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Harris, Walz Hold First Rally as Democratic Ticket; Global Markets Rebound After Monday's Stock Meltdown; British Prime Minister Pledges to Keep People Safe with More Protests Planned; Tropical Storm Debby Gets Stronger; Foreign Ministers from Islamic Nations to Meet in Jeddah Today. Aired 4-4:30a ET
Aired August 07, 2024 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:00:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S. (D) AND U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am now officially the Democratic Nominee for president of the United States.
GOV. TIM WALZ (D-MN), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you for bringing back the joy. Don't ever underestimate the power of this, she does it all with a sense of joy.
And I just have to say it. You know it. You feel it. These guys are creepy and yes, just weird as hell. That's what you see.
ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: It is really on him to decide whether to move forward with a cease fire, for the negotiations have reached their final stage.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nobody should be out on the streets in these conditions. We need you to stay home until this passes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN NEWSROOM with Max Foster and Christina Macfarlane.
MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, a warm welcome to our viewers joining us from the U.S. and around the world. I'm Max Foster.
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Christina Macfarlane. It's Wednesday, August 7th, 9 a.m. here in London. 3 a.m. in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where Democratic Kamala Harris and her newly announced running mate Tim Walz will campaign today.
Harris introduced the Minnesota governor as her pick for VP on Tuesday in Philadelphia.
FOSTER: Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance also has events scheduled in Wisconsin and Michigan before heading to North Carolina, all key swing states there. Harris kicked off the Pennsylvania rally with a major announcement. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: I stand before you today to proudly announce I am not officially the Democratic nominee for president of the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: The raucous rally was the first time voters got to hear from Harris and Walz as a team and hear details about his background.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: To his fellow veterans, he is Sergeant Major Walz. To his former high school students, he was Mr. Walz. And to his former high school football players, he was Coach.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Walz has made a name for himself campaigning for Harris over the past few weeks and is credited with this now famous line of attack.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALZ: Pointing out just an observation of mine that I made, I just have to say it. You know it, you feel it -- these guys are creepy, and yes, just weird as hell. That's what you see.
(CHEERING)
WALZ: That's what you see.
(CHEERING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: Walz showed he won't shy away from playing the role of the attack dog against the Republicans. He got the biggest applause of the day with this jab.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALZ: He mocks our laws. He sows chaos and division. And that's to say nothing of his record as president.
He froze in the face of the COVID crisis. He drove our economy into the ground. And make no mistake, violent crime was up under Donald Trump.
(APPLAUSE)
WALZ: That's not even counting the crimes he committed.
(CHEERING)
(END VIDEO CLIP) FOSTER: Well a poll taken before Harris picked Walz shows 70 percent of voters were unsure of their impression of him or have never heard of him. The Trump campaign is already on the attack, sending out a fundraising email saying Walz should be -- would be the worst vice president in history and unleash hell on earth.
MACFARLANE: For more now on the Democratic tickets, big debut from CNN's MJ Lee in Philadelphia.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Vice President Kamala Harris selecting Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate.
HARRIS: And, in 91 days...
(APPLAUSE)
HARRIS: ... the nation will know Coach Walz by another name -- vice president of the United States.
(APPLAUSE)
[04:05:00]
BENBROOK (voice-over): The two made a joint appearance hours after the announcement during a rally in Philadelphia Tuesday evening.
WALZ: Thank you, Madam Vice President, for the trust you put in me, but maybe more so, thank you for bringing back the joy.
(APPLAUSE)
BENBROOK (voice-over): The 60-year-old emerged as a favorite for some high-profile Democrats and labor unions. A source familiar with the process says that Harris was impressed in part with the governor's authenticity.
WALZ: The joy that you're bringing back to the country, the enthusiasm that's out there, it would be a privilege to take this with you across the country.
BENBROOK (voice-over): Walz is a veteran and former congressman who represented a conservative-leaning rural district for 12 years. Prior to that, he was a high school football coach and teacher.
WALZ: I don't know if every high school geography teacher expects to be in this position at some point, but it is very strange to be running on my treadmill and have people talking about the things that are there.
BENBROOK (voice-over): He's already proving to be an effective messenger. He was one of the first to refer to the top of the GOP ticket as weird, a talking point that has gained traction in recent weeks.
WALZ: These guys are just weird. That's who they are. So, it isn't much else. Don't give them the power.
BENBROOK (voice-over): With less than 100 days to go, Harris and Walz will hit the ground running, making several stops in battleground states this week.
Reporting in Washington, I'm Julia Benbrook.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Now that the tickets are set then, for both major parties comes the question of debates. Here's Republican hopeful J.D. Vance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. J.D. VANCE (R-OH), REPUBLICAN VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I absolutely want to debate Tim Walz, but I want to debate him after he's actually officially the nominee. And I did call him and congratulate him and offer my best wishes. I think that's the polite thing to do.
But look, would it shock me if the Democrats pulled another switcheroo? No, it wouldn't. So, look, we're going to wait until they actually nominate Kamala Harris and Tim Walz before we do any debates.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: Walz is officially the nominee for the Democrats. He took aim at Vance's backstory and said he's anxious to debate.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WALZ: Like all regular people I grew up with in the heartland, J.D. studied at Yale...
(LAUGHTER)
WALZ: ... had his career funded by Silicon Valley billionaires, and then wrote a bestseller trashing that community. Come on! That's not what middle America is. And I've got to tell you, I can't wait to debate the guy.
(CHEERING)
WALZ: That is, if he's willing to get off the couch and show up, so.
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE)
WALZ: You see what I did there?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: Max, Walz did not come to play, did he?
FOSTER: No, and he's -- I think the polls are obviously right. A lot of people don't know much about him. But they've clearly got defined roles. Him and Harris have really sort of carved it up.
MACFARLANE: Yes, and he has come out of the gates firing. Goodness me, this race is getting interesting. It's fascinating, in fact.
Now, let's move on to the markets, right? Because across the globe, they appear to be steadily recovering after Monday's meltdown. Today, Asian markets continued the rebound with Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea all in positive territory.
FOSTER: On Wall Street, stocks bounced back on Tuesday after widespread losses a day earlier. The stock sell-off was triggered by a combination of investors' fears about a slowing U.S. economy, rising Japanese interest rates and crumbling tech stocks, but also these weird sort of instruments, you know, these financial market instruments that work in a particular way, and they sort of got a bit out of control. CNN's Julia Chatterley has more on the markets' wild ride.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNNI ANCHOR: I think you'd be forgiven for feeling a sense of whiplash after seeing green on the screen in Tuesday's U.S. session versus the dramatic losses that we saw in Monday's session. It's not unusual to see a big bounce after a big fall like this. The problem is it doesn't really give us an indication of where stocks are headed next.
The warning sign, perhaps, in what we saw in Tuesday's session was despite having recouped more than half the gains for most of the session, we lost ground into the close. So that selling pressure came back. So got to be a little bit cautious now about how we reopen in Wednesday's trading session. It leaves us watching all the same things.
Part of what helped in Tuesday's session was the big bounce back that we saw in Asia on Tuesday, and that was in part really to do with Japan. But when you're seeing a 12 percent collapse one day and a 10 percent rise the next day, you can't describe these as healthy markets.
That needs watching because there'll be blowback to the global markets if, again, we see similar volatility back in Japan, certainly.
Tech stocks today also helped to some degree. I spoke to a big investor who said, look, he's hearing more people wanting to buy stocks versus sell. Tentatively a good sign, but, again, keep an eye on tech stocks. And I'm talking all over the world.
[04:10:00]
The wild card, then, once again, remains a palpable fear to what degree we're seeing the U.S. economy slow, and the only way we answer that question really is by the data, and that's going to take some time to come through.
Right now the market's pricing a whole host of quarter-point cuts this year for the Federal Reserve. The question is, do we get them? And if we do, we get relief, but it's just going to take some time.
For now, relief, because we've got green on the screen, but watch Wednesday's market open once again. We're not out of the woods yet.
Julia Chatterley, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: We'll be watching, won't we?
British Prime Minister, meanwhile, Keir Starmer, promising to keep communities safe as the country braces for more potentially violent protests in the coming hours. He held another emergency meeting on Tuesday to discuss the response to the unrest. It comes as far-right activists reportedly plan to target immigration centers and law firms today.
MACFARLANE: Well, London's mayor is warning violent protesters will face consequences. He posted on X: If you commit a crime, you will be arrested and face the full force of the law.
FOSTER: The protest began last week after three young girls were stabbed to death in the coastal town of Southport, England. Authorities say the far-right has seized upon that tragedy to demonize Muslims and immigrants, with the suspect in that attack falsely accused of being an Islamic migrant.
MACFARLANE: CNN's Nada Bashir has been following the story and has more now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, here in Rotherham in northern England, there is still a feeling of unease following Sunday's unrest, which saw violent, racist far-right rioters targeting this hotel behind me, a hotel which was reportedly housing asylum seekers.
And we've been speaking to members of the community on Tuesday, many of whom told us that they were feeling afraid. Some told us they were too afraid to leave their homes on Sunday. Others say they are fearful for further riots that could take place here in Rotherham.
And, of course, there have been warnings of further riots planned across the United Kingdom, and we have seen those riots taking place in various cities across the country. On Monday, Plymouth was targeted by yet more violent riots.
And, of course, in Belfast, we have seen serious unrest. Petrol bombs, bricks being thrown towards police officers, family homes being vandalized and targeted. One man in his 50s was also attacked by rioters. Police say that rioters had stamped on his head and have described him as being in a serious condition.
And there is a huge amount of concern, but also a huge amount of pressure now on the British government to take tougher action against these rioters. Take a listen to this message from the U.K. Prime Minister, Keir Starmer.
KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: 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.
BASHIR: The Prime Minister himself has vowed to use the full force of the law against rioters. At least 370 people involved in these riots have been arrested so far. The Crown Prosecution Service has said that it has already charged around 100 people.
But again, there are huge concerns around the potential for more riots to take place across the country. The government has said it is stepping up police presence across the country and preparing additional security measures as a precaution.
Nada Bashir, CNN, in Rotherham, England.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Tropical storm Debby has moved off the U.S. east coast now, well, for now, with its center near the Georgia-South Carolina border there. Now, it's still dumping torrential rain in the region. The storm's grown slightly in strength but is expected to get more powerful before making another landfall, which is later this week.
MACFARLANE: Fire officials in South Carolina report a local dam is holding after concerns it had the potential to fail. The state has received more than a foot or 30 centimeters of rain in multiple areas, and some could see more than two feet or 60 centimeters of rainfall in the coming days.
FOSTER: CNN's Brian Abel shows us the damage caused by tropical storm Debby so far.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN ABEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tropical storm Debby is once again churning in the warm ocean water of the Atlantic, expected to re-strengthen just a few dozen miles off the coast. First hitting Florida, Debby is forecast to strengthen, turn and make a second landfall in South Carolina later this week.
HENRY MCMASTER, SOUTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR: We were preparing for that kind of heavy rainfall and the danger that comes with that kind of flooding.
ABEL (voice-over): Officials already report at least five deaths across two states due to Debby.
JUSTIN POWELL, SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: We strongly advise residents to stay off the roads if at all possible.
ABEL (voice-over): Even communities that escaped a direct hit earlier this week are reeling from torrential rain and immense flooding, including in Sarasota, Florida.
[04:15:00]
GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): We definitely saw very high water rise very quickly there, and we are bracing for more.
ABEL (voice-over): More than 17 inches of rain fell, causing the city's wettest three-day period on record, with water all the way up to rooftops in some places. The storm is expected to head back toward land come Thursday, and then sweep up the East Coast.
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: This storm isn't over yet, so we urge everyone in its path to remain vigilant.
ABEL (voice-over): While all eyes are on Debby, that tropical storm could be just an appetizer of what's to come. Colorado State University forecasters are calling for an abnormally active August in the Atlantic, with an 85 percent chance of above-normal hurricane activity through the 19th.
In South Carolina, I'm Brian Abel.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: A weather experts warn this could be the start of weeks of above-normal hurricane activities. Warm water in the Atlantic Ocean combined with rapidly growing La Nina are creating the perfect conditions for storms, according to forecasters at Colorado State University.
FOSTER: The U.S. National Hurricane Center is already tracking multiple areas of possible development. A total of 23 named storms predicted for this year's Atlantic hurricane season.
A SpaceX mission has delivered a craft to the International Space Station with more than 8,200 pounds of equipment and supplies on board. The cargo will be used for a number of scientific studies, including how fire behaves in space and the effects of microgravity on human cells. Sounds dangerous, setting a fire in space.
MACFARLANE: It's needed, I think. Also on board, a balloon, a penny and a hex nut for demonstrations on centripetal force. The spacecraft will stay at the station until January.
Any ideas on what centripetal force is?
FOSTER: I was going to ask you.
MACFARLANE: Send us your answers.
FOSTER: Still ahead, the Middle East on edge. Hamas elevates the alleged mastermind of the October 7th attacks while Israel braces for expected attacks from Iran and Hezbollah.
MACFARLANE: Plus, Disney is planning price hikes for some streaming services. When subscribers will see the change. FOSTER: And later, new events make their debut at the Olympics. We're live in Paris.
[04:20:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: Hamas has named the alleged mastermind of the October 7th terror attack on Israel as the new head of its political bureau.
MACFARLANE: Yahya Sinwar was already the militant group's leader in Gaza and one of the main targets in Israel's war against Hamas. It's believed Sinwar has often been consulted in the ceasefire and hostage- release talks even while he's been hiding in the vast network of tunnels beneath Gaza.
FOSTER: Sinwar takes over for Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Tehran last week. Both Hezbollah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, two of the main allies of Hamas, have welcomed the news of Sinwar's new role.
MACFARLANE: Meanwhile, Israel and Hezbollah intensified their cross- border fighting on Tuesday. Israeli officials say a swarm of Hezbollah drones injured several people in northern Israel and a Hezbollah rocket barrage caused several fires. The IDF says it struck a building in southern Lebanon used by Hezbollah, killing five people.
FOSTER: Israel's been bracing for further retaliation from both Hezbollah and Iran for the assassinations of key militant figures last week. On Tuesday, the leader of Hezbollah promised a response is coming.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NASSAN NASRALLAH, LEADER OF HEZBOLLAH (through translator): The week- long wait for Israel is part of the punishment, part of the response, part of the battle, because the battle is a psychological and moral one that requires nerves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: Well, our ramblings from Israeli jets were heard over central Beirut ahead of that speech. Meanwhile, today, foreign ministers from several Islamic countries are meeting in Saudi Arabia to discuss the tensions in the region.
Well, Paula is here to discuss this with us. And, Paula, before we get to Hezbollah, the comments there from Nasrallah, Tehran called for this meeting in Saudi Arabia. Why have they done that? What's likely to be on this agenda? Is this a meeting of Arab states?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So what Tehran wants is they want full agreement across the region. They want full support from all their neighbors that they should go ahead with the retaliation against Israel and potentially the U.S. when it comes to Israel's allies. They don't have that full support at this point. So this is why Tehran has called for this, because, of course, Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas political chief, was assassinated on Iran's soil. So it was a huge security embarrassment for them.
Now, what we're seeing on the other side is that the U.S. is trying to call all of its allies in the region and try and counter Iran's push for this retaliation, trying to influence some of its allies to even convince Tehran to contain its reaction, because the last thing that anybody wants is for this conflict to be expanded.
We've seen this diplomatic flurry over the weekend. I mean, Jordan's foreign minister, for example, made a very rare visit to Tehran to talk about this. That's not something that often happens because of the relationship between those two countries.
But we're also hearing that from the U.S. side, the U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, is also calling on Israel to tone it down, to try and pull back a little, trying to make sure that this isn't going to extend any further.
And then, of course, on top of this, you have Yahya Sinwar now being named the head of Hamas. That's not good news for Israel. It's not good news for the United States. In fact, the Secretary of State spoke about it just yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: It is really on him to decide whether to move forward with a ceasefire that manifestly will help so many Palestinians in desperate need.
This is the moment. This is the decisive moment. The negotiations have reached their final stage.
[04:25:00]
So when it comes to defending Israel, we are resolute, we'll remain resolute in making sure that we do everything possible to defend it against any attacks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANCOCKS: So the Secretary there pointing out that, you know, Sinwar's now in charge of those potential ceasefire, hostage negotiations that have effectively stalled. And he's a lot more hardline than Ismail Haniyeh was.
MACFARLANE: Yes, and I guess the question now is, where does that leave these ceasefire talks, right? Because he is so hardline. For now, Paula, thanks very much.
FOSTER: The U.S. Justice Department has taken -- has charged, rather, a Pakistani man with ties to Iran in an alleged murder for hire plot to assassinate former president Donald Trump as well as other current and former U.S. officials. MACFARLANE: 46-year-old Asif Merchant is accused of traveling to New
York and working with a hitman to carry out the assassinations planned for later this month or early next month. A law enforcement official says there's no evidence the plot is linked to the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Pennsylvania last month.
FOSTER: Now just into CNN, authorities in Germany say one person has been killed, several others injured after a hotel collapsed in the western village of Krov overnight. Four people are still missing. The building's still partially intact, but unstable, making rescue efforts very difficult. Hundreds of firefighters and other emergency workers are on the scene. There are 14 people inside that building, or there were when it collapsed. Kamala Harris picks her running mate, it's Walz, for the win, as the Democratic ticket charts a course for the White House. We'll have reaction from Donald Trump.
MACFARLANE: Plus, Israel's finance minister suggests it's just and moral to let millions of people starve in Gaza. More on those shocking comments ahead.
[04:30:00]
