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Georgia Election Board Approving New Rule; Biden "Not Confident" of Peaceful Transfer of Power if Trump Loses; 71 Percent of Americans Don't Know Gov. Walz; Giant Pandas Making Debut at San Diego Zoo. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired August 08, 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]

JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: We are less than 90 days from the presidential election and a controversial new rule in a key battleground state is raising concern among voting rights advocates. Georgia State Election Board approved a new rule giving local officials the ability to conduct inquiries, as they're calling them, and to demand more information, as they're describing it, before certifying election results. Critics say it could slow down election certifications in a state that has already been at the center of a year's long election interference investigation involving President Biden's 2020 win there.

They're joining me now to talk about this, Democracy Docket founder and Elias Law Group partner, Marc Elias. Marc, great to see you again. As soon as this popped up, I knew exactly who to turn to. What is going on in Georgia? And what does this tell us about what's happening around the country?

MARC ELIAS, FOUNDER, DEMOCRACY DOCKET AND PARTNER, ELIAS LAW GROUP: Look, what we have to remember from this story is that Donald Trump at his last campaign rally actually gave a shout out to three of the five members of the otherwise obscure Georgia State Election Board. And lo and behold, shortly after that shout out in which he called them pit bulls and said that one of the things they were going to do is ensure victory, they enacted this new rule that really goes against the grain of how we certify elections in this country.

In this country, voters vote, the election officials tally the votes and then certify the results. And here, there is -- the rule gives some discretion or tries to give some discretion to election officials to maybe say they want to investigate further. And look, this is part of a bigger effort that Donald Trump and Republicans have been trying to launch around the country to allow space for election deniers to be in office and not certify election results.

We saw it an effort in this -- in the 2020 election in Michigan. And in 2022, my team and I had to sue Cochise County, Arizona, some counties in Pennsylvania that were doing exactly this. So, everyone needs to be paid close attention to this as it moves forward.

ACOSTA: I guess, Marc, this is an early sign or maybe not so early sign, we're only three months from the election, that what happens after election day could be a long ruling process in terms of counting the votes with lots of election challenges. And two Republican former Georgia secretaries of states submitted a letter to the board that you were just talking about ahead of this vote cautioning, quote, recent last-minute rule or law changes and non-transparent tactics like those introduced in Georgia are unhelpful and may lead to additional public distrust of elections.

[10:35:00]

So, it sounds like what they're claiming in Georgia is that, well, they want to add more trust to elections, but this may do just the opposite.

ELIAS: I don't think Donald Trump praised these three board members because he was trying to instill trust in the elections. I mean, let's be clear. Donald Trump has spent the better part of the last decade sowing distrust in elections. He sowed distrust in elections in -- before 2016, before 2020, certainly after 2020 when he's -- when I was proud that my legal team and I defeated him in court time and time again. And then, obviously, that led to January 6th. And then, the aftermath of that in which he has spread election denialism day in and day out. So, I don't think that there's any effort here to build confidence in elections.

I think there is an effort here by the Republican National Committee, by Donald Trump and his supporters, to try to give themselves leeway to find another way to contest an election when he loses.

ACOSTA: And I do want to play some of what President Biden had to say about what he thinks is going to happen around the election and whether or not he thinks there will be a peaceful transfer of power. Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you confident that there will be a peaceful transfer of power in January 2025?

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: If Trump wins, no, I'm not confident at all -- I mean, if Trump loses, I'm not confident at all. He means what he says. We don't take him seriously. He means it. All the stuff about if we lose, there'll be a bloodbath.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Marc, I mean, one of the things that I think has taken place since January 6th is, I mean, it almost seems as though the public is kind of sleepwalking into the next election without really recognizing the fact that something like this could happen again. Maybe not exactly like January 6th, but yet, you could have breakdowns in states where election officials are refusing to certify election results, and it just becomes a giant hornets' nest. Add to that the possibility that, yes, you could have perhaps spasms of violence breaking out, maybe not in the nation's capital, but in state capitals. What are your thoughts on this? ELIAS: So, a couple of things. First of all, you know, President Biden has been a voice of moral clarity on the threat that Donald Trump poses from the -- from before he took office. And I think we need to listen to what the president said, because he's exactly right.

You know, we were lulled into being told by people on the right to take Donald Trump seriously, but not literally. And then, what we wound up with was an assault on democracy after the 2020 election that ultimately culminated in a violent insurrection in the nation's capital.

So, when Donald Trump says, don't worry about voting, you won't have to vote again, and when Donald Trump says that he's calling out election officials because, you know, he thinks that they are pitbulls, we need to take him literally. And the consequences of that can be quite dire. Now, I will tell you that those of us in the pro- democracy world, we are not going to take this lying down. And I expect you will see efforts to challenge any effort to subvert the election and that those efforts will succeed.

ACOSTA: All right. Marc Elias, we'll be watching. Keep us posted. Thanks so much.

ELIAS: Thank you.

ACOSTA: All right. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:40:00]

ACOSTA: Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has hit the ground running as Kamala Harris' newly minted vice-presidential candidate. But Walz is still relatively unknown. 71 percent of Americans say they don't know him. In a recent poll, of course, that's probably a little bit different now.

But let's bring in someone who does know him well. Meredith Vadis served as Walz's deputy chief of staff when he was in Congress. She had both Walz and his wife as senior advisers in high school. And was also bumped out of our show yesterday because of some breaking campaign coverage. Meredith, I'm very sorry about that. My apologies. We're so glad you're back.

MEREDITH VADIS, FORMER DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF TO THEN-REP. TIM WALZ: No problem.

ACOSTA: I'm glad that you're back today because one of the things that's happened since Tim Walz has been announced as Kamala Harris' running mate is now he's kind of going through the process that candidates go through. He's getting hit by the other side. And I'm sure you're seeing some of that. As somebody who knows him well, knows his family well, has worked with him, what do you make of some of the questions about his military record? What do you make about some of the questions about how he handled the rioting in Minneapolis? What's your response to all that when you see that coming at your governor and I guess your friend?

VADIS: Yes. I mean, like anybody who cares about their friends, it's hard to watch, but what I know about him is he's strong. He's genuine. He's clear. And so, I think he has explained himself well around choices he made, for example, with the writing. I think he's clear on his record of service and what he did and didn't do. And so, he's not going to let himself get swift boated. He knows who he is, and he knows what he's there for, which is to make a difference in people's lives. And I think he's going to do that, you know, with or without all the attacks coming from the other side.

ACOSTA: And knowing Tim Walz well, do you think at some point he's going to come out and respond to some of this stuff?

VADIS: You know, I don't speak for him anymore. I had the pleasure of working for him years ago, but I couldn't tell you what the campaign's plan is there.

ACOSTA: And, Meredith, Walz, he passed several progressive policies when he was governor of Minnesota, universal school lunches, abortion rights, paid family and medical leave, universal gun background checks, a red flag law, there's a long list of legalizing recreational marijuana. What is your sense of Tim Walz as governor of Minnesota? Was he a progressive governor in your mind?

[10:45:00]

VADIS: You know, he's a really common-sense guy. And so, he doesn't take stances because they're progressive and he wants to please one side of the political spectrum. He does what he does to make life better in Minnesota. He's long focused on making Minnesota the best state in the country for children and for families to live.

And so, having a healthy economy, having kids who have food at school so they can eat. Ensuring their families are housing stable. Ensuring that we, you know, remove the detrimental criminal records for people who had very small possession charges of a substance we now largely, you know, isn't legal -- isn't illegal in Minnesota and largely isn't illegal across most of the country. Those are the things he's done to make sure it's a really great climate to raise kids.

And as a parent of two elementary school kids, I feel great, right? There are job opportunities. My kids are thrilled in school. Their schools are well funded. They eat, their friends eat, there's no disparities. It's a great place to be. So, I don't think it's about being progressive. For him, it's always been about doing the common- sense thing that makes life better.

ACOSTA: And, Meredith, just quickly, very -- I mean, you had him at -- did I say that correctly, he and his wife is advisers in high school? Am I saying that correctly?

VADIS: Yes.

ACOSTA: What were they like as --

VADIS: They were my senior class advisers.

ACOSTA: Yes, what were they like? I'm sorry to interrupt. I'm short on time, but what were they like in high school? Was he like the guy that you dreaded in the hallway if you were cutting class? What was he like?

VADIS: No. I mean, they were really fun to be around. I had a locker right by his classroom door and he would stand outside his classroom door and shake hands with every kid who came by. And why it was important is he showed he valued you.

So, even the kids who were late to class, who slacked off, who walked around with their head down he made a point of acknowledging them every day and making them feel like somebody cared that they were there. And I often saw him in the back of the parking lot where there was a group of kids who would cut class, he'd go out there and just talk to them, to make sure they knew that somebody cared that they came to school that day and if they could get inside the building even better.

And so, you know, he was a calming presence and somebody who kept the lunchroom in order, but without a lot of, you know, yelling and negative behavior that some -- you know, some teachers unfortunate exhibit, but not most.

ACOSTA: All right. Very good. Meredith Vadis, glad we got you back. Thanks so much for joining us. We appreciate it.

VADIS: Thank you.

ACOSTA: All right. Coming up today is the day out in San Diego. The pandas are back. They're making their debut at the famous -- world- famous San Diego Zoo. Here's a live look at them. More on this in just a moment. Panda Watch in just a few moments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:50:00]

ACOSTA: All right. Get ready. It's time to meet America's newest pandas. These two are making their public debut at the San Diego Zoo today. They are on loan from China and are the first to come to the U.S. in more than 20 years. In honor of San Diego's newest residents, California Governor Gavin Newsom officially declared today Panda Day.

CNN's Stephanie Elam is on the panda watch at the zoo. Stephanie, we were so sad here in Washington when the pandas left the National Zoo and we thought they were going to be gone and that was going to be it. But now, they're back in San Diego. Great news. Tell us more.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is great news. And if you take a look, this is Yun Chuan who's behind me. This is the male panda who's here. He just came out, did a little walkabout. You know, checking out his territory. And then he got up there and began breakfast. So, he's been chomping down on some bamboo, having a good time just checking the people out. But what we have learned is that they've really spent time to make this happen, to bring these giant pandas back here to San Diego, to having these conversations with their Chinese counterparts we know that some of the handlers from China have moved to be here -- not moved, but came to be here for an extended period along with the handlers here at the San Diego Zoo to make this happen. And it's really a fanda (ph). I didn't mean to do that, but it is a panda affair because of the fact that some of their ancestry was actually here. And so, they have relatives who were based here in San Diego as well at this zoo.

So, all in all, people are very excited. Today is the big debut that we're going to see this and see how much bamboo they can eat. One other thing that I've learned, Jim, is that there are solitary animals. So, the boy and the girl pandas are separate because they like to live their lives alone until it comes to mating time.

So, she is in a different enclosure right now, Xin Bao is. And so, he is just here, very happy with his bamboo. And they've tried really to make it seem very hospitable to what he would normally be living in if he were in his native China. But what this is about is conservation, saving these panda bears, and extending their life for a long period here, Jim.

ACOSTA: Yes, Stephanie, I mean, I grew up in the D.C. area. So, it was like a big deal for me to be able to go to the National Zoo and see the pandas. And one of the things that they focused on at the National Zoo is trying to get the pandas to mate, trying to get the pandas to have cubs and so on. Are they going to try to do that in San Diego so we can see, you know, things flourishing there, so to speak?

ELAM: Well, I do think part of conservation is procreation, but that'll be for when it comes to that time. But obviously, that's part of the reason of having, I think, a male and a female come here together. So, that hopefully that can happen. But, you know, there was a time where there was concern whether or not the giant pandas would be around. And now, you look at this and you look at how he's in there enjoying breakfast and it does give you hope. But also, you just don't realize how large they are until you are here in front of them, Jim. It's pretty spectacular.

[10:55:00]

ACOSTA: It is absolutely spectacular. And for a panda to be able to crunch on some bamboo like that, it tells you about how powerful those choppers are right there. Stephanie Elam, great stuff.

ELAM: They are bears.

ACOSTA: Yes. They are bears. We do know all about the bears. Central Park, San Diego and so on. All right. Stephanie, thanks a lot. Appreciate it. On the Panda watch there in San Diego. Great stuff.

It was a wild day in Paris for Team USA on the track and the men's 400-meter final. American Quincy Hall was sitting a fourth on the final straightaway, but somehow, he found more in the tank to overcome all three runners in front of him to capture the gold. It's set to be another blockbuster day for the U.S. Noah Lyles from here by -- here in Alexandria, Virginia, close by to us where we are in Washington, is hoping to grab gold in the men's 200-meter final, adding to his incredible first place finish in the 100-meter sprint.

Here's a live look at where the medal count stands right now. Of course, Team USA is leading in both overall and gold medals. We'll keep an eye on that. China hot on our tails. But Team USA doing great. Go, Team USA.

Thanks very much for joining us this morning. I'm Jim Acosta. Our next hour of Newsroom with Wolf Blitzer starts right after a quick break. Have a great day.

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