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Isa Soares Tonight
IDF Releases Investigation on Failings at Be'eri Kibbutz; All Eyes on Biden's News Conference; Trump Says He Knows Nothing About Project 2025; Majority of U.S. Adults Think Biden Should Leave Race; Alec Baldwin on Trial; World Leaders Jointly Affirm Ukraine's Future is in NATO. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired July 11, 2024 - 14:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: A very warm welcome to the show everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, we are very few hours away from a high-
stakes solo news conference from U.S. President Joe Biden as he wraps up the NATO Summit. We'll tell you why this could be the most consequential
moment of his political career.
Then Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanks NATO allies for their support as his country is recovering from a new wave of Russian attacks. We
are live in Kyiv for you this hour. Plus, former U.S. President and Republican candidate Donald Trump claims he knows nothing about a
controversial conservative proposal, Project 2025.
But new CNN reporting suggests otherwise. We'll bring you, of course, the very latest. We begin tonight though in Washington D.C. where U.S.
President Joe Biden is facing a watershed moment that threatens to turn the U.S. presidential race upside down. In a few hours, Mr. Biden will go
before the White House press corps for a news conference.
This amid mounting pressure from Democrats to exit the race and his re- election bid now on the brink. The firestorm around the Biden campaign has been picking up steam just over the last couple of hours, while Mr. Biden
was meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the final day of this NATO Summit.
Sources tell CNN, a number of angry as well as stunned Democrats are now blaming Biden's closest advisors for allegedly shielding the public from
the full extent of his apparent decline in mental fitness. While the stakes for this upcoming news conference, as we just set up for you cannot be any
higher.
Every word, every move by the President under intense scrutiny since his halting debate really -- performance on CNN just two weeks ago. The top
Democrat in the House had this to say when he was asked about the dwindling support in his party for President Biden. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): We have engaged in a process of talking to each other, those conversations have been candid, comprehensive and clear-
eyed, and they continue until that process has concluded. I'm not going to address what any outside stakeholders may have to say about this matter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Candid and clear-eyed. Well, our coverage includes CNN politics senior reporter Stephen Collinson, CNN's chief national security
correspondent Alex Marquardt at the summit, and our Nic Robertson, international diplomatic editor in London. Stephen, let me start with you.
What are the President's aides from what you understand doing this hour, to try and prepare him for this afternoon's highly-anticipated news
conference. Last time, there was talk that perhaps he was over-prepared, what are they doing now.
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Well, the President has been having meetings with his aides this week, as he looks ahead to this
press conference. A delegation from Biden's campaign team just as importantly was just on Capitol Hill briefing senators, Democratic senators
about how they still insist that he can win this campaign.
They say he still has a path to victory through the Midwest swing states, but this news conference is absolutely crucial. I can't remember a similar
occasion when a presidency has been on the line, when a president actually goes in to a news conference and addresses the White House press.
So, those are the stakes for the President. It's difficult to see how given the rapid deterioration of his political position in the Democratic Party,
he can really help himself with this news conference. But as you said at the top, any gaffe or sense that he's confused or incoherent moment, that
will only underscore the impression that 50 million Americans got about his condition from that CNN debate, exactly two weeks ago.
SOARES: Yes, and the headlines didn't seem to go away. I was just reading before I came on, the "New York Times", saying some White House advisors
are discussing how to convince Biden to step aside.
[14:05:00]
Also, "New York Times", Biden campaigned quietly, testing Harris versus Trump. So, really critical what -- when we see the President later on
today. And Alex to you, I mean, the President's performance as we just heard there from Stephen, and health clearly overshadowing this NATO Summit
where Ukraine has been front and center.
We have heard so far pledges and promises including this new U.S. $225 million military assistance package for Ukraine. Just break it down for us.
What are -- just talk us through the promises and the commitments here?
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think the president and the administration, as well as so many of the diplomats and
the leadership of the NATO countries who come here would much rather be focusing on the matters at hand.
The priorities of Ukraine, China's cyber and really celebrating the 75 years here. But so much of this three-day summit has really been
overshadowed by the discussion that is taking place here in the U.S., the political discussion over Biden's political fate, the 32-member countries
and their delegations who have come here, plus, other countries as well watching very closely what Biden is saying, what Biden is doing.
Questions about how he's doing physically, how he's doing mentally. He -- President Biden opened the NATO Summit with a speech that was quite well-
received, of course, that was very scripted. We just saw President Biden moments ago in a one-on-one meeting with their teams, with President
Zelenskyy, President Biden was speaking from cue cards quite carefully.
And so, everyone here will also of course, be watching that press conference, not just out of some kind of curiosity, but because of course,
it has very real implications for their countries, for the NATO alliance. President Zelenskyy probably said it most bluntly on Tuesday night as the
summit was opening, he said, everybody is watching November, including President Vladimir Putin of Russia, because of the very real implications.
You have President Biden and former President Trump who have two wildly divergent views of the role and the importance of NATO for the Biden
administration, NATO is crucial, it is very much a cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy, while at the same time, you have former President Biden --
former President Trump, excuse me, who has spoken with disdain about the NATO alliance, about countries who don't pay their dues, even saying that
the U.S. and NATO would not come to the aid of NATO countries who would be invaded by Russia if they don't pay their dues.
He said that Russia could do whatever the hell they want, so yes, there is a lot of discussion about President Biden, his political fate and what
could happen in the coming weeks and months. Isa.
SOARES: Stay with us, Alex, let me go to Nic, who is here with me. And Nic, just picking up from what we heard from President Zelenskyy, I think
it was yesterday, you know, everyone is looking -- all the allies, everyone is looking at November. Given that and the questions that are being asked,
the turmoil around President Biden, what are you hearing from allies?
What is going on behind the scenes? Are discussions being had with Trump supporters, with the Trump team about a potential Trump presidency here?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It's natural that they would, typically in this kind of environment they would have these types of
meetings, specific details of specific meetings, I'm not aware.
SOARES: Yes.
ROBERTSON: There is this great concern we've talked about, about the distraction value, distracting away from the importance of what NATO is
doing. I thought by the way, when you had President Biden there sitting with President Zelenskyy, and President Biden was very clearly relying on
his cue cards there.
President Zelenskyy then used cue cards and was careful to look at them. This is a guy whose past life was a performer on TV, you know, a comedian
on TV, he understands the visual impact. And in a way, that was a visual support for President Biden. President Biden wasn't the only one relying on
cue cards.
SOARES: Yes.
ROBERTSON: The younger guy in the room next to him was as well. But overall, what's happened here is the big changes that you're seeing in the
communique, that remember 32 nations, they all have to agree, the communiques indicate over the years the change in language and tone.
This communique very -- indicates very clearly a very polarizing world that's happening. And part of that --
SOARES: Yes --
ROBERTSON: Picture, is Europe preparing and organizing its defense industries to be more cohesive. This in part is necessary because of the
worries about a potential more isolationist U.S. President.
SOARES: So, that speaks clearly to the Trump proofing aspect of this.
ROBERTSON: Part of it.
SOARES: Nic, appreciate it, thank you very much. Our thanks to Nic, of course, and to Stephen Collinson and to our Alex Marquardt. Thank you very
much, gentlemen. I want to turn to our Washington correspondent Sunlen Serfaty, who is keeping an eye, of course, on all the reaction we're
getting from Washington.
[14:10:00]
And Sunlen, I know the Biden campaign said in the last two days or so, they wanted to turn the page, right? On this. But it doesn't seem like it's
going away. In fact, it seems that the pressure, Sunlen, is mounting. Talk us through what came out of this meeting between Senate Democrats and top
campaign officials here?
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Yes, certainly, an important moment for Biden, and he certainly is likely to be feeling that pressure
that is just mounting by the minute on Capitol Hill. Senate Democrats still ongoing meeting met with three campaign officials from the Biden campaign.
And according to sources, they laid out essentially the case that they see for why Biden should stay in the race, the path forward where in -- Biden
campaign officials view that he can win this race, and that's something that we heard from Senate, many Senate Democrats saying we need to hear how
they think that they can win.
Now, we heard from some senators leaving that meeting, we heard notably from Senator Richard Blumenthal moments ago, he says some of his concerns
were -- laid, but he said some concerns were deepened and was not clear specifically what information he received that deepened his concerns.
Other senators saying, look, this was a family discussion and not wanting to get in the details. It is very clear here that many Senate Democrats and
House Democrats are really trying to make the decision what they see for -- if President Biden should continue on with the nomination.
And we heard from House Minority -- excuse me, House Majority leader Hakeem Jeffries earlier this morning, and he said, look, we're involved in this
ongoing candid conversation among Democrats, trying to figure out the path forward. But of course, the big part of that is that President Biden
himself, he has been defiant saying he's going to stay in the race while many Democrats here are saying we have to look and it still have questions
about his viability as a candidate.
SOARES: All eyes indeed on the president this afternoon. Sunlen, appreciate it, thank you very much. I want to bring in Democratic
strategist Ameshia Cross, she joins us from Washington D.C., and Ameshia, welcome to the show. Look, it's clear from what we've heard, not just from
our correspondents in Washington D.C., but elsewhere that the President is under enormous pressure.
And it seems that that's not going away right, since that disastrous CNN debate. As a former campaign adviser here, Ameshia, I mean, what does he
need to do in your view if you're to regain the confidence, not just of the party, but also of the U.S. voters.
AMESHIA CROSS, U.S. DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I don't think he's tremendously lost the confidence of U.S. voters. We know that this was going to be a
tight race. The race was tight before the debate, it's tight after the debate. We also know that the President's holding stance as in terms of
favorability has not changed since April.
And that's -- you know, that was long before the debate. This is a president who was up against the headwinds of a -- of a media that is
watching his every move, that has been quite frankly very hostile and asking questions, some fair, many not, since the debate itself.
The questions that they're not asking his opponent, who is a 34 felony convicted felon, a convicted guy who is also, you know, committed treason,
who instigated January 6th so on and so forth. But I think that for President Biden, he's got to do what any campaign would have to do at this
stage.
He's going to have to meet the people where they are, press the flesh. He knows who the Democratic base is. It's younger voters, it's black voters,
it's Latino voters. It's going into the battleground states, the states that will decide this election, and ensuring that those individuals know
his plans moving forward.
Ensuring that they understand what the three-and-a-half years of a Joe Biden presidency, one that is unrivaled in its successes by anyone except
Franklin Delano Roosevelt knows what those successes are. He's got to press the flesh and be on the campaign trail, and he's doing that over the past
few days, he's been to over eight states. He's now in front of global leaders at the NATO Summit. These are things that matter.
SOARES: Yes, and of course, just to -- just to -- just clarify to our viewers, we are focusing on Trump. We are doing in about 20 minutes, so, we
don't stay away from that. We are criticizing -- clear-eyed as well on what's at stake here. But let's talk about the polling here, Ameshia, if we
can.
I'm sure you saw this new "ABC News"-"Washington Post" poll that found that 67 percent of voters, you can see there on your screen, think Biden should
step aside, over half of Democrats say the same. Does that suggest to you that Democratic voters are not on the President's side? I mean, how do you
interpret these polls -- this poll?
CROSS: It suggests to me that we're still months outside of an election. Polls have consistently devalued Joe Biden, have consistently been wrong
when it comes to Joe Biden, they counted him out in 2020 when he was running, they didn't even want to see him through the primary. He won that.
He's already won the primary this go round. He has the delegates, millions of voters have already, you know, cast -- their -- cast their votes in the
primaries and chose Joe Biden. Negating those people's votes, I think is completely ridiculous. We know where America stands and this President
knows he has to roll up his sleeves, be on the campaign trail and talk to the people and meet their needs. That is what Joe Biden is focused on
doing.
[14:15:00]
SOARES: And in the last, I think several days, we have seen a growing chorus, I feel like pretty much every day this week, we seem to be adding
more voices, calling on the President to step aside. I think I've counted ten so far. We might have a graphic to show people who those are. But we've
also heard from former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the actor and Democratic mega donor George Clooney.
We have also said, Ameshia, from Vermont Senator Peter Welch, who became -- from what I understand, the first Democratic senator to publicly call on
Biden to withdraw. And this is what he wrote for the "Washington Post" op- ed. He said, "he saved us from Donald Trump once and wants to do it again.
But he needs to reassess whether he is the best candidate to do so. In my view, he is not." I wonder how consequential you think these voices are,
especially the ones coming from the Senate here.
CROSS: Well, I will say 9 out of 213 congressional members is not a caucus, so-to-speak when we talk about Democrats. More, looking at the
Senate, it makes sense. I think that, you know, Joe Biden has written a letter to congressional members, he's met with senators, he knows the
Senate body better than anybody else.
He was in it for decades. And he's going to move this election process forward. Make no money stake. Joe Biden is the nominee. Joe Biden is the
Democratic choice to continue this ticket, to continue the job that he started. Again, one that has had seismic victories leading into this race.
I think that --
SOARES: Yes --
CROSS: We have to remember what America was brought back from. And I think American voters will. Again, we are still months outside of this election
cycle. I think that there are Democrats who are, you know, a little bit weary because they've seen the media, they've seen the podcast bros,
they've read some of the articles.
They're also, you know, being responsive to what's happening in their districts, and many Democrats are in very tough districts. And I think that
they're saying what they have to for their districts. Joe Biden doesn't represent individual districts. He represents the United States of America,
and the United States on a global stage.
He has to appeal to Americans in various different demographics. And he's working very strategically to do so.
SOARES: I wonder then what you feel that, you know, is this overblown? Do you think this is going to go away, because you know, we're 10-12 plus days
since that debate, I'm just seeing "New York Times" saying the Biden campaign is quietly testing Harris versus Trump that some White House
adviser discussing how to convince Biden to step aside.
We also heard that George Clooney spoke to former President Obama before publishing that op-ed, and it seems that Obama do not object to the
process. I mean, you know, all these headlines that we're seeing, is this going to open the floodgates here among the big donors and fundraisers?
One donor saying it's a freeze for the time being. Is this going to hurt, you think, his campaign?
CROSS: The Democrats will ultimately wrap their arms around Joe Biden once it appears that he is not going to step down. This President has already
said that he's not going to leave, Vice President Kamala Harris is doing what any vice president would do and standing by the President on the
ticket she is running on as well, and being the best surrogate that she could ask for on the -- he could ask for on the campaign trail.
That is the job of the vice president. Donald Trump doesn't have a vice president who could do that because he literally instigated a coup where
individuals who supported him threatened to hang his sitting vice president, who he can't even get an endorsement from. We are here now,
quite frankly, because of a very bad debate, everyone knows --
SOARES: Yes --
CROSS: The debate was wrong, it didn't go well, but three-and-a-half years is not negated by an hour-and-a-half of a debate. We're talking about a
President who is keeping democracy -- us -- upholding democracy not only here, but abroad, whose brought millions of jobs to America post-pandemic.
Who has reduced the cost of prescription drugs, who is ensuring that Americans actually have a path forward, versus one who still has not
accepted his defeat in 2020, refuses to accept those election results. Just said yesterday, he didn't even know what NATO was when he became president
--
SOARES: Yes --
CROSS: Is 34 felony convicted. This is not a -- this is not a hard choice. Joe Biden is the leader of the Democratic Party, and he is staying on this
ticket, and he's the only one who's ever beaten Donald Trump and he's poised --
SOARES: Yes --
CROSS: To beat him again.
SOARES: And we see the polls, we see the tide in the polls, very little difference in terms of poll. Look, Ameshia, it does seem to me that you
think he's not going to step down. The question is, do you think he can beat Donald Trump? Because according to some Democrats that I've been
hearing, they don't think he can.
CROSS: I absolutely think he can beat Donald Trump, and he's also said he's not going to step down. This isn't -- you know --
SOARES: Yes --
CROSS: Some magical thing in my ear. He said multiple times he's not stepping down. There is no question of whether he's stepping down, because
the only person who could make that decision is Joe Biden, and he's quite frankly already made it.
SOARES: So, there's no poll, no matter how bad it goes, no -- you know, if the number of senators continues to go against him, none of that will move
the needle, you think?
CROSS: I think that we're still months outside of an election. We have a President who is on the campaign trail. We have surrogates who are going to
be in Wisconsin next week during the Republican National Convention as well.
[14:20:00]
We know that this is a president who is -- who can get the job done. I don't have to question whether or not Joe Biden can do the job that he's
been doing explicitly for three-and-a-half years. I think that American --
SOARES: Yes --
CROSS: Voters are smart enough to understand what's at stake in this election. And I don't think that there's a single poll that is going to be
effective today, come November, and that's been seen time and time again in our electoral cycles. It's still --
SOARES: Yes --
CROSS: Very early in this race, going to be a tight race. We always knew - -
SOARES: Yes --
CROSS: That even before the debate. And Joe Biden has the tenacity to get this thing done, and he has a record of success to show that he is the
person who can lead us.
SOARES: Ameshia, really appreciate it. There's a lot at stake as we know, Ameshia Cross there, thank you very much for taking the time to speak to
us, really appreciate your analysis. And this reminder right here, CNN will have live coverage of President Biden's crucial news conference from the
NATO Summit in Washington.
It will be at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time. So, if you're watching in Washington, 11:00 p.m. here in London, you can watch it right here, of course, on CNN.
And still to come tonight, highlights from the NATO Summit in Washington D.C. as President Biden meets with Ukraine's leader. We'll have reaction
from Kyiv just ahead.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump denies knowing anything about Project 2025. I told you we'd be talking about Trump, we want to take a look at that
controversial right-wing plan that could reshape federal government. Both those stories after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Well, NATO leaders are stepping up support for Ukraine as Russia continues its deadly offensive, more from the ground in just a moment.
First, a look at some developments from the NATO Summit happening now in Washington. U.S. President Joe Biden just wrapped up a meeting with
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The White House announced the latest security aid package, and Mr. Zelenskyy thanked the president for his strong support. And here are some
of the other summit headlines it's important to bring to you. Romania has signed a ten-year security deal with Ukraine, that makes 23 nations that
now support Kyiv.
Ukraine is urging NATO to lift restrictions on long-range weapons to target Russia, saying it would be a game changer, which is pretty much what we
heard yesterday for the Lithuanian foreign minister on the show. And NATO allies have called China a decisive enabler of Russia's war against
Ukraine.
Keeping an eye on all these developments. Our Fred Pleitgen, who joins us from Kyiv. So, Fred, it seems from what we just outlined there that Ukraine
is getting pretty much what it wanted in terms of air defenses, right?
[14:25:00]
Several F-16s, their big commitments on air defense equipment too. But I wanted to get your take on this new $225 million systems from the United
States. What more do we know? Just break it down for us.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIOAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I think it's actually substantial package, and one of the interesting things that
stood out to us, says we looked at some of the itemization of that new security assistance package that was announced by the President just a
couple of minutes ago, Isa.
Is that it already has one of those Patriot surface-to-air missile systems that he actually pled in -- pledged in that speech two days ago, where of
course, he said that Ukraine would be receiving five additional strategic air defense systems, four of them apparently being U.S.-made Patriots, and
one of them being an Italian-made system.
Well, that Patriot is already in that new security assistance package. Now, the other items in that package by and large are things to keep Ukraine in
the fight, and try to fend off the Russians who are trying to advance, of course, still in the northeast and in the east of the country, a lot of
them are interceptor missiles for the NASAMS systems, which is a shorter range surface-to-air missile system and also ammunition, 155-millimeter
ammunition for artillery, also artillery rocket ammunition as well for the HIMARS systems.
Anti-tank missiles are also part of the whole thing as well. So, the Ukrainians getting that air defense system that they so badly need, and the
Patriot missile system is definitely one where the Ukrainian said for them, that's almost worth its weight in gold for the Ukrainians as they're trying
to defend their cities.
But then also, the real day-to-day ammo that they need to stay in this fight against the Russians, Isa.
SOARES: Fred Pleitgen there for us in Kyiv, appreciate it, thank you very much, Fred. Well, the U.N. is condemning Israel's sweeping evacuation
orders for Gaza city, saying it's fueling mass suffering for Palestinian families, and is forcing humanitarian groups to reset their aid operations
over and over again.
Tens of thousands of people are fleeing Gaza city, as some remain trapped really by the fighting. Others say they are tired of running with nowhere
safe to go. Gaza Civil Defense says dozens of people have been killed. Israel's military released this video of its operations in Gaza city. Have
a look at this.
It's pressing ahead despite renewed ceasefire negotiations taking place in Doha, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he's committed to a
deal, but insists certain conditions be met including continued Israeli control of Gaza territory along the Egyptian border.
Hamas is accusing Israel of stalling in an effort to sink the talks. Our Jeremy Diamond is across all these strands for us, he joins us now from
Jerusalem. And there is another strand to bring to the viewers' attention. And that is, in the last few minutes, Jeremy, the IDF seems to -- presented
its findings on an internal investigation into the failures at Kibbutz Be'eri in Israel on October the 7th. Just talk us through what they have
found.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes, over the last nine months, there have been a lot of questions in Israeli society about the
failure to protect some of these communities on the border with Gaza on October 7th.
There have not been a lot of answers, but today, the Israeli military publishing the findings of its first inquiry into the awful events of that
day. And that it is -- there is a taking of responsibility here from the Israeli military with the f-word being used, failure. The Israeli military
saying that it failed in its mission to protect the residents of Kibbutz Be'eri, acknowledging that it was not prepared for the kind of extensive
infiltration that Hamas carried out on October 7th.
And as a result of that, there were not sufficient forces in the area to be able to rush in and protect the residents. The result of course, of that
day is that more than a 100 civilians were killed from inside of Kibbutz Be'eri by those Hamas terrorists.
Thirty two hostages were taken from the area of the Kibbutz that day, 11 of whom still remain in captivity. The findings from the Israeli military are
lengthy. This was a three-month inquiry conducted over the course of hours and hours of interviews with residents of the Kibbutz, with the members of
the Civilian Rapid Response team that responded in the early hours to those Hamas terrorists as well as with members of the Israeli military.
The report notes that in the first seven hours of Hamas' attack, it was the Civilian Rapid Response team that was battling those Hamas gunmen. And it
was only after those seven hours that the Israeli military actually joined the fight. They talk about a lack of command and control coordination among
forces being some of the major problems.
Also noting the fact that there were troops that were gathered at the entrance to the Kibbutz who did not enter for hours as a result of that
command-and-control breakdown. Herzi Halevi, the Israeli military's chief of staff highlighting the failure that happened here.
[14:30:00]
But also highlighting the fact that some of the Israeli military's personnel acted heroically that day. But he did say that the fact that
there were forces gathered at the entrance of the kibbutz who did not enter was "extremely grave and cannot occur." Also making clear that this --
while this is the first inquiry of its kind to be published into the events of October 7th and the Israeli military's security failure, it will not be
the last.
ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Jeremy Diamond there for us in Jerusalem this evening. Thanks very much, Jeremy.
And still to come tonight, President Joe Biden prepares to take the mic in what could be a make-or-break moment for his political career. We'll see
what the latest polls are showing ahead of this major test.
And his opponent, Donald Trump, says he knows nothing about a controversial conservative plan to reshape federal government. CNN reporting suggests
that might not be the case. That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: And returning to our top story. A crucial test for U.S. President Joe Biden. Just hours away, the world will be watching when Mr. Biden holds
a news conference of the NATO Summit in Washington, D.C., as pressure mounds on the president to pull out of the presidential race. Hollywood
star and major Democratic donor George Clooney among the latest to raise concerns. Of course, there are two people in this race.
Let's turn our attention to the Republican nominee, Donald Trump, who claims he doesn't know anything about a controversial conservative mandate
titled Project 2025, published by right-wing think tank, the Heritage Foundation.
[14:35:00]
It suggests overhauling parts of the federal government and replacing civil servants with Trump loyalists if he wins. Mr. Trump says he knows nothing
about it. The new reporting from CNN suggests otherwise. This reporting coming from us, Steve Contorno, who joins me now. So, Steve, just talk us
through what you have found.
STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Well, Donald Trump said last week that he doesn't know who is behind Project. So, we took a look at the people who
are involved in writing this 900-page playbook that Project 2025 put out.
And when you look at the authors and contributors, 140 of them had previous experience working in the Trump administration. Dozens of others had roles
in political life, in his transition team and then found their way to helping these groups that have been advising Project 2025.
It includes people who reach the highest levels of Trump's government, including six people who served in his cabinet, four people who he
nominated to ambassadorships, many of the architects and enforcers of his immigration policies, as well as several senior level staffers.
And when we brought this information to the Trump campaign, they acknowledge, yes, these people did work for Donald Trump, but they don't
speak for him now, and they may not work for him again. They said that if there is any sort of policy that Trump has endorsed, it's on his websites,
and it is also in the Republican Party platform.
Trump yesterday on Truth Social continuing to push this idea that he doesn't know who is behind it, that he doesn't know even what it is. And
this coming as Democrats have been taking pieces of Project 2025's plans that are extremely controversial, especially related to abortion policies
and many of these culture war issues and trying to pin them on Donald Trump. Trump is trying to keep Project 2025 at arm's length. That's very
complicated, though, given how close he is to many of the people who helped put it together.
SOARES: Yes, just explain that, Steve. I mean, just for international audience, why Trump and his allies trying to distance themselves from this
project?
CONTORNO: Well, they have been very careful about what kind of language that they are putting out there, especially as it relates to abortion, for
example, the Trump team -- actually, the Republican Party just came out with its platform that was heavily sanitized by the Trump campaign to
remove any sort of offensive anti-abortion language. Well, this Project 2025 suggests getting -- making it much more difficult to get abortion
medication, contraceptives, even male contraceptives.
So, that is some of the language that is in this 900-page document that they are concerned about compared to the sort of very tame, sanitized, 16-
page platform that they have approved as sort of Donald Trump's vision for the next term.
SOARES: Steve, I really appreciate you breaking it all down to us. Thank you very much. I want to take our viewers to Washington, D.C., the landmark
NATO Summit underway, as you can see. The Ukraine -- NATO-Ukraine Council is underway. Let's just have a quick listen.
JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: Welcome to this meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council. And a warm welcome to President Zelenskyy. Volodymyr,
it's great to have you here with us once again.
At this summit, we are putting in place the foundations for Ukraine to prevail. To defend today and deter tomorrow. Yesterday, NATO allies adopted
a robust package of practical support for Ukraine, including a pledge of long-term security assistance. Today, we will take further decisions
together with Ukraine, making clear that NATO support is built to last and affirming that Ukraine's future is in NATO.
This concludes the public part of the meeting. I thank the media for joining us at the top of the meeting and I ask you kindly to leave. Thank
you.
SOARES: You have been listening there to Jen Stoltenberg ahead, of course, of the Ukraine session there in Washington, D.C. You can see President
Zelenskyy was sitting there, President Biden also sitting in there in the round table along with the other allies, NATO allies.
And what we heard from Mr. Stoltenberg is defend today and deter tomorrow. You can see President Biden just arriving a few moments ago next to Jen
Stoltenberg. Talked about the long-term security assistance. We heard of a U.S. package, $225 million package from our correspondent at the top of the
show. We've also heard them saying that, you know, the intention is that NATO support is built to last and that Ukraine's place is in NATO.
Something that we heard throughout the last kind of two days from NATO allies. You see there President Biden alongside Jen. Stoltenberg.
[14:40:00]
We'll keep a close eye and ear to what comes out of the summit, of course. As soon as there are any more details, we'll of course bring it to you.
And I want to focus on the man right there on your screen, President Biden, because, you know, if he's staying in the race, the president needs to
exude confidence critically in tonight's news conference for his party, his donors, and above all else, his voters.
And ABC News and Washington Post poll asks if Biden should step aside given his debate performance that you saw CNN. 67 percent of U.S. adults say he
should bow out, while 56 percent of Democrats agree. Well, in just a few hours, world leaders will watch Mr. Biden's critical news conference, but
it might already be too late to change course. Two House Democrats say no matter tonight's performance, they will still call him -- for him to drop
out.
Meanwhile, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries says lawmakers should "engage with their constituents as they weigh their next move." And we
heard from the Hakeem Jeffries in the last, what, two hours or so.
While polling data could prove to be a critical factor of President Biden's decision to stay in the race. For more, I want to bring in Democratic
pollster Anna Greenberg who joins us from Washington, D.C. Anna, great to have you on the show.
Let me start with that. ABC News, Washington poll that we just showed our viewers 67 percent of voters think Biden should step aside. But we -- when
we compare in that poll Biden versus Trump, it's pretty much a dead heat. I mean, what does that tell you about the state of the race and how perhaps
Biden's campaign can be interpreting these polls?
ANNA GREENBERG, DEMOCRATIC POLLSTER: Sure. I think that there is an elite conversation and immediate conversation about Biden and certainly a
conversation at the upper echelons of the Democratic Party and then there's voters. And I think there's a slightly different conversation happening
with voters.
And so, as you noted, The Washington Post, ABC poll had the race tied. It was also tied in their poll before the debate, meaning debate had no impact
on the vote. The other piece of information that has not really been brought to that poll was that the relative standing of Biden and Trump is
quite different.
Trump is significantly less popular than Biden is in that poll. And that has been true in a lot of the work. I work on campaigns all over the
country. And that has been true in a lot of my polling, is that while certainly voters have said that Biden, they believe, he may be too old,
have questions about his competence or his ability, certainly not helped by the debate performance, they're also deeply, deeply, deeply hostile to
Donald Trump, particularly post his conviction.
And so, I think that what you're going to find is because of partisan polarization in this country and because Trump is even less popular than
Biden, you're going to find the race doesn't really change that much. And I know that there are a lot of electeds who are in competitive states and
congressional districts who are nervous about this, but in the polling that I've done for my campaigns and in what I've seen publicly, I haven't seen a
change.
If you look at, for example, what we call the generic congressional race, meaning a generic Democrat versus a generic Republican, that has been
unchanged. That has been tied and the debate had no effect on it. And so, I think we have to be very careful to not confuse the frenzy in Washington
with what's actually happening out in the country.
SOARES: I'm so glad that you were able to break this down for us because this is something that my team and I have been talking about to get really
good sense of whether this turmoil that we've seen in Washington, D.C., whether that's being felt up and down the country.
We have heard from voters, free voters, in fact, in the battleground State of Wisconsin. I just want to play this out. Have a listen to this, Anna.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We just need fresh leadership, new leadership. I like Joe Biden as a person, you know, I think he stands for good things, but I'm
just not sure he's there anymore to lead the country.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that last week hurt so much that he's really got to think of the party and the country before he thinks of himself.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, it's -- something's going to change. We need a logical party.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: So, Anna, just speak to battleground states and what you have been hearing, concerns at all about Biden or concerns just about their option,
their choices, even?
GREENBERG: So those concerns are the concerns that I heard before the debate, and I've been hearing the entire year. And if you look at polls the
entire year, the vast majority of people have said that Biden is too old to be the president. And so, my question about the debate is, did it change
anybody's thinking about Biden? Did it update their information about him? I don't think it actually did.
The other piece is that it's sort of -- the whole thing is sort of a false debate, because it's just not as easy as he should just step aside and find
somebody new. And I think for voters, there's a bit of disservice done by both the media and Democratic elites suggesting that you can just slot
somebody new in as if state rules don't matter, party rules don't matter, campaign finance rules don't matter.
[14:45:00]
And so, I worry a little bit of this expectation that is created by elites that voters then hear that somehow this is just something that Biden can do
and he's just not doing it. It actually isn't that easy, if you actually understand the rules of how elections work in this country.
SOARES: And just, just to pick up on that, I mean, in terms of a historical context here and just for our international audience, has any
presumptive candidate, in the last 20 years or so, ever face this kind of this level of scrutiny being stagnant in the polls and then come out on
top? I mean, basically, can Joe Biden turn this around is what I'm asking?
GREENBERG: Well, look, Hillary Clinton, I would argue, had the same frenzy. And while she did not win the Electoral College, she actually won
the popular vote pretty overwhelmingly. So, it's not an example of turning around for a grand victory, but you know, the idea that there hasn't been
another embattled -- by the way, Trump, OK, deeply embattled with the Access Hollywood tape in '16 and he ended up winning.
And so, I don't know. This has been a very -- I think you have to think about our politics differently now in this country. We're in a post-Trump
era where -- or I guess we're in the Trump era, if you will, and most of our elections are determined by his dynamic. And so, trying to compare it
to other instances in our past just doesn't make a lot of sense.
But I don't think - you know, I think both in '16 and in '20, it wasn't clear who was going to win those races. Both candidates were deeply
unpopular in both those races. We have the same dynamic now. Lots and lots of questions about competence. You know, frankly, there's lots of questions
about Trump and his mental state and his mental acuity as well.
SOARES: Yes.
GREENBERG: And so, I just think we're sort of in this very odd, odd state in this country around elections.
SOARES: Anna Greenberg, really fascinating discussion. I've actually learned so much from our discussion. Really appreciate it. Thank you so
much.
GREENBERG: Thank you.
SOARES: Thank you. And this reminder, CNN will have live coverage of President Biden's crucial news conference from the NATO Summit in
Washington. It will be at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time, 11:00 p.m. in London. And you can watch it, of course, right here on CNN.
Coming up in the meantime, a crime technician is back on the stand in a trial against actor Alec Baldwin. We'll have the latest on today's
testimony after this short break. You are watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: And a crime scene technician is back on the stand today in the Alec Baldwin involuntary manslaughter trial. The defense asked Marissa
Popple about how the FBI handled the gun in question during the investigation. She also was asked about finding both live and prop
ammunition during her investigation.
[14:50:00]
Alec Baldwin is accused of culpability in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. She was killed by a live round on the set of the movie
"Rust" in 2021.
Joining us now from Los Angeles with the latest, Elizabeth Wagmeister. Elizabeth, so tell us more about this technician and what she said today.
Just break it down for us.
ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: A great deal of information has come out through her testimony in the past few hours. She
confirmed that live ammunition was found on the set of "Rust," not just in the gun that was held by Alec Baldwin, but also a live bullet being found
in the holster of another actor, Jensen Ackles.
Why this is significant is because there had been information that came out through the investigation that there was live ammunition around the set.
But now having this specific confirmation on the stand from this witness that another actor had a live bullet in their holster indicates that
another actor besides Alec Baldwin could have put -- could have been put in the position where they could have fired a gun that could have fatally shot
someone like the gun did sadly with Halyna Hutchins.
Now, this crime scene technician also was showing photos of these bullets to the jury. We see them right there. She was showing the difference
between live bullets and dummy bullets. But as we see in this image, it's very hard to tell the difference, certainly for a lay person who is not a
firearms expert.
So, the defense seeming to be pretty effective here in their questioning in showing that how would Alec Baldwin have known the difference between a
live bullet and a dummy bullet.
SOARES: Elizabeth Wagmeister, I know you'll stay across this for us. Appreciate it. Thank you very much.
We are going to take a short break right here. We'll see you on the other side.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: And before we go, some good news for U.S. consumers. Average prices on goods have fallen for the first time since the pandemic. The
Consumer Price Index for June shows prices dropped 0.1 percent. This is according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The drop helped lower
inflation from 3.3 percent to 3 percent. Analysts on Wall Street believe this increases the odds of the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates
before the end of the year. And that could happen as soon as the Fed's September meeting.
[14:55:00]
Well, would the River Seine be clean enough for the Olympus swimmers? That is really the debate that's been happening right now, just weeks out from
the Paris game. Officials say most days, the Seine has high levels of E. coli bacteria in the water. And water testing at the site on the triathlon
events show levels have been unacceptable of 22 out of 30 days, in fact. However, the deputy mayor of Paris told CNN, the Seine will be ready for
swimmers. We shall see.
And finally, the son of Asia's richest man is set to marry his longtime girlfriend in one of the most anticipated as well as lavish weddings of the
year. Prewedding celebrations for Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant have been running for seven months now. Pop star Rihanna performed at a party,
if you remember, back in March, while Justin Bieber appeared last week at another wedding event.
Ambani's father is worth $122 billion dollars. The ceremony proper starts - - it starts, in fact, tomorrow. The venue can hold 16,000 guests with rumors Adele and Drake could be on the list.
And before we go, some news just coming into us. An 11th House Democrat has just called for U.S. President Joe Biden to withdraw from the presidential
race. We'll have much more on that after this break.
Do stay right here, my colleague Jim Sciutto is up next with "Newsroom."
I shall see you tomorrow. Bye-bye.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:00:00]
END
