[MUSIC PLAYING] From all over the world, people turn to Cleveland Clinic for our expertise and our compassionate care. As leaders in heart, neurology, and cancer, the future of specialty care is happening right now at Cleveland Clinic. For every life-saving treatment. For every next step. For every care in the world. For the Cleveland Clinic. Buddha Mattel, Banana Republic, Butcher Box, and Glossier, all have in common. They power their businesses with Shopify. Shopify is the most innovative and scaled commerce platform on the planet that also happens to have the best converting checkout on the planet. And that's no industry secret. That's Shopify. Learn more at Shopify.com/enterprise. Happening now, Kamala Harris is on the trail in Pennsylvania saying she feels good about her prospects there as she's turning to Oprah Winfrey in hopes of getting a new campaign boost. This, as Donald Trump is heading to the key battleground state of Nevada and defending a far-right promoter of conspiracy theories whose entered his inner circle. Also tonight, there's breaking news we're following. A one-on-one interview with US Supreme Court Justice, Hitanji Brown Jackson. She opens up to CNN about the role public opinion plays in writing a high court decision. Plus, a CNN exclusive. We'll take you inside a life-saving hospital train that's transporting injured from the front lines of the war in Ukraine. Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer, you're in the Situation Room. (upbeat music) We begin with the intensifying fight for the swing states that will decide the presidential election just ahead of a Harris rally in Pennsylvania. In the next hour, we're in a Trump event in Nevada later tonight. Our correspondents are out there on the campaign trail covering both candidates first. That's gonna see us for still Alvarez. She's in Wilkesbury, Pennsylvania for us. That's where the vice president will be speaking to supporters soon. We'll have live coverage standby for that. Priscilla, what is the Harris campaign strategy behind today's stops in Pennsylvania? - Well, the Harris campaign is trying to pick up voters in these rural, red counties and in a tense, to try to peel off that support from former president Donald Trump. Now, a campaign advisor tells me just a minute ago that her remarks here tonight are gonna be focused on jobs and job opportunities, especially for those jobs that don't require a four years of education. Now, this is part of that strategy to try to win support among voters who might lean toward for president Donald Trump. And to give you a sense of just how important this state is going to be for this campaign, this is the seventh time over the last eight days that the vice president has spent time here. So clearly a state that they are paying a very close attention to. Now, what she was asked earlier today at a local bookstore, how's she feeling about the state? This is what she had to say. - I am feeling very good about Pennsylvania because there are a lot of people in Pennsylvania who deserve to be seen and heard. That's why I'm here in Johnstown. And I will be continuing to travel around the state to make sure that I'm listening as much as we are talking. And ultimately, I feel very strongly that I got to earn every vote. And that means spending time with folks in the communities where they live. And so that's why I'm here. We're going to be spending a lot more time in Pennsylvania. - So you heard it from the vice president herself. She plans on spending more time here, having FaceTime with voters. And today, having FaceTime with voters in two counties that were president Donald Trump won by more than double digits in 2020. Well, I'm Priscilla Kamala Harris is going to get yet another big celebrity boost next week, tell us about that. - Yeah, she's going to be participating in a live stream event with Oprah Winfrey. Of course, Oprah was at the Democratic National Convention as well, and it is these types of events that the campaign is trying to do more of outside of traditional media and big speeches or remarks because they want to keep the energy going that this campaign has had since President Biden stepped out of the race. Now, in addition to this, Democratic officials also hoping that they can try to get coming on the calendar with Taylor Swift. Now, when I asked a senior campaign spokesperson about whether or not she would be on the trail just immediately following her endorsement earlier this week, they said they would welcome her on the trail, whether or not that comes to fruition, still to be seen. - Well, Taylor Swift, Oprah Winfrey, pretty big celebrities. Priscilla Standby, I want to bring in CNN's Kristen Holmes as well, she's covering the Trump campaign for us. Kristen, the former president spoke with the reporters out in California, just ahead of Israeli in Nevada later tonight. You were there, tell our viewers what he said. - Well, a lot of it was stuff we have heard before. Well, if he was talking about the state of California, obviously linking to the fact that he was here, he is here for a number of fundraisers saying, and it was crime-ridden blaming Kamala Harris for her time as a prosecutor here. He talked about crime. He talked about immigration, and he doubled down on what we know are debunked rumors about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, and who's particularly asked about these bomb threats that have occurred since this ramped up rhetoric in Springfield at schools, this is what he said. - On the Pacific Ocean. Now, there are bomb threats at schools and kids being evacuated. Why do you still spread this story? - No, no, no. The real threat is what's happening in our border, because you have thousands of people being killed by illegal migrants coming in, and also dying, they end up being sex slaves and everything else. Those are your real problems. Not the problem that you're talking. - Well, and he also went on to say that if he were elected, they were going to have mass deportations in Springfield, Ohio. There is one problem with that, Wolf, is that many of these immigrants that you're talking about are legal immigrants. But again, this is all part of the rhetoric that we have heard from Donald Trump as he tries to link this fear to immigration, part of his strategy because they do believe they being the campaign and Donald Trump, that immigration is a winning issue for them ahead of November. - And Kristen, I know you had a chance to ask Trump about whether he agrees with Laura Loomer, the far right provocateur who he has been seen traveling with in the course of these several past days. Tell us about that. - Yeah, I asked him about what he would say who is Republican allies who have clearly expressed concern, both publicly, as we have heard from Lindsey Graham and Marjorie Taylor Greene. And privately, as sources have told me, they have reached out to Trump or Trump's campaign about their concerns about Laura Loomer, who is a far right activist. He did not denounce her in any way. In fact, he seemed to almost praise her, calling her a supporter and asking me why I was asking that question, or at least explaining or having some skepticism as to why I would ask that. Take a listen. I don't control Laura, Laura has to say what she wants. She's a free spirit. I don't know what she said, but I'll go take a look and I'll put out a statement later on, but I really don't know. - Now, if we could wait for that statement, but again, we know that at least some Republican allies have called him directly, have called those close to him on his inner circle to question this decision, to have Laura Loomer around him talking about recent posts that she has had or she questions the validity of 9/11, where she makes racist remarks about Kamala Harris being in the White House. So this idea that he doesn't know anything about what she has said, and he's just around because she is a supporter, it seems at least at the baseline here, pretty suspect. - Pretty suspect indeed. Kristen Holmes and Priscilla Alvarez covering both campaigns for us. Thank you very much. Let's get some more on this presidential race. Our panel of political experts is joining us. Isaac Dauvera, you've been doing a lot of reporting, you're speaking to Harris aides, and I know they're talking about what they see as their path to victory. What are you learning? - Well, when they look at the breakdown of the states at this point, the battleground states, what they're seeing is Pennsylvania, where Harris is today looking possible, but really still very tough. Michigan and Wisconsin, those other blue wall states looking better for them in their minds. North Carolina, a state that hasn't gone for a Democrat in presidential elections since Barack Obama in 2008, looking actually better for them than Arizona, which is a state that Joe Biden won in 2020 narrowly. And Nevada and Georgia both kind of in between there. One of the things that reflects is that there is a sense that these states may not move as blocks in the way that they have in recent presidential elections. So North Carolina could go one way, George and the other. Harris folks looking at this and saying, if the election were held today, they are not sure that Kamala Harris would win. That doesn't mean that they don't think that they will win in the end, but they see a lot of work that needs to be done, a lot of effort that needs to be put in to keeping up that good vibe and energy that was there, the beginning of her campaign, and making it so that people who are undecided in these states feel like they are comfortable with her. Because undecided voters are not undecided about Donald Trump, they're just undecided about whether they will stick with Donald Trump. They know what they think of him. - Important reporting. Thank you very much. Latasha Brown is with us as well. Latasha, I know you understand what Harris is trying to do with this new strategy, going to some of the more rural areas in Georgia, for example, where you're from. How much does this potentially help her campaign? Instead of just going to the populated areas where Democrats are in majority? - Now I think it's a brilliant strategy. We saw that in the last campaign, that part of what it brought about Georgia is that it wasn't just a Metro-Atlantic area for Biden, but he was able to shave off some of those votes in the county areas, that part of what we saw and part of our strategy and with the work that we're doing on the ground. That part of the strategy is really to be able to shave off votes. That we know this is going to be a close election. And so I think part of what's going to happen, I think the strategy to go in the rural areas and both in Georgia to go to rural areas in Pennsylvania, she's sending a message. She's sending a message that she cares about those voters in that area. I think she's sending a message that she understands that there's opportunity, that even if a county is red, if you can actually shove, you can make that margin smaller, then that actually gives you an advantage as well. So I think that she's actually being aggressive at going at voters and saying that she wants to fight and earn the right for voters to vote for her. - I think it's a pretty smart strategy indeed. Frank Luntz is with us, Frank Luntz is a poster. What's your sense, Frank, of what's more effective with undecided voters, the kind of retail, politicking or big breakout moments like this event that's coming up with Oprah? - I would say that it's really neither. The key here is inflation, affordability, housing, healthcare, food and fuel. And that message where they stand and what they say about it matters more than everything else. Immigration is second, but it's a distant second. And if they don't get the message out just because they show up doesn't mean anything if they're not heard. And if the coverage is all negative, and frankly, wherever Trump seems to be going, he brings negative coverage with him when Harris goes somewhere, she brings positive coverage with her and that in the end is going to make a difference. This is the opposite of 2016. In 2016, the Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton brought a great deal of negative or at least skeptical coverage. Harris is not doing that at all. And that's why she continues to gain a pointer to these key swing states. - Charlie Dent, you're a former Republican congressman from Pennsylvania. What do you make of Kamala Harris's focus on these two rural Trump strongholds in your state? What will it take for that strategy to wind up paying off? - Well, what Kamala Harris is trying to do, I think she's trying to pull actually a page out of Joe Biden's playbook. There are 67 counties in Pennsylvania. And if you look what happened from 2016 to 2020, Donald Trump underperformed in 66 out of those 67 counties, meaning that he did slightly worse in 66 of 67 counties including counties he won by big margins. She's going to Luzerne County tonight. That's where Wilkesbury is. I believe she was just in Johnstown, Cambria County. She's gonna lose in these places, but she's trying to cut the margins back. Donald Trump only performed marginally better in one county in 2020 than 2016. That was Philadelphia, believe it or not, even though he lost big. So Harris is trying to cut the margins down in these areas 'cause Harris is gonna lose the overwhelming number of counties in Pennsylvania. She'll win the big ones where the population is, but it's really tight right now. So she must absolutely be in these red areas to close the gap a little bit. - You know, Isaac, I'm curious. You heard Trump once again call far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer today a supporter and a quote, "free spirit." A woman even far-right people like Marjorie Taylor Greene simply say is way too extreme for the mainstream of the Republican party. Why isn't Trump distancing himself from her? - 'Cause this is what he does. Donald Trump often associates with people who go back to the, about two years ago when he had dinner at Marlago with Nick Fuentes and Kanye West when after all the antisemitic stuff was coming out of Kanye West. He has people around him who are promoting these things. He enjoys having some of that around. He talks about it himself. He was the one who talked about this made up story about immigrants eating dogs on the debate stage. And it sort of reminds me of that scene in The Hangover, the first Hangover movie where they've got the Mercedes Benz going down the road and the tiger wakes up in the back seat. Whatever the Trump campaign has tried to build here to keep things very professional and capable, they always have to deal with Donald Trump being Donald Trump and scratching at things in the way that he's going to. - Interesting. Frank Luntz, Loomer also is doubling down on her 9/11 skepticism. She did so once again today. How damaging is this association do you believe for Trump? - It's certainly not helpful when you're trying to win undecided voters. They're not ideological and they're not political. That they're judging a candidate's character traits, not character, but character traits and attributes. And this is not someone who is regarded as sensible, reasonable and responsible. Trump should be surrounding himself and the people who are on the mainstream, people who know about the key issues of substance and those who don't play with conspiracies 'cause he's got those voters already. You know, I think, Wolf, that Donald Trump's greatest opponent isn't Kamala Harris and it's not Joe Biden, it's actually Donald Trump. - What are you doing? A lot of people agree with you on that. All right, guys, thanks very, very much. All of you coming up. A Harris campaign co-chair joins us with her take on the brawl of the 2024 battleground states underway right now, Representative Jasmine Crockett is standing by. And later there's breaking news, a rare interview with a member of the United States Supreme Court, CNN's Abby Phillips talks to justice. Hitanji Brown-Jackson, stay with us. Vice President Kamala Harris is heading to a rally in the pivotal battleground state of Pennsylvania tonight. We're standing by for that. We'll have some live coverage. Right now we're joined by national co-chair of the Harris Walls campaign, U.S. Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett of Texas and Democrat. Thanks very much, Congresswoman, for coming in. What do you think of her strategy now in Pennsylvania and Georgia, other states? Not just going into the major Democratic strongholds, the big cities, but going out into the country a little bit, trying to appeal to other voters. I think it's what we all should do. Listen, this administration has proven that they are not focused just on blue states, but they are focused on taking care of Americans, no matter if you voted for or against them. It is important for us to start to share the stories of not only our vision of what it will look like to carry us forward, but also to remind people of who it is that decided, you know what, we wanna make sure broadband access is a reality, whether you're in urban America or rural America. We wanna make sure that you have access to healthcare, whether you're in urban or rural. We wanna make sure that if that plant shuts down in your community, that you still have access to economic opportunities, if that means being able to work from home, we wanna make sure that we are sharing this message and letting you know that we have not forgotten about you. And so I think that it is important that if you wanna be the president of the United States, that you talk to everyone and what you're seeing out of this particular campaign is how aggressively they will work to earn the vote. They aren't expecting anyone to give them anything and they're not taking anyone for granted. - And you do that in your district in and around Dallas. - Yeah, absolutely. - And when you're busy. CNN is learning that the Harris campaign, at least right now doesn't have a clear path to the 270 electoral college votes needed to be elected president of the United States. What do you see as your path to victory? - I think we have to meet people where they are, number one. A lot of times the strategy is let's go after those people that are double D's or triple D's or, you know, those that we know always show up and cast our votes. This is a very different election. And so I think that we need to approach it differently. So one of the things that I've been doing is when I'm on the road, I've gone to a number of music festivals with over 50,000 attendees at each festival. And I get on the stage before their favorite singer or comes on stage and I talk to them about voting. And I'm making it very short and quick and saying things like, hey, whatever your one top issue is, Google that in Project 2025. And if you like what it says about that, then you know who to vote for. If you don't like what it says about it, then you need to vote the other way. And so I think Project 2025 has been a gift for us. Number one, number two, I do recall the time in which no one thought that Donald Trump could become the president of the United States, but he did. And so the reality is that we are seeing a swell of excitement from people that typically aren't engaged in the process. The thing is we need to continue to build that swell and we can't get comfortable. We've got to work. - You're a national co-chair of the Kamala Harris Walls campaign right now. Which states do you see are totally critical in a victory? - All of them, you know, all the battlegrounds that is. And so I've spent a lot of time in Michigan. I spent a lot of time in Pennsylvania. Wisconsin has been trying to get me there. I was just in Nevada. I'm going to be going back here shortly. I've got to go back to Arizona again. I've been in all these states. No less than three times. I'm headed to North Carolina. I will do three cities on the 21st alone. Georgia is critical. I'm going there two times in the next two weeks. So all of these states really matter. Michigan, I went there right after DNC and did about five different cities in Michigan. So yes, we are going beyond just Detroit and going out and exploring other cities. - She's lucky she has you. That's good to know about that. The Harris campaign is launching a new ad that deals with her plans for the economy, which is of course a critically important issue for so many voters out there. Let me play a little clip. - I'll lower the cost of Binsland and prescription drugs for everyone. And I will work to pass the first ever federal ban on price caging on food. More than 100 million Americans will get a tax cut. We will end America's housing shortage by building three million new homes and rentals. - The criticism she's getting is that she's been vice president for three and a half years. Why hasn't she tried to do all that so far? - Yeah, so most people don't quite understand all the roles that we play. A vice president is a supporting cast member. It's kind of like when I used to be out on the trail even for the Biden-Harris ticket. People would say, well, I voted because I was really voting for Kamala, but we haven't seen her and I'm trying to let them know. Listen, she is supposed to be a supporting cast member and I think that she was as well as being an amazing partner, but it is the president's administration. He is the leader and now that they're being given an opportunity to see what it looks like to have a Kamala-Harris commander in chief as she is out there on the campaign trail. I think people are becoming very confident in her ability to do things, but she gets to direct the ship and then it'll be Tim Walz that will support her agenda. - So critical. It's the economy stupid as they used to say. So many voters are looking at the economy right now. Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett. Thanks very much for coming. - Thanks so much. - Appreciate it. - Good to see you. - Up next, CNN has rare access inside the narrow strip of land between Gaza and Egypt that has become a major sticking point in Israel's ceasefire talks with Hamas. - We're going to take you there right after the break. - From all over the world, people turn to Cleveland Clinic for our expertise and our compassionate care. As leaders in heart, neurology and cancer, the future of specialty care is happening right now at Cleveland Clinic. For every life-saving treatment, for every next step, for every care in the world. Cleveland Clinic. - What do Mattel, Banana Republic, ButcherBox, and Glossier all have in common? They power their businesses with Shopify. Shopify is the most innovative and scaled commerce platform on the planet that also happens to have the best converting checkout on the planet. And that's no industry secret. That's Shopify. Learn more at Shopify.com/enterprise. - Breaking news tonight, we're getting a rare look at a disputed corridor on the border of Gaza and Egypt. Control of the area is a major sticking point in talks aimed at trying to reach a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas War. Seeing as Matthew Chance went to the area, escorted by the Israel Defense Forces at all times, but he has full editorial control of what he's about to report. Watch this. - Well, we're being taken by the Israeli military into the Gaza Strip and they've loaded us all, as you can see into this metal-sided truck. We're going into the south bit of the Gaza Strip, which the Israeli military say they have under full operational control, but it's not entirely secure. - They've brought us to this place called the Philadelphia Corridor. It's emerged as a sticking point in the negotiations to get a ceasefire and to get the hostages released. As you can see, it's right up against the Egyptian border and it's important because the Israelis say this is an area which has been used over the years as a way of smuggling weapons into the Gaza Strip. Some of the smuggling has taken place. Overland through presumably holes in the fence and through other border crossings, but a lot of it has been taking place right under our feet. Okay, well, this is one of those tunnels. It's right on the border with Egypt. And you can see it is absolutely huge, wide enough to drive a car right the way through it. The Israeli military say that this tunnel, because it's so close to the Egyptian frontier, has been used by Hamas and other militants to stall weapons in and to fire rockets from, you can see here the back of the wall. It's completely collapsed down. Apparently it was closed for some time now. We're driving now through the neighborhood of Tel Soltan, every one of the buildings here has been totally destroyed. This was obviously a residential area with many people living in it. And the Israeli military say those people have moved for the most part to safe zones, humanitarian areas, not far from here, but look what they've left behind. Look what's happened to Gaza. Thank you. Rear Admiral Daniel Higari is the chief spokesperson for the Israeli military. How can you justify causing so much damage, devastation, destruction in pursuit of your objective? The only reason is because Hamas has built, his military capabilities in that way, that there is no other possibility. There is a town underneath Rafa. If you don't demolish it, then Hamas will go back and have a stronger, the military's stronger. He is using the population, embedding in the population. He's creating this destruction and also the deaths of the population. Well, this has been a very tightly controlled bit of access into Gaza with the Israeli military. There's such a lot we haven't been able to see, but it's incredible. They've showed us what they have. It's definitely a narrow view, but it is also the only view right now that we can get firsthand. Matthew Chants, CNN, in the Southern Gaza Strip. And since Matthew Chants filed that report, the Israeli military tells CNN, it has effectively defeated Hamas militants in Southern Gaza, dismantling, there were dismantling what's known as the Hamas Rafa Brigade and destroying nearly 200 tunnels in the Philadelphia Corridor. At this hour, President Biden is meeting with the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer over at the White House. The two leaders discussing potentially easing restrictions on Ukraine's use of long-range weapons provided by the US and other Western allies inside Russian territory. And tonight, CNN has exclusive access to medical evacuation, trained, a medical evacuation train used by the Ukrainian army to transport injured soldiers from the front lines to hospitals around the country. CNN's Christiana Manpur brings us this incredible look inside Ukraine's hospital on rails. (speaking in foreign language) - On a hot late summer morning, departure time is fast approaching at this railway station in Ukraine. But this is no ordinary train. (speaking in foreign language) It's a hospital on wheels, evacuating dozens of wounded military personnel away from the Eastern Front as Russia's brutal offensive grinds on. Paramedics carefully loading patient after patient, many of them unconscious onto repurposed carriages. It's a highly organized special operation and it's never been seen before. CNN gained unprecedented and exclusive access to what so far has remained a closely guarded military secret. - But everybody's still-- - Before the train moves off, I meet 35-year-old Alexander wounded by a drone strike which has caused him to go deaf in one ear. His call sign is positive, but he doesn't feel it. - Very tired, but hard times and the we must remind (speaking in foreign language) - Do you feel that you have enough people, enough weapons to defend? - No, you don't have enough. - No, no. (speaking in foreign language) - As the train rolls on, we make our way to the intensive care unit where several soldiers are on life support. Fed after bed of broken and battered bodies. (speaking in foreign language) Lives shattered in an instant. 90% of the wounds being treated here are from shrapnel. And yet many of these patients know they'll be patched up just to be sent back to the front as soon as possible. This train and its cargo sum up Ukraine's state of military affairs, mostly ordinary citizens who've answered the call, outmanned, outgunned by Russia, and yet still putting up a hell of a fight. Nurse Yulia makes this journey twice a week. - How do you feel being in here with these very badly wounded soldiers? How does it make you feel? - I am an empathetic person, so it's difficult, she tells me, but you have to switch off your feelings at the moment of work, and later you can reflect. And the story of frontline morale is on display here too. If electrician Alexander was feeling down after 18 months fighting this brutal war, Stanislav, who signed up in March, is still full of patriotic fervor. He can still summon a smile, even though he has shrapnel in his body and damage to his lungs. Personally, I was ready for it. I was ready to trade the shower stall, the good sheets and the bed, the good conditions that I had at home for a foxhole. I knew where I was going, and what I was doing. (dramatic music) (speaking in foreign language) The most difficult part is evacuation from the front line. Combat medics who work on the front are dying, just like soldiers. As these carriages rumble on through fields of gold, think for a moment of history repeating itself in Europe when thousands of ambulance trains evacuated casualties from World War I's trenches, more than a million to the UK alone. Tonight, darkness descends as we arrive at the destination, and suddenly, there's activity everywhere again. As ambulances line up, collecting and dispatching to hospitals across the country. On the platform, the railway chief describes his pride and his sorrow. - You see, the kids were saying goodbye to their deaths who are heading towards the front lines. So seeing those same guys coming back effectively, unconscious or with amputations, it feels like the price of the war is incredible. Like a conveyor belt, industrial-scale conversion of healthy young men and women into this. And yet, as one of them told us, Ukraine is strong and motivated. While Russia has quantity, we have quality, and we will win. Christiana Manpour, CNN, Ukraine. - Our thanks to Christiana for that excellent report. Just ahead, the US Supreme Court, Justice Katanji Brown Jackson sits down with CNN for a very revealing interview. That's next. Tonight, we're getting new insights into the inner workings of the US Supreme Court and how the justices work together behind the scenes to reach some of their most consequential opinions. Here now, CNN's Abby Philip, who sat down with Justice Katanji Brown Jackson earlier today. Abby, in this conversation, Justice Jackson touched on the dynamics, for example, with Justice Clarence Thomas. Let's watch what she told you. Listen to this. - In the time that you've been on the court, because you have written your own dissents and some pretty big cases, there's disagreement, obviously, among your colleagues over the law, in one case, Justice Thomas, devoted roughly seven pages of his concurring opinion on affirmative action to critique your opinion and your dissent. He also read that opinion out loud, just feet away from where you're sitting. What was that experience like? - Well, you know, dissents are common on the court. One of the nice parts about the collective decision-making model is that the justices have the opportunity to express their views. And then when you're in the majority, there's a majority opinion that you can sign on to. You can write separately to express your particular take on an issue. And, of course, you can dissent. And Justice Thomas, in his concurring opinion, decided to talk about my dissent. In one way, I think I was flattered (laughs) was flattered because it meant that I must have been making points that were worth responding to. But it's a dialogue. It's always a dialogue with the justices. - Abby, what stood out to you from her response? - Well, Wolf, there is a lot of confidence there. She is maybe the newest Justice on the court, but she's been a judge for a long time. And she told me, you know, she said, "I've been a district court judge. "I'm used to running my own courtroom. "I am used to having my opinions known." And even on these tough cases, even as the newest Justice, she has stood out as someone who's been willing to put pen to paper on these dissenting opinions in a very conservative court. But it's not personal, per se. She talked about how this is about disagreements over the law, which reasonable people can and do have. It sounds very much like, even in those moments, when a much more senior justice is from the bench, reading an opinion that critiques yours, she felt like that was actually a point of pride that she had said something so worthy of being critiqued that he had to say something from the bench. - And Abby, as you and I well know, the court is facing immense scrutiny right now. How does Justice Jackson think about Americans trust in the Supreme Court? - Yeah, well, if we talked a bit about this because this is something that is really overshadowing the court, all these concerns about ethics, a lot of rulings that overturn long-standing precedent, most notably, on the issue of abortion, it really has called into question how much trust the American people have in the court. And I asked her, do you think about that when you write your dissent, when the court is handing down an opinion, is it right for justices to consider public opinion? And here's what she said. (whooshing) - How much, when you are writing these opinions, are you factoring in what the public is going to think of your dissent, the public perception of you or the court? - You know, when you write any opinion, you're doing so in part for the public because we are a government entity, we are public servants and it's our obligation to make sure that not only our colleagues, but also members of the public have an understanding of what's going on in the court. So I am taking into account public opinion as are my colleagues when they're writing. - And there are many, perhaps, who might think quite the opposite, that the justices should not consider how the public might interpret what they do, but she told me, well, that the confidence of the public really is all the court has and that that has been front of center for her and she believes for the rest of her colleagues on the Supreme Court, Wolf. - Abby Phillip, thank you very much, very interesting stuff. And to our viewers, be sure to watch the entire interview with Justice Katanji Brown-Jackson on "News Night" with Abby Phillip, only on CNN later tonight, 10 p.m. Eastern, and we'll be right back. (upbeat music) Tonight, North Korea is offering a very rare glimpse inside its secretive nuclear program, releasing photos of Kim Jong-un touring a uranium enrichment facility. Let's bring it to CNN's Brian Todd. Brian, take us through these truly extraordinary images. - Well, these pictures show Kim walking alongside what a prominent expert tells us are centrifuges used to make nuclear bombs. They show us that Kim seems now less concerned with secrecy than with rattling his sword at the US. From North Korea's aggressive 40-year-old dictator, an audacious display of nuclear ambition. In new pictures just released by the regime, Kim Jong-un is seen walking along rows of what experts say are gas centrifuges and being briefed by scientists. Analysts say it's extraordinary for this secretive paranoid leader to let the world see inside one of these covert facilities. - It's incredibly rare. I think it speaks to Kim Jong-un's confidence today. He's more capable with his nuclear capabilities than he's been in a long time. And I think he wants the world in the United States to know that. - Nuclear analyst Ankit Pandha says these centrifuges are used to separate uranium to isolate material to manufacture nuclear bombs. While the North Koreans did not disclose the name or location of this facility, Pandha believes it's a place called Kang-san, a secret facility just south of the capital that he discovered in 2018. What can US intelligence glean from these new images? - That the types of centrifuges that the North Koreans are using are now more advanced than what we thought they had in the past. That's just gonna make them a lot more efficient at sizing up their nuclear weapons stockpile. (dramatic music) - But why now? What message does Kim want to send to the US and its allies by releasing these images now? - They don't want outsiders asking questions about whether their weapons work and whether they'll have the ability to continue sizing up and maintaining their stockpiles. They wanna remove all doubt that they have these weapons capabilities. (crowd cheering) Indeed, in recent days, Kim pledged to quote, exponentially expand North Korea's nuclear arsenal. - Kim Jong-un is trying to build up a nuclear force on a par with not Pakistan, but with the United Kingdom or France. He's trying to change the future and he's trying to telegraph that to us right now. - Pandha believes North Korea will soon conduct another test of a nuclear bomb. The regime has done six of those tests, all massive explosions underground, but they haven't conducted one since September of 2017. As for their current stockpile, Pandha estimates Kim has between 60 and 100 nuclear bombs already made, but believes that will increase significantly in the next decade, which a former Trump national security advisor says puts the US in a diplomatic bind. - To excuse the North Koreans and say, "Okay, it's okay for the North Korea to have a bomb." It's pretty hard then to say, "Well, no, Iran can't have a bomb." And Saudi Arabia can't have a bomb to deter Iran. It can't just be that the bad guys can get the bomb with impunity. - How can the US counter Kim Jong Un's nuclear build up at this point? Analyst Ankit Pandha believes the US now needs to focus simply on deterrence, mitigating the risks of a nuclear confrontation involving North Korea. That's how dangerous the situation has become, Wolf. - Very dangerous indeed, Brian Todd, thank you very much. Coming up, the Pope shares his unique take on the US presidential race. We're also standing by for a Kamala Harris rally in Pennsylvania and we're gonna bring it to you live. (upbeat music) - Skip the waiting room. Tirerack.com offers convenient mobile tire installation in many areas. Simply shop Tirerack.com for your next set of tires and at checkout, choose Tirerack Mobile Tire Installation. An expertly trained technician will arrive with your tires and install them on site, at home, at the office, wherever you are. You'll spend less time waiting and more time doing the things you enjoy. Learn more at Tirerack.com. - In this ad for the mobile one brand, I have 30 seconds to talk about driving, which might be what you're doing right now. Maybe you're in the car, you're free, you're in control on an open road with an open calendar. Your mind is wandering and you're going with it. Or maybe you're stuck at work, in meetings or emails, or worse, meetings about emails. And if that's the case, there's only one question. - Why? Mobile one, for the love of driving. Visit loveofdriving.us/radio to learn more. - Happening now, we're standing by to hear directly from Vice President Kamala Harris at a rally in Pennsylvania. And Democratic Senator Cory Booker will join us live with his take on whether Kamala Harris can prevail in a must-win battleground state, like Pennsylvania also. This hour, Pope Francis delves it to US politics, urging Americans to choose between, and I'm quoting now, the lesser of two evils in the Trump-Harris race. Why his message may not have given Catholic voters any clarity. Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Pitzer, you're in the Situation Room. (upbeat music) Vice President Kamala Harris is doubling down on her battle to win Pennsylvania, as she's about to make her second stop of the day in that crucial swing state. We'll go to the rally live once it begins this hour. But let's go first to CNN's Priscilla Alvarez. She's at the scene of the Harris rally in Wilkesbury. Priscilla, what are we about to hear from Harris in Pennsylvania? - Well, if a campaign advisor tells me that she's gonna be focused on job opportunities, then that is part of her argument to try to appeal to those voters who may be leaning toward former President Donald Trump. And that has been the strategy in coming to these two counties today. Two counties, by the way, that voted for former President Donald Trump in 2020 by double digits. But the idea here from the campaign is trying to peel off those voters, cut down his margins, to try to have a play in this part of the state, a crucial state. One, that the vice president spent the last seven of eight days visiting. So clearly, the campaign sees it as a pivotal state and one, that she told reporters, she's feeling pretty good about. Take a listen. - I am feeling very good about Pennsylvania because there are a lot of people in Pennsylvania who deserve to be seen and heard. That's why I'm here in Johnstown. And I will be continuing to travel around the state to make sure that I'm listening as much as we are talking. And ultimately, I feel very strongly that I gotta earn every vote. And that means spending time with folks in the communities where they live. And so that's why I'm here. We're gonna be spending a lot more time in Pennsylvania. - So you heard it there from the vice president. She's going to be spending more time in the state, of course, as the campaign tries to convert voters, heading into November. The vice president also going to be introduced here by a local Republican. That has been part of the narrative from this campaign that she can appeal to Republicans, independents, and Democrats. I don't know who incidents are, that they'll be taking that approach before she hits the stage behind me this evening. - And Priscilla Oprah is set to lend some more support to Kamala Harris in the coming days. What can you tell us about that? - Well, next week, the vice president is slated to participate in a live stream with Oprah Winfrey, who was at the Democratic National Convention and gave a rallying speech during that time backing the vice president. And it is these types of events that the campaign wants to do more outside of traditional media and big remarks and policy rollouts. They're also looking for these opportunities to continue to keep the energy and momentum. Another possibility that they hope for and this one with Taylor Swift. Of course, she endorsed the vice president shortly after the debate. And I asked a senior spokesperson in those moments whether she had been invited to be on the campaign trail. They said that if she was willing, they'd love to have her. So that is a question that remains to be seen, but certainly she continues to bring in this star power to try to keep the momentum in this campaign in the coming weeks, Wolf. - As we can see a big crowd behind you getting ready for this event. Thanks very much, Priscilla Alvarez. We're joined now for more on all of this, our political experts are with us at Jasmine Wright. Let me start with you. We heard Kamala Harris say she's feeling very good, feeling very good about Pennsylvania, this critical battleground state. But Sienna has learned her top campaign officials recently warned her that she quote, " She may not have any one sure path through the 270 electoral votes she needs, adding Pennsylvania looks rough, though very possible by their internal numbers before the debate. As pumped as Harris aides are about her debate performance earlier this week, they don't think it changed any of that. How much of this explain why Kamala Harris will be spending so much time over these past few days and the coming days in Pennsylvania? - Yeah, well, I think it explains it all. I was actually talking to one source close to the vice president who said for the Harris campaign, all eyes will be on Pennsylvania for the next two weeks. And I think you're gonna see that both today and next week and the week after because they know it is a pivotal state. I was actually in North Carolina with the vice president at another pivotal state where just like Pennsylvania, they're hoping that they can win North Carolina. Of course, the Democrat hasn't won since 2008, but I talked to a Harris aide there and they said the best path for us still is that blue wall plus Omaha. That's the surest route, but of course North Carolina could go in there, Georgia could go in there, Arizona could go in there. As of course, we know that the campaign feels that with the vice president at the top of the ticket, it's expanded some of that map that wasn't available when President Biden was leaving the ticket. But of course, those states are pivotal for Harris. And so we're gonna see her governor walls, obviously they're launching a tour there in the next week or so doing more media appearances, really trying to get the state of Pennsylvania to stand North Carolina to know her because they recognize that that is what the order is, that too many Pennsylvanians or too many Americans across the country, as we've seen through public polls, don't exactly know what she would do via our as president. And so they're trying to combat that. And that's why we're gonna see it in Pennsylvania. - It's very intense right now, critical moment. Scott Jennings, multiple Harris campaign aides told CNN they think Trump would be in a good position to win if the election were held this Tuesday instead of in November. Is that the sense you're hearing from Republicans as well? - Yeah, Republicans still feel like that if it's a tied race nationally, which basically it is, maybe she's up a point or two, that Donald Trump stands a very good chance of winning the electoral college, specifically on Pennsylvania, Republicans feel great about it. They think that she doesn't have the same kind of personal connections to Pennsylvania that Joe Biden did. So swapping her in, actually may have disadvantaged the party in Pennsylvania in some ways, because Biden had a personal connection there. He was Scranton Joe. Now, I will say this, North Carolina, I do hear a lot of concern about North Carolina. I know the Harris campaign feels good about that. So there may be some jostling going on in the Sun Belt, but of that blue wall, Wolf, I think Pennsylvania right now looks the best for Donald Trump. And I think you'd hear most Republicans dealing with the state agree with that. - Yeah, Pennsylvania could be critical to both of these candidates and winning those 270 electoral college votes. They need Amisha crosses with us as well. Amisha, as you know, the Harris campaign, wants to go to some red counties as well, not just the heavily democratic populated cities in Pennsylvania or Georgia or elsewhere for that matter. How does she make inroads there though? - Well, I think that it's talking to working class voters, is making sure that you're also reaching out to suburban women. She has a campaign that has not only expanded the map, but one that is also recognizing that this is gonna be a race that's one within the margins. So if she's able to pick up even a slither of votes from some of those red counties, it's going to make a real difference. That does mean that her messaging is quite different there than it's going to be in some of your bigger urban areas, because the population, quite frankly, is different. So she's leaning in on an economic message. She's leaning in on the values that matter to them. She's making sure that she is speaking to them. And I think also utilizing Governor Walz a lot in addition to some of her surrogates. They could be a big helper indeed. You know, Jasmine, we're expecting to hear from Kamala Harris in the next few minutes. What do you expect her message will be? - Well, I think Priscilla was totally right. We're gonna hear her talk about jobs, the economy, because those are the things that the campaign recognizes that people in Pennsylvania are really concerned about. And I think of one of the few criticisms that came out of the debate for Harris is that she didn't do well or as well in the economy as she did on issues like abortion or potentially foreign policy. So they wanna hear more about that. They wanna hear more about how she's gonna bring jobs to that state. And I think largely though, they are trying to position the Vice President as a change candidate. Somebody that can change what's happened, not just the last four years, but the last 10 years. And so the Vice President is going to speak to that, particularly when it comes to economic policies, trying to show folks in Pennsylvania that she can bring a new day in a way that the former president can't. But of course right now we know in polling that the former president still pulls higher than her when people talk about the economy or who they have more trust than when it comes to the economy. - Economy is such a critically important issue as we all know. Scott, the Democratic Governor, Joshua Piero, won his race in Pennsylvania by nearly 15 points. So why is it so different for Kamala Harris right now? - Well, number one, Governor's races are a little different than presidential races. And you know, he's talented. Look, this is why I thought she should have picked him for Vice President. I mean, this guy obviously knows how to campaign in Pennsylvania and she's got to win the state and she decided to do something else. So I still think that was a mistake. Plus, you know, he was running against the guy, just wasn't all that great, to be honest. And Donald Trump's in a lot better shape in Pennsylvania. So look, there's a lot of reasons why local races are different than national, but I agree with what was just said. Print pretty much, it's the economy. And if you're talking about being the change candidate, you know, last 10 years, Democrats have been in charge, six of the last 10 years, she's been in charge for the last four years. It's hard to make an argument that you represent change when keeping you in office, would be keeping the same people in charge. And she didn't do well on the economy. I agree on the debate the other night. So focusing on that is good. But until you find a way to separate yourself from Joe Biden, who people are kind of mad at over the economy, I don't know, I don't know where you're going to go with it. - Amisha, do you think you agree with those pundits who suggest that Pennsylvania is rough for Kamala Harris? - I think that's absolutely true. And the campaign recognizes it. Pennsylvania is a different ballgame. And in a truncated campaign, there has to be a lot more time spent in Pennsylvania. It's helpful that she's been able to fundraise the amounts that she has because that means expansion of offices, that means more boots on the ground. It's also helpful that she's been able to recruit so many Republicans to actually support the campaign, including people who have been parts of Trump's administration, because I think that when it comes to getting into some of those rare counties, she's going to need those voices as well. Pennsylvania make no mistake is a make or break. You don't win Pennsylvania, Kamala Harris is done. So I think that at this point, it is, we're going to funnel a lot into ads that means digital ads, that means being on the ground floor, that means reaching out to churches and various different community groups. There is a lot of coalition building that has to happen in Pennsylvania and it has to happen fast. - All right, everybody stand by as we await Vice President Kamala Harris' remarks in Pennsylvania. We'll have some live coverage. Stay right here. And up next day, high profile Democrat, Senator Cory Booker joins us in the Situation Room to break down his party's chances of holding on to the White House. - Jack in the Box knows sometimes you're in the mood for a burger and sometimes a bigger burger. Starting at $3.99, the bonus Jack combo at Jack in the Box gets you fries, a drink, and a burger with your choice of one, two, or three patties. At Jack, every bite's a big deal. Order now at Jack in the Box. - Ah, it's such a clutch off-season pickup Dave. I was worried we'd be bringing back the same team. I meant those blackout motorized shades. - Blinds.com made it crazy affordable to replace our old blinds. - Hard to install? - No, it was easy. I installed these and then got some from my mom. She talked to a design consultant for free and scheduled a professional measure and install. - Hall of Fame Sun. They're the number one online retailer of custom window coverings in the world. Blinds.com is the goat. - Shop Blinds.com's prime time kickoff event. Save up to 50% off select styles, plus door busters. Rules and restrictions may apply. - We're getting closer and closer to the start of the Harris campaign rally in Pennsylvania. We're gonna go there live in a few minutes once the vice president starts speaking. Stand by for that. Right now, we're joined here in the situation room by a prominent Democrat, Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey Senator. Thanks very much for coming in. - It's always a pleasure to be here. - New Jersey's not very far away from Pennsylvania, as we all know. What does she need to do to win that critically important electoral college battleground state? - Well, I think there's really two things. One is run a really good operation. It's about getting out the vote, continuing this explosion of enthusiasm you're seeing. I was at the Congressional Black Caucus Pennsylvania party last night and what a difference a couple of months makes. People were really excited and that's gotta continue to grow. And then the second thing, she's still only been in this for a little over a month and is introducing herself. And as a person that's known her for years, knows not just her policies and her plans, but her heart, spirit and character, I'm just excited as more and more people get to know her. And I think that that's gonna draw them to her, especially at this point where we have such a contrast with what Donald Trump seems to be saying these days, which seems to get more and more radical and nativist and just playing crazy. - You know, we're told that the Harris campaign believes Trump would win the election if it were held today. Do you agree with that? - I don't necessarily agree with that. I think it speaks to a really important point. I hope all Americans, no matter what your political party is, is that this is gonna be a close election decided by a few thousand votes in about four or five states. And that means if you're in one of those swing states, you have a lot of power. And I really think that the most common way people give up their power is not realizing they have it. They need to get out there. And I'm really frustrated with folks in this election that don't understand what's at stake and the urgency and the role that they have to play. I always say the opposite of love isn't hate. It is actually indifference, just not caring enough to do what is the most basic of our patriotic duties, which is to get out and vote. - Who do you think would win the election if it were held today? - I have no idea. I don't know who's gonna win the election on election day. And that's why I'm working so hard. I'm one of many of us that's gonna be crisscrossing this country doing everything we can to energize voters. - You know, it was interesting earlier today when reporters were shouting questions to Trump. He said the word maybe when it comes to whether or not he'll change his mind and have another debate with Kamala Harris, what do you think? - I think that it was a disastrous debate for him. You saw the results, even this network showed how much people who were not sure who they were gonna vote for swung towards Kamala's way, the vice president's way. And so I hope that he does another debate because if anything that debate did, is it not only showed her presidential prowess to lead this nation, but it gave a further reminder of the chaos, the condemnation, the demeaning, the degrading, the just off base lying that he does on a regular basis. The more America sees of that, the more confident I am that Kamala Harris will be the next president of the United States. - I was pretty surprised today when I heard a Pope Francis of the Vatican declared that the choice Americans face in this election are a choice of the lesser of two evils, lesser of two evils in this race here in the United States. Were you surprised by that? - This is the first I'm hearing of it, and I've learned as I've grown up in this nation and in politics that when we create this binary good versus evil existentialness, it really drives our American democracy off the rails. The 70 plus million people that voted for Donald Trump aren't my enemy, they're not evil, they're fellow Americans, and we're all trying to make for a better country. We've got to stop in our country characterizing people who vote different than us in those good versus evil. I've mistakenly used those terms in the past. To me, it's unacceptable and creates what I think is an environment in which we will see more extremism where people are refusing to accept election results or the kind of things that frankly, Donald Trump is trying to whip us up to, which are very anti-democratic, not accepting results, not accepting the rule of law, wanting to undermine our democratic traditions. The basis of our democracy first and foremost is recognizing mutual dignity and that we belong to each other and need each other to create a more perfect-- - So important, especially given the volatility of what's going on in this country right now. Donald Trump's reference recently to so-called black jobs was widely condemned. As you all know, I wanna play something that President Biden said earlier today, listen to this. - Yeah. - In just three and a half years, we've created over two million new black jobs for black Americans and black-- (audience cheering) By the way, the next black job to be filled is as President of the United States of America. - What do you make of that? - I've known the president for a long time. We all know this. Sometimes he stumbled over his words. He caught himself right away in what he was saying and made a joke out of it. But the challenge with being in public life, and I think this is why we should offer grace to senators on both sides of the aisle, Congress people, and people running for president is, you don't always, it doesn't always come out right. And I think he cleaned it up there well. And of all people right now that deserve Americans grace, it's the president of the United States who made a courageous decision for patriotism and not for himself. - Yeah, it was a courageous decision. The Springfield, Ohio, as you probably know, is facing bomb threats right now in schools in the wake of Trump promoting this conspiracy theory that Haitian immigrants who live there right now are eating dogs, cats, and other pets. He repeated that once again yesterday. What's your reaction to that? - I feel for the people of that community who've had their town turned into such a focus for hate and these kind of despicable comments. For someone running for the highest office in his land and to sort of trade in those very racist kind of dehumanizing degrading remarks, when you dehumanize something, please know this is something that people used to make someone else dehumanly so you can do inhumane things to them. It's just so wrong and vile. - Senator, I want you to stick around. The vice president is speaking down to Raleigh in the Wilkesbury, Pennsylvania. I wanna listen to him. (audience cheers) - Okay, okay. We got some business to handle. Okay. So let me start by saying to everyone here, thank you for all you are doing and for taking the time to be here this evening. One of the things that I love about everyone who is here and what we are doing, you know, in the midst of this moment where there are people trying to divide us as a nation, trying to make people feel small and feel alone, these are moments that remind all of us that we are all in this together as one loving family. (audience cheers) So thank you all for the time you've taken to be here this evening. I wanna thank also all the incredible leaders, including Governor Shapiro, who you heard from earlier. (audience cheers) Senator Bob Casey, who we will re-elect to the United States Senate. And Mayor Brown, and thank you Mayor for the warm welcome. (audience cheers) All right, so, Pennsylvania. Three days ago, Donald Trump and I had our debate. (audience cheers) You watched it. (laughs) So, yeah, so here's the thing. So I take it many people here, watched it. (audience cheers) So you'll remember that night I talked about issues that matter to families across America, like bringing down the cost of living, investing in America's small businesses, protecting reproductive freedom. (audience cheers) And keeping our nation safe and secure. (audience cheers) But that is not what we heard from Donald Trump. Instead, it was the same old show, the same tired playbook that we've heard for years with no plan, no plan on how he would address the needs of the American people. Well, folks, it's time to turn the page. (audience cheers) We're not going back. We're not going back. And we are not going back because we're not going back because America is ready for a new way forward. (audience cheers) We are ready for a new generation of leadership that is optimistic about what we can do together, which is why, and Mary Grace, thank you, which is why Democrats, Republicans, and independents are supporting our campaign. (audience cheers) We need a president of the United States who works for all the American people. (audience cheers) And that just stops with all the trying to divide us. Like people are exhausted with that stuff. (audience laughs) Exhausted, and you know, my entire career, I have fought for the people. As a young courtroom prosecutor in Oakland, I stood up for women and children against predators who abuse them. (audience cheers) As Attorney General of California, I took on the big banks and delivered $20 billion from middle-class families who faced foreclosure. (audience cheers) I stood up for veterans and students being scammed by big-for-profit colleges. (audience cheers) For workers who are being cheated out of the wages they were due for seniors facing elder abuse. And as Attorney General of a border state, I took on transnational criminal organizations like the Sinaloa cartel that traffic in drugs and threatened the safety of our communities. (audience cheers) I know these cartels firsthand, and as President, I will make sure we prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law. (audience cheers) For pushing poison like fentanyl on our children. (audience cheers) And as President, I will fight on behalf of all communities and all Americans, and together, we will build a brighter future for our nation. (audience cheers) Together. Together. (audience cheers) (audience laughs) And that future, and that future we build, will include what I call an opportunity economy. So that every American has an opportunity to own a home, to build wealth and to start a business. You know, I love our small businesses. So growing up, do we have small business leaders here to raise your hand? Yeah, right? (audience cheers) So growing up, my sister and my mother, my sister and me had a mother, have a mother, had a mother, excuse me, she passed. But our mother worked long hours. She worked hard, she worked long hours. And my sister, Mai, and I would go over to Ms. Shelton's house. Ms. Shelton lived a couple of doors down, and she helped my mother take care of us. And we, in fact, used to call her our second mother. Well, Ms. Shelton was a small business owner. And I will tell you, since I was a child, I know the character and the person who is a small business owner. You're not only business leaders, you're civic leaders. You hold the community together. You're part of the fabric of the community. And small business owners are the backbone of America's economy. (audience cheers) The backbone of America's economy. (audience cheers) Which is why part of my plan that you heard about the other night will give a $50,000 tax deduction to start up small businesses. (audience cheers) Knowing that not everybody, like my opponent, got handed $40 million on a silver tray and then filed for bankruptcy six times. (audience cheers) And people sometimes just need the opportunity 'cause we as Americans do not lack for ambition, for aspiration, for dreams, for the preparedness to do hard work, but not everyone has the opportunity because not everyone has the access. When I talk about building an opportunity economy, it is grounded in that foundational belief that when given an opportunity, people excel every day. (audience cheers) Every day. (audience cheers) Part of my focus is on the fact that we need to build more housing in America. (audience cheers) And so we are going to cut red tape and work with the private sector to build 3 million new homes by the end of my first turn. (audience cheers) And I have a plan to help lower the cost of living for America's families on everything from healthcare to groceries, including, I will take on corporate price gouging, which, as we know, is about those few bad guys taking advantage of desperate people and there needs to be a consequence. Under my plan, more than 100 million Americans will get a tax cut, including, including expanding the child tax credit (audience cheers) to $6,000 during the first year of a child's life, understanding that new parents need support in that most critical phase of their child's development to help them. (audience cheers) By a car seat, a crib, baby clothes, I will also make sure good paying jobs are available to all Americans, not just those with college degrees. (audience cheers) For far too long, our nation has encouraged only one path to success, a four-year college degree. Our nation needs to recognize the value of other paths, additional paths, such as apprenticeships and technical programs. (audience cheers) So as president, I will get rid of the unnecessary degree requirements for federal jobs (audience cheers) to increase jobs for folks without a four-year degree understanding that requiring a certain degree does not necessarily talk about one's skills. (audience cheers) And I will challenge the private sector to do the same. (audience cheers) All of this to say, look, I come from the middle class. I understand where I come from, and I'm never gonna forget that. And I will always put middle class working people first. It will always be my priority. (audience cheers) Always be my priority. I know where I come from. I know where I come from. (audience cheers) But now Donald Trump has a different plan. (audience cheers) Just Google, just look up the Google. (laughs) Just Google Project 2025. (audience cheers) It is a detailed, dangerous blueprint for what he will do if he were elected president again. Donald Trump will give billionaires and corporations massive tax cuts like he did before. He intends to cut Social Security and Medicare. (audience cheers) And he wants to impose what I call the Trump sales tax on everyday basic necessities, which as economists have reviewed, would cost the average family nearly $4,000 more a year. (audience cheers) In fact, independent economists like Goldman Sachs have said my plan would grow our economy. (audience cheers) And his plan would shrink the economy, reignite inflation and send us into a recession by the middle of next year. (audience cheers) On top of all of this, Donald Trump intends to end the Affordable Care Act. And let's remember, like we're not here with Trump amnesia. We remember, remember when he was president, he tried 60 times to end the Affordable Care Act. And as he said in the debate just this week, he has no plan to replace it. (audience cheers) Right, right, you said it. He said he has quote, "concepts of a plan." (audience cheers) Concepts of a plan, no actual plan. So let's just think about this for a moment. He's going to threaten health insurance for the 45 million people who rely on it based on a concept. (audience cheers) And take us back when insurance companies have, but because we remember where that was. We remember what that was when insurance companies have the power to deny people with preexisting conditions. Remember what that was like? Remember. Well, we are not going back. We are not going back. (audience cheers) No. We are not going back. (audience cheers) Because, because, because ours is a fight for the future. (audience cheers) And, and ours is a fight for freedom. (audience cheers) Like the fundamental freedom of a woman to make decisions about her own body (audience cheers) and not ever government telling her what to do. (audience cheers) And we remember how we got here. Donald Trump handpicked three members of the United States Supreme Court with the intent that they would overturn Roe v. Wade. And they did exactly as he intended. (audience laughs) (audience laughs) And we, and we understand where we are. We understand where we are. Hey, listen, listen. Now, now is the time to get a hostage deal and cease fire. I, we have been working around the clock to get that done. (audience cheers) And I respect your voice, but right now I am speaking. (audience cheers) So on the issue, so on the issue of fundamental rights and freedoms, we remember how he selected those members of the Supreme Court to undo Roe v. Wade. They did just as he intended. And what we have seen is in state after state, they passed laws to criminalize healthcare providers, to punish women. Now more than 20 states have a Trump abortion ban. Many with no exceptions, many with no exceptions for rape and incest, which is immoral to tell a survivor of a violation to their body that they don't have a right to make a decision about what happens to their body next. That's immoral. And let us agree, one does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree the government should not be telling her what to do. (audience cheers) Not the government. (audience cheers) And I will tell you, when Congress passes a bill to restore reproductive freedom as President of the United States, I will proudly sign it into law. (audience cheers) And I'm traveling our country, and I'll tell you, across our nation, we are witnessing a full on assault on other hard fought, hard won fundamental freedoms and rights. Like the freedom to vote, the freedom to be safe from gun violence, the freedom to join a union, (audience cheers) and the freedom to love who you love openly and with pride. (audience cheers) And generations, let's remember who we are as Americans, generations before us, led the fight for freedom, and to the friends here, I say, the baton is now in our hands. (audience cheers) (audience cheers) And so much is on the line in this election. We all know and remember, this is not 2016 or 2020. The stakes are even higher than they were then, because two months ago, the United States Supreme Court essentially told the former president that he will effectively be immune, no matter what he does, if he gets back into the White House. (audience laughs) Just imagine Donald Trump with no guardrails, imagine what that might mean, right? He who has vowed if re-elected, he would be a dictator on day one. (audience cheers) He who calls for the quote, "The determination of the Constitution of the United States." (audience cheers) And let us be clear, someone who suggests we should terminate the Constitution of the United States of America should never again stand behind the CEO of the President of the United States. (audience cheers) Never again. (audience cheers) So Pennsylvania, it all comes down to this, we are here together because we love our country. (audience cheers) We love our country. And we who are here understand the awesome responsibility, the awesome responsibility, that comes with the greatest privilege on earth, the privilege and pride of being an American. (audience cheers) Very strong, strong speech by the Vice President of the United States, the Democratic presidential nominee, Kamala Harris speaking in Wilkesbury, Pennsylvania right now, making most of her strong statements involving abortion rights for women, the US economy, her promise to be a champion of the middle class, in Pennsylvania state that could make or break her chances against Donald Trump. The words were very, very strong, very powerful address indeed, underscoring why the Republican nominee, Donald Trump, may be reluctant to go into another debate with her. She clearly has very, very strong credentials right now as we just saw, we'll take a quick break, we'll assess what we just saw, much more coming up right after this. (dramatic music) We also have some breaking news coming into the situation we're in right now on Donald Trump's campaign. I wanna go to see it on Zelina Treen. She's in Las Vegas with Trump as an event later tonight, Zelina. There's a new post from Trump about the far right conspiracy theory promoter. He's been traveling with lately. Update our viewers. That's right, we did just get a truth social post from him moments ago, trying to distance himself from some of the very controversial things that Laura Loomer, as you pointed out, a far right conspiracy theorist, has been saying, and the reason this has come up at all, Wolf, is because she has been increasingly traveling with Donald Trump, including this week, she went with him to the debate, as well as traveled with him to New York, and that travel, that trip with him, came just moments after she had issued a racist post about Kamala Harris. Now, I wanna read for you, Wolf, exactly what Trump posted. He said, quote, Laura Loomer doesn't work for the campaign. She's a private citizen and longtime supporter. I disagree with some of the statements she made, but like the many millions of people who support me, she is tired of watching the radical left Marxist and fascists violently attack and spear me. So there you have him saying that he does not agree with some of what she had said. But look, this actually comes after our own Kristen Holmes had questioned Donald Trump earlier today in an event in Los Angeles, asking about him traveling with her, and specifically asking for his response on how many Republicans are saying, including telling us that they're concerned about their close relationship. Take a listen to what Trump said. - I just don't know. Laura's a supporter, I don't know. She is a strong person. She's got strong opinions, and I don't know what she said, but that's not up to me. She's a supporter. - Now, Wolf, Loomer has been, as I said, she's a far-right conspiracy theorist. She's posted about 9/11 in the past being an inside job. She was booted off Twitter for an anti-Muslim post, although Loomer says that she believes that post was not anti-Muslim. And the reason this matters is because a lot of Trump advisors that I speak with, allies of Donald Trump, argue that she may actually be behind the reason that Trump is promoting more of these unseemly conspiracy theories about Kamala Harris as late. So there's been some tension behind the scenes within Donald Trump's own camp about their growing relationship. Wolf. - All right, Elena, treat him in Las Vegas for us. Elena, thank you very much. We're gonna get back to our political experts who are watching all of this unfold. Scott Jennings, Donald Trump, appears to be doing a bit of cleanup right now after he called Laura Loomer earlier today a free spirit and a strong person. What's your reaction to his latest comments? - Yeah, probably smart to put a little distance between him and Loomer. I mean, there's a lot of people in the Republican party who really, really support Donald Trump, who really wanna see Donald Trump when who are pretty alarmed that she's got such a prominent position with him right now, at least informally moving around with him. So I think it was probably wise what he did today. Get a little arms distance there is not a terrible idea. - You know, Amisha, why is Trump even associated with a well-known big hip like Laura Loomer right now? What else does he need to do? - Well, because birds of a feather flock together. I think that for Donald Trump, he does not distance himself because honestly, he believes a lot of what she's saying. There's no reason for him to have gone to a 9/11 remembrance and take somebody who believes 9/11 wasn't inside job, or that, you know, they were crisis actors involved. This is a guy who needs to not only disavow this, but in the same way he doesn't do it when he's standing next to white supremacists and inviting them to Mar-a-Lago, he's not gonna do it with her either. - You know, Jasmine, what do you think, is this enough what he just posted his latest statement to try to distance himself from Laura Loomer, or does he have to do more, for example, say she's not gonna be welcome on my plane, I'm not inviting her over to Mar-a-Lago or anything like that. - Yeah, well, if I think he's gonna have to do more, I think that reporters are gonna continue to ask him about their relationship, the nature of their relationship, what advice she has given to the former president and how it's shown up. And I also think that the vice president's campaign is going to really latch on this, try to pull them together as close as they can, try to show him again as being a chaos agent that the vice president wants to turn the page from us. So I think that he's gonna have to address this time and time again as we get closer to November. - Scott, what kind of electoral impact, if any, do you think Trump associated with someone like Laura Loomer has? - I mean, it's hard to assess that because she's not really a household name. I don't think a lot of voters in Pennsylvania or anywhere else are going to the polls saying, "Well, I was gonna vote for Trump, but then this person that I've never heard of popped up." So I think it's minimal, but I think it just, it takes away from your day-to-day message, right? If you're Donald Trump, what do you wanna do every day? Talk about inflation, talk about immigration, talk about the issues that work for you. You don't wanna be answering continuous questions about some crank and conspiracy theorists that is getting you off of your beat every day. And so that's why I think distancing here is good 'cause you wanna talk about the things that help you, not the things that gets you off your game. - We'll see if he does some more of that. All right, guys, thanks very, very much. Coming up, there's more breaking news. What we're learning from newly released 911 calls from that deadly shooting last week at a high school in Georgia. We're back with breaking news just coming into the situation room right now. Emergency services officials in Georgia have just released 911 calls and police dispatch records from last week's deadly mass shooting at the Appalachian High School that left two students and two teachers dead. CNN senior national correspondent Ryan Young is joining us live from Atlanta, right? Now he's got details. What are we learning, Ryan? - Yeah, well, if we've listened to some of these 911 calls that you can tell just how powerful they are in terms of the calls to 911, people calling for help, also talking about family members who are trapped inside the school. But something that we should remind our viewers, this was a 14-year-old who showed up to the school, rode the school bus, concealed a weapon under his arm and in his backpack, went to the office, and then instead of going to the office, came back with a gun and started opening fire. But the breaking part about this is now for the first time. We can hear these 911 calls. Take a listen. - As a shooter, active shooter. We have an active shooter, and I've lost your high school. - What's the status of a shooter? - In custody, on injured. Well, something the sheriff confirmed to us at the time, in the hallway, two deputies responded to it within a minute of the shooting. They were able to subdue that shooter. He gave up as soon as deputies arrived to that scene. Let's not forget four people lost their lives. Two teachers and two students. So you can understand the pain in this community. We also confirmed today that the accused shooter had a knife on him as well. But of course, police are still going through this investigation at this point. Today, those new details coming out. - Ryan, how's the community doing at this point? - A great question. Well, if it's been a lot of pain in this community, one of the things they've talked about is when would school open up again? The principal and the superintendent released a statement online just within the last few hours. Take a listen to their statement. - We are working to make sure we have the right systems and resources in place. We also want to ensure that we have the right mental health support on our campus, spaces for relocated classes, and have thought through every detail of your return. - Yeah, this will be tough. Well, September 23rd is the date everyone's circle for the kids to go back to school. We've learned that football has been canceled once again because we know one of the football coaches was killed in this incident. So that football game has been canceled. But community members are asking to see exactly what's going to happen next. The sheriff today has been talking about parts of this investigation. Of course, talk revealing that that student wrote that school bus. Still so many questions about the early warning signs, we know he missed nine days of school before this shooting happened, but still so many questions left unanswered that we have to figure out in the next few days. - All right, Ryan Young reporting. Thanks for that update. Appreciate it very much. And to our viewers, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in the Situation Room. I'll see you Monday morning in the CNN newsroom. That's at 11 a.m. Eastern. You can always follow me on X, formerly known as Twitter. You can Instagram me @wolfblitzer. The Situation Room, by the way, is also available as a podcast. Wherever you get your podcast, Aaron Burnett on Frontstarts, right now. (upbeat music) (gentle music) - From all over the world, people turn to Cleveland Clinic. For our expertise and our compassionate care. As leaders in heart, neurology and cancer, the future of specialty care is happening right now at Cleveland Clinic. For every life-saving treatment. For every next step. For every care in the world. Cleveland Clinic. (upbeat music) - Don't miss the new CNN film about the man who redefined American political campaigns. - He is the smartest son of the (beep) has ever done this for a wedding. - Carvel. Winning is everything, stupid. Saturday at seven Eastern on CNN. (dramatic music)
