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One World with Zain Asher
Biden And Trump Face Off At Presidential Debate 2024; SCOTUS Blocks Idaho State From Banning Emergency Abortions; SCOTUS Throws Out A Multibillion-Dollar Settlement Involving The Maker Of Oxycontin. Aired 12- 1p ET
Aired June 27, 2024 - 12:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[12:00:33]
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: All right, hello everyone. Live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga. Zain is off today. You are watching "ONE
WORLD". Well, in just nine hours, a sitting U.S. President and a former will square off for the first time in modern history, in what could be a
pivotal moment in U.S. history. And it's all happening here on CNN.
The stakes are incredibly high and the stage is set. There, you see it for tonight's debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald
Trump. Here's a look at the debate studio at CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.
The podiums will be eight feet apart, and the two candidates will speak directly to the American people without a live audience in the studio.
Moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will question them on key issues. And microphones will be turned on only when it's each candidate's turn to
speak.
It was just a little less than four years ago when the two came face to face last time. Both candidates are under extreme pressure tonight. The 90
minute encounter will test their vulnerabilities, questions about their temperament and, of course, the issue of age.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL TYLER, PRES. BIDEN'S CAMPAIGN NATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Joe Biden's 81 years old. Donald Trump is 78 years old. What the debate
will be is a contrast in the age of their ideas. Everything that Joe Biden is going to talk about is how we take this country forward. How we continue
to bring people together to find solutions to improve people's lives. Everything Donald Trump is going to be talking about is about how we take
this country backwards.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: And here's an ad for the Trump campaign calling into question some of President Biden's policies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN: No matter what Joe Biden promised in the debate, ask yourself. Are you financially better off since he became president? Are you and your
family safer since he became president? Is our country more secure since he became president? After four years of failure under Joe Biden, it's time to
make America prosperous and strong again. Donald Trump for President, again.
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT (R) AND CURRENT PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (R): I'm Donald Trump and I approve this message.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: We have a team of reporters covering this day and the huge global audience it is expected to attract. CNN's Nic Robertson is in London
covering that angle for us. But let's begin in the U.S. in Atlanta with CNN's Alayna Treene. Alayna set the scene for us. Walk us through what we
can expect to see tonight.
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Right. Well, first of all, I just want to tell you where I am. I'm actually in the spin room. This is where all of
Donald Trump's surrogates, around a thousand reporters -- we're told -- people from more than 35 countries, all of them will be in this room later
watching the debate, and then this is where the spinning will happen. After the debate, you'll see surrogates for both campaigns, really, regardless of
what happens on that debate stage tonight, arguing that their candidate won. So, that's where we are.
Just a little early here today, but look, Bianna, there's a lot of things going in today. I do want to mention the ad that you just showed from the
Trump campaign. What's very notable about that is that the Trump campaign actually hasn't been releasing many, if any, ads this cycle.
Really, this is the first T.V. ad they've released since he became the Republican -- the presumptive Republican nominee earlier this year. So,
that's notable itself. It's very clear that they want to try to capitalize on all of the attention around this debate. And the millions of eyes
expected to be watching them face off on the debate stage tonight.
Now, as for how the Trump campaign is preparing this, his mindset today, look, Donald Trump has been preparing behind the scenes. His team has tried
to argue that he doesn't need as much preparation as Joe Biden. However, of course, he is doing his homework, Bianna. And I'm told that his team is
really trying to push him to stay on message on three specific issues. That's the economy, immigration and the border. All themes you saw them
play in that ad that you showed earlier.
Now, a part of that conversation as well has been trying to steer him away from going into attacking Joe Biden personally, attacking his family and
airing his personal grievances. And that is something we know from just covering Donald Trump for so many years now. He's struggled to do it.
He often resorts to personal attacks on the campaign trail. He lays out his grievances often at his rallies. But they're really trying to make sure
that he can stay, you know, keep him reined in tonight and stay on message. We'll see if he's able to do that.
The other thing about this is we know that Joe Biden and his campaign have really been preparing lines of attacks on specific areas that they
recognize Joe Biden or excuse me, that they recognize Trump is vulnerable on, that includes abortion, as well as his handling of the January 6th
attack on the Capitol.
[12:05:08]
I know that Donald Trump's team has privately been preparing him on those issues as well, how to frame them in the best way possible, how to sharpen
his rhetoric so that he doesn't come off as aggressive in some of his answers. And so, that's really how they're viewing today. But, of course, I
think a big question is what version of each candidate will we see tonight?
One question has been, you know, will Donald Trump kind of let some of his nastiness show that we've seen in past debates? Or will he stay reserved?
As for Joe Biden, will we see a more formidable Joe Biden, someone who is very well prepared? I think it's worth noting that he spent roughly a week
at Camp David, hunkered down with his team preparing for this.
So, there's questions of over whether which kind of Joe Biden we will see tonight. All of that is still up in the air. But it's very clear that for
both candidates, they really want to try and focus on comparing their policies for Trump, his administration versus Joe Biden's current
administrations for Biden, the opposite, and really try to paint a sharp contrast for all of the Americans who will be tuning in. Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, and you can't overstate the stakes here and how incredibly high they are, an earlier than typical debate between these two
men with a lot of history, a lot of tension. And both of them coming into this evening rather rusty. It's been a while since they've been in a debate
format. We shall see how they perform tonight, especially given that there won't be an audience there. And we know that the mic rules also will be a
factor here. Alayna Treene, thank you.
Nic Robertson, let's go to you. Both of these men are very well-known quantities to leaders and to the public, really, around the world. I don't
want to downplay a different debate, a separate debate that was also held last night between Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer.
But it's pretty clear that world leaders will be watching what is said tonight, the performance from both men, because the implications in terms
of who comes out the victor in November are very key and very important.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, you bet. I mean, people are going to be watching. And everyone internationally watching
knows that this is really a competition between the two men for domestic voters. Nobody around the world --no leader around the world is sitting
there getting a vote on this. But there can be impacts and implications for them. And the last time these two debated and the last time Donald Trump
was sitting in the presidency, the world's moved on a lot.
So, there will be a lot to tune into here. Not least of all, we know President Biden is likely to face questions about his policy on Gaza. That
affects some of his domestic voters. But what Donald Trump may have to say about the Gaza conflict will be of extreme interest in the region. I mean,
primarily for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Does he feel that he really has that same strong relationship, that friendly relationship he had before? Can he kind of play out his own
policies in Gaza at the moment and wait until the November election? But it will also resonate, for example, with the Saudis, who Trump was also close
with. Remembering when he became President, that was the first stop of his on his international visits during his presidency.
It's important to him because he wanted to sort of expand the Abraham Accords there. But if what Donald Trump has to say about Gaza doesn't sit
well with the Saudis, remembering they are sort of what the White House at the moment is presenting as part of the day-after solution in Gaza and they
are saying that they need to see an irreversible path to a two-state solution, a Palestinian state. If Trump says that's not on the cards for
him, well, they're going to be watching closely.
And then, of course, there's Ukraine. I mean, not just President Zelenskyy watching to see what Donald Trump may have to say about funding for
Ukraine, but the whole of the 32-member NATO nations looking on, as well, and what he has to say about his relationship, potentially, with NATO. You
will have the European Union countries, much of them the same, watching closely.
President Putin, of course, looking very closely. Does he feel he can continue to sort of run, you know, a high-cost military campaign in Russia
through to the elections because he thinks he may get to negotiate next year? That could be something that he could envisage under Donald Trump.
So, all of these things in play. And, of course, the Chinese listening to what either of them will say about Taiwan, particularly what Trump would
say. The Iranians, the same, listening for information about them. And Kim Jong-un in North Korea. But I do think the things that are likely to come
up, aren't they, are going to be the war in Gaza and Ukraine. It seems hard to avoid those questions.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, no doubt foreign policy will play a significant role in tonight's debate. Leaders, people around the world will be paying close
attention. Nic Robertson, thank you so much.
[12:10:01]
Let's dig deeper into what's at stake tonight. Paul Begala, CNN political commentator and Democratic strategist, joins us now from Washington, D.C.
Always good to see you, Paul. Welcome to the program. So, just nine hours from now, millions will be glued to see this debate, a historic moment here
between these two men.
And this was a debate that President Biden, we know, sought, specifically given the date and how early it falls. Typically we see these debates take
place in the fall. So, talk about the stakes here for President Biden, specifically.
Yes, a lot of people say that he has the benefit of people saying that he, that the bar's low. And that's sort of what we're seeing the Trump team
trying to dig themselves out of, saying, no, he will come prepared. But what really is at stake for the president tonight? What does he have to
prove?
PAUL BEGALA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: He's got to prove that he's not too old for the job, Bianna. I mean, that underlies everything. If you and
I advise PACs that do these focus groups, if you do focus groups, you talk about inflation. They say, well, Biden can't really cure that because he's
too old. Same thing with the border. He's too old. He's too old.
This has been fed. And look, he does have an old man's gait. He shuffles. And he has a voice that's sometimes a whisper. If he takes that on, the way
he did at the State of the Union address, for example, where he debated the Republican Congress in real time off teleprompter, and I thought showed a
lot of power and a lot of command and a lot of energy. He's got to show that energy.
Interestingly, you didn't ask about Trump, but Trump has the mirror opposite problem. That's why this is going to be such a fascinating debate
to watch. Joe, President Biden, has to ramp it up. Mr. Trump needs to tamp it down. He needs to be sedate. He's got the opposite problem with Joe.
People worry that Biden is too old and lacks energy. People think Trump is too crazy. He's too wild. He's too unhinged.
So, Trump needs to calm everything down. Joe needs to light everything up. And I wish I could be there. I would play in the holding room for Biden.
I'd play the J-Lo songs -- "Let's Get Loud". And if I was in Trump's holding room, I'd play Roberta Flack, "Killing Me Softly With His Song".
GOLODRYGA: Well, you can play it at home when you're watching it and wishing that both and hoping that both are taking your advice on this
point. So, does that suggest to you, and I think this is in line with previous debates, that maybe not as much policy-driven as it is
personality-driven?
BEGALA: Absolutely. Absolutely. There's plenty of time for policy. This is not the time for that, particularly in an environment in which maybe 90,
maybe a hundred million people will watch. It'll be a colossal audience. And then all the rest of the country, indeed the world, will see it cut up
on social media and in memes.
And so, having that line, you know, where, look, Biden, he has got to make this about Trump being in it for himself, I'm in it for you. That, to me,
is the winning message for Joe Biden. Donald Trump's in it for himself, I'm in it for you. Now, I'm a Biden guy, so maybe I'm being unfair, but I think
a lot of people think Trump might be somewhat self-absorbed.
So, I think you're pushing an open door with that. Trump needs to do in real life what that ad does. That ad is terrific, that Trump ad you played,
which is, are you better off, right? Is your cost of living better or worse? And the cost of living is worse.
So, we'll see if either of those guys can get to the core message that wins the election for them, right? Now, they don't seem to be. They both seem to
be, I think, a little bit lost. So, this should be a clarifying event.
GOLODRYGA: Given that, it's interesting because we're hearing from the Trump, from the Biden team, that they're really focused on centering
January 6th in the same vein as September 11th, really saying that this was a signature moment in U.S. history that will go down as a monumental
failure on the part of Donald Trump.
When you just say what you did, really commending the Trump ad by questioning whether you're better off today than you were before when he
was in office, that suggests to me that this is more of a kitchen table issue. So, is the Biden team wrong by continuing to focus on the threat to
democracy, specifically on the significance of January 6th?
January 6th and also, by the way, abortion, have really helped Biden. And the reason the race is tied, even though Biden is doing terribly with young
people and black voters, normal Democratic strongholds, is Biden is doing extraordinarily well with older, white, college-educated women, Republican
strongholds, suburban women. But it's not enough.
It's necessary but not sufficient. January 6th and abortion are big issues. But you can't be President of the United States unless you have a
compelling economic narrative. You know, my partner James Carville put that sign up in the Clinton war room. It's the economy, stupid.
[12:15:01]
Biden's got a case on inflation, a really good case. In fact, a lot of Americans are talking now about greedflation, a phrase that Senator Bob
Casey from Pennsylvania has coined, where instead of blaming Biden, a lot of Americans are now very ready to blame corporate greed. Well, who better
embodies corporate greed than Donald Trump?
And so, I think Biden has a huge strategic imperative to talk about the economy, to talk about inflation, talk about what he has done to bring cost
of living down, and then blame Trump for being part of the problem of cost of living because he's the kind of rapacious billionaire who's going to rip
you off to help himself.
GOLODRYGA: On the issue of abortion, we saw a ruling, which is more of a narrow ruling from the Supreme Court today, specifically related to an
Idaho state abortion law and whether that should trump a federal law. The Supreme Court said it should not. But that issue nationwide has not been
resolved by this ruling.
That aside, this is a win for the Biden administration. Do you expect to hear more about this specific case and the blame and the finger-pointing
that we've heard from many ads and many Democrats, including the President, in the subsequent years now since Roe has been overturned on Trump?
BEGALA: Not so much this case. It's a case out of Idaho, as you say, which was really just resolved on procedural grounds. Justice Ketanji Brown-
Jackson, who Joe Biden put on the court, wrote a concurrence where she said, this is not a victory for the women of Idaho. It is simply a delay.
And that's all this was. They just kicked the can.
Look, the Supreme Court is utterly political. They're more political than I am. They know there's an election coming. They know abortion is hurting
Trump. So, they didn't want to have another anti-abortion ruling. So, I don't think that. But any discussion of abortion, Joe Biden wins, period.
So, if you just run the clock, how many minutes are they talking about abortion? That's how many minutes Biden is winning. I haven't seen Trump do
anything to heal his party's problem on abortion. He says, well, states should handle it. Well, 14 states have banned abortion, even in the case of
rape.
In those 14 states, the Journal of the American Medical Association in January, six months ago, issued a study that said 54,565 women in those
states that have banned abortion in the case of rape have gotten pregnant because of rape. Each one a tragedy and each one a traumatic event. And
they've had their rights taken away. So, Biden wins any conversation about abortion. And so, I think that the court tried. I think they actually tried
to help Trump by kicking the can. But it's not going to help him politically.
GOLODRYGA: And do you think that we'll hear more from Biden specifically referencing the word abortion? Do you think that this is a fair criticism
that he's received from some on the left? This is an issue that he's uncomfortable addressing head on because of his Catholic background?
BEGALA: Yeah, I'm a fellow Catholic, and so I know, and I'm an old guy like him. I'm not as old as him, but I'm pretty old. Yeah, it doesn't come
naturally to him. Look at the contrast when Joe Biden talks about abortion rights and Kamala Harris does, the much maligned Vice President. She has
found her voice on this. She is terrific on this.
Joe Biden wears his late son Beau's rosary beads around his wrist. Now, he is pro-choice, and he will have to find his voice on this issue tonight. He
will because substantively he is where the American people are. But you're right, Bianna. You're very savvy to call that out. But he's got to have the
same kind of passion that his Vice President has.
GOLODRYGA: It's the same kind of passion you have for J-Lo and Roberta Flack, we learned today. Paul Begala?
BEGALA: I do. I love them both.
GOLODRYGA: Good to see you.
BEGALA: I'm going to put them on my playlist right now.
GOLODRYGA: You'll be playing them tonight for sure. Thank you so much, Paul. And tune in to see the CNN Presidential Debate right here on CNN
coming up tonight at 9 P.M. Eastern. And we'll replay the debate in its entirety a few different times. You can watch it at 7 A.M. London time
tomorrow, that is 2 P.M. in Hong Kong or 12 hours later at 7 P.M. in London or 10 P.M. in Abu Dhabi. In a nutshell, there's no excuse to miss it.
Meantime, the U.S. Supreme Court has issued a pair of important rulings related to the health care of millions of Americans. In one case, the court
has for now blocked the state of Idaho from banning abortions performed in emergency rooms when the health of the mother is at risk. The ruling is a
victory for the Biden administration and abortion rights advocates. But the court's ruling was very technical and only applies to Idaho itself.
And in a separate case, the Supreme Court has thrown out a multibillion- dollar settlement involving the maker of the highly addictive painkiller OxyContin. The deal would have shielded the Sackler family, which
controlled Purdue Pharma, from additional lawsuits.
CNN Justice Correspondent Jessica Schneider is here to help us understand all of this. And we'll get to the Idaho decision in just a minute. But
let's just talk about the significance of this Purdue decision from the Supreme Court, siding with the Biden administration on this particular case
because, obviously, this doesn't just impact the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma.
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This has implications for potentially millions of Americans who have suffered at the hands of opioid addiction.
JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, it's a bit of a mixed bag, actually, Bianna, because some of the victims and their families had
actually advocated for this bankruptcy settlement to be approved, saying that they had gone through years of litigation and that they had argued
that, well, the Sackler family was promising $6 billion to be put into different funds to help fight and remedy opioid addiction.
But that deal is off. The Supreme Court saying that that bankruptcy deal, which would have absolved the Sackler family from all further civil
lawsuits, that was just not valid. That can no longer go into effect. So, what it means, the Sackler family will now continue to be open to lawsuits
from victims and their families.
And in addition, that $6 billion settlement that the Sackler family had agreed to likely won't come to fruition. And that means, you know, state
governments and also other companies won't get the funds to try to battle addiction.
So, it's a bit of a mixed bag there, but it does it does really negatively impact the Sackler family, which was hoping they would be immune from these
civil lawsuits, and now they're not. And then secondly, Bianna, yeah, I can talk about the Idaho case, as well.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. Yes. And let's talk about that, because it -- narrow in scope. Obviously, this initial ruling came out yesterday by accident. So,
you actually had time to prepare for what we saw today with the official decision.
But talk about its implications, because, yes, it's a victory for the Biden administration, but very narrow in scope and doesn't address the other
states, nearly a dozen other states and that have near abortion, near total abortion bans.
SCHNEIDER: Yeah, I mean, that's exactly right. It's more of a win for the pregnant women in Idaho who no longer have to worry about it, because the
Supreme Court here allowing those emergency abortions -- abortions to continue in that state. It's a decision really for now. It stops that Idaho
law that was a near total abortion ban.
What it doesn't do is definitively decide this issue. If that Idaho law is proper or if, as the Biden administration argued, it improperly conflicts
with this federal law that requires doctors in emergency rooms to perform abortions, if that's what's necessary to prevent severe injury to a woman.
Conversely, the Idaho law, that's not in effect right now, it doesn't allow abortions unless death is imminent. So, Bianna, this is really an
incremental win for women and doctors really only in Idaho who had really voiced how difficult medical care had become in the past few months since
the Supreme Court had allowed this Idaho law to go into effect before halting it today.
You know, women in the state were regularly in the past few months being airlifted out of the state when they were having problems with their
pregnancies and might need an abortion because these doctors in Idaho just said we're not going to open ourselves up to litigation or criminal
prosecution by performing abortions, even if this woman we really think needs it.
So, you know, the women in Idaho are now benefiting from this. That law will be on hold. But like you said, Bianna, there are numerous other laws
in other states that are nearly identical, that have this near total abortion ban in place that this Supreme Court decision doesn't touch.
And that's because this this question of whether this federal law preempts the state law, it still continues. It hasn't been settled. And so, there's
that big question mark, which, you know, Justice Ketanji Brown-Jackson referred to in her opinion, saying we're just kicking the can down the road
here.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, she said that the Supreme Court should consider this issue now and immediately instead of sending it back to the lower court. Of
course, they'll likely be revisiting this very issue in their next sessions. Jessica Schneider, thank you so much.
SCHNEIDER: Thanks.
GOLODRYGA: Well, let's get a medical perspective on the court's ruling. We're joined now by Dr. Caitlin Gustafson, a physician and co-president of
the Idaho Coalition for Safe Health Care. First of all, doctor, I know we said that this is a narrow in scope decision here. But for the state of
Idaho, I would imagine for you this was a big sigh of relief, especially today. But even yesterday, when we had that random, rare, early leak and
then it was recalled.
CAITLIN GUSTAFSON, FAMILY PHYSICIAN: Yes, thanks for having me on today. Yeah, we can be clear that the case that the court ruled on today was about
whether my colleagues and I can provide abortion care in the most dire of circumstances. Without the risk of being thrown in jail for providing that
care.
But it is very much a temporary reprieve. We still remain in limbo in Idaho. There is confusion. There is turmoil. And this won't end with this
decision that came down today.
[12:25:03]
GOLODRYGA: Explain how you're still in limbo and confusion in Idaho.
GUSTAFSON: Yes. So, the court -- the Supreme Court had a chance to resolve this for us to rule that the federal law could protect physicians needing
to do their jobs to provide care in the most dire of circumstances to our patients and emergencies without the fear of the Idaho law and being
prosecuted under that law with jail time and loss of license.
But the case is not done. It has moved down back to the lower court. The limbo continues. We have lived this in Idaho from January 5th when we began
airlifting patients out of the state because the Supreme Court at that time agreed to hear the case and our injunction was lifted. And we were -- we
were experiencing what it was like not to have the protection of this federal law in place.
GOLODRYGA: And the difference here is narrow but significant. It's not just about whether the mother's life is in danger, but it's about the
stability of the mother, the woman's health in general. Explain what that really means. This is for a woman to have the ability in the future perhaps
to carry a child in a fetus term.
GUSTAFSON: Absolutely. And to be very clear, any patient who's able to get care today that wasn't able to get care yesterday, that's a win. That's
what we're fighting for is the ability to take care of our patients, to take these decisions away from extremist politicians and the Supreme Court
who have frankly been playing baseball, political baseball, with our patients' lives.
What we want to be able to do is make the medical decisions as physicians in that conversation with the patient, in that most sacred space that we
need to have to make these decisions. Because when folks come in with these emergencies, decisions need to be made, and they aren't as cut and dry as
an Idaho law would have us believe or would try to have folks believe. It's a continuum.
There's no bright line between when the health of the patient is at risk and what the Idaho law allows us to do, which is to intervene only at the
time in which it becomes a life-threatening emergency.
GOLODRYGA: And a reminder that there are 13 other states with near total bans on abortion, so this issue clearly has not been resolved. Dr. Caitlin
Gustafson, thank you so much for joining us today.
GUSTAFSON: Thank you so much for having me on.
GOLODRYGA: Turning overseas now, protesters in Nairobi say their future is at stake.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN: it's more than about the finance bill now. This is them killing us -- us, young people, for what?
GOLODRYGA (voice-over): What started as an anti-tax protest has now grown into a movement. Up next, what demonstrators want from their government.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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[12:30:35]
GOLODRYGA: Tear gas fills the streets of Nairobi as protesters clash with police yet again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA (voice-over): Activists have called for a one million person march today, though the numbers of protesters appears to be much smaller
than Tuesday's rallies. On Wednesday, President William Ruto withdrew proposed tax hikes that ignited so much fury across the country, but has
done little to calm the anger.
Protesters tell CNN that it's about more than just the bill, it's about government corruption, police brutality, and Ruto's performance. Larry
Madowo has been reporting from the front lines of these protests and joins us now live from Nairobi.
Larry, I can't overstate the significance of your reporting and being our eyes and ears there on the ground these past few days and weeks. Yesterday
I asked you after the President had done away with this bill and rescinded it in its entirety whether things would go back to normal and you said it
was too early to tell. It's clear that is not the case.
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Bianna, we were talking about this yesterday and we saw people back on the streets today. They said
this is no longer about the finance bill, it's about official corruption, it's about President Ruto's performance, it's about the people who were
killed on Tuesday that they're starting to get buried now.
They are some young people, many of whom were unarmed peaceful protesters who tried to express their voices and unfortunately they lost their lives,
at least 23 so far according to human rights groups here in Kenya.
So, even though President Ruto capitulated to the demands of the protesters, mostly young people, and withdrew this finance bill that was
deeply unpopular, there are those who find his entire administration unpopular with them and one of the most common refrains we had today was
Ruto must go, Ruto must go, though the possibility of that happening is slim.
President Ruto was elected by a majority of young people who saw themselves in him. He said he was a hustler-in-chief and he understood their plight
and two years in they feel disappointed and disillusioned by his administration and especially as President Ruto keeps informing people that
we have to tighten our belts, he says, because we inherited a lot of debt, we have to raise revenue and he's instituted austerity measures but people
don't feel that he and his government are sticking to that same principle and that's part of the anger you see on the streets.
And these young men, mostly young men, there were women too, but mostly young men risking their lives again, some of them telling me they can't
kill all of us and they have nothing to live for so I have to do this for my family, for my future.
GOLODRYGA: Some notable figures also taking to the streets, specifically former President Obama's sister, as well, who you spoke with as she was
being tear-gassed, you yourself, quite some really stirring and dramatic images. Larry Madowo, thank you so much for all of your reporting. We'll
continue to follow this story. And coming up for us --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN: I just don't feel comfortable with Biden's age and I don't feel comfortable with Trump's mouth.
GOLODRYGA (voice-over): Wow. CNN is talking to voters ahead of tonight's debate and this is what they are saying about the two candidates. More
politics and analysis ahead.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:37:25]
GOLODRYGA: All right, welcome back to "ONE WORLD". I'm Bianna Golodryga. Final preparations underway at this hour for the CNN Presidential Debate
where for the first time a sitting U. S. President and a former president will go toe to toe. The 90 minute rematch will take place at CNN World
headquarters in Atlanta. There will be no studio audience and microphones will be turned on only when it's each candidate's turn to speak.
Biden has been sequestered at Camp David with his advisers for the past several days, and Trump has been doing interviews with reporters and
podcast hosts. CNN's John King has spent the last few months talking with people all over the country about what's most important to them. Here's his
report on some of the voters thoughts on the issues and about these two candidates.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: It's way down from Detroit's heyday, but 134,000 members still makes the U. A. W. a force in battleground Michigan. Chris
Vitale works in engine development at Chrysler and believes President Biden's push for more electric vehicles hurts business.
CHRIS VITALE, MICHIGAN VOTER: The government seems to be appeasing the coasts. You know, everyone who lives in Manhattan thinks everyone should
drive an electric car.
J. KING (voice-over): Vitale says he will again ignore union leadership and vote Trump a third time, hoping to end the E. V. Mandates and to get
better trade rules.
VITALE: I've watched this region go from the arsenal of democracy. Now, we're happy if we can get a sports stadium or we're going to sell weed or
fireworks or whatever. It's absolutely pathetic what we have sunk to now and our politicians just there. They're good with it. He isn't. So, that's
the difference.
J. KING (voice-over): Bob King worked at Ford for more than 40 years and served a term as U. A. W. President when the industry was trying to recover
from the 2000 and eight financial crisis. He ties Trump's support among union auto workers to years lost jobs and lower wages.
BOB KING, MICHIGAN VOTER: People feel like the government and the establishment hasn't been delivered for them. Is their life better now than
it was 10 years ago or worse? And for many, many working people, it's worse. Their standard of living has deteriorated. In some cases, their
communities have deteriorated.
J. KING (voice-over): Walter Robinson, Jr. bets about 40 percent of his Ford co workers are for Trump.
WALTER ROBINSON, JR. MICHIGAN VOTER: He's never done a hard day's work, not physical work like you do in the plant. He has a solid gold toilet at
home. So, I mean, how can he really empathize with your life?
J. KING: And when you say, wait, Joe Biden walked the picket line with us. Joe Biden's been a pro-union President. They say that, you know, guns,
gays, abortion, sleepy Joe, Hunter Biden.
[12:40:07]
J. KING (voice-over): Robinson says the new contract wins were impressive but didn't fix everything.
ROBINSON: Gas prices are still pretty high, food -- when you go to the grocery store every time, it's just me and my wife and it's $200 every time
I go to the grocery store.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: Time now for The Exchange. I want to bring in CNN Politics Senior Reporter Stephen Collinson. Stephen, thanks for joining us. So,
that's just a microcosm of a significant portion of this country that will be watching this debate today. And what's interesting is the issue of the
economy. There are a lot of positive things that President Biden can really tout tonight.
But on the question of are you better off today than you were four years ago or even longer, at least with these voters that we just heard John King
speak to, the answer is no. How much of a bind does this put President Biden in tonight?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: I think that is the classic dilemma that presidents facing reelection always face this question
of are you better off than when they took office? And if Trump goes on to win this election, I think it is going to be that sense among many
Americans have lost economic security coming out of the pandemic that will be responsible for it.
Rightly or wrongly, there is some nostalgia for the Trump economy before the COVID-19 emergency. And when you talk to voters, Democrats and
Republicans, the idea that they go to the grocery store and it costs them $200 as that gentleman was saying there, that is very pervasive and it's
very visceral.
The President is warning that Donald Trump is a massive threat to democracy. And many people might believe it, but it's also not the first
thing that's on their mind. When you go to the grocery store and you're getting less than you used to, that is a very tangible issue.
And it's something that while the President, as you say, can talk about, well, job growth is extraordinary. The U.S. has come out of the pandemic
better than any other developed country. You can't get that across to voters if they are seeing and feeling with their own eyes that they're not
secure and that's a big problem.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, inflation may be cooling, but it's just that we're not seeing the crazy increase in spike in prices that we were seeing at the
peak of inflation just a couple of years ago. Stephen, it's a bit paradoxical because time and time again, you hear from voters, oh, not
these two guys.
They poll very low, both of them, in terms of approval and likeability. They are very well-known quantities. It's hard to find someone who says, I
don't know who this person is or where they stand on certain positions. So, given that, why is there so much intrigue and so much riding on this debate
tonight?
COLLINSON: I think part of it is this is a rematch of the last time. There is clearly no love lost between Biden and Trump. You have President Biden
warning that Donald Trump is a threat to everything for which America stands in terms of democracy, the rule of law, basic values. He's even
spoken about how the former President has seemed to parrot some Nazi-style language in some of his rallies. He sees Trump as an existential threat to
the United States.
Trump is making a similar argument in many ways to try and defuse that issue. He says that Biden is a big threat to democracy. He's warning that
with his support for Ukraine and because of the war in the Middle East that Biden is leading the United States into a third world war.
You know, Trump, of course, is a convicted felon after that hush money trial in New York. And he's promised to wage a presidency of personal
vengeance, to use the powers of the presidency to target enemies if he's elected.
So, while the candidates are not who most voters would prefer, the stakes of this election are higher perhaps than any modern U.S. election. And I
think that is why this debate is important for the President, especially. It could be one of the last big moments where he can turn around a re-
election campaign that he is in great peril of losing.
GOLODRYGA: And the setting and the ground rules are different, too. There will not be an audience and there will be a mic that will be turned off and
on only when either candidate is answering a question addressed to them. How do you expect specifically, because we know from the past that Joe
Biden does tend to follow the rules here. How do you expect Donald Trump to handle this environment? And do you expect him to actually not speak when
he's not supposed to?
COLLINSON: I mean, I can't recall any rule or custom that Trump hasn't infringed.
[12:45:03]
So, it would be somewhat out of character if he played by the rules in this debate. There's been a lot of talk about how the former President has
admitted that his performance in the first debate four years ago when he was wild, he was bullying, he was angry. He was insulting Biden. Later
turned out that he actually had probably Covid-19 at that moment, as well. That really did hurt him.
So, some people in his camp are hoping he comes in a little bit more temperate. They don't want him to play into the Biden conceit that this guy
is too unhinged, that something snapped inside him, that it would be dangerous to put him back into the Oval Office.
But Trump is a creature of instinct. He likes to act on his wits. You never know what he's going to do from one moment to the other as he tries to get
people off balance. So, it's very difficult to predict what it will be like, which Trump will turn up.
GOLODRYGA: Well, you know what? In less than nine hours, we will no longer have to make that prediction. We will be watching it. Our eyes glued to
this crucial debate right here at 9 P.M. Eastern on CNN. Stephen Collinson, thank you.
COLLINSON: Thanks.
GOLODRYGA: And still to come.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, CURRENT U.S. PRESIDENT (D) AND CURRENT PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (D): The question is --
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT (R) AND CURRENT PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (R): The radical left --
BIDEN: Will you shut up, man?
TRUMP: Listen. And who is on your list, Joe? Who's on your list?
UNKNOWN: Gentlemen, I think this is so unprecedented.
GOLODRYGA (voice-over): Oh, boy. I look back at the past Trump and Biden debate that totally went off the rails. That's ahead.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: There are just hours to go until President Biden and Donald Trump square off in Atlanta. The rule changes for tonight's debate, like
muted mics, came about in large part because of past debates between these two men. Our Randi Kaye has some of the highlights from the last two times
they met on the debate stage.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TRUMP: Wait a minute, Joe. Let me shut you down for a second.
RANDI KAYE,CNN CORRESPONDENT: In their first debate in September 2020, Donald Trump interrupted Joe Biden more than 100 times.
UNKNOWN: Mr. President, can you let him finish, Sir?
BIDEN: Do you have any idea what this clown's doing?
KAYE (voice-over): Biden's response? Eye rolls and head shakes. Until Trump butted in during his attempt to answer a question about the Supreme
Court, Biden had had enough.
BIDEN: The question is -- the question -- will you shut up, man?
TRUMP: Listen, who is on your list, Joe? This is so --
[12:50:00]
KAYE (voice-over): The debate quickly went off the rails, neither candidate pulling any punches.
TRUMP: Did you use the word smart? You graduated either the lowest or almost the lowest in your class. Don't ever use the word smart with me.
Don't ever use that word.
BIDEN: Show us your tax return.
TRUMP: I paid $38 million one year. I paid $27 million one year.
BIDEN: Show us your tax return.
KAYE (voice-over): As the two debated taxes and the economy, Biden let loose.
BIDEN: You're the worst president America has ever had. Come on.
KAYE (voice-over): And after a portion of the debate focused on race --
BIDEN: This is a president who has used everything as a dog whistle to try to generate racist hatred, racist division. He's the racist.
KAYE (voice-over): Before it was over, Trump issued what sounded like a warning if the election didn't go his way.
TRUMP: But if I see tens of thousands of ballots being manipulated, I can't go along with that.
KAYE (voice-over): At their second debate just weeks before Election Day in 2020, the two faced off on dozens of issues, including health care,
immigration and again, race. Trump tried to blame Biden for failing to solve the problem of systemic racism after decades in office.
TRUMP: You know, Joe, I ran because of you. I ran because of Barack Obama, because you did a poor job. If I thought you did a good job, I would have
never run.
KAYE (voice-over): Trump also tried to defend his own record on race.
TRUMP: I am the least racist person. I can't even see the audience because it's so dark, but I don't care who's in the audience. I'm the least racist
person in this room.
BIDEN: Abraham Lincoln here is one of the most racist presidents we've had in modern history. This guy is a dog whistle about as big as a foghorn.
KAYE (voice-over): Keep in mind, at their first debate, when Trump was pressed to denounce a white supremacist group that has openly endorsed
violence, he stonewalled.
TRUMP: Go on, give me a name. Give me a name. Go ahead.
BIDEN: White supremacists and Proud Boys.
TRUMP: Proud Boys, stand back and stand by.
KAYE (voice-over): On immigration, Biden zeroed in on the hundreds of migrant children who had been separated from their parents at the U.S.-
Mexico border.
BIDEN: What happened? Parents were ripped -- ripped their kids were ripped from their arms and separated. And now they cannot find over 500 sets of
those parents and those kids are alone. Nowhere to go. Nowhere to go. It's criminal.
KAYE (voice-over): Trump saw an opening and fired back.
TRUMP: They are so well taken care of. They're in facilities that were so clean.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): But some of them haven't been reunited with their families.
TRUMP: But just ask one question. Who built the cages?
KAYE (voice-over): With just hours to go until CNN's presidential debate, Trump and Biden are once again sharpening their lines.
TRUMP: You're wrong. I never said that. You made it up. Oh, really? Oh, really?
KAYE (voice-over): Randi Kaye, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: All right, still to come, the U.S. is getting ready to welcome a pair of cute and cuddly pandas from China, first in more than 20 years.
Details just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:55:30]
GOLODRYGA: A pair of giant pandas are well on their way to California and China's first panda loan to the U.S. in more than 20 years. The male and
female will soon call the San Diego Zoo in Southern California their new home. However, the world-renowned zoo says that it will take several weeks
before the pandas are ready to meet the public. Can't wait to see their faces.
Well, that does it for this hour of "ONE WORLD". I'm Bianna Golodryga. Thanks for watching. Make sure to watch the debate tonight. Meantime,
"AMANPOUR" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
