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Kamala Harris Makes History as Vice Presidential Nominee; Barack Obama Delivers Blistering Attack on Trump; Steve Bannon Arrested, Charged with Fraud; Kremlin Critic Alexei Navalny Hospitalized after Suspected Poisoning; Russia Announces Large-Scale Trial of Vaccine; Joe Biden to Accept Presidential Nomination Tonight; Coronavirus Cripples Existing Humanitarian Crises; New Video Shows Raptors President Shoved by Officer. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired August 20, 2020 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What I know about Joe, what I know about Kamala, is that they actually care about every
American.
HALA GORANI, CNN HOST (voice-over): Kamala Harris accepts a historic V.P. nomination as Barack Obama hits a nerve with President Trump.
Also this hour, a suspected poisoning: Russia's opposition leader is fighting for his life in intensive care. We are live in Moscow.
Then COVID in conflict: we'll look at the pandemic's effect on already existing humanitarian crises.
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GORANI: All right. I'm Hala Gorani. This is CONNECT THE WORLD. We'll have more this hour on the reported arrest of former chief Trump strategist
Steve Bannon.
Joe Biden will accept the nomination tonight, after a historic third night at the party's national convention. It was all virtual, as were the first
two nights. Senator Kamala Harris accepted the vice presidential nomination Wednesday. She is now the first woman of color to ever appear on a major
party presidential ticket.
History of a different sort was made Wednesday when former U.S. president Barack Obama delivered a scathing rebuke of president Donald Trump. It's
not normally something former presidents do. More now from CNN's Jessica Dean.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JESSICA DEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kamala Harris making history, officially becoming the first Black woman and the first Asian
American woman on a major national party ticket.
SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA), VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I keep thinking about that 25-year-old Indian woman, all of 5 feet tall, who gave birth to
me at Kaiser Hospital in Oakland, California.
On that day, she probably could have never imagined that I would be standing before you now and speaking these words: I accept your nomination
for Vice President of the United States of America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN (voice-over): The daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants spent time honoring her late mother, saying the values she taught Harris are ones
also shared by Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: A vision of our nation as a beloved community, where all are welcome, no matter what we look like, no matter where we come from or who
we love; a country, where we may not agree on every detail but we are united by the fundamental belief that every human being is of infinite
worth, deserving of compassion, dignity and respect.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN (voice-over): Along with outlining her policy plans and record.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: I have fought for children and survivors of sexual assault. I fought against transnational criminal organizations. I took on the biggest
banks and helped take down one of the biggest for-profit colleges. I know a predator when I see one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN (voice-over): The vice presidential nominee also laying out her case against President Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Donald Trump's failure of leadership has cost lives and livelihoods.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN (voice-over): Harris, joined virtually by former president Barack Obama, who told voters why they should also support his former running
mate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Twelve years ago when I began my search for vice president, I didn't know I'd end up finding a brother. That empathy, that decency, the
belief that everybody counts, that's who Joe is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN (voice-over): And in a rare move, Obama giving a scathing critique of Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: I did hope, for the sake of our country, that Donald Trump might show some interest in taking the job seriously, that he might come to feel
the weight of the office. But he never did.
Donald Trump hasn't grown into the job because he can't. And the consequences of that failure are severe: 170,000 Americans dead, millions
of jobs gone while those at the top take in more than ever; our worst impulses unleashed, our proud reputation around the world badly diminished.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[10:05:00]
DEAN (voice-over): The former president ending Wednesday's speech with this warning --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: This administration has shown it will tear our democracy down if that's what it takes for them to win. So we have to get busy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN (voice-over): Also taking center stage Wednesday, leading women of the Democratic Party, including former Democratic presidential nominee
Hillary Clinton, recalling her 2016 candidacy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON (D), FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: Look, this can't be another woulda/coulda/shoulda election. Don't forget, Joe and Kamala can
win by 3 million votes and still lose. Take it from me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Well, that was Jessica Dean reporting.
I want to bring in Nikki Fried. She is the Florida Commissioner of Agricultural and Consumer Services and the state's highest ranking elected
Democrat. She was also one of the 17 speakers featured in the keynote address on the second night of the convention. Let's listen to that right
now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIKKI FRIED, FLORIDA COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURAL AND CONSUMER SERVICES: Make no mistake, it didn't have to be this bad. In the early days of the
virus, Donald Trump didn't listen to the experts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: All right. Well, Nikki Fried joins me now, live from the Florida state capital, Tallahassee.
Thanks for being with us. So Kamala Harris, one of the things that she said -- and it was a theme we heard throughout this virtual convention -- we are
at an inflection point.
Do you believe Kamala Harris will be the one to help Joe Biden achieve that insurmountable lead that he needs to defeat an incumbent in President
Trump?
FRIED: Absolutely. I mean, last night was such a remarkable evening. And she laid out such a case not only about having a more perfect union, you
know, telling stories of her parents and how they emigrated here and really getting to the hearts and the souls of our nation, telling stories of how
she fought a big corporate America and protected so many citizens across our entire country.
And really laid out the importance of this election, that we are -- our democracy is being rocked right now. And when she and Joe Biden get elected
as president and vice president, we're going to be able to start righting some of these wrongs that have been happening under the Trump
administration.
And she was so vulnerable but so relatable to so many people across the country, who saw themselves in her speech.
And really, as I was listening to her remarks last night, I definitely choked up and had some tears. It was a historic moment and feeling that we
finally have some hope for what the future of our country will look like.
GORANI: Well, Nikki, she ran for the Democratic nomination and her campaign did not succeed. She wasn't even really in the final group toward
the end.
I wonder, why do you think that she failed there but will succeed in the race on the ticket against Trump and Pence?
FRIED: You know, we had a lot of people running for president, a lot of really qualified individuals on that stage. Any one of them -- it would
have be better -- a mountain better -- than our current resident of the White House.
But it's hard to break through. At the end of the day, the country was looking for somebody that they knew, which was Joe Biden. He has a history
of service to our country.
And you saw that also in the remarks from President Obama last night, laying out the case of why Joe Biden should be the next President of the
United States.
So she was fierce on that debate stage. But it was hard to break through in such a crowded field. But she's making the case every single day of why she
deserves to be up there in Washington, D.C., serving as our vice president, alongside in the trenches with Joe Biden.
We have a lot of work to do. We have a lot of work to restore the integrity of our country, to make sure that we're the beacon of hope and light for
the entire world and to make sure that we are actually living up to the principles of what makes America great, the democracy, the foundation of
our country, and really giving every single person who comes to our country an opportunity to succeed.
And she had made that case last night and I know she will be successful in the November election.
GORANI: Yes. And she made that case; obviously, she is the daughter of immigrants, born in the United States. But if I look at your state in
particular, one of the latest polls does give Biden the edge but within really the margin of error, Biden at 51, Trump at 46 with really the Trump
critics repeatedly blaming the administration for this very high death toll from COVID that we have seen across the country.
In your state in particular, one of the things that you said in your address to the convention, was that it didn't have to be this high. But
just doing the research, more Floridians have died of COVID than all of the deaths that have occurred in Germany, the country of Germany.
So I wonder, is it -- when you're within the margin of error.
[10:10:00]
GORANI: It's still very, very -- you know, uncertain.
FRIED: Well, of course. And historically Florida has always been close. I mean, look at -- you know, we were in the heart of the Bush v. Gore cases.
So we have always been within the margin of 1 percent.
Out of 8 million votes that were cast here in the 2018 election, I only won by 6,753. We had two other recounts for both the governor and the U.S.
Senate seat. So Florida is always going to be close. If any poll shows anything outside of that, I would be surprised.
But absolutely, what has happened here in the state of Florida in this pandemic, I have absolutely put this on the shoulders and the blames of
both Ron DeSantis, our governor, and President Trump.
Ron DeSantis has not done a single thing here in our state without the absolute permission from Donald Trump. So both of them are completely
responsible. And their lack of leadership, of why our numbers are so high, why our economy is completely crumbled, why we have lost so many lives here
in the state of Florida is because of their failed leadership.
We are not even close to getting through this. We have a lot of work to do here in the state of Florida. And certainly the polls show it.
But certainly, on Election Day, there will be a reckoning for President Trump here in the state of Florida because he is to blame, along with Ron
DeSantis, for all of the deaths and the destruction of livelihoods here in our state.
GORANI: All right. Thank you, Nikki Fried, the commissioner of agriculture, the highest ranking elected Democrat in Florida. Thank you.
And watch CNN later for the final night of the Democratic National Convention. This is the night that Joe Biden will accept the nomination for
U.S. president. Coverage starts at midnight in London, 7:00 am in Hong Kong.
And now, breaking news coming in to CNN: President Trump's former campaign adviser has been arrested and he has been charged with two counts of -- two
counts -- one to commit wire fraud and one count of money laundering in the fundraising campaign for the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico.
Federal prosecutors say Steve Bannon and three other men defrauded donors of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Let's get the very latest from CNN's
Kara Scannell. She joins me now live from New York.
And I was going through the indictment. This is the Southern District of New York, alleging that Steve Bannon and three others essentially asked
people to donate money to fund a private border wall and then rerouted that money for personal expenses. Tell us more about what we know and when we
might see Bannon appear in court.
KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hala, as you said, this is a significant charge against Steve Bannon, the former campaign strategist of Donald
Trump, someone who was in the White House.
Prosecutors are saying that he and three others had created a fundraising campaign, We Build the Wall, in which they raised $25 million. But instead
of that money going to construction, prosecutors say Steve Bannon and the others had used hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay for personal
expenses.
They also allege in the indictment that Bannon and others had tried to conceal the transfer of these payments to each other. And they talk about
text messages and shell companies that they used in order to route the money around, to try to hide that they were paying themselves.
Now Steve Bannon was arrested today. He is in custody. In the U.S., we're still under a lot of the coronavirus restrictions. So a lot of the court
appearances and hearings are all virtual. We do not expect to see Steve Bannon today but he will be presented before a judge in a video conference,
where they will decide if he's released on bail and will then -- you know, this is the first step before he'll eventually come back in and have an
arraignment on the charges.
We have reached out to Steve Bannon's attorney; we have not heard back yet. We did get a "no comment" from the White House, they're not issuing any
statement about the charges today.
But it's worth noting that this investigation, which focuses on these payments from early 2019 and throughout the year, would have required that
DOJ in Washington, D.C., under attorney general Bill Barr, they would have known about the case and these charges coming.
You know, so it's an interesting data point as we look at the influence of Bill Barr in the Justice Department.
But the big event today, Steve Bannon charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering;
both of them have statutory maximums of 20 years in prison.
With this case being about a $25 million fraud, if he's convicted, he could face substantial jail time. Hala?
GORANI: And as I was reading through their -- through the indictment, the allegation is that the suspects concealed the payments by using, as you
stated, nonprofits and shell companies.
[10:15:00]
GORANI: And that they used fake invoices among other ways as well.
What more have we learned from the Southern District of New York prosecutors in this case against them?
SCANNELL: Right. So they're accused of using vendors' fake invoices and these shell companies that they set up to try to route the payments to each
other to make it appear as though they were going to vendors when, in fact, they were allegedly going to themselves and which they then used to pay for
personal expenses.
So this tells us that there's a paper trail, following the money trail, and that's what prosecutors are, based on the indictments so far, their
investigation on. So it sounds as though, based on the charges, they do have a significant amount of paper trail and documents and text messages
they will be able to use to prove this case. Hala?
GORANI: All right. Yes, prosecutors saying they have incriminating text messages. Kara Scannell, thank you very much, coming to us with more on the
breaking news.
Steve Bannon, the former Trump chief strategist there, arrested, accused of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering as well, as Kara was
saying there, in a fake multimillion dollar fraud case, in a fundraiser called We Build the Wall, calling on people to donate money to privately
build a border wall. We'll keep our eye on that story and when we get more details we'll bring them to you.
Now to Russia: a prominent Kremlin critic is fighting for his life after a suspected poisoning, yet another one. This is the moment when Russian
opposition leader Alexei Navalny was wheeled to an ambulance at a Siberian airport earlier on Thursday.
The anti-corruption campaigner and Putin critic had been on a flight to Moscow, when the pilot made an emergency landing because Navalny suddenly
became very ill, which you can hear.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEXEI NAVALNY, PUTIN CRITIC AND OPPOSITION LEADER: Ohh.
GORANI (voice-over): All right. An aide says Navalny is in a coma in a Siberian hospital and he's connected to a ventilator. His aide says a
poison may have been mixed into the tea that he drank at the airport before takeoff. And this is a social media photo taken of Navalny at that airport.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Let's bring in Matthew Chance.
What more can you tell us, Matthew?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's the situation, as you have outlined. That video is absolutely horrific, of
course, taken by a fellow passenger and also filmed being stretched on the ambulance after that aircraft he was flying to Moscow on had to make an
emergency landing in the Siberian city of (INAUDIBLE).
Alexei Navalny is now in emergency hospital number one, where doctors, despite the suggestion or the assertion by Navalny supporters that he's
been poisoned for his political activities, the doctors in the hospital are not prepared to make what would be an absolutely kind of controversial
diagnosis like that at this stage.
Take a listen to what the deputy head of hospital number one is saying right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANATOLY KALINICHENKO, OMSK HOSPITAL (through translator): I can report that the patient is in our hospital. He's in a serious condition on
ventilatory support but he's stable.
Currently, there are multiple diagnoses which we're trying to eliminate or concerns we're still considering. Treatment and diagnostic procedures are
underway. Laboratory research, consultations with the doctors of the related areas of professional interest and case conference and so on.
Naturally, poisoning is considered as one of the possible reasons for the deterioration in the condition. Besides that, there could be a number of
acute states that lead to the same clinical signs. We are working on everything to eliminate and confirm. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you more.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHANCE: Well, to be clear, Alexei Navalny is by far the country's most prominent opposition figure. He has been an outspoken critic about
corruption in his country, calling out officials for their inexplicable items of wealth, like fancy watches, cars and houses.
He's immensely popular. Sometimes his social media platforms attract millions of views inside Russia. And because of that, he's a real thorn in
the side of the Kremlin. Now the Kremlin have, of course, said that they're aware of his situation and they say they wish him a speedy recovery.
[10:20:00]
CHANCE: But of course, Russia has a very checkered record of silencing critics like Navalny with violence, with poisoning. And there have been
numerous examples of that in the past.
And, of course, the speculation right now and the fear is that this is just another example of, you know, a Russian outspoken critic being silenced in
this way. Hala?
GORANI: All right. Thanks very much, Matthew Chance, live in Moscow. We'll have more on this story when another outspoken Vladimir Putin critic in the
next hour. So do join us for that.
And coming up, Russia has revealed new information about its coronavirus vaccine.
How many people will be getting the jab and when?
We'll bring you the latest developments next.
Still all that skepticism about whether it can be truly effective. We'll be right back.
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GORANI: In other developing news out of Russia, Moscow said the Sputnik vaccine will be tested on at least 40,000 people across five countries
starting next week. The goal is to meet international phase 3 clinical standards that's already been registered for use before that phase 3.
Russian officials also spoke to the vaccine's safety, saying it uses a delivery system similar to vaccines already internationally approved for
other viruses. Let's bring in our senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, from Atlanta with more.
So what do experts and epidemiologists say about what Russia is essentially touting as a safe vaccine that's entering a crucial trial phase here?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hala, I'm going to give you the very short response from Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the former
commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
He said, "I wouldn't take it."
I think that says it all. That every single expert who talked about this publicly has said, no, don't put that in me; they haven't truly tested it.
In Russia, they do things differently than it's done in the U.S. and in Europe.
And in the U.S. and Europe, you test it out first in tens of thousands of people to see if it's safe and effective. You don't put it on the market
and then do that kind of testing.
What's the point of the testing if you have already put it on the market?
You're not protecting your citizens if you put it on the market and then do large-scale testing. It just doesn't make sense. I wouldn't roll up my
sleeves for it.
GORANI: So what about -- I mean, what they're arguing is it's safe to take, so basically why not take it?
The funding -- the funder of the effort was on CNN last hour, saying, well, I have taken it.
[10:25:00]
GORANI: My parents have taken it and my kids as well. Then we do the trial later.
I guess their point is, what have you got to lose?
COHEN: You have a lot to lose. You know?
I'm sorry, I just have to laugh, because this is what Americans and Russians have been dealing with when you listen to Putin or you listen to
Trump, is that they say, believe me, just trust me, it's great.
That's what Trump said about hydroxychloroquine. And studies show that hydroxychloroquine hurt some people. There's a reason that we test things
first.
First of all, they say -- Putin, et cetera -- say that it's safe.
How do we know that?
Are we just supposed to trust them?
If I told you I'd give you $1 million, Hala, would you believe me, would you trust me?
Of course you wouldn't. You would want to see that I have $1 million in the bank first. So when the Russians say, trust us, it's safe, the scientific
response is, show us the data it's safe. And they haven't done the study in tens of thousands of people. So they don't know it's safe.
Maybe they have done it in a couple dozen people or maybe a couple of hundred people and they found it was safe.
If that's true, where's the data?
Show me the data, show me the study, show me the numbers -- and not just any numbers but numbers that have actually been peer reviewed by outside
scientists. They haven't shown us anything. All they said is, trust me, it looks good.
GORANI: All right. Thank you, Elizabeth Cohen.
An alarming new statistic from the World Health Organization has Europe preparing for even more COVID challenges ahead. According to the WHO, the
region is now reporting an average of 26,000 daily new cases since lockdown measures were eased. So these are some worrying numbers. Europe currently
accounts for 17 percent of the world's total infections.
Let's bring in CNN's Anna Stewart, she is in London with more on that.
Obviously, it was a summer holiday in many parts of Europe. Young people were moving around. Young people were, you know, gathering in large groups.
And there you have it, these higher numbers now.
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Higher numbers and some of them paint a dismal picture. There were 40,000 more cases across Europe in the first
week of August, compared to the first week of June which is, of course, when many countries in Europe started to ease up on their lockdowns.
Lots of facts at play, Hala. As you mentioned, holidays, people were traveling across the border. That will happen less and less, more
restrictions are being imposed.
We also look country by country at the new cases and we are seeing across Europe and today a couple of really to highlight. We have Germany reporting
its highest number of daily cases since April, 1,724 hours (sic).
To put that into context though, that's very far from Germany's peak which is over 6,000 cases each day. You know, it just follows on from other
countries in Europe, reporting similar worrying trends. Italy has today recorded its highest daily cases for three months.
We have surges in France, in Spain, in Greece. And what's so worrying I think when we look at the surge in Europe right now, this is the summer
months. This is when it is warm. We are being warned by experts that, in the months to come when the temperatures drop and we're looking into the
cooler autumn/winter months, that's when conditions will really be ripe for the virus to spread.
Europe looks like it will be heading into those cooler months with a baseline of virus cases that's perhaps much, much higher than many experts
would have projected at this stage.
What's really worrying here is, are we seeing the spikes in the individual countries?
Or as the weeks keep going by, we see more and more cases in Europe, is this the beginning of a second wave across the continent?
GORANI: All right, Anna Stewart, thanks very much.
Barack Obama raises the alarm. The former president tells American voters why they should not give Donald Trump another chance. More on the virtual
Democratic National Convention next.
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[10:30:00]
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GORANI: More now on one of our top stories which broke just a short time ago. U.S. president Trump's former campaign adviser has been arrested and
charged with fraud in the fundraising campaign for the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico.
This was a private initiative called We Build the Wall. In fact, the website is still active. Federal prosecutors say Steve Bannon and three
others defrauded donors of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Bannon was once a key member of the Trump administration. He is expected to appear in
a New York court later today, possibly virtually, as COVID is still very much changing the way suspects are making court appearances.
We'll have a -- we'll have more on that a little bit later.
I want to turn now to the Democratic National Convention, where Joe Biden is set to formally accept the U.S. presidential nomination in the coming
hours for his party. Now this comes after Kamala Harris accepted her historic vice presidential nomination last night for the Democrats.
She's the first Black and South Asian woman to even appear on a major party presidential ticket. The former president, Barack Obama, praised Harris and
Joe Biden in his speech last night. But he went much further because he launched into a scathing attack on his successor, Donald Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I have sat in the Oval Office with both of the men who are running for president. I never
expected that my successor would embrace my vision or continue my policies.
I did hope, for the sake of our country, that Donald Trump might show some interest in taking the job seriously.
But he never did. For close to four years now, he's shown no interest in putting in the work; no interest in finding common ground; no interest in
using the awesome power of his office to help anyone but himself and his friends; no interest in treating the presidency as anything but one more
reality show that he can use to get the attention he craves.
Donald Trump hasn't grown into the job because he can't. And the consequences of that failure are severe: 170,000 Americans dead.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Barack Obama there.
This is unusual. You don't have former presidents attack sitting presidents in the United States. But it clearly got to Donald Trump. He was paying
attention to the DNC because he fired off these all-capital letter tweets as Harris and Obama took aim at him and his presidency, repeating false
claims and unfounded allegations.
Joe Biden will accept the Democratic nomination for U.S. president tonight. For more on the historic evening, let's bring in Charlie Dent. He's a
former Republican House member who has endorsed Joe Biden.
Thanks, Charlie Dent, for being with us. So you're a Republican who's very unrepresented in the modern sort of Trump supporting Republican Party,
where more than 90 percent of the party say that they support the president. You're endorsing Joe Biden.
Why did you do that?
CHARLIE DENT, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, as you know, Hala, thank you for having me on the program. I wrote an op-ed that was -- that
appeared yesterday on CNN online, laying out my reasons.
[10:35:00]
DENT: But my primary reasons are this: this election really isn't about Right or Left. It's not ideological, not Right or Left. It's more about
right or wrong, normal versus abnormal, stability versus instability, security versus insecurity, chaos versus calm. That's what this is about.
I think we want to bring back some sense of normalcy to the functioning and operations of government. And I have had my policy disagreements with Joe
Biden. He's campaigned for my opponents, I have campaigned for his. But this is more important than that.
We're really talking about broader and bigger principles, the importance of defending democratic values with the small D, democratic values, things
like protecting a free press, the independence of a judiciary, you know, rule of law.
These are things that I think are much bigger and restoring some better balance to our -- you know, to our constitutional power of government here.
So that's why I'm doing this.
GORANI: Hillary Clinton spoke and she obviously reminded viewers -- and Democrats as well as Republicans -- that you can win the popular vote and
still lose the election. This is what she said yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON (D), FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: And don't forget Joe and Kamala can win by 3 million votes and still lose. Take it from me. So we
need numbers overwhelming, so Trump can't sneak or steal his way to victory.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: So how do you get those overwhelming numbers?
Because if you look at battleground states, though Biden has an advantage in many of them, it's still oftentimes within the margin of error.
What do you need to do?
DENT: Well, I do think at the end of the day, you know, wearing my analyst hat for a second, that the race will probably tighten. I think the country
is so polarized and, in some respects very tribalized, that I don't see, you know -- I don't see either candidate getting an overwhelming margin.
As you pointed out, the polls certainly indicate that it's probable at this point that Joe Biden would win the election. But Donald Trump still could
possibly win. I think those chances are slim at the moment but I don't see either candidate winning a huge margin.
I could be wrong. I got it wrong in 2016 but fundamentally what's happening here in the United States and in the state I live in Pennsylvania which is
a key battleground state, you know, the challenge for the president is that suburban voters have been fleeing to the Democratic Party since Donald
Trump won election in 2016.
I mean in 2017, '18, '19 were very bad years for Republicans in Pennsylvania, particularly in the suburban communities. So this erosion of
suburban voters away from the Republican Party toward the Democrats is very real and it has gotten worse.
And the challenge that President Trump has in a state like mine -- and I suspect in other states -- that there simply are not enough rural voters or
upstate voters to offset those losses in the suburban communities that a Republican typically needs to win.
So I mean, that's the math as I see it. Again, I could be wrong. You know, Hillary Clinton lost in 2016, I think in large part in Pennsylvania,
because she performed very poorly. Her vote collapsed outside of the Philadelphia region.
She won in the Philadelphia region by a margin large enough to win the state. But she collapsed everywhere else. And Joe Biden is not Hillary
Clinton so I don't think his vote will be as weak as hers was upstate. So I think that's the fundamental dynamic that's changed here.
GORANI: And speaking of Joe Biden, obviously -- I mean, we heard from Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton is several years younger than Joe Biden and he was
president more than 20 years ago.
How much pressure is Kamala Harris under right now to energize the vote with a -- you know, a man, Joe Biden, if he's elected, he'll be the oldest
president man to ever be elected President of the United States.
DENT: Well, I thought it was smart for Joe Biden to select Kamala Harris as his running mate. I should disclose up front that I happen to work in
the same law firm as her husband.
But that said, I thought she was a -- she was a smart -- she was a smart selection because she does bring a needed boost of energy for that
campaign.
Let's face it, Joe Biden was lacking in that department. Many people who were voting for Joe Biden were doing so because they dislike Trump. So I do
think she brings some energy. But at the end of the day, it's really about the presidential candidates more than anything else.
And one thing we should note, too, in this election, you know in 2016, there were a lot of people who did not like Trump or Hillary Clinton. I
call them double haters.
[10:40:00]
DENT: They didn't like either candidate but Donald Trump won that segment of the population by a substantial margin. If you survey those same types
of people now, the double haters, those who dislike both candidates, Joe Biden is winning them by a substantial margin. So keep that in mind.
I have always said it's anger -- anger is what drives people to the polls, in many cases, and that drives a lot of the energy and the enthusiasm to
get out to vote. Let's be honest about it, that's where we are right now.
GORANI: All right. Charlie Dent, thanks very much for joining us.
And watch CNN later for the final night of the Democratic National Convention, where Joe Biden will accept the nomination for U.S. president.
Coverage starts at midnight Friday here in London, 7:00 am in Hong Kong.
The coronavirus has been a common theme among DNC speakers. Former president Barack Obama, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton and vice
presidential nominee Kamala Harris were among those slamming current administration -- the current administration's mishandling of the pandemic.
Natasha Chen updates us on the virus in the United States.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NATASHA CHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The White House Coronavirus Task Force has a dire warning to Georgia and to Kentucky as new cases of
coronavirus continue to climb and schools continue to tackle reopening.
Georgia is seeing the highest daily numbers of coronavirus cases per capita. The state's governor is lashing out over a leaked report from the
task force obtained by the "Atlanta Journal Constitution" warning Georgia needed to take stronger measures.
GOV. BRIAN KEMP (R-GA): This is what's so frustrating about pandemic politics and leaked reports. All I'm asking for is Georgians to get all of
the information.
CHEN (voice-over): In Kentucky, more than half of the counties are in the danger zone, according to the task force. The governor says positivity
rates are more than 5 percent.
GOV. ANDY BESHEAR (D-KY): It means we're in the midst of statewide spread that we got to stop and I believe we can stop. But you can't address the
problem without admitting there is a problem.
CHEN (voice-over): Meanwhile, more schools and universities are making decisions about reopening. The University of Alabama is going ahead with
in-person learning and sports activities.
But reopening is also posing some problems for schools. At the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, more than 350 students are in isolation, due in
part to an off campus party.
DONDE PLOWMAN, UT KNOXVILLE: If we want to be here on campus, it's going to be a different kind of experience. We can do this. But students have to
step up and do their part.
CHEN (voice-over): Notre Dame and the University of North Carolina are both suspending their sports programs for at least a few days after
clusters on the campuses. The University of Mississippi announced 16 new cases, 15 student athletes and one staff member. Even precollege students
are affected. The college board canceled SAT tests for nearly half of the enrolled students on August 29th due to testing site closures.
And Detroit's teacher union is voting to authorize a safety strike.
TERRENCE MARTIN, DETROIT FEDERATION OF TEACHERS: It is not a action that we take lightly. We will do whatever we need to do to ensure the health and
safety of our members.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: All right. That was CNN's Natasha Chen, reporting from Atlanta.
And coming up, stay with us, a human made tragedy exacerbates a medical one. Arwa Damon's reflections in light of World Humanitarian Day. We'll be
right back.
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[10:45:00]
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GORANI: The knock-on effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the world's many acute humanitarian crises has been profound.
From the conflict zones to the climate crisis, the pandemic has placed further pressure on already existing problems. And it's catapulting many
countries into utter calamity. Lockdowns are crippling already exhausted economies with rising cases overwhelming health care systems.
Meanwhile, NGOs, the nongovernmental organizations, and charities, they are struggling to keep essential activities alive. Slashed budgets, dried up
funding and people around the world are having their own problems right now. Even in quote-unquote "rich" countries. A lot of people are finding
themselves out of work.
CNN's Arwa Damon reflected on this in light of World Humanitarian Day. In a CNN op-ed, she writes, "I'm angry at the trajectory of our evolution as a
species. I'm angry at us that we created a world where being a humanitarian is a thing and not the norm."
Arwa Damon joins me now. She is live in Istanbul.
You just returned from Beirut; your charitable organization INARA was also helping those wounded by the blast. So talk to us about that experience and
also how the pandemic around the world has changed your fundraising abilities and opportunities for INARA.
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I mean, Hala, it was just devastating to be there. And, you know, you have been to Lebanon.
You know the potential that this country has.
And from a personal standpoint, you know, a lot of the times when we report in the aftermath of, you know, an explosion or war, we talk about trauma.
But we talk about trauma on the faces of strangers.
Going to Beirut and seeing that trauma on the faces of friends puts it into something of a different dimension because you see how it can physically
alter a person's features. And then there's the sheer scale of the destruction that occurred.
And all NGOs were trying to do what they could. There was an army of volunteers. INARA, my charity, had more than 60 doctors, medical students,
nurses volunteering alongside it.
But already all of us in the humanitarian world were struggling, trying to get funding, whether you're talking about the United Nations or smaller
charities like myself.
And the fear is that, as this pandemic has even more of a ripple-on effect in terms of crumbling economies and having people tighten their wallets,
some countries turning more inward, those who are most vulnerable are going to end up not receiving even the most basic of humanitarian assistance.
GORANI: And there's a two-week coronavirus lockdown. Obviously, there is hundreds of thousands of people now homeless in Beirut.
What do they do, where do they go?
Where are they sleeping?
DAMON: You know, those who can afford it are in hotels, Hala. People have moved in with friends, relatives. They're cramming together, obviously not
the ideal scenario during COVID. No one at this stage can really go back into their homes.
And there were about 300,000 people who were left homeless, according to the Beirut mayor. And so this two-week lockdown, as you know, you can
imagine, only exacerbates what is already an extraordinarily difficult and, in many ways, inexplicable situation.
And then there's the issue with hospitals. Lebanon's COVID numbers are rising. Since the explosion took place in Beirut's port, numbers of COVID
positive cases have gone up 180 percent. There were yesterday close to 600 cases reported.
Hospitals were damaged in that blast that took place at the port. Three hospitals are out of operation entirely. Others are dealing with the
wounded. On top of that, they had to have COVID cases shifted over to them from the damaged hospitals.
[10:50:00]
DAMON: And so it's really as if, you know, Lebanon especially Beirut right now is just being knocked down from all different directions. And the
government is quite simply not doing enough and, some would tell you, not really doing anything at all.
GORANI: All right. Arwa Damon, thanks very much, Arwa with a reminder that there are many NGOs, many charitable organizations, trying to do their best
in the absence of, by the way, government help in cities like Beirut.
Seeing the distress on the faces of people you know certainly brings that story home. We have all been there. Thank you very much, Arwa Damon, in
Istanbul.
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GORANI: Let's get you up to speed on some of the stories that are on our climate radar right now. Right now, there are 26 fires burning across
California. Lightning is to blame for many of the active fires which have now scorched nearly 130,000 hectares and evacuations have been ordered in
multiple areas.
Brazil's vice president has invited actor Leonardo DiCaprio to the Amazon to see how things work there. Over the weekend, DiCaprio reignited a
running rift with the country's president, slamming Jair Bolsonaro's dismissal of the fires that have burned large areas of the forest. No word
from DiCaprio.
Dramatic new developments off the court from the NBA, as new footage has emerged of the altercation between a team president and a police officer
from last year. So you'll be able to see some bodycam footage from that incident. You might remember it. We'll explain what it means next.
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GORANI: All right. We're guaranteed a heavyweight battle in the Champions League final. Don Riddell has more on that.
DON RIDDELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hala, that's right. Thanks very much.
Sunday's Champions League final has all the makings of a classic. It's between the German giants, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain. Bayern
will be looking for the sixth European cup and PSG are hoping for the first.
(WORLD SPORTS)
So Bayern are back in the final for first time since 2013. But this will be their 11th appearance. PSG have never played in Europe's showpiece game
until now. That's going to be their first on Sunday.
PSG might not have the experience but they certainly do have the money with Neymar and Kylian on the books, the value of their squad is more than
double that that of Bayern's at $916 million.
[10:55:00]
RIDDELL: OK, as the NBA playoffs continue, last season the Toronto Raptors won the title in Oakland. Andy Scholes can tell us more about the incident.
The narrative of which, Andy, has changed significantly with the release of some police bodycam footage.
What can we see?
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORT CORRESPONDENT: You definitely see how this all went down. Raptors team president Masai Ujiri, he was going to the court to
celebrate with his team as they won their first-ever NBA title. It's got to be the happiest moment of his professional career.
That's when an officer stopped him and shoved him. This new video shows the sheriff's deputy Alan Strickland (ph) shoving Ujiri twice while yelling an
expletive at him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(INAUDIBLE) (INAUDIBLE) (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please, please. Please, please, please.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: Ujiri was just trying to show him his credential. After that incident, Strickland, the officer, sued Ujiri for allegedly assaulting him,
causing him great pain and suffering.
Now Ujiri has filed a countersuit, which includes the NBA and Raptors as plaintiffs. The suit says Strickland's account of what happened is a
complete fabrication and the video is evidence of that.
CNN has reached out to Strickland's legal team and the Alameda County Sheriff's office about the video but has not yet heard back.
The Raptors beat the Nets on Wednesday to take the 2-0 lead in that series. Now the Raptors' players say they watched the video of what happened to
Ujiri as a team and many said this is exactly what they have been fighting against.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NORMAN POWELL, TORONTO RAPTORS GUARD: I'm glad that we're able to get to the real bottom line and everybody can see what really happened. But it's
exactly what we're fighting for, you know?
For justice to be served for those cops that are taking the law a little bit into their own hands, you know, unnecessarily.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIDDELL: Andy, of course, all of the games are being played in the sterile bubble environment, no fans at all, neutral venues, of course. We're seeing
some incredible performances as a result. And we had another game with another landmark for the dazzling Luka Doncic, what did he do?
SCHOLES: Another game, more records for Luka. You have to remember, Luka's still just 21 years old. But in his first two playoff games, he's scored 70
points. That's the second most in his first two -- in the first two playoff games by any NBA player. He passed the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
He did the most damage against the Clippers in the first half. He had 22 points, seven rebounds, six assists in first half alone, leading the Mavs
to the five-point lead at the half. Dallas led wire to wire to take it 127- 114. Luka said after the game, he's confident that Dallas can win that series.
RIDDELL: NBA playoffs continuing to entertain. Andy, thanks very much.
Hala, that's all we have time for just now but we'll have more in the next hour. See you then.
GORANI: All right. Thanks, Don.
And I'll see you on the other side of this break. Stay with CNN.
[11:00:00]
END
