Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Funeral Underway for American Hostage Killed by Hamas; Harris Campaigns in Michigan and Pennsylvania; Trump Talks about Interference; Gov. JB Pritzker is Interviewed about Harris; Hotel Workers Strike this Labor Day; Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL) is Interviewed about Harris. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired September 02, 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]

ABBEY ONN, FAMILY MEMBER HELD HOSTAGE BY HAMAS, TWO OTHERS KILLED: And you saw half a million people take to the streets. They want the deal. They were not out there last night in any sort of violent form. They were out there singing Hatikvah. They sing our national anthem. They sing for hope. Even in our worst and our hardest and our saddest moments, this is a country that believes in hope and believes that if they raise their voices loud enough we can bring the 101 home. And we can end the pain for the region. The region is in trauma right now. Every one of us. Whether you're in Israel or you are in Gaza. And the pain needs to end. And bring the hostages home with a deal will help that happen.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Abbey Onn, we appreciate you being with us this morning. We are thinking about you, we are thinking about your cousin Ofer. The best to you and your family.

A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, the funeral for an Israeli American hostage killed by Hamas as thousands of protesters take to the streets of Tel Aviv demanding an immediate ceasefire and hostage deal. In the U.S., a critical meeting is about to begin with hostage negotiators in the White House Situation Room.

And President Biden will be in that critical meeting and then he heads out with a new purpose, surrogate number one for Kamala Harris' presidential campaign.

Plus, a busy night of sports, not seen by millions. Can Disney and DirecTV settle their disputes before Thursday night's big NFL season opener?

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

Breaking news for you right now out of Israel. Right now the funeral for Israeli American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin is beginning in Jerusalem. Over the weekend his body was recovered with five other hostages after they were murdered by Hamas. Their deaths this morning igniting fury across Israel as protesters in protests intensify their demand for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to strike a ceasefire deal now.

Let's bring in CNN's Jeremy Diamond. He's live in Tel Aviv.

You have been watching these protests throughout. But the funeral is about to begin. It is being held in Jerusalem. What are you hearing will happen there first?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Sara, the procession is already underway for that funeral service for the 23- year-old Israeli American Hersh Goldberg-Polin whose body was recovered in Gaza over the weekend after the Israeli military says that Hamas executed him and five others just hours, it seems, before Israeli troops actually reached their location and ultimately found their bodies.

This is, obviously, an incredibly sad moments in Israel today, but also one that is felt around the world as his case and his parents' advocacy for his release has been so prominent throughout the world. He was a 23-year-old, fun-loving young man who was attending that Nova Music Festival. He was hiding in a bomb shelter when Hamas terrorists began throwing grenades into that bomb shelter. He helped by throwing some of those grenades out. His arm was actually blown off in that moment. But apparently he was alive until just days ago when Hamas militants killed him, executed him, according to the Israeli military.

And that is why we have seen these outpourings, not only of grief, but also of anger and frustration in the streets of Tel Aviv, including right where we are now where last night there were hundreds of thousands of people protesting, demanding that the Israeli government secure a deal to bring back the remaining hostages and to bring them back alive rather than in body bags.

That momentum has been ongoing today. And we spoke with one of the protesters who was blocking traffic about her anger towards the Israeli government and the Israeli prime minister.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIMI ZEMAH, PROTESTER: Whether you're religious or not, whether you're a Muslim, a Christian, a Jew, it's about being human. There are people there. There's no reason on earth they're still there. And that's why we're here. They shouldn't be here anymore. There's one person who wants to sit on this chair, and he's willing to sacrifice everything. This country, these people, our freedom, our values, he's willing to sacrifice everything so that he can remain on his chair.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DIAMOND: And that one person that she is talking about is the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. So much of the anger that we have seen in the streets has been directed at him because many people here, including the hundreds of thousands who came out last night, believe that he is putting politics, keeping his government in power over the fate of the hostages, insisting on conditions, for example, like keeping Israeli troops along that Philadelphi Corridor between the Gaza-Egypt border, despite the fact that the defense establishment, the security establishment here in Israel, even the Israeli defense minister, Yoav Gallant, have said they believe that maintaining control of the Philadelphi Corridor should be secondary to releasing the hostages.

[09:05:09]

And that hostages could get released and Israel could take back control of that corridor later on. That was the point that the Israeli defense minister actually made in the cabinet meeting yesterday.

SIDNER: All right, Jeremy Diamond, thank you so much for your great reporting out there throughout all of this. As it continues, we will be getting updates from you as soon as they come in. Appreciate it.

John.

BERMAN: It is Labor Day, Sara Sidner, the traditional kickoff to the campaign season. Also a holiday, but not for us. Today, Vice President Kamala Harris heads to Michigan and Pennsylvania, in Pittsburgh this afternoon. President Biden will be with her. He is back on the campaign trail. And this is big, the first ballots for the election go out Friday in North Carolina. A key swing state.

CNN's Eva McKend is in Detroit this morning, where the vice president will be at one point.

Tell us what's on the schedule.

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John, we're actually standing in front of the campaign bus here in Detroit where the vice president will rally with union workers. They are such a critical organizing force across the country. She will maintain that it is the Biden-Harris administration that has been the most pro-labor administration in American history.

We have seen Republicans make gains with rank-and-file union workers, largely with a cultural appeal. But she will argue that it is Democrats and by extension her that actually advocate for pro-worker policies, like the Pro Act that would extend legal protections for employees.

Every coalition, John, matters here in the state of Michigan. That is because President Biden only won Michigan by about 154,000 votes in 2020. He will be campaigning with the vice president later today after Detroit in Pennsylvania. In Pennsylvania, Biden only won that state in 2020 by about 80,000 votes.

And what we see from the vice president is her really embracing President Biden in making this pitch to workers. She is running as a change candidate, arguing that the former president is principally concerned about the past while she is focused on the future. That is a somewhat difficult argument to make given that she is currently in power, currently in the administration, but she is still embracing President Biden in strategic ways. We know that the president is very comfortable in union halls, making

appeals to union workers. So, for the most part this week, after Labor Day, she is going to be hunkered down, preparing for next week's debate. But she will employ her top surrogate in President Biden, not only in Pennsylvania, but in other key battleground states, like Wisconsin, this weekend as well.

John.

BERMAN: All right, Eva McKend, in Detroit this morning.

Eva, thank you so much.

Sara.

SIDNER: A busy week ahead for Donald Trump as well. He's expected to travel to North Carolina and Wisconsin. Meanwhile, his defense team is getting ready for a court hearing in his election subversion case. The first since the Supreme Court's ruling giving Trump broad immunity.

It comes after the former president claimed he had a right to interfere in the election.

CNN's Steve Contorno joining us now.

What all is he saying and in that context he was talking about, the 2020 election?

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Trump in this interview, Sara, suggesting that not only do these superseding charges and all the indictments against him help him politically, but that that he had, quote, "every right" to interfere in the 2020 election.

Take a listen to what he said in an interview that aired over the weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's so crazy that my poll numbers go up. Whoever heard you get indicted for interfering with a presidential election, where you have every right to do it, you get indicted and you poll numbers go up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CONTORNO: Trump also weighed in over the weekend on these Israeli hostages that were killed, saying, quote, "it's the result of a total lack of leadership from the Biden-Harris administration." And claiming that this happened in part because they, quote, "only care about weaponizing the government against him." So tying what happened to his own legal lawfare.

Trump, this week, I'm going to go through his schedule a little bit because it's been a busy couple of weeks on the campaign trail, and that will continue this week going into this very critical debate. On Wednesday he has a town hall in Pennsylvania. A very critical battleground. On Thursday, as you mentioned, Sara, his election case will have a hearing in D.C. On Friday he is speaking in front of the Fraternal Order of Police in North Carolina, continuing the hammer home this argument that law enforcement is on his side versus the Democratic ticket. And then on Saturday, he has a rally in Wisconsin.

[09:10:02]

Another critical battleground. He's going to be spending a lot of time in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania in the next couple months. These are those, quote, blue wall states that he won in 2016 but flipped in 2020. And as this race tightens, the focus on those races and those states has intensified.

Sara.

SIDNER: Steve Contorno, thank you so much for all your reporting there.

Today, joining Vice President Kamala Harris and President Biden in Pittsburgh, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker. And Governor Pritzker is joining us now.

Thank you so much for getting up early there. You are in New Hampshire right now I see. You are campaigning for the Harris-Walz ticket. What do you think they need to do that they are not yet doing to encourage independents and perhaps moderate Republicans, especially in the swing states, to say, hey, I'll give the Harris-Walz team a try?

GOV. JB PRITZKER (D-IL): I think the most important thing that they can do is get there economic message out. It's a message about lifting up people, working people, making sure that they're not suffering from, you know, high prices.

Kamala Harris has put out a plan, as you know, to help people buy homes. A very difficult thing these days. We've got a real housing crisis across the U.S. To make sure that groceries are more affordable. And to make sure that everyday living is just easier. You know, you don't hear Donald Trump talking about that at all. In fact, what he's put forward is a plan to raise costs for people, $4,000 a year, with tariffs on goods that come from abroad.

It's been the Kamala Harris and Joe Biden administration that has brought jobs back to the United States from abroad. And I count on the fact that this economic plan that Harris and Walz have put out is one that will lead to more jobs in the U.S., more affordability and making it just easier for everyday Americans to survive.

SIDNER: Governor, though, how does she explain - and she's been in the White House almost four years as the vice president and prices are up 20 something percent. How does she get around the fact that she's in the administration where all of this happened and where, you know, people started struggling with their finances?

PRITZKER: Well, let's be clear, we had worldwide inflation. And actually the United States fared better than every other country in the world. So, the Biden-Harris administration did a lot to ride those prices and bring them down. And it's only Kamala Harris that is proposing how moving forward will make it easier for people to afford their everyday lives, to make sure they have the opportunity to save for retirement, get a better job, get a better wage.

Here we are, on Labor Day. I think it's important to recognize that Donald Trump wants to take away people's right to unionize. And it's Kamala Harris that believes that working people deserve to have their rights preserved. A better job and a safer workplace, those are things that Harris-Walz stand for and are fundamental to their platform.

SIDNER: Governor, I'm curious about this. You have said that the debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump is going to be hard for the both of them. That's going to happen in the next week or so here on September the 10th. What did you mean by that?

PRITZKER: Well, look, I don't think anybody should underestimate Donald Trump. He has won a couple of debates that he did. Certainly people would say that he won the debate against President Biden a couple of months ago. And we saw that he won a debate against Hillary Clinton when he ran the first time. I mean, he's not to be underestimated. And that's all I'm trying to say.

I think Kamala Harris is a tremendous person who - with great capability, who will be able to express herself and communicate well. But we shouldn't be thinking that somehow that Kamala Harris has a greater ability to win a debate than Donald Trump. They're going to come in as significant rivals with very, very different points of view. And I think getting those points of view across and making sure that you're not getting, you know, flummoxed, frankly, by Donald Trump will be an important thing for Kamala Harris.

SIDNER: I do want to ask you about President Biden. He's become her a number one surrogate. He has seen a bump in popularity since leaving the race himself, but he does have some pretty low pulling numbers for president, popularity numbers.

Do you worry that he might hurt the Harris-Walz ticket instead of help it?

PRITZKER: Oh, no, I think that he's helping quite a lot. Remember, the most important thing right now is getting the enthusiasm level up and making sure that people get out to vote.

Joe Biden has been able to do that in every election that he's run in.

[09:15:01]

He's quite good at that. And very importantly, his record on things that are fundamental to working families, to ordinary Americans, is unmatched. You know, he's - you know, lunch bucket Joe. He's - he's everybody's Uncle Joe. People know him from Scranton, Pennsylvania. People know that this is a guy who works hard for ordinary Americans. And that when he chose Kamala Harris, he was choosing somebody that he believed could carry on in the fashion that he has. So, I think he helps quite a lot and you're going to see the

enthusiasm when they appear together later today.

SIDNER: Governor JB Pritzker, I was in your state at the convention. Congratulations on having a successful convention with no real bumps and bruises. Really appreciate you coming on this morning as well.

PRITZKER: Thanks, Sara.

SIDNER: All right.

John.

BERMAN: All right, thousands of hotel workers walked off the job over the busy holiday weekend. What they are demanding.

And this morning, a record breaking number of Americans trying to get home from Labor Day weekends. Will you make it back in time for work tomorrow?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:20:42]

BERMAN: Happening now, thousands of hotel workers across the country are on strike, demanding better pay and working conditions.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino is here with the latest on this.

What exactly are they asking for, Gloria?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, they want better working conditions. They want better wages. And they want a return to some of the services that were cut during the pandemic. This is pretty well spread out throughout the country, this strike, John. It's happening across eight different cities and 24 different hotels. But that equals to about 10,000 workers and we're in the middle of the Labor Day holiday. This is supposed to be a day where we celebrate the contributions of the labor union, of workers and the union UNITE HERE is taking that opportunity to send a message.

So, they voted to authorize a strike. They have been on the picket line for two days now. And they say that they're not making wages reflective of the fact that the tourism and the hotel industry have significantly bounced back. They want to see their wages reflect that, and they say that they want to be able to make their bills, to be able to make their - make a living. One woman I spoke to yesterday told me that she works two jobs just to pay the bills.

Take a listen to some of the workers that have been walking the picket line.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COURTNEY LEONARD, UNION ORGANIZER, UNITE HERE: Yes, we've been trying to bargain now for five months. And it's very impressive to see everybody come together to fight for what they need. Anybody who serves you food, to cleans your rooms, to cleans your dishes, parks your car, opens your door.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: So far, the Hilton, the Hyatt and the Marriott hotel chains have all been affected by this.

Hotels are still open, but they're having to operate with a smaller staff. And they're having to cut back on some services.

And, John, one specific issue that the union is focused on is the restoration of daily room cleanings. This is one thing that was cut out during the pandemic. If you have been in a hotel recently, you might have noticed that your hotel room won't be cleaned every single day. Workers say that that means now it takes them longer to take - to clean those its rooms, that there is more work to do because people are back traveling and that their wages and their working conditions and the number of staff that's available is not there to meet that demand.

John.

BERMAN: All right, Gloria Pazmino, keep us posted on this. Thank you very much.

Sara.

SIDNER: All right, this morning, President Biden spending this holiday in a familiar place, the campaign trail, as he steps into the role of top surrogate for the Harris-Walz campaign.

That story and a whole bunch more coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:28:05]

BERMAN: So, it is Labor Day. The unofficial kickoff to the campaign season. At least it always has been up until now. But this campaign is so wacky, who knows anymore. Vice President Harris heading to Michigan and Pennsylvania today. A brand-new ABC News poll shows her leading Donald Trump by six points among likely voters.

On the campaign trail with her today, her newest campaign surrogate, President Joe Biden.

With me now is Congressman Mike Quigley, a Democrat from Illinois.

Congressman, thanks so much for being with us.

You know, we showed that ABC News poll, up six points among likely voters, which I'm sure if you're the Harris campaign you're pretty happy with. But the thing is, no bounce according to that poll from the Democratic Convention. And most polls are showing know bounce. Why do you think that is? REP. MIKE QUIGLEY (D-IL): You know, I'm not sure. I think we have to remind ourselves is that the convention was meant to do more than just one thin. She had three tasks coming in, ignite the base, unify the party, and reverse the polls.

I do think the convention continued to do that. That gives her the resources necessary. As you say, you know, today's kick off for the final stretch of the campaign. They have reserved $370 million in airwaves messaging to take place after this in battleground states. That had 58,000 volunteers sign up in the first 24 hours.

So, I think the convention continued that. Otherwise, I'm not sure exactly what the polling means other than in battleground states. That's where it matters.

BERMAN: How about unfinished business? What unfinished business do you think the Harris-Walz campaign has with 64 days to go?

QUIGLEY: Yes, this is all about undecided voters. This is all about swing voters in those states. So, look, campaigns usually know what they're doing, which is exactly why you're seeing most of - both of those campaigns focus on battleground states, going after swing voters with swing issues.

[09:30:09]