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Serena Williams Upsets World No. 2, Advances to 3rd Round; Tonight: Biden to Focus on "Soul of the Nation" in Philadelphia; John Fetterman Won't Attend Next Week's Planned Senate Debate; U.N.'s IAEA Inspectors Arrive at Nuclear Plant in Middle of War Zone; Delta Pilots Strike for 3rd Time Ahead of Busy Travel Weekend. Aired 2:30-3p ET
Aired September 01, 2022 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:30:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(CHEERING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: The 40-year-old beat the odds-on player, the number two player in the world last night.
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: Now, she topped off the win, gave us a good twirl. The pressure is really off.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SERENA WILLIAMS, PRO TENNIS PLAYER: I'm super competitive. Honestly, I'm just looking at it as a bonus. I don't have anything to prove. I don't have anything to win.
(CHEERING)
WILLIAMS: And I have absolutely nothing to lose.
I really enjoy just coming out and enjoying it. And it's been a long time since I have been able to do that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Cari Champion is a CNN contributor and sports broadcaster and host of the podcast "Naked with Cari Champion."
Cari.
She is looking good out there.
I'm excited about this.
CARI CHAMPION, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: You guys, you guys.
BLACKWELL: She looks so good out there.
CHAMPION: I'm too excited. She looks great.
I'm sorry, I didn't even let you get to your question because that's how hyped and excited I am. It's palpable how excited we all are.
I think, last night, when we saw her fist pump to Tiger Woods, I said, it's GOAT talk, guys. The GOATs are talking and saying, continue on.
CAMEROTA: I don't think Victor had a question.
BLACKWELL: I didn't have a question.
CAMEROTA: He's truly just enjoying and reveling in this moment.
And I think that what has been so great is that Serena is, too. When she is talking about how, for so long, for so many decades, she's been trained to win, and now, she's able to play for fun, basically.
CHAMPION: What happened on Monday -- and I'm pretty sure you all watched, your viewers as well -- we thought that was pretty much it because the run-up to the U.S. Open, Serena was one and done.
And those are the tune-up tournaments in Cincinnati, if you will. And it seemed as if, perhaps, we're going to have this big, you know, farewell for her on Monday night. And people were willing her to win.
What happens is -- and I got to be really with you guys -- I think the crowd -- and she's felt that love. And I mentioned this. I had an opportunity to talk with her agent. She felt the love, and so she knew, this is it. Let me just enjoy it as long as I can.
BLACKWELL: Yes. You know, I was watching some of the clips after every point. There was an ace in that first set. And the cheering overmodulated. I mean, the mics couldn't handle what was coming out of Arthur Ashe Stadium.
I want you to listen to Rennae Stubbs, who's coaching her through the U.S. Open, about what she's watching Serena do.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RENNAE STUBBS, MEMBER OF SERENA WILLIAMS' COACHING TEAM: She's 40 years of age, you know? This is what people forget.
Not only is she so great and trying to achieve something pretty spectacular here at the U.S. Open, but the fact that she's 40 and running down balls, she's, like, as athletic as we've seen her in a long time.
I was just so proud of her, the way she handled the entire situation last night. And boy, oh boy, she looked really fantastic yesterday.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: And I'm trying to live in the moment. Today only. But she is one short of tying Margaret Court, one short of a singles win.
CHAMPION: You're getting me excited again.
OK, so, reality is, that's what we want -- we don't want to think about that. We want to just watch her play and play and play and enjoy what she hasn't been able to enjoy in most of her career.
Tonight, she plays doubles with her sister. They've won 14 grand slam doubles titles together. This is the first time they've played since 2018.
This is going to be a huge, huge moment, especially for Venus, because oftentimes, they found each other on opposite sides, and this is what they came to do.
The dream was, get to this level, play so well that they could play with each other.
I remember long ago, they remarked that they would never retire from doubles. They'd probably have kids, which Serena does, grandkids, if you will, and they'll still be playing doubles.
Tonight, and if not Friday night when she plays again, will be something spectacular. We're witnessing history.
Dare I say, we're saying good-bye to some of our legends. And it's a beautiful walk off. It's a beautiful way, a beautiful swan song. She's done so much for the sport.
It's only right that she teases us a little more and maybe thinks, Victor, as you admit, she might be going for Margaret Court's record, right?
CAMEROTA: I also like that she's owning it, you know? She's stepping into her greatness, as Oprah might say.
And so, you know, when a reporter says to her, like, how did you do it? Instead of saying, as we're all trained to say, well, my opponent was very formidable, she goes, I'm kind of great. She says something to that effect. I'm a pretty great player.
CHAMPION: I'm just Serena, you know? Yes, I think I can do it. I'm looking around. I still have it.
What she did last night, by knocking off the world number two -- she hasn't played in a year, right? She took just about a year off. She had arguably a handful of matches, less than a handful of matches, and she was able to say, no, I think I can -- I can do this.
[14:35:07]
She felt it. This is why she's great. Very few people can turn that on and off, because the physical -- as Rennae talked about, the physical acumen, chasing down balls, her serve, staying focused, not giving up, knowing that the end is near.
Only someone like "I'm just Serena" could do that.
BLACKWELL: We're going to stay in the moment. We're going to enjoy the doubles tonight.
(LAUGHTER)
BLACKWELL: And look ahead to whatever comes on Friday and just enjoy this play, because she, again, as I started, she's looking good out there.
(CROSSTALK)
CAMEROTA: That is the right answer.
CHAMPION: I need you guys to be locked in. I need us to talk about it, to tweet about it, because it's always one of the -- it's a special moment, even if it wasn't Serena, but just someone's career.
You all are excellent at what you do. Isn't it nice when people acknowledge it? And so, with that being said, we're rooting -- I'm rooting for Serena.
And thank you all for having me on.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
CAMEROTA: Yes.
BLACKWELL: We are rooting for her, too.
CAMEROTA: We're all pretty great.
Cari Champion --
(CROSSTALK)
CAMEROTA: -- thank you very much.
BLACKWELL: Thank you.
CAMEROTA: We will speak again soon.
BLACKWELL: All right.
This nuclear watchdog team arrives at Ukraine's main nuclear power plant, despite ongoing shelling. We are live there on the ground next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:40:54]
BLACKWELL: President Biden will head to Philadelphia tonight to deliver a primetime address, warning of the dangers facing American democracy. He'll speak at the Independence Hall.
The president will return to the theme of his 2020 campaign kickoff, the battle for the soul of the nation.
CAMEROTA: President Biden will make the case that Donald Trump still rules the Republican Party. And his allies, who refuse to accept reality, are a threat to democracy.
Julia Terruso covers Pennsylvania politics for "The Philadelphia Inquirer."
That's a colorful beat, Julia.
So, tell us what's significant about this tonight. What angle will you be looking for?
JULIA TERRUSO, POLITICAL REPORTER, "THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER": Sure. Well, obviously, President Biden is no stranger to Pennsylvania. He was here on Tuesday in Wilkes-Barre and back tonight giving this primetime speech.
I think there's a symbolic reason for picking Philadelphia. He's talking about democracy. This is the birthplace of democracy. And it's a hugely politically relevant place right now.
I'll be interested to hear kind of what his message is and how he speaks about the two big races we have here, the Senate race and the governor's race.
And really just, you know, how he continues to try to make this election less a referendum on him and more a choice election, you know, pointing at former President Trump and some of the more MAGA- aligned candidates, including one here in Pennsylvania who's running for governor.
BLACKWELL: Let's talk about one of those big races, the race for Senate. And we're hearing for the first time from the Democratic nominee, John Fetterman, since announcing that he will not debate Mehmet Oz at the predetermined date.
He spoke with MSNBC. Here's what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN FETTERMAN, (D), U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE FOR PENNSYLVANIA: Desperation is the worst cologne. And they understand that Dr. Oz's campaign is in shambles.
Whether you look at the polls, you look at the fundraising, you know, they've just figured out that, you know, let's appeal to folks that get their jollies making fun of the stroke dude.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: He says that's why he's not debating Dr. Oz.
The voters obviously deserve a debate. Is this decision hurting Fetterman at all? Any indication of that?
TERRUSO: You know, I think it's too early to tell. I think the campaign is strategically going to wait this out as long as they can. And potentially if they do debate, it might be a debate later in the campaign. And they've clearly taken a tactic to try and shame Oz's campaign for
some of the more personal attacks on his health and to try to garner some empathy with voters.
Polling does show that when voters in Pennsylvania are asked if Fetterman's stroke will have an impact on their vote, very few say that it will.
And I think, you know, the campaign also recognizes, perhaps, that Pennsylvania is an older state. We have a lot of over-65 voters who have perhaps had a stroke or know someone who has a stroke. I think that's all part of their calculus.
But Pennsylvania is a very close state. I think this race is closer than maybe some of the polls might imply.
And the more that Oz kind of pressures Fetterman on this, the more that Oz is out there on the trail, it could be a tough thing to run away from for Fetterman.
CAMEROTA: Yes, and, in fact, I was wondering about that. Is Fetterman rejecting the debate because he thinks that Oz has been nasty about his health, or because he is having word-finding difficulties and auditory processing difficulties after his stroke?
TERRUSO: The campaign has basically said it's both. For the first time, they've really publicly said, you know, look, he had this stroke, May 13th, and there are lingering language issues.
He sometimes has trouble understanding some words or sometimes mixes up some words. I have followed him on the campaign trail and that's evident in some of the brief speeches he gives.
[14:45:04]
They're very clear to say it is not a cognitive issue. It's a language issue.
But they're up front about the fact that that's a challenge in a debate. And they're trying to figure out if there's an environment that would work for that.
I think they're also aware that, in Oz, you have a television pro. But you know, they have sort of taken the opportunity to also criticize the way Oz has challenged them to these debates.
And some of the more sarcastic or even mean comments made about his health to try to deflect away from the when and where and more the, when you want to have a serious conversation, we'll have one, is sort of what they have said.
BLACKWELL: All right, we'll see if and when these two will debate.
Julia Terruso, thank you very much. And be sure to join us for special coverage from President Biden takes
his message primetime. That's tonight. Coverage begins at 8:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
CAMEROTA: Meanwhile, pilots are protesting at airports across the country ahead of the holiday weekend. What they are demanding and the potential impact on your holiday travel.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:50:25]
CAMEROTA: New today, a team of agents from the U.N.'s atomic agency were finally able to get inside Ukraine's nuclear plant that's been under Russian control since March. The safety of this plant, Europe's largest, is a huge concern.
BLACKWELL: It's located inside an active war zone. In fact, one of its two working reactors had to shut down today because of intense shelling from Russian troops.
CNN's Melissa Bell is in with the latest.
It's taken months to get inspectors inside. Do we know yet what they found?
MELISSA BELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We do. We have a much better idea. This is a team of inspectors, Victor, that crossed this active front line even as the fighting around the plant was getting worse.
In fact, that town where the plant is based, its mayor said it was the worst day of fighting they've seen since the Russian invasion in March, since it became occupied. That was the front line that this 14- strong team crossed.
They were inside the plant only for a few hours. And Rafael Grossi, who then came out, said he's been able to see the three or four areas that had mattered the most and that he needed to see personally.
This is what he said once he got back to the Ukrainian side.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAFAEL GROSSI, DIRECTOR GENERAL, IAEA: We have no problem anywhere. The IAEA is now there, at the plant, and is not moving. It's going to stay there. We're going to have a continued presence.
I will continue to be worried about the plant until we have a situation which is more stable, which is more predictable. It is obvious that the plant and the physical integrity of the plant has been violated several times.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BELL: Not least again today, as you said a moment ago, Victor, one of the last remaining functioning reactors in this plant of six down as a result of that shelling.
Now, what Rafael Grossi said was he left behind five members of his team that are there to stay and continue to ask questions and continue the inspection in a much more thorough way in order they can produce their report.
But more than that, he said he's been speaking to the workers there, and this is the very difficult situation they've been in for many months, and specifically these last few weeks, with Russian forces using the base for their equipment and, indeed, to launch strikes.
That's what Kyiv has been accusing them of for months.
We've been speaking to some of those workers inside the plant today who say it's been difficult for them to do their jobs. And that's been part of the problem.
What he hopes, though, is that there will be a permanent mission there. And that is significant because, if they can be there to keep an eye on it, it will make a massive difference to the ability of the workers, first of all, to have the support they need.
And for the world to keep an eye on what's happening in order that this plant not be in the position it's been put in the last few weeks -- Alisyn and Victor?
CAMEROTA: Yes, that permanent presence would be really important.
Melissa Bell, thank you very much for your reporting.
[14:53:20]
The hearing has ended on former President Trump's request for a special master to review documents seized from Mar-a-Lago. A live update is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:58:12]
BLACKWELL: Off-duty pilots for Delta are on strike today at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport ahead of the busy Labor Day travel weekend.
CAMEROTA: Picket lines like this are cropping up at many major airline hubs in an effort to negotiate a new labor contract.
CNN aviation correspondent, Pete Muntean, is at a demonstration at Reagan National Airport -- Pete?
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Victor and Alisyn, pilots say they are overworked, pushed to the limits of fatigue, and that airlines are to blame for all of this.
And that is what pilots say is causing flight delays and cancellations to go up. We're talking by the thousands now according to FlightAware, 45,000 flights cancelled in the U.S. since the start of June. The Airline Pilots Association is holding picketing like this at major
hubs across the country, not only here at Reagan National Airport, but JFK in New York, Chicago O'Hare, also in Atlanta, a major hub for Delta Airlines.
The Airline Pilots Association also represents pilots from those like United Airlines and Spirit.
They say they're caught in the middle of all of these cancellations along with passengers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WESLEY REED, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, AIRLINE PILOTS ASSOCIATION: If you don't have pilots or flight crews ready to fly the flight because they're not trained or timed out or whatever, then you can't get the passengers where they're trying to go.
That really -- we understand that frustration because we live t every day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MUNTEAN: This is one new layer of pressure on airlines not only from these pilots but also from the federal government, which is telling airlines to step up their game, especially as we go into the long Labor Day holiday weekend.
[14:59:46]
In a bit of a travel rush, Hopper is expecting 12 million people to travel in the U.S. Thursday is expected to be biggest day for air travel in terms of flights scheduled, according to the FAA -- Victor, Alisyn?
BLACKWELL: Thank you, Pete.
CAMEROTA: It's the top of the hour on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Alisyn Camerota.
