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House Speaker Says Harris Attacks Should Focus On Policy; Harris Sees Fundraising Boost After Campaign Announcement; Today: Netanyahu To Address Congress. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired July 24, 2024 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL)
[05:32:30]
KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: All right, just after 5:30 a.m. here in Washington. A live look at Capitol Hill on this Wednesday morning. Good morning, everyone. I'm Kasie Hunt. It's wonderful to have you with us.
Republican leaders trying very hard to keep attacks against Kamala Harris focused on policy after comments like this one from Republican Congressman Tim Burchett earlier in the week drew backlash.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. TIM BURCHETT (R-TN): One hundred percent she was a DEI hire.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: And, of course, DEI stands for diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The Congressional Black Caucus chair, Steven Horsford, called those remarks "inappropriate and offensive."
When asked about Burchett's comment referring to Harris as a DEI hire, the House Speaker Mike Johnson had this to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): This election, as I noted at the outset, is going to be about policies, not personalities. This is not personal with regard to Kamala Harris and her ethnicity or her gender. It had nothing to do with this whatsoever.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Harris is on track to become the first Black woman and first Asian American to lead a major party's presidential ticket.
Joining us now is Punchbowl News' Andrew DeSiderio and Farnoush Amiri of the Associated Press. Good morning to both of you.
FARNOUSH AMIRI, CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, ASSOCIATED PRESS: Good morning.
HUNT: Thank you so much for being here.
ANDREW DESIDERIO, SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, PUNCHBOWL NEWS: Good morning.
HUNT: Farnoush, we heard from both Mike Johnson and also his predecessor Kevin McCarthy on this. Johnson telling our Haley Talbot that these lines of attacks were just a bad idea. Like, just please don't go there. And then this is how Kevin McCarthy put it -- watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEVIN MCCARTHY, (R) FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER: I would say two attacks I've Republicans give that are totally stupid and dumb to do is the DEI attack. I disagree with DEI, but she is the Vice President of the United States. She is the former U.S. senator. These congressmen that are saying it, they're wrong in their own instance.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: So look, we've had plenty of criticism for Kevin McCarthy, but politically speaking, he's pretty sure-footed in this, I think.
AMIRI: Yeah. I mean, they see this as why not focus on the policies where they are able to point to Kamala Harris and say you know, we have been criticizing Biden for the border for so long -- and they call her, like, the border czar, right?
HUNT: Right, yeah.
AMIRI: They're like why not point to these issues. And they know that by making this personal, by making this about gender, by making this about race they will lose a faction of the voter base that the Trump campaign is desperately trying to get, right? Young voters, Black voters. So why go into this? But the thing is, depending on what the party message is and what people end up saying are usually very different things.
[05:35:08]
HUNT: Well, and here, Andrew, was the new congresswoman from Wyoming about this. She did not seem to get the memo from the speaker or from Kevin McCarthy. Let's watch Harriet Hageman.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. HARRIET HAGEMAN (R-WY): I think she's one of the weakest candidates I've ever seen in the history of our country. I mean, intellectually, just really kind of the bottom of the barrel. I think she was a DEI hire and I think that that's what we're seeing. And I just don't think that they have anybody else. I just think that they're in real disarray.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: So what is your, I mean, reporting on how they're trying to handle this and what's next?
DESIDERIO: Not only is leadership trying to communicate that this is not the right way to go on the attack against their political opponents, but also just to say that she's -- you know, she's an intelligent woman.
She was elected attorney general of the largest state in the country. She was elected as a United States senator from the largest state in the country as well. She clearly has the background necessary for this -- for this job. She's been vice president for almost four years now.
Let's just focus on the policies, right.
And they feel like the Biden administration they can successfully pin on her, right? All of these things they've been talking about with regard to President Biden, to the extent that they've been running against only President Biden over the last couple of years here for this re-election race, is about the border, inflation, the economy, and things like that.
What the leadership is communicating down to the rank-and-file is that you can attack her for that stuff, too, because it's the Biden-Harris administration. In other words, let's just keep this focus on policy. And I think that's what you're seeing from the leadership right now.
HUNT: Yeah. I mean, Farnoush, it's very clear from what you're seeing, whether it's the memo that Tony Fabrizio put out -- the Trump campaign pollster -- yesterday -- if you read conservative media, you would -- you might think actually that President Biden was still running for re-election the way that they're trying to portray it.
AMIRI: Yeah. I mean, they didn't want this, right? They were working actively to make sure that Joe Biden was the nominee that Donald Trump was going to go against. And when Kamala Harris came in it ruined their entire -- you know, their entire party platform on, like, we are going to focus on this guy being really old. We're going to focus on this guy not being able to do the job. Now, Donald Trump is the oldest person in this race, so that goes against everything they had planned for so long.
HUNT: Very clearly.
Andrew, briefly, what is the sense of how this changes the map for House races and Senate races?
DESIDERIO: Yeah. I mean, that's the big question right now, right? Republicans down the ballot were very eager to attack their Democratic opponents for, in their words, lying about Joe Biden's cognitive abilities -- his mental acuity and things like that. Those attacks have suddenly been neutralized and they are trying to find new ways in. New ways to sort of attack their Democratic opponents.
But what you are seeing though is Democrats still having an advantage, particularly in battleground states where, for example -- even where in states where Donald Trump is slightly ahead, the Democratic Senate candidate is way ahead of the Republican challenger.
Pennsylvania is a good example of this. There was a poll that came out last week that showed Donald Trump up by three points in that state, but the incumbent Sen. Bob Casey, a Democrat, up by 11 points over his Republican challenger.
Democrats want to keep these races focused on candidate versus candidate races. But, of course, the top of the ticket is going to have an impact. We just don't know what that impact is going to be yet because, frankly, it's way too early. She's only been the presumptive nominee for, what --
AMIRI: Two days.
DESIDERIO: -- 36 hours now?
HUNT: And, yeah, it's an election cycle like no other.
Andrew, Farnoush, thank you both very much --
AMIRI: Thank you.
HUNT: -- for being here.
All right, let's turn now to this. Democratic donors have been lining up to support Kamala Harris' presidential bid.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We just had some breaking news. We just had the best 24 hours of grassroot fundraising in presidential campaign history.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: CNN reporting that Harris has secured enough support from delegates that she will be able to become the Democratic nominee for president.
The CEO of a group dedicated to growing Black women's political power telling CNN's Fredreka Schouten, "Her multiple identities are actually her superpower in this moment." And Fredreka joins me now to talk about her new reporting on this. Fredreka, good morning to you.
FREDREKA SCHOUTEN, NATIONAL POLITICAL WRITER, CNN POLITICS: Good morning.
HUNT: So, talk about the grassroots fundraising and what you have kind of discovered in your reporting as people who see themselves in Kamala Harris seem to be opening up their wallets.
SCHOUTEN: Exactly. I mean, it's really been striking. I mean, just the overall numbers are huge. They just updated them this morning. She's raised $126 million between Sunday afternoon and last night. I mean, that is a staggering amount of money.
[05:40:02]
And what's you're hearing over and over again from people is, as you mentioned, her multiple identities. It's not just the first woman who could be president, the first Black woman. The first Asian woman. The first woman of Jamaican descent.
And all of these people are opening up their wallets, some of them for the first time ever. I was talking with a donor -- a fundraiser, actually, yesterday, who said that he heard from people who had never given before and didn't know how, and they were texting him saying, "Now, tell me -- where's the link?"
And think about it. If you want to donate to someone -- turn over your credit card number, be bombarded with fundraising appeals --
HUNT: Let's not realize that that's about -- that's about to happen.
SCHOUTEN: But think about it. There was a sense that those people will also turn out to vote.
And then there is sort of core group of people -- her sorority sisters. Like, talk about a secret weapon there. We are seeing a lot of them starting to donate.
HUNT: Well, tell me a little bit about that because I think people are going to be learning a lot about the 'Divine Nine' -- you know, her sorority, AKA.
SCHOUTEN: Right.
HUNT: What is the origin of that and what does that represent to people?
SCHOUTEN: Right.
HUNT: And how are you seeing it in the details of the fundraising contributions?
SCHOUTEN: Absolutely. I mean, these -- Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. was founded in 1908 at Howard University, which is Kamala Harris' alma mater. And it is one of the oldest sororities in the country. It is -- they -- when you interview people, sometimes, they'll say to you -- you'll say, "What do you do for a living?" And they'll say, "I'm a banker and I'm an AKA member." That is how strongly people identify.
And one of the things that we saw in 2020 when she was named to the ticket with Joe Biden is that people started to give $19.08 to send a signal to the campaign that they approved. We're seeing that again this time. I mean, people are really messaging with their money. They've gotten 1,500 contributions of exactly $19.08 between Sunday evening and Monday evening. So --
HUNT: It's really interesting.
And I will say you can always -- you always know who they are at these events, right? You know, they show up to Harris events dressed --
SCHOUTEN: Pink and green.
HUNT: -- in the colors -- yes.
SCHOUTEN: Pink and green.
HUNT: Pink and green. And it's definitely a thread that has kind of been woven through her political story all the way along as well.
Fredreka Schouten, thank you so much for being here with us.
SCHOUTEN: You're welcome.
HUNT: I really appreciate it.
All right. Still ahead here on CNN THIS MORNING, Israel's prime minister addressing a joint meeting of Congress. We'll tell you the notable names who are skipping out on that speech.
Plus, President Biden addressing the nation tonight for the first time since he left the race.
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[05:46:57]
HUNT: All right, welcome back.
The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu set to address Congress later this afternoon. Netanyahu is trying to shore up American support for his war in Gaza and redirect the attention of a nation that's been preoccupied by, shall we say, some political drama in recent days.
The speech also comes as U.S. and Israeli officials are voicing increased optimism about the prospects of a ceasefire and a hostage deal finally bringing the war to an end.
Many prominent Democrats, including Vice President Harris and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, do not plan to attend the speech.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA): I'm not going because Benjamin Netanyahu has led that region into a complete humanitarian disaster. He has put his own personal interests ahead of the interests of the people of his country. And what he has done in Gaza is unspeakable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: All right, joining me now to discuss is Joel Rubin. He is the former deputy assistant Secretary of State for President Obama. Joel, good morning to you.
Can you walk us through the very tricky dynamics that are on display here? The fact that Netanyahu was invited by Republicans, this speech is going to be boycotted by some Democrats. But let's not lose sight of Netanyahu's precarious position at home as the ceasefire and hostage negotiations hang in the balance.
JOEL RUBIN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR HOUSE AFFAIRS UNDER PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA (via Webex by Cisco): Yeah, Kasie. It's great to be with you.
The prime minister is here, as you described, at what could not be a hotter time in American politics. But it's hot over in Israel as well. He's deeply unpopular. There are significant protests happening on a repetitive basis calling for him to cut the deal -- to finalize the ceasefire with Hamas to get hostages home.
And so his visit here -- it can be seen through that kind of a view, which is basically, he's trying to shore up his base at home and show Israelis that he still has the American alliance at his back.
But what he's walking into is a real dicey situation where he's become so deeply unpopular here, certainly amongst Democrats, that he has to kind of show that he can reach out. Put out that olive branch and try to show that he does care about the bipartisan support for Israel. That would be a success for him, but there are a lot of moving parts that he's facing in both directions.
HUNT: Yeah.
Joel, let me show you kind of a sampling of the lawmakers who are not planning on attending and how they're talking about it. It's actually -- we can show you a few people who are making the argument one way or the other starting with Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
RUBIN: Yeah.
HUNT: Let's watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WARREN: I'm not going. He has put his own personal interests ahead of the interests of the people of his country. And what he has done in Gaza is unspeakable.
REP. DAN KILDEE (D-MI): My constituents sent me to sit in that chair and to do it even on days that are unpleasant. So it will be an unpleasant day.
[05:50:00]
REP. PETE AGUILAR (D-CA): I feel when world leaders come to the people's chamber it's important that we hear their perspective. Israel is our closest ally.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Joel, I'm interested in how this plays out, especially with Kamala Harris now at the top of the ticket. She's talked about this a little bit differently than President Biden. Obviously, it's something that has been splitting the Democratic Party and you can see that split on display.
RUBIN: Yeah. Look, I think the vice president -- she's making the right call by meeting with the prime minister and also sticking to her schedule. You know, she has a job to do but -- multiple jobs right now, clearly, and this is -- this is part of the task of leading the country is ensuring that one is getting all the inputs they can. And I think meeting with the prime minister is very important.
But going to the speech, that's not necessarily a requirement. This is an add-on. And the prime minister -- he has the administration's support for Israel's security.
But I think what we're seeing with the comments that you're pointing out, some of these statements are incredibly serious and strongly worded about the prime minister being here. Because there's real concern that he's not trying to finalize a ceasefire agreement and move this war towards a path that is protecting Palestinian lives, protecting Israeli security, and getting to the ultimate goal of stability in the region, which includes a Palestinian state -- and that he has not closed that deal.
And so, part of her meeting today, which I think is very important, is to get that message across that he has to have an endgame. That this cannot be a continual open, unending, long war that Israel prosecutes, and that we can't expect the U.S. to support that inevitably or for in perpetuity.
HUNT: All right, Joel Rubin for us this morning. Joel, thank you very much. Very grateful for your time today.
RUBIN: Thanks, Kasie.
HUNT: All right, time now for sports.
Canada's Olympic Committee is apologizing after their women's soccer team was accused of spying on an opponent with a drone. How's that for a lead?
OK, Andy Scholes has more in this morning's Bleacher Report. Andy, good morning.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: I mean, Kasie, it is rather wild. So the teams are practicing in France getting ready for the Olympics. And while New Zealand was on the field they noticed a drone was just hovering above their practice watching. So they notified police who then detained the drone operator who turned out to be a member of the Canadian women's support team.
So, New Zealand and Canada -- they play each other in their opening group stage game tomorrow.
The Canadian Olympic Committee issued a statement apologizing, adding they are reviewing the next steps with the IOC and FIFA. There's set to be another update on what happens next with this later today.
Canada's women are the defending gold medalists. We'll see where that goes.
All right, the U.S. men's soccer team, meanwhile, kick off Olympic play later today. This is going to be the first time the U.S. men are in the Olympics in 16 years.
A tough first game against host France in front of what's expected to be a sellout crowd in Marseille. To get ready though, the team got together to watch one of the best sports movies of all time, "Miracle," the film about the 1980 U.S. hockey team beating the odds to win gold.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TANNER TESSMANN, MIDFIELDER, TEAM USA: Yeah. I think a lot of -- a lot of the players took away that the group is the strongest thing, not an individual player. In that movie they really -- they really show that any group of guys that really believe in each other and believe in the group can achieve anything. And I think our team feels that way and understands that the best chance we have is if we stick together. So I think that was a good movie for us to watch going into the games.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: All right, the U.S. women's basketball team, meanwhile, bouncing back from their loss to the WNBA All-Stars to easily beat Germany in their final tune-up before the game. A'ja Wilson scoring 19 points and grabbing 14 rebounds as Team USA won 84-57. They're going to open play Monday against Japan.
All right, to some baseball. Rookie phenom Paul Skenes pitching into the ninth inning for the first time in his career last night, but he gave up this RBI single to Cardinals' Alec Burleson, and that would be the game-winner. Skenes with 8 1/3 innings giving up just two runs and striking out eight, but he gets the first loss of his career. Two-one the final.
But, Kasie, it was 'Bark in the Park Night' in Pittsburgh last night and check out these pups. Their owner put some mustaches on them to support Paul Skenes out there. 'Bark in the Park Night' always one of the best nights of the season in baseball wherever you are. You get to see all the cute doggies out there.
HUNT: I love it. Are you kidding me? I -- we should just, like, roll this for a couple of hours and just watch that in the morning.
SCHOLES: Make everybody feel better for their morning, you know?
HUNT: Andy, thank you.
SCHOLES: All right.
HUNT: I really appreciate it.
All right. Coming up next here, Vice President Harris kicks off the sprint -- and, man, it is a sprint for the White House in a pivotal battleground state.
Plus, we're going to welcome Democratic Congressman Pat Ryan ahead of President Biden's address to the nation tonight.
[05:55:00]
(COMMERCIAL)
HUNT: It's Wednesday, July 24. Right now on CNN THIS MORNING --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: You all helped us win in 2020, and in 2024 we will win again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Kamala Harris officially on the trail, holding her first rally of the 2024 campaign, if you can believe that, in front of a raucous crowd in Milwaukee.
Plus, an address to the nation. Tonight, President Biden will speak from the Oval Office to explain why he's not running again.
And a not-so-warm welcome. Protesters filling the Capitol Rotunda and nearly 90 members of Congress saying that they won't attend Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address tonight.
Plus, outdoor rallies could soon be a thing of the past for Donald Trump. The warning from the Secret Service after the attempt on his life.
