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Harris Releases First Campaign Video; Trump Blasts Harris; Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) is Interviewed about the Harris; Biden and Netanyahu Meet Today; Adi Alexander is Interviewed about the Hostage Talks. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired July 25, 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: Congressman Lloyd Doggett, thank you so much for your comments this morning. I appreciate you coming on this early morning.

REP. LLOYD DOGGETT (D-TX): Thanks, Sara.

SIDNER: All right, another hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Kamala Harris out today with a new campaign video, trying to re-introduce herself. Donald Trump is out testing out new attack lines. The race is now clearly not just to 270, but to defining Kamala Harris in this new matchup.

And passing the torch. President Biden's emotional address from the Oval Office, explaining why he stepped aside and why today could be so critical to deciding and defining his legacy.

An historic shift in southwest policy. Gone are the days of first- come, first-serve seating. And have you been just begging for a red- eye?

I'm Kate Bolduan, with Sara Sidner and John Berman. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

SIDNER: New for you this morning, Vice President Kamala Harris calling on voters to choose freedom and her - in her first presidential campaign video just released. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S. (D) AND U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In this election we each face a question, what kind of country do we want to live in? There are some people who think we should be a country of chaos, of fear, of hate. But us, we choose something different.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Harris making clear where she stands on a number of issues in that video, but questions remain about her position on Israel. Does her stance defer or match President Biden's. In just hours, she will sit down with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as she tries to forge her own path.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is in Houston for us, where Harris is starting her day with a speech at a teachers union event.

Priscilla, we understand from her campaign that she said, look, you will hear what some of my sort of policies are with Israel when she sits down with Netanyahu. What are you learning?

PRISCILLA ALVARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, and she has certainly been a voice in the administration that has tried to underscore the plight of Palestinians, having those remark - notable remarks earlier this year about the deteriorating and the dire conditions in Gaza. So you can anticipate that some of that is going to come up in that sit down with the prime minister.

But a lot of the focus this week for the vice president has been striking the balance between acknowledging a president who abruptly left the presidential race and also defining her own campaign. And that is what we are getting a glimpse of this morning in this new campaign video.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S. (D) AND U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The freedom not just to get by, but get ahead. The freedom to be safe from gun violence. The freedom to make decisions about your own body. We choose a future where no child lives in poverty, where we can all afford health care, where no one is above the law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALVAREZ: So, of course, the vice president has been talking to some of those issues already as the running mate earlier this year. She went on a reproductive rights freedom tour. She's repeatedly talked about gun violence. And one of the key themes there is, no one is above the law. Of course, the vice president intends to prosecute the case against the former president as she hits the trail, while also articulating what exactly the stakes are in this election.

Now, it is notable where she has been this week. She was in battleground Wisconsin. That was where some of the images were taken in that video. She also was in Indianapolis yesterday, speaking to a black sorority. And today she is here, in Houston, where she is talking to the second largest teachers' union.

I've been talking to some of the folks here who said, after this conference some of them canceled their flights just so that they could attend this event with the vice president. So, certainly it has been a momentous week for the vice president. She - there was a massive fundraising haul. She has gotten endorsements from the Democratic Party after what has been a divisive several few weeks. And now she'll be talking here, as she wraps up a week, and before she heads to Washington, where she'll have that critical meeting with the Israeli prime minister. Sara.

SIDNER: Priscilla Alvarez, thank you so much for your reporting this morning.

And, Kate, I don't think we've ever seen such a big shift in momentum from one candidate to the next, day after day. It's hard to tell what -

BOLDUAN: I know. Exactly.

SIDNER: We're spinning.

BOLDUAN: Buckle up and just see what happens tomorrow.

SIDNER: I'm trying.

BOLDUAN: Actually, let's just make it through today.

So, he has a new political opponent, but he is sticking with his old political tactics. Donald Trump, at his first rally since President Biden exited the race, is redirecting all of his attention to Kamala Harris, testing out the label of her not being just liberal, but, in his words, ultra radical liberal. Is this now the new strategy?

CNN's Steve Contorno has more reporting on this. He joins us now.

[09:05:02]

Steve, what are you learning?

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Kate, we certainly saw Donald Trump ditch the whole nice guy approach. In fact, that - that approach probably only lasted about 30 minutes into his convention speech. Last night he was on the attack over and over again at his North Carolina speech. And today, doubling down on those efforts.

He was asked during an interview with Fox News what he thought of Vice President Harris suggesting that her record as a prosecutor gives her an advantage going up against an indicted felon. Take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think it's disgusting. And I get a kick out of one thing. They say, sir, you just got hit with a bullet. Maybe he's changed. Be nice. And I'd love to be nice, but I'm dealing against real garbage. When you hear that they've weaponized the justice system against me. They've indicted me four times. They've pushed other lawsuits on to me. It's never happened to this country. This is like a third world country what they've done, a banana republic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CONTORNO: Trump was then asked if all these attacks are getting under his skin. And he said, quote, "it's not a question of getting under your skin. You fight back." And so that is clearly the posture he has taken because, look, this race has changed dramatically in recent weeks. He is now facing an opponent that has generated lot of energy, a lot of momentum, and a lot of money, far more than Joe Biden had been able to do in recent months. And they know that there could potentially become a bump in the polls for her as a result of this.

In fact, his campaign put out a memo saying that is exactly what they expect. So, they are now working overtime to define Vice President Harris before she can get out there and on the airwaves and define herself. So, you can continue to expect these attacks. And they're going to continue them to sharpen in the coming weeks and months.

BOLDUAN: And one question from last week now officially answered, what does unity, what does toning it down look like? It means, you do it. I don't have to. That seems clear.

John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Good point.

All right. With us now, Congressman Jason Crow, a Democrat from Colorado.

Congressman, thank you so much for being with us.

You've been hearing. There is still Steve Contorno right there.

There's Jason Crow, congressman from Colorado, both good-looking men. So, no mix up there.

Congressman, you've heard about this sort of race to define the Vice President Kamala Harris. How do you define her? What do you see as the strongest points of her candidacy?

REP. JASON CROW (D-CO): Well, the contrast in this election couldn't be more clear, right?

You have Vice President Harris as the next generation of leadership versus Donald Trump as the past.

You have Vice President Harris as the former prosecutor versus Donald Trump, the convicted felon.

You have Vice President Harris, the unifier, versus Donald Trump, the divider, right?

This is a very, very clear choice for America. And I'm excited to get out there and talk about this choice.

BERMAN: They say she's more liberal than Joe Biden. To that you say?

CROW: Vice President Harris has her own politics, her own path forward. She is a uniter. She is a pragmatist, right?

You know, these labels of liberal, conservative, you know, whatever you want to do to fill in the blank, what defines Vice President Harris is pragmatism, getting things done.

You know, here I am in the Capitol where Republicans canceled, literally canceled all of next week here, right? We were supposed to be passing bills legislating, getting our appropriations bills over this -- over the finish line.

They pulled it all down because they can't govern. They can't get a damn thing done.

Vice President Harris has a history of getting things done. She's a pragmatist.

BERMAN: How is she different than President Biden?

CROW: Well, you're going to see that, right? She has her own history, her own path, right? She has walked her own path and her life and that informs her leadership, right?

She's a pragmatist. She's a uniter. You know, she's going to build on the very, very strong foundation that vice president -- that President Biden has laid for us here and his incredible successes, and he's going to carry us forward.

She's going to carry us forward. She's a uniter and she -- that's what you're going to see her do.

BERMAN: So you may be were in the middle of the whole discussion over President Biden's future, I'm sure more than you would have liked to have been. It became public that you had a little bit of a back-and- forth with him on one of these conference calls, where you were suggesting that Democrats running for races around the country are having a tough time because he was still on the ticket.

Given that moment, what was it like for you to watch his speech last night?

CROW: It just showed once again that President Biden has cemented his place in history as one of the most consequential, selfless, patriotic presidents in history. You know, this act that you basically never see in politics of somebody stepping aside to lead in and usher in the next generation of leadership is really an unbelievable act of love for this country, a man of deep compassion, of deep empathy.

[09:10:05]

He just showed once again what an incredible leader he is.

BERMAN: How -- it seems pretty different though than the President Biden that has been described on that call to you. Yes?

CROW: You know, I'm going to make something really clear here. Leaders have tough discussions. That's what leaders do, right?

We don't shy away from tough discussions. We don't shy away from addressing the concerns of the American people. That's what President Biden has always done. That's what Democrats do. You know, unlike the party of Trump that just gets in lockstep and writes off people's concerns, we actually listen, and we have tough conversations as leaders, we figure it out and we move forward. And that's exactly what we did.

That makes us strong. That makes us competent, that makes us confident, that those are the types of discussions that America can count on us having -- candid, real conversations to address top issues. We will not stop doing that.

BERMAN: I want to play some sound from former President Trump's rally yesterday when he was talking about the vice president, Kamala Harris. I want you to listen to this and listen to how he says her name.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT & 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If Kamala Harris gets in.

Lyin' Kamala Harris.

Kamala Harris is the most liberal elected politician in America.

Kamala threw open our borders.

Lyin' Kamala Harris, lyin'.

Kamala, you're fired. Get out of here. You're fired.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: What do you think is going on there? It's the pronunciation or mispronunciation that we've heard frankly for years on, on Fox News and other places. What do you think he does it?

CROW: Listen, I don't spend my time trying to figure out what Donald Trump is saying. He's unintelligible most of the time. His streams of consciousness don't really make any sense.

You know, he is one of the worst communicators I've ever seen because it's unclear that he changes his mind. He -- he's here, he's there. I mean, his convention speech, I don't even know what the heck was going on there.

So I don't spend my time doing that. What I do is I focus on the work that needs to happen for the American people, the task before us, which is a big one because we have a lot of challenges here.

Vice President Harris is an intel -- you know, an exceptional communicator. I mean, that -- that is very clear. So, this contrast is going to be really clear here, and I'm not going to spend my time, you know, chasing after Donald Trump and trying to figure out what the heck he's saying at any given rally.

BERMAN: Who should a running mate be?

CROW: Well, that's up to her, right, somebody that she trusts, somebody who can complement her exceptional background and experience.

You know, the candidates that I've heard floating around our all exceptional folks that would do great. So it's up to Vice President Harris to decide who can be -- who can be the best person for her ticket here.

BERMAN: Deep down inside, you have of reference?

CROW: No, I'm going to let that be with Vice President Harris.

BERMAN: Not that you'd share with us, the unspoken words there.

Congressman Jason Crow from Colorado, appreciate your time. Thank you.

Sara.

SIDNER: Nice - nice try, John Berman.

All right, President Biden gearing up for his own critical meetings with Netanyahu and the families of the Israeli American hostages today. We'll speak to the father of one of those hostages just ahead.

Plus, no more "Hunger Games"-style battles for the best seats on Southwest. I've been a part of that. I'm sorry. The airline ditching open seating in the biggest policy shift in its history. What led to its major move to change things up.

And we're counting down to tomorrow's opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, where Coco Gauff off and LeBron James will carry the flags for the U.S. Why organizers are watching the heat as the summer games switch into high gear.

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[09:18:30]

SIDNER: In just a few hours, President Biden will sit down with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a critical meeting on Gaza. It marks the beginning of the final phase of Biden's presidency. And it comes after Biden gave one of the most important addresses of his presidency overnight highlighting his international priorities for the remainder of his term, which includes both ending the war in Gaza and stopping Putin in Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And I'm going to keep working to end the war in Gaza, bring home all the hostages, and bring peace and security to the Middle East and end this war. We're also working around the clock to bring home Americans being unjustly detained all around the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Arlette Saenz is at the White House for us this morning. This is a crucial day for the president, sitting down with Netanyahu. The vice president will also do the same thing. What are you expecting that conversation to be like?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Sara, President Biden has made clear that ending this conflict in Gaza will be one of his key priorities in his final six months in office. And that is where he will turn his attention to today. The president will sit down with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a little bit later in the early afternoon. This will be the first time that Netanyahu is visiting the White House during Biden's administration, and also the first time that the two men are meeting in person since Biden had traveled to Israel just a few days after Hamas had attacked Israel on October 7th.

Now, this conversation today will be coming at a critical time as the president has expressed hope that they could soon reach an agreement to bring hostages back home to their families and also secure an end to this war.

[09:20:09]

Senior administration officials said ahead of this meeting that they don't believe that Netanyahu is trying to delay this deal from coming together, but that there are still some final details that need to be worked out. They're very hopeful that that could be done soon. And one thing that these officials also noted is that if they do ever feel that Netanyahu is standing in the way or delaying this deal, that they will speak very clearly about that in the coming weeks and months.

Now, in addition to that one-on-one meeting, President Biden and Netanyahu will also sit down with the families of the Americans believed to be held hostage in Gaza, and then Netanyahu will have his own meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris. That meeting for her will be a key test as she was dealing with one of the most fraught foreign policy issues facing this administration, and also causing some angst within her own Democratic coalition.

Now, this meet - these meetings come just one day after President Biden delivered that somber and emotional address from the Oval Office where he talked about his decision to drop out of the 2024 race. The president notably made no reference to the Democratic pressure campaign he was facing over the course of the past month, as many had publicly talked about and expressed concerns that he would be unable to campaign effectively at his age or beat Trump in the November election. Instead, Biden tried to portray this decision as one focused on serving the best interests of this country and preserving democracy.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I believe my record as president, my leadership in the world, my vision for America's future, all merited a second term. But nothing, nothing can come in the way of saving our democracy. And that includes personal ambition. So I've decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation. That's the best way to unite our nation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: Now, President Biden also outlined a bit of his to-do list for his coming months in office. But at the top of that agenda is trying to find a conflict to this war in Gaza, and that is where he will turn his attention to today.

SIDNER: There are so many lives that hang in the balance waiting for everything to end there in Gaza.

Arlette Saenz, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: And joining us right now is Adi Alexander. His son, 20-year- old Edan, is an Israeli-American who was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7th, who is still being held by Hamas now almost 300 days, for almost 300 days.

Adi, thank you for being here.

I want to talk about the big meeting that you will be having today at the White House. But first, you were in the House chamber for Netanyahu's speech. What is your takeaway from his remarks?

ADI ALEXANDER, FATHER OF ISRAELI-American HOSTAGE EDAN ALEXANDER: My takeaway basically touched all the right buttons, and I'll give him nine out of ten for his performance. But I was missing one simple line, and the line is, we are working on a deal and it's within reach.

BOLDUAN: That seems one glaringly missing line.

ALEXANDER: Correct.

BOLDUAN: And you're going to be part of this meeting today with President Biden and the prime minister. I heard you say yesterday that in this more intimate meeting and setting that you hope to get some answers. What answers are you hoping for, and what are you going to be asking of them?

ALEXANDER: We will be asking why the deal is being delayed because it's - for two weeks it's - the deal is on the table to be signed. And the small, new answers to be worked out that, but it should be within the reach. And that the - that will be our major ask and this is actually our major concern.

BOLDUAN: And my colleagues were just talking about that just before they came to us that at the White House the - CNN is being told from senior officials they do not believe that Netanyahu is trying to delay a deal. But the Hostage Families Forum put out a statement after Netanyahu's speech accusing Netanyahu of just that, of deliberately slow walking negotiations. One thing they said was, "this foot dragging is a deliberate sabotage of the chance to bring our loved ones back."

Do you feel that way?

ALEXANDER: I feel that time kills all deals. And the - the negotiating team, the Israeli negotiating team members of Mossad and Shin Bet, they were supposed to leave to the region, to Qatar and Egypt actually this morning, and they never left. So, that's a delay by itself for a few days. So, where is the urgency?

[09:25:01]

BOLDUAN: Yes. This meeting at the White House with the two leaders, this seems critically important to the path forward. Do you - do you have - are you hopeful that having Netanyahu, not just a meeting with Netanyahu, but having a meeting with Netanyahu and President Biden together, are you hopeful that this moves it for - moves it forward, or, at this point, now almost 300 days in, are you losing hope somehow?

ALEXANDER: We never losing hope, and we have this unique situation, when the sitting president and the former president both calling on Netanyahu to finish the war and seal that deal. So that will be our main message today. And I hope this message will go through.

BOLDUAN: You raised something really interesting, which is, this comes at a moment where just after Joe Biden announces that he is not running, and just as Kamala Harris is getting her now presidential campaign off the ground, this, I don't know, it's - it - I guess it presents potentially uncertainty or its, at the very least, a transition that you find yourselves in when you need action now.

What do you think this kind of in-between means for your family and getting your son home?

ALEXANDER: So, first of all, this in-between, it's a six month. And now, when President Biden will be free from political burdens, I hope he will seal that deal. He (ph) told explicitly that this is - will be his main goal. And don't know what - we don't want to go beyond January 20.

BOLDUAN: But that - but you actually see that there's opportunity in - in this moment.

ALEXANDER: Yes, Correct. We see it as an opportunity. We need more bold actions, and we need strong leadership. And no politics involved.

BOLDUAN: As you walk into the White House later today with the other families, is there an aspect of Edan that you'll be holding close to your heart? Is there a memory that will be ringing in your mind? What - what part of Edan do you take into that White House with you today?

ALEXANDER: I'll take the part that is a really strong kid, is a real fighter, former swimmer, and we know he's alive. We have sign of life. And he needs to remain strong. We saw Noa Argamani yesterday. We had to spend at least half an hour with her. She looks fine. She looks healthy. And she seems to me 100 percent. So, I want to believe that our son in the same situation, young kid, is hundred percent, just waiting to be released.

BOLDUAN: Waiting for leaders to lead.

Your strength and resilience for your son is a beautiful thing.

Adi, thank you so much.

ALEXANDER: Thank you. Thank you.

BOLDUAN: John.

BERMAN: So, this morning, the end of an era for Southwest Airlines. Why they are abandoning the no assigned seats policy. Besides the fact I've never found a single person who liked it, ever.

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[09:30:00]