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CNN This Morning
Critical Swing State Polling Shows Kamala Harris' Campaign Could Be Rebuilding the Blue Wall; Trump Attacks Harris on the Border and the Economy; Ukraine Admits to Operating Inside Russia for the First Time, While Also Accusing Putin's Army of Dangerous Escalation at a Nuclear Power Plant. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired August 12, 2024 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:00:00]
KASIE HUNT, ANCHOR, CNN THIS MORNING: It's Monday, August 12th, right now on CNN THIS MORNING.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This November, we will win. We will win.
(CHEERS)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Critical swing state polling shows Kamala Harris' campaign could be rebuilding the blue wall. Plus, this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Kamala Harris, you're fired! You've done a horrible job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Donald Trump attacking Harris on the border and the economy. Now, accusing her of stealing one of his key policy proposals. And overseas, Ukraine admits to operating inside Russia for the first time, while also accusing Putin's army of dangerous escalation at a nuclear power plant.
All right, 5:00 a.m. here in Washington and a live look at the Capitol on this Monday morning. Good morning, everyone, I'm Kasie Hunt, it's wonderful to have you with us. Vice President Kamala Harris still riding high this week as former President Donald Trump continues to struggle with how to run against her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Someone who suggests we should terminate the Constitution of the United States should never again stand behind the seal of presidents of the United States. (END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Donald Trump confronted with new polling over the weekend that shows just how different the race is with Harris at the top of the ticket. In a "New York Times" Siena poll out Saturday, big moves in the so-called blue wall states, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan, Harris up 4 points, 50 to 46 with likely voters in each state, that is just within the margin of error.
"Axios yesterday writing this, quote, "Trump, who looked and felt like a clear frontrunner heading into last month's Republican convention has fumed, stewed and stumbled in private and public ever since. Advisors are telling him Harris will grow her lead coming out of the Democratic convention, which begins a week from today -- tomorrow -- today, especially if they don't define her better, faster."
Joining me now to discuss, Nick Johnson, he's 'Axios" publisher and Margaret Talev; senior contributor at "Axios". Welcome to both of you --
MARGARET TALEV, SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR, AXIOS: Good morning --
NICHOLAS JOHNSTON, PUBLISHER, AXIOS: Good morning --
HUNT: Thank you for being here. This was a weekend of some angst, it seems, for former President Donald Trump. There was that front-page 'Sunday Times' --
JOHNSTON: Yes --
HUNT: Story from Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman, they ticked through a number of things that he has done, reportedly called, used the B word to describe Harris multiple times. We should note the Trump campaign denies that. Also, apparently, angering a critical donor, sending text messages that indicated that he's a little bit -- he's unhappy about the state of things --
JOHNSTON: Yes --
HUNT: Nick. What does this say to you -- this was what he said. "I think I was right". He told rattled donors Friday night, that's about what he did where he questioned Kamala Harris' black identity at the national -- NABJ Conference with black journalists. He's clearly struggling to figure out how to do this.
JOHNSTON: This was like a 2000 and 2018 vintage Swan-Haberman story. Like there's a leaking, is back again. We're getting people from inside the room very -- like very close inside every room, very detailed things happening surrounding former President Trump.
I think it is very much a rattle. Like we talked about this week after week after week, the big mole that Kamala Harris and her campaign has had. It's translated into fundraising numbers. It's translated into giant rally crowds. It's translated into poll after poll after poll. This is not something President -- former President Trump had seen before. Latest poll this morning shows Kamala Harris beating him on the economy --
TALEV: Oh, that's it --
JOHNSTON: Which is the strongest one against President Biden. And so, of course, now this is a campaign that has to figure out how to get its footing again. Whether his attacks is going to work. Whether they're going to get a piece of good news. They thought they had something with the Tim Walz pick.
Now as you say, we're leading into the convention, that's going to be another love fest for Kamala Harris. How does the President react to this? I was just looking at his Truth Social account overnight, he's what? Fake AI crowds for Kamala Harris, and he was taking credit for getting the Olympics to L.A. and backing another --
HUNT: Right --
JOHNSTON: Coach, but I think the campaign is clearly trying to find its footing.
[05:05:00]
HUNT: Yes, well, and you're talking about this, it's actually -- it's on the front of the "Financial" --
JOHNSTON: Yes --
HUNT: "Times" this morning, Harris leads Trump on economy in poll that marks sharp sentiment shift. I mean, that Margaret has honestly been my big question, is what was going to happen economically when the market took a dive in the last week or so. That's the kind of unpredictable thing that might shake Kamala Harris' momentum.
This seems like a -- if there's as much as Trump is clearly focused on what the "Times" is writing and all of these reports. I mean, he was also posting on Truth Social about the fake news and low self-esteem leakers, which seems to me a clear -- clearly focused on that story. This economic stuff is fundamental.
TALEV: If that holds, he really will have to go back to the drawing board for a new playbook. One of the most interesting aspects of the "New York Times"-Siena poll over the weekend showed that it was not only nationally in the polling, but in that blue state wall that she was beginning to overtake Donald Trump.
But it wasn't just in sort of those overall numbers. It was on numbers like trust, so, there's sort of a trust wave and enthusiasm wave, and we begin to see her try to redefine the way she's viewed on the border, which is the other big vulnerability for her as sort of a quasi-incumbent coming into this role.
But the border or the economy are going to be the two issues. And if she is able to neutralize some of the criticism on the border-front and even potentially flip views on the economy. Then she really does have a powerful dynamic, not just going into the convention, but because the Democrats' convention is so late this year, they come out of the convention and guess what? Early vote is starting --
HUNT: As well --
TALEV: And that's, you know, normally, you'd be looking at the calendar saying, well, it's August, you know, let's see how things are in mid-October, like a lot of the voting has happened by --
JOHNSTON: Good luck has to run out sometime, but are we this close to election that you come out of the convention, it's Labor Day, and just coast the rest of the way?
HUNT: I mean, sure. I am -- I am not willing yet to say that something couldn't happen --
TALEV: Yes, absolutely --
HUNT: In October to change this race extremely fundamentally --
TALEV: Or September, yes --
HUNT: Or September, you know, considering what we've already seen, but it does -- the realities do feel like they are in some ways starting to set in. And Tony Fabrizio; the pollster was also, you know, it's been reported, believes that there's going to be a polling bump from the convention. He thinks it may settle down after that --
JOHNSTON: Right --
HUNT: Or at least, he's -- that's what he's saying privately. But there are others who seem to think that this may be on a total glide path.
JOHNSTON: I mean, there's a couple more moments we're waiting for, and now we're waiting for Kamala Harris spend more time with the press. She's promised we'll do a sit-down interview. She's been a very ghazi sort of campaign. Let's get more policy proposals coming out --
HUNT: And there's the debate --
JOHNSTON: We've seen that --
HUNT: Too --
JOHNSTON: Yes, you're right, yes, don't steal my line, but yet, we still have debates to come from. Remember, the last thing that moved the race immensely --
HUNT: Yes --
JOHNSTON: And so, I think there's still some inflection moments to come. But for now --
HUNT: Yes --
JOHNSTON: The momentum is still going in her favor.
HUNT: All right, Nick Johnston, Margaret Talev, thanks for kicking us off. New -- we got some new digs here. It's great to have you --
JOHNSTON: It's nice, well, thanks --
TALEV: Thanks for having us --
HUNT: Really appreciate it. All right, coming up next here on CNN THIS MORNING, a dangerous escalation in Ukraine as President Zelenskyy accuses Russia of starting a fire at a nuclear power plant. Plus, a deadly explosion in Maryland leaves a house completely leveled. And Donald Trump accuses Kamala Harris of copying a key part of his economic policy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: We will continue our fight for working families and eliminate taxes on tips for service in hospitality workers.
TRUMP: When I get to office, we are going to not charge taxes on tips.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[05:10:00]
HUNT: All right, welcome back. A dangerous escalation in the Russia- Ukraine war. A fire breaking out Sunday in a cooling tower at those Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in southern Ukraine. Russia is in control of the facility, at this point, there has been no detected spike in radiation levels.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blaming Russian forces for starting the fire, and for the first time he's acknowledging Ukraine's one week long offensive into the Kursk region of Russia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT, UKRAINE (through translator): Only from the beginning of this Summer, and only from the Kursk region or Sumy region suffered almost 2,000 strikes. Artillery, mortars, drones. We also monitor every missile strike, and each such strike deserves a fair response.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Russia's military conceding Ukraine has been able to push more than 20 miles into Russian territory. CNN's Clare Sebastian has the latest from London for us this morning. Clare, good morning. Let's start with the fire at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. I mean, what do we know about possible radiation threat, how they started?
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Look, in terms of radiation threat, there is no concern at this point the International Atomic Energy Agency has its own observers at the nuclear power plants, Zaporizhzhia Power Plant, which is the largest in Europe. And they say, they have verified the Russian claim that there is no elevation and elevated radiation risk at this point. That's because they say the fire was in one of the cooling towers and
right now, they are not really needed because all of reactors, all six are in a state of shutdown. Now as to how the fire started, well, obviously, we have conflicting reports here. The Russian side is blaming Ukraine for shelling the surrounding area.
[05:15:00]
Ukraine says Russia started the fire by setting fire to a large number, it says of car tires in that cooling tower. We again don't know exactly what the story is here. But I think this is worth monitoring because we have seen in the past one that Russia regularly pulls this lever of a nuclear threat.
And secondly, that it has in the past done this at a point when Ukraine seems to have the initiative. We saw this very clearly in the Autumn of 2022 when Ukraine was conducting this very successful counter offenses that Russia repeatedly rattled that nuclear saber. So, in that context, this is worth watching.
And of course, as the IAEA pointed out, there's no completely risk- free fire when you're talking about a nuclear plant.
HUNT: Indeed, there isn't. And briefly, Clare, this incursion into Russia from the Ukrainians. I mean, how off-guard was Putin caught?
SEBASTIAN: I mean, petty off-guard it seems right now today. It's somewhat awkwardly, he's made some prepared remarks to a forum of military equipment in Moscow. This is an annual event, talking about this sort of real world know-how of Russian equipment, while at the same time, clearly, having failed to defend the southern border.
Today, we're seeing evacuations in two regions, where this incursion started a week ago, and Belgorod to the south. So, it seems according to this sort of patchwork of reports that we're getting out of the area that Ukraine is still making headway, fierce fighting still going on. I think the question for Russia is, will it amass forces? Bring them in, try to -- try to kick Ukraine out.
Or will it continue to prioritize the eastern front in Ukraine? Is it having to make those calculations at this point because clearly, they haven't been able to push them out as of yet.
HUNT: All right, Clare Sebastian for us this morning, Clare, very grateful to have you, thank you so much. All right, straight ahead here on CNN THIS MORNING for me, full-throated endorsement to a live interview. How Elon Musk is preparing to conduct a sit-down with Donald Trump tonight.
Plus, McDonald's in France? Talking about a menu change after Steph Curry cooked France at the Olympics.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:20:00] HUNT: All right, 21 minutes past the hour, here's your morning round-
up. Two people are dead after a Sunday home explosion in Maryland. Authorities say a gas leak is to blame, they're working to try to determine whether this was an accident or whether it was intentional. At least, 12 families in the explosion radius had now been displaced.
A fast-moving wildfire in Greece causing evacuations near Athens this morning. Two hospitals have been evacuated, strong winds ramped up overnight, causing the fire to spread and officials to worry it could intensify today. McDonald's France feeling a little more salty in its fries after Steph Curry drained 8-three-pointers in the U.S. men's basketball gold medal win over France.
The company jokingly saying it might be time to retire. It's classic Curry sauce, at least for the next four years. All right, this morning, a potential tropical cyclone making its way toward the Caribbean's Leeward Islands. Plus, flood threats across part of the Carolinas as both of those states recover from the effects of what was Hurricane Debby. Let's get to our meteorologist Elisa Raffa this morning. Elisa, what are you seeing? Good morning.
ELISA RAFFA, METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, we are tracking a potential Tropical Cyclone five, it's a lot of words. But all it means is that we've got this disturbance and we're expecting it to become a tropical storm by tomorrow. So, they kind of name it like this, so, we're able to issue some of those watches and warnings.
Right now, it's got winds at 30 miles per hour, still sitting 645 miles east and southeast of Engir(ph) there. And then we've got -- again, look at all the yellow. Those are all the tropical storm watches in effect for the Leeward Islands, and then for Puerto Rico. Then it looks like it makes this turn and kind of scrapes Puerto Rico as a tropical storm and then could become a hurricane in the Atlantic as they head towards Bermuda as we go through the rest of the week.
Looking at rain totals, up to 3 to 6 inches across Puerto Rico, but some of those totals could get up to 10 inches again, especially in some of the higher terrains, the mountains that could cause some flash flooding and some mudslides. Here's a look again at how this could project. We're looking at some tropical storm-force conditions by late on Tuesday, and then taking this turn towards Bermuda later on in the week.
Now, it's making this big turn because we still have a couple of things in its way, like this area of high pressure and this stalled front along the east coast, it's that stalled front that still has some river flooding, a concern, in the Carolinas. Kasie?
HUNT: All right, Elisa Raffa for us this morning, Elisa, thank you very much. All right, coming up next here on CNN THIS MORNING, a weekend of campaigning for each side of the ticket, the fundraising halls that Harris and Trump are touting. Plus, Israel bracing for what's believed to be an imminent attack.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Now, I'm working literally
every single day to -- and my whole team to see to it that it doesn't escalate into a regional war. But it easily can.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:25:00]
HUNT: All right, 5:28 a.m. here in Washington. A live look at New York City on this Monday morning. Good morning, everyone, I'm Kasie Hunt, it's wonderful to have you with us. Donald Trump and Kamala Harris both reporting massive fundraising numbers from their respective campaign events over the weekend.
Trump posting on Truth Social, he says he raised $28 million during a two-day swing through Wyoming, Montana and Colorado. Kamala Harris was also out west, her campaign announcing a San Francisco fundraiser that Harris was set to speak at, brought in $12 million, they said this the day before the event.
Harris also traveled to the swing state of Nevada. She is expected to roll out an economic platform in the coming weeks. She shared her support for this policy during a Las Vegas rally over the weekend.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: When I am president, we will continue our fight for working families of America.
