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CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip
Harris To Hold First Rally With V.P. Pick In Philadelphia; Harris Rallies Georgia Voters As She'll Make V.P. Pick In Coming Days; Trump Agrees With Host Who Calls Emhoff A Crappy Jew; "NewsNight" Tackles Biden Administration's Handling Of The Israel-Hamas War; Abby Phillip And Political Panel Discuss J.D. Vance's Remarks On Childless Americans. Aired 10-11p ET
Aired July 30, 2024 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[22:00:00]
ABBY PHILLIP, CNN HOST: Tonight, Kamala Harris spells out why Georgia should go blue.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT, PRESUMPTIVE DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: We are not going back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIP: While her campaign crunches tape and closes in on its V.P. choice.
Plus, the man leading Project 2025 quits, as the Trump campaign --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I don't know what the hell it is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIP: -- says Project what?
Also, Donald Trump delivers an accusation of anti-Semitism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: She doesn't like Jewish people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIP: And nods along as a radio host --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's a crappy Jew. He's a horrible Jew.
(END VIDEO CLIP) PHILLIP: -- accuses the second gentleman of betraying his faith.
And CNN searches the archives and uncovers a pattern of J.D. Vance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. J.D. VANCE (R-OH), VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: We think babies are good because we're not sociopaths.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIP: Insulting women without children.
Live at the table, Scott Jennings, Nina Turner, Alyssa Farrah Griffin, and Bryan Lanza. Welcome to a special edition of NewsNight, State of the Race.
Good evening, I'm Abby Phillip in New York. Let's get right to what America is talking about today, Philadelphia, Gerty's (ph) hometown, will play host to a battleground kickoff for Vice President Kamala Harris, and it is slated to happen next Tuesday. And Harris will do it with her still to be announced running mate.
Also tonight, a debate in Georgia, Kamala Harris challenging Donald Trump to walk it like he talks it, and set a date to debate her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: So, he won't debate. But he and his running mate sure seem to have a lot to say about me.
Well, Donald, I do hope you'll reconsider to meet me on the debate stage. Because as the saying goes, if you've got something to say, say it to my face.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIP: All right. Our panel is here. Alyssa, that was quite the dare and Donald Trump, I think, has got to take that seriously.
ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: He has to. I would be stunned if he doesn't end up doing the September ABC debate. Kamala Harris has wisely leaned into this, saying she's going to be there, will he show up? And Donald Trump doesn't like to look weak. That's not on -- you know, that's not part of his brand. He really leaned into strength at the GOP convention. So, I think there's going to be tremendous pressure to show up.
And I think it's important for the public. This race fundamentally shifted about ten days ago and the public has a right to know before they vote how these two characters stack up against each other, how they perform side by side. I don't see how he wiggles out of it. I'd be curious if you think he's going to show up.
BRYAN LANZA, FORMER DEPUTY COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, TRUMP 2016 CAMPAIGN: Well, of course. I mean, listen, there's going to be a debate. There's always going to be a debate. I think the issue is, is who's actually going to be the candidate. Because last time we debated somebody, he knocked that person out of the race. We want to make sure that she's actually the nominee before we knock her out of the race, too. Because at the end of the day --
GRIFFIN: 81 percent of Americans knocked him out of the race.
FMR. STATE SEN. NINA TURNER (D-OH): Yes, she's the nominee. She will be the nominee.
PHILLIP: Okay, I just have to say that talking point, they're going to need -- you guys are going to need to come up with a little bit better than that one.
LANZA: No, I think when you expose her record as being a San Francisco liberal, her Biden record, nothing's changed other than we can expand the argument on her record. Her record is unsustainable when you talk to the American voters. San Francisco values do not represent Michigan values. They don't represent Pennsylvania values. So, the more and more people have to defend her record, the more and more they're going to be like, maybe this was the mistake.
GRIFFIN: But that seems like the argument to show up.
TURNER: Trump's record reflects American --
LANZA: I mean Biden tried selling --
TURNER: I don't think so I mean he has a lot of nerves if he thinks that his record reflects American values it does not. So, the two should come up. The American people will ultimately get to decide which one of the two represent their values, but he shouldn't be scared.
SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, first of all, Donald Trump didn't cancel this debate. The Democrats canceled the debate that Donald Trump agreed to when they defenestrated the poor president of the United States, who is still, where is he, A. B, it's the Democrats who have put the debate details on hold here.
[22:05:01]
I'm sure they're going to debate. They have to debate, and they should debate. And, you know, Trump right now has a -- according to The Wall Street Journal, a 51 percent job approval from his time in office versus what you get out of Biden-Harris, which is somewhere in the mid 30s. So, when we talk about debating --
PHILLIP: Hers has popped up to the mid-40s in some recent polls. So, she's getting a bit of a honeymoon but it's there.
JENNINGS: So, you think the Biden Harris record and the job approval of this administration is going up after a week of this?
PHILLIP: I'm just telling you what the numbers say, Scott. Look, she is having a moment and you saw the sugar high. LANZA: What we're witnessing is the sugar high. It's like, you know, the Democrats and maybe some independents are relieved that it's not Joe Biden. They're like, thank God it's somebody. Thank God it's Harris. But what happens with every sugar high? We all crash at the end of it, and they're going to crash once they start dissecting her record. And, listen, I elected people in California. To win anything in San Francisco, you have to be a near socialist to win there. Those values are very much outside of the mainstream.
GRIFFIN: Why hedge on debating? Because, first, it was, oh, well Obama hasn't endorsed, then Obama endorsed, then it's, well, we were going to but it was Joe Biden. Does it keep it interesting?
LANZA: They're talking about it.
JENNINGS: They said he was going to do it. He said, yes.
GRIFFIN: But then he wants to do it with another more favorable network. I mean, go with the terms you agreed to and let the --
LANZA: The terms they agreed to was Joe Biden.
PHILLIP: Well, we're over that. That ship is sailing.
LANZA: But that's right. And so then --
GRIFFIN: It does seem like he's afraid to --
PHILLIP: He agreed debate the Democratic nominee. And Kamala Harris, when just a couple of days, is highly likely to be the Democratic nominee. So --
LANZA: And they'll debate eventually. But like we're eager to the debate because the debate from our standpoint really hasn't changed, the same issues that knocked out Joe Biden from his debate are going to be the same issues that the squad called Kamala Harris. But more importantly we're going to expand the argument to talk about her liberal record in California, her near socialist record in San Francisco. I got to tell you, guys, that is not going to be acceptable to them for us to talk about.
GRIFFIN: I got to say there was this immigration ad that Kamala Harris put out and I predicted six months ago, if Donald Trump blocked the most conservative border bill in decades that James Lankford negotiated, Democrats would be able to flip it on him. The issue Donald Trump is strongest and has the most credibility on is border security. Now, you've got Kamala Harris saying, we wanted more CBP officers, we wanted to fight fentanyl. That is actually true. They were willing to support that bill, and Donald Trump decided not to. How Republicans stepped in it so bad with that is just beyond me.
JENNINGS: There's no possible way Democrats could possibly believe they're going to fight to even a draw on the issue of immigration. I hope they run all their ads on immigration, because it will remind the American people every time they turn on their television sets what a complete and utter failure this has all been. I mean, if they were so proud of their record, why is she working so hard to erase all evidence from the internet that she was, in fact, the border czar.
GRIFFIN: It's really hard to say it's a dangerous crisis and an existential risk to the public and to national security. But you have to wait until I'm in office in January. Like Godspeed in the time being.
LANZA: No, it's not. No, it's not.
GRIFFIN: That's not (INAUDIBLE).
TURNER: The immigration issue has been an epic fail for many administrations, Republican administrations included. Now, the last time I checked, the most important issue to the American people is the economy. And, certainly, President Donald J. Trump did not do a whole lot for working class people in this country. So, they're going to debate it out. My ultimate thing, colleagues, is that the American people are actually going to decide. And that is why I'm having a debate.
Now, calling the vice president near socialist level, I mean, that's a bit --
LANZA: I've elected people, too.
GRIFFIN: Nina can only blame.
(CROSSTALKS)
PHILLIP: Nina has some credibility on this. Because --
JENNINGS: No, she does.
(CROSSTALKS)
TURNER: See, come on now, she is nowhere near that. It's Democratic socialism.
JENNINGS: Does that disappoint you?
TURNER: No, it doesn't disappoint me at all. In terms of where are the American people in terms of their needs, the universal healthcare, the majority of American people agree with, paid family medical leave, the majority of the American people agree with. So, the people who are on the extremes are the neo-liberals and the neo-fascists.
JENNINGS: I have a question for you on these issues.
TURNER: Ask me your question, Scott Jennings.
JENNINGS: I have a question. Are you disappointed as someone who would have supported everything she said and ran on in 2019 for president that she is now trying to repudiate and run away from? Does that disappoint you that she's disavowing her positions?
TURNER: Somewhat. She has an opportunity in the first chair. She has an opportunity. Scott, I'm looking at this as an opportunity. Yes, to hear that she may walk away from supporting Medicare for all.
JENNINGS: Medicare for all, yes.
TURNER: It does not float my boat. However, she's going to have an opportunity as the person in the first chair to really decide. I mean, what is -- colleagues, really what is wrong with voting all the American people to have health care and not to go bankrupt and having health care? Why are we the only industrialized nation that doesn't have it? These are not extreme views. Poll after poll shows that the American people, to certain degrees, want the federal government to take more role in health care.
[22:10:01]
PHILLIP: You know, she, she talked a little bit about -- I mean, the way that she's framing some of these issues is that Donald Trump wants to take us back to the days when the insurance companies could deny cancer survivors health care. And that's how she's framing it, rather than the way that I think Republicans will want to frame it, which is the idea that she wants something that doesn't yet exist. In a way, it's actually more concrete what she is arguing.
LANZA: Yes. Listen, what she's arguing ultimately doesn't matter because that's not what the voters care about, right? You know, we've seen poll after poll that voters --
PHILLIP: Health care?
LANZA: They're not -- listen, health care is not a top five issue. Immigration, inflation, those are the top issues that voters are caring about and they're talking about. Those are the issues that voters are looking for quick answers. As opposed to sort of Medicare for all, she's flip flopping on that position, we'll see where it lands.
You have to remember, when Barack Obama ran for president, he was not supportive of universal healthcare. I mean, truly this is --
JENNINGS: And he was wrong.
LANZA: Maybe he was wrong. That's for other people to decide. But he ran as sort of this moderate, you know, new Democrat. Kamala Harris is running as a true liberal. We haven't seen that happen in probably since Dukakis in more than 30 to 40 years. That didn't end well for the Democratic Party.
GRIFFIN: And just to bring this back down to like the reality of politics, everything we're talking about has to go through Congress. The makeup of Congress matters if you have 65 votes, and the Senate does. So, she could come out and say, I love Medicare for all, but it's just not a reality.
PHILLIP: So, we were talking as we were coming in here about the rollout next week for the vice presidential pick, and they're starting in Philly. And then they also said, don't read too much into it, which, okay, we won't. But I think there are clearly two top picks, and it is Josh Shapiro, and it looks like Tim Walz, perhaps.
Here's what Gretchen Whitmer had to say about what she thinks Vice President Harris needs to look for.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER (D-MI): I think she's got to pick the person that's going to have her back that can help step into the breach if, God forbid, they need to, who's ready to do that. I also think having a running mate who has their ear to the ground and is a real person, talking to people every day, will help her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIP: So, which one of these folks is a real person?
TURNER: I mean, all of them are real people.
PHILLIP: But you hear what she's trying to say. I mean, it's almost like a little bit of a pitch for someone, you know, from that industrial Midwest kind of part of the country.
TURNER: Yes. I mean, I got my eye on Andy Beshear, the governor of Kentucky. He's from, you know, Appalachia background. He is a blue person in a red, you know, red state.
PHILLIP: So, you like that over --
TURNER: I do. And I'm going to tell you why. Because, and also one of his -- he -- and I know the Republicans are going to try to use this, Scott, so don't you even start it. Okay, 180,000, ex-offenders, non- violent, he helped to restore their franchise rights, their right to vote. And I would think, Scott, that the Republicans would love that since a felon is at the top of the ticket. I believe we should enfranchise ex-offenders.
Now you got to agree with me on that one, Scott.
JENNINGS: Governor Beshear is not exactly an Appalachian. He did -- I mean, he's a blue blood Democrat. His dad was governor. He grew up in a fox hunting club. I mean, that's not exactly -- when they say up by the bootstraps, they mean those big leather boots to go over your crush (INAUDIBLE).
(CROSSTALKS)
PHILLIP: Here's the other thing. Tim Walz, we were just talking about him, he's really taking a turn for fame this last week, but he was on with Anderson earlier this week and here's what he had to say about the weirdness that he has been labeling on the other side of the aisle.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. TIM WALZ (D-MN): I want to be very clear. I'm not speaking about the people at his rallies. Those are my relatives. Those are folks that are there. And, look, he would be entertaining --
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Because that's what Republicans are saying. They're saying, oh, you're calling Trump and all his supporters weird.
WALZ: That is exactly the last thing I'm saying. I'm saying these are folks -- like I said, these are my neighbors. They're there. These are good people. They're going there because, yes, they're disenfranchised. Not why J.D. Vance thinks. He gets that all wrong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIP: This has been such a surprisingly effective attack that has gotten under a lot of people's skin on the right. But do you buy that explanation that this is not some kind of blanket statement, that it's not being read that way?
LANZA: You know, listen, I have to look at the previous examples of Democrats over the years, and we've just known it's a fact that not only do they insult President Trump, they like to insult the supporters. So, why would it be different this time? That's going to backfire. We saw it backfire with deplorables, you know that, you know, we're guilty of it too. You know, it's silly. We're occupying airtime not talking about the real policies that are actually going to have a real impact. But, you know, it's the game we play. That's the game we're stuck into this sort of sick cycle of who can be the most insulting. You know, I'm insulted by that phrase. I'm sure he doesn't mean it when he apologizes to me, but we also insult the other side. That's where we are these days.
PHILLIP: You're personally insulted, by the way that --
LANZA: I am. You know, listen, I remember when the politics used to be a little bit different. You know, President Trump has sort of amplified it towards the negative. Yes, I have a six-year-old son. I have a three-year-old daughter. You know, I have to have conversations with them.
[22:15:00]
It sucks. But at the end of the day, you have to look at the policies that matter.
GRIFFIN: So, for me, I feel strongly about I don't -- a reason I no longer support Trump is I don't like the name calling, I don't like how ugly our politics has gotten. Weird was actually okay for me. It actually kind of captured a point that we're trying to make, which is ideas that are outside of the mainstream.
Now, ideas outside of the mainstream absolutely exist on the left, but I think that's the point that's being -- they're trying to contrast is some of the more extreme positions that they want to associate with the right, right now.
What I'm surprised by is how hard of a time Trump's campaign has had in counter-messaging Kamala Harris. The playbook is there. You said it, it's ultra left, San Francisco liberal. But it hasn't landed. And meanwhile she's calling them, you know, weird, outside of the mainstream. And they haven't landed the really basic attack.
PHILLIP: It's so interesting that you say that, because I think that's really spot on. Bryan, I'm all about policy too, and I take what you're saying, but I think what's working for the Harris campaign is that they're kind of tapping into just a feeling that people have about what's going on in our politics rather than any particular policy. They're just saying --
GRIFFIN: It's a vibe.
PHILLIP: It's a vibe. Like this sounds off --
JENNINGS: I keep saying it's the vibe election.
PHILLIP: This sounds off to me. And they're tapping into that in a way that Trump used to be very good at, and somehow he hasn't found it.
JENNINGS: I can't believe the only names on the table are Andy Beshear and Walz, because the most obvious person that she should choose is Shapiro. Like it's Shapiro and then literally every other person. I mean, she can't win without --
PHILLIP: Are you deciding that for us, Scott?
JENNINGS: I'm just telling you, I'm giving you some advice.
TURNER: Listen --
JENNINGS: I'm giving you some advice. You can't win without Pennsylvania. He's clearly the best political talent.
GRIFFIN: Scott Jennings will lose some sleep if she picks Josh Shapiro.
JENNINGS: I'll come on T.V., I'll say it right now. I will come on this T.V. and say, this was an inspired pick from a good state. And she just told her flank to pounce --
PHILLIP: So, the funny thing is that Tim Walz, he comes up with this weird catchphrase, which works for him because he kind of embodies like Midwest uncle, dad, I don't know, but I'm not sure that that taps into the vibe that Kamala Harris is going for. I don't know. I mean, does it matter?
GRIFFIN: Listen, I don't know that it matters. But I'll say this. Josh Shapiro has been killing it on the stump, and this is a guy that she needs to moderate against the very credible attacks that she's going to get from the right on her 2019 positions, even some obviously during the Biden administration. And this is a guy -- he signed school choice in Pennsylvania. He's somebody who can draw in moderates and independents. He can talk in a way that I think softens some of her more liberal positions. But he's also not so far out of the mainstream with Democrats that I think he's going to lose votes other than --
TURNER: It's going to impact the progressives.
GRIFFIN: You think --
(CROSSTALKS)
JENNINGS: No, this is the good way. This is what we're going to talk about. That's what I want to hear.
PHILLIP: Okay, that's a good little tease for us.
We have much more ahead including maybe a little bit of that topic. Everyone stick around for us. Donald Trump appears to agree with a radio host who calls Kamala Harris' husband a crappy and horrible Jew. A special guest will join our fifth seat at the table. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[22:22:21]
PHILLIP: In just the last week, Donald Trump has constantly said that Vice President Kamala Harris is anti-Semitic. And keep in mind, she is married to a Jewish man. But during an interview today, the rhetoric took another dark turn. Just listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Because she dislikes Jewish people and Israel more than Biden did. And Biden never did anything, and neither did Obama. If you're Jewish, if you vote for a Democrat, you're a fool, an absolute fool.
And today, it's almost like -- I mean, Schumer has become a Palestinian. Chuck Schumer is officially now a Palestinian.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's funny, but it's true. It's sad. He is. He is. And they tell me that Harris' husband, Doug Emhoff, Mr. President, is Jewish. He's Jewish like Bernie Sanders is Jewish. Are you kidding me? He's a crappy Jew. He's a horrible Jew.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIP: Joining us at the table is CNN Commentator and Washington Post Opinion Columnist Catherine Rampell.
Catherine, I mean, I've given up trying to understand why Trump keeps going there with this argument, but then to say that Doug Emhoff is not, or to agree with the idea that Doug Emhoff is not a good Jew is beyond.
CATHERINE RAMPELL, CNN ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: As the resident crappy Jew at this table, I would like to say that Doug Emhoff should wear this as a badge of honor, you know? To be called a bad Jew by Donald Trump, like what higher praise could there be? Spinoza was considered a bad Jew, like, you know, Einstein was considered a bad Jew. That's pretty good company to be in, however vile those comments may be, you know, wear it as a bad Jew honor. PHILLIP: Look, Trump wants to make the case, I guess, that Democrats are anti-Semitic, but how on Earth can you do that when you're disparaging Jewish people in the process?
JENNINGS: I mean, pretty easily. I mean, there's a huge amount of Democrats who are siding against Israel in this conflict in the Middle East and the Biden and Harris administration, particularly now with Harris in the lead. I think you're putting way more pressure and blame on Israel than they ought to be.
And, look, this is a political argument he's making, that if you want a president that's going to stand with Israel, our ally, and not treat them terribly in the middle of this war and all the things they've got going on, then pick the Republicans.
PHILLIP: What does Doug Emhoff have to do with anything? I mean, really?
JENNINGS: I don't know. I don't care. I don't care about him. I care her about position on these issues.
PHILLIP: Good point. Whatever happened to --
RAMPELL: I would also say I care about Donald Trump's record of anti- Semitic comments, which seems sort of relevant, you know, beyond what was said.
PHILLIP: Yes, absolutely. I mean, whatever happened to the idea that in politics that, you know, the John McCain moment when you are able to say, hey, hold on, that goes a little bit too far.
[22:25:03]
I mean, it's the spouse.
LAZNA: We've moved so far beyond John McCain moment from that space. Listen, you know, maybe that a moment will find itself in your 50 years from now, but we're at the moment of his just combat. And, and Trump has always done -- President Trump has always -- whether it's a good job or a bad job, he's always done, you know, a way of just highlighting a particular issue that creates, you know, sort of chaos and scandal and creates everything he worked up about it. But at the end of the day, we're still talking about the issue, like (INAUDIBLE) has talked, like we're talking about here.
At the end of the day, it falls to, you know, if you believe in Israel, if you believe in the right to defend itself, you've got a party who's working against you and you've got a party who's working for you. And that seems foolish, similar to the Latino community, when he said that, listen, how are you guys supporting legal immigrations? Illegal immigration is literally taking jobs away from you. That woke up a lot of Latinos in California and Arizona and Nevada. So, he's making an argument we may not like as articulate, but he's making an argument that's connecting with people.
GRIFFIN: There's a bit of a bigger cultural discussion here, though. There is a huge problem of anti-Semitism in this country. Anti- Semitism is on the rise. It exists on the far left and it exists on the far right. Donald Trump dined with an avowed neo-Nazi. What we've seen in some of these protests, that's espousing vile anti-Semitic, anti-Zionist rhetoric, is scary. And for millions of American Jews, it's a scary time to be a Jew.
So, even leaning into rhetoric like that, rather than saying this is not a candidate who supports Israel or they're not fierce enough in Israel's right to defend itself, that is legitimate. Saying, agreeing someone's a bad Jew or saying you are not a good Jew if you don't vote this way, that is adding to a very, very ugly problem.
RAMPELL: I will say that when you're at a point, a rhetorical point, when we're dividing people into good Jews and bad Jews, that's rarely good for the Jews.
GRIFFIN: That's never ended well.
RAMPELL: Yes, never ended well.
PHILLIP: And we're talking, Nina, about the possibility that one of the people on the ticket on the Democratic side could be a Jew.
TURNER: Yes, that is true. I mean, I campaigned with twice a Jewish candidate by the name of Bernard Sanders, senator from Vermont. And I watched my senator be called a self-hating Jew. His family perished in the Holocaust. His father made it out and some others, but a lot of his family perished in the Holocaust. So, just even listening to that entire conversation has me enraged, to use Palestinians as a racial slur, Palestinians matter just like Israelis matter. Both people are entitled to live a good life. And we got to find a way to make that happen.
But for President Donald J. Trump to continue to saber rattle in that way, what has the Biden-Harris administration done that has been against Israel? They have not. It is our bombs that are bombing Palestinian babies over there in the Gaza. And as many Democrats have said, the cries of a Palestinian baby and the cries of an Israeli baby sounds the same.
And so I'm just troubled, even just around this table, that just the total disregard for Palestinian lives and then to intimate that the Biden-Harris administration has not done anything, they have funded time and time again. 40,000 Palestinians have been killed.
GRIFFIN: And I don't think anyone disregarded Palestinian lives. I'm an Arab-American.
PHILLIP: How much do you think that that will ultimately matter for Kamala Harris?
TURNER: I mean, I think the vice president -- I mean, so far, she has shown herself to want to continue what the Biden -- what the administration that she is part of wants to do now. She has softened some of the, you know, she has said, in other words, she is troubled about the suffering of Palestinians. But saying something and doing something about it is two different things.
We as the United States of America, as any other nation, should want both people to be able to have freedom, justice, and security, because that brings freedom, justice, and security for everybody in that region.
JENNINGS: I totally agree, but the problem is identifying who is the cause of the instability of the war, of the violence. And there is only one cause. It's Hamas. And I do believe there are a number of people on the left in this country who are not rooting for Israel on this thing. They've got it in their mind that Israel is somehow the aggressor or the cause of this. It was Hamas who took the kidnappings. It was Hamas who did the raping. It was Hamas who did the murdering. And Israel has to be able to defend itself and the Palestinian people will be better off when Hamas is gone.
TURNER: Every nation has a right to defend itself. So, we're not saying anything new on that, Scott. This is my point here on this. We have to humanize Palestinians, just as I somebody that believes that Israel has a right to exist. I believe Palestinians have a right to exist. Like I'm not picking and choosing here. I think all of those lives in that region matter. But you have some people who disregard, just like that conversation we just listened to.
[22:30:02]
They use Palestinian as a racial slur, and that is wrong. As you dehumanize people, you make it easier for them to be just killed. You want to keep going back to October 7th, and let's talk about the 40,000 Palestinians who have been killed and the millions who are living in famine right now.
JENNINGS: Every single Palestinian --
TURNER: Do you blame all that on Hamas? Is it Hamas' fault that this is still going on?
JENNINGS: Yes, 100 percent. Yes, 100 percent, yes.
TURNER: Netanyahu could stop this right now.
GRIFFIN: And just, I think you make a valid point on using Palestinian as sort of a slur to otherize. I think that the point, the broader point here is this conflict could be over tomorrow if Hamas agreed to a ceasefire. That doesn't mean that there won't be decades--
TURNER: The conflict could be over tomorrow if Prime Minister Netanyahu would agree.
JENNINGS: Agree to what?
TURNER: There were people whose family members were hostages in D.C. at the protest.
GRIFFIN: And by the way, there's plenty of Israelis who don't support Netanyahu. But it's the hostages -- PHILLIP: From a political perspective, I really do wonder how this is going to play out, because I think one of the things we're hearing from Trump in that clip is frustration that the politics of this issue has not swung his way. And it has not.
LANZA: I think it's, I mean, let's look at this conversation, you know, what Nina is saying and sort of the friction within the Democratic Party. I think it's absolutely moving this way. Trump's going to amplify it, and we'll hear it more and more.
PHILLIP: I mean, I guess what I'm saying is I don't see any evidence. Trump is frustrated that he hasn't seen American Jews swing to his side of the ledger, swing to the Republican Party. We really have not seen that.
CATHERINE RAMPBELL, "WASHINGTON POST" OPINION COLUMNIST: Because Jews tend, sorry, again, resident crappy Jew. I don't know that I speak for all of my people, but I can speak for some of us. The reason why Jews tend to be left of center is because one of the core values of Judaism is something called tikkun olam.
It's about repairing the world. It's about social justice. It's about making the world a better place. People can interpret that different ways, obviously. That's not necessarily politically aligned with one party or another, but it is not aligned with Trump. Trump wants to burn everything down. Trump wants to belittle everyone. I hear Scott talking about how Trump would be a greater friend to Israel. It's not clear to me how, you know?
JENNINGS: By not blaming Israel for the obvious mayhem that has been --
RAMPBELL: Biden has been a good friend to Israel.
PHILLIP: Biden has not done that, Scott. You know that.
JENNINGS: The Democratic Party has huge elements that believe Netanyahu is at fault.
PHILLIP: There are millions of Democrats in this country.
RAMPBELL: There are Israelis who hate Netanyahu. Most Israelis don't like Netanyahu. So, the idea that somebody's critical of Netanyahu does not mean that they're not a friend to Israel, because Israelis themselves are critical of Netanyahu.
PHILLIP: By the way, Donald Trump himself --critical of Netanyahu.
RAMPBELL: Oh, yeah. They really glossed over that, it seems like.
GRIFFIN: But by the way, this speaks to a broader thing. Donald Trump, who was a novice when he came into politics, tends to look at voting blocs and people and demographics as these monoliths. And he's always struggled to understand, like, oh, but why couldn't you be with me if you're this? So, you're Jewish. You must only care about Israel. Therefore, you are with me. And if you're not, you're a bad Jew. PHILLIP: You might call it identity politics.
RAMPBELL: You know what? It might be.
PHILLIP: Everyone hang tight for us. Coming up next, we have new CNN reporting that shows that J.D. Vance had a lot to say about childless Americans, including calling them psychotic. Well, there's something about this that everyone is apparently missing. We'll discuss that, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[22:37:45]
PHILLIP: J.D. Vance, still in damage control over his childless cat lady's comments, believe it or not. But that sentiment, it was hardly a one-off. CNN's Kay Fowle discovered a number of other times that Vance disparaged people without kids over the last five years, including calling them radical and sociopaths. Vance went even further -- further in this 2020 podcast.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (R): There's just these basic cadences of life that I think are really powerful and really, really valuable when you have kids in your life. And the fact that so many people, especially in America's leadership class, just don't have that in their lives, you know, I worry that it makes people more sociopathic and ultimately our whole country a little bit less -- less mentally stable. You go on Twitter and almost always, the people who are most deranged and most psychotic are people who don't have kids at home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIP: That is quite the take here. My panel is back. Catherine, you've got an op-ed in "The Washington Post" today called the real reason Vance's childless cat lady's comment is so outrageous. So, tell us.
RAMPBELL: I think there's been so much focus on the rhetoric itself and how cruel and insensitive it was, including to people who are struggling with fertility issues, but not only them. My bigger objection to all of this is that this rhetoric was designed to obscure the actual cruelty that he and his party have been imposing on families and children.
That basically, he has defended those comments by saying what he really meant was that Democrats are anti-child and anti-family. But if you look at what the parties actually stand for, what their records are, you could not come up with a worse way of contrasting the two parties.
If you look at, for example, the fact that it's Democrats who've been pushing paid leave, affordable childcare, an expanded child tax credit that would predominantly help low-income and poor kids, access to IVF, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
Those are the things that Democrats have stood for, have been trying to push. And Republicans, while occasionally paying lip service to some of them, have repeatedly stood in their way.
PHILLIP: So, this is the one that you highlighted this in your piece that I really do not understand.
[22:40:03]
This is a tweet from 2019. He says, "It turns out that normal Americans care more about their families than their jobs and want a family policy that doesn't shunt their kids into crap daycare so they can enjoy more freedom, in scare quotes, "in the paid labor force".
TURNER: It doesn't make sense.
RAMPBELL: Yeah, the idea of ridiculing people's need for affordable childcare. I don't get it, especially since his wife works.
PHILLIP: Okay, we have two Republicans, well, three Republicans at the table. Two Republicans who, help me understand this, Bryan. Like, what is he talking about?
LANZA: Listen, from what I gather is clearly the birth of his child, him being a father, had a significant enough impact to him that he looked at all the policies and says, you know what, how do we prioritize families because they're ultimately going to be the future of this country.
PHILLIP: So, why didn't he stay home and raise his kids?
LANZA: I mean, they both worked, right? They both had a struggle with health care.
PHILLIP: That's exactly my point.
UNKNOWN: But then why demonize? I don't understand this.
LANZA: I didn't view it as demonizing. Highlighting the fact that, you know, listen, my wife and I both hated leaving our kids, you know, with a nanny. We just did. That was a tough decision we made. By the way, that was an economic decision made that policy makers put onto us. Thirty, 40 years ago, somebody could stay at home and help raise the kids. That policy is so difficult today because of the policy makers that take place.
PHILLIP: Thirty or 40 years ago Bryan, not somebody, your wife would have stayed home.
LANZA: Correct. Yeah. And that was a decision of policy makers, by the way.
PHILLIP: This talking point is that the person who stays at home with the kids, in the minds of the people listening to this in the world, they're hearing, well, the woman stays home with the child. Why can't we go back to those days?
And some women want to stay home with their kids, but some women want to work. Some women stayed home, not because they don't want to care for their, they don't want to work, but because they cannot afford to work.
TURNER: I mean, as the Ohioan at the table, you know, Senator Vance, I wish one out of every two children in Cleveland live in poverty. So, to the point, why isn't Senator J.D. Vance supporting policies that actually lift families and children up? His weird obsession with people who don't have children.
Meanwhile, when he has the power to change the lives of children through pushing policies that would do so, he is absolutely nowhere to be found. He is a hypocrite. And I think there is something wrong with worrying about who has children and who does not.
GRIFFIN: Well, the thing with J.D. Vance is he started that clip saying kind of generic conservative beliefs. We've always believed that the family is the cornerstone of society, something we should protect, something that's a value add.
But then he takes the pendulum really far and is like, and to not have them, you might have sociopathic tendencies. This adds to my belief that there was absolutely no vetting of J.D. Vance before he was vice president. He spent the last three years of his life as like a troll on social media.
And there's just going to be more and more of this, where you start making a valid point and then you go to the extreme for the validation and the hit of retweets and of amplification. He went on some of the fringiest podcasts and shows. He continues to.
And I think that he's not much older than I am. I think this is someone who may not even have a huge core identity. He has flipped so much on positions that he has, and he seems to play to the audiences he's in front of. And unfortunately, for the last few years, he was in front of kind of an internet incel crowd. And this was the message.
PHILLIP: Do you think that they just didn't vet or did they -- saw these things and didn't think it was a problem?
JENNINGS: Oh, I'm sure he was vetted. I mean, I think when you're picking a vice president or anything else, you know, any personnel, you balance what you know versus what you're trying to get out of it. You know, I'm sure they didn't necessarily anticipate having this long of a news cycle based on this particular choice.
I think if I were in his shoes, the way to center this conversation is that I believe families are good. And I believe life in America right now is too damn expensive. And it's making it impossible for people to have families and to raise their children. And that's why I'm in this race. And that's what I'm going to try to do something about it.
RAMPBELL: To do what? Pay more attention to what politicians do than to what they say. You know, talk is cheap. Saying that -- JENNINGS: What are campaigns to you? But people telling you what they plan to do if they get elected.
RAMPBELL: What does he plan to do?
JENNINGS: I agree, talk is cheap. Kamala Harris has changed every position she's ever had in the last 24 hours. Is that cheap?
RAMPBELL: What is J.D. Vance's policy platform for making life more affordable for families?
JENNINGS: His policy platform is to end the rampant inflation of the Biden administration.
RAMPBELL: Oh my God.
JENNINGS: And to restore power to the American working class to make better living.
RAMPBELL: Oh, by having a global tariff that's going to raise prices.
JENNINGS: Biden's for tariffs? Biden's for tariffs?
RAMPBELL: Not a global tariff of 10 percent and 100 percent on Chinese goods. Not politicizing the Federal Reserve so that they no longer have any control over inflation. Not devaluing the dollar.
JENNINGS: Do they have control over inflation right now?
GRIFFIN: There's actually been --
JENNINGS: Do they?
RAMPBELL: Why do you think inflation has come down?
JENNINGS: Do you think -- do you think Americans --do you think, do you think Americans believe that the federal government has a handle on any of this right now?
[22:45:02]
RAMPBELL: I care about the facts, not about the spin. And I can --
JENNINGS: Okay, you can tell the voters they're stupid. Go ahead.
RAMPBELL: I know. I can say inflation has come down.
JENNINGS: Tell them, tell them, dummies, you're too dumb.
RAMPBELL: Inflation has come down. Their inflation has come down.
GRIFFIN: There's actually been tremendous --
RAMPBELL: And it would be helpful if we tried to explain to voters how this stuff worked rather than spin. GRIFFIN: All right, I just want to point out there's actually an
important bipartisan movement towards supporting families. Expansion of the child tax credit was renewed on a bipartisan basis. The Trump administration worked with Democrats to expand paid family leave.
UNKNOWN: There's a vote this week, in fact.
GRIFFIN: That is an important thing, so let's stick to facts. We all want people to be able to pay child tax and I will be interested to see what Vance does.
PHILLIP: Since you brought it up, Catherine's great piece also flagged this for me, which I had missed. This is J.D. Vance talking about the child tax credit and Kamala record on that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VANCE: I think a lot of parents and a lot of non-parents look at our public policy over the last four years and ask, how did we get to this place? How did we get to a place where Kamala Harris is calling for an end to the child tax credit?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIP: That is not true.
GRIFFIN: Not true.
RAMPBELL: No universe in which that is the case.
PHILLIP: That is not true. And in fact, I mean, he reportedly has walked away from, you know, bipartisan efforts to actually have legislation when it comes to childcare and when it comes to how parents pay for having babies in this country. So, why falsify the record?
RAMPBELL: I don't know.
TURNER: Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.
JENNINGS: Democrats attacked Vance this week because he said that people who are having children should have tax advantages. This audio was unearthed, and Democrats attacked him for it.
RAMPBELL: Yeah, that was -- I agree.
JENNINGS: And that was the rebuttal. And that was rebuttal.
RAMPBELL: But that's different from saying Kamala Harris wants to end the child tax credit.
PHILLIP: And he also said, to be fair, he said people should be penalized for not having children. It's not just giving a tax credit.
JENNINGS: Well, however you describe it, what do you think we do now? We do -- we do give people advantages for having kids. RAMPBELL: I actually do agree with you. I think that this line of
attack was stupid. And we do let people who have kids pay lower taxes. And I think that's a good thing. I think that's a good thing. i think that's a good thing.
TURNER: I mean, he talks family values. But when he has opportunities as a member of the United States Senate to really support policies that will lift families, he is not there. So, he's saying one thing, and he's doing another. It's just rhetoric for him.
PHILLIP: All right, everyone. Thank you to Catherine for joining us at the table in our fifth seat. Everyone else, stay with me. Coming up next, the panel will give us their nightcaps.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[22:51:58]
PHILLIP: And we're back, and it's time for the "NewsNightcap". You each have 30 seconds to say your piece. Scott, you're first.
JENNINGS: Here is my hot take of the night. I think, since we've been talking about J.D. Vance, my belief is that if he becomes vice president, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has a chance to do something amazing in U.S. politics. And that's appoint Dave Chappelle to the United States Senate from the great state of Ohio. Apologies to you.
I would be for you. But I'm for Dave Chappelle, a farmer -- a farmer from Yellow Springs between Dayton and Columbus. It would make C-SPAN appointment television. And I think, I don't know what party he's in --
PHILLIP: He's very much not --
JENNINGS: But I know that putting Dave Chappelle on the floor of the U.S. Senate would make our legislature great again. DeWine, here's your chance. Elect Vance. Go Chappelle. I've got, I'm going to put a campaign poster up on my Twitter tonight as soon as we're done.
TURNER: If it cannot be me, I'm with you on Dave Chappelle.
JENNINGS: All right, all right.
PHILLIP: You know, I'm vibing with Charlamagne. He's in the Middle East right now at this table. Okay, go ahead, Nina, you're up.
TURNER: The NABJ, I just don't understand why they got all that smoke. I think it is totally appropriate for them to invite both presumptive or nominee. You know, one is presumptive, the other one is the nominee. Black journalists --the history of Black journalists in this country is important. And who better to hold him and V.P. Harris accountable than Black journalists?
PHILLIP: One hundred percent with you on that endorsement.
UNKNOWN: He did not endorse. PHILLIP: One hundred percent. And look, my friend Rachel Scott at ABC and our colleague Kadia Goba at Semaphore, they're going to do an excellent job and they are the ones who should do it.
GRIFFIN: I third you on that, as well.
PHILLIP: Go ahead, Alyssa.
GRIFFIN: My take is far less sexy than Scott's. I think that as Kamala Harris keeps turning up in the polls, Donald Trump is going to get frustrated with advisers, get concerned about where the election might turn out.
And you're going to hear him start recycling the rhetoric about if they rig it, the election is going to be rigged. It feels that -- the sentiment feels very similar to July, August of 2020.Now, 97 days, a lot can happen. She's going to have low moments. He's going to have high ones. But expect that rhetoric to come back.
PHILLIP: Yeah, I mean, this would be the third cycle in a row for Donald Trump using that exact playbook. So, I think you're right about that. Go ahead, Bryan.
LANZA: Listen, mine's a little bit different. You know, Flavor Flav, the Olympics. How do you not sort of cheer for somebody? I grew up during '90s rap music. It's great to see him there. He's the official hype man of the U.S. water polo --female's U.S. water polo teams.
I have a daughter. You know, it's good for him. And I think more athletes should sort of turn to the celebrity status of former rappers. You have Snoop Dogg there. I think it's just a great cross- blend of generations.
PHILLIP: I don't know if you saw that viral video of him playing the piano, but apparently he has a lot of skills beyond just water polo.
JENNINGS: If I had to do that, I'd drown in 30 seconds. It's crazy. You ever see the camera under the water? The -- how fast their feet are moving under this? It's unbelievable. It's crazy.
[22:55:00]
PHILLIP: And shout out to USA Olympics. Loved watching them this evening with my daughter at home. We got to see Simone Biles and all the other girls kill it --
UNKNOWN: Hear, hear.
UNKNOWN: Yes.
PHILLIP: Over there in Paris. Everyone, thank you so much for watching, and thank you for being here at the table. "NewsNight" State of the Race is done, but "Laura Coates Live", it starts right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LAURA COATES, CNN HOST: Georgia on her mind. Kamala Harris makes the case in Atlanta, throwing down a challenge to Donald Trump.
