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The Source with Kaitlan Collins
New Poll Shows Harris & Trump Neck-And-Neck In Georgia; Vance Faces Fresh Scrutiny For Bashing Teachers Union President For Not Having "Some Of Her Own" Children; FBI Shares New Photos Of Trump Shooter's Gun, Explosives. Aired 9-10p ET
Aired August 28, 2024 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[21:00:00]
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, ANDERSON COOPER 360: But, what do you -- what's the answer to this? Because in 'The Times' today, you wrote -- you said that -- you talked about in the past few years, how this has been sort of looked at, saying that "In the past few years we have made progress, expanding access to early childhood education, maternal health programs and a mental health crisis hotline for kids and adults. We have much more to do... to make parenting sustainable."
We only have about 30 seconds left. But what do you recommend?
DR. VIVEK MURTHY, U.S. SURGEON GENERAL: Well, there's a -- we fundamentally need a culture shift, Anderson, in how we value parenting. We've got to see it as essential to all of society.
And that can fuel policy changes, like paid leave, which parents need, to be with a sick child, and access to mental health care, more affordable child care, as well as steps to make social media safer. These are policy solutions.
But finally, on an individual level, Anderson, it's important I want to know -- it's something I want every parent to know that your wellbeing really does matter.
COOPER: Yes.
MURTHY: Investing in your wellbeing is not selfish. It is essential. And you're also not alone in your struggles, even though it can often feel that way.
COOPER: Yes.
MURTHY: The more we're able to reach out, and talk to other parents openly, and ask for help, it can help us build a community that some of us need, because parenting, fundamentally, is a team sport.
COOPER: Yes. Surgeon--
MURTHY: And we need each other.
COOPER: Surgeon General Murthy, I'm afraid I'm out of time. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. The news continues. "THE SOURCE" starts now.
PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST, THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS: Straight from THE SOURCE tonight.
A battleground blitz. Vice President Harris on the trail, for the first time, since accepting the nomination. She's got Georgia on her mind.
And we've got brand-new polling from Georgia, and the swing states. We're going to talk about that, coming up.
Plus, some new backlash over newly-resurfaced tape of Donald Trump's running mate, J.D. Vance disparaging people without kids. This time though, childless teachers, including our prominent source, here tonight.
And brand-new reporting on the Trump assassination attempt. CNN has learned the would-be assassin studied a U.S. government document, as he hatched his plot. He used that document to help him. It's breaking, right here, tonight.
I'm Pamela Brown, in for Kaitlan Collins. And this is THE SOURCE.
On the road again, and trying to make major inroads, with voters, in a state, where she defied the odds, with President Biden in 2020. That would be Georgia.
And Vice President Harris is taking her campaign, through GOP strongholds, in southern Georgia. It's part of a two-day tour with her running mate, Minnesota governor, Tim Walz, their first appearance together, in the state, and first time back on the trail since the convention, visiting a barbecue joint and dropping by a high school.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S., (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We wanted to come by to remind you that our nation is counting on you. We're so proud of you and everything you have achieved.
And I will tell you, I was in a band, when I was your age.
(LAUGHTER)
HARRIS: So, I know a little bit about -- you know, Coach knows about the players, right? And all that you all are doing, it requires a whole lot of rehearsal, a whole lot of practice.
But all that practice makes for beautiful music. And that is a metaphor, that is symbolic, for everything that you all will do in your lives.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: And tomorrow, in Georgia, Harris and Walz will sit down for their first interview, as their party's nominees. It airs 24 hours from right now, 09:00 p.m., tomorrow night, only right here on CNN. A lot riding on that appearance for the Vice President.
And as the Democratic ticket tries to put the Peach State back in play, a brand-new poll, tonight, shows it might already be.
A Fox News survey shows Harris gaining ground in Sun Belt battlegrounds. Among them, Georgia. Harris with 50 percent support among registered voters, and Donald Trump at 48 percent. So, incredibly tight, within the margin of error. So, there is no clear leader.
But the fact that Georgia is competitive, right now, is big news in itself. The survey attributes Harris' gains to strong support among women, Black voters and young voters.
So, let's take the pulse of the people in Georgia and beyond. My sources tonight are:
Multimedia mogul, Charlamagne tha God, host of "The Breakfast Club" radio show, and author of the new book, "Get Honest Or Die Lying: Why Small Talk Sucks." I could not agree more with that sentiment.
And Angela Rye, CEO of the political advocacy firm, IMPACT Strategies, and the co-host of the "Native Land" podcast.
Great to see you both. I'm excited to see what you have to say tonight.
Charlamagne, let's kick it off with you. You see that poll that I mentioned earlier. It's a snapshot in time, of course. No clear leader. But Georgia is a swing state again. That was not the case with President Biden. What does this signal to you? Do you think she can keep the momentum going and keep Georgia in play?
CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD, HOST, THE BREAKFAST CLUB, TV & RADIO PERSONALITY, AUTHOR, "GET HONEST OR DIE LYING": Oh, absolutely. First of all, thank you for having us tonight. And absolutely, the VP is doing exactly what she needs to be doing.
We all know this isn't a traditional campaign, because of the short window she has. So, she's got to go out there, and she's got to leave no stone unturned. She's got to shake every hand, kiss every baby. That is what campaigning is. Campaigning is explaining yourself, and your policies, to everybody, you know?
[21:05:00]
And don't let social media fool you. I like the vibes. But the vibes aren't going to be what wins you this election.
People want policy. People want something tangible that they can feel, that can make them feel better about their circumstances. And she's going to have to go out there every single day and explain how she is going to do that, for the American people. And she's doing it.
BROWN: Angela, to bring you in. Those battleground polls also show Donald Trump pulling in 19 percent support from Black voters. That is actually triple what he got in 2020. What do you make of that? What is he doing right, to win them over?
ANGELA RYE, PRINCIPAL & CEO, IMPACT STRATEGIES, CO-HOST, NATIVE LAND PODCAST: I don't make anything of these polls that are talking to imaginary Black folks. I would love to know, for one, who they're talking to, because I've not seen--
BROWN: So, you think that they don't exist?
RYE: I think that they are maybe -- you know what they might? They might be the Invisible Man that Ralph Ellison talked about in his book. I don't know who these people are.
There was a Trump ad that was released, I believe today, that's targeting Black women voters. And there are these people, who allegedly exist, all throughout the country, and they're reading scripts. You can see their eyeline going over here. And I think some of them might be paid to say some of these things. I'm not sure.
But here's what I do know, Pam. You talked about Joe -- this not being the case. Georgia not being the case for Joe Biden. Joe Biden did actually win Georgia in 2020.
And I also want to give some credit to Kamala Harris, who has been to Georgia, seven times, this year, right? And so, I think it's important for us to acknowledge the work that has been done. Their state directors talked about 35,000 new volunteers, on the ground, since Kamala Harris announced. They have well over 24 offices in that state. They're doing the work.
And so, what you do see with polls, and what you do hear from folks who are registered voters, is that the tide is changing, that they're excited about the change and the excitement that Kamala Harris brought to the top of the ticket. And I think we really got to give more credit to the work.
I'm not giving any credit to these polls. Polls ends up -- end up being wrong all the time. And I've seen polls that say 15 percent, 19 percent, 18 percent, of Black folks. I don't believe it at all. I really don't.
BROWN: So, I want to follow up with what you had said about who are these voters, as I said, the 19 percent of Black voters supporting Trump.
Our CNN's Elle Reeve actually recently spoke to a Black voter, in Virginia, who owns a shop that sells pro-Trump merchandise. Here's what she said about his outreach to Black voters. And I'll get your reaction on the other end.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JO ANNE PRICE, TRUMP STORE OWNER: I think their efforts aren't succeeding tremendously. All the things that have happened to President Trump, the attacks on him, have done nothing more than strengthen Black people's connection to him, because now he's someone who is the target of a struggle, and they have always been -- felt that they've been a target.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: All right, Charlamagne, what do you think about that?
CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD: I think that I can't speak for all Black people, because we're not monolithic. And that woman cannot speak for all Black people, because we are not monolithic.
And, yes, I think she sounded like to be--
BROWN: Of course. Of course, they're not.
CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD: --to be totally honest, I think she sounds like a damn fool, but that's her opinion.
And I do feel like Democrats -- Democrats do owe Black people a lot, you know? But last election, 92 percent of Black people voted for Democrats. And that has been the case for a long time. I see that being pretty much the case this year as well.
BROWN: I want to follow up on that--
RYE: Can I just make one observation on that video--
BROWN: Go for it.
RYE: --real quick, though. Did you see--
BROWN: Yes, absolutely.
RYE: Did you see the message that she had on there? Trump Bullet Proof 2024? She should at least take that one down, right? Like that's just tone-deaf, it's inappropriate. This man just survived an assassination attempt. Right? Based on reporting, on this network. That is, in and of itself, crazy. So, to Lenard's point about a damn fool, I would have to agree with that too.
BROWN: All right. All right. So, let's go back, Charlamagne, to bring you back in. Earlier this year, I was going back to look at some of your past interviews you've done, right? The dynamic has clearly changed.
But when it was a Biden-Harris ticket, you said that you wouldn't support Biden's reelection, even if it meant Harris was VP. You told "Politico" in January that once the two got into the White House, Harris, quote, kind of disappeared. You told "Politico" and it reported that you felt burnt by backing her.
What has she done specifically, now, to change your view?
CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD: Well, I had an unrealistic expectation of, what I expected of her, as the Vice President. And the truth to the matter is that just comes in my belief of her, you know?
If you go back and watch an interview on Breakfast Club, in 2018, I told her then that I thought that she could be the President of the United States of America one day. So I had a -- so it wasn't a -- I had a belief in her that over those three and a half years, over the last three and a half, four years, I know that that administration handcuffed her a lot.
[21:10:00]
So, what changed is that she's at the top of the ticket, now. Her being at the top of the ticket now, she's the person that I believed in back in 2018. That person did kind of disappear, over the last three years.
But that is the role of the VP. I mean, if you're a Vice President, you kind of do -- I don't want to say, do nothing, because she did do a lot. But if you kind of, like, don't rock the boat and you let the President be the president?
RYE: Yes.
CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD: You did a great job. You did a great job.
BROWN: Let me -- let me just follow up with you. Because you said, you know the last administration handcuffed her a lot. What makes you say that? I know you talked to Harris as well. Has she conveyed that to you? What makes you say that?
CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD: No--
BROWN: Or is it just like your observation?
CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD: No, she never conveyed that to me. I just know that that's -- that's what I observed. She's the Vice President. That is the Vice President's role. The Vice President's role is to push the agenda of the President, and support the President. And she did that very well.
But she's not -- she's still the VP, but she's at the top of the ticket, running to be the president. And I think that over the last three to four weeks, the person that I know, that I started supporting, way back in 2017, that's who I'm seeing front and center, right now, and I love it.
BROWN: Yes. Because you had said also earlier this year, she could still pivot. It seems like what you're saying is she has pivoted to your liking.
CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD: She definitely -- she definitely pivoted. Like--
BROWN: Yes.
CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD: --I also said that the language of politics is dead. And if you hear a lot of the things that she's saying now, she's really speaking her mind, like earlier today, she said Donald Trump is out of his -- out of his mind. She should have said out of his mother effing mind. But she was right in that sentiment too. BROWN: All right. To bring you in, Angela. Because Charlamagne, at the beginning, you said, look, she needs to focus on policy and the issues that impact the voter directly.
And Angela, on that note, today, you have more than a dozen congressional Democrats that are telling CNN that Harris actually doesn't need to be specific about her policy proposals. They say this race is all about character. What do you say to that, Angela?
RYE: I think it's both. And I think to the point Lenard made earlier, about Black folks not being monolithic. There's not a single type of voter that votes the exact way for the same reasons, either.
So, it is important for folks to get to know a Kamala Harris at the top of the ticket. We could start with the mere pronunciation of her name. We could start with understanding that she is actually an American citizen. We can start with the fact that she's the most qualified person to ever run for the United -- for the presidency.
So, there are a number of things that do need to be fact-checked and clarified. And I also think that the media has a responsibility to be fair to Kamala Harris. When Lenard talked about her pivoting, and her being in obscurity, essentially, it's not because she wasn't doing the work. A lot of the work that she was doing wasn't being covered, right?
We know that once the -- everybody else on social media, and there was this, this excitement around her announcement, all of the sudden, the media said, Oh, ratings, we're going to follow this. But that's not what was happening before, right?
And so, I think there is an acknowledgment that we all have to make that she is doing the work. She has been clear about her policy proposals. Her website might not be all the way ready, because all of us were surprised by Joe Biden pulling out. But those things are all in the works.
And I think she's been very clear, on this bus tour, throughout Georgia, all at the DNC, she's been clear about what she wants to do. And she'll continue to be clear, especially when she does this interview, tomorrow, on this network.
BROWN: And we will all be watching.
CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD: That's right. You think--
BROWN: Go ahead.
CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD: I want to be -- back on what Angela Rye said, yes, people want policy. I don't -- I don't know who those people are that are saying that they don't necessarily want policy. They just want personality. People want policy. And she has to go out there over and over--
RYE: And character.
CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD: --and talk about that policy that--
BROWN: Character, yes.
CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD: --yes, character. Like, but she -- policy, she has to go out there and continue to talk about rebuilding the middle- class. Talk about wanting everyone to have the opportunity to own a business, to own a home. Talk about how you want to keep health care and grocery costs low. Those are her positions, and she has to speak to that. Explain that every single chance she gets.
Because there is a lot of excitement in the party, a lot of new registered voters -- a lot of new voters registered. But there is still a lot of undecideds. There's still those hypothetical swing voters. There's still those independents. And if all those folks got questions, she has to answer them. And that is what running for president is all about. So yes, people want policy, and they want to hear about policy.
BROWN: Charlamagne tha God. Angela Rye. So great to have you both on. Thank you so much for your time.
RYE: Thank you.
BROWN: And up next. Breaking new details on an altercation, involving the Trump campaign, at Arlington National Cemetery, confirmed by Trump running mate, J.D. Vance, just today.
Plus, we have some new reporting on Trump's would-be assassin, what investigators found on his electronic devices, and the first pictures of his infamous gun.
[21:15:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Brand-new reporting from The New York Times, tonight. The family of a Green Beret, who is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, is not happy about Donald Trump's photo op near his gravesite.
Maggie Haberman joins us in just a moment.
The Trump campaign is defending its decision to film in a restricted section of the cemetery, where soldiers who were recently killed are buried.
NPR reports an official at Arlington tried to stop Trump's team, from doing so, on Monday, but was then verbally abused and pushed by Trump campaign staff, according to reporting.
VP candidate, J.D. Vance, though, is blaming the media.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. J.D. VANCE (R-OH), 2024 VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It is amazing to me that you have apparently somebody at Arlington Cemetery, some staff member, had a little disagreement with somebody, and they have turned -- the media has turned this into a national news story.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Trump's spokesman is blaming the cemetery official, claiming that they tried to physically block campaign staff.
We should note that federal law prohibits any campaign- or election- related activities within Army National Military Cemeteries. Which is notable because the Trump campaign posted this video, on TikTok, promoting his visit to the cemetery.
[21:20:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We didn't lose one person in 18 months.
And then they took over. That disaster, the leaving of Afghanistan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: My source, tonight, is New York Times Senior Political Correspondent, Maggie Haberman.
So Maggie, you're reporting this hour, on new reaction, to that TikTok we just showed. Tell us more about what you're learning.
MAGGIE HABERMAN, SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, THE NEW YORK TIMES, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Right. So Pam, my colleagues and I have reporting, from another family that has a soldier buried in that Section 60, which is a very restricted section. It is for people -- for soldiers, who were -- who died after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, for the most part.
This is a family who, the soldier in question, he was a Master Sergeant, Andrew Marckesano. He died by suicide in 2020. And he had served multiple tours, combat tours, including in Afghanistan, but not only. And his gravesite was caught in pictures, as Trump was posing with the gravesite of another sergeant at the same section.
Now, that other Sergeant's family had indeed said they would like Trump there. As you noted. These Gold Star families welcomed him. As you also noted, the rules of the cemetery are that campaign photography, campaign filming, is not permitted, photographs that are going to be used for election purposes.
And the Marckesano family certainly was not contacted or asked for this. But his gravestone is now in that TikTok video, from behind, that Trump posted on TikTok. He's also -- the front of the gravesite with his name is in pictures that were posted online, with Trump posing with a thumbs-up.
And they were very clear, the family, in a statement to us, that they really support this other family, and other families that lost people in the Abbey Gate bombing during -- in Kabul, in Afghanistan. But that this is a restricted area, and that they would hope that everyone would be respectful of that. It was a restrained statement, but it was very clearly displeased.
BROWN: Yes. And what is the Trump campaign saying to this family, to your reporting?
HABERMAN: When we asked them to respond, they would not directly address what the family said.
When asked about the TikTok video, they wouldn't address whether they would continue using the gravestone images, just saying something to the effect of, we continue to honor the wishes of the Gold Star families, who supported him, the -- former President Trump, being there, which, again, their -- families are not a monolith. When it comes to military families, when it comes to families connected to any tragedy, people don't see things the same.
The broader issue here is there is a federal law in place. And so far, the Trump campaign has yet to provide documentation of its claim that it was permitted to do this, and there was an agreement.
BROWN: Right. Because Trump's team is suggesting that they actually have video, to prove what they say happened.
HABERMAN: Right.
BROWN: Why not release it?
HABERMAN: I'd like them to -- I hope they would release it. They should release it. If it--
BROWN: Yes.
HABERMAN: --they have videos suggesting this shows that the confrontation is not as described. They've claimed that they had permission to be there. There is nothing to support that.
I want to add one other note, Pam, that was important from our story, tonight, which is that we had reporting that the official in question, at Arlington Cemetery, she had filed a report. But then, she declined to press charges. And military officials said that she was afraid that she was going to be retaliated against, by Trump supporters.
It's worth noting that the Trump campaign targeted her, suggesting she was having a mental health episode.
BROWN: Well, Trump, for his part, also went on a reposting spree, today, as I know you've seen, Maggie, including one--
HABERMAN: Yes.
BROWN: --that kind of makes my stomach feel sick.
It involves both Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris, with a crude sexual reference that suggested that Harris used sexual favors, to advance her career. We are not going to show that post. And the Harris campaign responded to all his Truthing, saying, quote, Donald Trump is out of his mind.
But what does this signal to you, about Trump's thinking, and how Kamala Harris is getting under his skin?
HABERMAN: Well, there's two things going on, Pam. One is that Trump just likes posting things like this. We have seen him do this for years. This is, you know, not this extreme. This is -- this is pretty explicit. But he has -- he has toyed around the edges, of this kind of thing, for a very long time. And he did something recently, a similar type of repost, on social media, along these lines.
So, I think part of it is it just plays to what he wants to be talking about and enjoys. Part of it is, I think that he believes that this is going to amplify, or people around him believe, this will amplify these claims of his, and get people talking about them. And that is always the risk, in talking about these things, is that it does spread it to a broader audience.
[21:25:00]
But I think he has been trying to bait Kamala Harris, and her supporters, into a fight about race, a fight about gender. And that's what this speaks to. And I think that they have, for the most part, ignored it.
BROWN: All right. Maggie Haberman, thank you so much.
Up next. J.D. Vance pushing back, tonight, at criticism over another remark that he once made, about childless Americans, calling out my next guest, by name.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Tonight, Donald Trump's running mate, Ohio senator, J.D. Vance, is facing some fresh scrutiny for yet another disparaging remark he made in the past, about people who aren't parents.
Vance, of course, has been criticized, for his 2021 dig at, quote, "Childless cat ladies." It's a comment that he says was a sarcastic joke aimed at Democrats.
[21:30:00]
But in a newly-resurfaced video, from that same year, he blasted a teachers union president for not having children of her own.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VANCE: So many of the leaders of the left, and I hate to be so personal about this, but they're people without kids, trying to brainwash the minds of our children. And that really disorients me, and it really disturbs me.
Randi Weingarten, who is the head of the most powerful teachers union, in the country, she doesn't have a single child. If she wants to brainwash and destroy the minds of children, she should have some of her own and leave ours the hell alone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Well, you just heard her name there. My source, tonight, is Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers.
Hi, Randi.
You're shaking your head. What's your reaction?
RANDI WEINGARTEN, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS: I mean, look, I'm used to right-wing taking shots at me. I mean, they don't like unions, and they don't like public schools. They've told us that. And they've said, Christopher Rufo, and others, that they're going to try to create great public school distress. So, I'm used to that.
But this is what's so crude and gross about what he did here. We're at the start of the school year. Teachers and parents need, right now, to really connect with each other, so that we can help kids engage. That's the number one thing that parents want, of public schools, for their kids. They want them to thrive. They want them to engage. They want them to have a love of learning.
So, when the guy, who's running for vice president, now takes on every teacher who doesn't, you know, who he thinks doesn't have kids? By the way, I have kids by marriage. But every teacher, he thinks doesn't have kids, and takes on every modern family, at the same time, takes on Catholic nuns, takes on new teachers, who haven't gotten married yet? I mean, what is he doing? What is he thinking?
But for me, what's worse about this is that it makes it harder for teachers and parents, it makes it harder for kids, when he goes on with this rubbish. That's what's bad about this.
He knows better than this. He should take some responsibility, at least at the start of the school year, as we're trying to really help kids get into school again.
BROWN: And he made those comments in 2021. But he had more to say about then to now--
WEINGARTEN: He doubled down.
BROWN: Yes, exactly. He doubled down.
WEINGARTEN: Yes, that's what I'm saying.
BROWN: I mean, he didn't back away. He didn't apologize.
WEINGARTEN: Maybe--
BROWN: He didn't, you know--
WEINGARTEN: Exactly. BROWN: Let's actually listen to it, and then we can talk about that at the other side. So, let's listen.
WEINGARTEN: I mean--
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VANCE: I didn't criticize Randi Weingarten for not having kids. I criticized her for wanting to brainwash mine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: So, is that how you heard it, that he wasn't criticizing you for not having kids?
WEINGARTEN: Well, first, he criticized -- I mean, maybe he didn't listen to his own tape from 2021. But the fact he doubled down on teachers, today.
And it's just pathetic, like he has no idea how I teach, and what I taught, like he should have come into one of my classrooms. Love -- if you know, I may be teaching again this spring, I'm college teaching this spring, I'll invite him to a classroom. I taught at Cornell, last spring.
My kids, just FYI, were champions, state and city champions, in the Constitution on the Bill of Rights. We teach kids how to think, not what to think. We teach kids to critically think. We teach kids, compassion. We teach kids, caring. We teach kids, communication skills. We teach kids skills, so that they can thrive in America.
So, I have no idea why he would even think that that kind of teaching is brainwashing. I think there must be something wrong with this guy.
BROWN: Well, you have invited him now, on this show, to sit in one of your classes. We'll see if he takes you up on that invitation.
Randi Weingarten, thank you so much.
Well let's dive in with two of the best in the business.
Kristen Soltis Anderson, Republican strategist and pollster.
And Simon Rosenberg, a veteran Democratic strategist.
All right, so let's dive right in. We -- you just heard that conversation I had with Randi.
And you do have to wonder how much these comments that are now resurfacing from J.D. Vance, that he's having to respond to on the trail, is impacting him, in terms of the polls.
And when you look at the latest polling, right now, can you discern if J.D. Vance is helping or hurting Trump, as his running mate?
KRISTEN SOLTIS ANDERSON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST & POLLSTER: So, I still believe that for the most part, all the punditry about how much do the vice presidential candidates matter, they still matter, I think, very little, right?
[21:35:00]
Donald Trump is such a force of nature, such a polarizing figure. You love him, or you don't. That he is really, really, really, the driver of whether you are going to pull the lever for Donald Trump. If you maybe like Donald Trump, is somebody like J.D. Vance really going to turn you off? Or are you already kind of have decided what type of politician you like?
What I think is so frustrating about that clip that you just showed is, right now, Republicans have an advantage, on a lot of issues, the economy, issues like immigration.
And every time clips come up, where instead, they've gone for a personal attack, instead of something that's really rooted in policy, even if they can claim it's taken out of context, et cetera? It's meaning that they're not fighting on the most effective battlefield.
It means that they're not doing the sort of thing that actually is going to bring in those voters, who maybe don't love their options, but are looking for who's going to agree with them on the issues.
Every time you make it personal, you are getting away from policy, and you're making it harder, for those swing voters, to come to your side.
BROWN: And we're going to dive a little bit deeper into crime and the economy, what voters think about that.
SIMON ROSENBERG, VETERAN DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Yes.
BROWN: But Simon, the latest Fox News poll shows, in four battleground states, Tim Walz's net favorability is up, I believe, three points, while J.D. Vance is underwater by five points. How much does this actually hurt or help the total ticket in terms of votes? You heard what Kristen had to say.
ROSENBERG: Yes.
BROWN: Do you agree with that?
ROSENBERG: Well, I think -- I think he's a drag on the ticket. I mean, first of all, we know that he's the--
BROWN: You mean J.D. Vance?
ROSENBERG: J.D. Vance is the most unpopular vice presidential pick, in modern polling history. And he's also generating a lot of negative news.
I mean, the other thing is that these old stories, like tonight, this is like, every couple days, there's some crazy statement he made in a podcast, or a right-wing event, that is creating negative news for the Trump campaign. So, he's not helping the Trump campaign. I think he's continuing to drive it to the right, to make them look like extremists.
I mean, when Kamala Harris said the other night that -- what was the line she used? That they've gone crazy, right, about this kind of stuff that he was talking about? I think it's reinforcing the extremism of the ticket.
And there was no olive branch. He could have picked -- Trump could have picked a VP that could have been an olive branch to Never- Trumpers or independents. He doubled down on extremist MAGA politics.
And so, I think this was a huge mistake, and I think it's hurt the Trump campaign.
BROWN: And of course, he doubled down with the Vance pick, right?
ROSENBERG: Yes.
BROWN: Because Joe Biden was still his running mate. He thought he -- I mean, sorry -- running mate.
ROSENBERG: Yes.
BROWN: His opponent. He thought he had it in the bag. Obviously, things have changed now, with Kamala Harris--
ROSENBERG: Yes.
BROWN: --as the Democratic presidential nominee.
When you look at the polls on those key issues, as you were talking about, the economy and crime, Trump has generally led Harris, in polling, on these issues.
The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll shows her gaining on him, though. On the economy, Trump previously had an 11-point advantage. On crime, he was leading by five points. So now, it's even.
Can this momentum keep going? Or do you expect things to settle?
SOLTIS ANDERSON: I think voters are still trying to figure out who Kamala Harris is.
I think things like the interview that happens, on this network, tomorrow night, are going to be really informative, for voters, who are trying to figure out, what does Kamala Harris really stand for. Because she stood for things in the past that she says she now doesn't stand for. I think sorting some of that out will be very informative.
But the reality is that voters are looking for change. And whether they view her as a breath of fresh air, somebody who's new, Oh, goodness, I didn't want a Trump-Biden rematch, and now we finally have another option? Or she's part of the Biden-Harris administration. Do they view her as more of the same? That is, I think, the axis on which this whole election is going to start to turn.
BROWN: Yes. And so, when you look at this interview, tomorrow night, the stakes, as you laid out there, Kristen, it's a huge deal, stakes are high, for Kamala Harris.
ROSENBERG: Yes.
BROWN: Also Tim Walz. I mean, he's relatively unknown--
ROSENBERG: Yes.
BROWN: --as well, right? So, it's huge for both of them. And it can really sway how things go from here on out.
ROSENBERG: Yes, listen, I mean, this has been so wild, the last few weeks. Every day we're learning more about what the Harris-Walz ticket is going to be, and what they're fighting for.
And so far, things are going unbelievably well for us. I mean, we had a great convention, last week. There's unprecedented enthusiasm. The money that's being raised is remarkable. There's been about a six to seven point shift in national polling towards us. Those Fox polls were very encouraging for us.
We feel good about where we are. We feel good about our ticket. The Democratic Party, I've -- this was my ninth convention, and I've never seen the Democratic Party more excited or unified than it was last week.
BROWN: But I heard -- I heard and--
ROSENBERG: Yes.
BROWN: --not to say that this -- that something horrible is going to happen (ph), but like at the RNC, everyone was saying, this is the best, we've got it all going.
ROSENBERG: Yes.
BROWN: And look where things are now.
ROSENBERG: I know.
BROWN: I mean, one big mistake?
ROSENBERG: No, listen, anything -- any--
BROWN: One wrong answer in this interview--
ROSENBERG: Agreed.
BROWN: --tomorrow night?
ROSENBERG: But I would much rather be us than them, as we go into this close. I mean, I think one of the things that's going to become more apparent is this, all this money and these volunteers that we have, are just going to make us -- we're going to have a more powerful close, in these final few months of the election.
And I think we have -- look, I also think that Kamala Harris tapped into some very powerful emotions, and sensibilities, that are very American, right? This idea of freedom and opportunity, and all the American flags you saw, the veterans, she's tapping into deeply patriotic and love of country sentiments that I think are going to carry us through Election Day.
And it was -- and so, we feel good about where we are. We got a long way to go, but we feel good.
BROWN: We got a long way to go.
[21:40:00]
All right. Kristen Soltis Anderson. Simon Rosenberg. Thank you so much.
ROSENBERG: Thank you.
BROWN: Up next. Newly-released video of former House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, hours after the January 6 attack, declaring Donald Trump must pay a price.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Well new behind-the-scenes video, from one of the darkest days in our country's history, shows then-House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, in the moments just before, during and after the Capitol riot.
[21:45:00]
The documentary footage, shot by Pelosi daughter's, Alexandra, was turned over to Congress, and obtained by CNN. And it shows Pelosi's focus on Trump, and how she reacted in the early hours of January 7th.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEXANDRA PELOSI, AMERICAN JOURNALIST, NANCY PELOSI'S DAUGHTER: You're done with Donald Trump. How does it feel?
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): I just feel sick what he did to the Capitol and to the country today. He's got to pay a price for that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: My source, tonight, is Democratic congressman, Jamie Raskin, who served on the January 6 Select Committee.
Great to have you on, Congressman.
So, Republicans are now using this footage, that was released to a Republican-led committee, to blame former Speaker Pelosi for the attack, pointing to moments like this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
N. PELOSI: We have responsibility, Terri. We did not have any accountability for what was going on there, and we should have. This is ridiculous.
Why weren't the National Guard there to begin with?
STAFFER: They thought that they had sufficient resources.
N. PELOSI: It's not a question if -- they don't know. They clearly didn't know, and I take responsibility for not having them just prepare for more. Because it's stupid that we should be in a situation like this. Because they thought they had what? They thought these people would act civilized? They thought these people gave a damn?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Now, I should note the Speaker of the House is not responsible, for Capitol security. She also complained the National Guard wasn't there sooner, undercutting this idea that she blocked them.
But do you see how -- or do you agree, that this gives her critics, on the right, ammo?
REP. JAMIE RASKIN (D-MD): No, only if you rip it completely out of context.
Remember that Donald Trump sat on his hands, or sat around on his couch, watching the violence unfold, from his Oval Office Suite, and refused to send out the National Guard.
So, I think the point Nancy Pelosi was making was, why did we ever trust Donald Trump, and the Executive branch of government, to help us. We should have insisted, from the beginning, that they send the National Guard out. And in the future, obviously we'll have to do that, since they've created a new low for standards of political behavior in the country.
Remember, America has never seen anything like what happened on January 6th. The closest was in 1861, when Abraham Lincoln was elected, and there were a pro-Confederate, pro-Secessionist Forces out there. But General Winfield Scott said if anybody tries to get into the building that he would release the cannons on them, and manure the fields of Arlington with their bodies.
But we didn't have any support like that from the Executive branch of government. And despite all of the desperate calls, for the National Guard to be sent out, not just by Democrats, but by Republicans who got Trump on the phone, Trump did nothing.
So, I think she -- if she was expressing the exasperation it was, we should have known that Donald Trump was capable of anything, and we should have tried to deal with this problem before it arose.
BROWN: Let me just follow up with you, because a Republican-led committee that obtained this video says the January 6 committee actually had this same footage that we just showed, but chose not to release it.
They're trying to say that the January 6 committee didn't release it because they thought that, it would make them look bad or work against their case. What do you say to that? Why wasn't it released by the committee?
RASKIN: Well, but I never -- I never saw that. And of course, we have thousands and thousands of hours' worth of video footage, most of it offered by insurrectionists, and Proud Boys and Oath Keepers themselves, who were filming and documenting everything.
Look, this is an attempt to cloud the issue, and confuse what everybody knows happened. Donald Trump got to the Concerned Women for America first, and the other right-wing groups and said, No, don't rally on January 20th. Rally on January 6th. This thing isn't over yet.
He went on social media and promised his followers a wild event. Then, he revved them up with a speech that used the word, fight, a couple of dozen times, and said, You got to go and fight and fight like hell. And if you don't, you're not going to have a country anymore.
Then, he unleashed the MAGA mob on the Capitol, on his own Vice President. In the middle of the attack on Congress, when he drove us out of our chambers, they were chanting, Hang Mike Pence. Hang Mike Pence. And Donald Trump tweeted out--
BROWN: Right.
RASKIN: --Mike Pence did not have the courage to do what needed to be done.
So if afterwards, we were saying, My God, how did we let Donald Trump get away with this? We should have insisted, we should have made it a fight over the National Guard beforehand. That's understandable. That hardly makes us responsible for Donald Trump's incitement of violent insurrection, against the Union, and--
BROWN: Let me ask you this.
RASKIN: --then failure to send out the troops--
BROWN: OK.
RASKIN: --to defend us.
[21:50:00]
BROWN: Because -- and we've covered January 6 a lot.
But on that note, everything you just laid out there, right, and now you have Donald Trump on the trail, saying once again that the election is rigged, if I lose. I mean, he's said it repeatedly now. I mean, he is laying the groundwork, in the same way he did in 2020, in the same way he did four years before that, right?
President Biden, when he was running for office, focused a lot on Trump being a threat to democracy. He focused a lot on January 6, and this kind of rhetoric from Trump. You're not hearing that focus, that messaging from the Harris campaign. Do you think that's a mistake? Or do you think that's the right move?
RASKIN: Look, I'm hearing it loud and clear, I mean. But what I'm seeing is the Harris campaign properly laying out what the relationship is between democracy and freedom.
Democracy exists to protect our freedom, as Abraham Lincoln said. It is the beautiful silver frame upon which the golden apple of liberty rests. And the rule of law is there to protect our democracy.
Now, Donald Trump and his cult of personality is against all of them. Against our freedom, as we saw by him packing the Supreme Court to destroy Roe versus Wade. Against our democracy, as we saw on January 6. And against the rule of law, as he tramples it every single day. And he is a convicted felon himself.
So, we've got to defend the rule of law, democracy and freedom at the same time. And insurrection is no trivial matter, from the perspective of the Founding Fathers and the Constitution.
I can find you a half dozen different places, in the Constitution, where insurrection is specifically forbidden and opposed. For example, Article I, Section 8 says Congress has the power to call forth the militias of the states in order to suppress insurrections. Section 3, the 14th Amendment--
BROWN: Right.
RASKIN: --says that anyone, who swears an oath to uphold the Constitution, and violates it, by engaging in insurrection, shall never be allowed to hold federal or state office again.
So, this goes right to the heart of our constitutional compact.
BROWN: And the Supreme Court has made judgments on some of this. And we should note that he -- Jack Smith did not actually charge him with incitement of insurrection.
But I appreciate that history lesson. Congressman Jamie Raskin.
RASKIN: Well -- yes. He was--
BROWN: We got to -- we do have to go.
RASKIN: He was impeached by the House for that.
BROWN: He was impeached by the House. That is true. But not convicted.
RASKIN: Yes.
BROWN: All right. Thank you so much, Congressman. Great to have you on.
Up next, breaking news, on the Trump assassination attempt with CNN's John Miller.
[21:55:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Breaking news, coming in. New details on what authorities found, searching Donald Trump's would-be assassin's electronics.
CNN Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst, John Miller, is breaking the story.
What are we learning, John?
JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Well, Pam, when they went through the gunman's electronics, one of the things they found was a document about what is an IED, an improvised explosive device. What are the key elements of an IED, meaning the essential parts in hardware. What can an IED be made of, in terms of energetic material, meaning, which are the best explosives?
The four-page document is still online on the DHS website.
And the question that we asked the Department of Homeland Security, since, according to our sources, the gunman didn't just have this in his searches. He downloaded images of all four pages, and he kept the document, indicating he wanted to refer back to it. Is, does this document have too much information for a document that's not law- enforcement-sensitive, not just meant for bomb squad community people, but for anybody with a Google search.
The Department of Homeland Security answered by saying, The department provides information to the American public to protect against a range of security threats, which is not exactly the answer to our question--
BROWN: Yes.
MILLER: --did it have too much information in it?
BROWN: And this potentially could have led to a, I mean, to a very serious security threat.
MILLER: Well, it's--
BROWN: That's the irony.
MILLER: It's an interesting -- it's an interesting debate in that--
BROWN: Right.
MILLER: --it's a step forward in transparency, but perhaps a step forward too far.
And the research he did into explosives included a lot of the elements that this document kind of set forth out, basically indicating this is what you would need to do, in terms of steps, and what you need to know first. BROWN: So, I also want to ask you about these new pictures coming in that we have from the FBI, of the gun that the Trump shooter used. He had explosives in his car, we know.
How much worse could this have been, given what we know now?
MILLER: Well, I mean, what we learned from the images is that this is an AR-15 platform.
And people wondered, why could he -- how could he walk around in that crowd, with a car full of explosives, remote-controlled bombs, which, of course, he probably learned about, by studying those points on the internet. How could he walk around with a rifle, and not be spotted by police or all those other people?
And the second picture they gave us, which is the rifle deconstructed, the barrel has been removed, the stock has been folded back, shows that it would have fit inside that backpack, which would have allowed him to be undetected, climb up to that roof.
And that he was only there for six minutes, from the time he climbed to the roof, crossed multiple rooftops that connected, and then opened fire with those eight shots, as police tried to close in.
BROWN: Yes, these developments, certainly very chilling.
[22:00:00]
John Miller, thank you so much, for bringing us your latest reporting, and giving us your insights. We appreciate it.
MILLER: Thanks, Pam.
BROWN: And thank you for joining us.
"CNN NEWSNIGHT WITH ABBY PHILLIP" starts now.
