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Interview With Lynda Carter; Interview With Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired August 19, 2024 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:01]

KATE BEDINGFIELD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I don't think I'm the solution here? How rare is that?

SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Selfless, yes.

BEDINGFIELD: So I think that -- yes, so I think tonight that, yes, Kamala Harris will become the leader of the political Democratic Party, yes, absolutely.

JENNINGS: You think he arrived at this decision that's delivering him into this stage on Monday night through some selfless introspection?

BEDINGFIELD: I think a lot of -- I...

JENNINGS: And he wasn't strong-armed and bullied out of this race by the very people in this room tonight?

I mean, look, he...

JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: Well, he didn't have to give it up. I mean, he..

BEDINGFIELD: That's the thing. I think a lot of elected officials have undergone...

(CROSSTALK)

JENNINGS: I don't know. Maybe he did.

ACOSTA: Yes. I mean, Donald Trump did not ever concede the 2020 election. So, I mean, there is a slight difference there.

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN HOST: And you know what? Tonight, the Democrats are going to put on the stage some of the people involved in the January 6 investigation, the committee on Capitol Hill.

That's another point of contrast that's going to raise a character question about Donald Trump. And, I mean, I do wonder, as a Republican, if you wish that more of your colleagues had strong-armed him into stepping aside.

JENNINGS: Well, we had a real primary. I mean, the Republicans had a primary, where people showed up and they voted their preferences. And then the person they voted for actually got the nomination of the party.

That's not what the Democrats did. They had a rigged primary, where 14 million people voted for Biden and then they changed their minds later. So if you want to talk about the party of democracy, I do wonder, I do wonder about the optics of the person who's going to get the nomination here has never gotten a single vote for this office.

At least the Republicans had a vote and we stuck to it.

BEDINGFIELD: She was on the ticket with him that got 14 million votes in this primary.

Also, the incumbent president running effectively more or less unopposed in the primary is pretty standard operating procedure. So to suggest now that that's some sort of undemocratic effort is just -- that's just not true. That's not true.

JENNINGS: I mean, you had the guy resigned by tweet. I mean...

BEDINGFIELD: Oh, wait.

(LAUGHTER)

BEDINGFIELD: Wait, wait, wait. So, wait, communicating by tweet is now no longer acceptable for presidential nominees? Because I think you guys might have a problem with that.

(CROSSTALK)

JENNINGS: You ran the president of the United States out of his -- he's been in this profession for 52 years, and you ran this man out of his job by tweet on a Sunday morning. I mean, it's pretty rough.

I mean, look, my hat's off to you. You guys' party bosses, I get it. Like, you all are rough players.

ACOSTA: We are in Chicago, yes.

PHILLIP: You know what?

JENNINGS: I mean, this is like -- I'm kind of in awe of it.

PHILLIP: Listen, we are in unprecedented times.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIP: Kate and Scott, thank you both.

JENNINGS: Thank you.

ACOSTA: All right, guys, thanks a lot. Appreciate it.

PHILLIP: When we come...

ACOSTA: Scott had his coffee this week. He did.

PHILLIP: He sure -- he does every day, actually.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIP: When we come back: Kamala Harris is hoping to break a very cracked grass ceiling -- glass ceiling -- I'm sorry -- come November. And my next guest, she knows exactly what that pressure is like.

Karen Bass, she's the first -- first female mayor of Los Angeles. She is also one of tonight's convention speakers. She will join me live right after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:37:20]

PHILLIP: Welcome back to this special edition of CNN NEWSROOM from the Democratic National Convention right here in Chicago. I'm Abby Phillip.

And among the speakers at the convention this week are two former presidents, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, and, of course, vice presidential nominee Tim Walz.

A key ally of Vice President Kamala Harris is Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. And she will help kick it off and address the delegates tonight 7:00 p.m. Eastern time.

You can see the vice president there swearing her in back in 2022. Mayor Karen Bass joins me now.

You all go way back.

KAREN BASS (D), MAYOR OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: That's right.

PHILLIP: All the way back.

BASS: That's right.

PHILLIP: I imagine you have probably spoken to her in the last couple of weeks...

BASS: Oh, you know what?

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIP: ... a time or two.

BASS: She has just been so busy, absolutely.

PHILLIP: So, what would be your advice to her in this moment?

Someone was reminding me that, four years ago, there was no real convention called, right?

BASS: Right. That's right. That's right. We were all in COVID.

PHILLIP: This type of stage...

BASS: Yes.

PHILLIP: ... this type of room, even the audience is different. What's your advice to your friend?

BASS: Well, let me just tell you, as I have watched her over the last two to three weeks, she is well-prepared for Thursday.

PHILLIP: Yes.

BASS: The crowds that she has been dealing with now on the campaign trail have been the same size as this stadium.

PHILLIP: Yes.

BASS: So I think she's going to do really well. I just think she should be natural, she should be fearless, and that is who she is and who she has been.

And I think Thursday is going to be such an exciting evening.

PHILLIP: So, what are the things, though, of -- even though she is the sitting vice president, a lot of voters are telling pollsters they don't know what she stands for.

What does she stand for?

BASS: Well, I mean, first of all, as vice president, she has been key in terms of the Biden/Harris agenda.

One of the things that comes to mind for me because of my background is health care, lowering the cost of prescription drugs. The cost of insulin, which was $100 or more, now is $35. Those are life-and-death issues for Americans.

And so I think she has been very clear about what she stands for, the infrastructure bill, all that has been described. And now she's developing her own agenda, the economic agenda that she laid out the other day.

PHILLIP: So, I mean, there's a lot of policy that you have just mentioned there.

And I think just reasonable, level-headed people this election should be about the issues that matter to people. But it's also going to be about a lot of personal attacks.

BASS: Sure.

PHILLIP: And former President Trump, he says: I'm entitled to attack her personally.

He's going after her. He's going after her family. How should she handle those types of attacks on her race, on her gender?

[11:40:02]

BASS: You know, I think handling it with class, as she has been doing over the last couple of weeks, not taking the bait.

But just think about it for a minute. He has no idea how to run against her. He doesn't know what to do. And when he doesn't know what to do, then he goes to the lowest common denominator, which is to attack her on race, on gender. And it just shows who he is.

PHILLIP: Well, the former president and his running mate, J.D. Vance, are going to be giving some speeches this week counterprogramming on crime.

You are the mayor of one of the big Democrat-led cities that they like to say are bad on the issue of crime. But, look, I like to say we can talk about the numbers. And I believe the numbers show a drop in crime pretty much across the board in this country.

BASS: Right.

PHILLIP: But there are probably people feeling unsafe in this country, in the big cities and suburbs, whatever.

BASS: Yes.

PHILLIP: What should the Democrat message be on that?

BASS: Well, first of all, I think the Democrats need to be and have been clear about crime, which is, it is unacceptable. When it happens, it needs to be dealt with, and people need to be held accountable to the full extent of the law.

But we also need a comprehensive approach, which means I want to do whatever I can to prevent crime. And so what this administration has done in terms of community violence prevention, the grants that have been issued to communities around the country, is also a key component.

But we cannot equivocate when it comes to crime. Crime is a problem. It has been a problem in Los Angeles. The data shows that crime is going down. But when neighborhoods and individuals experience crime, we have to address it and we have to be aggressive.

PHILLIP: Does she have an opportunity to be -- to lean into a part of her resume that might suggest a tough-on-crime approach as a former prosecutor?

BASS: Well, you know what? I remember, when she was the DA and when I was speaker of the state Assembly, she was very clear about being smart on crime.

That was the name of a book that she wrote.

PHILLIP: Right. She kind of, I don't want to say coined, but she popularized that phrase, yes.

BASS: Right. Right. Right.

But what she was saying in that phrase was, you have to address crime when it happens, but there are strategies to prevent crime. There are strategies to get young people away from gangs. And so having that comprehensive approach, I think, is absolutely critical.

And the nerve of somebody who has faced as many indictments and convictions as Trump to then talk about the vice president in terms of crime is quite hypocritical.

PHILLIP: You are -- we were talking in the break about the Olympics.

First of all, you were in Paris to receive the Olympic torch from Paris. What was that moment like for you personally just to be there to experience that? And what are you looking forward to?

BASS: Well, I will tell you, it was a surreal moment. It was an incredible honor to be on that international stage.

PHILLIP: They set a pretty high bar over in Paris, I have to say.

(LAUGHTER)

BASS: They did. They did. It was wonderful.

But, to me, the honor, aside from representing my city, state and country, was standing next to one of the greatest Olympians in history, Simone Biles. And it was just an honor to meet her and to share that moment with her.

PHILLIP: Yes, she is incredible.

BASS: She absolutely is.

PHILLIP: And I watched a lot of gymnastics with my 3-year-old, and she loved it. She loved it.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIP: She's -- she and Simone are on a first-name basis around my household.

(LAUGHTER)

BASS: That's great.

PHILLIP: Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, thank you very much for joining us today.

BASS: Thanks for having me on.

PHILLIP: And still ahead this hour: As Wonder Woman in the 1970s, Lynda Carter became an icon for feminism and equal rights. Now, more than 50 years later, she is continuing the fight for women's health care by campaigning for Vice President Kamala Harris.

Jim is going to speak with Wonder Woman herself, Lynda Carter, live. That's up next.

But, first, here is a look at who's coming up on "INSIDE POLITICS" at noon. Dana Bash has a full slate of great guests. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:48:35]

ACOSTA: All right, some big names in entertainment playing a big part at the DNC this week, Tony Goldwyn, Ana Navarro, our very own Ana Navarro, Mindy Kaling, and Kerry Washington, they will each host one night of the Democratic Convention in a roll similar to an awards show host, giving opening remarks and transitioning between speeches.

Many celebrities have rallied around here in recent weeks, including my next guest. Take a look. All right, that's right. Lynda Carter, the original Wonder Woman, she endorsed Kamala Harris on the day President Biden stepped aside, posting this photo of the V.P. in front of a painting of Wonder Woman.

The character, of course, has for decades represented women's strength and empowerment. Carter is campaigning hard for Harris and spoke out about the threat a Trump presidency she says would pose to women's rights during a Biden-Harris rally earlier this summer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LYNDA CARTER, ACTRESS: The women in this room, the women in this country will never let you see the Oval Office again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: And joining me now is the one and only, the icon Lynda Carter.

Lynda, great to see you, as always. Thank you so much for being with us.

The Democratic Convention kicks off tonight with a woman leading the ticket. How would you describe this moment? Is this going to be the year that this country shatters that glass ceiling for women?

[11:50:10]

CARTER: I sure hope so. Right now, I think there's a little technical difficulties that I can't see you, but I think we're OK.

ACOSTA: Yes.

CARTER: I am so excited. I'm so thrilled.

I had the privilege of meeting Kamala and Doug several years ago. I even had the privilege of having Kamala cook for me. (LAUGHTER)

ACOSTA: Wow.

CARTER: And she is such a great cook, I can't tell you. She's so great and so charming and so wonderful.

But more than that, what I have seen over these last years, I think this country was actually depressed. I think that having those years under this fear and of disruption and of hate and of misogyny has been so disruptive to our psyche, that having this breath of fresh air come rushing into us, come at this time in our lives, and then with Tim, who is just a wonderful person and so sincere, that it has really changed -- I wake up in the morning and I'm singing.

I'm just so thrilled that we have competent, wonderful human beings that are for the whole country, not just half the country. I'm thrilled.

ACOSTA: Yes. And, Lynda, I -- yes, Lynda, I think that's what the Gen Z'ers call a vibe shift in this campaign.

(LAUGHTER)

ACOSTA: But let me ask you this, just to talk about one of the issues that we're going to be hearing about a lot this week.

The DNC tonight is going to feature people who have been impacted by stricter abortion laws in this country passed by states following the overturning of Roe v. Wade. What is your sense of where that issue is shaping up and how it will potentially decide this election? What do you think?

CARTER: I think, if that is the only issue, that it will be a landslide.

It is absolutely a travesty that we have come into this area, this time of our lives where we have stripped half the nation of their right -- the rights to their own body. And it's that the government has no place in this decision-making process.

They aren't doctors. They aren't -- most -- they are not women for the most part. And the idea of that intrusion into your life is just unimaginable. And I will do everything in my power and in my pocketbook to change that.

We have seen the repercussions of it. And that's 40 percent of the United States is under these draconian mandates of anti-abortion, 40 percent of the states. That's shocking. And we have to do something about it.

And I hope that we just knock every single Republican off the ticket if we can. Vote blue, vote blue, vote blue. It has nothing to do with anything that is religious. It has nothing to do with that. It has to do with overreach by government. And I'm opposed to it. ACOSTA: Yes, and, Lynda, I mean, one of the things that we have been

hearing out on the campaign trail, Donald Trump engaging in some very personal attacks aimed at Kamala Harris, criticizing her laugh and all sorts of things.

(LAUGHTER)

ACOSTA: You're laughing right now.

CARTER: Oh, God, I'm so happy to laugh again. I love her laugh. I love her dancing. I love the joy.

ACOSTA: How do you think she should handle all that? Yes.

CARTER: By laughing. She should handle it by dancing.

Do you know what it feels -- whenever you're at a wedding, let's just say a wedding, and you see some older people staying on the dance floor until all hours of the night, and they're just out there and they're just back in whatever era they're dancing to, some old rock 'n' roll.

Like, Tim Walz, his playlist is very good. It's very good. And you can see them out there, and it gives you joy. So, hey, finally, we can dance without fear and we can laugh without fear. And too bad if some old curmudgeon doesn't like it. Too bad. I'm laughing and I'm dancing all the way to the voting booth.

[11:55:01]

ACOSTA: All right, well, Lynda Carter, I hope to see you out on the dance floor one of these days. We will cut a rug.

CARTER: Well, you take me for a spin.

(LAUGHTER)

ACOSTA: I'd love to, any time.

CARTER: All right.

ACOSTA: Lynda Carter, thank you so much. It was such an honor for all of us. We were so excited to have you on this program. Really appreciate it. Thank you so much.

CARTER: And, Jim, thank you so -- Thank you so much, Jim. It's always my pleasure.

ACOSTA: Thank you. All right.

And thanks to everybody for joining us this morning. I'm Jim Acosta. Great to have Abby Phillip here with us this morning. We're going to be back here in Chicago all this week.

"INSIDE POLITICS WITH DANA BASH" starts after a quick break.

Have a great day, everybody.