in Houston, Texas, at a gathering of Sigma Gamma Rho.
That is a black sorority that is part of the Divine Nine. Harris herself is also a member of a Divine Nine sorority, which she joined back when she attended Howard University in Washington, D.C. This is actually the third gathering of a Divine Nine sorority Harris has addressed just this month.
Part of the goal here is trying to mobilize black women in this election. Now, the Divine Nine does not endorse political candidates, but this vast alumni network, which includes black men and black women, could serve as an organizing force heading into November's election against Donald Trump.
Arlette Saenz, CNN, traveling with the vice president in Houston, Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: The Trump campaign claims his appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists was meant to unite the entire country. But during that event, he spread misinformation, dodged questions and verbally battled with the moderators. And he lashed out when he was asked tough questions. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: You don't even say, hello, how are you? Are you with ABC? Because I think they're a fake news network, a terrible network. And I think it's disgraceful that I came here in good spirit. I love the black population of this country. I was invited here and I was told my opponent, whether it was Biden or Kamala, I was told my opponent was going to be here. It turned out my opponent isn't here. You invited me under false pretense.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Tharon Johnson is a Democratic strategist based here in Atlanta and the CEO and founder of Paramount Consulting Group. He previously served as a senior advisor to the Biden-Harris campaign in Georgia. A pleasure to have you with us.
THARON JOHNSON, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST AND CEO/FOUNDER OF PARAMOUNT CONSULTING GROUP, LLC: It's good to be back.
CHURCH: So at the National Association of Black Journalists conference in Chicago Wednesday, former President Donald Trump repeatedly attacked journalists, made false claims about his record and questioned Vice President Kamala Harris' black identity by falsely claiming she, quote, "happened to turn black" a few years ago. And he says someone needs to look into that. He also said she could be a DEI hire and questioned her legal credentials. What is your reaction to all this and how will black voters respond, particularly given this was Trump's effort to reach out to black voters?
JOHNSON: Well, the black voters that I've talked to are responding in a very excited way because we know that Kamala Harris has changed the entire political landscape. Since she has entered the race for president and received the endorsement from President Joe Biden, we've seen something that we've never seen before. The excitement, the political landscape, particularly amongst the Democratic coalition, has been electric. And she was just in Atlanta, Georgia yesterday and today she was in Houston talking to a black sorority. And so it was all a part of Donald Trump's strategy to try to redirect and distract the American people from all of this momentum that the Kamala Harris campaign has been able to garner. She's raised over $200 million. She's received endorsements from former presidents, all of the Democratic leadership in Congress, in states and delegates all across the United States of America. They're supporting her.
But we knew that Donald Trump was going to stoop at a very, very low level. I did not think that he was going to go this low to go to the National Association of Black Journalists and to accuse this black woman who's been black her entire life. This make people try to understand that he has a little bit of understanding of the black experience in this country. It was totally disrespectful.
But this is the Donald Trump that we've known for a very long time. And I think voters are going to be able to stay focused on the mission at hand, and that is to make sure that we put Kamala Harris in the White House.
[03:09:52]
CHURCH: And we know, of course, that Kamala Harris has strong backing from black women. But what about black men? Many say they don't feel the candidates are making the case directly to them, including Harris, and they worry about her role as a prosecutor. So what message do black men want to hear from Kamala Harris?
JOHNSON: Black voters are the cornerstone of the Democratic Party, particularly black women have been consistently strong supporters of Democrats all across the country, but particularly in the South. And Kamala Harris, being a woman of color, particularly a black woman, is going to receive an overwhelming amount of support from black voters.
Now, right when Donald Trump wanted you to believe that this was a genuine effort by his campaign and Republicans to try to court black men, what you saw today at the NABJ showed you his true colors. He is not focused on garnering enough support. He went there and disrespected a black woman. And that is the worst thing you can do if you want black men to support you.
So what the campaign for Harris, for president, has got to continue to do is to talk about her record, talk about her commitments, and talk about the results that the Biden-Harris administration has delivered, particularly to black men. As we hear, Rosemary, we're dealing with a country where unemployment in this country is at an all-time low, particularly for black voters and especially black men.
Black men in this country are creating more small businesses at a faster rate than they ever have. And then black men are direct recipients at historically black colleges and universities because of the money that Biden and the Harris administration has delivered. So ultimately, it all comes down to the economy. And I think the economy for black men in this country is moving in the right direction. And we're going to have a very robust discussion about that very soon. CHURCH: So what is Trump saying to black men that has some of them
convinced they want to vote for him and do you think they may reconsider that, given what they heard him say about Harris, insulting Kamala Harris, attacking her black identity? Could that change their minds?
JOHNSON: I think it will. And I think that, you know, this, I think, strategic attack by Donald Trump to really distract black voters, to distract the American people, and particularly those moderate independent voters that are essentially important in this race, who are all looking at how Kamala Harris is going to conduct herself.
What we see is two tales of different candidates. When Kamala Harris goes and talks to sororities and goes to talk to black churches and black leaders, she's respectful. She answers a tough question.
Donald Trump today did the opposite. He disrespected these black journalists. He cut the time short from the onset. He was very combative. But it all comes down to the economy. And I know there's a black man talking to you today, Rosemary. We want to make sure that we do everything we can to protect and provide for our families. And so I think it's got to be an economic message that the Democrats have got to focus on, because that's what Donald Trump wants us to believe.
But the Trump economy was not better than the Biden economy. And I think we also got to talk about important issues when it comes to public safety, health care and education in this country that are all important to black male voters.
CHURCH: Tharon Johnson, good to have you with us. I Appreciate it.
JOHNSON: Thank you.
CHURCH: Iran is holding a memorial service for slain Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh. Thousands of people have turned out in Tehran where Haniyeh was assassinated early Wednesday. A Hamas spokesperson says he was hit with a direct rocket strike in the room where he was staying. Both Hamas and Iran blame Israel, which has not claimed responsibility. Calls for retaliation are growing among Iran's allies throughout the region, including from the Houthi leader in Yemen. And that's sparking fears of an all-out war in the Middle East.
CNN's Salma Abdelaziz is following developments for us. She joins us live from London. Good morning to you, Salma. What is the latest on the fallout from the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh and the possible consequences in terms of Iranian retaliation and the impact on ceasefire and hostage release negotiations?
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're seeing that fallout play out on the streets of Tehran live right now, Rosemary. We can bring you those images of this massive procession. You can see the streets filled with crowds. The coffin of Ismail Haniyeh was being carried through those crowds. There will be a huge funeral prayer that will take place, led by the supreme leader himself of Iran.
And then that coffin, that body of Ismail Haniyeh will go on to Qatar tomorrow. And you can expect massive Friday services in Doha as well, where he will be buried. And there's a clear message in the pictures that you are sending here, that Iran wants the world to hear, which is one of unity against what they accuse are actions from Israel, this assassination of Ismail Haniyeh.
And Iran wants to convey a message of strength as well at this time. This was an attack on its sovereign soil. It threatens its security, its ability to keep people on its territory safe. And very much, Iran's authorities have promised to strike back. But what does that look like? What are Iran's options?
[03:15:07]
It can directly strike Israel, potentially, but that only escalates this conflict. It could indirectly attack Israel. That's via its proxies. It could activate its tentacles around the region. You have Iran-backed militias from Yemen to Iraq to Syria. That threatens and widens this conflict, potentially. Could bring in other actors. Could result in indirect attacks on Western assets or others.
So as you can imagine, there's absolutely a heightened sense of security across the region. A weight with bated breath, really, as to how Tehran will respond. And the key question, Rosemary, is how does all of this wind down? How does anyone bring down the temperature when the negotiator himself, Ismail Haniyeh, is the one who's been assassinated?
CHURCH: Yeah, exactly right. Salma Abdelaziz, joining us live from London. Many thanks for that report.
Al Jazeera is condemning what it calls the targeted assassination of two of its journalists in Gaza. The network says the reporter and photographer were killed when an Israeli airstrike hit their car in a Gaza refugee camp. Both men were 27 years old. CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces for comment.
U.S. prosecutors reach a plea deal with the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks. Still ahead, how they made sure he will spend the rest of his life in prison without even putting him on trial.
And later, rescuers race to a home in Kansas where a toddler wound up stuck in a pipe. We'll show you how they were able to save him.
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[03:20:00]
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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. The death penalty is no longer on the table for the suspected mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the U.S.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has reached a plea deal with prosecutors after spending more than 20 years in U.S. custody. Putting him on trial became a major legal challenge, partly because he was tortured in secret CIA prisons. And as Oren Liebermann reports, prosecutors have opted to avoid a trial but still keep him locked up for life.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: This is a major announcement from the Defense Department that the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and two of his co- defendants in planning and carrying out that attack have reached a plea deal with the United States.
Now, in announcing this pretrial agreement, the Defense Department doesn't say the details of what's in the agreement itself, but Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, more commonly known as KSM, and his two co-defendants have agreed to plead guilty to charges of conspiracy and will serve a life sentence instead of the death penalty that the U.S. had been pursuing for years.
And this is a case that stretches out over more than two decades.
KSM was captured in Pakistan in 2003, along with several co- defendants, and then held in CIA black sites, and then in Guantanamo Bay for years.
He was arraigned and charged back in 2008 with a number of charges, including conspiracy, murder in violation of the law of war, attacking civilians, attacking civilian objects, and much more.
But from that point on, the case itself began to drag out, first in a debate over whether it should be a military trial or in U.S. civilian courts, and then questions about torture that Mohammed faced as he was held at those CIA secret prisons in the early 2000s, and whether evidence obtained during that time would be admissible in court. All of that delayed the trial that was finally set to begin in 2021 before it was delayed once again with the resignation of two judges, and then the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
And that brings us to where we are now. For two years now, the U.S. has been pursuing the possibility of a plea deal with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his two co-defendants, that announcement coming now.
The plea deal itself allows the U.S. to avoid what would have been a very long and complicated death penalty trial, and it makes sure that KSM will remain in prison for the rest of his life. One open question is, where will he serve out that term along with his co-defendants? It has been a major point of the Biden administration to try to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. They have repatriated over the past several years a number of the detainees held there, but there are still dozens left, and that process seems to be a long way out.
So at least for now, it seems a possibility that KSM will remain at that facility. But long term, that's certainly one question we'll look to have answered.
Oren Liebermann, CNN, at the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Iran's U.N. ambassador claims the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh could not have happened without U.S. authorization. The U.S. denies any knowledge or involvement, and says it continues to work for peace in the Middle East.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KIRBY, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COMMUNICATIONS ADVISER: We don't want to see an escalation, and everything we've been doing since the 7th of October, we've been trying to manage that risk. Those risks go up and down every day. They are certainly up right now. They don't make the task of de-escalation, deterrence and dissuasion, which is the goal, any less complicated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: The U.N. Security Council is calling for de-escalation to prevent a wider war. Israel's deputy ambassador wants increased sanctions on Iran for supporting Hamas and Hezbollah. Haniyeh's assassination has prompted widespread protests in countries across the Middle East. Iran and many of its allies are calling for retaliation, even though no one has claimed responsibility for his death.
Joining me now from Washington, Behnam Ben Taleblu is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Thank you for being with us.
BEHNAM BEN TALEBLU, SR. FELLOW, FOUNDATION FOR DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACIES: Pleasure. Thank you.
CHURCH: So in the wake of Ismail Haniyeh's assassination on Iranian soil and Iran's threats of retaliation, the region is on edge, many fearing it may be on the verge of all-out war. But the Biden administration says war is not inevitable. Where do you see these escalating tensions going?
[03:25:08]
TALEBLU: Well, certainly in the short term, I do see a significant uptick, at least kinetically or militarily, in the region coming our way. Both Iran's supreme leader, and that's a title meant to be taken rather literally, and chief military body, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, have indeed promised a hard revenge after the killing of Ismail Haniyeh in Iran.
This is the kind of language that they had used after the killing of Iran's terrorist mastermind in Iraq, Qasem Soleimani, and that sort of language paved the way for a large ballistic missile attack.
Similar language was used before the April 13 historic overt and direct missile and drone attack by Iran against Israel.
So there's absolutely a non-zero chance of an overt and direct military confrontation, as well as an intensification of the current multi-front proxy war we've been seeing in the region, and one the U.S. has been trying to manage.
CHURCH: And of course, Haniyeh was the Hamas political leader, but also one of the key Hamas negotiators for ceasefire and hostage release talks. Now that he's been killed, what happens to those efforts for a deal, and what happens to the hostages?
TALEBLU: You know, this is a kaleidoscopic question. The same facts point in a different direction every time the context changes. I think for the short term, any kind of ceasefire talks are going to be off the table with all eyes on trying to avoid or offset or even deter that likely impending Iranian or intensification of the proxy military responses.
But never say never, particularly for some of the creative diplomatic solutions the Biden administration has looked to effectuate through what's left of that political office, as well as other countries who have stepped up to try to be mediators during the past 10 months.
CHURCH: And after the assassination of Haniyeh, and also the killing of Hezbollah military commander in Beirut on the same day, how committed do you think Benjamin Netanyahu is to the deal, given his actions?
TALEBLU: Well, I actually see the killing of Haniyeh, even though the prime minister didn't mention that quote clearly in his speech today, as a kind of a making good on the promise made in the early days of October 7 that the Israelis would be hunting down or targeting anyone who they deemed was responsible for the October 7 terrorist attack.
So I think if there's anything that the prime minister is going to be looking to fulfill or carry out is essentially that very early pledge, which in my view means an intensification of the Gaza war, particularly if one believes that Israel is behind the assassination, because the logic would be to stun the adversary, and then to achieve a military win following that political assassination.
CHURCH: And according to the "New York Times," Iran's Supreme Leader is now ordering a direct strike on Israel in retaliation for the assassination of Haniyeh on Iranian soil. How likely is that given Iran is also demanding an urgent meeting with the U.N. Security Council accusing Israel of violating international law?
TALEBLU: Well, I think this is the Islamic Republic trying to work by, with and through, if I could borrow the phrase from the U.S. counterterrorism playbook, some of its partners on the U.N. Security Council, such as the Chinese and the Russians, who I believe with the Algerians helped call for the meeting.
But at the same time, trying to dangle the fact that they had previously been willing to go to the brink and dangle that like a sword of Damocles, both over the Israelis as well as the U.S. alliance structure in the region. So they're trying to cultivate the chaos and cultivate the fear, much like the atmosphere that existed between April 1st and April 13.
CHURCH: Behnam Ben Taleblu in Washington. Many thanks for joining us. I Appreciate it.
TALEBLU: Thank you.
CHURCH: A new report from the U.N. Human Rights Office says Israel has been abusing Palestinian detainees from Gaza and the West Bank since the start of its war with Hamas, and that at least 53 Palestinians have died in detention during that time.
The Israeli military says some of them had arrived wounded from the battlefield or with troubling medical conditions. But the report says others faced torture, mistreatment and sexual abuse, everything from waterboarding and electrocution to beatings while naked. The report relies on testimony from witnesses, victims, local organizations and U.N. agencies.
Now, you may remember this video captured by CNN back in January. It shows Palestinian prisoners forced to the ground while barefoot and blindfolded, wearing what looks like hazmat suits. The Israeli military says any acts of abuse against detainees are illegal, and that investigations are launched when there is suspicion of misconduct.
Firefighters across the U.S. continue to battle wildfires as the summer heat intensifies. Colorado's National Guard has been deployed for the first time since 2021 to help fight fires in the state. Emergency crews evacuated areas near Denver as the quarry fire continues to spread. Further west in California, more than 500 fire engines and 40 helicopters are trying to tame the still-growing Park Fire. Cal Fire reports it is now the fifth largest blaze in California history and is less than 20 percent contained.
Rescue operations are entering a third day in southern India, where landslides are being blamed for at least 178 deaths, including 26 children. Authorities in Kerala state say that number will likely go much higher. Nearly 200 people are still missing. Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, India's Minister of Home Affairs criticized Kerala state's government for failing to heed weather warnings sent a week before that predicted heavy rainfall and dangerous landslides.
Donald Trump attacks his opponent's identity as a black woman at a conference for black journalists. Coming up, we will hear one moderator's reaction to a slate of misinformation from the former president.
And later, Katie Ledecky does it again. The decorated American swimmer dominates in a long-distance freestyle and breaks her own Olympic record. We'll have more on that.
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CHURCH: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Rosemary Church. Let's check today's top stories for you.
[03:35:00]
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei is leading prayers for slain Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Thousands of people turned out for a memorial service in Tehran, where Haniyeh was assassinated on Wednesday. Iran and its allies blame Israel and are vowing retaliation.
No death penalty for the suspected mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has reached a plea deal with prosecutors, which allows him to plead guilty to conspiracy charges in return for life in prison.
Vice President Kamala Harris is responding to Trump's latest attacks as the same old show, bringing hostility, anger and division to the American people. The likely Democratic presidential nominee responding by saying the American people deserve better.
Donald Trump's latest attempt to win over black voters invoked racial and false attacks against his Democratic opponent. He also dodged questions and made multiple misleading claims. Kristen Holmes walks us through his highly contentious interview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A combative former President Donald Trump clashing with reporters during an appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Chicago.
RACHEL SCOTT, ABC NEWS SR. CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You have pushed false claims about some of your rivals from Nikki Haley to former President Barack Obama, saying that they were not born in the United States, which is not true. You have told four Congresswoman of color who were American citizens to go back to where they came from. Why should black voters trust you after you have used language like that?
DONALD TRUMP (R), U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, first of all, I don't think I've ever been asked a question so in such a horrible manner. I think it's disgraceful that I came here in good spirit. I love the black population of this country.
HOLMES (voice-over): The half-hour long question and answer session was marked by several pointed exchanges right from the start, with Trump falsely questioning Vice President Kamala Harris' heritage after being asked if he felt attacks by his allies calling her a DEI hire were appropriate.
TRUMP: And I really don't know. Could be. Could be. I didn't know she was black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn black. And now she wants to be known as black. So I don't know. Is she Indian or is she black?
SCOTT: She is always identified as a black. (inaudible)
TRUMP: But you know what, I respect either one. I respect either one. But she obviously doesn't because she was Indian all the way. And then all of a sudden she made a turn and she went, she became a black person. HOLMES (voice-over): The Republican nominee also pressed on past
comments by his running mate, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, about childless Americans.
SCOTT: Did you know that he had these views?
TRUMP: I know this. He is very family-oriented, but I know people with great families. I know people with not great families that don't have a family and the people without the family are far better. They're superior in many cases.
HOLMES (voice-over): Amid criticism of Vance, Trump asked if he believed his running mate was ready to serve on day one.
TRUMP: Historically, the choice of a vice president makes no difference. You're voting for the president and you can have a vice president who's outstanding in every way. And I think J.D. is. I think that all of them would have been. But you're not voting that way. You're voting for the president. You're voting for me. If you like me, I'm going to win. If you don't like me, I'm not going to win.
HOLMES (voice-over): The former president was also asked whether he stood by his pledge to pardon rioters who attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, 2021, likening the events of that day to recent protests in Washington over Israel's war in Gaza.
TRUMP: Like about five days ago, we had an attack on the Capitol, a horrible attack on the Capitol. Red spray paint that will never actually come off, especially on the limestone. It will never. I'm a builder. I know about this stuff. They fought with police. They fought with them much more openly than I saw on January 6th.
What's going to happen to those people?
SCOTT: Would you pardon these people?
TRUMP: What's going to happen? Oh, absolutely. I would.
SCOTT: You would pardon those--
TRUMP: If they're innocent. If they're innocent, I would pardon them.
SCOTT: They've been convicted--
TRUMP: Well, they were convicted by a very, very tough system.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: CNN's Kristen Holmes reporting there. And earlier, we spoke to one of the moderators at the event, Kadia Goba. Here's what she told us about interviewing the former president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KADIA GOBA, POLITICS REPORTER, "SEMAFOR": I had very high hopes that the former president was coming to Chicago to answer what he would expect would be tough questions, but also tell black journalists and just the American people what he's running on. That didn't happen.
It is never a mistake to, you know, question a presidential candidate, like if whether it's a Republican or a Democrat. It is never a mistake. I was really pleased that, you know, NABJ, the National Association for Black Journalists, followed through and, you know, actually had him there.
[03:40:01]
I mean, it is what it is. He is not changing for anyone. In fact, he is just himself. And if that is what he is, then the American people should actually see that.
But he also answered some questions. I got him on the record about taking the cognitive test, you know, in the future, if he won the presidency and some other questions. Most of them he did dodge. But we did get him on the record for some. So, no, I never think it's a mistake to have a presidential candidate who is revered as much as him by his party, by his base, to speak in front of journalists.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: The Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is asking the country's Supreme Court to certify his disputed election victory. The authoritarian leader filed an appeal on Wednesday as he looks to extend his grip on power. Speaking to reporters, he warned against what he called North American imperialism and vowed to keep fighting.
The opposition is calling for supporters to mobilize over the declared results. They claim their candidate roundly defeated Maduro at the ballot box. But the country's electoral body has not released the full tallies from Sunday's vote. More than a thousand people have been detained in the nationwide protests since then.
Still to come, a record-breaking night for Leon Marchand, the French swimmer, winning gold not once but twice and quickly becoming the talk of the Paris Games. We're back in just a moment.
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CHURCH: Cheers on Wall Street as the U.S. markets close higher on Wednesday as the U.S. Federal Reserve signaled a rate cut maybe on the horizon. Chairman Jerome Powell told reporters a cut in the benchmark lending rate could happen at the Fed's September meeting. That's due to recent progress in fighting inflation, but concerns remain over the strength of the U.S. job market.
[03:45:06]
It is day six of the Paris Olympics where the women's gymnastics individual all-around final will take center stage later today. U.S. gymnasts have won the event in every Olympic since 2004 and that trend could certainly continue with gold medal winners Simone Biles and Suni Lee leading the way.
In the latest medal count, China leads with nine gold, followed by France and Japan with eight each. Team USA has five gold but beat most medals overall with 30. France is second in the total medal count with 26.
And World Sport's Amanda Davis joins me now live from Paris with more. Great to see you, Amanda. So bring us the day's Olympic highlights and of course tell us what to look forward to in the hours ahead.
AMANDA DAVIS, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yeah, good morning, Rosemary. It's been a really thunderstormy start to day six here in Paris, but I have to say that was nothing compared to the tidal wave of talent we saw hit the swimming pool last night.
So often in sport, we overuse the word legend, don't we? But it is a word that is more than apt when it comes to talking about Katie Ledecky, the U.S. swimmer. She said she was disappointed with her showing in the 400 meters freestyle, but she more than made up for it in the 1,500 last night, the event that she has made her own.
She set a new Olympic record. She finished seven seconds faster than the time she posted to win gold in Tokyo three years ago, her eighth Olympic gold medal in all. I mean, so far ahead of the rest of the field that they almost had to adjust the camera settings to get the rest of the swimmers in. And this is what she had to say afterwards.
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KATIE LEDECKY, U.S. SWIMMER: You know, any gold medal is, it's not easy to win. So just, I'm just trying to appreciate it, appreciate the moment. And I mean, I don't mean to celebrate that much, but it comes out, you know, just the happiness and the joy, it just comes out.
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DAVIS: But why win just one Olympic gold in a session when you can win two? That is exactly what France's newest superstar, Leon Marchand, did, something that even Michael Phelps never tried. In the space of two hours, he took gold in the 200 meter fly, had the medal ceremony, got the medal around his neck, went back in the pool and he did exactly the same in the 200 meters breaststroke as well. The atmosphere inside that pool was absolutely incredible.
And he and Ledecky both hoping for even more success before the end of the Games. That's something, though, that is not going to happen for Rafa Nadal. Of course, the tennis legend, he and his Spanish teammate, Carlos Alcaraz, were beaten by the U.S. pair of Krychek and Rahm last night.
But Nadal has said he hasn't confirmed that that was definitely his last match here in Paris. He has left the door open potentially for more action to come.
Just as you rightly mentioned, though, the other thing to bring you up to date with, with what is happening today, Simone Biles back in action in the all around event. It's the first time actually that two former Olympic champions are going head-to-head. Biles, who won gold in 2016. Suni Lee, you rightly mentioned, who took the gold in Tokyo. But both of those two very much the favorites in terms of taking home another top prize for Team USA.
CHURCH: Yeah, and always spectacular to watch too. Amanda Davis, joining us from Paris. Many thanks as always. I Appreciate it.
Well, just ahead, a mother watches in horror as her 14-month-old son falls into a pipe in their yard. And we will show you the dramatic rescue. Back with that in just a moment.
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[03:50:00]
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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Some pictures on Instagram are gone for good, and there's nothing the app's users can do about it. The owners of the social media site say the problem affected some users of the popular stories feature. The issue is blamed on a bug which is now reportedly fixed. If you didn't see a notification on your account, that means your pictures are safe. There's no word yet on how many users were actually affected. Instagram stories usually contain pictures that are personalized with music, GIFs or interactive features.
Fast food chain Taco Bell is expanding the use of A.I. at hundreds of its drive-thru locations in the U.S. this year. That means there's a good chance customers will be speaking to a computer rather than a human employee on the other end. Parent company Yum Brands says it's part of an effort to free up employees to do other tasks and boost sales. The company says the voice technology has led to greater accuracy with customer orders as well as shorter wait times. And if there are issues or confusion, fret not, a Taco Bell employee will still be listening, just in case. That's for those of us with accents.
Well ahead of this year's presidential election, a bipartisan crackdown on the use of A.I. in political campaigns is now underway. In recent months, more than a dozen Republican and Democrat states have passed new laws regulating the use of deepfakes and other material created with artificial intelligence. The Department of Homeland Security has issued warnings over the ability of A.I. to deceive voters. But Congress seemingly has no appetite to take meaningful action before polls open. Depending on the state, violators could receive prison time, hefty fines or potentially forfeit their nomination or office.
[03:55:00]
We'll get used to seeing a lot more of actor and comedian Maya Rudolph, a source tells CNN the "Saturday Night Live" vet has been tapped to return to the sketch comedy show later this year to play Vice President Kamala Harris.
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MAYA RUDOLPH, COMEDIAN AND ACTRESS, PLAYED KAMALA HARRIS ON SNL: I think if there's one thing we learned tonight, it's that America needs a woman as president.
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CHURCH: She first played Harris in the lead up to the 2020 election. SNL is set to return for its 50th season amid the U.S. election season, with Rudolph set to make multiple appearances. Representatives for Rudolph and NBC did not respond to CNN's request for comment, but we look forward to seeing him.
Well, it was an ingenious rescue in the U.S. state of Kansas after a 14-month-old boy fell into a pipe outside his home about 10 feet or three meters deep underground. Emergency crews worked for 20 minutes to free the boy named Bentley using a makeshift catch pole similar to those used to wrangle dogs that allowed them to lift the boy out.
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BLAKE, BENTLEY'S FATHER: I can't imagine what she thought whenever she saw him fall because for all she knew it was a sewer line, it was full of water or it was 50 feet deep. I mean, she had no idea. By the grace of God, that boy was carried down that hole by an angel.
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CHURCH: Look at that little darling. Bentley's dad says his son was shaken up but soon returned to his normal rambunctious self and he says the family plans to get a padlock to keep the hole covered up. Good idea.
Thanks so much for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. Have yourselves a wonderful day. CNN NEWSROOM continues next with our Max Foster and Christina Macfarlane in London.
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