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Jamie Harrison is Interviewed about the Presidential Election; Prosecutors Plan to Portray Baldwin as Reckless; Reason Case Against U.S.-Russian Citizen; MLB Honors Willie Mays at Rickwood Field. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired June 20, 2024 - 09:30   ET

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

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[09:30:18]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Just one week. The earliest general election debate in presidential campaign history. Preparations going full throttle now as the president and former president go head-to-head right here on CNN.

Before they do so, a new poll coming out showing how Americans feel. From Monmouth University, it shows nearly 50 percent of Americans feel that neither Biden nor Trump are truly concerned about their personal economic well-being. Inflation and the economy rank as the top concerns of voters in that same poll. Whereas just a few months ago it was immigration that topped the polls.

In seven days, both Biden and Trump will have a chance to speak directly to voters about that issue and many more.

With me now, DNC Chair Jamie Harrison.

Thank you so much for joining me.

Let's talk about that poll again. This is a Mammoth poll that shows nearly half of Americans think neither Donald Trump or Biden care about their personal economics. And it goes further, sort of looking at how Congress has dealt with this too and they're not happy with Congress on this either.

What does President Joe Biden have to do on that stage in your estimation to try and sway voters that he is the man to try to fix their economic woes, or is this something that had to be done a long time ago to make things feel better in their pocketbooks?

JAMIE HARRISON, DNC CHAIR: Listen, I think the bottom line is the contrast here. And it's not the contrast of the words, but the contrast of the actions. You've got one man who wakes up every single day thinking about how to make the lives of all Americans better. And you've got one man who wakes up every single day thinking about who can he pay back? What kind of retribution can he enact? What kind of revenge can he take place. Listen to what Joe Biden says in his speeches. He talks about the agenda that he has had and the accomplishments that he's done in order to make the lives of the American people better, from bringing down the cost of prescription drugs, capping the cost of insulin at $35 a month, getting rid of some of the junk fees that many working class people have to deal with, eliminating - keeping medical debt from bringing down the credit rating for so many working people in this country.

And what Donald Trump talks about is himself and sharks and electric boats (ph) and then the tax cuts he wants to give to the ultra-wealthy that are funding his campaign. That is the contrast that we will see on that debate stage. And that is what Joe Biden will make sure that he focuses on like a laser. He's going to focus on Donald Trump and his extreme agenda of ripping away Americans freedoms, undermining American democracy, and selling out the middle-class to the ultra- wealthy in this country.

SIDNER: I want to ask you about what this moment will mean, particularly for President Biden. The Republicans have been going after him for months and months and months, talking about mental acuity, talking about age. And we know that Biden's campaign believes that Americans in general have not sort of been tuning in fully to the political - the campaign, and to the political moment that we're in right now and to this election, but they believe that this particular debate, they will be tuned in for the first time fully.

So, is this a make-or-break moment for President Biden?

HARRISON: No, I think it's a make-or-break moment for Donald Trump because this is what Joe Biden is going to do. He's going to focus on Donald Trump's record. His record as a fatal businessman. His record now as a convicted felon. Think about Donald Trump as a businessperson. He filed for bankruptcy six times. He failed as a casino, airline, university and hotel owner. He failed as a steak, a water and vodka salesman. He failed as a board game and magazine creator.

Even when he was in the White House, he led an insurrection and it got so bad that we couldn't even buy toilet paper in this country. He told us, in order to get rid of Covid, we had to inject some type of disinfected or bleach. That is the failure of Donald Trump. We do not need to bring that back to the American people because we lost so much under Trump. We lost jobs. We lost - women lost their reproductive freedom because of the decisions he made and the people he put on the - on the United States Supreme Court.

So, that is a disaster that we don't need to come back. And that's why we're going to - we're riding with Joe Biden. We're going to push for this president, who's done so much to bring America back.

SIDNER: I want to ask you about something from our reporter, Steve Contorno, who reported this morning that one way Donald Trump is preparing for these debates is using some of his vice presidential candidates as advisors.

[09:35:03]

And one of those VP contenders, Doug Burgum, the billionaire, said this about the Biden administration.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. DOUG BURGUM (R-ND): Under Joe Biden we're actually living under a dictatorship today where he's, you know, bypassing Congress on immigration policy. He's bypassing Congress on protecting our border. He's bypassing Congress on student loan forgiveness. And he's defying the Supreme Court. I mean those are the things that authoritarians and dictators do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: He is accusing Joe Biden of being a dictator.

First of all, your response to that attack, and if you expect that kind of attack to come from Donald Trump as well, on the stage.

HARRISON: Well, the only thing that the Republican Party is good for is fear, and also defrauding the American people. There's a lot of projection in there from the governor because the - there's only been one candidate that has said that he wants to be a dictator on day one, and that's Donald Trump. And so we know that Trump has fought against our reproductive freedoms. He's said that, you know, people shouldn't have the opportunity to exercise their First Amendment rights to freedom of speech. He wants to send our military against protesters. That - those are the things that dictators do.

What Joe Biden's doing is fighting for our fundamental freedoms and utilizing all of the powers that he has as president of the United States in order to do that, in the face of a MAGA Republican Congress that doesn't want to get anything done. It's the worst, most - it's the worst the Congress in the history of dysfunctional congresses. And so we are fighting back and pushing back to protect the freedoms of the American people against this extremism that we're seeing from the Republican Party.

SIDNER: Jamie Harrison, thank you so much for coming on this morning as we will all be watching just a week from now one of the most anticipated moments of this historic election season, and the stakes could not be higher. CNN - you will see former President Trump and current President Biden meeting for their very first debate. Jake Tapper, Dana Bash moderating this. The CNN presidential debate live from Atlanta beginning 9:00 p.m. Eastern and streaming on Max.

All right, new court documents appear to show how prosecutors plan to portray actor Alec Baldwin in the moments leading up to that fatal shooting on the set of his movie "Rust."

And a U.S.-Russian dual citizen could face up to 20 years in Russian prison after being accused of committing treason. Her trial underway right now.

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JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: According to a new court filing, prosecutors plan to paint Alec Baldwin as repeatedly reckless with guns. The new legal strategy comes as the actor is set to stand trial next month in the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film "Rust."

CNN's Josh Campbell is with us with the very latest.

What are you hearing here, Josh?

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John, you know, this is interesting because we're learning that prosecutors aren't just going to be focusing on the moment of that fatal shooting, but focusing on Alec Baldwin's alleged behavior in the days and weeks leading up to that shooting. In this new filing, they laid out various items if states evidence they plan to introduce. They claim that based on video evidence there is actor Baldwin on video using that gun as a pointer, at one point engaged in what they describe as, quote, horse play and pointing the gun, the muzzle of that gun, at another actor. They say that at one point while setting up for a scene he fired a blank round in the direction of a crew member. And they also claim that during a safety briefing regarding firearms on the set, actor Alec Baldwin was distracted, texting with family members and facetiming them rather than paying attention to that briefing.

Now, all of this seems to track with what Santa Fe's district attorney told me when charges were first brought against Alec Baldwin. Take a listen here to the prosecutor and her describing what she claimed was a culture of unsafe practices on that movie set.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARY CARMACK-ALTWIES, FIRST JUDICIAL DISTRICT ATTORNEY: There was such a lack of safety and safety standards on that set that there were live rounds on set, they were mixed in with regular dummy rounds. Nobody was checking those.

CAMPBELL: And is Baldwin being charged as an actor who was holding the gun, or as a producer on the set who was negligent about the safety standards? Can you help describe that?

CARMACK-ALTWIES: He's being charged as both. He was the actor that pulled the trigger. So, certainly he's charged as an actor. But also as a producer. He also had a duty to make sure that the set was safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMPBELL: Now, take a look at the New Mexico case law that prosecutor cited in this new filing. What they say is, "criminal negligence exists where the defendant acts with willful disregard of the rights or safety of others and in a manner which endangers any person or property." So again, not just the actual fatal shooting, but they're trying to claim an atmosphere of unsafe practices that put other people in jeopardy. Now, an attorney for Alec Baldwin declined to comment on this recent

filing. Of course, Alec Baldwin has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter charges. He says that he never pulled the trigger on that weapon. Interestingly, his defense team pointed us to a new filing that they just submitted where they're actually trying to ask this case be thrown out, alleging that prosecutors have selectively disclosed information that was beneficial to their case. We'll, of course, wait to see what the judge ultimately decides.

[09:45:00]

As of right now, John, this trial is set to begin next month.

BERMAN: Next month. Getting closer.

All right, Josh Campbell, thank you very much for that.

Sara.

SIDNER: New this morning, and American ballerina accused of committing treason appeared in Russian court. Los Angeles resident Ksenia Karelina was detained while visiting her grandparents.

CNN's chief global affairs correspondent, Matthew Chance, joining us now live from Moscow (ph).

What can you tell us about what happened in court? We see her in that - that sort of same box there that everyone's taking pictures of. She is smiling, but this is a hard day.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, she hasn't got a lot to smile about, frankly. It's the glass box inside the courtroom in Yekaterinburg, about 1,000 miles from Moscow. Her trial has got underway for treason.

She is, of course, a U.S. joint Russian citizen. And it's on the basis of her Russian citizenship that she's been arrested, that she came in on a Russian passport. She was visiting her grandparents in the city. But she's accused of treason, specifically of funding the Ukrainian military.

Now, when you drill - that sounds series. When you drill down into it, what she actually is accused of is giving a donation of just over $50 - $51 to a U.S.-based charity, Ukrainian sort of humanitarian charity back in the United States. And so - so it's for that reason that the Russian authorities have taken it and they've said, look, this is treason for a Russian citizen to do this.

She's now facing up to 20 years in prison. Possibly longer than that, in fact, depending on the - the rule changes that the Kremlin has put in force. It's a sign of how the Russian government is cracking down on any kind of dissent at all when it comes to its conflicts in Ukraine, what it calls its special military operation. The fact that she is a U.S. citizen, though, also may have complicated the issue. The Kremlin has been accused of gathering Americans in its prison cells, like bargaining chips, that it can use to trade with Washington for concessions at a later date.

Sara.

SIDNER: Yes, you have journalist Evan Gershkovich. You had a member of the armed forces there. Both of them brought in and going to be tried. And now you have this dual citizen.

Matthew Chance, thank you so much for your reporting. I always appreciate it.

John.

BERMAN: All right, there is an incredible tribute plan by baseball in Alabama tonight. This is something you just have to see.

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[09:52:04]

BERMAN: Tonight, baseball will honor Willie Mays at Rickwood Field, the oldest professional ballpark in the U.S. Now, Mays played outfield for the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues in 1948. And tonight there his major league team, the San Francisco Giants, will face off against the St. Louis Cardinals.

CNN senior national correspondent Ryan Young with the best job in the company today, is in Birmingham.

Ryan, it's going to be quite a day there.

RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Not bad.

BERMAN: Yes.

YOUNG: Yes, I mean, look, its electric when you think about a midsize American city that doesn't traditionally have baseball and then all of a sudden you bring baseball back to it. And then you wrap it around the fact that Willie Mays grew up outside of this city and he started playing at that field when he was just 17-years-old. You're talking about a player that so many people think was the greatest player of all time.

When you put all that sort of nostalgia into it, and then you add the Negro Leagues and the fact that baseball has put the stats back into Major League Baseball, you understand there's so much excitement here. So many stars are piling into the city. It's an economic boom.

But then you talk about the life of a man who lived two all-star lives. This has been amazing.

Take a listen to the mayor of Birmingham talk about the importance of Willie Mays.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR RANDALL WOODFIN, BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA: I think every city has a hero or heroes. Let's be very clear about this. Willie Mays is a hero to Birmingham, Alabama. What he meant to the game. First, the Negro League, Rickwood Field, Major League Baseball, such a powerful impact in the most positive way you can think of, not just on the field, but what he meant to little black boys and girls off the field and for generations to come.

GREG MORIA, SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS FAN: My dad educated me who Willie was. And that's how I became a fan of the Giants. That's how I became a big fan of Willie. He's my idol. And when he passed last night, I had tears. I had tears coming down. May he rest in peace. He's my idol. He's my idol forever.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: Yes, there's a big picture of Willie Mays on the inside of the stadium. A lot of people were stopping by to take that picture.

John, you talk about "the catch." You start running backwards this way and you're trying to find that ball. That's something that we all did as a kid because we saw it from the highlights. Those highlights are getting played over and over again. And when you think about this man's life, two years of his baseball career were cut short because he is a veterans. So, you add all that together, you understand the reverence for this man. And the fact that he passed as baseball's basically in his hometown is pretty unbelievable in terms of how this all lined up.

SIDNER: Yes, almost perfectly. You see "the catch" there and you see everyone jumping up from 1954. It is a beautiful scene.

But there are other - there's some - there's some other notable folks who were at tonight's game.

YOUNG: Yes, Sara, look, you're going to have a who's who of people who are going to be here.

[09:55:00]

We believe Barry Bonds is going to be here. You got Reggie Jackson who's supposed to be. And, look, you are a San Francisco Giant fan, so you understand the layers of this in terms of what's going to - we talked to one of the biggest managers who's ever played the game and also managed, Joe Torre. Listen to what he had to say about Willie Mays.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE TORRE, MLB HALL OF FAMER: Willie loved the game. I mean it was evidenced by the fact that when he played in an all-star game he batted first and played the whole game because, you know, he knew people wanted to see him. And it was exciting. Never needed a coach because his head was on a swivel all the time when he ran the bases.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: John, I just have to mess with you just a little bit. I was doing some research on Willie Mays and figured out that at one point the Red Sox had a chance to sign him, but they blew that chance.

SIDNER: Wow.

YOUNG: I don't want to rub it in after playing Joe Torre, who was a Yankee and messing with you, but I have to do it, John. So, there it goes.

SIDNER: It's necessary.

BERMAN: Yes, it's actually an important part of Red Sox history, by the way. They were very slow to integrate their - you know, to their past shame, no question about that. But this is a day to honor Willie Mays, to honor all the contributions to the (INAUDIBLE).

Ryan, so great to have you there. It's going to be great.

YOUNG: Absolutely.

SIDNER: It is going to be great.

YOUNG: Thank you.

SIDNER: We'll be looking for the pictures later on tonight.

All right, thank you so much, Ryan.

And thank you for joining us. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

"CNN NEWSROOM" with Jim Acosta coming up next.

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