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Iran Reiterates Threat to Attack Israel; Biden to Meet with National Security Team; Harris Meets with VP Candidates for Final Interview; RFK Jr. Tells Story of Leaving Dead Bear Cub in Central Park; Stephen Nedoroscik Becomes Olympic Fan Favorite. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired August 05, 2024 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:00]

LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: -- area of operation. The Roosevelt, the carrier strike group Roosevelt is already there, has been operating in the region for a couple of weeks. So, we're basically reinforcing the number of ships in the area. So, a combination of not just the aircraft on those two carriers, but also the destroyers and the cruisers that provide excessive air defense and really capable air defense in an integrated system in that region.

There are going to be -- if Iran makes good on their promises, there are going to be not only launches from within Western Iran, but also potentially from PMF forces in Syria, potentially even Iraq, as well as the attacks that may come from Southern Lebanon, which is -- which seems to have been increasing over the last few years -- few weeks. And it is an indicator that Israel might be pulled into a two-front war.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. And I was talking with Congressman Bera just a short time ago on this program, and he said his concern is that you could have Israel come under attack, not only by the Iranians, but Houthi rebels, Hezbollah, all of the folks you mentioned.

We saw back in April, you just mentioned it a few moments ago, that test of the Iron Dome defensive system that the Israelis have, can it withstand that kind of multi-pronged attack if that were to take place?

HERTLING: Well, the Iron Dome is truly, Jim, a limited system. I think a lot of people believe it does more than it does. It is meant primarily for missile and an artillery round attacks within a small region. The Israelis also have David's Slang and the aero system. But they need reinforcement. If you're talking about literally hundreds of weapon systems coming from multiple directions, like you just said, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran, perhaps even the Yemi -- the Houthis in Yemen, you're talking about a multi-pronged system of approaches to attack.

Last time they were not synchronized to be the most effective. They all came in one barrage and it was -- they were easily shot down. But if those are synchronized in a way that could overwhelm the system, yes, it's going to be very problematic. And that's what concerns me the most.

ACOSTA: All right. General Mark Hertling, I wish we had more time. We'll get back to you as soon as we can. But thank you so much for being on this morning. We appreciate it.

HERTLING: Great to be with you, Jim. Thanks.

ACOSTA: All right. Good to see you, General. In the meantime, the focus has been on Trump and Harris. But you remember this person, RFK Jr. He is still running for president and is sharing some bizarre stories about his past, how he says he ended up with the body of a dead bear in his car about a decade ago, and why his plans for all of that did not exactly quite work out. We'll talk about that in just a few moments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:35:00]

ACOSTA: All right. Back to our breaking news right now. We are looking at what's taking place down in Wall Street. The Dow Jones is down about 1,010 points. It's about 2.5 percent. We've been watching this all morning. The plummet is fueling fears of recession amid a global market meltdown. Tech stocks are driving this nose drive -- nose dive, I should say, as investors are selling off all of those equities as well as crypto and oil stocks also contributing to the drop Friday's disappointing jobs report and an unchanged Fed interest rate.

All of that happening as three men are emerging as the front runners to be Kamala Harris' running mate this weekend, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly met with the vice president for what's expected to be their final interview in the vetting process.

Today is likely decision day for Harris, who is launching a week-long battleground blitz with her running mate tomorrow starting in Philadelphia. Let's discuss with CNN political commentators, Maria Cardona and Shermicheal Singleton.

Maria, I do want to talk -- we're watching the stock market. We -- I do want to talk about the veepstakes, but I suppose there is a political concern about the markets if this keeps going in this direction.

MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR AND DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, that's certainly not great numbers that anybody wants to see, right? But I will say, you know, what I've heard economists say is that this is not an issue that is structural the way that the 2008 meltdown was. That every other indication is that the economy is stable, solid, strong. And so, we'll just have to see this through, see what happens.

And frankly, you know, the majority of Americans are not in the stock market. And so, what I believe the vice president will continue to talk about is how she's going to expand the middle-class, how she's going to make this economy work for everyone and refocus on Donald Trump's plan, Project 2025, and how almost every economist across the spectrum has said if he imposes that plan, it would be a disaster for Americans across the board, and especially for low income and middle- class Americans.

ACOSTA: Let's talk veepstakes. Feel free if you want to weigh in on the economy too, Shermichael.

SHERMICHEAL SINGLETON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR AND REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Yes. I mean, look, this definitely makes it difficult to make the case in the argument that Bidenomics, if you will, is working for the average American family. I was also reading that the banks in Japan were also tightening the belt.

With those types of numbers, if this was to continue, lenders are going to tighten the belt. We know that a significant percent of middle-class people are relying heavily on their credit cards right now. That's going to become harder for them. Banks are likely going to be more careful in terms of deciding who to lend to and who not to lend to in regards to small business owners. Individuals trying to buy their first homes. Imagine if you're a young person looking in the market.

[10:40:00]

So, I think these hits against every single thing the vice president will attempt to argue that Biden, over the four years with her as vice president, has done well for the average person economically.

ACOSTA: Yes, we'll see how it shakes out. I mean, I was talking to Steve Schmidt earlier this morning and he was saying, well, you know, in 2008, I mean, that was a big --

CARDONA: Right.

ACOSTA: -- that was a big impact on that race. I remember I was out there with Barack Obama and when John McCain uttered those words, the fundamentals of the economy are strong. I mean, that was a big hit to the McCain campaign.

CARDONA: But that was also -- you could see -- anyone who was looking at what was going on in the housing market could see that coming. That is not -- This is not that.

ACOSTA: Yes.

CARDONA: And so, certainly, everyone's keeping an eye on it. But right now -- and I don't think it makes it difficult for the vice president to make the argument. I think it makes it actually more real for her to make the argument that this is about middle-class families, low-income families, workers and that there's no question --

ACOSTA: But how frustrated are they in the White House right now with the Fed -- with the Fed chairman?

CARDONA: I mean, I don't know. I haven't spoken to them. ACOSTA: Yes, yes, yes.

CARDONA: But there's an argument to be made that this actually will push the Fed to bring down interest rates which is -- my understanding is that this is a reaction to them not doing that. And so, if that happens, that will help, you know, Americans across the board.

SINGLETON: You certainly want to -- you don't want to do it prematurely, I would argue. We've already had difficulties earlier this year, selling treasury notes, which allows our country to continue to print unlimited amounts of money, which is ridiculous. But that's another conversation to have.

I think the Fed, if you're looking at monetary easing and monetary theory, generally speaking, is attempting to be very, very careful in how he placates the markets not only domestically but internationally. And so, I'm not convinced, to Maria's point, that the Fed will lower rates by the next Fed meeting, which is in September.

Again, this is difficult if you're a Democrat trying to run on the idea that the economy, generally speaking, is strong. By all metrics that is not the case. If you're a single individual, if you're a family of four, you are seeing the diminishment of your spending powers compared to eight years ago.

CARDONA: But see, what Harris is arguing is that she is there to focus on expanding opportunities for all Americans, and what Trump wants to do would actually destroy those opportunities for the majority of Americans.

ACOSTA: Let's get to the veepstakes. Maria, who's your -- who do you have right now? I mean, I'm just (INAUDIBLE) with this setup. I mean, Josh Shapiro -- I mean, they're launching this thing in Philadelphia, which to me is all but telegraphing what's going to take place, but I suppose that may not be the case, but there's been a sort of a backlash on the left, Maria, to Josh Shapiro. What's going on there?

CARDONA: Well, you know, the issue with veepstakes is that everyone will find something in the background of every candidate to focus on. So, I don't think that's going to be an issue. I will say, let's not read too much into the fact that's in Philly tomorrow. The tweet that came out of the mayor in Philadelphia on Saturday.

It might be Josh Shapiro, but it might not be Josh Shapiro. And I don't think that anyone really knows. People who are whispering to reporters don't know. We're not going to know until we know. The great thing is that every single one of the gentlemen that has been looked at, it will be a fantastic governing partner.

ACOSTA: Yes.

CARDONA: And will help her make the case that she is going to be the best person in the White House in November.

ACOSTA: Do you have a thought on this, Shermichael? SINGLETON: I mean, look I don't want to give my Democratic friends advice on how to choose the best running mate to give them an electoral and structural advantage, but I will say while Governor Shapiro would certainly be one to watch, I do think there's a contingency within the Democratic Party, specifically progressive younger who would not be friends of Josh Shapiro. Some of them have referred to him as Genocide Josh, which is a disgusting term based on what's going on between Israel and Hamas.

There is certainly a level of anti-Zionism, anti-Semitism within the Democratic Party that they are going to have to contend with if he is indeed Vice President Harris' running mate. So, I think there's going to be some structural issues there in states like Michigan.

CARDONA: I completely disagree. Let's remember that the vice president is there to back up all of the policies of the president no matter what they believe, no matter what they have said before.

ACOSTA: I -- there's just a little bit of time. I have to ask you about this latest RFK Jr. controversy. His campaign is getting a bit gamey, you might say. He just admitted to dumping a bear carcass in Central Park. I guess we could take a listen to some of this. We have some of this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT KENNEDY JR., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So, I pulled over and I picked up the bear and put him in the back of my van because I was going to skin the bear and it was very good condition and I was going to -- and put the meat in my refrigerator. I said, let's go put the bear in Central Park and we'll make it look like he got eaten by a lion. It'll be fun and funny for people. So, we went and did that and we thought it would be amusing for whoever found it or something.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[10:45:00]

ACOSTA: And by the way, that's Roseanne Barr that RFK Jr. is with. But now, he's telling the New Yorker that maybe he got the brain worm. Remember the brain worm, from handling the carcass.

CARDONA: Yes. I mean, I feel like I don't even really need to say anything because everything that has been said about Trump and his candidacy and his folks, J. D. Vance, about how weird they are.

ACOSTA: This is weird summer.

CARDONA: This is weird.

ACOSTA: Yes, yes.

SINGLETON: I mean, it's an interesting story. RFK is an interesting guy and I'm -- just for transparency here, his son is a friend of mine.

ACOSTA: OK.

SINGLETON: So, I just -- the audience needs to know that in terms of why isn't Shermichael jumping after this guy. I want to be respectful of --

ACOSTA: But his campaign is stuck up in a tree right now.

SINGLETON: But in terms of like electoral politics, this is certainly an issue that I don't think brings in people under your camp. I think it makes them more skeptical.

CARDONA: I heard --

ACOSTA: I was going to say, Maria, as his poll numbers go down, that has to be a worrying sign to some extent for Democrats, right? Because initially the thought was all the Trump people were piling money into the RFK Jr. campaign to help him.

CARDONA: No, I don't think --

ACOSTA: But it has kind of boomerang and hurt Trump a little bit.

CARDONA: I don't think -- well, that's true.

ACOSTA: Yes.

CARDONA: I don't think it's worrisome for us at all. I think that the energy and the mobilization and the enthusiasm that we have seen for Vice President Kamala Harris is palpable and it's only going to grow. And you know, I heard JFK say about this incident that it's a joke. His whole campaign has been a joke, sadly.

ACOSTA: Yes, yes, yes.

SINGLETON: Well, look. I do wonder what happens to that 11 to 18 percent of the voters RFK was pulling in over the past nine months. I think most of those folks are going to Trump.

CARDONA: They'll go to Kamala Harris.

ACOSTA: Yes.

SINGLETON: I love this, Maria.

ACOSTA: I had a lot of beer puns, but I have to go. I will say I'm not --

SINGLETON: Way to go split, Maria. Some to Vice President Harris, some to the former president.

CARDONA: Most will go to Kamala Harris.

SINGLETON: You're not going to see that, are you? No? OK. That's fair.

ACOSTA: Appreciate it. All right. SINGLETON: Thanks, Jim.

CARDONA: Thanks, Jim.

SINGLETON: We'll talk bears during the break. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:50:00]

ACOSTA: All right. He is the breakout fan favorite who has taken Paris by storm and charmed the internet. I'm talking about the big grinning, glasses wearing American gymnast, Stephen Nedoroscik. You might just know him as pommel horse guy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They brought one man to do only one event, just the pommel horse because he is the pommel horse specialist.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): mom loves Steve the pommel horse guy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Now, Nedoroscik's only event was the pommel horse and he nailed it. His routine cemented the U.S. men's gymnastics team a bronze medal win and it's the first men's team medals since 2008. He's also won an individual bronze medal on pommel horse. And joining us now is Matt Carbone. He is the owner of the gym where Stephen trained for 11 years. It looks like you're joining us live from the gym where it all went down.

What do you know about Stephen? Did you think that he was going to become this huge? Overnight sensation.

MATT CARBONE, OWNER OF GYM WHERE STEPHEN NEDOROSCIK TRAINED AND OWNER, STERLING GYM: That was very unexpected, but very wonderful to see Stephen excel at his sports. It's been a wild ride this past week. We're so proud of everything that he's accomplished. And beyond just gymnastics, what he's done for men's gymnastics has been amazing. We're very proud of him.

ACOSTA: And is that -- forgive me for looking at the screen here, but is that the pommel horse behind you where he would train? Is that -- take us -- give us a tour of you if you don't mind.

CARBONE: Yes, behind me is the exact pommel horse that Stephen trained on while he was growing up, he was here throughout his childhood until he graduated in 2016. And it's the same pommel horse that all of our team boys train on in a daily basis. And now, they have inspiration and somebody really to look up to.

ACOSTA: Yes. And, Matt, I mean, what was he like around the gym? I mean, how did he -- did he just concentrate on that one particular event? What was he like? CARBONE: He actually competed as an all-around gymnast when he was with us, meaning he competed in all six of the men's apparatus. But he always gravitated towards the pommel horse. It seemed to be his favorite event. He enjoyed training hard on it. And by college, by the time he got to Penn State, he was the specialist on pommel horse winning national championships and NCAA championships. It was just his event.

ACOSTA: And what do you --

CARBONE: His personality that you see --

ACOSTA: Yes.

CARBONE: -- is the media is truly him. It's his quirky attitude. His personality shines. He's genuine.

ACOSTA: Yes. And he's got the glasses thing. Everybody's describing him like Clark Kent, you know, takes the glasses off, becomes Superman. I mean, you know, I guess this goes to show you that, you know, you just don't know a kid can just, you know, take off as an athlete. And what -- to what do you ascribe this amazing feat that he's accomplished at the Olympic Games?

CARBONE: I think it's because of his -- just his humble personality, but his ability to cheer on his teammates. He's always been the first one to cheer on his teammates, giving them high fives and pushing them to be the best they could be. That's really shined through.

It's just wild to think that a simple photo of a pair of glasses hanging on the side of a chalk bucket, the whole world now knows what that picture means, Stephen's about to do his job.

ACOSTA: Yes, absolutely. And what message does this send to the kids? I see some of the kids behind you in the gym. What kind of message does that send?

[10:55:00]

CARBONE: It's inspiring for them because they don't get to see their teammates on the world stage. This is something that's really never happened before, especially within our gym. So, all the kids are really excited and they're working super hard because now they want to be just like Stephen. It's going around the gym that the specialist started at Sterling and maybe some of these guys can follow in his footsteps.

ACOSTA: Yes, absolutely. It's really inspiring. Great stuff. And of course, Matt, it's all because of you and your gym. No, I'm just kidding a little bit, but I'm sure in part it's because of you and your gym. It looks like a great place. But, Matt Carbone, thanks very much for your time. We really appreciate it.

CARBONE: Thank you for having me today.

ACOSTA: All right. Good to see you, sir. All right. And thanks very much for joining me in this hour. I'm Jim Acosta. Our next hour of Newsroom starts after a quick break. Be right back.

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[11:00:00]