Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Local SWAT Team To ABC: Meeting With Secret Service "Never Happened"; Iowa Law Barring Most Abortions After Six Weeks Takes Effect; California's Park Fire Burns 360,000+ Acres, 100 Structures Destroyed. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired July 29, 2024 - 07:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:30:09]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, for the first time, we are hearing from a member of the local SWAT team assigned to protect Donald Trump the day of the assassination attempt. He detailed to ABC News the crucial missteps and lack of communication that contributed to the near-fatal moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JASON WOODS, LEADER, BEAVER COUNTY SWAT TEAM: We were supposed to get a face-to-face briefing with the Secret Service snipers whenever they arrived and that never happened. So I think that was probably a pivotal point where I started thinking things were wrong because that never happened. And we had no communication with the Secret Service.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So the revelation comes as new text messages uncovered by The New York Times show local authorities raised the issue of this guy who ended up being the gunman up to 90 minutes before the attempt on Trump's life.

CNN's Zach Cohen is with us this morning with the latest. Zach, what are you seeing here?

ZACHARY COHEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yeah, John, communication was clearly a problem and specifically, the communication between local officers and the U.S. Secret Service on the day of the rally.

As you just mentioned and as we heard in that sound bite, the local SWAT team says that they did not get a face-to-face briefing with the U.S. Secret Service before the rally started. And those communication issues seem to have persisted.

Take a listen to what the SWAT team told ABC about the lack of communication between not just the U.S. Secret Service and local SWAT team but also with the Pennsylvania State Police.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) PATRICK YOUNG, CHIEF DETECTIVE, BEAVER COUNTY EMERGENCY SERVICES: Multiple agencies working together is also always taxing no matter what the problem. I know that we could not communicate with Secret Service or Pennsylvania State Police or, really, in effort, the patrol directly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: So that lack of communication raises new questions about when did local officers notify U.S. Secret Service that they had identified the suspicious looking individual who would later turn out to be the would-be assassin.

These text messages obtained by The New York Times via Chuck Grassley's office - Sen. Chuck Grassley, the Republican from Iowa -- do show that there was an issue with when those text messages where shared -- or sorry, when the photo of the shooter was shared with U.S. Secret Service.

There's one, in particular, because we're learning that they identified the shooter 90 minutes before the shooting took place, which is earlier than we knew in our previous timeline.

In the text messages reported on by The New York Times it says, "Kid learning around building we are in." Obviously, maybe a typo there. "I did see him with a range finder looking towards stage. FYI, if you want to notify SS snipers to look out. I lost sight of him."

Obviously, some concern there at 4:25 p.m. That's almost two hours before the rally began.

Again, testifying before Capitol Hill, the U.S. Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle would not answer those questions. She was later forced to resign just a day after her hearing.

We'll hear from the now-acting Secret Service director this week when he testifies on Capitol Hill.

BERMAN: That text message is something. A lot of specificity there.

All right, Zach Cohen. Thank you very much for that -- Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Donald Trump testing out a new attack line against Kamala Harris this weekend, calling her worse than President Biden. He said he would also potentially be worse himself when it comes to how he's going to campaign. This is less than 100 days until Election Day.

Trump is expected to join Arizona GOP Senate candidate Kari Lake for a virtual rally while his running mate, J.D. Vance, heads to Silicon Valley today.

CNN's Steve Contorno is joining us now. Steve, how did Trump react to the change of Democratic opponent during this first weekend after knowing that Biden had dropped out. STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Well, as you said, Sara, he's been

testing a bunch of lines trying to see what sticks. And yes, he's been attacking her on some of the things that he was going after Biden -- immigration, crime, the border, inflation.

But he was also testing out different lines in front of different audiences. We saw him on Friday in front of a Christian audience claim that Vice President Harris was extreme on abortion. That she "doesn't like Jewish people," which obviously, she has a Jewish husband. And also that she was insufficiently pro-Israel.

Then the next day he was talking to Bitcoin enthusiasts where he claimed that she was anti-crypto and anti-innovation. And then in Minnesota that evening, Trump said if Harris wins, "The American dream is dead." So a smattering of approaches there.

And meanwhile, he is under fire from Democrats for something he said to that Christian audience on Friday night about whether they need to vote for him four years from now. Take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Christians, get out and vote just this time. You won't have to do it anymore. Four more years -- you know what? It'll be fixed. It'll be fine. You won't have to vote anymore. You got to get out and vote. In four years you don't have to vote again. We'll have it fixed so good you're not going to have to vote.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[07:35:10]

CONTORNO: Now, we asked the Trump campaign to clarify what exactly Trump was talking about there, and his campaign said, "President Trump was talking about uniting this country and bringing prosperity to every American."

Sen. Tom Cotton, yesterday, said that was obviously a joke.

Meanwhile, the Harris campaign saying in a statement, "When Vice President Harris says this election is about freedom, she means it."

Sara.

SIDNER: Steve Contorno, thank you so much for bringing us that this morning -- John.

BERMAN: So 99 days now until the election, and the Harris campaign, this morning, seems to have fully embraced "weird" as a line of attack against Donald Trump and J.D. Vance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So what he and his running mate are saying, it's just plain weird. GOV. TIM WALZ, (D) MINNESOTA: These guys are just weird. That's what they are.

GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO, (D) PENNSYLVANIA: It's the weirdest thing. He'll go in and, like, literally hug an American flag. Now, I love the flag but, I mean, it's like weird what he does.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: With us now, former senior adviser for Donald Trump's 2016 campaign, Jason Osborn. And former deputy communications director and associate counsel to Vice President Kamala Harris, Rachel Palermo. Thanks so much for being with us.

Rachel, weird is an interesting argument and seems different, or does it, to existential threat to democracy. Do they fight each other?

RACHEL PALERMO, FORMER DEPUTY COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR AND ASSOCIATE COUNSEL FOR VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS: Thank you so much for having me.

Well, I think that weird might be a comment that can resonate with every -- with everyday Americans when they are looking at what we are seeing from the other side.

But the reality is that Vice President Harris and the campaign is focused on putting forward their clear vision of the country. That's a vision of opportunity. It's a vision of fundamental freedoms. And so, they're absolutely focused on the substance here but they're also pointing out certain things that, frankly, have been weird.

BERMAN: And Jason, would you rather -- if you're the Trump campaign, would you rather be weird than an existential threat to democracy? Is weird something that sticks -- leaves a mark?

JASON OSBORNE, FORMER SENIOR ADVISER, TRUMP 2016 CAMPAIGN (via Webex by Cisco): I don't think weird leaves a mark compared to what we're seeing from the other side continually.

You know, you want to talk about weird, let's talk about how every time that something doesn't go the Democrats' way, all of a sudden, we want to change the rules. We want to get rid of the Electoral College because the popular vote in 2016 favored Hillary Clinton. We want to change the Supreme Court because it just didn't go the way that they wanted it to. I mean, I think that's more weird than anything else.

And look, Donald Trump has been kind of an anomaly in politics for his entire existence in the presidential campaign world, and so I don't think this weird shtick actually works when you put it up against Kamala and some of the stuff that her -- that she's done over the last eight years.

BERMAN: Jason, let me ask you this because one of the other things we've seen -- and we have new reporting this morning -- is that the Harris campaign wants to continue to focus on J.D. Vance.

And Harry Enten has a presentation, our senior data guru, that J.D. Vance has been an historically unpopular V.P. pick.

So, Jason, from your perspective, is Harris smart to keep the focus on him? And how much do you think voters care about that number two selection? How much -- how much ground can be gained by going after that?

OSBORNE: Well, I don't know if the vice presidential pick has really kind of swayed the voter, at least in my lifetime, in presidential politics. As much as folks would like to say that it does -- that it makes a difference, I don't - the top of the ticket are the ones that make the decisions.

And so, if we're going to start looking at vice presidential comments that were made when they weren't running for vice president, let's look at Kamala Harris when she talked about banning fracking as a presidential candidate, and going into Pennsylvania and saying hey, we're going to ban fracking, absolutely.

I mean, I think that if they want to -- if the Democrats want to focus on J.D. Vance's comments that he made running for Senate, then we welcome that argument because there's a lot more arguments to be made when Kamala was running for president and now she's having to run on the -- on the Biden ticket, basically.

BERMAN: So, Rachel, what does the Harris campaign get out of focusing on J.D. Vance?

PALERMO: Well, I think that the campaign is focusing on J.D. Vance, but the focus of this campaign is, no doubt, Donald Trump. The contrast could not be more clear between Vice President Harris and Donald Trump. She's a career prosecutor; he's a convicted felon. She has a vision for this country to take us forward, not backwards, and he wants to bring us backwards.

And so, of course, the campaign is talking about J.D. Vance, but Donald Trump is the focus here because his vision for this country and where he wants to go would be devastating.

BERMAN: But why then -- and we have reporting, which I believe, frankly, this morning -- does the Harris campaign want to highlight the Vance pick, Rachel?

[07:40:00]

PALERMO: Well, the vice president -- Vice President Harris has been the vice president for the last 3 1/2 years. She ran with President Biden as his vice president when they were elected by 81 million Americans during the 2020 election. And so, of course, the vice president and the campaign -- they're not going to ignore the vice presidential pick, and there's a lot of material there to focus on.

And so while the focus is Donald Trump, of course, they're going to point to the fact that J.D. Vance has issues as well.

BERMAN: So, Jason, Politico, in their playbook -- which I like to quote because they do a really nice job -- their headline this morning is "After the Sugar High" for Vice President Harris, suggesting that she's experienced quite a week. I mean, it's been now seven full days. We're on our first full new week of her having a presidential campaign and it's been a -- been a tight, effective week where she's gaining ground on many fronts. But it says that the Harris campaign is aware this can't last forever.

So if you -- I want you to flip around and put yourself in their shoes. How would you get the sugar high to last?

OSBORNE: Well, I mean, I think they have done -- there's no question that the Harris campaign has done a very good job of putting her out there and kind of putting to rest some of the issues that were involved with Joe Biden still being at the top of the ticket. I think there was -- you know, we spent a few weeks after the debate amongst all the political pundits and -- on TV here talking about what if and who should be -- nominee be for the Democrats. And so, they did a good job. You have to give them credit for coalescing behind Kamala Harris.

I think I've said it on this show and a -- and a few others that there's no doubt that she should be the nominee instead of Joe Biden if he dropped out.

And so, I think they have to keep pushing forward on that message. I think focus on Donald Trump and the difference between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, although I'm on the Donald Trump side of things. But don't focus on J.D. Vance. And obviously, the Republicans are going to kind of look at who the vice presidential pick would be for her as well.

Other than that, I mean, continue doing what they're doing. And I think we still win at the end of the day but that's the way to win this race.

BERMAN: Jason Osborne, great to see you. Rachel Palermo, nice to have you on. I really appreciate it -- Sara.

SIDNER: All right.

This morning, many women seeking an abortion in Iowa will not be able to get one there. The state's strict abortion law is now in effect after a judge had blocked it from being enforced when it was passed last year. It bars most abortions after about six weeks before many women even know they're pregnant and is among the most restrictive in the country.

Lyz Lenz is on the board of the Iowa Abortion Access Fund, and she joins me now. Thank you so much for taking time with us this morning.

I'm curious what your biggest concern is about this abortion ban that is at about six weeks.

LYZ LENZ, BOARD OF DIRECTORS, IOWA ABORTION ACCESS FUND (via Webex by Cisco): Yes. So I have had three pregnancies -- that's two babies and one miscarriage -- and every single time I didn't find out I was pregnant until after -- between, like, eight to 10 weeks. So when we talk about a six-week abortion ban we're really talking

about a full and complete abortion ban. This ban also, on paper, has exceptions for rape and incest. But when you look closer at those exceptions you realize that the rape or the incest has to be reported within two weeks of it happening, and it relies on the doctors adjudicating whether it's rape or incest, which is something that even the police have a hard time adjudicating.

So we're -- the reality is this is a complete and total abortion ban and -- even though on paper it has exceptions. And so, my fear and concern is that this is going to result in the death of women. And like we saw in Texas how their abortion ban resulted in the increase of infant mortality rates; this is also going to result in the death of infants as well.

SIDNER: I'm really sorry to hear about you having to go through all of that. You've got two children but had a miscarriage. And I know that is awful for a woman to have to experience.

What are you hearing from women? What are you hearing from people knowing that this is going into effect today?

LENZ: Yes. So I have several friends who are pregnant with very wanted pregnancies and they're in the early stages of their pregnancies. But they're also older because the reality is women are getting pregnant at older ages. And they know that abortion care is also miscarriage care. Like, when I had my miscarriage, I needed a D&C. What people don't realize is that's actually abortion care.

And so, I have a lot of friends -- the people in my community, the people I talk to with my work at the Iowa Abortion Access Fund -- people are afraid. They're concerned.

[07:45:00]

Another reality is that Iowa has the fewest OB-GYNs per capita out of any state in the nation. So people are not just afraid for their own health -- you know, their own reproductive health -- but their health overall because this is going to stop doctors from coming to the state.

And it's already really hard to find care and I live in one of the biggest cities in the state. But if you live in a rural area, one- third of Iowa's counties are maternity care deserts. Sixty-one percent of our rural hospitals do not have a labor and delivery. So people are just really scared and really afraid.

SIDNER: Yeah. You had quoted a study done by the nonprofit March of Dimes stating that there are these maternal care deserts across Iowa where there's no OB-GYNs, no birthing centers, no maternity wards.

Can you give me some sense of how the Iowa Abortion Access Fund is planning to try to continue to provide care to women?

LENZ: So we are one of the oldest abortion access funds in the nation and we were started right after Roe was established as the law of the land by local women who just wanted to support other people who needed abortion care. And so we're going to continue that work no matter what the law is. We have partnered with the Chicago Access Fund so that we can continue to provide care and resources, and financial resources for women who need abortion care outside of the state.

SIDNER: Yeah, similar to Texas where people were going to other states. The other states have to brace for this if they are still providing abortion care that's less restrictive.

Lyz Lenz, thank you so much for joining us this morning and explaining all of that from your perspective -- John.

BERMAN: All right. Happening now, a wildfire burning an area larger than the city of Phoenix. The man accused of starting this fire is expected to make his first appearance in court today.

And new polling just into CNN shows that most Americans now think owning a home is a pipedream.

(COMMERCIAL)

[07:51:10]

SIDNER: Controversy in Venezuela this morning. The United States and other nations are questioning the re-election of Venezuela's strongman, President Nicolas Maduro. The opposition led by Maria Machado has rejected Maduro's win in favor of her party candidate Edmundo Gonzalez and is demanding election authorities present all the voting tallies to verify the results.

Jury selection starts today for Tina Peters, the ex-Mesa County, Colorado clerk and Trump ally who denied the 2020 election results. Prosecutors say she compromised the county's voting system to find fraud. She claims, without proof, that Colorado's elections were rigged. Peters pleaded not guilty to 10 charges, including three felony counts of trying to influence a public servant.

And the capture of Cartel leaders Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada and Joaquin Guzman Lopez is causing tension between Mexico and U.S. law enforcement. A source says U.S. officials didn't brief Mexico in advance fearing the operation would be compromised. The details were also kept secret within the U.S. government until those two men were caught.

The attorney for Zambada says he was kidnapped and did not surrender or negotiate with the U.S. government -- John.

BERMAN: All right. This morning, firefighters in Northern California are battling the largest active wildfire in the country. The Park Fire, as it's called, has burned more than 360,000 acres. Four counties are under evacuation orders or warnings. The man accused of starting this blaze is due to appear in court today.

CNN's Camila Bernal in Chico, California this morning with the latest. What are you seeing this morning, Camila? CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John, this is just devastation here. Thousands and thousands of acres that look a lot like what you see here behind me. And fire officials have told me that the center of the fire is still very active. It's still in very steep terrain.

And what they're saying though is that they were able to make some progress because of two things. One, over the weekend, we had a lot better weather. And you also have a lot more resources. We now have about 4,700 boots on the ground. And so what that means is that they can come to areas like this one and do an assessment.

They say about 100 structures have already been destroyed. But the other thing they say is that they were able to have a direct and aggressive attack on those flames. And so, thanks to that attack they were able to move that containment from zero to 12 percent. It may not seem like a lot, but it does make a difference for a lot of these firefighters and for the people that are on the front lines of this fire.

Another thing that firefighters told me is that their priority is to get people back into their homes. They are very sensitive to the people of this area. They are very conscious of what they've lived. These are people who are in Butte County who went through the deadliest fire in California history back in 2018.

So anecdotally, I can tell you that a lot of the residents here have taken evacuation orders and warnings very seriously. They've been paying attention, trying to keep up because of how devastating these fires could be. They are very aware of the dangers of these fires.

And so, overall, the community is just very happy to see that containment number go up. But also, they know that there's still a lot of work to be done here as thousands and thousands of acres continue to burn -- John.

BERMAN: I couldn't even tell that was a car behind you. It just shows the scope of the damage you're seeing in that area.

Camila Bernal, thanks so much for being with us this morning. I appreciate it -- Sara.

SIDNER: The Park Fire is the latest blaze pouring dangerous smoke into the air. And new research is showing long-term exposure to wildfire smoke can actually affect your brain.

[07:55:00]

CNN's Jacqueline Howard is joining us now with details on this new study. What can wildfire smoke do to the brain? We certainly feel it in your nose and your throat -- any of us who have been out there during these wildfires.

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Exactly, Sara. And we know that it's also associated with an increased risk of being diagnosed with dementia. Now, the latest research on this is being presented today at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference. And researchers found that there's a 21 percent increase in the odds of being diagnosed with dementia that's associated with every one microgram increase of particulate matter in wildfire smoke. That's microgram per meter.

And this particulate matter itself -- it refers to those small particles and droplets in wildfire smoke and in other types of air pollution that you breathe in. And when you inhale particulate matter research suggests that can increase amyloid in the brain. And we know the buildup of amyloid plaques is associated with Alzheimer's, so that might be the key behind this association.

But, Sara, like you said, we know the health effects of wildfire smoke -- it can impact your lungs, your heart. There's so much happening there that research is really shedding light on as we see more air pollution really around the world.

SIDNER: It's terrifying for the firefighters because they're in --

HOWARD: Yeah.

SIDNER: -- these fires so much more than they have been decades ago.

What are some of the other health risks that particulate matter might be associated with?

HOWARD: Yeah. We know it's also associated with an increased risk of heart attack, asthma, decreased lung function. So all of that can play a role on your health. And like you said, Sara, those who are at most increased risk, first responders, and children, and older adults. And this whole list that you see right here is just some of the research that we've seen when it comes to the health effects of particulate matter.

So this is a big, big area of research right now as we think about how air pollution in general can impact our brains and our bodies -- Sara.

SIDNER: Jacqueline Howard, thank you for that -- appreciate it -- John.

BERMAN: All right. This morning, new CNN polling shows that most Americans think homeownership is a dream that might never come true. Many Americans who do not own a home right now say they do not think they will ever be able to afford one.

CNN's Matt Egan, who follows this so closely, is with us now. What are you learning, Matt?

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Well, John, look, this is such a frustrating housing market for the millions of Americans who are on the outside looking in, right? They want to buy but they just can't -- not with these prices, not with these mortgage rates. And some of them -- they're throwing in the towel and they're walking away. So this brand new CNN poll shows that 86 percent of U.S. renters would like to buy but they can't -- 86 percent. Just 13 percent say they could afford it but they're choosing not to.

Now, to take this a step further, when you just look at the ones who can't afford it, only 46 percent say it's either very or somewhat likely that eventually they'll be able to buy. More than half -- 54 percent -- say it's not too likely or not at all likely that they'll ever be able to. But that really speaks to a lot of pessimism here about the American dream. How it feels like it's out of reach.

Politically, you could see how this would be an issue for the party in power. And economically, it's a problem, too. Because look, homeownership remains the ticket to wealth generation. So this is just widening the gap between the haves and have nots.

BERMAN: It is bleak. I mean, what are the specific obstacles that people see?

EGAN: Well, first, it's the mortgage, right? We're looking at 17 percent who say qualifying for a mortgage is the biggest barrier.

Another 31 percent say it's interest rates. Now, the good news on that front is we have seen mortgage rates calm down. Last year, they were almost at eight percent. Now they're below seven percent. That's not low but they could go lower if the Fed starts to raise -- lower interest rates.

But the down payment -- that's the biggest barrier. Forty percent of those who can't afford it say that's the problem. And look, the median home price, $427,000. So even if you're only putting down 10 percent, you're still looking at $40,000 plus maybe another $10,000 for closing costs. That's a lot of money.

And this is very frustrating. I've talked to some people who want to buy. There's a -- there's a dad who has got twins in Atlanta. He's a millennial. And he told me that he just -- he's given up on homeownership because of what he's seen out there. He's just -- this is me.

He said, "I'm not going to pay $350,000 for a rundown house." He said, "I'm not going to play your game anymore. I'm done." And he said this is taking an emotional toll, too, because he said he sort of felt like a failure as a husband, as a father because there was no lawn for his kids to play on.

So look, John, a lot of people are frustrated. Hopefully, rates come down and home prices chill out a little bit because this is a tough market out there.

BERMAN: Look, it's tough. I've been a father of twins and not owning a house and I know how hard that can be and what a challenge it is. Send our best to him. And hopefully, there is some relief in sight for so many Americans who want to get in this this housing game.

EGAN: Hopefully. BERMAN: Matt, thanks so much.

EGAN: Thank you, John.

BERMAN: All right, a new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts now.