Return to Transcripts main page
CNN This Morning
Trump Holds Bronx Rally As Biden Courts Haley Voters; Kharkiv Facing Onslaught Of Russian Missile Attacks; Iowa's Deadly Tornado Upgraded To EF-4; Border Bill Bust. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired May 24, 2024 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:00:39]
JESSICA DEAN, CNN ANCHOR: It is Friday, May 24th.
Right now on CNN THIS MORNING:
Donald Trump courting Black and Hispanic voters in the Bronx, while President Biden tries to convince Nikki Haley supporters to stand with him.
CNN on the front lines as Ukrainian forces tried to keep their second largest city from falling to the Russians.
And the U.S. Senate failing again to pass as a sweeping border bill that once had bipartisan support.
(MUSIC)
DEAN: It is 5:00 a.m. here in Washington. This is a live look at New York City on this Friday.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Jessica Dean, in for Kasie Hunt. It is great to be with you.
Donald Trump and Joe Biden looking to gain an edge in the race for the White House by targeting voters in unexpected places, Trump is reaching out to voters in the Bronx in one of the most Democratic counties in the country. He's hoping to make inroads with Black and Hispanic voters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT & 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: African-Americans are getting slaughtered, Hispanic Americans are getting slaughtered, and these millions and millions of people that are coming into our country, the biggest impact and the biggest negative impact is against our Black population and our Hispanic population who are losing their jobs, losing their housing, losing everything they can lose.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: Trump says he has a chance at winning New York this fall, but that has not been done by Republican nominee since Ronald Reagan back in 1984.
Meantime, President Biden's team is hoping to sway Nikki Haley supporters after she announced she would vote for Trump this November. A Biden campaign official holding a conference call with her supporters from several states hoping to bring in anti-Trump Republicans.
And joining me now, "Washington Post" campaign reporter Dylan Wells.
Dylan, it's great to have you here. Good morning.
DYLAN WELLS, CAMPAIGN REPORTER, THE WASHINGTON POST: Good morning.
DEAN: Happy Friday.
I want to read you a quote from some of our reporting on this call that the Biden campaign had with these Nikki Haley supporters, the call which one source characterized as constructive and a constructive initial step began with a Q&A session for about 35 minutes with the Biden campaign official who wanted to know which policy issues were the most important to Haley supporters?
How does the Biden campaign thread this needle? Because what have you heard from these Haley supporters when I was talking to them on the road, not all of them are necessarily just going to go over to either Trump or Biden. They were deeply conflicted.
WELLS: Yeah, one of the organizers of this call described them to me as people who know they don't want to support Trump but aren't really sold on Biden yet. Obviously, a lot of these voters are Republicans, but they're also a lot of these double-haters types that we see who feel like they want an option other than Biden, other than Trump or independent suburban women really, because some of those key swing voters that both campaigns want to win over ahead of the general election.
But in this meeting, they brought a lot of thoughts on foreign policy areas where they'd like to see more from Joe Biden. And one of the messages that one of the organizers said to me was that they feel like they've seen Biden reach out to the left and they want to see him reaching out more to those kind of centrist supporters who might be willing to vote for him in November?
DEAN: Yeah, it is interesting because in our reporting, this is just part of a broader outreach from the Biden-Harris campaign to even Republican voters, independent voters as well, more conservative voters. I did think find it interesting to that one of the people on the call told are reporters that the messaging has been democracies on the ballot -- democracies on the ballot. Yeah, we get it, but we're Haley voters. We're supporting her because we believe in policy issues and solutions.
But that's not going to be enough as a cell, just that democracy is on the ballot Trump is not trustworthy on that issue. What kind of -- what kind of issues are strike -- are really getting at these voters. What do they care about? WELLS: Participants on the call told me that its things like securing
the border and Biden showing support for Ukraine. Nikki Haley, before she said that she was going to vote for Trump on Wednesday delivered a speech in which she really called Biden a catastrophe. And most of that was focused on foreign policy. That was obviously a key area for her during the primary campaign, given her stint as U.N. ambassador. And that's one of the top priorities of Haley voters that I talked to you who are now debating which of these candidates they want to vote for November, if at all.
[05:00:09]
DEAN: Yeah. And that's the key, right? If at all, what because maybe they write somebody in, and maybe they stay at home, which is not one either campaign wants, especially when it's probably -- when there's going to be small edges in a lot of these states.
WELLS: Exactly.
DEAN: Let's talk about, about President Trump going into the Bronx and trying to court these black and Hispanic voters.
It's an interesting choice of venue in a very, very blue district.
WELLS: Yeah.
DEAN: I think -- I think he -- Biden won it by some 68 points last go around.
Why is he picking that area? And what is he trying to sell to these voters?
WELLS: It's a very atypical location as you note, its much bluer than we normally see him and its a much more diverse crowd than you typically see Trump rallies and it's part of what the campaign is saying is an attempt to reach black and Latino voters.
Also, it's one of his first events in New York, in the New York area since his its first campaign in 2016, obviously, a blue state, but you have to remember that he's been in New York for his criminal trial in Manhattan. And so, he's been doing a lot more events in the New York area than we would typically see from a Republican presidential candidate.
DEAN: Absolutely, and we have the numbers among Black registered voters, their choice for president. Biden 48 percent, Trump 29 percent, and someone else, 20 percent.
A lot has been made of some of the polling that's coming out, that's showing Trump hanging on and getting a much larger share of the Black vote, then a Republican nominee typically what -- now, I think you have to underscore that it is May, right? And a lot of things can change.
However, if you're the Biden campaign, you really need to shore up that support. And if you're the Trump campaign, you need to solidify it. How are they going about doing those two things?
WELLS: Well, they both know how important these voters are. And I think you saw that with Trumps rally last night, these sorry not typical Republican voters. To your point, they tend to support Democrats and Joe Biden, but he's attempting to make these inroads by holding events where he says he is targeting then.
But at the meantime, the Biden campaign has really been releasing some ads and highlighting Biden's record with these voters and trying to show that even though Trump might be holding rally here, it doesn't mean that he is the right candidate for Black voters, and that Biden's record as more aligned with them.
DEAN: Yeah. And it's interesting too. It's not just Black voters. They're also trying that they were in mission again, Trump allies trying to reach out to Arab American and Muslim voters.
All right, Dylan Wells, thanks so much. Always good to see.
WELLS: Thank you so much. Good to see you.
DEAN: Have a great weekend.
Still to come on CNN this morning, more than 100 people feared dead after a massive landslide in Papua New Guinea.
Plus, a destructive tornado in Oklahoma, it was on the ground for nearly an hour.
And then this --
(BEGIN VDIEO CLIP)
GOV. MIKE DEWINE (R), OHIO: This is ridiculous. This is absurd situation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: We'll tell you why President Biden's name could be left off the November ballot in one state.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:12:25]
DEAN: Ukraine's second largest city, Kharkiv, is under assault, struggling to fend off relentless missile attacks by Russia. More than a dozen missiles hit Kharkiv on Thursday, killing at least seven people, wounding 40 others.
Russia's latest offensive is intensifying as their troops advance toward the city.
CNN's Nick Paton Walsh is on the front lines of the fight and filed this exclusive report. We do want to warn you, some of the images you're about to see are graphic. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Some towns, they can never let Putin take. And this, Lyptsi is one of them. Destroyed artillery on the streets. Homes aflame from an airstrike. But they can only move at night.
Lights off.
It's a perilous grip they keep, but lose here, and Russian artillery will be in range of Ukraine's second city, Kharkiv.
You can still smell the smoke here from an airstrike that landed just in the last hour or so.
This is life under the drone. We're the first reporters into the heart of the town, only soldiers left here underground. The Khartila 13th National Guard first tackled Russia's new offensive.
OLEKSANDR, KHARTILA NATIONAL GUARD BRIGADE: You saw how it's all burning. It's like that every night.
WALSH: Do you think there were good enough fortifications here?
OLEKSANDR: Nothing was prepared here. Nothing. Just nothing. All the positions are being built by the hands of the infantry. The Russians are trained professional soldiers. You can see it from their equipment, from their tactics.
WALSH: There were eight airstrikes just in the last hour. So we leave soon.
A pausing noise nearest, very close. And the only way they know who's drone this is, is if it attacks.
Is it your drone?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who knows?
WALSH: All around Kharkiv that don't have enough guns and the Russians have too many drones.
The 92nd Assault Brigade showed something that isn't even theirs.
Russian artillery piece that they captioned in the first year of war and the fighting in Kharkiv region. And now, they use strangely French mortar rounds to fire from here. It's just a sign of how little appropriate ammunition they have available to them.
This wire is a protection from APV drones.
Above, he sees a drone with two battery packs, a long-range scout.
Run. Basement.
It is not friendly.
[05:15:03]
If you can tell it's an attack drone, hide.
This seems to be a scout, so running is better before it calls in shelling.
Another artillery unit wants to show us something not even Russian, but Soviet. Made in the 1940s, it can still find newer Polish shells. In the autumn, it was 100 a day. Now it is 10.
Extraordinary to see something here that's three times the age of either these two guys holding back a new Russian offensive in 2024. I said a metal so old that it limits the number of times.
That sound warns another drone is incoming and back in the bunker, they show us the online board $30 gadget that is their best warning mechanism. The team here embody Ukraine's exhaustion and resilience. Older guys, wounded infantrymen.
Arthur (ph) has drone shrapnel in his arms still.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Moving towards Lozova?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes.
Orlan. Don't go out at all for now.
WALSH: We just saw an Orlan Russian drone passing overhead, so saying, but to stay inside.
On the way back into the city, we see what fuels this defense. This was a lakeside resort, football, cocktails, a beach.
Extraordinary devastation and they're here to collect the bodies.
A seven month pregnant woman was among the seven dead here. Another body found later, just fragments in the mulch.
Russia's advance looms over whatever life persists here, belching out over homes.
The dark is little salvation. This may be drone being hit, but they kill too when they crash in failure.
Flares breach the enforced blackout. Moscow is getting nearer again and they're always too many blasts before dawn.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DEAN: Nick Paton Walsh for us, thanks so much.
Just ahead, FEMA officials survey the devastation in Iowa after an EF4 tornado there.
Plus, Taiwan's new president coping with Chinas second day of military drills surrounding his island.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:21:57]
DEAN: Record-breaking heat for the south while severe storms threaten other areas over this holiday weekend. Take a look at this funnel cloud. It was spotted in Oklahoma Thursday, battering the region with very strong winds and large hail causing significant damage to homes in that area.
We also had a deadly tornado in Iowa earlier this week. It's now been upgraded to an EF-4. You're looking at the damage there.
FEMA officials surveying the devastation in Greenfield.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEANNE CRISWELL, FEMA ADMINISTRATOR: It's really overwhelming when you just see every home around you completely destroyed or sometimes completely gone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: Meteorologist Derek Van Dam is joining us now.
And, Derek, there's so much devastation. EF4, it only goes up to EF5. That's a very powerful tornado.
DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yeah, that is -- we often refer to that as the finger of God, right? Like that is about as strong as you can get in terms of wind speed and damage potential the Enhanced Fujita scale going up from EF0 to EF5.
Now, this is -- again, a closer look at the Lawton, Oklahoma tornado. This is just southwest of Oklahoma City.
Look at the multiple little vortexes that are wrapping around the base of this tornado, really fascinating to see that. And I'm sure scientists, meteorologists will be studying that video footage because that shows the initial formation stages of a tornado, what causes the environment to spin up a deadly tornado? Or at least a dangerous tornado?
Seventy-six tornado reports since Sunday, the active streak continues. In fact, it's not just tornadoes. We've got baseball size hail stones falling from the sky as well out of Oklahoma.
Here's today's threat. This is part of a multi-day severe weather threat that covers over 80 million Americans. Chicago, all the way to Dallas, Little Rock in Memphis included in that greatest probability of tornadoes exists across the northern sections of Illinois and southern portions of Wisconsin.
We are way above average year to date in terms of tornado numbers across the U.S. and we'll likely add to that through the course of this Memorial Day weekend. Here's our active weather now we have severe thunderstorm watches that are valid through about 8:00 a.m. central time.
I want to focus in on a storm that's rocking Little Rock right now, line of severe weather still impacting portions of central Arkansas and then it won't stop today. Tomorrow, we already have an enhanced risk. This time across the central and Southern Plains, large hail tornadoes possible north of Oklahoma City and then that threat shifts a little further to the north and east, including St. Louis, Cincinnati, and portions of Nashville for Sunday. This will obviously impact people on the ground, but also at the airports. One of the busiest weekends to travel.
DEAN: For sure, hoping everyone stays safe, especially in my hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas.
Derek Van Dam, thanks so much.
VAN DAM: Thanks.
DEAN: Twenty-four minutes past the hour now.
Here's your morning roundup.
Uvalde, Texas, now marking two years since a school massacre killed 19 children and two teachers there. Victims' families have agreed to a $2 million settlement with the city, but just filed a new $500 million lawsuit against the school district, employees and 92 school police officers who were part of the botched response to the shootings.
[05:25:09]
Humanitarian aid now flowing into Gaza days after it was offloaded at a temporarily built pier that was built by U.S. officials they say the operation faced significant obstacles on routes including looting and Hamas drones.
Right now, President Biden will not appear on the November ballot in Ohio because he won't be formally nominated until after the August 7th deadline. Republican Governor Mike DeWine calling this issue absurd, he's asking for a special session to fix it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEWINE: Ohio is running out of time to get Joe Biden, the sitting president of United States, on the ballot this fall. Failing to do yourself is simply not acceptable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: Coming up next --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Three-fifths of the senators duly chosen and sworn, having not voted in the affirmative. The motion is not agreed to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: Senate Democrats failing for a second time to get a border security bill passed.
Plus, why colleges will soon be paying their student athletes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
