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One World with Zain Asher
Trump Suggests He Won't Debate Harris Again; Swifties React To Taylor's Endorsement; Analysis: Trump And Harris Clash In Fiery Debate; Blinken, Lammy Meet With Ukrainian Leaders In Kyiv; Harris And Trump Spar Over Contention Issue Of Abortion; Biden, Harris Honor Those Who Died In Shanksville; Hurricane Francine Is Lashing The U.S. Gulf Coast; Aired 12-1p ET
Aired September 11, 2024 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:00:31]
ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST: The zingers, the zeroes, and the zeitgeist around the presidential debate.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST: A lot of Z's there. ONE WORLD starts --
ASHER: Zain.
GOLODRYGA: -- right now. Nice to meet you.
Coming up, we'll take a closer look at the potential impact of the debate with just now 55 days left until the election.
ASHER: And Swiftie sign off, one of the world's biggest stars has just endorsed the Harris campaign. Donald Trump isn't too happy about it.
GOLODRYGA: And later, remembering the fallen. This hour, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris honor the victims of 9/11, 23 years on.
All right. Hello everyone. Live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: And I'm Zain Asher. You are watching ONE WORLD.
Well, reaction is pouring in after the fierce clash between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris in their first and perhaps only U.S. presidential debate.
It started with that handshake you just saw there, but quickly became a fiery face-off.
We want to bring you some of Tuesday's highlights starting with democratic nominee working to let voters know who she is, but not before sparks flew
from her Republican challenger over his view of President Joe Biden.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: They threw him out of a campaign like a dog. We don't even know, is he our president? But we have a
president --
DAVID MUIR, ABC NEWS ANCHOR: Mr. President.
TRUMP: -- that doesn't know he's alive. You know what? I'll give you a little secret. He hates her.
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: It's important to remind the former president, you're not running
against Joe Biden, you're running against me.
Clearly, I am not Joe Biden, and I am certainly not Donald Trump. And what I do offer is a new generation of leadership for our country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: There was plenty of sparring over key issues including immigration, Ukraine and they touched on the war in Gaza as well. But
Harris touched a nerve for Trump when she discussed the size of the crowds at his rallies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: You will see during the course of his rallies, he talks about fictional characters like Hannibal Lecter. He will talk about windmills
caused cancer.
And what you will also notice is that people start leaving his rallies early out of exhaustion and boredom.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: At one point during the 90-minute sparring match, Trump made a baseless claim about some immigrants in Ohio eating pets.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: They're eating the dogs, the people that came in, they're eating the cats. They're eating -- they're eating the pets of the people that live
there.
I've seen people on television.
MUIR: Let me just say here, this is the --
TRUMP: The people on television --
MUIR: Just to be clear.
TRUMP: -- say my dog was taken and used for food.
HARRIS: You talk about extreme.
When we listen to this kind of rhetoric, when the issues that affect the American people are not being addressed, I think the choice is clear in
this election.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Tuesday night's debate was their first ever face-to-face meeting. Trump says that he's not sure about a rematch and he told Fox News that he
won the debate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: The polls are saying that I was -- won that by 80-20, 90 -- we have one hit 92-7.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: But a majority of registered voters who watch the debate tell CNN that they think Harris outperformed Trump.
Now political observers are asking if the big face-off will make a difference to swing voters in the November election.
ASHER: So what did voters make of the big clash? CNN's Stephen Collinson is standing by for us in Washington, D.C. We've also got Harry Enten live for
us in New York, checking all the data.
But first, let's go to Stephen. So, Stephen, I mean, here's the thing. Donald Trump slipped on every single banana peel that she laid out for him.
I mean, just in terms of just seeing him unravel, you know, mentioning crowd sizes.
And, obviously, the line about the pets, right? It's just unbelievable. Just walk us through -- just break it down what actually happened last
night, who actually won, and your thoughts on how Donald Trump performed.
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICS REPORTER: I think it's hard to come up with any way in which the debate kind of gone better from Harris than it
did in her own terms. She was able to lay out her own case. She prosecuted a very strong case against Trump.
She didn't get dragged down into gutters fights that the former president likes to create, because he is one somebody that prospers in chaos.
[12:05:09]
I think you saw there in some of those clips. And as you mentioned, she was repeatedly able to goad him into his own self-destruction in many ways, and
that got him off his game. He couldn't make the clear case against her on immigration and the economy that his vice presidential nominee, J.D. Vance,
has been making, and which his own campaign advertising has been making.
So I think he really validated a lot of the fears of his own camp going to the debate about what will happen and whether he would be able to
concentrate and focus and do what he's not done very well, so far, over the last two months, which is find a way to take the election to Kamala Harris.
Now the question, therefore, becomes does this matter? Does it affect the election? Do people vote on a debate? Is this election only going to be
about the issues? We don't know about that yet. It takes some time for debates to percolate into the population.
I'm sure that Harry will be able to tell us, you know, what the history says and how debates, and whether or not they do, in fact, affect
elections.
GOLODRYGA: So that cues Harry perfectly, who was just waiting, I guess, pulling a Kamala Harris hand under the chin posture as we introduce you.
There you go.
Harry, I had the benefit of spending some time with you in the makeup room this morning, where you noted that traditionally when it comes to whoever
wins the first debate, they don't necessarily, I don't want to put words in you. I don't want to get this wrong.
But what was the point you were making about those who won the first debate? If there -- if, by the way, there is an -- there is a second
debate.
HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: Yes. And I will note, I needed that makeup room far more than you needed it.
Look, I'll walk you through the numbers here and just sort of give you an idea of what sort of cooking here, because I think there are multiple
different elements. There is what happened last night. There is what might happen in a few days, and then there will be what will happen come
November.
All right. So let's just start off with last night and sort of put that into some historical context, right?
You noted, of course, that Kamala Harris won that debate in the minds of viewers. And that, to me, is so notable because that 26-point win. What a
difference from where we were back in June, right, when Donald Trump won that debate over Joe Biden by 34 points. So basically the exact inverse.
This looks a lot more like what happened in 2020 when Joe Biden, in the minds of the viewers, won that first debate over Donald Trump. And a
significantly wider win for Harris than Hillary Clinton had in that first debate back in 2016 against Donald Trump.
And well -- what I will note is so interesting about this victory for Harris is that the sample of the debate viewers was actually a bit more
Republican, a bit more Republican than the nation as a whole, and yet, Harris was able to win them over.
All right. So Harris won last night. What does this mean for the days and weeks to come?
All right. So let's go through history, all right, and say, OK. Do folks see a polling bump after winning the first debate?
In fact, what we see historically is, yes, yes, they do. In fact, we'll go back the last four first debates, right, back in 2012. Mitt Romney won that
first debate, and he saw a polling bump against Barack Obama.
2016, we mentioned it a little bit earlier. Hillary Clinton won that first debate. She saw a polling bump against Donald Trump.
Joe Biden saw a polling bump against Donald Trump in 2020.
And, of course, in June of 2024, Donald Trump won that first debate and knocked Joe Biden out of the race.
So given how tight this race is right now, historically speaking, all these folks saw a polling bump of about two points or more.
If you apply that to Kamala Harris, and we have such a tight race nationally, and in those key battleground states, don't be surprised if
Kamala Harris opens up a little bit of an advantage, though probably still would be a race too close to call.
OK. So that's a few weeks down the line. What about a few months down the line come November?
This was the point that I was trying to get across, Bianna. All right. So you may see those polling bumps, right? But does that mean you'll
necessarily win come November? Uh-uh.
All right. Lost the first debate and won the election. Let's look at the five elections so far in the 21st century.
George W. Bush lost that first debate back in 2004 against John Kerry, but he went on to win the election.
How about Barack Obama in 2012? He lost that first debate against Mitt Romney, and he went on to win that election.
And, of course, Donald Trump lost that first debate against Hillary Clinton back in 2016, and he went on to win the election.
So the bottom line is, yes, Kamala Harris did well last night. She'll probably gain in the polls in the days and weeks to come, but whether or
not she wins in November, if I have that answer for you, then I might as well go on a wonderful gambling --
ASHER: Quit --
(LAUGHS)
ENTEN: A wonderful gambling spree in Las Vegas because then all the luck is on my side of the table.
GOLODRYGA: I should note, Harry was telling me this in the makeup room, as he was doing my makeup. He was very talented.
[12:10:03]
ENTEN: I'm multiple (PH).
ASHER: Multiple. So many different arenas, Harry. (INAUDIBLE)
So, Stephen, just to Harry's point, I mean, it doesn't necessarily matter, right? If you win the first debate, the most important thing is to maintain
the momentum after the initial bump and also win over independence.
Obviously, Kamala Harris made a lot of attempts to do that. She talked about gun ownership, the fact that she is a gun owner. She talked about,
you know, praising John McCain.
And also the number of prominent Republicans, including the former vice president, who have supported her campaign.
Is that going to be enough to maintain this kind of momentum between now and November 5th?
COLLINSON: I think she has to do more. This was clearly a very important moment. She keeps passing tests. I think she becomes more of a potential
commander in chief in the eyes of many voters.
It's going to be interesting to see whether there is a second debate, although Harris says that she's open to that.
I can see a scenario in which she was so successful in this debate she would like to end it there.
From Trump's point of view, if he's widely perceived to have lost, it would be unlikely, I think, that he would agree to another debate.
In the coming weeks, I think it's going to be important. If Harris does get a polling of bounce, that could be significant in some of these swing
states, because in Wisconsin and North Carolina, for example, early and mail voting is going to start in a couple of weeks.
So, you know, the half-life of that bounce could give her some votes that she perhaps wasn't going to get.
As far as Trump is concerned, is he going to be able to make a case to more moderate voters that he really needs in these swing states to win the
elections? He just didn't even seem to try to do that last night.
It often seemed that he was more comfortable slipping into the rally persona of Donald Trump, which delights his base voters. As you mentioned,
that slander against Haitian immigrants. That's the kind of thing he comes up with at his rallies, but it doesn't really help him win over the voters
he needs if he's going to end up back in the White House.
Trump has a ceiling of about 48 percent in national elections. I don't see any way in which he was able to expand that last night, but eight weeks is
a long time.
All sorts of things could happen inside the United States and outside the United States that Trump could seize on and change what this election is
actually going to be about.
ASHER: Yes. I mean, it's interesting because it almost felt as though, last night, no matter what he was asked, he somehow managed to try to bring it
back to immigration and the border and, you know, we'll see what happens.
Obviously, as you mentioned, there's 50 plus days to go. A lot could happen in that time.
Stephen Collinson, Harry Enten, live for us there. Thank you both so much.
GOLODRYGA: Thank you both.
ASHER: All right. One of the most notable political developments last night was not on the debate stage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: That's right. Taylor Swift endorse Kamala Harris for president, ending months of speculation over who the megastar would endorse.
ASHER: Swift's endorsement came on her Instagram page. Rather than just saying that she backed Harry, she listed the reasons why and urged fans to
do their own research.
GOLODRYGA: Now, those reasons include support for LGBTQ issues, reproductive rights and in vitro fertilization.
The Swifties for Kamala were excited.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
APRIL GLICK, POLITICAL DIRECTOR, SWIFTIES FOR KAMALA: It's like, wow, it happened. I think -- I think it happened sooner than maybe we expected, but
it's always welcome, of course.
We're all so excited and we're all even more energized about what the rest of the campaign and leading to Election Day brings us. I think it's an
injection of energy and an already really energetic and hopeful movement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: No word yet if there is bad blood between --
GOLODRYGA: What you did there.
ASHER: And Donald Trump, this was about his reaction.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I actually like Mrs. Mahomes much better, if you want to know the truth. She's a -- she's a big Trump fan. I was not a Taylor Swift fan. It
was just a question of time.
She couldn't -- you couldn't possibly endorse Biden. You look at Biden, you couldn't possibly endorse him.
But she's a very liberal person. She seems to always endorse a Democrat.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Well, look what we made her do, right? There's another one I couldn't resist.
Hadas Gold joining us live now.
So, listen, Taylor Swift, I would say, was a major country music icon. Obviously, she spent time during her childhood in Tennessee. Can she
actually deliver votes?
Just walk us through what a Taylor Swift endorsement actually will mean when it comes to votes for Kamala Harris.
HADAS GOLD, CNN MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I think that's a big question here because I don't think it's a surprise that she endorsed Kamala Harris.
She endorsed Biden and Harris ticket in 2020.
[12:15:04]
She's endorsed other democratic candidates before. She's always advocated for her followers to register to vote and to get active.
But the big question here will, of course, be the impact and whether her endorsement will translate into anything more.
Obviously, it's getting her basic sighted. They're -- as we hear from the Swifties for Kamala, they're also excited over how she chose to present
this. She chose to go down the cat road.
Obviously, cats have been somehow a major theme in this election. There was the childless cat lady comment and a lot of people from J.D. Vance. A lot
of people wanted Taylor Swift, perhaps the most famous childless cat lady to come out and say something after that comment, but here she is showing.
Actually, this is a never-seen-before photo from her Time Person of the Year photo-shoot. So if fans are also excited to see this never-seen-before
photo, she's -- she signed it as a childless cat lady.
But here, let's talk about the impact. So already, this post on Instagram from Taylor Swift, it's been liked by 8.6 million people. It's been
forwarded 1.4 million times.
What's most important though is that she also linked for people to register to vote because it's great if she endorses. The real impact is how many
people will register to vote, how many people will vote.
She does also, interestingly, have concerts coming up in the United States right before election day in some important states like Florida. So maybe
she might try to do something there, try to encourage people to vote.
But also as an entertainer, she has to be careful to sort of thread the needle. She doesn't want to alienate all of her fan base.
But I do think what could potentially be even more impactful is not even necessarily Taylor Swift, it's actually her boyfriend, Travis Kelce. Travis
Kelce, obviously a huge football star and he could have much more of an impact on a population that Kamala Harris really needs, even more so than
the Swifties and that would be men.
And that would be men who might be fans of Travis Kelce, fans of the Kansas City Chiefs football fans.
And if he joins his girlfriend Taylor Swift and endorses the Harris ticket, that could actually have potentially even more of an impact on who could
win this race than Taylor Swift's own endorsement.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And that leads to the question, does Patrick Mahomes then try to one-up him with his own endorsement as well?
For now, we'll focus on what we do know. And that is Taylor Swift's clear endorsement last night of Kamala Harris.
Hadas Gold, thank you so much.
ASHER: Thank you, Hadas.
GOLODRYGA: So let's take a closer look at the debate with our panel. Scott Jennings is a senior political commentator and former special assistant to
Republican President George W. Bush. The conservative columnist joins us now from New York. And Antjuan Seawright is a democratic strategist and
joins us from Washington, D.C.
Scott, let's start with you. Clearly, I mean, it's pretty safe to say objectively. I don't know what polls the former president was referring to
when he said he won 80 to 20, but objectively, Kamala Harris was the victor last night and largely because she was able to bait him repeatedly.
Given that, how does this impact the state of the race, a shortened race, we should note that?
SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, look, he did lose the debate. He's lost every debate he's ever been in, except for one, which
was the June debate against Biden.
But if you go back to 2016, he lost all three debates against Hillary, according to the polls. He lost both debates in 2020.
In 2016, which this race feels a little bit like that to me, it didn't keep him from winning the Electoral College.
So I guess I'm going to say that I agree with you that he didn't have a very good night, that she did meet the bar of plausibility. But at the same
time, it may not change the national dynamic. I think the race is basically tied.
And if they end up being 48, 48 or 49, 49, he's probably going to win the Electoral College.
I feel a little about this debate the way I felt about his convention speech. You know, here's an opportunity for you to do something. And he
just kind of missed the opportunity.
It's not fatal, but it's probably disappointing to some Republicans that he didn't rise to meet the moment. But it's really no great shock that he lost
the debate in a presidential campaign given that he's lost virtually every one that he's ever been in.
ASHER: Antjuan, let me bring you in because to Scott's point, it doesn't necessarily always matter how well you do in a first debate. You have to
sort of maintain the momentum.
It's no use of Kamala Harris peaks now and doesn't win the election come November 5th.
Just explain to us whether or not, you know, you think she did a good job in terms of distinguishing herself from President Biden and also how she
does maintain the momentum for the next 50 plus days.
ANTJUAN SEAWRIGHT, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I think she had a very healthy night. And every chance that she has is another opportunity to introduce
herself further to the American people.
Keep in mind, she came into this debate as the underdog. She came into this debate knowing that she was punching above her political weight, knowing
that Donald Trump is one of the most experienced, debaters, presidential debaters in American history. And she came into this with the expectation
that Donald Trump did not have. And we all know that.
But I think she exceeded expectations. I think she demonstrated her intellectual capacity. I also think she demonstrated her versatility. I
think she framed the narrative. She framed the election. She framed her opponent. And she framed the future of this country and what she would do
from a policy standpoint.
[12:20:09]
I disagree with Scott wholeheartedly about this idea of this does not change anything because had Kamala Harris not had a good night, it would
have changed everything for her.
Now, it may not change anything from a pure number standpoint, but certainly the name of the game in politics is surviving in advance. She
survived last night. She came out on top, $21 million plus raised.
But more importantly, she exposed Donald Trump for not being able to clearly articulate a policy position on key issues that matter to everyday
Americans, and that's what this race should be about, policy not personality.
GOLODRYGA: And, Scott, it's clear that where Kamala Harris had her strength last night was keeping Donald Trump through the most of the debate on the
defense and also coming across for the majority of the time as the candidate of change, despite the fact that she is in fact, the current vice
president.
There were just a few moments at the very end, perhaps where Donald Trump said what he should have said earlier, and that is what many Republicans
like yourself had been pushing for him to do, and that is focused on why none of the policies that she's now talking about was she really enforcing
in the three and a half years that she was part of the current administration.
But there was something that "The New York Times" noted that I think really stood out because that only was he on the defense, but they note that in
answer after answer, the former president reminded Americans of his role in so much of what many would rather forget. That is the pandemic, that's his
refusal to accept the 2020 election, and more obviously his role in appointing three judges, justices that would overturn Roe versus Wade.
How do you think he fell into that trap?
JENNINGS: Well, let me go back and analyze the debate in chunks. I think the first 15 minutes, which was largely about the economy, he actually won
that part of the debate. He was fine. She started off a little nervous and a little shaky.
And the snap poll that CNN did, even though she was judged to have won the debate, on the economy, the specific question of the economy, he actually
went up a couple of points and she went down a couple of points. So he may have scored a couple of points there under the radar.
But it was the immigration question that got him off track. He got baited on a taunt about his rallies.
And then as you pointed out, he took bait after bait after bait down the line. And that did not help him.
At the end, he made the correct case, which is you've been in for three and a half years, why haven't you done any of this already? But that was an
hour and 45 minutes later and should have permeated his entire strategy.
So, I -- you know, look, I have viewed his image as being immovable, nothing ever changes. He does something good, it doesn't change. He does
something bad, it doesn't change. She's got a more malleable image, people know her, but they don't know her.
I have anticipated she'll get a little image bump out of this, but whether that's enough to wash off her responsibility for the last three and a half
years is yet to be seen. She got a question about that on the economy and on immigration. She completely evaded those questions. She took no
responsibility for it.
And I think that's why in some of the post-debate focus groups, some of the undecided voters are saying, well, things were still better under Trump.
So, ultimately, we'll have to see if this was enough of a mover to move people off of him, despite the fact that he clearly wasn't as prepared as
she was for the engagement.
ASHER: Antjuan, to Scott's --
SEAWRIGHT: Scott --
ASHER: -- point, you know -- or you want to respond to what Scott said, Antjuan?
SEAWRIGHT: Yes. Scott, I think you probably missed the key moment in the debate where Donald Trump refused to answer the question when it came to
immigration. The moderator specifically asked, why did you kill legislation, bipartisan legislation that even some of the most extreme
conservatives in the Congress would agree as comprehensive and responsible? He did not answer the question, instead, he pivoted to red meat, right wing
rhetoric, speaking to an audience of his base.
And I think that was, quite frankly, the difference maker. He could not speak to one critical issue, whether it's healthcare, whether it was
immigration, whereas Kamala Harris was clearly about the idea that she would sign the bipartisan legislation that she and Joe Biden work with
Republicans to bring about in the United States Senate.
On the economy, I disagree with you about him winning the argument on the economy, because I think that Kamala Harris has a tremendous story to tell
on an economy that the United States, after a global pandemic, rolled back and landed softly more so than any other country in the world.
And we just saw the numbers today that inflation rates are down to the lowest they've been since February of 2021. You can't argue with 16 million
jobs created. You certainly cannot argue with the legislative success that even when Washington, D.C. Republicans voted no. They went back home in
their districts and took credit for the dome.
And so a bipartisan leader, a consensus bill, that's what we saw on that debate stage last night. And that's why most people viewed her as
presidential.
[12:25:59]
And one last point, Scott, keep in mind, for many Americans who are undecided, or that was their first introduction to Kamala Harris as
candidate for president of the United States as official nominee.
If that is the last debate, then hands down she's not only going to win the moment, she'll win the election.
ASHER: Scott, let me just ask you the last --
JENNINGS: Well, let me -- let me just respond to that because --
ASHER: Go ahead. Go ahead.
JENNINGS: -- I was -- Antjuan intimated I didn't watch the debate. Number one, I did watch the debate.
Number two --
SEAWRIGHT: I didn't say that.
JENNINGS: -- I watched the immigration exchange.
Number three -- number three, it started with a question, why did you wait until six months before you started proposing anything on immigration? She
completely evaded the question and pivoted to talking about his rallies on the economy.
If you want to run on the economy, if you want to run until everybody is fine, I welcome that strategy but she can't do it because it's the one
thing that has dragged her and Joe Biden down for three and a half years.
Now, she may ultimately win the election because people give her some dispensation because she wasn't the actual president, but this is the
debate, right? It's a change election. And do they think she will represent meaningful change from an administration that she has helped enact, you
know, an agenda that most people objectively are not happy with?
ASHER: Guys, we have to leave it there.
SEAWRIGHT: Well, that -- that's --
ASHER: Antjuan, I'm so sorry. Antjuan, Antjuan, we have to leave it there. I'm so sorry. We are out of time.
Scott Jennings, Antjuan Seawright.
GOLODRYGA: We'll have you back.
ASHER: We will have you back. Plenty more time until November 5th.
SEAWRIGHT: Thank you.
ASHER: Thank you both so much.
All right. Still to come, and a critical juncture in the war in Ukraine, Antony Blinken makes a stop in Kyiv. The request the Ukrainian officials
are making off the top U.S. diplomat, just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy are in Ukraine for a show of support for the country
at a key juncture in the war.
Blinken has said to be gathering information on how Ukraine's war plan would be affected if the U.S. decides to allow Ukraine to use American
long-range weapons for deeper strikes within Russia.
The Kremlin warns that its response would be, quote, appropriate should U.S. policy change.
CNN's Jennifer Hansler joins us from Washington with more.
And, Jennifer, this has been sort of a slow drip as we continue to ask the question here in the U.S. whether U.S. policy will indeed change. We've
seen some European allies be more open to that idea.
The U.S. is the largest provider though of aid and weaponry to Ukraine. So that would be the most significant development. How much closer is the
United States to approving that?
[12:30:07]
JENNIFER HANSLER, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT REPORTER: Well, Bianna and Zain, Blinken is there to get a sense of what the Ukrainian thinking is around
the use of these long-range weapons. This is an appeal that Zelenskyy and his government and officials have made over months and months urging the
U.S. to let them strike deep within Russia.
Now Blinken is there in a show of support, but he is also speaking with key Ukrainian leaders, including Zelenskyy himself, about their vision for the
battlefield moving forward. And whether these, in fact, would be decisive in that progress.
Now, to this point, U.S. officials have not indicated that they have plans to change those restrictions, to ease those restrictions. But pressure here
within the United States is building.
We saw Democratic Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Ben Cardin, come out with a statement just moments ago calling on the
administration to ease the restrictions in light of relentless attacks from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Now, U.S. officials have said they are concerned about the escalatory impact to that, using those weapons to strike within Russia, to strike at
targets close to Moscow could have.
We saw the Kremlin say that that could be an escalation, and they also don't know that this would be a decisive factor here.
Zain, Bianna?
GOLDORYGA: All right. It's still a symbolic moment to have the foreign secretary there, along with Antony Blinken.
Jennifer Hansler, thank you.
ASHER: All right. Still to come, first to handshake, then it was gloves off, as two presidential candidates sparred on the debate stage. We'll take
a look at their stance on the issue of reproductive rights when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: Welcome back to ONE WORLD. I'm Zain Asher.
GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. The two candidates also sparred last night over the very contentious issue of abortion and reproductive rights.
[12:35:04]
The vice president has long been one of the leading voices on the issue for the Biden administration.
ASHER: Trump leans into his key role in eliminating federal abortion rights by selecting the Supreme Court justices who have returned Roe v. Wade.
Listen to his heated exchange. Listen to this heated exchange, rather, between Harris and Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Every legal scholar, every Democrat, every Republican, liberal, conservative, they all wanted this issue to be brought back to the states.
I did a great service in doing it. It took courage to do it.
HARRIS: You want to talk about this is what people wanted? Pregnant women who want to carry a pregnancy to term suffering from a miscarriage being
denied care in an emergency room because the healthcare providers are afraid they might go to jail, and she's bleeding out in a car in the
parking lot. She didn't want that. Her husband didn't want that.
A 12 or 13-year-old survivor of incest being forced to carry a pregnancy to term. They don't want that.
What you are putting her through is unconscionable. It's insulting to the women of America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: All right. Time now for The Exchange.
Joining us live now is an advocate for reproductive rights, Alexis McGill Johnson. She's the President and CEO of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.
Alexis, thank you so much for being with us. When you think about President Biden, right, who was -- who is, I should say, a Catholic and also who has
very sort of complex mixed personal views on abortion himself, just walk us through how much more of an effective messenger was Kamala Harris last
night on the issue of reproductive rights in America.
ALEXIS MCGILL JOHNSON, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, PLANNED PARENTHOOD ACTION FUND: I mean, Vice President Harris gave a master class
last night in talking about abortion and the devastating impact that we have seen from Donald J. Trump's abortion bans and Donald Trump's Supreme
Court.
I thought that she was incredibly powerful as a storyteller and making it really plain to what Americans already know that they don't want abortion
bans. They don't want the government, politicians to be in the middle of their healthcare.
They believe that politicians are eminently less qualified than doctors and themselves. And I just thought she did a really, really beautiful job.
GOLODRYGA: And we should note that she is the first Vice President, I believe, to visit an abortion clinic as well, which is what she did last
year. It was notable that she was really able to go, the former president, on this issue on specifics, both Kamala Harris and the moderators.
Linsey Davis ultimately asking him whether he would ultimately veto a national abortion ban. And he evaded that question a number of times.
We also didn't hear specifics from Kamala Harris either, though, as to whether or not she would support what limitations she would support when it
came to abortion.
Do you think that was a missed opportunity on her part?
JOHNSON: I heard the vice president very clearly. She said that she would sign a bill that Congress -- when Congress passes a bill to protect and
restore reproductive freedom and to the protections of Roe. I think she was actually very, very clear about that.
And Donald Trump is -- has gotten all over the place, right? We know that Donald Trump, in power again, would enact a national abortion ban. He
doesn't need a Congress in order to do that. He can simply do that by executive action. And we know all of the people who are around him, this
personnel who would be advocating for that and pressuring him to do that.
I think that, you know, what the vice president did was very effective in bringing up Project 2025. Project 2025 written by Donald Trump's cronies
and knowing that that is an incredible danger that we have, not only to access to abortion, but contraception, IVF.
All of the things he claims to be a leader on, in fact, are really about harming women.
ASHER: Yes. As Bianna mentioned, Kamala Harris is the first elected official, highest ranking elected official to visit an abortion clinic.
And even though you point out how effective she was as a messenger last night, the proof is going to be in the pudding because there are around 10
states, I believe, that will vote on November 5th on abortion rights.
Just explain to us what you think the impact of last night. And also just Kamala Harris' messaging overall on the issue of abortion. What impact will
that have come November 5th on those 10 states do you think?
JOHNSON: Yes. In fact -- in fact, she actually visited a Planned Parenthood health center in Minnesota, where she had an opportunity to bond with
Governor Walz before he became her running mate, I might add.
Look, the effect of last night's debate, her clarity, her focus, her leadership on abortion rights came across so beautifully. It is energized,
continues to energize what we have seen on the ground in state after state where there is a ballot initiative. States like Arizona, states like
Nevada, Montana, Florida. States that have greater poll race as not just on abortion rights and codifying abortion rights, but also key Senate races,
key house races that will help her deliver the Congress she will need in order to -- in order to pass federal legislation.
[12:40:29]
So we see the energy going. You know, every time reproductive freedom has been on the ballot, we have won. And that is because it is actually not a
contentious issue in the United States.
The majority of Americans believe that they should be able to make fundamental healthcare decisions about their own bodies. They do not
believe that politicians are more qualified, at any point in pregnancy, than doctors or women.
And I think her message around trusting doctors and trusting women to make these decisions is really what is going to drive more energy for her.
GOLODRYGA: It's safe to say that the overturning of Roe really opened Pandora's Box to issues that go beyond just that of abortion. It's a now
contraception, right? It is IVF treatment. And this is something that expands concern among the electorate. It's not just a woman's reproductive
right, but it's also family-related issues, and family expansion that has drawn more concern among voters.
Do you think she did enough last night to raise those points that this is an issue that goes beyond just abortion?
JOHNSON: Well, I mean, of course it is. I mean, I think what we've seen, I think in the very stories that she -- that she told, she helped -- she
helped, I think, the broad movement. Those of us who have been advocating for decades, really tied together the fact that abortion bans have made
pregnancy more dangerous and that the opposition has spent so much time trying to claim that abortion is not healthcare, that it's not part of the
full spectrum of sexual and reproductive healthcare.
And I think in the way in which she used storytelling to push back on Donald Trump, right? In the clip that you showed, you know, she didn't want
that. Her husband didn't want that. Her family didn't want that. It really kind of brought home the horrors and the concerns of what we could see
under a second Trump administration.
ASHER: All right. Alexis McGill Johnson live for us. Thank you so much.
We'll be right back with more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:45:13]
ASHER: All right. President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are in Shanksville, Pennsylvania right now.
GOLODRYGA: They've just laid a wreath honoring the passengers and crew who died when hijacked United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into a field.
At 10:03 Eastern on September 11, 2001, a brave group on that plane fought the hijackers and brought down the plane.
Later, President Biden and Harris are expected to honor those who died when American Airlines Flight 77 hit the Pentagon.
ASHER: It was a somber yet powerful morning here in New York.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(BELL DINGS)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: That was the first of six moments of silence observed today marking 23 years since the September 11th terror attacks.
President Joe Biden, both presidential candidates and their running mates were present and displayed a moment of unity shaking hands.
ASHER: Then, as they do every year, the names of the nearly 3,000 lives lost that day were also read as their families and loved ones looked on.
Let's go live to our Brynn Gingras, who is in New York for us.
Brynn, I can't believe it has already been 23 days. Those of us who were here, I happen to be two blocks away from the Twin Towers. We live this
every single year and still reflect on the incredible loss and pain that this city in particular experienced, but also coupled with incredible
resilience and strength.
What are you saying there today?
BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely. And really what hammer's home and the point you just made there, Bianna, is the fact
when we're seeing all those people read the names of all of those lives lost on 9/11, 23 years ago today.
There were grandchildren. You know, we really haven't seen many grandchildren quite yet. That's how long it's been. That now the children
have had children who never met their grandparents. And that's something that really stuck out to me as I'm often here every year covering this.
But this is the time where, yes, these families reflect. They say put politics aside. This is a day to remember those lives lost, but also a day
to think about where we want to be as a country. Where have we been? Where are we going?
And that is something that many of these families we talked to today in an election year wanted to really stress.
One girl I talked to, she lost her father, a firefighter lieutenant at the firehouse, literally directly across the street from one of those towers.
She says she thinks about her father today, but then she immediately turns to 9/12, the day after, that day where you saw American flags everywhere in
this country.
People were coming together. They were praying together. They were hoping that we were going to see better days. And that's where she really reflects
on today and tomorrow.
So it's definitely a day that is somber, particularly during those moments of silence, but it's also a day that these families really, it seems, as
the years have ticked by, really want to stress unity and moving forward, and as a country as a whole and less divisiveness. That is certainly a
message that I've heard a lot today.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. Our unity that day really was a show of strength as a nation for the whole world.
Brynn Gingras, thank you so much. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:50:18]
ASHER: Wildfires in California are forcing people to flee from their homes as firefighters work on the ground and in the air to contain them.
GOLODRYGA: In Orange County, the airport fire has prompted mandatory evacuations for roughly 1,400 homes.
A fire official says the blaze was sparked accidentally from equipment being used to place barriers on the road. The fast-moving bridge fire
spread quickly Tuesday through a national forest in Los Angeles.
Cal Fire says the blaze is unfortunately zero percent contained at the moment.
ASHER: Yes. High winds and low humidity in the area are aiding in the spread of the fire. Forest officials say that several roads in the area are
closed.
GOLODRYGA: Meantime, you're looking at a satellite image of Hurricane Francine. The category one storm is tracking toward Louisiana and pushing
drenching rain over portions of the Gulf Coast.
ASHER: CNN's weather team says conditions are expected to deteriorate further over the next few hours.
Meteorologist Allison Chinchar has more for us.
ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's right, Zain and Bianna. This is still a high-end category one hurricane.
In the last few hours, we've really started to see a lot of those outer bands begin to spread inland, taking with them the very heavy rain
potential.
The system itself is expected to make landfall likely early this evening and then gradually slow down as it continues to make its way in towards
states like Alabama, Mississippi, and eventually into Tennessee.
Rainfall has already triggered a pretty significant amount over areas of Texas. Take Brownsville, Texas, for example. They've already had over seven
inches of rain.
To put that into perspective, that's more than they would normally see in the entire month of September. And they've had it in just the last 48
hours.
More rain is expected, especially along the Gulf Coast Region.
But even cities a little bit farther inland say Atlanta, Birmingham, and even Memphis expecting, maybe say as much as four to six inches of rain for
some of these communities. Another concern right along the Gulf Coast is going to be storm surge.
This area in red here just south of Morgan City, Louisiana looking at storm surge numbers around five to 10 feet.
Another concern with Francine is going to be the potential for severe thunderstorms. We're talking tornadoes, water spouts, and even damaging
winds and that stretches from the central coast of Louisiana all the way over through the panhandle of Florida.
Winds are gradually going to start to tick up as this storm begins to get closer. So especially along the coastline here, you're going to see those
numbers jumping 40, 50, 60 miles per hour. Some of them even getting all the way up around 80 to even 90 miles per hour once that storm finally
reaches landfall.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Well, known for his colorful commentary, the Daily Show's Jon Stewart went live after the debate between Vice President Kamala
Harris and former President Donald Trump.
ASHER: You know, watch as the talk show host breaks down what he considered to be the night's big moments.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JON STEWART, AMERICAN COMEDIAN: I just want to say after surviving the PTSD of the last presidential debate, how unbelievably refreshing it is to go
back to the same old, nobody's going to answer any (BLEEP) questions.
HARRIS: What you will also notice is that people start leaving his rallies early out of exhaustion and boredom.
(APPLAUSE)
STEWART: She has attacked what is Donald Trump's most cherished family member, his rally crowds.
(LAUGHS)
Donald, remember your training.
The question is about why you killed the bipartisan immigration bill. You don't need to think about the up.
TRUMP: First, let me respond this to the rallies.
MUIR: Please.
[12:55:00]
TRUMP: She said people start leaving. People don't go to her rallies.
STEWART: Son of a (BLEEP).
TRUMP: People don't leave my rallies. We have the biggest rallies, the most incredible rallies in the history of politics.
Our country is being lost. We're a failing nation. In Springfield, they're eating the dogs. The people that came in, they're eating the cats. They're
eating -- they're eating the pets of the people that live there.
(LAUGHS)
STEWART: What the (BLEEP) just happened?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: It's never a good sign when the Republican governor of Ohio had to issue a statement defending the city of Springfield.
ASHER: The facial expressions, though.
GOLODRYGA: Oh, boy. Jon Stewart nailed it.
ASHER: I'm just going to try to imitate, but I just said, you know, let me know. Let me know.
GOLODRYGA: That was funny.
That does it for this hour of ONE WORLD. Thanks so much for watching, I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: I'm Zain Asher. "AMANPOUR" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:00:00]
END
