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Trump Veers Off Message in Economic Speech; Harris to Roll Out Her Economic Proposal on Friday; Gaza Ceasefire and Hostage Talks to Resume in Qatar; Strong Winds to Raise Wildfire Dangers Again in Athens; Eras Tour Returns to London with Tight Security After Terror Plot. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired August 15, 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)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That's the laugh of a crazy person. She's not smart. She's not intelligent. We have stupid people like Kamala.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We traveled from the States to go to the Vienna shows, and our shows were canceled. So we came to London, hoping to still make it happen.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Security's like ramped up and things, it does make you a little bit on edge.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I had to come and help their economy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The amount of money I'm willing to spend, huge difference.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Max Foster and Christina Macfarlane.

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and a very warm welcome to our viewers joining us from the United States and all around the world. I'm Christina Macfarlane. Max is off this week.

It's 9 a.m. here in London, 4 a.m. in Maryland, where U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will deliver remarks in the hours ahead. The focus, progress made on lowering drug costs. The event comes amid renewed excitement among Democrats since Harris launched her White House bid.

A new Monmouth University poll finds 85 percent of Democratic registered voters say they're enthusiastic about the race, up from 46 percent in June. Enthusiasm among Republicans remains unchanged at 71 percent. And a separate poll shows 63 percent of Democrats say they'd be excited if Harris was elected president, compared to 57 percent of Republicans who say the same about Trump. Meantime, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump veered off message during an event in North Carolina as he delivered a speech meant to focus on the economy. But instead, Trump did what he's being urged not to do, lob personal attacks at Kamala Harris.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What happened to her laugh? I haven't heard that laugh in about a week. That's why they keep her off the stage. That's why she's disappeared. That's the laugh of a crazy person.

You know why she hasn't done an interview? Because she's not smart. She's not intelligent.

All over the world, crime is down because they're taking their criminals and their people from mental institutions and they're putting them into our country because we have stupid people like Kamala and Joe running our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: Well, Kamala Harris will make her own visit to North Carolina on Friday when she's set to deliver her first major economic policy speech as the Democratic nominee. She's expected to call for a federal ban on price gouging to lower grocery prices and everyday costs. A member of Harris' campaign spoke about her plans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL TYLER, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, HARRIS-WALZ CAMPAIGN: You can expect her to talk about the ways in which she wants to move this economy forward and lower costs for middle-class families. She understands that for too many families, prices remain too high and so wants to make sure that the American people understand the ways in which we can grow our economy and make sure that everybody has the opportunity not just to get by but to get ahead as we move forward here. And I think that will be in stark contrast from what we see out of Donald Trump.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: CNN's Kristen Holmes has more on Trump's North Carolina rally. But first, here's Kayla Tausche with details on what Kamala Harris has planned in the days ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will appear in Maryland on Thursday in their official capacity for the first time since Harris ascended to the top of the Democratic ticket. In this event, they're going to be touting lower drug prices, a central focus of the Biden-Harris administration and their economic platform for the last three and a half years. But it comes before Harris herself is set to roll out her economic platform as candidate. Sources close to her expect that she's going to be tacking more toward the middle with proposals that aim to not only lower costs for everyday Americans but also cut taxes elsewhere. One source close to her putting it this way, saying that she's going to toe the line between helping people build lives and not interfering with people who have already done that, like wealthier people in this person's estimation.

[04:05:00]

Now, as Harris tacks more toward the political center, she's finding herself increasingly on common ground with her Republican opponents who have backed both an expansion of the child tax credit, which Harris has supported for years, as well as the elimination of taxes on tips, which Harris herself just recently supported a few days ago.

It all comes as both sides of the aisle are trying to cater toward the independent voter, the small slice of Americans, just a few hundred thousand of them, who will decide this election in critical battleground states. But the devil will be in the details when Harris rolls out that plan in the coming days.

Kayla Tausche, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Former President Donald Trump giving what was billed as an economy speech. It was not your traditional rally. It was a smaller venue.

You saw people seated instead of standing. It was really supposed to be hyper-focused on one issue, but of course it's Donald Trump, so he did veer off message.

Now, one of the reasons that they've decided to do these kind of series of smaller events focused on issues is because they believe Donald Trump can still win this race. They believe he still can win in November if he particularly focuses on three issues, the economy, immigration, and crime.

They look at those issues because those are the issues that Donald Trump pulled ahead of President Joe Biden on, and they believe that he can pull ahead of Kamala Harris as well by linking her to this administration. She is, after all, the vice president.

Now, as we have seen, Donald Trump has had a hard time staying on message, had a hard time focusing on policy when it comes to Kamala Harris, particularly as we've seen a boost in enthusiasm around her, a boost in polling. But we did hear some new attack lines doing just that, trying to link Kamala Harris to Joe Biden and those unpopular policy decisions. Take a listen.

TRUMP: Kamala has declared that tackling inflation will be a day one priority. Think of it, for her, but day one for Kamala was three and a half years ago. Why hasn't she done it?

HOLMES: Now, overall, Donald Trump asked questions like, were you better off when I was president? He promised to bring down inflation. He promised several things, making the economy better. However, it was pretty light on how exactly he would do things.

One thing he said specifically was that he would commit, if he was elected, to cutting U.S. energy and electricity prices. Unclear exactly how he would do that, but important to note that he now has thrown that out there as something he is going to specifically do.

Now, in terms of whether or not he stayed on message, he veered in and out. It was a little bit different than the excerpts we were provided, but that's not that surprising. It was only slightly longer than the campaign told us it would be. I'm going to be checking in with my sources, allies of Donald Trump's, to see what they think about this new model that they're testing out of these smaller venues, of these issue-based speeches, to see if that gives them any sort of hope or insight into the direction this campaign is going.

Kristen Holmes, CNN, Asheville, North Carolina.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Well, while Trump continues to attack Harris on inflation, some new data shows price hikes actually slowed more than expected last month. The consumer price index fell below 3 percent for the 12 months ending in July, a milestone not seen since March of 2021. And Wednesday's report builds on another positive report from June, which has helped reassure the markets and the Federal Reserve that inflation is moderating. This could pave the way for the Fed to cut interest rates next month.

Now to Doha, Qatar, where the latest round of Gaza ceasefire and hostage release negotiations get underway today. A diplomatic source tells CNN Hamas will not be participating in the talks, but is willing to meet with mediators afterwards if there are developments or a serious response from Israel.

Negotiators are hoping to close any remaining gaps on a proposal to end the fighting and return all the hostages held in Gaza. The director of the CIA and a prime minister of Qatar are expected to attend, along with Israel's Mossad chief and the head of Egyptian intelligence.

Officials in Gaza are reporting that at least 36 people have been killed in the latest Israeli strikes, including three children. A spokesperson says a house in southern Khan Younis was hit, resulting in at least 13 deaths. The Israeli military says its operations in central Gaza are dismantling Hamas' terror infrastructure. Meanwhile, the death toll in Gaza since October 7th is now closing in on 40,000.

Nearly 2 million people have been displaced from their homes over the past 10 months of fighting, and many say they're cautiously optimistic about these ceasefire talks. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MOHAMMED ABU MAILIQ, DEIR AL-BALAH RESIDENT (through translator): God willing, the expectations will prove true. As everyone is expecting a solution, everyone is hopeful that a ceasefire will be achieved.

RAMI AL-KHODARI, DISPLACED FROM GAZA CITY (through translator): We hope to God there will be solutions. Everyone, youths, women, and elderly people, is now begging for money. We are broke, and everyone is either dying, injured, or getting amputated. No one has been spared.

[04:10:00]

IBRAHIM KHADER, DISPLACED FROM JABALYA (through translator): Our only hope is that tomorrow's negotiations turn out positively, so that this war ends and we can return home. We hope that this war ends, and that there will be no more wars, because we are as tired as they are.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Our Nada Bashir has been following this and joins me now. As we heard, Nada, the need for this ceasefire is now so acute. What are the chances for progress to be made with Hamas not in the room?

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well look, the stakes are incredibly high, but we aren't expecting an agreement to be struck today, or at least not a final agreement. We know that the broader framework has certainly been agreed upon. That was our knowledge in early July.

But, of course, Hamas will not be participating in these talks directly. We've heard from a U.S. official saying that, while the broader framework has been agreed upon, there are still significant sticking points, significant gaps between where Israel and Hamas currently stand on a number of key issues. And, of course, Hamas has said that they will be speaking to mediators afterwards if, indeed, there is a response from Israel that they feel is sufficient, if there are any significant developments.

But we know that these sticking points have been an issue for some time now, including questions over the movement of Palestinians from southern Gaza back into parts of northern Gaza. That is something that Hamas wants to see without restrictions, without an Israeli military presence. And, of course, a crucial part of the current peace proposal on the table, as laid out by President Joe Biden in May, calls for the release of some Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

Now, what Hamas doesn't want to see is Israel's demand for veto power over which Palestinian prisoners are actually released.

And, of course, there is the crucial sticking point with regard to the border separating Gaza and Egypt, the Philadelphia Corridor, as it's known. Israel wants to maintain some sort of security presence, Israeli forces on the ground.

That is something that Hamas has outrightly rejected, and that continues to be a key point of debate in these ceasefire negotiations.

And, as we know, there has been that broader framework agreed upon, but according to officials and sources within Israel, it is understood and there is a feeling that the Israeli prime minister may also be sort of undermining the ongoing negotiations. We know, of course, that there are members of the coalition, hardline right-wing members of the coalition, who don't want to see a ceasefire deal struck, who have threatened to pull out if, indeed, a ceasefire is struck.

So questions as to whether Netanyahu or whether Israeli officials are actually on board with getting a ceasefire struck at this point.

MACFARLANE: Yes, that has been one of the big outlier questions of this, is how far Israel are willing to cooperate. We will wait and see in the hours ahead what's to come. Nada, thank you.

Now, Columbia University's president has resigned months after pro- Palestinian protests gripped her campus. Egyptian-born economist Minouche Shafik said it had become difficult to overcome divergent views, saying she's been distressed by threats and abuse.

In April, when talks began between the university protesters and -- the university and protesters broke down, some of them stormed a campus building. Shafik called in the police, who carried out arrests and made sure the encampments were not re-established.

Now Hurricane Ernesto is gaining strength as it turns north and heads into the open Atlantic. The Category 1 storm leaves destruction and flooding in its wake after lashing Puerto Rico and knocking out power to half the island.

U.S. National Hurricane Center predicts the storm could strengthen to a Category 3 storm by Friday. They expect Ernesto to slow down as it approaches Bermuda, dumping up to nine inches of rain on the island.

Meantime, in the Pacific, Typhoon Ampil continues to grow stronger in warm waters as it surges towards Japan. Right now it's the equivalent of a Category 2 hurricane with winds of almost 100 miles per hour, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. It predicts the storm will only brush Japan's coast, but Tokyo and other coastal areas will bear the brunt of the heavy rain and hurricane-force winds in some areas.

Well, after a short reprieve, the threat of wildfires is expected to return today in parts of Greece. At least one person was killed when gusty winds caused a fire to spread rapidly throughout the Attica region and onto the suburbs of Athens on Sunday and Monday. And those strong winds, dry conditions and higher-than-normal temperatures will be back today. That comes as Greece and 19 other countries across Europe are currently under heat alerts.

CNN meteorologist Chad Myers has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, we had a lull in the wind on Wednesday, but that will not be the case on Thursday. Back to a level 4 out of 5 for the fire threat here. Not to the extreme category that we were on Monday, when there was so much damage that occurred there, but still 4 out of 5, and I don't see any help with this wind.

You see gusts in there, 40 to 50 kilometers per hour, maybe even up to 60 at times, and that was Thursday, Friday, and this is now obviously into Saturday. There's not as much light, not as much heat, from the satellite picking up here, but you still see how many fires are in parts of Europe.

[04:15:00]

We'll just have to hope that these things don't ignite or reignite because of the drought, because of the heat, possibly whatever else it's going to take to get these fires out. We're not seeing the perfect conditions whatsoever here. Clearly the heat alerts in parts of Europe.

Things get a little bit better for Athens by the weekend and into next week But still hot here hot through the Iberian Peninsula and then all of northwestern Europe very, very close to what we would consider mild. Athens goes from 38 back down to 33 where you should be by Tuesday. So we'll take that no real threat of any significant rainfall that the firefighters would certainly welcome just sunshine all day moon all night

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Europe's largest and most active volcano will keep an airport in Sicily closed for most of today at least. A short time ago, officials announced there will be no flights in or out of Catania until at least 6 p.m. local time. Mount Etna has been spewing lava and ash, which has covered the runway and made it unusable. The volcano's current eruptive phase began last month.

Now, Ukraine says its incursion into Russia will help make Ukrainians safer. We'll tell you why next.

Plus, North Korea will reportedly no longer be off limits to international travelers. But what would they be allowed to see if the country has largely kept visitors out for years?

And security is tight, with Taylor Swift set to resume her Eras tour here in London after a foiled terror plot forced her to cancel several concerts. Details after the break.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACFARLANE: Welcome back. Taylor Swift is set to resume her Eras concert tour with the first of five shows at London's Wembley Stadium in the coming hours. And security will be extremely tight.

This will be Swift's first time on the stage since three girls were stabbed to death at a dance class with a Taylor Swift theme in Southport, England last month. And the foiled terror plot that forced Swift to cancel her shows in Vienna last week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TERRI HAKALA, AT SWIFT CONCERT WITH 9-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER: We travelled from the States to go to the Vienna shows. And our shows were cancelled. Obviously, all of them were. And so we came to London, hoping to still make it happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: Now about 90,000 fans are expected at each London show. But those without tickets will not be allowed to gather outside the arena, a common practice known as "Tay-gating." Heightened security measures are in place around the stadium. And officials are urging Swifties to be vigilant about security, saying, quote, don't shake it off as not important.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIANCA MARINO, FAN OF TAYLOR SWIFT: I think it makes you just a little bit unsteady, I think, especially with all the crowds and things. And as much as I'm sure security is like ramped up and things, it does make you a little bit on edge.

FRANCESCA ABELA, FAN OF TAYLOR SWIFT: We were a bit nervous about it after hearing. But then we were researching about it. And we've heard that they will be increasing the security here at Wembley. And they're double checking everyone. So it's made us feel more at ease about that situation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: Well, authorities say the terror threat that's caused Taylor Swift's Vienna concerts to be cancelled last week was cultivated online. Extremist preachers are using TikTok to radicalize teenagers and lure them into jihadi violence. CNN's Salma Abdelaziz has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Is playing Fortnite allowed? Is Botox a sin? Can you watch the World Cup?

This is Abul Baraa, the German-speaking TikTok preacher who is targeting and radicalizing young minds by answering seemingly innocent questions from his followers.

In light of a foiled terror plot on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna, there is renewed concern about online extremism among youth. The 19- year-old alleged mastermind of the attack was radicalized online, Austrian authorities say, though we don't yet know how.

Abul Baraa has repeatedly denied any connection to ISIS and never openly calls for violence, but he is always testing boundaries online.

If someone is, quote, "bad," he says in this clip, then regardless if that person is Muslim or non-Muslim, this means death is better for them.

With his, at times, lighthearted and relatable style, he draws teenagers in and then attempts to isolate them from society, says Kaan Orhon, who runs a program to de-radicalize youth.

KAAN ORHON, DERADICALIZATION CASE WORKER, GREEN BIRD ASSOCIATION: He tries to get them to sever family bonds, distance themselves from parents, from siblings, from friends.

ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Viewers may then be presented with more and more extremist content by a social media algorithm built to fuel and feed their interests.

ABDELAZIZ: What makes him so dangerous?

ORHON: What makes him dangerous is that he is like a gateway drug. He lays the groundwork where other actors are picking his target audience up and leading them further into radicalization.

ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Germany's security services have had Abul Baraa on their radar for years. A Berlin mosque, where he was chief imam, was shut down by authorities in 2020 and another affiliated group banned for extremist activity earlier this year.

But on TikTok, where he has more than 82,000 followers, he is undeterred and prolific, even responding to recent media reports linking him to the Taylor Swift concert terror plot.

There is a massive campaign against us, he says, every time they try to find something new so they can silence us.

But those who follow Abul Baraa may become ripe for the picking by radical groups like ISIS-K, which is actively seeking to recruit teenagers because it presents a challenge to authorities.

NICOLAS STOCKHAMMER, COUNTERTERRORISM EXPERT, UNIVERSITY OF VIENNA: The calculation of ISIS-K and those people who are behind this dynamic is that they are not, it's not so easy to prosecute them by law because they are too young.

[04:25:00]

ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Leaving vulnerable young minds susceptible to recruitment in corners of the internet beyond the reach of authorities and away from the eyes of family and friends.

Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: CNN has made multiple attempts to reach out to Abul Baraa for comment. At the time of publication, we have not received a response.

Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz says he's agreed to debate in October. But what about his Republican opponent? We'll hear from J.D. Vance ahead.

Plus, tourists are flocking to Japan in record numbers, many of them looking for luxury goods at low prices. But how long can thrifty travelers count on the economy working in their favor?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACFARLANE: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. Here are some of the top stories we're following today. U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Maryland in the coming hours. They will be giving a speech on lowering costs for American families. This will be their first joint trip since Biden dropped out of the presidential race and comes on day before Harris delivers her first major economic policy speech as the Democratic nominee.

The Mpox outbreak in Africa is now officially a global health emergency, says the World Health Organization.

Until recently, Mpox had been contained to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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