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2024 Battle Over Economy Heats Up As Harris Unveils Her Plan; Harris: Will Be "Laser Focused" On Building An "Opportunity Economy"; Harris Argues Trump's Economic Plan Would "Devastate Americans"; Trump Tries To Brand Harris And Her Economic Agenda As "Communist"; Trump Says Civilian Award Is "Much Better" Than Receiving A Medal Of Honor In Latest Insult Of Military Service; Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), Is Interviewed About Deadly Israeli Settler Attack Devastates Palestinian West Bank Town; New Rules To Overhaul How Realtors Get Paid; The Hunt For Burmese Pythons In The Florida Everglades. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired August 16, 2024 - 17:00   ET

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

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Former President Bill Clinton. You're going to hear some people on Thursday too. She's one of them.

CNN will have special coverage led by CNN Jake Tapper, among others. Look out for that starting Monday night here on CNN. And of course, you can follow the show on X at The Lead CNN. If you ever miss an episode of The Lead, you can listen to it wherever you get your podcast. The news continues on CNN with Wolf Blitzer in Tel Aviv in the "Situation Room." Have a great weekend.

[17:00:36]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Happening now, the 2024 battle over the economy heats up as Kamala Harris unveils her plan and leans into a populist agenda, including tax cuts for the middle class. We're breaking down her vision and the Trump campaign's response.

Also this hour, President Biden says mediators are, in his words, closer than ever to a Gaza ceasefire and hostage agreement after a new round of talks. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to travel here to Israel amid urgent efforts to seal a deal.

Plus, a major shakeup in the U.S. real estate industry, as new rules and how agents are paid, commissions are about to take effect. Stay right here to find out what that means for you if you're buying or selling your home.

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

We begin with issue number one for voters in the U.S., the economy. Vice President Kamala Harris just laid out her proposals aimed at helping struggling Americans pay their bills, a pitch she made in the battleground state of North Carolina. CNN's Eva McKend is on the scene for us, joining us live from Raleigh right now.

Eva, break down today's speech, what it means. EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, this speech was quite significant, because this is the first time that we heard the Vice President outline her concrete economic policy goals. A Harris administration would go after price gougers. A Harris administration would aggressively pursue increasing the child tax credit from $2,000 to $3,600, $6,000 for low income families, middle class families. Perhaps the loudest applause line came when she pledged to pursue $25,000 for first time home buyers.

But Wolf, what was also significant is how she framed this conversation in deeply personal terms, talking about how significant it was in her own life when her mother could finally afford to buy a home. Talking about how she understood what it was like when you have to stretch those dollars in order to buy groceries. She also recalled working at McDonald's as a young person and seeing her then colleagues try to make that money work to raise families.

Take a listen to how she is framing this conversation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If you want to know who someone cares about, look who they fight for. Donald Trump fights for billionaires and large corporations, we, I will fight to give money back to working and middle class Americans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKEND: And so, conservatives already lining up to dismiss these policy proposals as socialist. It is worth noting, Wolf, that many of the proposals would require a future President Harris to work in concert with Congress, and that Democrats have, in the past, offered a lot of these policies but had difficulty ultimately getting them over the finish line. Wolf.

BLITZER: Eva McKend in North Carolina for us. Eva, thank you very much for that report.

I want to get some more on all of this. Our panel of political experts is joining us right now.

Jeff Zeleny, this was a populist economic message from the Vice President, even separating herself from President Biden's policies, in some ways. Talk a little bit about that.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it definitely was economic populism. But also it really struck me that this is really the first time we're seeing her making her case against Donald Trump through the idea of policy. So for all this talk really the last several months is, this going to be a referendum on the Biden administration or a choice with the former president. And she is trying to draw a sharp contrast with the policies of a potential new administration for the former president. And what she would do, now he embraced the Biden policies to a point, but she also focused much more on trying to bring down the cost of housing, the cost of food.

[17:05:01]

Now there weren't a ton of specifics here, but this is a presidential campaign. She was laying out her vision. She certainly stopped well short of saying how she would specifically pay for any of this. But she really went after the Trump specific policies on the economy. And he has inflationary policies, there's no question about it, so trying to blunt sort of backlash in blaming the inflation on the Biden administration and trying to flip the script a little bit.

So it was pretty fascinating in terms of trying that contrast. But perhaps more than anything, just weaving in her life stories, working at a McDonald's, talking about that American dream when her mother was able to buy their first home, and remembering what that felt like, that is what these policy speeches are about. I mean, it's a reminder. Most Americans still don't know that much about her, so she's clearly trying to use even speeches like this to fill in some of the blanks.

BLITZER: Yes, that's really important, too.

Meghan Hays is with us.

Meghan, the Vice President didn't release details, new details on how she's going to help pay for all these new proposals. Is that a mistake?

MEGHAN HAYS, DNC CONVENTION CONSULTANT: No, I don't think so. I think that people want to see what her hopes are and her vision is for moving into a Harris administration. I think that, you know, just like Jeff was saying that she's building upon the Biden administration success that they've had, and then going a little bit further into housing, into cutting costs for groceries. So I think that people just see the vision and are hopeful, and they just want to see how that she is thinking of a plan and is going to move that into the future.

BLITZER: Matt Gorman, do you think a speech like this one steals some of Trump's populist thunder?

MATT GORMAN, FORMER TIM SCOTT PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN SENIOR ADVISOR: You know, I don't think it steals it. I think one of the commonalities is we're hearing both more populist rhetoric from the right and the left nowadays with -- certainly with JD Vance now on the ticket as well.

I think a couple things. I think, number one, you know, over the last several, you know, weeks, Kamala has taken care to try and flip flop on so many of her positions she took in the 2020 presidential race through kind of anonymous aides moderating those things. But this first policy was pretty far left. I think that was a notable shift.

And also, you know, if you were kind of blacked out for last four years, you would think that she was the challenger. She was the incumbent vice president of United States. You know, there wasn't a lot of talk about, let's face it, a lot of the crises with inflation housing happened during the Biden-Harris administration. There's a little memory holding of that. I took note of during the speech as well. BLITZER: Kristen Holmes, Vice President Harris, also went after Trump's ability to stay on message when he visited North Carolina recently. Listen and watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Two days ago, Donald Trump was here in North Carolina.

MULTIPLE SPEAKERS: Boo.

HARRIS: He said he was going to talk about the economy. I think you all watched. You know what I'm about to say. But he offered no serious plans to reduce costs for middle class families, no plan to expand access to housing or health care.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's right.

HARRIS: And that, actually, I think for most of us, was not surprising.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Kristen, how is the Trump campaign reacting to these comments and the populist economic agenda Vice President Harris is now laying out?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, they're obviously attacking her. They've said that she's gone full blown communist. At one point they said she has a Soviet style price control scheme. But one thing was clear in their attacking of her, and it's what we're going to see. And actually, Matt kind of made the point, for me, because we're hearing this in Republican talking points, as well as from the administration, is that they are essentially laying this out as if this is her policy, then why isn't she starting on it now?

Their entire goal is to try and paint her as an incumbent whose policies are unpopular. We obviously know from polling that we saw for months when President Joe Biden was at the top of the ticket that Donald Trump pulls ahead of Kamala Harris on the economy-- I mean, excuse me, ahead of Joe Biden on the economy. They believe that she can also pull ahead of Kamala Harris if he continues this messaging. Now she is right, there were not a lot of policy details in his speech, but the one thing that he has continued to double down on, and what they hope gets through to voters is this idea of, were you better off under my administration, when inflation was lower, when you could -- when interest rates were lower. And that's what he's really trying to hammer home.

Now, if people start requesting more details, we obviously have asked for more details on how exactly he would try and get inflation back down. But if he puts that out, well, keeping an eye on it. But right now, the policy, really messaging has been again, I did it once, weren't you happier then? Not particularly detail focused. BLITZER: Interesting. Jeff, as Kristen is reporting the Trump campaign says Harris went, and I'm quoting now, "full communist" with her agenda. How are attacks like this likely to land with voters out there?

[17:10:11]

ZELENY: Well, look, I think it depends which voters. I mean, for the Republican base, it definitely will be music to their ears and fire them up. But those aren't necessarily the voters that matter the most. They're the independent voters in the middle, and now there definitely is a new presidential race upon us here, and she's walking a very fine line by trying to embrace some of the Biden-Harris record and also trying to draw a contrast with what the former President is proposing.

So what independent voters are looking for is perhaps change. Almost every election, Wolf, is a change election, and suddenly change is also on the side of the Democrats. It certainly wasn't with the President Biden at the top of the ticket. So she owns the record of the administration, but she also has the unique ability to present something forward, present something new. So that is what voters are going to have to sort out here. But I think the contrast was very, very stark.

And this is something we've not seen actually, in about 24 years or so. When Al Gore, of course, was running, he embraced some elements of the Clinton administration, but also tried to move on and pivot. Since then, we've not seen a vice president running while the president is still in office. So it's going to be a fascinating exercise to see how voters sort through all of this. But the specific things of a communism, I'm not sure those land very well with voters in the middle of this who simply want something to be done by Washington here.

So, a very interesting speech that just began putting some meat on these policy bones.

BLITZER: Yes, this debate only just beginning, I should say. Everybody stand by. Coming up next, we'll discuss Donald Trump's take on civilian versus military honors as he disparages Americans who have served in uniform again. And later, U.S. officials are sounding a bit optimistic after a new round of Gaza ceasefire and hostage talks. We're tracking what's next in the push to finally secure an elusive deal.

We're live here in Tel Aviv, and you're in the Situation Room.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:16:20]

BLITZER: We're back with our political experts right now, as Donald Trump has unleashed a new insult of Americans who were injured or died serving in the U.S. military. Listen to what he said to Republican MAGA donor Miriam Adelson about an award he gave her when he was president. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Miriam, I watched Sheldon sitting so proud in the White House when we gave Miriam the Presidential Medal of Freedom. That's the highest award you can get as a civilian. It's the equivalent of the Congressional Medal of Honor but civilian version. It's actually much better, because everyone gets the Congressional Medal of Honor that soldiers. They're either in very bad shape because they've been hit so many times by bullets, or they're dead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Kristen, what is the Trump campaign saying about this? And how are voters likely to look at it?

HOLMES: Well, I've heard from a number of Trump allies on this. I mean, the main sentiment is that we just wish that he would stay on message, particularly talking about the economy or immigration, or in this case, he was hosting an event about anti-Semitism. Their goal is to make sure that he focuses on policy issues, particularly the policy issues that he pulls ahead of Kamala Harris. So they hope he will pull ahead of Kamala Harris on.

Now, that seems to be very hard for Donald Trump, particularly when he goes off message. But whether or not this is going to affect him with his own voters? No, I don't think so. This is not the first time he says something like this. He often goes off script.

He often has denigrated various groups of people in these kind of rifts or rants. It doesn't really phase the people who are going to vote for him. Maybe it would move some people in the middle, but I will say that from my conversations, even with them, most people seem to understand who Donald Trump is and some of the stuff he says. So, I'm not really sure that this would move the needle in any way. However, as they are trying to energize people to get them to the polls, to figure out how to stop the momentum around Kamala Harris, they do.

They being, the people close to Donald Trump, have just expressed over and over again a desire for Donald Trump to focus on messaging and what exactly he is saying to the American public.

BLITZER: And Jeff, as Kristen just said, this isn't the first time, by any means, that Trump has attacked U.S. service members. According to his former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, Trump called dead American service members, quote, "suckers and losers." Trump criticized the late Senator John McCain for being captured during the Vietnam War. And earlier this year, he questioned why Nikki Haley's husband wasn't by her side while he was on military deployment.

How problematic is all of this for the Trump campaign?

ZELENY: Look, Wolf, it's one more example in the long list of things. If any other politician would say this, they would be in big trouble. If Donald Trump says it, it's ignored by his supporters. But look, I think it's one more data point and one more example of, you know, perhaps for voters in the middle, but also just objectively, people who serve in the military, veterans and whatnot. It's a very callous comment.

So regardless of who says it, it is something that, you know, is shocking, perhaps not as shocking as when he made those comments nine years ago, I guess, in 2015 about John McCain. He said, I prefer people who weren't shot down. It's shocking. It's not disqualifying, obviously, to his supporters. But I think setting that aside, it is something that is very different, and it just shows a pattern of how he views soldiers and people who are shot or injured or potentially wounded.

[17:20:04]

So I think it's just one more example of something he gets away with that other politicians were not. But I would not be surprised at all if we would see a Super PAC or something put this in some type of a digital ad or a television ad, and just a reminding people that he said this. But the election, I'm guessing, will not be decided on a comment as flippant as this.

BLITZER: I'm anxious, Matt, to get your thought. Why does Trump keep making these ugly disparaging remarks about members of the U.S. military?

GORMAN: Yes, look, I think this is what Republicans over the last say, 10 days, whether it's Kevin McCarthy, the Vivek Ramaswamy, Nikki Haley, all swats the party have said, when they say, look, stick to policy. Look, I think Jeff and Kristen are right to an extent where, look, I think after 10 years, I want to meet the person that was suddenly going to vote for him and suddenly saw this, and this is what's going to finally put him over the edge.

I think more so is, look, there's an opportunity cost here, right? We just spent about a good eight minutes talking about Kamala Harris's economic policy, and I think, I believe, they're justifiable criticisms of it. And so, this really takes a spotlight off that a little bit where you have the opportunity to go after her on some of those things, on some of those policies. And this -- you know, saying things like this distracts from your ability to do that. I think that, at the end of the day, the opportunity cost is likely the one tangible thing that were -- it's going to be missed out of this.

BLITZER: Meghan, how do you think Democrats and the Harris campaign, for that matter, can capitalize on remarks like this from Donald Trump?

HAYS: I think that they can just use this as another contrast messaging point that's showing a contrast between the Vice President and the former president here, and the comments are callous and they're disrespectful. And I think it's just a contrast point of more chaos that comes from him. And again, to Matt's point, it's just one less opportunity that he has that he can talk about messaging and, you know, we can talk about the Vice President's message now that she's laying out for the economy we're moving into the convention. She just has a lot of momentum on her side that he doesn't have because we were spending time talking about his callous remarks about service members who are giving, you know, great sacrifice here for their country. So, it's just, you know, it's just another point.

But to everyone's point here, that's not going to change votes, but it's just wasted opportunity. Again, wasted opportunity for him.

BLITZER: You would think Trump had a senior aide who could come to him and say, Mr. President, you can't be talking about this. It's only going to hurt you in the campaign. But I suspect that no one is saying that to him at all.

All right, guys, thank you very, very much.

Up next --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: -- there's more news we're following on the latest --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks, guys.

BLITZER: -- on the Gaza ceasefire negotiations, as President Biden says, we're closer than we've ever been to a deal. The top Democrat of the House Armed Services Committee, Congressman Adam Smith, is standing by live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:27:21]

BLITZER: We're coming to you live from Tel Aviv, Israel. The region here in the Middle East on edge tonight, even as there are some, some hopeful signs from the ceasefire talks and worries over a potential strike from Iran or one of its proxies. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh is joining us from Doha, Qatar right now. That's where another day of negotiations wrapped up just a little while ago.

Jomana, are there any real signs of progress going into next week?

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, after two days of intense negotiations involving the Israeli delegation and the mediators, the U.S., Qatar, and Egypt, wrapped up today. These talks have been described as constructive, as serious, as being conducted in a positive atmosphere and ended with the U.S., with the support of Egypt and Qatar, putting on the table what is being described as a final and comprehensive bridging proposal.

Now we don't know the details of this proposal, what deal is on the table right now, how they managed to work through some major sticking points and key differences in Israel and Hamas' positions when it comes to an agreement. What we -- but what we do know is that they are going to have technical teams working over the next few days on the details of the implementation of this proposal, and then you will have the senior leaders, the senior level delegation, meeting again in Cairo before the end of next week, they say, with the aim of concluding this deal. So certainly, very positive, very optimistic messaging coming from the mediators, especially from the U.S., but we have yet to hear that same level of positivity from Israel, from Hamas. We have yet to see both sides come out and endorse this proposal.

Right now we have a short statement coming from the Israeli Prime Minister's office, saying that they appreciate the efforts that have been made by these mediators, and that they know what Israel's essential principles are, what its position is, and now it's up to the mediators to get Hamas to agree to the deal. Hamas has not yet put out an official statement, but a senior source in Hamas telling our colleague, Ben Wedeman, that the -- that Hamas' leadership views this new proposal, Wolf, as conforming and responding to Israel's demands in accusing Israel, again, of obstructing this deal.

[17:30:00]

Of course this is we are hearing President Biden saying that we are closer than what have then what we have ever been to a deal. But I can tell you that many in the region right now are still very skeptical, saying we have been here before. We have heard this before, but everyone is waiting to see what happens in the coming few days.

BLITZER: Yes. Let's hope there's a deal, lives will be saved if there's a deal, Palestinian lives, and certainly, the Israelis will welcome the return of the hostages. Jomana Karadsheh in Doham Qatar for us, Jomana, thank you very much for that report.

There's more news we're following here in the Middle East, growing outrage right now after a horrific attack on a Palestinian village in the West Bank by Israeli settlers. CNN International diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson, has the story from the West Bank. I want to warn our viewers, some of the images you're about to see are disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): Cars torched, houses set alight, armed Israeli settlers on a deadly overnight rampage firing live rounds in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian village of Jit. Security camera video catching the moment settlers brazenly storm one of the houses, dousing furniture and setting it a fire. Twenty-three-year-old Rashid Sedda shot in the chest.

Hours later, his family and friends carrying him shoulder high through the village, a hero, they say, for rushing to face down the settlers unarmed.

ROBERTSON: What angers the people here is that Rashid Sedda, is not the first victim of settler violence in these small West Bank villages, and they fear that there could be more.

SUHAIL SEDDA, COUSIN OF RASHID SEDDA: We can't leave the houses. You know, I have a house. I got eight kids. We are all Americans. And they are just -- they are terrorized right now because of what happened yesterday. ROBERTSON (voice-over): Rashid's father, Mahmoud, needing help up the hill to the cemetery. At the graveside, anger, frustration and sadness palpable under the beating sun, as another child of this soil returned long before his time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in Foreign Language).

ROBERTSON (voice-over): The orations pouring praise on Rashid and vitriol on the Israeli government, despite some officials condemning the settlers. And early next morning, the IDF stopping a second attack.

MURAD ESHTEWI, SPOKESMAN FOR FATAH IN QALQILYA GOVERNATE (through translator): What we've heard from the Israeli occupation government is smoke and mirrors, because we Palestinian people know for sure that these settlers did not attack without a political and security order. It sends a message to settlers that they could launch their attacks.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Mohammad Arram got beaten. His vehicle torched. It was 7:00 p.m. we were relaxing, he says. The settlers caught us by surprise. Started smashing the car. His security camera catching the moment the settlers arrived, chasing and attacking him and his brother. This was a planned attack, the most vicious we've seen with guns, he says. They tried to get into the house to the women and children. It could have been a massacre. Only one grave to mourn at, a mercy of sorts. The life lessons learned by these youngsters, though, herald another generation of bitterness and division.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON (on camera): And of course, this happening right at one of the most sensitive times of those talks in Doha. Hamas themselves called for the people of the West Bank to rise up against the Israelis, and this really just epitomizes, if you will, the desperate nature of the situation, what a Palestinian state might mean to people in those villages, who would believe out of that they would get better security, their lives would be safer. So, so much is at stake, not just what's happening in Gaza, but in the West Bank too, Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes. Important point indeed. Nic, thank you very much. Nic Robertson, reporting for us.

I want to get some more reaction right now on what's going on here in the region. Congressman Adam Smith is joining us. He's the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee. Congressman, thanks so much for joining us. The top White House Spokesman John Kirby told me earlier today that the U.S. is not ruling out taking action against this attack. Do you support sanctioning these Israeli settlers, or even far right minister, for example, like Bezalel Smotrich, who oversees West Bank settlements?

REP. ADAM SMITH (D-WA): I think we -- I think we have to take action. I think what Benjamin Netanyahu is allowing to happen to the West Bank is wrong, first of all, illegal internationally, but also just an incredible danger at this moment. You see Hezbollah, Iran, Hamas, you know, we already have the war in Gaza, which we're trying to bring to a conclusion. There is real risk of a spreading war in the Middle East, and this just throws fuel on those flames.

[17:35:25]

So, yes, I think sanctions should be imposed. Personally, I think both Ben-Gvir and Smotrich should be kicked out of the cabinet. They shouldn't be in the cabinet. They shouldn't be in a position to allow this type of thing to happen. It's dangerous for the entire region, but crucially, it is dangerous for Israel. It places Israel and Israelis at greater risk, so their own government should certainly recognize that and reduce that risk.

BLITZER: The U.S. has repeatedly voiced deep concerns about Israeli settlements on the West Bank, but the Israeli government has continued to actually expand them, and the U.N. says settler violence has surged even more since October 7th. Why is the U.S. allowed this to go on? Does there need to be even a harder line here?

SMITH: Yes. Well, I disagree with the one point about us allowing it to go on as if we control what Israel is going to do in the West Bank. I think that's a mistake a lot of people make about the U.S. role in the world. We certainly have a role to play. We certainly try to influence events. We don't control other countries. And we certainly don't control Israel. But I will agree that more needs to be done, that more sanctions need to be provided, and more pressure needs to be put on the Israeli government to make them recognize that Israeli security is at risk. The security of the region is at risk. And they need to start making different choices, because if you don't get to a -- a pathway for a Palestinian state to some sort of hope for the Palestinian people, then you're not going to have the peace that Israel needs.

Look, there -- there is a -- a deal on the table between Saudi Arabia on the table, but there is a deal to be made between Saudi Arabia, Israel, the U.S., the UAE, and others, security cooperation that could undermine the influence of Iran, which would be a very positive thing, but that deal is not going to get made if there is no future for the Palestinian people. And -- and I hope that the Netanyahu government recognizes that, and if they don't, then I hope the Israeli people try to replace it.

BLITZER: You heard President Biden say a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza is as close as ever, but Hamas and Netanyahu's government, for that matter, haven't endorsed today's bridging proposal, at least not yet. They're going to resume negotiations next week in Cairo. How likely, Congressman, is any breakthrough in your view?

SMITH: I think it's 50-50, I think the Biden administration deserves a great deal of credit for continuing to push for that ceasefire. The ceasefire is desperately needed. Hamas certainly has undermined that for months. There were -- there was an actual deal on the table that Hamas could have accepted some time ago, that they blocked, which is completely wrong.

And look, Israel is not wrong in -- in saying that they are threatened. They are threatened by Hamas, by Hezbollah, by Iran, by various militias, by the Houthis, you know, they deserve to be defended. But I hope that Prime Minister Netanyahu also recognizes that this is the best chance to get to a peace deal in Gaza, as has been said by his own military leadership, there really isn't anything more militarily that Israel can achieve in Gaza if they want to get the hostages home, if they want to increase the possibility of a secure Israel, then Netanyahu government needs to do everything in their power as well to get this deal done and end the war in Gaza. It is a humanitarian catastrophe, certainly for the people of Gaza, but also beyond that, as it risks the wider war that we've been discussing.

BLITZER: And if there is this ceasefire deal, the hostages would be coming back home to Israel as well, so significant. Congressman Adam Smith, thanks so much for joining us.

SMITH: Thank you Wolf.

[17:39:29]

BLITZER: And just ahead, a big change is coming to the real estate industry in the United States, and it could happen as soon as tomorrow. What the new rules mean for home sellers and realtors, we'll explain that's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: New rules are shaking up the real estate industry in the U.S. Starting tomorrow, these rules will change how realtors get paid. And while it could lead to lower costs for home sellers, some realtors have concerns about what it means for home buyers with limited income. CNN's Jason Carroll has more in this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A national shift is coming in the real estate market.

BARBARA GODDARD, HOME SELLER: I think this is going to be a good thing.

CARROLL (voice-over): One that has Barbara Goddard feeling good about putting her house, which she built from the ground up in Brunswick, Georgia, up for sale next month.

GODDARD: I'm optimistic, definitely optimistic.

CARROLL (voice-over): Optimistic is not how real estate agents like Diane Traverso in Monmouth County, New Jersey would describe her mood as of late.

DIANE TRAVERSO, REALTOR: I think a lot of people are mad. You know that this is even taking place.

CARROLL (voice-over): Tomorrow, new industry rules go into effect, which could lead to lower costs for some selling or buying homes. How? By reducing commissions paid to real estate agents. GODDARD: I never thought it was very fair for the seller to have to pay for the buyer's commission, their agent's commission. It didn't seem to make a lot of sense to me.

[17:45:05]

CARROLL (voice-over): Now, sellers like Goddard won't have to, thanks to a federal jury which ruled the National Association of Realtors and large brokerage firms had conspired to keep commissions high. As a result the decades old financial arrangement where sellers paid not only their brokers commission, but also the commission for the buyer's agent will be gone. For example, under the previous arrangement, a home sells for nearly $427,000, the median price in the United States, the seller would typically pay a 6 percent commission, 3 percent to each agent, more than $26,000.

Under the new rules, the seller would end up paying half that, just 3 percent to their agent. But it could go down even more, because listing realtors no longer will set commissions for both agents. Buyers can shop around and could get a lower percent. Goddard has already calculated what she could save.

GODDARD: A little over $12,000, I will say, by not paying for the buyer's agent commission. That's $12,000. That's a lot of money to me.

CARROLL (voice-over): But for prospective buyers, going forward, they will now have to sign a written agreement that their agent will be paid before going to see homes.

TRAVERSO: You know, no one likes change, so --

CARROLL (voice-over): The change, we like it if it's good change.

TRAVERSO: Right. Well, and it could be good eventually. It's like working out some of the kinks.

CARROLL (voice-over): Diane Traverso says it's common practice for realtors like her to negotiate commission. Under the new rules she has concerned some new home buyers with limited income will now be on the hook for more costs at closing.

TRAVERSO: We do whatever we can to help our clients, and now we are kind of having to reinvent how we do things.

CARROLL (voice-over): Some experts caution the new rules are no guarantee. All problems with high commissions will be resolved.

PROF. JORDAN BARRY, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: The industry is right for some changes. Now, whether the changes in this settlement are going to fix the problems in the industry, I'm not optimistic there. But there are some good changes along the way.

CARROLL (voice-over): Good enough for Barbara Goddard, she's ready to sell.

GODDARD: I think this is going to be a good thing, especially for consumers.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL (on camera): And, Wolf, one of the outstanding questions here is, will these new rules have some sort of an impact on the housing market? Will it cause maybe a boost in sales? And experts that we talk to say it will probably take several months or so to see if something like that ends up happening. Wolf?

BLITZER: We shall see, Jason Carroll reporting, thanks very much. Very interesting.

Coming up, the hunt for pythons in the Florida Everglades. We're going to take you into the wetlands and explain why hunters are seeking out these invasive snakes.

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[17:52:09]

BLITZER: Tonight, a look into hunting Burmese pythons in the Florida Everglades. It's an annual challenge to capture these pythons, which are considered to be harmful to the everglade ecosystem. CNN's Carlos Suarez joined a bunch of hunters seeking out the invasive snakes.

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CARLOS SUAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the humid, sweltering summer deep in the Florida, Everglades, the hunt is on for the Burmese Python.

SUAREZ: So we're looking at about 30 pounds and about nine feet.

ZACHARY CHEJANOVSKI, FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION: Sounds about right.

SUAREZ: One of the larger ones?

CHEJANOVSKI: Yes. I say this is on average of what you're going to find out there.

SUAREZ (voice-over): Experts we spoke to have seen snakes as long as 19 feet, weighing 125 pounds.

SUAREZ: Oh, God.

SUAREZ (voice-over): The invasive species of snakes have few natural predators and are known to consume prey as large as alligators. For 10 days this month, hunters on trucks equipped with flood lights drive into the night. Their eyes trained on the flooded grassland for the slightest sign of a snake.

CODEY QUINTON, BURMESE PYTHON HUNTER: A lot of the times you'll just get just a little piece of a tail sticking out from behind a tree or something. You stop. These things are very, very camouflaged.

Just relax.

SUAREZ (voice-over): Despite that, Codey Quinton captured a 10 foot Python last year. It's all part of Florida's annual Python Challenge where amateurs and professionals seek the thrill of a capture and cash prizes. The hunter who catches the most Burmese pythons can take home $10,000.

QUINTON: Not to today.

I still get the rush, though, every time you see it, you know, you're like, oh, python. Nice, you know, I finally get another one out of here. Because, you know, that's the mission, essentially, is to get them out of here.

SUAREZ (voice-over): Quinton is a professional python hunter. We joined him at night deep in the Florida Everglades, but there were no snakes in sight. Hunters can go days without spotting a Burmese python.

CHEJANOVSKI: If you cross paths with 100 pythons, you might just see one to five of them.

FRANK FERRARO, BURMESE PYTHON HUNTER: You're going to watch where you step.

SUAREZ (voice-over): Frank Ferraro is one of the roughly 800 hunters this season hoping for that one big catch.

SUAREZ: What's your dream catch?

FERRARO: A year ago, somebody got a 19 foot Python. That's the largest on record so far. And I'm thinking, if there's a 19 foot, there's a 20 foot, so might as well think big.

SUAREZ (voice-over): The snakes first showed up in Florida in 1979 brought here as pets and likely released into the wild by owners when the snakes grew too big to keep.

CHEJANOVSKI: They will hiss. They will try to inflate themselves to be as big as they possibly can.

SUAREZ (voice-over): According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, since 2000 more than 21,000 Burmese pythons have been captured and killed.

CHEJANOVSKI: The hardest thing is finding the snake, and once you found them, catching them is relatively easy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[17:55:02]

SUAREZ: All right, so wildlife officials believe there are still tens of thousands of these Burmese pythons out here in the Everglades, noting that the area out here has seen a decrease in the number of small mammals, from raccoons to rabbits, even deer. As for the number of Burmese pythons that have been captured in this year's challenge, we'll know that number on Sunday, when the challenge wraps up. Wolf, wildlife officials out here tell us they expect that number to be around the same number as last year when over 200 Burmese pythons were captured and killed, including that 19 footer.

BLITZER: Wow. All right. Carlos Suarez in Fort Lauderdale, for us, Carlos, thank you very much for that report. Very interesting.

Coming up, Kamala Harris unveils her plan to tackle high prices in her first major policy speech since taking over the top spot on the Democratic ticket. Stay with us. You're in The Situation Room.

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