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The Situation Room

Now, Harris Meeting With Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu; Source Says, Obama Expected To Endorse Harris Soon; Harris Speaks After Meeting With Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu; Jennifer Aniston Slams J.D. Vance's "Childless Cat Ladies" Comment; Netanyahu's White House Meeting Stirs Up New Protests; Prosecutors Say Evidence In Trump Hush Money Trial Is "Overwhelming," Conviction Should Stand. Aired 6- 7p ET

Aired July 25, 2024 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:00]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: Happening now, breaking news, Vice President Kamala Harris meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as she's weighing how her stance on the war in Gaza may change from President Biden's position. We expect Harris to give a readout on these talks at any moment.

Also tonight, Harris is on the brink of getting one of her most significant endorsements yet. Former President Barack Obama is expected to officially speak out in support of Harris' White House bid soon.

Plus, new backlash against Trump's running mate, Senator J.D. Vance, actress Jennifer Aniston slamming Vance's portrayal of Harris and other top Democrats as, quote, childless cat ladies.

Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. Wolf Blitzer is on assignment. I'm Pamela Brown and you're in The Situation Room.

And let's get right to the breaking news. Vice President Harris holding one on one talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

CNN's Kayla Tausche has more from the White House. Kayla, what do we know about this meeting?

KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Pam. At the beginning of the meeting, Vice President Harris smiled, signaling her support for a critical ally of the United States, but did not reveal where she stands on policy. We're expecting her to give a readout of this meeting, which is among the most critical for her as she begins the most consequential political period of her life four days into her campaign and sharpening her attacks on her opponent.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: We choose freedom. TAUSCHE (voice over): Kamala Harris ready to bring it on.

HARRIS: That's right, bring it on.

TAUSCHE: Rallying teachers and releasing her first campaign ad. Less than a week after Trump's call for unity, the gloves are off.

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I get a kick out of one thing, they say, sir, you just got hit with a bullet. Maybe he's changed. Be nice. And I'd love to be nice, but I'm dealing against real garbage.

TAUSCHE: And four days into her presidential campaign, Harris refining her case.

HARRIS: So, Project 2025 is a plan to return America to a dark past. Donald Trump and his extreme allies want to take our nation back to failed trickledown economic policies, back to union busting, back to tax breaks for billionaires. Trump and his allies want to cut Medicare and Social Security.

TAUSCHE: Harris sounding eager to confront Trump on the debate stage.

HARRIS: And I'll tell you, I'm ready to debate Donald Trump. I have agreed to the previously agreed upon September 10th debate. He agreed to that previously, now it appears he's backpedaling, but I'm ready.

TAUSCHE: Now, Harris faces her first foreign policy test since rising to the top of the ticket, meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as the U.S. tries to clinch a ceasefire deal, a position she was early to stake out.

HARRIS: So before I begin today, I must address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. What we are seeing every day in Gaza is devastating. And given the immense scale of suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate ceasefire.

TAUSCHE: On a private call Wednesday, sources tell CNN her campaign telling major donors her stance may differ from Biden's and it may take a few more days to figure that out.

On Capitol Hill this week, Netanyahu praising Trump before meeting him at Mar-a-Lago on Friday. Trump is also calling for a truce.

TRUMP: I want him to finish up and get it done quickly. You got to get it done quickly because they are getting decimated with this publicity. And, you know, Israel is not very good at public relations.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TAUSCHE (on camera): Of course, President Biden has also said that reaching a ceasefire deal is a top priority for him in his final six months in office. He too met with Prime Minister Netanyahu today, as well as with the families of the hostages still being held by Hamas.

[18:05:01] If Biden were to get a ceasefire deal while still in office, that would, of course, simplify the calculus for Harris as she tries to stake out her own position before this becomes an even bigger issue on the campaign trail. Pam?

BROWN: All right, Kayla Tausche, thank you so much for that.

And tonight, as Democrats close ranks around Vice President Harris, anticipation is building for one of the biggest names in the party to weigh in. That would be former President Barack Obama.

Let's go right to CNN's Jeff Zeleny. Jeff, I know you've been talking to your sources. What are you hearing about an Obama endorsement?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pamela, there's no mystery about whether former President Obama is going to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris. It's more of a matter of timing, I am told. He is going to endorse soon perhaps in the coming days. And, really, what this represents is just the final piece of the puzzle here and really an extraordinary turnaround for her candidacy. I mean, there were questions just a few days ago about an open convention. Of course, that did not come to pass.

But this endorsement, I'm told, is likely going to be something between the two of them. They will appear on the campaign trail at some point down the road. He, of course, has always campaigned with Democratic candidates, but it could also be used as a fundraising mechanism.

Now, they have a long history. I recall thinking way back to when she supported his 2008 presidential campaign, when his bid was a long shot, without a doubt. So, since she has jumped into this race, I'm told they've had several conversations. He sees himself as a sounding board to her, as he does to many other Democratic candidates, and simply does not want to sort of get in the way of this, certainly in the way of President Biden's message last night or this foreign policy meeting today. But the endorsement will be coming at some point.

And the bigger question is, will it matter? Certainly, he's a huge fundraising draw, there's no doubt, but it's been more than a decade since he has been elected. So, he certainly has also navigated some of these foreign policy crosscurrents that Democrats are currently running for office have. But it's an endorsement that everyone would like to have. Again, not a matter of if it's coming, it's a matter of just, I'm told, the timing of when, Pamela.

BROWN: All right. Jeff Zeleny, thank you so much.

Let's break all of this down with our political experts. Ashley Etienne, I want to go to you first because you actually worked for former President Obama, obviously, and Harris as well. We should note that as well. So, you have a really unique perspective on all of this.

Look, former President Obama's endorsement carries a lot of weight. And yet he still has not come out to throw his support behind Harris. As we heard Jeff say, it's not a matter of if, but when. But how do you explain the weight here?

ASHLEY ETIENNE, FORMER SENIOR ADVISER TO PRESIDENT BIDEN: Well, I think only Barack Obama can explain that, but, you know, I was thinking when I saw this, I was perplexed by it as well. And I was like, well, maybe he's using my strategy. I like to show up to a party late so that all eyes are on me when I walk through the door.

But I agree with Jeff. I mean, there's questions about why does it matter and then does it even matter anymore. But where I think it does matter is I'm curious what he's going to say. It's less that he endorses her because we know the endorsement is going to come, but I would love to see him put some more meat on the bones about why she's the right leader at this moment.

He's got an opportunity where he can bolster her, not just domestically, but internationally, on the national, on the global stage. I mean, he was the former president. So, this is an opportunity for him to go even further than what other elected officials have said about why she's the right person for this moment.

BROWN: But it's interesting, just to follow up with you, given your perspective, he's kind of sent different signals along the way. And even when he initially released his statement after Biden stepped aside. He called for an open process. What do people in the Democratic circles make of how he's handled this?

ETIENNE: Well, I mean, some are saying that he's been all over the map on this and others have even described it as a complete and total disaster. I think no one can sort of make sense of where he is and why he is where he is, especially given that so many leaders in the party. And it's just overwhelming support for her. There's no question about it, right, at this point. And, you know, President Biden delivered his Oval Office address yesterday, so what's the holdup?

So, I woke up this morning, saw that story. My inbox was flooded with questions. How do we explain this? No one has the answer.

BROWN: Like you said, only Obama can say it. And the question is, Eva, is the will his support, his endorsement that we're expecting, will that translate into votes? I mean, with Hillary Clinton in 2016, obviously, all the support that he was trying to garner for her didn't help her win, right? So, what do you think?

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: I think it's going to be important for a few reasons. Obviously, Barack Obama was the first black president. And there are some black voters who still have deep anxiety about white American support for Vice President Harris. You know, quietly, off camera, when I speak to black voters, they will say, but do you think that white voters will support her? And so I think that he can speak to that in a real way.

I also think it's important in terms of momentum and fundraising, right? Vice President Harris is enjoying a burst of enthusiasm right now. It's going to be hard to sustain that over the coming weeks.

[18:10:01] I've seen Barack Obama, one of the most popular Democrats in this country, on the campaign trail, especially during the midterms with Senator Warnock in Georgia. And he is a really effective communicator and is really good at helping candidates sustain that momentum. So, I think it will be an important endorsement for a variety of reasons.

BROWN: So to follow up with you on that, how does she get the Obama coalition to kind of work for her in this short time span that she has?

MCKEND: She's working on it. And I think it will be a difficult balance but you already see on the ground just a lot of excitement among black voters, among young voters, Latino voters, all showing up to her events in Milwaukee. She's also has this relationship with the Divine Nine. And we know that the black sorority and fraternity network in this country is so vital in terms of organizing and even physically making sure the voters get to the polls. And she is unique in being able to tap into that network.

BROWN: So, you just heard Eva talk about all the energy right now for Harris. And Obama would step up the energy as well, the Democratic ticket, right? But you have to wonder, could it also equally rile up Republican voters?

CHARLIE DENT, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes. I actually think that Barack Obama is doing what he's doing because he doesn't want to be seen as putting his hand too heavily on the scale, that, in other words, she's gotten a lot of organic support from a lot of Democratic officials in rank and file, and she got this maybe on her own. It wasn't Barack Obama who put his hand on her shoulder and said, you're the one. So, he comes out after the fact. And, and I think that gives him a little bit of a distance. I think that's probably a smart thing. But you know, but she has certainly provided a jolt of energy, enthusiasm, and money. And I agree it'll be hard to sustain.

But, you know, Republicans right now, they don't want to be running against Kamala Harris. They want to be running against Joe Biden. They thought they had this thing won. That's why they appointed -- that's why they selected J.D. Vance, thinking that he had it won, he could double down on MAGA, his legacy now. The whole campaign has been reset in a way where, you know, she's going to be able to appeal to women, the fitness question all of a sudden now is back on Trump, it's not on the Democrats, and so it's a different game now.

BROWN: Yes. And you're seeing the difference in the game in the polls, right? You're seeing the numbers move. You have This New York Times/Siena poll just released today showing Harris is standing with young voters, surging to 56 percent, now overtaking Trump, who was, who has 38 percent support.

I wonder, Alayna, to bring you in, talking to your Trump sources, do these kinds of numbers worry them? I mean, they have been trying to reach them.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Yes. And to Eva's point, I actually think she made a great point about this honeymoon phase that Harris is in. That's what -- when I talk to Trump's advisers about this, they say, of course, she's going to see this little boost in the short-term. I know that his pollster, Tony Fabrizio, made that comment as well.

But behind the scenes, of course there's concern. And to Charlie's point as well, they had spent over a year trying on modeling millions of dollars on data, on advertising. Their entire campaign playbook was designed to go after an unpopular 81-year-old man. Now, there's so much uncertainty about what it means to have someone like Harris on the ticket.

And when it comes to Hispanic voters, black voters, those are the exact type of voters and the demographics that Donald Trump was going so hard after, that he thought he could make inroads with, and really where he thought that the race in November could be won on the margins. And so all of that is changing now, of course, with Harris as the likely Democratic nominee.

BROWN: I think we can put those poll numbers on the screen right here. And this poll, Harris is doing better than Biden with Hispanic voters and about the same with black voters. But, Ashley, do you think she needs to widen the margins and how would she do it?

ETIENNE: Well, let me just take a step back if you don't mind. So, Joe Biden built on the coalition that Barack Obama built. Kamala Harris is outperforming Joe Biden with that coalition. So, she's already in a stronger position than Joe -- than Barack Obama was. She's already expanding the map. Now, they've got internal polls that show she's 21 points ahead of Donald Trump with women, 25 points with young voters. So, she's in a strong position.

And I would push back on Republicans. There's no small bump, honeymoon, about $125 million in a matter of days, 100,000 volunteers in a matter of days. Let's not insult the woman. That's not a small bump. We've never seen this level of momentum in American politics ever. I was on the Obama campaign, and we thought that the country was on fire for him. They are on fire for Kamala Harris in ways that we've not seen. And we have to be fair to her.

So, she's building and expanding the base that Biden has grown. If you just refer to this New York Times poll, she's again in a stronger position and has made up the ground that he had lost against Donald Trump. So, this is now a fight. And she's again in the strong position because the money's in her case and is working to her favor.

The grassroots is working to her favor and she's got all the issues working to her advantage, women, abortion, democracy, freedom.

[18:15:04]

That's now her theme. All of those things are working to our advantage, especially when it comes to that 1 to 2 percent that's going to make the difference in the next election.

BROWN: All right. Thank you all so much. I appreciate it. Just had more insight into the presidential race with influential members of both parties. We have Democratic Congressman Jason Crow and Republican Governor Chris Sununu both joining us live this hour.

Plus, Actress Jennifer Aniston takes on Trump running mate J.D. Vance over his depiction of Vice President Harris as a childless cat lady.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: I told him that I will always ensure that Israel is able to defend itself, including from Iran and Iran-backed militias, such as Hamas and Hezbollah.

From when I was a young girl collecting funds to plant trees for Israel, to my time in the United States Senate and now at the White House, I have had an unwavering commitment to the existence of the state of Israel, to its security, and to the people of Israel.

[18:20:12]

I've said it many times, but it bears repeating. Israel has a right to defend itself and how it does so matters.

Hamas is a brutal terrorist organization. On October 7th, Hamas triggered this war when it massacred 1,200 innocent people, including 44 Americans. Hamas has committed horrific acts of sexual violence and took 250 hostages. There are American citizens who remain captive in Gaza. Sagi Deko Hen (ph), Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Edan Alexander, Keith Siegel, Omer Neutra, and the remains of American citizens Judy Weinstein, Gadi Haggai, and Itay Hen are still being held in Gaza.

I have met with the families of these American hostages multiple times now, and I've told them each time they're not alone. And I stand with them, and President Biden and I are working every day to bring them home. I also expressed with the Prime Minister my serious concern about the scale of human suffering in Gaza, including the death of far too many innocent civilians. And I made clear my serious concern about the dire humanitarian situation there, with over 2 million people facing high levels of food insecurity and half a million people facing catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity.

What has happened in Gaza over the past nine months is devastating, the images of dead children and desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety, sometimes displaced for the second, third or fourth time. We cannot look away in the face of these tragedies. We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering and I will not be silent.

Thanks to the leadership of our president, Joe Biden, there is a deal on the table for a ceasefire and a hostage deal. And it is important that we recall what the deal involves. The first phase of the deal would bring about a full ceasefire, including a withdrawal of the Israeli military from population centers in Gaza. In the second phase, the Israeli military with withdraw from Gaza entirely, and it would lead to a permanent end to the hostilities.

It is time for this war to end and end in a way where Israel is secure, all the hostages are released, the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza ends and the Palestinian people can exercise their right to freedom, dignity and self-determination. There has been hopeful movement in the talks to secure an agreement on this deal. And as I just told Prime Minister Netanyahu, it is time to get this deal done.

So, to everyone who has been calling for a ceasefire and to everyone who yearns for peace, I see you and I hear you. Let's get the deal done so we can get a ceasefire to end the war. Let's bring the hostages home and let's provide much needed relief to the Palestinian people.

And, ultimately, I remain committed to a path forward that can lead to a two-state solution. And I know right now it is hard to conceive of that prospect, but a two-state solution is the only path that ensures Israel remains a secure Jewish and democratic state and one that ensures Palestinians can finally realize the freedom, security and prosperity that they rightly deserve.

And I will close with this then. It is important for the American people to remember the war in Gaza is not a binary issue. However, too often, the conversation is binary, when the reality is anything but. So, I ask my fellow Americans to help encourage efforts to acknowledge the complexity, the nuance, and the history of the region.

[18:25:05]

Let us all condemn terrorism and violence. Let us all do what we can to prevent the suffering of innocent civilians. And let us condemn anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and hate of any kind. And let us work to unite our country. I thank you.

BROWN: All right. There you heard Vice President Harris as well as Presidential Candidate Harris as of this week talking after meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, saying Israel has a right to defend itself, but we cannot allow ourselves to be numb to the suffering in Gaza. She said, it is time for the war to end and she conveyed that to Benjamin Netanyahu as well.

Let's bring in Kayla Tausche from the White House. Kayla, some strong words there from the vice president after her meeting, and it obviously is coming at an interesting political moment for her as well.

TAUSCHE: Pam, it's been the clearest distillation yet that we've seen of Vice President Harris' own belief and views on this situation. And I think there's one line in particular that sums it up best, and that is toward the top when she said, Israel has a right to defend itself and how it does so matters. She's speaking to those who want to see Israel defend itself and want this war to end, and also those who want to seek peace.

And she says, in no uncertain terms, I hear you and I see you to those on all sides of this argument and this debate that has inflamed divisions in this country as well as around the world. These are the most forceful words and perhaps the clearest position that's been laid out on this situation from this administration so far and certainly from the vice president herself.

And it's worth noting that, because in listening to some of her comments up until this point, aides of hers, administration officials and those who know her very well have noted that, substantively, she's not different from President Biden on this topic, but tonally, rhetorically, she is, that she has a tendency to speak more forcefully on these issues that at times has raised eyebrows inside the White House, but then when you look at the substance of the remarks, they're actually not that different.

She is now at a crossroads where she has to decide what her nuance is on this issue, whether she wants to break from Biden's position or whether she wants to stay the course with what the administration has laid out fulsomely so far. This appearance tonight appears to be her saying this is where I'm going to be on this matter, that Israel has a right to defend itself, and how it does so matters, and that for people on all sides of this debate that she hears them and she sees them. Pam?

BROWN: All right. Kayla Tausche, thank you so much.

And for more reaction to Vice President Harris' comments, I want to bring in Democratic Congressman Jason Crow of Colorado. First off, what is your reaction to what we just heard from Harris?

REP. JASON CROW (D-CO): Well, I agree with your colleague that the line that we support Israel, but how it does so matter. That is a key element to this, that we can both stand with Israel and help it defend itself, but it has to do so consistent with its values, that the level of civilian casualties have been unacceptable and untenable, and the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is also not aligned with our values and our interests.

And then, finally, her calling on the American people to embrace the complexity of the situation and the history here is also really important. You know, we have to be able to have that confidence to have that conversation.

BROWN: Was this a stronger stance on Palestinians suffering in Gaza than we have heard from President Biden in almost ten months of this war, in your view?

CROW: Now, I wouldn't compare it to President Biden. President Biden has handled this in a very complicated and a very strong way, but she's clearly articulating her views on this and saying that we need to have a conversation going forward about the complexity by calling on the release of the hostages, saying that we have to find a path forward to peace. This conflict has evolved and has evolved from day one to day, you know, 270 now at this point. We have to make sure that we're evolving and our conversation along the lines.

BROWN: Earlier this week, her campaign said that was still defining her stance over the war. You heard Harris say how Israel prosecutes this war matters. You just talked about that. Does that signal to you that she could substantially change her policy toward Israel compared Biden, using more leverage against Netanyahu's government, especially considering she's now a presidential candidate?

CROW: I think what it means is that she is going to continue to adapt as the circumstances change, right? [18:30:00]

What I learned in war, I served as an Army ranger in Iraq and Afghanistan, is that day one is different from day 90 and different from day 180. Wars and conditions change. And as a leader, you have to have the ability to be able to adapt to those changing conditions. So, she very clearly conveyed a desire to actually understand what's going on and to adapt as necessary going forward, and to embrace again that complexity of the situation here, that we can hold several truths at the same time, that one of these truths is we will stand by and defend the state of Israel, at the same time, it has to do so consistent with our interests and our values and the values of the American people.

BROWN: But how does she do that when you have a very defiant Netanyahu, who just spoke to Congress, digging in his heels with this war?

CROW: Well, I've long said you do that by making sure the United States is in a position of strength, right, that we have to support our partners and allies, but we will always support our partners and allies in every instance, whether you're talking about NATO or Ukraine or our allies in the Indo-Pacific region or Israel. We always do that consistent with the interests of the American people, our national security, our foreign policy, our economic interests. And we have to make sure that we convey that very strongly and very firmly and very consistently to our allies.

BROWN: All right. Congressman Jason Crow, thank you.

And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:35:57]

BROWN: Breaking news, we just heard from Vice President Kamala Harris after her meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a major test for her and her brand new presidential campaign.

Joining us now, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu. It is striking, Governor, to see a vice president come out and give a speech like that after meeting with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Clearly, this seems to be strategic on the White House part given the fact that Kamala Harris is now a presidential candidate as of this week. What did you make of Harris' statement and do you see this as a significant change from President Biden?

GOV. CHRIS SUNUNU (R-NH): Well, look, I thought the statement was strong. I'll give her credit for a strong statement, but like anything, it has to be backed up by action, action both overseas in terms of, you know, actually getting some results over there, but also here locally, domestically. We see these protesters, these riots happening right outside the Capitol, you know, defamation and, and damaging of, of government buildings and such. And so what is she going to do? That's the progressive left. Those are the Democrat voters. Where's -- not just a statement, but where's the action there to get that, that sort of thing under control?

So, like anything, like in government, you can't just Washington it, where you talk a good game and not do anything. This is really, really serious stuff. I'm reminded of, you know, the big humanitarian effort that this administration was going to bring. They spent hundreds of millions of dollars building a pier that broke within a couple of weeks, and we haven't been able to get the humanitarian aid in like we originally planned. So, it's just all got to be about the results and the action following the words.

BROWN: I want to talk about Nikki Haley who you strongly supported in the Republican primaries. She spoke to my colleague, Jake Tapper, about the Republican attacks on Harris, her race, and her gender. Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: One of the things that Republican congressional leaders have had to tell their members is to not attack her on the basis of her gender or her race, to go after her on policy issues, as you just did. We've heard members of Congress call her a DEI hire, suggesting that, you know, she's an affirmative action pick. How do you respond to that?

NIKKI HALEY, FORMER REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's not helpful. It's not helpful. Look, I mean, we're talking about a liberal senator who literally has not accomplished very much. And what she was given, she didn't do much with. You don't need to talk about what she looks like or what gender she is to talk about that. The American people are smarter than that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Well, in his first rally since Harris entered the race, Trump called Harris a lunatic, mispronounced her name, said she was a new victim to take out. I mean, you heard Nikki Haley there saying those attacks aren't helpful. Are they going to put off swing voters who Republicans need to win over?

SUNUNU: Well, Nikki is 100 percent right because there is so much, if you will, ammunition. If you want to attack Vice President Harris, there's on policy, on her lack of doing anything, her lack of action, her administration's, you know, basically ignoring the border crisis, doing nothing on the inflation issues, the costs that are just driving, you know, families through the roof. There's so much there to go after.

I think Nick is 100 percent right that personal attacks on race or, you know, her being a woman or any of that stuff is completely unnecessary and it doesn't move a single voter. In fact, it can turn some of the folks that were with you away.

So, again, just stick to what you got. You got a great game plan here. Stick to the issues. Stick to policy. The Republicans can win very strongly on it. She is literally, by third party estimates and rankings, the most liberal senator in the Senate when she was there. So, therefore, you're going to get the most liberal policies of anybody in history.

So, there's plenty there to get the American public to, to take a pause and say, look, we, we need somebody to break through that establishment Washington rhetoric and actually bring some change to D.C.

BROWN: But when you take a step back and you look at the landscape, and when you mentioned the border, the border crossing numbers are actually going down right now, the economic news actually is better than expected.

[18:40:00]

How much more competitive is this election now with Harris apparently leaving the Democratic ticket, especially depending on who she picks as her V.P?

SUNUNU: Well, let's talk about those issues. So, the border, the illegal border crossings tripled or almost quadrupled under this administration before going down 40 percent. The economic crisis, that's what people are most frustrated with. Because the administration says the economy is strong, but people have record amounts of credit card debt, they can't pay the rent, they can't pay the bills. They're literally getting gaslighted by her administration saying the economy is fine. All that anxiety that you're feeling because you can't pay your bills, that must not be real. People get frustrated with that because it shows there's no connection there.

So, when you talk to people --

BROWN: So, how much more competitive is this race now with Harris now that Biden has stepped aside?

SUNUNU: Oh, it's a coin toss. It's an absolute coin toss. She's going to get a six to eight-point bump in most of the swing states. That's going to bring her competitive or even leading in some of the swing states over the next month. The first polls that will matter will be the Wednesday after Labor Day, right, because the Democrats are going to get a big unity, a lot of positivity through their convention. The American public is going to digest it a little bit through the summer, talk to their friends and family over Labor Day weekend, have a cheeseburger and a beer, talking about where they're going to go. And around that Wednesday, I think you're going to see the first real numbers where people have really made a good assessment about these two candidates and where it's going to go.

BROWN: All right. Governor Chris Sununu, thank you so much.

SUNUNU: You bet.

BROWN: Coming up, more on those 2021 comments from J.D. Vance that are now lighting up social media with the name everyone knows now weighing in on a deeply personal level.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:45:48]

BROWN: We're getting more reaction as one of Hollywood's biggest names is going after Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance. CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister reports on the growing backlash over some of Vance's past comments.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Actress Jennifer Aniston becoming one of the latest to criticize Republican VP nominee J.D. Vance for his resurface comments he made about people without children.

SEN. J.D. VANCE (R-OH), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're effectively run in this country via the Democrats, via our corporate oligarchs by a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own but lives and the choices that they've made. And so they want to make the rest of the country miserable, too.

WAGMEISTER: Wednesday, Aniston sharing Vance's 2021 Fox News appearance on her Instagram story, writing, quote, I truly can't believe this is coming from a potential VP of the United States. In the post, she went on to call out Vance's stance in favor of restricting reproductive rights.

That post coming almost two years after Aniston made rare public comments about her fertility journey and an "Allure" cover story saying, quote, I was trying to get pregnant. It was a challenging road for me the baby-making road, I was going through IVF, drinking Chinese teas, you name it.

The most famous and proud, childless cat lady Taylor Swift has yet to give any presidential endorsement, but many of her fans have taken hold of Vance's comments. Swifties flooding social media in an uproar.

In that same interview, Vance also called out Vice President Kamala Harris and other Democrats.

VANCE: It's just a basic fact, you look at Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, AOC, the entire future of the Democrats is controlled by people without children.

WAGMEISTER: Harris became a stepmother to Cole and Ella Emhoff in 2014 when she married second gentleman, Doug Emhoff. She spoke about her love for them to CNN in 2019.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Now, you are a mom, a stepmom.

HARRIS: Yes, I am.

TAPPER: They call you Momala?

HARRIS: Momala.

TAPPER: You wrote an essay about this --

HARRIS: Yes, yes.

TAPPER: -- talking about your step -- your stepchildren.

HARRIS: Yes, I love those kids.

WAGMEISTER: Emhoff's ex-wife, the biological mother to Ella and Cole, calling the attacks against Harris baseless, telling CNN, for over 10 years since Cole and Ela were teenagers, Kamala has been a co-parent with Doug and I.

She is loving, nurturing, fiercely protective and always present. I love our blended family.

And Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is also defending his family.

PETE BUTTIGIEG, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: The really sad thing is he said that after Chasten and I had been through fairly heartbreaking setback in our adoption journey. He couldn't have known that, but maybe that's why you shouldn't be talking about other people's children.

WAGMEISTER: Buttigieg and his husband adopted two babies in 2021 after struggling with adoption for a year.

Vance has also received some support for his comments.

Former Arizona GOP senatorial candidate Blake Masters posting on X: Political leaders should have children. Certainly, they should at least be married.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WAGMEISTER (on camera): Now, we, have reached out to the Vance campaign and they provided us with a statement from his sister. She says, quote, J.D. was raised by some of the strongest women I know and went on to marry an incredibly strong women in Usha. J.D. is a testament to the women in his life in the attacks from the media and the Democrats that assume anything otherwise is vile -- Pam.

BROWN: All right. Elizabeth Wagmeister, thank you so much.

And just ahead, another day of protests right here in Washington, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits the White House.

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[18:53:37]

BROWN: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington is stirring up more protests tonight after a meeting at the White House with President Biden.

Brian Todd is on the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tonight, more protests against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the war in Gaza, this time near the White House --

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Welcome back, Mr. Prime Minister --

TODD: -- where he met separately with President Joe Biden and Vice President kamala Harris -- chanting, marching, even pouring fake blood on the street.

This after Wednesday's protests here in Washington over Netanyahu's address to a joint meeting of Congress. One protests turning violent at Union Station protesters defacing public spaces with graffiti. One sign reading, Hamas is common, praising the terror organization.

Protesters also burned American flags. They scuffled with police.

At least one protester there was seen with Hamas garb and a Hamas flag.

The protesters we spoke to on Thursday distancing themselves from the vandalism, ideology and the violence.

HAZAMI BARMADA, PROTEST ORGANIZER: There are thousands of people protesting in the streets. To take one example of a handful of people that did something and to try to paint all protesters as that, it's very dangerous for us to start to lump people into these labels of violence and danger.

TODD: Republicans and Democrats alike condemning the violence.

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Just disgusted by what happened here earlier today. They quite literally are champion the cause of Hamas, which is a terrorist organization.

[18:55:03]

TODD: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told CNN, quote, the protests at Union Station were vile, offensive, wrong.

President Biden and Vice President Harris both issuing statements echoing the outrage.

Netanyahu in his address to Congress using extreme as protesters to broadly discredit critics of the war in Gaza.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Many anti-Israel protesters -- many choose to stand with evil. They stand with Hamas. They stand with rapists and murderers. You have officially become Iran's useful idiots.

TODD: But many protesters say they want the focus to be on Netanyahu's record.

KALEEM HAWA, PALESTINIAN YOUTH MOVEMENT: Benjamin Netanyahu, a war criminal who has presided over more than nine months of genocide in Gaza, obliterated every red line in international humanitarian law and otherwise, with the targeting of schools, civilian tent camps, and hospitals.

TODD: Pro-Palestinians trying to get their message heard despite the controversy over extreme protests.

BARMADA: We're protesting to an arms embargo in Israel, to an end of the normalization of state-sponsored violence, to an end of the atrocities and end of the occupation and an end of apartheid.

TODD: Pro-Israel counter-protesters on Thursday focusing on what started the latest round of fighting, the Hamas attack on Israeli civilians.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The horrible atrocities that Hamas committed on October 7, they can't say anything about it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (on camera): Many of the protesters we spoke to are skeptical of the claims by U.S. and Israeli officials that a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas is close at hand. Some of the protest organizers have told us but even if a ceasefire deal is reached, they plan to continue their protest movement for Palestinian rights after that, Pamela.

BROWN: All right. Brian Todd, thank you so much.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Tonight, New York prosecutors are pushing back on Donald Trump's move to get his hush money conviction thrown out.

CNN's Kara Scannell is on the story for us.

So, Kara, this all stem from the Supreme Courts decision on former President Trump and immunity, right?

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, that's right, Pam.

And the key part of that that Trumps team has homed in on is the part where the court said that prosecutors can't use evidence of official acts at trial. That's how they're trying to get this conviction thrown out.

The prosecutors say that this case about hush money payments and a cover up was about personal acts, not official acts. So the Supreme Court's ruling shouldn't apply. They also say that if there was any error here, it was harmless, writing, for all the pages that defendant devotes to his current motion, the evidence that he claims is affected by the Supreme Court's ruling constitutes only a sliver of the mountains of testimony and documentary proof that the jury considered in finding him guilty of all 34 felony charges beyond a reasonable doubt. Under these circumstances, there is no basis for disturbing the jury's

verdict and defendant's motion should be denied.

Now, Trump's lawyers have asked the judge for permission to reply to this. The judge has said that he would make this decision on this ruling by September 6, remains unclear if that will stick -- Pam.

BROWN: All right. Kara Scannell, thank you so much.

I'm Pamela Brown in THE SITUATION ROOM. I'll be back here with you tomorrow.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now. Have a great night.