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Delta Flight Cancellations Finally Slowing Down After Chaos; Interview with Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) about Netanyahu's Speech to Congress; Hollywood Now Energized by Kamala Harris Campaign; Young Voters and the November Election. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired July 24, 2024 - 09:30   ET

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

[09:30:36]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: So Delta CEO is out with a new statement this morning, promising tomorrow will be a, quote-unquote, "normal day" for the airline after now six days of an absolute mess sparked by a global IT outage that stopped all major airlines in their tracks. More than 500 Delta flights were canceled Tuesday. So far today, just 47 as it's looking, but the company is now under federal investigation after their meltdown continued well after other airlines were back to business as usual.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was on with me this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE BUTTIGIEG, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: This has clearly exposed a lot of vulnerabilities, not just in the airline sector, but in the entire global economy. The fact that a simple glitch like this ricocheted around the world is a real cause for concern. And again, I think the real watch word here is resilience. How can we make sure our systems are positioned to quickly recover when something like this happens?

But I want to note, most of the airline sector did quickly recover. Things were different at Delta and that's exactly why we're investigating them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: CNN's Isabel Rosales is at the world's busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta.

How are things looking so far today, Isabel?

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Hey, good morning, Kate. For the first time in six days, I can tell you that things appear to be starting to come back to normal. It feels that way. We also know from the flight cancellations, as you mentioned, Delta canceling about 1 percent of its flight schedule. That's about 50 flights.

But what's not normal is the amount of baggage that is still out here. This is going to take several more days for Delta to get this together, reunite the baggage with their rightful owners, and get all those people that were canceled on those flights, those cascading cancellations to their final destination as intended.

You mentioned the CEO of Delta, Ed Bastian, saying that today he's expecting minimal disruptions and cancelations and everything back to normal, regular Delta by tomorrow.

I did speak with newlyweds, a pair of newlyweds who had to ditch Delta for Spirit Airlines in order to save their honeymoon. So the reputational hit here for the company will be longstanding. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAYLEE JONES, STRANDED DURING HONEYMOON: We found a flight from Orlando to St. Lucia, not on Delta, not too trusting of Delta at the moment. So yes.

ROSALES: So you ditched Delta.

K. JONES: We did. Yes.

ROSALES: Did this sour your feelings for Delta like would you fly Delta again or how are you feeling about that?

K. JONES: Maybe in the future but once they've figured it out, I would say not in the near future.

JEREMY JONES, STRANDED DURING HONEYMOON: Yes. As of right now, yes, I would roll with that sentiment. No delta for me.

K. JONES: Yes.

J. JONES: For sure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: And one of the big questions from passengers and the Department of Transportation is why is it taking Delta so many days, six days out, to manually reboot and repair their systems, that internal scheduling system that's at the crux of this problem when so many other airlines recovered in a matter of this weekend?

The cost of two Delta Airlines, this incident, is $163 million. Half a million customers have been impacted -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: All right. Isabel, thank you so much.

I think I saw someone actually walked behind you with a smile on their face. And that is wonderful to see. Maybe, maybe -- and they might have even had like a stroller, John, which, you know, that's impossible. As a woman who had a stroller in an airport for many years, it's very hard to smile.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: It's hard to smile with a small stroller in an airport in there.

All right. This morning, pressure to reach a ceasefire deal in Gaza, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to speak to a very divided U.S. Congress.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:39:05]

BERMAN: All right. This morning, nearly 90 Democrats have said they will not attend Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to Congress today. Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland is one of them, and joins me now.

Senator, thank you so much for being with us. The senior senator from Maryland, Ben Cardin, your colleague, will actually preside over this joint meeting. "Punchbowl" is reporting he has expressed deep frustration that so many Democrats are not going. "Punchbowl" says that Cardin told them, quote, "I made a commitment in October with the hostage families that I would use every opportunity I have to help get the hostages home. So I'm not going to turn down any opportunity."

What do you say to his disappointment and frustration?

SEN. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN (D-MD): Well, John, it's good to be with you. You know, this is a distinction between being pro-Israel which I am and opposing the policies of the Netanyahu government, a very extreme right-wing government.

[09:40:04]

I just met with hostage families, including American citizens in Tel Aviv on Friday. Their message to meet was Prime Minister Netanyahu is not prioritizing the return of the hostages, that he should stay home and not go and a joint session until that job is done. And I respect their voices.

I also refused to be a pawn or a prop in the political deception that somehow Prime Minister Netanyahu is the great guardian of U.S.-Israel relations when in fact he and this extreme right-wing government have systematically undermined it.

And finally, John, when you look at the coalition partners that he brought in the government, people like Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, these are known racists and bigots. They're the heirs to Meir Kahane, a party which the U.S. put on our terror watchlist. These are the people who were calling the shots in the West Bank and other places.

So the reality is that this Prime Minister Netanyahu's extreme government does not reflect the shared values between the people of the United States and the people of Israel.

BERMAN: This spring you said something to the effect of, that you weren't sure you knew what the Biden administration's policy was toward Israel. I believe it was dealing specifically with Rafah. How would you like a Harris administration's policy toward Israel to be different than the current policy?

VAN HOLLEN: Well, John, I believe that the Biden administration, the U.S. government, could be using more of the levers at our disposal to achieve the goals that the Biden-Harris administration has set out. Both with respect to limiting civilian casualties in Gaza, making sure more humanitarian assistance can reach the people in Gaza.

And very importantly, on the West Bank where the retiring Israeli IDF general in charge of that area has indicated that extremist settler violence and the seizure of Palestinian lands on the West Bank is undermining the security of Israel and violates the values of Israel.

I agree with General Fuks who made that comment, and I think that the Biden-Harris administration should continue to focus on applying sanctions to those who are committing those violent acts, violent extremist settlers on the West Bank.

BERMAN: Do you want to see a difference, a daylight, a change with Vice President Harris at the top of the ticket on policy toward Israel?

VAN HOLLEN: Look, I respect whatever decisions Vice President Harris makes on this particular issue. I will continue to press the points that I have been making, including the ones I just made with you. I think the most important thing right now is to continue to press for two things. One, the creation of a two-state solution.

This has been the Biden administration's policy. It's been a bipartisan policy of the United States to create some light at the end of this dark tunnel and to couple that with the normalization agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel which would greatly strengthen Israel's security while we allow self-determination for the Palestinian people. So that is what I hope to see the focus beyond.

BERMAN: You have, over the course of your career, been in charge of helping getting House members, Democratic House members elected, Democratic senators elected. There is a new video being posted by the Dave McCormick campaign, the Republican running for senator in Pennsylvania against your friend Bob Casey.

I want to play a little bit of it because what it does is it tries to label the vice president basically as a liberal. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NORAH O'DONNELL, CBS: The nonpartisan GovTrack has rated you as the most liberal senator.

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I am prepared to get rid of the filibuster to pass a Green New Deal. There's no question I'm in favor of banning fracking.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Would you ban offshore drilling?

HARRIS: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is the solution for voters in the fossil fuel industry?

HARRIS: Giving the workers the ability to transition. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: All right. That's just a taste of it. It goes on and on. What do you think the best way is for the vice president and Democratic Senate candidates to counter that?

VAN HOLLEN: Well, John, I actually saw that ad last night, and this is the campaign season, but I served with then Senator Harris. I was in her class and I can tell you that she is a pragmatist. She wants to move this country forward. She wants to make sure that every American can succeed unlike McCormick, who is joined at the hip with Donald Trump and wants to drag the country backwards.

[09:45:01]

So it's a pretty clear choice, whether you want somebody who supports American families who believes that we should all have a chance to succeed, build an inclusive economy, or Republicans who want to just give big giveaways to the big oil and gas companies and undermine our democracy. So the choices are going to be very clear and I'm confident that Bob Casey will do very well in Pennsylvania as he always has.

BERMAN: Senator Chris Van Hollen from Maryland, thanks so much for being with us this morning. Always great to talk to you.

Sara?

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: A welcome problem for Kamala Harris' campaign. Too many celebrities, not enough time. How the change on the Democratic ticket has reenergized Hollywood as well. That's ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:50:12]

BOLDUAN: New overnight, talk about a play and push for younger voters. Singer Olivia Rodrigo has now publicly endorsed Kamala Harris for president, sharing a video of Harris speaking about abortion rights with her more than 37 million Instagram followers.

Rodrigo is the latest in a slew of celebrity endorsements for Kamala Harris, many of whom had stayed on the sidelines honestly when Joe Biden was at the top of the ticket.

CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister has more on this. She's here with us now.

What more are you hearing from inside the entertainment industry now?

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: That endorsement from Olivia Rodrigo was huge, Kate, as young voters are going to be key in this race. But what I can tell you is Hollywood is in, they are re-energized after feeling disillusioned with Biden and you're absolutely right. Celebrities were not publicly endorsing Biden because he was not a popular candidate.

Well, now with Harris, I am hearing from sources that I spoke to, I spoke to publicists, agents, political strategists who are working with celebrities, they all feel like Harris is the right candidate at the right time. In fact, a major television producer, Greg Berlanti, had to tell me this. He said, quote, "I haven't seen so many people that I know here and elsewhere so enlivened by a moment in politics since Obama's original convention speech."

So that is the level of enthusiasm that we are seeing in the entertainment industry, Kate, comparing it to the Obama years, which of course were huge celebrity friendly years. Now today I hear that the Harris campaign has organized a briefing with the entertainment industry. Celebrities will be on that Zoom. They want to talk to them about how they can support because phones have been ringing off the hook with the campaign.

Now, lastly, what I will tell you, it's very early for the convention, but I do hear that when it comes to the DNC, that there are pop stars who are interested in performing already.

BOLDUAN: A lot that needs to get worked out in a very short amount of time now for that convention.

Thank you so much, Elizabeth. Sara?

SIDNER: All right. New info shows some Gen Z Democrats are also energized now that Biden has left the race. A CBS-YouGov poll found 42 percent of 18 to 29-year-olds say they're more excited to go to the polls now.

Let's talk about this with DeNora Getachew, the CEO of DoSomething, a young activist and service group.

All right. Within hours of announcing, we saw Harris all over social media, not from something that she necessarily did, but it was, you know, the Brat memes that were suddenly everywhere. You couldn't avoid them. Explain how this caught on with Gen Z voters so quickly.

DENORA GETACHEW, CEO, DOSOMETHING: Good morning, and thanks for having me on, Sara. I think it's such an exciting time, right? DoSomething is the hub for young people and their activism and service. And what we can say is that we've seen a stark difference in Gen Z voters, right, before earlier this year. What we heard them say is only about 21 percent of them were excited about participating in this election.

And of course, our work is to get Gen Z to turn out to vote. And what we're seeing now is that young people are excited. As you just mentioned that YouGov poll, we're seeing the same thing with our members. Gen Z voters are ready to come out, they're ready to vote, and they're energized about what's at stake in this election in new and exciting ways.

And the numbers are in their favor, right? So when you think about Gen Z and millennial voters, they make up about 49 percent of the electorate this year if they all register and turn out to vote. There's 40 million, almost 41 million new members of Gen Z who are eligible. And as you noted, they are focused on social media. That's where they're getting their news from. They're really thinking about memes and how they can engage.

And so this whole Brat notion and the notion of hot culture and this being the summer, if you will, of cool, easy breeze, but also getting things done is the epitome of what's going to be at stake from now until the election day.

SIDNER: There's always a lot of talk in every election about young voters and they don't tend to come out like the older voters. What do you think will get them there? How many of them can cast their ballots now?

GETACHEW: I mean, that's the crux of the matter and I often talk about the importance of Gen Z and millennials for that matter are going to play in this election cycle. Like I mentioned, there are 41 million new eligible Gen Z voters, just 8.3 this year alone. And if they turn out at the rates that they did in 2020, the last presidential election, they're going to make up about 37 percent of the electorate.

That's nothing to sneeze at, especially when you think about the fact that they are -- they think about issues intersectionally. They care passionately about climate and sustainability, about healthcare and reproductive justice in particular. They care about mental health access. They care about educational equity and why there's whole leaders are banning books, and why they're taking away access to information.

[09:55:00]

And this is a generation that cares passionately about their safety and well-being and the pervasive threat of gun violence in our community, and so what I'd say is, in this election, what it's going to come down to, what's going to motivate people to turn out to vote, is making sure that the candidates are talking authentically, whether that's on social media or in person about the issues that matter most to Gen Z voters.

SIDNER: Just quickly here. What are some mistakes that can be made by campaigns when trying to use social media to lure new voters?

GETACHEW: Listen, Gen Z is amazing in that they can see through the nonsense, right? So they know when you're putting online inauthentic memes, when you're not speaking in your first person self. And so my advice to all the candidates is campaign in the modern era authentically. Meet Gen Z where they are and millennials for that matter, too. Don't do things that actually aren't what you do in the normal day-to-day life, right?

What I want to tell you is make sure that you're showing up as you're true and authentic self, but also makes sure you're meeting the people where they are, right, because that's what they want. They don't want stale memes. They don't want you pretending you know about the cool trends. They actually want to know that you are understanding the current trend that you're talking to them in a language that makes sense, right? So no pop culture incorporated into what you're going. But in the lens of your voice.

SIDNER: DeNora Getachew, thank you so much. I appreciate it.

Yes, I'm not cool. So I'm going to try.

BERMAN: It always works for me, cool, dad, hey, right on, bro. Great show.

SIDNER: Chill, man.

BERMAN: Bro. All right. Thank you all for joining us, bros.

This has been CNN NEWS CENTRAL. "CNN NEWSROOM" with Jim Acosta is up next.

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