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The Lead with Jake Tapper

CNN Poll: 39 Percent Of Americans Worry They Can't Pay Bills; Rep. Adam Smith, (D-WA), Is Interviewed About Biden-Harris Administration; Harris Holds First Presidential Campaign Rally; Analyzing Harris Political Career Amid Her Presidential Run; Trump Amplifies Divisive Online Posts A Week After Unity Push; Trump Amplifies Divisive Online Posts A Week After Unity Push; Donald Trump Jr. Set To Appear At Event Alongside Candace Owens; Trump Claims He Will End War In Ukraine, "Prevent WWII. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired July 23, 2024 - 17:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:00:49]

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper.

This hour, a shocking revelation about the murder of Sonya Massey, the black woman killed by sheriff's deputies in Illinois after she called 911 to her home for help. Today, her family says new body camera video seen around the world does not show what they had been led to believe about the shooting. We're going to delve inside the investigation.

Plus, what happened to all that talk of unity from Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention and beyond? Changed man, all that? New signs today that those days are long gone, if they ever existed at all.

And leading this hour, two very different scenes today for the Biden- Harris administration. On one side, there's Biden returning to Washington, D.C. this afternoon as a lame duck president. On the other side, his vice president, Kamala Harris is holding her very first campaign rally as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. CNN's MJ Lee is at the White House.

And MJ, what are we hearing from both President Biden and Vice President Harris today?

MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jake, there has been such a seismic shift in the political landscape overnight. And we saw that really on vivid display this afternoon. President Biden returning to the White House for the first time in just over a week after having isolated, recovering from COVID in Delaware. And he made that decision to drop out of the 2024 race, of course, while he was in isolation, has had no public engagements or speeches since. And that all is going to change tomorrow evening when he delivers an Oval Office address to the nation.

This is going to be, we expect, the first sort of fulsome explanation of that painful decision from the president to abandon his bid for the 2024 second term and also where he will likely talk about his accomplishments and paint a vision for the future, including the six months that he now has left in his first term in the White House.

But speaking of the future, the president is, of course, now also trying to pass the presidential torch to his vice president, Kamala Harris. We saw her hitting the ground in really every way possible, winning the wide support of Democratic elected officials, winning the support of donors, whether it is grassroots and big check donors and energizing the party in a moment when the party had been so deflated. And at her first campaign rally as a presidential candidate this cycle in Milwaukee this afternoon, we saw the vice president, just like the president had been doing for a number of months now, drawing that contrast between herself and former President Donald Trump. But that contrast was very much her own as she drew on her prosecutorial background to make that case. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Before I was elected vice president, before I was elected United States senator, I was elected attorney general of the state of California. And I was a courtroom prosecutor before then. And in those roles, I took on perpetrators of all kinds, predators who abused women, fraudsters who ripped off consumers, cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain. So hear me when I say I know Donald Trump's type.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEE: Look, I wasn't inside that room, but Jake, I think for anybody watching that, you could tell that the room was incredibly energized. And having watched a lot of Biden campaign speeches over the last few months, the delivery of that speech really could not have been more different. And I think given that the Democratic Party has been in such a state of chaos and panic over the last few weeks, it is becoming abundantly clear that the president dropping out of the 2024 race really was a change the party very badly needed. Jake.

TAPPER: All right, MJ Lee, thanks so much.

Let's discuss this all with Democratic Congressman Adam Smith of Washington State, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee. He was on our show back on July 8, one of the first to publicly call for President Biden to drop out of the race.

Congressman, thanks for joining us. A new CNN poll shows that 39 percent of American adults, nearly four in ten, regularly worry that they will not have enough income to cover their bills. Now, that is up from 28 percent in December 2021. And this is all happening under the Biden-Harris administration. How can Vice President Harris make the case that she can improve Americans livelihoods given that she's been part of the Biden administration, which, you know, is not particularly popular right now?

[17:05:24]

REP. ADAM SMITH (D-WA): Yes. Well, I think, first of all, it's completely wrong to blame those economic circumstances entirely on the Biden administration. We have seen many improvements coming out of COVID. We have seen the passage of the infrastructure bill. We have seen unemployment stay low. We've seen inflation come down recently.

Look, coming out of COVID wasn't going to be easy. We passed some bills to help people survive and get through that. That worked. Now you see inflation coming down.

And look, the economic plan for the future is a great contrast with Donald Trump. He wants to cut taxes for the rich and the biggest corporations out there while raising tariffs to drive up costs on working families. We want to go back to do the Build Back Better Plan that will raise taxes on the people who have benefited most from the economy to fund programs that help the working class, early childhood education, family care, health care, childcare, that's the word I was looking for, to fund those things that are going to help families be able to make it. So I think the contrast of the plans for the future show that we're going to help working people. Donald Trump's just going to keep helping the rich who have already done just fine.

TAPPER: In the last 48 hours, it's been remarkable. We've seen Democratic delegates and Democratic lawmakers such as yourself quickly rallying around Vice President Harris for the nomination. Even though there were several other candidates that I'm sure would have wanted to get into the race, they quickly endorsed her as well. What are you hearing from your constituents about this? Is anyone concerned that there was no primary process, caucus process, allowing voters themselves to have a say on the new Democratic nominee?

SMITH: What I'm hearing from my constituents and the Democratic grassroots is enthusiasm, excitement for Kamala Harris. The reason we rallied around her is because she is clearly the strongest candidate. She has the experience as a prosecutor, attorney general, senator, vice president, and she has also become such a compelling speaker on choice, reproductive health, national security, and a host of issues.

So what you're hearing is, and you've seen it. I mean, I've never seen anything like it. I mean, I was an early supporter of Barack Obama. There was incredible enthusiasm for his campaign. This goes way beyond that. So what I'm hearing and seeing is an unbelievable amount of enthusiasm for Kamala Harris as our nominee.

TAPPER: How will the Democratic Party defend the decision to not have at least some sort of brief truncated primary process if Donald Trump ends up winning?

SMITH: Well, I mean, look, we are worried about running the campaign. We're not worried about defending a process. What we're worried about is focusing on the policy issues that you raised earlier. We have a good nominee. We have a good message.

We have incredible grassroots enthusiasm to run on that message. And look, we have the specter of Donald Trump, you know, who basically tried to overthrow the government. He's promised to be a dictator on day one. We know about his convictions and his other legal troubles.

We've got a good message. And that's what we're focused on. We're not focused on justifying losing at this point. We're focused on winning.

TAPPER: Before Biden dropped out of the race, you had criticized the Biden campaign, saying they were sending a message of, quote, "Shut up, fall in line, everything's fine," unquote. Vice President Harris is keeping Biden campaign co-chair Jen O'Malley Dillon to stay on and run the campaign. It was just a few days ago, it was Friday, that Dillon essentially told the campaign staff to ignore everything everyone was saying and the disastrous polls. She said, quote, "When you give me polls, I'm going to give you direct voter contact. The people that the president is hearing from are saying, stay in this race and keep going and keep fighting, and we need you."

Are you at all concerned that the same people that were circling the wagons are still in charge of the campaign?

SMITH: No, look, I mean, they were working for their candidate and their candidate was Joe Biden, and they were doing the best that they could by him. So, you can't criticize somebody for that. Now they have a different candidate and they're going to do the best that they could do by her. And my point all along and my point on your show two weeks ago was, now we've got a really strong candidate who can go out there and deliver that message.

Look, the campaign team that's switching over, they got a ton of experience. Now, the one thing I will say, I hope they learn from this. I hope they think, how can I get better? What did we do wrong? You know, I think that's one of the big concerns in a presidential campaign, is if you get groupthink going on, if everyone's so in love with the candidate that they don't think critically about what they're doing right and what they're doing wrong, so I hope there will be a little bit of examination.

OK, how do we need to get better? In order to win, to my mind, you always have to be focused on getting better. I hope they will do that. But look, this is an experienced team that's had a lot of success. They just went through a very difficult process, and I think they're going to come out at the other side even better at what they do.

[17:10:08]

TAPPER: Democratic Congressman Adam Smith of Washington State, thank you so much. Good to see you again, sir.

SMITH: Thanks, Jake.

TAPPER: How might Vice President Harris handle this new 2024 race against Trump? One of her former longtime advisors is going to join us next.

Plus, the specific political attack on the vice president that a House Republican says his colleagues should steer clear of. That advice is coming from one of only four black House Republicans. What did he say? We'll tell you next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) TAPPER: And we're back with our 2024 lead. A day after Republican Congressman Tim Burchett called Vice President Kamala Harris a "DEI hire," some Republicans are pushing back. Congressman Byron Donald, one of only four black House Republicans, appealed to his Republican colleagues to keep the focus on Vice President Harris's policies. CNN's Manu Raju is on Capitol Hill.

[17:15:04]

Manu, how are members reacting?

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, there's a wide variety of reactions. Democrats who are very offended by those remarks, some of them flatly calling them racist remarks, others saying that this will, if Republicans focus on this, they believe it'll actually help Democratic chances both at the White House and down ticket. Yes, people like Byron Donald and others in the top ranks of House GOP and Senate Republican leadership say this is precisely not what they should be focusing on at this time. But some others on the hard right are aligning themselves with Tim Burchett's remarks as they said to me earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. STEVEN HORSFORD (D-NV): It's the most offensive thing that I have heard someone say. She is the vice president of the United States. She is the most qualified person to be our nominee. She will beat Donald Trump.

REP. PRAMILA JAYAPAL (D-WA): Does anyone even know what DEI is? If that's all they've got? Well, we're going to win in November.

REP. BYRON DONALDS (R-FL): I don't think we need to even say stuff like that. Don't think so. Look, Kamala Harris --

RAJU: Why is that?

DONALDS: Because her record is abysmal.

REP. LAUREN BOEBERT (R-CO): We are just repeating what Joe Biden himself said, and I dropped the receipts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: So that last comment coming from Congressman Lauren Boebert, who's one of the hard right members of the House GOP conference, she posted a video on acts of Joe Biden touting his diversified administration and pointing to Kamala Harris as a number two. But of course, Biden did not say that he was going to pick a black woman for his number two when he was running in 2020. He said he would name a woman. So that argument, of course, is undercut by the facts.

And I asked the speaker of the House, too, Jake, about whether or not he believes this is the right line of attack, whether it was appropriate for Tim Burchett to say this. He said, we need to focus on policies, not personalities. Jake. TAPPER: All right. And we should note, moments ago, Republican Congressman Andy Ogles of Tennessee introduced, am I reading this right, articles of impeachment against Vice President Harris?

RAJU: Yes.

TAPPER: What's this about?

RAJU: Yes, that's right. This is a long shot effort that virtually has no chance of passing the House. But this member, Andy Ogles, another member of the hard right of the House GOP, offering an impeachment resolution that has two articles of impeachment, one of which calls -- says that she willfully refused to uphold immigration laws and also accusing her of the breach of public trust.

But I can tell you, Jake, I'm talking to some moderate, more centrist Republicans who want nothing to do with this. And this is not what's known as a privileged resolution, meaning it will not actually force the House Republican leadership to put this on the floor of the chamber. So -- but GOP leadership can simply ignore it. But it just shows you how Republicans are now scrambling to figure out how to go after Kamala Harris, this being one effort, one longshot effort to try to impeach her. Jake.

TAPPER: Long shots, one word for it. All right, Manu Raju on Capitol Hill, thanks so much.

Let's try to get a deeper understanding of who exactly Vice President Kamala Harris is from two people with different but unique perspectives, Rohini Kosoglu had various roles working for Kamala Harris in the Senate, in the White House, and during her 2020 campaign. And Shira Stein is a Washington correspondent for the San Francisco Chronicle and has long covered Vice President Harris' political career.

I will start with you, Shira, as the journalist here, why don't you tell me, Harris, of course, was a prosecutor. She was a district attorney of San Francisco, then she was the attorney general of the state of California before she was elected to the Senate in 2016. Walk us through her record as a prosecutor and what might be controversial.

SHIRA STEIN, WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE: Thanks so much, Jake.

We're going to see a lot of different things being brought up as they've been brought up time and time again. I think especially we're going to see people bringing up a controversial death penalty case where someone shot a police officer. That one caused controversy within even San Francisco political circles. Also her threats to jail the parents of children who are true into school. So there are some things like that.

The bottom line is, when it comes to Harris' record is she's been in political life for quite a long time. Most of these things from back when she was in California are not going to be new. We might also hear some things about some of her staff from when she was attorney general. But again, this was all brought up in the Senate race. It was all brought up when she ran for president the last time.

TAPPER: And just the thing about the cop killer, the controversy, is that she did not seek the death penalty. She instead sought life imprisonment. Is that right?

STEIN: That's correct. And there was some critique of folks like the late Senator Feinstein, who I also covered, who were not happy with that decision by the vice president.

TAPPER: And then, you know, how do you think she's going to handle scrutiny of her record? Because, yes, you're right she faced the scrutiny when she ran for attorney general, when she ran for U.S. Senate, when she ran for vice -- president in that brief period of time, and then vice president. But this is the NFL, right? I mean, she's going to have scrutiny in T.V. ads and a whole level of attention and nastiness that no one has ever really prepared for. How do you think she's going to handle it?

[17:20:00]

STEIN: I think she's going to handle it pretty well. You know, she's struggled in the past with campaigning. I think she struggled in the past in being a little bit too guarded, but she has gotten better in the last few years. I think that's, you can say that with any sense of objectivity. She's improved in her abilities as vice president.

And just today, watching her in Milwaukee, I have not seen a Kamala Harris like that I think before when she's been campaigning. She was just really excited and fired up and was getting to campaign where she stands best, which is fighting back against somebody.

TAPPER: And Rohini, some even fans of her, some even former staffers of Vice President Harris, say that one of her biggest flaws is how much of an attorney she is. And she really, in her deliberative process and also in her answers, sometimes she's too guarded, cautious, full of caveats for her answers. Can you see that criticism? Do you think she's improved at all? Do you reject it altogether?

ROHINI KOSOGLU, FORMER DOMESTIC POLICY ADVISER TO VP HARRIS: Well, I think you saw today the excitement that all of America is tuning into, which is to listen to the contrast and the vision that she's putting forward on behalf of a successful administration with really historic numbers in terms of what they've been doing for jobs and the economy. And then you also look at what she was talking about today, which she introduced herself, she talked about her record, how she's viewed fighting for the American people at every step of her career. And then you also look at what she talked about in terms of a forward vision for the future. She talked about protecting Medicare and Social Security, protecting the Affordable Care Act, and protecting our democracy and people's right to, you know, have autonomy and freedom over their own body.

So, I think those are a number of the issues that she'll be continuing to talk about. And as she continues to talk about her career and what has led her to this place where she's ready to be at the next level. TAPPER: So you prepared her for past debates, presumably even one that I moderated, I believe, right, in Detroit, wasn't she -- yes, she was there. What was that process like? Because she might -- you know, who knows what's going to happen? President Trump is pulled out of the ABC debate. Who knows what's going to happen?

What was it like preparing her for a debate?

KOSOGLU: Well, you know, President Trump obviously has to decide what he wants to think about in terms of whether he's backpedaling or not. But what I would say is that Vice President Harris has made it very clear that she is ready to move forward with the debate. There's a successful track record that President Biden and Vice President Harris have to run on, and she's ready to make that case with the American people to bring forward all the different issues as we contrast them amidst the record and the discussion that we're having today about whether we should have rights over our own body, whether people should have an economy that gives more tax cuts to the middle class and how do we do that and lower costs for everyday Americans. So I think those are the issues that she focuses on. And she thinks about what is the best way to make sure that Americans are tuning in, that they, when they start watching that debate, whether it's in the past and currently, even as you see on the campaign trail, what is that contrast to make sure that people know what choices are in front of them for November.

TAPPER: All right, Rohini and Shira, thanks for both of you. We'll have you back. It's going to be a quick campaign, but we've got a lot of Kamala Harris to cover. So thanks so much for being here.

Great job to both of you.

On the other side of this race, the meet and greet that Donald Trump's oldest son, Don Jr., has planned is raising some eyebrows. Plus, Trump's VP nominee, J.D. Vance, the cat lady comment he once said about Vice President Kamala Harris. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:28:04]

TAPPER: Back with our 2024 lead, just over 100 days left until the election. What? Hundred days until the election, Vice President Harris, of course, still needs to secure the official Democratic nomination. She also needs to pick a vice presidential running mate. But first, as Americans are still digesting this massive news of President Biden's decision to exit the race, former President Trump continues to react in real time on social media. Let's get right to our panel.

Scott Jennings, you're here. Last week, former President Trump was preaching unity in his prepared remarks at the convention. Here's a quick refresher.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In an age when our politics too often divide us, now is the time to remember that we are all fellow citizens. We are one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: That was part of the 3,000 words that were on the script, not the 9,000 he ad-libbed. But we should note on Truth Social, he just, the former president, just reposted an image with the civil war era of Ulysses S. Grant, quote, which reads, "There are but two parties now, traitors and patriots." So we should also note that he wants to bring back the names of the military bases that were named after confederate generals. But be that as it may, that was a very short unity honeymoon.

SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Somewhat less unifying today than he was last week.

TAPPER: Traitors and patriots is somewhat less unified.

JENNINGS: Yes.

KAREN FINNEY, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You were a little bit scolding this week --

JENNINGS: Well, I mean, look --

FINNEY: -- about those (inaudible).

JENNINGS: He did, he did what he needed to do at his convention speech. And now we're in a campaign and harsh things are going to be said. I don't think it's a good idea to call your political opponents traitors simply for the act of being in a different political party. We're all Americans here.

FINNEY: Right. Yes.

JENNINGS: And so -- but I expect that the Trump campaign is going to be pretty hard on Harris and the Democrats now. And because they're in a fight.

TAPPER: Yes.

[17:30:03]

JENNINGS: I mean, I think they thought they were on a glide path to beat Joe Biden now, now they're in a fight and it's going to look that way.

TAPPER: So, Jonah, here's another one of Trump's social media posts, quote, "Lyin' Kamala Harris." I think he's trying out new nicknames.

JONAH GOLDBERG, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, for sure.

TAPPER: So Lyin' is the new. I think laughing -- anyway. He's still, you know, he's workshopping that. "Lyin' Kamala Harris, the Biden appointed Border Czar who never visited the border and whose incompetence gave us the worst and most dangerous border anywhere in the world, has absolutely terrible poll numbers against a fine and brilliant young man named Donald J. Trump." Just to, you know, Trump is not young. Poll is misspelled. It's not factual that the U.S. is the most dangerous border anywhere in the world. She was not actually the border czar.

Anyway be that --

GOLDBERG: So she might poll poorly in Poland. We don't know. So maybe that was actually.

FINNEY: All right. All right.

TAPPER: But let's single in on the immigration issue underneath all that chaff, which is, that's a pretty potent issue.

GOLDBERG: Yes. And it's totally fair game. I mean, he may not treat it fairly, but it's a totally legitimate issue. She was put in charge of the border.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nope.

TAPPER: She was reaching out to the south and central American countries to stem the immigration.

FINNEY: It's the exact portfolio that Joe Biden had when he was vice president. Joe, Barack Obama.

TAPPER: Part of the border. Part of the border crisis.

GOLDBERG: The way it was covered at the time, was that she was the point person on the immigration problem, which encompasses the problems with the border. And this is one of the reasons why, prior to this weekend, there were a lot of Democrats who had misgivings about Harris because she inherits all of the baggage of the most unpopular incumbent president in the history of modern polling. And it would have been, at least on paper, more advisable to have a fresh start. There are other reasons why she wrapped up the coronation very quickly, but it's a totally legitimate issue to bring.

FINNEY: So a couple things. Obviously now, as a candidate, she can actually, if she chooses to, talk about what it was to be a border state attorney general and prosecuting transnational crime, dealing with human trafficking and the like. The second piece, though, that I would say is when you poll this issue these days, what people say is absolutely, they want control at the border. And I think Joe Biden's executive order has brought quite a bit of tone that down. But they want humane immigration reform. They do not actually want what Donald Trump talks about, which is this mass deportation and rounding people up. They don't quite --

TAPPER: You think people do want that, 20 million round it up.

JENNINGS: I mean, if you just respond -- if you're just responding to what people want, as we typically measure by public opinion polls, they absolutely want Donald -- what Donald Trump has said. All Americans have said it, CB's news and even Hispanic Americans, the majority have said.

FINNEY: They have not said they want mass deportations with the people being rounded up --

JENNINGS: Yes, they have. Yes, they have.

FINNEY: They have not said people have round it up.

GOLDBERG: If I can split the baby between the political professionals here, I think Scott's entirely right about what the polling says. But --

FINNEY: I'm so surprised you're a conservative news outlet. You would agree with them.

TAPPER: Well, hold -- that's not fair. Just let him answer. That's a garbage response.

GOLDBERG: He was --

TAPPER: Let him finish the part where you defend your point.

GOLDBERG: You're entirely right.

FINNEY: He's not going to.

GOLDBERG: What's wrong with you? You're entirely right. That actually, if Trump did what he says he's going to do, I think Americans would reject it wholeheartedly. It's very much like the Afghanistan withdrawal thing. People on paper liked the idea in the abstract of getting out of Afghanistan. When they saw it was actually done, they rejected it. If you're actually talking about dragging people out of their homes and throwing them in vans and sending them across the border, it will blow up in the face of a Trump administration. But the polling says mass deportation is more popular than I would like it to be.

TAPPER: So one other thing. So at the convention, there was a whole night about hostages being held in Gaza. A Harvard student talking about anti-semitism at Harvard. It was one of the most Jewish nights at any convention. And I went to the one with Lieberman. But I have to say Donald Trump junior right now is scheduled to headline a meet and greet alongside Candace Owens. And on Friday --

GOLDBERG: Jewish Insider just reported that they pulled her.

TAPPER: That they pulled her? Okay. So just to remind people about why this is an issue, she once said in her show that secret Jewish gangs terrorize Hollywood, the US and allies, quote, "ethnically cleansed Germans during World War II". I don't have enough time in the show to say all the anti-semitic things that Candace Owens has said. But here's my question. Okay. That's great that they pulled this anti-semite from this event

with Donald Trump Jr. Why did they even schedule it to begin with? Is there not an actual sincere commitment to combat anti-semitism?

GOLDBERG: The very online right has huge influence in the GOP and in MAGA world these days. And that means there are a lot of gargoyles, bigots, weirdos, freaks and grifters who sort of get through the blood brain barrier. Candace Owens is one of the leading ones. Charlie Kirk has got anti-semitism problem. A lot of these people who are big influencers. Tucker Carlson plays footsie with a lot of these people. And it is a problem because there is not discipline from the Trump campaign and from the GOP, because they just simply assume that if you praise Donald Trump and if you're all in for MAGA, then you should be part of the big tent.

[17:35:11]

JENNINGS: I have no idea how she was invited. But I'm certainly glad where they wound up, which is in the correct place here. They don't need to campaign with people like this. It will hurt them. I mean, the anti-semitism problem in the United States right now, in my opinion, is mostly on the left. And when you do things like put a can of stones on your flyer, you take attention away from the very real problem that's going on the progressive left right now. And I think I'm glad where they went.

GOLDBERG: I agree with you.

TAPPER: All right. Thanks to all of you for being here. Appreciate it. What world leaders think about this shakeup in the 2024 race? Would their countries benefit more with Vice President Harris elected in November or Donald Trump back in office? One leader in the middle of the war has a few thoughts. His take next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:40:02]

TAPPER: Back with our World Lead. While President Biden attempts to usher in the end of the war in Gaza before he leaves office, the war in Ukraine is ongoing and evolving into a key campaign refrain former President Trump, putting the war torn country in limbo as Ukrainian leaders wait for Americans to vote on who will be the United States president. Listen to Trump at a rally in Michigan a few days ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled and I will be the only one that can make this statement. I will prevent world War III from happening. You're very close to World War III.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER: Let's go right to CNN's Kylie Atwood at the U.S. State Department and Oren Liebermann at the Pentagon. Oren, Trump's running mate, Senator J.D. Vance, vocally opposes U.S. aid, military aid to Ukraine. But Trump apparently told President Zelenskyy, quote, "Not to believe the fake news," unquote, that his possible election victory would beneficial to Russia. How is Ukraine preparing for a possible second term for President Trump?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy when he was here just a couple of weeks ago, made it clear that not only is he watching this election very closely, but so is NATO and frankly, so is much of the rest of the world. Donald Trump promised in a phone call between the two leaders, which they both described as a good call to bring about an end of the war in a resolution and not have Ukraine just simply view Trump as being a pro Russia president. So whether that's just what Zelensky wanted to hear and that's what Trump told him, remains, of course, to be seen.

Meanwhile, Ukraine on the battlefield is doing what it can to prepare for any change in November, trying to essentially gain back the momentum, shore up defensive lines there along the front lines and gain some momentum. They've succeeded in doing that.

Meanwhile, they're looking forward to getting F16s from countries in Europe as that training wraps up and the Patriot systems that the U.S. and Europe has promised them all of that before the election in November as meanwhile, Zelensky also said he was working on trying to set up a meeting, not just a phone call with Trump. So we'll see if that happens and what comes out of that meeting.

Jake, there's a clear effort here by Zelensky to try to show Trump why being pro Ukraine is good not only for America, but good for Trump as well.

TAPPER: And, Kylie, today Secretary of State Blinken spoke and made a point of praising Vice President Harris.

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. He came out and he, first of all, said that President Biden is determined to continue carrying out his foreign policy agenda over the next six months, just, you know, given all the changes that have happened. And then he also made remarks on Vice President Kamala Harris, saying that he has seen her in meetings in the Oval Office, he has seen her in meetings with world leaders. He is confident in her capabilities. And saying this of his assessments based on seeing her in those settings.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANTHONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF THE STATE: What I've observed is someone who asks time and again the penetrating questions, who cuts to the chase and is intensely focused on the interests of the American people and making sure that our foreign policy is doing everything it can to advance those interests.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ATWOOD: And listen, there are questions as to what Vice President Harris' foreign policy agenda would look like if she is to become president of the United States. Of course, she is still the vice president. So she has to, you know, play kind of a delicate game here of remaining part of the Biden administration but potentially separating herself on some policy issues when it comes to foreign policy. We'll watch and see how that plays out.

TAPPER: And, Kylie, you have some new reporting about President Trump meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu.

ATWOOD: Yes, that's right. On Friday, the former vice president put out on social media that at the request of Prime Minister Netanyahu, he will be meeting with him in Florida at Mar-a-Lago. This is a delicate meeting. Of course, the two had a very good relationship during Trump's first term in office, many policies that were to the benefit of the Israelis. But that relationship soured after Netanyahu congratulated Biden on winning the elections in 2020. We'll watch and see what comes out of that meeting. Jake.

TAPPER: Oren, are Ukraine and Israel in the same boat when it comes to aid under President Trump?

LIEBERMANN: I would argue not at all, because part of the, an important part of the republican constituency is evangelical Christians, and they are, in general very pro-Israel and specifically very pro Benjamin Netanyahu. So that is always something that Netanyahu has in his corner. In fact, there are reports that he's meeting with evangelical Christian leaders on his trip to Washington. There is no similar critical voter base that is pro Ukraine in the republican base.

So Netanyahu always knows he has the evangelicals in his corner. Ukraine has no such backstop amongst the sort of republican constituency. So Ukraine has a much more uncertain future in a second potential Trump term.

TAPPER: All right, Kylie and Oren, thanks to both of you. Coming up, a stunning claim about the murder of Sonya Massey, the black woman shot and killed by a sheriff's deputy in her own home. Her family says body camera footage does not support what they had been told about what happened that horrible day. Their account is next.

[17:49:28]

TAPPER: You know our Law and Justice League shocking new body cam video showing a sheriff's deputy killing a black woman inside her own home is prompting more questions from her family, who say they were given misleading information about the shooting from authorities. Sonya Massey was shot and killed in her apartment in Springfield, Illinois, after she called 911 to report a prowler outside her home. When officers did not find anyone, they then went to Massey's apartment to file a report. In the body cam video, two deputies are seen speaking with Massey in her living room when suddenly things became tense over a pot of boiling water in the kitchen.

Here's that moment of the body cam video, and we want to warn you. This video is disturbing to watch.

[17:50:11]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stack right there maybe.

SONYA MASSEY, VICTIM: One second.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just check on her.

MASSEY: Let me leave this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't need a fire while we're here.

MASSEY. All right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Okay.

MASSEY: Where you moving?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Away from your hot steaming water.

MASSEY: Away from my hot steaming water?

UNKNOWN MALE SPEAKER: Yes.

MASSEY: I rebuke you in the name of Jesus. I rebuke you on the name of Jesus.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You better (inaudible) not. I swear to God. I'll (inaudible) shoot you at your (inaudible) face.

MASSEY: Okay. I'm sorry.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Drop it. Drop the (inaudible) pot.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER: Prosecutors say Deputy Sean Grayson went on to shoot at Sonya Massey three times. In the video, you hear Grayson confirm a headshot. CNN's Josh Campbell is covering this story for us. And Josh, her family is demanding answers after they claim they were misled about the nature of her death. Tell us about that.

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: No, that's right. This Deputy Grayson was indicted last week by a grand jury on first degree murder charges. And as you look at that video, it's clear that he is the one who fires the shot that ultimately kills this woman who, again, had called police there to her house. She had reported that there was perhaps a prowler who was in and around the area. But what her family is saying, we'll have you take a listen to their comments. They're saying when they showed up to try to figure out what happened, they were told a completely different story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIMMY CRAWFORD, FATHER OF SONYA MASSEY'S YOUNGEST CHILD: When I got to the scene, the officer notified me that it was under investigation. We knew that she had problems with her neighbor. Not once was I told that the officer did it. They tried and made me believe that it was a neighbor or somebody that did it. And then the message got to the hospital that it was a self-inflected injury. How do you get that confused?

If you just -- if you that confused, you don't need that job, because that is one thing you cannot get confused. Self-inflicted and you doing it to somebody is two different statements. And that's how they made me believe that somebody else did it to her, and they made the hospital believe that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMPBELL: Now, in looking at that video, there's so many troubling aspects here. For one, when the officers show up, it's clear by the surroundings and her demeanor that this could be someone who might be suffering from some kind of mental health crisis. Of course, we hear from policing organizations who say that means that officers should approach someone completely differently. And, you know, this comes down to this boiling water that was on the stove you know, rather than separating her from that, they allow this woman to go over. And that's where this incident really escalates, where the officer tells her, you know, essentially not to touch it, not to throw it on the officers.

They then open fire, beginning raising a lot of questions because we hear so much, at least now, from policing groups, that it's all about de-escalation, trying to remove someone who might be in crisis from a potentially dangerous object. And then in this case, when you're talking about boiling water, which could scald officers, which could actually warrant the use of deadly force, what we don't see on that video is officers trying to create distance, trying to move away. The officer quickly escalates and goes to guns.

And finally, I'll point out here, Jake, because, you know, we often hear from some law enforcement, well, you know, why Monday morning quarterback officers when you weren't there? National policing organizations themselves say this is a time where you have to so- called Monday morning quarterback.

They want police departments to watch this video to ensure that their officer act this way in the future.

TAPPER: So there are a lot of questions being asked now about this deputy, Sean Grayson and how he was hired in the first place. What are you hearing about that?

CAMPBELL: Well, this is so important. In looking at his background, we're being told that he was cited for two DUIs, one in 2015, one in 2016. We're also learning from his employment history that he had bounced around to several different departments working at six different law enforcement agencies since January 2020.

Now, we're trying to identify why that was the case. But as we've seen so many times in these use of force incidents, looking at the officers background themselves, I mean, you go back to Derek Chauvin, who was the person who murdered George Floyd. A lot of red flags there that officers did not pick up on beforehand. Could that be the case here? We're certainly trying to dig into that, Jake.

TAPPER: All right. Josh Campbell, thanks so much. We'll be right back.

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[17:58:38]

TAPPER: We're starting our last leads off in our law and Justice Lead, former Trump, former top Trump aide Steve Bannon's next trial date has been set December 9th. This time, Bannon is facing criminal charges for allegedly defrauding donors who gave money to fund a wall along the U.S. southern border. Bannon currently sits in federal prison, serving a four month sentence for failing to comply with the congressional subpoena. He'll have about two months between his release in October and then that trial date in December.

Turning to our earth matters, the fireworks cost one community in California more than $11 million. A 500 acre fire in Riverside, California, burned several homes, causing $10 million in property damage and an additional $1 million in response costs. Authorities say camera footage shows suspects fleeing the scene and that a vehicle of interest is being reviewed.

According to the National Interagency Fire center, this was just one of twelve active wildfires raging across that state. Also in our Earth Matters League, California is not the only place battling heat. In fact, according to the EU's Copernicus program, the entire planet experienced the hottest day in recorded history on Sunday. Planet Earth reaching an average of 62.7 degrees, which might seem nice, but on a global scale makes a huge difference. And experts say this probably will not be the last day in 2024 that sees record breaking high temperatures.

A big interview is coming up later this week. I'm going to have an exclusive sit down with former republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley. See that Thursday right here on The Lead.

[18:00:11]

Until tomorrow, you can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Threads X and on the TikTok at Jake Tapper. You can follow the show on X of The Lead CNN. If you ever miss an episode of The Lead, you can listen to all 2 hours of the lead once you get your podcast, all 2 hours just sitting there like a big summer, like one of those fruit plates, you know, like a fruit, like in a watermelon. Lots of fruit in there. The news continues on CNN with Blitzer in the situation room.

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