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Jayapal Walks Back Statement That Israel Is A "Racist State"; Today: Sen. Manchin Speaks At "No Labels" NH Town Hall; Superstar Lionel Messi Officially Joins MLS Club Inter Miami. Aired 11:30a-12p ET
Aired July 17, 2023 - 11:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:30:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. BRAD SCHNEIDER (D-IL): Israel is not a racist state. She doesn't believe it is. She has said that.
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KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: This is all happening just as the Israeli president is about to come to the United States and speak to a joint meeting of Congress on Wednesday. CNN's Manu Raju has more reporting on this. This happened -- this really blew up this weekend, Manu. What's happening with this now?
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, there has been a significant backlash in the immediate aftermath of those comments by Pramila Jayapal, which essentially forced her to issue that statement from Sunday saying that she -- Israel -- the idea of Israel is not racist. Saying that she may have some issues with their policies but does not believe that it's a racist state per se. And suggesting that her words came across incorrectly.
That came as we saw some prominent Democrats come out to rebuke those comments. And in a rare statement from Democratic leaders criticizing one of their own, Hakeem Jeffries and his fellow leadership -- members of his leadership team came out and said that Israel is not a racist state. And said that the -- they welcome the Israeli President Isaac Herzog's entrance to the United States and his decision to speak to a joint meeting of Congress on Wednesday.
But in talking to Jayapal herself on Friday before she made these comments this weekend, she made clear that she did not agree with the decision of Speaker McCarthy to invite Israeli President Herzog to come to Capitol Hill. And she offered this criticism of the Israeli government.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. PRAMILA JAYAPAL (D-WA): The violence settled -- settler violence that's happening in Israel and the West Bank. The annexation of settlements that have been happening over the last several years. Netanyahu's collaboration with extreme right elements of Israel. And the fact that we are getting further and further away from the ability to actually legitimately talk about a two-state solution, with security for -- and self-determination for both the Palestinian people and the Israeli people.
RAJU: So, should the speaker not have invited him?
JAYAPAL: I think this is not a good time for that to happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RAJU: So, while most Democrats are expected to attend the address from Herzog, it is unclear if Jayapal herself will go. She told me on Friday, she's checking her schedule. She's not sure if she will make it. But some members of the Progressive Caucus plan to skip that session on Friday because of their concerns about the Israeli government. Kate.
BOLDUAN: Yes. Manu, thank you so much. John.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. It is so, so hot in so many parts of the country right now with a heat dome bringing dangerous conditions to the Southwest. CNN's Rafael Romo joins us now live from Las Vegas. Rafael, give us a sense of just how hot it is there.
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, John, it's very, very hot. It was already 90 degrees here in Las Vegas before the sun was up. And the forecast says it's going to get up to about 114 degrees, officially 99 degrees right now.
And as bad as it is, it's slightly better than yesterday when the thermometer hit 116 degrees. Just one degree shy of the all-time record for the city of Las Vegas of 117 degrees. We're coming off the hottest June ever across the globe and the heatwave has extended into July.
In the South and the Southwest, there are currently over 80 million Americans under heat advisories from California to Florida. Earlier, I spoke with the ranger at Death Valley National Park in California also known as the hottest place on earth who told us what worries them is that this extreme weather seems to be a trend instead of a single occurrence.
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MATT LAMAR, DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK RANGER: What we're seeing here in Death Valley is certainly that things are getting hotter. Seven of our 10 hottest summers have come in the last 10 years. And that's you know obviously a global trend.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMO: In case you're wondering, the temperature yesterday reach 126 degrees officially at Death Valley National Park, John. Only six -- eight below at all time -- the all-time record of 134. And here in Las Vegas, organizations are trying to make sure nobody goes without water. Let's take a listen.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's life and death. I mean, there's no joking about that. That is literally this water will save a life. They're literally baking on the streets.
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ROMO: And, John, just to give you an idea of how bad it is. If you leave anything in the sun and we're -- we did the test ourselves, this is what happened. The thermometer reached 120 degrees a while ago. It went over that. So, you can imagine how dangerous it can be for people for children, for pets just to get an idea about how hot it is, and it's only 8:32 in the morning here right now. Back to you.
BERMAN: You had the thermometer, can't even handle it. Nor, by the way, can this guy wearing the Ewok shirt riding a dinosaur with things shooting out of its eyes. It's so hot that even he is hot, Sara.
[11:35:10]
SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: It's a sloth. And it's really slow.
BERMAN: Or an Ewok or both.
SIDNER: All right. This morning, there are major disruptions to air travel as a result of severe storms over the weekend. The airlines are scrambling to recover after thousands of flights were canceled or delayed. We have been here before.
Heavy rain and fog, at one point yesterday, forced all flights to be grounded in New York and Boston. CNN's Pete Muntean is following the fallout if you will. Pete, what's happening now?
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: If you're a sloth riding a T-Rex, you might have gotten there faster than the airlines yesterday. We're looking at 1700 flights canceled yesterday and about 10,000 flights delayed. Here is the big superlative, Sara. That number -- that delay number, that's the most flight delays we've seen all summer. 40 percent of all flights delayed just yesterday.
This is such a huge problem. And this keeps happening over and over again. This is really a heat story as well because like United CEO Scott Kirby said it's thermodynamics 101. When the hot air rises, it turns into thunderstorms, and then that comes raining down on these major hubs.
New York hit especially hard yesterday. Newark, a big hub for United Airlines, JFK, LaGuardia, there are ground stops there for a good portion of the day. And then Boston all the way down to DC. So, we're really not totally out of the woods just yet. Today is kind of the recovery day for airlines and a lot of passengers who are displaced by this, you know, some are waiting in these really long customer service lines to try and find another flight. I just heard from somebody coming on an international flight from Europe and they were not able to -- their flight initially got delayed. And they were not able -- other passengers weren't able to find a flight until -- a connecting flight until Wednesday. So, this can have a really big trickle-down for folks and a lot of misery out there, Sara.
SIDNER: Pete, but you've made us happy because you worked in the sloth and the laser beam --
MUNTEAN: It's all that matters.
SIDNER: -- and the Tyrannosaurus Rex. So, we appreciate you beyond. Kate.
BOLDUAN: I mean I'm clearly starved for joy because a sloth riding a dinosaur with what is going out of his eyes. It's like the thing making me happy is my life right now.
SIDNER: It's Monday. We need this.
BOLDUAN: Oh, God. You guys may retake the video full. I'm laughing too hard I was like I'm crying -- I am crying.
SIDNER: I wanted to take this for you. Are you all right?
BOLDUAN: I look good. I'm going to pull it together.
SIDNER: Pull together. Pull together.
BOLDUAN: But don't go too far, please. Oh crap. That's funny. OK. Seriously. OK.
John Bourbon, Sara Sidner, we are in this together. Thank God. It's hard or I'm more here to say sorry. You're stuck with me.
All right, coming up for us. Tonight, Democratic Senator Joe Manchin is set to headline a town hall event in New Hampshire. We're going to break -- we're going to break down all the talk about why that has some Democrats so worried.
Plus, he may be the world's most recognized athlete. And he is now officially in South Florida. How superstar Lionel Messi made his MLS debut? That's next on CNN NEWS CENTRAL. I might not be here though. Oh, God, that's so --
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[11:42:33]
BOLDUAN: There is an event happening in New Hampshire today that some Democrats think has the chance to torpedo President Biden's chances at reelection. Not even the event really, but what it signifies. Later today, Senator Joe Manchin is set to attend a town hall hosted by the group No Labels. The group is now actively considering running a third-party candidate in 2024 for the presidential race and is pushing for unity ticket which would feature one Democrat, one Republican on the ticket.
CNN's Alayna Treene is following this -- joining us now. How worried are Democrats really about this event and what Joe Manchin is going to be talking -- speaking at?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, Kate, they're very worried, and rightfully so. Joe Manchin has not yet announced whether he will seek reelection next year for his Senate seat in West Virginia. And he's also not ruled out pursuing a potential independent White House bid in 2024.
And that is really why Democrats are so concerned. They're really worried about the potential of a third-party candidate drawing support away from President Joe Biden. And tipping the scales potentially in favor of former President Donald Trump or another Republican nominee.
Now, Manchin will appear later today alongside former Utah Governor John Huntsman. He's a Republican and someone that Manchin considers a friend. And Manchin will also be in the room with other people he thinks are friends.
He's been associated with this group, No Labels, for years now. He's a former honorary co-chair of the group. And he really believes in their overall message of bipartisanship as well as their idea of putting forth a potential Senate or centrist candidate.
Now, I should also point out, Kate, some of their -- Manchin's motivations here, I mean, one, he could raise a lot of money from doing this event. Particularly if donors think that there's a chance that he could run for president.
He also will get a lot of attention from this. And we know that that's something that Manchin really enjoys. And he can use both of those things to fuel a reelection bid next year.
And lastly, Manchin uses the word bipartisanship as a noun, an adjective, and a verb. And being the bipartisan guy in West Virginia is a good thing for him. And so really for Manchin, there's a lot of upside to this event not a lot of downside. But Democrats, of course, see this as a potential challenge for them. Kate.
BOLDUAN: Yes, they see -- they can see it differently. It's good to see you, Alayna. Thank you so much. John, they say they're not here to be spoilers. We will see I guess.
BERMAN: Yes. I was trying to think if you could say like bipartisan as an adverb also, right? Could that be bipartisanly?
BOLDUAN: Always try.
BERMAN: Lady? I don't know.
BOLDUAN: You can always try.
[11:45:07] BERMAN: Thank you very much for that. All right. Let's talk about No Labels. Here with me is CNN Senior Data Reporter Harry Enten. The reason it's a big deal, this cycle, Harry, is because of something some people call double haters. What does that mean?
HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: Yes. So, look, we have views of Joe Biden and Donald Trump. And I want you to note. 30 -- this is our last CNN poll. 33 percent had a favorable view of Donald Trump. 32 percent had a favorable view of Joe Biden.
But the plurality, as I walk over to John's side of the screen, 36 percent did not hold a favorable view of either of these two gentlemen. A large chunk of the electorate likes neither of them. That's the double haters that you're speaking about right there. They make up the plurality of the electorate. This is going to be the key group going into 2024.
BERMAN: So, who is leading with these key voters?
ENTEN: Yes. So, right now, at this particular point, how voters who don't like Joe Biden or Donald Trump say they will vote. Joe Biden holds a small edge here, but it is an important edge. It's 41 percent to 34 percent.
You may remember back in the 2016 election, this group of voters which made up 17 percent of the electorate went overwhelmingly -- or 18 percent of the electorate went for Donald Trump by 17 points, and not won of the election. So at this particular point, given that these double haters are making up such a large portion of the electorate, Joe Biden is very happy to have them in his corner even if by this slight margin.
BERMAN: That's such a crucial comparison to 2016 when voters said they didn't really like Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. They broke for Donald Trump. This time, they say they don't like either of the major party candidates, again, if they end up being these two guys.
ENTEN: Sure.
BERMAN: But they're breaking toward Biden. So, Harry, you run some numbers here about what the presence of a third party could mean here. What would that to you?
ENTEN: Right. So, perhaps this won't be so much of a surprise given that these double-haters say they like Joe Biden. If you all of a sudden introduce a third-party candidate, what happens? So, this is my current estimate.
If there's no third party, look. Biden is up well within that margin of error. Up by a point. Look at what happens though when you include a third-party candidate. Now, that lead flips over to Trump being up by a point.
Now, again, this is a small movement. The third-party candidates not taking up a substantial portion of the vote. But given how close the race is, they could make the difference. BERMAN: Yes. And when you think about the states that were super close last time, Arizona, Wisconsin, Georgia, a swing like this could be decisive.
ENTEN: Exactly right, John.
BERMAN: Harry Enten, thank you so much.
ENTEN: Thank you, sir.
BERMAN: A quick programming note. Make sure to join CNN's Jake Tapper for an exclusive interview with Florida governor and Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis. Here, how he plans to take on Trump on the campaign trail and reverse some of the problems he's been having of late. That interview and really DeSantis, this is going to be the first time he comes into the mainstream media. That interview is tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Sara.
SIDNER: All right. Still ahead. Messi mania has descended on Miami. We're live outside Inter Miami stadium with a look at how South Florida pulled out the stops for the football superstar. If you want to see him in person, how much that might cost you? That's ahead too. It's a pretty penny.
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[11:52:50]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lionel Andres Messi.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER: And with that, that is the start of Messi mania in Miami. Soccer superstar Lionel Messi officially joined Major League Soccer's Inter Miami team yesterday, considered one of the greatest football stars of our generation. Messi told fans he cannot wait to play.
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LIONEL MESSI, INTER MIAMI (through translator): I'm very happy to have chosen to come to this city with my family, to chosen this project, and I've no doubt that we're going to enjoy it very much. We're going to have a good time. And great things are going to happen. Thank you very much. Thank you all for this day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER: He is going to enjoy it but the fans might enjoy it more. CNN's Carlos Suarez joins us now from outside Inter Miami Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. What is happening? What are people thinking when they saw this last night? A huge day.
CARLOS SUAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Sara. So, fans were pretty excited going into Sunday, though we did have a two-hour rain delay. But all that rain wasn't enough to keep thousands of Inter Miami fans from coming out here to welcome one of the greatest athletes who have ever played soccer, Lionel Messi.
Now, Messi is not scheduled to join the team for their first match until Friday. Though he does have a team practice tomorrow. Right now, fans, they have pretty much taken over all of South Florida. Yesterday, his official number 10 jersey went on sale here at the stadium, and it's sold out just like that.
As you can imagine, a great deal of hope and expectation is being put on Messi to grow U.S. Soccer. There really hasn't been a player of his caliber to play American soccer since 1975 when Pele played in New York City. Of course, there's also a great deal of emphasis being put on the fact that the U.S. is among one of the countries that is hosting the World Cup in 2026. And so Major League Soccer as well as Inter Miami, they are trying to get Messi to not only build his international fan base, but they're hoping that he can grow the game here in the U.S., guys.
[11:55:15]
SIDNER: Carlos Suarez, thank you so much. Those tickets I know are going for a heck of a lot of money.
BERMAN: I have not seen anything -- I'm a huge soccer fan.
SIDNER: I know it.
BOLDUAN: Yes.
BERMAN: I keep hearing from so many people. Oh, we got our tickets when Messi comes here when Messi goes there.
SIDNER: Wow.
BERMAN: People are planning months and months and months in advance to see him play. It is super exciting.
SIDNER: It's --
BOLDUAN: I don't even -- I mean, I wouldn't -- I would put myself in a lower category of a soccer fan than you. I'm very excited to see him play.
BERMAN: He's pretty good.
BOLDUAN: Yes.
SIDNER: He's just amazing.
BERMAN: It's just -- it turns out he's -- (INAUDIBLE)
BOLDUAN: He's decent. He's decent.
BERMAN: He's decent. Yes. He's good at it.
BOLDUAN: Yes. And I think -- (INAUDIBLE) with that one.
SIDNER: He's like the Michael Jordan of soccer. Sorry, I didn't talk about your guys.
BERMAN: He's better known than Michael right now, though.
SIDNER: It's true. It's true. Around the world.
BOLDUAN: Around the world, for sure.
BERMAN: Yes.
SIDNER: All right.
BOLDUAN: Thank you all so much for joining us today. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL. "INSIDE POLITICS" is up next.
BERMAN: I mean he's not as big as a slot riding a T-Rex.
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