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CNN This Morning
Tonight: Harris, Trump to Debate in Philadelphia; House Members Release Dueling Reports on Afghanistan Withdrawal; Tropical Storm Francine on Track to Become Hurricane. Aired 6-6:30a ET
Aired September 10, 2024 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: It's Tuesday, September 10. Right now on CNN THIS MORNING.
[05:59:44]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S., 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE (via phone): I think he's going to lie.
DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: If I destroy her in the debate, they'll say, Trump suffered a humiliating defeat today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Debate day in America. Kamala Harris and Donald Trump in their final hours of preparation. Can either candidate move the needle?
Plus, dueling reports on the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan as both parties try to blame the other.
And this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. J.D. VANCE (R-OH), VICE-PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I would have asked the states to submit alternative slates of electors.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Trump's new running mate, trying to differentiate himself from Trump's old running mate. What J.D. Vance says Mike Pence should have done on January 6.
Plus, this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three, two, one. Ignition.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: A trailblazing trek for civilians just launched into Earth's orbit to chase history.
All right, 6 a.m. on the East Coast. A live look at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. That's where we're going to see tonight's historic presidential debate go down in just a few hours.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Kasie Hunt. It's wonderful to have you with us.
In just hours, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris will meet on that Philadelphia stage for what might be their only presidential debate of the 2024 election.
Debate host ABC News shared this first look at the stage. Harris and Trump will stand behind podiums just a few feet apart. Their microphones will be muted when it is not their turn to speak.
Tonight will be the first time that the candidates meet each other in person. Trump didn't attend Biden and Harris's inauguration after he refused to acknowledge the results of the 2020 election.
This one night presents Harris with the opportunity to introduce herself to millions of Americans and to voters who, polls show, say that they need to learn more about her.
The vice president has been preparing intensely for tonight and for an opponent unlike any she has debated before.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS (via phone): 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 -- and we should be prepared for that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Trump's own preparations, characteristically informal. His advisors calling them policy sessions.
The former president likely to try to define Harris on his terms. One potential line of attack, previewed yesterday by campaign senior adviser Jason Miller.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JASON MILLER, TRUMP CAMPAIGN SENIOR ADVISOR (via phone): It's very clear that Kamala Harris is the one who's been running the country the entire time.
Another opening that I do want to point out here that Harris has 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 VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: After June's CNN debate, it is nearly impossible to argue that debates never matter. So, you do have to wonder what might happen tonight that we'll remember long after this campaign is done.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH PALIN (R), FORMER VICE-PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: They say the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull: lipstick.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Would you shut up, man?
TRUMP: Who is your -- listen, who is --
RONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There you go again.
GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: But can you get things done?
HARRIS: America does not want to witness a food fight. They want to know how we're going to put food on their table.
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You're likeable enough, Hillary.
HILLARY CLINTON (D), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Thank you.
OBAMA: No doubt. TRUMP: Look at those hands. Are they small hands?
LLOYD BENTSEN (D), FORMER VICE-PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy.
JOHN MCCAIN (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Senator Obama, I am not President Bush. If you wanted to run against President Bush, you should have run four years ago.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: All right. Our panel's here on this historic day. Alex Thompson, CNN political analyst, national political reporter for Axios; Mark McKinnon, former adviser to George W. Bush and the man you just saw there, John McCain; Karen Finney, CNN political commentator, former adviser to Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign; and Brad Todd, Republican strategist and partner, public strategy firm On Message. Welcome to all of you. Thank you so much for being here.
Mark, big day. Debates, how much do they matter? How much does this one matter? What are you looking for tonight?
MARK MCKINNON, FORMER ADVISOR TO GEORGE W. BUSH AND JOHN MCCAIN: Tension city, baby, Georgia H.W. Bush used to say. There's so much on the line, particularly for Harris.
I mean, it doesn't matter what Trump's going to do. He's not going to move the needle with one vote tonight, I doubt.
But Harris has a real opportunity. Thirty percent of voters feel like they don't know enough about her yet. So, this is all about her opportunity to define herself and also Trump's opportunity to do the same about her.
So, that's what I look for.
And -- and the key here, I say, and I wrote in my "Vanity Fair" piece this week, is it's all about confidence. If you've ever done debate training, the key to a candidate getting out there is, I mean, in a sense, this is kind of "Game of Thrones." She's Sansa Stark. He's Hodor.
You've got to get and say -- you're going to get him, baby.
Both -- both internally and externally, she's got to show strength, confidence, and go just kick some ass.
ALEX THOMPSON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, and her team has raised the stakes for the debate by the virtue of the fact that she's done very few spontaneous moments since she basically entered this race on July 21.
As a result, voters that -- that statistic you cited from "The New York Times" poll was 30 percent of people don't feel like they know her. So, she has raised the stakes in this debate, and that's also why you've seen her really holed up in Pittsburgh.
The one anxiety I hear from a lot of Democrats, both Biden administration officials, Harris officials, former and current, is like, is this new Kamala or old Kamala, right? Like, is this the new very competent person we've seen on the stump these last seven weeks, or is the old Kamala from 2019, that basically never made it to our caucus.
KAREN FINNEY, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: So, I'm going to disagree slightly in that I think the stakes for the former president are pretty high, as well.
And that is because he will be facing two black women at the same time, and he does not do well with black women. You could ask Mishal Sindral (ph), our own Abby Phillip. You can ask April Mell [SIC] -- April. You can ask the NABJ.
HUNT: Rachel Scott.
FINNEY: Rachel Scott. He does not do well with serious questions being posed by -- by black women.
So, I think -- and that is why his team overrode his idea to like, let's go free for all. Let's all have the microphones on. No. They were, like, no hot mics, because they know that is a real danger to this president.
And how he behaves, for him -- I mean, if he does exactly what he did during the debate with Joe Biden, we will come away saying, Yes, that guy -- he's old. He's real old. Because we focused so much on Biden the last time he got away with a lot.
BRAD TODD, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: I disagree. I think the most important moment in that debate is when Donald Trump said, you know, I don't know what he said, and I don't think he knew what he said.
He actually is a pretty good game-time player. But I agree with Karen that this is very important debate night for him. It's one of the few times Kamala Harris is going to be under pressure. We've seen that effectively, she's running a basement campaign.
He can put her under pressure. And he can hold her accountable for what she said in 2020, which was a platform that was further left than any Democrat who's ever run for president. He's got to do that.
HUNT: Can I push you a little bit on, to Karen's point, about how he has interacted. She mentioned black women specifically, but women in general. Right?
We were just showing that moment with Hillary Clinton where he kind of -- knowing Donald Trump, I think he's basically trying to put himself in the camera frame when he's kind of behind her like that. Right?
He knows where the camera is. That's what he's trying to do. But the effect was kind of threatening and something that didn't, I don't think, appeal to women.
Obviously, he won this election in the long run. But what are the pitfalls for him?
TODD: Oh, look he's insulted plenty of people of all genders, parties, and persuasions at -- plenty of times in live television. There's a real danger for him coming across like a jerk. That's always the thing that Donald Trump has.
In many ways, these two people are misfits. Donald Trump's not as nice as most people would like their president to be. Kamala Harris is not near as centrist as they would like to present to be. That's what the battle is tonight.
MCKINNON: You know, here's a strategic question for you, Todd. That -- that a line of attack that Trump is obviously taking, is that -- that Harris is flip-flopping.
But the more effective line is that she's liberal. Right?
TODD: Totally.
MCKINNON: So why go on the flip-flopper line? Because then you're saying she's becoming a centrist. Stay just -- skip the flip-flop.
TODD: I think he likes flip-flop because it's weak. And to him, strength/weaknesses is the ideology. Not --
MCKINNON: Well, the most important perception of a candidate running for president is the perception of strength, right?
FINNEY: Hold up. So, Lyndon Johnson was not for the 1965 Civil Rights Act when he was vice president. He did pass it when he was president. Is that a -- that's not a bad flip-flop.
TODD: Well, wait.
FINNEY: I'll take -- hold on. I'll take that flip flop, because we want leaders who can learn new information, take the input and say, you know what? The country has changed. I've learned new information. And I, too, am going to change.
(CROSSTALK)
TODD: That's what I'm saying. She hasn't said that, though, Karen. But she --
(CROSSTALK)
FINNEY: Yes, she has. Yes, she has. Absolutely.
TODD: She's -- she's sent written statements out by spokesman.
FINNEY: No.
TODD: She doesn't say -- she needs to explain, I was wrong. She never says, I was wrong in 2020. She doesn't.
She says, oh, I have learned experiences. That's different than saying you were wrong. Why was she -- why does she change? Are other Democrats wrong?
FINNEY: She did talk about why she changed.
THOMPSON: Real quick, I will -- I will say the one thing that's been consistent about all of these changes is they've all gone from the left to the center, which again suggests that this is more about a political move than a sincere change of ideology.
Now, of course, maybe it is sincere. But the fact is --
FINNEY: But you can't say that, Alex. You can say that it may look like that on the surface, but you don't know her heart.
THOMPSON: Well, but --
FINNEY: You don't know what's in her heart?
TODD: You don't believe she's moved to the center?
(CROSSTALK)
FINNEY: I do. I've talked to her.
(CROSSTALK)
HUNT: "I've said my values have not changed." And on the other hand, we do have a series of policy positions that have evolved, all in the same direction.
THOMPSON: I completely agree. I don't know what's in her heart. I'm only putting out that it is consistent, that all these positions have gone from the left to center.
And the fact is that she has not been really toughly questioned in interviews about why.
TODD: She needs to tell us. Are other Democrats wrong to be for defund the police? Are they wrong to want to decriminalize illegal crossings? Are they wrong to ban fracking? Like, let's see her chastise the the far left.
FINNEY: I don't think she needs to chastise anyone.
(CROSSTALK)
HUNT: Final thought from Mark. I've got to go.
MCKINNON: This one criticism I have of Harris on this is that I think she's too defensive about it. And rather than sort of go to this, you know, you're attacking my record; my values haven't changed, just say, yes you know, I used to be against fracking when we didn't have as much information. We've learned a lot. We now know it's a lot safer. We know it's a better alternative to have gas than oil.
FINNEY: That's basically what she said. She said my values haven't changed. What I've learned now is that there is a way to have a clean energy economy without having fracking be a part -- without banning fracking.
[06:10:09]
HUNT: I think the ultimate reality here is that --
FINNEY: Which is pressing (ph).
HUNT: -- there are a lot of voters who still don't fully understand this argument that you guys are having right here. We're going to see a lot. We're going to learn a lot tonight from her.
And obviously, our panel is going to be back in just moments.
To watch Vice President Harris and former President Trump on the debate stage tonight, tune in to the ABC News presidential debate simulcast. It's tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern. You can watch it right here on CNN.
I'm going to be live in Philadelphia for CNN's special coverage and analysis before the debate.
And coming up next here on CNN THIS MORNING, a catastrophic failure of epic proportions. That is how Republicans are describing the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan in a scathing new report.
Plus, the civilian astronauts streaking through space as we speak, how they hope to make history.
And could tonight's debate produce another moment that could change the whole race. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN F. KENNEDY, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think Mr. Nixon is an effective leader of his party. I hope he would grant me the same. The question before us is which point of view and which party do we want to lead the United States?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:15:45]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: Now, some say we should have started mass evacuation sooner, and couldn't this have be -- have been done in a more orderly manner? I respectfully disagree.
I was not going to extend this forever war. And I was not extending a forever exit.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Thirteen American servicemen lost their lives during the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan on August 30, 2021, House Republicans and Democrats releasing dueling reports on Monday, casting blame for the botched exit on each other.
The Republican report highly critical of the Biden administration, claiming the president and Vice President Harris lied to the American people at every stage of the withdrawal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MICHAEL MCCAUL (R-TX): It's a historic document. It's not a political document. It was a document designed to get to the truth.
This was a catastrophic failure of epic proportions. Some say Saigon was the worst. I say this was.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: That was House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Mike McCaul. He's now threatening to hold Secretary of State Antony Blinken in contempt if he refuses to testify about the withdrawal.
Mark McKinnon, this was obviously a really, really difficult moment in American history, period, what happened at Abbey Gate. Obviously, it's become a major political focal point of this campaign.
And it also speaks to the bigger issue that the Trump campaign is -- is dealing with as they try to tie Kamala Harris to President Biden. Because one of the things this report did was kind of talk more about Harris's role than it likely would have, were she not at the top of the ticket. How should she be addressing this issue? It's obviously become an issue, as well, with what happened at Arlington Cemetery.
MCKINNON: Well, I mean, wars are hell. I mean, we -- how long were we in Afghanistan? Decades. And, you know, have we ever withdrawn from a war easily or casually, or without casualties? I don't think so.
You know, loss of any American life is -- is never acceptable. And it should certainly be worthy of investigation to find out what went wrong and what could have been done better.
But I don't think -- I don't get a sense that American voters are sitting here today going, oh, we really screwed up in Afghanistan, and it's Bidens fault.
I mean, Trump's the one that planned the exit, and Biden got it done, which was an incredibly hard thing to do.
THOMPSON: Well, I will say, like, I do think some Republicans do think it's effective, which is why they're doing this report now.
I mean, he -- Chairman McCaul may say that this is not political. I don't know what's in his heart.
But --
FINNEY: The timing's a little tough there, for sure.
THOMPSON: Let's be honest, Republicans want to use this as a political cudgel against Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris by proxy, because Joe 00 you look at the chart of Joe Biden's approval rating.
Basically, it's this the first nine months and then goes like that, right after Afghanistan. And the reason is because it's since -- not and I understand Mark's point. I don't think voters are going to vote on Afghanistan. But it was a sign of competence. Or incompetence to a lot of voters.
And a lot of voters felt that it was a failure in the way they withdrew.
HUNT: Yes, it definitely feels like a turning point for Biden. We have to go, but --
TODD: Joe Biden's career ended on that debate stage. But the beginning of the end was Afghanistan.
And Kamala Harris, that's when she told us I was the last one in the room.
FINNEY: Well, we don't know what she said about being the last one. At the same time, there's plenty of blame to go around with regard to Iraq and Afghanistan.
And I do think if -- it'll probably be a topic of discussion tonight, and both sides will have to talk about. You know, for Trump, why didn't you leave it so long, if you were opposed?
And for Kamala, what was the conversation you had in the room.
MCKINNON: Yes, I'm actually interested to hear what she has to say about it.
FINNEY: Thank you.
HUNT: All right. Coming up here on CNN THIS MORNING, final preparations underway for tonight's Harris-Trump debate. How the vice president plans to handle the former president if he starts attacking her personally.
Plus --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. CHRIS SUNUNU (R-NH) (via phone): He's joking, and I could tell people weren't responding.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: New Hampshire's governor, Chris Sununu, springing into action to save a choking contestant in a lobster roll eating contest. That's going to be one of the five things you have to see this morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:24:18]
HUNT: All right, 23 minutes past the hour, five things you have to see this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Four, three, two, one. Ignition. And --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: You watched it live hour right here on CNN. SpaceX successfully launching their Polaris Dawn mission from Kennedy Space Center.
It's a bold and risky trip into Earth's Van Allen radiation belts from a four-person crew of civilians hoping to conduct the first commercial spacewalk.
And --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(EXPLOSION)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: A drone attack hitting nine regions in Russia overnight, including near the capital of Moscow. Russia claims it downed 140 drones that were launched by Ukraine.
At least one person was killed, three others injured by the attack near Moscow.
[06:25:07]
Dramatic video out of Vietnam showing a bridge collapse during a strong typhoon. At least ten vehicles were on the bridge when it collapsed. Eight people were killed.
Now, a happier story. Governor Chris Sununu being hailed as a hero after saving a contestant choking at a lobster roll eating competition.
The governor gave the person the Heimlich before first responders took over. There he is. Look at that.
Eventually, the stuck piece of lobster was freed.
And you don't see this on the road every day. A herd of horses fleeing the smoke from the Davis Fire in South Reno, where hundreds of residents have been forced to evacuate. The fire, burning nearly 7,000 acres since Saturday.
Very glad those forces got out.
All right. Time now for weather. Tropical Storm Francine is on track to become a hurricane. Both Texas and Louisiana's coasts on alert. The storm is expected to deliver heavy rains and gusty winds.
Let's get to our meteorologist, the weatherman, Derek van Dam.
Derek, good morning. What are you seeing?
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Kasie.
It's almost as if the -- Mother Nature knew that it was the peak of the hurricane season. And right on cue, we have a looming tropical storm, and soon to be hurricane, threat right along the Gulf Coast states.
Sixty-five-mile-per-hour winds with Tropical Storm Francine still just located off the Texas -- South Texas coastline. You can see the swirl in the latest radar, some sort of a semblance of an eye trying to form.
There are some outer rainbands reaching the U.S. mainland. This would be extreme Southern Texas. But it's really where it's going to go from here.
You can see the hurricane warnings that are in place across the Texas -- rather, from Texas border through Louisiana.
The National Hurricane Center still has this intensifying to a Category 2, making landfall sometime mid-day to late evening on Wednesday. So that's for the day tomorrow. Timing this out, you can see tropical-storm-force winds enter into the equation by about noon. And then we really pick up in intensity from Harline (ph) to New Orleans and then the Baton Rouge region could experience tropical-storm-force winds. Those could knock down some trees and take down power, as well.
On top of that storm surge threat, five to ten feet in some of the greatest hit areas. That's above dry ground. There will be a flash flood component along with the potential for isolated tornadoes as this soon-to-be-hurricane moves on shore tomorrow afternoon -- Kasie.
HUNT: All right. Derek van Dam for us this morning. Derek, thank you.
VAN DAM: All right.
HUNT: Still to come here on CNN THIS MORNING, how J.D. Vance says he would have handled certifying the 2020 election and what he says Mike Pence should have done.
Plus, joining me live, Maryland's Democratic governor, Wes Moore, ahead of Kamala Harris meeting Donald Trump on the debate stage tonight in Philadelphia. What more memorable moments may come?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK PERRY (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What I would do away with: the Education, the --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Commerce.
PERRY: Commerce. And let's see. I can't. The third one I can't. Sorry. Oops.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
