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Hezbollah Retaliates With Rocket Missiles And Drones Towards Israel; Gaza Ceasefire Talks Resume In Cairo; Harris And Trump Campaign In Battleground States; Harris's Grocery Store Price Gouging Plan Sparks Pushback; Hundred Plus Were Rescued from The Grand Canyon. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired August 25, 2024 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

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PAULA REID, CNN HOST: You are in the "CNN Newsroom." I'm Paula Reed in Washington, sitting in for Jessica Dean tonight, along with Jim Sciutto in Tel Aviv.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: That's right, Paula. Thanks so much. Tensions here in the Middle East appear to have simmered down for now, this after a series of strikes between Israel and Lebanon early this morning.

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JIM SCIUTTO: Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia in Lebanon, says its latest attack was, quote, meticulously completed after the group launched hundreds of rockets, drones, and other projectiles towards Israel. The attack, Hezbollah says, was a response to the killing by Israel of a top Hezbollah leader in Beirut last month. The exchange started with what Israel called preemptive strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon to destroy what it said was an imminent and quite large attack targeting Israel.

Tonight we're learning new details about the U.S. helping Israel to track and take down those incoming rockets and other projectiles with the U.S. defense official emphasizing the U.S. was not involved, however, in any of the strikes by Israel on Lebanese territory. CNN's Jeremy Diamond joins us now from Haifa in northern Israel with more details.

Jeremy, Hezbollah has said there could be a second phase of attacks, retaliatory attacks against Israel but at least during these hours when it's been quite quiet it appears to be done. What can you tell us? what's the level of alert up north?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, that's right, Jim. Hezbollah says that its attack against Israel is over for now, but it is still leaving the door open to the possibility of another round of attacks. The Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, in a speech tonight saying that whether or not Hezbollah carries out additional attacks will depend on its assessment of whether or not it's a barrage of rockets and drones that it fired at northern Israel earlier on Saturday, whether or not it was successful enough.

And from the Israeli military standpoint, Hezbollah's attack was a failure. That's because Israel says that of the hundreds of rockets and drones that Hezbollah fired early Sunday morning, all of the drones, they say, were intercepted and none of the rockets actually hit any military bases in northern or central Israel.

Part of that, they say, is because of this preemptive strike that the Israeli military says it carried out early this morning starting around 4:00 a.m., about 100 fighter jets were in the air carrying out strikes on some 270 targets in southern Lebanon. The Israeli officials say that that attack was able to hamper Hezbollah's ability to carry out what Israel says would have been a much more significant strike against Israel had they been able to actually carry it out in full.

So for now, the tensions seem to have simmered down, but there is still the possibility of that second phase. And the Israeli prime minister himself, even as he touted the success of the Israeli aerial defense operation, he also made clear that the story here is not over yet, Jim.

SCIUTTO: The U.S. Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin, he is now ordering those U.S. carrier strike groups deployed to the region to remain. That's notable, right, because it's the view of the U.S. and I think as well Israeli officials I've spoken to that that U.S. presence is meant to deter further attacks from not just Hezbollah but also Iran.

DIAMOND: No doubt about it, Jim. It is a reminder of the fact that not only could Hezbollah still carry out additional attacks against Israel, but also, of course, that we are still waiting for that promised retaliatory action from Iran that they promised nearly a month ago now over the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas's political leader, while he was in the Iranian capital.

[17:05:07]

Following that, as tensions skyrocketed in the region earlier this month, the United States placed two carrier strike groups in the region, and tonight the U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin making clear that those strike groups will remain in the region, a sign that these tensions are not over yet. We know of course that earlier this month the US had also ordered a guided missile submarine to the region as well. There has been no change in that directive either as far as we know.

And what we witnessed earlier today of course was the US assisting at least in tracking those Hezbollah rockets and drones that were headed for Israel. They didn't actually assist in any of the takedowns of those rockets and drones but it is a reminder of course of the close cooperation between United States and Israel, something that both of those countries very much want to put on display right now as the Iranian threat still looms, Jim.

SCIUTTO: Yeah. Those forces certainly give enormous capability for defense of Israel but also the possibility of offense if the region were to descend into something bigger. Jeremy Diamond in Haifa. Thanks so much.

Well, despite the understandable fears of the war spreading, hostage and ceasefire talks, they did get underway. Today, in Cairo, despite those attacks earlier in the day, representatives from Hamas and Israel met with American, Egyptian and Qatari negotiators today. One U.S. official called the meeting constructive. but with several key sticking points. CNN's Nada Bashir, she's in Cairo with the latest. So the U.S. says constructive. Hamas seems to be saying no dice, at least on what's on the table right now.

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. From an initial reading of Hamas' response so far as their delegation departs from Cairo, their position has not really moved from what we've been hearing from Hamas officials since President Biden put forward that proposal in late May. They have reiterated that they want to see a ceasefire deal which reflects that initial proposal put forward by Biden without these so-called bridging proposals that have so far been presented in the weeks following.

And they have said and reiterated they actually agree to that deal in early July and want the guarantees, the terms put out in that deal to be honored by all sides, agreeing to this proposed ceasefire agreement. Of course, as we know, there have been several significant sticking points. We heard earlier in the week from Egyptian officials still saying that there are wide differences between Israel and Hamas. Those gaps seemingly not narrowed despite the talks that we have seen here in Cairo over the last three days over the course of the weekend.

Of course, one of those key sticking points continues to be the presence of Israeli troops within the Gaza Strip. In a statement just a few hours ago from Hamas officials, they have said that they want to see a deal which guarantees a full withdrawal of Israeli forces.

Of course, we know that Israeli delegation has put forward a proposal which would allow for a presence or a reduced number of Israeli troops to be present along the Philadelphi corridor, that buffer zone between Egypt and southern Gaza. That's a proposal that Hamas has so far rejected. Egyptian officials earlier in the week have also said that Egyptian officials are not in favor of this proposal.

And then, of course, another key area of disagreement remains questions around guarantees for a permanent ceasefire. Hamas has said that they haven't seen these guarantees on the table -- on the deal currently on the table. We have heard from Israeli officials saying that while they may welcome a temporary pause, that six-week pause outlined in the first phase of the deal, they want to see a continuation of the war in order to eradicate Hamas' military capabilities, despite the U.S. assessing that Hamas has been downgraded to a point where they cannot necessarily pose a significant military threat to Israel any longer.

But, of course, these are issues which remain. Those gaps seemingly haven't been narrowed. It remains to be seen whether we see any further negotiations or talks taking place in the coming days.

SCIUTTO: Let's take a focus on Gaza for a moment here because as I understand it, the Israeli military ordered evacuations in central Gaza. This of course where many thousands of Palestinian civilians have been taking shelter. Do we know the intention of those evacuation orders? Does this signal more IDF military activity there?

BASHIR: Well, we've been hearing repeated evacuation orders for weeks now targeting different areas within the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military has said that they have issued these evacuation orders in order to carry out what they have described as targeted attacks on Hamas infrastructure and Hamas militants within the Gaza Strip.

They have warned civilians down in this particular area of central Gaza that they will be, in their words, acting forcefully against Hamas militants and infrastructure in the area. But again, these are areas that are densely populated by civilians.

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Our colleagues on the ground in Gaza have told us that this particular area is known to house schools where tens of thousands of civilians are taking shelter. Many of these civilians have been displaced time and time again.

What we're hearing from the Israeli military is an order for civilians to evacuate to the West. Now, these are areas where the Israeli military has outlined so-called humanitarian zones. But what we have seen in the past, particularly in the past few weeks, is these humanitarian zones getting smaller and smaller. There's simply not a lot of space left for civilians to move to. And in fact what we have also seen in the last few months is the targeting of these so-called humanitarian zones.

And many humanitarian organizations, including U.N. agencies have warned that these humanitarian zones are not only not safe, but also civilians are left with nowhere left to take shelter in the Gaza Strip. So serious concern around what this latest evacuation order will mean for civilians there.

SCIUTTO: And as you were speaking, we're showing images of people moving yet again, carrying what they could on their backs as they heed these evacuation orders. Nada Bashir in Cairo, thank you.

Joining me now to discuss former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia, Evelyn Farkas, also the Executive Director of the McCain Institute. First of all, Evelyn, good to have you on. I wonder how much of a dodge bullet you look at these last 24 hours, because as I was covering here those strikes early this morning.

It could have been much bigger, right? The Israeli strikes were enormous. They say that they preempted what would have been a quite enormous Hezbollah attack on northern Israel and perhaps central Israel as well. Can you just describe how much, well, how bad it could have been, right, and how --

EVELYN FARKAS, FORMER ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR RUSSIA, UKRAINE & EURASIA: Yeah. SCIUTTO: -- fortunate are, I suppose, we are where we are right now as opposed to where we could have been?

FARKAS: Yeah, thanks for having me on again, Jim. I mean, I think it speaks to two things. First of all, clearly the Israelis have good intelligence about a strike coming their way from Hezbollah because they've been waiting for something. And when they took action. It seems to have synced up with the Hezbollah plans.

Second, when I was in Israel in June, The former IDF commanders and people who understood what Israel's military capability was and what Hamas had on the other side told us that if Hezbollah struck Israel, that it would be devastating, that there would be missiles that would get through and would cause great destruction and deaths in Israel all the way to Tel Aviv.

So yes, this could have been far worse. And I think it shows that both sides are willing to de-escalate. There's still the outside question of Iran, but Iran also has been showing forbearance. It seems that there are a lot of outside parties, of course, aligned to try to create a peace agreement, as you mentioned, but for some reason, it's not going forward. So that tells you that I think Hamas and Israel are not ready.

SCIUTTO: It's notable and it appears that Israeli action last night was a combination of an intelligence success that they seem to have penetrated and I was speaking to a former IDF spokesman just in the last hour. They seem to have penetrated Hezbollah to get forewarning of these plans, but also a missile defense success and that they, along with the U.S. was able to shoot down the vast majority of Hezbollah incoming fire much as they did against Iranian fire in April.

I wonder what that tells you about the limits to Hezbollah's and Iran's capabilities. I don't want to underestimate them either. We know Hezbollah has many tens of thousands of missiles and rockets, but does it show limits as well?

FARKAS: Well, it shows -- it shows that they can be taken out by the Israelis. But again, what the IDF commander said was that if they chose to use them all simultaneously, that it would have a devastating effect.

SCIUTTO: Yeah.

FARKAS: So Israel taking preemptive action clearly has helped stave the impact, but we don't know. I mean, they could still launch another attack. It sounds like they might not. They haven't been, as you mentioned earlier, very clear on that. So -- but I wouldn't say -- I wouldn't say that Israel should -- and Israeli people should breathe completely freely. They did choose to limit their strike and that -- and that is reassuring.

SCIUTTO: Let me ask you then about the negotiations here because as you said, certainly the U.S. has an enormous amount of urgency around these talks. Secretary Blinken said as he was in Tel Aviv last week, this is the last best chance to move forward. Hamas and Israel though to your point release the Israeli leadership because there's even disagreement as you know in this country over --

FARKAS: Right.

SCIUTTIO: -- how far Israel should go to make a deal here. So in your view, who's standing in the way of an agreement?

FARKAS: Well, as you said, Jim, the people of Israel are clearly for a ceasefire and for getting the hostages home. That has always been for them the number one objective.

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Defeating Hamas, yes, is important, but they understand because the IDF has spoken very clearly about this. You can't take out every last Hamas fighter.

So getting the hostages home is something the Israeli people want and as you mentioned, our government. The outside parties, some of those Gulf states, Egypt, et cetera, they would like this to be under control. They don't want a regional conflagration. They don't want a regional war. So the actual parties that need to agree, the Israeli government and Tamas leadership, they seem to be the ones getting in the way. And the Israeli government, unfortunately, has multiple motivations.

But we know that inside Prime Minister Netanyahu's coalition, he has members of his coalition who are opposed to a two-state solution. They are opposed to any kind of autonomy or state for the Palestinian people. So they're perfectly fine with a status quo and with an occupation, and frankly don't seem to be swayed by the horrendous suffering of the Palestinian people.

SCIUTTO: Yeah, and just on a smaller scale, there are Israelis who accuse the Prime Minister of placing his own political fortunes, even legal fortunes, above prospects for a deal. Evelyn Farkas, thanks so much for joining us.

FARKAS: Thanks Jim.

SCIUTTO: And Paula, back to you in Washington.

RREID: Thanks Jim. Well, still ahead, a record-breaking fundraising haul for Vice President Kamala Harris after the DNC. So how much did she raise and what does it mean for her long-term success?

Plus campaigning in the battlegrounds where Harris and Trump will be this week as they try to reach voters. We'll talk about all of this with Larry Sabato and his crystal ball model. You're in the "CNN Newsroom."

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REID: Momentum is building on the campaign trail this week. Now that the Democratic and Republican conventions are over, focus is shifting to the next race-defining moment, their upcoming debate on September 10th. Both candidates will be campaigning in key battleground states. Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Governor Tim Walz, will kick off a bus tour in Georgia, while former President Donald Trump will be in Wisconsin and Michigan.

Well, joining us now, Larry Sabato, Director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia and editor of the book, "The Return to Normalcy: The 2020 Election That Almost Broke America." Larry, it is great to have you here.

I want to talk to you about some new reporting we have this weekend that the Trump campaign is bracing for this post-convention polling bump for Harris. Given what we know about Trump and polls, does the campaign have a real reason to worry here?

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA CENTER FOR POLITICS: Oh, you can worry about anything if you want to. Look, there's a lot of research on convention bounces and there used to be large convention bounces, or at least it was not unusual to have, you know, five or more percentage points added to a candidate after a very successful convention.

Well, Kamala Harris has just had a very, very successful convention. But will it add any more points? I wouldn't be surprised to see one, two, three, but she may already have gotten the bounce. You know, she had a marvelous month prior to the convention, her first month as a candidate in which Democrats regained their energy and enthusiasm, and that showed up in the polls.

They were activated again. That produces better polls and more money, not big donations, necessarily. It's the small ones you look to. It's the people who are giving $10, $25, $50, $100, and that's gold because you can keep going back to those people and it means they really care. That's why they're giving money and they don't have a lot of extra.

REID: Yeah, the Harris campaign says it raised $540 million since she entered the race just over a month ago. What is your reaction to that and how do you transfer this enthusiasm, right, into victory in November?

SABATO: Well, the enthusiasm is transferred, of course, by the candidate, the ticket, the party. But in this particular case, also by the opposition. I'm not minimizing by any means what Vice President Harris and her people have done and are doing and the like that Democrats and independents have for her, but it's the fear of Trump.

It's the fear of what he will do if he gets another term and this Project 2025 and the idea of January 6th becoming part of the reality of a whole term. That's what really motivates Democrats. And it's a legitimate reason to be motivated.

REID: Well, another issue that Democrats have used to mobilize their voters, abortion. And today, Trump's running mate, Senator J.D. Vance, he discussed the issue of abortion on NBC's "Meet the Press" and what Trump would do if Congress were to pass a nationwide ban. Let's take a listen to what he said. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, REPUBLICAN VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: California wants to have a different abortion policy from Ohio, then Ohio has to respect California and California has to respect Ohio. Donald Trump's view is that we want the individual states and their individual cultures and their unique political sensibilities to make these decisions.

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KRISTEN WLEKER, HOST, NBC'S MEET THE PRESS: If such a piece of legislation landed on Donald Trump's desk, would he veto it?

VANCE: I think it'd be very clear he would not support that.

WELKER: But will he veto it?

VANCE: I mean, he said that explicitly. Yeah, I mean, if you're not supporting it as the president of the United States, you fundamentally have to veto it.

WELKER: So he would veto a federal abortion ban?

VANCE: I think he would.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: What are Republicans seeing in terms of the issue of abortion out there on the campaign trail? What's the reality?

SABATO: The reality is that it's continuing to be a major, major problem for them, just as it was in 2022. Notice how Vance, who's usually pretty smooth in his answers, whether you agree with them or not, was fumbling around. And at the end, he would say, I think this is what Trump will do. You know, it's because Trump has had a number of positions now on abortion.

He's revised his view of abortion. He's revised his view of what women should do if they need abortion. There are so many pieces of this that keep changing. There's an old axiom that we're all familiar with. When you're in a hole, stop digging. They can't stop digging.

REID: All right, I want to talk to you about the RFK, Jr. factor. I've asked a lot of partisans this weekend about what they think he could do in terms of the outcome in November. It's like a war shock test. I'm getting answers all over the spectrum. What impact though, based on what you're seeing, do you think he could have at the ballot box?

SABATO: Very little, and that was my immediate response. And now that some people like Nate Silver, for example, have looked carefully at the data they have available and others have analyzed the polls that have been taken. It appears that at most, at most, he may add a fraction of 1 percent to Trump and of course, the numbers are constantly changing. I don't think he'll have much impact at all. And most of the early commentary was just dead wrong.

There's no reason for him to be able to transfer much to Trump. He was already down really below 5 percent. One network poll had it at 2 percent when he withdrew. And so he's out of the race, essentially. I don't think Donald Trump is going to drag him around the country to his rallies because with RFK, Jr., you never know what you're going to get. He's a lot like Trump in that sense. He'll say anything and he'll give some kooky, should I say it, weird answers.

REID: All right. I want to get to some really interesting data that you have. As we mentioned earlier, Harris is campaigning in the swing state of Georgia this week. She's taking a bus tour with her running mate. And in a map featured on Larry Sabato's crystal ball, it says that the larger black population in Georgia, paired with the voting patterns of Atlanta voters, may make Georgia go blue again, as compared to North Carolina. So what is your reaction to this? What should the campaign strategy be based on this data that you're seeing here?

SABATO: Spend a lot of money in Georgia, spend a lot of time in Georgia, take a lot of tours in Georgia, as well as Arizona and Nevada, and of course the Blue Wall states of Michigan and Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, and a couple of others, just to be sure. And we've got the seven swing states. Maybe another one will be added that will surprise us.

But by and large, we've got those seven states, and they're going to determine who our next president is. It's probably not a good system. It's awful to rule out 43 states -- 43 of the 50 states, we're already calling, virtually calling and that's sad. That says a lot about our system. But that's the way it is.

REID: The Electoral College. Larry Sabato, thank you.

SABATO: Thank you.

REID: And still ahead, Israel and Hezbollah trade rocket fire early this morning. What we're learning about America's involvement and how top Biden officials are working to get a ceasefire deal in Gaza.

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PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: The Middle East backing away from war for now after Israel and Hezbollah exchanged rocket fire early this morning. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered two carrier strike groups to stay in the region after the strikes. The White House says President Biden is closely monitoring the situation. A U.S. official says the hostage and ceasefire talks in Cairo have been constructive, with negotiators coming from both Israel and Hamas, despite the flare-up.

CNN's Jennifer Hansler is here with me now. Jennifer, what more are you learning? JENNIFER HANSLER, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT REPORTER: Well, Paula, we know that the U.S. assisted in sort of an advisory role in helping the Israelis track these incoming Lebanese Hezbollah attacks overnight, but they did not do any sort of kinetic activity or any involvement in the actual striking back of the group.

Now, the U.S. has put forward these two-carrier strikes that have been in the region for weeks, if not months, in a really strong show of force to try to prevent any sort of broader escalation here. They really do not want to see a regional war break out, particularly as they are working to get this ceasefire and hostage deal in place.

So, it is very notable that Secretary Austin told his Israeli counterpart that they are going to keep these two carrier strike groups in the region to continue to try to deter Iran and Iranian- backed proxy groups from causing a regional flare up here. They are very concerned about the possibility of this happening here.

REID: So, where does this leave the ceasefire negotiation talks?

HANSLER: Well, it's notable because U.S. officials are still trying to inject this level optimism into the talks. They are saying that these are still ongoing, that they've been constructive. Even as today's high-level talks wrapped up without any sort of resolution, we are hearing that working level groups are going to remain in Cairo to try to get through these final details that they need to be worked out.

[17:35:00]

The U.S. has been hesitant to go through in detail what those actually are. We know from our discussions and our colleagues reporting that this involves this strip of land, the Philadelphi Corridor between Egypt and Gaza. Hamas does not want to see Israeli forces staying there. We also know that there is contention over the idea of a permanent withdrawal of forces and a permanent ceasefire here.

Now, at the same time that these talks are going on, the U.S. is continuing to press for them to be wrapped up urgently because of exactly what we saw overnight. Secretary Blinken was in Israel, Egypt and Qatar earlier this week and he spoke about the need for this to get done. Take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: But what we know is this, with every passing day that there's not an agreement, two things can happen. One is, of course, more hostages can perish. And second, intervening events come along that may make things even more difficult if not impossible, and we've experienced that throughout this process. So, there's this -- the fierce urgency of now, that's what, I think, we're all feeling, and we do see this as the best opportunity to finally get this over the finish line. We'll never give up on it.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HANSLER: So, Paula, they are really pushing for this to get done before there is some sort of event that happens that could make it impossible for this to happen. I do want to note, it's also notable that a U.S. official said that these were conducted by all sides in a spirit to try to get an agreement across the finish line. So, they're not pointing fingers at this point at any one party for being the detriment for these talks, Paula.

REID: Jennifer Hansler, thank you. And next, new insight into Vice President Harris's price gouging plan in the food industry. You're in the "CNN Newsroom."

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KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So, believe me, as president, I will go after the bad actors.

(APPLAUSE)

And I will work to pass the first ever federal ban on price gauging on food.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: Since announcing her plan for a federal crackdown on price gauging at grocery stores, that proposal has yielded a wide range of opinions and scrutiny on whether such a plan could potentially backfire economically and whether it's even possible to execute. After it was announced, "The Washington Post" editorial essentially called it a gimmick. And tonight, Politico is reporting that some Democrats are backing away from the plan, privately telling some skeptics and concerned food industry officials, don't worry about the details because it'll never pass Congress.

Well, joining us now is Reuters political correspondent Bo Erickson. Now, Bo, thank you for being here. I know you have some new reporting on this. But first, I want to ask you, do you think that the campaign had any indication that this proposal would become, you know, sort of controversial?

BO ERICKSON, U.S. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, REUTERS: Well, it's always kind of hard to predict controversy at all, especially when releasing policy positions. So, it's good that campaigns release policy positions, but I think what we should read into this is that the campaign is trying to hit on a number one issue of this campaign, and that's the economy and inflation as well. So, they are trying to put forth kind of her plan on how to address this because people at home do not need to be told that food and grocery prices are up. One statistic to go to that is that food prices are up about 20 to 25% in just the last few years compared to 2019.

REID: Yeah, that's why I think your reporting is so important because, you know, we could talk about the convention, scandals on the campaign trail, but really food prices, literally a kitchen table issue. Now, President Trump has said that Harris is pushing -- quote -- "communist price controls" but her former chief economic advisor, now an informal advisor to the campaign, has pushed back on that. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE PYLE, FORMER CHIEF ECONOMIC ADVISOR TO VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS: Let's be clear on what this proposal is and what it isn't. I mean, what it isn't is price controls, pure and simple. This is not intervening in the basic price-setting mechanisms of our market economy. What it is, is being sure that there is a cop on the beat in emergency situations, making sure that there aren't bad actors out there taking advantage of the American consumer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: Clearly mixed messages here on what exactly her policy is. But is Trump's effort to misrepresent her policy, is this effective?

ERICKSON: It is definitely misrepresentation because when you read her policy, it's a price gouging policy. It's not a price control policy. Her policy is a little bit more narrow dealing with pricing in terms of emergencies. And one note on this, if there's any criticisms to come from the right, is that this is a policy that is enacted at a state level, and almost about 40 states across the country, and Republican states as well. So, when you actually look at the policy, it's not that much different than what's happening on a state level.

REID: Now, let's get to your great new reporting on how Democrats have blamed high food costs on grocery store chains, but also accepting campaign contributions from them. What have you learned?

ERICKSON: Yeah, why this is important to look at is because like the conversation Vice President Harris is having about food prices, this hits on a larger issue within the Democratic Party. And we're hearing more and more Democratic lawmakers talk about corporate greed and greedflation from top U.S. grocery stores and top food companies.

[17:45:05]

They are in part blaming these large corporations for these high prices at grocery stores. So, we zeroed in. I wanted to see as a political reporter if a lot of these Democrats who are saying this are taking the corporate campaign contributions from these exact companies, and a lot of them are. More than 100 Democratic campaigns and these other fundraising groups are taking money directly from these corporations, these food corporations that they're criticizing for the high prices, taking their money, empowering their campaigns with it. REID: So, there's a lot of political ick here, but what avenues do politicians have to actually help consumers in terms of reducing food prices?

ERICKSON: It's kind of marred in politics right now because Republicans on one level are trying to blame the Biden administration and federal spending, and Democrats on the other hand are trying to push towards corporations at all. It'd be a little hard. A lot of campaigns I talked to said, you know, they're trying to use their voice and speak out against these corporations and kind of their profiteering tactics. But I think it's going to be a little bit harder to pass something more broad on a federal level. It's going to be like a lot of things on Capitol Hill, easier said than done.

REID: Easier said than done. Political ick. Bo Erickson, thank you so much for joining us. This is reporting incredibly important. Thank you so much.

And still ahead, a dramatic rescue in the Grand Canyon as more than a hundred people need to be evacuated after Monsoon storms hit the region. You're in the "CNN Newsroom."

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[17:50:00]

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REID: Tonight, a desperate search is underway for a missing hiker swept away by a flash flood in the Grand Canyon. Arizona's National Guard has rescued more than 100 people from flood-impacted areas. The flooding caused by monsoon storms on Thursday forced the evacuation of tourists and tribal members as local authorities shut the area down. CNN's Camila Bernal joins us now. Camila, what is the latest on the situation?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Paula. So, authorities just saying that the search for Chenoa Nickerson is ongoing. She's a 33-year-old woman from Arizona that was hiking on Thursday. Authorities say that it was that monsoon that then created those flash floods that likely swept her away. They believe it could be in the area of the Colorado River confluence.

And what authorities are saying is that she was not the only one. There were many hikers in that area and even tribal members that had to be rescued. Her husband was actually in this area and was rescued safely. Her family though saying that they're still very hopeful that they want to find her alive and they want the focus to be on this rescue mission.

So, in total, 104 people were rescued by the National Guard. The governor of Arizona, Katie Hobbs, actually activated the National Guard, and they brought in a Black Hawk helicopter to get these people out of this area. Take a listen to what a member of the National Guard had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIN HANNIGAN, ARIZONA ARMY NATIONAL GUARD: UH-60 Black Hawk has the ability to move out people quickly. We can see about 11 people in the aircraft, not including the crew members. So, the nice thing about being able to provide that support was being able to start moving people rapidly. It was surprising when I got down there and to see the cheers that came from the people who are getting picked up.

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BERNAL: And a lot of the hikers saying that, essentially, they learned their lesson and would not go back to hiking in this area during monsoon season. The area was closed off for tourists and there was a tribal village about eight miles below the rim of the canyon that also essentially shut down. A lot of these people evacuated, they are dealing with all of this.

A lot of the hikers, they go to this area because it's beautiful, it's serene, but this became a nightmare very quickly for a lot of the people that were there, and it remains a nightmare for the family of this missing hiker, and again, they're just hopeful and really wanting for authorities to find her alive. Paula?

REID: Camila Bernal, thank you.

BERNAL: Thank you.

REID: And still ahead, the Middle East backing away from war after Israel and Hezbollah trade attacks in a major flare up. What's next as both sides appear to be standing down? We're live in Tel Aviv with more.

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[17:55:00]

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REID: You're in the "CNN Newsroom." I'm Paula Reid in Washington, sitting in for Jessica Dean tonight, along with Jim Sciutto in Tel Aviv.

SCIUTTO: Paula, thanks so much. Tonight, the U.S. has ordered two carrier striker groups to remain in this region after Israel and Hezbollah exchanged attacks. In a major flare-up just hours ago, Hezbollah, the Iran-backed military group, says its first phase of retaliation is complete. After launching more than 300 rockets into Israel, Israel says it struck first in order to destroy those rocket launchers in Lebanon before they fired and head off what it described as a major attack from Hezbollah.

CNN's Ben Wedeman is live in Beirut with more details. Ben, I wonder how Hezbollah is describing what transpired. I know they're threatening that there may be a second phase of retaliatory attacks, but are they calling what they were able to carry out a success? BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we heard Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, this evening, Jim, saying that we achieved what we planned.

[17:59:58]

He spoke for quite some time this afternoon or rather this evening.