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Age Becomes A Key Issue Ahead Of 2024 Election; Tim Scott Changes Tactics, Steps Up Attacks On Rivals; CDC Warns Doctors Of Deadly Flesh-Eating Bacteria Cases; Coco Gauff Reaches U.S. Open Quarterfinals; Americans Shelton, Tiafoe & Fritz Advance At U.S. Open. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired September 04, 2023 - 14:30   ET

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

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[14:33:53]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Well, age has become an unavoidable issue in Washinton, and that issue and debate over it has gotten more intense since Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell froze while taking questions last week from reporters, the second time this summer that that's happened.

Right now, some Republicans are sparring about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIKKI HALEY, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am completely for term limits. I'm completely for mental competency tests for anyone over the age of 75. And I'm not saying that to be disrespectful.

Here you have Mitch McConnell, who's done great service to the country. You have Dianne Feinstein, who had a great career. You've got Nancy Pelosi, who's been there a long time. At what point do they get it's time to leave?

SEN. MIKE ROUNDS (R-SD): Mitch is sharp, and he is shrewd. He understands what needs to be done. I'll leave it up to him as to how he wants to discuss that with the American public.

But there's no doubt in my mind that he is perfectly capable of continuing on at this stage of the game.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Let's discuss this and more with CNN political commentator and Republican strategist, Alice Stewart. Also joining us, "Axios" national politics reporter, Sophia Cai.

Thank you both for being with us.

[14:35:02]

Alice, first to you. The issue with McConnell is that it creates an opening for people like Nikki Haley, who's 51 years old, to talk about age on the campaign trail. Do you think that's an issue that resonates with voters?

ALICE STEWART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It does with some. And I think it's really important that we look at each of these instances that she brings up separately.

Look, watching the video of Senator McConnell freeze up twice, it's concerning. But look, I take the word of his doctor, of Senator Rounds, who we just played.

And our colleague, Scott Jennings, who has actually spent time with him since this happened and says he's fine and says these were just instances that happen, and they're not common place.

Look, keep in mind, he's recovering from an injury and this takes time. We need to show him the same grace that everyone gave to Senator Fetterman. That's important to keep in mind.

But look, I would love nothing more than for every person who is an elected official in Washington to be able to show up, speak up, and dress up the part.

But it's up to the voters to decide. It's not up for someone who has an ulterior motive in the Republican Party or the Democratic Party to call for mental competency tests or age requirements.

It's up to the voters to decide those important issues. And that's exactly where this should lie.

Keep in mind, if you're going to throw stones and you're going to have a standard for age and mental competency, it goes both ways. And Democrats can do the same thing to Republicans if you're going to throw across the aisle.

Keep in mind, this, with McConnell is a health issue, much different than what we're seeing with Senator Feinstein and President Biden, for that matter, in some cases.

SANCHEZ: Well, Sophia, what I found interesting about Nikki Haley's soundbite, if you read between the lines, former President Donald Trump would also be taking a mental acuity test if it were up to her. She doesn't mention him by name though.

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: And yet, if you look at polling, Trump is only about three years younger than Biden. Biden -- I think we have that poll to show our viewers.

Biden routinely is viewed by those questioned in the poll as being unable to do the job because of his age in comparison to former President Donald Trump.

SOPHIA CAI, NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER, "AXIOS": Yes, I mean, I just saw a poll that you guys put up. One-third of voters think that he is mentally able, and that is Biden. For Trump, it's only about 10 points higher.

On the one hand, you've got Biden who's 80, on the other hand, you've got Trump who's 77. Alice made a great point. It cuts both ways.

I think it's significant that, in this case, with McConnell, you had Biden immediately calling McConnell up to express his support, express his confidence.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

CAI: Because, you know what? I think Dems are being relatively quiet about, you know, this health scare, double health scare with McConnell because, you know what, the same questions can be asked about Biden.

SANCHEZ: Sure.

Alice, to you. I want to get to another Republican candidate that we've been following very closely, and that is Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina.

He started his campaign with a pretty affable outlook. He was mostly positive on the trail. And apparently, that is going to shift coming soon after that lackluster debate performance.

STEWART: Look, I think he was just trying to be more polite in the debate, and that certainly cost him. He didn't get quite the time and the headlines after that.

Look, here's something to keep in mind. Having worked on many campaigns, you always start off a campaign with certainly your message, but you plan your work and you work your plan.

And you also have a Plan B. And it's political malpractice not to adapt to Plan B if the current situation isn't working, if the poll numbers aren't advocating for that.

And we've got four months until the Iowa caucus, and now is the time to make those changes. If you don't, you're like the people out in Burning Man, you're stuck in the mud and you have no place to go.

So now is the time to make those changes and adapt based on what works and what doesn't work.

Because clearly, being Mr. Nice guy and Mr. Optimistic isn't exactly working, so it's a good time.

And we're seeing this with a lot of the candidates. They're tweaking and massaging their message to what works with the voters.

SANCHEZ: Sophia, I appreciate Alice describing it as tweaking. Tim Scott, not the only candidate to tweak or reshuffle or attempt a rebrand of some kind of the campaign.

I think that speaks to just how Donald Trump is dominating the Republican side.

CAI: Yes, I mean, Tim Scott came out here pitching himself as the optimistic alternative to Trump.

And I think he still is, primarily because it's not in Trump -- I'm sorry, it's not in Tim Scott's nature to be combative. It's not in his nature to be aggressive, even though, you know, you've got some of his allies saying he's going to try to.

I mean, the guy, like, goes on podcasts and talks about what happiness is, right?

(LAUGHTER)

CAI: And it's because -- and that's not a show. It's who he is.

[14:40:00]

But I think, you know, the debate has showed him and his team that he needs to be a little more punchy. So you see him going after Trump on being soft on Putin.

You see him going after Vivek Ramaswamy, who had a great debate, for, you know, potentially refusing to back our allies, including Israel.

So these are some of the issues -- and I was just chatting with his campaign -- that his team expects him to make the case to voters to contrast himself, and that's the word they want to use, "contrast himself" with his rivals.

SANCHEZ: Difficult to contrast themselves when Donald Trump is leading by nearly 50 points --

CAI: Yes, exactly.

SANCHEZ: -- over the second-place person.

Sophia Cai, Alice Stewart, thank you both so much. Appreciate you.

Omar?

OMAR JIMINEZ, CNN HOST: Well, still to come on CNN NEWS CENTRAL, the CDC is issuing a warning about a specific type of flesh-eating bacteria. We'll tell you where it's being found right now.

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[13:45:13]

SANCHEZ: Now to some of the other headlines we're watching this hour.

Alarming findings from an audit of Connecticut state trooper traffic stops. Auditors say more than 100 troopers filed false reports during a seven-year span.

The period -- rather the reason, according to the report, was to possibly appear more productive. A key finding in the 72-page audit, a high likelihood that at least 26,000 recorded stops between 2014 and 2021 were fake. They were false.

That means that no stops were actually made, but they filed paperwork anyway. That number could be more than 58,000. An investigation is currently underway.

Also, a gender reveal party in Mexico turned tragic over the weekend. You can see here a plane spraying pink smoke over the party then immediately crashing.

The video captures the moment the plane's left wing appears to separate from the fuselage as it flies away from the group of people below. The pilot was taken to the hospital but he later died. Fortunately, no other injuries are being reported.

And the Texas Christian University community is in mourning after a beloved student who played football for the school was shot dead outside a Fort Worth bar on Friday night.

Junior Wes Smith, from Tennessee, was shot multiple times by a gunman who officials say told police he would have shot more people if he hadn't run out of bullets. The suspect is charged with murder and being held on $500,000 bond.

Omar?

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN HOST: We're going to go to an urgent health alert now. The CDC is warning doctors to be on the lookout for cases of deadly flesh-eating bacteria this summer.

According to health officials, at least five people have died from infections in Connecticut, New York and North Carolina. Widespread heat waves and rising coastal sea surface temperatures may be to blame here.

CNN health reporter, Jacqueline Howard, joins us now.

Jacqueline, first off, what is this? And how are people being exposed to it?

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Well, Omar, the type of bacteria we're talking about, it's called Vibrio Vulnificus. And the way people can get infected, this is a bacteria that naturally lives in coastal waters.

So if someone consumes raw shellfish or if they have an open wound or a cut on the skin that's exposed to coastal waters where we know Vibrio bacteria thrive, that's where we are seeing these types of infections.

And we know, because Vibrio bacteria thrive in warm waters, as the climate crisis brings more heatwaves and higher ocean temperatur3es, we can expect to see increasing numbers of these kinds of infections.

And the CDC now is urging health care professionals to consider Vibrio bacteria as a possible cause if they see infected wounds that they know were exposed to coastal waters.

And as you mentioned, Omar, we've seen some recent fatal cases reported on the east coast in North Carolina, Connecticut and New York. So this is something that health officials are watching very closely.

JIMENEZ: Yes, it's scary for a lot of folks who see some of these headlines.

And so how concerned should people be? And what can they do to be safe here?

HOWARD: Yes, it's scary, but we don't want people to panic. We know that, you know, each year, somewhere between 150 and 200 cases of Vibrio infections are reported to the CDC and about one in five of those can be fatal.

So what the CDC recommends people to do is, if you do have an open wound or cut on the skin, avoid coastal waters so you can reduce your risk of infection.

And make sure that you cook raw oysters or shellfish that you may consume. Wash your hands when you are handling shellfish.

And if you do have a wound that appears to be infected, definitely call your doctor, seek medical attention. Antibiotics can help as a treatment. But you definitely want to seek medical help when needed -- Omar?

JIMENEZ: Important context, especially on the frequency of this.

Jacqueline Howard, thank you so much.

Boris?

SANCHEZ: Tennis star, Coco Gauff, keeping the drive alive at the U.S. Open. She is the first teenager to make the tournament's quarter finals in back-to-back years since Serena Williams. More on her run when we come back.

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[14:53:55]

SANCHEZ: A clash of generations at the U.S. Open. American Coco Gauff pulling out a win over 33-year-old Caroline Wozniacki to reach the quarterfinals for the second year in a row. The milestone places the 19-year-old Gauff among the likes of tennis great, Serena Williams.

CNN "WORLD SPORT" anchor, Don Riddell, joins us now.

Don, Gauff is one of the favorites to take this thing all the way.

DON RIDDELL, CNN HOST: Absolutely, Boris. Gauff has a terrific chance of winning the U.S. Open this year. Remember, she's still only 19 years old but has had a brilliant summer. And she is getting it done in New York. It's not always been easy.

Three of her matches so far have gone to three sets, including Sunday's fourth round match against Wozniacki.

But in the end, it was fairly one-sided. Gauff clinching that third set by six games to one.

She's clearly gaining in confidence and trusting in her own ability, even dismissing the advice of her coaches at times. And she is emerging as a real character.

This is what she said afterwards about her dad, who is so supportive, but who is also so nervous that he can no longer watch.

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[14:55:01]

COCO GAUFF, PRO TENNIS PLAYER: My dad isn't in the box anymore because he gets too nervous. So he's somewhere in one of the suites. And he's been apparently doing laps around the stadium, I heard, during the matches.

So I don't know if he can hear me right now but I felt his energy, his good energy, even though I can't really see him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIDDELL: Gauff's next match will be a quarter final clash with big hitter Jelena Ostapenko from Latvia. Ostapenko is a former French Open champion. She's just knocked out. The world number-one defending champion, Shianta (ph).

And within the last few minutes, another American has advanced albeit at the expense of a compatriot, a former finalist here. Madison Keys knocked out Jessica Pegula in straight sets, 6-1, 6-3.

And it really is turning out to be a terrific tournament for the American players. No less than three homegrown stars still in the men's draw, and one is guaranteed to make it to the semis.

On Sunday, the 20-year-old from Florida, Ben Shelton, knocked out another American, Tommy Pool. That means Shelton will now play Francis Tiafoe. He's known to have beat Rafael Nadal last year. He went all the way to the semis then.

The other American man still standing is Taylor Fritz. He has a tough opponent in the quarter final round. Boris, you might have heard of him, Novak Djokovic. He's won a few of these majors, like 23 of them and counting.

Back to you.

SANCHEZ: Yes, only a handful. I look forward to Coco's dad making more laps around the venue.

RIDDELL: Yes.

SANCHEZ: Don Riddell, thank you so much.

Omar?

JIMENEZ: He will probably do more laps than me. He's going to make all of us look bad.

Burning Man is wrapping up. And after days of thick mud, apparently, drying up, too. Now tens of thousands of people might finally be able to leave. We will talk about it next.

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