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Flurry of Polls Show Harris with a Small Lead Over Trump; Blinken Meets Netanyahu to Talk about Ceasefire Deal; Democratic National Convention Begins Today; Stories We're Keeping an Eye on for you; "Uncommitted" DNC Delegates Want Answers from Harris on Gaza. Aired 9-9:45a ET

Aired August 19, 2024 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ERICA HILL, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: You are looking at the scene in Chicago just a few hours from now, the Democratic National Convention will

officially kick off. It is 08:00 a.m. there in the Windy City, here in New York City, it is 09:00 a.m. I'm Erica Hill. Good to have you with me. This

is "Connect the World".

Also happening over the next two hours, while the Democratic Party is touting united by a unified front. Protests over the war in Gaza paint a

different picture. This as the U S Secretary of State is back in the Middle East urging a ceasefire, and Ukrainian troops forging deeper into Russia

now as the tide of that war shifts.

The markets here in New York set to open in just about 30 minutes from now. To give you a quick look at the futures there, up slightly a little bit of

green never hurts on a Monday morning. Of course, the S&P coming off its best week since 2023 now. So, we'll continue to watch those again the

opening bell just about 30 minutes from now here in New York.

Anticipation, enthusiasm and some pressing questions for Democrats as their convention opens tonight in Chicago. By the time it wraps on Thursday, Vice

President Kamala Harris will be the party's official presidential nominee. Before getting to that moment however, prepare yourself for a who's who of

democratic heavyweights who will take the stage.

You see some of the lineup there among them former presidents and first ladies, and of course, the man Harris hopes to succeed in the White House,

President Joe Biden, who will deliver his speech tonight. All of this looming over what should be a week of celebration inside that convention

hall.

Looming outside is the war in Gaza and the enduring anger over continuous U.S. support for Israel among many Americans. Protests in Chicago started

over the weekend. Tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian activists are expected to march outside the convention security perimeter throughout the

week.

CNN Politics Senior Reporter Stephen Collinson, joining me now from Chicago. So, Stephen, in your latest analysis online, you talk about the

elevation of Harris, seemingly overnight, saying it mark, sort of the most audacious power place in modern political history. And in your words, an

astonishing mood shift. There's a lot of focus on that mood, on that vibe, if you will. And the question of course, of whether it can last, how it

lasts? Does it seem there's a plan for that to sustain it?

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Yeah, that is going to be the most interesting thing. Vice President Kamala Harris has had a very

strong start. She has now rolled out her economic plans, a very populist message. I think she will certainly get a boost from the Republic -- the

Democratic Party uniting behind her all of those former presidents and key officials and first ladies that you mentioned.

I think the next thing we will look to after this week, because we're assured that she will come out of this probably a lot stronger, at least

among Democratic voters, is the debate with Former President Trump, the Republican Nominee, on September the 10th. I think that will be the key

determining factor into whether she can keep this momentum going.

And this, of course, is a very condensed campaign. There will only be a couple of months at that point until the election. So, if she can continue

her strong start, that will put a lot of pressure on the former president. We're already seeing polls now showing her moving, at least in the national

picture, several points ahead.

HILL: Yeah, moving a little bit ahead of Trump. It's interview you message -- you mentioned her economic plan released on Friday, more of a populist

message. Light on the details, though, and there has been some criticism for that lack of detail. Do you think we will get any more specifics this

week?

COLLINSON: I don't think we'll get specifics this week. I think the issue for Democrats here is to introduce the vice president in a much more

personal and expansive way to voters. I think there is clearly, as you imply, there is a balance here.

Of course, they have to put some policy meat on the bone as they move forward, but they don't want to put so much out there that it gives the

former president an opening. It really is an extraordinary populist message. The vice president is defying a lot of economic conventional

wisdom by saying that if she's president, she would use federal power to cut down on what she calls price gouging among supermarkets, for example.

That is a response to what voters are feeling. And I think she has to make a dramatic step, because, of course, she's associated with the Biden

Administration, which has run economic policy for the last 3.5 years, and voters are feeling very anxious, notwithstanding the fall in inflation at

the prices they have to pay for basic staples every time they go to the grocery store.

So, you she does have a balance there. The current president in his campaign, which has now been shelled, he was often asking voters for more

credit for the economic work that's been done, and almost trying to convince them that the economy is better than it isn't.

[09:05:00]

Harris has had to take the contrary path, and in a way, she's filling a vacuum and getting some way to the populist side of Former President Trump,

who's always used populist economic messages to great effect.

HILL: And we know -- we know that that message that President Biden was trying to put out there, hey, you may not feel it, but this is the reality.

We know that was not playing well with voters, and that the campaign was really struggling with how to try to tout some of -- what they wanted to

point to as accomplishments.

Before I let you go, there is a lot being made of the protest, which already started, of course, over the weekend outside of the DNC in Chicago.

Two questions to that are -- how large is this group of protesters, in terms of a voting bloc? And how much impact could that then have? Is there

a firm sense of those numbers and that impact?

COLLINSON: I think it could be shifting. This is a large voting bloc. We saw in the primaries, tens of thousands of voters in some states deciding

not to vote for President Joe Biden in a largely uncontested race as a protest vote at his solidarity for Israel as the war in Gaza went ahead

with thousands of Palestinian casualties.

I think it's a really interesting question over whether that will also apply to the vice president and in a general election race, which, of

course, is separate from a primary? If she can create enough momentum, for example, in the crucial swing state of Michigan, she may lose some

progressive and Arab American voters because she's associated with the administration's position on Israel.

But if she can get a bigger turnout in places like Detroit, for example, in the cities, and then, to some extent, cut down Trump's margins in rural

areas. The power of the dissident vote, if you like, on the Gaza question may be a little bit more muted that it would have been had President Joe

Biden been on the ticket.

But it's something we're going to have to watch very closely. Her polling in swing states suggests that she's doing better than Biden, so it may not

be quite such a massive issue for her at the ballot box in November.

HILL: Stephen Collinson, always appreciate your analysis, your insight. Thank you.

COLLINSON: Thanks.

HILL: In the Middle East, as the ongoing ceasefire and hostage release talks reach a critical point, Hamas has claimed responsibility for this

attack in Tel Aviv. The video, which has been widely circulated on Israeli media and geolocated by CNN, appears to show the moment of Sunday's

explosion. You see it there.

All of this, of course, coming as the U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, is in Israel. And as he's warning now, this moment could, in fact,

be the final chance to secure a ceasefire and to get the Israeli hostages' home. CNN International Diplomatic Editor, Nic Robertson is in Tel Aviv, as

is our State Department Reporter Jennifer Hansler, good to see both of you.

Jennifer, I want to start with you. Secretary Blinken, in the region, meeting with a number of officials, but of course, with Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahu. They met for about three hours. What do we know about that. I've heard that the initial outreach was, or the initial readout,

rather, was that it was a positive meeting. What does that mean?

JENNIFER HANSLER, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT REPORTER: Yeah. Erica, well, hearing that only from the prime minister's office at this point, that this was a

positive meeting. That suggests that there was some progress made on this effort to try to secure this ceasefire deal.

And the other thing the prime minister's office noted is that he committed about the commitment to the U.S. proposal that is on the table, this

bridging proposal that was put forward last week. So that is a positive sign that the Netanyahu government is suggesting that they would agree to

this release of the hostages.

At the same time, we are hearing from Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, that this is a crucial moment, a decisive moment to get this across the

finish line. And this, ultimately, Erica is the whole point of his trip here, is to try to stress the urgency and the need to get this done.

And he really kind of put forward an ultimatum this morning when he was meeting with the Israeli President, Isaac Herzog. I want to read you what

he said at the start of their meeting. He said, this is a decisive moment, probably the best, maybe the last opportunity to get the hostages home, to

get a ceasefire and to put everyone on a better path to enduring peace and security.

So, we have not really heard him use this language of possibly the last chance to get this deal across the finish line. And it really reflects this

idea that it is a now or never moment. Now we heard the U.S. suggesting that this could perhaps be done this week, that the mediators would once

again convene later this week to try to get these final touches in place.

They feel that the gaps have been narrowed with this new proposal. We have not seen similar optimism from the other crucial party and that is Hamas.

Last night, they put out a statement saying, essentially, they do not agree with the proposal that is on the table.

[09:10:00]

They think it is too beholden to Israel, and they are suggesting they are rejecting this. Now the U.S. is still suggesting that they will meet later

this week. They think things will go forward as planned, but at the same time, there still seems to be a lot of gaps that need to be narrowed here

Erica.

HILL: There, really do. And you know, one of the other things that stood out to me that Antony Blinken said, was saying, to your point, it's a

decisive moment, but time for everyone to get on board. And Nic, I want to throw this to you. And to not look for any excuses to say, no, it's time to

get it done.

It's remarkable, as Jennifer just pointed out, what we heard from Hamas, also what we're hearing from Israel. But as all of this is happening as

Antony Blinken is in the region. Now we have Hamas claiming, of course, a responsibility for this explosion in Tel Aviv on Sunday. How do all of

those pieces fit together when we are talking about such a delicate moment?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, it really emphasizes just how delicate the situation is. I mean, I think -- you know

there were several things that happened yesterday evening, just as Secretary Blinken was arriving into Israel, you had Hamas putting out its

statement, with which seems to hint at a broad rejection, although that's probably partly posturing ahead of talks, but it doesn't indicate that they

have any positivity at the moment.

You had a barrage of missiles coming in from Hezbollah in the north, from Lebanon into the northern parts of Israel, and you've had more barrages

today, actually killing one IDF officer and critically wounding another, lightly injuring three others with smoke inhalation.

And as well -- you know it was round about the same time that Secretary Blinken landed here, within an hour or so of him being on the ground, that

that terror -- that terror attack, happened alone it appeared to be suicide bomber. He was spotted walking down a street here with a backpack on his

back, and then the explosives went off a massive blast.

Authorities here have taken that seriously enough to put up the alert level for people, but I think to a degree, people don't really need to hear from

the police. The alert level has gone up. This has shaken the residents of Tel Aviv. It's almost two decades since there was a suicide type attack in

the city here. There have been other sorts of attacks, but not a suicide bomber.

So that's a level of concern people have here. And that, again, is indicative of the tensions the police here are trying to track down

precisely who the attacker was, precisely where he came from. Very likely they'll be on top of that already. And critically, was he working alone?

Could there be more attacks?

So absolutely, and the notion of a last chance to get the hostages back. I think that speaks to the fact that the conditions that they're being held

in, if a deal doesn't happen now, and things fall apart because of an escalation, the chances of a deal could be so far off in the future, their

chances, the hostages\ chances of survival in these conditions, could just be dwindling to zero.

HILL: Nic Robertson and Jennifer Hansler, appreciate you both. Thank you. Well, as we keep an eye on the broader region, the threat of a retaliatory

attack against Israel by Iran still looms, and as of yet, of course, there's been nothing. Tehran, though we'll surely be watching these

ceasefire talks closely.

CNN's Frederik Pleitgen in Iran's capital, and joins us now. So, Fred, as you know, as we look at this, Iran had of course promised severe revenge

that has not yet materialized. Is this a waiting game? Is Tehran dragging its feet? Maybe it won't happen. Where do things stand do we know?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there Erica. Well, it's certainly is a waiting game. And the Iranians have continued to

say, as long as we've been on the ground here, that that retaliation for the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh is still very much on the table for

them.

At the same time, although senior Iranian officials that we've been speaking to also say that they do hope that there will be a ceasefire

agreement for Gaza. They hope that something can be dealt out. But they certainly aren't very optimistic about it.

They say that they believe that the Israeli government, specifically the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are not serious about how making a

ceasefire happen. They believe that they've shifted the goalposts at various times. They also believe that the U.S. is not an objective mediator

in all of this.

And the Iranians today have said that the issues for them, of the ceasefire negotiations and their retaliation are completely separate. Here's what

we're learning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Iran says its drones and missiles are ready for an attack against Israel in retaliation for the killing of Hamas Chief Ismail

Haniyeh. But as tensions remain at a boiling point Iran's political transition continues. The new President, Masoud Pezeshkian's cabinet

appointees going through confirmation hearings in Iran's parliament, the Majlis.

Once Masoud Pezeshkian's cabinet is approved by Iran's parliament the new government will have its work cut out for it. The Middle East, of course,

is in severe turmoil as the region awaits Iran's possible harsh retaliation for the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh.

[09:15:00]

While Iran's response appears delayed, parliamentarians here say, make no mistake, revenge is coming and will be harsher than Tehran's last strikes

against Israel after Iran's Consulate in Damascus, Syria, was bombed in April.

This time they attacked our mainland. The world will witness a serious reaction by us. The time, the place and the type of reaction is to be

decided, he says, and then adds, you saw the first example. You can multiply that as much as you like. We will teach our enemies a lesson so

they will not attack us anymore, this parliamentarian says, we are seeking peace and calm in the region and are not warmongers at all.

The U.S. says it's seeking a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, also in the hopes a deal to end the violence in Gaza could persuade Iran not to

launch the retaliatory strikes against Israel. But Washington has also deployed substantial forces to the Middle East. A senior Biden

Administration official warning Iran could face, quote, cataclysmic consequences if it attacks Israel.

Iranian parliamentarians brushing off that warning. If they attack or threaten us, the Iranian response will be jaw breaking, he says. Iran has

shown in practice it will do so and has the means to do so. The capabilities we have are not what the world knows about. They are far

beyond. But when, where and how Iran plans to use those capabilities remains shrouded in secrecy, keeping the Middle East on edge.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PLEITGEN (on camera): So, you can see there Erica there are some pretty tough words coming from the Iranians at the same time, of course, still

holding the cards pretty close to their chest. Not saying when, where and how they plan to retaliate, Erica.

HILL: Fred Pleitgen there live for us in Tehran. Thank you. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his military forces continue to make

progress inside Russian territory nearly two weeks into their incursion. In his latest address, he says Ukraine is getting a stronger foothold and

reinforcing its positions in the Kursk region.

The Ukrainian military says it now controls 1000 kilometers of Russian territory. CNN's Clare Sebastian, joining me now live from London. So,

Clare, as we look at all of this, it's been about two weeks since this surprise incursion by Ukraine into Russia. Give us a better sense.

We hear one thing, obviously from Ukraine itself. What more do we know about how things are going on the ground? And Russian forces are also

trying to move closer into Pokrovsk in Ukraine.

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. So, sort of two different areas of where we're seeing the most intensive activity right now, Erica, in

Russia itself, in the Kursk region. It's very clear at this point that while Ukraine is making progress, the pace has slowed quite a bit since

that first week of the incursion, where clearly, they were driven forward by the element of surprise.

Russia was sort of blindsided by the whole thing. Now Russia is, you know, at least making an attempt to defend, if not effectively counterattack and

push Ukraine out. But Ukraine is, as you said, the operative words being reinforcing its position. We see clear elements of consolidation here.

They have set up a military administration, essentially a military office in the town of Sudzha, which they now claim to have cleared the Russians

out of completely they have been attacking bridges. There are at least two bridges that Ukraine, we believe has now destroyed across the River Seine,

which runs east to west through the Kursk region, some 50 or so kilometers north of the town of Sudzha that will be to try to stop Russia bringing in

more reinforcements and supplies.

And there's talk of this sort of buffer zone, security zone, which they hope to keep hold of to stop Russian attacks back across the border into

Ukraine. But meanwhile, of course, Russia, we know, bringing in reinforcements from various areas of Ukraine, much less so from the Donetsk

region.

And that is very likely, because this is where they're making their biggest push now, around the town of Toretsk which is a, you know, a sort of small

strategic town, and even more so, towards Pokrovsk which is a much bigger military hub, where the military administration there is now really

stepping up evacuations.

They are giving people one to two weeks maximum to leave the 53,000 people still there, and families with children are now being forcibly evacuated

because they say they are now in range of Russian heavy weapons. So, this would be a pretty big blow for Ukraine if Russia was to take that city.

HILL: Yeah, absolutely Clare, really appreciate it. Thank you. Well -- things can certainly change in a month. Four weeks ago, Joe Biden was

looking at a much different plan for this week in Chicago.

[09:20:00]

Now, instead of an acceptance speech, the president will be laying out why Kamala Harris is actually the woman for the job of president as she works

to define her message that the latest from the Democratic National Convention, just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HILL: In the coming hours, U.S. President Joe Biden will make the case for his second in command speaking on the opening night of the Democratic

National Convention. Mr. Biden is expected in that speech to tout the record he and Vice President Kamala Harris have achieved.

Now for her part, the Vice President is facing her biggest stage yet, an important opportunity to, of course, deliver her message to fellow

Democrats and to voters watching at home, but also to address some lingering criticisms, including the bitter debate of the administration's

handling of the Israel-Hamas war.

Zolan Kanno-Youngs is a CNN Political Analyst and White House Correspondent for "The New York Times" who has covered Kamala Harris for nearly four

years, traveling with her to Europe, Asia, Africa, and of course, across the U.S. His most recent piece is titled A vice presidential learning

curve, how Kamala Harris picked her shots.

As always with me now, nice to see you, my friend. So, as we look at this, it's a great piece from you and Peter Baker, and I love the way you

describe some of Kamala Harris in terms of the way she's been approaching this job, deliberate, disciplined, cautious at times, risk averse, and a

team player who wasn't always sure her team had her best interests at heart. How much of that still rings true in this moment for her?

ZOLAN KANNO-YOUNGS, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I do think a lot has changed. You know, over these past nearly four years, we are absolutely at a moment

where, now the Vice President has captured, you know, so much momentum for the Democratic Party has the support of this White House, and the west wing

has found her footing on, you know, issues, specifically after the Supreme Court decision, she on Dobbs, she became a leader in terms of abortion

rights.

But in terms of this arc, in order to describe the arc, you have to talk as well about the first year, in the first two years, and I remember talking

to some of her allies that had supported her since her days in California, that were concerned that she had been sort of strapped with intractable

issues addressing the root cause, causes of migration, as well as trying to find a way on voting rights with such a slim majority in Congress and as

well, that she was not being set up for political wins by this administration.

I thought it was interesting that while we were reporting this story, that the Former Chief of Staff, Ron Klain, even said that, look, the vice

president was doing work behind the scenes, but he said that the White House could have done a better job to amplify some of that work.

The question I've had throughout these past four years is, why was it behind the scenes? Why weren't voters sort of seeing some of that work that

we're seeing now and that you're also seeing and this moment in the campaign trail?

HILL: Yeah, Ron Klain telling you, and I'm quoting here from your piece, I don't think we did a good enough job of selling her.

[09:25:00]

It is such an interesting point, and in terms of maybe not amplifying that for the public, it was interesting too, how many Americans feel they don't

really know who the vice president is. There's a recent CBS News poll a -- say they don't yet know what she stands for. That is both an opportunity

and potentially that could be tough for her as well.

KANNO-YOUNGS: That's absolutely right. And let's remember that this was a central problem during the last go around. During the 2020 campaign, the

vice president didn't really have a long campaign. I mean, it really fizzled out right around Iowa. And one of the issues that voters identified

at that time, that Democrats identified at that time, was the idea that you know it.

It wasn't really clear what the priority for her campaign would be. She didn't really have a central message at that time. That's something they're

going to look to correct this time around, and this is a pivotal moment to do that as well, to reintroduce yourself to the American electorate after

an initial struggle as VP and a last -- and a struggling presidential campaign during the last go round as well.

HILL: I was struck by something that Kate Benningfield said on our air earlier this morning, saying that her message right now is about the

voters. It's not about her. It's not necessarily about her being a woman, about her reading a woman of color, that her goal here is to show, not

tell. How effective has that been for her in these first few weeks?

KANNO-YOUNGS: That is -- it's interesting Kate said that that is so Kamala Harris. I mean, in my reporting, even for the story we were talking about

over the past four years, this is somebody that has not always wanted to sort of, or felt the need to lean into solely her identity, her historic

nature of her role.

She's a prosecutor. She's a lawyer. This is somebody that wants to be judged off merit the evidence that she has displayed. I remember traveling

with her to Ghana, actually, and she delivered a speech at the Black Star Gate. And that was a time where she leaned into sort of the historic nature

of her role more so than I had seen before.

But this is somebody that is want to show that she has the policy chops as well. The thing is, you know, emotions matter during a campaign. People

sometimes want to be inspired as well. So, she's going to have to find the right balance.

HILL: We'll be looking for it. It was great piece. I encourage everyone to read it. So great to see as always. Thank you.

KANNO-YOUNGS: Thank you --

HILL: Just ahead this hour, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are both vowing to lower costs for Americans. Economists, though fear their plans could

actually have some unintended consequences.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:30:00]

HILL: And welcome back the opening bell, of course, just ringing a short time ago here in New York. I am Erica Hill, thanks for joining me here on

"Connect the World". I am in for Becky Anderson, today, you can see as things kick off there. We'll take that little bit of green. A little bit

goes a long way sometimes.

The leading U.S. presidential candidates, meantime, have been touting their plans to lower costs for Americans. Some economists were warning that their

ideas could actually have the opposite effect. In fact, two analyzes have found Kamala Harris' proposed tax subsidies and federal program expansions

could increase the deficit by about $2 trillion.

Higher debt they say could actually mean higher interest rates, and as for Donald Trump, 16 Nobel Prize winning economists have slammed his plans to

extend tax cuts and hike tariffs on imported goods, saying those proposals could, in fact, reignite inflation and hurt America's global economic

standing.

For more now, I'm joined by my colleague, Julia Chatterley. So, Julia, as we look at each of these plans and these proposals, give us a better sense

of what they're each offering.

JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN ANCHOR FIRST MOVE: OK, I will say, firstly, the disclaimer is that both sets of policies lack detail.

HILL: Yes.

CHATTERLEY: And that's a fundamental point, but I will say both sets of policies are the equivalent of several helicopter drops worth of cash,

which arguably is politics. But it's no surprise to me, having heard what we heard last week from both candidates, that a lot of economists are

wringing their hands now and saying, what on earth is taking place?

Just to give you a sense again, of Kamala Harris' potential policy plans, she was talking about support for building 3 million new homes. The

challenge with that is we know, just on a very basic level, we don't have the construction workers at this stage. $25,000 worth of support for first

time homebuyers.

That's a direct cash giveaway. Just on a basic level, that will add to inflation. The belief is that would just add that money to the purchase

price of houses, the tax credits for children or for parents, a big bumper on $6,000 for the first year of life for low-and middle-income families as

well.

I was trying to do the math in my mind, on Thursday of, sorry, on Friday of last week, and I sort of gaged around 1.5 trillion dollars addition to the

deficit. The key to remember is that this is over 10 years, so it's not an instant hit when you're thinking about inflationary terms.

But over the course of a 10-year period, it feels inflationary if you're increasing your deficit and not funding it, it is going to mean higher

interest rates because you have to borrow that money and you have to incentivize people to lend to you. Trump, on the other hand, you said it.

I can go through all of his individual policy plans and proposals, but it's all about the tariffs. When he's talking about 10 to 20 percent tariffs on

a whole host of imported goods, it's no surprise that people are looking at this and saying, hang on a second, as Kamala Harris described it, it's a

national sales tax.

It's something that's paid by U.S. companies as they import goods, and they then pass it on to consumers. That's going to mean higher prices. I didn't

even talk about the price gouging plans from Kamala Harris too. But the fear with that, it will actually cause shortages of food and raise prices

for consumers too. So, wherever I look, I see concern.

HILL: So, you see concern wherever you look, is there one plan? And as you rightly point out, they are both a little thin on the details.

CHATTERLEY: Yeah.

HILL: But is there one plan that is perhaps more concerning when it comes to the impact?

CHATTERLEY: 100 percent Trump's tariffs would be a critical disaster, I think, for the economy. I mean, I can give you a sense, Moody's have done a

sort of analysis. It's difficult because, again, we lack details.

But assuming that we see tariffs on around 10 percent of consumer goods that come into the United States. You add that to his immigration

restrictions, which will also have an inflationary wage impact, they're talking about a 1.1 percentage point increase in inflation next year.

Now I don't think that's big enough, based on what we've got to see the Federal Reserve having to hike rates further, but it will definitely slow

them down in bringing rates down, and that's going to be a problem for borrowers all across the country. So, Erica, for me, that's the real

kicker.

If you can soften that blow somehow, economists perhaps will sit down in their seats. But for now, there's a lot of fingernail biting, I think not a

great policy.

HILL: Yeah. Julia, appreciate it as always. Good to see you. Thank you.

CHATTERLEY: Thanks.

HILL: So, let's get you up to speed on some of the other stories on our radar at this hour, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi plans to visit

Ukraine this Friday. Mr. Modi is repeatedly called for a ceasefire, but has not condemned Russia's war on Ukraine.

[09:35:00]

You may recall, back in July, he visited Russia, a trip which at the time of course, Ukraine's President condemned. A fire breaking out on board a

decommissioned Soviet aircraft carrier docked in China. That's according to state run media. This is the Minsk, which caught fire on Friday as it was

being renovated to be a military theme park attraction.

The report says no one was hurt. It is unclear, though, how the fire started. And at least one person is dead, six others are missing after a

luxury yacht sunk off Sicily. Officials say a possible land falling water spout was reported at the time. They also say it was likely the vessel

itself was anchored off the coast when it was hit by the storm before dawn, 15 people were rescued.

A new Premier League season is underway. The big question of course, can anybody stop Manchester City from racking up a fifth straight title?

Patrick Snell is just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HILL: As the Democratic National Convention gets underway in the U.S., all of the delegates have pledged their support to Kamala Harris' nomination.

In fact, doesn't say they plan to withhold that support until she addresses their concerns about the civilian casualties in Gaza. CNN's Donie

O'Sullivan spoke with some of them in Chicago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ABBAS ALAWIEH, MICHIGAN UNCOMMITTED DELEGATE: We've got 30 uncommitted delegates that are representing over 740,000 uncommitted voters nationwide

who voted uncommitted as a pro peace, anti-war vote in the Democratic primary.

DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: This is a meeting of uncommitted democratic delegates here in Chicago on the eve of the

Democratic National Convention.

ALAWIEH: But it's not sustainable for our own government to fund the mass killing of civilians.

JEREMIAH ELLISON, MINEESOTA UNCOMMITED DELEGATE: Folks become delegates at their state party, and then they come to the National Convention, and

they're either committed to the candidate, to one of the candidates, or not. In our case, we're not committed because we haven't heard what we've

wanted to hear.

Looking for a cease fire. We're looking for a strong commitment on a ceasefire. We're looking for an arms embargo for us to stop sending weapons

that are contributing to the genocide there.

ALAWIEH: I represent some of the over 101,000 voters in Michigan who voted uncommitted as a pro peace anti-war vote.

LEXIS ZEIDAN, CO-DIRECTOR OF LISTEN TO MICHIGAN: Nobody wants to see Trump in November. We are a very anti-fascist movement. We are actually doing

what we can to save the Democratic Party by saying, listen, VP Harris, there is a key base of over 730,000 anti-war voters who are telling you

that we want to turn the page on Gaza policy and save Palestinian lives.

O'SULLIVAN: What do you want to hear from Harris in Chicago this week?

ALAWIEH: I want to hear from Vice President Harris, how it is that she's going to turn a new page on Gaza policy from the destructive and disastrous

policy of the last 10 months to one that saves lives.

O'SULLIVAN: You got to meet Harris briefly in Michigan?

LAYLA ELABED, CO-CHAIR OF UNCOMMITTED NATIONAL MOVEMENT: We wanted to be able to speak to her directly the fact that Michigan voters would want to

support her now, while our family members, our friends, our loved ones are being killed with U.S. funded bonds.

[09:40:00]

I told her that we need a policy shift that will save lives in Gaza. My community is telling me that they're losing tens and hundreds of their

family members, and she said it's horrific. She's been incredibly empathetic. I do have to say that more we have seen more empathy and

compassion from Vice President Harris. But that is not enough. Palestinian children can't eat words.

O'SULLIVAN: Is there more hope in this movement right now with Harris at the top of the tickets than there was when Biden was there?

YAZAN KADER, WASHINGTON UNCOMMITED DELEGATE: I think that in general, we would all say we're cautiously optimistic. There is a little bit more

wiggle room we feel like with Vice President Harris. We've already seen her change the rhetoric a little bit, but words are not enough.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'SULLIVAN (on camera): You heard some cautious optimism there. Those delegates, those activists, they're going to be in here. They're going to

be in the convention most of this week, working the room. Of course, there's expected to be thousands, potentially tens of thousands, of

demonstrators outside the convention for the pro-Palestinian cause.

And look, a question these activists get a lot is, could this uncommitted movement this saying we will not vote for Harris unless she changes

policies on Gaza? Could that potentially help Trump win the election? Those activists that we spoke to said that's not their problem that is for the

Harris campaign,

HILL: Donie O'Sullivan for us there in Chicago. Well, it was business as usual on Sunday for Manchester City, and that business is apparently

winning. The defending champs won their first match of the English Premier League season, two-nil against Chelsea. So, is this the first step toward a

fifth straight league title? Patrick Snell, joining me now, is it too early to ask that question?

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: I know it's a great question, simply because, you know, they keep breaking their own records. It's amazing. You

know, up until last season, no club side in England won the top flight title for four straight seasons. Now they're trying to further extend their

own record.

A wonderful start from city on Sunday, they beat their rivals Chelsea in Chelsea's own backyard. It was all very comfortable 2-0. You'll never guess

Erica, who's good for city. Why Erling Haaland, of course, their Norwegian superstar in "World Sport" in just a few moments, we'll be looking ahead

and reflecting on that one, looking ahead to Tottenham, who play Leicester City.

And we're also assessing and picking the bones around the Raheem Sterling Fallout as well, the high-profile player who wasn't selected at all, such

as the enormity of Chelsea's squad. So that's still to come in just a few moments. Back to you.

HILL: All right, we are looking forward to it, Patrick. We will see you after this short break. Stick around, much more ahead your way.

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[09:45:00]

(WORLD SPORT)

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