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Liz Cheney Backs Kamala Harris on Campaign Trail; Hurricane Helene's Destruction Worst America Has Seen. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired October 03, 2024 - 13:00   ET

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

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BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN NEWS CENTRAL CO-ANCHOR: A once unthinkable duo now teaming up on the campaign trail. Republican Liz Cheney and Vice President Kamala Harris heading to a critical swing state. Meantime, Donald Trump also hitting the trail as a new legal filing reveals explosive new details on his alleged plot to overturn the 2020 election, including what he was doing as rioters stormed the Capitol.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN NEWS CENTRAL CO-ANCHOR: Plus, President Biden is visiting Florida, seeing the devastation left behind by Hurricane Helene. That storm now the deadliest to hit the mainland United States since Hurricane Katrina. As for storm survivors, they are still dealing with power outages, water shortages, and impassable roads and will be for weeks.

Plus, Israel says that its Air Force hit Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters in Beirut as Israel's Ambassador to the UN says the response to Iran will be strong, painful, and also soon. We're following these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to CNN News Central.

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SANCHEZ: Two crucial states are in the bullseye today for the two presidential campaigns. And in the coming hours, we're going to see an unlikely pair come together, Vice President Kamala Harris and former House Republican Liz Cheney, side by side in battleground Wisconsin. And the location carries added significance. They're going to be appearing together at a schoolhouse known as the birthplace of the Republican Party.

Meantime, in about two hours, Donald Trump will speak to voters in the key state of Michigan. It's the first time we're seeing him on the campaign trail since stunning new details dropped in Special Counsel Jack Smith's election interference case against him. Let's take you now live to Michigan with CNN's Alayna Treene. Alayna, what can we expect from this event with Donald Trump?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, Boris, when I talked to Donald Trump's advisers about today's event, they argue it's a traditional political rally for Donald Trump in a crucial swing state that you're likely to see him visit at least every week, if not more, between now and Election Day. But to your point, I do think you can expect Donald Trump to talk about these two major storylines.

One, of course, the sweeping new details that Jack Smith released yesterday, but also Liz Cheney appearing with Kamala Harris later today. I can tell you that these are both at the forefront of Donald Trump's mind. So, I think it's likely he will address them on stage. I do want to talk about the Smith brief first, because, as you said, these new details are sweeping about his role in the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack.

And there's a few ways I know that the Trump campaign is viewing this. One is that given we are so close to Election Day, they think it only bolsters their argument that Jack Smith specifically, but also the Justice Department, are trying to interfere in the election, a claim we have heard them made repeatedly. Of course, no evidence that that is true, but that is something they're arguing that maybe will resonate with voters, and they'll see this as such.

However, they also recognize that the key voters that they are targeting, unlike before in his past indictments, when you did see Donald Trump enjoy somewhat of a boost among his core base, now they're really targeting more independent leaning and moderate leaning conservatives, and they act differently than Donald Trump's base. So, there's questions about how this could resonate with those crucial voters.

And then the other part of this, of course, is that they recognize, given we are only 33 days away from November 5, a lot of people in this country are maybe only starting to tune in now. And they may be learning of these details for the first time, despite a lot of this being uncovered over the last two years. So, that's also, I think, a point of concern for the Trump campaign.

As for Liz Cheney, look, I mean, she has always been ripe for Donald Trump's attack. She's always been in his line of fire. And I think the fact that she is actually, she's not only endorsed Kamala Harris, but that she's actually going to go to Wisconsin and appear alongside her to campaign for her is definitely bothering Donald Trump.

Now, I did ask the Trump campaign about this. This is what a Trump campaign spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, told me.

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She pointed me to an August 2020 tweet that Cheney had previously posted that read, quote, Kamala Harris has a more liberal voting record than Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Her radical leftist views, raising taxes, banning gun sales, taxpayer money for abortion, and illegal immigrant healthcare, it goes on to say would be devastating for America.

So, this is clearly how the Trump campaign is trying to frame this. That Cheney once attacked Harris' positions and now she's moving away from them. Again though, I do think it's very likely Donald Trump will bring these up. We know that these are the type of attacks that he just cannot resist. So, I do anticipate you'll hear about this. And I think this is in line with exactly the type of rhetoric you can expect from him.

SANCHEZ: Yes, we are expecting to hear from him roughly at 3 p.m. We'll, of course, monitor those remarks. Alayna Treene, thank you so much. Brianna?

KEILAR: When former Congresswoman Liz Cheney joins Vice President Harris on the campaign trail today, she'll be fulfilling her vow to campaign against former President Trump. Something that we'll likely see throughout this election cycle. In the meantime, Harris is racking up more endorsements from some other high profile Republicans.

Former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson says she would never in her life vote for Trump again. And Rudy Giuliani's daughter also recently revealed that she is breaking with her father and throwing her weight behind Harris. CNN's Eva McKend is following the Harris campaign in Wisconsin. Eva, talk to us a little bit about the significance of this event today with Cheney?

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, we join you from Ripon, Wisconsin, a beautiful part of the state here, and it is known as the birthplace of the Republican Party. And it is here that the Vice President will directly appeal to independent voters, to Republican voters as well. The message quite clear that a Harris administration would be principally concerned with the rule of law upholding the Constitution, Democracy.

And it is those fundamentals that are most important. Even if these Republican and Independent voters disagree with her on a host of other policy matters, she'll be bolstered in part by former Congresswoman Liz Cheney. They will be standing before signs that say country over party. So, she is a key ambassador for the Harris-Walz campaign in making this argument. The campaign also investing in this argument as well. They're up with a new ad featuring a voter that supported the former President in 2016 and in 2020. Let's listen.

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BOB, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: Look, I voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020. I thought he was going to help hardworking people, but it turns out he's all about himself. Trump cares for his cronies, people that are very wealthy. He will not lower my taxes.

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MCKEND: So, this is a message that Republican and Independent voters won't only hear in Wisconsin, but in other crucial battleground states as well. This is part of a larger strategy of the campaign. Over the next four days, they are going to have a Republican surrogate presence in all of the battleground states. But listen, some Democrats that I speak to, they're not so crazy about this strategy. They believe that the campaign should instead be investing in the base of the party and not be trying so hard to court Republican voters.

But Wisconsin Democrats, they tell me that they like the strategy, that in a state that's like 50-50, like this one, this is actually a strategy that they employ cycle after cycle, not only during presidential years. They are depending on Democrats in Republican counties like this one to be in constant conversation with their neighbors to persuade them, Brianna.

KEILAR: All right, Eva McKend, thank you so much for that report. Also, some interesting tension that you're highlighting there.

So, let's turn now to our panel, CNN political commentator and former communications director for Vice President Harris, Jamal Simmons. And also with us here in studio, Republican strategist for Axiom Strategies, Erin Perrine. Jamal, I wonder what you think about that?

There is some tension over this strategy. Yesterday, we had Congresswoman Debbie Dingell on the program, and she was saying that Harris needs to be getting into union halls. She needs to be talking to, I mean, really white male union voters. Is this the right play, being out spending this precious little time campaigning with Liz Cheney? Does this attract people that she doesn't already have in her column?

JAMAL SIMMONS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You know, part of the persuasion taking place right now is the persuasion to get people to show up who might already agree with you. So, here's why this January 6 report is important. It's not so much that people need to go back through the details. I think most Americans probably generally think that Trump had something to do with it.

The question now is that for those folks who believe that, who probably don't want to vote for him, you've got to convince them to show up and vote for Kamala Harris. At the same time, you've got to convince these voters who are inside many of the communities, inside of the cities like Detroit and Atlanta, African Americans, Latinos, young people to show up and vote.

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Also, they've got to participate. There are very, very, very few people who are going to still change their minds. Right now, this is about the voting booth or the couch.

SANCHEZ: Erin, Liz Cheney was one of the top three Republicans in the House not that long ago. How significant is it a loss for the Trump campaign, for the party at large, to have her now endorsing a Democrat?

ERIN PERRINE, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: She's been out against Donald Trump for a while now, so this isn't anything new to any voting sect, but it's an interesting move to be doing it in Wisconsin, not only because Ripon is the home of the Republican Party. But this is as purpley a state as it can get, right? 2010, it elected Senator Ron Johnson. 2012, it went for Barack Obama and elected Tammy Baldwin.

So, this was a state where you actually saw Nikki Haley make a lot of overtures to the independent voters because it is an open primary state. This is a state where, at that point, anybody could vote. So, this is a state where Democrats do make overtures to Republicans, and Republicans go after Democrats because the margins are so tight. So, if there were any of those independent voters who maybe were still

on the fence about even participating at this point, maybe they did consider a Nikki Haley in the primary. Having someone like a Liz Cheney in the state with Kamala Harris could be a persuadable argument for that small sect. And with an election this close, every margin counts.

KEILAR: I want to listen to a campaign ad, an economy focused ad. The economy, of course, Donald Trump does much better than Harris in the polls on. But this features a two time Trump voter on why he's now turning to Harris. Here it is.

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BOB, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: Look, I voted for Donald Trump Trump, the American in 2016 and 2020. I thought he was going to help hardworking people, but it turns out he's all about himself. Trump's economic plans only benefit billionaires and huge corporations. Middle class working families, we will foot the bill. Kamala Harris will make the wealthy pay their fair share. She's tough. She knows the middle class built this country. She's looking out for us.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: All right, so we've seen a lot of that, and it turns out. But what matters more, a Liz Cheney or a Bob?

PERRINE: Well, it's gonna be a Bob, but it's gonna be a Bob at your door, right? It's gonna be a Bob having a conversation with you, a voter, a friend, a neighbor, a family member who's saying, here's why I've changed my vote, or here's why I'm voting that way. That's why ground game can be so crucial. All told, it can move an election one to three percentage points.

And again, when you're this close, having a neighbor who can say to you, you know what, I was there, and now I'm voting for the other party because I don't like the direction the country was going before. That is a persuadable argument for a voter.

SANCHEZ: Jamal, I want to get your thoughts on an endorsement for abortion access coming from perhaps an unexpected place. The former First Lady Melania Trump putting out a video essentially saying that she supports a woman's right to choose, a women's independence, as she puts it, saying there's no room for compromise on the issue. What did you make of this?

SIMMONS: You know, I think Melania Trump believes what she believes. What I wonder, though, is if this is the Trump campaign effort to kind of muddy the water on abortion. This is their effort to sort of say, oh, we're not really that bad. Look at Melania. Melania agrees with you, but everybody knows that Donald Trump is the one who everyone should know. Donald Trump is the one who appointed the Supreme Court Justices that got rid of Roe v. Wade, got rid of the right to abortion access around the country. So, I think that's an important thing to remember. You know, we were talking about the ad a second ago. I just want to jump in here on one thing. We're talking about the different communities that we're talking to.

There's another ad that I saw today that I think came from the Lincoln Project that's targeting African American men, because we are seeing that Donald Trump is making some inroads with African American men.

The tail end of that ad, the very last thing they say is, be a man, vote for a woman. I think that's an incredibly important thing to remember, that moving voters, this election has got a lot of voters in unlikely places. So, we're talking to all of them. If we're going to move people to the vote on November 5th.

KEILAR: Erin, what did you think about the Melania message on abortion, though? Do you think it muddies the waters? Do you think it confuses people in a way that benefits Trump or not?

PERRINE: I don't think it confuses people, and I think that the First Lady wouldn't have put it out if this wasn't of her own volition and in her own direction. Let's be very clear. Melania Trump makes Melania Trump's decisions and especially when it comes to how she wants to participate in her husband's campaign. But she is a female voice forward. I wish this had happened a few months ago. This was a message that Republicans have been struggling on for years.

And I think J.D. Vance did a very good job on it during the debate saying we need to be better on this. We owe the American people an apology and an explanation on why we're so bad on this issue and why we can't tell the American people. Yes, if a woman is bleeding out, she has access to healthcare, that's not a question. And we can be pro life Republicans at the same time. She's got a different message than that. But at least there is a ]voice within the party that's standing up, one with a Trump last name, delivering a different message on it.

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SANCHEZ: We're going to dig deeper into that statement from the former First Lady a little bit in the afternoon, so stay tuned for that. For now, Erin Perrine, Jamal Simmons, appreciate you both. Thanks for joining us.

PERRINE: Thanks.

SANCHEZ: Still ahead this hour on CNN News Central, at least 200 people were killed by Hurricane Helene. And that death toll could be even higher as search crews navigate what's left of roadways, highways and bridges.

Plus, a congressional candidate is accused of faking a family after it's revealed that the woman and the girls posing with him in a campaign video are actually a friend's wife and kids. His opponents will weigh in.

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SANCHEZ: The destruction from Hurricane Helene is so widespread that President Biden is now in his second day of surveying the damage. He just landed after an aerial survey of the Big Bend region of Florida, and then he's set to head north to Georgia later this afternoon. Biden flew yesterday over the mountains of western North Carolina where nearly half of the 200 known victims were killed.

Today, rescue teams are navigating the rubble of highways, still searching for survivors. You're looking at an image of Route 9. And thousands still don't have power in the area, part of roughly a million customers across the southeast. And look at this video from Asheville on Sunday. A man apparently watching as a side of the Asheville Tea Company building nearly smashes into his apartment complex.

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MAN: It's gonna hit the pole though, right here. Holy. It just ripped it in half.

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SANCHEZ: We want to get an update now from the Mayor of Canton, North Carolina, Zeb Smathers. That's about 20 miles west of Asheville. Mayor, thank you so much for being with us. Can you give us an idea of the number of folks that are still unaccounted for in your area?

ZEB SMATHERS, CANTON, NC MAYOR: You know, we're still piecing that together. Obviously, that is still the most important part of this. Even in Haywood County, my understanding is we have several that are unaccounted for. We do expect, you know, sadly, those numbers will rise across the west, not only as we get to areas that are more, you know, mountainous, but also as communication is returning.

We -- Slowly, the cellular communication is coming back, which allows us to contact people in cross reference, you know. Are you at home, is your cell phone working? Did you leave the area? So, I think that's what you're going to see in the next couple of days. Our search and rescue teams from across west North Carolina, with help of our friends, really, from across the U.S., we are checking everywhere and we won't rest until everyone is accounted for, whether that be with good news or bad news.

SANCHEZ: Mayor, I understand there are still areas that are difficult to access. Can you give us some idea of how much of the county or of the area is still unreachable?

SMATHERS: You know, it's one of our greatest strengths in west North Carolina is how diverse our geography is. I mean, we have beautiful mountains, but there are areas, even without a storm, I mean, you can be very close to someone and not be able to see them through, you know, the leaves and the woods, and a lot of people, you know, call some of these back roads home. And I think that's going to be something as we move forward to understand that, no matter where you live in west North Carolina, you know, we have to get you the resources to recover. But also, you know, as we move forward, do you want to build your house? You know, do you want to build back? Do you want to move? This

recovery needs to be equal across the board, no matter where you call west North Carolina home. And again, some of the places we call home are very rough, hard to get to. And those bridges may be out, communications down, but they're Just it important as anyone else. And we're not going to stop until we're able to check every location in west North Carolina for survivors.

SANCHEZ: To that point, Mayor, you mentioned a moment ago that communications are starting to return. I'm wondering what other resources might be slow in getting to where they need to go? Are folks there able to get the food and water that they need? I know that was an issue as of a few days ago.

SMATHERS: You know, what we're seeing, we're seeing with power, Duke Energy is doing a very good job, I think, in working with, again, people come in as far as Canada getting the power back on. Water infrastructure still is the major need in a lot of these areas that are outside your municipalities. Obviously, they need power to run their wells. And so, you're seeing how it goes hand in hand.

But you know, as it concerns food and supplies, again, there are not words to express how thankful we are and humbled by so much love and support, not just from our North Carolina and the southeast, but across the U.S. with supplies. But it goes to communication. We can get those supplies to people that need it the most, as long as we're able to locate them and communicate.

So, now it's communication back online that's making that job a lot easier. I'm very proud here in the town of Canton. We have a wonderful facility open that serves hot meals, showers, plenty of food, and plenty of volunteers. So again, that togetherness that exists in these mountains is coming together. We just got to make sure it's getting to the people that need it the most.

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SANCHEZ: Yes. Mayor, I'm wondering if you have a message amid so much nationalattention on the southeast and specifically on North Carolina, if you have a message for state and national leaders who are watching right now?

SMATHERS: Well, first off, thank you. I mean, from zero hour, we have seen state, local, and federal support. But the trick is what we learned three years in Canton when we went through a similar hurricane experience in our small town. This is not something that's going to just last weeks. We're going to be having to advocate for these areas in west North Carolina for many, many years. These people, no matter where your hometown is, which city or cove you call home, they matter.

And so, it's up to myself and others, elected Democrats, Republicans, to make sure our state and federal elected officials know that these people matter. They matter now. They will matter in six months and for the years to come. And again, if you call these mountains home, it's one family, and that's something special about this region. No matter where you are, you know, how blessed you are, call these

mountains home. And so, we have each other's backs, and it's our job is to make sure the rest of the country remembers that. Right now they do. And our job is to make sure they don't forget about us.

SANCHEZ: Appreciate that sentiment. It is part of what we want to do as well. So, Mayor Zeb Smathers, we hope you'll join us again in the future to give us an update. Thanks for joining us.

SMATHERS: Will do. Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Of course. People in Helene's 500 mile path of destruction, as you just heard, need a lot of basic necessities right now, and there are ways that you can lend them a helping hand. Go to cnn.com/impact to find resources to do just that.

Up next, President Biden is leaving the door open for an Israeli strike inside Iran. The potential retaliatory attack he confirms is currently being discussed. Plus, we've learned that Alec Baldwin's film Rust will premiere despite that deadly onset shooting that led to charges against the actor. We're going to tell you when and where it could be screened.

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