Return to Transcripts main page

CNN This Morning

One Hundred Million People are Under Heat Alerts Today; Trump and Harris Rally in Georgia; Trump Defends Vance; Harris to Announce Running Mate. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired August 01, 2024 - 06:30   ET

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

[06:30:00]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN ANCHOR: Million Americans under heat alerts. And in the Central Plains, severe storms slamming Omaha.

Let's go now to meteorologist Derek Van Dam.

Derek, some pretty extreme weather across the country.

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, Jessica. So, something's got to give, or is bound to give when you have this amount of heat across the United States, whether it's a wildfire out in Colorado, or the Pacific Northwest, or the severe weather threat that unfolded yesterday across our nation's midsection.

So, here's the 100 million Americans under some sort of heat alert. Notice the East Coast. This, of course, factors in the humidity levels, making it so unbearable, so uncomfortable as you step outside. You can see the temperatures today flirting with the 100 degree mark from Little Rock to Wichita. Along the East Coast, slightly cooler, quote, unquote. But you factor in the humidity, that's when it starts to feel bad.

So, the atmosphere responds in this way. It produces severe thunderstorms to help cool itself off. Unfortunately, it has a lot of wind associated with it, knocking down trees and power lines. There have been hundreds of thousands of customers without power. Yesterday's wind gusts exceeded the minimum threshold for a category one Atlantic hurricane equivalent. So, that's saying something. You can see the power outages.

Here's today's severe weather threat across Ohio - or, excuse me, Indianapolis, Chicago, all the way to St. Louis. Damaging winds, large hail, and a chance of a tornado can't be ruled out.

Jessica.

DEAN: All right. Be careful out there.

Derek Van Dam, thanks so much for that update.

Up next, both Harris and Trump focusing in on Georgia.

Plus, rising tensions in the Middle East, raising concerns about a wider regional conflict there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:36:39]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S. (D) AND U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So, Georgia, today I ask you, are you ready to get to work. Do we believe in freedom? Do we believe in opportunity? Do we believe in the promise of America? And are we ready to fight for it?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Georgia is certainly top of mind this week. Kamala Harris holding her first rally as the presumptive Democratic nominee on Tuesday there in Atlanta.

Donald Trump and J.D. Vance expected to be there Saturday for their own event in that exact same venue where Harris was on Tuesday.

The key battleground state possibly back in play after Democrats worried for months that Biden had a very small shot at victory there.

And joining me now is Geoff Duncan, the former Republican lieutenant governor of Georgia.

Geoff, good morning. Good to have you on. Always nice to be up early with you.

You were at the rally this week. What did you observe? What were your takeaways?

GEOFF DUNCAN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, it was wild. I mean the energy was off the charts. I've been around this for a decade plus, and I've never seen really a political event that energized.

It was interesting. All the way from the parking lot to inside the arena I was taking selfies with Democrats who were just shaking my hand, even some giving me hugs, thanking me for protecting democracy. It was an interesting kind of out-of-body experience for me.

But look, she has got momentum on her side. There's no way to deny it. And I think you're even starting to watch the Trump team, Trump campaigns start to recognize that her - the Democratic reset has gone literally flawless over the last ten plus days.

DEAN: And Stephen Lawson, who's a GOP strategist, told "Politico" this about the state of the race in Georgia now. "It feels like Georgia's re-entered the chat. Georgia was not in play for Joe Biden. Georgia is in play for Kamala Harris."

Do you think that's right?

DUNCAN: Yes, absolutely. It's a - anyone's game right now. It's going to go down the stretch. And look, it doesn't take a whole lot of days like yesterday for Donald Trump to watch this shift and go favorable Democrat right towards Harris. That was just absolutely cringe-worthy to watch. And she's doing a really good job of trying to - trying to - to make sure she speaks the love language of the 10 percent in the middle. And yes, that's talking about the border more than Joe Biden did. Yes, that's talking about inflation more than Joe Biden did. It's also just acting like a president. It's acting like a leader. It's acting like somebody that can be respected.

We've been - had a void for that for so long as Republicans, and especially as 10 percent in the middle.

DEAN: And, you know, for that - that middle group that is maybe just getting to know Kamala Harris, there has been some concern about her record, even in 2019 when she was running for president, that, is she too liberal? What are her views?

Do you - but you feel comfortable, as a Republican, supporting her? How - how do you feel about her past views, and what would you say to those who are currently evaluating her about how you ended up where you are?

DUNCAN: Well, as a Republican, I don't know if I feel comfortable voting for somebody that I don't agree with 100 percent of the policies, but I absolutely feel much more comfortable voting for her to run the country than Donald Trump to run the country.

It is interesting to see some of those position she took in 2020 when she was on the campaign trail running for president. And those were - those were very far left positions. Green new deal, universal health care, banning fracking.

[06:40:03]

We're watching those start to unwind. We're watching her start to talk more openly about fracking, deny the fact that she wants universal health care, and the list goes on and on. So, I do see her positions moderating. And that's going to be important. It's - for somebody like me who's trying to attract that 10 percent in the middle to come her way, giving me more information to work with, more on policy positions is going to make my job easier.

DEAN: And when you're talking to voters in Georgia, you've lived there a long time, you know - you know your neighbors, you know your friends, you know people there, you know the voters, what are the issues that they care about the most? What are they - what's coming up in actual conversation?

DUNCAN: You know, I think two things, right? And we keep saying this over and over. Immigration has made a huge impression on everybody. The lack of attention to the border. Now, we watched the Biden administration puts some new laws back in place that are very effective, and she needs to continue to champion those. But she also needs to show further improvement at the border. But I think far and beyond the number one issue for everybody is the

economy. Some people wake up and this is the greatest economy they've ever seen going into retirement, and some wake up and they're just worried about how they're going to pay for groceries that day for their family. Looking at opportunities to really speak with a scalpel instead of a chainsaw on the economy I think is going to go really, really strong in Harris' favor if she's able to do that.

DEAN: All right, Geoff Duncan, it's always good to see you. Thanks again.

DUNCAN: Have a great day.

DEAN: You too.

Up next, the U.S. reaching a plea deal with the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks. We have that and more coming up in the morning roundup.

Plus, Kamala Harris in the thick of choosing her own vice presidential candidate. We'll talk about it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:45:58]

DEAN: Forty-five minutes past the hour now and here is your morning roundup.

The mastermind behind the September 11th attacks is getting a plea deal from federal process. Khalid Shaikh Mohammad's deal spares him from the death penalty. He's now been in custody for more than 20 years, but his military trial has been hit by delays over issues regarding evidence obtained by the CIA's torture program in the early 2000s.

Thousands are gathering in Tehran for a memorial service for Hamas' political leader Ismail Haniyeh. He was assassinated by a strike at his residence in the Iranian capital Tuesday. And Hamas is blaming Israel. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied being involved.

And while Israeli is staying mostly quiet about Haniyeh's death, the IDF did just confirm its fighter jets killed Hamas' military chief, Mohammed Deif, in a strike in Gaza in mid-July. Just releasing this video of the strike. You know, at least 90 Palestinians were also killed.

Pennsylvania law enforcement officials are accusing the acting secretary - Secret Service director of misrepresenting the Trump assassination attempt scene. Beaver County District Attorney Nate Bible alleging that the Secret Service is looking to place the blamed on other law enforcement agencies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYA RUDOLPH, COMEDIAN, "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE": Mr. Vice President, I'm speaking. I'm speaking.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Maya Rudolph will reprise her role as Vice President Kamala Harris for the new season of "Saturday Night Live." Rudolph first appeared as Harris in 2019 during the Democratic debates. And fans and "SNL" producers alike were eager to see her make a comeback for Harris' presidential run.

And turning now to that 2024 race where former President Donald Trump is standing behind his running mate. J.D. Vance had a rocky debut as the GOP's vice presidential pick. But Trump defending him in an interview yesterday, while also downplaying the Ohio senator's impact.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I've always had great respect for him. And for the other candidates to. But I will say this, and I think this is well documented, historically, the vice president, in terms of the election, does not have any impact. I mean virtually no impact.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Our panel is back with us now.

And, Mike, we were talking during the break. You said you pretty - like pretty much agree with the idea that you vote for the top of the ticket.

MIKE DUBKE, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Absolutely. Yes. I think most Americans, in fact if not almost all Americans, vote for the top of the ticket. The vice presidential pick from that perspective doesn't matter. If it matters at all, it matters because of being a counterbalance within your party of ideology, perception. I could see the vice president taking a running mate that is more moderate, more to the conservative side of the Democratic Party to balance her out. I also think, from a perception standpoint, there's a reason why she's looking at five white men.

So, from that perspective, and before you go into a convention, I think it matters a little bit. But at the end of the day, on November 5th, I think the president's right, it doesn't matter.

DEAN: Yes.

KATE BEDINGFIELD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think - I think tactically that - that is true. However, I think, you know, if you're Donald Trump and you're having to use your airtime to defend things that your vice presidential nominee has said, that's not good for you, especially when those things are in - in the vein of exacerbating a problem you already have with women voters. I mean that's part of what is so damaging about the things that J.D. Vance has said is that it - it reinforces for people that this is a ticket that doesn't, you know, care about women's rights, that, in Vance's case, maybe doesn't see women who don't have children as like humans. So, I think, you know, yes, I would agree that from an electoral

standpoint it is - it has historically been true that the vice presidential nominee does not ultimately - is not the person that people are ultimately pulling the lever for. But if they're causing you problems that is - is - means that you're having to use your airtime to defend things they've said, that is not - that's not good.

DEAN: Yes.

BEDINGFIELD: That's not good for you.

DEAN: Yes. Toluse.

TOLUSE OLORUNNIPA, WHITE HOUSE BUREAU CHIEF, "THE WASHINGTON POST": Well, we're also living through a moment where the American people are sort of seeing the importance of a vice president. Kamala Harris was Joe Biden's vice president.

[06:50:03]

He was the oldest president in history. And suddenly he can no longer run for president. And she becomes thrust into the spotlight.

And so, Donald Trump is not a spring chicken. He's in his late 70s. He'd be 82 in a first presidential term, or a second presidential term. And it's not unheard of for the American people to start thinking about succession, thinking about what would happen if President Trump couldn't finish his first term, or he couldn't run for a second term because he already run - he couldn't run for another term because he's already - would have already run two terms. And so J.D. Vance would be the heir apparent to the Republican Party. And so, for that reason, he is an important figure. Even if people aren't voting for him in 2024, they're thinking of him as the future of the party. They're thinking of him in the unlikely scenario that Trump could not finish out his term.

And so, it is an important pick. We're starting to see that through the lens of Vice President Harris becoming the presidential nominee. The American people are seeing the vice presidential choice as someone who could ultimately become the leader the party in the future.

DEAN: Yes, it does make it very real what we've just lived through in the last ten days.

And so, in the meantime, we have Kamala Harris, who has this huge decision. Here - you know, first probably major, major, major decision that she needs to make as this candidate is who she wants her VP to be. And I was asking, you know, they have to vet these people that we've been talking about. You know, there's these finalists. And that takes a really long time.

BEDINGFIELD: Yes, that -

DEAN: And this is a very truncated version of that.

BEDINGFIELD: Yes, that process normally is very intensive. It takes a long time. You're going through financial records, you're going through political statements. We were discussing this in the break, you're going -

DUBKE: Family.

DEAN: Yes, family (INAUDIBLE).

DUBKE: And there's a lot.

BEDINGFIELD: Your family. You're going all the way back to, what did you say in college, you know? And the internet has, obviously, and social media has, you know, grown this process exponentially.

So, yes, it is normally a very intense process. And having to do it in such a truncated timeline is - it's its tough. But, you know, the - one of the most important things is, you know, does - does she have the connection with this person. Who's the person who she feels like she can trust, like she would trust to be a governing partner, to Toluse's point, that she would trust to be the person who took over were there - were there to be an issue with her.

So, built - you know, building that - that trust and that connection is important. She also needs to be able to trust that person, as we're seeing play out in J.D. Vance's struggles here, she needs to be able to trust that person to go out and campaign effectively and carry the message and do no harm and, you know, and be an advocate.

So, all of these pressures are on the Harris campaign and on Vice President Harris right now as she's making this decision.

DEAN: (INAUDIBLE). And it's reportedly coming on Tuesday, which is according to a campaign official who spoke to CNN. And top contenders for that role include Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

And here's what Arizona Senator Mark Kelly had to say when he was asked about his conversations with Harris' team.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARK Kelly (D-AZ): I'm not going to comment on that. And, you know, we're not going to get into that. You know, especially today. You know, this is not about me. You know, this is about Donald Trump. And what a sad figure he has become. Sad and desperate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: And so, Toluse, she's looking at her strengths, her weaknesses, their strengths, their weaknesses. They're trying to get through this vet. How - what do you think, you know, these conversations might be like and what are you expecting on Tuesday?

OLORUNNIPA: Well, the vetting is happening in the public with some of these targeted (ph) interviews where we've seen a number of these candidates play the role of attack dog, going after Donald Trump, going after J.D. Vance. We've seen them sort of openly campaigning for the job. But behind the scenes they have to, as Kate said, they have to have this rapport. They have to be able to be connected and be able to show that they can work together over the course of four years, that Kamala Harris would be able to trust her vice presidential nominee, not only to campaign over the next 96 days, but to be a vice president for four years who could go to places across the world that she may not be able to go because she has other obligations and carry forth her message.

So, she needs someone who, as Mike said, is probably more moderate than she has been publicly, but also someone who could advocate for her, would be loyal to her, who would completely dedicate themselves to advancing her agenda in the Harris administration. So, that rapport behind the scenes is going to be very important. And I think that's what she's trying to feel out as she has these conversations with these various candidates.

DAN: And obviously, everyone wants to read the tea leaves. Any sort of information. And, in fact, "Axios" had a story, "Wall Street thinks Kamala Harris is picking governor for VP." "The Harris campaign is pressing Wall Street donors to cut their checks as soon as possible, citing a financial rule that bars contributions to tickets featuring a sitting governor."

DUBKE: They're covering their bases. I mean -

DEAN: Does this mean anything? Or is this just -

BEDINGFIELD: Yes, I - I agree. I will take that -

DEAN: Or is this just like, please give us the money now?

BEDINGFIELD: Yes.

DUBKE: Yes.

BEDINGFIELD: It's that.

DUBKE: It's also the end of the month.

BEDINGFIELD: Yes.

DUBKE: You know, I'm sure -

DEAN: Yes, that's right. It's - it was July 31st yesterday.

DUBKE: And all these - it was the end of the - yes.

BEDINGFIELD: Yes.

DUBKE: This is - this is nothing to do with who they're choosing. I would not - if "Axios" really thinks those are tea leaves, they need to examine where they get their tea. That's -

[06:55:02]

BEDINGFIELD: Yes, this is them using every tool - DUBKE: Right.

BEDINGFIELD: Every arrow in their quiver to get people to give money.

DUBKE: Exactly.

DEAN: Well, hey, listen, yes, they all want money right now.

And so, we have our - we can put them up again, the - kind of the finalists that are - with the - we know are being considered for the vice presidential pick. It's - it's - it is a lot of governors and then, of course, Senator Mark Kelly and Secretary Buttigieg there.

Kate, if you're Kamala Harris and her team, and you're looking at these five men, how are you evaluating this?

BEDINGFIELD: I mean, look, I see an embarrassment of riches. I see great - I see great choices here.

I personally - look, I think you can make a terrific argument for Governor Walz, who has been doing what the most immediate task of this vice presidential nominee is going to be, which is going out, campaigning effectively. You know, I think he has that happy warrior kind of joyful element to him that, you know, that she also has, which - so that's, you know, him on the ticket gives her an opportunity to kind of double her ability to be everywhere. So, I think he - he's potentially a really great option.

I think Governor Shapiro, obviously, it's no secret, Pennsylvania is going to be a huge, huge determining factor in the election. He's enormously popular there. He's popular with Republicans there. He's also a terrific communicator.

You know, but I could make an argument for - for any of those men. Obviously, worked closely with Secretary Pete during my time in the White House. Also, you know, nobody better in many ways at making the case, doing it effectively, being able to go in, you know, he's terrific on Fox News. He's excellent talking to Republicans.

So, there are - there are a lot of great options there. She's got a lot of good choices in front of her.

DEAN: And, Mike, as a Republican, what do you - who do you not want to run against?

DUBKE: Well - well, Buttigieg is now a resident of Michigan, which is another state that's very important. So, I think there's two pathways to victory. So, if you do believe that the vice presidential pick matters from the perspective of geography, the blue wall, which is Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. And so you've got - right now you've got two of the three that you're considering, with Buttigieg being Michigan. And then you've got the - I call it the southern smile, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada. And you had the governor of North Carolina dropping - you know, pulling himself out of the race. But these states - these are the states that matter. You know, having an astronaut on the ticket probably sounds really

good. Having somebody with some of the highest approval ratings in Pennsylvania in Governor Shapiro sounds really good. Having an attack dog that Pete Buttigieg has proven himself to be it sounds really good. So, I wouldn't call it an embarrassment of riches, but there are five competent white guy she can pick from.

DEN: And, Toluse, it offers another chance for a contrast. You've now had J.D. Vance rolled out. They've done their convention. Democrats are going to get their chance. This is an opportunity yet again to create, you know, a two different versions of - for Americans to choose from.

OLORUNNIPA: Yes, over the next 96 days you'll probably have three moments that this vice president will - vice presidential candidate will be in the spotlight. First when they're first announced. We've heard about this big seven state tour they're going to be going on. They're going to be getting a lot of media, a lot of focus. And then at the convention, you need someone who's going to be able to deliver a stemwinder of a speech, something that millions of Americans are going to be watching.

And then you're going to have a president - a vice presidential debate. And you need someone who's going to be able to take it to J.D. Vance and really call him out for a lot of the things that he's said in the past, for his general, quote/unquote, "weirdness" that the democrats are trying to put forward. And those three moments you - are going to be on the mind of Vice President Harris' team as they're thinking of who to pick. They want someone who's going to be able to shine in all of those different settings, in addition to someone who's going to be able to actually play the role of vice president in an effective way.

And so it's a very high bar to cross, even though, as we have mentioned, a lot of voters aren't going to be choosing based on the vice president.

DEAN: Right.

OLORUNNIPA: But this vice president is going to be in the spotlight in a very major way when they're announced, when they give their speech at the convention, and when they sit down at the debate stage with J.D. Vance.

DEAN: And what's interesting about that is, is this is a shorter vetting period and none of these, except maybe we could make the argument Pete Buttigieg did run for president, so he has been through some of the gauntlet. But none of these have really been vetted by the national press in a really concentrated way either.

BEDINGFIELD: That's true. That's absolutely true. And some - and that's some of what they're trying to factor for, control for, as they're going through the vet privately themselves. That's some of what they're trying to, you know, determine, anticipate, what are - what are the potential - you know, what are the potential pitfalls that the national press could really seize on? How would the candidate deal with that? And that's some of what you're seeing as these men have been out sort of effectively auditioning over the last week.

You know, the campaign, Vice President Harris, I imagine, they're looking at those interviews and thinking about, OK, how - you know, everybody's going to hit a road bump. Everybody's going to have an issue at some point during the campaign. How are they going to be able to navigate that?

[07:00:01]

So, that's kind of marrying the private part of the vet that's going on with the very public audition that we're seeing.

DEAN: The public that we're seeing. Yes.

DUBKE: But, I mean, somewhere in Washington, or maybe Wilmington, Delaware, there's 100 opposition researchers locked in a dark basement trolling -

DEAN: Having a great time.

DUBKE: Exactly right.

BEDINGFIELD: Yes.

DUBKE: Trolling the internet, trying to figure this out.

BEDINGFIELD: Yes. Absolutely.

DEAN: All right. Well, thank you to each and every one of you for being here, and thank you for joining us this morning.

I'm Jessica Dean. And CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.