Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

First Family Call Voters' Support; Black Man Left Like a Veggie in Wisconsin; New Life Outside Cell for Jon Ponder; FDA Chief Overstated Treatment; COVID Cases Dropping; Speakers Cite Economic Progress, Stoke Culture Wars; Trump Hosts Naturalization Ceremony at the White House; Second Night of RNC Brings More Messages to Trump's Base; Pompeo Defies Norm to Discuss Domestic Politics; Storm Strengthening as it Heads for U.S. Gulf Coast; Some Republicans Endorsing Joe Biden. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired August 26, 2020 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and from all around the world. You're watching CNN Newsroom. And I'm Rosemary Church.

Donald Trump's family took center stage on the second night of the Republican National Convention. First Lady Melania Trump and two of the president's children, Eric and Tiffany, made the case for a second term. The theme for the night was land of opportunity.

Other speakers included a farmer, a fisherman, and the Reverend Billy Graham's granddaughter, President Trump appeared into pre-recorded segments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I would like to invite Jon's wife, Jaime, to join us as I grant Jon, I'm not sure you know this, a full pardon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: That is convicted bank robber Jon Ponder who converted to Christianity and is now an advocate for prison reform. The first lady offered sympathy to the families of those lost to the coronavirus. She also called for unity, and understanding as the nation wrestles with the economic crisis and racial division.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MELANIA TRUMP, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: As you have heard this evening, I don't want to use this precious time attacking the other side because, as we saw last week, that kind of talk only serves to divide the country further. I'm here because we need my husband to be our president and commander

in chief for four more years. He is what is best for our country. We all know Donald Trump makes no secrets about how he feels about things. Total honesty is what we, as citizens, deserve from our president, whether you like it or not. You always know what he is thinking. And that is because he's an authentic person, who loves this country and its people, and wants to continue to make it better.

Donald wants to keep your family safe. He wants to help your family succeed. He wants nothing more than for this country to prosper, and he doesn't waste time playing politics.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: America's top diplomat, Mike Pompeo, delivered one of the more controversial speeches of the night, less for its content then its location. He spoke from Jerusalem, breaking with long-standing tradition that secretaries of state avoid partisan politics, especially while overseas. Pompeo offered praise for President Trump on his foreign policy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE POMPEO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: He has ended the ridiculously unfair trade arrangement with China that punched a hole in our economy. Those jobs, those jobs are coming back home. In North Korea, the president lowered the temperature, and against all odds got the North Korean leadership to the table. No nuclear test, no long-range missile tests, and Americas held captive in North Korean came home to their families. As the precious remains of scores of heroes who fought in Korea.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Maria Cardona is a CNN political commentator and Democratic strategist. And Alice Stewart is a CNN political commentator, and a Republican strategist. They co-host a podcast called Hot Mics From Left to Right, and join me now with more.

Welcome to you both.

MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Thank you for having me.

ALICE STEWART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Thank you. Great to be here.

CHURCH: Wonderful. So, two nights into the RNC, and we have seen a blatant attempt to rewrite history, calling President Trump's handling of the pandemic decisive, even as the U.S. makes up 4 percent of the U.S. population, but 20 percent of all virus deaths.

[03:04:59]

We heard speeches about the greatest economy in history, but no mention of the 28 million unemployed, or the endless cues at food banks. So, Alice, will voters by this effort to rewrite the president's record?

STEWART: I think this was -- it's been a good two nights for a couple of reasons, Rosemary. Let me just say, first of all, what the president aims to do here is really to energize his base and rally his base, but also to reach out to swing voters and those who are undecided.

And what we saw in day two of this convention was, I saw very inspirational, talking about the United States being the land of opportunity and how we work hard and you can achieve great success. And we saw that through example after example of the farmers, the people that work and live in middle America and the benefits that this president has made, which strengthens their lives.

And look, there are certain things, as you, say that might not pass the fact check, but at the end of the day, the inspirational message that people can take away from this convention will go a long way to swing voters.

CHURCH: Maria, how successful was this whitewashing of the president's history be with voters?

CARDONA: I don't think it will be very successful. It is very hard to feel inspired by president and by an administration that has stood by, idly by, when 180,000 Americans have died of the COVID pandemic, and we still have yet to see a national strategy, a national solution to deal with it.

There is a ton of rewriting of history, but that isn't the least of it, Rosemary. Tonight, I was deeply offended as a naturalized citizen myself to watch the president of the United States sit there and politicize a ceremony that is sacred to so many people who are looking to become Americans.

I went through the ceremony. My parents went through the ceremony. There is nothing more important in our civic life that as we became Americans, and to see a president politicize it, almost weaponize it, using it during the Republican National Convention, I'm sorry, it was nothing less than disgusting.

And I think it turned off a lot of people around the country, and a lot of folks really sought through what it was, a desperate attempt to try to fix the president's numbers in the polls, but I don't think it's going to work.

CHURCH: Alice, the Trump administration is also pushing back on accusations he's a racist. President Trump even going so far Tuesday night to pardon a black man who's a convicted bank robber turned prisoner advocate. Was this a political stunt, or a genuine effort to reform the criminal justice system?

STEWART: A specific act there, Rosemary, was a continuation of what the president has done with regard to his First Step Act. And giving people a second chance at life, and showing redemption for people, and that person you are specifically talking about had served his time and came out, and he really wanted to make a change. And to see the president get so vested and involved and supporting not just this person, but the program that he outlined was truly inspirational. And to that -- to this issue, the first night, we heard from Senator Tim Scott who talked about his relationship with the president, and how close they were, and how much he knew that the president supported him, not just because he was a senator from the great state of South Carolina, but as an African-American senator.

We also heard from Herschel Walker, a football player from the University of Georgia, and went on to play pro football. So, there are countless people we've heard from and we'll continue to hear from who can give firsthand accounts of how the president has supported them because there are first Americans, and second African-Americans that he wants to see not just thrive, but really succeed in this country.

CHURCH: Maria, how likely is it that RNC speakers can convince voters that Trump is not a racist and has done a lot for black and Latino voters as he keeps suggesting.

CARDONA: Not very likely at all, Rosemary. What we have seen in the past two days is complete and total desperate pandering. Pandering to a country that this president knows sees him as a racist. Pandering to a country whose diversity is exploding and the only thing he has done in the last four years is used rhetoric that is denigrating, dehumanizing and divisive.

Here is a president who called Mexicans rapists and criminals, who put immigrant children in cages, ripped babies from the arms of their mothers for simply trying to come here to seek a better life.

[03:10:06]

No one is buying it. They are trotting out their token people of color to speak to the camera, to try to convince America that what they have seen and heard in the last three years they haven't seen and heard in the last three years. We are smarter than that.

CHURCH: We will have to leave it there. Maria Cardona and Alice Stewart, many thanks to you both.

CARDONA: Thank you, Rosemary.

STEWART: Thank you.

CHURCH: In Kenosha, Wisconsin a third night of protests sparked by the police shooting an unarmed black man in front of his children. Protesters are demanding justice for Jacob Blake who was paralyzed after police shot him multiple times on Sunday.

Wisconsin's governor has declared a state of emergency and increased the number of National Guard troops in Kenosha, but that didn't stop at least 200 people from defying curfew and challenging law enforcement again with bottle rockets and fireworks.

Police were also seen deploying tear gas and shooting pellets into the crowds of protesters. Meantime, CNN has obtained new video of the police shooting, and we

must warn you, it is disturbing. It shows Jacob Blake struggling with officers before he is shot.

Here's CNN's Sara Sidner.

SARA SIDNER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Lives forever altered, new video showing the chaotic scene where Jacob Blake on the ground, struggles with police officers before he walks around his vehicle and a shot multiple times in the back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACOB BLAKE SR., JACOB BLAKE'S FATHER: They shot my son seven times, seven times, like he didn't matter, but my son matters.

MEGAN BELCHER, JACOB BLAKE'S SISTER: This family is hurting, he loves his family. I just want my brother.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Still in intensive care, Blake now paralyzed from the waist down, likely a permanent injury.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN CRUMP, BLAKE FAMILY ATTORNEY: Those bullets severed his spinal cord and shattered some of his vertebrae. It is going to take a miracle for Jacob Blake Jr. to ever walk again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Blake's attorney calling for action.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CRUMP: We are demanding that the prosecutor arrest the officer who shot Jacob Blake, and we also are asking that these officers who violated the policies and their training be terminated immediately.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: The Department of Justice announcing an investigation into the incident, but so far offering few details about the events that led up to the shooting. The man who took one of the viral videos shares what he witnessed but did not capture on camera.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just see him m walk in the house behind one of these women that was outside. I stepped away, and I came back, and I see the police wrestling him, and I was kind of confused because it happened so quick.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SIDNER: We may never see exactly what happened before the disturbing moment because police in Kenosha do not have body worn cameras. But city leaders are promising justice will prevail.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR JOHN ANTARAMIAN, KENOSHA, WISCONSIN: People will be held responsible for their actions, and we will know the truth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Blake's family demanding justice not just for Jacob but his three children now traumatized, they say, by what they witnessed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLAKE SR.: They are stuck right now. We are going to seek out some of the best child psychologists in the United States, and we are going to work with them and let the whole picture that it plays over and over in front of their little faces.

All my grandson asked repeatedly, is why did the police shoot my daddy in the back?

JUSTIN BLAKE, JACOB BLAKE'S UNCLE: We are going to get justice, we are going to demand justice, but we're going to do that without tearing up our own communities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Still, protests erupted in destruction for the second night, a familiar scene of tear gas, smoke bombs, and fires, protesters clashing with police and the National Guard, Kenosha waking up to destruction, another community rocked by police violence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JULIA JACKSON, JACOB BLAKE'S MOTHER: If Jacob was going on, as far as that goes, the violence and the destruction, he would be very unpleased.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: The frustration from yet another black man shot by police felt far outside of Wisconsin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEBRON JAMES, NBA PLAYER, LOS ANGELES LAKERS: Why does always have to get to a point where we see the guns firing?

[03:15:02]

And his family is there, the kids are there, we are scared as black people in America. Black men, black women, black kids, we are -- we are terrified. (END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: We are not learning the extent of the injuries that Jacob Blake has suffered. He had a bullet, according to his attorney, severe or almost completely severed his spinal cord, has holes in his stomach, had his small intestine, most of that removed as well as his colon, and he was shot also in the arm.

He will be recovering for a very long time, but he is expected to survive. His family is asking for calm. They say they are behind those who protest peacefully, but they don't want to see any more destruction.

Sara Sidner, CNN, Kenosha, Wisconsin.

CHURCH: Next hour, I will interview award winning journalist Jarrett Hill about the Kenosha shooting. Jarrett is also an officer with the National Association of Black Journalists.

And still ahead, President Trump called it a breakthrough against the coronavirus, but now a top regulator is walking back, promising claims about a certain type of blood plasma.

Plus, we are tracking the movements of hurricane Laura. It's getting stronger as it gets closer to the U.S. Gulf Coast. Millions could be in its path. We'll take a look.

[03:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Well now to the coronavirus pandemic which has killed more than 178,000 people here in the United States.

The head of the Food and Drug Administration is acknowledging that he overstated the benefits of a treatment praised by President Trump. Stephen Hahn says he could have done a better job explaining convalescent plasma. That is blood plasma from recovered patients.

Erica Hill reports that while the COVID numbers appear to be moving in the right direction there are new trouble spots.

ERICA HILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Things are getting better, new cases in the U.S. falling 21 percent over the past two weeks, hospitalizations down a third in the last month, deaths also on the decline.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD BESSER, FORMER ACTING DIRECTOR, CDC: When you look at Texas, you look at Florida, it makes sense that cases went down, because they took this more seriously and they started applying the same tools that have worked in other states that have seen numbers go down and stayed down.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HILL: But as those hotspots cooled, others began to heat up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's now the Midwest that we have our eye on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Average new cases in South Dakota surging by more than 50 percent in the past week. North Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, and Kansas also among the new rolling hotspots.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMY COMPTON-PHILLIPS, CHIEF CLINICAL OFFICER AND EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, PROVIDENCE ST. JOSEPH HEALTH: I think it's the new normal, at least for the near future. This really laxing and waning and how we live through the length of time that we have to manage is going to be the challenge over the next 18 months or so

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: At least 24 states reporting new cases on college campuses. Many linked to off campus gatherings and Greek life. More than 200 Ohio state students suspended for breaking the schools COVID-19 restrictions on socializing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER HOTEZ, INFECTIOUS EXPERT, BAYLOR UNIVERSITY: We are trying to open up college campuses at a time when we still have a huge amount of transmission and the problems that we're hearing about often our national campuses where people are coming in from all over the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: While plenty of universities are testing off campus, it's a different story. Half of U.S. states reporting a drop in testing over the past week. New information about the virus's early transmission in Boston. Two hundred people attended a biotech conference in late February. Now, researchers say they've linked some 20,000 cases back to that one super spreader event.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. CHARLIE BAKER (R-MA): I do think it speaks to the power of that virus to move from one person to another, to another, to another, to another if people don't wear masks, don't social distance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Masks weren't mandated at the time, another reminder that there is still much to learn.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: I think that we have learned a lesson that I think we should have known from our experience with other outbreaks, is that when you are dealing with the work in progress, things change and you've got to keep an open mind that you certainly don't know the whole story in the first in the second or the third or even the fourth month.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Here in New York, we've just learned fashion week will in fact move forward next month. But like most events these days, there will be changes. It will be a mix of live and virtual events and outdoor events capped at 50 people, indoor events capped at 50 percent capacity and no spectators.

In New York, I'm Erica Hill, CNN.

CHURCH: Anne Rimoin is a professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of California, Los Angeles and she joins me now from L.A. Good to have you with us.

ANNE RIMOIN, PROFESSOR, UCLA DEPARTMENT OF EPIDEMIOLOGY: Thank you for having me.

CHURCH: So, we have seen in the last two nights of the RNC an effort to rewrite history when it comes to President Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, painting him as decisive and effective, despite the death toll in this country nearing 180,000.

What's your reaction to that and some medical professionals who have come out praising his efforts?

RIMOIN: I think we have -- need to let the data speak for itself. We're a country that has not been able to control the epidemic here on our -- in our own -- in our own borders. And we have a very high death toll. We have a very high infection rates.

And I just don't think that anybody looking at the data can suggest that we, as a country, or our leadership, has done a good job. There is no reason to be letting anything but data speak here.

[03:24:56]

And I've said this before I'm going to say it again. When we have the opportunity, when we have mixed messaging, politics creeps in. I like to call it an acute infection of politics in our public's health. And this is really true. Data needs to lead the way here --

CHURCH: Right.

RIMOIN: -- and science, not opinion.

CHURCH: And scientists are responding to President Trump and his administration's claims about the effectiveness of convalescent plasma in treating COVID-19, saying they are wrong and misleading, including those made by FDA chief Stephen Hahn who suddenly approved the emergency use of convalescent plasma on Sunday.

Hahn came out Tuesday saying criticism of him was entirely justified. What does this say about Han's and the FDA's credibility?

RIMOIN: This is a really big problem. We cannot have the FDA be subject to politics. The FDA is supposed to be reviewing the data and making decisions that are in the interests of our public's health here. And it was a very clear indication that politics is leading the day.

When you look at the information that was made available, there was no real basis for the information that Dr. Hahn gave. And one of the other really important things here is that there was a lot of hoopla made about this paper from the Mayo Clinic, from the study that they did, which was an observational study.

And in fact, the conclusions of this study were very clear in the paper. They were that this is an observational study, that the data was interesting, and that they should inform clinical trials.

CHURCH: Right.

RIMOIN: The study that is informing what we're doing right now is an observational study. There are clinical trials that are still ongoing and those clinical trials should be leading the decision-making.

CHURCH: And six months into this pandemic, we are now starting to see a decline in new cases, hospitalizations and deaths, which is a good thing of course. So, what do you think is behind this? And how big a role might mask be playing in these declines?

RIMOIN: There are several studies now that have provided evidence to show that masks do work. And I think we're seeing widespread mask wearing now and social distancing, which has made a major difference in driving down the rate of spread in this country.

We've seen it in other countries. There is no reason that it would be different here. I think that the mask mandates in the states where cases have been very, very high have made a major difference, as well as rolling back and keeping people out of bars and restaurants and gatherings in larger groups. So, our big concern is what happens when we start to open back up?

CHURCH: Good question. Anne Rimoin, many thanks as always.

RIMOIN: It's my pleasure.

CHURCH: First Lady Melania Trump took center stage at the Republican National Convention. Her message about immigration and her husband's plans for a second term, that's just ahead.

Plus, parts of the U.S. are getting ready for what could be a big hit from Hurricane Laura. The latest on the storm in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:30:00]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. Well, Republicans touted Donald Trump's economic success, even as they stoked division on the second night of their national convention, the president appeared in two prerecorded segments, including a naturalization ceremony for five new U.S. citizens. First Lady Melania Trump also spoke about her experience as an immigrant.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MELANIA TRUMP, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, DONALD TRUMP'S WIFE: I arrived in the United States when I was 26 years old. Living and working in the land of opportunity was a dream come true, but I wanted more. I wanted to be a citizen.

After 10 years of paperwork and patience I studied for the test in 2006, and became an American citizen. As an immigrant, and a very independent woman, I understand what a privilege it is to live here and to enjoy the freedoms and opportunities that we have.

Just as you are fighting for your families, my husband, our family and the people in this administration are here fighting for you. No matter the amount on negative or false media headlines or attacks from the other side, Donald Trump has not and will not lose focus on you. He loves this country. And he knows how to get things done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Well, the first lady did not attack Democrats other speakers did.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIEL CAMERON, KENTUCKY ATTORNEY GENERAL: Our criminal justice reform, Joe Biden, couldn't do it. But President Trump did. On the economy. Joe Biden, couldn't do it.

But President Trump did build an economy that worked for everyone, especially minorities and he will do it again. And on immigration, Joe Biden promises more to illegal immigrants than he does to you. But President Trump believes his highest duty is to the American worker.

SEN. RAND PAUL (R-KY): Compare President Trump with the disastrous record of Joe Biden who has consistently called for more war. Joe Biden voted for the Iraq war which President Trump has long called the worst geopolitical mistake of our generation. I fear Biden will choose war again. He supported the war in Serbia, Syria, Libya. Joe Biden will continue to spill our blood and treasure. President Trump will bring our heroes home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Mark Preston is a CNN senior political analyst and joins me now from Washington. Good to see you, Mark.

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Hey, good to see you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So how did the second night of the RNC go and was there any evidence this time of an effort to broaden Donald Trump's appeal beyond his own base?

PRESTON: No, I mean, I think if you were to consider this anything, you would consider it a rifle shot. Meaning they were very focused on who they were delivering a message to. They were trying to deliver a message to their base. And they did so. Again, in a very effective way. But not something that would broaden it. Not something that will bring folks who maybe on the outside looking in. Trying to find a way to support Donald Trump.

[03:35:08]

Having said it, you know, I do think that Melania Trump did a fairly good job tonight delivering her remarks and trying to show folks that she supports her husband, because there's always that question whether she does or doesn't. But all in all, they are going to take it as success, but they are certainly not broadening their appeal and right now, they need to do so.

CHURCH: The U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speech sparked controversy and resulted in House Democrats opening an investigation into his actions. What might the consequences be of that and what all did he have to say?

PRESTON: Well, so, couple things, one, very, very strange to have a Secretary of State appear at a political convention. You will see other cabinet members participate and have done so in the past. But you normally don't see the Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of State participate in any of these things.

Democrats are obviously very upset about it, they are upset that he happened to be in Israel, which is a very key voting block here. Folks of Jewish decent, very key voting block as we all know here in the United States. So, there was a lot of controversy about that. All he said is listen, I was over here on official business and I wanted to speak in my own capacity as a person.

So, Democrats are going to make a lot of hay about it. But in the grand scheme of things, it's going to go to the bottom of really what matters right now. And that is trying to fix this pandemic and getting the vaccine done and trying to get the world economy turn back around.

CHURCH: Yes. That is the priority. And we also saw a presidential pardon and a naturalization ceremony, some view them as political stunts, others as moving in the right direction. How did all that go over?

PRESTON: OK. Definitely moving in the right direction, definitely a political stunt. Not a question about that. So much so, that there was some question about their use in the official program that ran at night. Because these were actually events that were put on tape that they were filmed. So, what they did is that the White House, put those out on a public YouTube channel hours before they were supposed to appear inside the official program.

And by doing so, the official program could use those events without any question. Because they were out in the public then. Having said that, Donald Trump was trying to make an appeal to say, look, I'm empathetic, I believe in, in immigration and what have you here in the United States, fact of the matter is, he doesn't necessarily believe that. But it was a good image for him. No question about that. And pardoning somebody who has done great work. You know, since robbing a bank was amazing. But again, it was done for a political reasons.

CHURCH: All very strategic. Mark Preston, many thanks for joining us. I appreciate it.

PRESTON: Thanks, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Millions of people along the U.S. Gulf Coast could soon be facing a hit from a major storm. Hurricane Laura is now a category two hurricane, and it is strengthening as it moves closer to shore. And while some people are boarding up, many others are getting out.

With thousands near Houston, urged to evacuate. And here is an incredible view of this storm, taken Tuesday, by astronauts aboard the International Space Station. That is massive.

Let's turn to our meteorologist, Pedram Javaheri, he is tracking the storm for us. Did you see that picture, just incredible.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, that's the first time I have seen it. That's impressive.

CHURCH: Wow. I mean, it really does cover. It's so extensive. So, talk to us about how bad this is looking.

JAVAHERI: Yes, you know, it looks like a very serious storm system, as you noted, it's strengthening and it's a strong category two and in fact just six miles per hour shy of what would be a major hurricane, category three. And what we are looking at carefully here is the organization, the symmetry, all quadrants of the storm are very impressive at this hour, with that winds around 105 miles per hour.

And in fact, the top of the storm nearly 10 miles high, so you see that image from space, just keep in mind, it's a very well-structured area here as it's beginning to move in to very warm waters.

Water temperatures in to the middle and upper 30s, there about to say 33 to 34 degrees Celsius at its warmest and some of these areas up to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. And the concern is, the ingredients are in place to allow the storm to further intensify and unfortunately do so just before it makes land fall sometime within the next 18-20 hours.

We think late Wednesday night into early Thursday morning could be a major hurricane category three, and even some models wanting to push this up to a strong category three, and maybe even a category four.

Notice the area of interest. This is South Western Louisiana, Eastern Texas, the center of concern right now it is just kind of east of Galveston Bay and Houston, but forecast are very and certainly could shift a little further towards the west and that would put, you know, a higher population at risk across this region.

[03:40:03]

But regardless, we know category three storms, historically speaking, based on National Hurricane Center data are considered devastating in the way of impact. And you look at the forecast for the coast here, for storm surge are about say, 3.5 meters, or up to 13 feet high. That is the amount of water. The height of water above normally dry grounds.

So, typically a couple of feet will erode the beaches, get up to say about four feet that typically brings water in to your property. And then when you are talking about 10, 11, 12 feet high. That often decimates homes and pushes them off of their foundation. That's the concern with a major hurricane making land fall in a populated area.

And unfortunately with the sort of the wind speed of course, you notice the wind forecast and as it relates to power outages here, widespread power outages expected across this region.

Now we have seen it with other storms in recent weeks. You know power outages don't necessarily bring light back very quickly when it comes to the pandemic and getting people out during all of it. So, again, a tough few days ahead.

CHURCH: Absolutely. Thank you so much, Pedram for keeping such a close eye on all of that. I appreciate it.

And with an eye toward his political future, the U.S. Secretary of State makes an unusual and controversial speech to the Republican convention. That is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo defied a long standing diplomatic norm to speak to the Republican Convention. The political speech was recorded in Jerusalem and gave Pompeo a chance to appeal to President Trump's base. Supporters Pompeo would like to win over as he considers his own presidential run in 2024.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE POMPEO, SECRETARY OF STATE: When the president took office, radical Islamic terrorists had beheaded Americans and ISIS controlled the territory in the size of Great Britain.

[03:45:00]

Today, today because of the president's determination and leadership, the ISIS caliphate is wiped out. It's gone. Its evil leader, Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi is dead and our brave soldiers they are on their way home. The president exited the U.S. from the disastrous nuclear deal with Iran and squeezed the Ayatollah Hezbollah and Hamas. The president too moved the U.S. embassy to this very city of God, Jerusalem, the rightful capitol of the Jewish homeland.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Oren Liebermann, is in Jerusalem, he joins us now live. Good to see you Oren. So, Pompeo had to know his pre-taped address to the RNC is going to set off alarm bells. Why did he do it from Jerusalem and what are the likely ramifications of all of this?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORESPONDENT: Well, in terms of ramifications, we've already seen the criticism coming from former State Department officials and former government officials, but it seems the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and President Donald Trump are not afraid of that criticism, in fact, sometimes they seem to revel in it, as it helps set them apart from previous administrations both Democrats and Republican.

Did they know this was coming? It certainly looks like it because of CNN's reporting that Pompeo had a team of lawyers or multiple teams of lawyers look at whether he was allowed to do this. They knew it was controversial and went ahead with it anyway who appeal to Trump's very strong evangelical voter base. And for them Jerusalem is very important.

In terms of the content of the speech. You heard some of it there. Not all that surprising. We expected Pompeo to hit what he viewed and what Trump viewed as a highlight of foreign policy and Trump's foreign policy moves, including the killing of ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi.

The killing of Iranian revolutionary guard leader Qasem Soleimani as well all moves on Jerusalem. For moving the embassy to recognizing Israeli sovereignty in the Golan Heights. That is the appeal that Pompeo was expected to hit, as the top diplomat, the leader of Trump's foreign policy.

Pompeo's trip continues at this point. He starts the day in Bahrain and (inaudible) where he meet with Bahrain royalty before it seems making a quick trip to the UAE and then back.

All of this, it seems impeded to warm up the next administration visit in the Middle East. And that would be special adviser Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, who is expected to build or try to build the momentum of the agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, that normalization agreement, to see if other countries notably perhaps Bahrain and Sudan will follow suit.

Kushner will lead a flight, the first flight of an Israeli delegation to tag along with the U.S. delegation from Israel to the UAE. So, all of these he's building on what we saw over the last couple of weeks with that normalization agreement between Israel and United Arab Emirates which the Trump administration will, of course, will tout highly as we get closer and closer to that election.

CHURCH: Oren Liebermann, live from Jerusalem. Many thanks.

And do stay with CNN for special live coverage of the Republican National Convention, as Vice President Mike Pence headlines the event Wednesday, our coverage begins at 7:00 p.m. Eastern in the U.S., that is midnight Thursday in London and 7:00 a.m. in Hong Kong.

Well President Trump and his allies spent the night sending messages intended to energize his base, but will it be enough to keep his party behind him? I talk with one former Republican Congressman who said he stands with Joe Biden. That is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:50:00]

CHURCH: U.S. President Donald Trump has yet to denounce the baseless conspiracy theory QAnon. And now, a QAnon supporter who is running for Congress says Mr. Trump has invited her to attend his acceptance speech Thursday at the Republican National Convention. The president's openness to fringe conspiracy theories is another issue that isn't sitting well with some members of his party. Dozens of former Republican national security officials and Congressman have broken ranks and endorsed Joe Biden. One of them is my next guest.

Tom Coleman is a former Republican member of the U.S. Congress and this week announced his endorsement of Joe Biden for president. He joins me now from Alexandria, Virginia. Good to have you with us.

TOM COLEMAN, FORMER U.S. HOUSE REPRESENTATIVE ENDORSING BIDEN: Thank you Rosemary. Nice to be here.

CHURCH: I do want to start by asking you why you decided to endorse Joe Biden instead of your own party's candidate, Donald Trump.

COLEMAN: Well, it's a long story. I will try to make it brief. I was never a supporter of Donald Trump even in 2016 in that campaign. Because I watched him up close and I knew that he was unfit for the job and I said so on national television. And he has proven me correct every day of the year that he has been in office. He is unfit. So there is really no question that I wanted to support Joe Biden.

CHURCH: Well, now of course, two days in, what do you think of the messages being sent at the RNC and what appears to be a blatant effort to rewrite history on the president's record when it comes to handling the pandemic, the economy, race relations in this country? Will this help broaden President Trump's base, do you think?

COLEMAN: Well, first of all, we have a reality show with very little reality in it and that is pretty par for Donald Trump. No mention was made I think maybe the first lady mentioned it once, we have a hundred almost 180,000 people who have died in this country from the pandemic.

And due to most of them, due to his botching of the entire affair and his mishandling of it. So, of course, they don't want to talk about that, but it certainly shows why he is trying to tear down the opposition instead of building himself up. He has done very little positive things as president of the United States.

CHURCH: And Mike Pompeo pre-taped his address while on tour in Israel. A sitting U.S. Secretary of State addressing a political convention has set off alarm bells, of course, and now there is even an investigation into whether he violated federal law and departmental rules. Pompeo claims he did this as a private citizen. How is that even possible to do while on an official diplomatic trip?

[03:55:03]

COLEMAN: It's just part of the Trump con game. To say something and then expect people to believe it. It was the first time, I think in our history, we have had a Secretary of State who is supposed to be above politics, to be able to carry out his or her duties. And to do this as he did in a foreign country, even, on a trip paid for by the taxpayers, it was a little bit too much for a lot of people.

CHURCH: And we saw First Lady Melania Trump address. It was her biggest speech in four years, of course, when she spoke at the 2016 RNC, she was accused of plagiarizing Michelle Obama's 2008 DNC speech. How did she go this time trying to convince skeptical suburban women to vote for her husband, even daring to mention the pandemic? And not many of the speakers have gone there.

COLEMAN: Yes, well, you know, she was trotted out to make this speech and her entire effort as first lady, every first lady has something that they like to zero in on and have as their cause. And her cause was supposedly online bullying. Her husband bullies every day, multiple times, online. And it's just ridiculous that this is what she picked out of all the things she could have picked.

But if you notice, Donald Trump always projects on to other people his own failures. And he always says about the other person things that he himself has done. So you got to remember all this when you look at the Trumps and the entire administration. We are looking for something to return to normalcy here in the United States.

CHURCH: We will see what happens. Former U.S representative Tom Coleman, thanks so much.

COLEMAN: Thank you.

CHURCH: And thank you for your company this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. I'll be back with more news in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END