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Biden: "All Out War Is Possible" In the Middle East; Israel Carries Out "Extensive" New Strikes In Lebanon; Trump, Harris Pitch Voters On Economic Message; Harris Delivers Economic Speech In Pittsburgh; 70M People Under Hurricane, Tropical Storm Warnings Across 5 States. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired September 25, 2024 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:40]

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN HOST: It's 8:00 p.m. in London, 10:00 p.m. in Beirut, 3:00 p.m. here in New York. I'm Omar Jimenez, in for Jim Sciutto. Thank you so much for being here today on CNN NEWSROOM. Let's get right to it.

We're going to start in the Middle East, where fighting between Israel and Hezbollah continue to escalate. Now after three days of extensive Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon, Israel's army chief has told troops that strikes are, quote, preparing the ground for their possible entry. Now they are calling up two reserve brigades to join the battle.

This morning, Israel intercepted a ballistic missile aimed at Tel Aviv and Hezbollah says it was targeting the headquarters of Israel's intelligence service. They say in defense of Lebanon and the Palestinian people of Gaza, its the first time though a missile fired by Hezbollah has ever come this close to Tel Aviv.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden today said, all out war is now possible in the Middle East.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: An all out war is possible, but I think there's also the opportunity -- we're still in play to have a settlement that could fundamentally change the whole region.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Now Lebanon says Israeli airstrikes have killed nearly 600 people since Monday. Our team at CNN is covering the story from all angles. Jeremy Diamond is in Haifa, Israel, Jomana Karadsheh is in Beirut and Natasha Bertrand at the Pentagon.

Jeremy, I want to start with you because Prime Minister Netanyahu, he said he's open to the U.S. mediating tensions, but they also so seem to be preparing for an escalation if a ground invasion actually does happen here, where's this going? What are you hearing on your end? JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, that's right. Today, two top Israeli generals, including the Israeli military's chief of staff making explicitly clear that the Israeli military is preparing for the possibility of a major ground offensive into Lebanon. The Israeli military's chief of staff, General Herzi Halevi, meeting with Israeli troops in northern Israel, talking to them about the potential for Israeli boots on the ground in Lebanese territory, saying that the Israeli airstrike that we have seen over the last several days are, of course, designed on the one hand to try and degrade Hezbollah's capabilities. But at the same time that they're also designed to shape the ground of for the possibility of Israeli troops to go in.

It doesn't seem like that decision has been made yet, but as we are speaking, these Israeli governments security cabinet is currently meeting, discussing that very possibility. But what they are also, of course discussing, I expect is these diplomatic efforts led by the United States to see if a ceasefire can be reached between Israel and Hezbollah and perhaps if something even broader could be reached, that also affects the ongoing fighting in Gaza and those stalled negotiations for a ceasefire agreements over there.

And so, these threats of a potential ground invasion. I think we shouldn't look at them as somehow exclusive from those potential diplomatic negotiations to reach some kind of a settlement here. The Israelis very much view this -- the military campaign that they have led over the last few days. And now the specter of this ground incursion Russian as bringing more pressure to bear, as they try and reach this goal, ultimately of getting Hezbollah to stop firing rockets on northern Israel to allow for the return of tens of thousands of Israelis who have been displaced from their homes to go back.

But of course we don't know whether or not this strategy will be successful and even officials in the United States have cast doubt on this strategy of de-escalation through escalation as the Israelis have said and instead, it seems very clear that regardless of what Hezbollah does, as we have seen hundreds, several hundred rockets each day being fired by Hezbollah, but nothing close to what Israeli officials had been expecting in the event of a major escalation.

What is clear is that regardless of what Hezbollah does, the Israelis clearly seemed prepared to continue to escalate the situation, to continue striking harder and deeper into Lebanon and perhaps even to send troops into Lebanese territory.

JIMENEZ: And, of course, if that scenario comes to bear, the United States will likely be put in a position to continue supporting Israel along those moves.

And that's where I want to bring you in, Natasha, because, look, we heard President Biden acknowledged the reality that war as possible. He also said that there is a window still to pull back from this threshold right now.

[15:05:04] But how is the administration responding? Do we have a sense of what they might do if a further step is taken from Israel here?

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, the U.S. military has been preparing for really all possible contingencies in this conflict since October 8, right, the day after Hamas attacked Israel and sparked concerns about a situation in the Middle East spiraling out of control and escalating into a regional conflict, particularly because of Iran involvement, right? What the U.S. has been doing is they've been placing assets all across the region in the Red Sea, in the eastern Mediterranean and the Gulf of Oman, in order to prepare for the possibility that Iran perhaps starts firing on Israel, that Hezbollah escalates its attacks even further and of course, that the U.S. might have to help get citizens out of Lebanon.

And that is the most pressing issue at the moment, is this planning for what's called a noncombatant evacuation operation, which is what we saw in 2021 out of Afghanistan, that went so disastrously according to critics for the Biden administration. So this time around, they're really taking all necessary steps to try to be as prepared as possible if it comes to that, if the war between Israel and Hezbollah escalates to such an extent that they have to get U.S. citizens and other foreign nationals out of Lebanon entirely and to that end, they've actually deployed dozens of additional us troops to Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean to prepare for that possible contingency, as well as others.

Cyprus played a really key role in helping to facilitate the departure of foreign nationals from Lebanon back in 2006 during that war between Israel and Hezbollah. And they have said that they're standing by to help again, and the Brits, they have also deployed about 700 troops to Cyprus to prepare for this possibility.

So they're preparing for really the worst year, hoping for the best just hoping these diplomatic talks actually yield some kind of success. But still, the ultimate role of the U.S. military, as it stands right now, is that non-combatant evacuation operation in addition, of course, to just helping intercept missiles and drones that may be fired at Israel's way if things escalate even further, Omar.

JIMENEZ: And look, we have seen many displaced from even the fighting that we have seen to this sport, and even the recent airstrikes in Lebanon. Jomana, I mean, nearly 100,000 people have already been displaced from Lebanon. What sense are you getting there of how some of those people are preparing for a possible ground incursion here?

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, I mean, Omar, people are preparing for the worst-case scenario when you talk to people here who unfortunately know war and conflict all too well. They are absolutely terrified of what might be coming.

You know, to put things into context after October the 8th, when you've had these exchanges of fire taking place across the border between in Israel and Hezbollah over the past nearly a year, you had approximately 100,000 people who are displaced from southern Lebanon, from the villages and towns close to the border according to Lebanese officials and since we've seen this recent escalation, the attacks that began last week, the intensified Israeli airstrikes that have primarily focused on southern Lebanon in the eastern Bekaa region, what you have seen is mass movement of people from these different areas, people either fearing their strikes or they have received their messages and phone calls from the Israeli military telling them to get out and move away from what the IDF says is Hezbollah locations nearby.

So we have seen tens of thousands of people moving to different parts of the countries here in Beirut, we have had in our own hotel, we have seen people who have been displaced, families from southern Lebanon, from the southern suburbs of Beirut even that has been hit by Israeli strikes. You have had people crossing the border, Omar, into Syria, into war torn Syria. Those are Syrians and Lebanese who say they have nowhere else to go and they're crossing the border into Syria in search of safety.

Now, the government hasn't provided exact figures. It's very hard to estimate when you have people who are fleeing, staying with relatives, renting apartments are staying in hotels. The United Nations is saying that more than 90,000 people have been displaced. But keeping in mind that these are figures for people who would be staying in U.N.-run shelters and facilities and government-run facilities.

KARADSHEH: The Lebanese foreign minister, Omar, says that the number of people is approaching 500 who have been displaced. That's nearly 10 percent of Lebanon's population.

And you know, just today, we spoke to a young man who had just arrived from southern Lebanon that has been under intense Israeli bombardment today in the town -- around his town, he wanted to stay behind, he wanted to try and help the local community, whatever is left there, protect his home something we have seen, people try and do. And he has -- he says he has nothing to do with Hezbollah, and he was really shaken by what he went through today saying what we saw happen in Gaza, it feels like it is happening to us right now.

And you hear so many of these accounts, people just absolutely terrified of what might be coming.

JIMENEZ: And we heard from the United Nations say many of those thousands of Lebanese fleeing into Syria are arriving with no real plan of what to do next, sort of showing how quickly they decided to pick up and leave.

Jeremy Diamond, Natasha Bertrand, Jomana Karadsheh, thank you all for your reporting.

All right. Here to discuss these rising tensions and more is Colin Clarke, director of policy and research at The Soufan Group and author of "After the Caliphate".

And thanks for being here, Colin, because look, as we were just talking about, there, Israel has hinted at a ground operation that army military chiefs today saying the airstrikes are preparing the ground for a possible invasion. How much do you buy that as realistic? How would that even play out?

COLIN CLARKE, DIRECTOR OF POLICY AND RESEARCH, THE SOUFAN GROUP: Well, thanks for having me.

I think a ground invasion as possible but not likely. I think it could be a bluff at this stage, leverage to kind of force some concessions. Now that the U.S. is ramping up diplomacy, if the Israelis do go in, it's got to be a lightening, quick strike. It's not something where you're going to see them akin to Gaza, setting up some kind of an occupation force. You have to remember the Israelis occupied southern Lebanon from 1980 to 2000. This would cause wide ranging ripple effects throughout the Arab and Islamic world and ultimately, I think there would be a major backlash to whatever the gains were that the Israelis will secure.

JIMENEZ: And, of course, we've heard from the Israeli side of things, you know, part of their motivation here is they want life in northern Israel to return back to normal for the residents there. Obviously, we've seen a lot of fire back and forth between Hezbollah and southern part of Lebanon and the northern parts of Israel as well.

But would this potential incursion, would it be in Israel's best interests? I mean, what would they gain from sort of moving, taking this further step, essentially?

CLARKE: Well, that's the thing. It would have to be very targeted, very surgical. There would have to be discrete objectives including knocking out rocket launcher sites. But if you look at how the Israelis have operated in Gaza for the last 11 months, it's been tactics divorce from a broader strategy and so many are voicing concerns that that's what we could be seeing in Lebanon a similar type of mission creep, where there's no concrete objectives. The Israeli military goes in and then ends up getting bogged down.

JIMENEZ: And on the other side of things, I want to get to the Hezbollah response here because are you surprised there is not been a more significant response from Hezbollah to this point, can they still mount a significant response given just -- I mean, you just look at the loss of senior commanders we've seen over the past few months now?

CLARKE: I have been surprised. I thought there would be a more full- throated Hezbollah response, perhaps Hezbollah thought the Iranians would come to their aid, and Iran likely will over time. Hezbollah has been attenuated perhaps significantly. But remember, this is the crown jewel on the axis the resistance.

And so just like after the 2006 conflict, the 34-day war that the Israelis and Hezbollah fought in July 2006, Iran built them back up into an even more robust force that now boasts an arsenal of 150,000 rockets, precision guided munitions, and drones. And so expect much of the same. But I think these next several days if not, weeks, will be very telling and what has was prepared to do to respond to Israel.

JIMENEZ: And obviously, any next step if there were either a bigger escalate retaliation, I should say, by Hezbollah hello or an escalation by Israel in making this ground invasion here, we do know that United States would likely be involved in helping defend Israel and Israel's interests.

And I want to get your reaction on some of what President Biden said today because he did still say an all-out war in the Middle East is possible, but there is still a window to pull the region back from conflict. And I'm curious, do you agree with that? And on the open window, part of things, so to speak, where do you begin that process to sort of pull things back?

CLARKE: I'm pretty pessimistic about the prospects for any kind of ceasefire negotiated settlement to this conflict with Biden kind of handing over the reins to Kamala Harris, there's almost a quasi lame- duck status or the perception of that.

[15:15:04]

And that's, you know, emboldening United States adversaries, even in the case of Israel, an ally, that sees the world quite differently to make moves that are really not in the best interests of the United States. So, you know, the president's on the defensive here. And as often kind of catching up to some of the policy objectives that Netanyahu and his inner circle move forward with.

So not -- not very optimistic about where things lets go from here, although like many holding out hope given the vast humanitarian suffering that we're seeing coming from the region on a daily basis.

JIMENEZ: And, you know, one of the things you were talking about earlier, were sort of looking at the strategy that the Israeli, the IDF has employed in Gaza versus what they could potentially employ here, and Netanyahu has said the aim of this Israeli operation is to cut Hezbollah from the war with Hamas.

And I'm curious just from your perspective, what does that tell you about this potential operation and what Netanyahu is trying to achieve, not only in Lebanon, but also the war in Gaza and his policy toward the region as a whole?

CLARKE: So, he's trying to drive a wedge between the different access members -- between the axis numbers themselves and between the Iranians, you know, this is kind of you know, his last gasps of attempting to, in many ways, kind of elevate this issue for the international community. It's UNGA week, right? So, all eyes are on what's happening in the region, what's happening on the sidelines of this event.

And I think this is Netanyahu's attempt to, again, kind of very forcefully make Israel's position known, although I expect a lot of pushback in the coming days on the heels of the United Nations General Assembly.

JIMENEZ: And I know you were pessimistic on, you know, the prospects of further de-escalating here, but do you believe we're past the point of no return?

CLARKE: I think the past -- point being past the point of no return would be if the Iranians have actually jumped into the fray and it seems like cooler heads have prevailed.

Again, I don't think the Iranians want war. It's not in their best interests. It's not in the best interest of Hezbollah, but there's still this kind of gray area. There's a lot of room for miscalculation, and miscommunication. And with all the kind of heavy weaponry in the region and military muscle, you know, that's a bad combination going forward.

JIMENEZ: Yeah, Colin Clarke, among many things, author of "After the Caliphate", really appreciate you being here. Thanks for taking the time.

CLARKE: Thanks, Omar.

JIMENEZ: Of course.

All right. After the break, Vice President Kamala Harris is in Pennsylvania where she is working to sell her economic plan to voters in that pivotal battleground state. We'll take you there, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:20:55]

OMAR: It's the economy stupid. It usually is.

Both campaigns are on the trail selling their dueling economic visions in the swing states, Donald Trump in North Carolina, Kamala Harris in Pennsylvania. She's set to speak any moment now at the Pittsburgh Economic Club, especially focused on U.S. manufacturing and jobs, but also the high cost of childcare. So, we're going to bring you some of those remarks if she starts speaking.

But for now, Eva McKend is with Harris and his joining us here.

So, Eva, how is Harris tackling these two issues today?

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: So, Omar, we're eager to get the details here, but we know that she is going to focus on expanding her economic agenda. This is the most persistent issue for voters across the country. She is going to focus in part on American manufacturing, which is a really appropriate issue for right here in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We're at the Economic Club on the campus of Carnegie Mellon.

We're told from senior advisors that this is going to be a pragmatic speech. So she is going to talk about the limits of government. She is going to say, listen, I am a capitalist. I believe in public/private partnerships. And that seems to be a real response to the criticism that we hear on the right, that somehow this former law enforcement officer is a Marxist. She is going to say that is not the case.

We also have a bit of her remarks where she's really going to lean into this character argument. She'll say, in part, for Donald Trump, or economy works best if it works for those who own the big skyscrapers and not those who build them or wire them or mop the floors.

And this, of course, is not her first economic speech. We were with her in North Carolina not long ago when she spoke about the importance of building out at inventory for affordable housing, which he talked about going after corporate price gougers. And so, this is all in an effort to show voters that she is listening to them, that she understands that the cost of living is a real issue for so many voters in this country, and that she is prepared to speak directly to those concerns -- Omar.

JIMENEZ: And look, if she's laying this out in Pennsylvania, we know this is a must-win state for both campaigns. But early voting has already started and I am curious if you've gotten a chance to talk to voters and what they might be telling you about how they're viewing these two candidates at this stage ahead of actual Election Day.

MCKEND: Well, the Democratic voters are showing up to her events. They say that they feel better about her at the top of the ticket than President Biden. But they're pretty sober-minded that this is going to be an uphill battle for her.

But, listen, that's why she is spending so much time in the state. She was anchored here preparing for that debate. Now she's back in Pittsburgh again this month and so a range of concerns from these voters time and time again, it is often the economy even Democratic voters that are excited about her candidacy know that this is going to be a tight race -- Omar.

JIMENEZ: Eva McKend, thank you so much.

Again, we're going to keep an eye out for Vice President Kamala Harris, expected to speak any moment now at this point.

But lets talk more about how to boost U.S. manufacturing with CNN's business editor at large and anchor "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS", Richard Quest.

Always a pleasure.

I want to start with what economists are saying about how Harris's economic plans could impact U.S. manufacturing. Another proposal to use the might of the federal government to boost industry.

What are you seeing in what she's proposed here?

RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR AT LARGE: You have to distinct jobs that she has to do. The first is, if you will, political and public relations. She has to convince the voters that her stewardship of the economy will be good and better than Donald Trump's, and now, at the moment, more than 50 percent of voters in polls say that Donald Trump would be better for the economy than Kamala Harris.

So that if you will is the overarching structure that she needs to attack and address. The policies by which she does it -- well, she's got to get a wave again. Donald Trump has painted her as a leftist, communist who will ride the U.S. economy to rock and ruin. [15:25:02]

She has to say, no, that's not the case. I have business friendly policies. I'm not tax and spend. I will put a premium -- premium on manufacturing in the United States, but, Omar, just remember what Trump has done. He's already come out with some very, very strong policies on tariffs and investments and things like that. A lot of them may be absolute rubbish and unworkable, but at least the voters can see what he's planning to do.

JIMENEZ: And on that front, I want to pick up on that point because tariffs are a big part of Trump's agenda, at least that he is announced as part of his agenda.

QUEST: Yeah.

JIMENEZ: What is the realistic effect that we could expect there?

QUEST: It pays your money, he takes your choice on that one, Omar. Good luck to you because if Donald Trump is right, the money raised by the new tariffs will pay for all his spending programs, and we'll be able to pay more into manufacturing.

However, maybe he's wrong, then inflation will go up. U.S. consumers will pay more, and most economists believe that's the way tariffs work.

And finally, Omar, you could end up with the perverse. Let's take a U.S. company, a U.S. company that manufacturers overseas and imports to the United States. But it's moved its jobs there could be penalized with 200 percent tariffs.

That same factory, all the same company bringing from China hardly penalized at all. So Donald Trumps policies don't fully add up. But what they are is extremely attractive to a manufacturing base that feels unloved and that feels that it never gets its own way.

JIMENEZ: All right. Richard Quest laid it out better than I ever could, but that's why we got here and that's why you all should stick around next hour for more of his analysis on "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS".

Richard Quest, great to see you.

QUEST: Thank you, sir. Thank you.

JIMENEZ: All right. I want to turn now to the Trump campaign because Donald Trump is out in Mint Hill, North Carolina, earlier, hitting Harris's upcoming economic remarks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT & 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Kamala goes to work everyday in the White House. Families are suffering now. So if she has a plan, she should stop grandstanding and do it. Just do it.

You have -- you have a few months left. Do it. Do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Now, it's an event billed as focused on the economy, but Trump did spend a good amount of time in foreign policy, issuing a stark warning for Iran after he was briefed yesterday on Iranian efforts to assassinate him. And he offered new criticisms for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

CNN's Alayna Treene has more.

So, Alayna, I mean, look, these were tough words for Iran. What did he say on that front?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Yes. Well, he's always had pretty harsh rhetoric when it comes to Iran, but he did make some news when he was talking about his past assassination attempts, the two that we know in Butler and then one in Florida. He also brought up that he had learned that Iran had plotted to potentially assassinate him. And he said that if he were president and if any foreign country, regardless of who it was tried to threatened, a contender, a leading contender to become president once again he would below that country to smithereens.

And this was, of course, in the context of referring specifically to Iran. I want you to take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: -- were the president, I would inform the threatening country, in this case Iran, that if you do anything to harm this person, we are going to blow your largest cities and the country itself to smithereens. We're going to blow it to smithereens. You can't do that and there would be no more threats.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: Now, Omar, I also want to note that he went on to say in that that noting and had an eye on what is happening right now in New York, the U.N. General Assembly and how some Iranian leaders are there, including the country's president. He said that right now, the U.S. currently has a lot of security protecting Iranian leaders and he fend -- he said that it was a quote, certainly a strange set of circumstances.

Now you did mention, Omar, that he was briefed yesterday by the Department of Justice on this potential Iranian plot to assassinate him. We also know that Antony Blinken, the U.S. secretary of state, said today that they are intensely tracking what was going on with Iran and what they had been threatening against Donald Trump.

So, a pretty newsy there, pretty harsh words and really the first time we had heard Donald Trump threatened to blow up, cities in a foreign country should they make threats against former presidents, sitting presidents, or U.S. candidates for president. JIMENEZ: Definitely a threshold -- a new threshold that he has mentioned within the context of what has always been tough talk on Iran as you've pointed out.

[15:30:01]

Alayna Treene, thank you so much. Really appreciate it.

All right. Coming up, the warning from Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, Russia is planning attacks on Ukraine's nuclear power plants. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:33:34]

JIMENEZ: Welcome back.

We want to take you to Vice President Harris laying out new manufacturing proposals at a campaign event in Pittsburgh now. Let's listen in.

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES & 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: -- economic crisis we inherited.

Inflation has dropped faster here than the rest of the developed world. Unemployment is near record, low levels.

We have created almost 740,000 manufacturing jobs, including 650 at the battery manufacturing plant over in Turtle Creek.

(APPLAUSE)

HARRIS: And we have supported another 15,000 jobs at Montgomery Locks. So --

(APPLAUSE)

HARRIS: These are local, great examples of the work that we have achieved thus far. And last week for the first time of course, in four-and-a-half years, the Federal Reserve cut interest rates, which will make it just a little easier for families to buy a home or a car, or just pay down their credit card bill.

But lets be clear, for all of these positive steps, the cost of living in America is still just too high. You know it. And I know it. And that was true long before the pandemic hit.

Many Americans who aspire to own a home are unable to save enough for down payment on a house, and starting to think that maybe home ownership is just outside of their reach.

[15:35:10]

Folks who live in factory towns and in rural communities who have lost jobs are wondering if those jobs will ever come back. Many Americans are worried about how they'll afford the prescription medication they depend on.

All of this is happening at a time when many of the biggest corporations continue to make record profits while wages have not kept up pace.

I understand the pressures of making ends meet. I grew up in a middle- class family, and while we were more fortunate than many, I still remember my mother sitting at that yellow Formica table late at night, cup of tea in hand, with a pile of bills in front of her just trying to make sure that she paid them off by the end of the month. Like so many Americans just trying to make it all work.

Every day, millions of Americans are sitting around their own kitchen tables and facing their own financial pressures because over the past several decades, our economy has grown better and better for those at the very top and increasingly difficult for those trying to attain, build, and hold on to a middle-class life.

In many ways, this is what this election is all about. The American people face a choice between two fundamentally very different paths for our economy. I intend to chart a new way forward and roll America's middle class. Donald Trump intends to take America backward, to the failed policies of the past.

He has no intention to grow our middle-class. He's only interested in making life better for himself and people like himself, the wealthiest of Americans. You can see it spelled out in his economic agenda, an agenda that gives trillions of dollars in tax cuts to billionaires and the biggest corporations, while raising taxes on the middleclass by almost $4,000 a year., slashing overtime pay, throwing tens of millions of Americans off of health care and cutting Social Security and Medicare.

In some, his agenda would weaken the economy and hurt working people and the middle-class. You see, for Donald Trump, our economy works best if it works for those who own the big skyscrapers, not those who actually build them, not those who wire them --

(APPLAUSE)

HARRIS: -- not those who mop the floors.

(APPLAUSE)

HARRIS: Well, I have a very different vision. I have a very different vision for our economy.

I believe we need to grow our middle-class and make sure our economy works for everyone for people --

(APPLAUSE)

HARRIS: Like in the neighborhood where I grew up, and the hard- working Americans I meet every day across our nation. So I call my vision the opportunity economy, and it's about making sure everyone can find a job and more, and more, because frankly, having a job, I believe in our ambition and aspiration should be baseline, and we should aspire and have the ambition and plan to do more.

I want Americans and families to be able to not just get by, but be able to get ahead.

(APPLAUSE)

HARRIS: To thrive. Be able to thrive.

I don't want you to have to worry about making your monthly rent if your car breaks down.

[15:40:06]

I want you to be able to save up for your child's education, to take a nice vacation from time to time.

I want you to be able to buy Christmas presents for your loved ones without feeling anxious when you're looking at your bank statement.

I want you to be able to build some wealth, not just for yourself but also for your children and your grandchildren, intergenerational wealth.

(APPLAUSE)

HARRIS: And here's the thing, here's the thing, here's the beauty of it all, we know how to build an economy like that. We do know how to unlock strong shared economic growth for the American people.

History has shown it time and again, when we invest in those things that strengthen the middle class, manufacturing, housing, health care, education, small businesses, and our communities we grow our economy and catalyze the entire country to succeed.

I have pledged that building a strong middle class will be a defining goal of my presidency. And the reason --

(APPLAUSE)

HARRIS: But let me tell you, the reason is not about politics and it's not about ideology.

From my perspective, it's just common sense. It's just common sense.

(APPLAUSE)

HARRIS: It's actually what works.

When the middle-class is strong, America is strong. And we can build a stronger middle-class. The American economy -- we know this here. The American economy is the most powerful force for innovation and wealth creation in human history.

We just need to move past the failed policies that we have proven don't work, and like generations before us lead us be inspired by what is possible. As president, I will be grounded in my fundamental values of fairness, dignity and opportunity.

And I promise you, I will be pragmatic in my approach. I will engage in what Franklin Roosevelt called bold, persistent experimentation.

(APPLAUSE)

HARRIS: Because I believe we shouldn't be constrained by ideology and instead should seek practical solutions to problems, realistic assessments of what is working and what is not, applying metrics to our analysis, applying facts to our analysis and stay focused then, not only on the crises at hand, but on are big goals, on what's best for America over the long term, and part of being pragmatic means taking good ideas from wherever they come.

Listen, you all know my career. Andrea shared it with you.

I am a devout public servant. I also know the limitations of government. I've always been and will always be -- and be clear about this -- I've always been and will always be a strong supporter of workers and unions and I --

(APPLAUSE)

HARRIS: I also believe we need to engage those who create most of the jobs in America. Look, I'm a capitalist. I believe in free and fair markets.

(APPLAUSE)

HARRIS: I believe in consistent and transparent rules of the road to create a stable business environment, and I know the power of American innovation.

[15:45:01]

I've been working with entrepreneurs and business owners my whole career. And I believe companies need to play by the rules, respect the rights of workers and unions and abide by fair competition.

And if they don't, I will hold them accountable. If anyone has a question about that, just look at my record as attorney general.

(APPLAUSE)

HARRIS: Look at my record in California, taking on the big banks for predatory lending, taking on big health companies for conspiring to jack up prices, taking on a big for-profit college for scamming veterans and students.

At the same time, I believe that most companies are working hard to do the right thing, by their customers and the employees who depend on them.

And we must work with them to grow our economy. I believe an active partnership between government and the private sector is one of the most effective ways to fully unlock economic opportunity and that is I will do when I am president.

(APPLAUSE)

HARRIS: (VIDEO GAP) target the major barriers to opportunity and remove them. We will identify common sense solutions to help Americans buy a home, start a business, and build wealth, and we will adopt them.

So let's start then with the first pillar of an opportunity economy, which is lowering costs. So I made that our top priority for obvious reasons because if we want the middle-class to be the growth engine of our economy, we need to restore basic economic security for middle- class families. To that end, the most practical thing we can do right now is to cut taxes for middle-class families and individuals, that's what we will do.

Under my plan, more than 100 million Americans will get a middle-class tax break that includes $6,000 for new parents during the first year of their child's life.

(APPLAUSE)

JIMENEZ: All right. We've been listening to Kamala Harris speak on the economy in Pittsburgh. She said the cost of living is still just too high, but also said Donald Trump's economic plan would boost the wealthiest Americans and not the middle class. She said, quote, I don't want you to have to worry about making your monthly rent if the car breaks down.

CNN senior White House reporter Kevin Liptak joins me now.

I mean, look, Kevin, we knew have known that the economy would be the central focal point for voters in this election here. And we're hearing some of her economic message there.

We've heard her talk about the opportunity economy, which again, she talked about here. But how is she trying to differentiate her economic vision from President Biden's? Because obviously, that's a difficulty in trying to separate out the two for voters heading to the ballot boxes in November?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah, it's very much the needle that she's trying to thread because, of course, the economy under President Biden has not resonated with voters at all. And this has proven to be one of the trickiest issues for the vice president as she competes with Donald Trump, and it was interesting to hear her say in that speech that, of course, prices are too high and inflation is too high.

But she specifically said that prices were too high before the COVID pandemic. Translation, they were too high when Donald Trump was an office.

And so you see her really going after Trump in the beginning of this -- of these remarks criticizing him pretty intently and trying to draw the contrast with his proposed economic agenda. She said that she wanted the economy to work for people who built skyscrapers, not just those who owned them.

But I think this speech really does give you a sense of how much pressure the Harris campaign does feel to put some meat on the bones of her policy agenda. You know, that's something that voters have said they want to hear more of. They want to know more of what she would do in office.

In this speech, you really see her trying to present herself as a pragmatist on the economy, as a mainstream capitalist, trying to rebut the claims by the Trump campaign that she's radical. And so, you hear her saying here, yes, she's on the side of workers, but also expressing the importance of needing to engage those who create jobs.

So, really trying to show herself as something of a moderate on the economy, willing to look for ideas wherever they will come.

[15:50:06]

Now, I should say she will in this speech and she was getting to that presents some more specifics of her economic policy and her campaign is releasing an 80-page white paper that gets into some of the nitty- gritty details of what she would do as president. But it does go to show that they do see the economy, one, as an issue that she needs to do some work on, but also an issue where she can have a winning message, and you do see in polls, her starting to gain some ground against Trump when it comes to the economy and when it comes to voters' views of who would better handle the economy.

And they -- I think they want to seize on that opening and really present her and have the candidate present herself as a pragmatist, as someone who will work for American families, but also not ignore corporate America, those who create jobs, really kind of presenting herself as a mainstream president on the economy.

JIMENEZ: Yeah, and I look forward to reading that full report when it comes out and know you will be will let you listen back to the rest of Harris as remarks.

But for now, Kevin Liptak, thank you so much.

Still to come for us, Florida braces for a major hurricane as Helene intensifies. We're going to bring you the latest storm track, next.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JIMENEZ: Evacuations are underway across the U.S. South as Hurricane Helene is expected to make landfall on Florida's Gulf Coast tomorrow, bringing with it potentially 18 feet high storm surge, dangerous winds, torrential rain, and heavy flooding.

Now, Helene is already drenching parts of Mexico when Cuba with heavy rainfall, you can see some of the pictures there, just the intensity of the rain that's come down and wind speeds up to 60 miles per hour in many places, it's currently a category one storm but it's expected to intensify to category three by tomorrow morning, and 70 million people are under hurricane watches and tropical storm alerts in at least five states, including most of Florida.

[15:55:06]

Now, the mayor of Tallahassee is warning residents to prepare for, quote, what could be the worst storm in the history of the city?

I want to bring in CNN meteorologist Elisa Raffa, who is tracking Helene's path for us.

What are you seeing? And does that prediction from the Tallahassee official lineup at all with what you're seeing in the forecast here?

ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: What I'm worried about is the storm surge forecast came up. Its now 12 to 18 feet along that Big Bend of Florida and it is because we really worried about the wind field with this one, it is wide for sure.

Right now, a category one hurricane, the winds have been stretching tropical-storm-force and hurricane-force from Cancun to Havana all day today. Again, because it just is wide and continuing to get wider. Winds right now are 80 miles per hour.

We also have some very warm ocean temperatures here in the middle and upper 80s. That is what caused it to already rapidly intensify from yesterday and what could cause it to rapidly intensify again as we go into tomorrow, which one? Is what would take it to that category three major hurricane status.

We've got hurricane warnings in effect in the rug there. That's where we could be looking at that category three landfall. But look at all the blue tropical storm warnings in effect for the entire peninsula here because again, the wind field will be so wide and then look at this.

We're looking at tropical storm conditions in Atlanta. You've got tropical storm watches in effect there in the yellow as we go into Friday.

Here's that storm surge I was talking about, 12 to 18 feet. That is unsurvivable when you're talking about 12 to 18 feet of ocean water, is pushing inland. That could do some significant damage, five to eight feet of storm surge in the Tampa Bay area.

But again, where you have this very large wind field with the eye making landfalls, we will get that biggest push of the ocean water that were incredibly concerned about. The storm will continue to get fatter. We're talking about tropical storm-force winds extending more than 400 miles. So, again, the entire peninsula of Florida and then making it even as far north as Atlanta.

I mean, look, Atlanta, it could be looking at wins up to 73 miles per hour, even that far north around that eye where it could get make landfall 110 mile per hour winds. On top of this, we're also talking about incredibly heavy rain. You're talking about four to eight inches pretty widespread across a lot of Georgia and then going into the Carolinas and then look at this pocket right here up to a foot possible the southern Appalachians that could cause some landslides because that is mountainous terrain -- Omar.

JIMENEZ: And that's the thing, many people just see hurricanes is affecting these coastal cities. But as you just showed, we are going to see effects well into landfall in the United States here.

Elisa Raffa, thank you so much.

And thank you all for joining me today. I'm Omar Jimenez.

"QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" up next. See you.