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Debby Now a Category One Hurricane, to Make Landfall in Florida; Harris Meets with Kelly, Shapiro, and Walz and Closes in on VP Choice; Fears of War Surging, Foreign Citizens Urged to Leave Lebanon; Nikkei and Kospi Plunges to 12 percent and 5 percent; First F-16 Fighter Jets Arrive In Ukraine; Mixed Relay Triathlon Underway Amid Water Quality Concerns; Battleground State Voters On Harris Replacing Biden; Keeping Safe: Summer COVID And Beyond. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired August 05, 2024 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States, around the world and streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead, parts of the U.S. are bracing for impact as Hurricane Debby churns towards landfall, bringing the threat of catastrophic flooding.

Kamala Harris' search for a running mate enters its final hours as the Vice President sits down with some of her potential picks for a final interview.

And two Olympic triathletes fall ill just days after swimming in the Seine. It's forcing Belgium to pull out entirely as competition is set to resume just hours from now.

Good to have you with us. And we begin here in the United States where Debby has now strengthened into a Category One hurricane as the storm moves towards Florida's Big Bend region. It's expected to further intensify before making landfall in the coming hours. The National Hurricane Center says the storm now has winds near 80 miles per hour or 128 kilometers per hour. Debby is expected to bring historic amounts of rainfall and storm surge to parts of the southeast.

Parts of Florida are already experiencing heavy rain and flooding. Emergency officials say some high-water rescues were underway overnight. Hundreds of flights in Florida have also been canceled or delayed. Georgia, Florida and South Carolina have all declared a state of emergency as the storm approaches. The city of Savannah could receive a month's worth of rain in just a single day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES STALLINGS, DIRECTOR, GEORGIA EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT & HOMELAND SECURITY AGENCY: Rainfall is expected to be around 20 inches in the area of Savannah and locally possibly even more. If so, that will be a generational storm that we've not seen. They're calling it a 500-to- 1,000-year storm. And so with that, we're extremely concerned about flooding.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: It is perhaps the most consequential decision of her political career so far. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will soon decide who will join her on the Democratic ticket as her running mate. And the clock is ticking as she is expected to appear on the campaign trail with her choice Tuesday. CNN's Julia Benbrook has the latest now from Washington.

JULIA BRENBOOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We know that there were plans for Vice President Kamala Harris to meet with at least three of the top contenders on Sunday. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Throughout the process, Harris has been asking close advisors who would make the best governing partner for her at the White House. Another top consideration, though, is electability.

She's been looking at how each of them would balance out the ticket and how they'd help in key battleground states. Shapiro and Kelly, of course, from states that will be critical in November. Now, the VP pick is often a political afterthought once they're selected. But for Harris, this is the biggest decision that she's going to make as the presumptive Democratic nominee. And she's still working to introduce herself to many Americans.

She's been speaking with a close group of confidants, including her husband, Doug Imhoff, and former Attorney General Eric Holder, whose law firm is helping with the vetting process. A reminder of just how quickly this process is taking place. Just a couple of weeks ago, Harris was President Joe Biden's running mate, and now she's selecting her own VP.

We will hear a decision soon because she and her running mate are expected to appear at a rally on Tuesday in Philadelphia. That kicks off a battleground blitz. They're going to be crisscrossing the country, visiting key states ahead of the Democratic National Convention, which starts on August 19th. In Washington, Julia Benbrook, CNN.

CHURCH: New polling shows the race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump is tight. Using an average of four recent national polls, a fresh CNN poll of polls shows there is no clear leader between the two candidates. Trump is holding on to 49 percent support, while Harris is at 47 percent.

[02:05:02]

Well, joining me now from Los Angeles is Caroline Heldman. She is a professor of critical theory and social justice. She's also a Democratic strategist. Good to have you with us.

CAROLINE HELDMAN, PROFESSOR, CRITICAL THEORY & SOCIAL JUSTICE: Always good to join you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So in just two weeks, we have seen Vice President Kamala Harris tighten the race between her and rival Donald Trump, ruffling his feathers and resetting the race. So where do you see her momentum going from here, given the latest poll numbers?

HELDMAN: Well, I think she will try to boost her momentum, obviously, with her VP pick. And then August 19th, the Democratic National Convention will give a natural boost, as it does. It tends to be kind of like a sugar high. It's a short boost. But her real challenge is going to be keeping that big momentum up through Labor Day, you know, pass that into the final push of the election.

It's such a truncated calendar for a presidential race. We've never been here before. So let's see whether or not she can keep that up. I'm imagining that this will be such an intensely watched race that both candidates will actually have a lot of momentum heading into November. And we'll see maybe some record breaking turnout for the modern political era.

CHURCH: Right. And of course, as you touched on, Kamala Harris just one day away from announcing who her running mate will be. Who would be the smartest choice politically from those who've been vetted and are ready to go?

HELDMAN: Well, she talked to six candidates this weekend, according to inside reports. I think the top two contenders are probably the swing state governors, right, Josh Shapiro from Pennsylvania and Mark Kelly from Arizona. Mark Kelly, I think the only drawback would be that he's a senator from a swing state and he's up for re-election in two years. So it might actually shift the balance of power in the Senate if that's a tough race.

But this is a man who looks like he's out of central casting for such a position, his military record, obviously being married to Gabby Giffords, and also the fact that he was an astronaut. This is a man, though, that knows immigration, he's in a border state, so that makes him particularly attractive.

Josh Shapiro is just really good on the stump going after MAGA as he did as attorney general in Pennsylvania. The question is whether or not he'll face anti-Semitism, maybe even from the sliver of the left in his party and maybe from independent voters.

CHURCH: And Trump is now saying he won't debate Harris on ABC, as was previously agreed to when Joe Biden was running. Trump now says he'll only debate Harris on Fox. Is this his way of killing off the debate? And does it signal he's actually running scared and doesn't want to risk debating Harris at all?

HELDMAN: Rosemary, it does feel like he's running a bit scared, right? He keeps shifting his plans. He's committed and then he's not committed to a debate. I actually don't think Fox News is going to go easy on either of these candidates. I've been impressed with the way in which all of these debates in the past few election cycles have been held, regardless of who the media agency is conducting them.

I hope that we will see a debate. But I think the fact that Trump is going back and forth on this does signal that he's definitely up against a candidate he did not prepare for.

CHURCH: So how many paths to victory do you see for Kamala Harris right now, and can she maintain this momentum and perhaps build on it, which would be the plan?

HELDMAN: It's so unprecedented, Rosemary. It is hard to predict, but I will say. $310 million haul in two weeks, the last two weeks of July and the fact that two-thirds of those donations are coming from new donors. I mean, we're just seeing an energy around the Democratic Party that we haven't seen in a long time. And what's fascinating is it parallels the energy in the Republican side.

I mean, Trump -- Trump rallies are a good time. I mean, xenophobic, racist, sexist, they're at a good time, though, for his supporters. They go there, they laugh, they, you know -- they're tailgating. The Democratic Party is finally having this after nine years of not having that. If you recall, the 2020 election was about voting against Trump much more than it was about voting for Biden.

So, it's been nearly a decade and the Democrats now have a candidate that they're super excited about. Let's see how long this last. But Kamala Harris now has many paths to victory. She's actually opened up the Sunbelt states again that Biden had taken -- his crew had taken off the table. So we're looking at these seven key swing states, which will get the lion's share of the focus between now and November.

CHURCH: Caroline Heldman, many thanks for joining us. Appreciate it.

HELDMAN: Thank you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Still to come, more countries are telling their citizens to leave Lebanon as soon as possible, with growing fears of a wider war breaking out between Israel, Hezbollah and Iran. Back with that and more in just a moment.

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[02:10:00]

CHURCH: Israel is facing growing threats of retaliation from its enemies days after the assassination of two senior figures from Hezbollah and Hamas. Just hours ago, Hezbollah said a, quote, "squad of attack drones struck a military target in northern Israel," although Israel says many of them were intercepted and the damage was minimal.

The escalation in fighting between Israel and the Lebanese militant group is raising fears of a wider war in the region. And as a result, Turkey has joined a growing list of countries urging their citizens to get out of Lebanon.

U.S. President Joe Biden will convene his national security team in the coming hours after a call with the King of Jordan. The White House says the U.S. and Israel are preparing for every possibility, and the Pentagon has sent additional military assets to the Middle East.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KIRBY, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COMMUNICATIONS ADVISER: Now, I don't know what they're going to do or when they're going to do it, but we got to make darn sure that we're ready and that we have the capabilities in the region to be able to help Israel defend itself and quite frankly, defend our own people, our own facilities, our own national security interests.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[02:15:03]

CHURCH: CNN's Nada Bashir joins us now live from London. Good morning to you, Nada. So what is the latest on Israel bracing for retaliation from Iran and Hezbollah and how will Israel likely respond back?

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we heard yesterday from a number of Israeli officials with regards to this growing threat, and in particular, we also heard from the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said that Israel is determined to stand against Iran on every possible front.

Now, of course, there is high anticipation around this potential retaliation by the Iranian regime. Iran, of course, accuses Israel of carrying out the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas's political chief, in Tehran last week. And of course, we've been hearing warnings from both the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and just yesterday from the Iranian foreign minister vowing that there will be severe punishment for the state of Israel.

But of course, many questions as to when and where this potential retaliation will take place, what form it could be, the scope of this retaliation. We've heard from one U.S. official saying that they believe it could be imminent in the coming days, whether this is a direct attack, as we saw in April, Iran launching drones and missiles on Israeli territory, or whether this is a broader, more complex and coordinated attack with Iran's regional proxies, namely Hezbollah in Lebanon, of course, the Houthis in Yemen, amongst others.

And of course, then there are questions around the calculation that would go into the response from Iran, whether they are seeking to re- establish deterrence against Israel without triggering an all-out war directly with the state of Israel, or whether perhaps this could pull many others in the region into a broader regional conflict. Now, take a listen to what Prime Minister Netanyahu had to say yesterday with regards to this looming threat that we are seeing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL (through translation): The state of Israel is in a multi-arena war against Iran's axis of evil. We are striking hard at any of its arms. We are prepared for any scenario, both on the defense and the offense. I tell our enemies again; we will react and exact a heavy price for any act of hostility towards us from any arena.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASHIR: Of course, when it comes to what that response and reaction is from Israel, that also remains to be seen. We've continued to see Israel targeting and striking parts of southern Lebanon. There have been warnings in the past from U.S. officials telling CNN that there is a chance that we could see Israeli forces perhaps launching a full- scale ground incursion into Lebanon.

That would certainly really shift the nature of this conflict, really dragging out this conflict more broadly in the region. We heard yesterday from Israel's defense minister, Yoav Gallant, addressing this potential retaliation by Iran. He said that they are looking at preparing very strongly in defense on land and in the air, that they are ready to move quickly.

We've also heard from the Israeli military's chief spokesman, Admiral Daniel Hagari. He said that they are preparing for any emerging threat. But of course, this is also a huge concern for members of the international community, namely the United States as you heard there from Secretary of State Antony Blinken. We know that Biden is preparing to meet with national security officials in the Situation Room later today in the afternoon.

Before that, he will be speaking to the King of Jordan, a key ally in the region, but also a key mediator over the course of the ongoing ceasefire talks and, of course, communications with the Palestinian Authority. We know yesterday that the Jordanian foreign minister was also in Tehran meeting with officials there to discuss the regional situation. Of course, the U.S. has been in touch with others in the region as well.

We know, of course, that the Secretary of State has spoken with his G7 counterparts. He spoke also with the Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammad Shia al-Sudani. A very clear message from the Iraqi prime minister that the de-escalation that we're waiting to see in the region, that the U.S. wants to see in the region, will not happen, according to the Iraqi prime minister, until there is a cessation of violence in Gaza.

That is something that we've heard from a number of leaders in the region. But of course, at this point, it feels that those ceasefire talks are further away than we have seen towards a resolution in some time now. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Nada Bashir in London, many thanks. Stephen Cook is Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. He's also the author of "The End of Ambition: America's Past, Present and Future in the Middle East." He joins us now from Rye Brook in New York. Appreciate you being with us.

STEVEN COOK, SENIOR FELLOW FOR MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: My pleasure.

CHURCH: So President Joe Biden will speak with the King of Jordan in the coming hours and then return to the White House where he will convene his national security team amid ongoing tension in the Middle East. What does the Biden administration need to be doing to appropriately meet this dangerous moment in history? And is all out war in the region inevitable, do you think?

[02:20:04]

COOK: Well, it seems very clear that the Iranians and their allies are going to respond to a number of Israeli military actions in recent weeks, and they're going to do so in a very significant way. I think that the president's conversation with the King of Jordan is to assess how the Jordanians view their talks with the Iranians and trying to reduce tensions and perhaps blunt the Iranian response.

But I think that the president does need to, as he has been doing, moving military force into the region and signaling to the Iranians that the United States will help in the defense of Israel and there'll be likely consequences for the Iranians for an all-out attack on Israel.

CHURCH: And in the wake of the assassination of a senior Hamas leader and a Hezbollah commander, we have seen retaliation from Hezbollah and Iran is also vowing to respond. What do you expect will happen next in terms of that retaliation?

COOK: Well, it seems clear that Iran, Hezbollah, the Houthis and Iranian-aligned militias in Iraq are ready to fire on Israel simultaneously, making the April Iranian attack on Israel small by comparison. And so this would be something quite significant. Of course, the Iranians want to calibrate this so that they do damage to Israel without eliciting a massive Israeli response.

This is really a situation where we're all on the knife's edge because escalation is quite likely and quite dangerous.

CHURCH: And Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is warning Iran he will stand against them on every front. He appears determined to push the region into all-out war. So what is going on here? Does Netanyahu even want a ceasefire and hostage release deal, the key to ending the possibility of all-out war in the region?

COOK: Well, it's not entirely clear that a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas would bring an end to these hostilities. The Iranians have been clear over a period of time that they've been looking for a fight with Israel. I think from the Israeli perspective, they have been willing to take significant risks to go after their adversaries since October 7th to prove that they still have a significant amount of capability.

None of this lends itself towards a calming of regional tensions, but rather an increase in those tensions and an intensification of a regional conflict that is already underway.

CHURCH: And what should the international community be doing at this time to calm nerves and perhaps build a bridge to peace?

COOK: Well, there's not a lot that can be done at the moment. The parties, particularly Hamas and Israel, don't really want a ceasefire. The Iranians are vowing revenge, as is Hezbollah and the Houthis, for an Israeli attack on the Houthi-controlled port in Yemen. So now is not really the time for diplomacy. This conflict hasn't quite ripened yet, to use a diplomatic term, in order for diplomats to be able to use their skills in order to bring about a more peaceful and stable region.

CHURCH: And some analysts have suggested that Israel, Iran, Hezbollah, other militant groups don't really want all-out war. Do you agree with that assessment?

COOK: No, I don't. I think that all of these actors are spoiling for a fight. The Iranians want war on their terms, where their territory isn't attacked. The Israelis very much want to push Hezbollah back away from its border and destroy Hamas. The Houthis have taken every opportunity since October 7th to try to strike at Israel and to gain leverage over shipping in the Red Sea.

All of these actors, as I said, are spoiling for a fight. It's not quite clear to me why others believe that they don't want all-out war when everything that they've done and all of their incentives are to continue the conflict.

CHURCH: Stephen Cook, thank you so much for joining us and sharing your analysis and perspective. Appreciate it.

COOK: My pleasure.

CHURCH: Still to come, protests escalate in the U.K. as rioters attack hotels housing asylum seekers. We will have the British Prime Minister's message to demonstrators as violence flares across the country.

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[02:25:00]

CHURCH: U.S. stock futures are dropping. Right now, you can see the Nasdaq down more than 5 percent. Each of the three major indices finished in the red Friday after a disappointing U.S. jobs report had investors looking to sell. An Asian market stumbled out of the gate this morning as the global sell-off continued. Mark Stewart is following developments for us from Beijing. He joins us now. Good to see you, Mark. So pretty rough start in Asia. What do those numbers look like right now?

MARK STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, at first what began as a stumble has resulted in an across-the-board plunge in markets here in Asia. There are no question traders in the United States are going to be very anxious when markets open later today.

Let me first focus on Japan. Its benchmark index, the Nikkei, closed down more than 12 percent. If we look at the point loss, it's the biggest single point day loss in market history. But it's not just in Japan. It's in South Korea. The KOSPI, the benchmark index there, plunged more than 8 percent today. Also, stocks in Taiwan seen big losses as well.

You know, normally when we look at markets here in Asia, if we see a percentage loss of anywhere from 1 to 2 percent, that's seen as significant.

[02:29:57]

The fact that we saw the losses that we have seen today in Japan and in South Korea, it is quite frankly breathtaking. As far as what's happening, what's fueling the selloff in this part of the world -- well, in Japan for example, it was just announced by central bank that more interest rate hikes are likely in the months ahead. It's going to make it more expensive for people to borrow money. That causes so a lot of anxiety and apprehension among traders.

But also, as one trader told us today, there is this contagion effect, this idea that if people are scared or concerned though, just start to sell off for any reason. And that's what may be happening today. In fact, in both Japan and in South Korea, we saw exchanges institute what are known as circuit breakers. It's a mechanism that kicks in to prevent panic selling when there's so much volatility as were seeing today.

And basically what happens is that trading is pause for a period of time to essentially try to calm things down, basically calling a time out. So that is what has been transpiring over the last few hours.

Now, as we follow the sun and look to the United States, traders there have a lot of things to be uncertain about. You I mentioned the jobs report been lackluster, but were also going to get a long list of corporate earnings this week. Some of the biggest names in tech, in consumer products are all going to release their earnings. Well, that is attention getting, it's the guidance for the future which really will put Wall Street on edge or at least paying attention, for example, Intel last week announced that its going to lay people off and then Amazon, which has had some success has indicated that the growth from the past may not be as robust in the future. So that is creating concern.

So, Rosemary, the fear is that the sell off that we saw here in Asia could transpire to other parts of the world, including Europe, and of course, the United States.

CHURCH: All right. Marc Stewart joining us live from Beijing with that very sobering news. Appreciate it.

To the U.K. now, where violent protests fueled by far right groups intensified Sunday. Protesters in northern England vandalized and set fire to two holiday in hotels that are being used to house asylum seekers. They also smashed windows and attacked police. Violence erupted after three young girls were killed in a stabbing attack last week, the fire right, has seized on the attack to spread disinformation, and to mobilize anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant protests.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer address the nation amid the unrest.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: People in this country have a right to be safe and yet, we've seen Muslim communities targeted, attacks on mosques. Other minority communities singled out. Nazi salutes in the street, attacks on the police, wanton violence alongside racist rhetoric. So, no, I won't shy away from calling it what it is -- far-right, thuggery.

I think there needs to be the full force of the law and I think it needs to be swift standing arrangements are in place for that, and we will do whatever it takes to ensure that the message is absolutely clear.

But if you're taking part in this violence, you will regret it. And you'll be brought to justice as quickly as possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Ukraine is celebrating what it calls a new chapter, two-and- a-half years after Russia's full-scale invasion. Here's why.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

CHURCH: These are the first of the long awaited F-16 fighter jets operating inside Ukraine. They've been donated by Ukraine's allies after months of negotiations and pleas from Ukraine's leaders and training for Ukrainian pilots who had to learn how to fly them.

Ukraine's president is thanking his Western partners and saying it's been a longtime coming.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We often heard the words it's impossible as a response, but we made possible what was already envisioned, or need in defense. Now, it is a reality -- reality is in our skies, F-16s in Ukraine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Russia has maintained air superiority throughout the course of the war, but there's F-16s and the others still the car will for critical air cover for Ukrainian forces.

[02:35:01]

They can attack ground targets, intercept missiles, and take on enemy planes from the sky.

And we'll be right back.

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CHURCH: The competition continues on day 10 of the Paris Games with more medals up for grabs among those individual events in artistic gymnastics for both men and women. Team USA's Simone Biles has yet another chance to earn more Olympic hardware. Here's a look at the current middle count in Paris. Team USA is tied

with China for the most gold medals with 19 each. The Americans also have a comfortable lead in total medal count, 71 overall, to China's 45 in second place.

And right now, the mixed relay triathlon is underway in Paris amid continued concerns over the River Seine's water quality. Olympic officials announced Sunday the bacteria level would be, quote, within acceptable limits by world triathlon, the sports governing body. Withdrawals and substitutions to team rosters have been made when athletes became sick after competing in the Seine though, there's no official link between those illness says and the River Seine.

And CNN's Saskya Vandoorne joins me now from Paris, standing by the Seine.

So, Saskya, what more are you learning about this, and, of course, the water quality concerns?

SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: Yes, Rosemary. As you said, you do the mixed chaff on a second place right now just further down the river. But there are two athletes who are not competing today, and that's because they're following that individual triathlon, just last week. So there are a lot of questions about the water quality today and the Seine.

So what do we know? We know that Belgium dropped out yesterday after one of its athletes Claire Michel at fell ill. We know that she was at the Olympic village clinic yesterday.

[02:40:04]

But crucially, Rosemary, we don't know what her illness is and whether or not it is linked to the war water quality of the Seine. But the Belgium Olympic committee did release a statement with some sharp words saying that they hope that lessons will be learned for future triathlon competitions at the Olympic Games, such as guaranteeing training days competition days, and the competition format.

Now, meanwhile, Switzerland did have to change its lineup after one of its athletes got a gastro-intestinal infection. But again, we do not know if that infection is linked to the athletes swim in the Seine last week. So, we wait to hear more about these athletes and that condition, Rosemary, but it's true that a lot of the training days for the traffic on hat to be canceled because when there is heavy rain, that's when water pollution goes up in the Seine. That's when those bacteria levels rise.

But organizers have been testing the water every day and they say that it was clean enough for the athletes to swim in it last week and indeed, again today. But, Rosemary, I just want to remind our viewers that, you know, US$1.5 billion was spent to clean up the Seine, and it's not just for the Olympics, the whole point is that the Seine is meant to be a place where Parisians can cool off in the summer in the years to come -- Rosemary.

CHURCH: Our Saskya Vandoorne joining us there from the Seine in Paris. Appreciate it.

And thank you for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. For our International and Max viewers, "WORLD SPORT" is coming up next.

And for those of you here in the United States and in Canada, I'll be back with more CNN NEWSROOM after short break.

Do stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:45:39]

CHURCH: Welcome back to our viewers here in North America. I'm Rosemary Church.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will soon choose her running mate, but time is running out. Harris is expected to kick off a swing state blitz with her choice at a Philadelphia rally on Tuesday. Sources say Harris interviewed at least three top VP contenders, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

Meanwhile, the presumptive Democratic nominee will be making appeals to anti-Trump voters with targeted ads and themed events. The group known as Republicans for Biden is now officially relaunching as Republicans for Harris. The Harris campaign is hoping that Republicans repelled by Donald Trump can help make a difference for Democrats in critical states.

Trump and Harris are zeroing in on the state of Georgia, and for good reason. Just four years ago, President Joe Biden won the crucial battleground state by less than 12,000 votes.

CNN's Randi Kaye spoke with a group of women voters in this crucial state to say what they think of the race now that Harris has replaced Joe Biden on the Democratic ticket.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) what is this piece called?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This was is --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Goddess.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- the motherhood and the --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ocean.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- ocean.

RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Show of hands here, who in the group is glad that Joe Biden dropped out of the race? All of you.

Kamala Harris has raised $200 million in one week. How do you feel about that? Has that energized any of you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To see young people so energized and registering to vote in huge numbers, it feels very similar to the energy that I felt when President Obama was running.

BRITNEY DANIELS, GEORGIA VOTER: I feel the same way.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But I wonder, is this a honeymoon period? Is it going to stay like this?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think this is going to get, you know, crazy, like Kamala crazy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As a fourth grader, wondering if a black woman would ever be president, and now it's something that could actually happen is like realizing a dream.

KAYE HLAVATY, UNDECIDED GEORGIA VOTER: I think we are ready for a woman.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely.

HLAVATY: I think we're ready for a woman of color. I'm not sure we're ready for Kamala Harris.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't look at their skin color, or if it's a man or woman, I want a qualified candidate. And based on what she has or hasn't done so far, I'm not seeing a very qualified candidate.

KAYE: Some Republicans have been referring to Kamala Harris as a DEI hire.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's an easy dig. You know, it's like you can always go for the jugular instead of, like, you guys stated earlier, what she's done, what her record has shown, and what she stands for. I think it's just an easy dig.

DANIELS: I think it is amazing to have her at the top. If you look at her political career versus Trump, she trumps him.

KAYE: The fact that Kamala Harris is a big supporter of reproductive rights, is that a big draw for you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Huge plus for me. Having body autonomy is, we all should have, the right to choose what we do with our own bodies.

KAYE: How many of you think Kamala Harris can beat Donald Trump?

DANIELS: Oh yes, I do.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm halfway.

HLAVATY: When it was announced that this was happening, I went, oh darn, what now?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's going to be close. I really feel like it's going to be extremely close. It could go either way.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And if they can get our young black males out to vote, that's going to be, to me, the deciding factor, which pushes her over the edge.

HLAVATY: Because I thought, OK, I thought we were going to have a Republican, but now --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- who knows?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, it's a real fight now.

KAYE: Do you think it's fair that the Republicans blame Harris for the problem at the border? In part, the border crossings have dropped to a three-year low in June.

HLAVATY: I don't know whether it's Harris's fault or whose fault it is, but it has definitely increased in the type of people who are crossing into the border and the damage that they're doing to our country.

KAYE: Harris has become more in line with some of Biden's positions on certain issues, in some cases even reversing where she stood in the 2020 race now. How do you feel about the evolving positions?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is that for real or is she just saying what she thinks people want to hear? Are they rebranding Kamala to be more palatable?

DANIELS: I believe it. I think with her having served as VP for the past four years, things have changed.

[02:50:04]

KAYE: What makes you nervous about Trump running against Kamala Harris?

HLAVATY: Because Kamala is a great spokesman. She's a debater. She's going to appeal to a wide range of Americans, regardless of color or even female. I just think people are going to like her.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's likable.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's very likable.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Very likable.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Trump, he's his own worst enemy with his ego, huge ego, and his huge mouth to match.

KAYE: Let's talk about the presidential debate that's supposed to happen in September. Kamala Harris is calling him out on this, saying that he's backtracking. Do you feel like Trump is sort of running from this second debate a bit? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely.

DANIELS: I think he's scared because he actually will have to come with some real --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fact.

DANIELS: -- facts and information.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He would have to prepare a little bit more to debate her. Plus, he's argued in court.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think women from all across the board are going to really be paying attention to this debate because it's like, OK, we know your track record with a woman.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If he were well prepared, he would do well. But it's going to be tough because, you know, she's smooth. She really is.

KAYE: Last time we spoke, two of you, Kay and Kaye, had decided. You said that you had decided on a candidate, and it was Donald Trump. Are you still firm on that?

HLAVATY: I'm not still firm. I would love the Republican Party to win. But I think Kamala Harris has so much to offer that it could go either way. And Trump has accomplished a lot in the four years. What Kamala has to convince me of is that those things will return.

KAYE: Are you still firm on Donald Trump?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. And, I mean, it's not Trump so much as the Republicans. And I'm not convinced that Kamala is the one. I feel like she's got a lot of Biden baggage that's following her.

KAYE: I know the three of you last time we talked were still undecided. Are you decided now?

DANIELS: I am.

KAYE: You are?

DANIELS: Yes.

KAYE: And who are you going to vote for?

DANIELS: Harris. She speaks more to me. She's more likable, for one. Younger, I like that because she's going to be able to relate more to younger people.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Definitely voting for Kamala Harris.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm definitely leaning more towards Harris. Obviously, in the honest truth, it's because she's a woman. And I think the country is ready for a woman. And it's not because she's black, it's because she's a female. And I personally just think a female can actually do the job better. (END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: CNN's Randi Kaye with that report.

With cases of COVID-19 picking up yet again in recent weeks, there are renewed questions and concerns about how to keep up with current prevention.

Our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta weighs in.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: This week, we asked viewers what questions they had about this summer's COVID-19 wave, and you had a lot of them, specifically about the shots and when you should get your next one.

So, first of all, we don't know exactly when the most updated shots are going to be available, but you can probably expect them some sometime this fall.

There's a few things to keep in mind. The new COVID shot is going to target the JN.1 variant, which incidentally is a descendant of the omicron variant. Remember that?

Now, the predominant strain that's circulating right now is KP.3, which is a descendant of both of those are omicron and JN.1.

So the bottom line is the new COVID shot should be pretty protective against the currently circulating strains.

Also, remember this: immunity we're learning lasts around four to six months. So keep that number in the back of your mind. That is probably the reason that were seeing a summer surge as the protection, whereas off from the last set of shots. Also, there's been a lot of discussion recently about a combination shot, COVID and flu in the same shot. Moderna, the pharma company, had some positive trial results with that combination earlier this summer, but we're learning it's not going to be ready for this fall.

You can, however, remember, get both the flu and COVID shots at the same time in try and do that sometime before Halloween.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: American Noah Lyles is still riding high on his gold medal win on Sunday and the Olympic men's one hundred meter dash.

CNN's Coy Wire has more on his impressive win and other highlights from day nine of the Summer Games.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: America's Noah Lyles, has staked his claim is the fastest man in the world when I talked to him ahead of these games. She said he already knew he was this was just more for everybody else. A 20-year drought for the USA is over. Olympic final of the men's 100 meters, the most exhilarating nine seconds in sports years of training for a moment that lasts about two deep breaths.

And this one went down to a photo finish, Jamaica's 23-year-old Kishane Thompson thought he won but after about 15 seconds, it was determined that American Noah Lyles out-lean him at the tape, a personal best 9.79 seconds, beating Thompson by 0.005 of a second. USA's Fred Kerley currently took the bronze.

[02:55:01]

Lyles didn't win the qualifier, didn't win the semifinal. But when it mattered most, he delivered, he is the first American man to win the 100 meters in 20 years.

To golf, the come for the ages, world number one Scottie Scheffler overcoming a four stroke deficit on the final day to win his first Olympic gold, shooting nine under 62 on his final round. Team GB's Tommy Fleetwood took the silver, Japan's Hideki Matsuyama took the bronze.

What a year it's been for Scottie Scheffler, six wins on PGA Tour, including the Masters, but dominance continues.

Novak Djokovic's finally snagged the one thing that seemed to elude him, winning his first Olympic gold in his fifth games. He beat Carlos Alcaraz in a thriller at Roland Garros, 7-6, 76. That 37-years-old Djokovic has become the oldest man to but when a singles gold medal, it also completes Djokovic's career golden slam, having won Olympics gold and all four majors.

Bobby Finke defends his title, setting a new world record in the 1,500 meter freestyle of 14:30.67. You can call them back-to-back. Bobby, he put the entire men's program on his back. First American man to win an individual gold at these games. And he did it on the last race possible.

Finally, one of the wildest gold medals but these games in cycling road race. Team USA's Kristen Faulkner grew up in homer, Alaska riding her bike around the fishing villages, became a varsity rower at Harvard, got a degree in computer science, started riding seriously just seven years ago, zipping through Central Park as a hobby.

She got hooked. She quit her career working at investment firms its in 2022 and now at 31-years-old, she is an Olympic gold medalist. See, there's hope for all of us.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And thanks for your company this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. I'll be back with more CNN NEWSROOM in just a moment.

Do stay with us.