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Biden Gave His Valedictory Keynote Address at the DNC, Passing His Torch to Kamala Harris; Israel Agrees to a Ceasefire-Hostage Deal by U.S. CNN Investigates a Hidden Camera Conversation of one of Project 2025's Co-Authors; Veteran U.S. Talk Show Host Phil Donahue Dies. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired August 20, 2024 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and to everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: -- and America, I love you.

(CHEERING)

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: In an emotional speech, President Joe Biden cements his political legacy while passing the torch to Kamala Harris on the first night of the Democratic National Convention.

America's top diplomat says Israel has agreed to a U.S. proposal to close the gaps on a hostage and ceasefire deal in Gaza.

And he was a media pioneer who changed the face of daytime television forever. A look back on the life of legendary talk show host, Phil Donahue.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Good to have you with us. Well, Democrats kicked off their national convention in Chicago with a message of unity, hope and a new way forward with Kamala Harris at the top of the ticket. But the night was also about honoring the service of President Joe Biden. Harris herself took to the stage for a surprise appearance where she struck an optimistic tone on the first day of the convention. She also praised President Biden.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS (D), U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Joe, thank you for your historic leadership, for your lifetime of service to our nation, and for all you will continue to do. We are forever grateful to you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The packed crowd at the United Center also showing their appreciation for the U.S. President. They chanted, "Thank you, Joe", as he took to the stage on Monday night. In his speech, he reflected on his own legacy as he slammed his former rival.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: Donald Trump calls America a failing nation.

(BOOING)

BIDEN: No, I'm serious. Well, think about this. Think about this. He publicly says to the whole world, I'm going to say something outrageous. I know more foreign leaders by their first names and know them well than anybody alive.

(CHEERING)

(APPLAUSE)

BIDEN: Just because I'm so damn old.

(LAUGHTER)

BIDEN: But I'm not joking.

Think of the message he sends around the world when he talks about America being a failing nation. He says we're losing. He's the loser. He's dead wrong.

(CHEERING)

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN's M.J. Lee was there on opening night and has more now from Chicago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

M.J. LEE, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The first night of the Democratic National Convention here in Chicago, clearly an emotional moment and evening for President Joe Biden, who was the keynote speaker.

Of course, he was initially meant to speak on the final night of the convention, but because he dropped out of the 2024 race four weeks ago, the president instead opening the convention here in Chicago. And when he first took the stage after being introduced by his daughter, Ashley Biden, you could see the emotion.

He actually turned away his back to the stage for a moment as he wiped away tears. And when he took the podium, the crowd inside this arena holding We Heart Joe signs for several minutes would not stop chanting, saying, Thank you, Joe, and We Love Joe over and over again. That moment too clearly bringing the president to tears.

And this was a speech that was long on accomplishments. He really took the time to lay out everything that he sees as the key accomplishments of the Biden-Harris administration, and at times calling out his former opponent, former President Donald Trump. And he made the case to everyone in this room and to the Americans tuning in that it is time for them to elect Kamala Harris come November. Take a listen to what he had to say about his vice president.

BIDEN: Selecting Kamala was the very first decision I made when I became our nominee. And it was the best decision I made my whole career.

(CHEERING)

(APPLAUSE)

BIDEN: We've not only gotten to know each other; we've become close friends. She's tough. She's experienced. And she has enormous integrity, enormous integrity.

(APPLAUSE)

BIDEN: Her story represents the best American story.

[03:05:06]

LEE: And notably when President Biden was finished speaking, we saw Vice President Harris and her new running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, joining him and the First Lady Jill Biden, on stage. Members of their families were also on stage as well, clearly wanting to show the entire room here and the nation watching the sign of unity for the party and the country.

We know that there are going to be many other speakers, key national Democrats that will be speaking on behalf of the president and the Biden administration's accomplishments but also of course on behalf of Vice President Kamala Harris in making the case for her over the next three days.

But it was clear that the first night, the beginning of this convention really was about trying to pay tribute to President Biden. And again, it was very clear that he was moved by those emotions and the signs of support that he could see all around this room, the gratitude that he could feel from those chants of We Love Joe and Thank you Joe, that really initially didn't end for a number of minutes.

This was clearly a moment that he didn't anticipate even as of a number of weeks ago. but culminated in the president dropping out and now delivering a completely different speech than what he would have some weeks ago.

M.J. Lee, CNN in Chicago.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: While the Democrats rally in Chicago, Donald Trump is taking his campaign to key swing states including Pennsylvania. The Republican presidential nominee told workers at a manufacturing plant that Kamala Harris will end fracking if elected and he repeatedly called her a communist.

CNN's Phil Mattingly takes a closer look at Trump's strategy this week.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The political spotlight may be very firmly on Democrats and Vice President Kamala Harris throughout the course of this week, but the Trump campaign has made very clear they are going to try and still get their message out.

Counter-programming in swing state after swing state after swing state, throughout a five-day blitz, the former president and his vice presidential nominee, J.D. Vance, hitting every single major battleground state, all seven of them over the course of the next five days, starting here in Pennsylvania.

J.D. Vance was down in Philadelphia, the former president here in York, at a speech that was rather different than what we normally see from him. It was not a big rally, it was not a raucous affair. Instead, it was at a manufacturer. It was policy-based, for the most part, and Trump mostly stuck to the script. Take a listen.

DONALD TRUMP (R), U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Every policy in the Trump agenda is designed to bring the jobs and wealth back home to America where it belongs and where it's going to stay. Kamala puts America last, I put America first.

MATTINGLY: Now this format, kind of very tightly-coordinated, small crowds, maybe 150 to 200 people max, is actually what you're going to see throughout the course of the week. And if that sounds like something you may have heard of before, it actually tracks very closely with what Republicans have been saying for the last several weeks, they want the former president to do. Stop with the personal attacks. Stop with the rambling press conferences and rallies. Instead, focus on policy contrast issues like the economy, like immigration, where for months now, Trump has had a fairly significant advantage over Democrats.

On Monday, it was the economy. It was energy here in the critical- battleground commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He'll be heading over to Michigan, then North Carolina, then Arizona, then Nevada, all states the Trump campaign wants to win, some of which it absolutely needs to win, whether or not the former president can continue to stay on message in those smaller events, well, that is part of the counter program and we're going to have to watch in the days ahead. Phil Mattingly, CNN, York, Pennsylvania.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Larry Sabato is the director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics. He joins me now from Charlottesville. Good to have you with us.

LARRY SABATO, CENTER FOR POLITICS DIRECTOR, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Thank you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So the first night of the Democratic National Convention was headlined by President Joe Biden, who formally passed the torch to Kamala Harris, as did Hillary Clinton. What tone was set on this first night and how did the energy and excitement compare to the mood and feel of the RNC?

SABATO: I think the Democrats did an amazing job in putting all of this together and rearranging it all in a month. These things take years to put together and you do have to change a lot of the pieces if you're changing nominees.

I wondered whether they'd be able to do it but they brought a lot of different voices from different factions of the party together and they've all been singing from the same tunes and I think it's really fit together nicely. It's given a good boost to Kamala Harris from the very beginning.

[03:09:58]

CHURCH: And with all this momentum, behind Kamala Harris and indeed her running mate Tim Walz. What do they both need to be doing this week at the DNC to pull ahead of the Trump fans' ticket and lock in a pathway to victory?

SABATO: There are a couple things she needs to do. One is to fill in pieces of her own resume that people don't know because as we've said many times, most Americans don't follow vice presidents. They know who she is and that's about it.

So she's going to do that. Walz will do some of it. He's less important to the vote than Kamala Harris' biography is. But beyond that, she has to show where she's going to take America that will be different from where Joe Biden was going to take it. Part of it's easy for her. She's young. And so she projects a very different image.

And for Democrats, it's really a question of how relieved they are that they don't have to defend Biden on the age question. They can move to the issues they care about. The other piece of it is putting the issue positions together in such a way that it will energize women, young people, and all minorities. That's her basic constituency group. If she does that and they turn out in large numbers, she really will defeat Trump.

CHURCH: And we really are seeing this very clear contrast, aren't we, between the joy and hope, the excitement of the Democratic ticket compared to the fear and anger on the Republican side. Does Harris need to play that out more, that contrast, do you think?

SABATO: I think she will. Even on the first day and first evening, you had some of that. There were some good negative ads on Trump and some positive ads on Kamala Harris. So I think they managed that well. The more the tougher parts are being attributed to Harris indirectly through advertising rather than making her say it at the podium and making others say it.

But I think it was weaving together of the positive and negative that really put Democrats in good stead on their first day and you didn't have much interruption from the protesters, one brief period of breaking through and that was it.

CHURCH: And what are the winning issues for Democrats and how should they be putting the message out there when it comes to the economy and reproductive rights?

SABATO: Yes, on the economy it has to be a more defensive presentation because it's awfully difficult to convince people that they're wrong and actually the American people are wrong about their evaluation of the economy. It's actually a very strong economy. It's one of the two or three best in the world among the major powers. But that's not what people think.

So you have to spend too much time and energy convincing them that they're wrong. And they also don't like to be told they're wrong. So sticking to abortion and reproductive freedoms, which the Democrats did well on the first night, they had some moving pieces of this, including from some victims, young victims of the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

But beyond that, I think it's a question of Donald Trump versus Kamala Harris. You have somebody who is being presented as sane, as even- tempered, as well-prepared for the various pieces of the presidency versus Donald Trump, who is clearly off track a great deal of the time and not even following his advisers' suggestions to stay positive or stay off the personal. He can't do it, he never will be able to do it.

CHURCH: And Larry, just finally, with all the divisions in this country, is America ready for a black woman to become the next U.S. president?

SABATO: Here's the really surprising thing, Rosemary. I think at first even a lot of Democrats thought, is this too much too quickly? Well, they forgot we'd already had Hillary Clinton and we've had other women politicians do very well in other fields. But what? What has surprised me and surprised most people is that Americans have moved beyond that for the most part. Now, there are hardcore Trump voters in the South, for example, who clearly are not ready for that.

But for the swing voters and voters who are persuadable in the key states, the seven or eight states that are actually competitive, they seem to have resolved that in their own minds really in a matter of a month. So I'm sure there'll be some unpleasant incidents, but I don't think it will affect the final vote, and it's not going to determine the winner. CHURCH: Larry Sabato, always a pleasure to have you on and have your

analysis and share them with our viewers. I Appreciate it.

SABATO: Thank you, Rosemary.

[03:14:56]

CHURCH: Thousands of protesters marched through Chicago as the convention kicked off, voicing their opposition to the war in Gaza. Police say four people were arrested after breaching a security fence near the convention site and some tried to bring down a second fence. They say protesters also threw water bottles and other items at officers.

But authorities say there was no threat to those attending the convention. Illinois' governor told CNN there's a good plan in place to keep the event safe. The Chicago area has one of the largest Palestinian communities in the United States. Protest organizers were hoping at least 20,000 people would turn out for Monday's march, but it appeared the crowd was much smaller.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is on his way to Egypt this hour. He will discuss the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal with leaders of Egypt and Qatar who have acted as mediators between Israel and Hamas. Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday. He says Netanyahu has agreed to a bridging proposal for a ceasefire deal in Gaza and it's now up to Hamas to agree to it too.

CNN's Nada Bashir joins us now live from London with more. Good morning to you Nada. So what all came out of Secretary Blinken's meeting with the Israeli Prime Minister Monday and what can we expect when Blinken meets with Egyptian officials in the coming hours?

NADA BASHOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, we continue to hear cautious notes of optimism from U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken with regards to the state of those ongoing ceasefire negotiations. We know that the talks so far have been focused on these so-called bridging proposals put forward by the U.S. government, by the Biden administration to try and narrow the gaps which still exist between Israel and Hamas when it comes to the final terms of this agreement.

We know that a broader framework has been agreed upon, but it is those finer details that have proven difficult to bring both sides at the table together on crucial sticking points. And of course, while there has been some optimism from the U.S. government, we heard from Blinken yesterday saying that they see Israel as accepting and agreeing to those bridging proposals put forward by the Biden administration.

There has been some words of concern as well following the talks last week which took place in Doha, Qatar between mediators and Israeli -- and Israeli delegation on Thursday and Friday.

We've heard from Hamas officials they believe that the U.S. has conformed to Israel's demands. They say that there was no permanent ceasefire on the table and have accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of putting forward further conditions to try and thwart the progress of these ongoing negotiations.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu has said that Israel will not be conforming to Hamas' demands, that they do not want to see a total end to the war, a total permanent ceasefire at this current point in time. And what we know from previous talks is that a number of those sticking points were focused on the situation on the ground in Gaza in a post-war situation.

So namely the presence of Israeli troops on the border between Gaza and Egypt, the free movement of Palestinians from the south to the north and of course one crucial sticking point as we understand it according to sources is Israel's insistence on a veto power on Palestinians set to be released from Israeli jails as part of that agreement.

Now at this stage Secretary Blinken appears to be optimistic but of course there are still many details to be ironed out. Take a listen to what he had to say following those talks on Monday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: The bridging proposal was to try to close some gaps or to clarify different parts of this agreement that needed clarification. Now what the challenge is besides Hamas agreeing to the bridging proposal is to make sure that there are clear understandings on how the different parties are going to make good on their commitments, how they're actually going to implement this agreement. And that's what is so necessary and is I don't want to at all minimize the challenge. These are complex issues, but that's also why we have expert negotiators who are working on this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASHIR: Now Rosemary, Blinken has said that they are waiting to hear more from Hamas. We know that Blinken will be meeting with the leaders of Qatar and Egypt, as well as other officials later today, to get a further assessment of where exactly Hamas stands right now. But of course, there continues to be discussions on how exactly the terms of this deal, if agreed on by both sides, will actually be implemented.

CHURCH: And Nada, what are we learning about the idea of recovering the bodies of six hostages overnight?

BASHIR: Well Rosemary, we're just getting those details in just now as we're speaking. The bodies of six Israeli hostages, according to Israeli forces, were retrieved from Gaza during an Israeli military operation, according to the IDF. This has been announced by the security agency early today.

[03:20:00]

Among those recovered, according to the Israeli military were Yoram Metzger, Alexander Dancyg, Avraham Munder, Chaim Peri, Nadav Popplewell and Yagev Buchshtab, according to a joint announcement from the Israeli military and Israel's security agency. We are just getting those details in now. We are expecting to hear more throughout the day from the Israeli military and of course we'll be looking to hear more from family members.

There has been that mounting pressure of course from the family members and representatives of Israeli hostages held captive by Hamas in Gaza, both alive and those that have now been confirmed to be deceased, for the Israeli government to come to some sort of agreement to secure their release. This is likely to only increase that pressure on the Israeli government.

CHURCH: Indeed. Well, Nada Bashir, joining us live from London with that report. I Appreciate it.

Well, last hour I spoke with Gershon Baskin, a former hostage negotiator and currently the Middle East director for International Communities Organisation, and he told me he had offered suggestions for a new proposal to ceasefire mediators.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GERSHON BASKIN, FORMER HOSTAGE NEGOTIATOR AND MIDDLE EAST DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY ORGANISATION: Right now we have a six-week ceasefire period during which continued negotiations go on extending the ceasefire. And during the first phase, only 33 of the Israeli hostages would be returned. We don't know if all of those are alive. What I propose, this could make a deal that would include all 115 hostages.

Right now, we were told that six bodies of hostages were recovered by the Israeli army last night, so we're down to 109 hostages. But they would deal with all the hostages and the war would end within four to six weeks, during which time all the security concerns of Israel would be dealt with.

Primarily, the Philadelphia corridor has to be secured, but it can be secured on the Egyptian side. The problem is the Israelis don't trust the Egyptian side, so we need American inspectors and verifiers on the Egyptian side of the border in order to ensure that Israel leaves the Gaza Strip.

There are other examples like that of resolving the security concerns of Israel, which are legitimate without having Israeli soldiers in Gaza. And a big sticking point is, of course, the subject of the Palestinian prisoners, and there I put down a proposal as well.

CHURCH: Yeah, and as you point out, still so many roadblocks here to be sorted through. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken now calling on Hamas to agree to this bridging proposal. As you point out there, they have said, it's pretty much what Israel wants here, but could they negotiate a little bit more, and could we see a situation where Hamas says, OK, I'll accept, we'll accept this bridging proposal?

BASKIN: Right. I think that the Qataris and the Egyptians need to weigh in with their doomsday leverage today. Doomsday leverage for Qatar is telling the Hamas leadership that if they don't agree to the deal that's on the table now, their leadership will have to find a different home. They won't be welcoming in Qatar anymore. And the Egyptians hold the lifeline of the Gaza Strip including 160,000 Gazans who escaped Gaza and are right now in Cairo.

So the Egyptians have quite a bit of leverage over Hamas as well, and they need to use as much leverage as possible. I'm assuming that in the two and a half hours of private talks between Secretary Blinken and Prime Minister Netanyahu, the United States also weighing pretty heavily on Israel with some of their extreme leverage that they hold over Israel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Gershon Baskin talking to me earlier.

Ukrainian authorities are trying to get civilians out of the line of fire as Russian forces close in on a key town in eastern Ukraine, the latest from the battlefield just ahead.

And this superyacht now sits at the bottom of the sea near Sicily. We are live in Rome with the latest on the search for missing passengers.

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[03:25:00]

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CHURCH: Ukraine is facing pressure on its eastern front as Russian forces rapidly advance on the city of Pokrovsk. Authorities have begun what they call a forced evacuation of children and their parents. They say it's necessary with the city in range of Russian heavy weapons. Residents are being warned they have two weeks at most to leave the city before Russian troops arrive. More than 53,000 civilians remain in Pokrovsk, which Ukraine uses as a military hub.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces now control more than 1,200 square kilometers in Russia's Kursk region, according to Ukraine's president. Russian officials say they have resettled more than 121,000 residents since the start of the incursion two weeks ago.

And CNN's Clare Sebastian joins me live now from London. Good morning to you, Clare. So what is the latest on Ukraine's military operation in Russia's Kursk region?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, Rosemary, based on the Ukrainian accounts, they are still inching forward. 1,200 kilometers is about 100 square kilometers more than what they claimed to hold last Thursday. So they are moving forward, albeit at a slower pace, to the early part of this incursion. I think what we see clearly is an attempt to consolidate those gains that includes, but not limited to, destroying bridges.

This is a satellite image that CNN has obtained showing a bridge destroyed across the river Sejm, some 50 or so kilometers north of the town of Sudza where the initial assault was focused. Destroying these bridges really can stop Russia bringing in reinforcement supplies.

It may also complicate Russian evacuation efforts. Russia has accused Ukraine of hitting this bridge with U.S.-provided HIMARS weapons, which we have not been able to verify. But meanwhile, of course, one of the core tenets of this incursion was to stop Russian cross-border attacks back into Ukraine.

And these continue to happen. We've seen another overnight attack involving missiles and drones, and the Ukrainian Air Force has been clear about where these are coming from, various different regions along the border in Russia, including the Kursk region. So that continues to be a core focus, part of the reason why we see Ukraine talking openly about creating a buffer zone inside that region, inside Russia.

But one thing Zelenskyy has now spoken about clearly, which I think is the first time we've had him talk since the start of this incursion is one of the sort of side public relations goals of this operation, which is really to send a message to the West. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLDYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We are now witnessing a significant ideological shift, namely the whole naive, illusory concept of so-called red lines regarding Russia, which dominated the assessment of the war by some partners, has crumbled these days somewhere near Sudza. If partners removed all existing restrictions on the use of weapons on Russian territory, we would not need physical entry, particularly into the Kursk region. To protect our Ukrainian citizens in the border area, and destroy Russia's potential for aggression.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN: That is about as stark as we've heard it from Zelenskyy, essentially claiming that more Western long-range missiles and the ability to use them on Russian territory would have essentially eliminated the need for a ground incursion into Kursk.

He's also making the argument that the fact that Ukraine has now invaded Russia and we have yet to see anything from Russia that comes really outside the normal course of this war really makes a mockery of Western escalation fears. As for those long-range capabilities though, we have yet to see really more supplies of those or any limitations being lifted by the West. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Alright, our thanks to Claire Sebastian for that live report from London.

Well the race for the White House is taking on a whole new look as Kamala Harris gains ground in new polling against Donald Trump. The path to 270 electoral votes, just ahead.

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[03:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: It may be Kamala Harris' Democratic National Convention, but Monday night belonged to Joe Biden. Vice President Harris spoke briefly to the delegates gathered in Chicago, praising President Biden for his leadership and saying she is forever grateful to him. The sitting president was the keynote speaker of the night. He got a four-minute ovation from the crowd before touting his accomplishments and praising his vice president.

Delegates also heard from the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. She said Kamala Harris would fight for working-class families and restore abortion rights nationwide.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE AND 2016 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: -- no matter what the polls say, we can't let up. We can't get driven down crazy conspiracy rabbit holes. We have to fight for the truth. We have to fight for Kamala as she will fight for us. Because you know what? It still takes a village to raise a family, heal a country, and win a campaign.

(CHEERING)

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The latest polls show Kamala Harris gaining ground in crucial battleground states. And that opens up several paths to the 270 electoral votes needed to win the White House. Paths that seemed unlikely for Joe Biden just one month ago. CNN's John King explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This hall is full of excited Democrats. They've seen the polling in the last few weeks. This is our map showing Vice President Harris with a modest, very modest advantage over Donald Trump. But we know from the state polls. And she has a path through the blue wall to 270. She has a potential sunbelt path to 270.

These Democrats are very energized because they believe she has the ball right now. She has momentum in this race, and that's a fact. Let's just go back and look. The COVID year, there were weird conventions, but Joe Biden, at his convention in 2020, was already on the verge of winning at 268 electoral votes in terms of solid Democratic and lean-Democratic. He went on to win 305 electoral votes in sweeping. But I just want to remind you, that first campaign against Donald Trump. When we were at the Democratic Convention in 2016, Hillary Clinton was favored.

Again, that's a modest amount, 236 to 191. But then the map just simply did not go her way. We had Pennsylvania a toss-up then. Donald Trump won Pennsylvania. We had Michigan leaning-Democratic then. No, Donald Trump won it. Same with Wisconsin. Donald Trump won it. Donald Trump held Ohio. Donald Trump won North Carolina. Hillary Clinton did win Virginia, but

Donald Trump won Ohio. Hillary Clinton won New Hampshire, but Donald Trump won Florida, he kept Georgia, and Hillary Clinton did end up winning Nevada in the end. But that's how it ended up.

[03:35:09]

So Democrats came into that convention in 2016 full of confidence as well. Different story, third-party candidates. The Comey announcement late in the campaign. Democrats would say cause that. But just a cautious note, Kamala Harris is in such a better position than Joe Biden was when he was the candidate in Milwaukee. By leaps and bounds, a better position. But we've still got two and a half months of campaign to go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Lindi Li is a political strategist and a member of Vice President Harris' National Finance Committee. She joins me now from Chicago. A pleasure to have you with us.

LINDY LI, POLITICAL STRATEGIST AND MEMBER, VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS NATIONAL FINANCE COMMITTEE: Thank you so much for having me.

CHURCH: So we saw a tearful President Joe Biden take to the stage at the DNC Monday night as he formally passed on the torch to Kamala Harris and delivered his farewell speech to cheers of Thank You Joe. A lot of love in that room that night.

LI: I was unbelievable, I was actually, I was listening from the hotel room but I was trying not to cry. This is a fundamentally good man and up until a month ago this convention is supposed to be his. And you got moved to Monday night he is what he did was a tremendous active self-service, I mean, public service by stepping -- accepting aside allowing his Vice President to run for President.

This is just incredible display of love and gratitude towards his man. Honestly, he's one of the most impactful presidents of my lifetime. So my heart goes out to President Joe Biden. He's just such a phenomenal public servant.

CHURCH: Yeah, it all changed very quickly, didn't it? And of course, you will be back at the DNC Tuesday night as a member of Kamala Harris' National Finance Committee and a VIP donor who has raised millions of dollars for Harris's campaign. What is the goal this week at the DNC? What does Harris need to say and do to cement a path to victory?

LI: I think right now our primary goal is to reach every corner and premise of America. For example, this is the first convention that will be shown vertically on people's devices, on people's TikTok, Twitter, what have you. We are trying to reach every single state, every single demographic of America, especially young people, because young people, especially Gen Z and millennials, they will be propelling Kamala Harris to victory. So we're trying to harness every aspect of American society and to show that Kamala Harris has an agenda for the people, that she's not working for billionaires, and that she's not going to bring the chaos and the pandemonium that Trump would unleash.

CHURCH: And Lindy, the economy and immigration are proving to be the two issues that make Harris most vulnerable, with polls showing more Americans trust her rival Donald Trump on these issues than they do her. So what does Harris plan to say this week to change minds on these top issues for voters?

LI: Rosemary, that's an excellent point. I think she's already trying to make inroads. For example, you saw she's advocating for the expansion of the child tax credit and she's advocating for bringing down health care costs and drug costs. And what she did and what she and President Biden did on insulin was extraordinary, capping the price at $35.

So more policies along the lines of that. And she did make a slight break from President Biden. She said, yes, inflation has come down. Yes, economic indicators have improved, but prices are still too high. So she's acknowledging that things aren't ideal, that the status quo can still be improved.

And so this is her economic policy that she's building out the middle class, that she's not focusing on billionaires and corporations, that she's not going to continue the multi-trillion dollar tax break that billionaires got under the Trump administration.

CHURCH: And those same polls show that more people trust Harris when it comes to reproductive rights and access to abortions. What does Harris need to do to consolidate that lead and make a clear distinction between what Donald Trump's anti-abortion policy would mean for women in this country compared to what Harris offers?

LI: Absolutely. And this is a galvanizing. We saw in the past week with Arizona, abortion is going to be on the Arizona ballot, and that's going to bring young people and women to the polls. I think this is a scleric (ph). It's a propulsion towards the polls. One thing that she's going to do is remind people that Trump is the reason why we no longer have federal reproductive rights.

Trump is the reason why we have an additional three right-wing extremists on the Supreme Court, which allowed for the 6-3 decision overturning Roe. He is a reason why. And do we really want Trump appointing another Clarence Thomas-clone, another Sam Alito-clone? Because that is a prospect that we will face if he returns to the White House.

CHURCH: And one of the criticisms coming from Republicans is that Kamala Harris hasn't talked to the media, hasn't answered questions about her policies. When would she plan to be doing this after the DNC?

[03:40:09] LI: The plan is to do it by the end of the month which is a few days now and every single day she doubles of the press, I know that people want a more formal process but she's definitely doing it and she's already talking about two additional debates she's going to be where I am in Philadelphia why will be my hometown Philadelphia.

So she is hearing these at this feedback and is doing everything she can. She is engaging with people on the ground the bus tour that is happening right now. She was actually in Western Pennsylvania right before the convention, and she's going to -- she's doing another rally during the convention week.

So she understands that she's reaching out as much as she can. And I had the opportunity to speak with her at her first rally with Walz. She is very cognizant of all the feedback that the press has been giving to her, but she, I know that she's fully capable of litigating the case, not only against the convicted felon, but also in favor of herself.

CHURCH: Lindy Li, we enjoyed talking with you always and of course we'll get an opportunity to talk again Tuesday night. Thank you so much for being with us. I Appreciate it.

LI: Thank you so much Rosemary.

CHURCH: A British tech tycoon is among six passengers still missing off the coast of Sicily after their luxury yacht sank during a storm. Crews are searching for Mike Lynch who's known as Britain's Bill Gates and his 18-year-old daughter. His wife, whose company owns the superyacht, is one of the 15 people rescued along with the ship's captain. The Italian Coast Guard says one body has been recovered from the hull of the yacht. It was hit by a tornado just before dawn on Monday while anchored offshore.

And CNN's Barbie Latza Nadeau is tracking developments. She joins us now live from Rome. So Barbie, what is the latest on search and rescue operations and what more do we know about why this yacht sank?

BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: Yeah, Rosemary, you know, I just got confirmation from the Sicilian Civil Protection Head who says that there are other two big names missing here. Jonathan Blumer, who is the chairman of Morgan Stanley International, and Chris Morvilo, who is a lawyer, probably an American lawyer, we've just confirmed are also among the missing along with their spouses.

What we know is that yesterday the fire brigade divers were unsuccessful in getting inside this luxury yacht that went down early on Monday morning. They are going to make another attempt today. They believe that these six missing people, including Lynch and the other two I just mentioned, and their spouses and Lynch's 18-year-old daughter, are still inside that vessel. Now, Lynch's wife was, as you mentioned, among the rescued. The boat, the yacht is in her name and a company attached to her.

So it's -- at this point, you know, they're looking at recovery more than rescue. We've got the Civil Protection saying that they believe these six people are inside the vessel and they're hoping to get inside that vessel today, Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right, Barbie Latza Nadeau, joining us live from Rome with that tragic news. I Appreciate it.

Still to come, Donald Trump is trying to distance himself from Project 2025, but a hidden camera recording shows a different story. We'll have details just ahead.

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[03:45:00]

CHURCH: Democrats are planning to shine a spotlight on Project 2025 on each night of the DNC. On Monday night, a state senator claimed the conservative blueprint for a second Trump term aimed to greatly expand the powers of the presidency. Donald Trump has distanced himself from Project 2025, but in a hidden camera video, a key author of the playbook calls those denials merely politics.

CNN's Kyung Lah has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNKNOWN: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

KYUNG LAH, CNN SR. INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You are looking at secretly recorded video of Russell Vought, a former cabinet member in the Trump administration.

RUSSEL VOUGHT, PROJECT 2025 CO-AUTHOR AND FORMER TRUMP CABINET MEMBER: This year has been predominantly now getting ready for a year five of a Trump administration. We have 350 different documents that our regulations and things of that nature.

LAH (voice-over): Vought, the platform policy director for the Republican National Committee, says he is building the plan for Trump's second term.

DONALD TRUMP (R), U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't know what the hell it is. It's Project '25.

LAH (voice-over): Trump publicly disavowed Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for his administration if he gets re-elected. But in private, Vought said that's just politics. The details of the real plans are secret and based on Trump's own beliefs.

VOUGHT: Notwithstanding, I expect to hear 10 more times from rally, the president, you know, distancing himself from the left's boogie man of Project 2025.

UNKNOWN: Yeah, and you're not worried about that?

VOUGHT: No, not worried about it. And so I see what he's doing is just very, conscious, distancing himself from my brand. He's very supportive of what we do. And, and know that we have an alt manner of things that we do. That's, you know, even unrelated to Project 2025. UNKNOWN: Sure.

LAH (voice-over): Vought has been a mastermind behind expanding the powers of the presidency. Some of those policy proposals Trump has supported, two sources tell CNN. Trump even hosted a Mar-a-Lago fundraiser two years ago for the group Vought founded, the right-wing Center for Renewing America.

VOUGHT: He's been at our organization, he's raised money for our organization, he's blessed it.

LAH (voice-over): In this hotel suite, Vought thinks he's talking to family members of a wealthy donor, but one is a journalist, the other an actor working undercover for the U.K.-based Center for Climate Reporting. The center provided the video to CNN on the condition we blur their faces so they can continue their undercover work. The conversation covers a host of issues, like abortion and how his position differs from Trump.

VOUGHT: He talks about rape, incest, and life of a mother. I don't actually believe in those exceptions. I want to get to abolition, but I also, we've got to win elections. And so I want to get as far as we possibly can.

LAH (voice-over): His view of who should be an American.

VOUGHT: So I want to make sure that we can say we're a Christian nation. And my viewpoint is mostly that I would probably be Christian nation-ism. That's pretty close to Christian nationalism. Can we, if we're going to have legal immigration, can we get people that actually believe in Christianity? Is that something? Or do we have to have, you know, are we not allowed to have questions about Sharia law.

UNKNOWN: What could we see America looking like, I guess, in an ideal world?

VOUGHT: In an ideal world, I mean, I think we could save the country in a sense of, you know, the largest deportation in history.

LAH (voice-over): And even pornography.

VOUGHT: We'd have a national ban on pornography if we could, right?

LAH (voice-over): But the most striking of Vought statements has to do with presidential power.

VOUGHT: George Floyd, obviously, was not about race. It was about destabilizing the Trump administration. It's the left's belief that structures in society are the problem. Pulling society down for purposes of revolution is exactly what they want and what you're seeing at college campuses is a part of that as well. The president has the ability both along the border and elsewhere to maintain law and order with the military.

LAH (voice-over): A major part of Vought's Plan is turning thousands of career federal jobs into political appointments, meaning workers could be fired if they're not sufficiently loyal to Trump.

[03:50:01]

VOUGHT: 80 percent of my time is working on the plans of what's necessary to take control of these bureaucracies. I want to be the person that crushes the deep state. I think there's a lot of different ways to do that. It is defunding it. It's impoundment the ability to not spend money. It's getting rid of their independence.

LAH (voice-over): Even as Vought talks about the so-called deep state, He claims his group is forming its own to take over on day one.

VOUGHT: We are trying to create a shadow Office of Management budget, a shadow National Security Council and a shadow office of legal counsel. These are the main organs in government that you need outside to create the battle plan.

UNKNOWN: And you're not going to publish those?

VOUGHT: No, no.

UNKNOWN: They go straight to --

VOUGHT: Yeah, they're very, very close-hauled.

LAH: We are hearing from both the Trump campaign and Russell Vought's Organization in response to the video. A spokesperson for Vought's Group is downplaying the video, saying Voughts has spoken about these same topics publicly, telling CNN, quote, "thank you for airing our perfect conversation emphasizing our policy work is totally separate from the Trump campaign." And the Trump campaign says only President Trump and the campaign represent policies for the second term.

Kyung Lah, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: He was a pioneer who spent nearly three decades on American television. Remembering the late talk show host Phil Donahue, just ahead on "CNN Newsroom."

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CHURCH: Democrats honored prominent civil rights leader, Reverend Jesse Jackson, on the opening night of the convention.

(VIDEO PLAYING)

A cheering crowd paid tribute to Jackson's tireless dedication to advancing civil rights and equality for all Americans. The 82-year-old joined the civil rights movement as a teen and became a protege of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He later founded the civil rights organization Operation Push. But in recent years, Jackson's battle with Parkinson's disease has largely taken him out of the national spotlight.

Oprah Winfrey and many others are paying tribute to Phil Donahue, the man she calls a T.V. pioneer who proved that daytime talk shows and the women watching should be taken seriously. Donahue died on Sunday at the age of 88 after a long illness. He spent nearly three decades hosting the "Phil Donahue Show" starting in 1967. CNN's Sarah Sidner takes a look at his legendary career.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHIL DONAHUE, TALK SHOW HOST: After 29 years and more than 6,000 shows, here we are.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR AND SR. U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Phil Donahue changed the face of daytime television forever, with a talk show that tackled controversial issues in front of a live audience.

DONAHUE: We were so different. Everything else around us was a soap opera, a game show.

SIDNER (voice-over): Donahue honed his broadcasting skills early in his career as a radio and TV news anchor in his native Ohio. His big break came in 1967 when Dayton's WLWD-TV launched "The Phil Donahue Show."

[03:55:04]

Donahue had the groundbreaking idea of asking the studio audience for questions.

DONAHUE: Suddenly people were watching people just like themselves stand up, kick tires, complain. And we found that we liked that.

SIDNER (voice-over): "The Phil Donahue Show" built a reputation as a forum for hot-button topics like equal rights for women.

DONAHUE: Issues that women cared about and talked about among themselves, we were on the air talking. I realized that people in the audience were asking better questions than I was.

SIDNER (voice-over): The show moved to Chicago and later New York, all the while expanding to more stations across America. National syndication meant higher profile guests, among them his future wife, actress Marlo Thomas.

In 1977, audiences watched the couple fall in love live on stage.

DONAHUE: You are really fascinating.

MARLO THOMAS, THEN-ACTRESS: You are wonderful. I said it when we were off here and I want to say you are loving and generous and you like women and it's a pleasure and whoever is the woman in your life is very lucky.

DONAHUE: Well thank you very much.

She was just obviously a very exciting person. She was not only gorgeous, she had great facility, language and she had opinions and she was a feminist. She was somebody you could argue with.

SIDNER (voice-over): Donahue paved the way for daytime talk show hosts like Geraldo Rivera, Jerry Springer, and Oprah Winfrey. But soon began losing viewers to his new lineup. In 1996, after years of declining ratings, "The Phil Donahue" show ended.

DONAHUE: Well, thank you. I am flattered. You may be seated.

SIDNER (voice-over): Donahue returned in 2002 with the short-lived interview program on MSNBC. The left-leaning broadcaster claimed his outspoken opposition to the Iraq war led to the show's cancellation. In later years he appeared as a political commentator and produced the 2007 anti-war documentary "Body of War."

Phil Donahue, daytime talk pioneer and an enthusiastic examiner of society's thorniest questions.

DONAHUE: I think everybody ought to have a talk show. It's a wonderful education.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Thanks so much for spending part of your day with me. I'm Rosemary Church. "CNN Newsroom" continues next with Christina Macfarlane in London.

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