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CNN International: Study: Cities Hosting Olympics Spending More, Making Less; Trump Hopes To Blunt Harris's Ascendency; Ferguson Officer Gravely Injured During Protests; Israel Bracing For Potential Attacks By Iran & Hezbollah; U.S. Defense Secy. Orders Guided-Missile Submarine To Region; Russia Orders More Evacuations; Ukrainian Incursion Enters 7th Day; Biden Opens Up About Dropping Out Of The Presidential Race; Trump Claims Harris Used "Fake Crowd Picture"; Fireworks Illuminate Sky Above Olympics Closing Ceremony. Aired 8-9a ET
Aired August 12, 2024 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:00:00]
SEN. ROLAND GUTIERREZ (D-TX): -- legislature in Texas that simply doesn't want to move forward on even the most common sensical things from accountability, to transparency, or even racing in age limit, which is all a family's truly asked for to '21 to access an AR-15, just like you would a handgun in Texas. We are, you know, in a place where Republican leadership, this will happen again because of the Republican leadership in Texas. And I hate to politicize this, but it's the truth. The lack of gun safety bills is what got --
AMARA WALKER, HOST, "CNN NEWSROOM": Hello, and welcome everyone to our viewers all around the world. I'm Amra Walker. This is CNN Newsroom. Just ahead, a U.S. nuclear-powered submarine is on its way to the Middle East, as the world waits to see if and when Iran might strike back at Israel.
We are live in Tel Aviv and Beirut. Donald Trump prepares for an interview with Elon Musk on X as a new poll shows Kamala Harris gaining ground in three key battleground states. And Paris bids adieu to the Summer Games, with the star-studded closing ceremony, handing off the Olympic torch to Los Angeles in true Hollywood style.
We begin with a message of deterrence to Iran and its proxies. U.S. Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin, has ordered a guided-missile submarine to the Middle East, as fears grow of a potential attack on Israel. Meanwhile, another barrage of rockets fired from Lebanon into Israel overnight has further heightened tensions in the region. Hezbollah says it was in support of the Palestinian people and in retaliation for Israel's strikes in southern Lebanon. This all comes just days ahead of Gaza ceasefire talks due to take place on Thursday. A source says that, according to mediators, newly appointed Hamas political leader, Yahya Sinwar, wants a deal.
We have team coverage. CNN's International Diplomatic Editor, Nic Robertson, is in Tel Aviv and CNN's Senior International Correspondent, Ben Wedeman, with the latest from Beirut. Nic, let's start with you. And first word that we're hearing from the new Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar, that he wants a ceasefire deal. What do you make of that?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It seems to be a way of putting pressure on Israel, and potentially putting pressure on President Biden and the White House, to put pressure on Prime Minister Netanyahu to make some compromises in the talks over Gaza, compromises that he hasn't been prepared to partake in before.
And the reason for this pressure, and the reason for the positioning, and the reason that these talks on Thursday are so critical, because it's not just about Gaza, this was put into play, if you will, these talks on Thursday to try to convince Iran that there was a plausible Gaza ceasefire deal in the works and, therefore, not to retaliate at an escalatory-level against Israel.
So -- but when you see, the U.S. Secretary of Defense moving additional military assets, speeding them into the region, moving a -- the USS Georgia, this nuclear-powered cruise-missile-firing submarine from the Mediterranean into the eastern Mediterranean.
Those are signals that the U.S. believes that there is the potential that the talks won't go well this week and, therefore, that Iran may strike, or they may interpret the fact that the talks are really not going to be any different to anything in the past, and may interpret that as a signal that they may as well go and have their retaliatory strike against Israel. So, all of these features right now, I think, focus on how important those talks are, focus how tenuous they are.
Diplomats that I'm talking to in the region, who had some hope late last week that a deal could be reached on Thursday, and now worrying that that can't happen. And part of it is, and this is Hamas position as well, that they are not clear what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is going to do, what he'll tell his officials to do at those talks. That's the concern. So, while Hamas says it wants a deal, it's also saying that it's not prepared to go to the talks at the moment. This is in a very, very delicate situation.
WALKER: Yeah, it sure is. And in terms of the timeline, and we've been talking so much about when. It's not a matter of if, but when, Iran will retaliate against the killing of its -- for a top Hamas leader in recent days. CNN analyst Barak Ravid reported Sunday that two sources say Israeli intelligence has assessed Iran could be planning an attack within days. What are you hearing? And obviously, it does seem, I guess, more imminent with the military posture that we're seeing.
ROBERTSON: Absolutely. The military posture by the United States shows you that that threat is real and is potentially imminent. Diplomatic sources that I'm talking to say that the hope was that Iran would have a retaliatory strike that was in the limits of the conventions of warfare, not striking at civilians, striking at military bases, and therefore wouldn't cause an escalation.
[08:05:00]
But that cannot be ruled out at the moment. You know, in diplomatic terms, diplomats are looking at this, and they can see what's happening in Iran, a new President who's not particularly (inaudible) who is perhaps under pressure from hardliners. They'll see the former Foreign Minister resigning from his government position as a symbol that the more moderates feel that the hardliners are on the ascendancy in Tehran at the moment.
So, that sense that Iran could do something that is more escalatory, or potentially escalatory, is very, very real. It is more on the table now than it felt at the end of last week, when there were still hopes about the talks. But the atmosphere around those talks is not positive and is not conducive to a positive or quick outcome, and that was what it was going to take for Iran to be deterred from any escalatory-type action.
WALKER: Some really significant context from you there, Nic in Tel Aviv. Nic, thank you so much for that. Ben, let's head over to you in Beirut. And as you were saying, Hezbollah reportedly fired some 30 rockets from Lebanon toward Israel. What is the atmosphere like there in Lebanon? And I mean you've been there for some time. How serious is this as an escalation?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, what we saw yesterday was really just more of the same. There has been an incremental escalation or increase by Hezbollah, and the amount of attacks it's launching on Israel. Though, keep in mind that, according to one study, for every one attack Hezbollah launches, there are six Israeli counter-strikes.
Now, today, so far, there have only been two claimed -- two strikes claimed by Hamas. So, sort of every day is different. But certainly, that's -- these strikes are really within the context of what we have seen going back to the 8th of October, when Hezbollah first opened fire on Israel.
What, of course, everybody is anticipating, expecting, fearing, to some extent, is Hezbollah responding to the strike Tuesday before last by Israel that killed a senior Hezbollah commander, Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, has said that that response to that assassination is coming. There's no question about it.
The question is, what form will it take? And speaking to my diplomatic sources that they do feel that Hezbollah has sort of talked itself into a corner that it has to respond. But if it responds too strongly, the Israeli counter-response could be very destructive beyond simply the area along the border that has been steadily pounded now, going back to October.
So, in terms of the atmosphere here, what we're seeing is that, out of the last six days, Israeli warplanes have broken the sound barrier four of those days. We're seeing that more airlines are extending their suspensions of flights to Beirut. The latest one is Swiss Air, which has suspended its flights to Lebanon until the 21st of August.
But when you go out into the street, you go to restaurants, there are still people there, perhaps less than before, because many have left. But I think, as I have said time and time again on CNN, people here have been on this roller coaster, where we've seen escalations, de- escalations time and time again. So, in a sense, they're prepared for the worst, but they have no choice but to go about their daily lives as best they can.
WALKER: Ben, just quickly, are you getting the sense that this would be potentially a coordinated attack with Iran or Hezbollah acting on its own?
WEDEMAN: The signals are sort of not altogether clear. When the last time Nasrallah spoke, which was six days ago, he did suggest that Hezbollah would strike on its own. Now, would it be -- something would follow it afterwards by the Houthis, for instance, who still want to get back to -- against Israel for their strike on Hodeidah that blew up that massive fuel storage facility.
Would it be followed by Iran? It's not altogether clear. And I think Hezbollah, Iran, and the Houthis are sort of using this ambiguity, this uncertainty. Nasrallah said it, as psychological warfare against the Israelis who they see on the media are increasingly on edge about the possibility of strikes by Iran, a massive strike by Hezbollah and others. Amara?
[08:10:00]
WALKER: Yeah. The uncertainty has to be unnerving in the region. Ben Wedeman, thank you so much for your reporting and to you, Nic Robertson, as well. Russian authorities are evacuating civilians from more areas along the Ukrainian border. This comes one weekend to Kyiv's surprise cross-border attack into Russian territory.
The incursion is now affecting two Russian regions, Belgorod and Kursk. And this is significant because it is the first time Ukraine has launched a ground-offensive inside Russia since the start of the war. Meanwhile, video by the Belarusian Defense Ministry purports to show debris from intercepted Ukrainian drones in Belarus.
Clare Sebastian joining me now live from London with more. Clare, the Ukrainian operation has been shrouded in mystery, and it still remains unclear. But do we know where this appears to be headed?
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. The communications around this from the Ukrainian side, Amara, were unusually scant in the first few days. Then we got the first confirmation on Saturday from President Zelenskyy directly, talking about Ukrainian troops having gone into Russia. And he then elaborated further on it, on Sunday, giving some hint as to why they decided to do this. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE: -- only from the beginning of this summer, and only from the Kursk region, our Sumy region suffered almost 2,000 strikes, artillery, mortars, drones. We also monitor every missile strike, and each such strike deserves a fair response.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEBASTIAN: So, he's explaining, of course, that they are constantly being targeted with missiles and drones that originate from this region, the Kursk region just across the border. So, that is why they are essentially attacking as a defensive strategy, trying to stop the weapons from hitting them in the first place. So, that is one reason. But as to where this is headed, right? It's still not particularly clear.
Ukraine seems to be still pushing forward. The Russian Ministry of Defense has admitted itself that they have advanced some 30-or-so kilometers, although they claim -- Russia claims that they are repelling Ukraine's advances, and attempting to push them back. They have not yet managed to fully stop this incursion from happening though.
And we're now just about a week in, now, look, we now have two regions. As you say, evacuations have been happening in both, some 76,000 or so people evacuated from the Kursk region, where this all started. We're now hearing today about some 11,000 evacuated from Belgorod. So, if the aim is to cause disruption, then certainly it's working.
If the aim is to draw Russian forces, though, away from vulnerable areas of the front line, that is less clear at this point whether it's working on Russia. It appears from accounts that we're getting from Ukrainian military bloggers are continuing to push on the eastern front, particularly around a strategically important town called Toretsk.
And meanwhile, we're getting new comments this hour, Amara, from President Putin, who has been chairing a meeting of his top security officials on this. And we've just heard him saying, we're just getting the footage in, really in the last few minutes, that he believes that the Kyiv regime, as he calls it, is really trying to improve its negotiating position by doing this, and that he says there will be no negation -- negotiations, as he puts it, with a country that indiscriminately attacks civilians and has caused a provocation at a nuclear plant, referring, of course, to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
So, he attempting to appear in control will, of course, not wanting to overplay this, given how potentially embarrassing it is to Russia that it has not been able to defend its border.
WALKER: Yeah. It has to be humiliating for Russia, this major setback. Clare Sebastian, thank you so much. In just one week, the Democrats will open their convention, and their nominee, Kamala Harris appears to be super-charging the party. Harris spent the weekend in her home state of California, where a San Francisco fundraiser raised $12 million. She told the donors, the hard work in the campaign is still yet to come, with just 84 days until Election Day.
Meantime, a new poll by the New York Times and Siena College shows a tight presidential race overall with no clear leader, but also shows Harris leading Donald Trump by 4 points in the crucial states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan. But of course, this is all within the margin of error.
CNN's Edward-Isaac Dovere joining us now from Washington with more. Tell us what we should make of these numbers. And do we think that Harris' new poll numbers are going to hold?
EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, look, it's been just three weeks since Kamala Harris is in the race and Joe Biden dropped out, but the race is definitely very different in that time. And now, we have poll numbers that are showing that the energy that has been showing up at these giant rallies for Harris is translating. And it's translating in states she needs to win.
[08:15:00]
We don't know if this is just this moment or whether they will last. Harris herself, in San Francisco at a fundraiser on Sunday, told donors that she's never been one to really believe in the polls, whether they're up or they're down, what we know is the stakes are so high, and we can take nothing for granted in this moment.
That's reflecting, of course, that, look, Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by 2.9 million votes. Joe Biden won by 7 million votes. But in both 2016 and 2020, the Electoral College came down to just a couple 100,000 votes, really less than 100,000 in those two elections between a bunch of states. In 2016, that was enough to give the Electoral College to Donald Trump. In 2020, it kept the Electoral College in line with the popular vote for Biden.
WALKER: Kamala Harris is expected to roll out her economic policies in the coming days. And of course, a lot of people are wondering, well, how will it be different? Will it be different from the Biden administration?
DOVERE: Yeah, I don't think that you're -- you should expect her to make a break with the Biden administration. She has been running a as a tight continuation of the Biden administration, but her approach has always been one, that is more pragmatic, down, and how it actually affects people's lives. Just today, we're seeing Joe Biden make some moves about -- making it for people who call customer service lines that they get through to people on the other end, rather than computers more easily.
That is the kind of thing Joe Biden has been focusing more on. I think what you'll see out of Harris is things like that, but also really how this makes a difference in people's lives, day to day, feeling their pain of the economic situation that we continue to be in.
WALKER: Edward-Isaac Dovere, good to have you. Thanks so much us.
DOVERE: Thank you.
WALKER: U.S. President Joe Biden is sharing new details about his decision to drop out of the presidential race just three weeks ago. In his first sit-down interview since then, Mr. Biden explains why he decided to suspend his re-election campaign.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: When I ran the first time, I thought of myself as being a transition President. I can't even say how old I am. It's hard for me to get out of my mouth. And -- but things got moving so quickly, it didn't happen. But I thought it was important. Because although I -- it's a great honor being President, I think I have an obligation to the country to do what I -- the most important thing we can do. And that is we must, we must, we must defeat Trump.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: Meanwhile, the rise of the Harris-Walz ticket has the Trump campaign on the offensive. They -- they'll try to regain some momentum this week. Donald Trump and running mate JD Vance were leading in most of the polls until Kamala Harris replaced Joe Biden on the ticket. Now, Trump is making wild accusations against his opponent, like saying she posted a fake crowd picture of her Michigan rally.
This, despite having no evidence, and in fact, the evidence pointing to the opposite, Trump posts on social media that the Vice President should be disqualified for faking an image. However, video and photos from CNN and other attendees show that there was a sizable crowd. We know how much Donald Trump cares about crowd sizes.
Let's bring in CNN's Steve Contorno covering the story from St. Petersburg, Florida. Hi there, Steve. Why is the crowd size of a campaign event from days ago so important to Trump?
STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Well, this is something he has been fixated on, going back to his first campaign for office. And part of that is because the size of the rallies that he was drawing was a really strong indicator of the movement and momentum for his campaign back in 2015 and 2016, and then he goes and becomes inaugurated, and one of the first things he does is inflates the size of his inauguration crowd. And we are used to seeing him exaggerate how many people are attending his events.
However, this is sort of the first time that we are seeing him try to deflate his opponents crowd size that we've seen him do in recent days with Senator or Vice President Harris. I think it speaks to just how much concern they have about this organic enthusiasm that there is on the Democratic ticket right now, after having such -- so much advantage over the -- Joe Biden, who, you know, had a lot of strength as a candidate and as a campaigner, but really struggled to stir Democrats to rally behind him and to draw the kind of visual support that Vice President Harris has so far.
And having -- being a candidate that has potentially less enthusiasm behind him and smaller crowd sizes than the Democrat is something that speaks directly to the brand of Donald Trump, and who he is as a candidate, and as a showman. And so, that is why you are seeing him come out so forcefully and conspiratorially attacking Harris over these crowd sizes.
[08:20:00]
WALKER: Yeah. Perhaps he'll be fixated on this crowd side from -- size from days ago during his Elon Musk interview on X. Do we have a sense of what he's going to discuss there? CONTORNO: Well, I know what Republicans would like him to talk about, immigration, crime, the economy. Those are the issues where they believe that Republicans may have an advantage over Vice President Harris. But Trump has been all over the map, and this sort of scatter- shot approach to attacking Democrats lately.
Over the weekend, he was holding a rally in Montana, where he attacked the Democratic senator over his weight. He called Tim Walz, quote, very freakish. He attacked Harris supporters as pink-haired Marxist looters, perverts, flag-burners, Hamas supporters, drug dealers, gun grabbers, and human traffickers.
So, now, he steps into an arena with Elon Musk, who is also one to shoot from the hip. I covered Musk's Twitter spaces interview with Ron DeSantis back when he was a presidential candidate, and I can tell you that event went off-script quite a bit. There was more talk and praise for Elon Musk in that event than there was for Ron DeSantis, the candidate who was announcing his campaign. So, it'll be interesting to see what happens when you get these two, you know, sort of self- centered individuals sitting side by side in this virtual space talking about, supposedly, the issues. But we'll see exactly what comes out of it.
WALKER: All right. Steve Contorno, thank you very much. Of course, we'll be watching for that interview as well. Still to come, it's a rival to Paris 2024. The Summer Olympics closes with a bang and historic finish at the top of the medal table. Plus, after some sweltering days during the Olympics in Paris, new data shows that some major cities will soon become too hot to host the Summer Games. We'll tell you which ones. Coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WALKER: Spectacular fireworks illuminating the sky above the Stade de France just outside the French capital. Wow, that was part of the Paris Games, action-packed closing ceremony. After two-and-a-half weeks of often breathtaking competition, Paris chose to go out with a bang, quite literally. Some of those lucky enough to catch the show in person say they were overcome with feelings of pride for their city and excitement, as they look ahead to the upcoming Paralympic Games and the Los Angeles Games in 2028.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REJOICE TOURBILLION, PARIS RESIDENT: We enjoyed it from beginning to the end. Let's not talk about the Americans, because Tom Cruise was the climax. But really, it's our athletes. The parade, the music, there was no cut-off point. It was really vibrant from the beginning to the end, with a bit of remorse in my heart, because we have to wait 15 days, is that it, for the Paralympic Games, and we'll be there.
[08:25:00]
AISATTA MARIKO, LOS ANGELES RESIDENT: Oh, my God. It's not finished. Like she's from here. I'm from LA.
RHODIA DIALLO, PARIS RESIDENT: Yeah.
MARIKO: So, she's coming to see me in 2028. It's like just, you know, the next chapter.
DIALLO: (inaudible) So, I'm Parisian. She's from L.A.
MARIKO: She gave it to me.
DIALLO: So, I gave her the place. So, in four years in L.A.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's cool
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALKER: I hope this friends don't wait four years, though, to see each other again. Well, before the ceremony, there were still medals to be won on the final day of the games. 13 gold medals were awarded on Sunday. The U.S. and China, who have been neck-and-neck the last few days, made history in Paris, finishing in a tie for the most golds with 40 each. Team USA finishes with the most medals overall at 126. Our Coy Wire has more from Paris.
COY WIRE, CNN WORLD SPORT: What an incredible ending to the Summer Olympics here in Paris. The U.S. women's basketball team going down to the wire with host nation France and the gold medal game. The Americans entered with an Olympic winning streak that dated back to 1996, but they win by maybe the tip of a toe.
France hitting a buzzer beater as time expired. The crowd erupted, thinking the host nation had just shocked the world, sending its overtime, but Gabby Williams' foot was on the line. It was only a two- pointer. So, heartbreak for France, elation for the U.S., claiming an eight straight Olympic gold. And with that, Team USA dominates total medal count, but it ties China at 40 gold medals each on the very last event of these Olympics. A tie for gold has never happened in the history of the Summer Games.
Now, at the closing ceremony, to show respect to all the athletes, and there are people from around the world, it was a celebration for the ages. Snoop Dogg, Billie Eilish, Red Hot Chili Peppers, H.E.R., and others performing marking the official handover to the 2028 Los Angeles games in the end of these incredible and unforgettable Summer Games here in Paris. The Olympics, once again, showing that perhaps sport, better than anything else, can bring people together from all over the world, no matter their differences, to embrace and celebrate one another.
WALKER: That concert on the California Beach was my favorite. No bias here. That was CNN Coy Wire reporting from Paris. Meanwhile, new data shows that many cities will become too hot to host the Summer Games, and that is likely to happen by 2050. Organizers in Paris deployed misting stations and fans. And in some cities, in the near future, those measures will not be enough. That is, according to a CNN analysis of data from CarbonPlan, which is a climate science non- profit group. Those likely to be too hot to host include previous Olympic cities like Atlanta and Beijing. Let's bring in CNN Meteorologist Elisa Raffa with more. What more can you tell us, Elisa?
ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We've already seen warming in the last 100 years, Amara. If you look back to the last time Paris hosted the Olympic Games in 1924, their climate has warmed during that Olympic period of 5.5 degrees Fahrenheit, or 3 degrees Celsius. We've added 120 scorching hot days and 80 sweltering nights, just really not getting that relief at night either.
Now, as we look forward, this new study is forecasting projections when it comes to heat for the next couple of decades, and they looked at WetBulb Globe Temperature. WetBulb Globe Temperature measures not just the heat, but also the heat, with the humidity, and wind speed, and sun angle, and shade. So, it really looks at heat stress on the body, how are our bodies reacting to heat. And this study decided that 82 degrees Fahrenheit, or 27 degrees Celsius, is really that threshold where it becomes too dangerous to really exert yourself outside for too long.
Look at what happens when you look at the climate of some of these host cities. We start to get to a threshold where it's unsafe to host the games. Places like Beijing, Rio, Athens, Atlanta, are some of the ones that are at the top that really just wind up being in this threshold of it being too hot and too dangerous to host the Olympic Games.
If you look at the map of how many other cities are also in this threshold, I mean, you've got a lot of the Eastern U.S. There are all those kind of red or brown dots there. We've got a couple of cities in Europe, a lot of India, and a lot of eastern Asia as well, all cities that will be way too dangerously hot to host visitors, and athletes, and, you know, over exertion outside.
So, what do we do? A couple of options. We either pick host cities in higher elevations, where it would be a little bit cooler, or we don't host the Summer Games in summer, which I don't know. Does that make it the Olympics or not? Or we need to rely on cities in the southern hemisphere, if we're targeting the months of June, July, August, to get Summer Games.
[08:30:00]
That is the winter season for some of these cities in the southern hemisphere. So, that could be some of their cooler seasons, and you might avoid some of the more extreme heat, but still really needing a lot of planning if we don't cut those emissions, this could really be the future of the Olympic Games, Amara?
WALKER: And there is a conundrum Elisa Raffa, thank you very much. Economists warn the International Olympic Committee needs to take drastic action to make hosting the games more financially feasible. An Oxford University study found the cost of hosting continues to grow with host cities investing billions, but seeing less in return. Five of the past six Olympic Games, both summer and Olympic, had final costs well over 100 percent of their initial bid estimates when adjusted for inflation. Economists argue the Olympics will have to look much different than what we're used to in order to make them truly sustainable.
They believe the IOC may need to move toward a permanent host city in the future, or just having a small list of rotating cities. A lot to think about for the future of the Olympics. And with momentum on their side, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz plan to ride that enthusiasm all the way to next week's Democratic National Convention.
We've got a live look at the state of the race. And a Ferguson Missouri Police officer is fighting for his life after being severely injured during what started out as a peaceful demonstration, marking 10 years since the death of Michael Brown. We will have the latest next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WALKER: All right, we are exactly one week away from the Democratic National Convention, and the Harris-Walz team is seeing big boosts. New polls show Vice President, Harris, leading Donald Trump among likely voters in three key battleground states. Just weeks ago, Trump was ahead of President Biden there. Meanwhile, Team Trump is hitting back by doubling down on their attacks.
VP Nominee, J.D. Vance continuing to hammer away at Tim Walz's military record. We'll likely hear many more accusations later when Donald Trump speaks to Elon Musk on X.
[08:35:00]
Let's get some perspective now, and we're joined by Larry Sabato, Director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. Good to see you again, Larry. Let us please start with these latest poll numbers.
Over the weekend, we saw, from the New York Times and Siena College poll, that in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan, key battleground states, you have Harris leading Trump by four votes, although that is all within the margin of error. The bottom line is, though, Democrats are obviously in a stronger position now than they were before Biden withdrew from the race.
The question is that we've been asking you, Larry, is, well, how do they hold on to this? The fact that we're looking at a truncated timeline, is that going to work in Harris' favor?
LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: It certainly has worked in Harris' favor, and I think it will continue to. She's got to use the Democratic National Convention well, and there's an excellent chance she can. It's an unadulterated positive commercial for a party.
The one dark cloud, I think, over that convention is the degree to which the inevitable very large demonstrations of Palestinian protesters will interfere with the message. And I do know they're concerned about that. Chicago is also not known for having Democratic conventions without problems of that sort.
Having said that, she's in a good position, not a great position, because it's still close. But the difference is, instead of Donald Trump being ahead a point or two or three in the national polls and in the swing state polls, now it's Kamala Harris, who's ahead a point or two or three in all those same polls. So, that's a plus, but there's a long way to go.
WALKER: Regarding those pro-Palestinian protests and rallies that you speak of, we saw a shift in tone over the weekend when Kamala Harris was in Arizona, and I think it was either Arizona or Nevada, where she was interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters, and instead of saying, stop, I'm speaking, and that stare down, you know, she engaged them, and said that we're kind of all in this together, and she vouched for a cease fire. Was that the right approach?
SABATO: I think a mixed approach is better. As you note, she has said she's been aggressive at points because the demonstrators, frankly, were extremely rude. You can understand how somebody would react the way she did. But in other circumstances, depending on the numbers and what they're saying and doing, you do want to try and engage them, because the Democratic Party is divided on the Mid East war.
There's just no question about it, and you have to deal with it if you're the nominee. She's in a much better position to deal with it than Joe Biden was, and that's obvious to everyone.
WALKER: And something both tickets are dealing with are these attacks. Let's talk -- let's listen to what J.D. Vance told our Dana Bash responding to being called weird.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. J.D. VANCE (R-OH), 2024 VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So, I think that what it is, is two people, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, who aren't comfortable in their own skin because they aren't comfortable with their policy positions for the American people, and so they're name- calling instead of actually telling the American people how they're going to make their lives better. I think that's weird, Dana, but look, they can call me whatever they want to.
DANA BASH, ANCHOR AND CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: They have done both. They have both policies, and they are trying to define --
VANCE : Dana, if you go to -- no, no if you go to Kamala Harris' campaign page right now, they still don't have a policy.
BASH: Well, let's talk about policy for a second.
VANCE: Policy (CROSSTALK) what they're going to do. I think that's really insulting to Americans.
(END VIDEO CLIP) WALKER: Your reaction Larry?
SABATO: Well, my reaction is that his arguments will certainly play with the Republican base. I don't think it attracts swing voters or undecided voters, particularly. And, look, this is classic projection which both parties use, but Donald Trump has really won the Olympic gold over the years on projecting that is taking the charges being made against him, and pushing the very same charges back on the other party.
The weirdness comes in the presentation. I think you could see that. He's a very smart guy, J.D. Vance is, but he's also odd. I prefer the word odd. The Democrats are using weird. And I don't know how you change that, because it seems to be fundamental to him.
WALKER: Interesting. Well, we'll be curious to see, you know, what Trump says, when he has this interview with Elon Musk on X, perhaps you'll see some odd things. We will see. Larry Sabato, good to see you. Thank you.
SABATO: Thank you, Amara.
WALKER: The U.S. is sending a clear message amid writing -- rising tensions in the Middle East, Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin, has ordered a guided missile submarine to the region, and it comes as Israel braces for an anticipated act of retaliation by Iran and its allies after the assassination of Hamas' political leader in Tehran and the killing of a senior Hezbollah Commander in Lebanon.
[08:40:00]
CNN's National Security Correspondent, Natasha Bertrand has the latest now from the Pentagon. Hi, Natasha. It was a rare move to publicly announce the deployment of a submarine. What was behind that?
NATASHA BERTRAND, NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Yeah, Amara. These nuclear-powered submarines, they usually operate in complete secrecy. And so, the idea that the Pentagon has now come out and said publicly that this submarine, which is armed with dozens and dozens of cruise missiles, is actually going to be deployed now to the Middle East amid these very high regional tensions, is a clear statement to Iran and its proxies that the U.S. is prepared to defend Israel, and defend Israel in the face of a potential Iranian attack, and essentially trying to get the Iranians and their proxy groups, including Hezbollah, to back down here.
Now, it remains unclear whether that's actually going to work the U.S. and the wider Middle East region. They have been bracing for a potential Iranian retaliation for several weeks now, and it remains unclear what that is going to look like, whether Iran has decided to actually move forward with a plan to attack Israel.
But, you know, these announcements about the Pentagon moving these assets to the region, including the submarine, speeding the deployment of another U.S. aircraft carrier, the link in to the region, they came after Austin spoke with Israeli Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, in which, Austin reiterated that the U.S. is prepared to defend Israel in the face of an attack.
And so clearly, you know, concerns are rising here that there is going to be some kind of attack by the Iranians or by Hezbollah against the Israelis, and that is why the U.S. is now positioning all of these very strategic assets in the area.
They already have the USS Wasp, which is an amphibious ship in the eastern Mediterranean, which is accompanied by thousands of Marines that are capable of conducting special operations, as well as evacuation operations, if that becomes necessary, as well as several destroyers which are in the eastern Mediterranean, which are capable of shooting down missiles and drones that may come, you know their way.
And so everyone right now is kind of bracing for what's next, but still unclear what it's actually going to look like.
WALKER: Right. A lot of uncertainty there. Natasha Bertrand, thank you very much, live for us there at the Pentagon. Police in Ferguson, Missouri say an officer is fighting for his life after being assaulted during protests marking 10 years since the death of Michael Brown. Michael Brown was shot and killed by an officer in that same department.
Police say, Friday's protests were mostly peaceful until a group of people pushed down a fence by the police station. That is what officer Travis Brown was knocked over and hit his head, causing a severe brain injury. Stephanie Elam is in Los Angeles with the latest. Stephanie, what are police in Ferguson saying this morning?
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Obviously, there are a lot of upset police officers, including the police chief there in Ferguson, Amara, who is just upset that this happened.
You have to keep in mind for many of us who were there in Ferguson 10 years ago covering the story that there was a lot of upheaval for months in that city because of the death of Michael Brown, the teenager who was shot and killed by a then Ferguson police officer. You have to keep in mind too that many of those officers don't even work at this department anymore.
So, it's a different makeup than it was at the time. Still, this was the anniversary of it on Friday, and so there were protests out there, demonstrators who were outside of the police station, the police department, saying they were mostly peaceful, until some of these demonstrators started to go against the fence around the police station and started to destroy it and break through it.
It was at that point when property was being damaged that the police chief, Troy Doyle then sent a group of police officers outside to make arrests. And then, that is when this incident occurred. What we do know is that 28-year-old Elijah Gantt has been charged with assault, and they also are alleging four other charges, resisting arrest, property damage, and two charges of fourth-degree assault, also related to officer Travis Brown, who is, as police say, fighting for his life. But, when you listen to the police chief talking about these protests outside of the police station, he's saying that people are still protesting the old department and not the current department. Take a listen to him here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TROY DOYLE, POLICE CHIEF, FERGUSON POLICE DEPARTMENT: Since 2014, it's been a punching bag for this community. The police department back in 2024, we don't even have them officers here anymore. So, what are you protesting? These officers not even here, no more. 10 years later, I got an officer fighting for his life. It's enough, and I'm done with it. We're not doing it here in Ferguson.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[08:45:00]
ELAM: You can hear how emotional he was there talking about this. We also know that several others who were outside protesting were arrested, and we also know that two other officers were also injured, but nothing like from what we understand, the injuries sustained by officer Travis Brown, who, according to the police, is still in the police, I mean, still in the hospital battling these brain injuries. Amara?
WALKER: All right. Stephanie Elam, thank you very much. Still to come, it is a site that fills Athens with fear as wildfires are within sight of the Greek capital. Thousands of residents have been ordered to evacuate their homes. Plus, how drought could bring an end to a Sicilian cheese, which has been prized for thousands of years.
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WALKER: A wildfire is tearing through a region just outside of Athens, Greece. It's moving fast like lightning, that's according to fire officials, and it's spreading between residences. Hot windy weather is fanning the flames and turning trees, houses and cars into Tinder. And a wildfire broke out in northeastern Spain on Sunday, spreading quickly thanks to hot winds.
Authorities ordered people in a nearby town to stay inside due to heavy smoke. Also, extreme drought in Sicily is threatening the Italian islands goat farming industry, and without enough water, farmers could be forced to send their animals to slaughter. CNN's Barbie Latza Nadeau has more.
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BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): Roaming under hot temperatures, these goats search for food in fields turned brown by the heat in central Sicily. Shortage of water and little food make it hard for these Georgian Tana goats to survive, and the prospects for their survival lead goat breeder, Luca Camarata in despair.
LUCA CAMARATA, GOAT BREEDER (Interpreted): The grazing land is zero. As we can see, nothing has grown on the land this year. The animals take a walk, eat what they find, and then, we try to supplement their diet with water and fodder.
NADEAU (voice-over): Earlier this year, Sicily enforced water restrictions when the region declared a state of emergency. Italy's Environmental Protection and Research Institute says, while other parts of the country are experiencing drought, only Sicily's is considered extreme.
CAMARATA (Interpreted): The land is dry. The lakes we have placed in the pastures are completely dry. It is difficult to satisfy the animals with the drinking water we had, and we are forced to plug the problem with water tankers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (Interpreted): We arrive wherever there is an emergency. The water doesn't arrive, so farmers are forced to take the animals to the slaughterhouse. They don't have water and can't quench their animals thirst, so it's a big problem.
NADEAU (voice-over): The cheese and dairy products made from these goats milk has been prized for thousands of years, but that may soon come to an end. Deprived of water, these animals may be sent to slaughter.
[08:50:00]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (Interpreted): If we cannot at least satisfy the animals demand for water, they run the risk of being sent to slaughter. There is no other way, no other solution.
There is no market for live animals, nor can we give them to a fellow farmer in other regions, because there is currently no market for live animals. They are destined to go to the slaughterhouse. And this would be a considerable loss of livestock and a loss of production models.
NADEAU (voice-over): Doing what needs to be done to save the goats will take time, drilling new wells, reactivating dormant desalination plants, importing water. But time, like water, is another thing that is running out for these goats. Barbie Latza Nadeau CNN, Rome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALKER: Still to come, pelicans on the wall, monkeys on a railway bridge, fish on a telephone box. What's going on in London? We'll take a look at artist, Banksy's latest creations.
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WALKER: What's old is new, again, is the message Disney is sending after unveiling a slate of new projects over the weekend at its D23 fan convention. Among the new films and shows a large number of sequels, including the coming release of Moana 2. Take a look.
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WALKER: Well, that's exciting. This Disney's latest animated feature will release in November eight years after the debut of the first Moana. Meantime, actors, Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan are teaming up more than 20 years after their remake of Freaky Friday for a second entry titled, Freakier Friday.
Disney executives also announced new sequels or TV projects for other animated franchises, including The Incredibles, Toy Story, and Inside Out. Well, he's done it again. Londoners are reacting to the latest in a series of animal themed works. The anonymous artist known as Banksy has been creating throughout the UK capital, and speculating about their meaning. CNN's Christina Macfarlane has more.
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CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT CNN INTERNATIONAL (voice-over): Banksy strikes again. An ordinary glass police box on a street in London has been re-imagined as a tank full of toothy fish that look like piranhas. The fish follow a stream of animal themed murals confirmed to be the handiwork of the infamous street artist that have popped up in London in the past week, drawing crowds, but in a good way.
The fish are painted in translucent aquatic colors, a departure from the other works in the series that were done in black silhouettes, including a black cat stretching on a billboard, which has since been removed.
Two pelicans perched over a fish and chip shop, a howling wolf on a satellite dish, which was quickly stolen, three monkeys swinging on a railway bridge, two elephants giving each other a trunks up, and a goat on a precarious perch.
It's been a guessing game for Londoners to try and figure out what might appear next and what message Banksy might be sending.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Possibly linked to all the riots in the UK recently.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obviously, the Olympics going on at the moment. Lots of people talking about goats, greatest of all time. Maybe it's symbolic of that.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): Even an expert on world affairs who regularly appears on CNN is weighing in.
[08:55:00]
FAWAZ GERGES, PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL SCIENCE: What Banksy is trying to do is to really get us to think and reflect about the ecological crisis that really threatens humanity.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): Or maybe, like all art, the meaning is in the eye of the beholder.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To be honest, I think he just paint the animals. Don't have to be a meaning, you know? It doesn't have to be meaningful. It's just animals.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): There is speculation the murals are just a way to cheer people up, and Sunday's edition was just that, with people taking photos in and around the artwork, until contractors place plastic barriers around the box. While the City of London says it's looking for options to preserve it, a fleeting and fun distraction from an artist, who's not really known for explaining himself.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALKER: Who knows? Thank you, Christina Macfarlane. That's my time. Thank you so much for being with me here on CNN Newsroom. I'm Amara Walker. Connect the World with Becky Anderson is next.
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