Return to Transcripts main page

CNN This Morning

Harris Echoes Trump, Backs Eliminating Federal Taxes On Tips; Vance: "Weird" That Dems Are Name-Calling Instead of Sharing Policies; 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 Site; Source: Hamas Leader Wants Ceasefire Deal; Death Toll In Strike On Gaza School And Mosque Compound Rises To 93. Teens and Mental Health; Jordan Chiles to be Stripped of Bronze Medal; Paris Passing Olympic Flag to Los Angeles; L.A. Mayor Karen Bass to Make History at Closing Ceremony in Paris. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired August 11, 2024 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It has a bible verse in it.

DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wait, so this is custom made to put a bible --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, to put a bible verse in every single package that goes out of here. Every --

O'SULLIVAN: What?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AMARA WALKER, CNN HOST: A new episode of "The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper" airs tonight at 8:00 on CNN.

Good Sunday morning to you, everyone. Welcome to CNN This Morning. It is Sunday, August 11th. I'm Amara Walker.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Victor Blackwell. Good to be with you. Thank you for being with us.

Here's what we're working on for you this morning. Vice President Harris and a running mate, Tim Walz, they wrapped up their battleground state tour in Nevada last night. Now the policy first pitched by former President Trump that Harris is now embracing. We'll tell you what that is.

WALKER: And 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?

BLACKWELL: Oh, it was a wild week last week on Wall Street with markets going into a tailspin and then a rebound. What you can do to help shore up your financial future during some times of economic uncertainty.

WALKER: Plus, Paris will officially pass the Olympic flag to Los Angeles this afternoon as L.A. prepares to host the 2028 games. We are joined by L.A. Mayor Karen Bass for more on what she has learned from the current post-city and how L.A. is preparing.

BLACKWELL: So just a few hours ago, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz wrapped up their sweep through several key swing states. The Democratic ticket ended their first five days as a running mates with a stop in Las Vegas.

Nevada is considered a critical battle 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.

WALKER: The Harris campaign is also saying that Walz misspoke in a 2018 video in which he suggested that he served in war on the battlefield during his 24 years as a National Guardsman. While Walz did not serve in a combat zone, he did deploy to Italy in support of the U.S. war effort in Afghanistan.

Republicans at the Trump campaign have heavily scrutinized Walz's military record, and Vice Presidential nominee J.D. Vance has accused Walz of stolen valor. Let's begin with the Harris-Walz campaign and its week one blitz of battleground states.

BLACKWELL: CNN's National Politics Correspondent 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 battleground state. She received the support of the culinary union in their 60,000 members. And this message seemed tailor made for them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: And it is my promise to everyone here, when I am president, we will continue our fight for working families of America.

(CHEERING)

HARRIS: Including to raise the minimum wage, and eliminate taxes on tips for service and hospitality workers.

(CHEERING)

(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'll says will address inflation and how she'll aim to bring costs down. Victor, Amara?

BLACKWELL: Eva, thank you.

Also new this morning, the Trump campaign is blaming foreign sources for a hack of its internal documents.

WALKER: Politico reports that the anonymous emails contained internal documents from the Trump campaign, including a dossier on running mate J.D. Vance and his potential vulnerabilities. A spokesman for the Trump campaign issued a statement to CNN, quote, saying, "These documents were obtained illegally from foreign sources hostile to the United States, intended to interfere with the 2024 election and sow chaos throughout the Democratic process."

BLACKWELL: Now the Trump campaign says Iran was behind the hack. A site of Microsoft report that Iranian operatives had hacked the account of an unnamed campaign official. Iran denies any involvement.

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's a portion of that conversation.

(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 aren't comfortable 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 like, they can call me whatever they want to.

[07:05:07]

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: They have done both. They have both policies, and they are trying to define it as well. I want to --

VANCE: No, no. If you go to Kamala Harris's 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)

BLACKWELL: You can watch more of that interview with J.D. Vance later this morning on State of the Union with Jake Tapper and Dana Bash starts at 9:00 a.m.

WALKER: All right, joined now by Axios Congressional Reporter Stephen Neukam. Stephen, good morning to you. Let's talk first about this big campaign promise from Harris that Trump first made, saying that she's going to eliminate taxes on tips for service workers, something, of course, I just said Trump advocated for first. Should that benefit her campaign? How was it received?

STEPHEN NEUKAM, CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, AXIOS: Yes, a bit of a surprise. But look, the -- n Nevada, especially in Las Vegas, that is an area of a lot of gig workers. I mean, appealing to that class of voter is super important to both of these campaigns. So while it follows the Trump campaign, it's -- I guess it's not super surprising.

We know that this is at least anecdotally in conversations that reporters have had on the ground in Las Vegas is that this is a, yes, a very popular policy position. So, yes, interesting to see the Harris campaign followed the Trump campaign at this point.

WALKER: Harris also talked about immigration. Let's listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: We know our immigration system is broken, and we know what it takes to fix it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

HARRIS: Comprehensive reform that includes, yes, strong border security and an earned pathway to citizenship. Donald Trump doesn't want to fix this problem. He talks a big game about a lot of things, but he talks a big game about border security, but he does not walk the walk.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: So Harris there on the offense about her immigration record, how did it go over with the crowd? Given that Nevada does have a substantial Latino population, I think Pew, excuse me, Pew Research had -- showed that Latinos make up 22 percent of total eligible voters in Nevada.

NEUKAM: Well, it's interesting to see the Harris campaign try to go on offense on this issue. This is an issue that Democrats for, you know, a number of election cycles at this point have played defense on. It's something that the Trump campaign and national Republicans have made a top issue in the presidential campaign, Senate campaigns, House campaigns.

And it's sort of goes back to congressional Democrats over the last few months, putting together border proposals, trying to get -- flip the messaging on this issue in Congress and on Capitol Hill, and now you're starting to see that on the campaign trail as well.

WALKER: Well, the Republicans have been hitting the Democratic ticket pretty hard over immigration, but also over Tim Walz's military service. You have the campaign now saying that the governor misspoke when Walz said that he carried weapons of war when he was never on the battlefield. Could this potentially really hurt the campaign given what we saw in 2004 when those swift boat attacks had John Kerry slipping in the polls as a result?

NEUKAM: Well, we'll have to see what the polls say. I think it's still a little bit too early, but in all the excitement and sort of the rollout of Harris as the nominee picking Walz as the running mate. The one thing that seems to have stuck the most, or the conversation around Walz, around the campaign that has seemed to stick around the most is this conversation about his service record and what his mess misrepresentations of that in the past and on the campaign trail.

So we're going to need a couple of weeks to see how this plays because it's still so early, but of all the attacks that Republicans have used so far, that seems to be the one that's most salient.

WALKER: So Vice President Harris, she's going to be rolling out her economic policy platform next week. What will you be listening for?

NEUKAM: Well, look, we're going to be listening for any type of messaging at this point, any type of direction that uh, Harris administration would use and how it differentiates from the Biden campaign. Democrats, there's anxiety, at least in -- on Capitol Hill, senior Democrats, more progressive Democrats talking about how the party doesn't have enough of an economic message.

What is the economic platform? What can you tell voters about what you're going to do in a second term? There's a lot of conversation about protecting democracy and the threat to democracy that the former president that they see former president Trump ads, but folks like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, these more progressive folks have worried that there needs to be a conversation, a more forward conversation about the party's economic policy.

[07:10:04]

So we're going to be looking for that. And also again, how does she differentiate from the Biden administration.

WALKER: Yes, how will she differentiate, especially as we've been on this wild ride with the markets this past week.

Stephen Neukam, good to see you. Thanks.

BLACKWELL: So this week, we'll see the Vice President and President Biden for their first formal appearance together since President Biden announced he was leaving the 2024 race. CNN's Camila DeChalus joins us now from Rehoboth Beach. So, what do we expect to see and hear from this joint appearance?

CAMILA DECHALUS, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Good morning, Victor. What we know at this time is that the event will be held in Maryland and will focus on lowering costs for Americans. And that could potentially mean them focusing on lowering the cost of prescription drugs, which we know is one of the things that Joe Biden says he really wants to focus on while he remains in the Oval Office.

Now, Victor, as you mentioned, this will be the first time that they share a stage since Biden announced that he's dropping out of the race and formally endorsed Kamala Harris. And -- but the big question that remains is how often will he hit the campaign trail for Harris and really sell that message to voters of why they should throw their support behind her and that is just unclear at this time.

But what we know on his schedule so far is that later this month, he will be giving a speech at the Democratic National Convention And after that, we just know that he has signaled that he will do whatever in his power to really ensure that he gets the message out there to voters and really helps her on the campaign trail or at least in his capacity serving at the White House and really focusing on what his legacy will be there in the months ahead.

Now, Victor, another thing that just really wants to just really highlight in this moment at this time is that there is a lot of momentum around Harris at this time and what she's saying on the campaign trail and what she's focused out to do.

So this event that they're going to have in Maryland, really highlighting what the administration is doing for the American public and what they're going to set out to do in the months ahead. While Biden still remains in office, will be very pivotal to Harris while she hits the campaign trail.

BLACKWELL: All right, Camila DeChalus for us there in Rehoboth Beach. Thank you.

Still to come, investigators are looking for what caused that tragic plane crash in Brazil that killed 62 people, but we're told to expect it'll take a little time.

WALKER: Plus, new calls for an immediate ceasefire after Israel hit a school in Gaza. We will have the latest.

BLACKWELL: And how would you feel about a car free Olympics? The ambitious plan L.A.'s mayor has for the 2028 games.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:17:26]

BLACKWELL: All 62 bodies have now been recovered from the site of a plane crash in a neighborhood outside of Sao Paolo, Brazil. Officials are now trying to identify all the victims. They say it could take 30 days to deliver a preliminary report on what caused the plane to go down. Brazil's president has declared a three-day mourning period.

Just in, the leader of Hamas wants a ceasefire deal, according to Egyptian and Qatari mediators. This comes from an Israeli source familiar with negotiations. However, it's unknown if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will agree to a deal.

WALKER: Vice President Kamala Harris is among high profile leaders stressing the need for peace in the region, something she emphasized at a rally in Phoenix.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Yet again, there are far too many civilians who have been killed. I mean, Israel has a right to go after the terrorists that are Hamas. But, as I have said many, many times, they also have I believe an important responsibility to avoid civilian casualties.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Harris also stressed the need to get the hostages out and to get a ceasefire deal worked out immediately. This comes as many countries have expressed outrage over Israel's deadly airstrike that hit a school and mosque compound on Saturday that officials in Gaza say killed 93 people. Now CNN cannot independently verify the number of deaths due to lack of access.

BLACKWELL: CNN Jerusalem Correspondent Jeremy Diamond joins us now from Haifa, Israel. Jeremy, so the latest you have on this potential for a ceasefire deal, at least the Hamas leader now saying that they want to move forward on one.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, listen, Victor, this is going to be a critical week in these ceasefire negotiations. As we have seen these regional tensions flaring up, a ceasefire could potentially present an off ramp to keep this region from spiraling into all-out war.

And amid all of that, the Egyptian and Qatari mediators have told their Israeli counterparts that Yahya Sinwar, Hamas's political leader does want a ceasefire deal. That's according to an Israeli source familiar with the matter. Whether the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants a deal is more uncertain.

The Prime Minister's allies have indicated to others that he does want a deal, that he is prepared to move forward with the deal regardless of how that impacts his governing coalition, regardless of the pressure from the right wing of his governing coalition. But Israel's security establishment who is heavily involved in these negotiations, it remains far more skeptical of the Israeli Prime Minister's willingness to strike a deal.

[07:20:07]

What is clear, though, is that U.S. officials are bringing enormous pressure to bear on the Israeli government to reach a deal. And they will continue to bring that pressure to bear on the Israeli Prime Minister directly as this week advances.

And that's because U.S. officials have made clear to Israeli officials that they believe the time is now to reach a ceasefire deal and critical to -- in order to avoid this region from spiraling into all out conflict. Amid this, the mediators are set to convene with Israeli and Hamas officials on Thursday in either Doha, Qatar, or in Cairo, Egypt. But already in the days leading up to that, there will be technical delegations trying to iron out some of the details in order to try and finalize a ceasefire agreements on Thursday. But at the end of the day, it does appear that a lot of this will come down to political willingness.

And what we have seen is that even as these ceasefire negotiations are -- as we're getting closer to the point of them resuming, we are watching this war in Gaza, continuing unabated yesterday, a deadly, deadly strike on a school compound housing displaced Palestinians.

Hundreds of them were gathering for morning prayers in a mosque within that school compound when at least three Israeli munitions struck that area, killing at least 93 Palestinians, according to local Palestinian officials. It is the fifth strike on a school in Gaza in just the last week.

Israel, for its part, says that it struck Hamas compound within that school. They say that they believe they killed at least 19 Hamas and Islamic jihad militants. We cannot independently verify that information, but we are already seeing growing concern and condemnation.

The United States National Security Council saying that they are deeply concerned by this strike by the apparent civilian casualties, reaching out to Israeli officials for more information. Egypt and Qatar, those two negotiators in the ceasefire agreements condemning this strike with the Egyptians saying that it raises clear questions about Israel's political will to end this war.

Victor, Amara?

WALKER: Jeremy, just wanted to quickly ask you, I mean, does it surprise you that despite the strike, this latest deadly strike on that school and mosque compound, and also days ago the Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh being killed, despite all that, a Hamas leader saying that they are willing to work on the ceasefire deal.

DIAMOND: Yes, I mean, look, some of that seem -- one of the things that we know is that Yahya Sinwar has been among the hardliners in Hamas, one of the more extreme elements who has been resistant to a ceasefire deal in the past. So that to me is the most notable change here, that Yahya Sinwar, who has now been elevated as Hamas's overall political leader, is now saying, indicating that he wants a deal.

And that speak to what -- the fact that his fighting force has been severely degraded in Gaza. He is perhaps looking for a break for his forces. And he is also watching as, you know, one of the things that that Israeli officials believe Sinwar has wanted is an all-out regional war.

And Iran appears to be more cautious on that notion and perhaps willing to hold off on that significant retaliation we've been expecting from them for the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, if indeed a ceasefire can be achieved. And so, all of those factors appear to be playing into Sinwar's calculus on this. But, again, that is what the mediators are telling Israeli officials. We will ultimately see how these negotiations actually go down come Thursday.

WALKER: All right. Jeremy Diamond, appreciate your reporting. Thank you.

Still to come, new studies show mental health among high schoolers is making a positive turn, but the impact of the pandemic is still being felt.

BLACKWELL: Worries about the stock market, inflation and recession has a lot of people second those 401(k)s. Coming up, how to make sense of the economy right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:28:35]

BLACKWELL: Whiplash, whiplash on Wall Street last week after financial markets tanked with the Dow shedding more than 1,000 points then quickly rebounded. That's enough to make anybody with that 401(k) or other investments a little bit nervous. We understand.

Now in 2023, 61 percent of Americans reported owning stock. So how should you interpret what's happening in the stock market and what should you be doing with your money? Let's get some answers now from personal finance columnist for the Washington Post and author of "What To Do When Your Money -- With Your Money When Crisis Hits." I know the book, I got a little blur about it, Michelle Singletary. Good to see you.

All right. So as I said --

MICHELLE SINGLETARY, PERSONAL FINANCE COLUMNIST, THE WASHINGTON POST: Good to see you.

BLACKWELL: -- there was a rebound at the end of the week. So most of the losses were made up. But what should 401(k) investors be doing right now? And let's start with maybe those early mid-career investors first.

SINGLETARY: Right. Well, you should just be sitting back, reading a nice book for the summer. Maybe my book. Listen, I understand that when the markets did what it did at the beginning of the week, people panic. And I'm not going to tell you not to panic. This is your hard earned money. And you're like, I'm so worried.

But the thing is you cannot run your portfolio based on these daily or weekly dips. And it wasn't a crash, it didn't hang. I mean, if you compare it to a real crash and you got to put that in perspective, like what I did for myself and when people feel that way, I say, open up the app or go online, look at your account, look at the one-year return, look at the three-year return, the five and 10-year. I did, I just did before the show. I'm up 20 percent for the year. So, you have to put it in perspective, right? BLACKWELL: Good, good. So, let's talk about those folks now. So, that's early mid-career. But if you're five years out from retirement, right? That hits different. What should these folks be doing?

SINGLETARY: You know, I really would recommend that if you're not sure what's happening, that you get with a fioni (ph) financial planner and have that person look over your entire portfolio, what your plans are for retirement, because you should have a retirement plan, because you want some money that is not subject to the rollercoaster of the stock market.

So, you want some cash set on side in a CD or high yield account so that as you get closer to retirement, that's your safety money. And then you can let the rest of the money roll. Because think about it, when you retire, you're not going to take all that money out at one time. And most retirees now are living 20 to 30 years of retirement. And that money has to be exposed to grow so you can keep pace with inflation.

So, you need -- if you're five years out, you need a retirement plan. So, you understand what's happening. And one of the things that your plan is get rid all that debt that you have so that when the market goes a little crazy, you're not worried about carrying that liability on your books.

BLACKWELL: Can we talk mortgage rates? 30-year fixed mortgage rates hit 6.47 percent. It was 7.22 percent. Now, for people who -- I just imagine all these people like that, you know, that double Dutch rock that you do right before you jump into the ropes. There are people who want to do that in the housing market. What should they be doing, looking at this, the lowest in maybe more than a year, is now the time to get in or not?

SINGLETARY: Well, you know, I would say, first of all, before you jump into that jump rope, you want to make sure your finances are correct because it's almost -- I like to tell people, you don't want to focus just on the interest rate. Are you prepared for homeownership? Have you gotten rid of debt? Do you have a good budget in place, which is not a bad word.

So, sometimes people focus on one thing about whether they should lean in, but you need to look at the entire picture. And a lot of people are not quite ready for home ownership. If they're carrying a lot of debt, they don't really have a budget because people will clean up their balance sheet just before they buy a house and then go back to the same bad habits. And then they end up in a house that they can't afford.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

SINGLETARY: Because -- and when I say can't afford, I don't mean just the monthly mortgage payment. I mean, room to save for retirement. If you have children, room to save for them to go to college. You know, room to help other people in your life. I'm about to go to church. Are you giving to other people as a part of your budget? So, before you take that leap, look at your entire financial picture to make sure that you're strong and you can go into that house with a peace of mind.

BLACKWELL: All right. Well, I appreciate you talking to us before you go into church this morning. And let me make sure I get the name of the book, right? I don't want to mess up your coin. The book is --

SINGLETARY: I appreciate that.

BLACKWELL: Indeed. "What To Do With Your Money When Crisis Hits." Michelle Singletary, always good to have you on. Thanks.

SINGLETARY: Oh, thank you. And don't forget to tell me read The Washington Post too.

BLACKWELL: Oh, yes. And read her column in The Washington Post. It's also on the website. I read it this morning about taking the politics out of the market. All right. Got all of it.

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: Send me the link. All right. There are small signs of mental health of American teens is improving after the pandemic. Coming up, the challenges that teens are still facing.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:35:00]

BLACKWELL: There's a new CDC report that reveals over the past decade, and certainly since the pandemic, teenagers, particularly girls, are still struggling with their mental health.

WALKER: Yes, however, the data also hints at a possible slight improvement in the youth mental health crisis for some Dr. Kathleen Ethier, director of the CDC's Division of Adolescent and School Health is joining us here in studio. Good morning. And thank you so much for coming in.

DR. KATHLEEN ETHIER, DIRECTOR, CDC'S DIVISION OF ADOLESCENT AND SCHOOL HEALTH: Thank you for having me.

WALKER: I don't know which one to focus on first, the slight improvement that we're seeing or the fact that you still have so many teens, especially girls who are saying that they still feel persistently sad and hopeless.

DR. ETHIER: So, I think we are definitely not out of the crisis in youth mental health. There is still so much work to do. But I think what this data suggests to us is that when we come together, when we focus on an issue that has been really a problem since before the pandemic, we can make progress.

And so, it gives us some hope that we can provide environments for young people that support them. We can get them connected to the services that they need. And so, these all -- those slight improvements mean that there are more young people who are feeling better, fewer young people who are considering suicide and groups that we've been concerned about for a while, like girls, like black young people, we're seeing some very important improvements. So, it's both. We don't want to let her foot off the gas by any stretch, but it does kind of point us in some really great directions.

[07:40:00]

BLACKWELL: Is it clear why girls more than boys?

DR. ETHIER: So, I think part of it is the questions that we ask. We ask about, have you felt so persistently sad or hopeless in the last year that you couldn't do your regular activities? That means, that's kind of equivalent to depressive symptoms. And we know that girls experience their mental health differently than boys do. So, that is absolutely part of it.

But girls also experience more violence. They experience more violence in schools. They are more likely to experience bullying. They are more likely to experience sexual violence. We know all of that contributes. They use social media more. And so, the things that we think are impacting mental health may be impacting girls more than boys.

WALKER: Why? Talk about the why here. I mean, to feel sad and to feel hopeless every day or persistently, I mean, those are depressive symptoms.

DR. ETHIER: Yes.

WALKER: Does it have to do with social media? Does it have to do with COVID, lack of connection with people?

DR. ETHIER: I think it's a combination of things. You know, we were seeing this increase in depressive symptoms prior to the pandemic. And we were seeing disparities between girls and boys. And so, there are, I think, a combination of things.

The thing that social media does is it disrupts kind of daily life. It disrupts connection. We know how important connectedness is for young people. It gives particularly for girls kind of very kind of damaging a sense of self, sense of body image, sense of what's beautiful, sense of, you know, what they should look like, what they should be doing. And so, it disrupts that.

For young people, it can also be disrupting their sleep. You know, so your kids going to bed at night with their phones keeps them from kind of the normal activities that we know support them. And so, the solutions are getting young people active, making sure they sleep enough, making sure that they have sources of connection in their communities and in their schools.

And I think that's partially what these positive movements in the data are pointing us to, which is that if we come together, if we create environments that support young people, that provide those opportunities, if we give families the tools to address mental health issues and their families, if we connect young people to services, we do all those things, we see improvements. And I think that's really hopeful.

BLACKWELL: Yes, I think that is so helpful because you tell us also what to look for in young people, and then at home do that mental health assessment, the sleep, the activities, withdrawing. You've given us a lot to think about.

DR. ETHIER: Yes.

BLACKWELL: Kathleen Ethier, thank you so much for being with us.

DR. ETHIER: Thank you very much for having me.

WALKER: Thank you so much. So important.

BLACKWELL: Heartbreaking development this morning for American gymnast Jordan Chiles. She will be stripped of a bronze medal. What we're learning about the last-minute decision.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:45:00]

BLACKWELL: Shocking turn of events at the Olympics. U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles has been stripped of her bronze medal for her floor routine. The International Olympic Committee announced this morning it will now be awarded to a Romanian gymnast.

Now, this comes after the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled on Saturday that the inquiry that Chiles filed moments after her routine on Monday, an inquiry that led to her score being bumped up, was made four seconds too late. After the ruling, Chiles posted on Instagram that she is taking a break from social media to protect her mental health.

All right. The closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games are just a few hours away and will mark the transition from the Games in Paris, the next host city, to Los Angeles, which is going to be in 2028.

WALKER: That's right. And that moment will be marked with the passing of the Olympic flag from the Paris mayor to L.A. mayor Karen Bass. Now, Bass and a small delegation of city officials arrived in Paris earlier this week to participate in the ceremonies and get a few pointers about hosting an event the size and scale of the Olympics, and I spoke with her about what she has learned and the history making moment you'll see play out later today.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAYOR KAREN BASS (D), LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: I just have to tell you that it's been a wonderful experience being here. First of all, Paris is beautiful and the way that they have incorporated the entire city into the games has been great.

I met Mayor Hidalgo several months ago and she basically opened up the city to us from the perspective of helping us to get ready in four years. WALKER: OK. So, any advice you've received thus far?

BASS: Oh, yes. Lots of advice. First of all, to do your planning and to prepare as though the games will be in 2027. And then, also to provide numerous venues in communities where there are not going to be games that take place. And so, watching the way they have done that in Paris, going to some of the surrounding cities and seeing the way they're putting on community festivals, the way they're sports activities so the kids can get involved in mimicking what they're seeing on TV.

Yesterday, I went to a breakdancing class where all of the young people were trying out breakdancing and that was right before the games were going to take place. So, it's just been a very joyous spirit here in the city and I know that we can replicate it in Los Angeles.

[07:50:00]

WALKER: You know, Mayor Bass, I'm Angelina (ph) myself. I'm from Southern California. I know just how sprawling the L.A. metro area is. And I guess one of my first thoughts was when, you know, L.A., I want to say we, but when L.A. was, you know, awarded the 2028 Olympics, I thought, wow, well, how are they going to transport in these vast spaces the athletes and the fans? As you know, L.A. is notorious for bad traffic. So, what's the plan in terms of public transportation and expanding it?

BASS: Sure. Well, let me just tell you too that the CEO of our transit authority is here studying what Paris is doing, but it is our goal in Los Angeles to have a car free games. And you know what that means, because we're a very car dependent city. But it means that if you are going to attend any of the sports venue, you're going to have to take public transportation.

We've been building out our system, but we're also going to need a lot of buses, thousands of buses from neighboring cities and states to help us deliver that. And exactly what you were saying a second ago, Los Angeles is so such a sprawling area. And so, that's why it's going to be important to have festivals and activities in areas and neighborhoods and communities where games do not take place so that we can build an entire city spirit of the Olympics, exactly as they've done in Paris.

WALKER: Transportation obviously a major part of planning for the 2028 Olympics. I also understand that this will be a, quote unquote, no build Olympics. So, no new stadiums.

BASS: Yes.

WALKER: They're not -- permanent facilities, housing for the athletes. They will not have to be built because L.A. -- the cities in and around L.A. have the infrastructure for it?

BASS: Yes. For example, housing for the athletes was built here, and it's actually a beautiful example because it was built in an area that needed housing. And so, after the games are over, the community will take advantage of that housing. We didn't need the housing in Los Angeles for athletes. So, our athletes will be housed at the University of California at -- in Los Angeles. UCLA will be able to accommodate the Olympic Village.

WALKER: Wonderful. And lastly, I mean, this is a historic passing of the torch, we have to mention, with the first female mayor of Paris to the first female mayor of Los Angeles, who will also be the first ever female black mayor to receive the flag at the closing ceremony. What are your thoughts on that? How are you feeling there?

BASS: Well, I'm feeling extremely honored and privileged and responsible. And so, I will tell you, Mayor Hidalgo is a wonderful example, and it's going to be such an honor to me to receive the flag, and I hope that it sends a message to girls, girls around the world that you can do anything. You can run, you can participate in the Olympics, and you can run for office.

WALKER: Well, best of luck to you. 2028 isn't that far away. Mayor Karen Bass, all the best. Thank you.

BASS: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: So, Los Angeles can get pretty hot but not compared to other host cities. In fact, new data analysis shows that some of the cities that once hosted the Summer Olympics, like Tokyo, may never host them again because of soaring temperatures.

BLACKWELL: Nearly half of previous Summer Olympics hosts will be too hot to host the games in 2050. Meteorologist Allison Chinchar is here now to break down the data.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right. So, when we think of hot, we think of only temperature, but a lot more goes into it. And that's not just for the Olympics, it's for sports in general.

If you go to like high schools and colleges across the country, there's a different tool that's used, it's this. It's called a wet bulb globe thermometer. It measures temperature and humidity, wind speed, sun angle, cloud cover. It does pretty much everything. And that's important because it allows like athletic trainers to determine, you know, how when or not these kids need extra water breaks. Do they need to be put in the shade or do they need to cancel practice altogether?

The Olympic Committee is saying that due to this threshold, some of these cities say by 2050 are going to be beyond that threshold where they will no longer be able to keep track of that.

So, take a look at some of these graphics we've got for you. Because this is going to kind of, I think, explained it a little bit easier for you. So, here you can see some of those cities right there. Now, what they're saying is cities like Atlanta, which have hosted before if they were to have them in the summer, say in July and August, it's going to be beyond that safe threshold, meaning all of those athletes are going to be put in that extreme heat stress environment. Athens, the country that started this all may also be that way. Rio so many of these cities.

Now, one fix that we could end up having is moving the Olympics. One thing that they've talked about is maybe instead of doing it in July and August, we do them in September. Now, the concern there is by moving them four to six weeks, does that take away from what we've talked about? Does it no longer become the Summer Olympics? But they've moved it before. Think back to COVID when we had to shift things around.

[07:55:00]

Here's another map. Now, this also shows you not just the cities that have hosted before, but look at this map. You see all of those areas that are brown on that map, those are all going to be cities and countries that will be beyond that threshold that we've talked about to be able to have it within that safe temperature for these athletes to be. So, something certainly to consider, guys, as we go into the future.

WALKER: I'm so sorry.

CHINCHAR: They are very intrigued by the instrument.

BLACKWELL: Can we show that on television? You're just waving it around.

WALKER: It's still before 8:00.

CHINCHAR: It is. This is a technical instrument.

BLACKWELL: What's it measure again?

CHINCHAR: Pretty much everything. It measures temperature, humidity, the moisture in the air.

WALKER: We're just being childish.

CHINCHAR: Yes, sun angle, everything.

BLACKWELL: I'm the one being childish? You're about to cry your eyelashes off on television.

WALKER: We got to go.

BLACKWELL: Thank you so much for joining us this morning. Put that away. We will see you back here next weekend. Inside Politics is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:00:00]