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Harris and Walz Pennsylvania Tour; Trump Campaigns in Pennsylvania; Biden Works on DNC Opening Night Speech; Antony Blinken Goes to Israel to Finalize Ceasefire Deal; Israeli Strike in Gaza Kills 15 Member of Same Family; U.S. Applying New Pressure for Ceasefire Agreements; Ukraine Strikes Deeper into Russia; Maria Corina Machado Makes First Public Appearance; Ernesto's Threat to U.S. East Coast; Temperatures Continue to Climb in Parts of the U.S.; Trumps Supporters Defends Attacks on Harris' Race; Walz Campaigns in Nebraska; Blinken to Pressure Israel and Hamas; Indian Doctor Protesters Over Colleague's Death; Canadian Metropolis Hit with Heavy Rain, Floods. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired August 18, 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]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And it's the media outlets like these that are becoming increasingly influential. Trump loses, they're going to be used to build up the narrative that the election was stolen. And if he wins, they're going to be used to push pro Trump propaganda. There's going to be a lot more of this.

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.

The tale of two Donald Trumps on the campaign trail. The one that stays on message, and the one that veers off. What he said about his rival Kamala Harris ahead of the Democratic National Convention.

America's top diplomat is on his way to Israel amid high stakes efforts to finalize a ceasefire deal. Still a possible Iranian retaliation looms. More details, plus a live report from Tehran.

And Ernesto's East Coast threat. What millions of Americans should know about the storm that slammed Bermuda.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN Newsroom with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: Well, we are just one day away from the start of the Democratic National Convention when Vice President Kamala Harris officially becomes the party's nominee for president. But even in these final hours ahead of that, the pull of one state is just too strong for either party to resist.

Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, will launch a bus tour through western Pennsylvania in the hours ahead, starting in Pittsburgh. Former President Donald Trump was back in the keystone state Saturday. He's also setting up counter programming during the DNC this week, with events planned in other battlegrounds.

At his rally in Wilkes-Barre Saturday, Trump took aim at Harris, attacking her new economic plans and the changes to the Democratic ticket. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Kamala laid out her so-called economic plan. She says she's going to lower the cost of food and housing starting on day one. But day one for Kamala was three and a half years ago. So, why didn't she do it then?

She breaks everything that she touches, but soon we're going to fix every single problem. Kamala Harris and Joe Biden, Crooked Joe. What happened to Biden? I was running against Biden. All of a sudden, I'm running against somebody else.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Now, despite recent reports of Republicans asking Trump to stay on script, he did veer from prepared remarks. At one point, he criticized the Harris -- her looks, even though he called her beautiful and compared her to his wife, Melania, just last week in a conversation with Elon Musk. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I'm a better-looking person than Kamala. No, I couldn't believe it. She said -- you know, I had never heard that one. They said no, her biggest advantage is that she's a beautiful woman. I've gone, huh? I never thought of that. I'm better looking than she is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: On Monday, Harris will appear with President Biden at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The commander in chief will take the stage as the featured speaker on night one. He's at Camp David this weekend working on his remarks, and he gave a brief preview of his speech to reporters before boarding Marine One Friday night. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you going to work on your speech this weekend?

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's your message to Democrats on Monday night?

BIDEN: Win.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BRUNHUBER: Aides say Biden is pleased at the momentum building around the candidacy of his second in command. On Monday, he's expected to argue that she is the best choice to lead the country and build on the gains his administration has made. Biden will also make the case that Trump is a threat to democracy.

Now, a new polling by The New York Times and Siena College shows that Kamala Harris is gaining support in the Sun Belt. Those are states in the southern and southwestern U.S. that include key swing states. Now, there's no clear leader yet, but it's still good news for the Harris team. Harry Enten breaks it down for us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: Now, I want you to take a look at the key in the yellow. All within the margin of error. So, we've got Kamala Harris up by five points in Arizona, Georgia Trump up by four, Nevada Trump up by one, and in North Carolina, where Democrats want to play, you see Kamala Harris up two there. Bottom line is, two states where Trump is ahead, two states where Harris is ahead, but all within the margin of error. Tight, tight, tight.

Now, what's key here is, who would you rather be in this situation? Who has the momentum? And I want you to take a look at these states in the aggregate, all right? This is the Democrat versus Donald Trump, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and North Carolina.

[04:05:00]

You go back to November of 2020, across these four states, Biden and Trump were essentially tied. But in May of 2024, look at that. Look at that advantage that Donald Trump held in these states. He was up by nine points over Joe Biden. Now, in August of 2024, we've got that tied race again.

So, what we have right now is essentially the same picture in aggregate that we had back in November of 2020. And of course, Joe Biden won that year. So, the bottom line is Kamala Harris with momentum. You'd rather be her than Donald Trump if we're projecting this out nationally, but it is way too close to call in the Sun Belt states.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: All right. I want to bring in Natasha Lindstaedt, who's a professor of government at the University of Essex. And she joins us now from Colchester, England. Thank you so much for being here with us. So, I imagine for Democrats there's, you know, plenty of feel-good factor. We'll have president Biden handing the torch, Barack Obama, the Clintons, plenty of star power as well.

So, what are you -- what do you think Democrats will be hoping to get out of this? What would be a perfect convention for them? What would that look like?

NATASHA LINDSTAEDT, PROFESSOR OF GOVERNMENT, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX: I think a perfect convention for the Democrats will be if they can just capitalize on the momentum that they have built, all this goodwill, all this optimism, all this hope that they can just kind of keep that moving.

In the last few weeks, the campaign has been rolled out, and it's been really expertly rolled out. They want to just keep that momentum going. They want to showcase the Democratic Party in a positive light. They want to show that it's united. Now, that's something that the Republicans were able to do last month at their convention.

And, you know, even a month ago, the idea that the Democrats would be united would have seemed almost impossible. But now, they're really united behind the Harris-Walz ticket, and they want to show that they are really behind her, and Walz as well.

And they also want to give America a chance to get to know Harris and Walz. So, who are they? Who do they represent? What are they all about? Though there's been all kinds of media coverage on this ticket and the campaign, there's still millions of Americans that don't really know that much about them. So, they want to portray the ticket in a really positive light and explain to the American public what their broader agenda is and what the specific policies are that they're advocating.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, on that, so what do you think the major themes will be?

LINDSTAEDT: For sure, they're going to be talking about reproductive rights. I mean, this is something that Kamala Harris is very comfortable talking about. I know she's not speaking until Thursday, but this is an area that the Democrats have been doing really, really well. This part probably explains why Harris is doing so much better than Trump when it comes to female voters. Depending on the swing state, you have a lead of somewhere between 14 and 17 points.

In addition to focusing on reproductive rights, I think they're going to be talking about freedoms more generally, the idea that Harris is there to protect people's freedoms, and they're going to also have to talk about the economy. And this is an area where there could be an opportunity, but it could also be a bit tricky for the Democrats.

We've seen that Harris has been closing in on Donald Trump's lead with the American public in terms of how they feel, who is best at managing the economy. So, she's doing better than Biden was. And Biden struggled to just articulate why things were going so well.

BRUNHUBER: Yes.

LINDSTAEDT: Even though there were (INAUDIBLE) unemployment and so forth. But she's going to have to articulate an economic message that can resonate with the American public.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, and that will be a key issue. We know Donald Trump will be counter programming with his own speech on Monday, and he spent his time, as he would, attacking Harris on the economy. Listen to this. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: And think of it, does anyone here feel richer under Kamala Harris and Crooked Joe? Is anything less expensive under Kamala Harris or Crooked Joe? No, it's been devastating. Inflation has been devastating under this group of people that have no idea what the hell they're doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: So, I mean, that is basically the fundamental question that he was asking, right? How do you feel about the Biden-Harris economy? If I were a Republican strategist, I mean, that would be my advice to Donald Trump, stick to that. Instead of that, though, he's spending most of his time sort of on these rambling personal attacks. Do you think he will have the discipline to sort of hone in on this economic message this week?

LINDSTAEDT: No, he hasn't demonstrated that he has any discipline. I mean, some of the clips you've shown are just laughable. What is he saying? What is he talking about comparing their appearance?

He should be focusing on inflation. There is higher inflation than there was four years ago. Of course, this is a global phenomenon. It's not just in the U.S. But he hasn't shown any discipline. And this is where Harris really has an opportunity to talk about what she's going to do, building off of the successful fighting policies of trying to lower the cost of prescription drugs or reducing student debt or reducing child care costs.

[04:10:00]

And then, she'll talk about what she's going to do differently, which would be to more aggressively ensure that Americans have access to affordable housing and going after price gouging. Now, this is the area that Trump has been critical claiming this you're like communist price control, she's got to be careful the way she articulates this message. She's really just talking about empowering the Federal Trade Commission to investigate price spikes. And he needs to contrast herself with Trump who is going to raise tariffs, that's going to lead to more inflation. And it's going to really reduce taxes for the rich and that isn't something that most Americans are of course in support of.

BRUNHUBER: All right. We'll have to leave it there. Always appreciate speaking with you. Natasha Lindstaedt, thank you so much.

LINDSTAEDT: Thanks for having me

BRUNHUBER: And of course, stay with CNN for complete coverage of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. It begins Sunday at 7:00 in the evening Eastern time. That's Monday, 7:00 seven a.m. in Hong Kong.

In just a matter of hours, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is due to arrive in Israel. His trip is part of the U.S. plan to apply new pressure on Israel and Hamas to reach a ceasefire deal. He's expected to meet with Israeli officials on Sunday. Israeli negotiators are said to be optimistic about the talks, but Hamas is expressing reservations.

In Gaza, officials at the Al Aqsa Hospital say an Israeli airstrike today killed seven members of the same family. The victims are said to be a mother and her six children.

On Saturday, civil defense officials say an Israeli strike killed at least 15 members of another family, including nine children. Israel says its strikes killed several militants in Gaza.

Also on Saturday, the Israeli military issued new evacuation orders in Gaza. The United Nations says after these new orders, only 11 percent of Gaza can be considered humanitarian zones.

Meanwhile, Hamas says an Israeli airstrike in the West Bank killed two of its military commanders on Saturday. Israel says the pair were involved in planning a shooting attack last Sunday in the Jordan Valley.

Now, on the streets of Tel Aviv, protesters lit a fire at an anti- government protest saying there would be a deal or escalation. Some Israelis are skeptical that a ceasefire deal will happen and say they doubt that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu actually wants one. Families of the hostages still in Gaza are tempering their expectations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YAIR MOSES, RELATIVE OF HOSTAGE: Every time they're conversation like this is a very tense time for us. We learned from past experience that not to build expectation too much because then if it doesn't complete to a deal, the disappointment is so huge and you go down so far that it's very hard to rise up again.

But we still try to stay optimistic and hope, but really, really can't build our expectation too much because then it will be very hard to recover for us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Journalist Elliott Gotkine is live in London and our Fred Pleitgen is live in Tehran. Fred, let me start with you. So, take us through the role you expect Iran to play in the upcoming talks.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Kim. Well, first of all, we're in a pretty interesting place here. We're inside the Iranian parliament inside the modulus. And right now, what's going on here is actually the confirmation hearings for the new government of newly elected President Masoud Pezeshkian. So, that's going to be very interesting to see how that shapes Iran's foreign policy in these very key times in the Middle East.

The other thing, of course, that is going on as well is that you do have this turmoil that is still going on. I spoke to a couple of members of parliament here inside, including some very prominent one, and they certainly say that they're not very confident about the ceasefire negotiations that are going on. They don't believe that Israel is serious about the ceasefire negotiations. And also, they say they don't trust the United States to be an objective mediator in all this because they believe that the U.S. is firmly in the corner of the Israelis.

Nevertheless, parliamentarians that we've been speaking to here on the ground, they do say that they hope that there will be a ceasefire, obviously, so that the bloodshed inside of Gaza ends.

And at the same time, you do have that Iranian retaliation for the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, which happened just a day after the inauguration of the new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, that still very much looms here. And parliamentarians we've been speaking to here, and they fully -- say they fully expect that a strike is going to happen.

A political analyst that I spoke to also said he believes a strike will happen, and he laid out some of the things he believes that the Iranians are currently considering. Let's listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMMAD MARANDI, POLITICAL ANALYST: I think the response, although it will be harsh, I think it will be calculated in a way so that countries across the Global South don't conclude that Iran is putting them at risk.

[04:15:00]

So, the court -- the ball really is in the court of the Americans. After the Iranian strike, and I think it will be hurtful, significantly, they will cause significant pain to the Israeli regime.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: So, that's the view here on the ground that there will most probably still be a strike by the Iranians. And that strike will be quite hurtful to the Israelis.

Nevertheless, the Iranians have also pointed out that they don't want all of us to descend into a wider conflict in the region. In fact, they say they want things to calm down. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Thanks so much. I want to turn to Elliot now. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will soon be landing in Israel. The Biden administration has said things are close. They're trying to put pressure on Israel to make a deal. What's your sense, where do things stand?

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: Kim, I don't want to you know, undermine what President Biden has been saying in terms of saying that we're closer than we've ever been before in terms of a ceasefire-hostage deal or the cautious optimism that we are hearing from the Israeli side. But we do need, I think, to look at the past nine months of on off talks between Israel and Hamas mediated, of course, by the United States and in particular, the Qataris and the Egyptians and see that we have been here so many times when there has been this optimism. We heard from that relative of an Israeli hostage saying that they want to get their hopes up too high because in the past, those hopes have only been dashed.

And I'm constantly reminded of that time when in February, President Biden in Michigan saying that he hoped to deal would be done that weekend. So, I think, you know, caution rather than optimism is probably a better way to describe the current situation.

We've heard from a source familiar with the talks that were taking place in Doha last week saying that for the Israelis, at least, in the words of this source, the gaps have been narrowed in terms of the positions of Israel and Hamas. And then, we had a statement on that from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office on Saturday evening, saying that there were elements that were acceptable to Israel in terms of the proposal that is on the table and that they were expressing cautious optimism.

But as we were just hearing, this isn't the stance, certainly not of Iran, nor from Hamas, which has been saying that, first of all, the United States seems to be slanted towards Israel, that the proposal on the table is kind of factoring in more the Israeli side of things. And at the same time, they are also saying that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be is obstructing these talks.

Now, it may be that both sides -- this is all part of the negotiating process, it may be also that both sides are trying to ensure themselves in the event that these talks also come to nothing so that they're in a position to blame the other side. But certainly, the pressure on both sides to do a deal has never been higher. Not just because of the death toll and the war that is still ongoing in Gaza and also, now, it seems an outbreak of polio for the first time in 25 years, prompting the U.N. to call for a seven-week pause in fighting so they can vaccinate more than half a million children.

But also, because of this prospect of a Hezbollah and or Iranian for the assassination of Hezbollah's top military commander in Beirut and also the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas's political bureau, in a guest house in Tehran. Both of those happening at the end of July.

Now, as we've been hearing, there is still an expectation that there will be some kind of retaliation, perhaps a calibrated retaliation that doesn't drag the Israel and Iran/Hezbollah into all-out war. And that, for the moment, because of these talks, that retaliation seems to be on hold.

But of course, if these talks -- if and when these -- if these talks come to nothing, and even if they do actually reach a deal, some kind of retaliation is still expected, and that's, of course, why Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in the air right now to try to pressure the Israeli side to move towards doing a deal. And at the end of last week, we had the U.K. and French foreign ministers in Israel also to put pressure on the Israeli side to do a deal.

So, as I say, there is perhaps hope that a deal can be done rather than optimism, but given past form over the past nine months since the last one and only ceasefire collapsed, it pays to be cautious. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Elliott Gotkine in London, thanks so much.

Ukraine's incursion into Russia has been a major humiliation for President Vladimir Putin, but now Kyiv wants to raise the stakes and strike deeper behind the front lines. That's ahead.

Plus, temperatures continue to climb in parts of the U.S., triggering excessive heat warnings and heat related illnesses. We'll have details about that after the break. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:20:00]

BRUNHUBER: Ukraine is consolidating its foothold in Russia's Kursk region following the launch of its cross-border incursion. That's from President Volodymyr Zelensky, who's now calling on allies to allow Kyiv to conduct long-range strikes on Russia. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We are doing everything possible to provide our soldiers with the necessary weapons and reinforcements. In this context, it is crucial that our partners remove barriers that prevent us from weakening Russian positions in the way the course of the war demands. We could reliably deprive the occupier of any opportunity to advance and spread destruction if our long-range capabilities were sufficient.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Ukraine says it has advanced 35 kilometers or more than 20 miles into Russia and captured more than 80 settlements. It says it holds more than 100 square kilometers of Russian territory and that's more than 420 square miles. And as Kyiv pushes ahead, Russia is stepping up the evacuation of civilians from border areas. More than 3,000 were moved on Saturday, bringing the total to at least 200,000 since the Ukrainian offensive began.

U.S. officials say Kyiv is still technically in compliance with the restrictions on using U.S.-made weapons in Russia. They admit Washington didn't anticipate those weapons would be part of a ground offensive across the border. But they say Kyiv is still using them within the areas allowed by the U.S.

Military analyst Mick Ryan spoke to CNN a short time ago about Ukraine's incursion across the border and we asked him if Ukraine is ready to be an occupying force and what challenges it will face there. Here he is.

[04:25:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJ. GEN. MICK RYAN, AUSTRALIAN ARMY (RET.): The biggest challenge I have is the amount of troops they have available to occupy that territory. 1,100 square kilometers is a -- is almost double the amount of territory that the Russian army has taken in the Donbass this year. So, do they have enough troops to do that compared to the defensive campaign, they must also wage in the Donbass? Supplying them will be difficult because their supply routes will be constantly interdicted by the Russians. And do they have enough electronic warfare, air defense, and these kinds of things?

So, there's a whole lot of military concerns in seeking to take and hold the enemy's territory for a long period of time, and that doesn't even include whether they can use foreign weapons, which they're currently restricted from using at the moment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: And General Allen (ph) also said both Russia and Ukraine are now conducting two major ground campaigns, but they're unlikely to be sustained in the medium-term.

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado made her first public appearance in weeks on Saturday, joining demonstrators in what her party called a protest for the truth in the capital of Caracas. Thousands of Venezuelans and others around the world answered Machado's call to action, showing support for the opposition's claim of electoral victory against long time strongman Nicolas Maduro.

Meanwhile, Maduro and his supporters held a counter demonstration in Caracas, hours after the opposition's where the authoritarian leader declared, quote, the door will be slammed on anyone who pokes their nose into Venezuela.

Bermuda still remains under a tropical storm warning after what was Hurricane Ernesto made landfall on the island early Saturday as a Category 1 storm. Heavy rain and high winds continue to impact Bermuda as Ernesto makes its way north.

Although, it won't directly hit the U.S., the storm is expected to bring life-threatening surf and rip conditions along the eastern seaboard over the next few days.

Meanwhile, triple digit temperatures are making their mark in parts of the U.S. More than 40 million people are under heat alerts across lower Mississippi Valley and Southern Plains with little to no relief in the coming days.

In Colorado, around 100 people were treated for heat-related illness at an air show on Saturday. 10 people were transported to local hospitals, while others were treated on site. According to officials, the area was under a heat advisory at the time, with temperatures reaching into the 90s.

All right. Coming up, Donald Trump's most fervent supporters are defending his attacks on his opponent's race, and they believe he's successfully courting black voters. We'll hear why they're standing by their man coming up. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:30:00]

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.

More now on our top story this hour. A source tells CNN, former U.S. President Donald Trump is planning to hold a series of events this week to counter the Democratic National Convention. His campaign is described as messaging events, which will be held at smaller venues in several battleground states, and they'll focus on the economy, crime, and immigration, and will kick off in Pennsylvania on Monday.

That's where Trump was campaigning on Saturday. His campaign second visit to the state since the last month's attempted assassination during the rally. Trump escalated his personal attacks on his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.

Meanwhile, Tim Walz was campaigning in his home state of Nebraska on Saturday for the first time since becoming the Democratic vice- presidential nominee. He held a rally in the city of Omaha, where a single electoral vote could impact the outcome of the presidential race, whilst leaned into his local ties and contrasted his Midwestern roots with Donald Trump and the GOP vice presidential nominee, J. D. Vance.

He also slammed Trump for trying to distance himself from a Project 2025, which is a conservative blueprint for a second Trump term. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. TIM WALZ (D-MN), DEMOCRATIC VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: When he tries to play dumb about this 2025 plan, I coach football for enough years. When somebody takes the time to draw up a playbook, they plan on using it.

He knows what this will do. Restrict our freedoms, rig the economy for the ultra-rich by punishing the middle-class. If he returns to the White House, he's going to pick up just where he left off. But the people around him who worked with him the first time are already telling us, it will be much, much worse.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Donald Trump and his campaign have been making a push to win over black voters. CNN's Elle Reeve traveled to Virginia recently to visit a store owned by a black woman selling MAGA merchandise and items featuring the confederate flag. She spoke to the business owner and to other voters there about how they feel about their choices.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JO ANNE PRICE, TRUMP STORE OWNER: Every woman ought to have one of these. It's one of those things that when people see one, then they want one. Same thing with the confederate hat. You know why? Because people don't think you have the nerve to do it.

ELLE REEVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jo Anne Price runs a Trump store in Christiansburg, Virginia.

REEVE: When Joe Biden announced he wouldn't run for president again, was there any part of you who felt a pull to vote for Harris?

PRICE: No, absolutely not.

REEVE: Why not?

PRICE: I would not vote for either one of them. I would not vote Democrat ticket. No way.

This is a white privilege card. And this is just a play, it just says, this card trumps everything and it gives the bearer happiness and success because of the color of their skin.

REEVE: And who buys that?

PRICE: White people.

REEVE: OK.

PRICE: It's funny.

SEBRIAN VANNOY, TRUMP SUPPORTER: And then when you give it to a state trooper, they let you go. And don't write you a ticket.

REEVE: You think so?

VANNOY: Yes, I've experienced it.

PRICE: Yes.

REEVE: Wait, really?

VANNOY: Yes. And he said, OK. He laughed at it and he gave it back to me and did not write me a ticket.

REEVE (voice-over): This actually happened at least once elsewhere. In 2022, a woman claimed Alaska police let her go without a ticket when she flashed a white privilege card instead of a driver's license.

PRICE: It's humorous to us, you know, it really is. It's humerus to the average American I here.

REEVE: You know --

VANNOY: Chances are two to one he was a Republican too.

REEVE (voice-over): Trump has been working to appeal to black voters and polls showed some success when Biden was still in the race, but have since gone down.

REEVE: The Trump campaign this year has made a big effort to reach out to black voters. What do you think of their efforts?

[04:35:00]

PRICE: I think their efforts are succeeding tremendously. All the things that have happened to President Trump, the attacks on him, have done nothing more than strengthen black people's connection to him because now he's someone who is the target of a struggle and they have always been -- felt that they've been a target.

I did prison ministries for five years, so, you know, if you're a convicted felon and then somebody else is a convicted felon, there's a camaraderie there.

REEVE (voice-over): Donald Trump attacked Kamala Harris, questioning her racial identity. She's black.

TRUMP: She was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn't know she was black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn black. And now she wants to be known as black.

REEVE (voice-over): He's acknowledged his commentary has provoked mixed reactions.

Price is just one person, and not a swing voter. But we were curious what she made of his comments given that she's a black woman and fervent Trump supporter and former local Republican Party chair.

REEVE: How do you make sense of how Trump talks about Vice President Kamala Harris, that he sort of suggested he doesn't understand her biracial background. That first she was Indian and then she was black. What do you make of that?

PRICE: I don't understand it either. She's Indian and she's Jamaican.

REEVE: Yes.

PRICE: Is she black?

REEVE: I mean, do you not think she's black?

PRICE: Is he? Was she born here?

REEVE: Yes.

PRICE: Yes. Were her parents' citizens? No.

REEVE: OK. But we have birthright citizenship in America.

PRICE: Uh-huh.

REEVE: Do you --

PRICE: We call -- we call that anchor.

REEVE: People can immigrate here and not be citizens but have green cards and work permits. PRICE: Yes, that's true. However, she can claim to be black because of her Jamaican father. You know, that's her right. We're a melting pot, you know, because I basically have a combination in my family as well.

REEVE: How do you reconcile that? Like, you have a history of blended families in your family. How do you reconcile that with Trump seeming to not understand how Kamala Harris could have a blended family herself?

PRICE: Herself? She could have a blended family. What I'm saying is, is his comments about that, I think he's making a point. And, you know, I'm not so disturbed by that.

REEVE: But what is the point he's making?

PRICE: The point he's making simply is, is that she is not a black, black person.

REEVE (voice-over): There were some mixed views on the idea of a woman president.

REEVE: What do you think about Kamala Harris?

VANNOY: Kamala Harris, may I say this, and hopefully that you ladies won't get offended, but because of what happened in the Garden of Eden, there will never be an elected woman, whether she's black or white, that will occupy the White House that God would ever stand behind.

REV. MERRIE TURNER, TRUMP SUPPORTER: I'm not sure America's quite ready for female leadership. It would be wonderful to have a female president if and when one arises that has conservative values that are going to lead the nation in prosperity.

REEVE: Did Joe Biden dropping out change your view of the election at all?

JOE SHANNON, OBAMA-TO-TRUMP VOTER: Oh, it surely did. I think she's going to be worse than Joe. I just don't think she has the experience. I think she was only chosen because she was a woman.

PRICE: He has been mocked, scrutinized, slandered, dragged into court. This man is still standing. And he's standing strong because he knows that he was chosen. He's our David.

Elle Reeve, CNN, Christiansburg, Virginia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is due to arrive in Israel today. How will his pressure to reach a ceasefire deal affect Israel and Hamas? An expert shares what we can expect next here on CNN Newsroom. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is on his way to Israel right now. He's expected to meet with Israeli officials on Sunday and apply new pressure for an agreement. Protesters in Israel are sending a blunt message to their government. They lit a fire on the streets of Tel Aviv Saturday to mark the day of regional escalation if there's no ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas.

In Gaza, civil defense officials say an Israeli strike on Saturday killed at least 15 members of the same family, including nine children. Also on Saturday, the Israeli military issued new evacuation orders in Gaza. The United Nations says only 11 percent of Gaza can now be considered humanitarian zones.

H. A. Hellyer is a Middle East Studies scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and he joins us live from Prague. Good to see you again we've heard signs of optimism from the Biden administration and from some Israeli sources you. I spoke a few days ago, do you think anything meaningfully has changed?

H. A. HELLYER, MIDDLE EAST STUDIES SCHOLAR, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE AND SENIOR ASSOCIATE FELLOW IN INTERNATIONAL STUDIES, ROYAL UNITED SERVICES INSTITUTE: Well, thank you very much for having me on your program, Kim. I don't think that we've seen sufficient progress to, you know, justify that sense of optimism. What we have over the last 24 hours is another Israeli strike on the Ratbalah (ph) in the Gaza Strip, where around 20 people were killed, including a woman and her six children. That happened literally last night.

And you have the Israeli side of the negotiations insisting on new demands that it seems that the Americans have accepted. So, we're not really closing in on gaps as much as we're creating new ones, I think. When you have one side of the negotiations actually assassinating the lead negotiator of the other side of the negotiations, it doesn't really build for much of a path towards trust in order for these negotiations to succeed.

And you know what we've seen multiple times over the past nine months, as the Israelis themselves have attested to, our continuous efforts by the Netanyahu government to sabotage the negotiations at pretty much every step.

So, I think what we have right now is, you know, some movement, but also huge gaps and new gaps. And we still haven't heard from Hamas in terms of how they will respond to this. And I don't think that it's likely that they will move even further than what the original deal stipulated because the goal posts seem to keep changing.

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And again, this has been testified to by Israeli sources themselves. You've seen it in Haaretz. You've seen it in leaks to Axios. You've seen it, you know, on multiple occasions that even the Israeli negotiators are incredibly frustrated with the moving of goalposts by Netanyahu himself personally. And I don't think that's changed.

BRUNHUBER: So, on that then, Secretary of State Antony Blinken will be landing in Israel shortly. So, how much pressure can or will the Biden administration exert on Israel here, do you think, beyond rhetoric?

HELLYER: So, this is Groundhog Day, really. So, I firmly believe that the Biden administration wants a deal to happen. And I think that Anthony Blinken really wants this deal to go through. Unfortunately, they simply don't want it enough. And what I mean by that is by going to Israel or by talking with Israeli officials they think that they can apply pressure. The Israelis know very well that this is talk, that this is rhetoric, that this is -- you know, these are discussions and words.

Whereas when it comes to actual pressure, i.e., at the United Nations Security Council and the use of the U.S. veto, the provision of aid, the provision of military assistance, the provision of weaponry. None of that is on the table. None of that has been touched. Nobody's even threatening to put this off the table.

And that's what pressure is actually looks like, using the leverage that the United States has to actually ensure a change in Israeli behavior and bring Gaza to a ceasefire, but also de-escalate in the region more generally so that we don't spiral into another round of conflict with regards to Lebanon, with regards to Iran. I think that's in everybody's best interest

BRUNHUBER: On the domestic considerations for -- at least for the U.S., the Democrats are, of course, holding their convention this week, and we can expect significant pro-Palestinian protests there. So, with all of that in the background, do you think that might change the calculus here for the Biden administration in terms of increasing the leverage here that they're going to exert?

HELLYER: So just a small word on the protest, because I've watched these protests of last 10 months. I wouldn't call them all pro- Palestinian protests. A lot of them are simply about international law and trying to make sure the United States holds to a consistent line when it comes to international law. They have the same demands of the Israelis as they do of the Russians when it comes to Ukraine.

Now, in terms of what sort of pressure this might apply, I think that the Harris campaign is already aware that the majority of Democratic voters want a more balanced perspective presented in policy from a Democratic administration whether or not this is actually going to push the Harris administration at this juncture, you know, when the election is only a couple months away, when the Vice President Harris is still Vice President Harris, right? She serves in the Biden administration.

I think is rather unlikely. I suspect that we'll see a few sort of signals to try to put people at ease or try to make sure that they realize that this is, A, much better than any Trump administration is going to give them, but also give them some hope that these change from the current Biden administration's policy. But I wouldn't expect too much. I don't think that it plays into the calculations as much as I think these protesters would like.

BRUNHUBER: All right. We shall see. Always appreciate your analysis. H. A. Hellyer, thank you so much for joining us.

HELLYER: Thank you for the invitation.

BRUNHUBER: More than a million doctors in India went on a 24-hour national strike on Saturday over the brutal rape and murder of a female colleague. They demanded protection from bullying and threats of violence from patients and their families. They're also frustrated with the problem of violence against women. As hospitals turned non- emergency patients away, the mother of the victim of a gang rape lent protesters her support. Her daughter was a physiotherapy student when she was raped on a bus in New Delhi in 2012 and later died. Here she is.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): The way this misfortunate incident happened inside the hospital, it is a matter of concern and very disheartening to know that the heinous crime happened in a place where this child was working and taking care of the patients and treating them. It is believed that doctors are gods. And if a doctor is working in a hospital and it's not safe there, how can we think that other women and young girls are safe anywhere?

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BRUNHUBER: Protests included sit-ins, vigils, and demonstrations for greater protection for medical staff. The 31-year-old trainee female doctor was raped and murdered in a Calcutta medical college when going for a nap after working 24 hours of a 36-hour shift.

[04:50:00]

Thailand's newly elected prime minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, has officially assumed the leadership after formal endorsement by the country's king, the 31st prime minister of the country, and its youngest ever faces potential opposition from conservative military and royalty aligned parties, which also face the daunting task of reviving a sluggish economy.

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PAETONGTARN SHINAWATRA, THAILAND PRIME MINISTER: The role of prime minister carries immense responsibility. And I'm focused on addressing the pressing issues facing our country, particularly improving the lives of our citizens.

I am dedicated to pushing forward key policies, form economic reforms and the 30 (INAUDIBLE) healthcare improvements, to enhancing digital infrastructure and promoting Thailand's soft power on the global stage.

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BRUNHUBER: She also promised she would work to take the country forward with stability.

While fighting wildfires in some parts of the country, Central Canada is hit with heavy rains and floods. We'll have that story when we come back. Please stay with us.

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[04:55:00]

BRUNHUBER: Parts of Central Canada are trying to recover after being submerged by wet weather. Heavy rain triggered flooding in Toronto and neighboring communities as Environment Canada issued weather alerts. Firefighters helped people stranded by high water and there were reports of a tornado touching down elsewhere in Ontario. Severe thunderstorms also caused numerous flight delays and diversions at Toronto's airport. The rain is expected to continue into today.

Firefighters in Western Turkey could use some rain right now as they battle wildfires. Now, this one in Izmir province no longer poses a danger to residential areas, but firefighters flying through heavy smoke continue to douse the flames. The fire broke out Thursday when forestry officials say three people built a fire while they were on a picnic. Authorities say they're close to identifying the suspects.

Paintings by Monet, Van Gogh and Cezanne were sparked -- were spared, rather, when fire broke out at London's historic Somerset House Saturday. The building is home to the Courtauld Gallery, but the fire was confined to an area where no artworks are housed. It took 25 fire engines and 125 firefighters to bring the blaze under control. Crews used a crane to fight the flames on the roof. The complex has been filming things like "Love Actually" and "Downtown -- Downton Abbey," rather.

Italy is sweating through a heat wave that's brought a surge of related illnesses. In Rome, there's been an uptick in emergency room visits. Doctors say it's mostly tourists who get dehydrated. Since mid-June, consecutive heat waves have swept across Italy, leading to the health ministry to place 22 cities on red alert this week. Many regions have been enduring temperatures around 104 degrees Fahrenheit or 40 degrees Celsius.

All right. That wraps this hour of CNN Newsroom. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back with more news in just a moment.

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