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Race For White House Sees Contrasting Paths; First Trump-Vance Campaign In Michigan; Biden Recovering From COVID; Thirty-Five Democratic Lawmakers Urge Biden To Step Aside; Trump Distances Himself From Project 2025; Biden Back On Campaign Trail "Next Week"; Interview With Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA); Biden "Seething" At Pelosi Amid Calls To Drop Out; VP Harris Remains The Loyal Lieutenant On The Campaign Trail; Unraveling Trump Shooter's Plot; Israel Confirms It Struck Houthi Military Targets Inside Yemen. Aired 8-9p ET

Aired July 20, 2024 - 20:00   ET

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

[20:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SARA SIDNER, CNN HOST: Good evening to you. I'm Sara Sidner in New York.

There is major uncertainty tonight over who will be at the top of the Democratic presidential ticket. But one thing very clear, the contrast between the two parties could not be more stark at this stage of the race. Republicans in celebration over their nominee, while Democrats right now in desperation over theirs.

Donald Trump just had his first trial event with his new vice presidential nominee, J. D. Vance. A smaller patch now covering the part of his ear where he was shot. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And together we will fight, fight, fight, right? And we will win, win, win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: In the meantime, President Biden is isolating off the trail, recovering, of course, from COVID, and resisting the mounting calls so far from inside his own party to not seek a second term.

35 Democratic lawmakers now are publicly urging him to step aside. There they all are. It all began with his disastrous performance, though, at that CNN debate. But after nearly three weeks of pressure to exit, President Biden still not ready to throw in the towel. We will begin the hour with the Trump campaign.

This evening, the official Republican nominee and his new VP pick, J. D. Vance, rally voters at an indoor event in Grand Rapids, Michigan. You know that is a big battleground state. It is the first on the trail test for the Secret Service since a gunman shot the former president at an outdoor rally exactly a week ago. CNN's Kristen Holmes has the latest from Grand Rapids. Kristen?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Sara, this is the first time we saw Donald Trump up there on a rally stage since that assassination attempt last week in Butler, Pennsylvania, and he seemed to be fully in his element. And he spoke for roughly two hours. He engaged with the crowd.

At one point, he was pulling them on various aspects, saying who should he run against? Should it be Joe Biden? Should it be Kamala Harris? At other points, he was riffing on various things that happened while he was in office, completely off script. But again, feeding to the crowd, there were thousands of people in this arena cheering for him.

He came out with just a small band aid on his ear. He has replaced that gauze from that shooting that happened last week. Now, one notable part about him being here in Michigan, obviously critical battleground state. He also appeared for the first time with vice presidential nominee J. D. Vance on the campaign trail. Vance introduced him, left the stage, then Donald Trump spoke.

The reason why that is notable is that part of Vance's appeal, at least, if you talk to people who are close to the former president, said he might be able to help with voters, working class voters, particularly in areas like Michigan, like Pennsylvania, like Wisconsin. All of those being, again, critical states that Donald Trump won in 2016 and then lost in 2020.

Now, I do want to point to one specific moment during the speech where he tried to distance himself again from Project 2025. That, of course, being the overall plan -- transition plan put into place or at least developed by the Heritage Foundation and a bunch of other conservative groups that would be a plan for whatever the next Republican president is. People who are authors of that plan, many of them worked for Former President Donald Trump's administration, are currently allies of his, but it has come under a lot of fire for how conservative some of those policies are. Take a listen to what Donald Trump said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Like some on the right, severe right, came up with this Project '25 and I don't even know. I mean, some of them, I know who they are, but they're very, very conservative. Just like you have -- they're sort of the opposite of the radical left, OK? You have the radical left and you have the radical right. And they come up with this, but I don't know what the hell it is. It's Project '25. He's involved in Project -- and then they read some of the things and they are extreme. I mean, they're seriously extreme. But I don't know anything about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now, it is clear from the attempts that Donald Trump has made to try and distance himself from Project 2025 that he and his team view this as some sort of vulnerability. However, it's not just them who see it as a vulnerability. President Joe Biden's team also has gone after Trump on Project 2025, linking him to it, putting ads out and attacking him on the various issues. Sara.

[20:05:00]

SIDNER: All right. That was our Kristen Holmes there for us in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Now, for the other side, President Biden is in isolation at his beach home in Delaware as he is recovering from COVID after testing positive. But he released a statement saying he's looking forward to getting back on the trail next week. CNN Correspondent Priscilla Alvarez is in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, following the president.

Priscilla, you know there have been a lot of calls. I know he knows about this. He's taken some of those calls himself for him to get out of the race. It sounds like he's not doing it.

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, he is certainly defiant as his campaign, which has taken to the airwaves and in statements to say that the president is staying in the presidential race. But there is no doubt, Sara, that this has been a deeply frustrating and challenging time for the president and for this campaign, because those calls for him to step aside from members of his own party have continued over the course of this past week, but also over the course of today, including from some members, who not long ago, and by that, I mean after the CNN Presidential Debate, were standing by his side at his rallies.

And so, this has been a quickly developing story for the president and his campaign as they have sought to calm nerves, had the conversations, hit the campaign trail, and yet, continue to get this incoming from members of the party, from allies, from donors, who are just not convinced that President Biden is the best candidate to go up against Former President Donald Trump.

But in the meantime, the president is stuck at home because he is -- he still has COVID. His doctor with an update today saying that he is improving, his symptoms are, but he is still testing positive. So, while the president had hoped to be on the campaign trail to do what the members of his party have asked for, which is to be out front, to engage with voters, he had to get pulled off of the trail to recover from his diagnosis.

So, these frustrations and challenges are playing out behind closed doors as the president has sought to talk to -- with his inner circle and his senior advisors, many of whom often travel with the president along with his family as they grapple with this difficult moment that just isn't getting any easier.

SIDNER: Priscilla Alvarez live there for us Rehoboth Beach, watching the president's movements and hearing that he's going to get on the trail next week. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.

All right. Let's continue the conversation now. I am joined by Congresswoman Barbara Lee of California. She is here on behalf of the Biden re-election campaign. Thank you so much Congresswoman Lee for joining us. I am a big fan of Oakland. I don't care what anybody says. Lived there a long time and loved it when I was there. So, I know that's one part of your district.

I do want to talk to you about what we have been seeing, hearing, and what the President's been hearing, 35 elected members of your party think the president should exit the race, exit the campaign. Why do you think they're wrong?

REP. BARBARA LEE (D-CA): But first, let me just say thank you, Sara, for having me with you. And yes, I love Oakland we're doing a great job here. Lots of challenges, but moving ahead.

The president is very clear that he is running in this race to win. First of all, let me just say this. He has a record to run on. He and Vice President Harris, they've delivered. They've lowered costs for people. They've been fighting for people, fighting for reproductive freedom, fighting to make sure that insulin is capped at $35. So, they have a record, and they beat Donald Trump in the past. Now, that only is an indicator of what they will do in the future.

And so, I am one who -- if the president decides that he's not going to run, well, that's another thing, but believe you me, the Biden- Harris ticket has delivered and I believe that they will win this campaign. We've got a lot of work to do. They've been connecting with voters. You see what the president has been doing. He was in Las Vegas and Nevada. He was in Wisconsin. He was in Pennsylvania. The vice president is out there. Everyone is out there, and the voters are connecting with the president and vice president. And so, I'm sticking with the president.

If he changes his mind, of course, the person who would be -- the next person would be Vice President Harris, but I believe that President Biden is in this to win.

SIDNER: You talked about Vice President Harris. You open that door. If she were to become the nominee because President Joe Biden decided to step away from the campaign and step down from it, would you -- would she have your vote? Would she have your back -- would you have her back?

LEE: Well, first, that's hypothetical. I'm -- and she has said over and over again that she is supporting President Biden. And I believe that it's important for us to unify around the Biden-Harris ticket. Now, of course, if president Biden changes his mind, if the vice president and president decide that they want to move in a different direction, there's no one else but the vice president to support.

[20:10:00]

I mean, she's prepared. She's smart. She's been in the White House now for three years, four years. She knows what she's doing, and she has experience that no other candidate has. So, that would be the only option for myself. But that's not even an issue.

And the vice president is out there campaigning, connecting with voters, making sure that young people, people of color, people who may or may not be decided on whether or not they're going to vote, she's out there making sure people understand the dangers of a Donald Trump presidency cannot be left to stay in home and not voting.

So, she is making sure that she galvanizes voters because we have got to vote because Donald Trump wants to set this country onto a dictatorship and dismantle our democracy. And that is not acceptable. We're on that brink right now with him.

SIDNER: And we also know she is a fellow Californian as well. But that aside, I do --

LEE: And born in Oakland.

SIDNER: Exactly. I do want to ask you about a couple of things. One, we're hearing from those who raise big money for the Biden-Harris campaign. And some of those donors are saying, we're not going to give any money to the down ballot races if you all don't get it together and push Joe Biden out. What do you say to those donors?

LEE: Well, I say to those donors that when we have got to take back the House, keep the Senate and win the White House. And so, we've got to do all three. And I believe that the donors will understand that we cannot withhold money from candidates who can win if they supported candidates. But also, this speaks volumes to why we need to get to public finances of campaigns.

Members have tough races. This was tough before the president, the debate, that was, you know, a disaster. We can't sugar coat that. You know, the campaign was very clear about that this was going to be a close race. And so, we have to hunker down and we have to support all of our Democratic candidates and we have to make sure that we support the Biden-Harris ticket and make sure that voters understand the dangers of a Trump presidency. And I believe that that can be done and I'm going to do everything I can do, and I know my colleagues all over the country are out there fighting hard to make sure that every single Democrat wins and every -- and the Biden-Harris ticket wins.

SIDNER: We will see what happens. But before we go, I do want to get your thoughts on the passing of your colleague, and I know she was a friend of yours as well, Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas. She was -- I met her a few times myself in passing, very remarkable and very, very committed and fiery. She was into it. Her whole self was into governance. Can you give us some thoughts on the passing of Congresswoman Lee?

LEE: You know, Sara, I am heartbroken. I know Sheila very well, and she was a force of nature. She was a brilliant orator. She was a brilliant legislator. She led the efforts on reparations. She led the efforts to renew the Violence Against Women Act. But you know what? She was a kind and gentle woman.

I remember right after Katrina, I was in New Orleans and getting ready to come back to California after that terrible, terrible hurricane. Sheila said, no, you've got to come to Houston with me and help these evacuees. I went to Houston with Sheila. And let me tell you, people love Sheila Jackson Lee. She is a person whose sword, she's a warrior woman, yes, and she was a fighter. But a lot of people don't realize what a kind and sensitive and beautiful spirit she was. And she loved people.

And listen, this world is going to miss Sheila Jackson Lee. I mean, the fights for justice, her brilliance on the Judiciary Committee, how she pulled people together. And she was dogged. She -- when she was determined to get something done, she got it done.

And I -- Sheila and I -- I was her professional photographer. You know, often times we were in places, I mean, we've been to Sudan and refugee camps. We've been all around the world together feeding hungry children. And Sheila wanted to capture pictures to send back to her district. And she would always say, get me here, take me there, take this picture. I've got to send this here, there, and yada. And I just ended up saying, yes, ma'am. Yes, Sheila.

To know Sheila is to love Sheila. And I had a chance to speak with her -- to her -- with her on Wednesday, and I knew that the time was imminent, but I'm telling you we've lost a beautiful soul, a great warrior, a mother, a grandmother, a wife, a colleague. She was she was the world to everybody. And I'm always already missing her.

[20:15:00]

SIDNER: Thank you so much, Congresswoman Lee, for that really thoughtful remembrance of Sheila Jackson Lee who died after battling cancer. She was just 74 years old. Appreciate your time tonight.

LEE: Thank you. So, nice to be with you, Sara.

SIDNER: All right. We've got so much more to discuss tonight. Up next, you heard it, a defiant Joe Biden reportedly seething at his fellow Democrat, Nancy Pelosi, who told him in private he can't win. Citing the polls, how much is the powerful former house speaker pushing to get Biden to drop out of the race?

Plus, new details about the would-be assassin of Donald Trump was doing just hours before Trump took that stage in Pennsylvania last weekend. We'll have that and more coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:20:00]

SIDNER: Welcome back. We're going to open the conversation on the state of the presidential race. Now, CNN Political Commentator Bakari Sellers is a former Democratic member of the South Carolina State House, and Natasha Alford is host of TheGrio Weekly. Welcome to the both of you. Happy to see you here.

Bakari, I'm going to start with you. You've heard the reporting. You've seen it. Sources saying that President Biden is seething tonight at Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tying her to the latest round of Democratic defections, calling for him to suspend his campaign. When you hear that Pelosi and Schumer and others -- the 35 other -- or 35 Democrats are telling Biden to step down publicly, she's doing it in the background, do you think this is a good idea even though voters voted him in, in the primaries?

BAKARI SELLERS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: So, let me answer your question directly. And I never thought I'd be saying this about somebody who I love and adore like Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, both. I have a great deal of respect for them. I think Nancy Pelosi will go down as the greatest speaker in the history of American politics, but they're committing political malpractice at best. And what -- at worst it is, is petty politics, local petty politics from California, et cetera, throwing itself onto the national stage.

Look, I believe that Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi probably know -- not probably, they do know this American political system better than I, they know Joe better than I, but they also know that Joe Biden is not going to bow to public pressure at all. This man said he's in the race. And at the end of the day, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer and others who instead of rallying to the aid of Kamala Harris and Pete Buttigieg and Joe Biden are running to their local newspapers to write op-ed pieces have done more damage to the president of the United States than he did to himself on June 27th.

We'll right the ship. We'll get on board. Because at the end of the day, you only have three choices. I've said this for the past six months, and I think people are finally starting to pay attention to it, heard my brother Charlemagne talking about it the other day, but you only got three choices in this race. You got Joe Biden, Donald Trump, and the couch. Make a choice.

SIDNER: That's pretty stark. Natasha, so far in all this reporting, Nancy hasn't explicitly actually called for the president to drop out, but she has said, you can't win, which the message is clear. What do you make of all of this talk and what it is doing to Joe Biden's candidacy? And for the public, which if you look at the polling, the public isn't so sure that he should go forward, looking just directly at the polling when asked if he's capable of doing another four more years.

NATASHA ALFORD, HOST, THE GRIO WEEKLY AND AUTHOR, "AMERICAN NEGRA": Well, Sara, I think that the voters I talked to feel that their voices are being drowned out. They feel that there are people who are somehow sort of being puppet masters above them and not really being practical about this moment.

I did a piece about black voters in particular who are very sober minded. We're a very practical voting bloc. And it feels as though there are a select group of people who are trying to force this story. There were a lot of people who, believe it or not, they thought the debate performance was disastrous, but they didn't think that that was the end of the campaign. They were still willing to vote for President Biden. Concerned, disappointed, yes, but willing to vote for him. Who listened to the substance of what he said.

And I think it is so tragic that for the past few weeks, we've been talking about this without even thinking about some of the actual answers that Joe Biden gave, even if his voice was shaky, even if he was coughing, we never actually engaged in the policy. And so, it's disappointing. I think it's done a lot of damage to the campaign. I agree with Bakari on that. And I think that time is running out.

So, as much as it makes for an interesting conversation, the practicality of this, it really undermines the argument that people are making about, let's make a switch in the ninth hour.

[20:25:00]

SIDNER: Bakari, you know, in the battleground states, when you look at the numbers, you know, right after the RNC or during the RNC, Joe Biden lost some ground, according to the polls there. I mean, are Democrats, the ones that are coming out like this, just simply scared?

SELLERS: Yes. I mean, I think you actually have a large amount of silent Democrats or silent voters. Usually, it's the flip side. I remember in 2016, people were ashamed to tell pollsters that they were voting for Donald Trump. I think you have a lot of that today. But we have to, if we're going to be sober and honest about this, acknowledge that there has been some slippage with the president since 2020.

But let me also explain to people why Joe Biden -- because this doesn't get enough play. And let me explain to people why Joe Biden is actually the best person to run for president of the United States if you're a Democrat. Joe Biden has performed better with white voters, white women, white suburbs, white college educated voters. 70 percent of the electorate. He's performed better than anybody since LBJ, right? And that's 70 percent of the electorate, and he's winning more than half of them.

Barack Obama in 2012 won about 38 percent of those same voters, which means that in order for someone to win with that number of 38 percent, you have to have a turnout of black voters and black women and Hispanic voters and young voters that is just astronomical, and that's a heavy burden to bear. Joe Biden puts you in the best position. We just have to kind of, I mean, get in line. I mean, Republicans fall in line. Democrats like to fall in love. I'm just trying to beat Donald Trump.

SIDNER: Natasha, I just quickly have to ask you to get your sort of quick -- what do you think explains, though, that the peeling off of some particularly younger black men to Donald Trump from Biden side and to be fair, since we are in the panel that we are in and you could look at the color of our skin, there is always an impetus where black voters are talked about a lot as if they are the deciders. And as Bakari has rightly pointed out, white voters are the majority at this point in this country.

ALFORD: Yes. Look, I need everyone to pick up a book called "Steadfast Democrats" and to understand that this conversation is actually not new. We often debate. We often hear the debate as a community about, well, why do we so frequently vote for the Democratic Party? What's behind that?

You know, there's a strategy. There's a reason behind that. There were legislative wins for the black community that came with this realignment with the Democratic Party. And so, there's a legitimate history there that I think that people should know. But when you look at the two parties, it's a clear choice. Just like Bakari said, the -- voting for Trump, voting for Biden or the couch, a vote for the couch is a vote for Donald Trump. And one is going to, you know, give the black community -- there's at least a conversation you can have about what the agenda is. The other, it's not going to give you what you think it is.

And so, I think that this is a moment of education. Despite the real frustration that people have, we have to engage people and let them know what the truth is. Those are the two choices.

SIDNER: Natasha Alford, Bakari Sellers, thank you so much for that open and honest conversation on this Saturday. Appreciate it.

We will -- oh, you'll be back. You'll be back. I understand. So, good. Don't go anywhere. Just go get yourself a little drink. Maybe not a drink, actually. Just scratch that. But I got to take a break.

SELLERS: We're already in the Casamigos, Sara.

SIDNER: Don't start with me, Bakari. I got to take a break. We will see you all in a bit.

All right. What do you do if you're Kamala Harris right now? The vice president, you got to wonder what she's up to these days, besides what we saw her doing in public. Good question, let's look at that ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:30:00]

SIDNER: All right. Let us continue our political discussion now. Once again, joined by Bakari Sellers and Natasha Alford.

Bakari, you probably have had that drink. So, now I get to ask you this question because it's got to be a hard one since you're riding with Biden. Do you think Vice President Kamala Harris right now is trying to figure out, set up, work on the possibility of that she could be the presidential candidate? I mean, what is she doing right now?

SELLERS: No. I mean, I know Kamala Harris very well. I mean, I talk to people around her daily. What is she doing right now? They were expecting to raise $1 million in Cape Cod, somewhere in Rhode Island. Where -- you know, I just paid off my student loans not long ago. So, I don't really hang out up there --

SIDNER: That's to celebrate.

SELLERS: -- but it was like one of these nice --

SIDNER: You can have a drink for that.

SELLERS: Yes.

SIDNER: That's to celebrate. SELLERS: One these nice areas, she and people were supposed to raise a million dollars. They raised $2 million dollars. You know, you saw her in North Carolina last week. You'll see her on the campaign trail. I believe she's going back to Minnesota, Wisconsin this week. I can't recall the schedule.

But what she's doing is she's being a damn good vice president. And you've seen her just grow into the role over the past four years. You see the accomplishments. You've seen the tie breaking votes that was record setting. There was a picture I saw, I believe it was actually in our office of all the vice presidents of the United States, and then you just see this little brown dot there that represents her.

And you saw the difficulty of not just the Biden administration, and I've been very clear about this, and those people around him having an inability to deal with this black woman as vice president when they started, but also the media having terrible time trying to figure out how to cover this woman and compare her to others before her.

[20:35:00]

She's been doing great. If, in fact, the one person who could make this decision, Joe Biden decides that he is not running for office. Kamala Harris has been tested and she's passed every test as vice president of the United States. If that's not the case, she'll destroy J. D. Vance in anything, from chess to pickleball, the cooking chicken thighs to debating, all loving. She's gone hammering.

SIDNER: You had to bring the chicken thighs.

ALFORD: She's got a mean turkey recipe. I think that's the one --

SIDNER: You all are killing my life.

ALFORD: She can cook from what I hear.

SIDNER: Natasha, I just had a conversation with Congresswoman Barbara Lee who you all are both well acquainted with out of Oakland, California. And it was -- I find it curious, it was an interesting conversation. I did ask about whether she would back Kamala Harris, a fellow Californian, if Joe Biden decided to step down. She goes, this is a question I don't need to answer because Joe Biden, I'm with him. But then she answered the question by saying yes. And she listed all of the reasons why.

When you hear Canada -- when you hear Congress people pivoting like that, is there something to read into? Does it mean that they've certainly thought about it and are prepared for it or is it something else?

ALFORD: I think it's you're walking a tightrope, right? You want to convey confidence in the vice president while at the same time not encouraging this faction that has turned against Joe Biden to use that as more reason to push Joe Biden aside, which some of them actually want to push Kamala Harris aside, too, right? Even though this is being portrayed as some sort of opportunity for Kamala Harris to be out front, there are certainly Democrats who are not supportive. There was a recent poll that came out, six in 10 Dems said that they're supportive of Kamala Harris, but that leaves four in 10, right? And Two out of 10 were unsure, and two out of 10 were against her.

So, that's just within the Democratic Party, showing that although the majority support Kamala Harris, there's still people that need to get to know her, they need to understand all the work that she's been doing. Now, you add Republicans to the mix. Now, you add independents to the mix. And this is a country that although Hillary Clinton did win the popular vote electorally, right, she lost the Electoral College. They would not elect this very qualified white woman.

So, there's still sexism that Kamala Harris will face in addition to all other, you know, isms, right? The racism, all of these things. And so, she's up against a lot. I think that that is also factoring into Joe Biden's decision, that I'm sure it's weighing heavily on his heart. That if he steps aside, he has to assure, he has to feel confident that Kamala at the top of the ticket will win because this is about democracy at stake. And I do think sometimes we lose that. Like Trump and Biden are not the same candidate, right? The stakes are so high.

And he has said the reason he ran for president, I'm sure he could have been relaxing somewhere in his old age, was because of the threat that Donald Trump presented to democracy. He ran for that reason. So, I think that's also weighing into his decision about what to do next.

SIDNER: Bakari, I have to ask you because Natasha opened the door and it is a question that needs to be asked. Is America ready for a female black South Asian woman to be president of the United States?

SELLERS: Yes, I believe in the better angels of our nature. And even more importantly, I recognize the work of Fannie Lou Hamer, of Ella Baker, of Shirley Chisholm, of Hillary Clinton chipping away at that glass. Hillary Clinton was the most qualified candidate we've ever had to run for president of the United States on either side of the ticket, and she came up short, but they have put chips in that glass.

I think Kamala Harris is more than qualified, you know, as vice president of the United States. She's been tested and she's aced every single one of those tests. And so, the answer to the question is yes, and I think that she can put together a robust ticket, if that time comes, a ticket that would be Shapiro or Mark Kelly, a ticket that would look like Mark Cuban or Admiral McRaven or whomever it may be. And that is more than formidable when you're looking at someone like Trump and Vance.

I would love to see Kamala Harris be the future for my twins. And I would think there are a lot of not women, not just black folk, but Americans would be extremely proud of what she represents. Because it's not about what this country was or what it is, but Kamala Harris represents what this country can be.

[20:40:00]

SIDNER: I'm listening to you, Bakari, and it's --

SELLERS: Damn, that was good.

SIDNER: It was good.

SELLERS: That was good. I mean, do (INAUDIBLE).

SIDNER: You should -- you might want to think about politics. Oh, wait. I was just going to say to you, Bakari, before we go here, as you went down sort of the litany of things, and it sounds like you've thought about the possibility of her becoming vice president, but also, you were in a -- we are in a season in which poll after poll shows that Americans are dissatisfied with both of their choices.

And you know, depending on what happens here, we will see maybe they'd be less dissatisfied with a new person at the top of the ticket. We will see. Bakari, Natasha, thank you so much.

ALFORD: Sara, can I just say --

SIDNER: Yes?

ALFORD: -- she's in line anyway. She's in line to be the president anyway. Just something to think about.

SIDNER: Bakari, Natasha, thank you so much for the convo. We'll be right back.

SELLERS: Thank you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:45:00]

SIDNER: New developments tonight in the attempted assassination of Former President Trump. Investigators now believe the young gunman involved, Thomas Crooks, was scoping out the rally site on the day of the shooting using a drone. A law enforcement official tells CNN the working theory here is the drone would have given Crooks an overview, of course, of nearby buildings and how they connect and ultimately help him find the exact spot from which he would fire shots at Trump behind the podium.

Joining me now is Christopher McClenic, who was a senior special agent at the U.S. Secret Service. Chris, there is a lot to talk about, but I want to start with Trump's rally. It was indoors tonight. It's that likely to remain in the future because of what happened in the outdoor rally where he was nearly assassinated, a father and firefighter was killed and two others injured?

CHRISTOPHER MCCLENIC, FORMER SENIOR SPECIAL AGENT, U.S. SECRET SERVICE: Well, first things first, good evening, Sara, and thank you for having me. I can only imagine that, yes, that's probably going to be the case at this point in this late stage of the campaign that better safe than sorry. They probably will lean more towards indoor rallies as opposed to the outdoor ones for -- were pretty much obvious reasons. Indoor rallies are easier to control. They're easier to maintain and overall safer. So, I would imagine that they would be pushing more for them than for obvious reasons, the outdoor rallies.

SIDNER: I'm curious your assessment on some of our reporting that says that the gunman apparently used a drone for reconnaissance over the Trump rally just a few hours before the president was there on the podium. What does it tell you about his state of mind, but also what does it tell you about the Secret Service and how they handled this, clearly, admitting that they made some very big mistakes?

MCCLENIC: Well, I'd like to answer those questions in reverse order that you asked them. I can't speak on what they were thinking at this site, but I can say that I was an agent while the drone craze, if you will, became what it is today, and the Secret Service absolutely has policies and procedures in reference to drones and drone activity.

So, I would imagine there's going to be a lot of questions in regards to how this individual, if, in fact, it's true, he did use a drone to do basically surveillance. So, that strikes me is a little odd that the Service did not take greater actions against a drone.

Now, in regards to his mindset, it appears he was doing his homework by using a drone to do surveillance. That's something that's being utilized more, both with law enforcement and even with military, where you are able to get a bird's eye view, if you will, of an area that you're planning to infiltrate. So, if, in fact, he did do that, then yes, that's becoming standard operation procedure for bad guys, if you will.

SIDNER: Yes. Certainly, premeditation for many of the different things that he did. I do want to ask you this question that, you know, the public and all the victims' families often want to know -- it doesn't change things in any way, it doesn't take away the hurt, but they want to know why. What was the reason exactly?

And a week on, we still have no motive. Investigators saying that they're not sure, they haven't found the exact motive. Do you think we'll ever know that, since it's been this long? They've talked to 100 people, including family members and friends. Looked through his social media, looked through his phone and we still don't have a clear answer.

MCCLENIC: Yes, to answer your question, I do believe that they will eventually find it. I know that they've sifted through, like you said, hundreds of witnesses, all of his videos, all of his social media accounts, and they have not found anything distinctive as of yet. But I have faith.

Every one of these experiences that I've seen in my law enforcement career, and it spans over 35 years, there has been a motive. It sometimes took a while to find it, but there has been. And I firmly believe they will find said motive in this individual. And it may not be the motive that we are thinking it might be, but there will be one most assuredly.

SIDNER: Chris, thank you so much for taking the time this Saturday evening with us from Boynton Beach, Florida, a place I am very familiar with. I appreciate it.

MCCLENIC: Anytime. Thank you for having me, Sara.

[20:50:00]

SIDNER: All right. Just ahead, so this president presidential election may have some folks feeling real unsettled, frustrated, maybe even angry, but haven't we been here before? We'll talk all about that coming up.

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SIDNER: We're following breaking news out of Yemen tonight. Iran has condemned Israeli strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. The Iranian foreign minister now warning of escalating tensions and the risk of war in the entire region. Houthi run TV says 80 people were injured in the strikes today. The Iranian-backed rebel group claimed responsibility for a strike in Tel Aviv yesterday that killed one person. Our Jeremy Diamond has more on the story.

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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For months now, Houthi militants have carried out attacks against Israel as well as those shipping lanes in the Red Sea. But this is the first time that the Israeli military has actually struck Houthi targets in Yemen.

And the reason for that is that drone attack that struck Central Tel Aviv on Friday killing one Israeli citizen and changing the calculus for the Israeli government. I'm told that these strikes were carried out against dual use targets at -- in the area of the Yemeni port of Al-Hudaydah, energy infrastructure targets in particular. Here's Admiral Daniel Hagari talking about those strikes on Saturday

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DANIEL HAGARIDF SPOKESPERSON: The Houthis attacks are acts of aggression, a violation of international law, and a threat to the international peace and security. Today, Israel stepped up its actions in self-defense against these attacks. The Israeli Air Force conducted precise strikes on Houthi military targets in Yemen. The military target was the Al-Hudaydah Port, used by the Houthis as a main supply route for the transfer of Iranian weapons from Iran to Yemen, like the UAV itself that was used in the attack on Friday morning.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[20:55:00]

DIAMOND: And the Israeli prime minister also saying that these strikes make clear that there is no place that Israel cannot and will not reach. Also focusing on the link between these Houthi militants and Iran, which according to the Israeli government, provided Houthi militants with the very same type of drone that was used in Friday's attack. The Israeli military says that was a Samad-3 drone.

I'm also told that this was a 100 percent Israeli strike carried out by the Israeli military, not in conjunction with the United States or the United Kingdom. And that's notable in particular because over the last several months, Israel has really let the United States and the U.K. take the lead in carrying out strikes against Houthi militants in Yemen, but because this drone strike on Friday actually resulted in Israeli casualties, that changed the calculus here and Israel carrying out this strike alone.

I am told, however, by an Israeli defense official that the Israeli defense minister, Yoav Gallant, got on the phone with his American counterpart, the U.S. defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, to give him a heads up on the strike ahead of time.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER: All right. I hope you're not sick of me because I'm going to be here for at least another hour. The state of the presidential race tonight still to be determined. We will be right back and talk all about it.

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