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Erin Burnett Outfront
New Polls: Harris Dominates In Virginia, Makes Gains In Wisconsin; Hurricane Francine Makes Landfall In Louisiana; "Mad Scramble": Harris Supporters Seizing On Swift Endorsement. Aired 7-8p ET
Aired September 11, 2024 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[19:00:45]
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next:
The breaking news, two new polls with good news for Kamala Harris as Trump tries to convince America that he won the debate. Those are his words. Is his inner circle, though, even buying that?
Plus, setting the record straight. The city of Springfield, Ohio, with a message tonight for Trump after he claimed migrants were eating cats and dogs. A top official for Springfield will be OUTFRONT.
And more breaking news tonight, rapidly intensing -- intensifying hurricane with winds over 100 miles an hour, making landfall near New Orleans. The intensity of the storm taking everyone by surprise, very sudden intensification. We're going to take you there live.
Let's go OUTFRONT.
And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett.
OUTFRONT tonight, the breaking news, two new polls showing Harris momentum. Let's look at Virginia. This is a wide lead now that the vice president has in the polling, 10-point lead. Two months ago, this very same poll that you're looking at with Harris up 10 had Biden down two. So that's 12-point swing in two months.
And let's now look at Wisconsin, which is obviously one of the important seven swing states. This one, you can see Kamala Harris is ahead by four points. We say no clear leader because the margin of error is 4.6.
This is all polling coming out obviously the 24 hours after that poll. Kamala Harris, obviously, and former President Trump facing off there.
Trump using his old playbook on that stage, saying now that he, quote, won the debate. Now, the showdown that probably if you're watching this, you watched, was seen by more than 57 million people.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT & 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We won the debate according to every poll. Polls are saying that I was -- I won that by 80, 20, 90 --
Jesse said Trump won that debate. That was -- we won that debate by a lot.
I won that, too.
I won the debate.
We won the debate.
I won the debate by a lot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: All right, that sentiment though, of course, not exactly shared by some of his strongest supporters, including the newest and high profile member of team Trump, RFK, Jr.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR., TRUMP ADVISER: Vice President Harris clearly won the debate in terms of her delivery, her polish, her organization, and her preparation.
TREY GOWDY (R), FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE: I know the president listed several people that he had fired during his administration. He may want to add to that, the people that prepped him for the debate last night. He -- it was the land of missed opportunities.
SEN. MIKE BRAUN (R-IN): I don't think you should say stuff that may be make it harder for people to vote for you.
REPORTER: Do you think Trump took the bait on occasions?
SEN. THOM TILLIS (R-NC): I do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Well, more where that came from. Other lifelong Republicans have also criticized the former president.
Karl Rove wrote in "The Wall Street Journal", a catastrophic debate for Trump. The conservative "National Review", just two words: Trump's trainwreck. And minutes after the debate ended, "The Drudge Report" posted their main headline, "The End". As you can see, the dogs and cats, this is why.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES & 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have talked with military leaders, some of whom work with you. And they say you're a disgrace.
A dictator who would eat you for lunch.
Found liable for sexual assault.
You're not running against Joe Biden. You're running against me.
Donald Trump was fired by 81 million people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Well, lines like that. And the way that night went last night, maybe why Trump is having second thoughts about whether he should debate Harris again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: When you win, you don't really necessarily have to do it a second time. So we'll see.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Well, even as the debate was happening live, there was evidence of how viewers saw this in terms of Harris winning. "The Washington Post's" Philip Bump points out, there was a massive spike in Google searches for voter registration, and that that particular moment coincided with what was happening on your screen, which was this about January 6.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I had nothing to do with that other than they asked me to make a speech. I showed up for a speech.
HARRIS: I was there. And on that day, the president of the United States incited a violent mob to attack our nation's Capitol, to desecrate our nation's Capitol.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[19:05:00]
BURNETT: All right. So, that was the voter registration surge happened. It was coincided as I said, with that moment.
Now, let's look at the second spike, this also on voter registration. This happened right after Taylor Swift endorsed Harris and the post from Swift officially backing Harris at 9.4 million likes.
Now, we do know more than 300,000 people were directed from this specific post to a voter registration site.
Now, look, you're talking about a few hundred thousand people. I mean, a lot more than that, but even just on that, you know, they went to the link. I mean, remember, Georgia, 10,770 votes and an Arizona even narrower than that.
You get the point. Those numbers can mean absolutely everything.
Just a short time ago, Trump's running mate, J.D. Vance, responded to the Taylor Swift endorsement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. J.D. VANCE (R-OH), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We admire Taylor Swift's music, but I don[t think most Americans, whether they like her music, or fans of hers or not, are going to be influenced by a billionaire celebrity who I think is fundamentally disconnected from the interests and the problems of those Americans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: All right. Let's just start with Jeff Zeleny OUTFRONT in Washington.
So, Jeff, you've been talking to your sources in both campaigns here as the day has gone by, as this has had a chance to sort of marinate, shall we say. What are you learning tonight?
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Erin, the bottom line is winning a debate does not guarantee winning an election and losing a debate does not equate to losing the election. However, talking to a variety of people, one thing is clear, one of the chief objectives of Donald Trump going into the debate was to slow the rise of Kamala Harris, was to slow her a momentum to raise questions about her candidacy.
He did not do that. She is entering the final 55 days of this campaign with wind at her back. But more important, an energized base of supporters that helps on fundraising, on volunteer activities. And more important than ever, one of the biggest currencies of course, in politics is confidence. You saw a confident Kamala Harris on the stage last night.
So talking to a variety of Trump advisers, they are wondering if he is in a bit of denial about his actual performance at the debate. I was in the spin room last night when he came in and if you went to debate, you do not come in and explain the debate.
So in the coming days, advisors are wondering if he will stay consumed by his debate performance or will shake it off to use the Taylor Swift reference there and move forward.
Look at where the candidates are going. This is so key. Harris tomorrow will be in North Carolina, two rallies in Charlotte, in Greensboro. Donald Trump is going to Arizona.
North Carolina has emerged now as a critical battleground, and I was talking to a Governor Roy Cooper last night. He believes the answers on health care and abortion could help her win that state. We, of course, shall see.
But the debate is now over. We'll see if there's a second one. But one thing we do know, Kamala Harris still has that momentum and Trump is on his heels -- Erin.
BURNETT: All right. Jeff, thank you very much. And everyone is here with me now.
So, Margaret, look as Jeff started out with, losing a debate doesn't mean you lose, winning doesn't mean you win but obviously even those closest to Trump. It's not like they're being quiet about what they think. I mean, Trey Gowdy, there was a lot more of that sound bite, almost wanted to play the whole thing, you know?
So, talking to Republicans today, is there anybody buying either into Trump's version of things which is that he won, or anybody who thinks that Trump saying that loudly will change the perception of whether he won?
MARGARET HOOVER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, the Republicans that I'm most close to are the Republicans like Mitt Romney circa 2012 election, Republicans, and then many of the Republicans who voted to certify the election in the House of Representatives, who voted to impeach Donald Trump after January 6.
Those folks are the folks that I spoke to today. People sort of aligned with that position. And not only was there a broad recognition that Trump had in their words, missed an opportunity.
Look, among this consideration that there are still a lot of Republicans that are quite hopeful that Donald Trump will change, will become more disciplined suddenly, he'll become which seems -- seems crazy to me. But there are Republicans who were still hopeful.
So what I am hearing at least today, anecdotally, is that if Republicans want to have any prayer for November, and if Donald Trump continues along that trajectory, they have to redouble and focus their efforts on the Senate because the Senate may be the only place where they have an opportunity to really hold onto power and the federal government, that the Senate map is maybe the only chance because the down-ballot effect of that disastrous debate performance more if those, that kind of momentum continues well really have a consequential effect on who runs the government.
BURNETT: Right. And, obviously, you're talking to the other chambers, too.
I mean, Congressman, so, you know, Marc Caputo has numerous sources in Trump world from "The Bulwark" and he is saying that there was a detailed plan for Trump in the debate and Trump is on board with it, right?
This was the plan: if you are asked about Haitian immigrants eating cats, okay? There was a plan. And the plan was at Trump would dodge a punch, blamed town locals for the story because they knew it to be untrue and then attack Harris on something else.
But instead, Trump was not asked about it.
[19:10:01]
He brought it up on his own. And then a campaign insider tells Marc Caputo, the former president was supposed was to pivot, but Trump blew it. He was supposed to make her own the Biden record. That didn't really happen.
Do you view this as the land of missed opportunities as Trey Gowdy put it?
SCOTT TAYLOR (R), FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE: I think there were -- there were some missed opportunities, but I definitely don't -- I don't view this. I've used obviously differently than a lot of folks.
I think that -- I've said this before on CNN, I think the stakes are really high for the vice president. She had to perform. If she did, and I think that the race was over. I think she did perform, I think but the bar was low. She jumped over the low bar.
But I think that when Americans, independents, the ones that are going to decide this election, when they're looking at her and they're seeing scripted answers, when they're seeing scripted facial expressions which are very inauthentic, people can see that. We have a millennia of looking at facial expressions and seeing that they're fake.
I don't think that she -- that she was able to establish what her positions where. I don't think that she was able to successfully say, yes, I may have said this very confidently on a video here, but I really don't mean that. I really mean this.
I think she actually failed at that and I think when you look at the President Trump, he's baked into the cake. You know what you get every time.
BURNETT: So you're not worried when you see polls. I mean, you got to be thrilled by the polls you see today.
AISHA MILLS, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, you know what you get.
BURNETT: In Wisconsin.
MILLS: But you know what you get, and he gets out there and he performs and he reminds us how unfit he is to actually be the president of the United States again.
You know, the thing that was most interesting that you put up earlier to me about debate is who is actually going to be the difference maker in this. It's going to be young people. It's going to be the Taylor Swift generation that absolutely matters.
The fact that voter registration had a surge, people were looking, hey, how do I get registered and make sure that I can show up is actually a big deal and I'm going to tell you why, because Gen Z is coming online now.
We've gotten millions of new voters that are coming online for this election. And there are a lot of boomers who are now offline who have passed away, who are not going to be voting. And so, one way to put it seeing is were absolutely seeing a
demographic shift in the electorate that Kamala Harris is meeting the moment too appeal to.
BURNETT: Okay.
TAYLOR: Gen Z is actually a lot more conservative and you think, and Gen Z boys are not overwhelmingly for Kamala Harris at all.
BURNETT: But you don't -- I mean, considering where and I understand, you can say correlation, causality, but those moments that we highlighted in the surge in voter registration, do you feel comfortable acknowledging that the most those people were for Kamala Harris?
TAYLOR: Let me -- let me say, you mentioned polls today. There's no poll there are no polls today that polled last night.
BURNETT: Yes.
TAYLOR: That's ridiculous. They don't reflect this. And what I'm -- you know, I heard --
BURNETT: You don't think they'll get it. I mean, those are bad for him, but you don't think they're going to get worse.
TAYLOR: No, listen, if President Trump is in the margin of error with him so the national poll, which is what I've seen, whether the VP is winning by a little bit or he's winning by a little bit. She's in trouble because the Electoral College, he's going to win it all day long.
MILLS: The reality is, is that Kamala Harris totally trumped Trump on that stage. And with all of her policy proposals that she actually outlined when he said that --
TAYLOR: What policy?
MILLS: She talked about abortion, obviously, and really hit him on that very hard. I think it was probably the most profound piece of it all.
TAYLOR: So, what she didn't do was answer --
MILLS: She also --
TAYLOR: -- how long when you look at abortion, how long is too long? How --
MILLS: What did he answer? The reality is, is that Donald Trump admitted that he doesn't have a plan for anything. He was actually the president before. He's been running all the time.
TAYLOR: He answered the question on abortion --
MILLS: He has no agenda. (CROSSTALK)
MILLS: And he tried to distance himself from Project 2050, which we all know he's going to enact because he doesn't have his own plan. So, he's going to do what they tell him to do.
TAYLOR: This is bloviating.
MILLS: It's ridiculous. The whole thing is ridiculous.
TAYLOR: She was asked specific questions and she didn't answer.
MILLS: American watched this. America watched this.
BURNETT: OK.
MILLS: Donald Trump's people watched it. Everybody agrees --
BURNETT: I guess I could institute the -- my policy on this set.
(CROSSTALK)
BURNETT: Margaret, Margaret, let me ask you that one thing that I think stood out to a lot of people though was when he was not disciplined, when she went to the obvious places that he knew she was going to go and you're supposed to just put your nose in the air and ignore it. I mean, let me just play a couple of them in case anybody forgot.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: I'm going to invite you to attend one of Donald Trump's rallies.
What you will also notice is that people start leaving his rallies early out of exhaustion and boredom.
TRUMP: She said people start leaving. People don't go to her rallies.
HARRIS: Mine would strengthen the economy. What the Wharton School has said is Donald Trump's plan would actually explode the deficit.
TRUMP: I went to the Wharton School of Finance and many of those professors, that top professors, think my plan is a brilliant plan. It's a great plan.
HARRIS: The values I bring to the importance of homeownership knowing not everybody got handed $400 million on a silver platter and then filed bankruptcy six times.
TRUMP: First of all, I wasn't given $400 million. I wish I was. I was given a fraction of that, a tiny fraction. And I built it into many, many billions of dollars, many, many billions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: I mean, she -- she -- she tried -- wanted him to do that and he did, but he should -- he knew that she would want him to do that.
HOOVER: Well, I don't know what he knew or what he didn't, what is very clear as that she very intentionally crafted specific lines that we all know would goad him.
[19:15:08]
The second she said, we all braced ourselves because we were like, oh, you didn't do that because we know how he responds to his crowd sizes, and we know how he responds to his personal wealth, and we know how he responds to any suggestion that he's not the most entertaining person of all time.
What's surprising is that he wasn't prepared. And he -- maybe that's not surprised at all. I mean, you know, I -- apparently, he didn't practice, you know? I mean, he -- apparently he really wasn't as rehearsed or he rehearsed his own untraditional way, which all of his advisers spin when you say how is h preparing this, oh, well, Donald Trump doesn't prepare like a traditional candidate.
So I mean, maybe we shouldn't be surprised, but I do think it means is Kamala Harris clearly performed. She can perform. She can -- she can stand up to the contrast against him.
American should have more contests. I don't think she should fold in her chips and go home and not have another debate. I think we should see more of this.
BURNETT: You want another debate?
Do you want another debate?
TAYLOR: Absolutely. Let me say something real quick, when I was walking in here, I saw what, you know, what Americans thought about the president and her on the economy after, after this. And it was 20 points for him for 55, I think the 35 or something, for President Trump on the economy.
What I will say is I think that the American people lost in this debate because I think that ABC, with all due respect to the media, it was absolutely horrible as it may --
(CROSSTALK)
MILLS: Just blame everybody to the fact that your guy just didn't perform well.
TAYLOR: Let me finish what my point, please.
When you look at the questions that they ask, they are -- those are not the questions that the people, the American people who are having trouble buying houses and groceries and putting gas in their tank want to hear about. They were asking him questions about the 2020 the election in his thoughts and sarcasm, that is ridiculous.
BURNETT: Well, some pointed out, you know, you could talk about a fact check, whether there were three of this and zero of that -- I mean, every opportunity was opportunity for him, right?
(CROSSTALK)
TAYLOR: I'm not saying -- I'm not saying that he didn't miss opportunities. What I'm saying to you is that debate in the questions that were asked were not the best questions that gave the public the best knowledge and make educated decisions --
MILLS: What he proved is he doesn't have the temperament to lead.
HOOVER: You and I both know you didn't have to answer the question. You can just say your thing, right?
MILLS: Yeah, exactly.
HOOVER: And he had five more minutes to say it than she had.
MILLS: He just doesn't have the right temperament to be president.
TAYLOR: What I'm saying is when I -- when I -- when I watched -- when I watched the vice president, I don't see a leader there. I see the -- I see the moderators holding her hand and helping her win this. I would like to see the next president be able to stand on herself.
MILLS: You are the minority. You are the minority.
(CROSSTALK)
BURNETT: I hope we get another debate. I hope we get -- I hope we get another debate.
All right, thank you all.
And next breaking news, a massive hurricane making landfall near New Orleans, winds had just -- it was a sudden jump near 100 miles an hour right now, strength of the storm, the suddenness of this is surprising the most veteran forecasters tonight.
And the tables have turned. The top House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries calling tonight for a cognitive test for Donald Trump.
And we have breaking news, a governor of Ohio just responding to Trump's false rumor about Haitian immigrants eating pets.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: In Springfield, they're eating the dogs, the people that came in. They're eating the cats.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Top county officials sets the record straight, OUTFRONT next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:22:32] BURNETT: Breaking news, Hurricane Francine on a collision course with New Orleans, the massive storm growing quickly in size, rapidly intensifying as a category two before making landfall in Louisiana. This new video into CNN showing the torrential rain and strong waves just outside of the city. The storm now moving across Louisiana, New Orleans, bracing heavy -- for heavy winds, catastrophic amount of rainfall, and the threat of a massive storm surge.
Derek Van Dam joins me now on the phone in Morgan City, Louisiana, near where Francine made landfall.
And, Derek, you are literally I just forced to move inside because the water where you are is rising so quickly. What exactly is happening?
DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST (via telephone): Yeah, Erin, we were forced to move from our live shot location because we had all agreed that if we started to see water overtop this berm that was kind of protecting this location we were at near Morgan City that we would -- we would leave immediately and once we started seeing water topping over, that was our cue. We decided to pack things up and get out of here.
In the past three hours or so, as we anticipated conditions deteriorated, but we did not anticipate the storm to become so strong so quickly. And I think it caught a lot of people off guard as well.
We saw increasing amount of debris flying through the skies, through the air, from branches, to tree limbs. And then, of course, the constant threat of water flooding the area that we are located in and evacuating from right now.
We are outside of the flood wall protection area near Morgan City. So a slightly more vulnerable location, whereas if we were behind those flood walls, like Morgan City proper is actually but what I'm concerned about Erin, is that this storm which clearly has pack more of a punch than anticipated, has got its eye, meaning the outer edge of its eyewall set on impacting New Orleans in the coming hours, just looking at the latest radar.
And this trend of the deepest part of the thunderstorms, most intense part of that eyewall with a 90-mile per hour wind gusts is going to move over New Orleans metropolitan. And that is the last thing that that city needs at this moment in time. In fact, we are getting reports of wind gusts at the New Orleans international airport, Louis Armstrong Airport of 59 miles per hour.
[19:25:03]
And that's only going to increase here in the coming hours as this eyewall makes its way closer and closer to New Orleans. So we anticipate a very rough next four hours for that particular location.
BURNETT: And New Orleans, obviously, as you point out, you know, the suddenness with which this storm intensified, there wasn't the preparation, right? There wasn't the expectation it would be perhaps this bad. You know, Derek, we have some footage that you shared with us of the
storm just before you were forced to leave the area. So this is you earlier, just a few moments ago as you were talking about that area with a berm. So we're looking at you. I think you probably know because you were you were just there. This is what we're showing right now.
I mean, is this what were going to be seeing around New Orleans?
VAN DAM: Well, you got to understand that much of New Orleans is very susceptible to flooding, but they have such a robust levee system. So do I think that were going to see flooding from surge within New Orleans proper? I don't believe so because of that robust system, but with a storm surge warning within Lake Pontchartrain, other areas, like outside northern Lake Pontchartrain could definitely experienced this storm surge as the southeast of the winds continue to push up that water into the area.
And so we need to watch out for that. But this is also working against the rain that's falling on the interior of Louisiana as well. So both of those kind of work together to help rise -- raise the water as they work against each other. The water has nowhere to go, but up. And so, we need to be on high alert for rapidly rising rivers, bayous, canals, and streets within the greater New Orleans metropolitan.
But I think the immediate threat right now is the fact that these winds are going to come in fierce. They're going to knock down trees. It's going to take down power and we know that it's been downgraded to a category one, but it still talking winds that are equivalent to a strong, strong category one hurricane.
BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, Derek, and stay safe. Very glad you guys came in as a firm was breached, so thank you.
And also tonight, the top Democrat in the House calling on Donald Trump to take a cognitive test after last night's debate performance. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries saying, quote, it's not clear to me that he's actually mentally fit to do the job.
OUTFRONT now, Mike Lawler, Republican congressman from New York, also a member of Foreign Affairs Committee.
And, Congressman, I'm glad to see you again.
What do you say to Hakeem Jeffries or are you fully confident in Trump's mental facility facilities?
REP. MIKE LAWLER (R-NY): Well, first, Erin, let me just say, I've been back in my district all day attending 911 ceremonies this the 23rd anniversary of 911, where we've remembered the 2,977 Americans that died that fateful day, as well as those first responders that we have lost in recent years.
And in my district, we continue to lose many first responders to 911 health-related illnesses. So let's keep all of them and their families in our prayers tonight. With respect to leader Jeffries' comments, I find that rich. I mean,
leader Jeffries, along with Nancy Pelosi and Kamala Harris, gaslit the nation for an entire year about Joe Biden's cognitive abilities and his abilities to not only run for president, but to serve another term. So given that, I don't really take his comments seriously, other than obviously, you know, we're 55 days away from an election.
BURNETT: So, Congressman, you know, of the things that were talked about last night, but many of them stood out, but one of them very much on policy and that is Ukraine. And you are obviously a very staunch supporter of Ukraine.
So I want to play with Donald Trump said. He was specifically asked if he wanted Ukraine. It's a very basic question.
It wasn't about funding. It wasn't about how to support. It was very basic. It was whether he wanted Ukraine to win the war with Russia.
Here's the exchange.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID MUIR, ABC NEWS MODERATOR: I want to ask you a very simple question tonight. Do you want Ukraine to win this war?
TRUMP: I want the war to stop. I want to save lives that are being uselessly -- people being killed by the millions. It's the millions, it's so much worse than the numbers that you're getting, with your fake numbers.
MUIR: Mr. President --
TRUMP: That doesn't know he's alive.
MUIR: Your time is up. Just to clarify in the question.
Do you believe it's in the U.S. best interest for Ukraine to win this war? Yes or no.
TRUMP: I think it's the U.S. best interest to get this war finished and just get it done.
MUIR: All right.
TRUMP: Negotiate a deal, because we have to stop all of these human lives from being destroyed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[19:30:02]
BURNETT: Congressman, I don't need to tell you, I'm sure you were watching, that exchange lasted three minutes. That Trump was unable to say and it wasn't unable -- he did not want to say that he wanted Ukraine to win the war. This is obviously personal to you. Your wife grew up in Moldova on the
border with Ukraine. I know she has family there. I know you have been a staunch supporter of Ukraine.
Did you -- did your job on the floor? Does this make you have pause about Trump as a president?
LAWLER: Look, obviously, we want Ukraine to be successful. Vladimir Putin is a vile dictator and thug, and the unholy alliance that we have seen from China, Russia, and Iran is meant to undermine and destabilize the United States and the free world.
The challenge here is that Kamala Harris and Joe Biden have failed miserably to contain these threats. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris lifted sanctions on Iran, tried to renegotiate the Iran nuclear deal. The illicit oil trade between China and Iran has resulted in $100 billion increase in Iranian petroleum sales. That is what is funding Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis.
You look at Ukraine, Russia invades Ukraine. The U.S. and Europe are spending hundreds of billions of dollars to support Ukraine, and guess what Europe is doing? They're purchasing Russian gas.
The absurdity of all of this is part of the problem. And I think what President Trump is getting to is that there really has not been a plan by this administration to bring this conflict to an end.
I obviously am a strong supporter of Ukraine. I want to make sure that Ukraine keeps its sovereignty. But -- and I am also concerned obviously, if Ukraine falls, what Putin will do with respect to Moldova and other former Soviet satellite states.
BURNETT: Congressman --
LAWLER: But I think what President Trump -- what President Trump was getting at is that at the end of the day, based on the current situation, there needs to be a resolution. We cannot continue to prolong this war and results in the death of tens of thousands.
BURNETT: But he didn't say. He didn't say that.
LAWLER: Well, no, he said, he wanted to bring this conflict to an end.
(CROSSTALK)
BURNETT: He did not say it was in the best interest of the United States.
LAWLER: What he's getting at, Erin, because I've sat -- I've sat through -- I've sat through classified briefings and I'm not going to get into the specifics of it, but I have sat through classified briefings with Secretary Blinken and we asked him point blank what is your plan?
And the reality is, they don't really have one, and I will say, their basic plan is that there's got to be a negotiated settlement. And I think that's what President Trump was getting at.
Now, again, I think he should have been very clear that we want Ukraine to succeed. The bottom line is Putin is a vile thug and dictator. And I, for one, will continue to push back against Vladimir Putin's aggression in Europe.
BURNETT: Right, words about Putin? You were very clear. You said them twice. Of course, we do not hear those from the former president either when referring to Vladimir Putin.
Congressman Lawler, I appreciate your time. Thank you very much for being with me.
LAWLER: Thanks, Erin.
BURNETT: All right. And next, the breaking news, the governor of Ohio speaking out after Trump claimed migrants are eating pets.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: The people on television say the dog was eaten by the people that went there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: City official joins me next.
Plus, it was this image of Harris resting her chin on her hand that speaks volumes about last night's debate. We have a special report on what really was a crucial part of the entire thing, the two candidates' facial expressions and body language.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:37:50]
BURNETT: Breaking news, Ohio's Republican Governor Mike DeWine pouring the cold water on a baseless rumor, which was amplified by Trump, and Vance and others about Haitian immigrants eating people's pets.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. MIKE DEWINE (R), OHIO: This is something that came up on the Internet and the Internet can be quite crazy sometimes. And, look, the mayor, Mayor Rue, of Springfield says, no, there's no truth in that. They have no evidence of that at all.
So I think we go with what the mayor says. He knows his city.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: It comes after Trump's cited the rumor as fact during the debate last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: In Springfield, they're eating the dogs, the people that came in, they're eating the cats, they're eating -- they're eating the pets of the people that live there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: And, of course, we reported on the show Monday that city officials told CNN that there is nothing to this.
Omar Jimenez is OUTFRONT. He is in Springfield.
And, Omar, it is true that Springfield has experienced an incredible influx of Haitian migrants, up to 20,000 which is, you know, obviously massively, significant in the city of 60,000.
But you've been there now talking to residents about what this means. What are you hearing from them?
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. We're hearing a whole number of things. For starters, we went right to the Haitian community here in Springfield as soon as we got here, and Haitians, I can tell you, were justice confused as everybody else when they heard about these allegations are unverified claims of people eating dogs and cats and stealing people, and stealing pets from yards.
But they also as one Haitian community leader told me they were concerned about what these rumors would actually due to the community and the context of it would potentially put unnecessary target on their backs, but also add just another level of stress to what has already been an arduous journey and for many of these folks coming from Haiti and having to leave their home.
Now, one Haitian immigrant that we spoke to who was a doctor back in Haiti, she's now a nurse here, trying to regain that certification here in the United States, he actually told us he understood where the community was coming from as far as concerns over stresses on resources that the influx of migrants -- of immigrants has brought to this community, as we've heard from state officials and others.
[19:40:09]
Take a listen to some of what he told me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMENEZ: What do you say to some of those people who are concerned about how many Haitians have come in.
VILBRUN DORSAINVIL, HAITIAN MIGRANT IN SPRINGFIELD, OH: I would say I agree with these people, but the problem is we're not going to leave anytime soon because even though people I'm talking right here, back in Haiti, it's a matter of life and death.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JIMENEZ: And that seems to be the bottom line for everyone. Is it an inconvenience of stresses here versus going back to something that as you just heard, was life or death?
And just to be playing for everyone looking into this and maybe lumping this into the wider immigration debate. What we've seen in a lot of cases around the country has had to do with asylum seekers. What we see here is legal immigrants who are under temporary protected status as Haitians have been. And as we know, the government has extended through January 2026.
And the city has even gone as far to put a frequently asked questions page on their city website, knowing that people have been asking. But as you talked about before, you came to me, it's about 20,000 -- up to 20,000 or so as we've heard from the mayor in previous cases.
But it hasn't stopped a lot of the rumor mills that we've seen going around online, including a woman who ate a cat that was spreading that was supposed to be from here, that actually was from a town over 100 miles away. And there was no verification that that person was even Haitian, but that is the nature of what we've seen circulated online and has affected those in the Haitian community here in Springfield.
BURNETT: It's sort of incredible to think we're having this conversation.
All right. Omar, thank you very much. And Omar is in Springfield.
And, you know, some of the residents there have been fuming because they are upset about being a political football in this.
The father of 11-year-old Aiden Clark who was killed when a minivan driven by a Haitian immigrant who was in the U.S. legally struck a school bus in Springfield, Ohio, is speaking out. He's calling out Donald Trump and J.D. Vance for using his son's death as a political talking point.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NATHAN CLARK, FATHER OF 11-YEAR-OLD AIDEN CLARK KILLED IN CAR ACCIDENT: Using Aiden as a political tool is, to say the least, reprehensible for any political purpose.
And speaking of morally bankrupt, politicians, Bernie Moreno, Chip Roy, J.D. Vance, and Donald Trump then spoken my son's name and use his death for political game. This needs to stop now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: I want to bring in Melanie Flax Wilt. She is the president of the Clark County Commission in Ohio. That county includes Springfield. Wilt is a Republican.
And, Commissioner, I appreciate your time. So you know, as Omar obviously is reporting from Springfield, Springfield is the largest town in Clark County now, your town is in the center of the presidential election.
So, you have been put in a position to do something that I'm sure you never imagined you would be doing, which is actually looking into claims about Haitians eating pets to confirm whether or not it actually had occurred. What did you find?
MELANIE FLAX WILT, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT OF OHIO'S CLARK COUNTY COMMISSION: We have real problems here in Clark County, Ohio, and that is not one of them. We have had one call to our dispatch center making those claims and when it was followed up on, it was not substantiated and we have seen no other reports of that.
BURNETT: All right. So one call --
WILT: We do have --
BURNETT: Go ahead.
WILT: We do have challenges here. I mean, we do have challenges from the influx of Haitian immigrants and refugees to our community. Leaders both in the county and the city are working together to stay focused on the issues that really are at play here.
One of those is what Mr. Clark brought up in the previous segment, which is driver safety and training. Secondly, we need funding to alleviate the pressure on our infrastructure that this refugee immigration has created. And third, we need resources for cultural assimilation.
The challenges here are real. I'm confident that our Springfield grit is what's going to get us through this to the other side once everybody is kind of -- this is the news of the day and it passes.
BURNETT: Yeah.
WILT: But I urge people within our community and nationwide to be part of the solution instead of spreading false rumors.
BURNETT: So, I want to ask you more about those rumors in a moment, but first, because you mentioned the challenge is the real challenges that are a part of this. And I think, you know, it's important, right? That you've got a story out here that's false, but you also have the town of 60,000 that was 60,000. Now you get 20,000 people coming in.
That is going to be very important. That is going to change things. Governor Mike DeWine today in your state announced he is sending new states support to Springfield, but he's sending troopers. He's sending two-and-a-half million dollars and that's going to help with this influx on your system.
Do you think your county needs that assistance? And I guess, are you crediting a false story about immigrants eating pets for why you're even getting that assistance?
[19:45:06]
WILT: We have been in conversation with the governor for many months about this and the assistance that's needed. We've been working with his office on health care. I sat down with him earlier this summer and we discuss many of the issues that are facing Springfield as a result of this in Clark County as a whole. It's taking a toll on our infrastructure and we're not in a position to be able to fund all of those challenges ourself.
So the state is helping us with health care and helping us with some of the driver training safety. I'm on my way home this evening. I did pass a Ohio Highway Patrol in the city of Springfield that had a car pulled over and it did appear that they were helping us with some of our driver training education and encouraging people to ensure that they're driving with a license.
BURNETT: So, you know, when we -- I want to ask you when you talked about the false claims out there and the impact that's having the fear of fishermen your community now that they are facing because of that. There was J.D. Vance, obviously senator from your state, so he knows Springfield as well.
He at first was out there first amplifying this story, then he came out and said, okay, well, it was likely false the part about Haitian migrants eating pets. Last night though, Donald Trump Jr. posts an image on Twitter saying, save our pets, and, you know, it's Trump on the back of a cat with some sort of an assault rifle and cats everywhere.
Elon Musk with a picture of a kitten and a duckling. He puts out that saying, save them.
What's your reaction to this? I mean, when Elon Musk tweets something, tens of millions of people see it.
WILT: Well, I'm not really here to discuss national politics because this is something that truly impacts my community and knowing that it's not true and seeing how that has distorted the image of the community that I have chosen to raise my family and to grow up and to come back to and to build my business in, it's disheartening to see that being perpetrated across the -- across the nation.
I will say despite what has been shared nationwide and sent through social media, Senator Vance has been a good friend of Springfield and a good friend to Ohio, and I appreciate that he said some of these planes are probably going to turn out to be false. And I think he has learned that that's the case.
BURNETT: All right. Well, Commissioner Wilt, I appreciate your time. And thank you very much.
WILT: Thank you.
BURNETT: All right. And next, their actions speaking louder than words. A special report tonight on what experts are saying about the body language of Harris and Trump, which really dominated last night's face off.
Plus, Trump now attacking Taylor Swift after she endorsed Harris. A special report ahead on how Swift's backing could affect the election.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:50:03]
BURNETT: Tonight, quote, she crushed him. Hillary Clinton, no stranger to the debate stage with Trump, posting this photo of the VP. It's this moment where the VP has her hand under her chin, smiling was satisfaction, as Trump took her bait.
Tom Foreman is OUTFRONT with the many expressions of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump at last night's historic debate.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The body language battles started fast with the vice president striking deep into the former president half of the stage, and all but forcing him to shake her hand. Then immediately putting him on defense.
HARRIS: My opponent has a plan that I call the Trump's sales tax.
TRUMP: First of all, I have no sales tax.
FOREMAN: Trump spent most of the night staring grimly ahead, rarely glancing her way no matter what she said.
HARRIS: You're going to hear a bunch of lies. And that's not actually a surprising fact.
FOREMAN: While Harris watched him, smiled, put her chin in her hand.
TRUMP: It's weaponization.
FOREMAN: And seemed more at ease with each moment, at least to former FBI senior profiler, Joe Navarro.
JOE NAVARRO, FORMER FBI SENIOR PROFILER: She looked at him with laser like focus and did not hesitate at all.
FOREMAN: It was a far cry from Trump's triumphant stance when facing his fans and a telling exchange came when Harris attacked those very events.
HARRIS: People start leaving his rallies early out of exhaustion and boredom.
FOREMAN: Trump's lips pursed, his eyes widened.
NAVARRO: He was alarmed by it. Anytime we're surprised or alarmed, we tend to open our eyes to let more light in. I think this is one he never anticipated.
HARRIS: Mr. Vice President, I'm speaking, I'm speaking.
FOREMAN: At one point, Trump lifted part of Harris's act from a 2020 presidential debate with Mike Pence.
TRUMP: In Minnesota, she went out -- wait a minute, I'm talking now. If you don't mind, please? Does that sound familiar?
FOREMAN: And Harris drew a few cautions from debate watchers over the risk of appearing too smug or reveling too much in Trump's legal problems.
TRUMP: In fact, I was going to send her a MAGA hat.
FOREMAN: One noted pollster posted. She needs to train her face not to respond. It feeds into a female stereotype and more importantly risks offending undecided voters.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN (on camera): But as you might expect, that critique was quickly critiqued online by others who said, look, that's frankly sexist. You'd never say that about a male candidate.
The bottom line is a lot of people think in the real debate and in the body language debate, Harris simply ruled tonight in every way -- Erin.
BURNETT: All right. Yeah. As we said, the question is, what does that mean? Big picture when it comes to the voting booth.
All right. Thanks so much, Tom.
And next, the breaking news, the dangerous hurricane bearing down in New Orleans right now. More than 100,000 people without power. Derek Van Dam had to seek shelter as the water was rising. We're going to go back to the ground next.
And Trump responding tonight after Taylor Swift endorsed Kamala Harris.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:55:59]
BURNETT: All right. More on our breaking news of Hurricane Francine closing in on New Orleans right now. We've got video just in to CNN. This first effects in the heart of New Orleans, as you can see rapidly deteriorating conditions, the landfall as a dangerous category, true? And -- two, and the escalation much bigger, much faster than anyone expected.
Michael Yoshida is live in New Orleans OUTFRONT.
Michael, tell me what you're seeing.
MICHAEL YOSHIDA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, the conditions really deteriorated at this point. You can see here in the heart of New Orleans, we are right near Jackson Square, popular tourist area, strong wind, strong way at all, really picking up in the last 30 minutes or so.
Thankfully, it seems those living here, those tourists that were in the area heeding the advice of officials as they are staying home, hunkering down because, again, if we look right over to the side here, you can see the winds just whipping here in the French Quarter part of New Orleans. We're seeing power outages start to pick up across Louisiana as the storm and its impacts really starting to be felt right here in New Orleans.
And, officials expecting this to still keep ramping up as the evening goes on, and that's why, again, they don't I want anyone out. Thankfully, while we've been here, we've seen mostly first responders police doing their rounds, checking out people.
But once these conditions get to a certain level, then they'll have to clear the streets as well. So at this point, that message, just stay home if you can.
BURNETT: All right. Michael, thank you very much. And stay safe there. I know obviously its going to be getting a lot worse than just these next few moments, so thank you.
We will be kept checking in, of course, as this continues.
And it comes as tonight, Trump has attacked Taylor Swift for endorsing Harris, saying he was never a fan and that she'll pay a price in the marketplace. It was just three weeks ago though when Trump claimed that he got her endorsement, eventually finding out that the image he shared was A.I. generated and not real.
Elizabeth Wagmeister is OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Taylor Swift's endorsement of Kamala Harris signed with love and hope, Taylor Swift, childless cat lady, in obvious jab to J.D. Vance.
The timing, a few minutes after the debate ended, taking the world and even Kamala Harris herself by surprise.
For Swifties for Kamala, it's karma.
APRIL GLICK, POLITICAL DIRECTOR, SWIFTIES FOR KAMALA: I got a notification that was like all caps, Taylor endorsement, and then it was a mad scramble.
WAGMEISTER: But what about her Trump's supporting fans?
(MUSIC)
WAGMEISTER: Some seem to shake it off.
JAMIE JEFFRIES, SWIFTIE FOR TRUMP: Duh. That was my genuine reaction. Obviously, we knew that was coming.
WAGMEISTER: And does it change your opinion on Taylor as an artist in any way?
JEFFRIES: No. I don't associate people's artistry and talent with their political affiliation.
WAGMEISTER: Jamie Jeffries, a law student and mother in Arizona, is a huge Taylor Swift fan, and also a fan of Donald Trump. She says the issues she most cares about abortion, immigration, and the economy aligned with Trump.
JEFFRIES: I'm voting Trump because we need to secure our borders. Also, economically the last four years have been insanely hard on everybody, and it's not getting cheaper.
WAGMEISTER: Swift's politics aren't exactly a surprise. She supported the Biden and Harris ticket in 2020 in tweeted to then President Trump, we will vote you out in November.
TAYLOR SWIFT, POP SUPERSTAR: I need to be on the right side of history. And if he doesn't win that, at least I -- at least I tried.
WAGMEISTER: Last month sharing fake A.I.-generated images, Trump falsely suggested he had the superstar support, prompting her, she says, to publicly endorse, quote, it brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth.
"Variety's" Chris Willman thinks Swift's endorsement could impact a close election.
CHRIS WILLMAN, SENIOR MUSIC WRITER AND CHIEF MUSIC CRITIC, VARIETY: You listen to each line on each record and feel deeply as if it were your own life.
WAGMEISTER: In the hours since her endorsement just last night, more than 300,000 visitors refer directly by Swift's Instagram clicked through to Vote.gov, according to GSA.
Elizabeth Wagmeister, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BURNETT: Thanks to Elizabeth and thanks to all of you for joining us.
"AC360" starts now.
