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Walz Mocks Trump Over Crowd Size At Arizona Rally; Trump Holds First Rally Since Walz Joined Harris Ticket; At Least 90 Killed In Israel's 'Worst Air Strike' On School. End of Interview with Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV); Republicans Step Up Walz Attacks, Questions China Visits; GA Election Board Will Allow "U.S. Citizens Only" Signs at Poll Sites; Disney Parks Face Slow Demand In The Face Of Higher Prices; Changing Spending Habits Are Impacting More Than Theme Parks; USA's Grant Holloway Wins Gold In Men's 110M Hurdles. Aired 1-2p ET
Aired August 10, 2024 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[13:00:00]
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Trump's constant references to crowd sizes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIM WALZ, U.S. DEMOCRATIC VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: On Wednesday, the largest crowd of the campaign showed up in Detroit, Michigan. But Arizona just couldn't leave it alone, could you?
It's not as if anybody cares about crowd sizes or anything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: CNN's Eva McKend is in Las Vegas covering tonight's rally. Eva, what's the Harris campaign message as they wrap up this swing through the battleground states?
EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Fred, from a policy perspective, they are heavily focusing on reproductive rights and immigration, and immigration certainly is a space to watch how the vice president talks about this.
She's attacked right to, on the issue, calling for more enforcement policies. And how does she do this without alienating a good segment of the party. Immigrants rights activists. We know that there are a lot of people in this country with mixed status families, these undocumented folks with citizen family members.
And she seems to be speaking to all of these concerns. Blasting the former president for squashing a bipartisan border bill that would have fulfilled a lot of Republican policy priorities, saying that if she was elected president, she would sign that into law, but also calling for an earned pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
Let's take a listen to how she's making this argument on the campaign trail. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: Earlier this year, we had a chance to pass the toughest bipartisan border security bill in decades. But Donald Trump tanked the deal. Because he thought by doing that, it would help him win an election. But when I am president, I will sign the bill.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCKEND: And the Vice President picking up a key endorsement here in Nevada, ahead of her Las Vegas rally tonight. That's the culinary union. Those are the hospitality workers that really fuel this state, and they have a powerful organizing footprint.
So that, no doubt, will be consequential in the weeks ahead.
WHITFIELD: And Eva the Harris campaign now says that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz misspoke in that newly resurfaced video from 2018 in which he said he handled assault weapons in war. What more can you tell us?
MCKEND: Yes they're walking back those comments now saying that that Governor Walz did misspeak, that he never was in active war and they are just retreating on those remarks. This has been sort of an unforced error on his part, and we'll see how this continues to play out, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, Eva McKend in Las Vegas. Thanks so much.
All right, former President Trump returned to the campaign trail in Montana last night for his first rally since Harris announced Tim Walz as her running mate. And Trump wasted no time going after Harris, Walz, and their supporters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Tim Walz is the man who's very freakish. He's very freakish. If Comrade Waltz and Comrade Harris win this November, the people cheering will be the pink haired Marxists, the looters, the perverts, the flag burners, Hamas supporters, drug dealers, gun grabbers, and human traffickers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Are joining me now to talk about the race for the White House Alex Vogel. He is a Republican strategist. Alex, great to see you. So let's talk about the rallies and this kind of name calling, you know, is it working for Trump to win votes beyond his base?
ALEX VOGEL, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, look, here's how I look at this. We've, I think, come to the end of the fairly effective honeymoon period that Harris and Walz have had. When I heard the words unforced error in the last segment, I thought, I don't know if it was unforced. But it does show that those things are starting to leave a mark. And it's now time for President Trump from his perspective to reengage in this race in a way that people are actually paying attention and his method of communicating the rallies has always been one of his strongest formats, if you will, and so he's going to dive right back into that.
WHITFIELD: Do you also see some kind of dangers, though, in that comparative military surface talk?
VOGEL: Well, look, you can take any of those things too far. I think in this case the fact that the Harris-Walz campaign had to walk it back, had to acknowledge a mistake shows that there's an issue there and it left a mark. Whether it, you know, ultimately proves to be more than that the best day, if you're walled --
[13:05:02]
WHITFIELD: Oh my goodness, I think we just lost that signal. OK, that's very strange. That doesn't usually happen, but it just did. We'll see if we can reestablish our signal with Alex Vogel. OK, there he is. Sorry about that. Suddenly we went somewhere else, but glad you're still where you're -- where you are. OK, thank you.
All right, so Trump was in Montana, you know, primarily to support Republican Senate candidate Tim Sheehy, who is in a fierce race to unseat Democratic Senator Jon Tester. Trump will be in Aspen, Colorado, Jackson Hole, Wyoming this weekend. Where do you think the Trump campaign needs to be spending the next, now, 87 days before voters cast their ballots?
VOGEL: Well, I do think it was important that he was in Montana. I mean, that Senate race that is control of the United States Senate, frankly. Given West Virginia and the fact that that is going to go Republican in Montana is that next seat in line, and so it is important for him to be there and it's critical.
I think the race is fundamentally different than it was against Biden in terms of the map but what that means is whether it's Arizona, Nevada, and Pennsylvania, they'll allocate accordingly, but it is different against Harris than it was against Biden. To be sure, I would rather be Donald Trump in this scenario. I think he has an easier path to 270, which is why even though she's closed in the battlegrounds when you look across the battlegrounds and you match it up with the Electoral College, which is what this is really all about. At the end of the day, he's still over 270.
WHITFIELD: OK. Exposure is really important, right, whether it be in the rallies, whether it be interviews or even press conferences.
I wonder how you might evaluate Trump's press conference most recently at Mar-a-Lago. Here's a small sample, you know, of his, what, some hour and a half long presser.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I don't know if you know they're drilling now because they had to go back because gasoline was going up to seven, eight, nine dollars a barrel. Of course there'll be a peaceful transfer, and there was last time. Nobody was killed on January 6th. Nobody spoke into crowds bigger than me. If you look at Martin Luther King, when he did his speech, his great speech, and you look at ours, same real estate, same everything. We actually had more people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: So even some Republicans have reportedly expressed, you know, concern about his sometimes incoherence, kind of meandering his lack of focus. Is it worrisome to you?
VOGEL: Well, look, I, everyone knows Donald Trump has a unique style of communication, and that's certainly consistent with how it has always been. I don't think that's going to change. I do think, given the realities, that the border and the economy are the issues that are most driving people's thoughts around this election and that voters think he is in a better position to address both of those.
WHITFIELD: Why isn't he then?
VOGEL: I do think there'll be more of a conversation --
WHITFIELD: Why isn't he focusing -- why isn't he focusing and addressing on those things?
VOGEL: Well, I think to some degree he's probably reacting to and waiting for the end of the welcome tour that Harris-Walz have been on so that he understands what their play is and what his dynamic needs to be going forward.
WHITFIELD: He did say that. He said he was waiting for, you know, the end of the convention, but it seems like he would be on the offensive and just go at it and focus.
VOGEL: Well, one of the interesting dynamics here, and it's starting to become an issue the vice president is speaking to the American people in very scripted rally type events. And it's finally reached a point where people are calling her on it. And the response was, yes, yes, well, I'm going to talk to my people. We'll do that by the end of the month.
You can pay your phone bill at the end of the month. You can't wait until the end of the month to speak in a non teleprompted manner to the American people. So, I think that is going to change this dynamic that it has to be about something, it has to be about policy issue different than Biden, is she going to try and walk back some of her previous positions on the left, how does she navigate that. Then you actually and the voters actually have an understanding of what they're looking that.
WHITFIELD: All right. Alex Vogel, we'll leave it there for now. Thanks so much.
VOGEL: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: And thanks for rolling with your crazy little technical moment. Appreciate it.
All right. We're following new developments in Gaza as well. More than 90 people reportedly killed in an Israeli strike on a school said to be sheltering displaced Palestinians. Why Israeli says they targeted the site, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:14:20]
WHITIFILED: Now today, international outrage is growing following an Israeli attack on a school in Gaza. And a warning, some of the images you're about to see you may find disturbing.
Gaza officials say the attack killed at least 93 Palestinians who were sheltering at a school and mosque. Medical officials inside the enclave say those targeted were civilians, children and elderly. The IDF claims the school was being used by Hamas terrorists and that they took steps to mitigate the risk to civilians.
We have teams of correspondents around the globe tracking the latest. Let's first go to Clarissa Ward in Tel Aviv. What more are you learning about the strike?
[13:15:00]
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So, Frederica, this strike took place just before dawn. Worshippers were gathering to pray the fajr prayer. They were sheltering, according to Gaza Civil Defense, roughly 6, 000 people in this Tabeen Islamic school and mosque compound inside Gaza City. A number of them had actually arrived recently being dispatched from northern Gaza, where the IDF has recently issued evacuation orders again.
Now according to Gaza Civil Defense, there were roughly 200 people who were gathered in the room to pray fajr when this strike occurred. And the footage that we are seeing, and I should warn our viewers, it is very distressing footage indeed. It is truly horrific just showing so many people scores of people, body parts, blood all over the floor.
We have been able to confirm just through going through that footage that there were certainly women and children among the dead, according to Gaza civil defense. 11 children killed, six women killed, a total of more than 93 killed, although the Al Ahli Bandhani (ph) Hospital, where many of the dead were brought, have said that they expect that number to rise because there were a number of body parts that were brought in that they haven't been able to identify yet.
Now the IDF I saying that the target was a Hamas control and command center that they killed between 20 and 25 militant leaders from Hamas and also Islamic jihad. We can't confirm if there were combatants among the dead, and we also really can't confirm the exact death toll. But we did manage to find in some video from the footage the remnants of one munition used.
It's a U. S. made GBU-39 small diameter bomb. It's produced by Boeing, and this is important because it comes just one day, Fredricka, after the U.S. decided to release more than 3.5 billion in military aid to Israel. Understandably, for the people in Gaza right now, there is a huge, and across the region and the world, a huge amount of outrage, a huge outcry.
And while diplomatic efforts have been turbo charged in the past week to try to get everyone together to get these ceasefire talks across the finish line, you can understand that for many, there is real skepticism that that will be possible and that incidents like this only create more tension, more anger and fewer prospects for peace.
WHITFIELD: All right, Clarissa Ward, thank you so much. Ben Wedeman in Beirut. So to that point, ceasefire negotiations are expected to begin again next week, but how might this strike further complicate matters?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fredricka, before I get to get to that, let me tell you just the situation here in Lebanon, which is extremely tense this afternoon, about two and a half hours ago, Israeli warplanes flew over central Beirut and broke the sound barrier, something that they've done three times in the last five days, which definitely sets off the jitters here in the Lebanese capital.
We're seeing an increasing amount of back and forth fire between Israel and Hezbollah. So far today, Hezbollah claims eight strikes on Israeli targets along the border, and we're hearing reports that they've launched another strike using lots of drones on Israeli targets. And of course, Israel has struck multiple times in southern Lebanon as well.
As far as the effect of that strike on the school this morning in Gaza that killed at least 90 people. Yes, the worry is it will impact the efforts to really revive the ceasefire and hostage release talks.
Now, CNN contributor Barak Ravid is reporting that the U.S. is really putting, stepping up its effort to try to bring about a resolution of this crisis. Brett McGurk, the National Security Council Coordinator for North -- for the Middle East and North Africa, is reportedly going to Cairo. Antony Blinken, the Secretary of State, is apparently about to launch a regional tour.
And William Burns, the head of the CIA, is going to lead the American team in the negotiations scheduled for the 15th of August to try to revive those negotiations. Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Ben Wedeman, thanks so much. Kevin Liptak is also with us from Washington now. Kevin, the White House is now responding. What are they saying?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN REPORTER: Yes, and they're voicing some serious consternation about this strike that is unfolding in Gaza. A spokesperson for the National Security Council saying that we are deeply concerned about reports of civilian casualties in Gaza following a strike by the Israel Defense forces on a compound that included a school. The statement goes on to say, we are in touch with our Israeli counterparts who have said they targeted senior Hamas officials, and we are asking for further details.
[13:20:00]
Now, the spokesperson acknowledges that Hamas has a history of using these types of compounds to gather and operate. Now the spokesperson acknowledges that Hamas has a history of using these types of compounds to gather and operate out of, but said that Israel still has a responsibility to protect civilian lives.
Of course, this is coming against the backdrop of President Biden's push to try and bring about a ceasefire in Gaza. That is his main strategy in all of this. Of course, how Israel has been conducting this conflict in Gaza has caused enormous tension between himself and the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
He has called repeatedly for more to be done to protect civilian lives. At the end of the day, this ceasefire and hostage deal is the goal that he is operating towards. And this statement says that this strike today only underscores the urgency of trying to reach that kind of agreement, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Kevin Liptak, thanks so much. Ben Wedeman and Clarissa Ward, all of you. All right, still ahead, Republicans are attacking Governor Tim Walz for time he spent in China years ago. We'll take a closer look at his trips to Beijing, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:25:28]
WHITFIELD: Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate Governor Tim Walz are back on the campaign trail today. The duo have been on a whirlwind campaign blitz since Walz was added to the ticket earlier this week.
Their campaign is focusing on critical battleground states with just 87 days now to go before the general election. Last night, the pair held a rally in Arizona and tonight they'll speak to voters in another crucial swing state of Nevada. Joining us right now is Nevada Congresswoman Dina Titus.
Congresswoman, welcome. Great to see you.
REP. DIDA TITUS (D-NV): Well, thank you. Nice to be with you. It's an exciting day in here in Southern Nevada.
WHITFIELD: OK, well, let's get to that in a minute. But, you know, in the last hour, the Harris-Waltz campaign put out a statement to kind of clarify Waltz's 2018 video in which he said he handled assault weapons in war. And the campaign wanted to put out this clarification saying he misspoke. And perhaps you saw my interview last hour with Republican strategist Alex Vogel, who says now that's an indicator that the honeymoon is over.
Is that the case that the joy that we've seen this campaign remark about in the, you know, in the last week, the joy is now over, the honeymoon is now over with that kind of acknowledgement?
TITUS: I don't think so. I think the excitement is continuing to build. They're going to parse every word. They're going to scrutinize every action. And we'll have to answer for some things and talk about policy going forward. But I feel it on the ground, you know. She's going to be here along with Governor Walz right in the heart of my district.
And just on the street, people are so excited that we have turned the corner and they're getting behind this ticket.
WHITFIELD: So tonight's rally, I mean, it's going to mark now the Vice President's seventh visit to your state this year, but her first as a Democratic nominee. Do you feel like, you know, she is making Nevada and the voters issues there a priority in this election? Why is it you say people are so excited to see her?
TITUS: Well, a couple of things. She is a Westerner. She's from California. She's a neighbor. She understands Nevada's issues. There's a big emphasis on the environment by this ticket and certainly that's huge here in Southern Nevada. The hottest, the driest the area in the country where water and public lands and sustainability are so important. So that fits.
But you know, Las Vegas just like something new. We don't preserve old buildings. We blow them up and build something new and having them on the ticket really gets people energized.
WHITFIELD: OK. So ahead of this weekend Harris's, you know, campaign picked up some huge endorsements. The League of United Latin American Citizens pledged their support the first time that they have backed a candidate in the organization's 100 year history. The Culinary and Bartenders Unions in Las Vegas also endorsed Harris, as well as the UAW International.
So, what do these endorsements say, in your view, about the coalition Harris is putting together?
TITUS: Well, she's putting it back together. I think this is a strong coalition that was there for President Biden when he started, and Nevada personifies that. We're a strong union state. We're diverse. We have a large Hispanic, fast growing Asian population. So, young people, the university is right here in the heart of my district.
So, there are women. Look at women how engaged they are now. So, they're coming back together for this ticket.
WHITFIELD: How do you respond to critics, including Vogel, who we had on last hour, who says she hasn't made clear her position on policies yet?
TITUS: Well, I think she'll be answering questions to the press, you know, when you can't criticize their policy, you look for a procedure and that's what they're doing. I think they're running scared. I, you know, look at the whole debate about the debates. So I'm not worried about that. And it's very clear where she has stood. She's been right alongside President Biden in a number of the issues that they now say they want to talk to her more in depth about.
WHITFIELD: All right. You and I, you know, spoke back in 2019. We've talked other times in between as well. But at that time you were supporting President Biden against then he was vice president again, then, you know, then President Trump, and you coined a phrase that quickly caught on and it was circulated on the campaign.
Perhaps you recall this moment. Listen.
[13:30:09]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. DINA TITUS (D-NV): He is not scripted. He's not about sound bytes. He's very sincere. I know that's the case here in Nevada. We say here we're riding with Biden. And that sums it up for us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: So riding with Biden. Have you thought about presenting on this show today another new kind of clever campaign slogan, perhaps for Harris?
TITUS: Well, it's a little harder to rhyme with Kamala than it was with Biden. And so I'm working on that.
But I'm certainly fully behind this ticket. I don't regret riding with Biden those issues that we got to accomplished for infrastructure, health care, investment in energy. All had a great impact here in Nevada.
And it's from Covid actually because we were the hardest-hit economy. So that was a good ride. Now I'm getting on board with the new ticket.
WHITFIELD: All right. I'll be waiting. If you coin that phrase, be sure to present it to us first, just like you did before in 2019.
All right, Congresswoman Dina Titus, thanks so much. Great to see you.
TITUS: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All right. As the Harris-Walz campaign says it is focused on the future, it is the Minnesota governor's past that is now coming under intense scrutiny.
Republicans now seizing on multiple issues, including dozens of trips that Walz took to China. As a teacher, he took students to the country for learning experiences for decades and even spent his own honeymoon there.
CNN's Will Ripley has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(SHOUTING) WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the summer of 1989, about two months after China's military massacred pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square, Tim Walz, an American teacher fresh out of college, traveled halfway around the world to China, paying respects in Beijing, where so many people died.
TIM WALZ, (D), THEN-MINNESOTA REPRESENTATIVE: I felt it was more important than ever to go, to make sure that story was told and to let the Chinese people know we were standing there, we were with them.
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Welcome the next Vice President of the United States, Tim Walz!
(CHEERING)
RIPLEY: Thirty-five years before becoming the Democratic nominee for Vice President, Walz volunteered to spend a year in China, teaching English and American history to mainland Chinese students.
The Nebraska native later telling his hometown newspapers he was treated like a king, and there was no anti-American feeling whatsoever.
Walz moved to Minnesota, teaching high school there for years. He got married on June 4, 1994, the fifth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.
He wanted to have a date he'll always remember, his wife told a local paper at the time. They spent their honeymoon taking students on a two-week tour of China, Hong Kong and Macau. Those student trips became a summer tradition.
CARA ROMHILDT, FORMER STUDENT OF MR. WALZ: I would go back in a heartbeat, in a heartbeat, because it wasn't political for us. It wasn't any of that. It was an educational trip with one of our favorite teachers.
RIPLEY: Cara Romhildt says she and her classmates still talk about their trip to China with Mr. Walz in 1998.
ROMHILDT: It felt very, very comfortable. And we went all over, you know, train rides, a whole bunch of different places, just seeing a different culture and having respect for it while seeing it, knowing that it's different, but knowing that that's OK, too.
RIPLEY: Since entering politics in 2006, Walz has consistently criticized China's human rights record. In Congress, he co-sponsored a resolution condemning the arrest of Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo. He also met with the exiled Dalai Lama in 2016.
TIM WALZ, (D), THEN-MINNESOTA GOVERNOR: Nieman Hama, Governor Tim Walz here. Happy Chinese New Year.
RIPLEY: All the while advocating empathy for everyday Chinese people.
Supporters say his understanding of the country could lead to more informed, pragmatic policies.
Critics, like Republican Richard Grenell, a former Trump ambassador to Germany, labeled Walz pro-China.
And on China's tightly controlled Internet, some question Walz' reasons for traveling to China the same year as the Tiananmen protests.
"1989, great timing." "The years he was in China make him suspicious." Comments untouched by government censors.
RIPLEY (on camera): But they are censoring CNN's live signal inside China. Earlier, when this report aired, they went to bars and tone the minute that we started talking about Tiananmen Square.
And this illustrates the challenge that China will face in portraying Tim Walz. Yes, he made around 30 trips to China. He humanizes the Chinese people. He knows how things work over there.
But he's also co-sponsored a series of resolutions supporting human rights in China and Hong Kong and has been a fierce critic of the Chinese government.
Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[13:34:47]
WHITFIELD: All right, still ahead, the new changes coming to Georgia polling stations ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, election workers in the battleground state of Georgia will now have the option to post signs that say "U.S. citizens only" at polling sites this November.
The GOP-led State Election Board ruled in favor of the signs earlier this week. But one board member or used the signs are political and unnecessary.
Joining me right now to talk more about all this, CNN national correspondent, Rafael Romo, here to explain.
[13:40:01]
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is, Fred, a big controversy. And one would think that it is a legal issue, but as we are going to see, it's also a very political issue, especially here in Georgia.
And to state the obvious, it is illegal for non-citizens to vote in federal elections in the United States. And those who break the law face jail and deportation.
So why is it necessary to post "citizens only" signs outside polling stations? This is what we found out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROMO (voice-over): The voters in the United States are already obligated to prove that they are citizens before registering to vote. Registered voters in Georgia also must show a valid photo I.D. before casting a ballot in every election.
UNIDENTIFIED GEORGIA ELECTION BOARD MEMBER: We have the motion and a second.
ROMO: Now the Georgia State Election Board this week voted in favor of encouraging election officials to post signs outside polling places for the November 5th general election that would clearly say "U.S. citizens only."
The proposal was introduced by Republican board member, Janice Johnston, during a meeting on Wednesday.
JANICE JOHNSTON, (R), GEORGIA ELECTION BOARD MEMBER: This is the sign.
ROMO: Johnston says the purpose behind the signs is reminding people that it is illegal for non-citizens to vote.
JOHNSTON: Anything to help non-citizens from unwittingly violating election law.
ROMO: Sara Tindall Ghazal, the only Democrat on the five-member board, said the move is unnecessary because, quote, "There's absolutely no evidence that this is happening in numbers that would make a difference."
SARA TINDALL GHAZAL, (D), GEORGIA ELECTION BOARD MEMBER: You know what my name is associated with? Perpetuating disinformation that undermines confidence in our electoral process. The myth is that these people are registering and voting in large numbers.
ROMO: Board member, Danielle King, a Republican, said that the board is not trying to prevent any U.S. citizen from voting. On the contrary, she said, the whole idea is to encourage citizens to vote.
JANELLE KING, (R), GEORGIA ELECTION BOARD MEMBER: That's what this is about. It's about abiding -- abiding by the law.
ROMO: And there may also be a strong political reason for the "U.S. citizens only" signs.
Former President Donald Trump has repeatedly made outlandish claims about Democrats seeking to add undocumented immigrant as to the voter rolls.
During a rally earlier this month in Atlanta, the former president specifically mentioned the three Republican members of the board by name.
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Three members, Janice Johnston --
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: -- Rick Jeffares and Janelle King, three people --
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: -- are all pit bulls fighting for honesty transparency and victory.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMO: And, Fred, Georgia is hardly alone when it comes to this issue. Voters in eight states will soon decide whether to change their constitutions to explicitly ban voting by non-citizens.
The growing citizen-only voting movement marries two issues Republicans hope will motivate their base this fall. One, unfounded claims about election fraud and, two, illegal immigration.
So expect to see plenty of those signs around Georgia this November.
WHITFIELD: All right. Rafael Romo, thank you so much.
All right, still ahead, Americans are skipping theme parks this summer. What's behind the summer slump? We'll discuss, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:47:54]
WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back. Disney parks are having a tough time this summer in the face of sluggish consumer demand. While the company says people are spending money once they get into the parks, getting them there is proving to be a challenge.
CNN's Nathaniel Meyersohn is here with more on this.
Nathaniel, why are people staying away from the theme parks overall?
NATHANIEL MEYERSOHN, CNN CONSUMER REPORTER: Can you believe it, Fred, a summer without Disneyworld? That sounds almost un-American. But that's kind of what we're -- that's what we're seeing right now.
And it really has to do with families saying, you know what, we just don't want to pay these higher prices, the theme parks are just getting a little bit too unaffordable.
So let's take a look at some of the prices that theme parks are charging. And this -- these are just for a day pass, single day. So Disneyworld $110 per person, Universal Studios, $120, and Six Flags, about $50.
So Disneyworld, for a day pass for a family of four, is looking at more than $400 just to get in. And that's -- that doesn't have to do with travel, with the food you're spending. Some families are just deciding, you know what, maybe we're going to
go take a road trip or spend our money in other ways.
And then, Fred, theme parks have also been affected by climate change. You think of the extreme heat and the extreme storms that some of these parks are facing.
The businesses are really trying to adapt to climate change but sometimes it's just -- it's too hot to want to go to Disneyworld.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh, it is boiling, especially in the summertime, for goodness sakes.
OK, so these aren't the only businesses slowing down. How else are people changing their spending?
MEYERSOHN: Yes, Fred, we're seeing this kind of more broadly across the economy and with top consumer companies.
So we're seeing a pullback right now at McDonalds, at Starbucks, and Airbnb. All these businesses are reporting slower sales. Many customers are fed up with the high fast-food prices.
You know, fast-food and McDonalds is supposed to be cheap.
WHITFIELD: Right.
[13:50:00]
MEYERSOHN: But you're looking at $15 Big Mac meals. You've got to Starbucks and you get an iced coffee, that's $6, $7 for just an iced coffee.
So many people are saying, you know what, maybe we're going to cook at home, we're going to make coffee at home, we're going to eat at home, not kind of travel as much. You know, they don't want to pay these -- these expensive fees for Airbnb.
But, Fred, there is good news for consumers. McDonalds and Starbucks and many of the other fast-food companies because they are trying to win back customers with value meals so we -- they know that customers are frustrated --
WHITFIELD: Right.
MEYERSOHN: -- squeezed, so they're going to try to offer more deals to try to entice customers, get them to come back and spend on those Big Macs.
WHITFIELD: Oh, I've heard of the value meals at McDonalds, but at Starbucks there's a value meal coming?
(CROSSTALK)
MEYERSOHN: Yes, at Starbucks. Can you believe it?
WHITFIELD: No.
MEYERSON: It's like it's turning into fast-food.
WHITFIELD: I know. Well, that part I do see, but the prices are kind of high.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: All right. Nathaniel Meyersohn, thank you so much. Looking for a value meal at Starbucks.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: All right. Well, guess what? There are only two days of competition left at the Paris Olympic Games, but America is still racking up the gold.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:55:53]
WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. The bookie at the center of the gambling scandal involving Dodgers Star Shohei Ohtani's ex-interpreter will be sentenced next February following a plea deal.
And 49-year-old Matthew Bowyer pleaded guilty yesterday to running an illegal sports gambling operation and other charges.
This is the latest plea deal following the sports betting scandal that enveloped Ohtani's previous interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. Mizuhara pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $17 million from Ohtani to pay off gambling debts.
And another thrilling performance in Paris has the U.S. women's national soccer team back on top. A second half goal by Mallory Swanson was the difference maker as the U.S. won its gold medal match, one nil, against Brazil.
It has been dominating -- it's been a dominating showing, rather, for Team USA is giving up only two goals the entire Olympic games to claim their first gold in 12 years.
And there have been so many inspiring moments in Paris. On Thursday, U.S. sprinter, Grant Holloway, took home his very first Olympic gold, blazing through the competition in the men's 110-meter hurdles.
Holloway spoke with CNN's Coy Wire about what it means to finally be an Olympic champion.
((BEGIN VIDEOTAPE))
GRANT HOLLOWAY, TEAM USA GOLD MEDALIST, 110M HURDLES: I was in that stadium, and when that gun went off, man, you got out, like out the gate.
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: How hungry were you for that moment? HOLLOWAY: I was -- I was starving.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLLOWAY: No pun intended. But just to get out there and to replicate what I wanted to do for three years now, you know, I'm happy. The career grand slam is finally complete.
And now that I've done that, I can actually take some shots at the world record. And everybody has been talking about it. So, you know, the main goal of this weekend was just a win.
You know, there was going limited time. I only remember them, right? So I just wanted to make sure I just go out there and do what I had to do.
WIRE: I've gotten to chat with you before. Nice guy. Gentle, so gentle spirit. But elite athletes have a switch. Take us inside the mind of Grant Holloway. What slip switch for you?
HOLLOWAY: You know, when you're out there in front of 80,000 fans, why not put on a show? You know, people bought tickets, in my mind, to see me. I was the main event. People want to see what was going to happen at that night.
So I just wanted to just make sure I just went through and do it all I had to do. And you know, the sky's the limit. So, you know, I'm 26- years-old. I've done everything that anybody ever wants to do in a sport.
And I think it's -- I think it's going to be a remarkable next couple of seasons as being able to rush stress-free. Absolutely.
WIRE: All right. What would your spirit animal be? Simone Biles told me, when she's at the gym, she would be a honey badger.
(LAUGHTER)
WIRE: Well, she's a star.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLLOWAY: Let's say, when I'm on the track, I'm a -- I'm a lion. I'm a lion. I got nothing but -- I got the heart of a lion. And then when I'm at -- I think when I'm at home -- oh when I'm at home, I will say I'm on beta fish.
WIRE: OK.
HOLLOWAY: I like -- I like my all -- I like to be by myself. I didn't want other people to come in my territory. You know, I got to go attack. I got to get them out of there.
WIRE: All right. When I talked to you in Atlanta, you said, if you won, you said, I'm going to be dancing. Today's the opening day of breaking, the breaking -- HOLLOWAY: Oh, yes, what you got?
(CROSSTALK)
HOLLOWAY: Oh, oh, oh.
(LAUGHTER)
WIRE: Yey.
HOLLOWAY: All right (INAUDIBLE) --
(CROSSTALK)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Only Coy wire can bring that. That was great. All right, thank you so much, Coy.
All right, battleground blitz. As Kamala Harris and Tim Walz head to Nevada today, new polling shows the vice president gaining ground in a handful of key states.
Plus, air tragedy. New details about what caused a plane to fall from the sky in Brazil, killing all 62 on board.
[13:59:59]
And later, rising rivers. The very real threat from the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby.
