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CNN This Morning
Harris Vs. Trump: Crucial Debate Tonight In Philadelphia; SpaceX's "Polaris Dawn" Mission Lifts Off. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired September 10, 2024 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:00:38]
KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: It's Tuesday, September 10th.
Right now on CNN THIS MORNING:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES & 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He plays from his really old and tired playbook.
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT & 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If I destroy her in the debate, they'll say Trump suffered a humiliating tonight, no matter what.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Tonight's the night. Donald Trump and Kamala Harris square off in what may be their only debate matchup.
And SpaceX's daring missions set for launch in just minutes. You're looking at it. And the first private space walk in history for privates citizens.
And --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: If and when they inevitably reject this, will you accept a new CR?
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Let's see if they have the guts to tell the American people they want illegals to vote in this election.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Congress back in session. And yet again, a government shutdown deadline looms.
(MUSIC)
HUNT: Five a.m. on the East Coast, a live look the nation's Capitol building on this Tuesday morning. Good morning, everyone. I'm Kasie Hunt. It's wonderful to have you
with us.
We are now just hours away from the first and currently the only presidential debate scheduled between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. For Vice President Harris, it is a huge moment to take the case for her unexpected campaign directly to voters. And it's a chance for her to confront her opponent she's going to be meeting him in person for the first time.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
HARRIS: He plays from this really old and tired playbook, right, where he -- there's no floor for him in terms of how low he will go. And we should be prepared for that. I think he's going to lie and, you know, he has a playbook that he is used in the past be it, you know, his attacks on President Obama or Hillary Clinton. So we should expect the kind of that might come out.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HUNT: Trump's camp laying out their debate goals, trying to tie Harris to President Biden.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
JASON MILLER, TRUMP CAMPAIGN SPOKESMAN: It's very clear that Kamala Harris is the one who's been running the country the entire time. Another opening I do want to point out here that Harris is clearly created with all the flip-flops within the ill-fated interview with Dana Bash is Kamala said that her values haven't changed.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HUNT: This will, of course, be Donald Trump's second time on a debate stage this year after the CNN debate back in June. But this is the first debate for Harris since her showdown with then Vice President Mike Pence back in 2020 and Democratic advisers warned she's going to have to be ready for anything tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANITA DUNN, FORMER SENIOR ADVSIER TO PRESIDENT BIDEN: People say anything. And so, that is actually the hurdle is not to go down those rabbit holes, okay. Since he will say anything and it may not make sense, it may be totally incoherent, but he will say with -- with a lot of authority. And so making sure you know what your game plan is, what you want to say to the American people is key, and I believe the vice president will be fully prepared to do that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: All right. Joining us now to tick off this historic day, Margaret Talev, senior contributor at "Axios".
Margaret, wonderful to see you. Thank you so much for being here. MARGARET TALEV, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Thank you. Good morning.
HUNT: You've covered a lot of these presidential debates as a White House correspondent over many years. This is going to be quite a night. It is -- it's remarkable to me that Kamala Harris has never met Donald Trump, right? That this is going to be the first time she's standing across the stage from him.
How do you think that dynamic is going to play out tonight? What else are you watching for?
TALEV: Don't you want to know? We were -- it's funny. I was watching with my students a series of sort of the big moments and debate history we were watching the famous Trump lurking behind Hillary Clinton sort of series from 2016, we went all the way back to JFK and Richard Nixon and the takeaway from the debate, even before social media --
HUNT: There it is, that's him standing behind the Hillary Clinton in 2016.
TALEV: It's amazing, the side angles, right?
HUNT: Yeah.
TALEV: And these years, sometimes these are the moments that become like the mean, the clippable moment.
So we will see how they handle each other's body language on the stage and the chemistry. There's not going to be an audience and there's different dynamics of this tonight.
[05:05:00]
But I'm looking for, you know, we just hear in focus group after focus group and poll after poll, particularly with whatever remains of the undecided voters. They're feeling that they don't really know who Harris is they don't have a good takeaway either about who she is personally or who are policies are. This is her chance to do that.
And we will see what impression, you know, she leaves. So I think there's kind of just the onstage contrast between the two, but also she came out of that convention with so much momentum enthusiasm in that room, Democrats, of course, have been worried. Can you translate that enthusiasm into turnout?
And the other thing is that that was a very friendly audience in the convention room. This is not going to be a friendly situation. She's going to have to do the prosecutor thing, but also making an affirmative case for herself and also be quick on her toes in an unscripted moment. And also be charismatic.
We know what Trump's skills are, and we know what his foibles are in the debate stage, we really don't know with her and were going to find out. HUNT: Yeah. It's -- we've seen -- we've gotten some tastes of how she
has performed on a debate stage from the primaries back in 2019. And then, of course, from her debate with Mike Pence in 2020, but this is a much different. When you're only representing yourself and it's a general election.
TALEV: But she's done work since than to become stronger as a political candidate. And we will see what progress has been made, I think.
HUNT: One piece of advice on to kind of turn it around and talk about what Donald Trump may have to do, although it obviously relates to the kinds of attacks Harris might have to come up against is what Donald Trump, you know, the way he treats women as often different, than the way he treats men.
So, Nikki Haley was on Fox yesterday, basically trying to give him some advice.
TALEV: Give advice he didn't ask for, yeah.
HUNT: Yes, exactly. Let's watch what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIKKI HALEY (R), FORMER 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think it's because Donald Trump and J.D. Vance need to change the way they speak about women. You don't need to call Kamala dumb. She didn't get this far, you know, just by accident.
She is here. That's what it is. She's a prosecutor. You don't need to go and talk about intelligence or looks or anything else, just focus on the policies.
When you call even a Democrat woman dumb, Republican women get their backs up, too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Really interesting way to think about it. And I'm flashing back to Donald Trump in the 2016 primaries when Carly Fiorina was also on the stage.
TALEV: Absolutely. So she was giving him that unsolicited advice and it's interesting because it's going to be different advice for the two candidates. For Trump, it's going to be like, don't make it all about personal stuff, don't go after gender. And for Harris, it's going to be like, don't make it all about policy because people want to elect someone with charisma who they connect to on a personal level. I don't think we're going to see Harris play out up race or gender, but Trump in subtle, if not direct ways, is going to go after them.
The other hidden language in this debate is going to be so much Pennsylvania language, so much Pennsylvania messaging in the answers that were going to hear tonight. I think even though this is a national debate and it's meant for voters around the country. There really still is one state that is going to matter the most.
HUNT: They're in Philly, baby. Yeah, for sure.
All right. Margaret Talev, thank you so much for being here this morning. I really appreciate it.
TALEV: Thanks, Kasie.
HUNT: All right. To watch Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump on the debate stage tonight, tune into the ABC News presidential debates simulcast. It's going to be right here on CNN tonight 9:00 p.m. Eastern. You can also follow CNN for complete coverage, exclusive analysis before and after the debate.
I will be in Philly ahead of time. Don't miss it.
Straight ahead here on CNN THIS MORNING, SpaceX prepares for a historic mission. We are just moments away from the expected launch of the Polaris Dawn mission. We're going to show you that live.
Plus --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNSON: There is no fallback position. This is a righteous fight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Congress back in session, Republicans gearing up for a battle with Democrats over immigration.
And why Kamala Harris has decided not to challenge Donald Trump on his racially charged remarks, as both candidates look to create their own standout debate moments.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAN QUAYLE, FORMER U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: I have as much experience in the Congress as Jack Kennedy did when he sought the presidency.
LLOYD BENTSEN, FORMER U.S. SENATOR: Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine.
Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:13:47]
HUNT: All right. Welcome back.
We are just moments away from the final countdown to SpaceX's Polaris Dawn launched the four-person crew is headed for the Earth's radiation belts. This launch was delayed a little bit earlier this morning due to weather.
And that's why we want to get straight to our meteorologist, Derek Van Dam. He is going to give us a weather report for the launch to see if they're going to hit this next window coming up at 5:23.
Derek, what do you think?
DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It all comes down to the weather, doesn't it? So many things in life for it, right, I mean, it even impacts the astronauts. It's incredible.
I was watching the live feed from SpaceX just a moment ago. They have now started to initiate some of the propellant into the rockets. So they are really in that final stages here before that 5:23 launch. But the weather has to be picture perfect in order for that to happen.
And the good news is, it has cleared up considerably since the 3:23 original launch window that we had just a couple of hours ago. This is really interesting as well. Some of our research finding these perfect weather launch criteria that they have to fit within.
Of course, can have strong winds and we can have thick clouds overhead, but we certainly cannot have lightning in the vicinity. If they were to fly through what's known as a cumulonimbus cloud. They can create what is known as triggered lightning or artificially induced lightning as a space shuttle launches into the atmosphere, can react with cloud droplets and actually create its own lightning, causing some electrical failures on the ship itself.
So, learning from past mistakes, we don't want that to happen. So this is the deal with the radar the lightning and thunderstorms are well off the East Coast, well away from Cape Canaveral. Earlier this morning, there were a few showers that popped up across the region. That's what prompted them to have another delay through this morning to about 5:23. We believe that conditions look favorable for this launch here within the next ten minutes as the rain moves and stays way from Cape Canaveral this morning.
Of course, it's not just about what's going to happen now with the launch, it's about what's going to happen within five days because they have to have optimal landing conditions, splashdown conditions on the ocean, and in the skies above. And it looks like it could be a bit of wet weather on the return home to earth here, Kasie, so we'll keep an eye on that, too.
HUNT: All right. Indeed, we will. Derek Van Dam for us this morning, Derek, so grateful. See you next hour.
VAN DAM: All right.
HUNT: And coming up here after the break, as we were just discussing, the four-person crew set to take off the to ever private citizens space walk for SpaceX would be on tap -- on tap. The blast off right after the break.
Plus, we're also just hours away from that must-see showdown between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. What history might unfold tonight?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: That's what the question in this campaign is about. It's not only what's your philosophy and what's your position on issues, but can you get things done -- and I believe I can.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:21:07]
HUNT: All right. Welcome back.
A bold mission by SpaceX to conduct the first private spacewalk in history was delayed earlier this morning by bad weather at Florida's Kennedy Space Center. But look, there it is, after facing numerous delays over the past few weeks, Falcon 9's launch of Polaris Dawn, it was scheduled to take place nearly two hours ago and again, for whether push that back, that initial launch time of 3:38 a.m.
We could though, see liftoff in just moments.
CNN space and defense correspondent Kristin Fisher joins us now with the latest.
Kristin, good morning. Wonderful to see you.
KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE AND DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. I know. Good to see you.
HUNT: We are going to do this countdown together and tell us a little bit about why this mission is unique?
FISHER: This mission is going to be the world's first commercial spacewalk. So up until this point, only NASA astronauts are government professional astronauts have done spacewalks and spacewalks are -- it's one thing to go to space. It is another thing to do a spacewalk. One of the riskiest things that any astronaut can do during a mission.
And so, the fact that they're conducting this spacewalk and not just wearing any old suits. This is the first time that they're ever going to be wearing these spacesuits. And that's significant because NASA has been trying to get new spacesuits for its astronauts for about 20 years now and do the technical --
HUNT: Wait a second. The NASA spacesuits are 20 years old?
FISHER: They're 40 years old.
HUNT: Forty years old.
FISHER: They're 40 years old. NASA -- the ones that you see NASA astronauts do spacewalks and at their national space station -- HUNT: Yeah.
FISHER: -- 40 years old.
HUNTER: Older than me. I am not yet 40 years old.
FISHER: And so, in order to go do that, things that SpaceX and NASA want to do, colonize Mars one day, build a base on the south pole of the moon. You need new space suits.
And so, what this mission is about is Jared Isaacman, the commander of this mission, wealthy American businessman and philanthropist, and this is his second space mission. He went to SpaceX and said, look, I know that you all need these various milestones, these technical milestones, like testing out a new space suit in order to achieve your more ambitious objectives of building a base on the moon and colonizing Mars.
So he's partially self-funded it, selected this crew. You've got two SpaceX employees onboard, a retired lieutenant colonel in the Air Force, and then the commander, Jared Isaacman. And when they blast off in just about one minute and ten seconds, hopefully if all goes according to plan, they're going to really get to do something that no NASA astronaut has even done, which is this whole spacecraft, the Dragon capsule, is going to open up and expose everybody inside to the vacuum of space. It's not just the two going out doing the spacewalk.
It's the whole four-person crew.
HUNT: This is fascinating. All right. Kristen, I think were just going to listen in here to hear this countdown.
FISHER: Let's do it.
HUNT: I am -- everything you just provided has made me very excited about this.
All right. Let's listen and watch.
ANNOUNCER: Dragon SpaceX, go for launch.
ANNOUNCER: T minus 30 seconds.
T minus 16.
T minus 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Ignition, and Falcon SpaceX Polaris.
[05:25:22]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: T plus 35 seconds into Polaris Dawn mission, flying crew onboard Dragon Falcon 9 to new heights.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Power and telemetry nominal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we're throttling down and preparation all for max Q.
Next call out the vehicle, supersonic. And there on the left side.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thumbs up from the pilot on the left side there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Max Q.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're throttle back to power.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One bravo.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we heard the call out one bravo, that just tells the crew what would happen should they need to initiate anything? But right now, everybody making nominal callouts on Falcon 9.
HUNT: All right. There we have it. Lift off for Falcon 9 and Polaris Dawn mission. Got that thumbs up there. That's the commander of the mission you were talking about right there?
FISHER: Yeah. And what you can see on the left-hand side of your screens is the Polaris Dawn crew wearing those brand-new spacesuits that we were talking about. So far, a picture perfect launch, a nighttime launch, always so much fun if you're there in person to see because you can really see the rocket, is it propels itself into space.
But one thing that I'm thinking about as I've watched, this is two of the crew members SpaceX employees, they have spent years, one of them, Sarah Gillis, is the lead astronaut trainer. And so she spent years training astronaut crews, NASA astronauts, private astronauts, but she's never had this experience herself.
Same with Anna Menon, one of the other SpaceX engineers on board. And so these people who've had a really intimate role in the development of this program, but have never had a chance to fly to space finally, getting a chance to do it here.
HUNT: And remind me, there are some milestones related to so how far an orbit this is going, what's the significance of that?
FISHER: So, in addition to testing out these spaces, and there we have it right there. What you're seeing right there is the moment that the bottom falcon nine booster separates that stage separates from the Dragon capsule where the astronauts are. That's a really please significant milestone in terms of safety. It's a moment where things could go wrong.
So far, it looks like everything went well there.
But to answer your question, the other big thing that they're doing on this mission is they're flying this spacecraft into what's known as the radiation belt. It's a part of space where various particles from the sun congregate. And so it's a dangerous place to travel through. But in order to do it to get to Mars and the moon, you've got to travel through it. And so no humans have done that since the end of the Apollo program,
back in the 1970s. And so not only are they testing their bodies being guinea pigs essentially to see how this radiation impacts their bodies. But they're also testing the Dragon spacecraft itself.
And to make sure that the spacecraft and the avionics were going to survive this intense radiation, they strap the avionics -- SpaceX engineers strap the avionics to a gurney in an oncology lab, right? Like where you would take somebody who is receiving radiation for chemo and just pelted this thing until it broke.
HUNT: Wow.
FISHER: So that's how they were able to say, hey, Polaris Dawn crew, you guys are going to be they felt going through the radiation belt.
HUNT: Fascinating.
Let's bring in also watching this with us is Keith Cowing, who's the editor of nasawatch.com. He's a former NASA space biologist.
Keith, always wonderful to have you on the program.
I was just hoping you could weigh in on what Kristen was talking about in terms of just how different this technology is that they're testing from what NASA has been using for quite literally decades, kind of how we got to this point where we have this private company taking these leaps.
KEITH COWING, EDITOR, NASAWATCH.COM: Well, that's -- you know, it's sort of the thing these days like you've got Craig Venture, the guy, one of the two guys who did the human genome. He spent resilient box on a ship and they went around the world and an ocean looking for DNA in the water and came up with whole new ways to just find all this up. But he did it with his own money. He got a little grant here and there.
So you've got people now with as Elon Musk would say not insignificant resources. They've seen too much science fiction. They don't know any better than to try and make it real. And that's what you see here.
In terms of the space suits, Kristin's parents were wearing, the ones that they're still having now they still work. But, you know, here we are.
