Return to Transcripts main page

CNN This Morning

Dem State Legislature Group On "Insurrection Watch" Ahead Of November 5 Election; A Look Back At The Historic Events Of Summer 2024; LeBron And Bronny James Make NBA History. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired October 23, 2024 - 05:30   ET

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

[05:30:00]

KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: All right, 5:29 here on the East Coast. A live look at Detroit, Michigan where it is also 5:29. Michigan remains on Eastern time. Good morning, everyone. I'm Kasie Hunt. It's wonderful to have you with us.

While we are still at least two weeks from knowing -- a little less than two weeks away from knowing the presidential results some Democrats are already preparing for Donald Trump to prematurely declare victory again and for the possibility of violence like we saw on January 6, 2021.

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, the group dedicated to electing Democrats in state legislatures, is actually on what they're calling "insurrection watch" releasing a new initiative today looking at the critical role that America's state lawmakers play in safeguarding our elections.

The DLCC says that "Trump used state legislators to push his virulent lies and attempted to overturn the election results, both leading up to and after Election Day. GOP legislators colluded with those seeking to disrupt election certification, meeting with them ahead of riots and aiding their entry into capitols."

Trump continuing to sow doubt in the election as recently as yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let's see what happens because it all doesn't matter because, you know, bad things happen. Some very, very bad things happened last time. It's going to be a lot harder for them to do bad things. So we're going to see.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Joining us now to discuss, Heather Williams, the president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee. Heather, good morning to you. Thank you so much for being here.

So there has been a lot of discussion here in Washington about how there have been reforms to the Electoral Count Act. I've certainly spent time talking to members of Congress who have been very focused on trying to make sure that something like what we saw on January 6 doesn't happen again.

But there is a lot of concern in terms of the certification process about how that plays in all of these states across the country, and that seems to be what you're looking at here.

Can you explain this initiative and help us understand what places in particular we should be watching on election night?

HEATHER WILLIAMS, PRESIDENT, DEMOCRATIC LEGISLATIVE CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE: Yeah. Well, it's great to be here with you this morning.

State legislatures are the foundation of our democracy. They determine how people participate in their voting rights. They are timelines for voting and the counting. And so having secure elections means that we've got legislatures that care about our democracy.

We are looking at past pros (PH) and the rhetoric around this election sowing the doubt as we just saw and using our voice to let people know that voting up and down the ballot for Democrats secures our democracy and ensures that people continue to trust their voting laws, the process, and ultimately the results.

HUNT: So talk to me a little bit about which states in particular you're focused on here.

WILLIAMS: Yeah. The core states for us this year are this blue wall -- Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona. These are all places where power is in the balance. Where there are incredibly competitive races up and down the ballot. And we're encouraging people to get involved.

HUNT: So Kamala Harris was asked yesterday during an interview about concerns about whether or not Trump will declare victory and whether he will concede. Let's watch a little bit from that interview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HALLIE JACKSON, NBC NEWS ANCHOR AND SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Last election --

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Um-hum.

JACKSON: -- the former president came out on election night and declared victory before all the votes were counted. What is your plan if he does that again in two weeks?

HARRIS: We will deal with election night and the days after as they come, and we have the resources and the expertise and the focus on that as well. My --

JACKSON: So you have teams ready to go? Is that what you're saying? Are you thinking about that as a possibility?

HARRIS: Of course.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: So she said my team is ready to go. What does that actually look like? She obviously didn't get into details in that interview but when you say there are teams ready to take a look at what will happen if Trump doesn't concede, declares victory, et cetera, what does that look like?

WILLIAMS: It means that we're looking out for places where doubt is being cast in real time at polling places, where people's vote is called into question, and ensuring that every vote is counted accurately, and that the winner is declared, and that the loser concedes.

HUNT: Can we dig into Michigan for a second because you've seen a couple of incidents. First of all, it's expected to be extraordinarily close. There were COVID-era incidents with people at the Michigan state capitol. Obviously, there was a kidnapping plot against the governor there, Gretchen Whitmer.

How do all of those things play together in terms of the work that you're doing?

WILLIAMS: Yeah. I think Michigan is a prime example of a place where it is incredibly competitive. Where it is absolutely essential that Michiganders believe in the process. They believe that their vote will be counted -- that it matters. And ultimately, that they will be able to determine who leads them up and down the ballot.

And I think what we've seen from Republicans, right, and Donald Trump is that they are leading for their selves and their own power. They don't care about the American people. They don't care about whether or not people's votes are accurately counted. They just care that it counts for them, and that is a problem.

[05:35:05]

People in this country need to believe in their system. They need to get out and vote. It matters. It will be counted. It will be a free and fair election, and the winner will ultimately be declared.

HUNT: All right, Heather Williams for us this morning. Heather, thanks very much for coming in.

WILLIAMS: Thank you.

HUNT: I really appreciate it.

All right, let's turn now to this. Donald Trump going after Kamala Harris in the final two-week stretch of campaigning. During a Latino roundtable event in Miami Trump criticized his opponent for not being out on the trail. Instead, Harris opted to do sit-down interviews with NBC News and Telemundo on Tuesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: She's sleeping right now. She couldn't go on the trail. You know, you'd think when you have 14 days left you wouldn't be sleeping. She's not doing anything today.

She's lazy as hell and she's got that reputation. She's a radical left lunatic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Trump went on to claim that Harris is off today as well, though she will participate in a CNN town hall this evening.

His comments come as both campaigns are trying to make inroads with Latino and Black voters, especially men. The Harris campaign turning to former President Barack Obama to try to close the gender gap with male voters for the Democratic ticket.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I said look, especially some men, seem to think Donald Trump's behavior is somehow a sign of strength. When I hear folks saying yeah, I'm thinking about voting for him just because, and I say what? And they say well, I know he seems strong. He seems tough. I saw him at the UFC fight.

I am here to tell you that is not what real strength is. It never has been.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Joining us now to discuss is Gerren Gaynor, White House correspondent for TheGrio. Gerren, thank you so much for coming back. It's great to see you.

GERREN KEITH GAYNOR, MANAGING EDITOR OF POLITICS, THEGRIO: Glad to be here.

HUNT: So you saw what Obama had to say there. You also heard what Trump had to say criticizing Harris. I'd actually like to start there because he called her lazy. He also suggested she has a drug or a drinking problem. Let's watch a little bit more of that bite.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: She gave an answer that was so bad that they changed it. They took it out -- threw it out. They took the entire -- it was a long, stupid -- she didn't know where the hell she was going.

Does she drink? Is she on drugs? I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I have no idea.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: So there, of course, he was talking about the editing of the CBS "60 MINUTES" interview.

When he is calling her lazy and when he is making these insinuations about those things, what's he actually saying?

GAYNOR: You know, I think this campaign is really centered on the differences between the two candidates, and one of the big differences is the fact that Kamala Harris is a woman. And while she personally has not really leaned so much into her identity as a woman -- as a Black woman, suggesting that she's lazy has these undertones of suggestion that is -- these sexism, racist undertones that I think doesn't help the former president in his ability to try to expand his base.

This might work for his base of supporters, but I don't think that Latino voters and Black voters necessarily will be turned on by this type of rhetoric. I think that people want to see -- people want to hear about policies. What are your ideas to help me in my everyday life, especially as it relates to the economy?

And speaking about the -- speaking of the former president's visit with Latino voters in Miami --

HUNT: Yeah.

GAYNOR: -- he didn't talk a lot about policy. Instead, he took that opportunity to kind of go through his normal grievances, his greatest hits, and attacking the vice president personally. But he didn't talk a lot about what he would do for Latino communities.

HUNT: So let's talk for a second about Barack Obama because he obviously is out there -- that message round strength that you heard him --

GAYNOR: Um-hum.

HUNT: -- giving there aimed, it seems, at men who may see Donald Trump as kind of the strongman type of candidate.

How do you look at and how do you understand -- I know you've reported on the Harris campaign, and you've traveled with her -- how they view Obama and the way that he can talk to Black voters, and especially Black male voters.

GAYNOR: Um-hum. President Obama remains a rockstar in the Black community. So obviously, him coming to Detroit was a -- was -- is a big deal because Detroit is essential for the Harris-Walz campaign for winning Michigan. Black voters in Detroit are really crucial in that regard.

And so him going out there and talking about as a man this is not what strength looks like. Strength is about leadership. It's about having good ideas. It's about bringing the country together.

And I've spoken to a number of Democrats and civil rights leaders who also believe that President Obama can rally up Black voters. But they are concerned about his ability to reach younger Black men because they are seeing on the ground that he's not having the same affect with younger Black men as he is with older Black men.

[05:40:10]

And that they need to have other surrogates joining President Obama. They see that it should be an all hands on deck going to influencers, hip-hop artists. We know we saw Eminem, but he's an older rapper. You know --

HUNT: Yep.

GAYNOR: -- they believe that he should -- that the campaign should be going to younger rappers and influencers, and maybe having President Obama joining them on stage and saying you know, as an introduction, like, here -- here is such and such, and letting that be the focus. Because young people are -- like I mentioned last week are on the internet.

HUNT: Yeah.

GAYNOR: They are -- they're really enthralled with, like, entertainment and reality television, and that's why we have former President Trump as the first reality television president. And so you have to kind of cover all of your bases, but President Obama is certainly an effective surrogate.

HUNT: Yes. Well -- I mean, the millennials who were Obama's young people -- the young people in Obama's coalition are now middle-aged so --

GAYNOR: Yes.

HUNT: -- there's that.

All right, Gerren Gaynor. Thank you --

GAYNOR: Thank you.

HUNT: -- very much for being here.

All right. Straight ahead here on CNN THIS MORNING, an "American Reckoning." Jonathan Alter is here to discuss his new book about three seismic political events that triggered what he calls a black swan summer. We'll explain.

Plus, a father-son moment on the NBA's opening night. Our Bleacher Report is ahead.

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:45:52]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Former President Donald Trump found guilty of falsifying business records, count 34, guilty. Donald Trump found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: The former president was just a few minutes into his remarks referring to a large graphic nearby when all of a sudden, shots were fired.

President Biden just announced that he's dropping out of the 2024 presidential race and publicly endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic presidential nominee.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: The summer heading into the 2024 election was nothing short of historic as you saw there. In the span of 52 days three events completely shifted the political landscape. It started with Donald Trump's felony convictions on May 30, 2024. Then there was the assassination attempt against Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. That was July 13. And then Joe Biden's withdrawal from the 2024 race on July 21 and his subsequent address to the nation.

These three seismic events constitute what our next guest calls a black swan summer in his new book titled "American Reckoning" the journalist, Jonathan Alter, describes the summer of 2024 this way. "It's a historic period when the political world turned on its axis in just a few short weeks." He calls the events "extremely rare, extremely impactful, and -- in spite of being outliers -- explainable and even predictable after the fact."

Joining us now to discuss is Jonathan Alter. He is the author of the new book "American Reckoning: Inside Trump's Trial -- and My Own." Jonathan, I'm so grateful to have you on the show.

JONATHAN ALTER, AUTHOR, "AMERICAN RECKONING: INSIDE TRUMP'S TRIAL -- AND MY OWN": Great to see you, Kasie.

HUNT: Really remarkable the way you lay all of this out. Let's start with -- I mean, when I -- when I look at that -- when I read that you'd think that these were predictable. I want to know why you think that we could have predicted any of this.

ALTER: Well, OK. So a black swan event is something --

HUNT: Right.

ALTER: -- that is extremely rare. There's a famous book called "The Black Swan." But in retrospect, you go oh, we should've known that. So the classic black swan that was 9/11, right? It seemed like a bolt out of the blue but when you look back on it, we should've connected the dots.

So we should've known after his long criminal life -- Donald Trump, like, violating laws willy nilly -- that there could be a conviction of an American president. But still -- and I was just a few feet away from the jury foreperson. I was in the courtroom every day seeing this guy go guilty, guilty, guilty.

This was one of the most dramatic events I've covered in 40 years of journalism. People couldn't see it on TV, so I try to convey in the book, like, the drama -- the high drama of this event.

So it seemed like something that -- you know, the idea of an American president being convicted seemed like something -- a bolt out of the blue. But in some ways, it really --

HUNT: Maybe Aaron Sorkin would have written it, but we never would have lived it.

ALTER: Exactly.

And before this, just to give you a quick example, only two presidents had any connection to the justice system. Ulysses S. Grant got a ticket for driving too fast, and Harry Truman got a ticket for driving too slow. That was it until --

HUNT: That's fascinating.

ALTER: -- Donald Trump, right?

So then you have these other black swan events where you have an assassination attempt, which it's kind of a miracle that Donald Trump wasn't hit. But again, we should've been able to predict in some ways that this would be part of our life -- political life as it has been in the past -- a political --

HUNT: In some ways we've been blessed to be able to forget that --

ALTER: Exactly.

HUNT: -- is part of our history, yeah.

ALTER: And then the final one, of course, is Nancy Pelosi's I think heroic efforts to maneuver Joe Biden off the ticket. I tell the inside story in "American Reckoning" of how that -- how that happened. And when you think about that, that's also just enormously dramatic. The only time it's ever happened before in recent history was Lyndon Johnson in 1968, but that was in January. This was in July.

[05:50:00]

And so, again, high drama in the 2024 election, and I try to convey that in the book.

HUNT: Yeah, it certainly was earlier in the year.

What about the Pelosi maneuvering behind the scenes? Do you lay out in the book that you think -- most of us don't know at this point.

ALTER: So the way she approached Biden. So she went over in secret to the White House not long after the disastrous debate and she opened a channel of communication with a kind of 'I'm here for you' tone. She didn't try to, at first, tell him you need to --

HUNT: Right.

ALTER: -- get off the ticket. And as one of her very close friends told me, she could cut off your head and you wouldn't even know it.

And -- but she, at this point, was a little bit upset because she considered the men -- Clinton, Obama, Jeffries, Schumer -- to be MIA. And one her friends said why were hers the only bloody fingerprints on the knife? And, you know, it cost her this 40-year friendship with Joe Biden who hasn't spoken to her since.

Then some of the other things that I discovered about what happened is that COVID was the last straw. If it wasn't for Joe Biden getting COVID he was going to run out the string -- run out the clock because there was only about 10 days before the delegates would vote virtually --

HUNT: Right.

ALTER: -- for the nominee. And the DNC, the White House, the campaign -- they all wanted him to run out the clock. But when he got COVID --

HUNT: Wow.

ALTER: -- that then changed the dynamic and contributed in a significant way to his decision.

HUNT: Really remarkable.

All right, Jonathan Alter. You're going to come back -- you're going to stick with us through the top of the hour. Very grateful to have you today. ALTER: Good.

HUNT: Don't forget, the book is "American Reckoning: Inside Trump's Trials -- and My Own." It's on shelves now, yes?

ALTER: Yes -- yeah, it just came out.

HUNT: All right.

OK, time now for sports. LeBron and Bronny James make history as the NBA's first father-son duo to play together.

Andy Scholes has this morning's Bleacher Report. Andy, good morning.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yeah, good morning, Kasie.

So, LeBron and Bronny both calling it a moment they will never forget. LeBron entering his 22nd season last night. Bronny, his rookie season.

And early on the in game with the Timberwolves LeBron was giving Bronny some advice on the bench.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEBRON JAMES, FORWARD, LOS ANGELES LAKERS: Y'all ready?

BRONNY JAMES, GUARD, LOS ANGELES LAKERS: Yeah.

L. JAMES: You can see the intensity, right? Just play carefree though. Don't worry about mistakes. Just go out and play hard.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: All right. Then with four minutes to go in the second quarter, the moment we were all waiting for. LeBron and Bronny checking in together, becoming the first-ever father-son duo to play together in the NBA. They got a standing ovation from the crowd. The family there to see it happen.

And moments later, LeBron here -- the pass to Bronny. He puts up the three, but it was no good. Now, Bronny didn't score in his three minutes on the court. LeBron finished with 16.

And here was dad afterwards on the historic night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

L. JAMES: It's family. It's always about family over everything. And, you know, for me, I lost a lot of time because of this league -- the commitment to this league -- being on the road at times and missing a lot of his things, and Bryce's things, and Zhuri's things. So to be able to have this moment where I'm working still and I can work alongside my son is one of the greatest gifts I've ever got from the man above and I'm going to take full advantage of it.

B. JAMES: Just going up to that scorer's table with my dad and checking in for the first time, that's a crazy moment I will never forget.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Yeah. And before the game, LeBron and Bronny taking a picture with Ken Griffey Jr. and his dad on the court. The Griffeys the first-ever father-son duo to play together in baseball. They were there for the historic night.

As for the game, Anthony Davis -- he was dominant and he scored 36 points and grabbed 16 rebounds.

JJ Reddick wins his Lakers' coaching debut as they beat the T-wolves 110-103.

The Celtics, meanwhile, raising their record 18th championship banner at TD Garden. They also got their rings during the pregame ceremony. Jayson Tatum then told the crowd they're going to do it again.

And during and after the Olympics, you know, the story was Tatum not getting to play. Well, he looked like a man on a mission in this one. He poured in 37 points and dished out 10 assists. Eight for 11 from three-point range.

The Celtics -- they actually made an NBA record 29 threes in this game, and they reached that mark with nine minutes to go. The crowd was then chanting "One more three!" to set the record. But get this -- the Celtics -- they then missed 13 straight.

It was still a great night there in Boston though. They walloped the Knicks 132-109.

But Kasie, I don't think I ever heard of the fans chant "One more three!" in a game, but the Celtics fans -- they were having a grand old time. As I said, they beat the Knicks pretty easily in that one. And they couldn't miss early and then couldn't make anything late. It was kind of funny.

HUNT: Indeed.

All right, Andy. Thank you very much for that.

SCHOLES: Yeah.

HUNT: I really appreciate it.

All right. Straight ahead here on CNN THIS MORNING, the mounting distrust in Congress from Gen Z voters. How this frustration with Capitol Hill from a key demographic may shape the balance of power.

[05:55:05]

Plus, 13 days out, more than 20 million ballots already cast. The campaigns' closing arguments in the final days.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, CBS "THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT": Because 17 million voters have already cast a ballot. These people have already voted. These are the same people who have already done their Christmas shopping, already had their next Brita filter soaking.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL)

HUNT: It's Wednesday, October 23. Right now on CNN THIS MORNING --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Well, she's lazy as hell.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Thirteen days to go. Donald Trump bashing Kamala Harris on the trail taking aim at her schedule with that insult.

Plus --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. TIM WALZ, (D) VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald Trump said, "I need the kind of generals that Hitler had."

(END VIDEO CLIP)