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Laura Coates Live

President Biden Vows To Stay On The Race; Judge Throws Out Alec Baldwin Case; Trump's VP Announcement Is Now Days Away; CNN's Erin Burnett Interviews Radio Host Earl Ingram; Melissa Wolf's Foundation Helps At-Risk Kids And Dogs. Aired 11p-12a ET

Aired July 12, 2024 - 23:00   ET

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

[23:00:00]

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Everyone said couldn't be won.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAMELA BROWN, HOST: Confusing a congressional ally for a government cooperator?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Can it ever be like a Rick Gates's fault?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: No, Jimmy Connors is not Jimmy Carter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We're going to evict this man, the worst president by far. Jimmy Connors is -- Jimmy. Jimmy Connors is good. He's also happy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: And blundering which Bolton is which?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Secretary Pompeo is here, Secretary of State Mike Bolton, John Bolton is here, and John was very instrumental in some of the things we did yesterday, some of the meetings we had.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: All right, well, thank you for watching "NewsNight." "Laura Coates Live" starts now.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: Tonight, President Biden turns up the volume on his critics. Will he drown them out?

Plus, a CNN exclusive. The radio host who agreed to cut portions of his interview with the president speaks out. And a real-life Perry Mason moment in court that leads to Alec Baldwin walking out a free man. Why the case was suddenly thrown out.

Good evening. I'm Jim Acosta, in for Laura Coates on this Friday night. Remember that Republican congressman a few weeks ago who said President Biden may be jacked up on Mountain Dew heading into that debate with Donald Trump? Tonight, it appears the president was jacked up on something, something called defiance.

Now, defiance do -- doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, but they were drinking it up at the president's rally in Michigan earlier this evening. We're going to show some of that to you.

The president, to put it mildly, made it clear he is not going anywhere, at least for now. Despite the drumbeat of calls for him to get out of the race, breathless op-eds like this one from "The Washington Post" are rolling off his back. Quote -- "Biden remains in denial. He needs to come to grips with reality," said the Post.

But this was the reality in the battleground state of Michigan earlier this evening. A cheering crowd in Detroit. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CROWD: Don't you quit! Don't you quit!

UNKNOWN: Don't you quit.

CROWD: Don't you quit! Don't you quit! Don't you quit! Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!

UNKNOWN (voice-over): We love you!

(APPLAUSE)

CROWD: We got your back! We got your back! We got your back!

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I've got your back.

CROWD: We got your back! We got your back! We got your back!

BIDEN: Folks, you've probably noticed, there's lot of speculations lately: What's Joe Biden going to do? Is he going to stay in the race? Is he going to drop out? Here's my answer. He's not going to stay in the race. He's going to drop out. Here's my answer: I am running and we're going to win!

(APPLAUSE)

I'm not going to change that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Apparently, the president believes he can win. He is ignoring polls immediately following the debate showing movement towards Donald Trump and is instead focusing on the latest polls like this one. Take a look at this. That has him within the margin of error. Even the average (ph) polls from after the debate show it is a close race.

But plenty in his party think he's wrong. We're now up to 19 congressional Democrats at last count calling for him to step down. They will argue and they have argued that he will lose to Donald Trump, that he can't make the case against him. Tonight, the president sought to prove those critics wrong. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: Hannibal Lecter, he says he's a nice guy. Trump would rather be electrocuted than eaten by a shark. Remember the whole thing? Remember that? Poor Donald. He can't even watch TV this week because it's 'Shark Week.' He was convicted by a jury of his peers of 34 felonies for paying hush money to a porn star and hiding it from voters in 2016.

Project 2025 is the biggest attack on our system of government and on our personal freedom that has ever been proposed in the history of this country. He'll be a dictator on day one. He means it, folks. We're not going to let that happen. Over my dead body, it will happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: A Biden ally tells CNN there are two things they believe that could change the president's mind. If governors and senators came to him with polls showing a major collapse in support and if fundraising fell off dramatically. For now, the president, though, is serving up some defiance.

Joining us now to talk about this, Michigan Democratic Congresswoman Haley Stevens, who says that she is sticking by President Biden. Congresswoman, thank you very much for joining us tonight. So, where is that Joe Biden Ben?

(LAUGHTER)

REP. HALEY STEVENS (D-MI): Well, you know what? Truthfully, I've never --

ACOSTA: Did you get him some Mountain Dew? Is that what happened there?

(LAUGHTER)

STEVENS: I don't think so.

[23:05:00]

ACOSTA: Okay.

STEVENS: You know, this is the president I was with in the Oval Office right after he announced tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. We were with many union members from the steel workers. Other colleagues of mine joking, laughing, discussing the trajectory of the nation. And look, he's doing two big things, and I think he's doing them really well. One, he's running the country. You saw him just yesterday conclude a big international summit where we have American leadership crystallized. And two, he's running a really strong good campaign.

And this is what I have felt in my -- my bones and what I know because I'm doing it, and we've been doing it in Michigan since the beginning of this year very rigorously. We had a great primary win in Michigan in February for the president. We have offices opening up. We have surrogate events happening that the president himself along with the vice president, Kamala Harris, they're not taking anything for granted. They've been here over and over and over again.

And Michigan voters and the people you saw at that rally tonight feel it, know it, realize that Joe has their back and they have his. We're going to win this.

ACOSTA: And, I mean, I have to ask you because, obviously, you know, a lot of your colleagues right now in the House on the democratic side don't -- don't feel the same way that you do. Are you honestly not concerned that the president could have a repeat of what happened at that debate? How are you dealing with that question when you have these conversations with your colleagues? Obviously, that comes up. What do you say in response?

Oh, we lose her? Uh-oh. All right, we're going to try to get the congresswoman back. She froze there. That was just a -- that was just a TV glitch. Standby -- standby. We'll try to get to the congresswoman in just a second.

Let's continue this conversation. This happens -- let me go to Larry Sabato, the director of Center of Politics at the University of Virginia. Larry, just when I was starting to ask the hard questions there, you know, the picture froze. I won't read into that. If we get the congresswoman back, control, please, let me know.

But Larry, what did you make of the president's performance earlier tonight? Maybe he was jacked up on Mountain Dew. Maybe -- I don't know. Maybe it was just the crowd. But that's not the Joe Biden we saw a couple of weeks ago. What's going on here?

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER OF POLITICS AT UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Well, it was a very energetic Joe Biden, and that's exactly what rank- and-file Democrats want to see. There's no question about it. And it will help to a certain degree because right now, that's his strength. He seems to have the backing of rank-and-file Democrats.

He doesn't have the backing of a lot of big donors. He doesn't have the backing of a lot of people in high public office who have access to private polling and other information that suggests to them that Biden is not doing terribly well in the handful of states where you have to do well. And look, Biden would rather have the rank-and-file.

And Jim, he is decided. I believe him. You know, at first, I thought, well, you know --

ACOSTA: Yeah.

SABATO: -- he's going through (INAUDIBLE). That's what they always say. But I -- I believe him. I think he has made his decision. And assuming his health holds, he'll be in the race. And Democrats are -- really have a choice. They can either fuss and fight and divide and play 1968 again or they can join together and try to defeat Donald Trump. Those are the two choices they have.

ACOSTA: Yeah. And in just a quick second later, through our control room, the congresswoman joins us. Van Jones is all supposed to join us. We can just let this happen organically. They can join the conversation.

But Larry, let me ask you this. According to this new national poll, and I'm sure you saw this earlier today, the president is now statistically tied with Donald Trump. He's up 40 -- 50 to 48% in one of these polls, in this NPR PBS News poll. That was also conducted by Marist. I mean, that -- how in the heck is Joe Biden tied with or beating Donald Trump? Did we in the press misread the public? Is -- is Donald Trump just that unpopular? What's going on?

SABATO: It's a combination of several things. I do think --

ACOSTA: Yeah.

SABATO: -- the Trump factor had been underplayed. Maybe this is happening next week during the republican convention. But there hadn't been much coverage of Donald Trump lately, and he always benefits from less coverage because we don't follow the outrageous things that he says and does. But I think that has helped Biden.

But there are other things, too. People -- people have focused on the fundamentals in a very partisan polarized era. The vast majority of voters know for whom they're going to vote if they get out to vote. That's the real question is, motivating people to vote. That's where Biden has to make up some ground. But they know how they're going to vote, and I think that's popping up in some of these surveys. But Jim, remember, he -- he needs more than a tie, a statistical tie.

[23:10:00]

He's got to win by three or four percentage points in the popular vote in order to be sure to carry Wisconsin and Michigan where he was today and in Pennsylvania because he's not doing terribly well in North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada, the other swing states.

ACOSTA: Yeah, and may come down to those blue all states yet again, Larry. And -- and CNN political commentator Van Jones is joining us now as well. And Van, I -- I was wondering, did you see a bit of the president earlier this evening in Michigan -- in Michigan? And what did you think? I mean, this is -- this was -- I mean, we've heard a dark Brandon. Maybe this is jacked-up Joe. What's going on here?

VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Look, he's -- he's fighting for his political life, he's fighting for his future and, in some ways, he's fighting for America. He believes that he is the only person that can stop Donald Trump, he believes he can do the job, and he believes he just proved that with the successful NATO summit and with the successful press conference.

And so, he's trying to -- he's trying to show you he's got vigor. People say they want vigor. Then he looks vigorous, and they say he looks nuts. So, he's trying. But I do think that we may have missed something. There is this countercurrent of people rallying to Joe Biden.

ACOSTA: Yeah.

JONES: Frankly, it's a lot of African-Americans, it's a lot of African-American women, and we may have missed something here.

ACOSTA: Yeah, I'm wondering that, too. And we did get the Democratic congresswoman from Michigan. Haley Stevens is back with us. So, congresswoman, I'll bring you into the discussion as well. I was going to ask you when the -- when the screen froze. And to our viewers out there, that was not a conspiracy. It just happens sometimes. We all live in this world of Skypher (ph) or whatever you call it these days.

And I was just asking, you know, I'm sure you're talking to your Democratic colleagues who don't feel the same way you do, not enthusiastic about Joe Biden staying on top of the ticket and wondering, is he going to have another situation like we saw at the debate a couple of weeks ago? What do you say in response to that? Because, obviously, if something like that -- you've heard the doomsday scenarios. If it happens after the convention, September, October, what then? How do you -- how do you answer that?

STEVENS: Well, certainly, we don't want to be litigating very important questions about the future of our country in -- in public and on the press like this, particularly interpersonal between colleagues, and I don't want to speak for anybody.

But what I have said to folks very enthusiastically is come to Michigan. Look, this is just my slice of the world. This is where I spend every weekend. I don't have the luxury of not being on this campaign, right? I am in the thick of it and have been in part because it's not that Joe Biden is just trying to save his future, he's trying to save the future of this country, right? We heard him at the press conference yesterday. He -- he says he wants to regulate and ban, you know, assault weapons and guns and -- and not regulate girls.

And so, it's just -- it's really deeply important that we square this message around the economy and around the future and the palpable fear of what so many know that Donald Trump brings. And it's not just chaos. It is that Project 2025 that President Biden outlined tonight in a speech.

And I want to share something else with you, because we did a stop at a restaurant in Northville, Michigan. This is the suburbs of Detroit. It's a community I used to represent. And I campaigned there very rigorously when I was flipping a seat in Michigan that voted for Donald Trump. And the restaurant we went to is called "The Garage." I spent a lot of time in "The Garage" on the campaign trail, a lot of time in Northville. They still have a Republican township supervisor there. And I'll tell you that not only was the president engaged off- script, making people laugh, painting his vision for this nation, but there was a crowd in a small suburban town amassed, excited, engaged. These are those suburban voters. We need to win. Those are those swing state voters.

Donald Trump couldn't do that. He'd be booed. He doesn't have the stamina. I don't even know if he's campaigning right now.

ACOSTA: Hmm.

STEVENS: But my president, he's leading on the global stage and he's running a world-class operation here in Michigan.

ACOSTA: And I do want to go back to Van Jones and ask. You know, we did hear the president lay out some of his promises for his first 100 days should he be reelected. Let's listen to a bit of that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: I'm going to restore Roe v. Wade as the law of the land.

(APPLAUSE)

I mean it. I'm going to protect the right to vote. I'm going to fight for Medicare and Social Security, not cut it like the other guy wants to do.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: You know, Van, one of the criticisms of the president over the last couple of weeks after that debate performance was, you know, is this the guy who can deliver that message, draw the sharp contrast with Donald Trump, prosecute the case against Donald Trump?

[23:15:00]

And he sounded like that kind of candidate tonight.

JONES: Yeah. Look, he did. Look, the people are more critical to say, look, he can have good days, he can have bad days. The good days give us, you know, encouragement, the bad days give us heart attacks. And so, we -- I think some critics want a more stable, consistent performance.

But you have to give credit where it's due. People said he's hiding. He's hiding, Biden. He won't do any interviews. Well, he's doing interviews. You know, they say he can't do the job. Well, he just did the NATO summit. They're saying he doesn't have the energy. Well, he's giving big speeches. So, at a certain point, you can't grade him on a curve and make every little mistake a headline, and you can't grade him the other way and say no matter what you do, we just don't like you. Um, I think you have to make a judgment. Do you think that what you're seeing now can hold up for four months or four years? And if so, he's a great candidate. But if you don't think he could hold up for four more months or four more weeks, it's understandable that you would have some concerns.

And so, as a mature party and not a cult, we are having discussion about what is this actual thing called the Joe Biden candidacy and -- but he has acquitted himself pretty well the past 24 hours and nobody can take that away from him.

ACOSTA: Yeah. Larry, I mean, it's almost as though we're having the primary process now about six months too late. And -- I mean, one of the things that the Biden folks will say is that, well, the other folks missed their chance to run against Joe Biden during the primary process. But in a way, it's -- we're having this conversation now. Democrats are having that conversation now. I suppose, better late than never?

SABATO: Well, maybe. It's not very helpful for party unity, obviously. It's a legitimate option, you know, based on what people are saying. But there -- there wasn't any significant challenge to President Biden. No offense to the Minnesota congressman who did, but there really wasn't --

STEVENS: Michigan.

SABATO: -- a significant challenge. That was the time for there to be a significant challenge. There wasn't. And so, in the end, you have to accept reality. And the reality for Democrats is they have a nominee. Luckily for them, their nominee has a very good record from the first term, it's easily defensible and it can easily be extended into the second term, their arguments there. Plus, you have an opponent like Donald Trump. I mean, that's got to be a gift from God.

I listened to that litany that Biden had in the speech in Michigan here today, and the litany was very powerful about the things that Donald Trump might well do or has said he will do. Most Americans are not going to sign on to that.

ACOSTA: All right. Well, Van, Larry, congresswoman, thank you very much. It was a great conversation. It just sorts of happened organically. And, you know, sometimes, it works out great that way. Say hi to everybody back in Michigan for us, congresswoman. And Van and Larry, thanks very much for your time. We appreciate it.

Coming up, a CNN exclusive. A radio host who interviewed President Biden speaks out. What he says about the campaign's request to edit out portions of their interview. But first, Alec Baldwin crying tears of joy in court. The charges against him in the "Rust" movie shooting trial tossed out by the judge. The dramatic ruling, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:22:43]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARY MARLOWE SOMMER, JUDGE: Dismissal with prejudice is warranted to ensure the integrity of the judicial system and the efficient administration of justice. Your motion to dismiss with prejudice is granted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Alec Baldwin weeping in court as the involuntary manslaughter charge against him was thrown out today. The judge overseeing his trial tossing the case, ruling that prosecutors withheld evidence. It was a dramatic end to a dramatic saga happening about three years since cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed on the "Rust" movie set.

How the prosecution's case unraveled today is a bit complicated but it boils down to ammunition that was given to the Santa Fe's sheriff's office in March after the conviction of the movie's armorer, Hannah Gutierrez Reed. The man who brought it was a friend of her father. He told investigators he thought it could be related to the case. We learned yesterday that ammo was catalogued separately from the rest of the evidence. The defense says the prosecution never told them about it and moved to dismiss.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LUKE NIKAS, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: We're talking about a prosecution that didn't preserve those bullets, that didn't collect them at all, that didn't turn them over. This case should be dismissed, Your Honor. This is over and over and over and over again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: But the lead prosecutor wasn't having it. She claimed the ammo did not match the live rounds found on the "Rust" set.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KARI MORRISSEY, PROSECUTOR: This is a wild goose chase. This has no evidentiary value whatsoever. Uh, this is simply a man trying to protect his daughter. And he's doing it by providing information that doesn't even match. He's trying to provide evidence that doesn't even match the evidence that was found at the scene.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Now, it gets even more wild. The judge herself decided to investigate, cutting open an envelope with the ammo in question. She then called a crime scene technician back to testify. The judge, that witness, and attorneys all put on blue gloves and inspected the bullets in the center of the courtroom. Then it was found at least one of the rounds did resemble those found on the set. Moments before the case was dismissed, the lead prosecutor went from questioning witnesses to taking the stand herself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MORRISSEY: Everything that happened in this regard, especially as it pertains to me, needs to come out in the public.

[23:25:02]

NIKAS: All right. So, you're calling yourself as a witness?

MORRISSEY: I am. It was my understanding that the court indicated to me previously that you wanted me to testify. I understand you've now changed your mind. I think it's a good idea if I did it.

NIKAS: All right.

MORRISSEY: Would you like me?

NIKAS: Okay.

MORRISSEY: Do you want me here at the podium?

NIKAS: No, I'm okay --

MORRISSEY: Sure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Uh, the judge did not buy what she had to say. The case against Alec Baldwin cannot be brought again. Joining me now, former federal prosecutor and the president of West Coast Trial Lawyers, Neama Rahmani. Neama, let's talk about this. I mean, this was pretty astounding, what took place. This case rapidly fell apart. Um, was this the right decision from the judge? What do you think?

NEAMA RAHMANI, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Jim, it was the right decision. I'm stunned. This is the cardinal sin for a prosecutor to intentionally withhold exculpatory evidence. This is a case that has been botched by the Santa Fe district attorney from the beginning. It has been one constitutional violation after another.

First, charging a retroactive enhancement in violation of the ex post facto clause of the Constitution, then appointing a special prosecutor who is a member of the New Mexico State legislature. That's a separation of powers issue. They weren't ready to proceed to the preliminary hearing. They had to dismiss, wait for a year, and go back to the grand jury.

And now, the greatest violation of all, the Brady violation, withholding exculpatory evidence intentionally. That's grounds for the ultimate sanction, which is dismissal of the case with prejudice. They can't proceed. And I fully expect Hannah Gutierrez Reed to make the same argument for her conviction to be overturned.

ACOSTA: Wow! Now, that would be something. And, I mean, if you look at the video that we're just showing a few moments ago, I mean, it looked like the judge was just not buying what the prosecutor had to say there, and the prosecutor almost looked like she had been busted. Um, if there had been more competent prosecutors, do you think this case would have turned out the same? What do you think?

RAHMANI: I think so. I think this case wasn't won by Alec Baldwin as much as it was lost by the prosecution. The prosecution, it is not Morrissey's, the prosecutor, decision to make, what evidence to provide or not. Seth Kenney, the prop supplier, potentially provided the rounds that killed Halyna Hutchins.

Now, of course, the prosecution's theory is that Gutierrez Reed provided those rounds. But they can't unilaterally decide what evidence to present -- present and what evidence to withhold. They have to disclose everything. That's something, Jim, that every first- year law student knows.

And when Morrissey took the stand and when she testified that it was a willful withholding, that was enough for the judge. And it's also telling that the other prosecutor, Johnson, resigned while this whole process was playing out.

ACOSTA: Now, as for Hannah Gutierrez Reed, her attorney, Jason Bowles, is reacting to the decision. He says, "The judge found intentional misconduct and we also have had the same failures in Hannah's case, by the state. We will be moving for dismissal of Hannah's case." Um, how will this impact her case? I mean, it sounds as though she -- she may be let out of -- out of jail soon.

RAHMANI: I fully expect so. And Jason has a great argument. This evidence is more exculpatory and exonerates Gutierrez Reed even more than Baldwin. And the prosecution's theory was that Gutierrez Reed was using drugs, alcohol, brought the live rounds on set, but turns out that someone else entirely did so. That exonerates her. So, her case is on appeal, but I fully expect either the trial court or the appellate court to overturn that conviction.

It won't just be Alec Baldwin who's a free man. Hannah Gutierrez Reed will go free as well. And it's really a tragedy to the victims in this case. Matt Hutchins and the other members of the Hutchins family, they have to deal with this because of prosecutorial misconduct.

ACOSTA: Very sad case all around. All right, Neama Rahmani, thank you very much for your time. We appreciate it.

RAHMANI: Thanks for having me.

ACOSTA: All right, in the meantime, Trump still has not announced his running mate on the GOP ticket. He is comparing his vice-presidential selection to his old TV show, "The Apprentice." A reporter with the scoop on that selection process joins us next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:33:48]

ACOSTA: We're just days away from the RNC, and we are still waiting on Trump's vice- presidential announcement. We do know who is on the short list, but those folks seem to have no idea whether or not they're actually going to be part of the ticket. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. DOUG BURGUM (R-ND): Nobody knows except President Trump.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL): I don't know who the finalists are. I read the press like everybody else.

SEN. J.D. VANCE (R-OH): Well, Sean, it's an incredible honor to be considered with those guys. I think Donald Trump has got a lot of talented people we could choose from.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: And at this point, it seems like Trump doesn't even know when he's going to make the announcement. At least that's the way he's making it sound.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP (voice-over): I'd love to do it during the convention, which would be, you know, or just slightly before the convention, like Monday. I'd love to do it on Tuesday or Wednesday, actually, but for a lot of complex reasons that you people understand, pretty much don't do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Let's bring in Michael Bender, political correspondent for "The New York Times." Hey, Michael, um, what do you think? I mean, you have some new reporting that Trump is closely analyzing how is a vice president could help him, um, electorally. What are you learning?

MICHAEL BENDER, WALL STREET JOURNAL REPORTER: Yeah, hey, Jim, I -- Trump has been talking about it. He has been asked about who his running mate is going to be for a couple of years now at this point since he has been running.

[23:35:04]

And really for the past year, he has been talking about this in terms of who the best governor -- I'm sorry, who the best president could be, who could step in if needed should something happen to him. But, really, in the last couple of weeks, he started adding to that in his public comments, saying he wants someone who can be president but also can help him win.

And, you know, to be direct, I -- I don't know exactly what he means there, you know, at the risk of climbing into Donald Trump's head. We -- we can kind of look at each of these three guys to see what they may bring electorally to the ticket. Uh, you know, who they -- who they may attract.

You know, uh, Rubio is from one very big diverse state. He has won that state three times. The first Republican ever elected the three consecutive Senate terms. Fluent Spanish speaker, very bootstrap story, the son of Cuban immigrants. J.D. Vance is more of a base play. People like Tucker Carlson, Donald Trump, Jr. are polling for J.D. Vance. And then you have sort of the wild card, which is also maybe the safest pick, oddly, Governor Doug Burgum, who's a little bit older, connects with Trump generationally, closer at least than the other two folks and could maybe provide a bridge or at least settle some pro-business Republicans who are, you know, uncertain about Trump's unpredictability for another four years.

ACOSTA: Yeah. And Michael, Trump is comparing the VP selection process to "The Apprentice." And here's what he's saying about his potential choices.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP (voice-over): It's like a highly sophisticated version of "The Apprentice." I watched Tim Scott on television yesterday. He was fierce and great. He was great. I watched Marco over the weekend on television. He was incredible. J.D. has been great. You have a man named Burgum who is a fantastic governor in North Dakota. And you know it's a state that's very, very prosperous, very successful, and he has done a good job there. You have -- you have some terrific people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Michael, I'm having some flashbacks to the first Trump term where he did a lot of watching the shows and, you know --

BENDER: Yeah.

ACOSTA: -- made up his mind watching the shows. And it sounds like that's what he's doing with his vice-presidential selection process.

BENDER: Yeah, I think that's absolutely right.

ACOSTA: Yeah.

BENDER: This process has been nothing, if not theatrical. You know, more than anything else. I think that's how you would describe the last few months and what these contenders have been through, going on -- having to do interviews, come down for, you know, to mingle with Mar-a-Lago residents, go to rallies, that sort of thing.

And it has been pretty flawless from Trump's point of view. I mean, he has run it like someone who has, as you point out, done this before. But now is the hard part, Jim. Now, he has to actually --

ACOSTA: Yeah.

BENDER: -- make decision. Uh, we've been on kind of on this watch for -- for -- for the better part of a week. You know, a lot of people are talking about Trump sort of playing the media here and playing into our, you know, speculation.

ACOSTA: Right.

BENDER: But my reporting is that he had -- his aides were ready for an announcement on Tuesday, at his rally in Doral on Tuesday. His aides are ready for an announcement tomorrow at the rally in Pennsylvania. Trump wants to do it at the -- at the convention. It looks like that's --

ACOSTA: Yeah.

BENDER: -- that's -- that is how this is going.

ACOSTA: You know, I have to say, I will be shocked if he picks Marco Rubio. There's a part of me that wonders if he is doing to Marco Rubio a little bit of what he did to Mitt Romney when he dangled the idea of being secretary of state. Maybe this is just all part of Trump trying to settle a score once and for all with Marco Rubio. We'll see. Maybe that -- that's not the case at all.

Does the name Mike Pence come up in conversations, not as a possible running mate but as somebody to -- as a kind of person to avoid or perhaps has -- perhaps has characteristics that Trump wants, but somebody who will go along with him next time around if -- if need be?

BENDER: Yeah, I mean, it's interesting. You know, I -- I think -- I think Marco Rubio has been responding to this, maybe, with that Romney comparison in the back of his mind.

ACOSTA: Yeah.

BENDER: Certainly, with his 2016 experience. He hasn't done all of the -- all of the -- all of the things that others have. He didn't -- he didn't go up to and sit with Trump in the courtroom at Mar-a-Lago. You know, he has kind of said, here's my -- you know, played it as here's my hand, right? You know who I am.

[23:40:00]

We've -- we've known each other for a long time, and send a sort of -- sending a signal that, you know, you can make your decision. And, you know, Pence helped him win over Evangelicals. This time around, everyone knows who Donald Trump is, and is going to be his president. And it's not clear if he needs -- he needs anyone to -- to -- to win over any kind of constituencies or -- or as a bridge to any -- any -- any battleground state at this point. So, uh, it is an interesting decision, for sure.

ACOSTA: All right, Michael Bender, uh, thanks very much. Great reporting as always. Good to see you. Thanks for your time.

BENDER: Thanks a lot, Jim.

ACOSTA: All right. Coming up next, an exclusive interview with the radio host who spoke to Biden right after the debate, but is now revealing he was given suggested questions by the Biden campaign and asked to edit out parts of his interview. Does he regret it? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:45:23]

ACOSTA: Now to a CNN exclusive. My colleague, Erin Burnett, spoke to a radio host facing controversy for agreeing to edit an interview with President Biden at the campaign's request. Here's Erin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight, a Wisconsin radio station and the station's host, Earl Ingram, apologizing for editing a post-debate interview with President Biden at the Biden campaign's request. Now, this apology coming after Ingram also admitted Biden's campaign gave him suggested questions. And Ingram tells out front that he was given five questions, and he asked four of them during the 18-minute conversation that he had with the president.

Another radio host, Andrea Lawful-Sanders, also admitting she accepted pre-approved questions for her interview with the president after the debate. She has since resigned, which may explain why the interviews sounded similar.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EARL INGRAM, RADIO HOST (voice-over): Can you address some of the concerns about your performance?

BIDEN (voice-over): One, I had a bad night. I had a bad night.

ANDREA LAWFUL-SANDERS, RADIO HOST (voice-over): A lot of people are talking about the debate and your performance. Is there any reason for the American people to be concerned?

BIDEN (voice-over): No, I had a bad debate.

(LAUGHTER)

LAWFUL-SANDERS (voice-over): Yeah.

BIDEN (voice-over): I had a bad debate.

INGRAM (voice-over): What's at stake for Black voters this election?

BIDEN (voice-over): I got a guy I'm running against who's embracing political violence, pledging to rule as a dictator on day one.

LAWFUL-SANDERS (voice-over): What makes this one so important, sir?

BIDEN (voice-over): Well, first of all, the guy I'm running against is a convicted felon who is -- said he wants to be a dictator on day one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Out front now, Earl Ingram. He is the host of "The Earl Ingram Show." You just heard him there speaking to President Biden, one of the president's first interviews following the June 27th debate. And he is my exclusive guest. So, Earl, thanks so much for -- for joining me. And I just want to be clear here. You're a radio host, you're extremely a well-regarded radio host in your city, you don't try to say you're a journalist, but, um, I -- I want to understand, you know, and everybody wants to know, what questions did they give you? You know, how specific were they? Were they topics? Were they just kind of bullet points or were they sort of word for word?

INGRAM: Well, when -- when you asked me if they were word for word, I can't tell you right now. It's about a week ago or so, a little more than a week ago. What those questions, actually, were verbatim. But at the root of them was things about the Black community in which I live, in Milwaukee, a city that is clearly struggling in its Black community, and Joe Biden was talking about the things that he had done and was in the process of doing to do some things to make the lives of people who live in urban centers across this nation better.

BURNETT: So, I -- I guess the question is, did you feel that the questions were what you would have asked anyway or were you worried they'd pull the interview if you didn't ask them? I mean, what was your thought process when you received these questions?

INGRAM: Well, my thought process was, number one, not so much the questions, it was the fact that I had an opportunity to interview the most powerful man in the world. And so, I was a bit flattered. And -- and I'll be quite honest with you and the listening audience, I didn't give much thought to the questions. It was the fact that I was getting this opportunity and let my guard down, if you will, and made a mistake. I learned some valuable lessons from that and hope to never repeat it again.

BURNETT: I appreciate your honesty. I'm sure everyone watching can understand and very much appreciate that honesty and self-reflection. Um, do -- do you feel, when you look back on it all, that you -- that you did a good interview? That you -- that you asked questions that were illuminating, or do you feel that they took advantage of you and the fact that -- that they may have assumed you'd feel flattered to get that interview?

INGRAM: Well, I can't speak for them. I can only speak for myself. And --

BURNETT: Yeah.

INGRAM: -- and again, I can only tell you that those questions that they presented to me at the time were relevant from the perspective of a community in the city where I live. That is one of the -- in the worst condition in the Black community, as many across the nation.

[23:50:03]

And so, the fact that President Biden and his policies and addressing those issues in the city that I've lived for 70 years, uh, made me believe that, you know, this person is at least addressing those issues. Many who came before him did not. And so, that was the perspective in which I addressed it. BURNETT: So, Earl, I want to ask you about one other thing that happened, and it's important in the context of what -- what's at stake right now, but certainly when your interview was conducted post that debate. You have been very direct and honest. You admitted that you and your producers cut 16 seconds from the interview. And you did that at the request of the campaign.

Now, you have subsequently apologized for that, but also put out the very specific two clips that they wanted cut, and I want to play those for everyone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN (voice-over): In addition to that, I have more Blacks in my administration than any other president, all other presidents combined, and in major positions, cabinet positions. I don't know if they even call for their hanging or not, but he -- but they said (INAUDIBLE) convicted of murder.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: So, Earl, why did they ask for those parts to be cut, and how -- how did they ask? I mean, did they literally call and give you the verbatim of what they wanted to cut?

INGRAM: Well, they talked about some, you know, things that they wanted to, you know, clipped from the interview. And -- and those things, as I hear them now, and even as I heard them at the time, I did not see them as so overwhelming and -- and so earth-shattering. An issue as this has turned out to be, for the life of me, I don't understand that the impact of those things that he said would be so met with so much consternation as it is today.

I know now that if I had to do it all over again, I would have said absolutely not, but I'm relatively new at this radio station. Once they found out about it, did what I think is the more than laudable thing, they did what many others may not have the courage to do, and put out the statement, and apologize, and we apologize for our shortcoming, and said that we will work diligently, and we put in place Things that will prevent this from happening in the future.

BURNETT: All right. Well, Earl, I'm really grateful for your time. I think everybody is -- is very glad to hear -- hear you and hear you tell the story. Thanks so much.

INGRAM: Thank you very much.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: Next, she's giving a second chance to dogs and children. We're putting the spotlight on a CNN hero you should know about.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:57:36] ACOSTA: CNN Heroes is back, and we're kicking off this year's campaign with an amazing woman from California. She's giving at-risk kids and cast-off canines a chance for futures filled with hope and possibility. Meet Melissa Wolf.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MELISSA WOLF, CNN HERO: Dogs know that you're safe and that you are kind to them. They're going to give back twice as much, just like humans.

If you guys want to do some warm-up with her now, take turns like five skills each.

We bring that information to kids, saying, we need your help. We need your help to get these dogs placed into a permanent adoptive home.

Treat, treat. Always treat. There you go.

Sit, stay. He does down, right?

UNKNOWN: Yeah. I feel like it's too basic.

WOLF: When kids can contribute to giving a dog a second chance at a better life, we see the shift in them. I get goosebumps when I talk about this after 12 years.

(LAUGHTER)

There's a vulnerability that the dogs allow to be able to care for them, not only helps the animal but it helps the child to develop a level of compassion and empathy for others.

We serve kids that have great intellect, great creativity, great compassion. I will just be a crazy dog lady for the rest of my life, but I'm all in it for the kids.

(APPLAUSE)

They are our leaders, and we need to take care of them.

(APPLAUSE)

Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: To learn more about Melissa's work, go to cnnheroes.com. And while you're there, you can nominate your own CNN hero.

Thanks very much for watching. "Anderson Cooper 360" starts right now.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: That's President Biden in Detroit, wrapping up a fiery defense of his candidacy, his stamina, and his chances to defeating Donald Trump in November, speaking to chants "we've got your back," "don't you quit," and "four more years." He talked for about 35 minutes.

Joining us now is former Ohio Democratic Congressman Tim Ryan, who ran for president in 2020. Also, two CNN political commentators, Ashley Allison, who served as national coalition's director for the 2020 Biden-Harris campaign, and Kate Bedingfield, former Biden White House communications director.

Congressman, it was 10 days ago that you called for Vice President Harris to replace President Biden at the top of the ticket. The president said again tonight, he is not going anywhere. What did you make of his speech tonight and does it make you change your mind?

[00:00:01]

TIM RYAN, FORMER OHIO REPRESENTATIVE, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No. Honestly, I didn't a whole lot. I just listened to it as I was sitting here.