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Harris Hits the Campaign Trail; Harris Secures Delegate Support; Authorities Release Bodycam Footage of Illinois Deputy killing Black Woman in Her Home; DOT to Investigate Delta for Meltdown; Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) is Interviewed about the Presidential Race. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired July 23, 2024 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, it's on. $100 million fundraising haul is fueling momentum for Kamala Harris' brand-new presidential campaign.

And just moments ago, as you heard from John, George Clooney, who had called on President Biden to leave the race, endorsed Harris. Plus, Harris has now won enough delegates support to clinch the party's nomination. One senior Democratic aide calls it a, quote, "coordinated drumbeat." The sound of the party uniting around the vice president.

Today, Harris is traveling to Milwaukee, where she'll be holding her very first rally. That's where we find our Eva McKend.

Eva, you are just outside there in Milwaukee. What are you expecting today?

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: You know, Sara, the former prosecutor is eager to make her case. I can tell you that she will talk about how her and former President Donald Trump have disparate visions for America. She accuses him of undermining American democracy, of attacking reproductive freedom and selling out the American middle class.

We got a sense of her election argument when she spoke to campaign staff yesterday in Delaware, the first time addressing them since President Biden announced he would not be seeking re-election.

Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S. (D) AND U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So hear me when I say, I know Donald Trump's type.

And I specialized in cases involving sexual abuse. Donald Trump was found liable by a jury for committing sexual abuse.

I took on the big Wall Street banks and won $20 billion for California families. Holding those banks accountable for fraud. Donald Trump was just found guilty of 34 counts of fraud. (END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKEND: And, Sara, she enters this big rally today in Milwaukee with some relative strength, more than $100 million raised in just the last 48 hours. To give you a sense of perspective, President Biden, for the month of June, raised $127 million. Former President Trump, for the month of June, raising $111 million. So, she raised that $100 million in just two days.

Still a difficult road ahead for her though. Former President Trump, no doubt, will sharpen his attacks against her. But what she does have on her side is a host of Democratic coalitions that feel a new since of enthusiasm.

I was on a call last night listening to thousands of black men from across the country. It was co-hosted by this group called Win with Black Men. And they were essentially outlining their strategy to be ambassadors for her in their respective communities across the country.

Sara.

SIDNER: And that is interesting because she had the call with black women. There were 44,000 people on that call pledging to help her as well.

Very interesting. Eva McKend, we will be waiting to see what her comments sound like and how she does in her very first conference, rally, for the presidency.

Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Joining us right now is CNN's senior political analyst Ron Brownstein, and CNN's senior political commentator, Democratic strategist, Paul Begala.

It's good to see you guys.

Paul, more than 100 million raised, more than enough delegates have endorsed, getting Beyonce to green light using one of her hit songs as your walkout music, that all adds up to what in less than 48 hours that we've just lived through?

PAUL BEGALA, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It's just the most amazing launch I think we've ever seen. This has just been - and from the top to the bottom. I mean, obviously it starts with President Biden endorsing her. And it's great to have George Clooney and Beyonce.

I'm even more struck, though, with the grassroots. The grassroots, that money that Eva reported and you talked about, is almost all grassroots money. It's coming in online. People sending in $5, $10, $25. So this is up and down the Democratic chain. You're seeing this. I think it's really important.

I can tell you, I've been doing this a long time, the enthusiasm is palpable. And people are -there's so much pent up enthusiasm, so much pent up demand. Think about it. You know, a couple of days ago Democrats were divided and depressed and demoralized. Man, they are unified and energized right now like I haven't seen in years.

BOLDUAN: And, Ron, I mean, even with that enthusiasm, that being palpable -

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes.

BOLDUAN: You have the - you've - you have analysis that even though the - even with that in mind, and even though she has been a senator, and even though she has now been VP for three-plus years, voters still see her as somewhat undefined. Who is that good news for and who is that bad news for.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes, well - well, I mean, it's really the challenge for both. I mean there is a race to define Harris. Opinions of her are closely tied to views about Biden at this point. I don't think people have a strong, independent assessment of her based on what I've been told by a number of pollsters who have been examining this.

I mean if you kind of look at the ledger sheet, she brings some - some key advantages here.

[09:05:04]

She is just better at this point at the day-to-day work of being a candidate. As Paul said, there is just this exhale in the Democratic Party, they don't have to defend the questions about Biden's capability, there's going to be a lot more energy, there's going to be a lot of money and she is also better on a day-to-day basis, much better at this point, at delivering the Democrat's offensive case against former President Trump.

But - the but, she's going to have to defend on the same issues, the same defensive issues that - that - that hurt Biden, voter discontent over inflation and the economy. And there are clear opportunities, but also clear challenges for her in assembling a winning demographic and geographic coalition. She can improve on Biden's biggest weakness, his erosion with younger and non-white voters, and maybe squeeze a few more points out of pro-choice women. But whether she can maintain the level of support that he's held among blue collar and older whites is going to be a challenge. And if she can't put the sunbelt states back in play because of her strengths with younger and non-white voters, then she's going to have to sweep the same three rust belt states that Biden was looking at, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. And those are not states that demographically tilt toward her strengths.

BOLDUAN: And how do you fold into this with the new campaign memo that came out from the Trump campaign, Paul, in focusing - in the way that they're trying to refocus now on Kamala Harris is calling her dangerously liberal, and as we heard from J.D. Vance, a million times worse than Biden. What - how do you fold that into what we're now seeing?

BEGALA: Yes, you can just tell they don't know what to do yet. Poor Mr. Trump, he doesn't know whether to scratch his watch or wind his butt, OK. And they're going to say, liberal, liberal.

Here's the key. Ron is right, that she's got to define herself. And what's the first thing Eva said in her report. She's a prosecutor. When I met Vice President Harris, she was a local prosecutor in California. That's in her DNA. And that says a lot of things. First, she's not a defense lawyer, OK? There's a huge difference. In other words, don't defend the madam vice president, attack, prosecute, and that's what she did yesterday. I suspect that's what she'll do today. Take the fight to Trump.

There's this whole myth in the Democratic Party's culture. It's like, oh, we have to answer their attacks. I have a different idea. How about we launch our own attacks? About Kamala Harris becomes a George S. Patton Democrat, who said the purpose of war is not to die for your country, it's to make the other poor soldiers die for his country. Patton used saltier language, Kate, but I'm a gentleman.

BOLDUAN: Barely. Barely on a good day. I'm just kidding. I mean I'm - Ron, weigh in on this. you were talking about the map. And I'm going to read - I want to read something that I saw in "Politico" that kind of gets - gets to what your analysis is, which is, "Harris' emerging brain trust is also starting to rethink how the fundamentals of the race against Trump have changed. They believe Harris' relative strength with young black and brown voters will put more states in play than a weakened Biden could credibly contest."

BROWNSTEIN: Right.

BOLDUAN: Do you see it reshaping? They're pointing to, you know, Nevada, Arizona, Georgia.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes, that's - that's really the key, right? I mean if you look at where Harris is likely to do better than Biden, Biden was suffering significant erosion among younger and non-white voters. And Harris, there's lots of reasons to think Harris can do better, reverse some of that loss, and that there's also some more room to grow with pro-choice women. And if she can do all of that enough, not only with black voters, but also Hispanic voters, maybe you can put Arizona and Nevada and Georgia back in play, conceivably North Carolina, but harder. But if you can't, Kate, if she can't, and if she is in the same situation as Biden, where she has to sweep the three old states from what I call the blue wall back in 2009, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, those are states that do not demographically line up with her strengths. Those are states where white voters in general and non-college white voters in particular are a bigger share of the electorate than they are nationally.

And one of Biden's remaining strengths, amid all his other problems, was that he was holding his 2020 support with those voters to a greater extent that he was with the other groups, and that in 2020 he improved slightly among them compared to Hillary Clinton. So, if she slides back in those states, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, toward the Clinton '16 levels, then she's going to have to make it up with bigger margins and turnout among non-white voters, young voters, and college educated white voters. It can be done, but if she can't bring some of those sunbelt states back into play, she is also walking across a narrow tight rope, as Biden was.

BOLDUAN: And, Paul, one - one thing that you'll -

BROWNSTEIN: And maybe narrow.

BOLDUAN: And one thing you'll have good insight on, Paul, is there's new reporting highlighting just how wild the last 48 hours has been, which is now there's a search for kind of a right-hand woman, right- hand man for Kamala Harris.

[09:10:02]

The way it's described is like the need to find a Mike Donilon type for her. Some suggests her brother-in-law, Tony West, could fill the role, or Rahm Emanuel, or even David Plouffe coming - coming on back. What do you think? What does this say? And why is this kind of behind the scenes operator so important, especially when you talk about this kind of new Harris strategy?

BEGALA: Yes, it's critically important. I have to say, she has handled this really skillfully, both operationally, behind the scenes, but also, I just can't imagine what it must feel like all of a sudden to be thrust into this the way she has. And so she's handled it with great calm and aplomb.

So, I'm not very - she'll find someone. You know, people like me, people like Plouffe, and I love them all, Donilon, we're all fungible. You know, we're all interchangeable.

It's her capacity to bring the message of change that matters the most. You know, there's only two messages in life and in history and in politics. And that is, stay the course. or time for change, right? That's true on -- whether it's your football team, or your marriage, or your career, or your country. Do we want to stay the course or time for a change? Seventy-five percent of Americans want change. And neither party nominated a candidate who could plausibly argue for change, until now.

Kamala Harris is change incarnate. She is going to bring that case. And whoever she has at her side is going to remind her, use the windshield, not the rearview. Don't talk about the past and your precious accomplishments. Move forward, what you're going to do in the future, and prosecute the case against Trump. A prosecutor against a perpetrator. I think Democrats will like that framing.

BOLDUAN: You may be fungible, Paul Begala, but memorable. I will say that. Always. And good - and good at your job.

And, Ron, love you. Good to see you.

BEGALA: Thanks, Kate.

BOLDUAN: John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: I just want to know what Paul uses to wind his watch. BOLDUAN: I - don't - don't start.

BERMAN: All right.

BOLDUAN: (INAUDIBLE) and we will have that conversation with Paul after this.

BERMAN: All right, new social media posts from Donald Trump trying out new nicknames for his likely opponent. Inside the strategy to paint Vice President Harris as, quote, "dangerously liberal."

And newly released bodycam footage shows an Illinois sheriff's deputy fatally shooting a woman after she called them for help. He is now being charged with murder.

And why some people are still stranded that the airport this morning, days after the global tech outage.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:16:57]

BERMAN: This morning, newly released police bodycam video shows a sheriff's deputy in Illinois shooting and killing a black woman in her own home. Sonya Massey called 911 to report a possible prowar. The deputy who pulled the trigger is now accused of first-degree murder.

CNN's Lucy Kafanov shows us this disturbing video.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Bodycam footage showing the moments just before 36-year-old Sonya Massey was fatally shot in her Springfield, Illinois, home by a responding sheriff's deputy after she called 911 about a prowler. No intruder was found.

The footage, released by the Illinois State Police Monday, shows Deputy Sean Grayson interacting with Massey, even laughing. Then she's asked to check on a pot on the stove.

SONYA MASSEY: Where you moving?

DEPUTY: Huh?

MASSEY: Where you going?

DEPUTY: Away from your hot steaming water.

MASSEY: Away from my hot steaming water?

DEPUTY: Yes.

MASSEY: I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.

DEPUTY: Huh?

MASSEY: I rebuke you in the name of -

DEPUTY: You better (EXPLETIVE DELETED) not. I swear to God. I'll (EXPLETIVE DELETED) shoot you at your (EXPLETIVE DELETED) face.

MASSEY: OK, I'm sorry.

DEPUTY: Drop the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) pot.

SECOND DEPUTY: The (EXPLETIVE DELETED) -

DEPUTY: Drop the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) pot.

KAFANOV (voice over): Three shots were fired.

BEN CRUMP, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Her last words, sorry, sir, I'm sorry. She ducks. And when she stands back up, he shoots her in the face.

KAFANOV (voice over): Massey family attorney, Ben Crump, and Massey's father, reacting to the shooting.

JAMES WILBURN, SONYA MASSEY'S FATHER: This man should have never had a badge. He should have never had a gun. He should have never been given the opportunity to kill my child.

I want justice for my baby.

CRUMP: Yes.

WILBURN: Yes, sir. You killed the wrong black woman this time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Amen.

KAFANOV (voice over): The video's release comes about two weeks after Massey was killed, and just days after Grayson was fired from his job and charged with first-degree murder, amongst other charges.

Grayson has pleaded not guilty. Video of the shooting and the deputy's response comes from his partner's body camera. When Grayson's partner offers to get his medical kit, Grayson says Massey does not need medical help.

DEPUTY: She's done. You know (INAUDIBLE) but that's a head shot.

I'm not taking hot, boiling water to the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) face.

KAFANOV (voice over): According to court documents, Grayson's camera was not turned on until after the shooting, and it records him explaining his actions that night.

DEPUTY: She says she was going to rebuke me in the name of Jesus, and came out with boiling water.

KAFANOV (voice over): After the footage was released, outrage at the police killing of another unarmed black woman in recent years.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We want justice for Sonya Massey.

KAFANOV (voice over): And an outpouring of support, including a statement from President Joe Biden, saying Massey's family "deserves justice."

CRUMP: Where is the humanity? Where is the training?

Until we get justice for Sonya Massey, we rebuke this discriminatory criminal justice system in the name of Jesus.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAFANOV (on camera): And, John, we're learning that Grayson had worked at six different law enforcement agencies here in Illinois since 2020.

[09:20:05]

It's not exactly clear why he changed jobs so frequently.

Now, he is being held without bond and faces life in prison if convicted on that murder charge. CNN has reached out to his attorney for comment, but have yet to hear back. This as the Massey family continues to grieve and demand answers.

John.

BERMAN: The speed in which that escalated is just stunning.

Lucy Kafanov, thank you so much for that.

Sara.

SIDNER: All right, ahead, passenger losing patience. Some still waiting on flights, their luggage piling up, after the security company software update that stopped almost all air traffic worldwide. Delta Airlines now saying its already cost them $163 million.

And our John Berman will speak to Republican Senator Tom Cotton about the party's new strategy to try to take on Kamala Harris.

That's all ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:25:27]

BOLDUAN: We do have some breaking news just in. The Department of Transportation announcing that it will now be investigating Delta Airlines for the service meltdown that the airline is still struggling with today. This is now five days after last week's global tech outage. And Delta is reporting hundreds of canceled flights just this morning.

CNN's Isabel Rosalas is at Atlanta's airport with the very latest.

What is the latest from there? ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kate, is the fifth day of this

mess. And day one of this outage, it was really an airline problem across the board. But on this fifth date, this has become a Delta problem.

And this is the issue right here. All of this luggage. The luggage made it to Hartsfield-Jackson, but their owners didn't. They are stranded in other cities, in other airports, disconnected from their belongings.

Over 400 flights across the board at Delta have been canceled today. The most out of any other airline. You can see folks right over here in line. Those are the people who have not been able to find their luggage around here, or they have a difference city to get to, unable to find their belongings.

Let me introduce you here to Dylan, who's been stranded since Saturday.

DYLAN STEELE, TRAVELER STUCK IN ATLANTA FOR THREE DAYS: Yes, sir. Yes, ma'am.

ROSALES: Dylan, how would you describe this experience?

STEELE: It's been an experience. It definitely has been an experience. I haven't ever encountered anything like this personally.

Delta typically, on a normal day, is pretty good. They're a very premium airline. And they're very good about their customer service. It's just this hiccup with the glitch, with the CrowdStrike glitch, has caused a significant speed bump and they're just finding it hard to get their feet - footing back.

Southwest seems to be back up. United Airlines seems to be back up and running. You know, they're only at 2 percent cancellations. And, you know, Delta's nearing 20 percent this morning alone. It's only 9:00 a.m.

ROSALES: And you've been trying to get to D.C. for a convention, right?

STEELE: Yes.

ROSALES: Because you're a federal worker. Where are your belongings?

STEELE: So, so far as I'm aware, my belongings are on the tarmac or being loaded onto a plane somewhere. I'm no longer going to D.C. My flight's been canceled. And I'm likely just going to go back home. But my belongings, as far as what these gentlemen back here, these volunteers have told me is that it's going I go to D.C. anyways, and then it's going to somehow make its way back to my home in a week or so and I'll grab it then.

It's unfortunate, but, you know, we got a lot of - we got a lot of people out here this morning, volunteers, these guys are volunteers, and they are away from their homes and their family trying to help us. And they're doing their best they can. You know, the help service desk. There's hourly employees, young employees who are, unfortunately, during the stress, is being yelled at, at times. People are being, you know, not the nicest to them and they're doing their - they're doing their best. And it's not their fault. So.

ROSALES: Thank you so much, Dylan.

And, real quick, Kate and John, he's talking about these people in the blue vests that are working across different departments and different roles. Not usually customer forward. They are out here organizing these bags, giving out food, giving out water, trying to get these customers reunited again with their luggage.

Guys.

BOLDUAN: Wow. All right, Isabel, thank you very much for the update and the very latest on that. It is not over yet.

John

BERMAN: All right, so soon after President Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Vice President Harris, Republican Senator Tom Cotton posted this on social media. Quote, "Joe Biden succumbed to a coup by Nancy Pelosi, Barack Obama, and Hollywood donors, ignoring millions of Democratic primary votes. Donald Trump took a bullet for democracy."

And Senator Cotton of Arkansas joins me now.

Senator, thanks so much for being with us. As much as any politician I've seen, you choose your language very carefully. So, why call this a coup and not January 6th?

SEN. TOM COTTON (R-AR): Well, John, look what happened just last weekend. You had Nancy Pelosi, Barack Obama, George Clooney, Hollywood moguls, Wall Street bankers, all working behind closed doors to bring unbearable pressure to bear on Joe Biden, who, in the end, threw in the towel. And now you have the Democratic Party uniting around Kamala Harris, who not only has never won a Democratic primary, she's never won a single vote for president, yet they've installed her as their nominee. That's what they want to go forward with in this election, even as we still have questions -

BERMAN: You use -

COTTON: About Kamala Harris' role in all of this. Kamala Harris -

BERMAN: I get that, but you use - you use the - you used the language coup. And, again, you've never said that for January 6th.

And as far as I know, no cops were beaten up, no one defecated in the Capitol, there was no criminal trespass in terms of changing the Democratic candidates, were there?