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CNN This Morning

Democrats Unveil Theme For 2024 Democratic National Convention; Harris, Walz Campaign Ahead Of The Democratic National Convention; Trump, Harris Campaigns Spending Millions In Key Battleground States; Trump Attacks Harris, Veers Off Message At PA Rally; Harris, Biden To Appear At DNC Monday For Passing-The-Torch-Moment; Biden To Make Keynote Address Monday Night At DNC; Trump To Hold Messaging Events In Battleground States This Week; DNC Officially Kicks Off Tomorrow In Chicago; Trump Slams Harris And Her Economic Plans At Rally; CNN Witnesses Ukraine's Cross-Border Assault Into Russia. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired August 18, 2024 - 06:00   ET

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

[06:00:39]

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello everyone. Good morning. Welcome to CNN THIS MORNING. It is Sunday, August 18th. I'm Amara Walker.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Victor Blackwell. Thank you for joining us.

Here's what's happening today. Vice President Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, will be setting off on their bus tour of Pennsylvania ahead of this week's Democratic National Convention. Plus, we're getting new details about the moment Harris and Biden will appear on stage together at the DNC for the symbolic passing of the torch.

WALKER: Also, Ukrainian forces are pushing deeper into Russia powered in part by U.S. provided weapons. CNN travels with Ukrainian soldiers as they take their fight to Putin on his own territory.

BLACKWELL: Beaches up and down the East Coast are closed today as Hurricane Ernesto brings the threat of dangerous rip currents. Meteorologist Allison Chinchar is here with a look at the areas facing the greatest risk today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I still get the rush though. Every time you see it, you know, you're like, oh, python noise. You know, I finally get another one out of here because, you know, that's the mission essentially is to get them out of here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: And if you have the courage and maybe some antivenom handy, it could be worth $10,000. We'll take you to the Florida Python Challenge later this hour.

BLACKWELL: We begin in Chicago, where Democrats are gearing up for the start of their national convention. Here's a look at the convention hall where President Biden and Vice President Harris will appear together in the symbolic handoff that's happening tomorrow night.

WALKER: Then each night a who's who of Democratic Party leaders will speak on the themes For the People, A Bold Vision for America's Future, and To Fight for Our Freedoms. The week will end with Vice President Kamala Harris formally accepting the Democratic nomination on Thursday.

Harris and Governor Tim Walz are keeping a busy schedule this weekend. Yesterday, Walz celebrated a homecoming at a campaign rally in Nebraska. That's the state where he grew up and where he met his wife. And he leaned into his heritage while attacking Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. TIM WALZ (D-MN): Look, in Nebraska we got a slogan here. Nebraska, it's not for everyone. Well, it sure isn't for Donald Trump, I'll tell you that.

Every opportunity he has he weakens our country to strengthen his own hand. He mocks our laws, he sows chaos and division amongst us, and that's not even counting the time he was president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Walz will join Harris on the road for a bus tour through western Pennsylvania today.

BLACKWELL: And all that campaign is being backed up by some major ad dollars. The Harris campaign says it has reserved $370 million in television and digital advertising through November's election. And since July 21st, the day President Biden dropped out of the race, the Trump and Harris campaigns have spent more than $241 million in seven key battleground states.

Now, a source tells CNN that former President Donald Trump is planning to hold a series of events to counter the Democratic National Convention.

WALKER: Trump supporters has got a preview of these so-called messaging events last night, as CNN's Danny Freeman reports, Trump's message was more personal than political.

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No doubt this was a packed and ruckus rally for former President Donald Trump here in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. But the big question leading into this rally was, could the candidate stay on message? Could he stick to the topics of the economy, immigration, and crime?

Because allies and advisers of the former president said that that was the primary way that he could start to blunt some of the momentum that Vice President Kamala Harris has had in her campaign over the past few weeks.

Now, there were some lines that were specifically on topic. I'll get that in a moment, but make no mistake, this was generally a normal Trump rally which included a lot of wandering and meandering lines. The crowd loved a lot of that but it was, again, far from on message.

There were certain points where the former president made fun of Harris' laugh. He also called her a lunatic. And then at one point, he actually referenced a "Time" magazine cover and took a moment to say that he's better looking than Harris.

He also spoke at length about debates and also spoke a lot about President Joe Biden, who is no longer his opponent in this race. Now, there were a few moments where the former president was able to stay on message.

[06:05:04]

He brought up a man who had family in Venezuela, who talked about his fear of communism. He also played an attack ad for the crowd that really painted Vice President Harris as a radical liberal. And there was one moment where he actually addressed some of the new economic policies that Vice President Harris released back on Friday. Take a listen to how he addressed these new policies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Yesterday, Kamala laid out her so-called economic plan. She says she's going to lower the cost of food and housing starting on day one, but day one for Kamala was three and a half years ago. So, why didn't she do it then?

So, this is 1,305. We're at thirteen hundred and five, so why isn't she doing it now? Why doesn't she get away from her nice little place with her wonderful husband, go to Washington and do it now? They could do it right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: Now, I should say, on Friday, Vice President Harris said that her economic plan is supposed to cut taxes for middle-class and also reduce costs at the grocery store. But as you heard right there, former President Trump said, well, if that's the case, how come Vice President Harris has not been doing that as part of the Biden-Harris administration? Those were parts where he was on message, but that was a relatively small portion of this about hour-and-a-half rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday afternoon. Victor, Amara.

BLACKWELL: Thank you, Danny. President Biden will begin the Democratic National Convention on Monday with what is being described as a forceful appeal for Kamala Harris' candidacy.

WALKER: CNN's Camila DeChalus joining us now with more. Camila, the opening night is very different than what many people imagined just several weeks ago. Tell us about this symbolic passing of the torch moment tomorrow.

CAMILA DECHALUS, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: That's right, Amara. This is not the speech that President Biden expected to give even two months ago, but right now, he is in Camp David, surrounded by his aides over the weekend to really prepare and craft what he exactly wants to say in his high-profile speech.

And we are told by White House aides that he has two goals when he is delivering his speech. One is to really make the case of why Vice President Kamala Harris is the best candidate to replace him on the ticket. And the second is to make the argument of why former President Donald Trump needs to be replaced and defeated in this upcoming election cycle.

Now, White House aides also tell us that why -- how Biden is going to really achieve this goal is really by stressing Kamala Harris' record and what -- how she is as a person. And the second thing is to really element and really highlight how Trump -- he firmly believes, how he poses a grave threat to democracy.

So, this is something that aides say that this is what he's going to set out to do. And one of his really last high-profile events as he remains in office, but he really wants to make this strong case to the American people at this Democratic National Convention.

BLACKWELL: Camila DeChalus for us this morning. Thank you so much. Now, while the Democratic Party will be busy in Chicago, former President Trump will be taking his counter-arguments on the road. He's planning what his campaign is calling, messaging events in battleground states. They'll be in smaller venues that focus on one or two policy issues important to the campaign that's if he stays on message.

He's kicking things off in Pennsylvania on Monday for what they say will be an economic message. We'll see.

On Tuesday, he'll head to Howell, Michigan, to discuss crime, justice. His running mate Ohio Senator J.D. Vance will hold his own rally in Kenosha, Wisconsin, that day. And Wednesday, former President Trump will head to North Carolina to talk about national security. And he'll wrap up his tour on Friday with a rally in Arizona.

WALKER: All right. Let's bring in "Politico" White House reporter Daniel Lippman to talk more about all things politics. Daniel, good to see you this morning.

DANIEL LIPPMAN, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER, POLITICO: Thanks for having me.

WALKER: So, let's talk about this week as the Democratic National Convention will be kicking off tomorrow. The organizers had to really rework the programming after President Biden withdrew from the race. What will we see this week?

LIPPMAN: What you're going to see is -- with Biden's speech, he is going to try to make the case that Harris has been -- has done a good job as vice president. He's not going to talk about any of the resentments he has against other leaders in the party like Obama and Chuck Schumer, and Nancy Pelosi, because he felt like they pushed him out of the race.

But you just see this energy in the Democratic Party now that they have a person who can deliver a message. We may see in Biden's speech the reason why Democrats have gone to Harris in terms of not being as steady of a speaker anymore given that his age has, you know, taken hold a little bit.

[06:10:07]

WALKER: I can only imagine it's going to be a really difficult and bitter sweet moment for President Biden. And really a poignant and symbolic one really for the country as we see Biden and Harris on that stage together for the official passing of the torch moment at the DNC.

How important will this be? How significant will it be for the party and really for the country?

LIPPMAN: I think it's more of a symbolic moment than anything. Harris has done her own work in the last month to consolidate the base and to get them excited. And so, this is kind of a capstone to Biden's career on the national stage. He wanted to be president, probably since he started in politics. In his late 20s he had -- he wasn't even eligible to be a senator when he was first elected. He had to wait until -- you know, until January.

And so, he also did not want his legacy to be one where Democrats wanted him out of the race. And that they would have blamed him if he had stayed in and then Donald Trump would have been re-elected in November. And so, his legacy would have been in tatters among Democrats.

And so, this is a moment that they want to get proper due respect to Biden and what he has done. And Harris can't distance herself too much from her own part in the administration but she has to lay out her own agenda. And the economic agenda was criticized by economists by -- who say, hey, this price gouging proposal is not really -- does not -- is not going to work and is not a beneficial for the economy. But most people don't vote based on the minutiae of economics.

WALKER: Yes, exactly. And, of course, the question is if a price gouging plan will actually backfire? So, you have Harris going into the DNC with huge momentum, as you say. In fact, a new poll out from "The New York Times" and Siena College shows that she has really significantly improved the chances for the Democrats in November.

And the crucial swing states there, as you see, of Arizona, North Carolina, Nevada, and Georgia. She has really pushed ahead of Trump in Arizona, 50 percent to 45 percent. And also in North Carolina, 49 to 47 percent. But this poll also shows that Harris has really opened a wide lead with women.

LIPPMAN: You know, she has. And what's interesting about that is that during the 2016 campaign, when Hillary Clinton was running, there was a lot more talk of breaking the glass ceiling in. She would be the first woman president. And all of that history that would have happened if Hillary had been elected.

Here -- they're not really talking about that as much. It's more about Trump. It's more about the future. And we've had the first female vice president.

And so, she already broke that barrier. And so, she is hoping that her increased totals among women, among young voters, among Black voters, that that will be enough to put her over the top.

She is not talking too much about how she would be the first woman. And I think she thinks that J.D. Vance and his comment on childless cat ladies that -- that will be enough for many Democratic women to say, hey, I want to vote for Harris instead of Trump.

WALKER: Before we go, I want to ask you one last thing about Trump. He was on the campaign trail in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, yesterday. Here he is all over the place again, you know, talking economy, immigration and, of course, lobbying those personal insults against Harris. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: She says she's going to lower the cost of food and housing starting on day one, but day one for Kamala was three and a half years ago. So why didn't she do it then?

You don't mind if I go off teleprompter for a second, do you? Joe Biden hates her. They said, no, her biggest advantage is that she is a beautiful woman. I'm going, huh, I've never thought of that. I'm better looking than she is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Daniel, that "New York Times-Siena" poll that we were just referring to also showed that a lot of voters still trust Trump more than Harris when it comes to the economy. And I know his advisors, obviously, are going mad, you know, listening to him not staying on message. But Trump really can't help himself, although, he's helping Harris in the meantime.

LIPPMAN: Yes, this is -- he loves to play off the energy of the crowd. That will always stay the same. And he thinks that he has to be true to himself. And if that means lobbying personal attacks, that don't actually win him a lot of votes, then he's going to continue to do that.

[06:15:03]

And he has really had found a lot of difficulty in terms of finding a message that works against Harris. He still talks about Joe Biden a lot and he has tried to use nicknames. He said lying Kamala, crazy Kamala, laughing Kamala. But a lot of Americans are kind of numb to that. It was more avant-garde in 2016 to call Hillary Clinton crooked Hillary. But now it just seems like, hey, this is Trump's old shtick.

WALKER: Yes, those nicknames aren't sticking so well, are they? Daniel Lippman, good to see you this morning. Thank you.

LIPPMAN: Thanks, Amara. WALKER: And get a preview of the Democratic National Convention. Our special live coverage kicks off tonight at 7:00 p.m. eastern right here on CNN.

BLACKWELL: Coming up, Ukraine's military is hoping its incursion in Russia will change the course of the war. CNN got a firsthand look at Ukraine's control over the town of Sudzha and the intensity of the battle there. We'll share that with you.

And Secretary of State Antony Blinken will arrive in Israel today to push for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal. We have the details of where those talks stand.

And new rules are in effect that change the way the real estate agents are compensated. What this means for you, that's ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:20:59]

BLACKWELL: There's new video that shows Ukrainian forces striking deep into Russia. Ukraine destroyed a key bridge supply. This is in Russia's Kursk region, an area Ukraine's troops have advanced into over the past week. Now, Russia claims the Ukrainians used U.S. HIMARS rockets in that attack.

WALKER: CNN is among the first news organizations to go into the part of Russia that is now controlled by Ukraine. We were accompanied by Ukraine's military, which reviewed the video you're about to see for operational security reasons. But the military did not hear the sound and had no editorial control. Here is CNN's Nick Paton Walsh with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This was never in Putin's plan. But still, into Russia we cross with Ukrainian forces moving forward through the border post they destroyed in their surprise assault 10 days ago.

PATON WALSH (on camera): As we get closer towards Sudzha, we can see more smoke on the horizon. But still, it's bizarrely calm on this road.

PATON WALSH (voice-over): Pause a moment in these open fields and remember, this is the Cold War superpower. Unguarded, open and never expecting when Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his war of choice two years ago, to be invaded back.

A Russian dead soldier still in the road. Ukraine only claimed here a day ago.

PATON WALSH (on camera): Well not even the statue of Lenin is unscathed here. This Ukrainian assault, so persistent, and Russia, despite its sense of history, it's sort of past as being so impregnable, completely unable to push the Ukrainians out here. A sound of small arms fire we can still hear, so clearly there is a bid for the Russians to push back, but it simply isn't working, and the humiliation for Putin endures.

PATON WALSH (voice-over): Days ago, locals had honored their war dead. But none since the Nazis led Russia to face occupation.

PATON WALSH (on camera): You can see the damage that's been done to the street here from the intense fight that rage. Still clearly active fighting happening here.

PATON WALSH (voice-over): A sign in the basement here, they're peaceful people, no soldiers. Ina (ph) 68 says 60 civilians are there.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): The Ukrainians brought a lot of boxes. There is food.

PATON WALSH: Just like we've seen in multiple Ukrainian towns over the last two years here, the locals trying to find some shelter from the war around them.

PATON WALSH (voice-over): Dennis (ph) Lav (ph) shows his gray.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): This isn't living. It's existing. It's not life.

PATON WALSH (voice-over): In the dark, hunted like so many Ukrainians now the infirmed isolated, begging for calm.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I don't know how it will end. At least a truce, so we can live peacefully. We don't need anything. I have a crutch. I can't walk. It's very hard.

PATON WALSH (voice-over): Day, night, light, dark, news or blackout or blur into one.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): No news, we don't know what's happening around us.

PATON WALSH (voice-over): Yefimov (ph) is over 90 and wants to leave to Ukraine, but there is no route out, he says.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): You're the first to come here.

(Speaking Foreign Language)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): My daughter, niece and grandkids are there. I'm Russian but they are married to Ukrainians.

PATON WALSH (voice-over): Again, ordinary streets that never guessed of their destruction or newfound fame days ago.

[06:25:02]

Vacant in the storm around them. Normal life here vanished in a hurry, leaving store floors as barracks. And Nina (ph), 74, out looking for a pharmacy for her medication. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): If I wanted to leave, I would have. Why leave? I've lived here 50 years. My daughter and mother are buried here. What about Ukraine? I live on my own land. I don't know whose land this is. I don't know anything anymore.

PATON WALSH (voice-over): It is a war that keeps turning the world order on its head where wreckage that lined Ukraine's fields now haunts Russia's. Ukrainians learn to paint over their road signs to confuse the invaders, but still here the signs asked God to protect and save Russia. That was Putin's job. It is not clear when he's coming back.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Sudzha, Ukrainian held Russia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: Hurricane Ernesto's impact is being felt across the East Coast. Coming up, more on why beaches there are flying red flags this weekend.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:30:43]

BLACKWELL: All right, this morning's headlines now. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is traveling to Israel to finalize, or at least try to finalize, a hostage release and ceasefire deal in Gaza.

The U.S. and its allies want to stop Iran also from retaliating for the death of a Hamas leader. In a joint statement, the U.S., Qatar, and Egypt shared a proposal Friday to help resolve the key issues between Hamas and Israel. But specifics about the proposal have not been released.

Roughly 100 people were treated for heat-related illnesses at an air show in Colorado Springs yesterday. And at least 10 of those 100 were taken to a hospital. The others were treated at the event.

Organizers are encouraging people who plan to attend the event today to bring plenty of water and sunscreen and umbrellas.

Severe weather is causing major flooding and some power outages in parts of Canada. Crews helped people who were trapped in flooded areas yesterday get out. The heavy rain is expected to continue throughout today, and leading to more road closures and travel delays at airports.

WALKER: And new this morning, the powerful rip currents associated with Ernesto have claimed at least two lives in South Carolina. This is the aftermath of Ernesto after the storm hit the island of Bermuda as a Category 1 hurricane early yesterday.

However, the weather there is improving, allowing people a chance to see the extent of the damage left behind. Right now, more than 630,000 people along the east coast are under high-surf advisories. And over 10 million are under a rip current alert, something to be very much aware of.

Meteorologist Allison Chinchar is here. And, Allison, I mean, Ernesto is expected to re-strengthen later today.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is. It is. So, it is now back down to a tropical storm. Those winds are 70 miles per hour sustained. But we anticipate it's going to get back up to 80, which would make it back into a Category 1 storm.

So, again, starting to make its way away from Bermuda, it will now eventually start to make its trek up towards Atlantic Canada. But notice, yes, 75, 80 miles per hour as we go through the rest of the day today. So, it is anticipated to get back into Category 1 hurricane strength before heading up into Newfoundland and Labrador. It's going to get pretty close, but not likely actually cross over those areas. But still, to bring the potential for rip currents and very high surf to Atlantic Canada, in addition to pretty much everywhere up and down the east coast of the U.S., essentially from portions of Florida up through portions of Maine, you have that high rip current risk for today in a lot of these areas, as well as high surf. And that high surf is going to push all of that water inland.

So, you also have here along the coast of New Jersey and Delaware some coastal flooding alerts. As it pushes that water in, it could cause some erosion in some of those areas. Now, those flooding alerts, not to be confused with these flooding alerts inland, this is from a cold front that's going to bring some pretty heavy rain to areas of Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Maryland, trucking one to three inches. Some areas could even get higher than that. That same cold front is going to bring the potential for severe thunderstorms.

So, places like Charleston, Moorhead City, Virginia Beach, the same place we're talking about, rip currents also have the potential for some damaging winds and strong thunderstorms.

BLACKWELL: All right. Immigration is a hot topic issue this election season. So why are some of the immigration centers along the border in Texas empty?

We'll take a look.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:38:43]

WALKER: The southern border is a major focus of the Trump campaign. While all eyes are on Kamala Harris this week at the DNC, Donald Trump is expected to ramp up his attacks on Harris and the Biden administration's handling of immigration, saying they are not doing enough to curb migrant crossings.

BLACKWELL: But as CNN's Rosa Flores shows us, officials there are actually seeing a significant drop in migrant crossings over the past few months.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I've spent so much time in El Paso during prior migrant surges that just by driving to certain spots, I can tell that migrant apprehensions are low right now. Just take a look beyond the border fence.

FLORES (voice-over): In this hot spot south of the border wall, you see rows of razor wire and piles of fencing. A huge difference from when I was here more than a year ago, when hundreds of migrants in a makeshift camp are waiting to turn themselves into Border Patrol.

During other migrant surges, migrant families with children slept at the airport. And large groups of migrants rushed the international bridge towards El Paso. Some of them in tears about the cumbersome asylum process.

This is Segundo Barrio or Second Ward. And one of the biggest indicators that migrant apprehensions are low are the streets around this church. Take a look. You don't see large migrant camps on sidewalks and on the streets.

[06:40:12]

But during migrant surges, hundreds of migrant families called the street home. Father Rafael Garcia, the priest has seen the cycles of migration before.

RAFAEL GARCIA, PRIEST: This become a big political issue.

FLORES (voice-over): Garcia says migrant stop showing up in large numbers in June when President Joe Biden's executive order bard asylum for those who cross illegally and ahead of the election, he doesn't the Democrats to let up.

GARCIA: Politically, it's not a good thing to do. The humanitarian thing to do but it's not politically.

FLORES: The drop in migrant apprehensions is not just happening in El Paso. It's happening all along the U.S. southern border. I wanted to show you this spot because this is one of the illegal crossing hotspots. We're actually in New Mexico, and sometimes when you look beyond the border wall, you can see smugglers on the other side.

I talked to a source familiar with the government data who says that last month, about 57, 000 migrants were apprehended at the U.S. southern border. Compare that to 250,000 in December of 2023. Does that mean that the migrant flow has stopped? Absolutely not.

FLORES (voice-over): Rafael Velasquez Garcia from the International Rescue Committee says another reason for the drop in migrant crossings is that more than one million migrants are stuck in Mexico as they wait to enter the U.S. in what he calls a carousel, or Mexican authorities busing migrants to southern Mexico over and over again.

RAFAEL VELASQUEZ GARCIA, INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE: New, more aggressive policies by the Mexican government.

FLORES (voice-over): CNN has reached out to Mexico's foreign ministry for comment and did not hear back.

So, the days when hundreds of migrants were camped outside Sacred Heart Church are a thing of the past, at least for now.

Take a look at the empty alley around me. But if covering the border has taught me anything, it's that the situation can change very quickly.

Rosa Flores, CNN, El Paso, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Coming up, we'll ask an expert how the new real estate rules will impact the housing market and anyone looking to buy or sell a house.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:46:48]

BLACKWELL: There are some new rules in place governing what happens when you buy or sell your home. The rules took effect yesterday. And they're designed to satisfy a settlement of a lawsuit against the National Association of Realtors.

The goal is to provide more transparency, competition and fairness and how homes are bought and sold. And the focus is on letting you know who is paying for what and that you can negotiate.

Joining us now is Jennifer Stevenson. She's the regional Vice President of the National Association of Realtors.

Jennifer, good morning to you. So, let's just walk through a couple of the changes. And first on these contracts before touring homes. First, before now there were no written contracts required for buyers' agents to show homes to potential clients. Now there has to be a written contract required before, they go into these homes agreeing on, as I understand it, a max commission for fees, for that buyer's agents and to say that it's negotiable.

So, what should buyers be looking for in these new legally binding contracts?

JENNIFER STEVENSON, REGIONAL VP, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS: So good morning, Victor. Some states have already required the written agreement for buyers prior to looking at a home. Now this will just be a requirement of all members of the National Association of Realtors.

In that contract, it will spell out, how the buyer is going to have the commission paid to the real estate professional they're engaging with. It will have a term and some of these contracts might be for that home for one day or it could be longer, but it will spell everything out.

So, all of the agreed upon discussions, what each transaction is going to happen, what each party owes to the other will be spelled right out in that written buyer agreement.

BLACKWELL: All right, let's talk about sellers now. Before now, home seller paid the listing agent and the buyer's agent fees. But now the home seller can choose not to pay buyer agent fees, pay a portion, pay a flat fee towards buyer agents.

What do these new changes as part of the settlement mean for the seller?

STEVENSON: So, the seller has always been able to negotiate that commission and to make a determination with how that commission may or may not be split. That's always been there, but there just will be an added element of transparency. There no longer will be commissioned splits shown on a multiple listing service. That is the marketplace for homes.

So, if I want to show a home that you have listed, I will call you and ask you what your seller is willing to pay a buyer's agent, if anything, and then I'll let my buyer know that, and we'll move forward with what our buyer agreement is.

BLACKWELL: OK. So now there was this process of steering as it's been called of buyer's agents steering them toward homes with higher commissions for the buyer agent. Before now sellers listed, the commissions to buyer's agents on MLS. That's a service that I guess fulfills these websites you go and search homes on. And Now seller's agents cannot advertise commissions on MLS. There was a USC study that found that in a typical market, they estimate that the lowest commission properties faced a 75 percent greater risk of not selling at all in part because of steering.

[06:50:12]

They can't be advertised, but a buying agent can just call a selling agent and ask that question, right? It just adds another step that it won't be on the website.

STEVENSON: Yes, it just adds another step, but I will tell you that in 35 years of selling real estate, I have never, never just made a decision on what home to show a buyer based on what commission I was receiving. I've had the discussion with my buyer with how I expect to be paid and what I need to earn so that I can make a living in my profession, but I have never done that.

When I have a client and that buyer becomes a client. I owe them a fiduciary responsibility to find the best home for them at the best price in terms that they can afford, not what I will earn.

BLACKWELL: Well, I am sure your clients appreciate that you have never steered them in a direction because of commissions, but studies show and research in the industry shows that it has happened that these homes with and again, the USC study, homes with lower buying agent commissions take longer to sell and are less likely to sell at all.

Let me ask you a, another just general question here. This is good news for the buyer. It's good news for the seller. As you say that there's more transparency. Is it bad news for real estate agents and realtors?

STEVENSON: Not really, in my opinion. We are just going to continue to do what we have done best. We are going to continue to represent the client that we have. And we're going to continue to be a resource for home buyers and sellers.

This is the largest purchase that Americans make in their lifetime. We need to be there to help them through this entire process.

BLACKWELL: Jennifer Stevenson, thank you.

STEVENSON: Thank you.

WALKER: We're hopefully you're not having breakfast yet. You're still in bed. Maybe you need to close your eyes, because it's open season in Florida. The Everglades Python hunting challenge ends today. And look at how participants are trying to catch as many of these reptiles as possible.

That's after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:56:40]

WALKER: Happening now, a different kind of scavenger hunt is underway. It is The Annual Florida Python Challenge.

BLACKWELL: Yes, just a few hours left around 800 hunters are out in the Florida Everglades right now. They're hoping to catch these giant creatures and collect the big cash prize.

CNN's Carlos Suarez takes us on the hunt.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CARLOS SUAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the humid, sweltering summer, deep in the Florida Everglades, the hunt is on for the Burmese python.

So, we're looking at about 30 pounds and about 9 feet? Sounds about right. One of the larger ones?

ZACHARY CHEJANOVSKI, FLORIDA FISH & WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION: I'd say this is on average of what you're going to find out there.

SUAREZ (voice-over): Experts we spoke to have seen snakes as long as 19 feet, weighing 125 pounds.

Oh God.

The invasive species of snakes have few natural predators and are known to consume prey as large as alligators.

For 10 days this month, hunters on trucks equipped with floodlights drive into the night. Their eyes trained on the flooded grassland for the slightest sign of a snake.

CODEY QUINTON, BURMESE PYTHON HUNTER: A lot of the times, you'll just get just a little piece of a tail sticking out from behind a tree or something and you stop. These things are very, very camouflaged.

Just relax.

SUAREZ (voice-over): Despite that, Cody Quinton captured a 10-foot python last year. It's all part of Florida's annual Python challenge, where amateurs and professionals seek the thrill of a capture and cash prizes. The hunter who catches the most Burmese pythons can take home $10,000.

QUINTON: Not today. I still get the rush though. Every time you see it, you know, you're like, ah, Python, nice. You know, I finally get another one out of here, because you know, that's the mission essentially is to get him out of here.

SUAREZ (voice-over): Quinton is a professional python hunter. We joined him at night deep in the Florida Everglades, but there were no snakes in sight.

Hunters can go daze without spotting a Burmese python.

CHEJANOVSKI: As you cross paths with a hundred pythons, you might just see one to five of them.

FRANK FERRARO (PH), BURMESE PYTHON HUNTER: Going to watch where you step.

SUAREZ (voice-over): Frank Ferraro (ph) is one of the roughly 800 hunters this season, hoping for that one big catch.

What's your dream catch?

FERRARO (PH): A year ago, somebody got a 19-foot python. That's the largest on record so far. And I'm thinking if there's a 19 foot, there is a 20 foot. So might as well think big.

SUAREZ (voice-over): The snakes first showed up in Florida in 1979, brought here as pets and likely released into the wild by owners when the snakes grew too big to keep.

CHEJANOVSKI: They will hiss, they will try to inflate themselves to be as big as they possibly can.

SUAREZ (voice-over): According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, since 2000, more than 21,000 Burmese pythons have been captured and killed.

CHEJANOVSKI: The hardest thing is finding the snake and once you've found them, catching them is relatively easy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: You cannot pay me enough to even go near one of these. We're going to the Florida Everglades at night. I mean, who knows what you're going to find in there?

BLACKWELL: OK. I'm not -- I'm not against it.

WALKER: Against what?

BLACKWELL: Going on --

WALKER: Python hunting?

BLACKWELL: -- a python hunt.

WALKER: Oh, come on.

BLACKWELL: I mean, I'm not obviously an expert, but I'd go along. I think it would be a nice adventure.

WALKER: (INAUDIBLE).

BLACKWELL: Sure.

WALKER: Brave Victor. You surprise me sometimes.

BLACKWELL: Let's go. All right, CNN's Carlos Suarez reporting.

[07:00:04]

We'll find out later just how many pythons were captured. Organizers expect it could be somewhere in the neighborhood of 200.

WALKER: OK, Florida Fish and Wildlife if you heard that, you can invite Victor for ride along.

BLACKWELL: I'm down.

WALKER: I'm going to happy to see that piece.

BLACKWELL: Next year.

WALKER: The next hour of "CNN This Morning," starts now.