Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Six Out of Eight Undecided Voters in Focus Group Say They Will Vote for Kamala Harris; Gauging What Matter to Voters in Crucial Swing States; Indian Prime Minister Modi Arrives in Ukraine; At Least 13 Dead, Millions Impacted in Bangladesh; Sights and Sounds of Democratic National Convention. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired August 23, 2024 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We do come to you from Allentown in the heart of the beautiful Lehigh Valley in eastern Pennsylvania, and we are with eight residents of the Lehigh Valley who've been watching television with us tonight and watching Kamala Harris' speech.

None of these people before tonight have made a decision about who they will vote for in November, and at least one person here before tonight wasn't sure she was going to vote at all because she doesn't like either of the candidates. Also, what they have in common, five of these people, they are all, five of them, loyal union members from the UAW local, United Auto Workers here in the Lehigh Valley.

So thank you all for being here. First thing I want to ask you, I want you to grade the speech, OK? A is excellent, B above average, C average, D below average.

We all know what F is. Let's start with you. How do you grade the speech?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I gave her a B+.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: B.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: B+.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: B+.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: C.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought she looked very confident. I liked how she spoke from her heart. I liked her message of unity and the division that we have in America. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She hit all the points that I wanted to know about. I wanted to know more about her, her economic policies, her foreign policy. I know she couldn't go into depth about that, but, I mean, I felt that she looked very presidential. She sounded presidential, and I think she's going to be a unifier.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She didn't go in depth. I did like what she said about what she's going to try to do for the middle class, about a tax break for us, which will be very nice, but still a little bit more information on some of the things that she's planning on doing.

TUCHMAN: Like I said, none of you were ready to make a commitment to any candidate in November. Please raise your hand right now if you're now ready to make a commitment after today. Wow.

I'm just kind of surprised, Bob. We haven't rehearsed this. I want to make that very clear.

I want to ask you this.

[Speaker 12] Ready to make a commitment after today. Wow, I'm just kind of surprised, but we haven't rehearsed this. I'm going to make that very clear.

Seven of you are now ready. Scott?

SCOTT: Yes, I'm going to vote for Kamala Harris.

TUCHMAN: Andy?

ANDY: Yes, Kamala Harris, yes.

TUCHMAN: Donna?

DONNA: Yes, I'm voting for her also.

TUCHMAN: Sean? Sean?

SEAN: Yes, Kamala.

TUCHMAN: Sabrina?

SABRINA: Kamala.

TUCHMAN: Patrick?

PATRICK: Kamala.

TUCHMAN: Brian?

BRIAN: Trump.

TUCHMAN: Trump. And finally, Lindsay.

LINDSAY: Still probably not voting. TUCHMAN: Still probably, you don't like either of them.

LINDSAY: Nope.

TUCHMAN: What I will tell you, 75 days now until Election Day. So Lindsay, you have a few more nights to sleep on it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Independents and the undecided are likely to determine the outcome of the election. CNN's John King looks at some of the key battleground states and what polls show matters to their voters.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So the conventions are over. We're into the next phase of the campaign. The next huge night for both Trump and Harris will be that debate on September 10.

But let's look at where we are. Consider this sort of a benchmark, where we came into the convention. And then watch where we are in the polling a week from now, two weeks from now, and when we get to that debate.

First, let's just start where Gary just was, Allentown, Pennsylvania, Lehigh County, as he mentioned. 53 to 46 when you round up last election, right? So Kamala Harris needs to win Lehigh County. She needs to win it by margin, roughly around there, if she wants to carry the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Was what we just heard there, that was anecdotal, right? Eight people in a room. Was that what the country's going to do after tonight? That is the question. Is it anything like that after this?

So let's just look at a couple benchmarks. This is a New York Times, Siena poll.

In the battle of Sun -- this is the Sun Belt battleground states, not the whole country, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina. But what type of change will you bring? I'm telling you from my travels, the country wants change.

Democrats, Republicans, they want something different. 40 to 36, good change versus bad change. Not bad, but not great.

Even Donald Trump, 44, 44. A week or two from now, three weeks from now, after the debate, is that number better for Kamala Harris? That's the challenge. I'm the agent of change, the preferred agent of change that you want.

One more to look at as we go. And again, this is coming into the convention, right? And so what does it look like after the American people heard her, heard the other guests here tonight? Donald Trump right now in these critical Sun Belt battleground states viewed more favorably by a dozen points on the economy. Did what voters heard from Harris tonight, change these numbers? Absolutely essential. She's in a good position now to be in a great commanding position. She has to improve that.

She had the lead on abortion rights, absolutely critical in the suburbs with women voters and other progressive voters to keep the base excited. She had it coming in. Can she stretch it? That would play into the gender gap and with suburban voters. And here again, down by almost 10 points there on the issue of immigration, right? And so nine points there. Can she improve that number?

The immigration and the economy are the weaknesses when you look at the map. I can tell you though, Democrats are leaving this hall excited, but as MJ Lee was reporting, everybody inside the Harris campaign says, let's not tamp that excitement down, but let's have a realistic, pragmatic look that we got 75 days of a very tough fight.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. withdrew from the Arizona state ballot on Thursday, according to the Arizona Secretary of State. And it's expected the independent will quit the U.S. presidential race entirely later today.

Kennedy is in Arizona right now, as is Donald Trump. And there's speculation that the two will meet to discuss a possible deal. Kennedy endorsing Trump in exchange for the promise of an administration role if Trump wins another term in the White House. Trump said he would be open to the possibility. The Kennedy campaign was asked but declined to comment. In a recent poll, Kennedy's support stood at 4 percent this month, down from 10 percent in July.

Now Trump's visit to the battleground state was billed as part of his counter-programming against the DNC this week. At a campaign event in a US-Mexico border town on Thursday, Trump repeated some false claims about immigration and about Kamala Harris. He also said he wants to propose new punishments for people convicted of human trafficking.

Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: We will impose tough new sentences on illegal alien criminals. These include 10-year mandatory minimum sentence for anyone guilty of human smuggling, a guaranteed life sentence for anyone guilty of child trafficking, and a death penalty for anyone guilty of child or woman sex trafficking. We'll also impose the death penalty on major drug dealers and traffickers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Now at the same event, Trump appeared to publicly acknowledge for the first time that he lost the 2020 election. Although he's been regularly lying about the election and falsely claiming that it was rigged, Trump said he came up short in the votes.

[04:35:00]

This week after meeting with Vladimir Putin, India's Prime Minister arrives in Kyiv for a face-to-face with the President of Ukraine. We'll have a look at what's at stake next here on CNN.

Plus, Ukraine is urging civilians to leave the city of Pokrovsk as Russian troops get closer. But some people are still fighting to stay even though the city may fall.

We'll have all that and more coming up. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in Ukraine and is expected to meet with President Zelenskyy in the coming hours. Now, this comes weeks after Modi traveled to Moscow for talks with President Vladimir Putin. During that visit, Russia launched several assaults on Ukrainian cities, including a deadly strike on a children's hospital.

Marc Stewart joins me now. So, Marc, take us through what we're expecting from this historic visit.

MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, Kim. For the moment, we are hearing a lot of statesman-like speech. For example, leading up to this visit, that's kind of the tone that we've been getting from New Delhi.

Just yesterday, when the Prime Minister was in Poland, he gave a speech in Warsaw talking about diplomacy, about dialogue, the need for peace in the region. But this is, in many ways, a very lofty call because of some complicating factors.

For example, India has called for a ceasefire, but it has not condemned the Russian aggression in Ukraine. India has stayed away from any kind of resolutions dealing with Ukraine in the United Nations. And then, as you alluded to, we had this meeting, this picture, if you will, of President Vladimir Putin and the Prime Minister Modi essentially embracing each other during that visit to Russia.

Now, there are some geopolitical reasons why India and Russia are so cozy. The Kremlin helps provide India with defense equipment. India buys a lot of crude oil from Russia. But these are issues that are going to have to be reconciled during this historic meeting between Vladimir Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

And this is a relationship that actually has been decades, you know, intact. So this is a significant visit by the Indian Prime Minister. As far as what New Delhi is expecting, we are hearing the fact that all issues really are going to be on the table. This could relate to infrastructure, this could relate to economy, and of course, bilateral relations.

But as we have seen just from these optics, from this visit to Russia by the Indian Prime Minister, things are going to be tricky. But this relationship with Ukraine is one that both sides do want to maintain.

First of all, there's a lot of trade that takes place. But even if we look at some other issues, you know, from the business standpoint, from an educational and scientific standpoint.

[04:40:00]

Ukraine serves as the backdrop for training of a lot of Indian doctors. So for all of those reasons, we are expecting this to be a thoughtful and perhaps fruitful conversation. But let's remember, Ken, this came at the invitation of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, of President Zelenskyy. So he obviously has some issues on his mind and is going to likely want to take the lead. Again, the Prime Minister now on the ground in Ukraine.

BRUNHUBER: All right, we'll be following that with interest. Marc Stewart in Beijing. Thanks so much.

Russia is pointing a finger at Ukraine for the sinking of a civilian vessel carrying fuel tanks at a port near Crimea. It says the ferry caught fire and went under after a Ukrainian attack at the port of Kavkaz on Thursday. Russian officials say there are no confirmed casualties so far, Ukraine isn't commenting.

Meanwhile, Russia's claiming more progress near the Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, northwest of Avdiivka. Moscow says it captured a village about 25 kilometers southeast of the city, which Ukraine hasn't confirmed yet. Kiev says from a different direction, Russian troops are about 10 kilometers from Pokrovsk and approaching faster than expected.

I want to bring in Salma Abdelaziz from London. So Salma, take us through the latest from the front lines in Russia and Ukraine.

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, let's start with the ferry that you mentioned, this ferry that was downed in the Black Sea on the port of Kavkaz. This is extremely important for Russia because it is one of its outlets on the Black Sea that does not only just export goods, but it also imports fuel to Crimea and Ukraine says that that's exactly what that ferry was doing. They have admitted responsibility for an attack on that ferry that saw that huge explosion that you see in that social media video there -- rather that huge fire that you see in that social media video there.

The ferry did sink with some 30 tanks of fuel on board, according to Russian officials, who again are pointing the finger at Ukraine.

And yet again, this is a reminder to Moscow's forces at just how vulnerable they are, that Ukraine can continue to strike those supply lines all along those Russian areas, those Russian assets. Including, of course, inside Russian territory in Kursk, where Ukrainian forces are continuing that surprise assault that they launched two weeks ago.

But since that time, Russia has been able to redeploy, rearm, reconfigure, and they are putting up stiff resistance now against those Ukrainian forces who say that Russian troops are just not surrendering in the same manner that they were before.

But I think for Ukrainian forces, the major diversion, the major concern, the major pull right now is in eastern Ukraine. You mentioned that, of course, where Russian troops are advancing more quickly than expected, especially on the city of Pokrovsk, which right now is just very close to those front lines. Local officials are pleading with families to get out now. They've given them a two-week deadline and already record numbers of people are fleeing that city.

But there are reports as well from local officials that parents are hiding their children to try to avoid these mandatory evacuations. So true scenes of distress playing out in eastern Ukraine while Ukrainian forces, very far from that front line, are trying to push on the Russian war machine into Russian territory in Kursk -- Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right, appreciate that update. Salman Abdelaziz in London. Thanks so much.

The chief of the U.N. nuclear watchdog will head to Russia next week. The agency says Rafael Grossi will assess the situation at the Kursk nuclear plant where Russia claims the wreckage of a drone that was shot down fell on Thursday. CNN can't independently confirm that claim.

Ukraine has been conducting its cross-border offensive in the region, but its forces aren't in the vicinity of the plant.

The search continues for the last person still missing in the tragic sinking of a yacht near Sicily. We'll have more on that coming up. Please stay with us.

[04:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: At least 13 people are dead amid heavy rainfall and flooding in Bangladesh, in northeast India. Tens of thousands have been displaced.

India is denying claims that it opened the floodgates of one of its dams, exacerbating the flooding across the border. Now, last hour, I spoke with Anna Coren, who is there in Bangladesh. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are in Noakhali, which is very close to the epicenter of these floods, the next city, really. We are on our way there. But the anger here it's palpable.

People are walking past saying, India, India, it's India's fault. And that is the message that we are hearing in Bangladesh, that it was India that opened the floodgates to one of its dams just past the border. We are virtually on the border of Bangladesh and India. And that has caused this extreme flooding.

You know, Bangladesh is no stranger to flooding. It has them every single a year. And in actual fact, they have developed an early warning system, probably one of the best in South Asia. So the fact that there was no warning on Wednesday night when this surge of water came down the river, you know, Bangladesh is absolutely furious.

Now, India denies that opened the floodgates. But it also says that there is an automatic release that is triggered when there is too much water. There has been no apology from India, just, you know, further infuriating people here in Bangladesh. But, you know, this is unprecedented.

That is what we are hearing from the government, that this is an unprecedented flood situation. And this is a huge challenge as well, Kim, you know, for the interim chief advisor, Muhammad Yunus, an 84- year-old sworn in just two weeks ago after the mass uprisings here in Bangladesh, which lasted for over a month and saw the overthrow of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. And I think it's also really important to stress that Sheikh Hasina has taken refuge in India.

So, like I say, a huge challenge for the chief advisor. He is called on the military, the army, the navy for volunteers to come out and help the flood affected people. And the latest numbers that we are getting, Kim, is 3.6 million Bangladeshis have been impacted by these floods here in the southeast of the country. It has spread over 10 districts. And, you know, the water here, there were Friday prayers just a short time ago. And the people here, they are wading through. This is what they've been living now for days.

We also, Kim, and I think this is really important to note that guest houses have been affected, livelihoods have been affected. There's been a very low death count so far.

But we just saw a baby rushed to a clinic. It had fallen into the floodwaters. It was lying on a bed. The bed was surrounded by water. The one-year-old tumbled into the water. We've just received amazing news that the baby is alive. But the mother walked past, she was screaming, she was crying.

This has a human impact. This is not just about houses. This is about lives, people's livelihoods. So Bangladesh is going through so much right now. And, you know, there is a real shortage of boats.

So there is a, you know, truck after truck coming down the highway with boats on board to rescue the people who are trapped on their roofs and in their houses.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: A volcano in Iceland, southwest of the capital, Reykjavik, erupted on Thursday and is still spewing red-hot lava. The same volcano erupted in May, and there have been a total of nine eruptions in the area since 2021. Pictures are just incredible there.

Thousands of people who live nearby have been out of their homes since November. Iceland has more than 30 active volcanoes, making it a prime destination for thrill-seekers who take part in volcano tourism. Flights at Iceland's main international airport haven't been affected. [04:50:00]

The search has resumed for the one person still missing after a luxury yacht sank off Porticello, Sicily. The body of British tech billionaire Mike Lynch was recovered Thursday, the sixth of the seven people presumed dead. Divers continue to search for Lynch's 18-year- old daughter, Hannah, in difficult conditions.

CNN's Barbie Latza Nadeau is live in Porticello, Sicily. So first, Barbie, to start with the recovery that's going on behind you there, what is the latest?

BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: You know, right now, we've got the divers that have come -- oh, they're going back out actually right now. They were preparing to go back out.

They were out this morning about an hour ago. They came back in after an hour. Now they seem to be going back out again.

But what we're seeing today, too, is a lot more surveillance, sky surveillance. You know, we've got helicopters out there. We had drones yesterday looking around the body of water.

Hard to say if that means anything, but it looks like, you know, the search continues. But this is the fifth day. So, you know, there's a lot of speculation that maybe the body's not inside the boat or maybe it's under the boat.

It's at this luxury yacht that was struck by a tornado on Monday. Because they've got rovers and all these sorts of underwater cameras that are surveilling the boat. And after five days, you know, we're seeing a little bit of a change in dynamic. We've got different types of dive teams going out, but we're not getting a lot of information.

So at this point, we're just watching. And, you know, every time that boat comes back in from the fire brigade or the Coast Guard, you know, we saw five body bags. We haven't seen the sixth.

So that's just what we're grimly watching for, Kim. And so far today, we've seen nothing except empty boats and divers coming back and forth.

BRUNHUBER: All right, so I appreciate that. Then, Barbie, are we getting any new details about what might have happened? So the investigation, anything new there?

NADEAU: Well, there is a criminal investigation going on, and that's quite, quite normal when it comes to an accident of this nature where there are deaths and especially when it's a foreign flag vessel like this one.

We do know that there's a lot of focus on the captain. Of course, the captain of any ship or any yacht is ultimately responsible.

We heard from the makers of this particular yacht line saying it's unsinkable unless there was human error. So there's a lot of focus on that.

We're expecting over the weekend to get some information on the investigation from the prosecutor. We know that they have interviewed most of the 15 survivors. Of course, there was a one-year-old child they wouldn't have interviewed, but they've gotten information from the crew and those surviving passengers about those dynamics.

But you've got to think that whatever happened at 5 a.m. that morning when that that tornado hit that yacht, there wasn't a lot of time to think and there probably most everyone was asleep. So, you know, there was a lot of confusion. So it's not quite clear exactly what the investigation or what those witnesses will say. But the boat, the yacht itself will tell a lot.

They'll be able to determine whether or not, you know, the hatches were open or whether or not, you know, there was some mechanical error of some sort. So we're just waiting for that information as well.

But, of course, the focus now is to just recover that body of what is believed to be an 18-year-old girl, daughter of Mike Lynch, whether she's still in the vessel, under the vessel or has been drifted somewhere at sea. That is the big question of the day -- Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right, appreciate that update. Barbara Nadeau, live in Porticello, Sicily. Thank you so much.

Now, as we heard, one theory is that the yacht that sank off Sicily was possibly hit by a waterspout. So this is video out of Florida, where, as you can see, two waterspouts were seen swirling off the coast Thursday.

Waterspouts are tornadoes over water and can be very dangerous to boats in the area, as you can imagine, especially if they come ashore. In addition to these twin funnels, a smaller third funnel could be seen forming on the right. The Palm Beach Police Department posted this video, saying it's lucky they were seen from a distance.

The harbor in Sydney, Australia, one of the world's busiest, became the scene of a dramatic rescue operation on Friday. The subject in need of help was a young humpback whale with fishing gear tangled around its tail. The harbor is on a migration route known as the Humpback Highway, where the whales sometimes come into contact with humans.

The 13 meter long whale eluded rescuers at first, but they were able to attach orange floats to slow it down. It was finally cut free after an overnight pause. The mammal was last seen heading south.

All right. Thanks so much for joining me here on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. CNN "THIS MORNING" is next after a quick break, and we want to send you out with the sights and sounds of the Democratic National Convention.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's been the honor of my lifetime to serve as your president. I love the job, but I love my country more.

[04:55:00]

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOME (D) CALIFORNIA: California, we proudly cast our 482 votes for the next president, Kamala Harris.

BILL CLINTON, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Kamala Harris is the only candidate in this race who has the vision, the experience, the temperament, the will, and yes, the sheer joy to get something done.

MICHELLE OBAMA, FORMER U.S. FIRST LADY: America, hope is making a comeback.

(CHEERING)

CROWD: USA! USA! USA!

HILARY CLINTON, FORMER U.S. DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: She will never rest in defense of our freedom and safety. Donald Trump fell asleep at his own trial, and when he woke up, he made his own kind of history, the first person to run for president with 34 felony convictions.

REP. JASMINE CROCKETT (D-TX): Kamala Harris has a resume. Donald Trump has a rap sheet.

GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO (D) PENNSYLVANIA: So are you ready to protect our rights?

CROWD: Yeah!

SHAPIRO: Are you ready to secure our freedoms?

CROWD: Yeah!

SHAPIRO: And are you ready to defend our democracy?

CROWD: Yeah!

SHAPIRO: And are you ready to elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz?

CROWD: Yeah!

(CHEERING)

SEN. TIM WALZ (D-MN), U.S. DEMOCRATIC VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: It's the honor of my life to accept your nomination for vice president of the United States.

(CHEERING)

WALZ: Our job, our job, our job, our job for everyone watching is to get in the trenches one phone call at a time, one door knock at a time, one $5 donation at a time.

(APPLAUSE) WALZ: Look, we got 76 days. That's nothing. There'll be time to sleep when you're dead.

(CHEERING)

CROWD: Kamala, Kamala, Kamala!

HARRIS: Let's get out there. Let's fight for it. Let's get out there. Let's vote for it. And together let us write the next great chapter in the most extraordinary story ever told.

(APPLAUSE)

(CHEERING)

(Beyonce's song Freedom)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

END