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Erin Burnett Outfront

Campaign: Harris Has Not Made A Decision On VP Pick Yet; Pelosi OutFront In First Prime-Time Interview Since Biden Exit; Dow Drops 1,000+ Points, $&P 500 Sheds $1.3T, Global Markets Tank; U.S. Destroyers Move Closer To Israel Amid Fears Of Iran Attack. Aired 7- 8p ET

Aired August 05, 2024 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:42]

DANA BASH, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next:

Will it be Shapiro or Walz for VP? Harris said to be focusing on two candidates in the final hours before her major announcement, as sources insist she still hasn't made up her mind.

Plus, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is my guest live here tonight, her first primetime interview since Kamala Harris became her party's nominee. She has a new book out where she spills some serious tea about private conversations with Donald Trump.

And J.D. Vance's wife is coming to his defense. Why the Trump team is eager for Usha Vance to speak out.

Let's go OUTFRONT.

Good evening. I'm Dana Bash, in for Erin Burnett.

OUTFRONT tonight, Pelosi live and in-person in her first primetime interview since President Biden stepped aside and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will speak out.

And tonight, Vice President Kamala Harris is on the cusp of making one of the biggest decisions of her career that is her running mate, which could be announced at any moment.

You're looking at new pictures of Harris returning to the vice president's residence moments ago as CNN is told, she still has not decided on, which man it will be. We are learning that Harris is focused though on to of the contenders. You see them there, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota.

Harris is preparing to hold a rally with her new pick in less than 24 hours, and major fears tonight, in addition to that, about a looming global recession, a threat would undoubtedly weigh down Harris's campaign in the crucial months before the election.

Today, the U.S. stock markets saw its biggest drop in nearly two years. The Dow down over 1,000 points because of concerns about a slowing U.S. economy. The economy, of course, is issue number one in this election. I'm going to talk to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi about all of this in just a moment.

But, first, I want to go to Philadelphia. MJ Lee is OUTFRONT there. That is where Kamala Harris is going to be holding her first rally with whomever she picks as her running mate tomorrow.

MJ, you've been talking to sources all day. What are you learning?

MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Dana, we are absolutely in the final -- final stages of this process. As of this late afternoon, that campaign was saying that the vice president had not yet made a decision, but it is a decision that we are going to learn about in the coming hours.

Now, we have, of course, been discussing three names in particular as being the final contenders -- Tim Walz, Josh Shapiro, and Mark Kelly. We did learn earlier tonight that in the final hours of the selection process, the vice president has been training her focus on two of those names in particular, that is Shapiro and Walz.

Now, to be clear, based on our conversations earlier, Mark Kelly had not been exactly taken off the table. He was according to our sources, still one of the final three finalists and all three of them, of course, had met in person with the vice president over the weekend in Washington, D.C.

Now, this waiting process may feel long for some of us tracking this very closely, but it is worth noting that all of this has actually moved at extraordinary speed. It was only 15 days ago that President Biden dropped out of the race, forcing Kamala Harris to make this decision in just a matter of days.

And some of the biggest questions, Dana, as you know very well that she has been weighing include questions like who is going to be a strong governing partner who can help her win? Who does she have the strongest chemistry with? That, of course, is one factor that only the vice president, of course, can weigh in on answer that question to. We know that she of course, has also been presented with a ton of data. A lot of polling and other information about each of the contenders.

But again, if everything goes according to plan, we should find out very shortly before that Philadelphia joint rally tomorrow night, who exactly Kamala Harris has chosen, of course, one of the most consequential political decisions that she has made.

BASH: MJ, thank you so much for that reporting.

OUTFRONT now, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, author of the new book "The Art of Power".

You see it there. I have it here. Terrific book, read it all. I highly recommend it.

[19:05:00]

I want to start before we get to the book though, about what we just heard from MJ. Kamala Harris is -- it seems as though -- choosing between Governor -- Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.

You served with the now Governor Walz when he was House member for about a decade. Is he a good pick in your view -- in your view?

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): He is a good pick, but she had six good picks. As I said, any one of them would have made a great vice president. But only she would be able to judge who she had the best simpatico.

BASH: Do you have a preference?

PELOSI: Now, I think they're all great and whoever she picks, I'm for.

And -- but Tim Walz is wonderful. He was chaired of our Veterans Affairs Committee. The governor of Pennsylvania is remarkable and a real star. And I understand Mark Kelly may still be in the running from what MJ said.

BASH: Uh-huh.

PELOSI: But as she said, it's a question of who she feels the most comfort level with in terms of governance. People say, well, who can help us win? But it's about who can help us govern more than that.

BASH: You think so? It's about -- that electability isn't as much of a factor, shouldn't be as much of a factor in your view?

PELOSI: No. No, the electability -- it's about --

BASH: Her.

PELOSI: -- Kamala Harris.

BASH: Right.

PELOSI: And she has to win. That's for sure. But any one of them would have --

BASH: I see.

PELOSI: -- been a great vice premier.

BASH: I want to ask you about something that's been going on with regard to Josh Shapiro. There really has been a campaign it seems against him by progressive groups inside the Democratic Party because of his stance on Israel, because of his stance on college protests.

But if you look at it, his stance really isn't different from Mark Kelly or Tim Walz.

PELOSI: Yeah.

BASH: Congressman Jake Auchincloss said today that there is a strong undercurrent of antisemitism to the fight against Shapiro.

Do you think that's true?

PELOSI: Well, I certainly hope not. No, I think it's probably more about policy. But the decision will be made by our candidate for president of the United States. And it's important for people to weigh in as they think.

I think that it would be better if they weighed in more privately rather than having -- building up something out there. But that's their -- that's their choice. That's their choice.

BASH: I want to show you some video of you and Kamala Harris standing together in a history making moment.

You were -- and still are, always will be -- the first female House speaker. She the first female vice president. You're both San Franciscans.

PELOSI: Uh-huh.

BASH: What's your relationship like?

PELOSI: Our relationship is fine. We're very excited and proud of her, we're proud of -- as I've said, personally, I just have so much esteem for her. She's a person of deep faith and deep commitment to public service.

Officially, she's strong. She -- as you see in her positions now that she's out there and you'll see more. But most recently, how strongly she has stood up for woman's right to choose, and that's democracy issue, a freedom issue.

And politically, she's very astute. You don't win the government -- the attorney generalship of California, there are many primary candidates, and she pulled that off because of her astuteness -- and I can go more into that. But the fact is --

BASH: Yeah.

PELOSI: -- you've seen in the past three weeks how she has managed the opportunity that is there.

BASH: And when she started in politics, you were already very well- established. I mean, you had been Cal -- an activist, California state chair.

PELOSI: Right.

BASH: A member of Congress. And I could go on and on and on.

As somebody coming up in San Francisco politics and then more broadly, California politics, did she ask you for mentorship? Did you know give her advice?

PELOSI: No, actually, the fact is in that first race, I was for the incumbent and I was for him because I respected him and his family to establish very progressive family in San Francisco and they supported me. And if anybody knows anything about me, I'm loyal.

She understood that. She understood I had a past relationship and then she went on to be the district attorney.

BASH: And then once that was over, once that primary was over.

PELOSI: Once it's over, it's over.

BASH: No, but I'm saying once it was over, did she reach out to you for any advice or mentorship?

PELOSI: Well, that isn't -- that we're in -- we all have our own -- I always say to people, be yourself, go out there and be yourself.

I loved to mentor people if they want to be mentored, but I don't -- I always say to people, you may respect somebody but what they are doing and how they do, but be you. It's about you and that's what I say to her as running for president of the United States, there's no -- it's going back 25 years or a long, long time ago as to when this happened.

What we're talking about is the future and we're all very proud of her, have confidence in her and again, just want to put one good day in front of another.

BASH: Let's talk about some of the things that you write about in this book, "The Art of Power".

[19:10:01]

You write about -- throughout it, it's about several key moments in history, in U.S. history.

PELOSI: Uh-huh.

BASH: Which you were an integral part of.

PELOSI: Yes.

BASH: A couple of those moments were impeaching the former president in the House of Representatives. And you write in detail about a call that Donald Trump, then president made to you before the first impeachment.

PELOSI: Yeah.

BASH: He said, this is according to your book, quote, there's no reason to impeach me. This back-and-forth continued with the president becoming increasingly whiny by the end. I've done a great job as president, he said, and he kept repeating, it's very, very unfair.

You don't talk about your private conversations with presidents very much, but you did here. Why?

PELOSI: Uh-huh. Well, because it was the basis for how we go forward. He was saying it was a perfect call, it was a perfect call. And I was saying it was a perfectly clear call. And we will be going forward. But before we get to that, this book was not supposed -- much about

him.

BASH: Uh-huh.

PELOSI: It was about four places where I was in the room where it happened. Two were domestic, one was the Affordable Care Act. Another, the TARP, the meltdown of -- on Wall Street --

BASH: Uh-huh.

PELOSI: -- in 2008.

The other was global. One was the Iraq war, which I've vehemently opposed and the -- our relationship with China. That was the purpose of the book.

I didn't have time to write it until I wasn't speaker anymore, but then I was told -- well, you have to put something in about Trump. You have to put something about January 6, and you have to put something in about the attack on your husband.

BASH: Sure.

PELOSI: And that's that.

I'll write another book about what's been happening the last few months. And even more on Ukraine -- Ukraine.

BASH: You want to give us a preview?

(LAUGHTER)

PELOSI: I have my notes.

BASH: Okay.

You -- it's not and it is not -- certainly not all about Donald Trump.

PELOSI: No.

BASH: But you do say in there that it's been striking to you about how much people have come up to you. You've done so much in public life --

PELOSI: Yeah.

BASH: -- and in public service, and people want to know about Donald Trump, which is --

PELOSI: Well, they were -- they congratulate me for my applause, my tearing up a speech, my pointing out to him his -- that all roads lead to the Putin with him.

You know, that's what amazes me is that the more thing is anecdotal rather than substantive. BASH: Well, there's anecdotal.

There was one other thing you write about it. You write about a funeral that you attended for Dr. David Hamburg, a well-known psychiatrist.

PELOSI: Right.

BASH: And you wrote, quote, at the service doctors and other their mental health professionals came up to me unsolicited to tell me that they were deeply concerned that there was something seriously wrong with the president and that his mental and psychological health --

(CROSSTALK)

BASH: President Trump.

PELOSI: President Trump.

BASH: President Trump, thank you -- that his -- his mental health, mental and psychological health was in decline. I am not a doctor, but I did find his behaviors difficult to understand.

Why did you include that anecdote?

PELOSI: Well, because I think that, you know, the fact is, how do you explain a president of the United States going before an audience and saying if you beat up the press, I'll pay for your legal fees? Is that sane -- is that the sane thing to say?

Of course, nobody made as much of a fuss. How do you say when you see what's happening in Charlottesville, there were good people on both sides. I think that his presidency was a danger to our country and that's why he cannot be re-elected.

But the fact is, what -- we're here to talk about the future. I --

BASH: Well, the future -- he could be president again.

PELOSI: Well, we have to make sure that he isn't and that's what my purpose was to say we need a campaign that will win and will win not only the White House, but the House, the Senate, and all the way down the line into our local races as well.

There's so much at stake. Let's talk about this: Joe Biden is great president, of great consequence to our country. Fifteen million jobs created on his watch.

Trump has the worst record since Herbert Hoover.

Again, unemployment down, wages up. We're talking about saving the planet with our legislation. He's talking about getting a billion dollars from the fossil fuel industry to reverse that policy, and the pharmaceutical industry reverse (ph) the policy to reduce the cost of prescription drugs, which is also in that same legislature.

We can -- we can go down the line.

BASH: Uh-huh.

PELOSI: We're talking about Project 2025, which would abolish the Department of Education. There already trying to do it in Congress now. This isn't hypothetical. It's real.

So, the list goes on about the contrast in this election that relates to the kitchen table issues of the American people, the education of their children, the jobs that they want to have.

BASH: You just --

PELOSI: The air their children breathe.

BASH: Forgive me. You just started that by saying something that I've heard you say a few times, which is we needed a campaign that we can win.

PELOSI: Uh-huh.

BASH: And I do want to ask about President Biden, because you said that you did not put anybody up to pressuring him to step aside.

[19:15:05]

PELOSI: I did not, I did not, I did not.

BASH: One of the things I've been wanting to ask you about is the lawmakers who came out 1, 2, 3 are some of the lawmakers who are closest to you

PELOSI: Uh-huh.

BASH: Adam Schiff, Jamie Raskin, Zoe Lofgren, with statements saying that they respectfully thought it was time for the president to step aside.

I've had people say to me and I just as a longtime observer of you thought, oh, wow, those are all Pelosi allies. You had nothing to do with that?

PELOSI: I have hundreds of allies in the Congress of the United States.

BASH: Oh, I know but they're among the closest to you.

PELOSI: No, I had nothing to do with that.

BASH: OK.

PELOSI: If you ask them, it's almost insulting to them because they're formidable figures in the Congress of the United States. They make their own judgment and their own statement.

BASH: Have you spoken to President Biden since he dropped out? PELOSI: No. No, I have not.

BASH: Do you hope to?

PELOSI: Yes, when -- I hope to.

BASH: Yeah.

PELOSI: We're all busy.

BASH: Is everything okay with your relationship?

PELOSI: You'd have to ask him, but I hope so.

BASH: OK.

PELOSI: But he knows.

Look, I have loved Joe Biden, respected him for over 40 years.

BASH: Uh-huh.

PELOSI: We have -- I was party chair in California, then I became member of Congress and then one thing, the house wife, House member, House speaker, working with him all along.

I think he has made one of the biggest contributions to our country in the shortest period of time of any president you can name, whether it's job creation, whether it's -- well, it's the first bill -- the first bill that protect our -- so -- they'll --

BASH: COVID.

PELOSI: Shots in the arm, money in the pockets, children in school, people that work. The infrastructure bill, building -- building a way that is respectful of communities. Chips and Science to take us into the future and make us self-reliant as a country. Our -- of the Pact Act to help our veterans, the IRA to save the environment and lower the cost of prescription drugs.

This is in a two-year period of time.

BASH: Yeah.

PELOSI: This is a remarkable agenda. He's been a great president with a vision for our country based on values, knowledge and judgment, and a heart full of love for the American people, with all the other things (ph).

(CROSSTALK)

BASH: Before I let -- forgive me. Before I let you go, really quickly, I want to ask you about J.D. Vance. He's gotten a lot of attention for insulting Democrats, as a bunch of childless cat ladies.

PELOSI: Uh-huh. BASH: Because people are in charge who don't have kids and don't have in his words stake in this country.

PELOSI: Uh-huh.

BASH: Your mantra in this book and an every time I hear you speak is everything you do is for the children.

PELOSI: For the children, yes.

BASH: So given that, how -- what do you make of what he said?

PELOSI: Well, I think -- as I had said when people said -- oh, do you approve of -- what's his name, selection for vice president? I said, yes. You put it out there. Put it out there.

I think that that have gone -- as a mother of five, myself, and six years and seven days, I don't know what he's talking about. But our family does love the cat, Daisy, and I don't think he knows what he's talking about, but again, we'll see as the campaign goes on.

But as some had said, Trump has made himself -- I mean, he's appointed even a worse appointment that he's made in the past with this. But we'll see, it's up to the public.

We have -- we don't agonize over what they say. We organize around what we're doing for America's working families, for the children under leadership of Kamala Harris, who's again a person of faith, a person of effectiveness, a person who knows how to do the politics to lead us to victory.

And s, it's pretty exciting time. So we'll put one good day in front of another, to mobilize at the grassroots level, to own the ground, getting out the vote, with a message that is bold and progressive, but not menacing, and with the resources to get the job done.

And the best part of that is the candidate and we'll see who the vice presidential candidate soon.

BASH: Madam Speaker, thank you so much for being here. Congratulations on the book.

PELOSI: Thank you, my pleasure.

BASH: Thank you.

PELOSI: Thank you for your attention to it.

BASH: And OUTFRONT next, a global selloff. The Dow suffering its worst day in nearly two years. Donald Trump is blaming the migrant surge. Is that really what is going on here?

Plus, J.D. Vance's wife, Usha, is downplaying her husbands comment about that childless cat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) USHA VANCE, WIFE OF SEN. J.D. VANCE: The reality is J.D. made a quote. I mean, he made a quip and he made a quip in service of making a point that he wanted to make that was substantive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Childless cat lady, I should say.

Now, we are also following breaking news out of the Middle East where the U.S. is sending two destroyers closer to Israel over fears Iran is about to launch an attack at any moment. And the source just told me the U.S. is now preparing for the worst.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:23:57]

BASH: Breaking news, a brutal day on Wall Street and around the world. The Dow closed down more than 1,000 points after plunging more than 1,200 points earlier in the day. This as the Wall Street's fear gauge, the VIX, at one point today hit its highest level since the beginning of COVID, back in March of 2020, markets in Asia and Europe also are spiraling.

Japan's Nikkei index with its biggest single day point drop on record, its 12.4 percent loss is the worst since 1987 all of this is raising fears of a recession, just 92 days before the election.

I want to go straight now to Richard Quest, who is right here and following all of this.

So, Richard, these investors are obviously spooked. We are just a few hours away from the Nikkei opening in Japan. Why are they melting down? Why are these markets melting down?

RICHARD QUEST, CNN ANCHOR, "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS": Because they all wanted that the Fed is behind the has left it too late to cut interest rates and therefore is pushing the U.S. economy to slow down to the point of recession.

[19:25:01]

And this is to be expected. This was entirely predictable. Bearing in mind we had 11 increases in interest rates in barely two years, a phenomenal amount of tightening it crushed inflation exactly as it was supposed to but then, of course, you've got the other side. Eventually, unemployment starts to rise.

Now the academic question in a sense, we won't know until for a few more months. Has the Fed left it too late? The consensus is probably yes.

BASH: Now, I want you to listen to what former President Trump said. He is appearing to blame immigrants, undocumented immigrants for the sell off today. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT & 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They're coming out of mental institutions. They're pouring into the United States and they're hurting and damaging our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Fact check, please. Does the border crisis have anything to do with this?

QUEST: I'm going to quote the former president's exact words back to him. I have no idea what he is talking about and I suspect he doesn't either.

There is no serious economist that is suggesting that this fall in markets, all the problems in the economy is a direct result of immigration.

Far from it, every statistic shows the U.S. economy needs higher and more legal or other guest worker just to keep the economy moving -- everything from mowing lawns to agriculture, to jobs that Americans don't want to do.

BASH: One of the really interesting things about what's going on in the economy is in tech, and specifically A.I. and the A.I. boom that seems to be among the most hit hard -- hit hardest, I should say.

So is betting on A.I. right now, not looking as good?

QUEST: Oh, speculatively, probably not. Longer term, absolutely no problem whatsoever. This is dot-com boom and bust, those of us who remember the 1990s.

BASH: I was going to ask you.

QUEST: Right. So, pet.com, boom dot-com, they got swept away, but Amazon, Cisco, Intel, they all regrouped reforms and carried on. What you are seeing is massive speculation on generative A.I. that's not going to be as profitable as people thought in the timescale, people thought, but nobody, that nobody that I know of is suggesting that A.I. is not going to be a major benefit to the U.S. economy. It's just not going to be profitable as the share prices had assumed.

As a result -- froth off the top and more.

BASH: Yeah. We'll talk about what it means for the human race another time.

Thank you so much. Thank you for breaking it all down. Appreciate it, Richard.

OUTFRONT next, former President Trump is sharing some surprising remarks about one of his leading Democratic critics, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: She's got her spark. That's pretty amazing actually. She's got a good spark.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: And we're following several breaking stories out of the Middle East, including an attack on an airbase in Iraq that has left several U.S. personnel injured.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:31:52]

BASH: Tonight, Usha Vance, the wife of Republican vice presidential candidate, J.D. Vance, is coming to her husband's defense, trying to soften his comments about, quote, childless cat ladies who want to make the country, quote, miserable and apologizing to those he offended.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

USHA VANCE, WIFE OF SEN. J.D. VANCE: J.D. absolutely, at the time, and today would never, ever, ever want to say something to hurt someone who was trying to have a family who really struggling with that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: The possible future second lady tonight is making it clear that she is firmly in her husband's corner.

Tom Foreman is OUTFRONT.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

U. VANCE: The reality is, he made a quip in service of making a point that he wanted to make.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Usha Vance is on the trail and on defense for her husband J.D., the Republican vice presidential nominee, under sharp fire for in 2021, calling Democratic leaders --

SEN. J.D. VANCE (R-OH), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATED: A bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they've made, and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable, too.

U. VANCE: What he was really saying is that it can be really hard to be a parent in this country, and sometimes our policies are designed in a way that make it even harder.

FOREMAN: Team Trump has been eager for Usha to speak up for the Republican ticket and share her story ever since her husbands stumbled out of the gate. Born to Indian Hindu parents in California, Usha studied law at Yale,

clerked for Supreme Court justices, and met J.D. who wrote in his memoir, after a single date, I told her that I was in love.

They married, started a family with three kids, and even though Usha was once a registered Democrat, she is now firmly on message for the Republicans.

U. VANCE: The J.D. I knew then is the same J.D. you see today, except for that beard.

FOREMAN: It's been rough as emails have emerged from years ago of J.D. saying, I hate the police, I hate Trump and what he represents. I really see the racially offensive views of Trumps supporters.

And old friends have questioned the couple's integrity.

SOFIA NELSON, J.D. VANCE'S FORMER YALE CLASSMATE AND FRIEND: Well, I don't think anyone knows what J.D. or Usha believe because they have literally changed their principles and every imaginable issue.

SEN. VANCE: I love you. I wouldn't be here without you and I will never forget where I came from.

FOREMAN: Through it all, Usha Vance has dug in for her husband, for Donald Trump, and for whatever that may bring.

U. VANCE: If I didn't feel that the ticket, you know, the Trump-Vance ticket was able to do some real good for the country, then I wouldn't be here supporting him. And J.D. wouldn't have done this.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOREMAN (on camera): This could be a tricky spot. It's very clearly the campaign wants her help, particularly with women voters by having her walk back, things like this cat lady comment. But as you know, Dana, one of the problems is there's another part of the Trump base that just loves comments like that, and could want more -- Dana.

BASH: Yeah. That's a really good point.

Tom, thank you so much for that.

Going to bring in my panel now.

Ashley Allison, first, let's just start with what you heard from Tom and that story about Usha Vance speaking out like this can undo any of the damage at that her husband has potentially done.

[19:35:09]

I mean, can it? I guess the answer is no. Okay. So let me answer that.

But let's just kind of look at it from a dispassionate point of view. She's a good spokesperson for him.

ASHLEY ALLISON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Sure. I mean, perhaps.

BASH: Or for them.

ALLISON: For them. I mean, she didn't really move me.

BASH: Well, no one's going to move you, to be fair.

ALLISON: Well, I can be moved. I can be moved.

BASH: OK.

ALLISON: If you make a compelling argument. The thing about what she said though, is there's an assumption that and the Republican MAGA base, there aren't women that don't have children that are single. It's so unnecessarily isolating.

And what I would recommend Usha tell her husband, J.D. Vance is to pivot and walk away and stop doubling down on this, but it's his inability to just acknowledge, shouldn't have said it. Keep moving on things as simple as childless cat ladies, but also on much more extreme in terms of policies.

And I think that that is why she sure -- can speak to their base, but it's not going to convince those independent moderate voters that you would hope your spouse, your -- Usha Vance might be able to do. She's just not going to speak to them while I have you here.

BASH: Former Congressman Charlie Dent, your governor, different party, but same commonwealth, I won't say state, Pennsylvania, is being seriously considered to be Kamala Harris's running mate, as is your former colleague, Tim Walz, governor of Minnesota, was in the house. What are your thoughts?

CHARLIE DENT (R-PA), FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE: Well, I know both well. I served with Tim and I know Josh. My quick reaction is that there's no path to victory for Kamala Harris without Pennsylvania, and Josh Shapiro, I think adds more value because he was very strong, particularly in the Philadelphia market. Philadelphia, the collar counties, in Lehigh Valley. Kamala Harris knew to run up the numbers there.

He can actually help her there on the margins. Its all about the margins. Nobody votes for number two, but, but he might be able to pull over enough folks. I think so without -- without Pennsylvania, she's done. And I think this is a simple choice. It's an obvious choice. Shapiro, I just think, brings more value.

And I liked Tim also. He's a good man, but I just see the value in Shapiro, and he can also help maybe bring some of the Jewish vote back. It's eroding a little bit Democratic Party because of the Israel-Gaza war and the antisemitism that we've seen throughout the country. So I think he provides a lot of value to her.

BASH: Ashley Etienne, I want to bring you in here. You know Vice President Harris well. You were her communications director. I just mentioned two names, Josh Shapiro, Tim Walz. There is, of course, another who was interviewed and that is Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, but just generally speaking, you understand her decision-making process.

Can you take us into that process right now when she's making the most important decision of his -- of her career?

ASHLEY ETIENNE, FORMER COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR FOR VP HARRIS: Yeah. I can tell you that I think what's going to also matter to her is the non-tangibles. What I know about her as her ethos is that I see you. She sees -- she has the ability to see people, to identify what their plight with their struggles because she sort of represents all community. She grew up in a multi-racial, multi-ethnic community. She again was a child in a stroller fighting for the rights of all people.

So I think she's going to be also looking for those non-tangible in those in the candidate that you select, someone who can identify and have a heart for the least of these, someone who's going to have a heart for the struggles of the American people who can actually speak to them in ways that they can identify with.

I think that gives Governor Walz an advantage. He's got that Midwestern sensibility that I think if you take him into any state from Nevada to Michigan, I think he's going to have a really broad appeal.

But I'm also putting my money on Mark Kelly. I think Mark Kelly represents that theme of her campaign, which is the promise of America being a naval officer and an astronaut, he's sort of embodies that. But also you've got his wife who has a story of the challenges that are facing the nation from the political violence to also what we can do in a bipartisan way. Congress to came together and pass gun legislation.

So I'm also, you know, I wouldn't -- I wouldn't rule him out. I think he's got an incredible story that again, I think it would have broad resonance with that 1 to 2 percent. That's going to make the difference in this election.

BASH: Scott Jennings, I want to turn to something that Donald Trump said today about out Kamala Harris as she is weighing her VP options.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: All of the people that she's looking at are considered much better than her. These were people that were thinking about running. They would have run except that they didn't want to go through this roadblock with her and, you know, because she's the vice president. So they wanted to go pick them.

[19:40:02]

And I think virtually every one of them is considered better, smarter, would be a better president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Better, smarter -- is that the kind of campaign strategy you would advise?

SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I mean, he's finding new and interesting ways to denigrate Kamala Harris, who by the way, most Republicans think has not done a very good job as vice president and therefore would not do a -- do a good job as president either. So I thought it was a sly insult, and, you know, I mean that -- it's going to be a rough campaign, guys. I hate I hate to tell you this.

BASH: It is a rough campaign. We're there.

(CROSSTALK)

JENNINGS: -- race, it's got to be -- it's going to be -- it's going to be a rough one, and that will be like a light touch compared to what I'm sure is going to -- the haymakers to come from both campaigns for the rest of the year.

BASH: Ashley, I want to -- Ashley Allison, I want to ask about what the former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi just said to me at the beginning of this program, when I asked her about her relationship right now with President Biden.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Have you spoken to President Biden since he dropped out?

PELOSI: No. No, I have not.

BASH: Do you hope to?

PELOSI: Yes, when -- I hope to, yeah. We're all busy.

BASH: Is everything okay with your relationship?

PELOSI: You'd have to ask him, but I hope so.

BASH: OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: What does that tell you?

ALLISON: Look, the last month in Democratic politics was tough and to pretend like it wasn't would be dishonest to you and to the American people. Sometimes relationships take a pause and they become stronger when you circle back around, just because they haven't spoken in the last couple of weeks.

You know, he was actually helping to free people who are prisoners of war in Russia. So he's been a little busy -- still being the president United States. I am sure that Speaker Pelosi and President Biden will -- whatever the relationship they have will be stronger in after November, through this campaign because at the end of the day, what they believe is that we are fighting for the American people. Sometimes you can disagree on approaches, but doesn't -- I don't think there's any love lost there at the end of the day.

BASH: No, Scott Jennings. I can't tell well, if your last laugh or if you're coughing.

ALLISON: Scott is laughing.

JENNINGS: I was listening to your interview -- I was listening to your interview because that was ice friggin' cold. I mean, to say that she hasn't spoken to him after she defenestrated him from the White House. Lord, have mercy, ice cold.

I thought it was a great interview, by the way, but that was -- that was the eyebrow-raising moment for me that she just dumped Joe Biden out of his own campaign. And now, she hasn't even picked up the phone to say sorry about that. I thought that was amazing.

Anyway, good question on your part, Dana.

BASH: Ashley Etienne?

ETIENNE: Yeah, no. So, you're not used to work for the speaker's, one of her senior advisers and a communications director. And I will tell you there's one thing I do know about her. She's ruthless when it comes to winning, and she's ruthless when it comes to protecting the interests of this country.

So I think what I noticed and what kind of gave her away is when you asked her how involved she was with the president's decision -- she kind of gave you a little bit of a smile, smirk, and I think that says it all. But the reality is, is to Ashley's point, you know, both of these leaders are committed, dedicated patriots in public servants who love their country.

And, you know, Pelosi is one of those. They'd like no one is beyond reproach when it comes to protecting the interests of nations.

So I wasn't surprised by it.

BASH: Before we go, Congressman Dent, former Congressman. There was another really interesting moment that happened I want you to talk about it. Your former colleague, Congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio- Cortez, was praised by an unlikely person.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Shake, but it all fairness -- look, but she knows it. She's got the thing going. It's a good thing. She's -- good thing for her, but there's a certain something she's got, she's got a spark that's pretty amazing actually, he's got a good spark.

So I'll change it. I'll say spark.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DENT: Well, spark, spunky. She has a presence. I think he's -- I think he's actually trying to pay her a compliment that she has a presence, that she is effective even though he disagrees with her. And so, I think that what he's saying that she is a -- that she's a formidable figure and she has appeal.

I think that's what he was trying to say. I don't think I would have used it term spark, but as Donald Trump, you know, he has trouble with the English language sometimes.

BASH: Thank you all. Great conversation.

Up next, we do have breaking news, new reporting tonight that the U.S. is now preparing for the worst as fears grow that Iran could strike Israel. President Biden just was briefed in the Situation Room.

Plus, multiple states declare an emergency as Tropical Storm Debby and makes its way north.

[19:45:02]

And tonight, forecasters are warning of catastrophic flooding.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BASH: Breaking news, the U.S. is bracing for the worst. That's what a source is telling me tonight about Iran's vow for revenge against Israel. The source is also saying that U.S. officials believe it will happen soon. Iran is planning that attack in retaliation for the killing of a senior Hamas leader inside Iran.

Meanwhile, two U.S. destroyers are moving closer to Israel from the Gulf of Oman to the Red Sea.

President Biden and Vice President Harris were briefed by national security officials in the Situation Room today.

All of this is coming as were learning that several us personnel were injured in a suspected rocket attack in Iraq today.

OUTFRONT now, Barak Ravid, "Axios" reporter and CNN political and global affairs analyst.

[19:50:03]

Thank you so much for being here.

What I was told is that they're not sure what, they're not sure exactly when inside the U.S. intelligence community, but they believe it is going to happen soon. So they are preparing, I know you have new reporting about this meeting tonight.

What are you hearing?

BARAK RAVID, CNN POLITICAL & GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Yes, Dana. I think I hear more or less the same thing. So in the meeting today that Biden-Harris ahead with their national security team one thing was a bit more clear, and this is does that U.S. intelligence thinks that it's going to be a two wave attack. One way will be Hezbollah, the other wave will be run its proxies, but it's not clear who will go first and what each of them is going to do and win.

So there are lots of question marks here, much, much many more question mark because an exclamation marks, which is very different than the previous attack in April when U.S. intelligence had, I think, much clearer idea of what was going on.

BASH: Yeah. And they were able to rally so many of Israel's allies in the region, not just America's allies in the region as all of this is happening, you are also getting reporting about tensions in Israel between Prime Minister Netanyahu and his top security officials who are according to your reporting, urging him to take the hostage and ceasefire deal. Give us more information about that.

RAVID: So I think the main point, the Minister of Defense Gallant, head of Mossad, Barnea, head of Shin Bet, Ronen Bar, and the IDF chief of staff, Herzi Halevi, the main thing that they're telling Netanyahu is that it's not only the right thing to do in order to avoid on the one hand missing the deal, and on the other hand, deteriorating or drifting, or getting dragged into a regional war which is something that is not in Israel's interest.

So they're telling him that getting this hostage deal it's not only important for, you know, for the moral idea of bringing back the hostages, but also to prevent Israel from getting into a much, much bigger war.

BASH: Yeah, which unfortunately it seems as though could happen very soon, given Iran's stance and determination to retaliate, in addition to Hezbollah and other proxies.

Barak, thank you so much for being here. Appreciate it.

RAVID: Thank you.

BASH: And OUTFRONT next, breaking news, Tropical Storm Debby is making its way north as officials warned of potentially historic flooding across the south.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:57:28]

BASH: Breaking news, rescue operations are underway in Florida where floodwaters are rising and the aftermath of Hurricane Debby, at least five people are dead across the Southeast where the storm dumped a months worth of rain in just hours. The storm system is moving its way up the east coast.

Elisa Rafah -- Elisa Raffa, forgive me, is OUTFRONT for us in Florida.

Elisa, what are you seeing there?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: -- so incredibly storm in Florida after Hurricane Debby made landfall as a category one storm. Two of the dead are a teen who was crushed by a tree that fell on his mobile home and a tractor trailer driver who was control on the wet roadway near Tampa, plunging off a bridge and into a canal.

Debby's pounding rain and howling winds, hammering the Big Bend area of Florida when it made landfall this morning.

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R), FLORIDA: There's going to be a lot of water that's going to be dumped throughout the state and we're going to see effects of that not just today, but in the ensuing days.

RAFFA: The storm flooding neighborhoods throughout Florida with more than a months worth of rain, triggering at least ten flash flood warnings and as Debby moves up the coast in its wake, even more danger.

Sarasota police rescuing stranded residents from the high waters.

DESANTIS: We have seen significant storm surge. We have seen inundation. We have seen and well continue to see flooding in various parts of the state of Florida.

RAFFA: Though rain will likely be Debby's biggest danger, strong winds and possible tornadoes will continue to be a threat in coastal Georgia, city leaders had a stark warning for residents who could see more than 20 inches of rain in the next few days.

JAY MELDER, SAVANNAH CITY MANAGER: This is a once in a thousand-year potential rainfall event.

CHESTER ELLIS, CHAIRMAN, CHATHAM COUNTY, GEORGIA: This type of rain hovering over us, coming with intensity that they tell us that it's coming, it's going to catch a whole lot of people by surprise.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASH: And we have Elisa back now.

Elisa, what do you expect next there?

RAFFA: We are looking at a very slow moving storm. So heavy rain like this is going to continue to be a problem specifically in the Lowcountry of Georgia and South Carolina, where up to 20 to 30 inches of rain possible, but just looking at what happened here today, we've got a trash can that you can barely see the top.

We have 15 inches of rainfall in just a couple of hours here. This is a community town center where they usually hold public events. It's totally inundated, all of that water making it to the doors of these businesses, taking debris with it in the streets. So much of this community looks like this. And again, the fear is that more communities will look like this in the coming days -- Dana.

BASH: Just horrible.

Elisa, thank you so much for that report.

Thank you for joining us.

"AC360" starts now.