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CNN International: Harris and Walz on Two-Day Bus Tour of Georgia; Concerns Grow Potential Polio Outbreak in Gaza; Pavel Durov Under Formal Investigation in France; Harris Talks to CNN in First Interview of Campaign; Two Former News Editors are Convicted of Publishing Seditious Content on Media Site; Fans Line Up for Hours for Dodgers' Ohtani Bobblehead. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired August 29, 2024 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to all our viewers around the world. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, and this is the CNN "Newsroom". Coming up a CNN exclusive in just hours, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz sit down for their first joint interview while Donald Trump makes a major campaign push across the upper Midwest.

We'll have all the details for you. Plus, the U.N. Secretary General is calling for an end to Israel's military operation in the West Bank. We're live in Tel Aviv with the latest. Also, Telegram's Founder is placed under formal investigation in France. What's next for Pavel Durov? We'll take a closer look this hour.

All right, since Kamala Harris entered the race for U.S. President a little more than a month ago, she has delivered plenty of speeches. What she hasn't done is a sit-down interview with a reporter and answering questions not until today. CNN, very own Dana Bash, will become the first journalist to interview Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz since the start of their campaign barely 40 days ago.

It comes as Harris and Walz are on a bus tour of the swings in the swing state, rather of Georgia, a tour which included a stop at a local barbecue restaurant in Savannah.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S., (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know, on election time, it's important to remind people that literally, this is the beauty of our country and our democracy, everyone's vote actually matters, and we have to remind people of that. Don't listen to anyone who's suggesting otherwise. You never want to take yourself out of the game, right?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: After a few days off, Donald Trump also gets back onto the campaign trail today. He has a rally in Michigan and a town hall this evening in Wisconsin. Both events are supposed to focus on the economy and making life more affordable for Americans, but Trump has struggled to stay on topic lately. Meanwhile, his campaign continues to deal with accusations that it turned what should have been a solemn visit to Arlington National Cemetery this week into a campaign event. According to the cemetery, it is against the law to use army national military cemeteries for campaign or election related events.

Democrats are expressing confidence in Harris' campaign strategy. Despite being a sitting vice president, she is widely seen as the candidate most likely to bring needed change to the country, something Democratic Senator Chris Murphy highlighted just moments ago while talking to CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHRIS MURPHY (D-CT): First, because she's a transformational candidate. This would be the first woman president at a time when women's health care is under assault all over this country. One of the changes that people want is a reversal of Donald Trump's ability for states to ban access to reproductive freedom.

Second, people see Donald Trump as an agent of the billionaire and corporate class. They know what he did when he was in power, four years and the only major domestic achievement was a giant tax cut for his Mar-a-Lago friends.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, with more on what the Harris-Walz campaign is up to today, here's CNN's Priscilla Alvarez.

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, the Harris campaign is waking up two polls that show that they remain competitive in the Sun Belt states, including here in Georgia. But of course, they also recognize that these polls are still within the margin of error.

So, there is no clear leader, but it is why they are employing aggressive strategies in crucial battleground states like here in Georgia, and also targeting areas that typically Democrats don't fare well in, for example, South Georgia, where the Vice President and Governor Walz spent yesterday on a bus tour, hitting different stops.

And the hope there is that they can shave off Republican votes while still winning big in metro Atlanta. And combining those two things, they can try to carve out that pathway to victory in the state. So that is where the focus has been over the course of this tour.

Now today, that includes the vice president going to two small businesses, while Walz moves on to North Carolina, yet another state that the Harris campaign is trying to stay bullish on. Now the vice president will also be hosting a rally that will be taking place behind me.

So that's another opportunity for her to speak to the issues that are top of mind for voters, immigration, the economy, the Israel-Hamas war, and another opportunity for her to speak more on that along with her vice-presidential nominee, is going to be that interview that sit down interview with our Dana Bash.

[08:05:00]

And a lot of folks are keeping an eye on that, not only because it offers an opportunity for the two to speak candidly about a variety of issues, but also because over the last month, this has been a campaign that has been quite scripted and choreographed in large part because of the nature of it happening and kicking off only minutes after the President Biden stepped aside from the race.

So again, an opportunity to hear from the two in an unscripted way, in answering candidly to questions. So today will be a big day for the Vice President and Governor Walz as they try to distinguish themselves and keep a state like Georgia competitive, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Priscilla Alvarez reporting there from Savannah, Georgia. Thanks so much. All right, let's now get back to Donald Trump, our Daniel Strauss is following his campaign today. Daniel, good to see you. Good morning. The former president, you know, has a pretty busy day on the campaign trail. What will his focus be?

DANIEL STRAUSS, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER: I mean, that's a good question, and his advisers would be hard pressed to answer that. Trump himself lately has been a charge by his team with focusing on policy, and today is supposed to be on the economy in Midwestern states, a key route for him to regain the White House.

But the former president has not been able to stay on message, and he often goes on rants and tangents, but more so than usual, and we've seen that, or possibly a preview of that, last night on social media, where Trump posted multiple truths on so many things, such as Jack Smith and Nancy Pelosi.

And this comes at a time when the Republican Party is starting to rally around him in unusual or surprising ways. Georgia Governor Kemp, for instance, is going to be at a fundraiser for Trump today. Here's why this is important, because Kemp, for a long time, has been at loggerheads with the former president.

And there were questions and doubts about whether the popular Georgia Governor would at any point support him, but that is what we're seeing. And J.D. Vance has even talked about this publicly in sort of the warming of relations between Kemp and Trump. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. J.D. VANCE (R-OH), 2024 VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I certainly gave him a phone call. I think 150 other people have given Brian Kemp a phone call and talked about the need to have a unified Republican team. The media wants to tell a story that somehow, I have been the peace broker between Brian Kemp and Donald Trump.

It's just not true. I reached out to Brian Kemp. I encouraged him to support the president, and he didn't take much persuasion. He wanted to support the president because he thinks Kamala Harris is going to be disaster. (END VIDEO CLIP)

STRAUSS: So, look, I mean, there are, there are definite signs of opportunity for Trump here. The questions, right now is if he's going to stay on message, if he's going to continue to improve relations with the errors of the Republican Party that have been frosty to him or tense with him in the past.

WHITFIELD: All right. Daniel Strauss, keep us posted throughout the day. Thank you.

STRAUSS: Thanks so much.

WHITFIELD: All right, be sure to tune in tonight. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz will be talking to our very own Dana Bash. That's at 09.00 p.m. Eastern on the East Coast, and 09.00 a.m. Friday in Hong Kong. All right, the United Nations Chief is calling for an immediate halt to Israel's military operation in the occupied West Bank. It's most expansive in years.

Secretary General Antonio Guterres says, quote, the dangerous developments are fueling an already explosive situation. Palestinian health authorities say at least 11 people have been killed since Israel launched its raid on Wednesday. The IDF used bulldozers, military vehicles, drones and air strikes to target what it calls Islamic Iranian terrorist infrastructure.

CNN's Nic Robertson is joining us now live from Tel Aviv. Good day to you, Nic. This is one of Israel's most expansive operations in years. Already, the Red Crescent is reporting a severe shortage of drinking water. What more can you tell us?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, the IDF is describing this as something that's involving four battalions of border police as well as the IDF. This means at least many hundreds of troops. So, this is big. Today, the IDF has said that they targeted a terror cell, that they killed the commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

It's not clear how senior a commander he was, but this is what the IDF is claiming, but there are impacts on the ground. We've heard from the Palestinian Red Crescent saying that they are cut off from their headquarters inside of Jenin, one of the towns at the center of this large-scale military operation.

[08:10:00]

They say they don't have any internet, any phone, any mobile phone, landline phone connections with that Red Crescent center, and it appears, according to cell and communication service providers in that area, that it's being isolated, that Jenin is being isolated.

Certainly, the Red Crescent there not getting a clear picture from its staff what's happening. It does appear, however, as if ambulance staff are getting singled out for stops, for searches, and they're accusing the IDF of beating them up. And as you say, citizens in some of these areas that are being affected are without drinking water.

We have seen these big diggers pulling up the street. The IDF says that they're searching for roadside bombs. However, it's clear. You can see from the water in the street, they're hitting the water supplies to houses in those areas. It's not clear how long this operation is going to go on.

But what is clear to the United Nations, you heard there what you were saying from the Secretary General, the head of, or the spokesperson, rather, for the Head of the Human Rights part of the United Nations says that Israel is obliged to abide by international law here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAVINA SHAMDASANI, U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS SPOKESPERSON: Israel, as the occupying power, must abide by its obligations under international law. The Israeli security forces use of air strikes and other military weapons and tactics violates human rights norms and standards.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: So, it's the operation into its second day, the largest since, it appears. Since the war in Gaza began almost a year ago, it's not clear when it's going to end. There are reports that the troops are pulling out of one of the towns, but it's not clear if that's a temporary move.

What is emerging as a clear picture is parts are cut off, and the civilian population struggling with normal -- getting normal food, normal medication, all these sorts of things in the area where the operations are underway.

WHITFIELD: Wow! Quite extraordinary! Nic Robertson, thank you so much. Health officials are also concerned about the possibility of a polio outbreak in Gaza. They have recently discovered the first case of the disease there in 25 years. A vaccination drive is planned in the coming days, but the conflict is raging and there are major challenges. CNN's Jeremy Diamond has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A 11-month- old Abdul Rahman is no longer the energetic baby he once was. He now sleeps most of the day, gently rocked by his mother, who is still grappling with how quickly he went from feverish and vomiting to partially paralyze.

My child started to move and crawled at an early age, Nafin says, but suddenly everything went backwards. Suddenly, he was no longer crawling or moving or able to stand on his feet or even sit. Doctors delivered the devastating news earlier this month. Abdul Rahman has polio, the first known case in Gaza in 25 years.

It is a shock for a mother to hear such news. Now he is lying here in the tent in these unhealthy conditions. There is no treatment, no capabilities, and no supplements. The course of Abdul Rahman's life, cruelly twisted by the war that started just weeks after he was born, leaving him vulnerable to malnutrition, dirty drinking water and missed vaccines. The fear now that Abdul Rahman could be the first of many.

DIAMOND: What is your plan to keep this one confirmed case from becoming an epidemic in the Gaza Strip?

SAM ROSE, DIRECTOR OF PLANNING AT UNRWA: Absolutely, the plan is to start a vaccination campaign, a mass vaccination campaign involving all children under 10. There are 640,000 children who need to be reached. So, we need to reach about 95 percent of them.

DIAMOND (voice-over): 1.2 million vaccine doses have now arrived, and thousands of U.N. staffers and volunteers are ready to inoculate Gaza's children. The challenge will be getting the job done as the war rages on.

ROSE: It's a relatively easy vaccine to administer. Its drops on tongs. It doesn't require needles. It doesn't require injections. It's something that's relatively simple to do. The difficult part is everything else.

DIAMOND (voice-over): Gaza's health system has been devastated by nearly 11 months of war. Global Health officials are calling for a pause in the fighting to distribute the vaccine. Israeli authorities, who launched the drive to vaccinate their troops last month haven't committed to that, but they say, quote, routine humanitarian pauses will facilitate the inoculation drive.

In Central Gaza Nafin fans the flies from her son's face. She is helpless to fight off the disease that now grips his small body.

[08:15:00]

Abdul Rahman needs treatment, she says, pleading with the world to take her son out of Gaza. She is still waiting for someone to answer her cry. Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Still to come, as Moscow attacks the Ukrainian capital again, Kyiv is pushing for less U.S. caution on using American weapons against Russia, a deep dive into the Ukrainian strategy, next. And Namibia's government is taking extreme measures, hundreds of game animals to be killed to feed humans. We'll have a live report from Nairobi.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: CNN has learned that two top Ukrainian officials will present the Biden Administration with a list of targets inside Russia. A Ukrainian lawmaker tells CNN that face-to-face meetings are set to happen before the week is out, in an effort to push the U.S. to lift restrictions on the use of American weapons against Russia.

This comes after Moscow launched what Ukraine is calling another massive aerial attack on Kyiv. The overnight strike is Russia's third on the Ukrainian capital in the past four days. At the same time, a fire is raging at an oil depot in Russia's southern region of Rostov hit by a Ukrainian drone.

It's worth noting, since Ukraine took the fight to Russia's soil just weeks ago, it says it has taken more than 100 Russian settlements. Ukraine's shock incursion into Russian territory earlier this month appears to be turning into a longer-term strategy. We're hearing that from CNN Nick Paton Walsh, who joins us now live.

Nick, you've been delving into Ukraine's motivations in recent weeks as they've made this extraordinary rush, push rather into Russia. What do you think President Zelenskyy's real goal is here?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, I think, with the bid to try and get the United States through the Biden Administration and both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, to whom his officials are presenting this list of potential targets that they want to hit with U.S. supplied weaponry.

I think they're trying to allay fears that if they were given permission to strike deeper inside Russia with U.S. supplied weaponry that they could end up hitting a wider range of targets, or even civilian targets. By mistake, they're trying to look specific and precise about what they indeed want to hit.

But at the same time, by putting forward this list, I think they're also trying to push being a Russia hawk as part of the U.S. presidential campaign. They're essentially daring one of those three politicians to back away from providing them with these permissions. And it comes to after a week in which Ukraine has been on the receiving end of a Russian bombardment of over 400 drones and missiles.

[08:20:00]

Just last night, 79 aerial objects fired at Ukraine, 60 drones shot down, two missiles shot down, but three missiles do appear to have gone through. Now, we don't always have great transparency about what's being hit, but it's often energy infrastructure, and it's a bid to make the life ordinary.

Ukrainians at a punishing heat of summer and in the forthcoming cold of winter as unlivable as indeed is possible. But we're in a fascinating moment in the war here, a very fast paced, changing events. Yes, there is the incursion into Kursk, now three weeks old, which appears to have taken 100 settlements, caused mass evacuations.

And according to Ukraine, diverted 30,000 new Russian troops from the Ukrainian front lines, potentially causing some weakness there. But we're also learning in the last 24 hours of what seems like a Ukrainian bid to push into Belgorod to the south of where you're seeing on the map there near Vovchansk and Kharkiv.

Now that's key, because it puts extra pressure on Russian forces suggest that Ukraine may be looking to make another incursion into Russia and expand this hugely embarrassing moment for the Kremlin. And on top of that, too, this incursion is being packaged as part of one of four points by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of how he hopes to, quote, end the war in September.

The other three points involve economic pressure, diplomacy, possibly, and other issues too. But it isn't clear exactly how he intends to push forwards. What is utterly clear is that Ukraine is throwing everything it can at the war right now. It's trying to catch the Russians off guard in their own territory.

It's firing back with an extraordinary array of Ukrainian long-range drones and missiles hitting targets already deep inside Russia. Without this U.S. permission to use U.S. supplied weapons. I think that is slowly having a toll on the Russian economy, perhaps in the minds of some Russians.

Although they live in a very sanitized environment of state-controlled media, maybe some are beginning to wonder why billowing smoke is now not uncommon feature in some southern and western towns. And so, questions mounting, really, I think, as to the effectiveness of Putin's strategy here.

But I have to give you one broader thing. This is not all good news for Kyiv. Russian forces are still moving towards a key -- Ukrainian military hub called Pokrovsk. They'd be moving fast, faster, I think, than many expect, and they so no signs of slowing, despite all the ancillary issues for the Kremlin around that singular advance.

And indeed, if Russia takes Pokrovsk, that could be very damaging for Ukraine's front lines and expose large swathes of Ukraine to future Russian advances. So, a vast amount happening here in just the past month or so. And I think we'll see similarly fast paced changes in the month ahead, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And I wonder Nick, is Ukraine running short on supplies and money? Can it keep up with this new phase of the war?

WALSH: Yeah. I mean, we don't know how well they're doing. Frankly, we do know that they appear to have, from what I saw going into Kursk recently. They appear to have quite a lot of weaponry they're able to throw at -- offensive of choice, maybe to the sacrifice of other areas.

They appear to have a lot of longer-range drones and missiles they can use to push deeper into Russia and hit targets there. So, there's no obvious signs of Ukrainian munitions crisis. I think they're financially doing OK from Western support, the area where they are having issues, though, is manpower.

They're struggling to replenish their ranks, certainly in the eastern front lines too. And that may be the clock that is ticking most loudly in Zelenskyy's mind at the moment, they have winter coming that tends to always slow fighting down, although the Russians tend to put a lot in to try and move forward in the winter months.

But I think to Zelenskyy eyeing the U.S. elections. There's still a 50 percent chance that Donald Trump will win, and he thinks he can end the war in 24 hours, or they won't say exactly how, and so I believe Ukraine is doing all they can to make sure the position.

They're in ahead of November is as strong as possible, in case they're forced at the negotiating table in terms they don't like, or in case they find that NATO support for them, with a reluctant U.S. new president begins to dry out, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Nick Paton Walsh will leave it there for now. Thank you so much. And at this hour, the Founder of Telegram is out of jail, but cannot leave. France police released Pavel Durov from jail Wednesday, after starting a formal investigation, the Russian born billionaire has to check in with French police twice a week and is barred from leaving the country.

French police arrested Durov Saturday over the lack of moderation on his popular messaging app. Investigators say they are looking into whether he is complicit in criminal and gang activity on the platform. Durov denies any wrongdoing on his part. Salma Abdelaziz is joining us right now with more on this investigation. So, what does happen next?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, for now, Pavel Durov has been ordered to stay in France. He is under -- jurisdiction essentially, he has to check in consistently.

[08:25:00]

There is a bail set of 5 million euros for him, and he has to await what these investigators are working on, which is potentially to charge him, because he has yet to be charged now, what has been deemed by this judge is that there is enough there for prosecutors to build a case against him.

And they absolutely will have their work cut out for them. This is an absolutely landmark case now that could set the precedent for how social media is managed, the laws around it are conducted. This is absolutely transformative, because France is making the argument.

Our French prosecutors here are making the argument that Pavel Durov is responsible for the content and the criminal activity that occurs on his platform, and that is unusual. That is a step forward, and they put this allegation to Pavel Durov, because, according to French prosecutors, there is so little moderation on Telegram.

In the statement released again by French prosecutors, they point to multiple attempts to try to get the attention of Telegram, essentially with very serious criminal activities, child pornography, gang related communications, terror related activity on the platform, the sale of drugs, the sale of arms, extremely serious and complicated criminal activity here happening on the platform, according to French Prosecutors.

Now for Durov's side, he says this is a free speech issue. He believes that people should be able to have private conversations on his platform without governments prying, without governments calling for that information. Telegram experts may also point to the fact that a lot of those conversations are encrypted, so telegram does not necessarily have access to them.

So, a lot at play here, but fundamentally, you are looking at a landmark case that could establish the president for how social media companies are managed, and it's all happening in these French courtrooms.

WHITFIELD: Yeah, fascinating! Salma Abdelaziz, thank you so much. All right, Namibia is taking drastic action to address food insecurity caused by the worst drought there in a century. The Southwest African country is planning to kill hundreds of wild animals, including elephants and zebras.

The meat will be used to feed people who don't have enough to eat. Half the population of Namibia, more than a million people are facing -- food insecurity. The government says the culling program will ease pressure on water resources and reduce the potential for conflict between humans and elephants.

CNN's Larry Madowo is closely monitoring the story and joining us now from Nairobi. Larry, great to see you. So, what more are Namibian officials saying about this plan?

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, they're calling this sustainability intervention that these animals will die anyway because of the drought they're seeing there the worst in 100 years. And so, the way they're going to carry this out is they've identified animals that are coming from national parks and communal areas that have what they call sustainable game numbers.

And they will be from places where their population exceeds the available grazing and water resources, and they will be shot, and they will be hunted by professional hunters, and the meat will be distributed to people all across the country. So, what kind of animals are we talking about here?

The big number that has attracted a lot of attention and concern from conservationist is elephants, 83 elephants. But that list also includes 60 buffaloes, 30 hippos, 300 zebras, 100 blue wildebeest, 50 impalas and 100 elands. Already, Namibia has killed about 150 wild animals, and that produced over 125,000 pounds of game meat that went out to people that needed, especially in rural areas, who are having to deal with this drought.

The other reason why this culling program was necessary is because, as the drought has struck in Namibia and parts of West and Southern Africa -- the elephant especially have killed some people, and the depopulation is necessary to limit this human wildlife conflict as people and animals fight for the available grazing land in the water that's left after this record drought.

And so, in a way, they're saying this was a necessary evil to try and make sure that you feed the people and take care of them when these animals would have been killed by the drought anyway, even though, obviously desperate measures spread to see a country having to kill its wildlife. 723 to feed about half the population that are at risk of acute food insecurity. WHITFIELD: All right. Larry Madowo, thank you so much. Still to come, as Donald Trump and Kamala Harris hit the campaign trail today, a new series of polls shows that the race has certainly changed in recent weeks. Plus.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's your reaction?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My -- to be honest, what -- was my reaction.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Coming up you'll meet the women who had their pictures stolen in a scheme to promote Donald Trump, details after the break.

[08:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: In a CNN exclusive later on today, a first for this U.S. presidential campaign. Kamala Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, will sit down for an interview. Harris is scheduled to speak with CNN's Dana Bash alongside Walz in just a few hours from now, after the Democratic National Convention, Harris is seeing a boost in the polls.

A new survey by Fox News on Wednesday found her leading Donald Trump in several sun belt swing states, though, all within the margin of error. It is quite a change from where the race was when Joe Biden was leading the Democratic ticket, and that was just barely 40 days ago.

So, what does it mean for Harris to have these small leads in the sun belt swing states? Let's discuss now with Political Analyst Thomas Gift, he is the Director of the Center on U.S. Politics at University College London. Great to see you.

THOMAS GIFT, DIRECTOR, CENTRE ON U.S. POLITICS, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON: Great to be with you.

WHITFIELD: All right, so how do you read this? Because while the Harris Walz campaign was enjoying a boost, even prior to the Democratic National Convention, it seemed to get another, you know, additional boost after what do you see as the -- you know the characteristics of this campaign thus far?

GIFT: Well, I think that there are a couple of points to note. One is that it's not atypical for candidates to get a bomb coming out of the convention. Usually, that's short lived, and it goes down a week, two weeks afterwards, but there's no doubt right now that the momentum is with the Harris campaign, especially because just a few weeks ago, as you noted, Donald Trump really looked like he was going to maybe even have a cakewalk to victory.

That is absolutely not the case. All of the polls show that, essentially, this race is tied. It's almost statistical dead heat. But I do think that momentum matters, and certainly Harris and Walz have it at the moment.

WHITFIELD: How valuable do you see face time right now the Harris Walz campaign in South Georgia, which is largely very red during 2020 it leaned favorably for Donald Trump, except for the Savannah area of South Georgia, where part of that bus tour is now. How does that translate into votes in your view?

[08:35:00]

GIFT: I do think that it's a good strategy for Harris to be there. She said that she wants to have a diverse coalition of voters that certainly includes rural voters. Biden won Georgia by a very small margin, just about 10,000 votes. He was the first Democrat to win Georgia since Bill Clinton.

So, Harris is trying to win over Georgians who maybe voted for Trump in 2016 maybe, voted for Trump even in 2020 or aren't traditional voters. They just generally don't show up. I think that these are the kind of Georgians who they're trying to resonate. If Harris can win Georgia and maybe even North Carolina, it would definitely increase the number of pasts to victory 16 electoral votes in Georgia is a huge amount.

WHITFIELD: OK. They're great expectations for her sit-down interview with CNN's Dana Bash, she and her running mate, Tim Walz. You know, apparently, it's not so unusual after a Democratic National Convention, traditionally, the candidate for president, along with running mate, would do the sit-down interview.

I guess what's different here is that she's only been campaigning, as you know, on the top of the ticket for about 40 days now. Do you see this as advantageous for the Harris Walz campaign to do this joint interview?

GIFT: Right? I think that it's certainly going to raise criticism by Republicans. They've been saying for a while that Harris is refusing to sit down and give interviews with journalists. She's not having press conferences, and so the fact that she is doing this with Tim Walz, I do think that gives Republicans some fodder.

Obviously, she thinks that sort of it's important for Americans to see both of them because they are running as a ticket. But I do think that along with that comes some criticism. But I do think that it's useful that Harris is doing this.

I do think that she should have done it before, because she owes it to the American people if they're going to vote for her, they really have to see what her thinking is in terms of these different policies. She needs to get a much more concrete, I think, in terms of what she would stand for as president.

WHITFIELD: What's different here, of course, is that this is a campaign that has only been about 40 days old. You know so, if you are -- you know the folks who are running the campaign, how do you parse out priorities in 40 days? You know, where are the priorities in introducing the candidates to the general electorate? You know, where do you have face time? Where do you have time? How is

it instructive you know, to parse out that time to do your sit-down interviews and make your appearances?

GIFT: No, I think that that's totally a fair point, and that's what the Harris campaign would say. I mean, there was just so much energy, so much enthusiasm after Joe Biden decided to step down, Harris really was able to galvanize support and coalesce diverse constituencies within the Democratic Party, able to get those key endorsements.

And -- you know it made sense, I think, to ride that wave of momentum for a while, especially into the convention. I do think that kind of this is now, when things get real, couple months out, there's going to be some expectation that Harris is out there answering questions because the Trump campaign is doing this.

I mean J.D. Vance, in his own interview with CNN, made the point repeatedly that Harris needs to be out there talking to the press, so I think it's certainly an expectation.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thomas Gift of the Center on U.S. Politics thank you so much. Great to see you again.

GIFT: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: And be sure to watch CNN tonight, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz will be speaking with our very own Dana Bash that's at nine o'clock U.S., Eastern Time or 02:00 a.m. Friday in London.

All right, several European fashion influencers have become the faces of some fake pro-Trump accounts on X that's not because the influencers support Trump or have anything to do with him, but their images were stolen and then reposted to promote pro-Trump agendas and conspiracy theories, as Katie Polglase reports some of those influencers are outraged.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATIE POLGLASE, CNN INVESTIGATIVE PRODUCER (voice-over): Debbie is heading home from work in Luxembourg, Northern Europe, crossing the border into Germany. She races back to her son and of course, Lou. But Debbie's day doesn't end there.

She's also a professional model. Her image not only her identity, but her source of income helping support her and her son. But it's been stolen, used in a pro-Trump account on X, attracting nearly 30,000 followers in less than six months.

POLGLASE: Here is Luna.

DEBBIE NEDERLOF, MODEL & SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER: Yeah, that's very crazy.

POLGLASE: And when you see these views. You know, it's saying, vote for Trump in 2024 what's your reaction?

[08:40:00]

NEDERLOF: My -- to be honest, what -- was my reaction? That was my reaction. Because I have nothing to do with the United States, with Trump, the political things over there.

POLGLASE: And if people following this account believe that this, is you, what do you want to say to them?

NEDERLOF: That definitely not me. Definitely it was never me, and it will never be me. And they have to unfollow please.

POLGLASE: In fact, Debbie is not alone. In partnership with the Center for Information Resilience, CNN found nearly 60 fake Trump supporting accounts, and from these, we identified nearly a dozen women, real women from across Europe, from Denmark to the Netherlands and as far away as Russia, whose identities are being used in accounts telling voters, American voters to vote for Trump in the upcoming U.S. election.

POLGLASE (voice-over): Let's take a look at some of these accounts, like Alina 33 and voting for Trump, but she's not. She's really Kamilla from Denmark.

KAMILLA BROBERG, INFLUENCE: I think it's weird, anything that can discriminate other people on my account, because it's -- it's my little universe. I don't think it's fair.

POLGLASE (voice-over): And this one Eva, she even has a verified blue tick, which is supposed to weed out fake accounts.

NERIAH TELLERUP, INFLUENCER: You feel very taken advantage of, also, because it's kind of my image. I don't want to think people -- think that I do what those profiles sometimes are promoting.

POLGLASE (voice-over): We ran the suspicious X photos through a reverse image search engine and found they were lifted from Instagram posts. Certain patterns emerged, the fake accounts repost each other. It's a sign of a coordinated campaign.

Here, several of the fake accounts post the exact same wording. If you're voting for the man who survived an assassination attempt, I want to follow you. It's another sign the accounts are linked. And that's not all. Some of the accounts manipulated the images of these women.

Have a look at Debbie's post the original on Instagram, and now the fake one on X her hat now reads, make America great again. Look at this T-Shirt before and then Trump 2024. For now, we don't know who is behind all these accounts, but the Former U.S. National Security Council Spokeswoman, who also used to investigate fake accounts for Twitter told us this.

EMILY HORNE, FORMER SPOKESPERSON, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL: I don't think it's unreasonable to ask questions about could there be a state actor involved? We know that there are multiple state actors who have been using social media to try to sow disinformation campaigns in the run up to the 2024 election.

POLGLASE (voice-over): But regardless, the accounts are reaching influential politicians. Doug Mastriano, a Republican State Senator for Pennsylvania, follows Debbie's fake account. CNN contacted the Senator about the account, but has not heard back.

Back in Germany, Debbie is shocked and upset that her image is being used in this way. With President Trump now back on X and Elon Musk, the owner of X, throwing his weight behind him, fake pro-Trump content appears to be flourishing, silencing the real women affected. Once again, women's rights at the very heart of this presidential election, Katie Polglase, CNN Trier, Germany.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: CNN has reached out to X regarding these accounts, but did not receive a response. However, the majority of them were taken down before CNN first published this report.

All right, still to come, a further blow to press freedom in Hong Kong. Two former newspaper editors are found guilty, and we'll tell you why? And the top U.S. security official in China will look at how the election back home is casting a shadow on high level meetings in Beijing.

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[08:45:00]

WHITFIELD: A court in Hong Kong has found two former news editors guilty of publishing seditious content on a shuttered pro-democracy media site. Rights groups say the ruling is a further blow to press freedoms in the city as Beijing tightens its grip on dissent. Kristie Lu Stout has the story.

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In a case that has found growing concerns of oppressed freedom here in Hong Kong, two former top editors have been convicted in the sedition trial against the "Now- Defunct Stand News".

Today, a Hong Kong court found Chung Pui-kuen and Patrick Lam -- along with the outlets, parent company, guilty of conspiracy to publish seditious material. It is the first sedition conviction targeting journalists since Hong Kong's return to Chinese rule in 1997.

The case is related to 17 articles published between 2020 and 2021. The court ruled that 11 of the 17 stories in question amount to seditious content. And in a written summary, the judge said this quote, the court rules that Chung is aware and agrees with the sedition intent and provides Stand News as a publication platform with an intent to incite hatred against the Central and Hong Kong government.

In December 2021, Stand News was forced to shut down after police raided its office and arrested several former staffers and board members. Today's convictions fan growing concerns about press freedom in Hong Kong, media outlets, including "The Apple Daily", have been forced to shut down under government pressure, and in March, Hong Kong passed a second national security law known as Article 23 which increased penalties for sedition.

Since the national security law was enacted in 2020 Hong Kong's ranking on the Press Freedom Index has fallen rapidly. It currently ranks 135 out of 180 in 2019 Hong Kong ranked 73. And just over two decades ago, the city was ranked 18th place in 2002.

The Hong Kong government has repeatedly told the public that press freedom is enshrined in the city's basic law and is not at risk. Meanwhile, the senior staff and boss of another Hong Kong news outlet is on trial. Media Tycoon Jimmy Lai is fighting national security charges accusing him of colluding with foreign forces. Kristie Lu Stout CNN, Hong Kong.

WHITFIELD: The U.S. National Security Adviser, says his country wants competition, not conflict with China. Jake Sullivan's comments come during a three-day trip to China that includes a meeting with Chinese Leader Xi Jinping after Thursday's meeting, President Xi told reporters his country's goal is a stable, healthy and sustainable relationship with the U.S. Sullivan added President Joe Biden and Mr. Xi would be speaking soon, but didn't elaborate.

Marc Stewart joins us now from Beijing with the story. Marc, what more did Jake Sullivan say about this meeting with China's leadership.

MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka, good evening from Beijing. We should point out that this meeting is actually part of this ongoing commitment between these two nations, despite the friction between the U.S. and China that we have seen. Both countries have made this pledge to have regular meetings. We saw Janet Yellen here not too long ago, and now we have the National Security Adviser.

There are some areas where the two nations can have common ground. For example, Sullivan pointed out that there is agreement on the need to fight narcotics to deal with some of these issues that deal with artificial intelligence. But there are also some issues where there is just going to be a lot of tension, that includes trade, that includes Taiwan.

[08:50:00]

And this meeting is all happening on the heels of the U.S. election, and there's always this ongoing concern about foreign interference. It's a point that the National Security Adviser brought up during a news conference held just a short time ago that we attended here in Beijing. Let's take a quick listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE SULLIVAN, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Every time I meet with Chinese officials, I raise the issue of election interference and laying down a clear marker that it's unacceptable for any nation to interfere in the U.S. election, and this trip was no different in that regard. I made that point once again. (END VIDEO CLIP)

STEWART: So, this ongoing conversation, we should also point out that Sullivan acknowledged that Chinese officials did raise some questions about Vice President Kamala Harris. He would not get into the specifics. He would not say what was said, saying that's up to Chinese officials to release whatever they were feeling, what they were saying in these talks.

But Fredricka, it does stress this point that this election is being watched far beyond American borders. There is curiosity, of course, by the Chinese government. But as someone who lives here in China, I can tell you that everyday people are also very curious about the election back in the United States.

WHITFIELD: I'm not surprised there. Meantime, let's talk a little bit more about Jake Sullivan. Did he address the possibility of a meeting between the presidents of the U.S. and China?

STEWART: Right. That is not something he ruled out, but there is a possibility, very good possibility, that President Biden could see President Xi before he leaves office, that could occur at either the G20 Summit or the APEC meeting, all to be held toward the end of the year. They had a successful meeting last year at the APEC Summit in San Francisco, so certainly, the door is open for that Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Marc Stewart in Beijing. Thank you so much. All right. Typhoon Shanshan has made landfall in Japan. It is the equivalent of a category one Atlantic hurricane. Officials say at least three people have been killed and dozens are injured after heavy rains have triggered landslides. More than 700 flights have been canceled across the country, and 200,000 households are reported without power and water.

Next, how long would you wait to get a memento of a baseball star? And that's not a snake, it's the line to get the bobblehead version of the Dodgers, Shohei Otani details straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Would you do this? Well, baseball fans did flock to Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles for Shohei Ohtani Bobblehead Night. That was Wednesday. Many waited. Would you do that? That is some crazy lines right there. They waited several hours in the sweltering heat, and a few lucky fans did receive a gold version of the Bobblehead. It's now a pretty hot item for collectors.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People are selling these gold ones we've seen up to $17,000 would you sell it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, no, no, I got to give it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's good to know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, I keep it for my collection.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[08:55:00]

WHITFIELD: That is some collection he must have, all right. But stealing the show was none other than that. Pucci, right there. Ohtani's dog named Decoy, ah, instead of the honorary first pitch, Decoy trotted from the pitcher's man, as you saw right there, to home plate with the ball in his mouth, delivering right down the middle to his awaiting owner. Oh, you got a nice little embrace there.

The Bobblehead of Otani featured him posing with his beloved pup, by the way, there it is. That's why people stood in line for that moment. Decoy has become a fan favorite since Otani joined the Dodgers before this season. That is cute. The gold version cute too. All right. Thank you so much for joining me here in this CNN Newsroom. I'm Frederick Whitfield. I'll be right back with more of the day's top stories right after this.

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