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Harris Rally In Georgia As Hand-Counting Of Ballots Ordered In State; New Push By Trump For Nebraska Rule Change That Could Hurt Harris; GOP Assessing Damage From Porn Site Posts By North Carolina Governor Nominee; Lebanon: At Least 14 Dead In Israeli Strike On Beirut Suburbs; Secret Service Chief Admits "Complacency" and Failures in Communications At Site Of July Attempt To Kill Trump. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired September 20, 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. Kamala Harris rallies Georgia voters on the issue of abortion rights as Trump allies on the state's election board approve a very, very controversial new rule requiring many ballots to be counted by hand. This as we're learning that Donald Trump personally made a pitch to Nebraska officials seeking an election rule change that could potentially hurt the Harris campaign.

Also tonight, Republicans in North Carolina are assessing the damage after CNN's bombshell report on offensive porn site posts by their nominee for governor. We have new information about how the Harris campaign is trying to tie Donald Trump directly to Mark Robinson as this scandal intensifies.

And after the wave of deadly blasts across Lebanon targeting Hezbollah, an expert tells us what it takes to turn a low tech pager into a relatively powerful explosive device.

Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in The Situation Room.

We begin with new efforts by Donald Trump and his allies to change state election rules in ways that could potentially help Republicans. Alayna Treene is standing by with details on a phone call the former president had with officials in Nebraska.

But, first, CNN's Sara Murray reports on a new controversial move by Republicans on the Georgia election board.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Three people are all pit bulls fighting for honesty, transparency and victory. They're fighting.

SARA MURRAY, POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Those three Republicans on the Georgia state election board who Donald Trump praised at a campaign rally last month charging ahead with a controversial new rule about hand counting ballots.

JANELLE KING (R), GEORGIA STATE ELECTION BOARD MEMBER: So, this leaves us in a very difficult position. Do we maintain the status quo because it's easier, or do we make a few adjustments so that we can be better?

MURRAY: But it's not better for many bipartisan election officials across the state who begged the board to pause on new rules ahead of November.

MILTON KIDD, ELECTIONS DIRECTOR FOR DOUGLAS COUNTY, GEORGIA: The idea that you're not going to listen to the individuals that are charged with conducting elections is absurd to me.

MURRAY: State officials from Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to Attorney General Chris Carr issued sharp warnings, saying several of the dozen rules the board is considering may run afoul of the law.

BRAD RAFFENSPERGER (R), GEORGIA SECRETARY OF STATE: We're too close to the election. In fact, we're really just three weeks before we start early voting. And it's just too late in the cycle.

MURRAY: The new rule doesn't help determine a winner. Rather, it requires a hand count of the number of ballots at polling places on Election Day, and then comparing the number of ballots cast with the number recorded by voting machines. Critics say it's a recipe for chaos.

KRISTIN NABERS, GEORGIA STATE DIRECTOR, ALL VOTING IS LOCAL: If I were to hand this stack of paper to three random people in this room, especially at the end of a long voting day, and ask them to arrive at the same total number, do we think that's feasible? People doing a hand count are going to make mistakes, which can then be exploited to spread lies.

TREENE: Raffensperger says the change could delay reporting results on Election Day.

RAFFENSPERGER: You start breaking up the ballot boxes after you close the precinct, you won't be getting those Election Day votes until maybe 1:00, 2:00 or 4:00 in the morning. And we just don't believe that's healthy for, you know, the republic and we don't think it's healthy for people of Georgia.

MURRAY: The three Trump-backed Republicans passed the rule anyway.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The motion passes three to two.

MURRAY: Even steamrolling the independent chairman of the five member board.

JOHN FERVIER, CHAIRMAN, GEORGIA STATE ELECTION BOARD: If this board votes to implement this rule, I think that we put ourselves in legal jeopardy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MURRAY (on camera): Now this new rule is almost certainly going to face legal challenges, even as you heard there from the chairman of the board. And to that end, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger put out a statement after the board meeting today saying, Attorney General Chris Carr has stated that these rules would not withstand a legal challenge, and I have worked every day to strengthen Georgia's election law to ensure our elections remain safe, secure and free.

So, now we're just kind of waiting to see where those legal challenges are going to come from, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Sara Murray reporting for us. Thank you, Sara.

I want to go to Alayna Treene right now with new reporting just into CNN on Donald Trump's push for a change in a key rule on how votes are allocated in the state of Nebraska. Alayna, give us the latest.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: You're exactly right, Wolf. Donald Trump and his allies have been making waves in Nebraska in their effort to make this last minute change to the state's election law, and, really, it could have major ramifications come November.

[18:05:06]

Now, Republicans are pushing to alter the state's allotment to a winner-take-all format. And the effort really reached new heights this week, when on Wednesday, the Nebraska's Republican governor, Jim Pillen, hosted two dozen state senators and officials at the governor's mansion about this.

Now, I'm told Lindsey Graham, who has been speaking directly with Donald Trump about this effort, was there as well. And our colleague, Jeff Zeleny, and I recently learned that Trump himself made a brief call into the meeting on Wednesday. A Nebraska Republican official described it as a brief conversation during which Trump talked about the importance of Nebraska changing its election law. And at one point, the official said that Donald Trump described the law as unfair, though he did not mention that he actually won the Omaha area district in 2016, but lost it four years later. They added that Trump was neither threatening nor overly persuasive in those brief remarks, which I will say, Graham arranged that call.

But, look, I think the reason, Wolf, that this is so important is because with just less than 50 days until the election, this could massively undercut Harris's chances. The best way to really describe why this one vote in Nebraska matters is that Harris can sweep the blue wall, meaning win in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, and still not get to 270 electoral votes. She needs that one electoral vote in Omaha to put her over the edge in that scenario.

Now, the other dynamic at play here is that aside from Nebraska, Maine is the only other state that splits its electoral votes this way. Back in April, when this Nebraska idea was first gaining steam, we actually heard from Maine's Democratic House Majority Leader Maureen Terry, she issued a statement saying that if Nebraska had made such a move, she would push for a similar move in Maine, which I should note, delivered one electoral vote to Trump in 2016 and 2020. But due to Maine's laws, it's now too late for them to act in response.

Now, I do just want to be clear that despite all of this, Republicans in Nebraska do not currently have the votes to do this. So, it's unclear what will happen. But, again, I cannot underscore how important this could be if something like this were to happen and how it could negatively impact Harris' chances in November.

BLITZER: Alayna Treene, excellent reporting, thank you very much.

I want to bring in our political experts who are all here with me in the Situation Room. David Axelrod, potentially very significant what's going on in Nebraska right now in an effort to get 270 Electoral College votes.

DAVID AXELROD, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes. Well, I think Lindsey Graham went there to talk to them about this. The president, apparently former President Trump, called in for a reason. And it's just as Alayna laid it out, if Kamala Harris -- the most likely path for her is still Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, and that one district in Nebraska. If it's a tie, it goes to the House and the House votes based on the majority of each delegation.

In other words, there, I think -- I don't know what these -- I think it's 26 Republican delegations now, 24 Democratic delegations, but it would give Trump the edge if this thing gets kicked into the House. So, you know, you can imagine the turmoil that would create, Wolf.

BLITZER: It would create a lot of turmoil, indeed. Kadia Goba from Semafor is with us as well. Kadia, thanks for coming in. What does it tell you that Donald Trump is personally making phone calls to some of his supporters in Nebraska?

KADIA GOBA, POLITICAL REPORTER, SEMAFOR: I think they understand how tight this election is and all things are on the table. And even if that means peeling away that one electoral vote in Nebraska.

Now, it's funny, this seems to be fluid, obviously, with the new reporting about Trump making the call. There were murmurs earlier this morning saying that those two to three states that senators were going to flip, that has since changed. I talked to Don Bacon early this morning. He said he did not think that that was going to happen. So, it seems to be pretty fluid.

BLITZER: Very fluid. Let's see how what -- do you think it's appropriate, Scott Jennings, for Nebraska to start changing its Electoral College rules so close to an election?

SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I don't know. Is it as appropriate as the Democrats changing their nominee this late in the game? I mean, that's probably what Trump would say. I don't know if we're going to be able to get the votes for it or not. But Axe and Alayna are exactly right, that one vote could make the difference. And, look, they're trying to scratch out every possible advantage they can get, and I'm sure the Republicans feel like that's exactly how the Democrats have played it this year, and they're willing to play hardball to do the same thing.

BLITZER: What do you think, Axe?

AXELROD: Well, it's interesting that Bacon is opposed to this, and there are -- the key legislative vote there is a state senator from Omaha who wants to run for mayor, and the folks in Omaha are not excited about this change. So, that guy is cross-pressured. I don't know what's going to happen here.

In terms of the appropriateness of it, look, I think it's a little different than a candidate resigns and another candidate comes in.

[18:10:06]

I think people are going to look at this and they're going to say, it's changing the rules of the game. Not the candidates, the rules of the game in the middle --

BLITZER: What does this tell you, David, about how the Trump campaign is getting involved this late in the campaign in trying to change various rules, whether in Nebraska or Georgia, for that matter?

AXELROD: Yes. No, look, I think this is a very close election. I think it's going to be a very close election, and as Scott suggests, they're trying to get every advantage. What's interesting about the situation in Georgia, where we have three audits of the 2020 election, which all said the same thing. You have a Republican secretary of state presumably backed by a Republican governor who is at odds with these Republicans on this election committee. So, that tells you something. And, hopefully, the courts can resolve this situation.

JENNINGS: Yes. I think, I'm sympathetic to arguments on both sides in Georgia actually. I think some Republicans believe it would instill more confidence in the vote count. But I'm also sympathetic to the idea that it may, you know, change the process and may also face this legal challenge. So, I actually think people on both sides of it have something important to say.

AXELROD: You know, can I just say one thing? There was a hand count in Georgia of these ballots and it validated the machine count. The reason most states went to a machine count was because machines are more efficient at counting ballots.

GOBA: I think the interesting point is that both sides do think that there is an election integrity thing associated. Republicans will say a hand vote is just going to be more accurate. And to your point, Democrats are saying, no, there's room for error there, it's going to delay the vote and so, you know, doubt on the election.

BLITZER: As if they have to hand count all those ballots. That's going to take a long time.

AXELROD: Yes. You know, I think, and nobody's like looking for a repeat of what we saw in 2020. And most of the states have made their systems more efficient in terms of preparing for that. But this could definitely throw a wrench in the works.

BLITZER: It was interesting. I thought the Georgia Republican attorney general and Republican secretary of state, both say this move won't withstand a legal challenge.

JENNINGS: Yes. I'm not a lawyer, so I couldn't speak to it, but obviously they would know. And I do -- obviously, there is going to be a legal challenge. And so I guess we'll have to see how the courts sort it out.

But I think all this that we're talking about today, you just ought to -- if you're watching this and wondering why is all this happening, this thing is like a few hundred or a few thousand votes, a knife's edge type of election. So, everything that you think you can do to get an advantage, whether it's in Nebraska or Georgia or North Carolina or Pennsylvania or anywhere else, both of these campaigns are trying to pull out every stop right now.

BLITZER: It's that close. You think so, too?

AXELROD: Oh, I do. I think this is a coin flip election right now that can change, but it really seems like it's on that track.

BLITZER: Very close to it, by all accounts. How do you see it?

GOBA: For sure. And we even look at the strategy when we see Walz going to Asheville, North Carolina, if that's a strategy to, you know, chip away some of those red counties surrounding Asheville, that's a thing that, you know, typically Democrats haven't been visiting those states.

You look at Donald Trump going to New York City. That's also an effort to bring in those Connecticut and New Jersey people who he typically wouldn't see in the tri-state area.

BLITZER: All right, everybody stand by. We have more to discuss.

Just ahead, Kamala Harris makes a new appeal to Georgia voters zeroing in on abortion rights for women. We'll go live to Atlanta and get reaction from the state Democratic Party chair.

And later, Donald Trump offends many Jewish voters, even as he's trying to court them at an event fighting anti-Semitism.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:15:00]

BLITZER: In the battleground state of Georgia tonight, Kamala Harris just seized on one of the Democrats' top issues, warning about the dangers to women from the restrictive abortion law in that state and others, and casting blame squarely on Donald Trump.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez covered the rally in Atlanta for us. Priscilla, Kamala Harris really tried to capitalize on the fight for reproductive rights. PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: She did, Wolf. She delivered an impassioned address while here in Atlanta, in what was ultimately a very somber event. Of course, the reason that she came here was ProPublica report about those two women who died and whose deaths were linked to the state's abortion restrictions. In fact, sources tell me that the report was so jarring to the vice president that she directed her team to come here as a detour before she headed to Wisconsin this evening.

It was the type of rapid response travel that we've seen the vice president do multiple times over the past year. And we saw her bring her argument on reproductive rights right here in battleground Georgia, where she talked about the Trump abortion bans and use the moment to draw a stark contrast with Republicans. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: One in three women in America lives in a state with a Trump abortion ban. This includes Georgia and every state in the south except Virginia.

Think about that. When you compound that with what has been longstanding neglect of women in communities with a lack of the adequate resources they need for healthcare, prenatal, during their pregnancy, postpartum. Think about that. And these hypocrites want to start talking about this isn't the best interest of women and children? Well, where have you been? Where have you been when it comes to taking care of the women and children of America?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[18:20:00]

ALVAREZ: So, a couple of things there, Wolf, the vice president clearly trying to draw on personal anecdotes to explain the effect of the overturning of Roe v. Wade. This, of course, an issue that the campaign is banking on to mobilize voters into November. So, the vice president taking an opportunity here, a state, by the way, where the campaign is also running ads on this very issue to galvanize voters, mobilize them to the polls in November, and an issue that she will continue to be talking about in the weeks to come. Wolf?

BLITZER: I'm sure she will. Priscilla Alvarez in Atlanta for us, thank you very much.

Joining us now, the chair of the Georgia Democratic Party, Representative Nikema Williams. Representative, thanks so much for joining us. Have the deaths of these two Georgia women, who Vice President Harris spoke about today, changed how people in your state view the restrictions on abortion?

REP. NIKEMA WILLIAMS (D-GA): Wolf I listened to the vice president's impassioned remarks today in Atlanta. And when she said, where you been? I know where they've been, Wolf. I know where our Republican Governor Brian Kemp was. He signed this bill into law. I know where Donald Trump was. Donald Trump bragged about overturning Roe v. Wade, making this possible.

So, when I hear the pain in the family's voices of these two women, who lost their lives, preventable deaths, Wolf, I know that we had choices. These were preventable deaths, and we had Republican leaders in this country, like Brian Kemp and Donald Trump, who made this possible.

I was in the State Senate when this law was being debated on the floor, and I read story after story after story of women who will be impacted by this law. We had experts. We had doctors who came in to testify in committee so that legislators couldn't say they didn't know what the consequences would be. We knew and we warned them. And now all of this is coming to light in a nightmare that is living out not just in Georgia but across the country. And if Donald Trump has his way, his Project 2025 agenda will ban abortion nationwide, and we will see this across the country.

So, Wolf, there is a clear contrast on the ballot, and we must elect Kamala Harris as president of the United States so that she can stop this, and we got to send her a Democratic House and Senate because we passed the Women's Health Protection Act in the House, and we were waiting, Joe Biden was waiting to sign this into law. But we could not get Republicans to stand up and do the right thing to protect women in this country.

But, Wolf, I am not going to stop until we get protections codified in the law so that we can protect women. This is my home state. I gave birth to my own son at a Piedmont hospital. So, this is personal for me, Wolf.

BLITZER: Very personal, indeed. Congresswoman, on another very sensitive issue in Georgia, the Georgia GOP-controlled election board, as you know, is now requiring ballots cast on Election Day to be hand counted, potentially delaying results, not just for days, but maybe for weeks. Why do you think they are taking this step?

WILLIAMS: Well, it is a play from the same Trump playbook. They lost in 2020 and changed the rules. We had our majority making Senate runoffs. They lost again and they changed the rules. Republicans don't know how to play fair. Donald Trump already tried to overturn the will of the voters in Georgia trying to find 11,780 votes. But, Wolf, we play by the rules. We win. And then Republicans try and change the rules.

This is the same thing. They want to sow doubt in the election process so that when he loses once again in battleground Georgia, they can say, well, it's because the numbers didn't match, it's because of this. And they want a lengthy hand count of every single ballot in this battleground state because they see the writing on the wall. Donald Trump is going to lose once again, and they want to put doubt in the mind of voters of if this was a fair and free election.

BLITZER: So, will Georgia Democrats, Congresswoman, bring a lawsuit to stop this?

WILLIAMS: Wolf, we are already involved in lawsuits in the state of Georgia around election certification. We are going to continue to do everything that we can to ensure voters that when they show up to cast their ballots, Georgia Democrats will make sure that those votes are not only counted but certified.

This is the bare minimum. This shouldn't be something that is partisan. This is the bare minimum because we're not just talking about Democratic votes. I want all votes counted, Wolf. I want Democratic votes counted, Republican votes, and independent and unaffiliated votes. I want all votes counted. And I call on my Republican colleagues to stand with me for free and fair elections and count every vote and certify them. It's as simple as that.

BLITZER: Representative Nikema Williams of Georgia, thanks so much for joining us.

WILLIAMS: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: And coming up, scandal rocks North Carolina politics after CNN's bombshell reporting on the Republican nominee for governor.

[18:25:05]

New information on how it's impacting the presidential race. Stand by.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: In North Carolina tonight, the Republican nominee for governor is facing growing fallout after CNN uncovered dozens of very disturbing and offensive comments Mark Robinson made on a porn site before entering politics.

CNN's Dianne Gallagher has more on the scandal and the political impact.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The fallout from CNN's bombshell report about Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson spilling over into his second day.

[18:30:01]

LT. GOV. MARK ROBINSON (R-NC), GUBERNATORIAL NOMINEE: I am running for governor.

GALLAGHER: The GOP nominee for North Carolina's governor moving forward with his campaign after the deadline passed for him to withdraw, as absentee ballots are sent out to voters Friday.

The fresh swirl of controversy follows a CNN KFILE investigation that found Robinson made a series of inflammatory comments on a pornographic website's message board more than a decade ago, referring to himself as a black Nazi and expressing support for reinstating slavery, among other salacious, lewd and gratuitous statements.

Robinson categorically denying the allegations. ROBINSON: This is not us. These are not our words, and this is not anything that is characteristic of me.

GALLAGHER: But the controversy extending beyond the Tar Heel State's race for governor, with Robinson having received the endorsement of former President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly praised the conservative firebrand.

TRUMP: This is Martin Luther King Jr. on steroids, okay?

GALLAGHER: The campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris highlighting the ties between Trump and Robinson in a new ad Friday.

ROBINSON: We could pass a bill saying you can't have an abortion in North Carolina for any reason. Abortion in this country, it's about killing a child because you weren't responsible enough to keep your skirt down.

TRUMP: I've been with him a lot. I've gotten to know him and he's outstanding.

GALLAGHER: The former president is set to hold a rally in the battleground state on Saturday. Sources tell CNN Robinson has not been invited to the event despite being a regular presence at Trump's events in the state, including two last month.

Now, some Trump allies are dismissing the potential impact on the former president's campaign.

REP. BYRON DONALDS (R-FL): We're going to be fine in North Carolina. This issue is going to come and go, but the reality of what's happened in our country remains, and that's why Donald Trump's going to win the state of North Carolina.

GALLAGHER: As Democrats in North Carolina seek to turn Robinson's controversy into a challenge for other Republicans.

GOV. ROY COOPER (D-NC): I think that when people go to the polls, they need to think about these candidates who have supported and encouraged somebody like Mark Robinson and continue to do so.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And Dianne Gallagher is joining us now live from Charlotte, North Carolina.

Dianne, is the Republican Party there taking any steps at all to distance itself from Robinson?

GALLAGHER (on camera): You know, Wolf, the North Carolina Republican Party is. I'm here to talk to you about Republicans standing by their man. They issued a statement saying, in part that this is just the left trying to demonize him via personal attacks.

But I can tell you privately, I've had Republicans reaching out to me for more than 48 hours now, very panicked about how this is going to affect the down ballot. You have the actual Republican candidates parsing their word approaching this very gingerly as their Democratic opponents trot out every photo they've ever taken with Robinson and any kind of evidence endorsement or even kind words they've said about him to try and link them, not just to Robinson, but this reporting, make them deny it and talk about it.

You know, there was a previously scheduled fundraiser for Robinson next week that featured the Republican Governor's Association chair, Bill Lee. A source familiar tells CNN that is no longer happening. And Governor Lee is not coming to North Carolina, Wolf.

BLITZER: Interesting. All right, Dianne Gallagher in Charlotte, thank you very much.

Let's get a little bit more reaction to all of this dramatic developments from our political experts. Alyana Treene is with us as well.

So, Donald Trump is set to hold a rally, as we heard, in North Carolina tomorrow as the Harris campaign is releasing this ad trying to tie Trump to Robinson. What's going on?

TREENE: Oh, I think -- first of all, I don't think it's surprising at all that the Harris campaign is seizing on this, but I think the timing of this rally tomorrow with Trump going to North Carolina is pretty stunning. I know that this obviously, you know -- when I talk to Donald Trump's team about this, they recognize that this maybe isn't the best timing.

But, I will say Dianne had mentioned that Robinson isn't going to be showing up to this. I know that even before this KFILE investigation had published, some people in Donald Trump's orbit had been prepared for a damaging story, and they had not invited Robinson, even before this story came out to that event, which I have to note, is interesting in and of itself, because Robinson has been at most, if not all, of Donald Trump's North Carolina events over the past year now. And that comes even as Donald Trump's campaign has been trying to distance Trump from him.

And this is even before some of this latest bombshell reporting that, you know, Robinson had made for a long time now a series of inflammatory comments. He had previously mocked victims of school shootings. He had made disparaging remarks about the civil rights movement. So, that was already something I know that the Trump campaign was concerned about. But Trump himself, meanwhile, has continued to praise him even last month at a rally in Asheboro. He had called up Robinson to the stage. That wasn't a planned speaking engagement and asked him to talk.

So, it's going to be difficult for the former president to move away from this. But I know when I talked to Trump's team, they say they're really hoping he doesn't get into this at all tomorrow, that he doesn't bring this up.

[18:35:02]

You never know with Donald Trump, he likes to go off script, so I guess we'll have to see what happens.

BLITZER: You know, David Axelrod, there's another issue I want to get to while I have you, and we'll discuss it. As you know, Donald Trump addressed a group of Jewish Republicans and he said this, let me play this clip and then we'll discuss. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I'm not going to call this as a prediction, but, in my opinion, the Jewish people would have a lot to do with a loss if I'm at 40 percent.

It's only because of the Democrat hold or curse on you. You can't let this happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The Democratic hold or curse on you meeting the Jewish community. What do you make of these comments?

AXELROD: What I make is, if I were advising him, I'd say, that's not the greatest pitch to the Jewish community, that if I lose, it's going to be your fault. And, you know, beyond that, he said, after all I've done for you, you essentially owe me these votes and I can't believe people aren't giving to me, he said, and they're voting for the enemy, the enemy, meaning Kamala Harris. He's also said that Israel wouldn't exist in two years. I think he did in that same remark, in those same remarks, if he loses the election.

I mean, in a way, that's all of Donald Trump wrapped up into one package there, the things that get him into trouble, Alayna says, well, his campaign is hoping he won't say. They don't know what he's going to say. And often what he says is offensive. This was deeply offensive and it's not going to get him any Jewish votes. I'll tell you that.

BLITZER: Deeply offensive. But he says if he loses, it's the Jews' fault. I mean, that's pretty anti-Semitic, you got to admit.

AXELROD: 100 percent.

BLITZER: The second gentleman, Scott, Doug Emhoff, writes this about Trump's comments. Let me read it to our viewers. Donald Trump once again fanned the flames of anti-Semitism by trafficking in tropes, blaming, and scapegoating Jews. He even did it at an event perpetrating -- purporting, I should say, to fight anti-Semitism in the U.S. This is dangerous and must be condemned. What do you think?

JENNINGS: Well, I don't see it that way. I think these opinions are valid because Axe and the second gentleman are both Jewish-Americans, and so they're right to their opinion. I think he was inarticulate, but I think what he was acknowledging is something that's absolutely true. Jewish-Americans overwhelmingly vote Democrat. And in his opinion, there is every reason for them to reconsider those votes in this election, when you consider that the left, since October the 7th, apparently, has become awash in anti-Semitism out there. And so, maybe there was a more articulate way to make this pitch, maybe there's a better or a smoother way to make the pitch, but right now, Republicans are trying to point out to Jewish-American voters that, look, there are a lot of people on the left who have let the veil of anti-Semitism slip, and if the Democrats maintain control of this government, they're going to be listening to a lot of people who don't have Israel's best interest at heart and who, you know, may be sympathetic to Israel's enemies.

BLITZER: You want to react to that?

AXELROD: Yes. Well, look I'm the son of a Jewish immigrant who fled the pogroms and violence and death and anti-Semitism. So I'm pretty sensitive to anti-Semitism wherever it comes from. I've said this to you before, there are two things -- you can hold two thoughts at once. You can be horrified about October 7th as I am for very personal reasons and still grieve for the children of Gaza. That doesn't make you an anti-Semite.

Now, there is some anti-Semitism out there. It should be condemned left and right. But what he said in those -- you said it's inarticulate. It was deeply offensive. It was deeply, deeply offensive that Jews are going to be responsible for my defeat and you owe me your votes is, you know, beyond the pale, I think.

BLITZER: Alayna, you're covering all this. What are you hearing?

TREENE: I mean, I think there's no question that, look, some of these remarks from Donald Trump last night were deeply controversial, particularly when he said that Jewish-Americans need to have their heads examined if they're going to be voting for Kamala Harris.

And I think it's important, though, to keep in mind what the goal of those two events yesterday were. One was that, you know, he has been trying for a long time now to really court many of these disaffected Jewish-Americans who are concerned -- many of which are concerned with the way that the Biden administration has handled the war between Israel and Hamas, but at the same time, when he makes these comments, and I know from many Republicans that I talk to and allies of Donald Trump who want him to win in November, they say that these aren't helping. These are turning these people off, and yet he continues to make them.

What we heard from him last night, these are not new. He has made many of these -- you know, talked in these anti -- share these anti-Semitic tropes a lot in the past. And so it's something that I think they need to work on, unless will cut ahead to November.

BLITZER: Alayna, thank you very much. Guys, thank you also to you.

Just ahead an update on a shocking killing in Kentucky, where a sheriff is now charged with murdering a local judge.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:40:00] BLITZER: We're following a very unusual criminal investigation ongoing right now in Kentucky, where a sheriff is accused of fatally shooting a judge.

CNN's Ryan Young is working the story.

RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf, this is still a developing story. Letcher County, Kentucky Sheriff Mickey Shawn Stines' accused of murdering Judge Kevin Mullins in his own chambers. The CNN has learned the sheriff was deposed this week in connection with an ongoing federal lawsuit involving a former deputy who coerced a woman to have sex with him on several different occasions in Mullins Chambers back in 2021.

Now, we're not sure if that had anything to do with this argument that took place on Thursday. Now, around 3:00 P.M. the sheriff showed up to that courthouse, went to the chambers. There was some sort of argument. Shots were fired. That courthouse was put on lockdown and so were several schools nearby. We also have the mugshot for Sheriff Stines, who's now being housed in the Leslie County Jail. It's believed his court appearance will be sometime next week, but we're still trying to get to the bottom of exactly what happened that set this whole thing in motion.

[18:45:05]

We do know that Mullins' brother-in-law says in a Facebook post that this murder is heartbreaking.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATT BUTLER, LOCAL PROSECUTOR IN LETCHER COUNTY, KENTUCKY: Tried cases against each other before he was the judge and never had a disagreement outside of that courtroom. We have always got along.

I always thought he was hilarious. I always thought he was very witty. He was fun to be around outside of court and as her brother-in-law, I will never forget how kind he was to my children.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RYAN: Now, Stines was first elected as sheriff back in 2018. We're waiting for more details from investigators, but in this small community, basically the two top law enforcement officials now are no longer working for the county as people tried to figure out why the shooting ever happened -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. Ryan Young reporting for us. Thank you very much, Ryan.

Coming up, two deadly -- more deadly strikes today in Beirut by Israel with Lebanon still reeling from thousands of small explosions targeting Hezbollah.

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[18:50:12]

BLITZER: Tonight, officials in Lebanon say the death toll has risen to 14 after an Israeli strike on a residential building in a suburb of Beirut. The Israeli military claims it was targeting -- it was a targeted strike they say that killed multiple senior Hezbollah operatives, including a top commander who also was wanted by the United States, accused of involvement in the 1983 bombing of the U.S. embassy in Beirut.

The IDF pressing forward with what it calls a new era of war after a series of deadly explosions involving Hezbollah walkie-talkies and pagers.

CNN's Brian Todd has been talking to a demolition expert about how those devices were turned into weapons.

What are you learning, Brian?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, coming out here to this range in Pennsylvania, you can see the aftermath of our test right here. We learned that it's an incredibly dangerous and complicated process to rig a device this small to blow up, especially if you're rigging it to explode several days later.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice-over): Just a tiny amount of plastic explosives packed into a pager can have a detonation this big.

If this was a person, what happens to the person?

RYAN MORRIS, PRESIDENT, TRIPWIRE SOUTH: It's going to be catastrophic what just took place here to the human body.

TODD: The impact shown on a mannequin it was clipped to.

MORRIS: It can be fatal over time, bleeding out things of that nature.

TODD: And, apparently, there were some people who have serious facial and eye injuries. Could this blind you? It was forever.

MORRIS: Yeah, absolutely.

TODD: Walkie-talkie is a larger device with more room to hold explosives inside and more material to be sent flying. And it's often held close to the face.

This one caused even more damage, debris strewn widely, pieces of twisted metal launched as far as 100 yards and severe injury to the mannequin.

MORRIS: It would be devastating if it were in your hand or close to your head.

TODD: These two tests were done at CNN's request in the wake of the explosions this week of pagers and walkie-talkies in Lebanon, said to target Hezbollah members and causing thousands of injuries and dozens of deaths. Based on photos of the debris of devices in Lebanon, these tests use PET and explosive on a pager of the same branding and a walkie-talkie similar in size to the ones targeted in Lebanon.

CNN is not showing how the explosives might be placed or how they might be detonated.

MORRIS: Three, two, one.

TODD: The tests were conducted by Ryan Morris, a former explosive specialist with the Department of Homeland Security, who runs a firm which trains government and military personnel.

MORRIS: Whoever did it, they were pretty skilled.

TODD: Another explosives expert who examined a walkie-talkie similar to the model targeted in Lebanon said making thousands of bombs was a big and risky undertaking.

MAJ. GEN. MANIK SABHARWAL (RET.), EXPLOSIVES ANALYST: It will take a lot of time for the explosive to be put in, for it to be connected to the initiating mechanism, to be connected to the detonator. Chances of it exploding while they are doing all this is also there.

TODD: And the devices are so small.

SABHARWAL: I don't find any empty space in this. It's difficult.

TODD: How hard is it to, I guess, pack and explosive into something this small?

MORRIS: Someone has any knowledge of this tradecraft can do it very easily. It's -- you can secrete explosives and anything.

TODD: And triggering thousands of them all at once?

MORRIS: If they have all the numbers for the -- for the pagers, they just send a massive texts to all of them, all those numbers, and they go off the same time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: How vulnerable is the traveling public to explosives like that? Ryan Morris says airport technology right now is really good at detecting tiny trace amounts of explosive material on devices like this. And the material stays on you. I got a tiny trace amount of it on my hands and Ryan said it would stay with me for a while no matter how many times I wash my hands -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. Brian Todd, excellent report. Thank you very much.

Coming up, the shocking admission today from the acting head of the U.S. Secret Service.

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[18:58:32]

BLITZER: Tonight, the U.S. Secret Service has released its report on the Trump assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July.

And listen to what the acting director is saying. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RONALD ROWE, ACTING SECRET SERVICE DIRECTOR: While some members of the advanced team were very diligent, there was complacency on the part of others that led to a breach of security protocols these employees will be held accountable and this agency has among the most robust table of penalties and the entirety of the federal government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: CNN national security reporter Zachary Cohen is joining us.

Zach did the acting director give specifics?

ZACHARY COHEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yeah, Wolf, the acting director did acknowledge several failures by the Secret Service, particularly in the lead up to Donald Trump's July 13, rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. And you'd heard just now he specifically noted that there was a complacency in his view among the advanced teams sent by the Secret Service to secure that rally site prior to Trump's arrival on the 13th. He suggests in this report and in his remarks today that this complacency led to a deferral of the responsibility for securing that site and ultimately contributed to why that shooter was allowed to have a clear line of sight at Donald Trump as he started his remarks that day.

And look, the acting director is insisting that lessons have to be learned from the failures of Trump's July 13 rally. And he did say again that he that requires a paradigm shift at the agency really a holistic overhaul of how the agency evaluates threats for potential for protectees like Donald Trump.

And look, the report itself also details really disturbing communication breakdowns that the acting director also cited as a contributing factor in the security failures that day. Those failures include the fact that a warning about the shooter prior to the shooting taking place never reached secret service agents and Trumps detail because those communication devices were not in direct contact with one another.

So, really more disturbing and concerning details, Wolf, and we're going to continue to learn more about what the Secret Service does to hold these people accountable.

BLITZER: Very important report.

Zach Cohen, thanks very much.

And to our viewers, thanks very much for watching.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now on.