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First Move with Julia Chatterley

Israel Vows to Continue Its Offensive in Beirut; Israeli Strikes Hit Beirut; Former Pro-Trump Women Switch Sides; Harris Campaigning with Liz Cheney; Liz Cheney Campaigns for Harris in Wisconsin. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired October 03, 2024 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:00]

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST, "THE ASSIGNMENT WITH AUDIE CORNISH": -- on The Assignment podcast. We're taking the show on the road to meet the people

shaping the election in the weeks ahead. Find us online or wherever you get your podcasts.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: And you can follow the show on X, @TheLeadCNN. You can also follow me, @PamelaBrownCNN. Would love to hear from you. The

news continues on CNN with Alex Marquardt in The Situation.

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, breaking news. Kamala Harris is about to ratchet up her outreach to --

JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN ANCHOR, FIRST MOVE: It's 1:00 a.m. in Beirut, 6:00 a.m. in Taipei, and 6:00 p.m. here in New York. I'm Julia Chatterley. And

wherever you are in the world, this is your "First Move."

And a warm welcome to "First Move." And here's today's need to know. Beirut bombing, Israel vows to continue its offensive amid fresh air strikes on

the Lebanese capital. Republican outreach. Kamala Harris taking the stage with former GOP Congresswoman and Trump critic, Liz Cheney. Arctic access.

China's Coast Guard joins Russia in patrolling the very strategic Bering Sea for the first time ever. And port pressure. Strikes closed docks on the

U.S. East Coast for a third straight day. We'll speak to the CEO of the Port of L.A. to see what the West Coast can do to ease those delays. That

conversation and plenty more coming up.

But first, we begin in Lebanon, where Israel is fighting Hezbollah on the ground and from the air. About an hour ago, around midnight local time, the

CNN team in Beirut heard large explosions and saw a fireball rising from the southern suburbs. Israel says it's been striking targets in the

southern and central parts of the city. The IDF releasing this video, too, reportedly showing a strike on a weapons facility and announcing the deaths

of several commanders in Southern Lebanon.

A strike in Central Beirut killed seven medics, according to Hezbollah affiliated Islamic health authority. In the occupied West Bank, at least 18

people were killed in a strike on a refugee camp. And in Southern Lebanon, Israel says a 21-year-old military officer is their ninth soldier to have

died since the ground incursion began. Amid all of this, Iran is still braced for any Israeli retaliation after its missile strike on Tuesday.

Jomana Karadsheh joins us now. Jomana, good to have you with us. As I mentioned there, the southern suburbs certainly under fierce attacks just

in the last couple of hours. Just describe what it's been like and whether we have any definitive sense of what was being targeted.

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, in the last hour or so, Julia, there were several large blasts that hit the southern suburbs of Beirut.

Unclear right now what the target, or who the target of those strikes was.

We did see a post on X by the Arabic language spokesperson for the Israeli military saying that they were going to carry out strikes, warning

civilians in a number of areas in the southern suburbs to evacuate their homes. And less than 13 minutes after that, those strikes began. And as I

mentioned, unclear right now what or who the target of those strikes was.

But, you know, Julia, this has been the scene here now for nearly 24 hours of what appears to be this intensification of airstrikes by the Israeli

military. Now, it's mostly been focused on the southern suburbs. Earlier today, we saw another massive strike as well. The Israeli military says

that it targeted what it described as the intelligence headquarters of Hezbollah. Hezbollah says that its press office was hit in that strike.

But for the residents of Beirut, who have really gotten used to these strikes that have been focused on the southern suburbs, what happened about

24 hours ago with a strike on a building in the heart of the capital has really put everyone on edge and really created this atmosphere of serious

fear and anxiety. And we were out on the streets earlier and we spoke with people about these strikes. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARADSHEH: We are in the heart of Beirut just hours after a rare Israeli strike, and the fear and anxiety here is palpable. It's the first time an

Israeli strike hits the center of the city since all-out war between Lebanon and Israel in 2006. And even then, strikes like this were rare.

This is the second time this week that we've seen attacks outside the southern suburbs, Hezbollah's seat of power. The target appears to have

been a Hezbollah affiliated house authority office in a residential area, and several medics were killed.

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This happened in the middle of the city, in the middle of the night, with no prior warning. A terrifying development for the people of Beirut. Even

here outside the American University, in this cultural and commercial neighborhood, people say they no longer feel safe.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're getting scarier because it feels like, by the day, things are escalating and we don't really know what area is safe

anymore. I feel like, in Gaza, it started the same way and then it escalated.

KARADSHEH: Exacerbate. Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. So, you always worry like --

KARADSHEH: About coming --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- will it keep on going? Will the west speak out or are we just another country in the Middle East?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the thing, like the unknown. We don't know how long this is going to stay. This war, how long is it going to extend? Is it

going to be just limited to the south or is it going to be all over Lebanon?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are now literally paralyzed. We cannot do anything. We have to stay at home. And everything is deteriorating. Our futures are -

- literally, we have a blank idea about our futures. We don't know what will happen next.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KARADSHEH (on camera): And, Julia, we've heard from the ministry of health a short time ago saying that at least 37 people have been killed, more than

150 others injured in the last 24 hours. A death toll in this country that is continuing to rise by the day. We don't know how many of those killed

are Hezbollah fighters, but we do know that many of those who've been killed are women and children, according to the ministry of health.

And now, we're looking at more than a thousand people who have been killed just in the past couple of weeks since this escalation and war began. And

as you can see now, we are continuing to witness these airstrikes that are intensifying and you hear the fear in people's voices when you speak to

them, and people just don't know when or how this is going to end.

And I can't tell you how many people you speak to and they tell you that their biggest fear is -- as you heard there in that report, is that their

country is turning into another Gaza.

CHATTERLEY: Jomana Karadsheh, thank you for your reporting. Let's talk more about this. Nic Robertson is in Tel Aviv for us tonight. Nic, you

heard there, I'm sure, Jomana, describing the intensification of these airstrikes. And certainly, if we look at the latest evacuation orders from

the Israelis, the scope of what we're seeing on the ground there with the offensive does seem to be broadening.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It does. You know, if we go back about two weeks, the IDF, the Air Force was targeting the really

top leadership of Hezbollah. Now, they're targeting sort of slightly lower- level commanders. One of the Hezbollah commanders, they say that they targeted inside of Beirut was the commander, the IDF says, was responsible

for the projects of manufacturing some of the aircraft, some of the missiles that Hezbollah are using.

So, you get the sense that the IDF is now targeting lower-level commanders, that it is targeting in more places. Today, the IDF has spoken about a

border crossing between Lebanon and Syria, where they say that the Hezbollah is bringing in Iranian weapons to replenish the stocks that the

IDF is heading, and that seemed to be a clear indication that they would potentially strike that border crossing if it continued. There are reports

of a strike close to the airport, not the airport itself, but the IDF has made very clear. If that airport were to be used for military resupply,

then that could potentially become a target.

And we are not -- it's not clear what was hit near the airport, but it does seem that what the IDF is going for is expanding. And I think, you know,

from the IDF's perspective, what they've told us is that they've been working for years for the potential of another intense combat with

Hezbollah like this. And they've been developing target after target after target information, not only intelligence about where commanders would be

and how to get those people, but about where the weapon systems are stored.

And the IDF go after it, they say in what they describe as a strategic way. They go after the more important and the bigger clusters of weapons and

then work down this list. And I think that's what we're witnessing here. And these orders now for people to evacuate more areas in the south, a

bigger area in the south of Lebanon, people are describing it as a fifth of the country, now, where people have been ordered to stay out of.

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The effects of this escalation, this war between Hezbollah and Israel are absolutely expanding. And to Jomana's point, some of the template that the

IDF is using is similar to the template that they use in Gaza, which is where they believe there are Hezbollah targets, they want to get to where

civilians are, they will tell people to get out of those properties and move away and move out of danger. And they're using exactly that playbook

here.

The difference seems to be, at the moment, that the ground incursion at the border is not as intense as the ground incursion to Gaza, for example,

where there's -- there are raids across the border limited, localized, as described to us by the IDF so far. But even along there, the tempo is a

strong tempo with significant casualties for the IDF at least.

CHATTERLEY: Nic Robertson, good to have you with us. Thank you so much for that. Ali Vaez is director of the Iran Project at the International Crisis

Group and he joins us now to discuss this further. Ali, good to have you with us.

As we were hearing there from both Nic and Jomana, it seems as though the IDF and the Israelis certainly undeterred, in fact, perhaps even emboldened

in light of the scope and scale of the Iranian attack that we saw earlier this week. Would you agree with that sense and that the message here from

the Israelis is, we'll continue to push on and will still continue to weigh up just what kind of response we have for the Iranians at the same time,

too?

ALI VAEZ, DIRECTOR OF IRAN PROJECT, INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP: Well, that's absolutely what Israel is signaling here. It is trying to show that

it has not been deterred by the Iranian attack, and it will continue to finish the job in Lebanon, as it sees fit.

The real question here is eventually how is Israel going to retaliate against Iran, because we know that is coming too. And that's depending on

the kind of target that Israel chooses, whether it's a military site in Iran or a critical infrastructure, or even nuclear sites could result in

these tensions devolving into a real regional conflict rage.

CHATTERLEY: I think there's a choice there, isn't there? There can be a show of military prowess, similar to what we saw back in April after the

Iranians attacked at that point, or, as you said, that you can see more of the -- going for the jugular option, which would be nuclear facilities,

perhaps oil facilities.

I think the -- one of the key differences, for me, in what we're seeing today from the International Community and certainly, from the United

States is, whereas back in April we saw sort of cease and desist, de- escalate message towards the Israelis. The message this time around seems to be a degree more supportive, certainly, not in terms of attacking

perhaps nuclear facilities, but other options remain on the table.

VAEZ: That's absolutely right. I think Prime Minister Netanyahu feels freer right now, not only because there has been western support after the

Iranian attack, but also because of the proximity of the U.S. elections, which means that President Biden is already lame duck from Netanyahu's

perspective and in the next four weeks, can't really afford to put any pressure on Israel.

And Iran is weaker because Hezbollah is already on its knees and Israel is continuing to target Hezbollah. And therefore, Iran is more exposed than

was the case in April. The problem is that, at the end of the day, the Iranians have also demonstrated not all of their prowess, but some of it.

The first attack in April was a proof of concept that they have the will to directly attack Israel. The second attack earlier this week was to

demonstrate that they can get through Israeli air defense systems without necessarily causing a lot of death and destruction. But if this continues,

eventually, there will be casualties and the United States will be pulled into a devastating regional war.

CHATTERLEY: It's -- for Israel, one year on from October 7th, and we're approaching that anniversary now very quickly, and they're certainly on the

front foot. We've got the Hamas leader has now been killed. The leader of Hezbollah has been killed. They're willing to engage in ground incursions

in Lebanon, as we were just describing, what, 10 minutes ago, and seeing that happen almost live.

What's the danger that Israel overplays its hand here? And I guess the question I'm really asking is, what does a cornered Iran do in response?

VAEZ: Well, all cornered actors become much more aggressive. That's a general rule. It applies to Hezbollah. It applies to Iran. But the reality

is that Israel is very good at tactical wins. It is not as good as turning them into sustainable political victories. And the reality is that it's not

the first time in Israel's history that it has been able to decapitate groups that have opposed it.

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It has dismantled a lot of them. It has defeated nation states in the past, but it has not been able to end the war once and for all because it doesn't

address the underlying political grievances that fuel these.

And in the process now, in the war in Gaza, in the war in Lebanon, already more than a million people in Lebanon have been displaced and all of these

massive attacks in Dahieh, they are creating significant civilian casualties as well. These all create radicalization, which are exactly the

kind of ammunition that Iran and Hezbollah and other groups need in order to recruit more groups that in the future would create similar troubles for

Israel.

CHATTERLEY: Yes, you're posing the decades and decades old question, which is turning tactical wins into some form of diplomacy and lasting peace. And

we don't have the answer. I don't think anybody does at this moment. Ali, good to have you with us. Thank you so much. We'll speak again soon. No

doubt.

VAEZ: Thank you.

CHATTERLEY: All right. Straight ahead, as Kamala Harris campaigns in Wisconsin, why former pro-Trump women have switched sides and are making

their case for supporting the Democratic nominee?

Plus, rage against the machine. Striking U.S. dock workers are fighting to keep robots from taking their jobs. We'll hear from the port of Los

Angeles, which is unaffected by the walkouts about how it's managing automation and the risks. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHATTERLEY: News just in to us at CNN, a jury has reached verdicts in the trial of three former police officers charged over the death of Tyre

Nichols in Memphis, Tennessee. The three ex-officers are convicted of witness tampering in Tyre Nichols' fatal beating, and two were acquitted of

federal civil rights violations.

The incident was caught on video in 2023 and sparked national protests and calls for broad changes in policing. When we get further headlines or

updates to that story, we will bring them straight to you.

Now, to the latest from the U.S. presidential race, where Former House Republican Liz Cheney is campaigning with Kamala Harris in Wisconsin. She's

one of four women who previously supported Trump who will now hold an event next week urging voters to back Harris.

In exclusive reporting, we've learned Cheney, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Cassidy Hutchinson, and Sarah Matthews will hold a fireside chat.

Meanwhile Trump is campaigning is the key state of Michigan.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Voting is underway now in Michigan. So, if you want, go out and get that

ballot, return it as soon as possible. And if not get a ballot, just go and vote. You got to vote. We got to win this election. Our country is being

destroyed by these lunatics.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHATTERLEY: CNN Senior Political Analyst Ron Brownstein joins us now from Los Angeles. Ron, fantastic to have you with us.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST AND SENIOR EDITOR, THE ATLANTIC: Hey.

CHATTERLEY: Let's talk about the Republican women, because I do think some of these are unlikely pairings, certainly in the case of -- oh, we're going

to go and speak -- actually, we're going to listen to Liz Cheney. So, Ron, hold fire, please, and we'll come back to you. Let's listen to what she has

to say.

BROWNSTEIN: Sure. You bet.

FMR. REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): It is such a pleasure to be here today at Ripon College. And I have to tell you all, Wisconsin is special for me for

a particularly important reason. Way back in 1966, when a very young Dick Cheney and Lynne Cheney were graduate students at the University of

Wisconsin -- I was born here. And -- so, go Badgers, exactly.

So, coming back to Wisconsin always feels to me more than a little bit like coming home. I want you to know the last time that I was here campaigning

was 20 years ago, in 2004. And although politics divided us, certainly in that year, we were united in our admiration for the Packers legendary Bart

Starr. And one of the most special and memorable days I had on any campaign was the day that we got to spend with him, which included a personal tour

of Lambeau Field. So, it's very special to be back again.

Now, you all know, of course, that here in Ripon the Republican Party was founded. It was founded in a meeting in 1854 in the little white

schoolhouse, and it was founded by people who were opposed to slavery. It was that Republican Party, the party of Lincoln and Eisenhower, party of

Reagan and Bush, it's that party that I belonged to my entire life.

I volunteered on my first presidential campaign. I already told you how old I am. So, I'll tell you. In 1976, when I was 10 years old, and I was

sealing envelopes for President Ford's re-election campaign, I cast my first vote ever in 1984 for Ronald Reagan.

I served in the State Department in both Bush administrations and I served in the United States House of Representatives for three terms, including as

the third highest ranking Republican in House leadership. So, in other words, I was a Republican even before Donald Trump started spray-tanning.

I am a Ronald Reagan conservative. I believe in limited government. I believe in low taxes. I believe in a strong national defense. And I believe

that the private sector is the engine of growth of our economy. I believe that the family, and not the government, is the most important structure in

our society.

I know that our security and our freedom depend upon a world in which America, with our allies, leads. And above all else, I know that the most

conservative of conservative values is fidelity to our constitution.

I tell you, I have never voted for a Democrat, but this year, I am proudly casting my vote for Vice President Kamala Harris.

[18:25:00]

CROWD: Thank you, Liz. Thank you, Liz. Thank you, Liz.

CHENEY: Thank you. But mostly we're not going back. Vice President Harris is standing in the breach at a critical moment in our nation's history.

She's working to unite reasonable people from all across the political spectrum.

Vice President Harris has dedicated her life to public service. I know that she loves our country, and I know that she will be a president for all

Americans. As a conservative, as a patriot, as a mother, as someone who reveres our constitution, I am honored to join her in this urgent cause.

As we meet here today, our republic faces a threat unlike any we have faced before. A former president who attempted to stay in power by unraveling the

foundations of our republic, by refusing to accept the lawful results confirmed by dozens of courts of the 2020 election. We cannot turn away

from this truth in this election, putting patriotism ahead of partisanship is not an aspiration, it is our duty.

At the very heart of our survival as a republic is the peaceful transition of power. Ronald Reagan said this was nothing short of a miracle, that

every four or eight years the most powerful office in our land, indeed the most powerful office in the world, is passed peacefully to a new president.

In the United States of America, violence does not and must never determine who rules us. Voter do.

And in this country, under our constitution, our president has a particular solemn obligation to ensure and guarantee the peaceful transfer of power.

Since the beginning of the republic, every president in our history has fulfilled that duty. Every president until Donald Trump.

When Donald Trump woke up on the morning of January 6, 2021, his intention, despite having lost the election, was that he would remain president.

Rather than accept his loss and concede defeat, he had spent months overseeing a multipart plan to attempt to seize power and remain in office.

He ignored the rulings of the courts. He corruptly pressured state legislatures, including here in Wisconsin, to overturn the results of their

elections. He told the Justice Department to lie for him. He conspired to have fake electoral votes cast, and he corruptly pressured his vice

president to take illegal and unconstitutional actions.

He summoned a mob to Washington, D.C. with his lies. And he sent the armed mob to the United States Capitol in an effort to stop the counting of

electoral votes. As the violent mob attacked our Capitol, in Donald Trump's name, as they brutally beat law enforcement officers, as they hunted the

vice president and the speaker of the House, Donald Trump watched the attack on television for hours, for hours.

Sitting in the dining room next to the Oval Office, he refused repeated pleas from his family, from his closest advisers, from the most senior

officials in his campaign and in our government to tell the mob to leave. And when Donald Trump finally did speak publicly after hours of violence,

after the capital had been invaded, he praised the rioters.

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He did not condemn them. That's who Donald Trump is. Those facts that we know about what Donald Trump did, including what he did when our Capitol

was under siege, those facts do not come from Donald Trump's political opponents, those facts come from the people closest to him. They are the

ones who testified that Donald Trump did not want to stop the violent attack on our Capitol.

When he learned that Vice President Pence was not going to abandon his oath and help Trump seize power, Trump sent out a tweet attacking Pence and

further inflaming the mob.

One of Trump's aides testified that shortly after that, this aide received a phone call alerting him that the vice president had been evacuated for

his own safety from his office off the floor of the Senate. This aide recalled rushing to the dining room to tell Trump, hoping that this

information would convince him to take immediate action to ensure the vice president's safety.

Instead, after this aide delivered that news, Donald Trump looked up at him and said, so what? He said, so what?

It is Donald Trump's closest aides who also told us this, they said that while the attack on our Capitol was happening, Donald Trump was handed a

note informing him that a civilian had been shot at the door to the chamber of the United States House of Representatives. Donald Trump put the note

down on the table in front of him, continued to watch the attack on television, and still refused to tell the mob to leave the Capitol.

Donald Trump was willing to sacrifice our Capitol, to allow law enforcement officers to be beaten and brutalized in his name, and to violate the law

and the constitution in order to seize power for himself.

I don't care if you are a Democrat or a Republican or an Independent, that is depravity and we must never become numb to it.

Any person who would do these things can never be trusted with power again. We must defeat Donald Trump on November 5th.

In that election 20 years ago, when we were campaigning in Wisconsin and all across the country, we were campaigning as compassionate conservatives.

What January 6th shows us is that there is not an ounce of compassion in Donald Trump. He is petty, he is vindictive, and he is cruel. And Donald

Trump is not fit to lead this good and great nation.

Now, sometimes people will say, you know, January 6th, wasn't that big a deal. You know, in a time when I have heard many pretty stunning things

from Republicans, one of the most stunning was yesterday from your former governor, Scott Walker. Who said basically People are over January 6th.

When you think about what that means that an elected official, a former elected official is so willing to minimize what happened to say things

like, I've heard from others, to say, don't worry, our institutions held that day. We have a responsibility, all of us, to remind people that our

institutions don't defend themselves. We the people have to do that. We the people defend our institutions.

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And our institutions held on January 6th because there were brave men and women, including elected officials, at every level of government who did

their duty, who stood up for what was right, who resisted Donald Trump's efforts to pressure them to violate their oaths. And our institutions held

especially because of the bravery of the men and women in law enforcement and in our military, in our Capitol Police, our Secret Service, the

Metropolitan Police, they're the ones who defended our Capitol, our democracy, and our lives.

Many of them fought a bloody, bloody hours long battle on the west front of the Capitol. Go watch the video of that battle. It is sickening. They're

the ones who held the line and prevented far worse from happening that day. They are the true profiles in courage. Do not let anyone lie about what

happened and what they did.

Our institutions also held because of Vice President Mike Pence, who refused -- he refused to violate his oath to the constitution. And that is

why Mike Pence is not Donald Trump's running mate today. Instead, J. D. Vance is on the ticket.

Vance has said -- I mean, that's true. Vance has said repeatedly that he would have done what Donald Trump wanted, that he would have rejected

electoral votes. He would have thrown out the votes of the people of Wisconsin because he didn't like the way that you voted. That is tyranny,

and that is disqualifying.

History teaches us, again and again, that democracies can fall. They fall to populists. They fall to strongmen. Strongmen who beguile their fellow

citizens with conspiracy theories and false emergencies. As my friend, the late Charles Krauthammer taught us, the lesson of our history is that the

task of merely maintaining strong and sturdy the structures of our constitutional order is unending. It is the continuing and ceaseless work

of every generation. And that responsibility now falls on all of us in this election.

This great country of ours requires leaders of character. We must choose men and women who have what Abraham Lincoln called a sincere heart. Our

nation's second president, John Adams, put it this way. On the first night he ever spent in the White House, he wrote a letter to his wife, Abigail.

And his letter included a prayer, a prayer that is so special President Kennedy had it engraved in the mantelpiece in the State Dining Room in the

White House. And in his letter, he said this, may none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof.

Now, I'm confident -- just a second, I am confident that John Adams meant women too. In this election, a broad coalition has come together to support

Vice President Kamala Harris. Now, we may disagree on some things, but we are bound together by the one thing that matters to us as Americans more

than any other, and that's our duty to our constitution and our belief in the miracle and the blessing of this incredible nation.

We have a shared commitment as Americans to ensuring that future generations live in a nation where power is transferred peacefully, where

our leaders are men and women of good faith, and where our public servants set aside partisan battles to do what's right for this country.

[18:40:00]

So, today I ask all of you here and everyone listening across this great country to join us. I ask you to meet this moment. I ask you to stand in

truth to reject the depraved cruelty of Donald Trump. And I ask you instead to help us elect Kamala Harris for president.

I know that President -- that a President Harris -- that President Harris will be able to unite this nation. I know that she will be a president who

will defend the rule of law. And I know that she will be a president who can inspire all of our children to, and if I might say so, especially our

little girls to do great things.

So, help us right the ship of our democracy so that history will say of us, when our time of testing came, we did our duty and we prevailed because we

loved our country more.

And now, it is my great honor to introduce you to our vice president and the next president of the United States, Kamala Harris.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

CROWD: Thank you, Liz. Thank you, Liz. Thank you, Liz.

KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT AND U.S. PRESIDENTIAL DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE: It is so good to be back in Wisconsin. I thank you everyone for

being -- please have a seat. I thank you all for being here. But I just -- I have to emphasize that every time I come here -- and, Liz, I was actually

a kid here too, when my parents are in the University of Wisconsin. So, we have that in common as well. In fact, Tony Evers always says when I land,

welcome home.

But I say all that to say every time that I've come here recently, one of the conversations that we have, all of us together, is how much we love our

country and that that really is the binding factor in us all being together and taking the time to be together to really just renew and remind everyone

of what is at stake, but born out of love that we have this fight.

And I want to thank you, Liz Cheney, for reminding us that that -- regardless of party affiliation, is a factor that binds us all. And so, I

thank you for your support and your leadership and your courage.

I also want to thank all the other great leaders who are with us today, Governor Tony Evers. Where is he? Thank you. Mayor Grant, thank you for the

warm welcome. I want to thank Senator Tammy Baldwin, who is traveling around the state, but who I know you will re-elect in November.

CROWD: Yes.

HARRIS: Thank you, Sheriff Mitchak (ph), for your support and your life of service to the people of Iowa County.

[18:45:00]

And so, I do want to say a bit more about Liz Cheney. You all know her leadership and she has obviously and so importantly been a leader for the

people of Wyoming, but she has also been an extraordinary national leader and has served with great honor.

And she not only, as she has talked today, recognizes that character is among the most important attributes of leadership, but she also personifies

that attribute. And she possesses some of the qualities of character that I most respect in any individual and any leader, courage.

Especially at a moment like this, where there are so many powerful forces that have been intent on trying to demean and belittle and make people

afraid. And there are many who know it is wrong, and then there are those who have the courage to speak out loudly about it, and the conviction to

speak truth. And, you know, it is so admirable when anyone does it, and especially when it is difficult to do in an environment such as this. But

Liz Cheney really is a leader who puts country above party and above self. A true patriot. And it is my profound honor to have your support.

And I also want to thank your father, Vice President Dick Cheney, for his support and what he has done to serve our country. Every endorsement

matters, and this endorsement matters a great deal, Liz, and it carries a special significance. Because, as you said, we may not see eye to eye on

every issue, and we are going to get back to a healthy two-party system, I am sure of that, where we will have vigorous debates.

And as you said, you may not have supported a Democrat for president before, but as you have also said, we both love our country and we revere

our democratic ideals. And we both also believe in the nobility of public service. And we know that our oath to uphold the constitution of the United

States of America is a sacred oath, an oath that must be honored and must never be violated.

And your words today and the reason we are all here today, I think really do underscore perhaps one of the most fundamental questions that is facing

the American people in this election, who will obey that oath? Who will abide by the oath to preserve, protect, and defend the constitution of the

United States of America?

CROWD: Kamala.

HARRIS: I have had the privilege --

CROWD: Kamala, Kamala, Kamala.

HARRIS: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And I have sworn an oath to uphold the constitution six times in my career, including as vice

president, as a United States senator, and as the top law enforcement officer of the largest state in our country, responsible for upholding and

enforcing the laws of the state and the laws of the United States was the work I did. And I have never wavered in upholding that oath. And I have

always executed it faithfully and without reservation.

And therein lies the profound difference between Donald Trump and me. He who violated the oath to uphold the constitution of the United States of

America. And make no mistake, he who, if given the chance, would violate it again.

Donald Trump lost the 2020 election. And as you have heard and know, he refused to accept the will of the people and the results of an election

that was free and fair.

[18:50:00]

As you have heard, he sent an armed mob to the United States Capitol where they assaulted law enforcement officers. He threatened the life of his own

vice president and refused to engage in the peaceful transfer of power.

And let us be clear about how he intends to use power if elected again. He has called for jailing journalists, political opponents, anyone he sees and

deems as being an enemy. He has pledged to destroy the independence of the Department of Justice. And he called for deploying our active-duty military

against our own citizens.

Well, I believe -- you and my running mates, both. Well, listen, I believe that anyone who recklessly tramples on our democratic values as Donald

Trump has, anyone who has actively and violently obstructed the will of the people and the peaceful transfer of power as Donald Trump has, anyone who

has called for, I quote, "termination" of the constitution of the United States, as Donald Trump has, must never again stand behind the seal of the

president of the United States.

CHATTERLEY: We're going to leave U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaking there in Wisconsin. Before her, of course, an introduced former

House Republican, Liz Cheney, reiterating her backing and support for the vice president as the future president of the United States.

Let's bring back senior political analyst for CNN, Ron Brownstein, who joins us from L.A. Ron, we were talking about this very briefly earlier,

it's a showboat moment as a key former House Republican backing a Democrat. As she said, she's never voted Democrat in her life before, but she feels

that strongly about preventing Donald Trump from re-entering the White House, that this is the moment that she's chosen now to campaign with the

Democrat. What did you make of what she said and the importance perhaps of this moment for undecided voters?

BROWNSTEIN: Yes. I mean, I think this is the most prominent cross-party endorsement in a very long time. I'm trying to think back of the last

example of someone who was so senior in one party endorsing a presidential candidate or the other. Maybe John Connolly, 50 years ago, in 1972,

endorsing Nixon.

Look, an endorsement from Liz Cheney does not erase the concerns many voters have about inflation, the border, or crime, but it does help to

explain why so many voters who think that Trump is better on those issues are still hesitating about voting for him or indicating they are going to

vote for Harris.

There is a meaningful constituency of voters who might be closer to Trump on policy, who view him as a threat to their rights, their values and to

democracy itself. And Liz Cheney's endorsement and her indictment of Trump and the retooled speech from the vice president, which was different from

what we hear on a normal basis, on a day-to-day basis, is very much aimed at those voters.

Julia, we saw in 2022 that this is real. There were an unusually large number of voters dissatisfied with the economy who still would not vote for

Trump style candidates precisely for these reasons. They viewed them as a threat to their rights and values and democracy. And particularly among

women, which Liz Cheney, at one point, kind of gestured toward, this is a significant factor that is helping Harris surmount the discontent over

inflation.

It doesn't eliminate all the other problems, but it is a real factor, a real asset for her. And if she does win, it will be a critical reason why.

CHATTERLEY: Yes, to your point, it doesn't erase, perhaps, the trust that Republicans may still have in Trump on the economy, on crime, perhaps, on

the border, to your point, but the question is, does it outweigh the concerns and the fears that they have on values, democracy, and rights,

which is the message that they're trying to portray here?

I guess to reiterate, once again, based on how eye opening I think this moment is for those people that are undecided and for -- certainly, for

sort of centrist Republicans, which is what Liz Cheney was saying. And in some ways, if you are a Republican, you reminisce for the old Republican

Party listening to her speak.

Is this moment perhaps enough to convince them that a Democrat is better than seeing Trump returned to the White House and what that necessarily

might mean?

[18:55:00]

BROWNSTEIN: They are -- I think they are -- a number of them are already being convinced. There is no way that Kamala Harris could be polling where

she is among college educated white suburban voters, not only women, but also men, unless there was a meaningful slice of people who used to vote

Republican, may have called themselves independent rather than partisan Republicans, who are moving away from the Trump era party. I mean, that's

been the story we've seen in the suburbs of Philly, the suburbs of Detroit Madison, Wisconsin, the suburbs of Milwaukee.

And again, this is -- Liz Cheney being there is a permission structure for those voters. That is absolutely critical to Democratic prospects in this

election. And again, this reinforces something that we saw actually at play in 2022 when there was a level of discontent about the economy and Biden's

performance that should have powered a red wave, it fizzled out largely because too many voters, precisely in those suburbs, who probably leaned

Republican on issue on taxes in the border still would not vote for the Trump party. That's the firewall for Harris, particularly in the critical

states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, that'll probably defy this.

CHATTERLEY: Yes. And remember, 2022 was peak inflation as well. So, the economy arguably worse at that point in many respects and metrics. Ron,

always great to chat to you, sir. Thank you so much.

And we're out of time. That just about wraps up the show. Thank you for joining us. Stay with CNN.

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