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Jessica Mackler is Interviewed about the Impact of Abortion Bans; Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) is Interviewed about Biden's Speech; Night Two of DNC. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired August 20, 2024 - 06:30   ET

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

[06:30:00]

LARRY SNELLING, CHICAGO POLICE SUPERINTENDENT: In our city. We're not going to tolerate anyone who are going to commit acts of violence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: Police say that the protesters did not breach their inner security perimeter.

Inside the DNC here last night, between speeches from celebrities and politicians, we also heard from four everyday Americans, they were billed as. In powerful testimonials they highlighted one of the Harris' campaign's central issues, reproductive rights, sharing their harrowing and deeply personal stories about pregnancies and miscarriages and how state-level abortion bans endangered and changed their lives.

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JOSH ZURAWSKI, DNC SPEAKER: We waited until Amanda was sick enough to receive standard abortion care. Eventually, Amanda's temperature spiked. She was shaking, disoriented, and crashing.

KAITLYN JOSHUA, DNC SPEAKER: Something didn't feel right. Two emergency rooms sent me away. Because of Louisiana's abortion ban, no one would confirm that I was miscarrying.

HADLEY DUVALL, DNC SPEAKER: I was raped by my stepfather after years of sexual abuse. At age 12, I took my first pregnancy test. And it was positive.

I can't imagine not having a choice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Wow.

Joining me now, Jessica Mackler, the president of EMILYs List, the political action group that helps elect Democratic female candidates who support abortion rights.

Jessica, thank you very much for being with us this morning. JESSICA MACKLER, PRESIDENT, EMILYS LIST: Thank you for having me.

HUNT: She, in particular, Hadley Duvall, who was featured in that ad in the Kentucky race with just such a deeply personal story, this has clearly become a really central part of a post-Roe America, right, as women who are, you know, attempting to get care for all sorts of situations have, in many states, struggled to do it. And I know you actually have your own personal story that you've only recently started to share in public.

What did we see on stage last night? And how do you think these personal stories touch American voters?

MACKLER: Well, I think one of the most important things that we did last night was to really draw this contrast and to show what was at stake in this election cycle. And so we really rooted that in what is at the heart of this issue. This is a deeply personal issue. And it affects people all over the country. We - in a previous segment you were talking about Kentucky and Ohio. People across the country understand what it means and what the impact is of these really draconian abortion laws that have been passed by Republicans in the wake of Donald Trump's Supreme Court tearing up Roe.

And so I think really rooting that first night in these deeply personal stories. I heard someone say that it kind of felt like the oxygen left the room in that moment when Hadley talked about what it looks like. It's not beautiful for a child to have to carry her parent's child. And that - that moment, that really - that really gets to people. And this - these are deeply personal issues. And we saw that on stage last night.

HUNT: Donald Trump has tried to downplay the issue of abortion as one that is going to affect this election. But I think it's worth remembering that this is the first presidential race in the wake of the fall of Roe versus Wade. What are you seeing as - because I know you do a lot of internal polling, surveying - there's a lot of information coming in about where the electorate is on this issue - that you think isn't getting enough attention.

MACKLER: I think we've just consistently seen an underestimation. It is - of how dramatically the landscape has shifted since the Roe decision, since the Dobbs decision. It is an upending of politics. And so when we look at where we are, in a presidential campaign you're often looking at where are we compared to '16, where we compared to '20, but we cannot understand this election cycle without the context of 2022.

And the Dobbs decision upended politics in this country. Women in particular are outraged. And Kamala Harris is meeting that outrage with a real vision for, we don't have to live like this. It doesn't have to be like this. We can restore these rights. We can restore these freedoms. And people are responding in a really amazing way.

HUNT: Where do you see - where do you see this decision that President Biden made to step aside for Kamala Harris affecting how the House and Senate are going to - going to play out, because I know those are lots of the races that you work on and are going to be deeply affected by that?

MACKLER: Absolutely. Well, I mean, the electrification of the country since Kamala Harris took the helm of this campaign is something that is going to affect people up and down the ballot.

I would also say, you know, Kamala Harris is the best messenger in the country when it comes to reproductive freedom. And - and so having her at the top of this ticket really is going to drive the contrast in this election.

I would keep a real close eye on young women. Young women are going to be determinative in this election. We have seen massive swings in their enthusiasm. And they are going to turn out in force for her and candidates down the ballot.

HUNT: All right, Jessica Mackler for us this morning. Thank you so much for coming in. I really appreciate it.

[06:35:02]

MACKLER: Thanks for having me.

HUNT: OK, still ahead here on CNN THIS MORNING, day two of the Democratic National Convention with Barack and Michelle Obama set to speak. What has happened to when they go low, we go high? Our panel will discuss.

And Congresswoman Debbie Dingell joins us live to talk about Biden's place in history after his opening night speech at the DNC.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, "THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT": Biden stood on that stage, gave a powerful speech, and proved to the country and to the world that he can stay up past 8:00 p.m.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I know more foreign leaders by their first names and know them well than anybody live, just because I'm so damn old.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: President Biden cracking jokes during his late night address at the DNC about the very thing that stood in the way and ultimately halted his re-election bid, his age.

[06:40:05]

A very emotional Biden took the stage to tout his accomplishments and pass the torch to Kamala Harris, making a clear effort to credit his vice president for her work as she takes the reins.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you, Kamala.

We finally beat big pharma. And guess who cast the tie-breaking vote? Vice President, soon to be president, Kamala Harris.

She's tough, she's experienced, and she has enormous integrity.

Selecting Kamala was the very first decision I made before I became - when I became our nominee. And it was the best decision I made my whole career.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Joining me now is Democrat from Michigan, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell.

Congresswoman, wonderful to see you.

REP. DEBBIE DINGELL (D-MI): Kasie, good to be here.

HUNT: I appreciate the early morning after what was a very late night for President Biden, speaking until after midnight.

What was the feeling for you in the room about what he did there because as much as people were thanking him for his own service, they were also thanking him for stepping aside.

DINGELL: You know, it was emotional. I mean you couldn't, if you know Joe Biden like I have for 40 years, you've watched 40 years of - of - of history and know what happened, you couldn't not cry at the beginning of it. And there were very different - I mean, I think everybody recognized last night in the room how much he's given to this country in 50 years of public service. And, sure, there's some bittersweetness to it because there were people in the room that felt that he had to go. And I didn't love the way it all played out.

HUNT: Yes.

Speaking of people who suggested that he had to go, Nancy Pelosi was on the floor, the speaker emerita, watching what unfolded. Joe Biden was on the tarmac actually after his speech as he was heading out - he went on vacation on Air Force One, was asked about whether he was angry about how it all played out, and whether he had spoken with Pelosi.

Let's watch that moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you angry at Nancy Pelosi? Are you going to speak with her?

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No, I haven't spoken to Nancy at all. I mean, look, I made - no - no one influenced by decision. No one knew it was coming. What I decided to do was, I didn't want to - to the extent that the party thought they'd lose Senate seats or House seats, that would have been the topic you would have had to cover the entire remainder of the campaign. And it wasn't worth it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Who do you make of what he said there?

DINGELL: I think that that's the truth.

You know, I've been through, not this public a moment, but my husband and Nancy had their moment. They came back together. They worked together. There wouldn't have been an Affordable Care Act if - people watching may not know, she did a little of what she did with John Dingell, my husband -

HUNT: Yes.

DINGELL: On the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Look, there's a lot of hurt at first, but you come back together. You unite because you've got the common goal. And everybody knows we've got to be united right now to win in November.

HUNT: So, winning in November, of course, means beating Donald Trump. So, let's talk about what he is doing today, as well as I want to show also another moment where Biden was also asked about how Trump has called what happened with Biden and Harris, a, quote/unquote, coup. This was how Biden answered that question.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your reaction to Donald Trump saying it was a coup to take you out of the race?

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think he has a problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: I think he has a problem, he says. Now, Trump is campaigning in Michigan today. Where is he going? Why? And how do you think that the message he'll - he'll carry will resonate?

DINGELL: So, I think - I agree with the president 100 percent. I think he has a problem. He has chosen to go to Howell, Michigan, which was the scene of KKK march only three weeks ago, has a significant history of KKK activity, militia activity, et cetera. And I think at a time where you're trying to bring a country together, it reinforces for all of us the kind of hate and division his presidency represented four years. And we'll see what happens. But I think his campaign is going to be the same old, let's divide people, let's flip people, let's encourage hate and anxiety. And I hope we all remember his effort is not to bring us together as a country.

HUNT: So, speaking of division and how our politics is conducted, we're going to hear from the Obamas tonight here at the convention. Michelle Obama, famously in 2016, was on stage saying, when they go low, we go high. And that also seems to be - there seems to be something of a divide among Democrats about whether that's the right way to go considering the way that Trump campaigns and whether going high is enough to stand up to the way he campaigns.

[06:45:00]

How do you look at that?

DINGELL: Well, as someone who has occasionally been the target of Donald Trump, I think I'm one of the ones he has a more personal feeling for. I wrote an op-ed in "The New York Times" in January, said that you have to stand up to Donald Trump when he goes after you. I think you have to do it respectfully. You have to do it civilly. We have to - but I don't think we can get a - let him get away with his hateful attacks. I mean I wrote it after he said his Christmas message, to remind people, was rot in hell last year.

HUNT: Quite a Christmas message.

BAKARI SELLERS CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: 2016, you were the loudest voice, maybe the only voice, flashing those warning signs that Michigan was in danger to Donald Trump. What are you seeing out there now? I mean, do you see those same warning signs? I know we have to run scared, right? And I know we have to have that Jill Stein redox (ph). But, what are you seeing differently or are you seeing in different - anything differently today versus - for Democrats versus what you saw in 2016?

DINGELL: If you had asked me a month ago, I was very worried. We had four demographics that I was worried about. There is more enthusiasm. Young people - not all young people. We've still got college campuses that are - that are mixed, are coming back. The African American community is coming back. We still have a union hall problem, to be perfectly frank. And it's how close is the election going to be?

And then the Mideast continues to play out. And a new area that I'm kind of paying attention to is seniors. I heard a lot of seniors - I went to about ten different seniors meetings last week. It was the 89th birthday of Social Security. Do we not matter? Do they - we think we're irrelevant? Are both parties throwing us out?

We have work to do. There's more energy. There's more enthusiasm. It's going to come down to who turns out their vote.

HUNT: On the union hall problem, as you say, what do you think Kamala Harris needs to do to fix that?

DINGELL: Well, I think it's already beginning. I mean - you know, no, she just said so eloquently, nobody believed me in 2016.

SELLERS: No, we got everybody - DINGELL: Everybody wrote their -

SELLERS: Everybody was like all she wants is more resources in Michigan. Don't -

DINGELL: And we didn't get them and they never walked into our union hall. They were already walking into union halls. She was in Local 900 last week where the strikes were. And I talked to a lot of those guys after she was there. I've talked to every president in the state of Michigan, and most of the national. I'm going in those halls. She's going in those halls. We're going to talk to them. We've got to tell the story. We've got to do that comparison.

HUNT: All right, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, thank you so much for being with us. Thanks to our panel as well.

SELLERS: Thank you.

HUNT: Straight ahead here - actually, you guys will be back in just a second.

Straight here ahead on CNN THIS MORNING, night two of the DNC. The theme for the evening, the powerhouse line-up of speakers, up next.

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[06:52:57]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELLE OBAMA, FORMER FIRST LADY (July 25, 2016): How we explain that when someone is cruel or acts like a bully, you don't stoop to their level. No, our motto is, when they go low, we go high.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: That was Michelle Obama framing the presidential race in 2016. She's going to be back at the DNC tonight, one of the featured speakers, along with her husband, Barack, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker. The theme for this evening, a bold vision for America's future is how they're framing it.

Let's go round the table here as we wrap things up and just look ahead to tonight.

Kate, what are you looking for?

KATE BEDINGFIELD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, well, look, the Obamas are two of the most beloved figures in the Democratic Party. Also, you know, Barack Obama certainly has appeal to these moderate independent voters. You look at the Obama coalition from 2008, and in many ways some of that is what Kamala Harris is looking to recreate.

So, you know, I think when President Obama speaks, Democrats listen. And I think this will be a moment for him to really lay out the stakes, fire people up, get people energized, excited. So, I think it will be really emotional, but also just a powerful and energetic moment tonight.

HUNT: Bakari, (INAUDIBLE).

SELLERS: The same thing. I think that people - there are two points I want to make. People forget how - how magnanimous Barack Obama was. He won not only North Carolina and Florida, but he also won Indiana in 2008. I also don't -

HUNT: We forget that.

BEDINGFIELD: Yes.

SELLERS: I also don't want - I love Michelle Obama, but I think that the mood has changed in the Democratic Party. So, I think she well say this time, when they go low, we go to hell. We fighting.

HUNT: I mean James Carville put it, quote, "after eight years of Trump, there's no discussion among anybody about going high."

Shermichael, what are you going to see tonight.

SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I want to hear from President Obama, because I think Democrats again really have to figure out how to seal some of these cracks. I mean you have Sherrod Brown now here. Tester not here. These are two individuals who are likely going to lose their Senate seats.

I do think there are still some issues with the vice president and working-class white voters. I still think there are some issues with the vice president and men of all races. And perhaps President Obama can speak to those demo groups and maybe encourage them to come back to the Democratic Party.

[06:55:03]

HUNT: I guess we'll see.

Alyssa.

ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: So, I disagree with Bakari on this. I think -

SELLERS: You've been disagreeing with me all morning, and it's just 5:00 in Chicago.

GRIFFIN: I agree - I think Michelle Obama should stick to that message. And let me tell you why. There is going to be a time in politics where Donald Trump is not the singular force in our lives, where we move beyond the casual cruelty, than name calling, the division. And we need leaders who are going to rise above and are going to teach the next generation how we should do politics, how I came up doing politics, how you guys came up doing politics. I don't think we need more going low. I think actually why Kamala Harris is resonating is because it is hopeful, it is forward-looking, and it is joyful. It is not named calling and punching down.

HUNT: I certainly will take some hope. I'm not sure how hopeful I am that we're going to get back to a place.

SELLERS: You can't - you can't - you can't exercise cancer away. But, OK.

SINGLETON: Yes, but, you know, I have to say, quickly, as a Republican, if someone slaps you in the face, you don't just say, all right, thanks, see you later. You slap the hell out of them back. So, I would not necessarily agree with the notion that they - you know, (INAUDIBLE).

HUNT: OK. Yes, see -

GRIFFIN: And that is why we are so deeply polarized.

HUNT: All right, we've got to wrap it up, guys. We - hopefully we'll see some hope tonight.

Thanks to the panel. Thanks to you for joining us. I'm Kasie Hunt. "CNN NEWS CENTRAL" is next from right here in Chicago.

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