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Harris Campaigns In Pennsylvania Ahead Of Democratic National Convention; Blinken Arrives In Israel For Key Meeting With Netanyahu; FEMA Disaster Fund Depleted Before Peak Of Hurricane Season. Aired 3- 4p ET

Aired August 18, 2024 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:41]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining us. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in Atlanta alongside my colleague, Jim Sciutto in Tel Aviv.

We will get to you in a moment, Jim, but first right now, Vice President Kamala Harris is on the campaign trail in Pennsylvania. The democratic presidential nominee is taking a bus tour in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania there.

They are in the western part of the state, and this really is the first time these candidates, Kamala Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz and their spouses are appearing to gather on this bus tour here in Pennsylvania.

She by the way, is riding a wave of momentum. New national polls out today shows Harris taking the lead over Republican, Donald Trump for the very first time since she announced her candidacy just a month ago.

Tonight, Harris will be heading to Chicago, where the Democratic National Convention begins tomorrow. It will feature four nights of primetime programs to energize the Democratic base ahead of November's pivotal election.

But before the party starts, Harris is taking time to visit with voters face-to-face in Western Pennsylvania and CNN's Eva McKend is there in Pittsburgh with more.

EVAN MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Fred, the last couple of weeks for the vice president, it has been all about these big rallies, but we are on the bus door in Pennsylvania, to the extent that she can as vice president, she is trying to have these more intimate affairs. Just a few dozen people lined up in this airport hangar and then she has four stops today across Western Pennsylvania including here in Pittsburgh and in Rochester as well.

And so think retail shops, phone bankers, canvassers those are the people that she wants to connect with in a more intimate setting.

I caught up with a canvas are out on the doors yesterday here in Pittsburgh and she told me she was reach Republican and Independent voters and she was encouraged by what she was hearing. Those voters telling her that they expressed some openness to supporting the vice president.

Meanwhile, this all comes as Harris is narrowly beating the former president in at least one poll, and in the margin of error in several others -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Eva McKend, thank you so much.

All right, the start of the Democratic National Convention is tomorrow, and it will feature a real passing of the torch kind of moment as President Biden is set to speak and appear with the vice president on opening night.

CNN's Jeff Zeleny is in Chicago for the big event, many big events that will unfold throughout the week there.

All right, so what more do we know about what Democrats are planning to unveil there starting with Biden and Harris appearing together?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Look, President Biden is going to be making his way tomorrow, but this convention is entirely different than it was intended to be. It was intended to be all about Joe Biden, really a final mark of his long life in public service.

He didn't have a convention four years ago, of course, that was cut short by the pandemic, but this convention will also be he cut short by the political reality of the circumstances. He will be here tomorrow night. There is no doubt that Democrats are going to give him a warm welcome, a hero's welcome, most likely.

And then he is going to essentially pass the torch to his vice president. We are going to see a literal changing of the guard right here at the United Center in Chicago.

Vice President Harris, I am told, made it her intention to be at the convention, inside this convention hall to watch President Biden's speech. Of course, he has endorsed her and that changed everything just a month ago in this party.

That endorsement really set things into motion for where they are now, and this is a united party, this is an excited party to get behind Vice President Harris.

We are going to see speeches from a couple of former presidents, Barak Obama and Bill Clinton, Secretary Hillary Clinton will also be speaking on Monday. Doug Emhoff of course, the Second Gentleman who could be the First Gentleman if Democrats win in November, he will also be speaking as well as several other people.

We are also learning that Michelle Obama will be speaking on Tuesday night right here in her hometown of Chicago. So certainly much excitement from Democrats.

[15:05:01] Fred, there is no doubt that there is a unified sense of purpose in this party, but it is also clear when you talk to people, sort of aside from the celebrations that they know that this is still a tough fight ahead for some 75 days or so.

Essentially, this race has been reset, but that does not mean that Vice President Harris and Tim Walz are really leading in any strong way.

This is going to be a fight to the finish as they know, but this week is all about defining Vice President Harris really introducing her to the country in ways that they have not seen until now.

WHITFIELD: All right, Jeff Zeleny, thank you so much and thanks for working through that audio. Folks, it is not your television or your feed. There was a technical problem. Thank you so much for hanging in there.

All right, for more now, on the campaign trail, let's bring in Craig Gilbert. He is a retired Washington bureau chief for "The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel."

Craig, great to see you.

So this is interesting. Vice President Harris will be taking time away from the DNC. Yes, she will be there tomorrow in Chicago, but then on Tuesday, she will head to Milwaukee for an event.

So what does that tell you about her campaign? The flexibility of her campaign, why it is important to do that while in the region and then heading back to Chicago?

CRAIG GILBERT, RETIRED WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF FOR "THE MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL": Yes, I mean, it makes perfect political sense. I mean, you're having, your convention in a safe blue state, but 60 miles to the north, you have the tipping point state in the last two elections, Wisconsin and another 30 miles further north, you have the city of Milwaukee, where Republicans just had their convention.

So it is an opportunistic move. It is a clever move, it is a little in-your-face and also, I think the timing. I mean, you're taking advantage in a battleground state of this surge in Democratic enthusiasm that Jeff alluded to.

We've been tracking that for some time and Democrats were suffering from an historic enthusiasm deficit that is no longer the case.

WHITFIELD: Hey, Craig, can I ask you to take a pause for a moment? Let's listen to Vice President Harris, presidential candidate. Harris now, well, she is in Rochester talking to folks there at this stop, let's listen.

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And my husband, Doug, you are doing so much and you've been traveling all over our country and I want to thank you and you are going to yet again make history. He is First Gentleman of the United States of America. (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

HARRIS: There are a lot of incredible leaders here. I wanted just for a moment, mention my friend, Bob Casey.

We have got to send him back to the United States Senate. For the time that I was in the United States Senate and worked with Bob, I am going to tell you something, you know, we had these -- we would have these meetings where all of the Democratic senators would get together for lunch, no cameras in the room.

Bob, almost every time was one of the ones would stand up in that room with all the other senators from around the country talking about the working people of Pennsylvania and why we needed to have you in our mind when we were thinking about national policy every single day.

That's who Bob Casey is. Let's send him back to the United States Senate.

Chris Deluzio, we want to thank you. What he is doing in the Halls of Congress. Again, I mean, you send some fighters to DC, Pennsylvania, you send some fighters to DC. Your next attorney general, DePasquale. Where are you?

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

HARRIS: I've done that work. I know what it requires and you're going to be outstanding.

So you've got a lot of work, Pennsylvania, on your shoulders right now that you're carrying and you who are here volunteering to do this work.

And we are going to get it done.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

HARRIS: And Malcolm Kenyatta knows exactly what I am talking about. I see him almost every time I come into the state.

So I want to just address you all right now, as the volunteers. You know, Tim said it, this campaign for us is really born out of love of country. We all here, we love our country and we know our country is going to be a strong as our willingness to fight for it and to fight for what we stand for.

You know, when you know what you stand for, you know what to fight for? When you stand for working people, you fight for working people. When you stand for freedom, whether it be to make decisions about your own body or love who you love, you fight for those things.

When you believe an ending child poverty, you fight for that. When you believe in what we need to do to lift up the middle class, you have fight for the middle class.

These are things we stand for and these therefore are the things we fight for. And that is what our election is about.

Our election is about understanding the importance of this beautiful country of ours in terms of what we stand for around the globe as a democracy.

As a democracy we know, there is a duality to the nature of democracy.

[15:10:07]

On the one hand, incredible strength when it is intact, what it does for its people to protect and defend their rights, their liberty and their freedom, incredibly strong, and incredibly fragile.

It is only as strong as our willingness to fight for it and that is what this campaign is about.

This campaign is about a recognition that frankly over the last several years there has been this kind of perversion that has taken place, I think, which is to suggest -- which is to suggest that the measure of the strength of a leader is based on who you beat down when what we know is the real and true measure of the strength of a leader is based on who you lift up.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

HARRIS: What we see as strength, we know what strength looks like. That's what strength looks like. Anybody who is about beating down other people is a coward.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

HARRIS: This is what strength looks like. So we know what we are about, we know what we stand for. And one of the beautiful things about these next 79 days is what the people in this room have already been doing and know. Let's build community, let's reinforce community.

You all as volunteers. What you know, and we are going to spread the word is how you can look at the face of a perfect stranger and see in their face a neighbor that we see in each other are connection, our interdependence.

What we see now in each other, which fortifies and reinforces that the vast majority of us have so much more in common than what separates us, that's what this campaign is about.

Yes, it is about winning and we will win.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

HARRIS: We will win, and we will win, God willing.

WHITFIELD: All right, day ahead of heading to Chicago or being the centerpiece at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, you see presidential candidate sitting Vice President Kamala Harris there in Western Pennsylvania. She is with the Second Gentleman, Doug Emhoff, as she is with her running mate, Tim Walz and his wife, Gwen there firing up the crowd there, the support team, there in Rochester, Pennsylvania.

And back with me now is Craig Gilbert. He is a retired Washington bureau chief for "The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel."

And you and I were listening to this together here. You heard here her really firing up the crowd there saying it is really about uplifting and not beating down one another.

I wonder how this is going to resonate there in Wisconsin since while the convention is underway, you and I just established that she will be making a stop in Wisconsin on Tuesday.

This is her message there in Western Pennsylvania. How will it resonate there in Wisconsin?

GILBERT: Yes, I think it plays well in Wisconsin. Wisconsin is a super polarized state that has been kind of a scene of constant partisan warfare for decades.

And I think there is some fatigue with that. There were certainly fatigue with the choices voters were being presented with before Joe Biden stepped aside in this race.

So I think she is looking at those voters, voters that weren't happy with their choices, voters that may be really weary of the political warfare and she sees an opening there.

WHITFIELD: Yes, how would you describe what you just witnessed there? It had an air of spontaneity to it. There is some real fluidity there. She seems very relaxed there. A lot of smiles at the same time.

You know, she is emoting that fighter quality. How would you characterize what you just saw?

GILBERT: Well, I think she is -- you know, she has handled this moment in the campaign well and it is a good moment for her.

I mean, I think we will have to wait and see how she handles the more difficult moments in the campaign. But I think she is riding this wave we talked about and, you know, people -- she knows that she has the attention of, you know, all kinds of voters that go into this without a firm opinion of who she is and therefore their opinions are malleable and they seeing the TV ads, they're seeing the candidates. They will be cluing in to this convention to learn more about her.

So a massive amount at stake for her in this particular moment in the campaign.

WHITFIELD: All right, okay. And again, she is there in Western Pennsylvania. She is with her running mate and their spouses. They are hitting at least four cities there in Western Pennsylvania on their bus tour and emblazoned on the side, in addition to Harris her name on there, it says "A New Pathway Forward," so we are going to continue to watch their travels, Harris-Walz in Western Pennsylvania.

[15:15:23] Craig Gilbert, retired Washington bureau chief for "The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel" and a fellow at Marquette Law School, and a political columnist for "The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel." Thank you so much.

GILBERT: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: All right, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is back in Tel Aviv for a critical meeting tomorrow with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But is a ceasefire and hostage deal possible after the latest Israeli strikes in Gaza?

Plus, one of the nation's top ranked hospital systems is being accused of losing a part of a patient's skull. We will explain how that happened and what the case is all about, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:20:51]

JIM SCIUTTO CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: I am Jim Sciutto in Tel Aviv and we do have some news just into CNN and this is the response from Hamas to the latest proposal for a possible ceasefire deal and hostage exchange proposal that as you know, negotiators have been working on for some time.

I am reading from the Hamas statement right now. It says: "After listening to the mediators about the recent round of talks in Doha (the talks in Qatar), it became clear to us once again that Netanyahu (that is the Israeli prime minister) continues to place obstacles to reaching an agreement, sets new conditions and demands in order to thwart the efforts of the mediators and prolong the war."

It is notable, Hamas gives this read of the talks and releases a statement just as the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken has arrived in Israel in his latest instance of shuttle diplomacy to get a deal across the finish line.

With me here is CNN diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson, also CNN State Department reporter, Jenny Hansler, who is traveling with Secretary Blinken.

I want to begin with you, Nic because we were discussing just last hour about how Israeli officials have been using the phrase "cautious optimism" about these talks.

President Biden said a couple of days ago that he thought we were closer to a deal than we'd been at any time prior. Hamas is throwing cold water it seems on those appraisals.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Very clearly. And as you say, the timing when Secretary Blinken arrives here, when it appears this has been released, I think is a very big signal.

We've already heard from the prime minister's office saying that they're not going to give in to Hamas' demands for a full ceasefire. So I think we are really getting a sense of the backwards and forwards nature of this.

Already, we had heard from the prime minister's office here already saying that they would be flexible on some points, not flexible on other points, and there are things that they would absolutely stick to.

So you can see the two conflicting positions here already ahead the secretary's visit.

SCIUTTO: Now this kind of back-and-forth, it is not atypical of negotiations like this. There is posturing. There could very well be progress and this could be setting new limits.

But the Hamas statement reference specific sticking points in these talks that have been consistent sticking points. What are those?

ROBERTSON: They are the border crossing between Gaza and Egypt. Israel controls it at the moment, the so-called Philadelphi Corridor. They found huge Hamas tunnels underneath it, big enough to drive trucks through. Israel believes Hamas would use that to resupply Gaza.

Israel wants to maintain troops on that border that Hamas says absolutely no way. Then there is the actual physical were crossing where trucks come and go, the Rafah Crossing, Hamas wants to control that. Israel is not up for that.

Also, Israel wants to have this control to stop Hamas regrouping in the north of Gaza. So they want to have this control. The Netzarim Corridor, specifically listed by Hamas again, with those other places.

Israel wants to have a check there to make sure that no one with weapons can move from the south to the north. And Hamas says.

SCIUTTO: So you're cutting it in half in a sense.

ROBERTSON: You're cutting in half and we want to have free and unfettered and independent movement there.

So, yes, these are big sticking points. We don't know that is in the bridging proposal that Secretary Blinken has been part of constructing, but the gap is very big. It has got to be a very big bridging proposal to get across that.

SCIUTTO: Have the sticking points gotten stickier? This might be the message here.

Nic Robertson, thanks so much.

I do want to go to Jennifer Hansler.

Jennifer, you just traveled in with the US secretary of State here. Listen, it is not his first time to the region and he has called this a critical inflection point in these talks.

As he is arriving, is there basis for US officials' optimism that they could bring the sides together for a deal? JENNIFER HANSLER, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT REPORTER: Well, I think that's the big question, Jim, because we have seen the stakes of these talks go up and up and part of that is because of the optimism around this, that the US officials have put on this bridging proposal.

We have heard a senior administration officials say they are in the end stages. They even voiced optimism that things could be settled this week. We were told on the way here by another senior administration official that, you know, this is his move to try to bring this across the finish line to emphasize the need to get this deal done.

[15:25:10]

We have not heard the same level of optimism from the key parties in the deal. That is Israel and Hamas.

So, tomorrow, Secretary of State Antony Blinken will be meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu. He will be meeting with the Israeli Defense Minister Gallant. He will also be meeting with Isaac Herzog, who is the Israeli president, and he will be trying to hammer home the need for this deal to come to an end for this war to reach a ceasefire so the hostages can come home.

And Jim, you and I both know that but these conversations be Israeli government are never easy, particularly in the wake of October 7th.

We have heard from US officials who argue that is only in person persistent engagement that has gotten the Netanyahu government to shift any of its positions on Gaza. So we will likely be seeing these difficult conversations taking place tomorrow here -- Jim.

SCIUTTO: Yes, and that football analogy. They said they were on the 10-yard line, but the question was with 10 yards to go or 90 yards to go and that perhaps still an open question.

Jennifer Hansler, Nic Robertson, thanks so much.

Fred, hoping that this is certainly not the end of these talks, but perhaps another obstacle. We will continue to follow it closely.

WHITFIELD: Right. Hopefully, all on the right direction. Jim, thank you so much. We will check back with you.

All right, FEMA's disaster fund in this country is already out of money for the second year in a row. How will Congress take action with millions of Americans facing severe weather and flooding from the climate crisis?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:30:57]

WHITFIELD: As Tropical Storm Ernesto churns in the Atlantic, FEMA is trying to figure out how it is going to respond to any upcoming disasters with the agency's disaster fund now in a deficit. It is the second year in a row FEMA's disaster funding has run dry ahead of the peak of hurricane season. Officials say they will still be able to provide emergency assistance, but long-term recovery from previous disaster will now be paused.

Here with us now, former EPA administrator and former governor of New Jersey, Christine Todd Whitman.

Governor, great to see you.

CHRISTINE TODD WHITMAN, FORMER EPA ADMINISTRATOR: Good to be with you.

WHITFIELD: So how concerning is this for the second year in a row to have this major disaster relief agency run out of necessary funding?

WHITMAN: Well, it should be a lesson to everybody. These storms are getting more frequent and doing more damage. It is almost a billion dollars a storm now -- every storm to recover, and we don't have the money for it, but we are not preparing in any way to try to limit the damage by changing the way we use our land, moving people back from the shore. Those in tornado alley trying to do better by them and then doing everything that we can to slow climate change.

But we need to take this seriously, it is costing taxpayers lots of money and that is not to mention the lives and the jobs and the homes. So it is real and we need to understand that.

WHITFIELD: And in fact, NOAA is reporting that the US was hit with 19 separate weather and climate disasters exceeding $1 billion in damage, and that's just since the start of this year and this is expected to be a very active hurricane season, and we haven't even reached the peak yet, so NOAA is predicting up to 25 named storms.

Is climate change, you know, the driving force behind the sheer number, the ferocity of these weather disasters, or do you see a culmination of other things?

WHITMAN: Well, it is largely due to climate change. It is that warming of the ocean that feeds these storms, particularly the hurricanes and let' them gain more strength. It gives them more water to put down on the land that isn't ready for it. Then the same thing -- it is affecting the tornadoes in Tornado Alley, making them more -- giving them that warmer air that allows him to churn up more.

I mean, if we can't understand what has been happening because this is about the tenth year in a row where we've seen a continuous uptick of temperature. Now, we've had temperature highs and lows before, spikes I get it. It has been different.

We didn't cause climate change, but we are clearly doing something to our environment that makes it impossible for Mother Nature to deal with it in the way she has in the past.

And this is a continuous pattern that we are seeing. So it is not just one and done.

WHITFIELD: Yes, and no overnight fix to climate change.

I want to, while I have you, too, now talk about another topic that's on the minds of many -- 2024 election. You know, you cofounded the Forward Party with former Democratic presidential candidate, Andrew Yang. So what is the Forward Party? And what do you think its role will be in this upcoming general election as we are now on the eve of the DNC?

WHITMAN: Well, first of all, we are not playing at the presidential level. As a party, we are not endorsing the presidential candidate. Individually, we are -- I've endorsed Kamala Harris but as a party, we are not.

We are building from the ground up. Our focus is on state and local, were focused on things like school boards and library commissions, and state legislators, mayors.

Because were building in the sense that we don't have a platform that says you must be pro or anti-choice, pro or anti-gun.

We are a party of principles. And in order to be accepted as a candidate for Forward, you have to sign a pledge that says, I will uphold the rule of law, respect the Constitution, work with anyone to solve problems, create a safe space to discuss contentious issues and work constantly to open the electoral process so that everyone who is entitled legally to vote can vote.

[15:35:07]

It is not putting up these barriers, making it as hard as possible for certain segments of society to be denied that access. Beyond that, we have underneath that several suggestions as how to reach those and we will be adding more over time, but it is up to the state and the candidate to say, well, what is important to me? What is important to my district, my constituents? And so they pick the actual issues that matter to them.

WHITFIELD: Okay, that is as it pertains to the Forward Party, which you say is really operating more conscientious of the state and local level now on the presidential campaign level.

You are, correct, part of the Republicans for Harris. I mean, you've thrown your support behind this Democratic candidate to win the White House and that is right, correct?

Just so I am not speaking an untruth.

WHITMAN: That is absolutely correct.

WHITFIELD: Okay, and so now, when you have a former representative Republican, Adam Kinzinger, who is among the speakers, former Georgia Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan, who has also been on our air throwing his endorsement behind Harris. What does this mean to you as a Republican that so many high-profile Republicans are backing a Democrat for the White House? What's going on in your view? WHITMAN: What it is, is people saying enough of this guy on the outside, all he does is call people names, who disrespects the Constitution as just an inconvenient document form and clearly doesn't believe in the rule of law and tried to overturn an election. We've never had that before and he continues to go back to January 6. He praises people for that.

That was an insurrection that in the old days, those people would have been called traitors. And the punishment wouldn't have been a pretty one.

So what they're saying is no, we are not -- this is not the Republican Party in which we grew up. It is not the Republican Party that respects the rule of law and the Constitution and works with -- and worked with anyone to solve problems and that's where they're trying to get the country back to.

Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are the answer for now. I mean, would they will agree with every single policy, that they put out there? No. But they are more concerned about the future of this country and our government, and our type of government, our democracy, and that is the most important thing to them. It is policy over politics.

WHITFIELD: And when you say answer for now, you are still a Republican, Kinzinger is still a Republican, Duncan is still a Republican. I wonder, while there is this for now, support for Harris in the White House. Are you also simultaneously part of a coalition to rebuild the Republican Party to this standard that you believe is more suitable?

WHITMAN: Well, I laugh because I have done that numerous times with various organizations that I've started of which Adam Kinzinger has been a supporter at times.

I mean, I have tried with him and that's what Forward Party is about with Andrew and I, and Michael Willner, who is the third co-founder. I mean, each of us has tried in various ways within the current party structure to change our parties and it is going nowhere.

They like the power they have. They like the fact that 70 percent of electoral districts across this country in any given year are uncontested. Either Republicans own them, or the Democrats own them and that's just wrong. Every voter should have a choice, and five to ten of those offices are never filled. We think everybody should -- if an office -- if there is an office on the ballot, it should be filled, there should be somebody there.

I mean, this is an example and frankly, what we were facing when it was Biden or Trump was the fact that the parties are just concerned about holding power, not about policy and a change to Harris was an understanding that Joe Biden was going to have a tough time winning.

WHITFIELD: Former Governor Christine Todd Whitman, so appreciate this conversation. Thank you so much.

WHITMAN: My pleasure. WHITFIELD: All right. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:43:45]

SCIUTTO: Welcome back. I'm Jim Sciutto.

There is new video today showing Ukrainian forces pushing their offensive line further inside Russia including blowing up a key bridge in Russia's Kursk Region. This follows a similar attack on another bridge on Friday.

This ongoing and surprise attack has left Russia struggling to shore up its very own territory. Authorities from both sides are urging civilians to evacuate the area around Kursk.

And in the Donetsk Region in Eastern Ukraine, that is where Russian troops are now advancing on a key hub for the Ukrainian military.

I want to speak now to William Taylor. He is the former US Ambassador to Ukraine, and vice president Russia and Europe at the US Institute of Peace.

Ambassador, thanks so much for taking the time.

WILLIAM TAYLOR, FORMER US AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE: Jim, thanks for having me.

SCIUTTO: So, we are seeing in the events of the last 24 to 48 hours, both the advantages of this remarkable push inside Russia by Ukrainian forces, but also the risk because it appears that Ukraine took forces away from other parts of the front, and now, Russia might be taking advantage of that and pushing forward on that eastern front. Is this a zero sum game for Ukrainians, or is it on balance, a game, what we are seeing here?

[15:45:06]

TAYLOR: It is clearly a game, Jim, in terms of the morale of the soldiers, the morale of the civilians, the morale of the government, and really the morale of the supporters for Ukraine. So that's a net -- that's a clear game.

But you're right about the number of soldiers. Both sides, both the Russians and Ukrainians have a constraint on the number of soldiers that they've got right now under arms both are trying to train more. Both know that they've got trouble on enlisting new soldiers.

And so yes, in order to defend themselves, the Russians are having to pull troops out of the line, but also trying to throw recruits, brand new recruits, conscripts that were not supposed to be in war, not supposed to be in combat and they are throwing them in the line trying to defend their own territory.

SCIUTTO: So when we look at Ukraine's broader goal here, they've certainly raised morale, they have forced Russia to divert forces from the eastern front, those are immediate gains.

But in terms of their longer term objective here. They make clear they have no intention, like Russia has done inside Ukraine, quite brazenly, which is to invade, occupy and annex territory. No intention by Ukrainian forces to do that inside Russia.

So what is the longer-term objective in your view?

TAYLOR: Longer-term objective for the Ukrainians is to demonstrate to the Russians that they can't win. That to throw them back, throw the Russians back on their heels, demonstrate to President Putin that he cannot outlast the Ukrainians, he can't outlast the European support, and really the American support -- when he sees that, Putin will have to look for a way out and that is what the Ukrainians are looking for.

SCIUTTO: Yes, it truly is -- I mean, we should not underestimate what a remarkable change this is in the last 13 days because I don't know anybody I speak to regularly about the war who predicted this. And now, you have Ukrainian forces blowing up Russian bridges inside Russian territory.

Is there any sense, can we get any sense as to whether this has pierced the bubble of vulnerability? Not for Putin so much, but perhaps for the Russian public who Putin promised he would keep the war at a distance for them.

TAYLOR: He did. He did. And he has tried to do that and this demonstrates the number of people -- the number of Russians that they've had to evacuate out of Kursk grows dramatically, and those people are making it clear.

The mothers of soldiers who were suddenly thrown into in this war with no training, are also making it clear. So yes, it is coming home to the Russian people that this is a war that they started and that they are now feeling the effects.

SCIUTTO: What do you believe the US view is of this offensive? Because it strikes me, the US might not have been quite aware of Ukrainian plans here and might have been surprised to some degree itself.

TAYLOR: May have been surprised, but I have the feeling that they are pleased, that the administration is pleased with what is happening. They are pleased that the Ukrainians have shown the initiative, have demonstrated that they have the capability, that they can use these weapons that we've provided very effectively and have pushed back on the Russians.

The Americans, we would like to see this war end, too, and this initiative by the Ukrainian is, in most people's view, a step in that direction.

SCIUTTO: Ambassador Bill Taylor, we do appreciate you coming on.

TAYLOR: Thank you, Jim.

SCIUTTO: Fred, certainly remarkable events taking place in Ukraine and Russia.

WHITFIELD: Indeed.

All right, Jim, thank you so much.

All right, a brain surgery patient is suing an Atlanta area hospital for allegedly misplacing part of his skull and then charging him for a replacement. How the hospital is responding to these allegations, next.

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[15:53:13]

WHITFIELD: All right, one of the nation's top ranked hospital systems is being accused of negligence.

A brain surgery patient claims the Atlanta area hospital lost a saucer-sized portion of his skull temporarily removed for surgery after he suffered a brain bleed.

CNN's Ivan Rodriguez is joining me now with more on all of this. So how does something like this happen?

IVAN RODRIGUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, whenever you have to undergo any sort of medical procedure, there can be a sense of nervousness attached (AUDIO GAP) and looking strictly at the lawsuit, it really is a nightmare scenario.

Two years ago, Fernando Cluster was admitted to Emory University Hospital Midtown and diagnosed with an (AUDIO GAP) bleed. Now the complaint, which was filed this month with the DeKalb County state court says doctors removed a part of Cluster's school, measuring around 4.7 to six inches to reduce pressure on the brain.

After he healed from that surgery, he was scheduled to have the bone flap reimplanted. As he was being prepped for surgery, Emory's staff couldn't identify the bone flap belonging to Cluster according to the complaint.

One of the reasons includes several bone flaps having incomplete or missing patient identification. Cluster's attorney tells WXIA, they are suing the hospital for negligence claiming the loss of the bone flap resulted in extensive damages, as well as physical and emotional pain and suffering.

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CHLOE DALLAIRE, CLUSTER FAMILY ATTORNEY: Due to a simple act of negligence, something that was entirely preventable, he has to live the rest of his life in fear of getting an infection in his brain and in his skull.

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RODRIGUEZ: Cluster and Emory ultimately decided to use this embedded implant flap and proceed with surgery. The complaint says that flap suffered an infection and then require additional surgery.

Cluster was charged for that cost, as well as for the extra time he spent in the hospital. His medical expenses totaling more than $146,000.00 according to the complaint.

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Now, the couple says Cluster suffered permanent injuries and hasn't been able to work as a result of the hospital's negligence.

In an e-mail statement to CNN, Emory says in part that they are committed to providing high-quality care and at the same time, don't comment on any pending litigation.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. So this really is just the beginning.

RODRIGUEZ: It really is just the beginning and you always see that with lawsuits, right, it happened two years ago, but now it really is, let's say, starting to ramp up in terms of litigation.

WHITFIELD: Yes. All right, Ivan Rodriguez, thank you so much.

All right, Vice President Harris, she is just hours away now from what will be the biggest week of her political career as the Democratic National Convention is set to kickoff, we are live in Chicago.

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