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Starliner Crew To Ride Home In SpaceX Capsule; Trump And Harris Hit Battleground States; Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Endorses Trump; Harris And Trump To Debate On September 10; Dr. Fauci Recovering After Hospitalization; Ceasefire Talks Resume In Cairo Even As Israel Strikes Hit Gaza; Russia, Ukraine Swap 115 Prisoners Each as Ukraine Pushes Deeper Into Russian Territory; New Details About Communication Lapses Before Trump Rally Shooting. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired August 24, 2024 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:00]

PAULA REID, CNN ANCHOR: You're in the CNN Newsroom. I'm Paula Reid in Washington.

We begin this hour with breaking news, NASA deciding astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams won't be coming home now until February 2025. And when they do return, they will come back to earth with rival SpaceX instead of on their troubled Boeing Starliner.

The test flight launched back in June on what was supposed to be an eight-day stay in space, that has now turned into a possible eight months. Now, NASA says Boeing Starliner star craft will return without a crew. CNN space and defense correspondent Kristin Fisher has more.

KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE AND DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Paula, NASA's top leadership says this was a really difficult and disappointing decision, but they believe it's the right one. In the end, it all came down to the astronaut's safety.

It was a unanimous decision within NASA that made the call that this Boeing Starliner spacecraft with all of these helium leaks and thruster problems was simply just not safe enough to guarantee that Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, the two astronauts that have been up at the International Space Station since June, would be able to get back to Earth safely on that spacecraft. And this was a unanimous decision.

But during this press conference today announcing this decision, NASA leaders said that Boeing felt differently. And of course, Boeing has so much on the line here. This program, way over budget, way behind schedule. Boeing put out a statement shortly after this press conference started, and it reads, quote, 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.

And so, that Starliner spacecraft is now going to undock from the International Space Station sometime in early September. And when it does, we're going to find out if that spacecraft and its thrusters are going to be able to orient it properly, get that heat shield in the right place so that it can withstand those really hot temperatures on re-entry. Of course, no astronauts will be inside this time.

But the reason that this has caused so much concern, for the astronaut safety within NASA is because there are echoes of what happened during the Columbia tragedy back in 2003. So, during this press conference today, I asked the NASA administrator, Bill Nelson, who was a member of the committee that investigated Challenger. He was a senator during the Columbia accident. I asked him how much did those tragedies and his role in investigating them impact the decision that he made here today with Starliner.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL NELSON, NASA ADMINISTRATOR: 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)

FISHER: With that said, the NASA administrator says he still remains 100 percent confident that at some point in the future, NASA astronauts will fly on a Boeing Starliner spacecraft. It's just not going to be now. Butch and Suni are going to stay up at the International Space Station until further February of 2025, making what was an eight-day mission up there now about eight months, and they will return to Earth on Boeing's biggest competitor, SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule. Paula.

[16:05:00]

REID: Kristin Fisher, thank you. And joining us now is NASA veteran Ezinne Uzo-Okoro. She is a former assistant director for space policy at the White House. I want to get your reaction to NASA's announcement today. What do you think?

EZINNE UZO-OKORO, NASA VETERAN AND FORMER ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR SPACE POLICY AT THE WHITE HOUSE: It's great that we have a backup plan. Because if you think of the alternative, if we had to turn to another country, or if we had to take other kinds of measures to bring back our astronauts, I think that we would be more worried today. So, it's great that they are safe and have supplies, first and foremost. Second, it's great that they have an alternate method to come back home. And third, that Boeing and NASA have more time to build more confidence in the system and return it home on crew.

REID: Well, you certainly have a very glass half full take on this, but in some ways, isn't this pretty embarrassing, though, that these folks are supposed to be up there for eight days are now going to be up there for eight months? Even if there is a plan to help them, isn't it embarrassing that this happened at all?

UZO-OKORO: It's -- space is complex, and that's said a lot without a lot of context, but when you think of a test flight, it is a test and things go wrong with tests. And it's not routine, it's not the most safe of all, but the lives of the astronauts are being put first, the safety of the spacecraft is being put second, and everything else is falling into place here.

So, it's a complex mission and they are working to fix the issues and will eventually rebuild confidence in their system to fly again.

REID: You talked a lot about the preparation that astronauts do before going into space. Psychologically, eight days versus eight months, that's a lot. Can you talk a little bit about the psychological sort of evaluations and then preparation that folks do before going into space?

UZO-OKORO: You know, the difference with astronauts, I haven't been one, and the rest of us mortals is they have a love for space and a stamina to withstand things within the space environment, not just pressures from a rocket or a thruster but just lots of the nuances and challenges that most of us will think is uncomfortable and will want to, you know, get off the roller coaster ride for, but a lot of astronauts really love space.

They want to stay there as long as they can. And if you think of the time that they will spend there, eight months, is not the longest tenure of an astronaut in space. So, it's great that they have tasks to do. It's great that we've got cargo resupply mission. So, they have supplies and resources. And that they can -- there's now a plan in place to bring them home safely.

REID: Well, we heard from NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and the manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, Steve Sitch, on some of the risks. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NELSON: 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: Sort of echoing what we've already heard you say about the risks inherent in this kind of work. But look, does this decision today, doesn't this damage the credibility of potential future Boeing missions?

UZO-OKORO: And this is where Boeing will have to work hard to regain confidence and to really get to the crux of what the problem was here, was the decision made before flight, when they shouldn't have flown, was the decision incorrectly made after they docked, was the decision made during the test process that we've seen happen so far over the last few weeks? And so, they need to come up with a cogent analysis of where the issue really lies and then rebuild. But we make lots of mistakes in the space business, and it's how you recover that matters.

REID: And let's talk a little bit about that recovery, because, as you know, the Boeing Starliner, look, this is a long-awaited program for both Boeing and NASA. So, once they do this analysis that you've suggested, then how does Boeing repair its reputation when it comes to space flight?

[16:10:00]

UZO-OKORO: By conducting more tests and proving that they can launch. You can think of some of the mistakes that you've heard NASA mentioned that were made in the past. You can think of the private sector and some of the mistakes have been made there as well. And the way to recover is to work hard and be resilient and conduct more tests and prove that you can fly.

Space is not a place where you get to you get to prove your thesis on a PowerPoint. You have to show that it works. And so, Boeing will have to do that.

REID: So, on the flip side of this situation, what will this rescue mission mean for SpaceX?

UZO-OKORO: There will be some design changes. The Boeing space suits, for instance, are not the same as the Dragon Spacesuit. So, SpaceX will have to make designs and adjustments to ensure that the crew can come back on a SpaceX Dragon capsule. There are other tests and analysis that they may have to conduct to ensure that the spacecraft is prepared to bring the four back home. And take two up and you know, come back with four. So, SpaceX is going to work hand in hand with NASA on that and prepare for this return flight.

REID: All right. Ezinne, thank you so much for joining us.

UZO-OKORO: Thank you.

REID: Kamala Harris and Donald Trump both plan to hit key battleground states next week as the Harris campaign seeks to keep up its convention momentum while the Trump camp tries to create some of its own with a new endorsement.

Plus, we go live to Cairo, where there's a new roadblock in way of the urgent efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza. You're in the CNN Newsroom.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:15:00]

REID: Another shakeup in the 2024 presidential election. Third-party candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is suspending his campaign and endorsing Former President Donald Trump. The independent candidate joined Trump at a rally in Arizona yesterday with RFK saying he'll take his name off the ballot in nearly a dozen battleground states. The Trump campaign hopes those supporters will help put them over the top in what will likely be a very close race against Vice President Harris.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think he's going to have a huge influence. We're leading now, but I think he's going to have a huge influence on this campaign. And to all who supported Bobby's campaign, I very simply ask you join us in building this coalition. It's a beautiful coalition.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: CNN's Steve Contorno joins us now with more details. Steve, what does this mean for the Trump campaign?

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Well, look. let's be very clear, Paula, about where RFK Jr.'s support stood going into last night. Earlier this year, he was pulling as high as the teens, and there was a significant concern from both the Trump and the Biden campaign that he was pulling support away from them.

But since Biden dropped out of the race, RFK Jr. hasn't reached out of the low single digits. So, that's what potentially is moving toward Donald Trump. And many of the people who supported RFK Jr. said that they were likely not to vote at all if Donald Trump -- or excuse me, if RFK was no longer in this race.

But look, also, Democrats have been trying very hard to keep RFK Jr. off the ballot in a number of states. So, clearly, they do have some concern about what his support is like. And if that support does go to Donald Trump, it could make the difference in a number of battleground states where the polls are saying it's going to be very, very close.

Now, RFK Jr. talks a little bit about last night how this alliance came to be. 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, I mentioned the upside case for the Trump campaign, but the downside case is that RFK Jr. is a controversial figure and he has managed to amass even more controversy throughout this race. He has been accused of sexually assaulting a former nanny, a charge to which he responded by saying, quote, I'm not a choir boy. Recently, he admitted to dumping the carcass of a baby bear cub in Central Park. So, it was sort of a bizarre campaign and this will -- it'll be interesting to see how voters respond now to this new alliance with Donald Trump.

REID: And, Steve, you've got new reporting on what could be more unfavorable polling for the Trump campaign. What can you tell us?

[16:20:00]

CONTORNO: Yes, about a month ago, the Trump campaign came out and said, look. we expect a honeymoon period for Vice President Harris coming out of this change up at the top of the Democratic ticket. Well, now, they're saying they expect this honeymoon period to end, and that is because the DNC is going to give her a bump in the polls. It's happened after many conventions over the years, and they expect that she will continue -- she will experience that same bump in the polls that other candidates have received so far.

And they also said that they expect to see Harris potentially even pulling ahead in national polls, but they warned the media and their own supporters not to pay attention to those national polls. This is going to be a battleground-by-battleground race, and that's what's going to make the difference.

REID: Steve Contorno, thank you. And joining me now to discuss this is the former governor of Vermont, Howard Dean. He, of course, ran for president in 2004 and served as the DNC chair from 2005 to 2011. Thank you so much for joining me.

I want to start with the Democratic Convention this past week. Harris now has the nomination, she has the momentum. So, how does she now get elected?

HOWARD DEAN (D), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE AND FORMER VERMONT GOVERNOR: She just works really hard, just as hard as she did preparing for the convention. I have to say this is my 12th convention. I think that Kamala Harris may well have given the best speech I've ever heard of all the candidates I've seen acceptance speech. It was incredible. It was measured. It was thoughtful. She hit all the right issues. She didn't say anything inflammatory. I thought she did a great job.

REID: Now, as you may have just heard Steve report, the Trump campaign is expecting a two- or three-point bump in the polls for Harris after the convention. And some have described it as a honeymoon, but others say it actually mirrors the energy and the hope from 2008 and the Obama campaign. What do you make of that comparison?

DEAN: You know, you can't -- I don't think it's easy to compare campaigns in a situation like this. Kamala Harris' rise to the top has been unprecedented in American history. So, I am very optimistic. but I actually agree with the reporter that was on previously, this is going to be -- she's going to have a bump. She's going to lead by three or four points nationally. But the states we have to watch on carefully are the swing states. And the problem is that polling has never been the same since the invention of the internet. So, we don't really know what all these polls mean. My advice to people who are -- just work as hard as you possibly can and run as if you're six points behind.

REID: You're correct in your skepticism about polling, but I'm still going to ask you another polling question, but about someone else and that is, of course, Kennedy, his endorsement of Trump. I mean, recent national polling shows him pulling about 5 percent of the vote in a vote -- in an election that is this close. What impact do you think he could have on this race?

DEAN: Well, it's sort of like one bizarre character endorsing another bizarre character. I don't really think it has much impact, but it's impossible to tell, and no poll can ever tell you that these days. It's just too hard.

But, you know, Bobby is, you know, sort of a sad case. I knew him when he was running the River Keepers, and he did a lot for the country. He's just gone off his rocker, and Trump has always been off his rocker. So, it's a great pairing.

REID: I want to ask you about the Harris campaign's media strategy. Of course, it's only been about a month, but the former president has attacked her for not giving more interviews and policy details. Should she be doing more interviews, answering more questions?

DEAN: Well, let me be blunt about this, since I was a presidential candidate in 2004, the media is interested in itself just as much as it's interested in the news. So, the media always gets their nose bent out of joint when the candidates don't, you know, genuflect before the media.

I think Kamala Harris has figured this out. I think she ought to keep doing exactly what she's doing. And I do expect a lot of moaning, whining, and carrying on from the variety of reporters who don't get to grill her directly. But that's her call. And you know, the media thinks they're a third player in this, and they are a third player, but neither -- none of them are running for president. And I think Kamala's got to do what she thinks is right. And I support it.

REID: But don't you think it's key to a healthy democracy that candidates running for the highest office in the land answer some questions so that voters are more informed in their choice?

DEAN: She's answered plenty of questions. The argument here is not whether she should answer the questions, it's who gets to ask the questions. And the media has always been the self-appointed referees. I find that to be fairly unhealthy. She'll get to all her audience by using all the kinds of ways there are to reach out.

So, I understand the insult that the reporters in the media feel, but they're just another player who wants to get down on the act. And I think she -- Kamala ought to follow her own instincts. And people will know her views without her sitting down for editorial board meeting with mostly old white guys who decide whether they want to endorse her or not.

[16:25:00]

REID: I want to remind you, though, that journalists, it is their job to ask questions and answering questions for the administration and for the president, and that is part of the job. That's why there's the briefing room inside the White House. And I will also say that the White House Press Corps is a little more diverse than what you just described.

But let's move on. The debate, right? That's really going to be a key moment for Harris as she faces off against Trump for the first time. How high are the stakes here?

DEAN: I think they're reasonably high. People, you know, have only known Kamala Harris well since -- you know, for the last 30 days or whatever it's been since Joe dropped out. So, I think the debate does matter. And we'll see how it is conducted.

I think the rules of the last debate where Biden, you know, had his tough time were pretty good, that is shutting off microphones so Trump can't scream and shout while the other side is trying to make their points. So -- and I do think debating, which I consider to be a form of answering questions from the American public, not just reporters, is a very good thing.

REID: Now, obviously the battleground states, right, it's pretty clear Georgia is one of them. Harris is taking a bus tour through that battleground state next week. Trump is going to hold events in Michigan and Wisconsin, other key states. You actually launched a 50- state strategy in your DNC days, winning both Congress and the White House in 2008. Do you think they can do something like that here? I mean, can Democrats keep the White House, the Senate and try to take back the House? Is that realistic?

DEAN: Yes, it's very much realistic. And, as you said, we did it in 2008. But it takes a lot of work and you -- so we must -- even though I can understand why people focus on the seven states, there are a few surprises. One of the things that surprised me and made me understand that the Obama campaign was really the most effective campaign I ever saw was winning Florida. That was extraordinary. It's the last time we won Florida, but it was an exceptional organizing campaign.

We need to organize in all 50 states, not because Kamala Harris is going to win all 50 states, but there are Congress people and there are further down, state senators and state representatives, and the Democrats need to focus on those elections too.

REID: And thank you very much.

DEAN: Thanks for having me on.

REID: And Dr. Anthony Fauci is now recovering at home after being hospitalized with West Nile virus, according to a spokesperson. Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was of course a household name during the coronavirus pandemic. He is expected, though, to make a full recovery.

Now, West Nile virus is commonly spread through a bite from an infected mosquito. People can develop a high fever, headache, and body aches.

And there's a new agreement on the table that could make or break this latest round of Gaza ceasefire and hostage talks. You're in the CNN Newsroom.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:32:37]

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: Welcome back to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jim Sciutto in Tel Aviv.

French authorities say they are treating a blast outside of synagogue in southern France as a possible terror attack. At least two cars we're set on fire across the street from the synagogue before one of those cars then exploded. A policeman was injured when the car blew up.

Police say they are still searching for what they believe to be a lone suspect. Saturday morning is the Sabbath, of course, for the Jews and the time when synagogues hold their services.

Authorities say that anti-Jewish incidents in France nearly tripled in the first half of this year compared -- compared to 2020 three.

And in Germany, an urgent manhunt is now underway for the person behind a deadly stabbing at a festival. Three people killed, another eight injured in that attack.

Police arrested a 15-year-old boy in connection with the stabbing. He is not believed, we should be clear, to be the suspected attacker. He is, though, part of the broader investigation.

Officials stress they believe the perpetrator in that attack acted alone. No word on a possible motive.

And now to Gaza, where hospital officials say there were more than 45 people killed early morning in Israeli airstrikes. The attacks come as the Israeli military says it began a targeted operation to eliminate what it believes to be terrorist targets in Gaza.

Even as those Israeli strikes on Gaza continue, ceasefire talks talks are resuming this weekend in Cairo.

CNN's Nada Bashir is there watching the developments for us.

So, Nada, the Hamas delegation is in Egypt to hear what mediators have to say. So the players are there. But we hear the divisions are still quite wide. What do you know?

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely. Those sticking points continued to exist, despite the efforts of mediators, including the U.S., to put forward those bridging proposal to try and narrow the gaps.

And we've heard from the national security advisor in the U.S., John Kirby, saying there have been some positive developments, and the discussions have so far been constructive.

But again, these sticking points have proven to be serious issues for both Hamas and Israel to come to any sort of agreement. And chief among them, as we know, has been questions surrounding the presence of Israeli forces on the Philadelphi Corridor, that buffer zone between Egypt and southern Gaza.

[16:35:01]

Now we know that Israel has presented a revised proposal, which would see a reduced number of Israeli troops present and deployed on the Philadelphi Corridor during the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, which would see a six-week pause.

So this has been revised in comparison to a previous proposal which had an increased number of troops. That was seen by Egyptian mediators as a non-starter.

But the fact that Egyptian mediators have seen this revised proposal as being serious, they presented this to Hamas. For starters, it suggests that they may see this as being somewhat more acceptable to Hamas.

Of course, we haven't heard that response yet from Hamas officials. And in fact, as you mentioned, we have heard from one Egyptian official telling CNN that, as you mentioned, the gaps are still wide.

As a matter of fact, many of Egyptian officials also do not want to see a presence of Israeli forces on the Philadelphi Corridor.

But again, this may be one of the key sticking points. But this is just one of several sticking points. There are issues around the terms introduced by the Israeli delegation on the release of Palestinian prisoners.

There are still questions around the conditions surrounding the free movement of Palestinians. And crucially, what we have heard repeatedly now from Hamas officials is that they do not -- they do not view this deal as guaranteeing a permanent ceasefire.

Now as we understand it, under the first phase of the deal, that would be a six-week pause. In the second phase of the deal currently on the table, the hope is that that will transition to a permanent ceasefire.

But we've heard from Israeli officials, including the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that, while they may welcome a pause, a partial pause in the fighting, they do want to see a continuation of the wall in order to totally eradicate Hamas' military capabilities.

Despite the U.S. assessment that Hamas' military capabilities have, in fact, already been downgraded, that is not the view of hardliners within Netanyahu's coalition.

We've heard the view expressed by Netanyahu himself. And there's no indication that that position has changed.

So whether we will see any movement over the course of the talks this weekend from Hamas' side, that remains to be seen. And of course, all eyes will be watching to see whether Hamas engages directly in these negotiations tomorrow in Cairo.

SCIUTTO: That gap still sounds quite wide and genuine questions about any urgency on either side here to come to an agreement.

Nada Bashir, in Cairo, thank you so much.

So just ahead, Russia and Ukraine are now exchanging more than 200 prisoners. This, as Ukrainian forces keep pouring over the border into Russia, putting Putin on the defensive in the process.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:42:15]

SCIUTTO: Today, Ukraine is marking its Independence Day, the third now since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. Even as Ukraine fights for its very existence, there was reason to celebrate.

Russia and Ukraine are trading 115 prisoners each, many, 230 soldiers in all, are going back home.

Ukraine says all the Russian prisoners sent back we're conscripts. So they were drafted into the Russian military without a choice.

Former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, William Taylor, joins me now.

You know, you see moments like this in the midst of a bloody war, Europe's bloodiest war since World War II, and yet the two sides do talk when it comes to prisoners here.

And I wonder how important that is in a conflict such as this. And does it provide any hopeful sign whatsoever?

WILLIAM TAYLOR, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE: Jim, it's certainly hopeful, as you say, that they can exchange prisoners. They've been able to negotiate other things. For a while there, there was a negotiated agreement to allow Ukrainians to export their grain.

The Russians eventually went back on that deal and the Ukrainians pushed them out of the Black Sea, at least the western part of the Black Sea, so that they could export any way.

But there have been these conversations, usually not direct but they're through intermediaries. The grain deal, for example, was through the Turks and the U.N.

But, you're right, the exchange of prisoners is a good sign. I don't think there's any indication that there could be negotiations to end this war. As -- as you mentioned, the Ukrainians now occupy 500 square miles of Russian territory.

If the Russians decide that they do want to negotiate, if the Russians decided they have had enough, and they come to the Ukrainians to ask for negotiations, well, the Ukrainians can say, oh, we'll get out of Russia if you get out of Ukraine.

SCIUTTO: Yes. Listen, I mean, prisoner exchanges or the one thing that are explicitly in both side's interests, right? Because -- because they both get something in return.

I want to talk about ongoing Ukrainian operations inside Russian territory/ We're a little more than two weeks into these operations, which surprised everybody. They've been quite successful.

Does Russia have an answer yet? I mean, those forces still seem to be advancing and, it seems, testing other potential vulnerable points along the Russian border.

TAYLOR: They do. The Ukrainians are pushing in several different places. But I have to say the Russians are continuing to push down in Donbass.

They have taken some of their troops -- they pulled some of their troops out of there, but not many. There weren't any major relocations from Donbass up to Kursk -- up to Kursk.

[16:45:04]

But they are -- they are probing, you're exactly right. They have taken a lot. They treated their -- they treated the civilians -- they treat civilians in that part of Russia very well, unlike the treatment that the Russians give to Ukrainians, Jim.

SCIUTTO: No question. We saw it in Bucha, murder, rape, the destruction of their homes, death from their homes. The records -- the record is clear.

So, to your point, you have the Ukrainians advancing inside Russia to the northeast. You have Russia pushing, it seems, against on that eastern frontier down here.

Is it a zero-sum game so far then, in this new phase, if you want to call it that, of the conflict, or as Russia -- or as Ukraine gaining more by exposing Russian vulnerabilities?

TAYLOR: They are exposing Russian vulnerabilities, dramatically. But also, it's not zero-sum. It is a clear net gain for Ukraine on morale, on attitudes of the soldiers, attitudes of the population, attitudes of supporters of Ukraine.

So the United States has sent two new packages of assistance, military assistance to Ukraine since this offensive began.

So we are realizing -- Americans are realizing that the Ukrainians have a lot to go. They can do things. They can -- if we support them, they can push the Russians back. SCIUTTO: Yes. And listen, one reason Ukrainians have more Russian prisoners to exchange is because they captured many of them as they crossed into Russian territory.

Ambassador William Taylor, good to have you on.

TAYLOR: Thanks, Jim. Good to be here.

SCIUTTO: And we'll be back with much more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:51:32]

REID: Former President Trump says he has great confidence in the Secret Service, even as troubling new details emerge in the investigation into last month's assassination attempt.

The Secret Service putting several agents on administrative duty and ordering them to work from home as we learn more about the communication failures leading up to the attack.

CNN's Holmes Lybrand joins us now with the latest.

Holmes, you've been doing a lot of reporting about what exactly happened that day. What have you learned?

HOLMES LYBRAND, CNN REPORTER: That's right. So as you mentioned, there are multiple Secret Service members in the Pittsburgh Field Office, as well as one on Trump's security team, that have been placed and assigned to administrative duties. They are working from home.

They we're all involved in the security planning for July 13th for that rally.

Now, acting director of the Secret Service, Ronald Rowe, has made clear that he doesn't want to just fire people. He wants to wait until the internal investigations go forward, so they can actually determine who was responsible for the failures that day.

While Trump has praised the Secret Service, speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, has actually heavily criticized Rowe and said this is -- this is much too little and much too late.

All of this comes as we're learning new details of the failures that day, including that local law enforcement actually set out radios for Secret Service agents and those we're never picked up.

Now we know three minutes before the shooting, local officers actually used radios to call in that a man, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was on the roof. That's three minutes before he actually shot Trump.

That radio call, that communication, and never got to Secret Service agents on the ground.

So I do want to play a clip for you, real quick, that kind of demonstrates this communication failure. This is actually from the local officer who came face-to-face with Crooks when he was on the roof. This is a bit after that. So let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: (EXPLETIVE) on top of the roof. Are we even on the same frequency?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LYBRAND: So this highlights really the communication chaos that day, questioning, are we even on the same frequence?

And as we know, those radio calls we're never received, especially by Secret Service agents on the ground.

This failure is going to be a key part of the investigation. But also a key part of the task force investigation from the Hill, bipartisan taskforce, who's actually going to Butler on Monday to walk the grounds and talk to locals.

REID: As we've seen, sometimes it takes something like this for law enforcement to re-evaluate how they coordinate, how they share information. Going forward, based on your reporting, what do you see the service doing differently?

LYBRAND: Right. That's fascinating. So the Secret Service, their primary goal is to protect the president. And because of that, they really have the weight of the federal government behind them.

So with Trump, they're now doing things like adding ballistic glass at all of his outdoor rallies. Now, while they used to depend on the Department of Defense to apply that ballistic glass in, they now have to coordinate how they're going to put that in place for Trump.

They are also adding more agents to Trump's detail. And they're increasing the cellular connectivity so that they have a mobile system with them wherever they go. They don't have to depend on private networks.

REID: Wow, thank you for your reporting on this truly extraordinary moment in history.

Ahead, the potential voter windfall on the way for the Trump campaign after a surprising endorsement from RFK Jr.

[16:54:54]

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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REID: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Paula Reid in Washington, sitting in tonight for Jessica Dean.

[16:59:49] Now it's only about 10 weeks to go in the election for the Harris and Trump campaigns. Vice President Harris is riding high after accepting her party's nomination during an energetic convention in Chicago this week.

She'll be heading out on a bus tour through Georgia next week, while former President Donald Trump hits Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.