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Trump Hits Campaign Trail as Allies Beg Him to Stay on Message; Ernesto Unleashes Rain, Winds on Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands; Missouri Becomes Latest State to Add Abortion Measures to Ballot. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired August 14, 2024 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Quit whining about her, things that I say all the time to John Berman about Sarah Sidner. I'm just kidding. Quit whining about her, the tough medicine that Nikki Haley is offering up to Donald Trump and his campaign right now. Haley warning the Republican Party needs to make a serious shift.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: It's going to be that kind of morning.

So who can make the best McFlurry or any McFlurry at all? Not Donald Trump, says Governor Tim Walz. New reporting on the shift in the Harris-Walz campaign's economic message.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: And brand new this morning, new numbers show most women in America now say they worry the abortion ban could put them or a loved one in danger.

I'm Sarah Sidner with John Berman and Kate Bolduan. This is CNN News Central.

BOLDUAN: Okay. So, privately -- both privately and now publicly, top Republican allies of Donald Trump are saying not only is this, quote, a different race now, but that Donald Trump needs to recognize that. He soon heads back to the, back on the campaign trail to talk about the election's number one issue, the economy.

One source, though, inside the Trump orbit, tells CNN that Trump right now appears to be, quote, in a spiral, that in reference to conspiracy theories.

But there is also this from Nikki Haley, now offering some advice and maybe some tough medicine to Donald Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIKKI HALEY, FORMER REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We are 80 plus days out. We need him to win.

Quit whining about her.

The campaign is not going to win talking about crowd sizes. It's not going to win talking about what race Kamala Harris is. It's not going to win talking about whether she's dumb. It's not -- you can't win on those things. The American people are smart. Treat them like they're smart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: CNN's Steve Contorno leading us off this hour. Steve, the hope from allies is that Donald Trump can refocus. What are you hearing from those around him?

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Kate, there's a real concern that Donald Trump has not only squandered the opportunity to define Vice President Harris, but that he is now risking alienating a lot of the people who didn't vote for him in 2020, that his campaign had hoped could be brought back into the mix with all these race-baiting attacks and the mean spirited comments, all these off-scripted remarks, and especially also as well his recent veering into conspiracies.

Kristen Holmes and I have new reporting that is a an acute concern among his campaign, these accusations that Harris has been doctoring photos about her rally sizes and the accusations that she has only been recently adopting her black heritage. Those are coming from the far right fringes of Donald Trump's orbit and people who, yet, even though they are conspiratorial, continue to have a pipeline into Trump. And that is a concern for people in his orbit. And privately there are people telling him that he needs to stay on message, and lately those concerns are being made publicly as well. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA): You've got to make this race not on personalities. Stop questioning the size of her crowds and start questioning her position.

KELLYANNE CONWAY, FORMER TRUMP CAMPAIGN MANAGER: The winning formula for President Trump is very plain to see. It's fewer insults, more insights, and that policy contrast.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CONTORNO: I talked to one conservative radio host, Steve Deese, who said that when the race is about issues, Republicans win, when it's about personalities, Democrats win, and right now Trump is making it too much about personalities, Kate.

BOLDUAN: We're going to hear more from him today. He's going to be in Asheville, North Carolina. What are you expecting from him today?

CONTORNO: Well, this is supposed to be a speech that is focused on the economy. But as I just said, who knows what he's ultimately going to talk about. But he did preview a little bit of what he intends to unroll, roll out today in an interview yesterday with Univision. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: We're going to get rid of inflation. Inflation has hurt the Hispanic population so badly, but it's hurt everybody.

She's never going to do anything about inflation. She has no idea, she doesn't even know what it means, the word means.

[07:05:01]

And she is forced to go with my policies. You know, I came out a long time ago with no taxes on tips. And two days ago she said no taxes on tips. She doesn't even know what it means.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CONTORNO: Trump's rally today will be in North Carolina, Kate, one of those states that a few weeks ago looked like Trump had solidly in his favor, but has reemerged as a battleground in this new race.

BOLDUAN: As they're saying, this is a different race, allies near him, and your great reporting. Steve, thank you so much. What do you got?

BERMAN: Look, I mean, the entire Republican Party apparatus trying to will Donald Trump into doing things differently.

BOLDUAN: How well did that work in '16 and '20?

BERMAN: Than Donald Trump always does. It's a great point. We'll have to wait and see.

New this morning, Donald Trump can't make a McFlurry. That is the message from Governor Tim Walz as the Harris-Walz campaign begins to roll out its economic message, trying to target the middle class in clear, relatable ways. In a press release this morning, they say, quote, Trump's record speaks for itself. And this is more of what Governor Walz said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. TIM WALZ (D-MN), U.S. VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Donald Trump and J.D. Vance, they see the world very differently than we do. The only thing those two guys knows about working people is how to work to take advantage of them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: And CNN's Isaac Dovere is with us now. We are beginning to see the contours of what the Harris economic message will be, Isaac.

EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Yes, that's right. And we'll hear more of it later this week in North Carolina, where Kamala Harris will be herself talking about the economy. She'll also be doing an event with Joe Biden tomorrow, talking about lowering prices for Americans, trying to make that direct argument. But, look, when J.D. Vance was picked for the ticket by Donald Trump, part of the argument that they were hoping he would make is a connection to working class, that are -- sort of the upbringing -- that's the upbringing that Vance had himself. Walz is coming at this, saying that he has actually had the full working class experience over his whole life and representing people and also connecting back to Kamala Harris, saying, as they've had an ads, that she worked in McDonald's when she was in college, and that's something, if we could take a look to how he talked about it yesterday, bringing up that McDonald's contrast.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALZ: Can you simply picture Donald Trump working at a McDonald's trying to make a McFlurry or something?

He couldn't run that damn McFlurry machine if it does him anything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOVERE: And, look, we will see how this makes a difference to voters, but this idea that Donald Trump is the rich, out of touch guy is something that the Harris campaign wants to have in voters' minds, not just in terms of who he is, but the kinds of policies he's promoting.

BERMAN: A lot of people wished Hillary Clinton had run on that message in 2016. So, it's interesting the Harris campaign is leaning into it now.

Governor Walz also, really, for the first time out loud, addressed some of the questions about his military service, Isaac.

DOVERE: Yes, that's right. Look, this is something that J.D. Vance went on the attack with last week, trying to say that Walz he left his unit that he was a member of in the National Guard for 24 years on the belief that they were about to be deployed to Iraq, that also Walz talked about carrying weapons of war in war. The Walz campaign, or the Harris-Walz campaign and their aides, have been trying over the course of the last couple days to clean some of this up, saying he misspoke when he said that he carried the weapons of war happened one time.

As for leaving before he knew his unit was going to go to Iraq, it's a murky business, but it does seem like a lot of it was because Walz was running for Congress that year and had filed his retirement papers, maybe knowing that it was a possibility. But Walz himself hasn't talked about this until just yesterday. And he said that it was not going to -- he was not going to make an issue of it. He was just going to thank J.D. Vance for his service and that he's proud of his service. Vance kept on firing back, though.

BERMAN: All right. Isaac Dovere for us in Washington, great to see you, Isaac. Thanks so much.

DOVERE: Thank you.

BERMAN: Sara? SIDNER: Ahead, Tropical Storm Ernesto gaining steam as it slams Puerto Rico. It is expected to become a hurricane today.

And a CNN exclusive, Hunter Biden has hired a new high-profile lawyer ahead of his tax trial, a familiar face. Details on who and why now.

And breaking overnight, Russia declaring a regional state of emergency as Ukraine ramps up attacks inside of Russia. All that and more coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:10:00]

SIDNER: This morning, Tropical Storm Ernesto on the edge of becoming a dangerous hurricane as it barrels through the Caribbean. Ernesto pounding Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, power out for hundreds of thousands of people there.

Let's bring in CNN Meteorologist Derek Van Dam. Derek, what are people being warned about? I'm seeing those pictures now of the whipping winds that are happening at this hour.

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, right now, the immediate threat, Sara, is certainly the flash flood potential from this. It's dumping a tremendous amount of rain. We'll get to that in just one moment. Even though Ernesto is a tropical storm, officially, it's still acting like a hurricane for many locations across the U.S., British Virgin Islands and into Puerto Rico, as it starts to pull away.

These are some of the latest wind gusts that have exceeded hurricane strength. Remember, 74 miles per hour is that low end Category 1, but that needs to be sustained for it to be classified as a hurricane.

[07:15:06]

So, it's not quite there just yet. But, certainly, getting its act together, we'll get an update at 8:00 A.M. from the National Hurricane Center. Maybe that happens. Regardless, any way you look at it, it is producing tremendous amounts of rain and the strong gusty winds across this area.

Here's the latest radar, and I want you to see San Juan right there. We've been monitoring this band of very heavy rain that's got about one to two-inch rainfall per hour clocked across the eastern sections of Puerto Rico. That's why the local weather service office has included San Juan in the eastern sections of Puerto Rico under that flash flood warning that extends right through about noon local time. And you can see the additional rainfall that will occur from the storm before it slowly starts to pull away.

So, where is it going from here? Great question. Lots of open water over the next couple of days. That doesn't mean we want to take our eye off this system because it will strengthen, likely become a major hurricane before it approaches Bermuda late Friday into early Saturday.

What kind of impacts here on the U.S.? No major impacts with the exception of large waves and rip currents that will emanate out from this expanding hurricane, as it takes in the fuel from the warm ocean waters of the Western Atlantic. But, really, Bermuda, this storm needs to be monitored very closely, because it could be a major hurricane as it approaches the island here by the weekend. And lots of wind associated with this system, of course, with a major hurricane exceeding 114 miles per hour. Sara?

SIDNER: Yes, yikes for Bermuda, those pictures disturbing. Thank you so much, Derek Van Dam. I appreciate you. Kate?

BOLDUAN: So, with abortion bans now on the ballot in several states this November, there is a new study out this morning showing that most women in the United States are worried abortion bans could put them or their loved ones in danger.

And CNN investigates a tech startup promoted by J.D. Vance as a way to help people that he grew up with. What actually happened to the company, the workers and the future they were promised.

We'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:20:00]

BOLDUAN: New this morning, the secretary of state of Missouri has certified that voters will get to weigh in on abortion access come Election Day in that state. The initiative is now the newest and latest state to put abortion access on the ballot, one of several similar measures in over a half dozen states that would establish a fundamental right to abortion.

And also with that this morning, a new survey showing that most women in the United States now fear abortion bans could put them or a loved one in danger.

CNN's Meg Tirrell joining us now with more information about this new survey. What else did the survey find?

MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kate, this is a survey of almost 4, 000 women of reproductive age across the United States done by health policy group KFF. Now, overall, they find about 14 percent of women in this sample report ever having had an abortion, and that's fairly similar across party lines from Republicans to Democrats and women who don't report being part of either party.

Now, they also note that attitudes and fears about access to abortion have changed a lot after Roe v. Wade was overturned. They say in this poll that about two thirds of women are concerned that they or someone close to them would not be able to get an abortion if they needed them to preserve their life or health. 64 percent are concerned that abortion bans may affect the safety of a future pregnancy. And, Kate, already 8 percent of people in this poll said that they had difficulty accessing and needed abortion, and that was 13 percent in states with abortion bans.

Now, they also surveyed women's attitudes toward policy on abortion. 70 percent of women in this survey support a nationwide right to abortion. And across political lines, you also see a majority of women of reproductive age saying that this should not be left up to the states. That was up to more than 80 percent for Democrats. And 53 percent for Republican women in this age group. Kate?

BOLDUAN: And what did the survey find or show about women in these specific states where abortion is likely to be on the ballot, as we were talking about?

TIRRELL: Yes. So, we know that, as you said, with Missouri joining this list, there are about eight states that are going to have abortion on the ballot in November. Some of those states that people are watching really closely are Florida and Arizona. And the survey looked at women's attitudes in those states, and they found that in each of those states, more than 70 percent of women of reproductive age say that abortion should be legal in all or most cases.

So, people who are invested in this issue specifically are watching this very closely in November. People more broadly, though, of course, are wondering, is this going to drive people to the polls and influence the election in even broader ways than just voting on these specific initiatives? Kate?

BOLDUAN: Yes. Meg, thanks so much for bringing us the reporting. John?

BOLDUAN: All right. He has represented Diddy, Michael Jackson, and now Hunter Biden. We've got some new reporting just in on the new lawyer that joined Hunter Biden's legal team.

New polls show voters in battleground states losing trust in Donald Trump's abilities.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:25:00]

BERMAN: All right. Just into CNN, Hunter Biden is hiring a very high- profile defense attorney for his upcoming federal tax evasion trial in Los Angeles. Mark Geragos, you will recognize him, is joining the legal team.

CNN's Katelyn is here now. And, Katelyn, not just joining the team, but you got new information about discussions about a possible plea deal.

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Yes. We're in a really peculiar moment for Hunter Biden. He's been convicted in the federal court of Delaware for gun related crimes. He had a legal team that was very prominent out of Washington D.C. taking him forward in that trial, a lawyer named Abbe Lowell and the partners around him at a very large firm. But they're based on the East Coast and they're really expensive, and there's a lot of people at that firm that were working for Hunter Biden. And so now, three weeks away from a tax trial in California's federal court, Hunter Biden is enlisting Mark Geragos, this other lawyer in California, to essentially.