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Protests Rage in Israel; Biden: Netanyahu Not Doing Enough to Free Hostages; At 47 Killed in Russian Attack on Ukraine; Harris Hits Trump's Economic Agenda. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired September 03, 2024 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:00]

WILLIAM COHEN, FORMER CLINTON DEFENSE SECRETARY AND CEO, THE COHEN GROUP: Hamas cannot be regarded as a partner in negotiation. That is clear. Their sole goal is to destroy the state of Israel. So, Prime Minister Netanyahu said, I can't negotiate with them, but he hasn't made an effort to see if he can't resurrect the Palestinian Authority with new leadership to say, here's a way forward. And so, we have this situation now where very little is going to change in the near future.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. And I'm sure you saw this, Bill. The president delivered a rare rebuke of Netanyahu, saying the prime minister is just not doing enough to secure a hostage deal. How telling was that?

COHEN: Well, the fact is the prime minister Netanyahu has always believed that he can move around and actually circumvent any presidential authority. President -- Prime Minister Netanyahu came to Washington during our election season at the invitation of the speaker of the house to a joint session of Congress. Normally, one would not try to come during election season, but that's a decision he made and the speaker made, but it clearly was not to voice any kind of support for President Biden, it was to voice support for Israel and for Prime Minister Netanyahu.

So, he feels that there is no president can exert any kind of pressure that will make him fold. And that's the harsh reality that he has been able to circumvent and overcome any presidential political pressure since the days of George Bush '41, when Jim Baker said, we're going to cease any support for your housing project, that suddenly caused some deference at that point. Absent that, there has been no acceptance of U.S. pressure.

ACOSTA: Yes, and it is a difficult moment for the president to try to lay out that kind of ultimatum to Netanyahu right before an election here in the United States. Isn't that right?

COHEN: Well, I think he feels that if President Trump is elected that he will have a free hand. I believe it's been reported at least that Former President Trump said you will -- you'll be able to do whatever you want to do. You'll be able to finish the job. And finish the job means you're trying to kill an ideology. You can't kill an ideology of hate with a bullet or a bomb. That's what his defense -- prime minister -- his defense minister said, you don't have a long-term strategy here. You're looking at a military solution and it's not going to be a military solution. It's going to be a political solution.

ACOSTA: Yes.

COHEN: So, I think Netanyahu said, we're going to try to kill as many of Hamas as we can, and we'll go into the West Bank and we'll do the West Bank what we've done to Gaza. That's the future, the heap, which is for Israel.

ACOSTA: And I did, very quickly, Mr. Secretary want to get your response to this Russian strike on this military facility that we just heard Fred Pleitgen and talking about a few moments ago, a 47 dead so far, a couple of 100 wounded. This is coming after, you know, Ukraine was seizing that little -- a chunk of Russian territory over the last couple of weeks. How do you see things right now in Ukraine?

COHEN: Well, I'm still not persuaded what the strategic value of that incursion into Russian territory was. It may be something that's valid. But I think what President Zelenskyy has to do is to inflict more damage upon those sites where the missiles and the drones are being launched. If that means going to Russian territory, so be it. Go in there and hit the sites that are being used to target his civilian infrastructure and killing 41 people and molding a hundred plus.

So, I think he has to have the capacity, whether through airstrikes, missile defense, to go in and target those sites that Russians are using to kill his forces and innocent people.

ACOSTA: All right. Former Defense Secretary Bill Cohen, always great to talk to you. Thanks so much, Bill. Appreciate it.

COHEN: Thank you. Thank you, John.

ACOSTA: All right. Coming up, the final sprint of the White House and the vice president is tackling one of her biggest challenges head on, she has a new ad attacking Donald Trump on the economy. How Kamala Harris is framing the choice, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:35:00]

ACOSTA: Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are entering the final stretch of the race for the White House. Hard to believe we're just two months from Election Day. It's coming up fast. But the first ballots will go out in North Carolina, get this, on Friday. Early voting in-person begins two weeks later in Minnesota, South Dakota, and Virginia. The Harris campaign, meanwhile, released a new ad this morning focused on inflation and the economy. Two issues that have been weighing down her bid for president. A new ABC/Ipsos poll shows her eight points behind the former president when it comes to trusting her on the economy.

Let's bring in CNN political commentator, former senior adviser for Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign, Karen Finney, and Republican strategist and former Trump White House official Matt Mowers.

Let me talk to you about this first, Karen, Kamala Harris is set to unveil more details of her economic plan tomorrow a day after releasing this new ad that she says will cut costs for everyday Americans. Let's play a little bit of this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We all know costs are too high, but while corporations are gouging families, Trump is focused on giving them tax cuts. But Kamala Harris is focused on you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Yes, Karen, she's really focusing on the economy.

[10:40:00]

KAREN FINNEY, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, SENIOR ADVISER, 2016 CLINTON PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN AND FORMER COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, DNC: Yes, she is. And it's a really critical issue. We've seen other polls recently where she's up by one on the economy, even on the economy. It's a critical issue, obviously, in this campaign. And she's really trying to make the case that they have two very different philosophies. Donald Trump is for, you know, big tax breaks, for billionaires and trickle down. Kamala Harris is for investing in the middle-class tax cuts and building out the middle-class.

And this price gouging issue is really critical. You know, 37 states actually have laws on the books around price gouging. We've seen both Republican and Democratic A.G.s use these laws from time to time. But as a former A.G. herself, she understands that there's more the federal government can do to enforce the laws on the books and to look for other ways to make sure that people aren't being gouged in the pocketbook as we -- you know, with the hope that prices come down as we're also seeing paychecks starting to outpace inflation, which is a great sign.

ACOSTA: Yes, I mean, Matt, this is the issue Republicans would like this election to be about right now. It is an issue where Trump has the advantage, according to the polling, if only Trump does not get in the way of that message.

MATT MOWERS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST AND FORMER TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Well, and here's the thing, Karen, knows this, in campaigns often you test not just what issues voters care about, but whether they believe whether you're going to talk about these issues today. There's a believability question, whether if you tell people, hey, I'm going to go cure cancer. That sounds great. But do voters actually believe you're truly going to go cure cancer?

You know, it's kind of similar here. I mean, Kamala Harris is obviously reading the polls for -- she has a smart campaign team. They recognize the economy is one of the number one issues and that big vulnerability for the Biden-Harris administration, given where affordable -- how unaffordable goods are at the store or the price of gas. But are voters going to buy it?

You know, I noticed in that ad there's a lot of, we will get done. I will do this. Well, that's a lot of forward-looking language, but voters still remember that she currently has a day job. She lives in the Naval Observatory. She's the vice president to Joe Biden, who's president right now. If she wanted to do a lot of those things, she could theoretically do them today, she could have done them three and a half years ago and had she, maybe Americans would be much better off today and they wouldn't be feeling the economic pain that they are. And that's why I'm not sure that an ad like this has been moved to dial much because voters just ain't buying it.

ACOSTA: All right. I do want to shift --

FINNEY: Oh, I love that talking point.

ACOSTA: Oh, go ahead, Karen, if you want to jump in. Go ahead.

FINNEY: I was going to say, I love that talking point. What has she done for the last three years? And look, as we know, as the vice president, the president says the economic policy, but let's talk about it. You know, when they came in, the economy was in free fall because of COVID and Donald Trump hadn't done much to address that.

We've now got inflation under 3 percent, 15 million new jobs, 800,000 manufacturing jobs. So, there are -- and actually, even the Wall Street Journal is acknowledging that people -- that sentiment is turning around. And so, the number, it's not where we want it to be is really the message and there's more to do, but the fundamentals of this economy are set in such a way that you can build on the progress that's been made.

ACOSTA: And I do --

MOWERS: Just real quick, Jim?

ACOSTA: Yes, go ahead.

MOWERS: I guess Karen and Kamala Harris agree that Bidenomics is working, I guess, which most Americans disagree with. And did they agree with it, then they probably give her higher marks in the economy than they do right now. They don't, because they're still feeling the pain of pump at the grocery store as a result of the Biden-Harris policies.

ACOSTA: Yes. And one of the things I did want to -- I want to shift to some of the disinformation that's swirling around out there in this campaign cycle. In Pennsylvania, there's a series of fake political ads that have popped up at bus stops around Philadelphia, falsely claiming the Eagles have endorsed Kamala Harris for president. And yesterday, one of the most powerful men in the world, Elon Musk, who also owns X, formerly known as Twitter, posted a fake image of Harris in sort of communist garb. Trump out there has been calling her Comrade Kamala and so on.

You know, Karen, how much are Democrats worried about this, all of this sort of disinformation, this garbage that's swirling out there? It has been an issue. It has been a problem in the past.

FINNEY: It is an issue and it's one that the campaign and outside groups take very seriously. There are definitely efforts to -- you know, look, it's almost like whack a mole. I mean, this weekend I was -- there were images of products being sold on Amazon that had to be taken down because they were so disgusting and they were disinformation. So, it's absolutely something to pay attention to.

We know where Elon Musk's, you know, allegiance lies. So, not surprising that he would abuse his position to propagate more disinformation. The Philadelphia Eagles one, though, I got to say, it's a sign of desperation, let's put it that way. But the Philadelphia Eagles one I thought was interesting because you don't want to, excuse my language, piss off the Eagles in Pennsylvania.

[10:45:00]

ACOSTA: Yes.

FINNEY: I mean, if I know one thing about the people from Pennsylvania, it's their love of the Eagles. And I got to say on that one, I don't think that was a smart move. I got to say.

ACOSTA: Yes.

FINNEY: I think that's going to end up backfiring.

ACOSTA: As a D.C. kid, I was always the most afraid of Philadelphia sports fans when they came to town. I'll just put it that way. And I still maybe a little bit today. But, Matt, you know, I did want to ask you about this because Washington Post, CNN, our Stephen Collinson all writing about how because Trump's negatives are so high, really the only thing that they can do at this point with the short amount of time that's left is to tear down Kamala Harris, drive her negatives up.

And one of the things that Trump has been doing lately is calling her Comrade Kamala and calling her a socialist and now Elon Musk is, you know, posting these images of her in a communist uniform. Isn't that just silly, goofy stuff? I mean, is anybody going to buy that Comrade Kamala?

MOWERS: Well, look, I think there's a couple different aspects here. One is the fact that it's clearly going to fire up Donald Trump's base, right? And that is a piece of this, keeping them engaged, keep keeping them enthusiastic about the upcoming election, and that's certainly going to do that.

The other thing is, there is an element of some truth to some of this. I mean, when you have Kamala Harris out there talking about Soviet style price controls, when you have her out there saying on video --

ACOSTA: Well, Matt, what's the element? What's the element of truth? Kamala Harris is not a communist. She's not -- I mean, she's not.

MOWERS: Well, look, I'll say on video, she has said, and it's on video, she says, it shouldn't just about be about equal opportunity, but about equal outcomes. I mean, take it back to your, you know, government class, that's textbook definition of communism. I'm not saying she stands by today, maybe she's flipped-flopped on that as well. But clearly, look, what Donald Trump and Elon Musk are doing on a political sense is going out there and trying to fire up their base and they're trying to shorthand a larger narrative arc.

They're saying she is the most left-wing candidate that we have seen for president in recent history. And their way of short handing that is by saying she's a socialist or communist. It's a way of summing it up in a short kind of hit the element.

ACOSTA: Yes. But, you know, I have to say, It's just a fact check false on that one. That is just not -- there's nothing to that. But all right. Karen Finney, Matt Mowers, we lost Karen's shot, but Matt, you're still there. Thanks a lot. Really appreciate it. Thanks so much.

Coming up, a race to preserve history, striking new photos, showing the Titanic is decaying away. That's coming up.

And plus, technical difficulties did not just plague Florida State's offense. There was some clock confusion at the Seminoles home opener. Coy Wire is here with that.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Hi, Jim. Yes, we had -- the clock was not working, wasn't being shown on TV for viewers at home or for those fans in the stadium. So, the clock was out and then the lights were out, so to speak, for the Florida State Seminoles. The huge upset highlights next on Newsroom with Jim.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:50:00]

ACOSTA: If you are a DirecTV customer frustrated because you no longer get ESPN or other Disney-owned channels, listen up, the company is offering at least $20 credits to customers who go to the website tvpromise.com and apply with their account e-mail.

On Sunday, Disney pulled ESPN and several other channels from DirecTV's lineup after the two companies failed to reach a new distribution deal. The blackout is now in its third day and it's leaving millions of sports fans in the dark as the college and pro football seasons get underway. The contract dispute is certainly impacting football season, especially those trying to watch last night's Florida State Boston College game.

CNN's Coy Wire joins us now. Coy, I mean, I heard from so many people last night, and it was blowing up on social media, folks were just outraged that they could not watch that Florida State Boston College game last night, especially since it was such a great game, a big upset for Boston College.

WIRE: Yes. This is kind of the wrong time for sports fans to have their ability to watch the game they love being taken away from. ACOSTA: Yes.

WIRE: And we are talking this game, we're talking one of the favorites for the college football playoff. Number 10, Florida State upset by unranked Boston College. The Eagles crushing the Seminoles hopes led by new head man, former NFL head coach Bill O'Brien. His squad looking strong. Quarterback Thomas Castellanos rumbling for a touchdown. And 73 of their 263 yards rushing. He also had two passing touchdowns.

Now, Florida State had just 21 yards on the ground. Quarterback DJ Uiagalele intercepted by Max Tucker here. He completed just 50 percent of his passes. FSU now 0 and 2 following their previous loss to Georgia Tech. It's a 28-13 win for the Eagles. Coach O'Brien, huge first win of the season for them. The FSU fans though, Jim, they were headed for the exits early in this one.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE NORVELL, FLORIDA STATE HEAD COACH: He was sick to how this -- how the season started. Obviously, tonight, you know, I failed in preparing the team to be able to go out and respond tonight. And you know, I apologize to our fans, apologize to everybody associated with the program. I mean, that was extremely disappointing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Next, we have two more sleeps until the first NFL game of the season. The Kansas City Chiefs starting their quest to become the first ever three peat Super Bowl champions. They'll be hosting the Baltimore Ravens, a rematch from last season's AFC title game where Casey crushed the Ravens hopes of making it to the Super Bowl, 17 to 10.

[10:55:00]

But the Ravens have reloaded, bringing in one of the most dominant running backs in recent years, Derrick Henry from the Titans. But as is the case with most big games, Jim, it'll likely come down to the quarterbacks. And this one features two of the best, Baltimore's two- time league MVP, Lamar Jackson, Kansas city's two-time MVP, Patrick Mahomes, both can embarrass you with their arms and make magic with their legs. They were asked for their thoughts about each other ahead of the big game.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAMAR JACKSON, BALTIMORE RAVENS QUARTERBACK: I don't have a relationship with him. I don't think I have a relationship with any quarterback in the league. I don't take anything from him. You know, I just play my game. But he's a great quarterback. I'm going to say that, he's a great quarterback. He has the accolades to prove it. But man, he's just -- he made things happen on the field that make you seem successful.

PATRICK MAHOMES, KANSAS CITY CHIEF QUARTERBACK: You're so focused on trying to get better. And I mean, we're playing the best of the best. I mean, week one. So, we're going to see where we're at. We're going to go out there and play our best football early in the season. But all we can do is go out there and be our best.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: All right. Get your popcorn ready, Jim, and maybe a new TV provider, if you want to -- not want to miss that one.

ACOSTA: Yes, that's right. Two cups and a string, or find a buddy with a different provider. I mean, you might -- you need to have a plan for this football season, watching all these games. Coy Wire, great stuff as always. Thanks so much.

WIRE: Thank you.

ACOSTA: Thank you for joining us this morning. I'm Jim Acosta. Our next hour with Wolf Blitzer in the CNN Newsroom starts after a short break. Have a great day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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