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CNN This Morning
Harris And Walz Wrap Up Blitz Of Key Battleground States; Harris Echoes Trump, Backs Eliminating Federal Taxes On Tips; Trump Campaign Says It Was Hacked, Unclear Who Is Responsible; Vance Brushes Off Democrats Calling Him, Trump Weird; Harris Plans To Roll Out Economic Policy Platform Next Week; Biden, Harris To Hold First Joint Event Since He Exited Race; All 62 Bodies Recovered From Brazil Plane Crash; Evacuation Ordered In Kursk Region After Ukraine Missile Attack; Russian Media: More Than 76,000 People Evacuated From Kursk Region; Police Officer Fighting For His Life After Protest In Ferguson, Missouri; Georgia Officials Want U.S. Citizens Only Signs At Polling Places. Georgia Officials Want "U.S. Citizens Only" Signs At Polling Places; Some Schools Teaching Mindfulness And Meditation To Students; Team USA Gymnast Jordan Chiles Stripped Of Bronze Medal; USA Edges France For 5th Straight Men's Basketball Gold; Childhood Vaccines Prevented Millions Of Illnesses, Deaths Since 1994; "Misinformation Part 2: Patriots, Pillows And Paper Ballots" Airs Tonight At 8PM ET/PT. Aired 6-7a ET
Aired August 11, 2024 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[06:00:44]
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Welcome to CNN THIS MORNING. It's Sunday, Sunday, Sunday, Sunday, August 11th. I'm Victor Blackwell.
AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: It's Sunday, if you didn't know. I'm Amara Walker. Thank you so much for being with us.
And here's what we're working on for you this morning. Vice President Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, wrapped up their battleground state tour in Nevada last night. The policy first pitched by former President Trump that Harris is now embracing.
BLACKWELL: The Trump campaign says, it has been hacked after internal campaign documents were sent to "Politico." Who the campaign is blaming for the hack and what the White House is saying about it.
WALKER: There are new details this morning about the plane crash in Brazil. What we're learning about the victims in the crash and how Brazil is preparing to honor them.
BLACKWELL: Plus, why some schools are now adding mindfulness programs and the impact they're having on students. That's coming up.
We're starting this morning with the race for the White House. Democrats are wrapping up their introductory tour of a new ticket.
WALKER: Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, finished their first week of campaigning last night in Las Vegas. Nevada is considered a critical battleground for November. And in a state that relies on tourism, Harris is now echoing a policy pitch that Donald Trump first proposed. We'll have more on that in a moment.
BLACKWELL: The Harris campaign is also attempting to clear up questions about Walz's military record. They say that Walz misspoke in a 2018 video. This is the one in which he suggested that he served in a war zone during his 24 years as a national guardsman. He did not.
Republicans and the Trump campaign have heavily scrutinized Walz's military record. Vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance has accused Walz of stolen valor.
Let's start with the Harris-Walz campaign. And this week, one blitz of the battlegrounds. CNN's national politics reporter -- correspondent, I should say, Eva McKend has the latest from their rally in Las Vegas.
EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Victor, Amara, at a worker focused rally in Las Vegas, Vice President Harris pledging to eliminate taxes on tips for hospitality and service workers if elected. Now, to be clear, this is a policy former President Donald Trump also supports and has been campaigning on for weeks.
The vice president looking to mobilize workers in this key battleground state. She received the support of the Culinary Union and their 60,000 members. And this message seemed tailor-made for them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And it is my promise to everyone here, when I am president, we will continue our fight for working families of America, including to raise the minimum wage and eliminate taxes on tips for service and hospitality workers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCKEND: The vice president will spend Sunday in San Francisco at a fundraiser. And then next week we expect to see a formal rollout of her economic policy plan, a plan that she says will address inflation and how Joe aimed to bring costs down. Victor, Amara.
BLACKWELL: All right. Eva, thank you. Also new this morning, the Trump campaign is blaming foreign sources for a hack of its internal documents.
WALKER: And the Biden White House is condemning any foreign attempt to interfere in U.S. elections. CNN's Jeremy Herb has more.
JEREMY HERB, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: The Trump campaign revealed on Saturday, it has been hacked. These hacked documents were sent to "Politico" which reported on Saturday that it received materials from an anonymous email account that included internal Trump campaign documents.
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung blamed foreign sources for this hack, suggesting that Iran was behind it. He said in a statement, "These documents were obtained illegally from foreign sources hostile to the United States, intended to interfere with the 2024 election and sow chaos throughout our democratic process."
Cheung pointed to a Microsoft report released earlier this week. That report said that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeted a high-ranking campaign official in an attempt to hack emails in June. Now, Microsoft's report did not say which campaign was targeted or if those hacks were successful.
[06:05:00]
CNN has reached out to the Trump campaign asking if they contacted law enforcement, and they declined to provide further information. We also reached out to Microsoft, which declined to comment, and to the FBI.
Now, the White House condemned any attack and attempt to interfere in the U.S. election in a statement on Saturday. It's worth remembering that in 2016, Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman John Podesta was the victim of a hack of his emails. And those emails were published by WikiLeaks in the weeks and days before the 2016 election, Victor and Amara.
WALKER: All right. Jeremy, thank you for that. Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance brushed off the Democratic ticket's branding of him and Donald Trump as weird. He spoke with CNN's Dana Bash this weekend. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. J.D. VANCE (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So, I think that what it is, is two people, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, who aren't comfortable in their own skin, because they're uncomfortable with their policy positions for the American people. And so, they're name- calling instead of actually telling the American people how they're going to make their lives better.
I think that's weird, Dana, but look, they can call me whatever they want to.
DANA BASH, CNN HOST: They have done both. They have both policies and they are trying to define --
VANCE: Dana, if you -- no, no. If you go to Kamala Harris' campaign page right now they still don't have a policy.
BASH: Well, let's talk about policy versus --
VANCE: Policy positions about what they're going to do. I think that's really insulting to Americans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: And you can hear more of that interview with J.D. Vance later this morning on "STATE OF THE UNION" with Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. It starts at 9:00 a.m. BLACKWELL: All right. Joining me now, "Semafor" reporter Shelby Talcott. Shelby, good morning to you.
Let's start here with Vice President Harris last night in Las Vegas. And she now supports eliminating federal taxes on tips for service and hospitality workers. Former President Trump posted on social media, Kamala has no imagination whatsoever as shown by the fact that she played copycat with no taxes on tips.
What's the significance here that this was first a policy that Trump endorsed, and now we're seeing it from Vice President Harris?
SHELBY TALCOTT, REPORTER, SEMAFOR: Well, I think it absolutely is notable particularly because, as you just noted, it caught the attention of Donald Trump. And Donald Trump has sort of been frustrated about this shift in running against Kamala Harris compared to Joe Biden. But it's also important because it sort of shows the shift -- the shifting landscape in this presidential election.
We have seen the vice president change some of her viewpoints from back in 2020 and sort of adopt new policies in an attempt to get some of those more nontraditional Democratic voters over onto her side.
BLACKWELL: So, we just a bit of the exchange between J.D. Vance and Dana Bash, that full interview coming. He points out questions about policy. The vice president says that she will be releasing her economic policy platform coming up this week. Are you expecting any significant departures from the Biden policies?
TALCOTT: That's a good question. I think that there is a chance that there are some changes from the Biden administration. But also, she has to be careful about this, right? Because she is a part of the Biden-Harris administration and we haven't really seen her too often sort of veer aggressively away from the policies that has -- that have been implemented in this administration particularly because it leaves open an avenue for Republicans to criticize her over that.
BLACKWELL: The campaign has now released a statement addressing Governor Walz's statements about his time in -- well, he called carrying a weapon of war in war, talking about semiautomatic rifles.
They say in 2018, he misspoke. This, obviously, is not going to be the end of this. But this is not coming from Walz himself. This is a spokesperson for the campaign.
How much does this matter outside of conservative media? Is this sticking this question over accused stolen valor?
TALCOTT: Yes. I mean, this is -- that as a big accusation. And I actually was on J.D. Vance's plane last week and spoke to him about this. And he argued that he did believe that this is an allegation that was going to stick particularly with veterans.
It is an open question, particularly, because it's such a complicated issue, right? Like a lot of us who did not serve in the military sort of have to weed through all of these terms. But at the end of the day, it's taking resources away from the Harris administration that they have to be addressing this. And I do think Walz, at some point, is going to have to talk about this on his own.
Now, one thing I will note also is that during the vetting process, I am told, that they did discuss this. This is something that has been brought up in the past when Walz has run. So, this is not necessarily new information but it is now on a national stage.
[06:10:01]
So, it has become a much bigger deal.
BLACKWELL: Yes. Jeremy Herb just talked about the security and technical consequences and elements of this hack of the Trump campaign. Let's talk about the political consequences, 2016 when the DNC servers were hacked, Donald Trump loved WikiLeaks. He read the reports and the emails at his rallies. His campaign said that, we believe the DNC that did the hacking as a way to distract from the many issues facing their deeply flawed candidate and failed party leader.
He tweeted, gross negligence by the Democratic National Committee allowed hacking to take place. The Republican National Committee had strong defense.
What are the political ramifications of this hack?
TALCOTT: We really don't know yet, right? Because -- particularly because we don't know the full extent of the hack. The Trump administration -- the Trump campaign has not said exactly what documents were taken. We know that allegedly it included material from a top campaign staffer.
But I will note, you know, Democrats have sort of argued, well, you said this in 2016. Now, look what's happening.
Then there are Republicans who are criticizing the entire thing, of course. So, it remains to be seen how many of these documents actually end up getting publicized, and really how damaging the material is.
Right now, all we know is this internal communication from a senior aide and that this research dossier about J.D. Vance has been allegedly taken.
BLACKWELL: Yes, before we even get to the content does some of this criticism that he had for the Democrats and for the Clinton campaign apply now to his campaign? We'll see if the Harris campaign goes down that line or if Donald Trump will answer questions about that. Shelby Talcott, good to see you on a Sunday. Thank you.
WALKER: Well, we will see Vice President Harris and President Biden together for their first formal appearance since Biden announced he was leaving the 2024 race.
CNN's Camila DeChalus joining us now from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Camila, good morning. What do you expect to see from Harris and Biden then in this joint appearance?
CAMILA DECHALUS, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Good morning, Amara. Next week, Biden and Harris will share the first stage for the first time together and really talk about lowering the cost for Americans. And that could potentially focus on lowering the cost of prescription drugs that we know is one of the things that Biden really wants to focus on while here remains in the Oval Office.
But there is a big question here on, when is the next time we're going to see Biden and Harris share the stage together? And that is really unclear because we do not know at this time how often Biden will hit the campaign trail for Harris and really sell that message to the American people of why they should back her and really the Democratic Party on the nominee in the next upcoming election.
But we really do know that this event will really signify what the administration has done to really help Americans and what they still set out to do while he remains in office. And that is going to be a key focus. Now on Biden's schedule in the upcoming weeks, we know that he was -- he will be giving an address at the Democratic National Convention. And in that speech -- but at this time we still don't know how many times he's going to hit the campaign trail for Harris and really sell that message to American voters about why they should be backing her. Amara, Victor, back to you.
WALKER: All right. Camila DeChalus, thank you very much. New developments out of Brazil where 62 passengers and crew members died when a plane crashed in a neighborhood. We have the latest on the investigation.
BLACKWELL: Plus, Russian officials are ordering people to leave one region as Ukrainian forces push into Russia. Coming up, Ukraine's effort to expand the battlefield.
WALKER: And officials in Georgia have pushed through some new rules ahead of the presidential election and now want to put some controversial signs outside polling places.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:18:48]
BLACKWELL: New this morning, authorities in Brazil have now recovered all 62 of the victims killed in Friday's plane crash outside Sao Paulo. The video shows the plane going into a spin, a spiral as it plunged to the ground.
The bodies have all been moved to a morgue to be identified and then released to families. Investigators say a preliminary report on the crash could take about a month.
WALKER: Sao Paulo has declared three days of official mourning in honor of the victims. Tomorrow, a wake will be held in Cascavel where the plane took off.
CNN's Stefano Pozzebon is in Brazil with the latest. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The plane plummeted to its demise in a matter of moments. But for those who witnessed the tragic crash outside Sao Paulo the images will last forever.
I don't know how long it will take before I can sleep again. I'm still in shock, says Gertrude Pereira. She filmed the fiery blaze from her own front yard.
Brazil has declared three days of national mourning as rescue workers tirelessly comb through the wreckage to recover the bodies.
RODRIGO SANFURGO, FEDERAL POLICE SUPERINTENDENT: I can say that we are working here, you know, since yesterday. We have 100 police officers working here.
[06:20:01]
POZZEBON (voice-over): Sixty-two people have died on flight 2283, but only a handful of bodies have been identified. Among the victims, a mother of three, a pharmacist traveling to visit her family, teachers at a local university, and the crew of the plane.
Brazilian authorities saying they recovered two black boxes that could help clarify what really happened. The cause of the accident, still a mystery. But in such a tragedy, there is also relief for those who felt it could have turned out much worse.
MICHELLE SIMOES, WITNESSED PLANE CRASH (through translator): The pilot was a real hero. He managed to crash in an open field without causing damage on the ground. Had he crashed two seconds before we would be dead.
POZZEBON (voice-over): A community and a nation looking at the sky still waiting for an answer.
Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, Vinhedo, Brazil.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALKER: The governor of Russia's Kursk region is ordering evacuations of the region after a Ukrainian missile attack injured 13 people overnight. The governor said debris from a downed Ukrainian missile fell on an apartment building, setting it on fire.
Russian state media reported authorities have evacuated over 76,000 people from the Kursk region so far.
BLACKWELL: Ukraine's ongoing incursion into that region marks the first time in two-and-a-half years of war that Ukrainian troops have entered Russian territory. CNN's Clare Sebastian is live in London. So, give us the latest first on the evacuations.
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, some 76,000 people, Victor, as you said, this should give you a sense of the scale of what's going on here. We know that this advance has been rapid, that it has very likely spread over a fairly wide area. So, 76,000 at least.
There was also a report on Saturday from the acting governor of the Kursk region saying that they'd asked to step up evacuations in a particular area where hostilities were ongoing. He's claiming this morning that the situation is stabilizing. And clearly Russia is racing against time here to try to push Ukraine back and stop it from digging in essentially.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has put out this video today where it claims that it has hit using an MLRS sort of rocket launcher. It has hit a Ukrainian military convoy with some five armored vehicles. We cannot verify this, but we have geo-located it to some 14 kilometers from the border near where the Russian Ministry of Defense has previously talked about, you know, their efforts to thwart Ukraine's advance.
But on the other side, we also have seen video surfacing online of Ukrainian soldiers actually replacing Russian flags on various buildings. These extraordinary scenes really that we see now Ukraine inside Russia taking down Russian flags. All of this, of course, begs the question as to what exactly their goal is. Are they trying to hold on to territory?
Military analysts have assessed that they might struggle to do that in the near time. And meanwhile, Ukraine, which has stayed pretty silent on this for the first few days, is now talking publicly about this operation. Take a listen to President Zelenskyy on Saturday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINE (through translator): Today, I received several reports from commander-in chief Syrskyi regarding the frontlines and our actions to push the war onto the aggressor's territory. I am grateful to every unit of defense forces ensuring that.
Ukraine is proving that it can indeed restore justice and ensure the necessary pressure on the aggressor.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEBASTIAN: The necessary pressure, perhaps, is suggesting that part of the goal here is to try to distract Russian forces, to pull them away from other parts of the front line. That pressure though not enough to prevent another aerial attack on Ukrainian cities overnight, a combined missile and drone attack.
The Air Force and President Zelenskyy suggesting that it involved North Korean ballistic missiles. A father and son were killed in the Kyiv regions. So, look, on the one hand, Ukraine has a new front inside Russia that it has opened up. And on the other hand, some of those same threats and an increasingly deadly summer for civilians.
BLACKWELL: Clare Sebastian, thank you. Surprising turn of events in Paris. American gymnast Jordan Chiles has been stripped of her bronze medal. What we're learning about that decision. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:28:48]
WALKER: Police in Ferguson, Missouri, say an officer is fighting for his life this morning. This is after a protest, marking 10 years since 18-year-old Michael Brown was killed by an officer in that department, turned violent.
Police say yesterday, someone charge at the officer causing him to fall and hit his head. That resulted in a severe brain injury.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF TROY DOYLE, FERGUSON POLICE: Since 2014 has been a punching bag for this community. The police department back in 2014 -- we don't even have them offices here anymore. So, what are you protesting? These officers are not even here no more.
Ten years later, I got an officer fighting for his life. This is enough. And I'm done with it. We're not doing it here in Ferguson.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: The man accused of charging at the officer faces assault charges and is being held on a $500,000 bond. The Georgia State Election Board wants counties to display U.S. citizens only signs at polling stations this November.
BLACKWELL: But some board members see this as a precaution. Voting rights groups, though, argue that the move is unnecessary and potentially intimidating of those legally entitled to vote. CNN's Rafael Romo has more for us -- Rafael.
[06:30:04]
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Victor and Amara, to state the obvious, it is illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections in the United States, and those who break the law face jail and deportation. So why is it necessary to post citizens-only signs outside polling stations? This is what we found out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROMO (voice-over): Voters in the United States are already obligated to prove that they are citizens before registering to vote. Registered voters in Georgia also must show a valid photo ID before casting a ballot in every election.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a motion and a second.
ROMO (voice-over): Now the Georgia State Election Board this week voted in favor of encouraging election officials to post signs outside polling places for the November 5th general election that would clearly say U.S. citizens only. The proposal was introduced by Republican board member Janice Johnston during a meeting on Wednesday. JANICE JOHNSTON, (R-GA) ELECTION BOARD MEMBER: This is the sign.
ROMO (voice-over): Johnston says the purpose behind the signs is reminding people that it is illegal for non-citizens to vote.
JOHNSTON: Anything to help non-citizens from unwittingly violating election law.
ROMO (voice-over): Sara Tindall Ghazal, the only Democrat on the five- member board, said the move is unnecessary because, quote, there's absolutely no evidence that this is happening in numbers that would make a difference.
SARA TINDALL GHAZAL, (D-GA) ELECTION BOARD MEMBER: I do not want my name associated with perpetuating disinformation that undermines confidence in our electoral process. The myth is that these people are registering and voting in large numbers.
ROMO (voice-over): Board member Janelle King, a Republican, said that the board is not trying to prevent any U.S. citizen from voting. On the contrary, she said, the whole idea is to encourage citizens to vote.
JANELLE KING, (R-GA) ELECTION BOARD MEMBER: That's what this is about. It's about abiding -- abiding by the law.
ROMO (voice-over): And there may also be a strong political reason for the U.S. citizens' only signs. Former President Donald Trump has repeatedly made outlandish claims about Democrats seeking to add undocumented immigrants to the voter rolls.
During a rally earlier this month in Atlanta, the former president specifically mentioned the three Republican members of the board by name.
DONALD TRUMP (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Three members, Janice Johnston, Rick Jeffares, and Janelle King, three people, are all pitbulls fighting for honesty, transparency, and victory.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMO: Georgia is hardly alone when it comes to this issue. Voters in eight states will soon decide whether to change their constitutions to explicitly ban voting by non-citizens.
The growing citizen-only voting movement marries two issues Republican's hope will motivate their base this fall, unfounded claims about election fraud and illegal immigration. Victor, Amara, back to you.
AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Rafael Romo, thank you.
Still to come, students are getting some help dealing with the stress of the school day. How schools are implementing meditation into the curriculum?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:37:46]
BLACKWELL: Some schools across the country are taking a new approach to helping students with mental health. They're teaching them mindfulness and meditation. And research shows that it's making a difference especially in low-income schools where a lot of families, they have higher stress levels.
WALKER: We're joined now by Dr. Laura Bakosh, a psychologist and the CEO and Co-Founder of Inner Explorer.
Laura, the focus on children's mental health seemed to gain attention after COVID. Can you first off talk to us about these stress levels? Why are our children so stressed and what age groups are we talking about?
LAURA BAKOSH, CEO & CO-FOUNDER, INNER EXPLORER: Yes, thank you so much for having me. The children today across the country in almost every age group are experiencing record levels of stress. So, the CDC and other organizations have recently put out reports that are showing us, depending on the age group, anywhere from 45 percent all the way up to 75 percent of students are reporting chronic stress.
And it doesn't just stop with students, its families, it's educators as well. And one of the -- I think there's a multitude of reasons, frankly. And many of those reasons aren't necessarily going away. These stress levels were increasing even before COVID.
So, schools are starting to look for ways to help buffer against stress so that children can actually feel better and perform better.
BLACKWELL: So, I have long thought that nap time should extend beyond early education. Right?
WALKER: Yes, at work as well.
BLACKWELL: At work as well. This is better than just taking a nap. This is mindfulness and kind of releasing that stress. So, walk us through it practically. What does it look like? How often? How long during the day?
WALKER: Because we're taking notes too.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
BAKOSH: OK. So yes, in fact, it's incredibly easy to do. A lot of people will say, I don't have time or I can't do it. And really, mindfulness is our human capacity to pay attention. That's all it is. And when you spend just a few minutes, say five or ten minutes a day, every day, spending time just, you know, closing your eyes, looking downward, and just experiencing your thoughts, your emotions, your feelings, the world around you, it actually does incredible things biologically.
[06:40:06] So, it reduces the cognitive and the biological effects of stress on the brain and the body. It settles our central nervous system. It reduces that fight or flight instinct that we all have when we're stressed, and it actually improves thinking and learning and performance.
It's one of the reasons why you probably noticed a lot of the Olympic athletes are doing mindfulness. There's even a space in the Olympic Village for that this year. It's incredible that it's become so under, you know, it's becoming better understood.
The only point that I would love to make is that it is a practice that needs to be done every day. It is not something that you do just when you're stressed. You build the capacity to have stress resilience so that you're less stressed less often.
WALKER: I feel like I need to get your number and talk to you a little bit more.
BLACKWELL: It's so important, though.
BAKOSH: Yes.
BLACKWELL: Is that you can't just lean on it occasionally.
WALKER: Right.
BLACKWELL: You have to build up that skill.
WALKER: Yes, you've got to be consistent with it. I mean, do you have examples, Laura, of how it's made a difference in children, their behavior at school, and, of course, their mental health?
BAKOSH: Yes, absolutely. So, in the last 10 years that Inner Explorer has been around, we have seen a significant reduction in behavior issues in the schools because it makes sense. When students are feeling better and they're more regulated, they're less likely to, you know, act out. We've seen significant improvements in academic performance, so anywhere from 12, 13 percent to 25 percent better grades and test scores, and these are in key subjects like math and science and reading.
So, this isn't just about mental health. It's actually about overall performance. In fact, like with the Olympic athletes as an example, this is a way to help all of our children reach their potential and perform at their highest levels.
WALKER: Laura Bakosh, really interesting and important advice. Thank you so much. I mean, I have to admit that I think I've kind of ignored ideas about meditation and being mindful, but I mean, if --
BLACKWELL: Five minutes a day.
WALKER: Five minutes a day maybe it can make quite a difference in your life.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
WALKER: You have to try it.
Well, with the Paris Olympics winding down, all eyes turn to Los Angeles. Coming up, I speak with L.A. Mayor Karen Bass about her ambitious plans for the 2028 Games.
But first, some really high highs and one particular heartbreaking low for Team USA in Paris. Amanda?
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, one of the most iconic images of the Games should never have happened, according to the Sporting Appeals Court, as U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles is stripped of her bronze medal over a judging round.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:47:136]
BLACKWELL: All right, final day of the Paris Olympics, and really some disappointing news. Jordan Chiles, a member of the gold medal winning women's gymnastics team will now have to give up the bronze medal from the individual floor final.
WALKER: Yes, it has to be heartbreaking for her. CNN international sports anchor, Amanda Davies, joining us now live from Paris with more.
Amanda, what happened?
DAVIES: Yes, I'm really sorry not to be able to start the day end the games with better news. Having had a week as a Paris 2024 medal winner, a really tough end the games for Jordan Chiles as the International Olympic Committee have confirmed, the U.S. gymnast will be stripped of her bronze medal from the floor competition. It's going to be reallocated to the Romanian gymnast, Ana Barbosu. Chiles has posted four broken heart emojis on social media saying she is removing herself for a while to protect her mental health.
We're talking about the event that gave us this, that iconic podium photo with Simone Biles, Chiles, and Rebeca Andrade of Brazil, the first all-black Olympic gymnastics podium. The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled on Saturday, the inquiry, Chiles files in the moments after her routine, questioning the difficulty level scoring came too late.
Chiles initially finished fifth with Romania's Ana Barbosu in third. But after petitioning her score, Chiles was then awarded additional marks that saw her edge out Barbosu for bronze. But the Romanian delegation complained to the highest sporting court, that's the Court of Arbitration for Sport cast ruled in Romania's favor. And the International Olympic Committee say Barbosu is returned to the bronze medal position.
Chiles's teammates Simone Biles and Suni Lee have sent their support on social media as well saying -- Biles saying, sending you so much love, Jordan. Keep your chin up, Olympic champ. We love you. Suni Lee saying, all this talk about the athlete. What about the judges? Completely unacceptable. This is awful. And I'm gutted for Jordan.
Chiles did win gold with them, of course as part of the team competition. We wait to see if USA Gymnastics may appeal themselves.
In happier news, the men's basketball final that the scriptwriters have been wanting hosts France and 20-year-old Victor Wembanyama doing their part against the USA's new era dream team. LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry and co (ph) just proving too strong. It was four- time NBA champion, Curry, adding to his legend by scoring 25 points, hitting four, three pointers in the final three minutes that all, but sealed the gold for the USA, a first for Steph, incredibly first Olympic gold for him, third for LeBron and a record fourth gold medal for Durant.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[06:50:12]
STEPH CURRY, TEAM USA, WON FIRST OLYMPIC GOLD: It's everything I imagined and more just the excitement of doing it with, the guys in our locker room, we all signed up for this mission to continue the USA basketball dominance. Obviously understanding it's going to be a really tough task with some great teams that we're going to have to face. And, you know, there's a sense of relief at the end, but it's more like a sense of accomplishment, obviously, knowing what we were able to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAVIES: In just a few hours time, the women go for their eighth straight Olympic basketball gold, also against France, looking to emulate the success of the U.S. women's football team here in Paris, something that felt like an impossibility a year ago after that early exit.
In the last 16 at the Women's World Cup, this was the one I was lucky enough to be at last night. In a matter of weeks, Emma Hayes has injected a new life into the setup, bringing her wing and winning ways from Chelsea in England as the U.S. beat Brazil for a third time in the Olympic final.
And on the last night of action on the purple track at the Stade de France, a purple patch for the USA is 4x400 relay teams taking gold in both the men's and women's races and setting records along the way. The men's event was closer than the women's, but they did it and in Olympic record time. So, the third straight games that both U.S. 4x400 teams have won golds. They were sensational. I got to say.
BLACKWELL: Amanda, that men's basketball final iconic and some of the stills that have come out of that of the fadeaway three from Steph Curry over Wembanyama and that night to the crowd there never going to be forgotten.
DAVIES: It was amazing. BLACKWELL: Yes. Amanda Davies, thanks so much.
Still to come, a new study shows childhood vaccinations not only save lives, they save money. We're going to break down the health and economic benefits.
Stay with us.
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WALKER: A recent CDC report highlights the ongoing importance of childhood immunizations.
BLACKWELL: It finds these vaccines not only prevented millions of illnesses and deaths, but provided significant economic benefits.
CNN's Jacqueline Howard has more.
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JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Amara, Victor in this new CDC report, researchers looked at nine different common childhood vaccinations. This includes the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, the polio virus vaccine, hepatitis A, hepatitis B vaccines among others.
And the researchers looked specifically at children born between 1994 and 2023. And the researchers found that routine childhood vaccinations will have prevented more than 500 million cases of illness. About 32 million hospitalizations and more than one million deaths. This is all within a child's lifetime.
And the researchers say that results in a direct cost savings of more than 500 billion for the country. When we think about the medical costs and the researchers say this results in an indirect cost savings of about $2.7 trillion.
Now, in this new report, it is noted that during the COVID-19 pandemic, we did see delays in some childhood vaccinations. This is because some pediatrician's appointments were delayed, canceled, or missed due to the pandemic. But also, this is partly due to the spread of misinformation leading to some families becoming more vaccine hesitant.
But the researchers emphasize that now is the time to make sure your child is up to date on their routine vaccinations. We're currently in the back-to-school season. So, remember to talk to your pediatrician about what's needed for you and for your family as you head back to school and as you think about your routine vaccines.
Back to you.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BLACKWELL: Conspiracy theories about the 2020 election led to the storming of the U.S. Capitol. Well, now, four years later, CNN's Donnie O'Sullivan traveled to -- traveled the country, I should say, to see how plans to cause chaos and subvert November's election are already well underway.
WALKER: Yes, he spoke with salesman and renowned election denier Mike Lindell at his factory in Minnesota, where he churns out both pillows and conspiracy theories.
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MIKE LINDELL, ELECTION DENIER: Otherwise, normally, if you've seen this --
DONNIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): His belief in election conspiracy theories and his insistence on pursuing them has almost cost him his business.
(on-camera): And the box stores and stuff kicked you out after January -- January, 2021.
LINDELL: January -- January 9th, when I got all the evidence.
O'SULLIVAN (on-camera): But do you realize what you're doing when it comes to elections? It risks all of this. Like the word --
LINDELL: I has risked all that, but I can't risk our country. I won't back down (INAUDIBLE).
O'SULLIVAN (on-camera): There's no moment where you say, you know what, I should just go back.
LINDELL: No. Never --
O'SULLIVAN (on-camera): Focus on meadows (ph).
LINDELL: -- never, never, never. I will never look back. I can't unsee what I seen and I can't unknow what I know. If you guys knew what I know, you'd be say, you'd go, wow, no, I get it.
O'SULLIVAN (on-camera): I want to try and find out. I want to try and understand.
LINDELL: So, this machine, I took it only one thing. Everything we send out has a bible verse in it.
O'SULLIVAN (on-camera): Wait, so this is, this is custom made to put a bible --
[07:00:06]
LINDELL: Yes, to put a bible verse in every single package that goes out of here, every (INAUDIBLE) --
O'SULLIVAN (on-camera): What? (END VIDEOTAPE)
WALKER: A new episode of "THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER," airs tonight at 8:00 on CNN.
