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Now, Harris Speaks During Campaign Event In Michigan; Obama To Launch 27-Day Campaign Push For Harris In Key Battlegrounds; Biden Sounds Off On Mideast At Rare Briefing Room Appearance; Trump And Vance Respond To Melania's Support For Abortion Rights; Death Toll Rises To At Least 218 One Week After Helene's Landfall. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired October 04, 2024 - 18:00   ET

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

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And now there are 17 acres of debris in the middle of that lake. Jake?

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: This is devastating. Chad Myers, thank you so much. Vice President Kamala Harris is taking the stage now for a campaign rally in Flint, Michigan. Let's listen in.

KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Hey. Oh, it's good to be back in Michigan. Thank you all so very much.

Hey, everybody. Can we hear it for Eric Price (ph)?

Oh, it's good to be back in Michigan. Thank you all so very much. Thank you. Thank you so very much.

And, Eric, I thank you for your leadership of UAW 651 and all the work (INAUDIBLE).

And I want to thank all the leaders who are here. I mean, this -- we got thousands of leaders who are here, and I thank you, including all our friends in labor, Shawn Fain, April Barrett (ph), the incredible elected leaders starting with Governor Whitmer, who is amazing, and is my friend, my dear friend, Mayor Neeley, Senator Stabenow, Senator Peters, Representative Slotkin, who we will elect to the United States Senate.

And did y'all see Magic Johnson? Remember his number, 32? Today, we got 32 days until the election.

So, 32 days, 32 days, okay, we got some business to do. We got some business to do. All right, 32 days. And we know we will do it.

And this is going to be a very tight race until the very end. This is going to be a very tight race until the very end. We are the underdog. And we know we have some hard work ahead, but here's the thing about us. We like hard work. We like hard work. Hard work is good work. Hard work is good work.

And with your help in November, we will win. We will win. We are not playing around.

So, listen, we know this election is about two very different visions for our nation. One focused on the past and ours, which is focused on the future. We are fighting for a future where we tap into the ambitions and the aspirations of the American people and build what I call an opportunity economy so every American has an opportunity to own a home, build wealth, start a business.

And I'm going to speak about small -- do we have small business owners in the house right now? Right, okay.

So, on the economy -- I'm just going to spend a minute on small businesses. So -- because let me tell you, so growing up, our mother often worked very long hours. And so my sister Maya and I, we would go over to Ms. Shelton's house. Ms. Shelton was from Louisiana, and we called her our second mother. And Ms. Shelton was a small business owner.

And so from being a child, I know who our small business owners are. They are community leaders, civic leaders. They mentor, they hire locally, they build up the community, they are part of the fabric of the community. And small business owners are the backbone of a maritime.

[18:05:00]

So, in my plan to build an opportunity economy, one of the things I will do is raise the startup deduction from $5,000 to $50,000 to help entrepreneurs start their small business.

You heard Eric talk about it, we need to build more housing in America. You know, my mother saved up for years to buy our first home. I was a teenager by the time she saved up enough to do that. And right now we know there's a serious housing shortage in our country, and it is part of what is driving up costs. So we will cut the red tape and work with the private sector to build $3 million new homes and provide first time homebuyers with a $25,000 down payment assistance so you can just literally get your foot in the door and you'll handle the rest.

We need to lower the cost of living. Look, our economy is making good progress. Just this morning, we got a solid jobs report, right, over 250,000 jobs created last month. Unemployment fell. And just a few weeks ago, the Federal Reserve cut interest rates, which helps.

But there's still more we need to do. Prices for everyday things like groceries are still too high. You know it and I know it. And I have a plan on lowering costs on everything, from healthcare to groceries, including taking on corporate price gouging. Because as attorney general, I saw what happens, where there are a few of them, not everybody, but those who take advantage of desperate people, in particular in the middle of an emergency, and there needs to be consequence.

I will give a tax cut to $100 million Americans, including $6,000 extending and expanding the child tax credit, so during the first year of a child's life, young parents have the support they need to be able to buy a car seat, to buy a crib, to take care of their child during that first year of their life, knowing it's about setting them on a path to do everything they have a natural desire to do.

And look, let me -- I say all this to say, I will always put the middle class and working families first. I come from the middle class and I will never forget where I come from. I will never forget where I come from.

And we know we cannot have a strong middle class without American manufacturing. So, over the last three and a half years, we have brought manufacturing back to America, creating 730,000 manufacturing jobs. We announced the opening of more than 20 new auto plants in the United States. And we did it by investing in American industry and American workers.

And I will make sure that America, not China, wins the competition for the 21st century, which is why, under my plan, we will invest in the industries that built America, like steel, iron, and the great American auto industry. I see you, Shawn. And we will ensure that the next generation of breakthroughs, from advanced batteries to electric vehicles are not only invented, but built right here in America by American union workers.

And, Michigan, let us be clear, contrary to what my opponent is suggesting, I will never tell you what kind of car you have to drive.

But here's what I will do. I will invest in communities like Flint, Flint, which helped build the auto industry and the UAW.

[18:10:11]

We will retool existing factories, hire locally, and work with unions to create good paying jobs, including jobs that do not require a college degree, because we understand a college degree is not the only measure of whether a worker has skills and experience to get the job done.

In fact, part of my plan is to outline all of the federal jobs that should not require a college degree and make that clear. And when I'm elected, I'm going to challenge the private sector to take on the same approach.

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Alex Marquardt in tonight for Wolf Blitzer. Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. This is The Situation Room.

And you've been listening to Vice President Kamala Harris. They're taking part in her second event of the day in the battleground state of Michigan. Let's discuss the Obama factor and more with all of our political experts.

Alex Thompson, this was an event that follows her event yesterday with Liz Cheney in Ripon, Wisconsin. That was designed to reach out, I think, towards disaffected Republicans. This was a bit more of her wheelhouse. There's labor support in the building. How are things looking for her in Michigan?

ALEX THOMPSON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, today was all about shoring up some problems that she has with her base right now. Fact is that the Teamsters have not endorsed. The firefighters this week did not endorse. Those were two unions that endorsed Joe Biden four years ago, and so it was not a coincidence that she talked a lot about labor and talked a lot about working class Americans.

And then just before this, she met privately with Arab-Americans and Muslim groups to try to shore up as those groups are very concerned about the escalating war in the Middle East.

MARQUARDT: Yes. Ameshia, to that point, I mean, she had this important meeting today with Arab and Muslim leaders. They are very angry, understandably about the war, not just in Gaza, but now the expanding war in Lebanon. A breakdown for us the Harris campaign's relationship with that group and what she needs to overcome in these remaining 32 days, as she just pointed out.

AMESHIA CROSS, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, it's very tenuous at this point. I think that with what we saw over the summer and prior to that with the campus uprisings across the country, we heard from young people who are very concerned, but also saw that certain college presidents lost their jobs. And we've seen the community over and over again, specifically the uncommitted vote, call out where President Biden is as well as Vice President Harris on this issue.

And I think that at this point when we've seen a press conference earlier today or briefing earlier today where we heard from Joe Biden, who specifically said that or alluded to Netanyahu possibly, you know, trying to shift the scales when it comes to this election, utilizing his own power in what's going on in Israel and Gaza, I think that at this point there has to be especially a concern in Michigan because you have such a large population of Arab voters. But in addition to that we've seen this really affect younger voters and their preferences as well.

So, I think that the meetings that she's having matters, but she also has to take a very clear stance on what will happen, how the U.S. will continue to move forward. Are we in support of watching thousands of innocent Palestinians continue to die in this war and what it means towards, you know, our foreign policy and our relationship with Israel if we continue to go down this current path.

MARQUARDT: Yes. President Joe Biden making a remarkable, notable appearance in the press briefing room, actually his first time in the presidency today and in his term, and he weighed in on election integrity. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: I'm confident to be free and fair. I don't know whether it will be peaceful. The things that Trump has said and the things that he said last time out, when he didn't like the outcome of the election, were very dangerous.

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I only can hope that it's going to be free and fair, and I think in this state it will be, and I hope in every state it will be, and I think we're going to do very well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUARDT: Brian what do you make of that, the president saying that he does believe that it'll be free and fair, but he doesn't know if they'll be peaceful?

BRYAN LANZA, SENIOR ADVISER, TRUMP CAMPAIGN: Listen, I think we know it's going to be free and fair because we put a big spotlight on it. It's hard to say that anything's going to be peaceful. The president's been shot once and there's been another assassination attempt. Clearly, there's something in the air tomorrow. We're going to be in Butler, which is sort of a month away from a month from when it happened. So, there's the violence. You can feel it. You can feel it emanated anywhere. You have to be careful. You have to be thankful to the Secret Service, but it's out there. And we have to be very careful with our language.

MARQUARDT: Alex, what did you make of the president there talking about those concerns about potential violence around the election?

[18:15:03]

THOMPSON: I mean, this has been a galvanizing issue for Joe Biden since the beginning of his presidency. Really, since January 6th, you saw it from his inaugural address to now. It has been the issue that motivates him more than anything. His top political team thought that January 6th was going to be the equivalent of what 9/11 was to the 2004 election.

MARQUARDT: All right, everyone stick around. We have a lot more to discuss.

When we come back, we'll be talking about the Obama factor as the former president pair prayers to ramp up his campaign events for Kamala Harris.

And then President Biden is also making news with a remark that he made on Israel and the Middle East during that first ever Q and A with reporters from the podium of the White House briefing room.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARQUARDT: Kamala Harris is hoping to get a boost in the final sprint to Election Day from one of her party's biggest stars, former President Barack Obama. He's set to launch a 27-day campaign swing through the battleground states beginning next week in Pennsylvania.

[18:20:03]

Let's get more now from CNN's Tom Foreman.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDET (voice over): President Barack Obama is on a mission to make sure his successor, former President Donald Trump, does not make a return to the White House.

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: We do not need four more years of bluster and bumbling and chaos. We have seen that movie before and we all know that the sequel is usually worse.

FOREMAN: Kamala Harris backed Obama early in his historic bids for the presidency and for re-election.

HARRIS: President Obama will fight for working families.

FOREMAN: Now fighting for her, he will be storming battleground states, starting in Pennsylvania, making good on the pledge he and former First Lady Michelle Obama offered just days after Harris became the de facto nominee.

OBAMA: Michelle and I couldn't be prouder to endorse you and to do everything we can to get you through this election and into the Oval Office.

HARRIS: Oh my goodness.

FOREMAN: Obama is a triple threat, tasked with rousing complacent Democrats to show up and vote, continuing to raise funds for the homestretch of the campaign and recording ads for other down ballot Democrats, like U.S. Senate Candidate Elissa Slotkin in Michigan, who is battling it out with Republican Mike Rogers.

OBAMA: Elissa is a true public servant who has dedicated her career to serving the American people, no matter who is in the White House.

FOREMAN: Obama's push right up to Election Day could be very consequential, but not just for one side.

DANA MILBANK, AUTHOR, FOOLS ON THE HILL: He really drives turnout among Democrats, but there's a flip side. He also really drives turnout among Republicans.

FOREMAN: The former president, fully aware of that, has pushed his party's outreach to non-Democrats all along.

OBAMA: If we want to win over those who aren't yet ready to support our candidates, we need to listen to their concerns.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOREMAN (on camera): The former president is undeniably one of the most extraordinary political figures of our time. And he proved remarkably skilled in drawing voters to his side. The question now is can he push them to hers. Alex?

MARQUARDT: A very big question. Tom Foreman, thank you so much for that report.

Let's turn back to our political experts and get them to weigh in. Alex Thompson, so how does Obama actually help Harris get people out? And why do you think that he is just doing this now with 27 days to go when he gets out there next week?

THOMPSON: Donald Trump and Barack Obama are the two most dominant political figures of the last 12, 14 years in this country. And, you know, we were talking earlier that Obama sort of likes to be the closer, but you have to understand this isn't just about two different worldviews. This is also personal for Obama, because his personal legacy is also intertwined with Donald Trump's legacy.

And the fact is there's also a personal animus. I've talked to some of his aides. There's a personal animus here because Donald Trump was the chief birther agitator and tried to argue that he was an illegitimate president. So, there is a personal edge here.

MARQUARDT: Ameshia, you were an adviser to former President Obama. That coalition, the Obama coalition, which stitched together voters of all different stripes, does that still exist? Because, for example, he won Ohio and Florida twice, and yet now those states are firmly red.

CROSS: I think that the coalition still exists. It takes a candidate to bring that coalition back together. And I think that we've seen that. We've seen it tried and tested. Hillary Clinton was not able to do it. Joe Biden was able to do it in part. And what we've seen now is that there's a severe splinter amongst that group. And I think that for Kamala Harris, it is within a very short and truncated time. Can you bring that group back together? Are there differences enough to be able to be climbed over in the opportunity economy she's talking about, in her vision for the future? And she's working to do that across multiple states.

But I think that the real issue here and the reason why Obama is getting in this, one, because of the star power, but in addition to that, it is, if you can make that coalition last, that's the true test of democracy, I think, and it's definitely the true test of the party. Can that coalition last more than just for the Obama, both of his terms? If it cannot, that shows how faulty this is. But if it can, it shows that the Democrats can continue to expand. And I think that that's one of the things that they're really fighting hard for.

MARQUARDT: And, Bryan, does the Trump campaign have to counteract this star power, or do you think, as that point was just made in Tom's piece there, that he's actually a galvanizing force for Republican voters as well?

LANZA: He very much motivates the Republican Party. But, I mean, let's look at the image, the side by side of Barack Obama, Kamala Harris. You got the man of hope, and you got the woman of inflation. That's what people are going to see. They're going to be reminded of, you know, Obama gave young people hope about the future, they gave hope about opportunity, they gave hope of this post-partisanship. Kamala Harris is a San Francisco liberal hack who's created an economy and bankrupted the middle class. That's what they're going to see.

So, I don't think Barack Obama is going to be able to change the page of how people filter and see Kamala Harris.

MARQUARDT: You don't think that he will be able to get Democrats out in a meaningful way, people who might have been --

LANZA: The fact that he's out here so early is a red flag for the Democratic Party.

[18:25:01]

It's because he usually comes in, and Alex is right, to come close, the final ten days, the final weeks. The fact that he's spending 27 days out there says that the coalition has not been re-casted and not recreated and there's a desperation there. So, to me, a Barack Obama 27-day tour is a desperation to try to recreate something that's just --

CROSS: I think it says more that this is a truncated campaign. He has to jump out now because the time, the calendar is very different. But in addition to that, he recognizes what his power happens to be in this election cycle. So, I think it's important that he jumps out.

But we also have to recognize that the partisanship that you just mentioned, that drive that we've seen in terms of separation, was largely driven and created by and amplified by Donald Trump. The big difference that we saw amongst those groups is that there was a guy who came in and his one purpose in running was to eradicate all of the gains of the Obama administration.

And he said that when he ran, in addition to running a campaign that was also racist, one that was also driven by grievance, and one that he continues to drive by grievance. He wants to have a democracy in shambles, and he has shown that time and time again.

THOMPSON: Well, I can also tell you just real quick Donald Trump doesn't really personally respect Kamala Harris, but he does personally respect Barack Obama. There's an intimidation factor with Barack Obama.

CROSS: I don't think Donald Trump personally respects anybody, but I also believe that at the end of the day, he has a -- he knows he can't go to toe with Barack Obama. They think that there is a level of fear and frustration there.

MARQUARDT: But aside from --

LANZA: No, we knocked him out on his third term. Hillary Clinton was Barack Obama's third term and the American voters said no.

CROSS: He's never run against Barack Obama.

THOMPSON: And Barack Obama right after that race said that he believed he could have won that race.

MARQUARDT: There's been a formidable amount of star power. Whether it's effective or not I think is the question that has lined up behind Kamala Harris. Will we expect to see Michelle Obama out on the campaign trail? You've got Bruce Springsteen just endorsed her yesterday, Taylor Swift, of course, huge endorsement. She comes out onto stage to Beyonce's song, Freedom. Do you think that we'll expect -- we'll see other big names like that out there, Alex? And does that have an impact?

THOMPSON: I mean, Barack Obama likes to be the closer. Michelle likes to be the closer to the closer, like the encore. She likes to -- she does not like to campaign. She does not like campaign politics. And she was very reluctant to campaign for Joe Biden because of some interpersonal family dynamics related to Hunter Biden. So, it will be really interesting to me if we see her. It will not be until the very, very end.

MARQUARDT: Ameshia?

CROSS: I think that's true. We'll definitely see Michelle Obama come out. I think that we're going to see the whole -- you know, the holy trinity of Democrats come out around this. We're also going to see more celebrities. But long-term celebrity influencers have not necessarily showcased that they can bring people to the polls. It's great to have them. But at the end of the day, this is going to be a grassroots campaign. Every door knock is going to matter. And in the battleground states specifically, because the margins are just so slim, every single vote is going to count.

MARQUARDT: Brian, I was struck by the scene yesterday in Ripon, Wisconsin, the home, the birthplace of the Republican Party, to see a Cheney stand up there saying, I'm proudly voting for a Democrat. That was really stunning. But to what extent do you think that actually changes things?

LANZA: I mean, that was really personal and I don't think it changes anything. If Liz Cheney had a chance to affect the Republican Party, it would have been in her home state when she was running for Congress and she got blown out.

So, if you look at the impact she's going to have, it's going to be marginal with Republicans where she would have the most impact, I doubt that independent voters are going to say, oh, now that Liz Cheney's on board, now this is going to finally push us. Independent voters want to know what's happening with the economy and they know what the Harris economy brings. And that's four years of inflation that's been crippling to the middle.

CROSS: So, we're not going to talk about the hundreds of thousands of jobs that have been added in just in the past month? I think that the whole argument that Republicans continue to have about the economy (INAUDIBLE) because it doesn't matter.

LANZA: Absolutely. You can talk about the jobs, but as people go and pay their gas and it's 20, 30 percent more, as people can't pay their mortgage, they don't care about the jobs. They care about the payments that they can't make at that moment.

THOMPSON: I can tell you also really quick, the Harris campaign may not -- regardless of Liz Cheney, does believe that all the former people that used to work for Trump that are now saying that they don't think he's fit, they are investing a ton of money in ads featuring those people.

CROSS: And those people are also stumping for Kamala Harris in the battleground states as well.

MARQUARDT: Thanks to you all. We have to leave it there. 32 days, as Kamala Harris just reminded us.

And coming up, President Biden uses a rare trip to the White House briefing room to give advice to Israel as it prepares an expected retaliation against Iran. We'll share that with you right after this quick break

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:30:00]

MARQUARDT: President Joe Biden weighed in on the conflicts in the Middle East today during a rare visit to the White House briefing room. Listen to the president offering his thoughts on Israel's expected retaliation against Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: The Israelis have not concluded how they're -- what they're going to do in terms of the strike.

If I were in those shoes, I'd be thinking about other alternatives than striking offense.

The Israelis have every right to respond to the vicious attacks on them. Not just from the Iranians, but from everyone, from Hezbollah, the Houthis.

But the fact is that they have to be very much more careful about dealing with civilian casualties.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUARDT: CNN's Kayla Tausche is joining us now from the White House. Kayla, the president facing a lot of questions there amid these dangerous escalations and moves in the Middle East.

KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: He is, and he has been for days, if not longer, Alex. President Biden facing questions today on exactly what response he sees as appropriate for Israel to take in response to the attack by Iran this week.

He has said that he does not support Israel hitting Iran's nuclear facilities. And then he was forced to clarify a comment he made yesterday where he said that he appeared to leave the door open to supporting Israel hitting Iran's oil reserves, which today he said that he'd prefer that they not essentially.

But it's unclear whether Israel would abide by the advice that the U.S. is providing. U.S. officials have suggested that Israel is giving no assurances that it is. But he's also facing questions on why, after a year of this conflict and in which time the U.S. has been feverishly pursuing a diplomatic solution to this conflict, Israel has instead intensified the conflict on two new fronts, both against Iran and against Hezbollah in Lebanon, in a war that was originally prosecuted against Hamas in Gaza.

[18:35:18]

And Biden was asked in the briefing room whether he thought there was the potential that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was trying to derail Democrats from being able to keep the presidency. Here's how Biden addressed that question.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: No administration has helped Israel more than I have, none, none, none. And I think Bibi should remember that. And whether he's trying to influence the election, I don't know, but I'm not counting on that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAUSCHE: White House officials have acknowledged privately that Netanyahu faces a complicated political calculus of his own in his country, where a ceasefire gets mixed reviews. Alex?

MARQUARDT: Kayla Tausche at the White House, thank you so much for that report.

And joining me now is Democratic Congressman Jason Crow of Colorado. He sits on the House Intelligence and Foreign Affairs Committee. Congressman, thank you so much for being with us.

Some really interesting remarks by the president there, remarkable that he did not really give a straight answer there on whether he thinks the leader of one of the U.S.'s closest allies, Israel, is trying to influence this election. Do you think that Netanyahu is trying to influence the 2024 election?

REP. JASON CROW (D-CO): Well, I don't have any inside information. I think it's just conjecture about whether he is or not. What I do think is happening are two very troubling things. One is the continuation of an unacceptably high level of civilian casualties. You know, listen, we learned in our multiple decades during the war on terror that you cannot address a terrorist threat, you cannot bomb away a terrorist threat. You have to center and make a priority, the protection of civilians and the dignity of all people. And so far I have not seen that be a priority.

And then the second is what appears to be lack of coordination by the Israelis and lack of any type of delineation of how they're going to finish this, what their end game is and what their end goal is, which after a year remains unclear.

MARQUARDT: And we have these three different fronts, essentially Gaza, Lebanon, and now Iran. And my colleagues, Kylie Atwood and Jennifer Hansler, are reporting that in terms of the Israeli retaliation against Iran, the administration has not gotten assurances that Israel will not target Iran's nuclear facilities. President Biden has said that he hopes that they will not. Do you think the U.S. has lost its ability to influence Israel? CROW: I think that would be an overstatement. I mean, listen, Israel has a right to defend itself. I've consistently said that. I condemn the attacks by Iran on Israel. And I've supported the security umbrella and the air defense collaboration between the United States and Israel to respond to those attacks by Iran and the rocket attacks by Hezbollah and others.

At the same time, there does need to be a greater level of coordination by Israel. I mean, we are trying, we are sending emissaries over, we are attempting to figure out what their strategy is. There has to be more information by Israel because they exist, they live under the U.S. security umbrella, make no mistake about this. I mean, they have their own military, they have their own air force. But, ultimately, it's the U.S. security umbrella that makes a lot of that possible. And if there is a wider regional conflict, the risk of us being pulled into that conflict is extremely high.

So, I again will call for Israel, as the president and the administration has repeatedly, to coordinate more closely with us.

MARQUARDT: Congressman, you famously served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now, we have a conflict watchdog telling CNN that Israel's bombardment of Lebanon is, quote, the most intense aerial campaign outside of Gaza in 20 years. Last week, Israel carried out 3,000 strikes in Lebanon over two days. The U.S. carried out fewer strikes than that most years in Afghanistan. So, the question is, are you comfortable with the scale of this war?

CROW: I'm greatly uncomfortable with the level of civilian casualties. Listen, there's no modern precedent for the ability to defeat a terrorist threat with military force alone. In fact, you can actually make a terrorist threat worse over time by, you know, fueling the extremism, fueling the despair, fueling the underlying groundwork that leads to extremism and to terrorism if you don't give people hope and dignity.

And that's why I've been pushing for Israel and for Prime Minister Netanyahu to come out and clearly state there must be a two-state solution, there must be peace, they're going to respect the rights and dignity of all people. And then we're going to work backwards from there and figure out what we need to do to establish security and to make sure that the state of Israel is secure as well.

[18:40:03]

But until we have that end goal clearly stated, I just see this continuing in perpetuity, and that is just not an acceptable result.

MARQUARDT: Yes, shows no sign of ending, so much going in the Middle East.

Congressman Jason Crow, I really appreciate your thoughts this evening.

CROW: Yes, thank you. MARQUARDT: And just ahead, new reaction to Melania Trump's break with her husband on the issue of abortion rights. Donald Trump and J.D. Vance are both weighing in now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARQUARDT: Tonight, J. D. Vance is joining Donald Trump in trying to downplay a newly revealed split between Melania Trump and her husband on the issue of abortion. The former first lady stirring controversy by publicly declaring her support for abortion rights.

Let's bring in CNN's Brian Todd. So, Brian, this was really a highly unusual move by Melania Trump, which is making some waves within the GOP.

[18:45:00]

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's making waves for sure, Alex. And it's unusual, analysts say, because it's really unheard of for a first lady or former first lady to say all of this in the middle of a campaign season.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice-over): Tonight, more reaction to Melania Trump's newly revealed stance on abortions. This time from Donald Trump's running mate, J.D. Vance.

SEN. J.D. VANCE (R-OH), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Melania is entitled to her own views, in the same way that people of Georgia are entitled to their own views. And I don't believe I have to attack or disagree or criticize anybody on this issue.

TODD: The former first lady coming out in favor of abortion rights ahead of her forthcoming memoir "Melania".

MELANIA TRUMP, FORMER U.S. FIRST LADY: Without a doubt, there is no room for compromise when it comes to these essential right that all women possess from birth, individual freedom.

TODD: It's a position seemingly at odds with her husbands, but former President Trump doesn't seem to mind.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT & 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We spoke about it. And I said, you have to write what you believe. I'm not going to tell you what to do. You have to write what you believe.

TODD: One first lady historian calls Melania Trump's position, jaw- dropping.

KATE ANDERSEN BROWER, AUTHOR, "FIRST WOMEN: THE GRACE AND POWER OF AMERICA'S MODERN FIRST LADIES": First ladies do not show any daylight between themselves and their husbands. But in modern history, we've had Laura Bush, Barbara Bush, both women who were pro-choice, married to men who were not pro-choice and so they wouldn't have ever said it during a campaign season. TODD: This as the former first lady is also shaking up the political

and media landscape in other ways, in an interview with Fox News, criticizing Secret Service leadership before the assassination attempts on her husband.

M. TRUMP: Our team asks many times for more -- more security, more -- more help. And they were denied for the top leadership, you have a question marks, and that's all on this administration that they could give permissions what to do.

TODD: CNN has reported that Donald Trump's security detail had complained prior to the assassination attempts that they were not being given enough resources by the Secret Service. The agency has acknowledged it didn't provide some of what Trump wanted, but has since ramped up his security.

Melania Trump also telling Fox in a separate interview this:

M. TRUMP: I think both of the events they were really miracles if you really think about it -- the July 13 was a miracle. Like that much, and he could, you know, he could not be with us.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (on camera): And there is more controversy surrounding the former first lady. CNN's Hadas Gold and Pamela Brown report that when CNN recently reached out to Melania Trump's publisher to request an interview with her ahead of her upcoming memoir, the publisher of Skyhorse demanded $250,000 for the interview. CNN did not sign the agreement.

Later, Skyhorse said it had sent the payment demand by mistake. Spokespeople for Melania Trump and CNN declined to comment -- Alex.

MARQUARDT: Brian Todd, thank you so much for that report.

CNN has been digging deeper into Melania Trump's role as a former and now potentially future first lady. On "THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER", CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins has an in-depth report called "The First Spouse: Melania And Doug" focusing on Kamala Harris's husband, Doug Emhoff, as well as Melania Trump.

Here's a clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUCNER: Please welcome, Stephanie Grisham.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR, THE SOURCE (voice-over): By 2024, Melania's chief-of-staff, a self-proclaimed former Trump, true believer, described her breaking point with the first lady.

STEPHANIE GRISHAM, FORMER WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: On January 6th, I asked Melania if we could at least tweet that while peaceful protests is the right of every American, there's no place for lawlessness or violence. She replied with one word: No. I became the first senior staffer to resign sign that day.

KATE BENNETT, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I remember that day really well because I was at the White House. But later, we would realize what she was doing was having a rug photographs, a rug that she had redesigned for the diplomatic room. That's what she did on January 6. That's --

COLLINS: That morning as --

BENNETT: That day.

COLLINS: -- her husband was delivering the speech on the ellipse and his rioters were attacking the capitol.

BENNETT: She was during a photo shoot, and I think at that point people could really understand who Melania Trump wants much more aligned with her husband's politics than people thought.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUARDT: And Kaitlan Collins joins us now.

So, Kaitlan, we just heard quite a striking contrast between Melania Trump on January 6 and then her very enigmatic pro-abortion message now.

How do you square those things?

COLLINS: Well, I think the bottom line when it comes to what were hearing from her on abortion, why we are now hearing on her on this issue, given obviously Roe versus Wade was overturned two years ago and we've seen how that battle has played out across the U.S., when you talk to people who have covered Melania and studied her for years, they say it's really a promotional effort.

[18:50:01]

It's not necessarily some strategic part of helping her husband's campaign with one of his weakest issues, which is abortion. And it's something that Trump campaign itself is fully aware of. They think it actually just has much more to do with the fact that she has a book coming out within a few -- within a few days, but I think the January 6 part that was so interesting to me in looking back at what she was doing that day. And I should note that in 2022, she later put out a statement saying if she had understood the depth of what was happening on January 6, that she would have come out and condemned it.

Of course, that was a statement in June of 2022, not in January 2021 when all this was happening. I think that speaks though to this -- this idea that some people think that there is this huge gulf of distance between Melania Trump and Donald Trump on the issues and what -- what it shows is that often they are more aligned, than I think people might expect. And certainly were on that day in terms of not putting out a statement saying as much initially, not as the riot was happening. MARQUARDT: And, Kaitlan, the other part of this doc that you've done is spotlights Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, of course, if he could become the first spouse, that's the first man in that office. What do you think we can expect to see from him if he takes on that role?

COLLINS: It's a fascinating look regardless of which candidate wins, because if Melania Trump win -- if Donald Trump wins and Melania Trump returns to her role, she never was a typical or conventional first lady and I say that in quotes because there's no defined role for this position, every first lady has done differently, but with Doug Emhoff, you know, he'd be the first guy to ever occupy this position.

I actually went over to the Smithsonian museum in Washington. They have a first ladies exhibit there and in the dark, I speak with one of the curators about that because they have all of the inaugural gowns that every first lady has warned to their husband's inauguration.

There's no talks in there. Obviously, but there certainly could be. They came close to being prepared for that during the election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, the idea that Bill Clinton might take that role.

But it's an open question of what it would look like. What I really learned that was interesting and you'll hear this on Sunday night when, when the documentary airs, is a lot of experts who have studied the role of first spouse said that they actually think if Doug Emhoff is in that role, that he will feel fulfill a more traditional view of what that looks like, than Melania Trump would, if she returns to the White House. There were real questions about whether or not she would move back into the White House if Donald Trump does win, or if she would remain in New York City.

So, big questions of what this could look like. Either way, it's a fascinating look at this position and just how much its changed and also how antiquated its still very much is.

MARQUARDT: Yeah, I think it's pretty remarkable as high-profile as this position is. It is unpaid. I mean, they're essentially serving as the spouse and yet they have these huge portfolios, which as you say, change depending on who the person is. But when you look at these two people and you look in the past holders of this role, what -- what has stood out to you most?

COLLINS: You know, I covered the White House obviously for a long time. You focus on the west wing. Understandably, you focus on the president, his advisers inside the West Wing, who's around him. But often a lot of influence comes from the East Wing.

I mean, Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter really exemplified this. She would sit in on cabinet meeting and they -- they establish a weekly lunch where they talked about policy, not just catching up with one another.

And so I think the emphasis in the influence that you see, whoever is occupying that role has on the president of the United States is really an interesting look. And it often gets overlooked. And that's why this documentary was so fascinating for us, is to dig into that is something that really doesn't get a lot of attention, but certainly should.

MARQUARDT: Yeah, really, really interesting. I don't know if the Smithsonian needs a tuxedo. They're not all that interesting. They don't vary all that much, but we shall see.

Kaitlan Collins, thank you very much.

And you can all see Kaitlan's full report on "THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER" Sunday night at 8:00 Eastern and Pacific, only on CNN.

And Kaitlan will be back with more news tonight on "THE SOURCE" at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:58:07]

MARQUARDT: One week after Hurricane Helene slammed into Florida's Gulf Coast and triggered a historic flooding disaster across multiple states, the death toll from the storm has risen to at least 218 people.

CNN's Ryan Young has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The pictures from above, just incredible.

The before, the after.

BRITTANY NEAL, NORTH CAROLINA RESIDENT: I haven't seen my kids. I'm tired, hungry, still have no power.

YOUNG: Ripped up roads, destroyed homes, and power lines down everywhere, making the recovery process, and the search for the missing very difficult.

SHERRYE TRICE, NORTH CAROLINA RESIDENT: It's the not knowing what's happening around you. It's not knowing if help is coming.

YOUNG: Helene is the second-deadliest hurricane to strike the U.S. mainland in the past 50 years, a week after at least 200 people are still missing and just one North Carolina County, and more than 200 people are dead across six states.

MICHELLE COLEMAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ASHEVILLE DREAM CENTER: We've never seen this before and I know that we don't really truly know the numbers of the loss of life here.

YOUNG: Questions remain about a tragic incident at the Impact Plastics plant in Tennessee, where workers tell us they were not allowed to leave the factory in time to escape the storm.

ROBERT JARVIS, EMPLOYEE AT IMPACT PLASTICS: I said, can we leave, and a woman said, no, not until I speak when Jerry. About ten minutes later she came back and said, you all can leave. It was too late. Why did you make us work that day? Why?

YOUNG: Eleven workers were swept away. Five were rescued. And sadly two were found dead.

The company issued a strong statement denying any wrongdoing and says all employees were told to leave the facility, at least 45 minutes before the flood hit the area.

Stories of survival and neighbors jumping in to help neighbors are inspiring.

Floodwaters from Hurricane Helene were taking Leslie Worth downstream. Eddie Hunnell (ph), who was preparing for his sons wedding, heard Leslie screams in the water and jumped into a canoe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So I jumped in and started swimming to her.

YOUNG: Others also springing into action. This championship kayaker brought supplies to residents trapped by floodwaters.

Across six states, the work to clear an open roads to help power crews get the lights back on while small businesses and families hope for a timeline to get life back to normal, it's just realistically not there for so many right now.

Ryan Young, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUARDT: And "ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.