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Tonight, Harris to Formally Accept Presidential Nomination; Actress Oona O'Brien Joins Rock the Vote Ahead of 2024 Election; Parents of American-Israeli Hostage Share Agony on All Sides. Aired 10-10:30a ET
Aired August 22, 2024 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: It is the final day of the Democratic National Convention here in Chicago and here inside the United Center. Night three was all about joy and jubilation.
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SEN. CORY BOOKER (D-NJ): Joy.
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): Joy. Joy. Joy.
OPRAH WINFREY, MEDIA MOGUL: Joy.
BOOKER: We will be joyful warriors. We are going to bring back to the journey of our nation joy. Tonight is about joy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need to choose joy over anger.
JEFFRIES: The scripture tells us that weeping may endure during the long night, but joy will come in the morning.
BILL CLINTON, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Like Hakeem Jeffries, I too want an America that's more joyful.
WINFREY: Let us choose honor, and let us choose joy, because that's the best of America.
PETE BUTTIGIEG, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: There is joy in it, as well as power.
GOV. TIM WALZ (D-MN), U.S. VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Thank you for bringing the joy to this fight.
ACOSTA: All right. I think there's a theme there. Welcome to a special edition of the CNN Newsroom. I'm Jim Acosta live at the DNC in Chicago. Last night was a blend of optimism and maybe a little snark, including when Oprah Winfrey mocked Senator J.D. Vance's criticism of childless cat ladies. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) WINFREY: When a house is on fire, we don't ask about the homeowner's race or religion. We don't wonder who their partner is or how they voted, no. We just try to do the best we can to save them And if the place happens to belong to a childless cat lady, well, we try to get that cat out too.
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ACOSTA: The one liners were flying as Comedian Kenan Thompson took on Project 2025.
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KENAN THOMPSON, COMEDIAN: You ever seen a document that could kill a small animal and democracy at the same time? Here it is.
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ACOSTA: And there was also this touching moment.
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WALZ: Hope, Gus, and Gwen, you are my entire world, and I love you.
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ACOSTA: Raw emotion as Vice Presidential Nominee Tim Walz gave that shout out to his family. Tonight, it's the finale. Kamala Harris will officially accept the presidential nomination for the Democratic Party.
Coming up on the show later today, California Senator Alex Padilla, also Oona O'Brien, who stars in Cobra Kai. She'll talk about her push to get young voters to the polls. A little bit later on --
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: American patriots who fought like hell for their favorite president who really won, Barack? (INAUDIBLE). It has been proven time and time again that Joe Biden did in fact win.
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ACOSTA: Comedian and impersonator Matt Friend will also be here, he'll be lighting up the social media in just a short time from now, so stay tuned for that.
My first guest this hour though is Democratic Congressman Robert Garcia of California. Congressman, thanks very much for being here.
We were talking about this before the show got started. You've worked with Kamala Harris for a long time and you were saying there was a sense that this moment was coming. This moment is here. Is she going to meet it?
REP. ROBERT GARCIA (D-CA): 100 percent. I mean, you're, we're talking about a incredible talent someone that is tough, that's passionate smartest person I've ever met. And I'm so excited that the whole country is going to get to know the Kamala Harris that a lot of us in California know so well. Not just this national figure, the vice president, but the person, who she is how funny she is, how much she loves her family and her brilliance as a prosecutor.
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And I think that's something that's going to come across tonight, and this place is going to be fired up.
ACOSTA: Yes. And we've seen the themes. We've seen the memes. We heard joy said a few times last night and throughout this week. One of the criticisms, as you know, Congressman, is that she's been a little light on the on laying out policy specifics. Of course, she did just take over the Democratic Party within the last several weeks. Will we get some of that tonight? Does that need to happen tonight?
GARCIA: Oh it's been a month, right, since she announced. And so I think she's rolling out her policy positions. We just saw her put out a great economic package, talking about home ownership, you know, tax breaks for middle class families to buy affordable housing, making sure that we're building enough homes across the country.
That was a really important moment. You're going to continue to hear more policy proposals from her. I think you're going to hear, I think, some exciting messages tonight about how she wants to move the economy forward, but also make sure that healthcare costs remain low, her focus on climate, on access to a good public education.
And so it's going to be a good night full of policy, but also folks getting to know the vice president as a person. And I think both are really important.
ACOSTA: And I do want to talk a little bit about what we heard last night. I thought there were a lot of very interesting moments. But Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg spoke about his family, his struggle for equality. Let's listen to that.
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BUTTIGIEG: The existence of my family is just one example of something that was literally impossible, as recently as 25 years ago, when an anxious teenager growing up in Indiana wondered if he would ever find belonging in this world.
This kind of life went from impossible, from possible to real, from real to almost ordinary, in less than half a lifetime.
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ACOSTA: And you're a co-chair of the Equality Caucus. What was your reaction when you heard that? That really felt like a moment for the LGBTQ community.
GARCIA: It did, and I'll share two things. I mean, one obviously, I think I think Pete's words last night were heroic. And I think he captured the spirit of how the LGBTQ-plus community feels at this moment. But I want to also share, you know, when Vice President Kamala Harris was the district attorney for San Francisco and for the Bay area, she was one of the very first people in the United States to marry same sex couples.
That moment that happened almost 20 years ago now started the modern gay rights same sex marriage movement. Her there, marrying those couples, then began that movement that spread through California, went to the courts, spread across the country, that ended up, of course, with same sex marriage legalized in the United States.
But that's the kind of person she was. She was doing it at a time when it wasn't popular, not even in our own party. But she's got character and she's got conviction and she's always been a huge supporter of our community. So, the LGBTQ-plus community is firmly behind this ticket and she's been a huge ally of ours for a long time.
ACOSTA: And I do want to ask you a horse race question. Tomorrow, Independent Presidential Candidate RFK Jr. has been a little bit of a thorn on the side of Democrats. He is expected to drop out of the race. A source telling CNN he's in talks with the Trump campaign to endorse the former president. I know that he went to the Harris campaign and sort of shopped around an endorsement over there too in exchange for something.
What's your reaction to all this and could this be a problem for the Harris campaign? Some of these races -- I see you shaking your head, but some of these races are going to come down potentially to just a few thousand votes.
GARCIA: Look, Robert F. Kennedy is, in my opinion, a tinfoil hat conspiracy theorist. He has said some of the worst possible things you can say about all sorts of topics. He peddles in conspiracies. He doesn't believe in vaccines. He said horrible things about the gay community. And so I don't blame the vice president and her team. If he wants to go and support Donald Trump, go right ahead. I think that his support will -- Robert F. Kennedy's little support he has will splinter off.
We're about consolidating and building a better big tent for America. We're bringing in undecided voters every single day. This campaign after tonight is going to go even bigger and more electric across the country. And so our focus used to be on electing Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. Robert F. Kennedy, he can do whatever he wants. That just makes our campaign even more strange.
ACOSTA: All right, very interesting. All right, Robert Garcia, thank you very much for your time. We appreciate it. Good to see you.
GARCIA: Thanks.
ACOSTA: All right. Coming up, she plays a fierce and competitive high schooler on the hit Netflix series Cobra Kai. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) OONA O'BRIEN, ACTRESS: His evidence is garbage, his arguments don't make a lick of sense, and I was born to death, which is ironic, considering we're debating the death penalty.
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ACOSTA: Now, in real life, Oona O'Brien is just as tenacious. The 17- year-old joins me next on how she's using her first election to help rock the vote. Stay with us.
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ACOSTA: All right. Welcome back, everybody. There has been no shortage of famous faces at the DNC this past week. And yesterday was no exception. Veep star, Julia Louis-Dreyfus hosted a panel with all eight current Democratic women governors. Take a look.
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JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS, EMMY-WINNING ACTREES: It's so cool. We are very honored to have eight highly intelligent, highly capable women leaders for the 21st century with us, or what J.D. Vance might call a coven of semi-menstruating witches.
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ACOSTA: Okay. They mixed humor and politics, discussing everything, from getting women involved in down ballot races to the importance of having a real life Gary, Tony Hale's beloved bagman character from the hit HBO series, which also is owned by CNN parent company, WBD.
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They also had a message for Vice President Kamala Harris.
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GOV. MAURA HEALEY (D-MA): Keep rocking the converse, keep drinking water, stay on offense and know Kamala that there are girls and women out there all across America, all across the world who are looking to see this happen, and more than that, who need to see this happen. And with the help of everybody else out there and everybody come into play, everybody come to play. We're going to make this happen.
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ACOSTA: And Julie Louis-Dreyfus is not the only actress who's driving for us to get out the vote.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cobra Kai pops out your shoulder, you got to be ready to fight with one arm.
O'BRIEN: It's like invest to the best.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Too far back, you're overextending your kick. Try to -- not bad.
O'BRIEN: I pride myself on never making the same mistake twice.
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ACOSTA: All right, a big treat for everybody. That's Oona O'Brien in the hit Netflix series, Cobra Kai. And another mistake she's not going to make is sitting out this election. O'Brien turns 18 next month and will be voting for the first time come November. Now, she's using her platform to get other people involved in politics with the non-profit group, Rock the Vote.
And Oona O'Brien joins us now, along with the president and executive director of Rock the Vote, Carolyn Dewitt. Ladies, thank you both very much for coming and we appreciate it.
Oona, tell us why is this so important for you?
O'BRIEN: Thank you so much for having me. I mean, you know, my generation is all over TikTok and Instagram and Snapchat, but the O.G. voting is the O.G. platform to express our voices and concerns. And, you know, young voters are also the most diverse group of voters and being that there are such a wide range of issues, you know, we have a lot to say about a lot. So, it's super important to go out there and vote.
ACOSTA: And, Carolyn, I mean, I don't want to date myself too much. I remember when Karate Kid came out, which is what Cobra Kai is based on, and when Rock the Vote got started on MTV. Why is this so critical? I mean, one of the things that, I mean, I can bring to the table in this discussion is I was talking to some young voters yesterday here at the DNC, and they were just coming up to us and they were just like, effusive for this campaign, for the idea how Kamala Harris has really shaken up this race.
And one of the young people that I spoke to said, you know, this is all about turnout. This is all about getting out the vote. And I think that goes perfectly with your message.
CAROLYN DEWITT, PRESIDENT AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ROCK THE VOTE: Yes. Thanks so much for having us, Jim, and highlighting this, the importance of the youth vote. Yes, Rock the Vote has been around for a long time.
And the reality is every major election cycle, we have a new class of young voters, right? And new voters are unfamiliar with the process. And in some states, they're trying to make it harder for young people to vote. So, it's really about walking them through the process of registration, finding their polling location, finding out who is on their ballot, who most aligns with their values. And that's why we're so, you know, inspired by Oona O'Brien using her platform to help walk other young voters through the process. ACOSTA: Yes, it's so important. And I remember the first time I voted. I mean, it was like -- it felt like such an honor to walk into the polling location and go in the booth and flip that switch.
But, Oona, let me ask you this. I mean, did you pick up on, as the kids call it, the vibe shift in this race when Joe Biden announced he was going to step aside and Kamala Harris decided to step in? You saw the memes, the coconut trees, the hot summer and everything else. You felt it too? You saw it too?
O'BRIEN: For sure. I mean, she's brought such a great energy and, you know, so much joy back into politics, which is super exciting for my generation.
ACOSTA: Yes. And, Carolyn, I mean, the knock on younger voters is that they sound enthusiastic. They say they're going to turn out and then sometimes it doesn't happen on Election Day. How do you make sure that's not the case this time around?
DEWITT: Yes. So, Rock the Vote does the work, not just an election cycle, right, in these last few months, but we're there every day, every year helping organize, making sure young people understand the issues. They live them, they experience them, right?
So, it's really important. These are personal issues for them. It is the most diverse generation. So, they're experiencing things like immigration. They're experiencing reproductive rights stripped away when they're, you know, turning 18, 19. They're the ones experiencing the book ban. And so all of these issues that people talk about, they're experiencing in their day to day lives.
ACOSTA: Yes. Oona, I was going to ask you, I mean, here are the top five issues for Gen Z voters, cost of living, jobs, gun violence, climate change, abortion access. I've run into young voters who are out of the Parkland, Florida community, and remember that mass shooting there. We've talked to voters here who are deeply passionate about climate change, about Gaza.
What issues are standing out to you this time around? Obviously, reproductive rights very much on the ballot this time around.
O'BRIEN: Yes, of course, reproductive rights, as a young woman I care deeply about that.
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Climate change is something that is, you know, going to affect us now and future generations. So, that's really important to me as well. LGBTQ-plus rights, yes, like all of these issues deeply impact our lives currently and will impact our lives going forward. So, it's important that young people get out there.
ACOSTA: What did that say to you when you saw Pete Buttigieg last night talking about his family and sitting around the dinner table with his two kids and how 30 years ago, a generation ago, that might not have been possible? That was not possible for a lot of Americans. O'BRIEN: Right? No, that's amazing. And I think we're so lucky to have such great representation, you know, in today's world. So, I think, yes, it's just been --
DEWITT: Yes. I think what's amazing is a lot of the movement and progress we've had on social issues have come from young people, right? Each youth generation has pushed a new issue. And I think what's amazing about Gen Z is that they understand all these issues are interrelated, right? And they're --
ACOSTA: That's what I've been telling the Millennials. You know, I remember as a Gen Xr and the Millennials were coming along, and I was like, oh, I guess this is our -- this is it. You know, check, please. This is our sign to get packing. And now Gen Z has come along and they're a force. You guys are a force, right?
O'BRIEN: Oh, absolutely, yes, taking over all the social media and everything. So, yes, we definitely have a lot to say.
ACOSTA: Yes. Well, Carolyn, Oona, thank you so much for your time. We appreciate it. We know you're going to make a huge difference this election. Thanks very much.
DEWITT: Thanks for having us.
O'BRIEN: Thank you so much for having us.
ACOSTA: All right. Coming up, a plea for peace, the parents of a 23- year-old hostage came to the DNC to address the war in Gaza, saying it's not about politics, their very moving moment, and their message is next.
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JON POLIN, FATHER OF ISRAELI-AMERICAN HOSTAGE: There is a surplus of agony on all sides of the tragic conflict in the Middle East. In a competition of pain, there are no winners.
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ACOSTA: We are back with our continuing coverage of the Democratic National Convention. The big finale is just hours away. So far, one of the most moving moments of the DNC unfolded last night. It was not the stirring speech of a gifted politician, but the heartbroken words of this man's parents.
23-year-old Hersh Goldberg-Polin is an Israeli-American hostage held by Hamas. He is one of eight Americans still held nearly 11 months, that's right, 11 months after the terror attacks on Israel. Last night, they took to the stage wearing the number 320 for the number of days he's been held prisoner.
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POLIN: In an inflamed Middle East, we know the one thing that can most immediately release pressure and bring calm to the entire region. A deal that brings this diverse group of 109 hostages home and ends the suffering of the innocent civilians in Gaza.
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ACOSTA: Such an incredible moment. And John and Rachel Goldberg-Polin join me now. Rachel, we should know you're both wearing 321. You were wearing 320 last night, it's now 321 days.
RACHE GOLDBERG-POLIN, MOTHER OF ISRAELI-AMERICAN HOSTAGE: We change it every day.
ACOSTA: Yes. And what did that moment mean to you last night?
GOLDBERG-POLIN: I was so shocked and overwhelmed because we had been told to anticipate a neutral to negative reception. And when we walked out and suddenly there were thousands of people who got to their feet and started to chant, bring them home. We were just swelled with support and it was overwhelming. And I just started to weep.
ACOSTA: Yes, I think a lot of people were. John, how did that how did that resonate with you seeing that? I mean, because I know this week, what we've been hearing is obviously there are protests here. There's a lot of deep opposition to the war in Gaza. But there's still, in the hearts of a lot of folks in this country, just pain and agony for what you're going through.
POLIN: It's so easy to politicize everything, and that's the danger, and that's what's been happening. But it was heartening last night to see that even before we spoke a word, I think people understood that there's a human side to this story. It's not just an issue. It's not just numbers and ambiguity. These are 109 real human beings with loved ones, with families waiting for them, their innocence on all sides in the Middle East conflict who are suffering. And I think the people in the room understood that last night.
ACOSTA: Yes.
POLIN: That was so important. And you've emphasized the diversity of the hostages.
GOLDBERG-POLIN: Right. Well, I think that there's a real misunderstanding of who this hostage cohort is, that this is a monolithic group of people. And as I mentioned last night, they are from 23 different countries. They are Christian, they are Jewish, they're Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists.
And this is something that gets lost when someone has a very specific reason to create a narrative a certain way.
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