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Stage Set, Security Preps Ramp Up Ahead Of Dem Convention; New Election Laws In Effect For Key States For 2024; New Arizona Law Threatens Election Workers With Criminal Penalties; "The West Wing" Cast Members On The Show's Legacy. Aired 12:30-1p ET
Aired August 16, 2024 - 12:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[12:31:24]
DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: We're just three days away from the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, and the stage is set, literally. The DNC just released those new images of the setup at Chicago's United Center, ready for Vice President Harris to formally accept her party's nomination for president. Law enforcement says they've spent a year preparing for this and are ready.
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DEREK MAYER, SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE, U.S. SECRET SERVICE: As far as the DNC is concerned, obviously with the whole government approach, there's a lot of precautions that we use. You know, we use security perimeters, we use credentials, we use badging, we're screening everyone who comes in. So, I think to compare a national special security event to a lone wolf attack at a campaign event is much different.
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BASH: CNN's Whitney Wild joins us now live from Chicago. Whitney, I see you are out looking at first hand the security situation. It's always tight for a major political gatherings. How is it looking now?
WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: It looks very tight, Dana. And what -- that was the deputy special agent in charge for the U.S. Secret Service out here. His name is Derek Mayer. He has spent more than a year developing the plans for the security perimeter and what he has made very clear through several briefings that we've been to is that this -- the physicality of this is very different than the January 13th rally, because what they know is that the long shadow of that failure now casts a shadow over all of their major events.
You know, it was certainly a question that was top of mind of the RNC. It remains a question here. But again, what they have stressed is that this is very different. And Dana, let me show you why. For example, for several blocks, the Secret Service is deploying these non-scalable fences. This is going to happen here at the United Center, as well as at McCormick Place. This is some of the most visible security, Dana. Law enforcement is also going to be getting support in the air. They're getting support on the water. And in addition, Dana, this is going to be a ground game because law enforcement is bringing out thousands of law enforcement officers days off for Chicago.
Police department officers have been canceled. Vacations been canceled. They are on an all hands on deck posture. In addition to that, Dana, more than 500 mutual aid officers from surrounding areas are going to be assigned to the DNC. And so certainly the major concern here is how to secure both McCormick Place, which is the other location for the DNC, as well as the United Center.
But the other big question, Dana, is how to make sure that the rest of the city is safe throughout this event because you can't pull resources from other neighborhoods. They have to have the same level of policing response that they expect.
And then additionally, Dana, there's an expectation that tens of thousands of protesters could come out and use the DNC spotlight to shine a light on their cause, particularly people who are protesting the war in the Middle East.
What we've seen over the last several months in Chicago is thousands of protesters taking to the streets. That has happened since October. We certainly expect that will continue here, Dana. And with the spotlight of the DNC, there is going to be a lot of visibility, law enforcement trying to figure out how to maintain the safety for those First Amendment activities while also maintaining security for the rest of the city, Dana.
BASH: Whitney, thank you so much. See you in a few days. Appreciate it.
And up next, new voting laws take effect this year in some of the most important battleground states and those new rules could determine who wins the White House. We're going to break it down for you after a quick break.
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[12:39:25]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's hot out here, Larry.
LARRY DAVID, COMEDIAN: Boy, this is brutal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
DAVID: How long you been waiting?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Over two and a half hours.
DAVID: What? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
DAVID: That is just insane.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's horrible.
DAVID: How could they put people through just to vote?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm melting out here, Larry.
DAVID: You know what? I got some water in the car. Do you want it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would love it.
DAVID: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sir, you are under arrest for violation of the Election Integrity Act.
DAVID: What? What are you talking about?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is illegal for anyone in the state of Georgia to provide food or water to voters in line at the polls.
DAVID: What? Oh no, you're making a big mistake.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm sorry, baby, I forgot.
DAVID: I'm not even from here.
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[12:40:02]
BASH: And that of course is Larry David in the instantly classic last season of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" using satire to take aim at a controversial law passed in Georgia in 2021. The no water in line became a thing, which the episode highlights, but there are lots of significant changes to voting laws in Georgia and beyond this election year, including new rules for mail ballots, drop boxes, and changes to various deadlines.
CNN's Sara Murray is here. There's a new report by the Brennan Center, which highlights how things have changed after the 2020 election. First of all, thank you for humoring me.
SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Of course.
BASH: For humoring all of us. Any chance to get Larry David in the show, I'm going to do it. Let's start with the question of which dates makes -- which make it harder.
MURRAY: Yes, I mean, a lot of things have changed in a lot of states and obviously we're focusing mostly on the battlegrounds we expect coming up this November. So if you look at a place like North Carolina, they pass a lot of changes. The big ones, I think for voters who are showing up, you need a photo ID now, if you are going to vote.
There are also changes to mail-in ballots. Before, if you mailed your ballot in, it came in a day, two, three election day, that was OK. Now they're tightening that process. And if you have a mail-in ballot, it has to be in by the evening of election day.
Georgia, as you pointed out, that is a law that got a lot of attention, a lot of flak. A lot of the big changes there are really around mail-in ballots, really tightening the rules for mail-in ballots. And that means limiting a lot of these ballot drop boxes, the locations, and the hours.
Obviously, this was very popular during 2020, during COVID. We also saw these roving voting centers in Georgia during 2020, and those have now been banned, Dana?
BASH: Which states are making it easier to vote this year?
MURRAY: A number of states have moved the opposite direction and said, we are going to make it easier for folks to access the ballot box. So if you look at Nevada, you know, this is a big state. There are a lot of very rural areas. So they are allowing universal mail-in voting now heading into November. That makes a big deal in a state like Nevada.
If you look at Michigan, Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the legislature there have made a lot of changes to make it easier to vote, especially to vote by mail in Michigan. They've also extended the time for early in-person voting there.
BASH: Walk us through Arizona.
MURRAY: So, Arizona is one of the states the Brennan Center highlights for what they call, kind of, election interference laws. These are the laws the Brennan Center is tracking because they worry it's going to make it harder essentially for election officials to be able to do their job, to be able to run an interference free election.
And the laws they point to in Arizona would actually impose criminal penalties on election workers for what they describe as routine election-related activity. And the example they use there is sending a mail-in ballot to a voter who did not affirmatively request one.
And of course, Dana, as you know, these kinds of changes come at a time where election officials faced a lot of flak in 2020 and again in 2022. So keeping people in those jobs, making sure they want to stay. It gets tougher and tougher when you run things like, you know, criminal penalties if you send a mail-in ballot to someone who didn't ask for one.
BASH: Yes, some got flak, some got harassed, threats and even worse. You know, Arizona, how can we ever forget what went on in Arizona?
MURRAY: I forget cyber ninjas on it. BASH: Advance (ph).
MURRAY: Yes.
BASH: Cyber ninjas. OK, let's hope we don't see or hear from them again.
MURRAY: Yes.
BASH: Thank you so much for breaking that down.
MURRAY: Sure.
BASH: This is so important, Sara.
MURRAY: Thank you, Dana.
BASH: I appreciate it.
And today, we're getting a new glimpse at how Donald Trump makes his money. It doubles as a reminder that the Trump name is worth a lot about $12 million. In 250 pages submitted to the FEC, Trump disclosed where he has business interests, here at home, oh, of course, but also in China, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ukraine, Israel and other countries.
We learned Trump has millions in cryptocurrency and a six-figure investment in gold bars. The bulk of Trump's net worth on paper comes from Truth Social. Trump reported owning $115 million shares of the company's stock. That translates to $2.7 billion. Now, Trump cannot sell those shares until September at the earliest.
The pair of books he published made him about $5 million. The Bible he was hawking netted him roughly $300,000. Nothing yet on what he has made off of those sneakers. Mar-a-Lago also is still a big source of revenue for Trump. He made about $57 million from the club in 2023.
Coming up, "The West Wing," two stars of the drama that makes millions dream of working in Washington, will be here to talk about their new book, next.
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[12:49:04]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've got you booked on Meet the Press, Crossfire, and Taylor Reid.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Taylor Reid?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nobody else would do it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: China's looking at major instability on their border, not to mention the 300,000 ethnic Chinese living in Kazakhstan who aren't looking particularly safe. All because the Russians want the oil and are willing to fight for it.
Best case scenario, I'm ruining your Saturday. Worst case scenario, two nuclear powers are positioning themselves to actively engage in an armed conflict over oil.
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BASH: Those of course were clips from "The West Wing" which made its debut 25 years ago, capturing the hearts of fans and making the jobs of those of us who work here in Washington. Look, just a wee bit more glamorous than they actually are.
I'm joined now by two of the show's cast members, Mary McCormack and Melissa Fitzgerald. They are also the authors of this book, "What's Next." A new book that gives us a backstage pass to the iconic show.
Hi. Nice to see you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi.
BASH: I think you are both much more glamorous than you appear -- than you make it appear here. So I just want to speak for myself that you make us look more glamorous, not that you're not.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hair and makeup teams, Dana.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
[12:50:09]
BASH: Well, no. You're here in Washington, of course, to talk about your book, but you also got to go to the White House yesterday. And Mary, you got to meet with the person who is in the job of the character that you play.
MARY MCCORMACK, ACTOR, "THE WEST WING": Yes. Got to meet with Jake Sullivan, which was incredible. Yes. He had all kinds of questions for me.
BASH: Oh, really?
MCCORMACK: No, not really.
BASH: Like, what to do about the Middle East?
MCCORMACK: He did not, yes. He's fine without me.
BASH: There it is. There's the picture of you.
MCCORMACK: I did not need to weigh in. Yes. Yes, no. That was a real honor.
BASH: What's --
MELISSA FITZGERALD, ACTOR, "THE WEST WING": The whole day was so exciting. BASH: Tell us about it.
FITZGERALD: Well, we went with Martin Sheen and Janet Sheen, and --
MCCORMACK: Our TV president.
FITZGERALD: And we got to meet with President Biden. And we got to walk him out to the helicopter, which was incredibly exciting and had a whole tour of the White House yesterday. And it was -- it felt like hopeful times.
MCCORMACK: Yes.
BASH: How was it to be with President Biden?
MCCORMACK: Oh, so exciting. I mean, and he's a hero of Martin's.
FITZGERALD: Yes.
MCCORMACK: So I think -- I know Martin was just in cloud -- on cloud nine.
BASH: I want to read part of, at least one of the passages from this book, and it's a behind the scenes look at Allison Janney's thinking as she decided to join the cast. "In addition to the cynicism with which she," Allison Janney, "tended to view government, when she read the pilot, political scandal in the U.S. appeared to have reached its most toxic depths, if only.
It says something about the script then, or maybe something about Allison, that she saw "The West Wing" as a harbinger of hope. Could this palace Aaron had put on the page give civil service an extreme makeover? As she said to us, it seemed like a terrific way to put politics back in a good light."
What do you think about that?
MCCORMACK: Yes, I mean, the show is aspirational, you know, and people would rewatch and rewatch and rewatch because I think it does remind us that there are people in Washington who are here for the right reasons. You know, and sometimes that's hard to remember, but I think there are people here to try to do good for the most people, you know.
FITZGERALD: And we see them every day. I mean, I live here now, and I get to work with a lot of those people who were drawn to D.C. and drawn to work in public service because of "The West Wing," and that's so exciting. And they are the smartest and the hardest working, and it's just wonderful that they're here in a hopeful way.
BASH: Yes.
MCCORMACK: And a government show has never really worked before "The West Wing." I mean, Aaron really sort of went out on a limb to say like, I think I can do it. But before that --
FITZGERALD: Yes. MCCORMACK: -- no network had ever approved a show about politics. They just said --
FITZGERALD: Yes.
MCCORMACK: -- America's not interested.
BASH: Yes, no, that is actually true.
MCCORMACK: And -- yes.
BASH: And since they've tried and --
MCCORMACK: Yes.
BASH: -- Aaron Sorkin is one of a kind.
FITZGERALD: Yes. I mean --
MCCORMACK: Totally special touch.
FITZGERALD: Yes, in his unreasonably talented hands. But we've called -- he's called "The West Wing" a love letter at a public service. And we say that if "The West Wing's" a love letter of public service, that what's next is a love letter to "The West Wing," the army people took to make it, the fans who loved it and the people who are inspired by it.
MCCORMACK: Yes, the wing nuts out there. We hope they love it.
FITZGERALD: Yes.
BASH: The wing nuts.
MCCORMACK: That's what we call them.
BASH: I love that.
MCCORMACK: I know.
BASH: Mary, you wrote in here about returning to work. This just blows my mind. Six days after your first child was born.
MCCORMACK: And they're long days. Yes, that was crazy. I do not recommend that.
BASH: Yes, I mean --
MCCORMACK: You can tell it was my first child because by number two, I'd be like --
BASH: Yes, no, that's not happening. But you say in the book that you made that decision. Maybe it's not just because it was your first child, but because of how you felt about --
MCCORMACK: Yes. BASH: -- your castmates.
MCCORMACK: Yes, I was really -- I mean, first of all, I was not supposed to come back six days. So, in fairness to all those producers on "The West Wing," I was supposed to have a few episodes off.
BASH: And there you are with your --
MCCORMACK: There I am.
BASH: -- baby girl.
MCCORMACK: And there's with Don Wells, my new baby girl, Margaret. And, yes, I was supposed to take a bunch of time off, but they had a casting thing where they had cast an actor for a part and then it didn't work out. So they needed to reshuffle all the schedule, the board.
And said, called me and said, how are you feeling? And I was like, "I'm feeling great. She's so sweet." And they were like, "How great?" And I was like, "Wait a minute." And they said, "We'll just put you behind a desk. You won't have to move."
And so I brought her back. I was so excited to like hand her around and everyone just passed around. And then I would be on set because she was brand new.
BASH: Brand new.
MCCORMACK: I mean, you know, brand new. And I would be on set and they were like, "We should cut." And I'm like, "Why? I got the line, right?" I'd look for a script supervisor. Like, "I think I got it right." And they'd be like, "We should cut." And I'd look down and I'd be like, "Oh yes, we should cut."
BASH: You were lactating?
MCCORMACK: Yes. They would just have a rack of blouses, like 15 blouses. I'd be like, give me the baby.
BASH: Oh my gosh.
MCCORMACK: Give me a shirt.
BASH: That is --
MCCORMACK: It was nuts.
BASH: That is some badass --
FITZGERALD: It's a family show.
BASH: -- stuff.
MCCORMACK: Yes. BASH: I just also want to ask quickly about the other message in this book is that not just about the show, but about the actors and how you've all in your own way stayed involved in politics and activism. You call yourself an activist.
FITZGERALD: Yes. And I think Martin Sheen really set that example for us on the show. I mean, as a mentor, as a guide and we all are. And I think that's been the through line of our friendship.
[12:55:02]
And one of the inspirations for us to want to write this book is because the friendships have been, we come together around, we're in a text chain with everybody right now.
MCCORMACK: Yes.
FITZGERALD: And half the text chain is making fun of Josh Malina. The other half of the text chain --
MCCORMACK: True.
FITZGERALD: -- is for us to come together. Somebody needs someone to show up for a fundraiser. Can somebody do this public service video? And that's really how we've, you know --
BASH: Yes.
MCCORMACK: We're lucky.
FITZGERALD: We love each other.
MCCORMACK: I mean, we can get asked to do a lot of stuff. You know, you get a certain amount of capital when you do a show, especially a show about politics. And so, yes, it's an honor to be able to spend it. To try to make the world a little bit better anyway.
BASH: Mary McCormack, Melissa Fitzgerald, this is the book. I highly recommend it. Go get it. It's terrific. A lot of scoops.
FITZGERALD: And photos.
BASH: And photos. Thank you both. Great to see you.
MCCORMACK: Thank you.
FITZGERALD: Thanks.
BASH: Thank you for joining Inside Politics. This Sunday on State of the Union, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries joins Jake Tapper along with Governor JB Pritzker and Governor Chris Sununu. Watch this Sunday at 9:00 a.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
CNN News Central starts after a quick break.
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