Return to Transcripts main page

The Situation Room

Soon, Harris And Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) Speak in Battleground Michigan; Biden Says, Not Confident at All of Peaceful Transfer if Trump Loses; Sources Say, Hezbollah to Strike Israel Independent of Iran; Russia Accuses Ukraine of "Massive Attack" On Its Territory. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired August 07, 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]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, breaking news, we're standing by for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz to speak in Michigan, the new running mates working to build momentum in crucial battleground states and bolster their defense of the Democrats' so called blue wall.

Also breaking, President Biden shares a chilling warning in a brand new interview. He says he's, quote, not confident at all that the transfer of power here in the United States would be peaceful if Donald Trump loses the election.

Plus, there's breaking news right here in the Middle East, sources now telling CNN that Hezbollah appears poised to strike Israel independent of any potential attack by Iran.

Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Tel Aviv, Israel, and you're in The Situation Room.

We're following a lot of breaking news this hour. We're going to get to our new reporting on a possible Hezbollah strike against Israel in just a few moments. But, first, to the presidential race in the United States as we await remarks by Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in Michigan.

CNN's Jeff Zeleny is on the scene for us in Detroit. Jeff, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, they are packing a lot in right now, a mere 24 hours after their debut appearance together.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, in that 24 hours, Vice President Harris and Governor Walz have hit three critical cornerstones of their electoral strategy. That, of course, is the Blue Wall of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan. Well, they'll be arriving here in just a short time.

Now, the Democratic Party is coursing with a new sense of energy, even as the Republican rivals try to brand their new Democratic ones as unfit for office.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: We cannot go back. Ours has to be a fight for the future and a fight for freedom.

ZELENY (voice over): The new Democratic ticket on the road tonight, as Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz barnstormed battleground states 90 days before the November election.

GOV. TIM WALZ (D-MN), U.S. VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I couldn't be prouder to be on this ticket to help make Kamala Harris the next president of the United States.

ZELENY: One day after making a Philadelphia debut, Harris and Walz visiting Wisconsin and heading to Michigan as a bitter battle with the Republican rivals takes shape.

SEN. J.D. VANCE (R-OH), VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: What Kamala Harris is telling all of us by selecting Tim Walz is that she bends the knee to the far left of the Democrat Party.

ZELENY: Senator J.D. Vance taking the lead in the furious scramble to define Walz, attacking his record as governor and his service in the Army National Guard.

VANCE: He has not spent a day in a combat zone. What bothers me about Tim Walz is the stolen valor garbage. Do not pretend to be something that you're not.

ZELENY: Vance accused his rival of ducking his service to Iraq when Walz left the National Guard and ran for Congress in 2005. But Walz actually retired two months before his unit received alert orders for deployment.

WALZ: At 17, I joined the Army National Guard. For 24 years, I proudly wore the uniform of this nation.

ZELENY: The 2024 race is now fully joined with Harris and Walz crisscrossing the country together this week, an itinerary Vance is closely shadowing. Tropical Storm Debby interrupting plans for the candidates to visit North Carolina and Georgia.

Their paths, or planes at least, crossed today on a tarmac in Wisconsin.

VANCE: I just wanted to check out my future plane, but I also wanted to go say hello to the vice president.

ZELENY: Former President Donald Trump spent the day away from the campaign trail, calling into a Fox News program to try and diminish Harris and Walz.

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Nobody knew how radical left she was, but he's a smarter version of her.

ZELENY: A full look at the Minnesota governor complicates the liberal brush Trump and Vance are seeking to paint him with. A social studies teacher and football coach, elected to a Republican-leaning Congressional district, and now in a second term as governor, where he's defending his progressive agenda.

[18:05:01]

WALZ: Mind your own damn business. I don't need you telling me about our health care. I don't need you telling us who we love, and I sure the hell don't need you telling us what books we're going to read.

ZELENY: The spotlight on vice presidential hopefuls will soon give way to the top of the ticket and back to a debate over debates.

Trump signaled a new willingness to meet Harris on a network other than Fox.

TRUMP: We'll be debating her I guess in the pretty near future.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZELENY (on camera): With 90 days until election day in November, the stakes of this contest, Wolf, are coming into even sharper view. Now, the vice president says they are the underdogs in this race, but President Biden issued a new warning tonight for his fears about the outcome in November.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you confident that there will be a peaceful transfer of power in January 2025?

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: If Trump wins, no, I'm not confident at all. I mean, if Trump loses, I'm not confident at all. He means what he says but we don't take him seriously. He means it. All the stuff about if we lose, there'll be a bloodbath. It'll have to be a stolen election. Look what they're trying to do now in the local election districts where people count the votes, or elected, or putting people in place in states that they're going to count the votes, right? You can't love your country only when you win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: So, of course, Michigan is at the center of all of that, so much election denialism still hanging over the political scene here. But as we await Vice President Harris, she'll be coming on a rally arriving to the rally here on Air Force Two. Thousands of Democrats are waiting, of course, with anticipation for the new ticket and, of course, the three months of campaigning to come. Wolf?

BLITZER: And we're standing by for live coverage of that. Thank you very much. Jeff, stay with us. I also want to bring in CNN Political Commentators Ashley Allison and Scott Jennings.

Scott, we all saw what happened on January 6th, as well as Trump's efforts to try to overturn the last election. So, should Americans have confidence in a peaceful transfer of power if Trump loses?

SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think Americans should have confidence in our diffuse system of elections. The reason that we had a transfer of power last time, and the reason this whole thing works, is because we have a diffuse system of elections where county clerks and secretaries of state and volunteers and people all over this country come together to have a free and fair election every four years.

January 6th was a terrible day. I have the utmost confidence in our electoral system. I have confidence in the Constitution. I do not have confidence in what I just heard Joe Biden say, repeating this damnable lie that Donald Trump has promised a bloodbath that never happened. That is a lie and it's been debunked a hundred times and I'm disappointed the president continues to repeat it.

BLITZER: Ashley what do you think? Do you have confidence?

ASHLEY ALLISON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I think if we go back to 2020, Donald Trump used a lot of provocative language, sowing doubt in our election system that then enabled for January 6th actually to happen. We cannot -- I agree with Scott, it was a terrible day. The problem is that the reason why January 6th happened is because former President Trump doesn't believe that the 2020 election was valid and he continues to tell his supporters that it wasn't, continuing to sow doubt over the last four years.

One way to ensure that we have a peaceful transfer of power, whoever it is, is for Donald Trump to accept the election results of 2020, but he won't, normal, his running mate, normal, many people in the Republican Party. So, I am grateful to the humble servants that run the elections and election workers, some that were under attack because of Donald Trump and the threats that they received, like Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss. We don't have to be that we don't have to have doubts in our elections, but it does start with leadership. And Donald Trump is one of the reasons why so many people have doubt. And he's already laying the foundation for people to question it now.

I hope we do not have a repeat of January 6th, but it is going to take people to stand up to Donald Trump and J.D. Vance and say, trust the election results, trust our election administrators and our election workers, and let the voters decide.

BLITZER: Jeff Zeleny, as you know, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, they're holding dueling rallies with J.D. Vance today. I want to play some comments that Vance made just a short while ago. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VANCE: Here's my offer to Kamala Harris. If she'd like to do a debate with me on August 13th, I'll do it, right? We should do that, right? I don't think she wants to anymore because, one, she probably doesn't even know that she's going to be the Democratic nominee, and, two, we don't know who the vice presidential nominee is going to be either. He's got a lot of skeletons that are coming out of the closet today. And we'll see if the Democrats pull a bait and switch on Tim Walz or on Kamala Harris, just like they did with Joe Biden.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Harris, of course, is the official Democratic presidential nominee right now, but what's behind these comments?

[18:10:04]

ZELENY: Wolf, there's no doubt the Democrats here in this rally behind me, you can likely hear their enthusiasm. They certainly are not questioning who is going to be the nominee at the top of the ticket or the bottom of the ticket. What's behind the comments is something that seems to be Republicans perhaps trying to buy a little bit of time and trying to create the impression that somehow these candidates may not stick.

But that is certainly not the reality on the ground when 90 days from now is Election Day. And, in fact, the voting starts far sooner than that in September, actually in some states. So, a bit of a curious strategy, I think it's a bit of one more example of they haven't quite settled on a line of attack against Vice President Harris and Governor Walz.

BLITZER: Let me go back to Scott. Scott, we heard Donald Trump attack this Democratic ticket about being too liberal. This is how Minnesota Senator Tina Smith responded to that charge. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TINA SMITH (D-MN): I think it's just laughable. Here's Governor Walz, who was elected to Congress from Minnesota's first district, which he was only the second Democrat since 1892 who was elected to represent this conservative-leaning district of farming rural community. So, is that liberal?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Trump claims that Walz is as liberal as Senator Bernie Sanders. Is that a laughable charge, as Senator Smith says?

JENNINGS: No, it's not laughable because it's true. And I don't understand why they're pushing back on it. I thought Democrats wanted to be liberal. I thought they were leaning into their progressivism. And now I have Democrats on my T.V. telling me no, we're actually conservative. I've got Kamala Harris telling me she's going to be tougher on the border. I've got Walz telling me he's going to be protecting the Second Amendment. It's like Democrats all of a sudden want to run as Republicans.

The truth is, they are liberal, they are progressive. The record backs it up. The statements back it up. The things you can look up on videotape that have come out of Kamala Harris' mouth back it up. And I think Democrats ought to just be who they are and not try to hide it all the time, Wolf.

BLITZER: It's interesting, Ashley, because Kamala Harris did run a progressive campaign for president back in 2020 and Walz has governed that way in Minnesota. How much of a vulnerability, if at all, is this for the Democratic ticket?

ALLISON: Well, I just want to let the viewers know in case they weren't tracking every person who came out in support of Tim Walz is that Joe Manchin, someone who doesn't even identify as a Democrat anymore, came out and said Tim Walz is going to bring normalcy back to Washington, D.C. I mean, that is as moderate and independent as it comes.

And so I think what you are seeing is that it's not a vulnerability. It's an opportunity. The policies of the Vice President Harris and Governor Walz stand for are feeding hungry children, protecting children, making sure that there's a booming economy in the state of Minnesota but across the country. Those are not progressive ideas. Those are American ideas.

And so I think that they should lean into the policies that will move us into the future and not the complaints of Donald Trump and the hate and anger that Donald Trump would bring our country into.

BLITZER: Lots going on right now in this presidential campaign. To all of you, thank you very much for joining us.

Just ahead, the breaking news we're following right here in the Middle East where I am, sources now telling CNN Hezbollah in Lebanon is poised to strike Israel no matter what Iran decides to do.

Plus, why three Taylor Swift concerts have just been canceled amid warnings of terrorism.

Stay with us. You're watching The Situation Room. We're live from Tel Aviv, Israel.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:15:00]

BLITZER: We're keeping a very close eye on breaking news right here in the Middle East as the region braces for strikes against Israel. Sources telling CNN the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah could be the first to launch attacks, even as Iran itself appears to be deliberating its next moves.

I'm joined right now by CNN's Chief International Correspondent Clarissa Ward, she's here with me in Tel Aviv, CNN's Jerusalem correspondent, Jeremy Diamond, who's joining us from Haifa in Northern Israel, not that far from Lebanon, and CNN's Chief National Security Correspondent Alex Marquardt, who's watching all of this unfold in Washington.

Alex, what would be the significance, first of all, the significance if Hezbollah were to strike Israel first?

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, it would show that Hezbollah is willing to hit Israel independently and without the support or the recognition of Iran. It would mean that they're not doing it in conjunction, but, of course, that could just be the first wave of an attack and Iran could follow.

What we're being told by sources is that Hezbollah appears ready to act independently, that they're farther along in their planning process, their targeting process of Israel while Iran still appears to be making up its mind about what it's going to do. One U.S. military official told my colleague, Katie Bo Lillis, that Iran is moving pieces around, but that right now, the preparations are not where they would need to be for a greater operation against Israel.

Of course, Hezbollah is just to the north of Israel, in Lebanon. It would be much easier for Hezbollah to carry out a strike sooner, perhaps in the coming days. They have a lot of their weapons already pre-positioned. And once those missiles and rockets and drones are in the air, they have to travel a much shorter distance.

So, it could be that we could see an attack by Hezbollah independently a lot sooner than one from Iran. An attack from Hezbollah could potentially catch Israel and the U.S., which has vowed to protect Israel, more off guard than an attack from Iran.

[18:20:00]

BLITZER: And the Israelis are very worried about Hezbollah. They have hundreds, if not thousands of rockets, missiles, drones that are based in Southern Lebanon that easily could reach not only Haifa, but Tel Aviv, and even further south. So, they're watching this very closely. It could be a disaster.

Clarissa, are there any signs right now that Iran and its proxies are paying attention to all the diplomatic pressure that's underway?

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So, everybody has been watching very closely today, Wolf, this meeting of foreign ministers from the world's largest Islamic countries that took place in Jeddah, it was called by Iran. There wasn't a resolution, but there is a growing consensus that maybe there could be an exit ramp here, that maybe Iran could be persuaded to avert a retaliation in exchange for some meaningful, substantive progress towards a ceasefire agreement.

And that was reinforced in this phone conversation that took place between the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and Iran's newly elected president, Massoud Pezeshkian, where he basically said, if the west wants to avert a catastrophe, then you need to get serious about pushing Israel towards a ceasefire.

Now, with Hezbollah, potentially a rogue actor doing their own thing in all of this, it remains to be seen if that's wishful thinking. Someone did put it to the U.N. mission of the Iranian U.N. Mission, and they basically said somewhat ambiguously, we're pursuing two objectives here, one, to get a ceasefire and, two, to punish the aggressors of this attack that killed Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas' political leaders.

So, not a clear answer at this stage with all the various moving pieces. It does seem optimistic, but at least now there is at least discussion of a potential exit ramp.

BLITZER: Yes. I mean, there are a lot of nervous Israelis right now watching all of this unfold.

Jeremy, what does all this mean for the hostage and ceasefire talks?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, as Clarissa said, I mean, we're seeing the possibility of a diplomatic off ramp that is at least floating around in the air and a lot of diplomatic effort being put into this from the United States, from the U.S.'s Arab allies in the region. And it seems like perhaps Iran is going to seize this opportunity to take credit for a ceasefire, if it can bring that pressure to bear. That is a long, long ways away for now, but it could provide an opportunity for the United States, which has been pressuring the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to agree to a ceasefire, to have even more ammo, to make their case to him.

And it comes at a time when today we are hitting now ten months since this war began, since more than 240 hostages were taken captive by Hamas and its allies in Gaza, and the families of the hostages are also bringing more pressure to bear, urging the Israeli prime minister to seize this moment and accusing him of obstructing this deal, saying that he is continuing to thwart a deal, and in doing so, sentencing their family members to death.

The Israeli prime minister's office, for its part, said today that, look, it's already given its response to the latest talks and now the ball is in Hamas' court. We know that Hamas also this past week put Yahya Sinwar as its top leader. Sinwar was Hamas' leader in Gaza. He is viewed as a more extreme figure, a more militant figure, and so that does not bode well for ceasefire talks either. But we have yet to see exactly how that will impact the talks.

What is clear for now is that the Israeli prime minister in this latest round of responses Did put several 11th hour demands that were unlikely to be accepted by Hamas. And what's also clear is that if there is the possibility of a ceasefire here, it could dramatically lower the temperature in a region that seems like it's just a few degrees away from boiling over. Wolf?

BLITZER: Yes, the temperature is exploding right now. People are so concerned. I'm sure you've noticed yourself, Jeremy, Israelis increasingly are not saying Laila Tov anymore, which means good night. They're saying Laila Shaket, which means a quiet night. They're all hoping for a quiet night.

Jeremy Diamond, Alex Mark, Clarissa Ward, to all of you, thank you very much and stay safe out there.

Straight ahead, we have live pictures of Air Force Two and a big crowd right now in Detroit, as we get closer and closer to remarks by Tim Walz in Michigan. We're taking a closer look at his personal history and his wife, Gwen.

This is The Situation Room. We're live from Tel Aviv, Israel.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:25:00] BLITZER: Right now, we're looking at a live picture of Air Force Two on the ground right now in Detroit, as we await remarks by Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. Voters nationwide are just starting to learn about Governor Walz on this, his first full day as Harris' running mate. They're also getting to know more about his wife, Gwen.

CNN's Brian Todd is taking a closer look at all of this for us. Brian, first of all, what are you learning about Gwen Walz and the Walz family, for that matter?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, this is a couple that hasn't been shy about discussing their struggles with having children. But, first and foremost, they're a family that makes their background in education a badge of honor.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's my honor to introduce our future vice president, Governor Tim Walz.

TODD (voice over): Tim Walz, sharing his background as an educator with the world.

WALZ: I had the privilege of teaching public school, social studies, and coaching football for 20 years. And for all you Packer and Badgers fans, yes, we did win a state championship.

TODD: A role he's shared with his wife.

BRIANA BIERSCHBACH, MINNESOTA POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT REPORTER, STAR TRIBUTE: He also met his wife, Gwen Walz, while he was teaching, and she's a native Minnesotan, so she eventually brought him back home to the state of Minnesota. They moved to Mankato.

TODD: The school system in rural Mankato, Minnesota, is where Gwen Walz.

[18:30:00]

Tim's wife of 30 years, served as an administrator and coordinator. She's also taught in public and alternative schools and taught in migrant schools and in prisons.

MARGARET TALEV, MANAGING EDITOR, AXIOS: Gwen Walz's background suggests that she not only believes education is important to all Americans, but that education is a way to break patterns that can keep you down economically and sociologically.

TODD: The daughter of two teachers, Gwen Walz hasn't hesitated to step into the political arena.

GWEN WALZ, TIM WALZ'S WIFE: We are the state leading for children, leading for families.

TODD: The couple also sharing their personal struggle with starting a family and in vitro fertilization treatments.

WALZ: And I remember each night praying that the call was going to come and it was going to be good news. The phone would ring, tenseness in my stomach, and then the agony when you heard the treatments hadn't worked.

So, it wasn't by chance that when we welcomed our first child, our beautiful daughter, we named her Hope.

TODD: Hope Walz is now 23 years old. They have a son, Gus, who's 17. Last year, Tim and Hope posted this video from their trip to the state fair as they headed for a ride called the Slingshot.

WALZ: Which I don't know what it is, and they're keeping it from me. But then we're going to go get some food, corndog.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm vegetarian.

WALZ: Turkey then.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Turkey's meat.

WALZ: Not in Minnesota. Turkey is special. And we will go do some of those things and report back.

BIERSCHBACH: He kind of has this Midwestern dad vibe. He really knows how to kind of jump into a conversation with a stranger and make them feel like he's listening to them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: Analysts say it's that folksy relatability to working class voters that could help the Harris campaign compete with Donald Trump in the crucial swing states of Michigan and Wisconsin. But one analyst also says Gwen Walz's work teaching migrants and inmates could open them up to attack lines from the Trump campaign. Wolf?

BLITZER: Brian Todd reporting for us, Brian, thank you very much, very informative.

Joining us now, someone who knows Tim Walz well, Colorado's Democratic Governor Jared Polis. Governor, thank you so much for joining us.

I know you've called Governor Walz your friend. You've worked with him on -- many experiences working with him. From your experience, what do you think makes him the best pick to be Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate?

GOV. JARED POLIS (D-CO): Well, I served with Tim for ten years in the House as colleagues, and we were elected governor the same year, and he's been very active in our National Governors' Association, which I'm honored to chair.

You know, Tim brings deep integrity to this position. He is what he says he is. He wears it on his sleeve. He's wonderful, right? This is a -- he served 24 years in the U.S. military. He actually was a ranking member of the Veterans Committee in his heart. He really has a strong place for our country's veterans. I played on the congressional baseball team with him. You know, he needs to practice a little bit in baseball. I think football is his main sport.

But let me tell you, this is a guy that Americans can be proud of as our vice president. It really speaks well of Kamala, that she chose somebody who really represents, I think, in many ways, the best of American values and has a forward-looking vision for America's future to protect our freedoms and to make sure that every American is better off.

BLITZER: In contrast to this, listen to how Donald Trump is trying to define Vice President Harris and Governor Walz for that matter. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: He's a very, very liberal man, and he's a shocking pick, and I'm thrilled. I could not be more thrilled.

Nobody knew how radical left she was, but he's a smarter version of her, if you want to know the truth. He's probably about the same as Bernie Sanders.

This is a ticket that would want this country to go communist immediately, if not sooner.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: She's arriving now at Air Force Two. She's arriving in Detroit. But go ahead. Governor Walz, by the way, Governor Polis, appeared to embrace the socialism term just last week. I'll play a little clip. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALZ: Don't ever shy away from our progressive values. One person's socialism is another person's neighborliness. Just do the damn work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: What do you say to Trump and other critics who say this Democratic ticket, Governor, is too left wing?

POLIS: Well, you know, I think President Trump loses all his credibility when he says that. But the truth is Tim Walz had one of the most conservative voting records of any Democratic member of Congress. It was well to my right, and many people call me a moderator, a pragmatist, you can call me whatever you like. He was, to my right, one of the most conservative Democrats in the United States Congress.

But it's not about conservative or liberal. He's just practical. He wants to make life better for Americans. I think that was a very wise quote. He was reaching out. There are people who call themselves socialists. I'm not one, Tim's not one, Kamala's not one, of course. But he was saying, you know, what some of them mean is something different than your notion of socialism.

And, of course, I believe in reaching out to people across the ideological spectrum. So, does Tim Walz in reaching out, to whether they're conservatives or moderates or liberals or socialists. You know, this is about character. Of course, character matters, and I think President Trump really lost a lot of credibility when he claimed that somehow, in any way, shape, or form, this is somebody who was a liberal member of Congress or a liberal governor. He is one of the most conservative members of Congress the Democrats had in there at the time.

BLITZER: Interesting, Trump is also attacking Walz for signing an executive order in Minnesota last year to protect access to gender affirming care. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: He's very heavy into transgender. Anything transgender he thinks is great. And he's not where the country is on anything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Governor Polis, how do you respond to that?

POLIS: This is where President Trump is out of touch. It's not the government's role to force people to be certain genders or tell them what to do, it's an individual freedom. Tim Walz gets that. Kamala Harris gets that. I mean, what is more intimate than gender, right? Some people are born comfortable male and born comfortable female and most of us are never think about it. Others are born of intermediate gender. That's nothing for the government to talk about. For goodness sakes, that's an individual freedom. Who you love, who you are, how you identify your faith, your gender, these are not matters for Donald Trump to decide. And that's something that Tim Walz and Kamala Harris really get. And that's in line with the vast majority of Americans.

And as you know, Governor, Republicans are also baselessly blaming anti-Semitism for Harris passing over Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro for vice president. As a Jewish governor yourself, what's your reaction to that?

POLIS: Well, I could just say Kamala Harris loves Jewish people so much, she married one. And Doug Emhoff is going to be a remarkable first gentleman for the United States and, of course, it's absolutely ridiculous at this point.

When they throw it and bandy about terms, like the anti-Semitism in vain, it frankly to detracts from the real problems with anti- Semitism, especially on the right, but also on the left in this country, the groups in Charlottesville that said Jews will not replace us. Donald Trump said some of them were good people. You know, that's a real problem. And it detracts from it when you use that term without meaning anything.

BLITZER: Yes. Governor Jared Polis of Colorado, a great state, indeed, thank you so much for joining us. Let's continue these conversations. I appreciate it very much.

And just ahead, what the discovery of an alleged terror plot forces several Taylor Swift concerts to be canceled.

This is The Situation Room. We're alive from Tel Aviv, Israel.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:40:00]

BLITZER: There's more breaking news we're following right now. Three Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna, Austria, have just been canceled after an alleged terrorist attack plot was uncovered by Austrian authorities.

I want to bring in CNN's Senior National Security Analyst Juliette Kayyem and CNN Entertainment Correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister.

Elizabeth, what are we learning about this very, very worrisome development?

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely a very scary development, but, thankfully, this terror attack was thwarted.

So, what we are learning from authorities in Austria is that there have been two arrests made. The authorities say that both of these individuals became radicalized. That is the word that they use on the internet. One of the suspects is a 19-year-old who authorities say had regionally -- had recently pledged to ISIS. So, obviously, a very concerning situation, but this planned terror attack was thwarted.

But still, even though authorities initially said that the shows would go on with increased security measures at the entrance, now the concert promoter behind the tour in Austria is saying that they canceled all three shows and that they had no other choice because of the safety of the fans.

BLITZER: It's interesting, Juliette, authorities say the main suspect had pledged allegiance to ISIS and that chemicals were seized at one of the suspect's homes. Give us your analysis of all of this.

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Yes. So, they called it a sort of preparatory arrest. In other words, there was talk of this attack. We certainly know when Taylor Swift was going to be in the concert hall and that they actually were able to obtain some chemical-type materials. We don't know exactly what they are and they have not been disclosed yet.

So, the question is sort of where was this person in preparation? Because this person seems to have been early on in the radicalization process, was this someone hoping to do something that was very unrealistic just because we know that a Taylor Swift concert, like most concerts, are well-protected, it's hard to get in, there's layers and layers of defense, or did the second suspect, who we don't know who that is, is that someone who was more sophisticated? I have to say I was shocked that they canceled and there's only two explanations for it, because I don't mean to minimize this, it's just these concerts get a lot of threats. So, to cancel, it means either that the concert organizer was not satisfied with the answers that they were getting from the law enforcement in Austria and were worried that they were putting concertgoers, let alone Taylor Swift at risk, or they do have information that there could be an ongoing threat. Neither is good, but that would be the reason why they, in fact, canceled them rather than saying, we're just going to have more security.

[18:45:01]

BLITZER: Yes. It's very sad. Elizabeth, how does Taylor Swift handle these issues around her fans' safety?

WAGMEISTER: You know, for Taylor Swift, her fans are really the most important. It has always been that way for her since the beginning of her career. Now, I have reached out to Taylor's camp. We have not heard back yet, but I do expect that we will hear from her.

We know that for Taylor, this was definitely not a decision that would have been taken lightly now, if it was her decision to make force, considering what is going on with authorities. But for Taylor, fans always come first.

BLITZER: Elizabeth Wagmeister, Juliette Kayyem, to both of you, thank you very much for joining us.

Coming up here in THE SITUATION ROOM. We're going to have more on the breaking news, what U.S. officials are now telling CNN about the timing of potential attacks against Israel.

You're watching THE SITUATION ROOM. We're alive from Tel Aviv.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:50:06]

BLITZER: All right. Let's get back to the breaking news we're following the Middle East right now is on edge as sources tell CNN the Lebanese-based militant group, Hezbollah, is poised to strike Israel in the coming days, regardless of Iranian plans and could attack with little or absolutely no notice.

I'm joined now by CNN political and global affairs analyst Barak Ravid.

Barak, what are you hearing from your sources and you have very good ones about how soon Hezbollah potentially could strike and what that could actually look like?

BARAK RAVID, CNN POLITICAL & GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Hi, Wolf. Well, Israeli officials don't know exactly when Hezbollah is going to strike. They know it is a matter of days until this happens, and they're very concerned that Hezbollah is going to target military basis in central Israel, including in Tel Aviv, including the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv, maybe the Mossad headquarters in northern Tel Aviv, and maybe other intelligence bases in Northern Tel Aviv.

They are concerned about that also because there are many civilian neighborhoods in the area and they're concerned that Hezbollah is not going to be able to fire accurately and it will hit civilian population, Israeli civilian population, and Israeli officials are telling me that they told the U.S. both to the Pentagon and to the U.S. Central Command, that if this is the case, if Hezbollah fires missiles and eight Israeli civilians, the IDF will conduct this proportionate response against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

BLITZER: Yeah. I've been told by Israeli officials they're very worried that Hezbollah from southern Lebanon and they have a lot of missiles and rockets and drones. They could also target Ben-Gurion International Airport just outside of Tel Aviv as well. They're very worried about that.

The U.S., as you know, Barak, is leading a diplomatic push to try to avert a much wider war but how much are Iran and Israel actually listening to outsiders, right now?

RAVID: I'm not sure that they are listening too much in some way. The Iranians are listening and I think this is why we see that they're still like hedging and thinking about it and not rushing into anything yet. I think the same goes for Hezbollah, but I think the one of the challenges that the Biden administration has is, I mean, people know that Hezbollah and most likely Iran are going to retaliate.

And the question is right now, how do you make sure that the response for the response is not going to be sad that will take them region into an all-out war. I think this is also one of the diplomatic efforts that the U.S. and other countries are going to Israel, for example, French President Macron spoke to Netanyahu, but this just several hours ago, telling the Israelis, listen, we know that you are going to respond to whatever Hezbollah and Iranians do, but you need to cal this response and manage to contain it as much as possible.

BLITZER: All right. Barak Ravid, as usual, thank you very much for your excellent analysis.

Coming up, Russia accuses Ukraine of launching a massive cross-border attack into Russia.

Stay with us. You're watching THE SITUATION ROOM. We're live from Tel Aviv, Israel.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:57:50]

BLITZER: There are major developments in Russia tonight where Vladimir Putin's defense ministry is accusing Ukraine of launching a massive, unprecedented cross-border attack on Russian soil. Let's get details from our chief international security correspondent, Nick Paton Walsh. Nick, what can you tell us? What's the latest yeah.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT Wolf, according to Russian officials, this is indeed the Ukrainian regular military launching now for two days and encouraging across border into Russia, near a town called Sudzha. Now, they appear to have gotten inside that town according to videos that we're seeing, the mayor of it describing the situation is very tense.

Now, Russia's president Vladimir Putin has called this a major provocation, even claim famed that these Ukrainian forces have been indiscriminately firing potentially in residential areas. Exactly what Russians have been doing in Ukraine for years, but it's a huge embarrassment and his chief of staffs claim that the advance has been halted. Well, that's not really backed up by the videos that we've been seeing that show Ukrainian forces spread over quite a wide area. While we can't entirely verify even suggesting they've taken a substantial number of Russian servicemen as prisoner.

Why now? Well, Ukraine is urgently needed, frankly, some good news for them from the front lines. This may be it. It may also distract Russia's forces from the Donbas region, having to rush reinforcements to stop this embarrassment.

And remember, Ukraine has had nothing but bad news from Donbas where the Russians are advancing very steadily burn a very consistent rate. But there are also some suggestions that perhaps the target for Ukrainian forces here is indeed a gas terminal on the border that helps gas gets shipped from Russia through Ukraine to Europe. Unclear quite what the fate of that terminal is right now, it may be in Ukrainian hands.

But, look, this is a stark move. It seems by Ukraine's forces or Kyiv has not said rarely a word about this at all but it does suggest indeed that Ukraine is trying a new tactic here as it clearly falters and other parts of the front-line, Wolf.

BLITZER: And, Nick, what can you tell us about the U.S. reaction. How is the U.S. watching all of this unfold? As I said, this is unprecedented, Ukrainian forces moving across the border into Russia.

WALSH: Yeah, look, I mean, we've seen in the past Russian citizens working, fighting for Ukraine, makes small incursion as militant groups. But if we believe the Russian, this is the first time perhaps the regular military has moved across the border.

Look, the State Department has said, this is an outside of what we might expect Ukraine to do and we don't expect Ukraine to tell us what they're doing every time they move, but clearly a departure for Kyiv.

BLITZER: Very serious development indeed.

Nick Paton Walsh, thank you very, very much.

And to our viewers, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM. I'll see you tomorrow, 11:00 a.m. Eastern for CNN NEWSROOM. We're here in Tel Aviv.

Until then, thanks very much once again for watching.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.