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NASA: Starliner Crew Will Return To Earth Next February; Starliner Crew To Ride Home In SpaceX Capsule; Presidential Campaigns Focus On Battleground States; Interview With Judiciary Committee And Congressional Black Caucus Secretary Representative Lucy McBath (D- GA); Harris-Walz To Campaign In Georgia; French Police Open Terror Probe Following Synagogue Blast; Trump To Grab Back Momentum after DNC; Harris And Trump's Final Sprint To Election Day; RFK Jr. Endorses Trump; Hamas Delegation Travels To Cairo For Ceasefire Talks; Israel Strikes Continue in Gaza; Faith Groups Addressing Climate Crisis. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired August 24, 2024 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:00]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

All right. More on our breaking story this hour. NASA says the Starliner crew will return to Earth next February and on the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. The Boeing crew was supposed to spend eight days aboard the International Space Station, but issues with the Starliner spacecraft will delay their return for now by eight months altogether.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL NELSON, NASA ADMINISTRATOR: Space flight is risky, even at its safest, and even at its most routine. And a test flight by nature is neither safe nor routine.

STEVE STICH, NASA COMMERCIAL CREW PROGRAM MANAGER: It was just too much risk with the crew. And so, we decided to pursue the uncrewed test flight.

KEN BOWERSOX, ASSOCIATE ADMINISTRATOR, NASA' SPACE OPERATIONS MISSION DIRECTORATE: I'm really proud of the NASA team and the Boeing team for all the work they've been doing the last couple of months. It's really been impressive to see how they've been very agile in testing, gathering data, and completing analysis. And then, having the tough team discussions that go along with processing that data and coming to conclusions.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. So, the two astronauts arrived on Boeing, but they will be exiting and returning on a SpaceX.

So, CNN Space and Defense Correspondent Kristin Fisher is joining me right now. Kristin, I mean, this is a big blow to Boeing, but we heard the NASA administrators say they had to defer to safety and they thought this was the best plan.

KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE AND DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, certainly a big blow for Boeing, Fred, but also a disappointment for NASA. You heard all those NASA officials say today that this was a difficult and tough decision, that they were really disappointed that they had to make it because they wanted this first crewed test flight of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft to be a success. But after the flight readiness review meeting in which the top NASA leadership polled various people at NASA, it was a unanimous decision that Starliner was deemed not safe enough to bring those two astronauts home, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.

But during that press conference, NASA officials said that Boeing did not agree with NASA's assessment. Here's the official statement that came out from Boeing shortly after this decision by NASA was announced. It reads, Boeing continues to focus, first and foremost, on the safety of the crew and spacecraft. We are executing the mission as determined by NASA, and we are preparing the spacecraft for a safe and successful uncrewed return.

So, Starliner is now going to undock from the International Space Station with no crew inside, sometime in early September, and that's when the real test is going to take place. We're going to see how this spacecraft fares when it reenters the Earth's atmosphere and encounters those really high temperatures that NASA officials were so worried about. In particular, those thrusters that have been misfiring and having issues, would they have been able to fire at the right time to orient the heat shield on Starliner in the right direction to protect those astronauts if they had been inside.

And so, there are some real echoes here of what happened to the Columbia crew back in 2003 and of course, Challenger back in 1986, Fred. And so, I asked the NASA administrator, Bill Nelson, during that press conference, you know, he was on the committee that wrote and investigated the Challenger accident report. He was a senator during the Columbia accident. And so, I asked him how much of those past mistakes by NASA influenced his decision here today. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NELSON: It has affected the decision today by this collective group and all of those that participated in the flight test readiness review this morning. It is a trying to turn around the culture that first led to the loss of Challenger and then led to the loss of Columbia, where obvious mistakes were not being brought forth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:05:00]

FISHER: Now, with that said, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson also said that he still has 100 percent faith that at some point in the future, NASA astronauts will fly again on a Boeing Starliner spacecraft. But first, we got to get Butch and Suni home. And right now, they are going to be up at the International Space Station until February, 2025, returning on Boeing's big competitor, a SpaceX Crew Dragon.

WHITFIELD: Yes. A big trip made even bigger. All right. Kristin Fisher, thank you so much.

FISHER: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's turn now to the 2024 presidential race. There are now just 73 days until the election, and both campaigns are eyeing key battleground states as their path to the White House. Former President Trump is planning to visit voters in both Wisconsin and Michigan next week, while Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz are kicking off a bus tour in Georgia. And it will mark their first campaign events together following the Democratic National Convention.

One Georgia Democrat who had a big role at the DNC was Congresswoman Lucy McBath, who made an emotional plea to end the scourge of gun violence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. LUCY MCBATH (D-GA), JUDICIARY COMMITTEE AND SECRETARY, CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS: Make no mistake, our losses do not weaken us. They strengthen our resolve. We will secure safer futures that we all deserve. We will organize, we will advocate, we will run for office, and we will join with Americans from small towns and big cities to keep our communities safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: I'm joined now by Congresswoman McBath, Lucy McBath. You spoke about, you know, the tragic loss of your son. And of course, you were also joined on stage by others who have been impacted by violence on school campuses, you know, from mothers, aunts, and even student. And you, you know, have said that, you know, a Harris presidency means more than empathy, but action. Why do you feel she, if elected, will bring the kind of action that you and so many others feel is necessary?

MCBATH: She's already been doing the work. We have the most transformative presidency in history in terms of gun violence prevention. The Biden-Harris team has been doing the work.

For the first time, we have the Office of Gun Violence Prevention. 24/7, this office at the White House is doing the work of working statewide with our state -- with our states, also working with community violence intervention programming, really working as hard as they can to make sure that they are bonding law enforcement efforts, community efforts, state efforts, federal efforts, to dampen this dangerous culture that we're living in. So, they've already been doing the work. And I have no doubt that they will continue to carry on this vitally important work. People's lives are depending on it.

WHITFIELD: Yes. I mean, Harris has taken it even more further, you know, as vice president, you know, she has said, assault weapons, I'm quoting her, have no place in civil society. Talk of banning assault weapons hasn't always worked out well for other candidates. Do you think that this pledge will cost her votes in what is amounting to be a very tight race?

MCBATH: I don't believe that it will. You know, at one time we did have an assault weapons ban that has sunsetted. And all the work that I do, and I actually carry now two assault weapons bans in Congress. And so, people have been crying out for an assault weapons ban, and they just don't seem -- the average person doesn't seem to understand why is this not something that has been done.

And I implore my Republican colleagues, you know, over and over again, even your own constituents are calling for an assault weapons ban. These are weapons of war. They have no place on our streets and our communities. And so, this is vitally important legislation.

I will tell you, I'm assuming the ranking member on the crime subcommittee, on the Judiciary Committee, and I intend to make sure the assault weapons ban is put forefront and front and center as we move forward in this new presidency because it's extremely important to the Harris-Walz team.

[15:10:00]

She is committed. She has spoken very candidly about taking assault weapons off the streets. And so, I plan to, as my colleagues do, to help execute that because no one should be in fear of living in our communities. This whole campaign for her is about freedom from the fear of gun violence. And so, survivors like myself, survivors all around the country, we're going to fight as hard as we can to help execute that vision on her behalf, but also for all those loved ones that we've lost.

WHITFIELD: You spoke so passionately about the loss of your son, Jordan. And you have done that, you know, for -- consistently for a very long time, you know, to underscore the need for change. This convention covered a lot of ground, from gun violence to women's reproductive rights. I mean, the list goes on.

The pronouncement of Kamala Harris, right? You know, from her great nieces and, you know, delivering so much of this messaging really rested on the shoulders of a lot of women. There was a lot of women, you know, woman power kind of on display. Elizabeth Warren, Hillary Clinton, you, Oprah, Michelle Obama, who said, you know, something's in the air. It feels different.

Does it feel that way to you? And if so, what is that thing that is in the air? How do you keep that momentum going?

MCBATH: I feel a sense of hope. I feel a sense of urgency at the same time, though. And I think women understand that sense of hope, but there is urgency. Oftentimes, we are such the center and the focus of our homes and our communities. We're the ones that are so engaged collectively. We lead movements. We're working in the White House. We're working in Congress. We're working as superintendents and our superintendents in our school system. We are so heavily engaged. So, we have a pulse on what's happening in our own communities and our homes. And we know that there's a sense of urgency now to protect our freedoms. That's what this is about. And women understand that everything that we've been able to do for our families, everything that has preceded us is on the line right now.

So, this is freedom for our future generations. And that is the reason why women are standing up. We've always stood up, but that is the reason why now we collectively are standing on the front lines as the armor bearers for this new generation, because time is of the essence, and we don't have any other choice.

WHITFIELD: Harris and Walz will be on their bus tour of South Georgia. I mean, this is your state, you know the state well. South Georgia typically is very red.

MCBATH: Right.

WHITFIELD: Except for, you know, Savannah, Chatham County, it went blue, as did a neighboring county in 2020. However, when Harris and Walz make their way to South Georgia and ultimately, to Savannah on Wednesday and Thursday, what do they need to know? What do they need to do say to capture support in an area, a region that is typically very red?

MCBATH: Well, first and foremost, they're operating from a pure sense of empathy. Empathy for communities, empathy for people like us. And I understand unequivocally what it is to feel like people are counting you out.

In Georgia, I ran on a gun sense policy. People told me, as a black woman, do you realize that you're running on guns in ruby red Georgia? That's unprecedented. You can't do it. It's unfounded. It's unheard of. You're not going to win. And do you realize that you're black? That was the thing I kept saying. It's like, if anybody realizes they're black, it would be me.

WHITFIELD: Thank you for letting me know.

MCBATH: Right, exactly. But they understand, they have a pulse on the nation. They're great listeners, they're great empathizers, but they're ready to do the work. They have been doing the work.

And Coach Walz, you got to love him. You absolutely have to love him. He's the salt of the earth. And people can identify with the work that he's done as governor, I was so heartened to see that story with all the children around him when he signed in the legislation to feed all the children in the state -- in a state. I thought how humbling and wonderful that is. He's salt of the earth. He understands he's a man who has lived experiences that he can speak very credibly to what the American people are crying out for. The same thing for Vice President Harris.

So, no matter what the naysayers saying, they're for the people. And they've always put -- both of them have great records of putting people over politics. WHITFIELD: All right. Thank you so much for bringing your optimism in our studio. Representative Lucy McBath.

MCBATH: Thank you so much.

WHITFIELD: Always great to see you.

MCBATH: You too.

WHITFIELD: Thank you so much.

MCBATH: Thank you.

[15:15:00]

WHITFIELD: All right. Police in France are investigating an arson attack that took place across the street from a synagogue. We'll have the very latest next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Jim Sciutto in Tel Aviv and I'll have much more on the situation here in Israel in just a few minutes. First though, investigators are on the scene of an arson attack at a synagogue in Southern France. Two cars set on fire crossed the street from the synagogue this morning.

[15:20:00]

Before then, one of the cars exploded, injuring a police officer. Elliott Gotkine has been following the story for us. And, Elliott, do we know who might be behind this attack?

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: Jim, a manhunt is still underway to try to catch the perpetrator, but they are working under the assumption That it was an attempted terrorist attack. Now, as you say, there was an explosion in one of these vehicles that say authorities is because a bottle of gasoline had been placed inside and they believed that the explosion or the setting fire to these cars was supposed to be some kind of diversionary tactic in order to perhaps enable the perpetrator to get inside the synagogue.

Now, this being a Saturday morning in the height of summer, you would have expected it to be rather busy as Orthodox Jews tend to go to synagogue on a Saturday morning to say prayers for the Jewish Sabbath. As it happens, there were five people inside, including the rabbi. None of them were injured.

President Macron saying that our thoughts are with the congregation at La Grande Motte Synagogue. This is in the southern part of France, near the city of Montpellier on the south coast, and saying that his thoughts are also with all the Jews of France as well.

Everything is being done to find the perpetrator of what President Macron described as a terrorist act and to protect places of worship. He added that the fight against anti-Semitism is a constant battle. Now, it's also worth noting that there's been an upsurge in anti- Semitic, anti-Jewish attacks in France, not just since October the 7th, since the Hamas terrorist attacks, but also this year. In fact, they've almost tripled in the first half of this year.

And the initial investigation of this attack this morning says that the perpetrator was reportedly carrying a Palestinian flag and a gun as well. Now, Jewish institutions -- at the best of times, Jewish institutions in France and other countries in Europe, such as the U.K. have more security than institutions belonging to other religions for fear of attacks They were bolstered in the wake of the October 7yh Hamas led to terrorist attacks. And now, the interior minister of France has called for security at Jewish institutions across the country to be beefed up even more. Jim.

SCIUTTO: Elliott, a relief the attack wasn't worse. Elliott Gotkine in London, thanks so much. And, Fred, back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Jim. All right. It's been a historic week for Democrats. So, how do President Trump and the GOP grab back the momentum?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. With just 73 days until the election and both parties' conventions now behind us, the race to the White House is entering the final sprint to November.

And today, there is one fewer candidate. Last night in Arizona, Former President Donald Trump appeared alongside Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at a rally. The independent presidential candidate, Kennedy, ended days of speculation as he officially suspended his campaign for the White House and endorsed Trump. What remains unclear is what kind of impact Kennedy's exit will have on the race.

CNN's Steve Contorno is joining us right now with more on all this. Steve, so what is Kennedy saying about the reasons why he is dropping out?

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Well, look, there's a very practical matter why he's dropping out, and that is his support was dwindling very quickly. He went from a double-digit candidate earlier this year to someone who was pulling in the low single digits, as low as 2 percent in one poll that came out recently. And there was an opportunity for him to extract something out of one of the major party candidates. He was able to do that from Donald Trump.

Trump is going to put some sort of role for RFK Jr. in his administration, overseeing health issues. That has been one of his priorities. Of course, he is one of the leading purveyors of the myths and debunked theories around vaccines. So, that is something that he hopes to bring into Trump administration.

And RFK sort of outlined this new alliance with Trump and what he thinks the two of them can get out it -- get out of it during his remarks last night. Take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. (I), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In a series of long, intense discussions, I was surprised to discover that we are aligned on many key issues. In those meetings, he suggested that we join forces as a unity party. We talked about Abraham Lincoln's team of rivals. That arrangement would allow us to disagree publicly and privately and furiously, if need be, on issues over which we differ while working together on the existential issues upon which we are in concordance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CONTORNO: Now, Donald Trump said he was happy to have RFK Jr.'s endorsement, saying that he was, quote, liked by everyone. That's a little bit of a stretch though, Fred. RFK Jr. isn't even supported by his own family who has disavowed him and is instead supporting the Democratic ticket.

WHITFIELD: And then, Steve, is there a feeling by the Trump campaign that RFK's endorsement could make an impact?

CONTORNO: Well, look, it certainly makes the race less complicated, right? There's no more third-party rival in the mix who could potentially be pulling support from him. It's a one verse one person race in there. They are optimistic that the type of anti-establishment figures who have gravitated towards RFK could be pulled into their sort of circle of support.

[15:30:00]

But look at the same time, RFK Jr. appealed to a type of voter who doesn't normally participate in electoral politics. And most of the people who were going to support him have told pollsters that if he's not in the race, they're not supporting anyone. Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Steve Contorno. Thank you so much. All right. Let's talk further about all this. With me now is a former Republican of Pennsylvania congressperson Charlie Dent. Sorry about that. Also with me is Barrett Marson, a Republican consultant. Great to see you both.

All right. Congressman, you first. So, how do you think this decision by Kennedy to drop out of the race and throw his support behind Trump might impact the race?

CHARLIE DENT (R), FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE AND SENIOR ADVISER, OUR REPUBLICAN LEGACY: I think it'll have a de minimis or minimal impact. My experience has been with small party candidates is that they oftentimes -- their voters won't support either major party candidate.

That said, many of the folks who supported Kennedy who are conspiracy theory oriented anti-vax might lean towards Trump. Some of the other people who supported Kennedy, traditional Democrats, maybe who didn't like Joe Biden, traditional Democrats who are made prochoice on abortion, I think some of them might go back. But at the end of the day, maybe Trump has a very slight edge with those voters, but it's not going to be very many because this race had been reset. Kennedy's vote had evaporated as a consequence of Biden being replaced by Harris. So, I think it's a minimal impact.

WHITFIELD: And, Barrett, you're in agreement there. Why is that?

BARRETT MARSON, REPUBLICAN POLITICAL CONSULTANT: Well, I just think in two weeks we're going to kind of forget about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Except for maybe if the Bicyclist for Bears Society decides to do a press conference in Central Park. I really think we're going to forget about everything that Robert F. Kennedy did this cycle, except brain worms and bears.

WHITFIELD: Oh, boy.

MARSON: And so, I think he's going to be really forgotten in just -- I mean, in two weeks, we're going to have a debate and that will be the story going forward. And then, we'll have a vice presidential debate. There's so many other things to really key in on over the next 70 odd days.

WHITFIELD: Meantime, you know, a recent New York Times/Siena College poll of battleground states shows Kennedy, you know, drawing 5 to 6 percent support in a handful of swing states, including Arizona, Barrett. So, you know, do you at least have a sense as to where that support for Kennedy would gravitate?

MARSON: Well, one of the things I agreed with both the congressman and you're CNN reporting is a lot of these people aren't necessarily usually part of the political process. They don't vote much. Now, in Arizona, where Trump lost by just 10,500 votes in 2020, you know, really just needs a small amount of those RFK Jr. voters to show up and support him. So, it is going to be a close race again here in Arizona.

And while in most states, I think, Robert F. Kennedy pulling out will have almost no impact, it actually could have -- it's small impact could have a big impact in Arizona.

WHITFIELD: Charlie. So, the Harris campaign, I mean, it's riding a wave of momentum, especially out of the DNC convention, and they already, you know, were enjoying a bump before the convention and now even more so. You know, Harris is, you know, rising in the polls. She's raising a whole lot of money. So, what does the Trump campaign need to do at this point? What do they need to suspend doing so that they can feel like they are growing support?

DENT: Well, in order for Donald Trump to, you know, try to reclaim some momentum here, he's going to have to focus as a candidate, which is hard for him. He's going to need to talk about the economy and inflation. In fact, I think Harris handed him a gift with her price control proposal, price gouging proposal. And Donald Trump should really spend a lot of time trying to, you know, tear her apart on that. But because he's so obsessed with crowd size, with Governor Kemp of Georgia, and all these other issues, you know, you know, is Kamala Harris black or Indian or she turned black? I mean, he says all these, you know, insane things that draws attention to himself in a bad way rather than prosecuting the case against her on the economy, inflation and the border and other issues where Republicans generally have an advantage, but that would require real discipline from the candidate.

His campaign is somewhat disciplined this go around, but he is completely undisciplined and you're seeing what happens when an undisciplined candidate and disciplined campaign are colliding with itself.

WHITFIELD: Barrett, how do you see --

MARSON: Congressman, be of little faith, Congressman. I think Trump has it in him to be very disciplined. Don't you?

WHITFIELD: Are you being -- OK. I was going to say, you are being facetious right now, right? OK. Haha.

MARSON: Yes.

[15:35:00]

WHITFIELD: Well, let me ask you this, Barrett. You know, as Trump and the campaign try to prepare for this first debate between he and Harris, you know, this is on the 10th of September, it's right around the corner, as you were reminding us, just barely two weeks away, he is undisciplined, right? But he is also effective in being more spontaneous when in a debate.

Does he need to change his style? And do you see him potentially changing his style, if that's what's needed as he takes on a completely different candidate?

MARSON: He's 78 years old. He's not changing his style, that we can get rid of. But, you know, he famously, during the -- before the debate with Joe Biden, didn't really practice. You know, he just talked to some people here and there. Kamala Harris is not Joe Biden. And you know, we really don't remember much of what Joe Biden said that day, we just remembered, oh, my God, it was the worst performance we could ever imagine. That's not going to be the case with Kamala Harris.

He is going to have to practice how to take her on because I mean, look, she practically called Joe Biden a racist in her debate with then the candidates in the Democratic primary. Can you imagine what she's going to say about Trump? And so, I think he really does need to hone his attacks on her and practice that. And yes, stay away from whether she's black and Indian and you know --

WHITFIELD: Yes. I mean, remember, she did kind of already preface it by saying, you know, she knows his type. I mean, that was kind of a prelude perhaps of what's to come. All right. Well, I'm going to leave it there because we're out of time on this segment, but always great to see you both. Congressman Charlie Dent, Barrett Marson, great to see you. Thanks so much. We got to go to Tel Aviv now.

DENT: Thank you.

MARSON: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: And Jim Sciutto.

SCIUTTO: Well, the sides are meeting and they are talking, but are they making any progress on a ceasefire? We'll see. We'll give you the latest coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:40:00]

SCIUTTO: Palestinian officials say Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 45 people across Southern and Central Gaza. These attacks come as the Israeli military says it was carrying out a targeted operation to eliminate it what it identified as terrorist targets in Gaza. Even as those strikes continue, cease fire talks are resuming in Cairo this weekend.

The CIA director, Bill Burns, is back in Egypt for the meeting. He is carrying the Biden administration's message that both sides must be prepared to make concessions to get a deal done. So, will they? Joining me now is Aaron David Miller. He's a former State Department Middle East negotiator and now senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment.

Aaron David Miller, you've been watching this as long as I have and longer. Secretary Blinken was clearly expressing urgency during his latest visit to the region. Is it your sense that Israel and Hamas also have any urgency to come to an agreement?

AARON DAVID MILLER, FORMER STATE DEPARTMENT, MIDDLE EAST NEGOTIATOR: I mean, there are pressures, Jim. Netanyahu's under pressure from the hostage families and from the administration, which fears a major escalation in the north if no ceasefire can be done.

And Sinwar clearly, I think, would like to give his commanders and Hamas' military structure a breather. And he's also perhaps under some pressure to come to the aid and the assistance and the relief of hundreds of thousands of millions of Palestinians who are in long suffering.

But I just think their clocks are not synchronized. I don't think right now, maybe I'll be wrongly today's breakthrough will produce something that Netanyahu or Sinwar feel a sense of urgency to close. For them, no deal is better off right now than a deal. And the only party that seems to be in a hurry is the administration, understandably. And I don't think they have pressure that they're willing to use on either Hamas or the Netanyahu government to push either side to a conclusion.

SCIUTTO: There are two parallel timelines here, right? Because there's a negotiating timeline then there's this wait for whether Iran and/or Hezbollah strike Israel in what they describe as revenge attacks for Israeli operations inside Lebanon that killed Hezbollah leaders and inside Iran that killed a senior Hamas leader. As these talks drag on, do you have any sense as to how long Iran and Hezbollah's timelines are? Do they wait any longer? Do they have limitless patience, as it were, with the progress of these talks?

MILLER: Limitless, no. I think both of them are navigating a pretty fine course. I think the Iranians frankly can afford to wait quite some time to decide a time of place and their choosing how they're going to respond to this. But you've got an active confrontation now along the Israeli-Lebanese border with the Israelis hitting Hezbollah targets deep in the Lebanon and doing significant damage. I'm not sure that Hezbollah is going to be able to wait all that long.

But again, I think both parties are prepared to give these negotiations more time to conclude. Perhaps if we're lucky, again, maybe I'm wrong, maybe, you know, you'll report later on tonight that the two sides have reached a breakthrough. But I'm thinking the best you can do right now is for Hamas to come back and to probably say, you know, there are points in here we can accept and there are points that we can't. And these talks and negotiations are going to continue.

[15:45:00]

The real tragedy here, in addition to the Palestinian population of Gaza, are the hostages and their families. For them, time is an enemy.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

MILLER: It's an adversary. It's not an ally. And I think it's a tragic situation on a basic human level as it is for Palestinians and Gaza.

SCIUTTO: Listen, it's a good point because the only certainty we've observed over the last 10 months is that the longer the negotiations go, the more hostages die, right? We saw six bodies recover just in the last week. And that number of 109 still held, many of whom Israel already acknowledges are dead. The sad fact is there might be fewer over time alive to be returned to their families.

I wonder, there's constant questions about how much pressure the U.S. is applying to Netanyahu to make a deal. Is it enough? And even if they applied more, would Netanyahu listen? What is your sense of the relationship now between the U.S. and Israel as relates to these negotiations?

MILLER: Look, again, not to put too fine a point on it, but I think the prime minister of Israel, whose clock is moving extremely slow, because he's going to have to make painful sacrifices, he's going to have to concede hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, many of whom have blood on their hands, it could shake his coalition.

I just -- as we -- how many days before the next election? 70 plus? I think the administration is in a bind on this one. I think they're very reluctant to apply the kind of pressure. And remember, if this were Israel and Egypt in a conflict, Jim, I think the administration's capacity to impose significant leverage and pressure on the Israel -- on Israel would expand. But it's not. It's a conflict between Israel and a foreign terrorist organization declared by statute by the administration. An organization that's the embodiment of an idea, right? Replacement of Israel by an Islamic State and who also holds and is abusing hostages.

So, I think administration pressure and leverage 11 months, there's been very little. I suspect domestic politics will edge out whatever pressure the administration thinks that it can impose right now on the Israelis. And then, you've got the Hamas calculation.

Now, one final point, I know the Israelis have a real sense of avenging the dead. But they also, it seems to me, have a huge mission in trying to redeem the living. And I think -- I'm not an Israeli, but I sense that's clearly the calculation on the minds of so many hostages. Redeem the living regardless of the cost you need to pay. You can deal with the other issues, Hamas, terror, later. Get those people home.

SCIUTTO: Right. Yes. While they're still alive. Aaron David Miller, thanks so much.

MILLER: Thank you, Jim.

SCIUTTO: And as we continue to monitor the news here, we will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:50:00]

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back. It's now been two years since the Inflation Reduction Act became law with the allocation of $370 billion to clean energy and climate policy. Since then, more than 750,000 families have taken advantage of new tax benefits by putting solar panels on their roofs.

But there's a surprising group making the most of these incentives. Meteorologist Elisa Raffa talks to faith leaders who are uniting in climate action.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): After noticing more of her patients dealing with the impacts of longer allergy seasons, more extreme heat and increasing air pollution, Dr. Neha Pathak's search for prescriptions took her down a seemingly unconventional path.

DR. NEHA PATHAK, BOARD VICE CHAIR OF GEORGIA INTERFAITH POWER AND LIGHT: It can have a big impact on your own personal resilience. So, I really looked to my faith tradition to help bolster that resilience for me.

RAFFA (voice-over): Through that search, this physician and practicing Hindu found herself serving as a board member for Georgia Interfaith Power and Light. Her work towards climate and spiritual solutions is more connected than you might think.

DR. PATHAK: So, the first thing we do when we wake up in one of our prayers is to thank Mother Earth for allowing us to step on her all day long. When we take our first bite of food for the day, we thank Mother Earth for providing us this food.

RAFFA (voice-over): As the board chair, Rabbi Laurence Rosenthal points out, the bible has been talking about extreme weather for thousands of years, with examples like Noah's Ark, plagues, and famine.

RABBI LAURENCE ROSENTHAL, SENIOR RABBI AHAVATH ACHIM SYNAGOGUE AND BOARD CHAIR OF GEORGIA INTERFAITH POWER AND LIGHT: When you read the book of Psalms, it does talk about the thunder and the lightning and the wind and the storms and the sea and all that it's contained. And it really focuses on experiencing God through the environment.

RAFFA (voice-over): So, while solar panels on the roof of this church may seem like an unlikely intersection between climate, religion, and politics, it's actually shining.

RAFFA: What are the benefits to a congregation getting solar panels?

ROSENTHAL: Well, you take yourself off the grid, so we're not continuing to burn coal. the other piece of it is to -- in the long- term, to lower some of the electrical costs that we have.

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RAFFA (voice-over): The Inflation Reduction Act is the most significant climate legislation Congress has ever passed, making religious institutions eligible for direct pay rebates for the first time.

RAFFA: 117 panels generate 440 watts of energy, offsetting 26 percent of the electricity at this church's campus. That's something that's becoming more common thanks to recent funding from the Inflation Reduction Act.

RAFFA (voice-over): Solar is the fastest growing renewable energy source, up nearly eightfold in the last decade. One forecast shows the Inflation Reduction Act will lead to a 48 percent boost in solar deployment in the next 10 years.

In the two years since the new rebates, Georgia Interfaith Power and Light says it has seen a 50 percent increase in faith communities enrolling in their SolarWise program. When it comes to the climate crisis, these faith leaders agree, the calling is clear.

DR. PATHAK: We have the science. We understand why this is happening. And now, this faith piece is the reverence for the world around us. The moral call to do the work that aligns with the science.

RAFFA: Why are you as a rabbi so passionate about these environmental issues? ROSENTHAL: If I ignore the environmental crisis that we're -- that we are continuing to wade through, then, I'm not taking that chart seriously. I'm not caring for other human beings.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Meteorologist Elisa Raffa is with us now. So, this is really fascinating and a great intersection.

RAFFA (on camera): Yes, I was so inspired at how similar we all are. You know, we might think that, you know, we were all very different at the surface, but, you know, we are all taught to be stewards of the Earth, right? Take care of the Earth, and it just makes sense, and it was really inspiring.

WHITFIELD: Fantastic. All right. Elisa, thank you so much. Appreciate it and thanks for bringing that to us.

The Newsroom with Paula Reid starts right after this.

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