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CNN International: Harris To Give Interviews To Telemundo, NBC News Today; Cheney To Republicans: You Can Vote Your Conscience; Trump, Harris Court Latino Voters Two Weeks From Election. Aired 11a- 12p ET
Aired October 22, 2024 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
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RAHEL SOLOMON, "CNN NEWSROOM": Good morning or good evening, depending on where you're watching. I'm Rahel Solomon live in New York.
Ahead on CNN Newsroom, a high-stakes visit, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as pressure builds for a ceasefire breakthrough. We are live in Tel Aviv with the very latest. Plus, world leaders gather for the BRICS summit in Russia, hosted by Vladimir Putin, and part of the agenda, rebalancing global power away from Western countries. And it's the final sprint. We are exactly two weeks away from Election Day in the U.S., as Kamala Harris and Donald Trump blitz battleground states with two very different closing arguments.
And both presidential candidates are making pitches to Latino voters today. At this hour, Donald Trump is in Florida for a round table discussion at the Latino summit near Miami. And later, he will take part in a Make America Healthy Again, a virtual town hall. He is going to be joined by RFK Jr. and former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard. They're going to speak with medical experts about ways to combat the chronic disease epidemic. And on Monday, Trump visited areas of western North Carolina devastated by Hurricane Helene. And while there, he revived his false claims about FEMA spending and the federal response to the storm. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: She didn't get the proper support from this administration. They spent their money on illegal migrants. But look, a lot of the money is gone. They don't have any money. They have to have a meeting in Washington, a special meeting in Washington, to get money. It's all gone. They've spent it on illegal migrants.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: Kamala Harris is unveiling a series of economic plans targeting Latino men. The proposals will be a topic of conversation when she sits down for an interview with Spanish language network Telemundo. That's going to air on Wednesday. She is also sitting down for an interview with NBC News. That will also air later. Now, Harris will not be on the campaign trail today, but key players like former President Barack Obama and her running mate, Tim Walz, well, they will be out stumping for her. Obama joins Minnesota's governor for a campaign rally in the critical state of Wisconsin. He then heads to Detroit, where he will be speaking at a solo rally on behalf of the ticket.
Now, in these closing days of the race, Kamala Harris is trying to convince Republicans, especially women, to support her. She made stops in the suburbs of three different blue wall states on Monday, campaigning with former Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S., (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There are things that he says that will be the subject of skits and laughter and jokes, but words have meaning coming from someone who aspires to stand behind the seal of the President of the United States
LIZ CHENEY, FORMER U.S. HOUSE REPUBLICAN: That cruelty is the same cruelty that we see when he lies about the federal government's disaster response, when he puts people's lives at risk, because he won't tell the truth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: All right. We've got both campaigns covered for you. We have CNN's Eva McKend and CNN's Daniel Strauss.
First, Eva, let me start with you. Talk to us a little bit about what we're expecting from Harris today.
EVA MCKEND, CNN U.S. NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: So, Rahel, as you noted, she is going to be off the campaign trail today, doing those interviews with NBC and Telemundo. But, core to her campaign argument in these closing weeks is that the former President is fundamentally unfit for the job, unfit to lead the country, and unhinged, and what we see her doing is using his own words and actions against him, and this seems to be a play for voters that may not necessarily agree with her on every policy issue, but really voters who are worried about these broader concerns like the health of our democracy and fidelity to the Constitution.
And so, she is doing these country over party events with Liz Cheney in an attempt to reach battle ground voters. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: But, at Trump rallies, we don't tell Christians to get lost. We tell Christians to get out and vote. You don't have the choice of sitting out this election, because if Kamala Harris gets four more years, the radical left is not going to leave Christians alone. It's going to get worse.
CHENEY: I certainly have many Republicans who will say to me, I can't be public. They do worry about a whole range of things, including violence, but they'll do the right thing.
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And I would just remind people, if you're at all concerned, you can vote your conscience and not ever have to say a word to anybody, and there will be millions of Republicans who do that on November 5th.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCKEND: So, Rahel, of course, that was a mistake there. I'm referring to that second soundbite with Cheney, not the comments of the former President.
But, listen, there is disagreement in some corners among Democrats, if this is the right strategy. You just have two weeks left to make your case. The most precious commodity a candidate has is their time, and there are some that believe that she should be spending all of her time with the base of the party, ensuring turnout, so, black voters, for instance, making sure that they turn out for her in a big way, and not so much investing in these -- the elusive middle of the country.
But, listen, if you speak to the campaign, they say that both are necessary and that every election requires sort of this complex mix of voters in order to pull off success in the states that are just split down the middle, in Wisconsin, for instance, that is so evenly divided.
SOLOMON: Yeah. That was sort of my question. I mean, clearly, the campaign feels like maybe they can walk and chew gum at the same time.
Eva, I mean, as you say, two weeks ago, I mean, give us a sense of what the campaign thinks that the big moments or the breakthrough moments might be. Obviously, we have that town hall tomorrow. What are you hearing?
MCKEND: Well, we have the town hall, Rahel, but she also is going to head to Texas this week, not a battleground state, but believes that she can campaign there on the strength of reproductive rights. And so, that should garner a lot of attention. We also see them leveraging celebrities, Eminem going to be campaigning with President Obama tonight in Detroit. Lizzo was out on the campaign trail as well as Usher this weekend in Atlanta.
And listen, you have Republicans that sort of poke fun at this, saying, the Democrats, they love to embrace celebrities. But, I would argue, if Republicans had this same A-list roster, they would be leaning on that bench as well, because there are so many people that are not tuned in, like us, to all of the twists and turns in politics. And having those celebrities, I think, kind of may increase engagement and get people to pay attention to the election.
SOLOMON: It certainly will be interesting to watch. I mean, you don't have to talk to me about Eminem's star power, I know, but especially in his hometown of Detroit.
Eva McKend, great to see you. Thank you. All right. Let's now bring in Daniel Strauss, who can talk to us a
little bit about what's happening on the Trump side of things. Daniel, what's on the agenda for Trump today?
DANIEL STRAUSS, CNN REPORTER: Yeah. For Trump, it is stops in both North Carolina and Florida, and the importance here is especially in North Carolina. This is a state that Republicans generally, in the last few election cycles, have spent a fair amount of time, feeling is a safe state for them, one that they have increasingly had comfortable wins in. But now, at this point in the campaign, it's telling that Trump and his team are devoting time there. It tells us that under these circumstances, a new candidate, the aftermath of a hurricane, and the changing demographics of the state, it's possibly a competitive state for Republicans now, which is not ideal, but still a fact of life.
At the same time, if you talk to any Democrats, they will say that this is a state that is not entirely a reach state, but definitely not one that they would bank (ph) the election on. So, we're seeing a shift in really a late emergence of a battleground state. For Trump himself, he wants to argue, as we saw in the clip earlier, that he wants to rally core base groups to get out to vote, voters who feel that Kamala Harris won't protect their Christian values, voters who are incredibly pro-life. These are the groups that Trump is trying to energize and really rally in the final days of this campaign.
SOLOMON: Yeah. It's such an interesting point you make, Daniel, about North Carolina ordinarily being a safe state for Republicans, but just the fact that he is spending that time there with two weeks left, it just sort of gives you a sense, perhaps, into the campaign's thinking about what's necessary right now. Daniel, talk to us a little bit more about what we know Trump's plan is going into this home stretch.
STRAUSS: Yeah. I mean, look, the -- both campaigns will concede that this is going to be a tight race. The argument that Trump, the core argument that Trump is trying to make, because we never quite know what he is going to say on stage, is that under a new Trump administration, America will be more prosperous, and that the rights that Americans prioritize are the ones that he will protect. Now, this is something that Democrats often quibble with, and his record as President during his first administration doesn't always adhere to that, but this is the argument he is trying to make, in contrast with Harris, as someone he says is too risky and too inexperienced to do the job.
SOLOMON: Daniel Strauss, good to have you. Thank you.
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STRAUSS: Thanks.
SOLOMON: And let's discuss all of this further with our panel today. We have CNN Political Commentator Karen Finney. She is a Senior Advisor -- or was a Senior Advisor on Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign, and Maura Gillespie, who is an Advisor -- or was an Advisor to the Republican John Boehner when he was House Speaker. Maura is also the founder of Bluestack Strategies. Great to see you both ladies.
Maura, I actually want to pick up on something that Daniel said there, I'm not sure if you could hear our correspondent there, but he just sort of talked about how it's potentially telling that Trump feels the need, or the campaign at least, feels the need two weeks out to be in North Carolina, which would have normally been a safe state. What does that mean to you, if anything?
MAURA GILLESPIE, FMR. ADVISOR TO JOHN BOEHNER: I think what it is showing is that obviously, Mark Robinson is hurting him, and he is worried about voter turnout for him. I think in North Carolina, the fact that, again, they have this gubernatorial candidate that has obviously embarrassed the Republican Party there in North Carolina, but largely the Republican Party as a whole, because Trump did endorse him, he is worried about that, but he is also worried, I think personally, about the implications that if he were to lose North Carolina, what that would mean, because it would be historic for Kamala Harris to win it.
And so, I think that just personally, with his kind of his ego, he doesn't like that idea. And so, he is doubling down his efforts there to secure that that vote, because I think he realizes the implications that (inaudible) win in North Carolina could mean for him.
SOLOMON: Karen, what do you think? Is North Carolina within reach for the Dems, or is that a stretch?
KAREN FINNEY, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, & SENIOR ADVISOR, HILLARY CLINTON'S 2016 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: Well, actually, I think it is. I worked in 2022 on the Senate campaign, and as Daniel mentioned, the demographic shifts in the state, particularly during COVID, where you had people from Northeastern cities moving to North Carolina, looking for more space, if you will. So, that's one of the factors to consider.
But, there is a little bit, I think, of chaos on both sides. I think state election officials are doing a valiant job, trying to make sure that anyone who has been impacted by the storms actually, not only, by the way, are getting the FEMA assistance they need, but also are able to vote. And so -- but that does make it a little bit trickier. So -- but, yeah. If you look at the demographics of his state, it is within reach for the Vice President.
And as Maura said, I mean, we've seen over the last several months, Trump has put a lot of time and effort into Pennsylvania and North Carolina specifically, and knowing that in those two states, obviously now going to Michigan a bit more, but those two states in particular seem to have been very key to his strategy. So, at a minimum, it is incumbent on the Vice President's strategy to both make Trump have to work for it, while also doing the outreach and keeping the state competitive.
SOLOMON: Yeah. And let's stay there. Let's go to Pennsylvania. And Karen, let me stay with you for a moment longer. Her town hall, Harris' town hall with CNN tomorrow night in the critical state of Pennsylvania, in the critical suburbs of Philadelphia --
FINNEY: Yeah.
SOLOMON: -- what's a win look like for her? What does she need to say that she hasn't said already?
FINNEY: Well, I was actually in Pennsylvania on Sunday, in a blue collar area, talking with voters. And believe it or not, there really are people who are still undecided, and that's because they're paying attention to about 10 percent of what the rest of us are focused on. They are just trying to keep body and soul together, get their kids off to school, and they are -- for some of them, it is going to be a last-minute decision, and it's going to be a decision that they make on their gut feeling about who do they trust their future with.
And people still have questions. So, some of what they might hear is information perhaps they hadn't heard before about her that kind of tips them a little bit more towards her. I think for other -- given that it's a national town hall, there are other votes likely throughout the country who likewise may hear something that they hadn't heard before. It will also give her an opportunity to talk both about -- she'll have several things to talk about, but specifically the agenda she is putting out today targeting Latino men. We've got a high Puerto Rican population that we've got to really try to turn out, obviously black men and women voters.
So, it's an opportunity for her to continue to talk about the contrast between herself and Trump, and hopefully read some of those voters who are making that decision last minute.
SOLOMON: And I want to turn our attention, because Trump is also trying to reach Latino voters today. He is participating in this round table. This is also in Florida happening. It's a Latino summit. So, we see him here. We will take you there if, in fact, we hear something that we feel is necessarily pertinent, but that is sort of what you're watching there, as he himself also makes that push for the Latino vote.
Maura, let me bring you back in and let me ask, I mean, in so many ways, this election is unlike any other, but also just in the way of just the sheer number of early voting ballots that have been cast.
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We continue to see record after record, including North Carolina, but also deep red, Louisiana, Georgia. Maura, what do you think the impact of that is this cycle?
GILLESPIE: I think it's important to remind voters that they have this option, right? I know Republicans have largely kind of downplayed the early voting opportunities, but they're seeing that it's important, and they're seeing people are utilizing it. So, they have to make a decision here, I think, either stop being hypocrites and just embrace it, or maybe come up with an idea or a solution to the concerns they have with early voting, by making Election Day a federal holiday so that people could actually go out and vote. The concerns and they want to have early voting is because people are working, and we want to give every citizen an opportunity to go out and vote, and this is a way to do that. So, if they have concerns about it, they should come up with a plan or something that is actually tangible, as opposed to trying to shut down efforts for early voting fraudulently.
They claim fraud with (ph) very many sites to say, like, here is why, here is how. They don't have much proof there. And so, I think in that ways, it's really important to come up with a plan. And again, I think that there are ways that Republicans can do that, and I would encourage Republicans in Congress and down ballot to come up with more forward-looking plans. I think that will help them come Election Day.
SOLOMON: Karen, one thing that is also rare about this election is that we're seeing Eminem sort of participate --
FINNEY: Yeah.
SOLOMON: -- in a way that we don't often see him participate. He is going to be introducing Barack Obama in Detroit. For those who don't know, Eminem is from the Detroit area. He is obviously a famous rapper, but especially in Michigan.
FINNEY: Yeah. That's right.
SOLOMON: Karen, what do you make of this? And is this enough to move the needle in the very important battleground state of Michigan?
FINNEY: Well, let me just say, if I could get myself there on time, I would be there because Eminem doesn't do this very often. So, for those of us who are fans, this is very exciting. Here is the thing to remember about Eminem, in particular, when I heard that he was going to be there. Do y'all remember this commercials not too long ago when Chrysler was rebooting? And he wrote -- he was part of that revitalization message about Detroit and about just revitalizing the auto industry. I mean, he is Michigan royalty, his dedication to the state and to a lot of celebrities, they leave where they come from he is.
So, for him to come out, particularly in Detroit, where Trump has been there and really consistently dumped on the city, he tried to make up for it a little bit earlier this week. I think that is going to -- if you didn't hear what Trump said about your city, you're going to hear it tonight when Eminem talks, steps to the mic and talks about it. And so, it is about getting people to pay attention, stop the doom scrolling on their phone for a minute and pay attention for -- even if you get their attention for 30 seconds, they might hear something that makes them focus on the election, and that's part of the strategy of tonight. And it's -- for Michigan, it's a big deal.
SOLOMON: Yeah. I mean, politics, society, I mean, if you are an Eminem fan, he is apparently not performing today, because Karen, I am with you, Maura, I don't know if you like Eminem, but I love Eminem. Apparently, he is not performing, but he will be delivering his thoughts.
Karen Finney, Maura Gillespie, great to have your thoughts today. Thank you.
FINNEY: Thanks.
SOLOMON: All right. And I want to let you know that a major event happening tomorrow on CNN, we just discussed it briefly, but Vice President Kamala Harris joining CNN for a presidential election town hall on Wednesday night. It's going to be moderated by Anderson Cooper. That is at 09:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
And still to come, a rally held in Israel calling for Israeli settlements in Gaza. CNN's Jeremy Diamond was there. We're going to have his report. Plus, it could be the Biden administration's last big push for a Mideast ceasefire before the U.S. elections. We'll have new details about Antony Blinken's meetings today in Israel. We'll be right back.
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SOLOMON: Welcome back. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken just wrapped up hours of meetings with Israel's Prime Minister in Jerusalem. It could be Washington's last big push before the U.S. election to try to get a ceasefire in the Middle East. U.S. officials tell CNN that expectations for a ceasefire are not high. They believe that Blinken's best chance to make any progress is to convince Israel to improve the dreadful humanitarian situation in Gaza. Now, despite U.S. efforts, Israel is keeping up attacks in Gaza. UN aid workers in the north report that the, quote, "smell of death" is everywhere. A senior UN official says that people cannot get food or water or medical care amid relentless bombardment. He says that, quote, "People are just waiting to die".
Residents in northern Gaza's Beit Lahiya say that the Israeli military has told them to evacuate because their lives are in danger. One video message set to be from the IDF warns the Israeli forces will, quote, "explode the whole area". And we're also seeing devastating scenes in Beirut. This is the aftermath of a strike that damaged Lebanon's largest public hospital. The Health Ministry says at least 18 people were killed, including four children. The IDF says that it was targeting a Hezbollah terrorist site nearby. Now, across the border, the IDF says that 15 projectiles were fired from Lebanon into Israel today. It says that some were intercepted. Others came down in open areas.
We have team coverage for you. Let's get more now from Kylie Atwood in Washington. We also have Jeremy Diamond standing by in Tel Aviv.
But, Kylie, let me start with you. I mean, as we said, expectations seem pretty low for this Blinken trip. What can his trip deescalate at this point, if anything?
KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, listen, that's right. Expectations are not incredibly high heading into this trip. A senior State Department official on the plane with the Secretary spoke with reporters on the way over and said that the United States really doesn't know what the next few weeks are going to look like, when it comes to the ongoing conflict in Gaza, despite the fact that U.S. officials very publicly, from the top levels, including President Biden, said that there was an opportunity following the death of Yahya Sinwar to bring about an end to the conflict.
They also recognized that without Yahya Sinwar, there are more complications. There are new complications. U.S. officials don't know who is going to become the decision maker for Hamas inside of Gaza, and that's a challenge when it comes to their desire to push forth an end to this conflict.
Now, the Secretary of State landed in Israel. His first meeting was with Prime Minister Netanyahu, who has signaled that the fighting in Gaza will go on. So, that's significant. They had a meeting that was quite long. It lasted for two and a half hours. We just got the readout from the State Department saying that, in part, Blinken did press that the Israelis should seize this moment following the death of Yahya Sinwar, quote, "to secure the release of all hostages and end the conflict in Gaza in a way that provides lasting security for Israelis and Palestinians alike". It's just a question of how the Israelis and how Hamas actually capitalize on that at a moment when there aren't any ongoing negotiations. So, we'll watch and see what comes out of these meetings.
But, we also know that the Secretary of State is focused on the humanitarian situation in Gaza. It continues to be incredibly dire, as you were saying in your opening there. And so, the U.S. is pressing Israel to do more to get humanitarian assistance into Gaza and coming out tracking what they have done and what more they need to do.
SOLOMON: Yeah. And Kylie, I mean, as you lay out there, expectations may not be high, at least from the administration's point of view. But, what do we know about how regional players are seeing all this? I mean, the sense of their confidence in the U.S. approach as -- at least right now, this conflict shows no signs of slowing down.
ATWOOD: Yeah. That's right.
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I mean, a senior State Department official said that one of the complicating factors when you talk about the day after plans for Gaza, of course, after any potential ceasefire and hostage release deal comes into effect, are those Arab partners, and the fact that right now, they don't all agree what the day after plans, what Gaza should look like after a conflict. That is incredibly challenging. I've talked to U.S. diplomats in the region. I've talked to regional diplomats themselves, who have said that they're not entirely sure that things are actually going to go in the right direction here, headed towards peace, as the U.S., as the Biden administration has tried to push so aggressively over the last few days.
So, there are concerns. There is some skepticism that's headed in that direction, but the Secretary of State, particularly given how little time the Biden administration has right now, is really focused on trying to do everything that he can to push it in that direction.
SOLOMON: OK. Kylie Atwood live for us here in Washington. Kylie, thank you.
OK. Now, let's get over to Jeremy Diamond, who is in Tel Aviv. And Jeremy, you have some new reporting on how far-right activists are calling for Israeli settlements in Gaza. Tell us more.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. That's right. As this push is happening by the United States to seize the opportunity in the wake of the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar to end the war in Gaza, to seek a deal that would free the hostages, what we are hearing instead from the Israeli Prime Minister's allies are calls to build settlements, Israeli settlements, inside of the Gaza Strip. And what was so notable about this conference is that not only did we see the typical settler activists there, but we also saw at least a dozen members of Netanyahu's own government.
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DIAMOND (voice-over): There is much more to this right wing conference on the Gaza border than just singing and dancing. Amid maps of Gaza and children's puzzles promoting the creation of Israeli settlements in Gaza, there are also calls for the mass expulsion of Palestinians.
DANIELLA WEISS, DIRECTOR, NACHALA: As a result of the brutal massacre of the seventh of October, the Gaza Arabs lost the right to be here ever. So, they will go to the different countries of the world. They will not stay here.
DIAMOND (voice-over): But, if you thought this conference was contained to the far right fringe of Israeli politics, think again. Among the hundreds of settler activists, a dozen members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's parliamentary coalition, including three ministers and several members of his own party.
AVIHAI BOARON, MEMBER OF ISRAELI KNESSET: We want again to establish settlements in order to bring security to the south of Israel. OK? Without it, it won't be peace to the south of Israel, even to Tel Aviv.
DIAMOND (voice-over): The Israeli Prime Minister has said Israel does not intend to resettle Gaza, but some of his own ministers seem to think he can be swayed.
DIAMOND: Prime Minister Netanyahu has said that there won't be any civilian settlements in Gaza. You're a member of his government. Why are you here?
MAY GOLAN, ISRAELI MINISTER FOR SOCIAL EQUITY: First of all, the Likud party is a Democratic Party, a liberal party. We have variety of opinions, and I came here today from one reason. We have the right, and these people have the right to put everything on the table. Every tool is legitimate in order to protect ourselves and save ourselves.
DIAMOND (voice-over): That push to settle Gaza comes as Israel has killed more than 400 people in northern Gaza over just the last two weeks, according to Gaza officials, where tens of thousands have been forced to flee, and as the U.S. launches another diplomatic push to encourage Netanyahu to end the war in Gaza and strike a hostage deal. But, it's people like far right National Security Minister Itamar Ben- Gvir who are keeping Netanyahu in power. As I ask him, what will become of Gaza's Palestinians, his response is stark. We will encourage emigration, he says.
But, on the outskirts of this conference, others, including October 7th survivors, are raising their voices too, rejecting those who point to October 7th to justify settling Gaza --
RON SHIFRONI, KIBBUTZ BE'ERI RESIDENT: They take advantage of the situation that happened in order to further their agenda, and their agenda is not about security. It's about a settlement. It's about a conquest. We have to find some sort of negotiation with the other side. We can't forcefully come inside and take land and stir up violence.
DIAMOND (voice-over): -- a call so far unheeded by those in power.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DIAMOND: And indeed, as the Israeli Prime Minister meets today with the Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is pushing him to end the war in Gaza, to take this opportunity from the Israeli Prime Minister himself, what we have been hearing over the course of the last few days has really been more defiance than anything else, talking about the fact that he is continuing to vow that this war in Gaza will continue until victory. Rahel.
[11:30:00]
SOLOMON: OK. Jeremy Diamond live for us there in Tel Aviv. Jeremy, thank you.
And coming up, Russia stages the summit with a host of world leaders in attendance. Coming up, we will look at who is there and the message that Vladimir Putin wants to send.
We'll be right back.
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SOLOMON: Welcome back. You're watching CNN Newsroom. I'm Rahel Solomon live in New York.
More than a dozen world leaders are gathered in southwestern Russia right now for a summit of the group known as BRICS. Now, among those attending, China's Xi Jinping, India's Narendra Modi, and Iran's Masoud Pezeshkian. Kremlin watchers say that one of the aims of the three-day Summit is to show that Western attempts to isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin have failed.
It's the first meeting of the group of major emerging economies since it expanded earlier this year to include Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia and Iran. It's also the largest international gathering that Mr. Putin has hosted since the start of the war in Ukraine.
Let's bring in Clare Sebastian, who has been keeping a close watch on events, and joins us now from London. So, Clare, what's on the agenda, and what have we seen so far?
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Rahel. The BRICS summit itself hasn't officially started, but there has already been a good amount of fanfare. This, as you say, is going to be the biggest BRICS summit ever, not only because the group itself has expanded, but because it would like to expand even further, and therefore has invited a lot of other countries to attend. The Kremlin has been saying that up to 36 countries could be represented, more than 20 at top level. So, they are really talking up the scale of this. They've already rolled out the red carpet. The Chinese Premier, for example, his plane was escorted into the Russian city of Kazan by a Russian fighter jet. You can see it there. So, they are certainly making the most of this opportunity to foster these alliances.
In terms of the bilateral meetings, Putin has said that he expects to have 17 over the course of the next few days. So, he has already hit the ground running. He has been meeting with some of the longstanding BRICS members, India, South Africa, China, and Russia, very warm meeting, really talking up their relationship and the importance of the BRICS group in general. But, this is not a homogeneous group. I think that's worth remembering. I think we're going to see different agendas at play here, different sort of national interests. And it was interesting in Putin's meeting with Narendra Modi, the Indian Prime Minister, that the topic of Ukraine came up. Take a listen.
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NARENDRA MODI, INDIAN PRIME MINISTER (Interpreted): Your Excellency, regarding the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, we are in regular contact.
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As I've said earlier, we believe that problems should be resolved peacefully. We fully support the earliest possible establishment of peace and stability.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEBASTIAN: So, India has been toughening its rhetoric on Ukraine in recent months, calling for peace. We're likely to hear more on Ukraine. India -- China, rather, and Brazil have a six-point peace plan that they will likely want to rally support behind. We've just seen the arrival of Iran's Pezeshkian, the new President. This will be the second time he has met with Putin in just a couple of weeks. Iran, of course, a burgeoning defense partnership for Russia. They have been providing weapons for the war in Ukraine.
So, I think all of these alliances, seeing them on display, will certainly be adding to Ukraine's sense of unease, Rahel. SOLOMON: Yeah. And as you point out, Clare, I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, 17 bilateral meetings. I mean, what message do you think Putin is hoping to send to the West?
SEBASTIAN: Yeah. I think sort of two key things, right, one, that Western efforts to isolate Russia have fundamentally failed, now more than two and a half years into this war. I think that will be on display in a very stark way when we see the sort of the group photo tomorrow. The welcome ceremony for the BRICS happening later today. These are optics that mean a lot to Russia, as it tries to get that message across.
And not only that, but also the idea that this is an alternative world order, a bigger, better, faster growing grouping than the U.S. and Western-led alliances like NATO. That is the kind of rhetoric that we're hearing from Putin, that these countries are growing much faster and the West is in decline. I think, of course, underpinning all of this is the fact, and you won't hear this spoken about, is that Russia really needs these alliances in the face of Western sanctions. It really needs to have China and India as markets for its oil. It needs the technology, micro chips and things like that that it's getting from China. And of course, it really needs this defense partnership that it has with Iran, as it continues with its war in Ukraine. Rahel.
SOLOMON: Yeah, really fascinating. Clare Sebastian live for there. Clare, thank you.
And just ahead, serving up fries at McDonald's, Donald Trump sides (ph) to a question on the U.S. minimum wage, which hasn't seen an increase since 2009. Plus, the role that social media app TikTok is playing in the U.S. presidential election, we'll break it down.
Stay tuned.
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SOLOMON: Welcome back. The long wait for an increase in the U.S. minimum wage was brought into focus on Sunday when Donald Trump made a stop at a McDonald's restaurant and dodged a question about low pay. Now, Kamala Harris is seizing on the issue, arguing that $7.25 an hour is, quote, "poverty wages".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: There is a big difference between Donald Trump and me on a number of issues, including this, where I absolutely believe we must raise minimum wage and that hard-working Americans, whether they're working at McDonald's or anywhere else, should have at least the ability to be able to take care of their family and take care of themselves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[11:40:00]
SOLOMON: All right. Let's bring in Matt Egan, who joins us from New York. So. Matt, explain for us, one, why this is such a big deal for both campaigns?
MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Well, Rahel, because the minimum wage hasn't moved in so long. The last time Congress voted to increase the federal minimum wage, current NFL superstar Patrick Mahomes was just 11-years- old. Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers, they were still around. And Kamala Harris was the DA in San Francisco. So, that was back in 2007. Congress lifted the minimum wage from $5.15 an hour, eventually up to $7.25 an hour in 2009, and that's where it is today. That equates to about $15,000 per year.
Now, some states, of course, have increased their minimum wage, but a lot of other states, they still only require $7.25 an hour. Now, some of that -- those states are some of the more rural ones you might expect, like Idaho and Wyoming and Utah, but also some battleground states, including Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania, where former President Trump was visiting McDonald's the other day. And during that cameo at McDonald's, he was asked directly, whether or not he supports increasing the federal minimum wage. Take a listen to his response.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Well, I think this, I think these people work hard. They're great and I just saw something across. This is beautiful. It's a beautiful thing. I said, these are great franchises.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
EGAN: So, no real direct answer there from the former President. I did ask the campaign whether or not Trump supports increasing the federal minimum wage, and they responded by blaming Vice President Harris for the high cost of living, and saying that Trump will help workers by eliminating taxes on tips and by standing up to China. But, again, no direct answer about whether or not Trump supports increasing the minimum wage. Rahel.
SOLOMON: Matt, put $7.25 in context for us. How does that stack up? I think I know, but how does that stack up when we're considering what a livable wage is?
EGAN: Not well, not well at all. MIT has a calculator where they try to figure out what a living wage is around the country, and they define a living wage as what a person would need to make a full-time worker to cover their family's basic needs while being self- sufficient. And they found that even in Alabama, which is a relatively low cost state that does not have a minimum wage for that state, even there, one adult with no children would have to make $20 an hour to be considered a living wage. So, that is almost triple the federal minimum.
And because of the high cost of child care, if you're talking about one adult with one child, then the living wage would actually spike to over $33 an hour. So, that means, if you talking about a single mom in Alabama making the minimum wage, she'd be making less than a quarter of what it would actually take to get by. Now, we should note that some states, they have increased their minimum wage, some of them obvious progressive states like New York, New Jersey, California, but also some more purple states like Arizona and purple -- and Florida, as well as some red states like Arkansas, Ohio and West Virginia.
And so, now we're going to have to see whether or not Congress will act in the next President's term to increase the federal minimum wage, which, as we said, has not gone up since 2009, Rahel.
SOLOMON: Yeah. And Matt, before I let you go, we should say that critics against raising the minimum wage say that it would cost job loss. It would cost higher prices. I know because I read your piece that you did some research, or you sort of attributed some research. What have we seen in places where the minimum wage was raised in terms of the impact to jobs, the impact to prices?
EGAN: Yeah. Well, I'm glad you asked, because this is something that was a major issue in California, which recently raised the minimum wage for workers in large fast food chains to $20 an hour, and there was some concern that that would cause prices to spike. It would kill jobs.
But, what's interesting is that a Berkeley professor, Michael Reich, he did a study on this, and he found that this increase in wages at California fast food chains was successful because it caused a, quote, "remarkably large increase in wages, but it did not kill jobs, and it did not price spikes -- did not spike prices". And so, that's an interesting case study, as Congress deliberates what they should do, and that same Berkeley professor, he told me that he thinks that the federal minimum wage could actually go up to $17 an hour without having any of those negative economic repercussions. Rahel.
SOLOMON: Yeah. That would be a huge, huge jump for a lot of people. Matt Egan, great piece. Thank you.
EGAN: Thanks, Rahel.
SOLOMON: Yeah. Well, the social media app TikTok says that it has 170 million users in the U.S., and even though there have been official efforts to ban it, both presidential campaigns are embracing the power of TikTok.
[11:45:00]
All sorts of content from viral memes to clips of speeches and trending sounds are being used to try and get young voters to the polls.
Clare Duffy is here in New York with us for more. So, Clare, break down for us how this is all working and how TikTok is getting voters to the polls.
CLARE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS WRITER: Yeah. Rahel, this has become just a huge campaigning platform in the run-up to the election, and in part because the campaigns and political advocacy groups have realized that they need to do more than just being present on these social media platforms. They need to be posting content that feels native to TikTok that speaks the language of the users, and in particular the young users, who are often the targets of this kind of strategy. They are so used to being sold to on social media. They know what that looks like. They're just going to swipe right by.
So, these groups need to be creating content, and have started creating content that feels more entertaining or funny or clever. It gives them the political information, but gives them something else on top of that, and I think we have a good example of this that we can play for you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Asian (ph) Smith, what do you got for many day, boys?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kyleigh Thurman, 25-years-old, turned away from the hospital for an ectopic pregnancy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Center for Reproductive Rights filed two complaints with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services were violating entirely (ph). These women deserve access to proper healthcare for their bodies. I need two double shots of espresso and a vegan salad. I mean, how many more women have to die before you see a change?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DUFFY: So, that creator was part of a campaign run by the advocacy group Gen-Z for Change that was raising money for states where abortion rights are on the ballot. And we're seeing lots of those kinds of videos where creators are doing skits or they're doing these story times, which is another popular format on the app, also lots of dance videos where creators will take something that a candidate said and put it to music and dance to it, as a way of raising awareness about those comments.
And so, I think it will be really interesting to see what young voter turnout looks like in two weeks. I think that will give us a really good indication of just how successful this -- the strategy is, Rahel.
SOLOMON: Yeah, really interesting, especially because you hear so much about some of the negative impacts of social media. It's interesting to see it being used to raise awareness and potentially, and as you said, we'll see in two weeks, potentially drive people to the polls.
Clare Duffy, thank you.
DUFFY: Thanks.
SOLOMON: And political ads are overtaking TV and computer screens in key battleground states, as the U.S. draws closer and closer to the presidential election. But, which ones were the most effective?
CNN's Danny Freeman asked voters of Pennsylvania.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The question was simple. How would you describe the onslaught of political ads so far this year?
ALFRED HAGEN, PENNSYLVANIA REPUBLICAN: Chaos. Complete chaos.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're ridiculous.
MEGHAN FINNEY, PENNSYLVANIA HARRIS SUPPORTER: It's so overkilled. We're all sick of it.
JOAN JENNERJAHN, PENNSYLVANIA HARRIS SUPPORTER: I think it's overwhelming.
DREW NIELSEN, PENNSYLVANIA REPUBLICAN: And all of a sudden it's nothing, but like, oh, illegal immigrants. She is border czar. She is not the border czar. And we're just trying to get into false spirit. You know what I mean?
FREEMAN (voice-over): We know battleground states get flooded with political ads in the home stretch of every presidential race. But, this year, Pennsylvania is getting hit more than any other. Since President Biden dropped out of the race and Vice President Harris took over as the Democratic nominee, the campaigns and outside groups have spent more than $350 million on ads in the Keystone State. That's over $100 million more than the next battleground of Michigan. And voters in Pennsylvania are set to see over $80 million more worth of campaign ads over the final two weeks of the race.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He murdered a father of three.
FREEMAN (voice-over): This is one of the ads former President Trump's campaign has spent the most on here in recent weeks, attacking Harris over her past support of certain rights for transgender people, including detained immigrants and federal prisoners.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Kamala was the first to help pay for a prisoner sex change.
HARRIS: The power that I had, I used it in a way that was about pushing for the movement, frankly, and the agenda.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Kamala's agenda is they/them.
FREEMAN (voice-over): Trump supporter Drew Nielsen thought the ad was effective.
NIELSEN: It's inflammatory, but I think the majority of people aren't affected by that. All they're hearing is she is just wasting tax dollars.
FREEMAN (voice-over): But, not all Republicans we spoke with like the ad.
FREEMAN: Do you think that ad focused on this trends issue that is effective to persuade voters here? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, because it's a side issue, and it's not what
most people care about.
FREEMAN (voice-over): Republican Alfred Hagen said language and ads like this make it impossible for him to vote for Trump.
HAGEN: Is that really the biggest issue confronting America today? We've got climate change issues. We've got hurricane issues. We've got relief issues. These are fundamentally difficult, challenging questions that should be dealt with on the federal level. That's poor (BEEP) and it's just nonsense.
FREEMAN (voice-over): Bucks County mom Meghan Finney said all of the ads have been hard to watch, especially when her young children ask questions.
FINNEY: You want to explain what's going on, who is running for presidency, but you don't really want to feel like you have to explain what rape is and incest and all these things that they're putting out there.
HARRIS: I've seen all these negative ads against me.
FREEMAN (voice-over): This is one of the ads the Harris campaign has spent the month on here in recent weeks.
[11:50:00]
Finney finds this one appealing.
HARRIS: Look, everyone is tired of the petty destructive politics. Let's turn the page and chart a new way forward.
FINNEY: That's positive. That's, to me, what it should be about. It shouldn't be about all those other things that are negative.
FREEMAN: Do you think messages like these can help sway voters?
JENNERJAHN: I think people -- some people are just already predetermined. They're going to vote Trump or they're going to vote Harris. I think those people that are not decided, I think if you compare the two ads side by side, do you want kind of crazy, hateful speech, or do you want something that's much more hopeful, and how do we work together as people to bring the country together?
FREEMAN (voice-over): Danny Freeman, CNN, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOLOMON: And still to come, it's been a hectic year in corporate board rooms with CEOs coming and going in the hundreds. We'll look at the sort of people who are getting the top jobs, and the pattern that emerges has an old-fashioned look.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOLOMON: Welcome back. And before we go, one more thing. Keen observers of Corporate America have maybe picked up on 2024's hottest trend in executive leadership. It's been called "Bringing back the white guy". In a year when the number of departing CEOs is higher than usual in the U.S., the number of company boards picking a woman or picking a person of color to fill the vacancy is dropping.
Let's bring in CNN Senior Business Writer Allison Morrow, who joins us from New York.
Allison, I read your piece last night. I thought it was really interesting. So, let's just walk us through first what we're seeing in terms of the level of CEOs that are stepping down and who they're being replaced with.
ALLISON MORROW, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR WRITER: Absolutely. So, like you said, there has just been a lot of churn this year, and the big driving force behind that, companies aren't going to generally disclose why the boss is leaving or why the boss is getting the boot in some of these cases, but the major theme across Corporate America was the pandemic.
So, in the early 2020s when things were in upheaval, workforces were confronting hybrid work for the first time. There were mass layoffs. Inflation started spiking. All these things made it so that corporate boards wanted a steady hand during a crisis. And now that the pandemic is kind of in the rear view, it's -- the economy is stabilizing. Corporate profits are doing great. Stock prices are doing great. It's kind of a moment for corporate boards to say, OK, we're ready to look at what the next era looks like, and then, frankly, some of those CEOs who made it through the pandemic are pretty burned out.
SOLOMON: Any sense based on your reporting of why we're seeing these vacancies being replaced by more men than women? And to be fair, there weren't many women to begin with. What did you learn on that?
MORROW: It's a question for the ages, Rahel. I wish I had a simple answer, but I think it comes -- we should note that women have made a ton of progress in Corporate America, and some of that progress has stalled. The reasons why it could be very complex, but one of the things that I've come across repeatedly is just muscle memory. When companies are making big changes or in a politically uncertain environment like we're in now in the U.S., they're seeing uncertainty down the road, and they're defaulting to what they're comfortable with. And for the history of Corporate America, that's been a middle- aged, older white male in the corner (ph) office, and I think that's what we're seeing companies do now.
[11:55:00]
SOLOMON: Yeah. And it's, Allison, not just sort of corporate board rooms. I mean, you could sort of extract that. We've seen that in a variety of places. And one thing that I thought was really interesting in your piece is it's not just the number of women or people of color who at the top in terms of the CEO, but it's also their average amount of time. That differs quite a bit from white men.
MORROW: Yeah. There is a term that was popularized a few years ago called the glass cliff, which was a play on the glass ceiling that women often face when they're climbing the ranks in Corporate America. And it's this tendency of boards, when a company is in crisis, they tend to toss a woman into the job, and women who have historically not had as many opportunities to lead a company often sign up for it, and it looks like a woman taking over, maybe she'll stabilize things. But, when things don't work out, they're very quick to turn around and say, OK, we're going to go back to the tried and true male CEO.
SOLOMON: Yeah. Really interesting piece, not the most optimistic, Allison, but it was an interesting piece, nonetheless. Thanks for bringing it to us here. Thank you, Allison Morrow.
MORROW: Thanks, Rahel.
SOLOMON: All right. And we know your time is money. So, thank you for spending some time with me. I'm Rahel Solomon live in New York. Stick with CNN. One World is coming up next.
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