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Connect the World
Harris Campaign Raises over $100 Million since Sunday, Has Enough Delegates to Win Nomination; Harris Team Vetting Potential Running Mates; Bipartisan Calls for Secret Service Chief to Resign; Harris Leans into Gen Z Trends; Netanyahu Prepares to Address U.S. Congress; Israeli Strikes Kill 89 in Khan Yunis; Secret Service Chief Resigns. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired July 23, 2024 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00]
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JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Welcome to our second hour of CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington, in
for my colleague, Becky Anderson.
This hour, in an extraordinary 48 hours, Kamala Harris has secured enough endorsements and delegates to secure the Democratic presidential
nomination.
Plus Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is here now in Washington. We should note, Kamala Harris will not be presiding over his address to
Congress as a V.P. normally does for such speeches.
This as nearly 100 people are killed in Khan Yunis as the Israeli military carries out a new incursion there.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
SCIUTTO: In just a few hours Kamala Harris will hold a rally in the key battleground state of Wisconsin as the presumptive Democratic presidential
nominee. The vice president elevated to the top of the ticket after a wave of endorsements from key Democrats, potential challengers and, crucially,
state delegations.
Harris is also raking in campaign cash at an incredible pace, raising more than $100 million since President Biden's announcement Sunday that he was
exiting the race and endorsing Harris to succeed him.
During a visit to Delaware campaign headquarters Monday, Harris said she is ready to take on Donald Trump and win.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS (D), VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Over the next 106 days, we are going to take our
case to the American people and we are going to win.
(APPLAUSE)
HARRIS: We are going to win.
I, together with you, will do everything in my power to unite our Democratic Party, to unite our nation and to win this election.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Eva McKend is in Milwaukee, where Kamala Harris will appear just five days after Republicans wrapped up their convention in that city.
CNN political commentator Paul Begala joins us from Virginia for analysis on what can only be described as a whirlwind in the last 48 hours.
First out to the trail, Eva, what are we expecting the vice president to focus on in this event?
And will that give an indication as to what her campaign message will be going forward?
EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Jim, what you have is a former prosecutor, eager to make her case, really to show that this
revisions that her and former president Donald Trump have for America, she accuses Trump of selling out working families.
She accuses Trump of attacking reproductive rights and undermining American democracy. And so I suspect that we're going to continue to hear those
themes. She enters this big Milwaukee rally with relative strength, given how unique these circumstances are.
She raised $100 million just in 48 hours. And to give you some perspective, President Biden raised $127 million for the month of June; president Trump
raised $111 million for the month of June. So her raising $100 million in just two days is quite remarkable.
Still though, former president Donald Trump's attacks will really come into focus. What she has on her side, though, is tremendous support from key
Democratic groups; really, the base of the party.
Last night there was a call with thousands of Black men from across the country. It was co-hosted by this group called Win with Black Men. They
really outlined how they are going to act as ambassadors for her across the country in the pivotal weeks ahead.
And I'll leave you with this, Jim. One man on that call, he is a former White House staffer. He spoke about how it was really important for these
men, for her supporters not to engage with negative content about her on social media, as not to amplify it, to be really strategic in the pivotal
days ahead -- Jim.
SCIUTTO: Eva, thanks so much.
Paul, good to have you.
You know prior to the rallying of support behind Kamala Harris, back 100 million years ago on -- before Sunday, when folks were imagining what might
happen if Biden were to step aside, that there were genuine questions inside the Democratic Party as to whether Kamala Harris was Democrats' best
bet to beat Donald Trump.
In the span of less than 48 hours, that's gone, right?
The party has rallied around her. And I wonder if you think that is the right call.
And do you believe it's lasting?
PAUL BEGALA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, first, good to see again, Jim, thanks for having me.
(CROSSTALK)
BEGALA: Yes, is the short answer.
Yes. She has earned the support. She has formed this coalescence around her candidacy.
[10:05:03]
It begins with President Biden, OK. Self-sacrificial leadership is very rare. And immediately, I -- seriously, I'm a student of history.
Cincinnatus in ancient Rome, who handed off the dictatorship of Rome to go back to his farm.
Or president Washington, our first president, immortalized in the show "Hamilton."
But even before there was a Broadway show, we respected that he handed off power. So it begins with President Biden. But if she were not talented
enough and organized enough to move with lightning speed and great excitement and enthusiasm to solidify this, you could have seen chaos.
I thought it might -- look, there was a scenario, where you sort of had happy chaos, where 4, 5, 6 really talented younger Democrats competed.
She has just found a way to unify the party.
And I mean, really all the way from the president and George Clooney and Beyonce, all the way down to like my 20-something is telling me about how,
on TikTok, all young people are themselves just not being organized by anybody.
They're putting out memes and there is the coconut meme now and the brat meme. So all the way up and down the Democratic chain, you're seeing really
astonishing enthusiasm. I've never seen anything like it in my 40 years of doing this.
SCIUTTO: In dollar terms, also volunteers, let me ask you this then.
How does Kamala Harris distinguish herself in message from President Biden?
I mean, she was she was already the main voice on women's reproductive freedom. That clearly is going to be central.
But are there other tweaks, turns?
BEGALA: Oh, yes. I thought Eva's report was really instructive. I've known the vice president since she was a local prosecutor in California. That's
still how she thinks of herself. She's a prosecutor.
By the way, that's an important distinction. She's not a defense lawyer, right. If she goes out as a defense lawyer, defending all the precious and
impressive accomplishments of the Biden-Harris administration, she will fail because that's some backward looking message; 75 percent of the
country wants change.
Neither party put up a candidate who was plausible as a change agent. Now the Democrats have. Nikki Haley said this a few -- a few months ago, Nikki
Haley, the Republican candidate who ran against Mr. Trump, she said the first party that dumps its 80-year old for somebody younger is going to win
this election.
So she's going to be a prosecutor, taking the case to Mr. Trump, attacking Mr. Trump, not defending the record of the past that she and Joe Biden put
together but attacking Mr. Trump.
And I think she's well-suited to do it. I saw already she said, this is a prosecutor versus a perpetrator. And she knows how to handle a perp. And I
love that. I think Democrats will really respond to that.
SCIUTTO: Is there a vulnerability there?
Because I heard, even going back to 2020, prior to 2020, that among the African American community, some in the African American community, that
prosecutor's story is not a popular one because they see her as part of a system that has put more Blacks behind bars than whites, right?
By a percentage of the population, it has been too aggressive. And I wonder if that's a vulnerability with voters, that the Democrats don't just need
to win, right?
I mean, they need to win overwhelmingly.
BEGALA: Right.
And I think that her record threads that needle. You know, she's a very strong prosecutor and a real Democrat and a California Democrat, right?
Probably more progressive than most Democrats.
So I do think that. And I think, with this changed circumstance, with her stepping up so confidently, as a leader, she will rally the Black
community, which is, you know, even talked about that call last night with Black men.
There was a call the night before with Black women, which was 40,000 or 50,000 women on a call that's usually 100 or 200 women. So that -- by the
way, this was a huge weakness of President Biden's politically. He did not have the enthusiasm and support of the Black community.
Which is, it's not the majority of the Democratic Party but it's the most important part. And you are seeing Vice President Harris really rallying
the sectors of the electorate where Biden was weakest, young people of color.
And you've got to begin with your base in a party. Now she is also going to have to reach out to those older white voters, who Biden was very good with
because he's older. So it's going to be a challenge for her. But the first thing you have to begin with is rallying your base and she has done that
wonderfully in just 48 hours.
SCIUTTO: Paul Begala, always good to have you with us. Thanks so much.
BEGALA: Thanks, Jim.
SCIUTTO: To that point, Kamala Harris has scored another high profile endorsement today from Hollywood heavyweight and big fundraiser in
Hollywood George Clooney.
In a statement provided to CNN, Clooney writes, quote, "President Biden has shown what true leadership is. He's saving democracy once again. We're all
so excited to do whatever we can to support Vice President Harris in her historic quest."
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Of course, you'll remember Clooney called for President Biden to exit the race earlier this month, saying he had no path to victory in November.
Sources tell CNN that the Harris campaign has begun now vetting possible running mates. One of the potential contenders, Kentucky's governor, spoke
with CNN a short time ago and he, Andy Beshear, took a shot at Donald Trump and his running mate, J.D. Vance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. ANDY BESHEAR (D-KY): J.D. Vance is a phony. He's fake. I mean, he first says that Donald Trump is like Hitler. And now he's acting like he's
Blinken. I mean, the problem with J.D. Vance is he has no conviction. But I guess his running mate has 34.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Sounds like a talking point there for the campaign.
Colorado governor Jared Polis, also a Democrat, says that he is up for the job if Harris were to ask him to serve.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. JARED POLIS (D-CO): If they do the polling and it turns out that they need a 49-year-old, balding, gay Jew from Boulder, Colorado, they got my
number.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: CNN's political director David Chalian has more on the possible vice presidential candidates that Harris is thought to be considering.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID CHALIAN, CNN HOST: Take a look at some of the possible contenders for the number two slot. You see here a whole slew of governors, many from
battleground states. We'll get to that in a moment. But notice something else here. All white men on the list. So let's zero in on some of the top
contenders.
Josh Shapiro, governor of Pennsylvania, a critical battleground state Democrats need to win if they're going to win the White House. He's 51
years old, a little younger than Vice President Harris. He's a former state attorney general, the third Jewish governor from the state or Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania.
Roy Cooper, 67 years old. He's a bit older than the vice president, a Southern Democrat, also a former state attorney general and from a state
Democrats are eager to really put in play, North Carolina.
Mark Kelly, battleground Arizona, U.S. senator, 60 years old, former astronaut. Really compelling biography. And of course, the husband of Gabby
Giffords.
And Governor Andy Beshear in Kentucky, 46 years old, younger than the vice president, former state attorney general, elected twice in a red state.
Notice one thing. Three of these final four I took you through, former state attorneys general, just like Kamala Harris.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Yes, notable overlap there.
Well, the Trump campaign is wasting no time shifting its focus, taking swings as well at Kamala Harris with her now entering the race for the
White House. At two campaign rallies Monday, vice presidential nominee, J.D. Vance, went on the attack, calling Biden a quitter for dropping out.
Also warning Harris was a, quote, "million times worse."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J.D. VANCE (R-OH), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: if you want to lead this country, you should feel grateful for it.
You should feel a sense of gratitude. And I never hear that gratitude come through when I listen to Kamala Harris.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: I'm not sure what he bases that statement on.
The head of the U.S. secret Service, in another story we're following, is facing rare bipartisan calls to resign over the security failures at a
campaign rally where a gunman tried to assassinate former president Trump, came quite close.
Kimberly Cheatle appeared before the House Oversight Committee on Monday, where she was grilled by both Republicans and Democrats. CNN's Whitney Wild
has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REP. ANDY BIGGS (R-AZ): I call upon you to resign today, today.
WHITNEY WILD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a contentious Capitol Hill hearing, United States Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle found
few allies. Now bipartisan calls for her to resign as House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, who called her agency --
REP. JAMES COMER (R-KY): The face of competence.
WILD (voice-over): -- and ranking member Jamie Raskin say she must leave as a first step to allowing new leadership to swiftly address this crisis
and rebuild the trust.
REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA): I just don't think this is partisan. If you have an assassination attempt on a president, former president or a candidate you
need to resign. In the face of intense scrutiny, Director Cheatle immediately took responsibility for what she called a failure.
KIMBERLY CHEATLE, U.S. SECRET SERVICE DIRECTOR: The Secret Service's solemn mission is to protect our nation's leaders. On July 13th, we failed
as a director of the United States Secret Service. I take full responsibility for any security lapse of our agency.
WILD (voice-over): However, for more than four hours, Cheatle refused to answer even the most basic questions. Nine days after the attempted
assassination of Donald Trump.
CHEATLE: I would have to get back to you.
REP. NANCY MACE (R-SC): That is a no. You're full of shit today.
WILD: Cheatle was asked multiple times why Secret Service agents were stationed on the roof where a gunman eventually shot Trump from a distance
of less than 150 yards.
COMER: Can you answer why the secret of state in place, a single agent on the roof?
CHEATLE: We are still looking into the advanced process and the decision is OK.
COMER: OK.
WILD: Members of the committee press Cheatle for answers about why the former president was allowed to take the stage, even after she admitted the
Secret Service had been notified, between two and five times.
[10:15:00]
Police were looking for a suspicious person.
Cheatle repeatedly said law enforcement didn't immediately determine that person who turned out to be the shooter was a threat.
CHEATLE: If the detail had been passed information that there was a threat the detail would never have brought the former president out onto stage.
WILD: The hearing comes as the agency admits it denied at some requests for additional security from the Trump team in the two years leading up to
the rally, though Cheatle denied anything was withheld on the day of the shooting.
CHEATLE: For the event in Butler, there were no requests that were denied. As far as requests --
REP. JIM JORDAN (R-OH): Well, maybe they got tired of asking.
WILD: The chorus for her resignation has only grown louder and she was confronted at the RNC in Milwaukee.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You owe the people answers.
WILD: Still, Cheatle says she has no plans to leave.
CHEATLE: I think that I am the best person to lead the Secret Service at this time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: That was CNN's Whitney Wild reporting.
And this just in to CNN, the U.S. House Speaker and the Democratic House leader have announced they are forming a bipartisan task force to look into
the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. The leaders say the aim of the task force is to find the facts, ensure accountability and make certain
such failures never happen again.
Coming up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
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HARRIS: You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?
SCIUTTO (voice-over): Wait for the memes. How the new Democratic nominee is leaning in to TikTok trends and Gen Z to gain popularity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: You think you just fell out of a coconut tree? (LAUGHTER)
HARRIS: You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: So is Kamala Harris the perfect brat girl?
The summer's newest trend has gone viral on social media.
Coined by the artist Charli XCX in her most recent album, called "Brat," she describes a brat as "that girl who is a little messy and maybe says
dumb things sometimes but is honest, blunt and volatile."
And the presumed Democratic nominee for president is seemingly leaning in to how Gen Z has labeled her. Charli XCX has endorsed the labeling of
Kamala Harris, tweeting that, "Camila is brat."
Harris has branded her Kamala HQ Twitter page with the brat lime green aesthetic as well, clearly an aim, it seems, to appeal to Gen Z voters.
Ariana Baio is a news reporter for "The Independent."
She said Harris, who says Harris has an eye on Gen Z voters' sense of humor. And Ariana joins me now.
Good to have you on. It's -- listen, it's sort of the -- it's the target of every Democratic candidate, right, is to go after Gen Z voters.
[10:20:00]
I mean, even Biden was trying to get right now. This is -- seems clearly aimed in that direction.
Do you think it's the kind of thing that works?
ARIANA BAIO, U.S. NEWS REPORTER, "THE INDEPENDENT": Yes.
Hi, Jim. Thanks for having me on.
Definitely. Yes. You saw the Biden campaign lean very heavily into the Dark Brandon meme and try to appeal to these young voters.
I mean, after all, even though it is the smaller voting bloc at the moment, it's a strong one. These are the voters that helped Biden get elected in
2020. So it's right for the Harris campaign to lean into what Gen Z wants to do when they engage with politics.
You see that they're leaning into this because Gen Z has already set up a platform for Harris to be successful. And even though it's a little bit out
of the ordinary from what we usually think people want to engage politics with, Gen Z wants to be silly. They want to lean into that.
SCIUTTO: So our folks at home understand this.
You also speak about, in your piece, this Venn diagram trend. Have a listen and I want to get your thoughts on the other side.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: I love Venn diagrams.
(LAUGHTER)
HARRIS: I really do. I love Venn diagrams. It just something about those three circles and the analysis about where there is the intersection,
right?
Yes, I see people that -- you'll agree with me, right?
So OK. So I asked my team -- I brought props.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: So Republicans are using that clip to mock her but she's actually decided to own it.
Can you explain why exactly?
BAIO: Yes. I mean, we see a candidate like Donald Trump, who makes comments all the time. He has gaffes and nobody is making fun of him.
Nobody is holding that against him. So it shouldn't be any more different for any other candidate.
So for Harris, something as silly as Venn diagrams, why reject that when you can lean into it, especially when you know that young voters think that
that's funny. They enjoy that you can make fun of yourself and you don't need to constantly be perfect.
I mean, that's kind of the point of brat from Charli XCX, is that it's somebody who is authentically themselves, somebody who is embracing
everything about themselves, even their flaws.
SCIUTTO: Now, let me ask you. I mean, I don't know if skeptic is the right word but just devil's advocate for a moment because, as I said earlier, you
know, Democrats -- and for Republicans, frankly -- they all want to go to younger voters. They want to go to Gen Z voters.
And they feel they have a plan to do that, right?
But in my experience Gen Z voters are a little skeptical of the mainstream. They're skeptical of the older generations, how politics is done.
Is it your sense that this appeal for Harris has legs?
BAIO: Yes, I think so. At the moment, I think so. There's definitely a limit. I think if you lean too far into it and it feels manufactured is
when you kind of run into a problem. But at the moment, I definitely think there are legs.
Young voters are excited about having a younger Democratic candidate, somebody who represents their generation, my generation, more than somebody
like Biden.
SCIUTTO: One thing before we go, Harris is absorbing a lot of the Biden campaign apparatus. It makes sense. I mean, it's been built over months. A
lot of money behind it. She's taking on Jen O'Malley Dillon, the campaign director.
Does that give you pause to some degree?
Because I mean, that was an apparatus designed to elect an 81-year-old man, right?
And here's one younger woman, different -- obviously a woman; background, minority; et cetera, but also one with some appeal to Gen Z.
I mean, do you trust those folks to be able to do this well?
BAIO: I've met a couple of those folks before and they're wonderful people. I definitely think that they will be able to adapt to whatever
platform Harris wants to put out there. More obviously, there is still on (ph) with Biden but that one was still popular with Gen Z.
I don't think that people were rejecting Biden for his platform. I think, if anything, they were willing to embrace Biden for all his flaws because
of his platform. So if Harris can absorb that and also adapt it to her own sense, I think that they'll be OK.
SCIUTTO: All right.
We'll know.
We'll know soon enough. Ariana Baio, thanks so much for joining me.
BAIO: Thank you.
SCIUTTO: The Israeli leader is now in Washington as Americans' own leadership is in flux. And amid that trip to D.C, thousands of people are
fleeing for their lives in Gaza, as a new Israeli operation enters day two.
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[10:25:00]
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SCIUTTO: Welcome back. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington. Right now, Israel's prime minister is in Washington on a highly anticipated visit. On Monday
evening, Netanyahu met relatives of American hostages still held in Gaza.
He vowed once again to bring their loved ones home. Lots of skepticism of that among the families, even as hostage ceasefire talks appear stalled. He
is also set to address a joint session of Congress on Wednesday.
Normally the vice president would preside over that session but Kamala Harris has declined to do so, saying it clashes with a previously scheduled
event. She is expected, though, to meet him later this week.
Netanyahu is also expected to meet President Joe Biden on Thursday as the U.S. President recovers from COVID. CNN's Annie Grayer is live from Capitol
Hill.
Annie, I wonder, first, is it significant that Harris is not presiding over this address?
Is there any indication that this is meant to send a message?
ANNIE GRAYER, CNN CAPITOL HILL CORRESPONDENT: This is significant, Jim. I mean, regardless of the reason that Vice President Harris is not going to
be presiding, her not being there is -- sends a clear message and really just speaks to the broader divide in the Democratic Party over the war in
Israel with Hamas.
And Harris won't be the only one missing tomorrow's speech. By our count, we have at least six Democratic senators and 15 House Democrats who are not
going to be attending. So Harris is not alone in missing this speech.
But given her position and also the new focus on her, given the fact that she is likely to become the Democratic nominee for president, there's a
heightened focus around everything she does right now.
So that meeting that you mentioned with prime minister Netanyahu coming up later this week is going to have another intense focus, just because this
will be the first time that she is meeting with another world leader on her own, now likely to become the Democratic nominee for president.
SCIUTTO: In the simplest terms, was this joint address driven largely by Republicans?
I know he's going to be welcomed, Netanyahu, by other Democrats.
But was the invitation at this time largely a Republican endeavor or was it bipartisan?
GRAYER: There was bipartisan support. Of course, there are some progressives who are protesting very loudly and do not want Netanyahu to
come.
[10:30:00]
But there is broad support in the Congress for at least him to come and be heard.
SCIUTTO: Annie Grayer on the Hill, it's going to be an interesting day tomorrow. Thanks so much for joining.
Well, amid the warm U.S. welcome for the Israeli leader, a fresh Israeli military operation in southern Gaza has continued into its second day on
Tuesday, once again, forcing thousands of people -- you can see them there -- to flee for their lives.
Authorities say that nearly 100 people have been killed in Khan Yunis. A medic on the ground tells CNN the majority of the victims were, as so often
is the case, women and children. The IDF says its troops struck terror infrastructure sites. Nada Bashir is live for us in London.
Nada, that is a frequent answer from Israeli authorities when civilians are killed -- and many thousands have been killed in operations there since
October 7th.
Is it your sense that these operations are ticking up?
Have they become more aggressive in recent days?
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What we're seeing in particular in the southern region is a deepening of the military offensive.
We are seeing it spreading into these civilian areas. They have, at this stage, remained slightly controlled, perhaps in that southern region. But
there are real concerns that this is deepening even further.
And we can see this in the evacuation orders that have been issued by the Israeli military. As you mentioned, we've seen this frequently in the past,
these orders by the IDF, telling civilians to move to specific areas designated as safe zones.
But these are frequently also targeted as well at a later date. But what we have seen in this particular instance is civilians being told to move
toward the al-Mawasi coastal area, which was previously highlighted as a humanitarian zone.
But actually in those instructions, the humanitarian zone has been -- it's slightly smaller than it was before, so it's a bit more restricted than it
was before. The Israeli military has said it is a readjusted humanitarian zone.
So as you can imagine, the conflict area around the Khan Yunis area is expanding and that has really sparked concern. The U.N. has issued a
statement, criticizing the confusing nature of these orders, with civilians left with no clear idea of when exactly they need to leave, where exactly
is left safe for them to flee to.
As you mentioned, we've seen that video emerging from our colleagues on the ground in Gaza of families, children really struggling with the news they
have been told to evacuate, to flee time and time again. This is not the first time for many of them.
But they have been forced to evacuate these shelters, these refuge points. And there are fears, as we've seen in the past, that this humanitarian zone
could then later become a target. We've seen al Mawasi coastal area be targeted by airstrikes in the past.
And that's what was seen since Monday, is, in the Khan Yunis area, civilians are facing airstrikes and artillery fire. At least 89 people
killed, according to health authorities in Gaza, more than 250 others injured. And this is just in the southern portion of Gaza.
This just in Khan Yunis. We're still seeing airstrikes, of course, in other parts of Gaza. Just today, reports of a strike in central Gaza, killing at
least 11. Again, more dramatic footage emerging from the overrun Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital there.
And the Israeli military, as you mentioned, has said it is targeting what it has described as terrorist infrastructure. It says it targeted weapons
stores, outposts used by Hamas as well as tunnel networks it believes Hamas was using in the south.
We haven't seen any demonstrations of evidence for that just yet. But again, this is the claim put forward by the Israeli military. But also
again, it's important to underscore that these are areas densely populated by civilians.
And the warning we're hearing repeatedly from the United Nations, from aid organizations, which have teams operating on the ground, is that there
simply isn't anywhere safe left for civilians to turn.
SCIUTTO: And that is part of the criticism, has been consistently, that it's about the weapons used, right?
Whatever the target is, terrorist infrastructure, is that the weapons and the blast range of those weapons bring with them civilian casualties. And
that's, frankly, been the criticism you've heard from right up to the U.S. President. Nada Bashir, thanks so much.
To continue on the story, want to bring in now Dr. Mohammad Saqer. He is the director general of nursing at Nasser Hospital, which has received
dozens of dead and wounded from this latest round of Israeli strikes in Khan Yunis.
Doctor, I wonder if I could ask you where these casualties are coming from and what is your sense of the length, the breadth and what kind of weapons
are being used in these operations, that are then causing these civilian casualties?
DR. MOHAMMED SAQER, DIRECTOR GENERAL, NURSING SERVICES, NASSER HOSPITAL: Well, in the last two days, we have received nearly 75 casualties and more
than 200 -- I mean 75 mortalities and more than 200 casualties from eastern area of Khan Yunis city.
[10:35:03]
The problem is they, that they are coming in a few minutes to the emergency department of our hospitals. So we are facing a real challenge in dealing
with such high number of casualties and mortalities.
The current situation in our hospital is complicated, as we have said earlier, and we are facing many troubles in dealing with a high number of
casualties, yes.
Regarding the weapons --
(CROSSTALK)
SCIUTTO: Yes --
SAQER: -- yes, regarding weapons you have asked me about, I don't know enough about weapons. But what is sure that many of the casualties lost
their arms, legs and some parts of the bodies. And many more casualties (ph) come with complete burn of the body.
Children, women, old men and women as well, yes.
SCIUTTO: Are they coming from areas that they believed were safe?
Because an issue with these operations has been that people are told to go to, quote-unquote, "safe zones." But the military operations continue in
those zones.
SAQER: Yes. For Israelis, they asked people to evacuated the area but they don't give enough time. That results in high number of mortalities and
casualties because, when you want people to evacuate a certain area, you must give enough -- you must give them enough time to evacuate the area you
want them to do or to evacuate.
But imagine you want the nearly 100,000s of people to evacuate in just two hours. It's not enough for people to evacuate. So that explains the high
number of mortalities and casualties among civilians.
SCIUTTO: Is the hospital able to handle this influx of the dead and wounded?
Do you have the resources that you need?
SAQER: No. Unfortunately, we have an attic (ph) with supplies and the medical instruments. We call for international organizations and WHO as
well to support us with medical supplies and instruments to be able to deal with casualties coming to our hospital.
But unfortunately, the response is very limited. We are lacking most of our supplies. And that limit our ability to deal with patients. Imagine,
imagine, that we don't even mattresses. We don't have even more beds. We don't have like catheters. We don't have syringes. We don't have linens.
And current situation in Nasser medical complex is actually shocking. And we've called particular holes (ph) to come and seeing by their eyes what is
happening here. And the current situation is really immoral.
We try -- we deal with the casualties on the floor, on the ground because there are no beds and most of -- or some of that casualties died due to
inadequate supplies and instruments. Yes.
SCIUTTO: Well, Dr. Saqer, you're doing good and important work there. We wish you the best during this difficult time.
SAQER: Thanks a lot (ph).
(MUSIC PLAYING)
SCIUTTO: We do have this breaking news just in to CNN. That is that the U.S. Secret Service director, Kimberly Cheatle, has now resigned. This
follows bipartisan criticism of security lapses related to the assassination attempt of former president Donald Trump at a political
rally, well, just over 1.5 weeks ago.
Cheatle was grilled on Capitol Hill yesterday with several members of the House, Democrats and Republicans, calling for her resignation. The story
we'll continue to follow right after this break.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:41:35]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
SCIUTTO: We do have breaking news on CNN. That is that the U.S. Secret Service director, Kimberly Cheatle, has now resigned. She was grilled on
Capitol Hill on Monday, with several members of the House from both parties calling for her resignation.
The Secret Service has been under extreme scrutiny following security lapses related to that assassination attempt to former president Trump at a
political rally just last weekend. We're going to have more on this as we have it.
Quite quick movement as that investigation continues.
Back to politics for a moment. Democrats are uniting very quickly behind Kamala Harris as the party's presumptive presidential nominee.
But a few of them are now having to amend their views of the race, including Delaware senator Chris Coons, who, late last month said Joe Biden
is the only Democrat who could defeat Donald Trump in November. So here's what he had to say now, earlier today on CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHRIS COONS (D-DE): I would welcome a chance to revise and extend those remarks because underlying that was my confidence that the record
that President Biden and Vice President Harris have built over the last 3.5 years is the strongest legislative record of any first term presidency in
my lifetime.
And Kamala Harris was right beside Joe Biden every step of the way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Harris pivoted immediately into campaign mode, reaching out to fellow Democrats as she piled up endorsements and very quickly. Sunlen
Serfaty has a closer look at the Harris campaign and her sources of support now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: It is my intention to go out and earn this nomination and to win.
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Vice President Kamala Harris seizing the reins of the moment.
HARRIS: We have 106 days until Election Day. And in that time, we have some hard work to do.
SERFATY (voice-over): Moments after President Biden called her to say he was stepping aside, Harris launching into action, working the phones for 10
hours to trigger her deep network of support.
HARRIS: It's a very special experience to have been, as we all know, a student at the Mecca.
SERFATY (voice-over): Sources telling CNN that she made those calls, some of the most important calls of her political career, in a Howard University
sweatshirt.
HARRIS: When you walk in those rooms, you carry the voice of all of us.
SERFATY (voice-over): A small but symbolic nod to the cornerstone of the coalition.
HARRIS: This sisterhood has been a part of my life since my earliest days.
SERFATY (voice-over): That, along with the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, the nation's oldest Black sorority, is now being called on to help power her
into the Oval Office.
STACEY JOHNSON-BATISTE, CHILDHOOD FRIEND OF KAMALA HARRIS: This fight that we're up against, that I know she's going to be up against, is not going to
be easy.
SERFATY (voice-over): The powerful political support within that sisterhood is one that Harris has leaned on for years.
JOHNSON-BATISTE: The Alphas and all of the Greeks, they're going to -- they're like a family.
SERFATY (voice-over): And seeing her through her early career as a prosecutor.
HARRIS: It's what's happening on a street corner that is plaguing the neighborhood.
SERFATY (voice-over): And then to the U.S. Senate.
HARRIS: I am a career prosecutor. I've visited many prisons and jails. That is a prison.
SERFATY (voice-over): Meantime in the time since Biden's announcement, Harris is getting a boost from social media. As some Republicans are
highlighting Harris-isms as a negative.
[10:45:00]
HARRIS: What can be unburdened by what has been.
SERFATY (voice-over): The memes are also attracting attention from new, younger voters, bringing new energy to even old moments.
Harris quoting her mother last year --
HARRIS: You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?
SERFATY (voice-over): Now becoming something of a rallying cry for her campaign, with senators and supporters posting coconut trees as signs of
support.
CHARLI XCX, POP SINGER: Very honest, very blunt. A little bit volatile.
SERFATY (voice-over): And pop singer Charli XCX declaring, "Kamala is brat," a reference to the singer's latest album and viral meme of the
summer.
CHARLI XCX: But like it's brat. You're brat. That's brat.
SERFATY (voice-over): With Harris' campaign quickly embracing and running with the vibe.
SERFATY: And one call among the many, many calls that Harris made over that 10-hour period on Sunday was to her pastor from San Francisco, someone
who has been in her life for so many years. And we are told this is one of the very first calls she made and that the two spent some time praying
together -- Sunlen Serfaty, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
SCIUTTO: We will continue to follow our breaking news here and that is that the director of the Secret Service has now resigned. Just yesterday,
she was on Capitol Hill, facing hard questions from Democrats and Republicans about security failures leading up to the attempted
assassination of Donald Trump, just a little over a week ago.
We'll have more on that story right on the other side of this break.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
SCIUTTO: Back to the breaking news here at CNN, U.S. Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle has now resigned. The Secret Service under
intense scrutiny following security lapses in advance of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. Jessica Schneider joins us now.
And Jessica, it was just yesterday, Cheatle was on the Hill. She was facing tough questions from Democrats and Republicans about those security
failures. Others, lawmakers, frankly not satisfied with her answers. I imagine this move was expected, given Democrats and Republicans have called
for it.
JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's the thing, Jim. We really saw this bipartisan swell questioning her ability to continue
leading the department. She has served as the Secret Service director since 2022.
And today, yes, in fact, tendering her resignation after what was really a groundswell of criticism about her handling of the crowd and of the
situation in the attempted assassination of former president Trump at his rally just about 1.5 weeks ago.
And then there were a lot of criticisms that came after yesterday's hearing from both sides of the aisle and the fact that she refused to answer a lot
of questions.
Now Director Cheatle, she has been at the helm of the Secret Service for the past two years. But she actually did serve in the Secret Service for
almost three decades. And she repeatedly referenced that throughout the hearing, saying that she believed that she was still the best person to
serve as director of the Secret Service.
And that comment coming from her as recently as yesterday. But of course, today, this morning, it seemed that the criticism and the questions and
even the impending investigations were just getting too much and she had to tender her resignation.
And Jim, I want to toss to a little bit of sound from yesterday, where she really did face very heated questions, again, from members on both sides of
the aisle.
[10:50:00]
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You answered more questions with an ABC reporter than you have with members of Congress.
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): The notion of a report coming out in 60 days, when the threat environment is so high in the United States,
irrespective of party, is not acceptable.
MACE: You're full of (INAUDIBLE) today. You're just being completely dishonest.
REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA), OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE: I just don't think this is partisan. If you have an assassination attempt on a president, a former
president or a candidate, you need to resign.
Do you really genuinely in your heart, believe that you being in this role is what's right for America at this moment?
Do you think there are people who are Trump's supporters who have confidence in you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You should have come today, ready to give us answers. I call upon you to resign today.
REP. JAMIE RASKIN (D-MD): I don't want to add to the director's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. But I will be joining the chairman in
calling for the resignation of the director, just because I think that this relationship is irretrievable at this point.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHNEIDER: And there, you heard it there, from Democrat Jamie Raskin, joining with Republican James Comer to call for her resignation. Again,
there was that bipartisan groundswell criticism against the Secret Service director, which ultimately has led to her resignation this morning.
And of course, Jim, there has just been a litany of questions surrounding how the Secret Service handled all of the events leading up to that
attempted assassination of the former president just about 1.5 weeks ago.
There was questions about how that gunman may have gotten access to that rooftop, very close to where the president was speaking.
Also questions about how the Secret Service handled communications with local law enforcement agencies, given the fact that local law enforcement
was tipped off to this would be assassin as a suspicious person, minutes before even any shots were fired.
So yes, today the Secret Service director handing in her resignation. She has been leading the Secret Service for the past two years. But you know,
Jim, despite this resignation, the investigations will still be ongoing.
We have numerous investigations from Republicans, Democrats, congressional committees and also the inspector general. So a lot still to come about the
failures that day but, for now, the Secret Service director is stepping down.
SCIUTTO: There's also a political element. This because I see, just a short time ago, president, former president Trump said the following.
"The Biden-Harris administration did not properly protect me and I was forced to take a bullet for democracy."
Jessica, that's not far from assigning blame, is it not, to the administration and not just the Secret Service?
SCHNEIDER: Right, there has been a lot of criticism about even Cheatle's position at the top of the Secret Service for the past two years.
And, of course, yes, I mean, the former president not only pinning blame on the Secret Service or the Secret Service director but on the administration
as a whole.
Who knows if this resignation will tamper that criticism or if it will continue to fester?
We will see.
SCIUTTO: Jessica Schneider, thanks so much.
One more question as we go forward here, her resignation, I imagine, Jessica, does not change the Secret Service's commitment to an
investigation of this event.
Does it at all accelerate the plan for that investigation?
Because one of the criticisms as you heard from AOC, from Alexandra Ocasio- Cortez there was, that's not quick enough, particularly when the threat to the current candidates are so great.
SCHNEIDER: Well, I mean, yes, we're going into a very busy time for the Secret Service as they work to protect not only the current president but
also the presumed nominee, Kamala Harris, also the former president.
I mean, there is a lot of pressure now and probably a lot of scrutiny on the Secret Service. At the same time these investigations will probably
move along pretty quickly, given that people will want answers about many of these failures at that site, at the rally site, where Trump came very
close to getting hit by a would-be assassin's bullet.
So I would presume that these investigations -- I mean, they've already started. And I would presume that they would move very quickly, especially
because we're getting into a very, very important time for the Secret Service.
SCIUTTO: Can you give us a sense of the current threat environment?
Because AOC there referenced a -- concerns about the threat environment going forward?
Listen, the threat environment is always serious for a president or a presidential candidate. But the DHS and the FBI did warn in the wake of
this about the potential for retaliatory attacks.
Are you hearing that there is particular concern about the threat going forward?
SCHNEIDER: Well, of course, we saw that ramped up security at the RNC in Milwaukee.
[10:55:00]
The Secret Service really, they put out several press conferences. They talked about security. I mean, luckily, nothing happened.
But of course, we're moving into a high point in both of the campaigns. We have the DNC coming up in Chicago in just a few weeks. It begins August
19th. So I mean, I think that we're going to continue to see this heightened awareness, alertness, this heightened threat environment as we
move toward the general election.
So it's going to be many months of probably great concern for all of these law enforcement agencies, Jim.
SCIUTTO: No question.
Tremendous responsibility. They have one.
SCHNEIDER: Yes.
SCIUTTO: Jessica Schneider. Thanks so much.
If you're just joining us, our headline, the director of the U.S. Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, has now resigned. You see her there. This was
just yesterday when she was testifying before Congress about security lapses leading up to the assassination attempt of Donald Trump.
And in the midst of that grilling on Capitol Hill, you heard bipartisan criticism and, shortly after, you heard a bipartisan call for her
resignation and she has -- she has done so.
We'll continue to stay on top of the story. That's it for CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Jim Sciutto. I will be back with more news, right after this
break.
END
