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Violent Rhetoric Heats Up Online After FBI's Mar-a-Lago Search; New Forward Party Co-Chair On How The Mar-a-Lago Search Could Impact 2024; Gunman Targets Jerusalem Bus Injuring Eight, Including Five Americans; Salman Rushdie Off Ventilator, Remains In Critical Condition; GOP Voters To Decide Tuesday On Whether To Oust Representative Liz Cheney; Congressional Delegation Makes Surprise Trip To Taiwan; Biden Plans Major Speech In September To Tout Wins. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired August 14, 2022 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:00]

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN HOST: The ultimate survivor.

Thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Alex Marquardt. CNN NEWSROOM continues with Jim Acosta right now. Take care.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jim Acosta in Atlanta.

Authorities are on heightened alert as they monitor an unprecedented number of threats against government officials in the wake of the FBI search of former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort.

Take a look at this. Armed Trump supporters were spotted protesting outside of Phoenix FBI office, some wearing tactical gear and holding up a sign that said, "arrest all traitors." Fortunately the protest ended without incident but there are tensions nationwide as officials monitor an uptick in violent rhetoric in pro-Trump forum. Some of the top comments that are popping up on social media say "lock and load" and "go after all feds."

The Democratic chairs of the House Intelligence and Oversight Committees want answers about what fallout could await after top- secret documents were found at Trump's resort. They're asking the director of National Intelligence to provide an immediate damage assessment.

CNN's Donie O'Sullivan joins me now.

Donie, you track a lot of this stuff. You're monitoring social media all the time for this sort of thing. And the uptick in threats related to the Mar-a-Lago search, it's unmistakable. It's there and it is concerning law enforcement officials across the country.

DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Jim. You know, as soon as this news broke last Monday night across these forums, both on the major social media platforms but more so on the new emerging social media platforms that many right-wing figures have migrated over to including, of course, Trump's own social media platform, we saw immediate calls for violence against the FBI.

I want to show you some of the threats that were made, some of the rhetoric, lock and load, kill all feds and another person writing, I'm just going to say it, Garland needs to be assassinated. Simple as that. Then as the week went on we saw threats being made against the judge in Florida that is who is believed to have signed the search warrant. So much so that on the court's Web site in the Southern District of Florida the court seemingly removed all details about the judge because, of course, people were taking information about the office, his staff and potentially trying to harass them.

And then on Friday when an unredacted copy of the search warrant circulated online there were two FBI agents named in that unredacted version that was published by some right-wing news outlets that was also amplified by Trump's own social media platform Truth Social. They actually sent a push alert to that unredacted copy. Then, of course, we saw calls for doxing the identities and more details about those FBI agents.

This, of course, is not all just happening online. I want you to take a listen to a Republican who's on with our colleague Brianna Keilar this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Do you take home documents marked special access?

REP. MIKE TURNER (R-OH): No.

KEILAR: And yet you're casting doubt on whether or not --

TURNER: And, you know, quite frankly --

KEILAR: Sorry. Go ahead.

TURNER: I've been in the Oval Office with the president. I'd be very surprised if he has actual documents that rise to the level of immediate national security threat. We question the leadership of Attorney General Garland who has raided home of his boss President Biden's political rival, who himself has had Donald Trump derail his career on the way to the Supreme Court, where the FBI has a history of unequal application of the law with both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'SULLIVAN: And, look, Jim, of course people are fully entitled to question authorities here in the U.S., but, you know, when you hear that from elected representatives and not hear so much for many of them pushing back against all the calls for violence, this really can kind of add fuel to the flames of what is happening online and what, of course, might unfortunately spill out into the real world.

ACOSTA: And, Donie, walk us through all of Trump's responses to the search so far. I mean, there have been several up until this point and I have to guess that many of his supporters are swallowing these excuses hook, line and sinker.

O'SULLIVAN: I mean, look. It's pretty impressive, actually. And we've seen this before how quickly a narrative can take hold. Right, I mean, on January 6th when we were in Washington, D.C., you know, quickly Trump supporters who were even there at the Capitol that day were reading stuff online trying to blame everything on Antifa. So it's interesting to see how quickly in lockstep the messaging can get.

Here are some of the reasons the Trump and Trump team have been saying that the Mar-a-Lago search was unnecessary, his legal team saying they cooperated with the authorities, that they could have gotten the documents if they just asked.

[16:05:06]

Information could have been planted by FBI agents is another popular one. The documents were declassified. The documents were already in secured storage with an additional lock and documents were protected by attorney-client privilege and executive privilege.

Look, my final point here is, you know, multiple, many reasons there being pushed out quite kind of similar to what we have seen a lot with the election. Flood the zone with distractions.

ACOSTA: Yes, and there's another term for distractions. That is sometimes used when his supporters talk about flooding the zone.

All right, Donie O'Sullivan, you know that all too well. Thank you so much. Thanks for following it. We appreciate it.

Joining me now is the former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang. He recently helped form a new political party called Forward alongside two former Republican officials. We should note, "Forward" also happens to be the title of his recent book.

Andrew, thanks very much for joining us. Can I ask you about something that you tweeted about the FBI search at Mar-a-Lago? You wrote, "It looks increasingly like the FBI raid was to find mishandled classified documents and not some other DOJ investigation, which was my first thought. Mishandling documents doesn't seem like raid material. It does, however, seem like excellent campaign material for Trump."

And I have to ask you, it sounds like you're letting Trump off the hook here. Taking top-secret documents to your mansion is OK with you? Are you giving Trump a pass?

ANDREW YANG (D), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, thanks, Jim. It was a very disturbing report you just got from Donie. And the fact is, extremism is on the rise throughout the country. It's one reason why we think the Forward Party is so vital because we think there needs to be a broad, positive, unifying third party movement. But I'm for anything that enhances national security and the rule of law, and our hope is that as the attorney general and the DOJ dig in that the American people get a lot of the answers that many of us are eagerly anticipating. ACOSTA: But are you saying that -- I don't think you answered my

question. Are you saying that the attorney general had political motivations with this search at Mar-a-Lago?

YANG: Oh, I trust that all of the DOJ employees, and particularly the FBI agents are faithful public servants discharging their duty. And it hurts us all that people are singling out individuals in the way that Donie described. It's really awful.

ACOSTA: Right. But going back to your tweet that you posted in response to this, you seemed to be suggesting that it was OK for the former president to be bringing top-secret documents to Mar-a-Lago. Is that what you're saying?

YANG: No. I mean, there were a few different legal rationales that were on offer and the initial reporting talked about the classified documents in a particular way and then the AG came out with another statement and then the Espionage Act was invoked. So there have been different legal rules concerning these documents. And as more information comes out, it gets more and more serious.

ACOSTA: Right, and Donie was just laying out some of the shifting explanations for why Trump had these documents at Mar-a-Lago. We can put that graphic up on screen again. They're talking about everything from, well, the documents were declassified in advance. Today Trump is saying well, they fall under attorney-client privilege. And some of the people who work for Trump, and Trump even himself, have suggested that these documents were planted.

Do you buy any of the explanations coming from Trump and his team?

YANG: No, I mean, the hodgepodge of explanations, I mean, it tells you a lot because a lot of them are internally inconsistent. But the tough reality we're in, Jim, which you and I both know is that there are now maybe 100 or 1,000 different versions of reality that are being accepted by Americans of different ideological backgrounds. And it's going to be very, very difficult --

ACOSTA: Yes, but forgive me for trying to pin you down here, Andrew. I'm just trying to -- are you OK with Trump taking top-secret documents to Mar-a-Lago? Let's put it that way.

YANG: Again, of course not. I mean, I'm for anything that enhances our national security and the rule of law.

ACOSTA: And let me ask you about your new Forward Party because you say it's an attempt to appeal to what you say is the moderate commonsense majority. It's also the same name as your book. Is this an attempt to pump up book sales?

YANG: I'd have to say this would be a pretty silly way to go about it given that we co-founded a national party that now has tens of thousands of Americans signed up, co-chaired by former governor of New Jersey, Christine Todd Whitman. And the fact is 62 percent of Americans --

ACOSTA: But are you just promoting yourself? I guess is what I'm asking. Are you just out there promoting yourself with this?

[16:10:05]

YANG: Again, Jim, there are, as you can easily imagine, there are hundreds of better ways to go about promoting a book than starting a political party to do so. I mean, I'm building this party because 62 percent of Americans want it, we're more polarized than ever. And the fact is the two parties have divvied up the country so that 79 percent to 90 percent of races are uncompetitive. Most of the people watching this right now aren't even living under a two-party system. They're living under one party.

ACOSTA: The other week I asked veteran Democratic strategist James Carville about what he thought of the Forward Party, and he had quite a strong reaction. Let's listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES CARVILLE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I think a nation awash in really stupid ideas, this stands out as a really stupid idea. Ralph Nader basically elected George W. Bush in 2000. Jill Stein basically elected Donald Trump in 2016. And the only possible thing this could do is bleed some moderate Republicans off of voting for whoever the Democratic nominee is. This thing is going nowhere. It's vanity. It's hey, look at me. It's performance art.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: What's your response to that, Andrew? Is this, hey, look at me?

YANG: Well, even his description jumps straight to the presidential race, which is not where our focus is at all. Our focus is on the 506,000 locally elected officials, school board members, city councilmembers, mayors, county executives because, again, in the majority of the country 70 percent of these races are uncompetitive or uncontested. The American people want real choice. We want to provide --

ACOSTA: Right. And the people obviously worry.

(CROSSTALK)

ACOSTA: Those lower level races are obviously important. But people worry about another 2016 scenario where a third-party candidate like Jill Stein or Gary Johnson cost Hillary Clinton the election. Don't you think that putting yourself out there, putting this party out there as an alternative that appeals to some moderate Republicans could potentially throw the race to Donald Trump, put Donald Trump back in the White House? Is that what you want?

YANG: I'm the co-chair of an anti-extremist party. I ran against Trump. So I don't plan on doing anything that's going to increase Trump's odds. But, again 62 percent of Americans want a third party.

ACOSTA: Why not run as a Democrat again? YANG: And we are looking right now at a competitive U.S. Senate race

as one example where you have an independent Evan McMullen running neck and neck with a Trump-endorsed incumbent in an environment that frankly the Democratic Party could not compete in.

ACOSTA: Right. But the Democratic Party in Utah -- the Democratic Party out in Utah got behind Evan McMullen.

Andrew, why not run again as a Democrat? If you want to be president, run again as a Democrat.

YANG: So, Jim, you know, I haven't made any conclusions about 2024 except for the fact that the United States needs a unifying, positive third-party movement because we're getting increasingly polarized. And if it's not Trump, it's going to be a successor to Trump because the system is uniquely vulnerable to authoritarianism. You have a two- party system --

(CROSSTALK)

ACOSTA: But I can hear the folks over at the White House, President Biden has had Republican --

YANG: We need a better system.

ACOSTA: President Biden, I can hear Democrats over at the White House saying President Biden has had Republican support on a number of agenda items. He is trying to work in a bipartisan fashion. Why not try to support that as a Democrat? You were just a Democrat 10 minutes ago.

YANG: Oh, I support attempts to cross the aisle, but we can all see that seven out of 10 of the Republicans that bravely voted to impeach Trump are already going to be out of Congress by the time January comes along, and the moderate population in both parties is, unfortunately, dwindling quickly. So the political incentives end up disproportionately empowering the 10 percent of extremes on both sides and that has --

ACOSTA: You're going to have to come up with policy decisions.

YANG: Really negative results.

ACOSTA: Right. But Andrew --

YANG: We just need a better system.

ACOSTA: Yes, but. Andrew, you're going to have to have policy positions at some point. How does the Forward Party feel about Roe vs. Wade? Should it have been overturned?

YANG: Well, I personally think that women's reproductive rights are fundamental human rights. But the Forward Party has not left or right but forward stance on even the most divisive and contentious issues because there's a commonsense majority --

ACOSTA: Well, what does that mean? Don't you have to take a position on something?

YANG: -- view on most all of --

ACOSTA: Don't you have to take a position on something? You can't just say, well, you know, this is a hot button issue so I'm not going to take a position on it. You know, if you want to run the country, you're going to have to make some hard decisions, Andrew.

YANG: Again, the Forward Party is about that commonsense consensus majority view which is very clear on abortion. It's clear --

ACOSTA: What about guns? What about assault weapons?

YANG: It's clear on climate change. It's actually clear on just about every issue under the sun.

ACOSTA: Should 18-year-olds be able to buy AR-15s?

YANG: And we're not getting progress on any of those issues because of the nature of our system.

[16:15:01]

ACOSTA: Should 18-year-olds be able to buy AR-15s?

YANG: Again, the commonsense consensus majority is that there should be some rules around background checks and access to firearms. But we're not getting any of these things, Jim, because the two-party system does not need to deliver any meaningful solutions.

ACOSTA: But it doesn't sound like you're taking any hard positions. It sounds like --

YANG: But the two parties they continue to create power.

ACOSTA: It sounds like you're sort of a fill-in-the-blank party. You know, if somebody wants a party with no clear policy positions, you're it. But, unfortunately, in the real world -- in the real world you have to take a position on something.

YANG: Well, we're for the commonsense consensus view on guns, abortion, climate change, but we're not getting a commonsense consensus on any of those things, Jim.

(CROSSTALK)

ACOSTA: But what are those positions?

YANG: In America --

ACOSTA: Those are just sort of fuzzy, but those are fuzzy nebulous --

YANG: It's because we have a two-party system that does not --

ACOSTA: It sounds like you came up with something in a focus group, you know, common sense, middle of the ground. That sounds wonderful, that sounds great. But at the end of the day, don't you have to take a position on something?

YANG: Well, the great thing is the American people know where we want the country to go. And what we know that we need a more dynamic --

ACOSTA: Which is where?

YANG: Truly representative system than we're getting right now which is why the Forward Party is growing so quickly. Tens of thousands of Americans have signed up in all 50 states because we know that the two-party system is getting worse, not better. And we know we need something new.

ACOSTA: And who is going to be bank rolling the Forward Party? Will you pledge to be very up front and candid and transparent about where your money comes from?

YANG: Yes, it's transparent for all to see. And the people that are bank rolling us are everyday Americans who are sending $10, $20, $30 because there's such an enormous appetite for change. And one of the things --

ACOSTA: Any corporate money coming in? Outside money? Foreign money?

YANG: Again, it's completely transparent for all to see. But I can say that our money has not been coming in from corporations. It's been coming in from everyday Americans who want something better for --

ACOSTA: And you'll pledge to put that on a Web site or if a news organization comes to you and says we'd like to see this information, will you pledge to make that information available?

YANG: Well, Jim, I'm going to actually tell you we don't have a choice. Like we have to file every three months or anyone who wants to see it can just check it out.

ACOSTA: And, finally, I guess, you know, it would be good to be able to get a clear answer from you on Donald Trump. What is more important to you, to see a Forward Party candidate become president of the United States or to make sure that Donald Trump stays out of the White House?

Let me just -- let me put the question this way. If you were a Forward Party candidate let's say in 2024 and you are running the risk of drawing voters away from the Democratic Party candidate in a way that would put Trump back in the White House, would you pull back to avoid that situation from happening?

YANG: Well, Jim, the truth is that you could resolve this particular issue very, very straight forwardly by adopting something called rank choice voting which would enable people to vote for anyone they want and then if their number one choice doesn't win then their second choice would get their vote. But the truth is that neither Democrats nor Republicans really want to solve for what you're calling the spoiler effect because they're more about limiting --

ACOSTA: Well, it's real. It's happened, Andrew. YANG: -- a choice for the American people rather than opening it up.

Our goal is a system that allows Americans to vote for whomever they want and not be, frankly, scared of, quote, unquote "wasting" their vote or spoiling it for someone else.

ACOSTA: So you don't see the Forward Party as a potential spoiler that could result in Donald Trump being re-elected or put back in the White House?

YANG: Again, our focus is on local races including some very exciting congressional races this November where we think there's a lot on the line. I'd urge people to check out Evan McMullen's U.S. Senate campaign in Utah that I'm supporting personally. Lisa Murkowski in Alaska is a very principled leader who also voted to impeach Trump who is on the ballot. Her primary competitor is a Trump-endorsed election denier. So I think that there's a lot on the line right here in November and that's where our focus is.

ACOSTA: All right, Andrew Yang, thanks very much for your time. We appreciate it.

YANG: Thanks, Jim.

ACOSTA: All right.

YANG: Great seeing you.

ACOSTA: Good to see you.

Coming up, five Americans are among the injured after a suspected terror attack on Jerusalem. The terrifying moments on board a bus by the Western Wall. Plus, an update on the condition of acclaimed author Salman Rushdie after prosecutors say he was stabbed 10 times in a premeditated attack.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:23:37]

ACOSTA: A mass shooting in Jerusalem this morning left eight people wounded including five Americans. Police say a single gunman opened fire targeting a bus. The suspect later turned himself in. The attack comes days after dozens of Palestinians were killed during hostilities in Gaza.

CNN's Hadas Gold is in Jerusalem for us right now. She's live for us.

Hadas, this was a very disturbing attack. What are we learning about this attack and the condition of the victims?

HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So this attack took place, Jim, around 1:30 in the middle of the night near one of what is likely the main entrances to the old city of Jerusalem, a place that both religious pilgrims and just regular tourists will often use to visit the holiest sites of Jerusalem. The attack took place as a bus was loading and unloading passengers and the shooter began shooting at people on the bus as well as pedestrians and cars along the street.

At least we know that eight people were injured, at least two of the victims were seriously injured including, Jim, a pregnant woman who had to deliver her baby early at around 26 weeks via emergency C- section. Both she and the baby are in serious condition.

Among those wounded are also five American citizens, at least two of them were American tourists. The others were likely American Israeli dual nationals. The U.S. embassy says they are in touch with the American citizens who are affected. They also issued a statement saying that they are shocked and saddened by the attack and condemn all acts of terrorism and actions that exacerbate tensions.

[16:25:06]

Now as for the suspect, after the attack he immediately fled to a neighborhood of East Jerusalem. This sparked a massive manhunt, hundreds of security forces flooding into Jerusalem sealing off certain neighborhoods and then police helicopters were on route also looking for him. But after a few hours he actually turned himself in to police. He is -- Israeli media saying that he is a Palestinian with Israeli citizenship. A security source telling CNN he's a resident of East Jerusalem with Israeli citizenship.

And as you noted this comes just about a week after that ceasefire was declared between the Israeli military and the Palestinian Islamic jihad militant group in Gaza that left several dozens of Palestinians dead, we saw more than 1,000 rockets launched from Gaza into Israel. But as far as we know this suspected shooter has no known connections to any militant groups -- Jim.

ACOSTA: All right, Hadas Gold, thank you. I know you'll be following that. We appreciate it.

The family of acclaimed author Salman Rushdie says he is off a ventilator but remains in critical condition after a man stabbed him 10 times on stage before a lecture. Video shows the moment when audience members rushed to his aid. And today we're hearing from another person who was also injured in the horrific attack.

CNN's Polo Sandoval is following this for us.

Polo, what's the latest?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jim, this is certainly some long- awaited positive developments for the family of Salman Rushdie that Rushdie is, again, breathing on his own, is even able to share a few words with his friends and family standing by his side supporting him here at Erie, Pennsylvania, at the medical facility you see behind me, where he's undergoing treatment after that lengthy surgery over the weekend.

His son Zafar writing this morning that though his father's life- changing injuries are severe, he wrote that his usual feisty and defiant sense of humor remains intact. Friends and loved ones also expressing gratitude for those who were in the amphitheater on Friday when that attack happened who sprang into action to restrain the attacker and also provide some medical assistance to the acclaimed author.

We are also hearing for the first time from Henry Reese, he is the other man who was on that stage, telling our colleague Brian Stelter that reality really set in when he looked over and when he saw his good friend bleeding, but he also was talking about just the irony of it all. The attack happened just moments before what was supposed to be a conversation was set to begin that would touch on the need to provide support and sanctuary to persecuted writers just like Rushdie.

I want you to hear a portion of the interview with Mr. Reese, his face clearly visible. He is also facing a recovery of his own.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY REESE, CO-FOUNDER OF CITY OF ASYLUM, INJURED IN ATTACK ON SALMAN RUSHDIE: I think that's the gist of the meaning of that event that here we were about to talk about a movement, City of Asylum, that Salman Rushdie actually originated, that it was the original threat against him from during the fatwa period that led to the formation by a group of writers in Europe to start the City of Asylum. That is the grim sort of irony or maybe intention to not only assault his body but to assault everything that he represented.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: The suspect in this case pleaded not guilty yesterday to attempted murder. Still a big question here, Jim, is a possible motive as it still remains clear as to whether or not that fatwa that we just heard Reese mentioned a short while ago was potentially a factor in the attack on Friday. Back to you.

ACOSTA: All right, Polo Sandoval, thank you very much for keeping us posted on that. We appreciate it.

She was one of only 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Donald Trump and now Congresswoman Liz Cheney is facing steep odds as voters in her home state of Wyoming head to the polls. A preview of the most closely watched primary of 2022. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:33:29]

ACOSTA: Even before the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago former President Donald Trump was leaving his mark on the Republican primary season of the 10 House Republicans who have incurred Trump's wrath by voting to impeach him, three lost their primaries. Four said they were retiring from Congress. Only two have won. Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney will be the last to face voters this Tuesday.

CNN's Jeff Zeleny is in Wyoming for us. It's a nice backdrop to cover the primaries, Jeff. But Cheney is facing some steep odds. Is there any way she can close this gap in the final hours? JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Jim, there is

no doubt that Liz Cheney and her supporters realize what an uphill battle this is heading into the final days of this campaign. She's effectively running against Donald Trump here or at least against his supporters. He endorsed nearly a long ago Harriet Hageman, a longtime lawyer from Wyoming. And this race really speaks to the evolution of the Republican Party in the Trump era but it also speaks to the evolution of Harriet Hageman who went from Trump ally to Cheney foe.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIET HAGEMAN (R), U.S. HOUSE CANDIDATE, WYOMING: I know Wyoming, I love Wyoming, I am Wyoming.

ZELENY (voice-over): Harriet Hageman proudly wears Wyoming on her sleeve, and wields it like a hammer against Liz Cheney.

HAGEMAN: I am going to reclaim Wyoming's lone congressional seat from that Virginian who currently holds it.

ZELENY: These days signs of trouble for Cheney are easy to spot here in Wyoming as Hageman works to bring Cheney's time in Congress to an abrupt end. It wasn't always that way.

[16:35:06]

HAGEMAN: I am proud to introduce my friend, Liz Cheney.

ZELENY: Back when she showered Cheney with praise during her bid for Congress in 2016.

HAGEMAN: A proven courageous, constitutional conservative, someone who has the education, the background and the experience to fight effectively for Wyoming on a national stage.

ZELENY: It's a telling book end of the Republican Party's evolution under Donald Trump who was elected the same day Cheney first won and now he is at the center of her political fall in a state where he won 70 percent of the vote. His widest margin anywhere.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's fighting against President Trump. She betrayed us.

DICK CHENEY, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump.

ZELENY: Yet here in Wyoming Hageman is seen as far more than Trump's handpicked candidate. Before her fight with Cheney, she gained prominence as an attorney fighting the federal government to protect the state's water, land and natural resources.

HAGEMAN: It's absolutely critical that we protect the energy industry not just for Wyoming but for the United States.

ZELENY: That focus on Wyoming issues resonated with many voters we met like Scott Vetter who voted early for Hageman.

SCOTT VETTER, WYOMING VOTER: When you dive into the work that she's done, it's just been stellar and, you know, we really appreciate what she did.

ZELENY (on-camera): Was it more for her or more vote against Liz Cheney?

VETTER: No, it was for her.

ZELENY (voice-over): Cheney's fixation with Trump and her leadership on the January 6th Committee has also turned off many Republicans.

STACY JONES, WYOMING VOTER: A lot of the choices that she's made lately are not the ones that Wyoming is behind.

ZELENY: And Hageman has sought to capitalize on that anger among Trump loyalists.

HAGEMAN: We're fed up with the January 6th Commission and those people who think that they can gaslight us.

ZELENY: When we caught up with Hageman after a speech to the Rock Springs Chamber of Commerce, she declined to answer our questions.

(On-camera): How has Liz Cheney betrayed Wyoming voters --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're not going to -- you're welcome to report on what you --

ZELENY: If I can just ask you, how is --

(Voice-over): Before an aide stepped in. Just last week she embraced the former president's baseless election denial rhetoric at a campaign stop in Casper.

HAGEMAN: Absolutely the election was rigged. It was rigged to make sure that President Trump could not get reelected.

ZELENY: What Hageman doesn't tell her audiences is that she once opposed Trump and supported Ted Cruz in 2016. It's a sign of her own transformation from Cheney ally to Trump loyalist with her sights now set on Washington.

HAGEMAN: I will be taking that fight to D.C. just as soon as I defeat Liz Cheney.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZELENY: And no Cheney has ever been defeated on the ballot here in Wyoming in the last nearly half century, Jim. That of course includes her father who served as a member of Congress here for nearly a decade. Really the only chance she has, her aides acknowledge, is that if enough Democrats and independents switch parties, which they can do here in Wyoming and support her in the primary. Also we are hearing from a lot of Republicans, we've had conversations

for the last several days here who say that they are voting for Cheney. They're just afraid to say so publicly because of all the backlash in this Trump-led Republican Party. So she certainly has an uphill battle for Tuesday. Not impossible but certainly the stakes are very, very long -- Jim.

ACOSTA: Yes, and, Jeff, if Cheney doesn't survive on Tuesday, is the expectation out there in Wyoming -- what are you picking up on, that Cheney will start running for president on the Republican side?

ZELENY: Well, her aides will not say that directly. Her friends and supporters, though, certainly think that could be the direction she goes in. She of course will remain a member of Congress and the vice chair of the January 6th Commission for the rest of this calendar year. Her seat will remain until January 2nd. But look for her next year, perhaps at least her friends expect her to start at least exploring a potential 2024 run.

But for now, Jim, they're focused on Tuesday still trying to win this race.

ACOSTA: All right, Jeff Zeleny in beautiful Jackson, Wyoming. I hope you get a good steak out there while you're on the road. Thanks, Jeff. Great piece. Really appreciate it.

Coming up, U.S. lawmakers make a surprise visit to Taiwan just days after Speaker Pelosi's trip over there sparked tensions with China. We'll go live to Taipei next. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:43:22]

ACOSTA: Less than two weeks after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi provoked outrage in China by visiting Taiwan a U.S. congressional delegation has arrived in Taipei for a surprise visit.

CNN's Blake Essig is in Taipei. Blake, what do we know about this?

BLAKE ESSIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, we know that this is not going to ease tensions between Beijing and Taipei across the Taiwan Strait. For the second time this month a U.S. congressional delegation has made an unannounced visit here in Taipei. Nearly two weeks ago it was House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. This time it's a delegation led by Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey.

During their two-day visit, Taiwan's Foreign Ministry says that the group of U.S. lawmakers will meet with Taiwan's president, foreign minister, and will discuss security and trade issues with members of parliament despite escalating tensions between Beijing and Taipei as a result of visits like this. Taiwan's Foreign Ministry took to social media to thank Senator Markey and his delegation for their timely visit and unwavering support.

While these kinds of visits do happen from time to time we don't often hear about them until after the delegation's arrival, which is what happened tonight. Of course the timing of this visit has come as a bit of a surprise especially after China reacted so strongly against Speaker Pelosi's visit, that reaction involved at least six days of live fire military exercises surrounding Taiwan.

Now we don't yet know how Beijing will react to this latest congressional visit. But it's fair to assume that China will respond, although it could be scaled back, and that's because of the lower profile nature of this delegation which includes one senator and four members of the House compared to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who is third in line for the presidency -- Jim.

[16:45:08]

ACOSTA: All right, Blake Essig, we know you'll stay on top of it.

Coming up, the Biden reboot. Brand-new reporting from CNN about how the White House is trying to use a string of legislative wins. There have been several lately to save Democrats come November.

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[16:50:03]

ACOSTA: After some dismal approval ratings, President Biden is planning a big speech shortly after Labor Day to tout a string of legislative victories and sound the alarm about Republican extremism ahead of the midterms.

CNN's Isaac Dovere has new reporting on the Biden's team's plan to sell their accomplishments and, Isaac, as you put it, the hole that Biden is hoping to get out of is pretty deep. But there is some optimism right now inside the White House. They're feeling good after some of these wins that they had up on Capitol Hill. What are you hearing from your sources?

ISAAC DOVERE, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, the people that I talked to in the White House are not surprisingly in a pretty good mood these days, much better than they were earlier in the summer. But there are three things basically that they want to have happened here. Number one, they want the credit for what happened to be more on Joe Biden than maybe it's been so far, that it wasn't something that just circumstance happened or other people were doing for him. They sketched out for me some of the ways that they were working behind the scenes to make this happen.

Number two, they think this proves legislatively and philosophically the theory Biden has of his presidency and why his presidency and he as president was the right man for the job and remains the right man for the job. And number three, they think they can now take that and use all of these wins and what's in these bills that he's signing into law to talk to the country about what Democrats have gotten done and what they want to do more of versus what Republicans are talking about and change the sense that people have of Joe Biden, change the sense that people have of Democrats going into the midterms. ACOSTA: And when it comes to getting these big victories on climate

and health care, on manufacturing, gun control, Biden's motto has always been don't make the perfect the enemy of the good. And he's sort of -- I mean, he's living up to that essentially right now. He's proving himself right, I think, to a lot of his staff members who, let's face it, Isaac, you and I both know there were some rumblings inside the administration about, you know, whether or not things were going in the right direction.

DOVERE: There were more than rumblings, Jim.

ACOSTA: Yes.

DOVERE: This was a really rocky period for them. But the people who are very close to the president say this is a guy who expects a rocky time to be in between saying things are going to get done and getting them done. They point to years of experience in the Senate in Washington that people made fun of him, called him naive. That they say now has a lot to do with why he was able to accomplish these things which really put together whether you like the bills or not, are the biggest domestic legislative record of really any president maybe since Lyndon Johnson.

ACOSTA: No, there's no question about it. I mean, if his presidency were to stop tomorrow, I mean, it would definitely be in that category of LBJ.

And Isaac, you have this great color in your piece about how some in the West Wing have been sending around a line from Biden's famous South Carolina victory speech. People will remember this one. Let's watch.

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JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: All those of you who've been knocked down, counted out, left behind, this is your campaign.

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ACOSTA: Yes, I mean, you can feel a lot of folks over there at the White House sort of picking themselves off the mat right now.

DOVERE: Yes. Look, I was there that night in Columbia when he came back from the dead politically, and was the nominee basically 10 days after that speech. And they see a very similar thing happening here. And it's important that, look, Biden was really counted out. And it's not like everything is fixed now but it's changing the perceptions that are out there and saying he can get things done, he did get things done, things that people have been talking about for a long time and just weren't getting done.

ACOSTA: Yes. All right, Isaac Dovere, thanks so much. Great reporting as always. We appreciate it.

DOVERE: Thank you. ACOSTA: And like many veterans, this week's CNN Hero struggled with

the effects of serving in Iraq, but when Marine veteran Richard Casper discovered he could use visual art as an outlet he realized other veterans could benefit as well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD CASPER, CNN HERO: Art is so emotional and vulnerable. It's what allows you to understand that it's OK to not be OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My artwork is a presentation of some of the guys that we lost when we were deployed. I built a complete mock-up of a casket.

CASPER: Most of the veterans have never really told their story to anybody before.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They will shoulder the burden as they already have done.

CASPER: And I tried to explain to them in the beginning it's going to be easier to tell your story once you create your art piece because you're not going to be talking about you, you're going to be talking about your art piece and focus on it.

I want them to know that art is an option for healing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: And to see Richard's full story and the art of music he's helping veterans create go to CNNHeroes.com. And we'll be right back.

[16:55:00]

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ACOSTA: Actress Anne Heche will be taken off of life support today. A representative for her family told CNN that she has been matched with an organ recipient. Heche was declared brain dead a week after her car crashed into a home sparking a fire. Her son wrote on Friday, "Hopefully my mom is free from pain and beginning to explore what I like to imagine as her eternal freedom."

You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington.