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Harris' Search For Running Mate Now In Its Final Hours; White House: U.S. Preparing For "Every Possibility" Of Iranian Attack; Israel On High Alert As Iran, Hezbollah Vow To Retaliate; NWS: "Life- Threatening Situation" As Debby Hits Parts Of Southeast. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired August 05, 2024 - 15:00   ET

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

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[15:01:02]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: It could happen at any moment. Vice President Kamala Harris getting set to pick her running mate, the biggest decision of her presidential campaign coming down to the final hours as the campaign prepares for this week's battleground state blitz.

And fear and loathing on Wall Street. The markets plunge as fears grow that the U.S. is headed for a recession. We're going to check on stocks. We're going to check if that's a big worry and what could be driving this huge sell-off today.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN HOST: And warnings of a potential once-in-a- thousand-years rain event as Debby nears the Florida-Georgia border. Coastal states bracing for the worst.

We're following these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

KEILAR: We are standing by and we will continue to stand by, I think.

JIMENEZ: Stand by to stand by.

KEILAR: That's right. For an incredibly important announcement that could come at any moment because that's how these things work.

JIMENEZ: Always.

KEILAR: Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris poised to pick her running mate as soon as today. Among the final top three contenders, Pennsylvania governor, Josh Shapiro; Arizona senator, Mark Kelly; and Minnesota governor, Tim Walz. All three met separately with Harris on Saturday.

JIMENEZ: And tomorrow, Harris and her newly-minted running mate, whoever that may be, will hold a joint rally in Pennsylvania. It'll be the first stop in a week-long campaign blitz through seven battleground states. For the very latest, let's bring in MJ Lee in Philadelphia where Harris and that vice presidential pick will hold their first joint campaign rally tomorrow.

MJ, I know you're standing by to standing by - to stand by, but what are you hearing from the camps right now?

MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. We're certainly in the very final countdown. We are probably hours away from finding out who Vice President Kamala Harris is going to be choosing as her vice presidential running mate. At least as of this morning, I am told that the Vice President had not made that consequential decision yet. But once she does, of course, she is going to be informing a very small group of advisors on the campaign. And then she's going to be making that phone call to her eventual running mate.

Sources have cautioned just on timing, this is going to be the Vice President's decision to make and hers alone. And that timing decision - the timing of that decision, rather, could always slip into tomorrow.

Now, yesterday, as you mentioned, the Vice President was back in Washington, D.C. meeting with some of these finalists. All of the names you mentioned: Shapiro, Walz, Kelly, those were people that she actually took the time to sit down together as she is in the final stages. And based on all of our reporting, it would be a huge shock to the political world if her - the person that she chose did not end up being one of those three people.

Two of the big questions that she has been asking, of course, is who could help her win and also who could help her govern. But also, the Vice President has been presented with just a ton of data, and vetting materials, and polling as well from her team to really get a sense and a full picture of who would be an addition to her ticket.

Now, the thing that we really can't put down on paper, of course, is just the question of personal chemistry: Who does she mesh well with? Who does she like spending time with? Those are questions, of course, that, again, all just sort of get to the point of how all of this ultimately comes down to a decision-making process for the Vice President and her alone.

Tomorrow night, we are going to see the two of them, the Vice President and her eventual running mate, at a joint campaign rally for the first time together here in Philadelphia. And then they're going to hit the road together, traveling to a number of battleground states, seven cities in total, as they really hit the ground running and really present themselves as a joint ticket to the rest of the country.

[15:05:02]

Now, in 15 days, we have really seen the Vice President transforming the Democratic ticket, and this is one decision where the campaign is really hoping that by pushing forward to the decision that is to come, they can really keep up the momentum and keep the energy going after what has been really an extraordinary last 15 days.

KEILAR: Yes, really has been. And you're ready for it, MJ, there in Philadelphia, standing by ahead of this announcement and this big event kickoff tomorrow.

MJ, thank you.

Let's bring in CNN's Jeff Zeleny for a closer look at these three apparent finalists.

All right. Tell us about these guys.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, MJ was talking about chemistry and that is one of the central calculations here going into it. But talking to a senior advisor over the weekend, they said three Cs are guiding this: chemistry, competence and core values.

But, of course, the three finalists that the Vice President met with over the weekend, let's look at some of them one by one.

Minnesota governor, Tim Walz, has come on fairly strongly here at the end, getting a lot of attention. He's 60 years old. He's been the Minnesota governor since 2019. He served for 24 years in the Army National Guard. He was in Congress for about 12 years, elected six times from a former Republican district, and then he went to have that, and he's a former high school social studies teacher.

He also is a native of Nebraska, and he moved to Minnesota to be a social studies instructor.

JIMENEZ: You had to get that in there.

ZELENY: I had to get that in there ...

JIMENEZ: Yes, of course.

ZELENY: ... my fellow state.

And another Midwesterner there on the list, Pennsylvania governor, Josh Shapiro. He was born in Kansas City, Missouri. He's 51 years old. He's in his first term as governor of Pennsylvania. He was the attorney general. He would be the first Jewish vice president. Of course, he's the second one if he was picked. Of course, Joe Lieberman back 24 years ago.

And that favorability rating, this is central to him there. And also, he has won three times statewide. When he was elected governor, he won by 15 percentage points. That is huge, of course, in one of the biggest battleground states of all that has 19 electoral votes.

Going on to Arizona senator, Mark Kelly. Of course, he is an astronaut, 60 years old. He's been a senator for 20 - or since 2020. A retired Navy pilot. He had 39 combat missions under his belt, but it's that astronaut, spending more than 50 days in space on the endeavor and the discovery there, which certainly sets him apart from any politician. And he's also married to a former congressman, Gabrielle Giffords.

So those are the three finalists. But again, all eyes are on these governors. It is - they each bring some different strengths in biography and geography as well. I'm told to not read anything in, as we've talked about before, that Pennsylvania is the first spot, because her second spot ...

KEILAR: He's looking at me.

ZELENY: ... is nearly in Minnesota. It's just a stone's throw away in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, not far from Minnesota. So those two are the - a lot of Democrats are watching, but it's her choice.

KEILAR: Yes.

ZELENY: And the timing is hers as well and I'm told they're going to try and keep it under the vest as closely - as long as possible, because they want to release a video, online engagement, have people sign up. We'll see if it holds. It often does not.

KEILAR: Yes.

JIMENEZ: We will see. I'm glad you got the Nebraska reference in there, because I didn't know that about Tim Walz, but (INAUDIBLE) ...

KEILAR: So much Midwest ...

ZELENY: From one point to Nebraska.

JIMENEZ: See, there we go. I knew you have the specifics. Jeff, good to see you, man.

ZELENY: Good to see you.

JIMENEZ: All right. I want to bring in, to talk more about this, is this pending vice presidential pick, is Pennsylvania lieutenant governor, Austin Davis.

Thanks for being here, Lieutenant Governor.

Now look, as we've talked about, we expect this VP pick to happen at any moment. Tomorrow, Harris and her new running mate will be in your state for a joint rally. Do you have any insight into who that pick will be or who you want it to be?

LT. GOV. AUSTIN DAVIS (D) PENNSYLVANIA: Well, first, thank you so much for having me. I don't have any special insight. I know ...

JIMENEZ: Oh, come on.

DAVIS: ... Vice President Harris is going to make her announcement. But I can tell you, I have a great governor in Josh Shapiro and he's been a tremendous leader here in Pennsylvania and I think it makes a lot of sense that he's on that list.

JIMENEZ: And look, this weekend, Politico reported, though, that your predecessor as Pennsylvania lieutenant governor, now Sen. John Fetterman, has concerns about Josh Shapiro as a potential VP pick, stemming from a long-running rivalry, as they described, between the two, reportedly saying Shapiro is too focused on his own personal ambitions.

One, have you had conversations with Sen. Fetterman about that?

DAVIS: I have not had any conversations with Senator Fetterman. And, unfortunately, it just seems like petty politics, but the voters of Pennsylvania overwhelmingly elected Josh Shapiro as our governor, and he has been leading us in a tremendous way. I'm proud to serve with him as his governing partner to move Pennsylvania forward.

And so I don't believe those are the thoughts of the vast majority of Pennsylvanians or Pennsylvania voters.

JIMENEZ: Have you spoken to Gov. Shapiro since his reported interview with Harris this weekend?

DAVIS: You know - so I talk to the Governor a lot. We talk pretty regularly, but I will tell you the conversations that he and I have are private, and they'll remain private.

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JIMENEZ: Any sense of mood? You know, I got a pry here a little bit, any sense of mood, anything you can share?

DAVIS: Yes. Look, I think we are all fired up to elect Kamala Harris as our next president. I think Gov. Shapiro has been campaigning all across Pennsylvania to help make sure we achieve that goal at the end of the day. We all have said that this is a deeply personal decision that the Vice President's going to have to make, and she's going to make it on her timeline. And whoever she picks, we look forward to supporting through November and on to victory.

JIMENEZ: And, look, Pennsylvania, I don't have to tell you, is obviously a key battleground state in this election. We've got a lot of options on the table. Do you think Harris can win your state with a running mate who comes from a different state, with no disrespect, of course, to your current governor?

DAVIS: Yes. Look, I think the important thing about this election is not necessarily going to be the running mate. I think it's going to be the vision that Vice President Harris lays out for America, how she's going to help work to reduce costs, how we're going to make our community safer and how we're going to create ladders of opportunities for folks to succeed.

I believe the contrast between her and Donald Trump is clear. She has a vision to move America forward. He wants to take us backwards. And so ultimately, I think the vision that she put forward is going to be what seals the deal on this election. And I'm confident, come November, she's going to be our president-elect.

JIMENEZ: And look, on those points, you represent Pennsylvania, you know Pennsylvania. What is it going to take to win Pennsylvania?

DAVIS: Yes, look, Pennsylvania is a big, diverse state. In a lot of ways, we are representative of America. I think it's going to take showing up, particularly in communities where sometimes it's not as easy to be a Democrat. We oftentimes have written off rural communities. We cannot do that. We can't take any vote for granted.

And we have to lay out a vision that people can get behind, that people can recognize how it's going to positively impact them and their families and their neighbors. I think if we do that, I think if we show up - if we show up with our ideas, if we engage people, I think we'll be victorious.

And I think that's what Josh Shapiro and I did when we ran for governor and lieutenant governor. And that's what Kamala Harris is going to have to do in this campaign.

JIMENEZ: Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis, I really appreciate you being here. As folks know, tomorrow we're expecting that first rally with whoever her pick is to be there in your state. Thanks for coming.

DAVIS: No. Thanks for having me.

JIMENEZ: Of course. All right, still ahead, President Biden and Vice President Harris are holding a critical meeting with National Security officials in the Situation Room as Iran warns it's determined to punish Israel in response to the killing of a Hamas leader in Tehran last week.

And right now, Tropical Storm Debby is slowly churning near the Florida-Georgia border. We're going to bring you the latest updates on the storm. Those stories and much more coming up on CNN NEWS CENTRAL, stay with us.

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[15:17:22]

JIMENEZ: All right, happening now, a major meeting is underway in the White House Situation Room. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are huddling with top National Security officials as the Middle East braces for an expected Iranian strike on Israel.

KEILAR: Iran says it wants to punish Israel, claiming that leaders there assassinated top Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week. The U.S. is now working to prevent that potential strike from spiraling the region into widespread war by speaking with regional leaders and also moving U.S. military assets into position. CNN's Kayla Tausche is monitoring developments from the White House.

Kayla, have you gotten any details about what's going on right now in the Situation Room?

KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Brianna, we know that meeting began last hour. The goings-on in the high-security complex just below the Oval Office, still closely held as the president and the Vice President convened their National Security team to discuss the most current intelligence about the region as well as recent developments on the ground.

We know for more than a week, the U.S. has been moving to safeguard its assets in the region and reallocate its military footprint in preparation for what could come. And we also know that behind the scenes, the U.S. has been engaging in some furious diplomacy. A call between President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described as incredibly tense that took place yesterday and a call with King Abdullah of Jordan and President Biden today focused on efforts to deescalate tensions in the region.

Now, this comes as this meeting in the Situation Room has some parallels with the situation that unfolded in the middle of April, the last time President Biden convened this team for this very reason, the expectation of the potential for retaliatory strikes by Iran. The strikes that unfolded then were seen as more limited nature, but the scope of the potential at this moment is still unclear.

Of course, it's been the priority of the administration to refrain from the situation in the Middle East becoming a wider war, and that has been the goal for nearly a year at this point. And that certainly remains the goal as the President and his top advisors huddle in the Situation Room where we expect that we will get some conclusion or a readout once that meeting is finished, guys?

KEILAR: All right. We'll be looking for that.

Kayla Tausche live for us at the White House, thank you.

Israel remains on high alert as the threat of an Iranian attack deepens now. The Iran-backed Lebanese militant group, Hezbollah claimed that it launched a drone strike overnight that hit a military target in Northern Israel.

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JIMENEZ: And the IDF says the attack injured an officer and a soldier. CNN's Jeremy Diamond joins us now from Haifa, Israel.

So Jeremy, how are the Israelis preparing for any further attacks from Iran or its proxies?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, Omar, there's no question that the Israeli military is on a heightened state of alert tonight as we appear to now be in the window or certainly entering the window of a potential Iranian strike on Israel in retaliation for the assassination last week of Hamas' political leader in the Iranian capital.

Iran has been very clear that it will retaliate for that assassination and it's also raising the possibility of attacks on Israel via its proxies. Certainly Hezbollah is also inclined to retaliate against Israel, not only for the killing of Hamas's leader, but also for the killing of a senior Hezbollah commander last week. We know that the Israeli military is not only preparing to ready its air defense assets in the event of a strike on Israel, but it is also beginning to plan for potential retaliatory actions. We know that the Israeli military's top general, Gen. Herzi Halevi today was reviewing and approving operational plans for the Israeli military, not only defensive ones, but potential offensive action as well.

We've heard similar language from the Israeli defense minister, Yoav Gallant, and the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over the weekend, vowing that Iran will pay a very heavy price should it carry out an attack on Israel.

As of now, the guidance to Israeli civilians from the Home Front Command remains unchanged, but we do know that several cities in Israel, including Haifa, where we are now, have instructed their residents to begin making preparations to ensure that their bomb shelters are stocked and ready to go should they be needed.

There is a flurry of diplomatic activity in the region right now to try and prevent a major Iranian attack on Israel or at least to ensure that what follows will not escalate regional tensions. That seems unlikely at this hour, and so instead what we are seeing is not only those military preparations that Israel is making, but also the top U.S. general for the region.

General Kurilla meeting today with top Israeli generals as well as the Defense Minister, talking about readying that international coalition that helped defend Israel against those 300 drones and missiles back in April to try and get that coalition back together in the event of another Iranian attack.

KEILAR: All right. Jeremy Diamond, live for us in Haifa, Israel. Thank you.

And turning to another important story that we've been covering really the way that only CNN can. Our colleague, Jake Tapper, has an exclusive interview next hour with Alsu Kurmasheva, and it will be the Russian-American journalist's first interview since she was freed from a Russian prison in that multi-country prisoner swap last week, so stay tuned for that.

Coming up, Florida officials say the catastrophic flooding from Tropical Storm Debby could last up to 10 days, and now people along the Georgia and South Carolina coasts are bracing for historic flooding of their own. We have a live update from the CNN Weather Center next.

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[15:27:50]

JIMENEZ: Tropical storm Debby is weakening but slowing as it's expected to slog over Georgia and South Carolina, bringing catastrophic rains. And we're talking about of, I mean, three miles an hour, a walking pace ...

KEILAR: Yes.

JIMENEZ: ... but bringing with it so much rain. Debby has already created deadly conditions in Western Florida, where four people were killed, including a 13-year-old boy crushed after a tree fell on his mobile home.

KEILAR: Debby made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane at 7 AM Eastern Time. Nearly a year after Hurricane Idalia hit Florida, just some nine miles to the south of this one, check out the storm surge that Debby brought into the town of Cedar Key.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel so sorry for the wonderful people at the far away end. They've worked so hard to put it back together after Idalia.

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KEILAR: CNN Meteorologist Chad Myers is tracking Debby. And the one- two punch of this, Chad, it's just so tough for folks who've seen this come through. Has this reached Georgia yet?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: There's some of the rain has, yes, and the wind for sure, Valdosta has been getting just hammered with rain, sideways rain, 65-mile-per-hour winds, and it's still blowing around at 65 miles per hour.

And Omar, as you said, this thing has slowed down, and it will continue to slow down as we work our way into tomorrow and even into Wednesday. Not as much convection right now. We still have obviously tropical storm warnings because there are tropical storm conditions out there.

But a lot of the convection has, at least, lessened in intensity for now. We know in the south, in the afternoon, when it heats up, that the rain gets harder and that storms get bigger, and we're expecting that, even a tornado watch in effect until four o'clock here. Not seeing any tornadoes lately, but there have been a few reported today.

If I would zoom in right here, if you would see a pink box, you would see a tornado warning and we have none. That is good. As these storms come on shore, the whole system is rotating, so any one of these storms can also rotate.

Talk about purple boxes, everywhere that you see purple on this map is greater than 10 inches of rainfall measured either by the radar or by people on the ground.

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There are spots now that we're looking at a foot and a half of rain, flash flood emergency, the west of Lake City at this point. But now the rain and the wind and the saltwater starting to come on shore in Savannah, in Charleston. Very, very heavy rainfall and the potential, the high risk of flooding because the saltwater wants to go this way because that's the way the wind's blowing and the rain wants to go downhill because that's how the rivers run.