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Countdown to U.S. Presidential Debate; Trump Debate Prep Includes Interviews, Town Halls; Dozens Dead, Injured after Israel Strikes Gaza "Safe Zone"; SpaceX's Polaris Dawn Mission Lifts Off; Pivotal Moments Shaping Past Presidential Races; Apple Unveils iPhone with Generative AI Tools; Legendary Actor James Earl Jones Dies at 93. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired September 10, 2024 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00]
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): Welcome to what is our second hour. It's 6:00 pm here in Abu Dhabi, it is 10:00 am in Philadelphia, where
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump come face-to-face for the first time in tonight's debate.
Also, this hour, a mass casualty strike on the al-Mawasi humanitarian zone in southern Gaza. Dozens were killed with many more feared buried beneath
the rubble.
Also coming up, Tyreek Hill says he was shocked after being detained by Miami-Dade Police. We have new body cam footage showing the moment of that
confrontation.
And SpaceX lifts off for what is an unprecedented mission. A look at what's in store for the civilian crew of Polaris Dawn.
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ANDERSON: Welcome back.
We are just hours away from the first and possibly only debate between U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump.
The event in Philadelphia comes at a pivotal moment in the race to the White House with only eight weeks to go until the election. Polling shows
this race is extremely tight. CNN's Jeff Zeleny has more from Philadelphia.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have spent months talking about one another.
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: If Comrade Kamala Harris gets four more years, you will be living a full-blown banana republic.
KAMALA HARRIS (D), VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If you got something to say, say it to my face.
ZELENY: On Tuesday night, they will talk to one another in a duel seen around the world but with one of the most important audiences here in
Pennsylvania.
GINA OLD, UNDECIDED PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: And I don't know if I'll really know until it's time to actually vote.
ZELENY: This will be Trump's seventh debate, more than any nominee in history. Harris and her team have studied all of the previous six. Three
with Hillary Clinton.
TRUMP: No puppet. No puppet.
HILLARY CLINTON (D), FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: It's pretty clear --
TRUMP: You're the puppet.
ZELENY: And three with Joe Biden.
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Will you shut up, man?
TRUMP: Who is your -- listen.
ZELENY: Which offer lessons for both sides. For Harris it's a marquee moment to show Americans she is ready to assume the presidency. A question
very much on the minds of voters in pivotal Bucks County, just outside Philadelphia, where signs of support for all sides are inescapable.
OLD: By nature I'm a Republican, always voted Republican. Not sure this year.
JOHN BILLIE, PENNSYLVANIA TRUMP VOTER: I'm going to go with Trump regardless. I don't know enough about Kamala and big deals with the border
and inflation is my main thing.
MARY SUE FRANK, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: My hope is that they're going to tell us what they're going to do, not what the other person has done wrong.
ZELENY: Pennsylvania is at the center of the presidential race with Harris, Trump and their allies spending more than any other battleground.
$82 million from Democrats, $74 million from Republicans. As a fight to define the vice president dominates the airwaves.
HARRIS: It's a very different vision than Donald Trump's.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dangerously liberal. Kamala Harris is no laughing matter.
ZELENY: Harris has spent the last five days in Pittsburgh preparing bring for the debate.
HARRIS: Look, it's time to turn the page on the divisiveness. It's time to bring our country together. Chart a new way forward.
ZELENY: In a weekend rally in Wisconsin, Trump argued he is the true candidate of change.
TRUMP: Kamala Harris and the communist left have unleashed a brutal plague of bloodshed, crime, chaos, misery and death upon our land. And it's only
going to get worse.
ZELENY: That rhetoric raises the question of what tone Trump intends to strike and whether it will be sexist as he often was against Clinton in
2016.
TRUMP: She doesn't have the look. She doesn't have the stamina.
ZELENY: Or seize upon policies of the Biden-Harris administration as he did in June.
TRUMP: We had the safest border in history. Now we have the worst border in history.
ZELENY: Trump has been familiarizing himself with old Harris debates, too.
HARRIS: Mr. Vice President, I'm speaking. I'm speaking. If you don't mind letting me finish, we can then have a conversation.
MIKE PENCE (R-IN), 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Please.
[10:05:00]
HARRIS: OK?
PENCE: Please.
HARRIS: OK.
ZELENY: Those stinging moments from a former prosecutor, now trying to make the case that she can turn the page to the presidency.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Want to bring in CNN's Eva McKend, following the Harris campaign; Alayna Treene, tracking the Trump campaign's preparations ahead
of the debate.
It is our colleague, Stephen Collinson, who writes today that, "While Harris has had her moments in debates and Senate hearings, she has
sometimes struggled to articulate her views and her policies and give clear answers under pressure.
And we know she has been reliant since assuming the Democratic presidential contending role on a prompt.
So Eva, you've been tracking what's been going on. We know that Harris has been preparing now for days.
What can we expect from her tonight?
EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, you know, she has a level of self-awareness to understand her vulnerabilities.
That is why I think she so strenuously prepared for this debate and that looked like going over the former president's six past debate performances.
That looked like poring over briefing books so she could really clarify how she wanted to communicate her policy positions.
But another key tactic here is going to be to try to get under the former president's skin, to try to needle him a bit and lean into these perceived
insecurities.
We know as such, because there is an ad out this morning, airing here in Philadelphia and also in Florida as well as on FOX News, the conservative
news channel, to ensure that the former president sees it, poking fund at his obsession with crowd sizes. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Here is a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems.
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Oh, she had a big crowd, oh, the crowd.
OBAMA: This weird obsession with crowd sizes. It just goes on and on and on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCKEND: And Becky, she is also expected to lean into this idea of the opportunity economy.
She will lean into her personal biography to convey to Americans that she knows what it is like to struggle and that is why she wants to uplift
policies, to address the financial heartache that many Americans are facing when it comes to affordable housing, when it comes to the cost of
prescription drugs.
I think she will lean into that tonight while arguing that the former president doesn't understand the struggle and is more concerned and about
his own grievances, his legal matters than he is really about the everyday concerns of everyday Americans.
ANDERSON: Alayna, you've been in contact, constant contact with the Trump campaign, who have promised surprises.
Tonight, we talked last hour about the fact that we aren't clear what those surprises might be, what we are clear about, because he said it himself, is
that Donald Trump has insisted he will let Harris talk tonight, hoping, I guess, that she will not be as effective a communicator as many hope she
will be.
And there is a legacy for that. There is some precedent for that.
What is the Trump campaign telling you about his preparations for this key event?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they recognize, just as you said, Becky, that this is going to be a defining moment of this race.
Now one thing that they know is that Donald Trump tends to make any time that he has cameras on him or that he's on a stage, the Trump show. And
they know that the Harris campaign is expecting that.
But they don't necessarily want that. As you mentioned, Becky, they want to have some of the attention and a lot of the attention I should argue be on
Kamala Harris and let her try to explain herself and explain her policies.
Now part of that means trying to have Donald Trump be more restrained. We'll see if he's able to do that, just given, you know, we have covered
him for many years. I've personally covered Donald Trump for many years.
It is not something that he is quite good at. He likes to veer off script. He likes to, you know, riff. We'll see what he does tonight.
But as for specific policy areas, we did hear the Trump campaign in a call yesterday with reporters, try to walk through some of the attacks that he
is going to lob at her and particularly their goal is to try and tie her to the Biden administration's record.
I want you to take a listen to what Jason Miller, he's a senior campaign adviser, told reporters yesterday.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
JASON MILLER, TRUMP SENIOR ADVISER: She owns every failure of the Harris- Biden administration.
[10:10:00]
You can't talk about turning the page when you're the one who created our current nightmare. You just can't. You can't prepare for president Trump.
There's just no way to do it. Imagine like a boxer trying to prepare for Floyd Mayweather or Mohammad Ali.
You just -- you don't know what angle they're going to come at you with. You don't know what style of contrast that they're going to deliver.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
TREENE: Now, Becky, for that first part of his answer, I just, you know, again, they're trying to make it seem like Vice President Harris has been
running the show for the past four years.
Of course, as Eva just laid out, she's going to try and distinguish herself in some way. So we'll see how that ends up playing out on the debate stage.
But one thing I really want to drive home right now, Becky, is that, in my conversations with Trump allies, as much as they want to make sure that
they can keep Donald Trump pivoting back to policy.
Particularly the three policy areas we know that he polls better on it, the economy, immigration, crime, one thing that I consistently am hearing from
Donald Trump allies and people close to the former president is that even more than on the substance, the concerns around his tone and his
temperament.
Whether he can keep his rhetoric in check, not be as aggressive, not go after and delve into the personal attacks on Harris. One person in
particular said that they note that this is a completely different candidate than who he faced in June with Joe Biden.
Harris is more popular now and she's also a woman and the subjects of some of those attacks can play very differently as well. So that's on the top of
their minds tonight, Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes.
Well, we'll know 11 hours from now. In the fact the debate starts 11 hours from now, 12.5 hours from now. We will know how these two candidates have
performed. There has got to be one of, if not their biggest nights in their political sort of experience. Let's see.
Thank you both.
Tune in for special coverage of the ABC News Presidential Debate simulcast here on CNN. It'll air this Tuesday, 9:00 pm Eastern time. And we will
replay that debate at the times shown there on your screens.
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ANDERSON: Rescuers have been digging through sand and debris at a camp for displaced Palestinians after an overnight strike by Israeli forces left
scores of people dead, wounded or missing.
The Israeli military says it struck Hamas terrorists' operating command center embedded in the humanitarian safe zone in Khan Yunis. Hamas denies
its fighters were present. A civil -- Gaza civil defense officials say entire families disappeared into the sand.
The U.N. Agency for Palestinian Refugees says the civilians in the al- Mawasi area had no way to escape.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAM ROSE, SENIOR DEPUTY DIRECTOR, UNRWA AFFAIRS IN GAZA: If you try and picture the area, these are the most crowded surroundings. You could
imagine there's barely room to walk in between tents that are crowded onto beaches.
It was late at night. Colleagues heard what they believe what were the strikes. And just absolutely devastating. No way whatsoever that the
civilians in these areas were able to protect themselves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Israeli forces have previously hit al-Mawasi in their pursuit of Hamas commanders.
A strike in mid-July killed at least 90 Palestinians. For more, CNN's Matthew Chance monitoring this from Tel Aviv in Israel.
I know that the details still coming in.
But what more do we know about this strike, in an area, as I say, previously struck by the IDF in pursuit, they say, of Hamas terrorists back
in July?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, I mean, first the thing, first thing you can notice, one of the first things
you notice when we look at the video and the images that are coming out of the al-Mawasi region in the Gaza Strip is that this was a massive attack.
I mean, the weaponry that was involved is extremely powerful. Clearly some of the craters that have been left by the strikes are seven meters deep.
And so an extraordinary amount of damage has been caused in what would have been a densely populated area, humanitarian zone in the Gaza Strip. And, of
course, civilians and ordinary people are again paying that very high price.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHANCE (voice-over): As rescue workers scrambled for survivors' eyewitnesses say the Israeli strikes targeted what was meant to be a safe
zone in the Southern Gaza Strip ripping through tents and makeshift shelters, leaving deep craters and dozens for killed and injured.
"They told us this area was safe," says this man.
[10:15:00]
"I swear the people here were just normal he says, not fighters."
By daylight, you can see the extent of the destruction. Israel's military says it conducted a precise strike on Hamas terrorists operating a command-
and-control center inside this humanitarian zone.
An IDF statement says, prior to the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians. This was a heavily populated area
and civilians were caught up in the powerful blast. This man says his two daughters were completely buried under the sand. Only one survived, he
says.
He says he found the body parts of his neighbors strewn around.
This 12-year-old girl is nursing a broken shoulder suffered when her tent collapsed, she says, trapping her and her mother inside.
"I was scared because the strikes were so close," she says.
Israel accuses Hamas of using civilians as human shields and insists the Israeli military takes extensive measures to enable civilians in Gaza to
avoid combat zones. But there's little real security in this brutal war.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHANCE: Well, Becky, as you mentioned, this exact humanitarian zone, this camp had been struck before, back in July, with Palestinian health
officials saying that 90 people were killed back then. Israeli military saying they were targeting Hamas militants.
But the health ministry in Gaza, which is controlled by Hamas, of course, saying at least half of that figure were women and children. So again,
underlining just what a poor state of security that exists inside the Gaza Strip.
ANDERSON: Matthew, meantime the IDF has said an investigation has been launched into the death last week of an American killed in the West Bank.
Now the U.S. secretary of state has just weighed in on that. So I want you and our viewers just to have a listen to what Antony Blinken has just said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: No one -- no one should be shot and killed for attending a protest. No one should have to put their life at
risk just for freely expressing their views.
In our judgment, Israeli security forces need to make some fundamental changes in the way that they operate in the West Bank, including changes to
their rules of engagement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well I assume we haven't yet had an IDF statement in response to Antony Blinken's words, which were in the past couple of hours.
But what are the IDF saying at this point?
They've said that they've launched the investigation.
Do we have results of that?
CHANCE: The investigation has been launched certainly to try and get to the bottom of it.
There's been a sort of preliminary announcement by the Israeli Defense Forces, saying that they believe the killing of this American Turkish
activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi was unintentional and indirect.
And they said that actually what they've learned is that the shots were fired at one of the protesters that had been hurling stones and burning
tires in front of Israeli forces in the West Bank.
But we're expecting more information to come out in the hours ahead. There's going to be a briefing shortly with the chief spokesperson for the
Israeli Defense Forces. And so we might get some more clarity.
But clearly, the United States secretary of state, Antony Blinken, there not happy at all that another American -- and there's been a couple who
have been killed in the West Bank while protesting, to recap what he said. No one should be killed for attending a protest.
And of course, he called on Israel later on to fundamentally change the way it operates inside the West Bank. And so signs there that the United States
is being increasingly critical of how Israel operates.
ANDERSON: Matthew Chance is in Tel Aviv in Israel.
Thank you.
Well, still to come, NFL star Tyreek Hill speaking out after he was detained by police minutes from the Dolphins Stadium.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TYREEK HILL, MIAMI DOLPHINS WIDE RECEIVER: I was shocked, man. Like, it's crazy because it all happened so fast, man.
ANDERSON (voice-over): New police footage of the traffic stop that ended with Hill on the ground in handcuffs, that's coming up.
And --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[10:20:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three, two, one, ignition (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Copy one Alpha.
ANDERSON (voice-over): Well, a history-making trek into space is underway.
What's ahead for the four crew members of SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission. That's up next.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Four, three, two, one, ignition (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Copy one Alpha. (INAUDIBLE) beyond range (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Propulsion is (INAUDIBLE).
ANDERSON (voice-over): A sight that never gets old, a rocket launch under cover of darkness with its four civilian crew members. The SpaceX Polaris
Dawn mission aims to achieve several things that have never been done before, including the first-ever commercial space walk.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Let's get you to CNN's space and defense correspondent Kristin Fisher.
There's so much about this mission which is fascinating. So just explain in principle and first what it's all about.
KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE & DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT: So this first mission, this first big milestone that we're going to be watching for, is they're
going to be traveling farther in space than any humans have flown since the end of the Apollo program in 1972.
The two female crew members will be the -- will fly farther than any women have ever flown in space before ever. So that's an interesting note.
They're going to be flying into the radiation belt part of space where highly charged particles from the sun congregate. And that really puts a
strain on their bodies and the spacecraft itself.
But really, Becky, the highlight of this mission has to be the space walk, the world's first commercial space walk. Remember this is the first time in
history that nongovernment, non-NASA astronauts have ever ventured out into the vacuum of space.
While they're there, they're going to be testing out this brand new space suit that SpaceX has designed just for this mission.
And this space suit is going to be the prototype for the space suit that someday SpaceX hopes will be used for humans to land on Mars and then
someday colonize Mars, if you believe what SpaceX and Elon Musk are trying to do.
But you can see the space suit, it's right there. One of the really cool things, Becky, is it has a built-in like visual display in the headset. So
this is so futuristic, compared to the EVA suits, the EMUs that are currently used by NASA astronauts up at the International Space Station.
Becky, those suits are 40 years old, 40. NASA has been trying to get new ones for about 20 years now. They've run into technical difficulties,
financial difficulties.
[10:25:00]
Now SpaceX designing and now flying that space suit in just under 2.5 years, Becky.
ANDERSON: That's remarkable stuff. Let's stay on it. Keep us bang up to date on what is going on up there. Thank you.
Well, police in Miami, Florida, have released the body cam footage of officers detaining NFL star Tyreek Hill during a traffic stop. Now the
encounter happened just hours before the first Miami Dolphins game of the season.
Hill was pulled over while on his way to Hard Rock Stadium for what's described as a moving violation. Now the video shows Hill engaged in a
dispute with officers over rolling down his window. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why don't you have your seat belt on?
HILL: Don't knock on my window like that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why don't you have your seat belt on?
HILL: Don't knock on my window like that. No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No what?
HILL: Don't knock on my window like that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, you hold up.
HILL: Don't knock on my window like that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why you have it up?
I have to knock to let you know I am here.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) talk to you.
HILL: Give me my ticket, bro, so I can go. I am going to be late. Do what you got to do.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keep it down. Hey! Keep your window down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: What have we learned from the release of this video?
CARLOS SUAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Becky, so there does seem to be a broad sense here in south Florida that perhaps, maybe officers here may
have overreacted, considering the nature of this traffic stop.
In response though to all of the attention that this incident has received, the Miami-Dade Police Department, they released nearly two hours of body
camera video capturing this encounter between Hill and the officers following a traffic stop.
Hill was pulled over near the players' entrance at the stadium where the Miami Dolphins play. As you heard there right before me, there's this back-
and-forth between Hill and one of the officers about the driver's side window of Hill's sports car.
At some point, as you're taking a look at right there, they end up taking Hill out of the car and they later detain him. Now the officers eventually
release him after giving him two tickets.
A second Miami Dolphins player who stopped to see what was going on -- remember all of this is taking place near the players' entrance to the
stadium. Well, that player is also handcuffed and also later let go.
A police union rep said that Hill was only detained because he was not cooperative and that he, again, was able to go after being issued these two
tickets. Here now is Hill on CNN with my colleague, Kaitlan Collins, last night, hours after the video was released.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: The crazy part about it is, I hate talking like this, man, but because I have a kid (ph) fan base. But the reality of it is, it's the
truth.
If I wasn't Tyreek Hill, worst-case scenario, we would have had a different article, you know? Tyreek Hill got shot in front of Hard Rock Stadium, you
know? Or that's worst-case scenario. Or Tyreek Hill put in handcuffs and taken in and booked, you know?
But it's crazy that I, you know, me and my family had to go through this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SUAREZ: All right. So the Miami Dolphins, they have weighed in on this situation here.
In a statement, they said, quote, "While we commend at the Miami-Dade Police Department for taking the right and necessary action to quickly
release this footage, we also urge them to take equally swift and strong action against the officers who engaged in such despicable behavior."
Becky, the director of the Miami-Dade Police Department announced that one of the officers that was involved in the incident has been placed on
administrative duties and that an internal affairs investigation is already underway.
ANDERSON: Understood. Thank you.
When we come back, we'll take a look at some of the key moments from past presidential debates and whether any of it matters to voters come Election
Day. It is, of course, the big debate tonight, the U.S. presidential debate.
And Apple has unveiled its next iPhones, this time with the new Apple Intelligence. A look at what that is after this.
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[10:30:00]
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON (D), FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: My Social Security payroll contribution will go up as will Donald's, assuming he can't figure out how
to get out of it. But what we want to do is to replenish the --
(CROSSTALK)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Such a nasty woman.
CLINTON: -- trust fund.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Now that was one of the many unforgettable moments from the 2016 debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. For decades, presidential
debates have been a cornerstone of American politics. They can make or break a candidate, letting the public judge appearance, policy and
personality.
That's certainly how it's been to date. CNN's Sunlen Serfaty takes us through some of the most pivotal debate moments in American history.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS CHRISTIE (R-NJ), FORMER GOVERNOR AND PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're going to call you Donald Duck.
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is a make-or-break moment.
JOHN HARWOOD, CNN HOST: You can't name the third one?
RICK PERRY, FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF ENERGY: The third agency of government. I would -- I would do away with Education, the Commerce and,
let's see, I can't. The third one, sorry. Oops.
SERFATY (voice-over): The debate stage producing some of the most memorable and significant turns of the campaigns.
LLOYD BENTSEN, FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY AND 1988 VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack
Kennedy Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy.
SERFATY (voice-over): With breakout moments that have upended the race.
RONALD REAGAN, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience.
SERFATY (voice-over): Given a boost of attention to lesser known candidates.
CARLY FIORINA (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think women all over this country heard very clearly what Mr. Trump said.
SERFATY (voice-over): Helping define them and their campaign.
SARAH PALIN, 2008 REPUBLICAN VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They say the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull: lipstick.
SERFATY (voice-over): But for all the highlights, it is the lost opportunities and blunders that often are the most enduring.
BERNARD SHAW, CNN ANCHOR: If Kitty Dukakis were raped and murdered, would you favor an irrevocable death penalty for the killer?
MIKE DUKAKIS, 1988 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No, I don't, Bernard, and I think you know that I've opposed the death penalty during all of my life.
SERFATY (voice-over): Snippets that are later played and replayed.
HILLARY CLINTON (D), FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: He's very likable. I agree with that. I don't think I'm that bad.
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You're likeable enough.
CLINTON: Thanks.
SERFATY (voice-over): Sticking to the candidate well after the debate is over.
SEN. MITT ROMNEY (R-UT): I went to a number of women's groups and said, can you help us find folks?
And they've brought us whole binders full of women.
SERFATY (voice-over): The optics of the big stage has also tripped up many candidates with a casual glance at a watch, an audible sigh.
GEORGE W. BUSH, 43RD PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Man's practicing fuzzy math again. There's differences.
SERFATY (voice-over): Or even body language.
BUSH: But can he get things done? And I believe I can.
SERFATY (voice-over): All attempting to distract voters from the message - - Sunlen Serfaty, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Joining me now to discuss what we may expect from tonight's debate is CNN political analyst, historian and Princeton professor, good
friend of this show, Julian Zelizer.
Televised debates -- and it's good to have you, sir -- televised debates in the United States do hold a unique position in the past.
[10:35:00]
They have had the ability to make or break a candidate, based upon appearance and performance, as we most recently saw with President Biden
and the abject performance in the CNN debate back at the end of June.
As a historian and political analyst, how much of an impact does the policy aspect of the debate make versus the visual representation, the optics or
performance?
JULIAN ZELIZER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: No much. I mean the optics are what matter. I think the way to think about the debates as you're watching the
demeanor of candidates, you're trying to glean a little bit about the character through how they act, through their demeanor, through their
interaction.
And simply through the speed in which they can think of a response to an attack or launch their own counter attack, these are not events where
ultimately voters are going through the fine detail of policy, which isn't even discussed.
So I think that is the reality. It frustrates some people but that's ultimately the metric for which we evaluate how they do.
ANDERSON: There've been a number of studies over the years that have looked at the impact of presidential debates on voting behavior and on
polling.
A University of Chicago and University of Austin study looking at debates and opinion polls from -- I think I'm right in saying 1952 through 2008 --
and the researchers found, and I quote them here.
"Debates are short-term events, so they have less effect on people's choices. These performances just get added into this giant pile of
information."
And another study looking at American debates through 2020 found the same thing. I think it's really clear that Kamala Harris has come out from under
Joe Biden post the object debate and him handing over the sort of the baton. She's really ignited the Democratic Party. She had a successful
national convention.
But at the end of the day, with this being such a short campaign period, this is really important for her.
Could this be the debate, the event, the night that really matters?
For after all, we know who Donald Trump is. The American people know who Donald Trump is. They know less about Kamala Harris.
ZELIZER: I think that's right. I mean, I think, first, the studies are right. These are not game changing moments usually. They're part of a
bigger story of how voters are shaping their preferences. They're not irrelevant but they're not events that, all of a sudden, transform
everything.
We just went through an exception. The Biden-Trump debate was an exception which fundamentally changed the nature of the contest. Tonight, you're
correct. I think there's less to know about former president Trump. Most voters know exactly who he is, what he sounds like, how he is in political
competition and combat.
So more of the pressure is on her, again, to show a little bit about who she is as a person; I think, more important than the substance of what she
stands for and also to see how she performs.
I mean, this is a vision of how will she compete in the political arena as president, facing someone like the former president?
Finally, she doesn't want to make a big mistake. I mean, I think a lot of the clips you played revolve around mistakes that people make. Those become
a centerpiece rather than the positive.
So all of this is on her shoulders when the debate takes place.
ANDERSON: Julian, she's a trained prosecutor. I mean, a highly successful prosecutor. She's a comfortable public speaker, we're told, at least,
although she's pretty much, for most of the American people who care to have watched, been working off a teleprompter since she's been this
presidential contender.
She is significantly younger than Donald Trump. He is though, of course, a showman and quick on his feet with quips.
How do you expect the debate to play out ultimately?
ZELIZER: Precision versus chaos. I think if both are up to their normal strategy, she will be like a prosecutor. She will level attacks on him,
dealing with everything from the way in which he has raised threats to different people in the electorate to questions about his basic philosophy
on issues like reproductive rights.
And they will be very, very targeted comments. That's how she is in debates.
[10:40:00]
When she's at her best, he will be chaos. That is what he likes. He likes to throw everything at his opponent, try to rattle them, try to spread
disinformation about them while everyone is watching. And in the end, it will be -- different voters will take different elements of that.
I don't expect anything different. Again, unless one of them has trouble tonight, once the cameras are rolling.
ANDERSON: Let's remind ourselves, this is such a close race. It's so closely contested according to the polls, at least, at present, that, in
the end, there'll be millions watching this.
Both in the States and around the world, both on television and on digital and social channels as this is sort of -- and then cut up, of course, and
published in chunks or sound bites.
But ultimately, let's remind our viewers, there is a very small number of key voters that these two candidates have to go after and win at this
point, correct?
We're talking in the tens of thousands here.
ZELIZER: I think that's right.
I mean, debates in the '70s and '80s, when they really got going, were about convincing millions of voters to vote one way or another. Now we're
just talking about thousands. It still matters because those thousands will determine the election in the key swing states for the Electoral College.
But they're not trying to convince everyone to come to the other side.
They're just looking at pockets of the American electorate and asking them either to make sure they come out to vote, because of what they see
tonight, or even smaller group that they might consider voting for someone other than who they were once thinking of supporting.
ANDERSON: It's good to have you, sir. It's always a pleasure.
ZELIZER: Thank you.
ANDERSON: We'll, I know, speak again certainly before the election. Thank you.
Well after the break, I'll talk to a tech researcher about the new Apple launch and about the future of AI in our everyday technology.
Stay with us.
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ANDERSON: Well, whether you want it or not, AI is coming to your iPhone. Apple has unveiled its first IPhone purpose-built for generative artificial
intelligence. The iPhone 16 and 16 Pro will come with new AI capabilities and some of these features may also be coming to older models.
However, some AI products so far has been both underwhelming and unreliable and Apple seems to know this, instead calling it Apple Intelligence. Bob
O'Donnell is the president and founder of TECHnalysis Research and an expert in tech -- in the technology market and market research.
[10:45:00]
He joins us now, live.
Firstly, there was a lot of hype, as there always is for these big Apple events.
Did the rollout live up to that hype to your mind?
BOB O'DONNELL, PRESIDENT/FOUNDER/CHIEF ANALYST, TECHNALYSIS RESEARCH: Well, you know, Becky, it was -- I've been to a lot of these Apple events.
And they did exactly what everybody expected them to do.
And it was fine. But I got to be honest with you, the energy in the room wasn't like what I've felt in previous years, because it's kind of a known
thing. They officially announced some of these Apple intelligence features that you mentioned at their developer conference in June. So people knew
that they were coming.
The question was, how would they implement them?
How would they play out on the phone?
Were there other capabilities there?
And what we saw was the beginnings of something. The problem I think we're having right now in the market around AI, as you said, the hype has been
built up so much, the people are expecting like, boom, overnight, it's going to change everything.
And it's simply not how it works. You're going to see these things incrementally added on. And then, over time, they will become a big deal.
But initially, it's relatively modest.
ANDERSON: iPhone sales have been sluggish. So the company certainly will be hoping that this Apple Intelligence and its features are going to drive
upsells. You're saying you don't expect the impact to be significant at this point.
I mean, are they up to encourage people to upgrade their iPhones, their older iPhones, for example?
O'DONNELL: Well, that was the number one question I had and many others had going into this event. I walked away saying, I don't think so. It was
very interesting because, during the Apple event, we saw them more than once, twice actually, talk about trade-ins for older iPhones.
Now in the U.S., you know, a lot of the carriers will do that. But to see Apple talk about that, to encourage those developments -- because the
problem we have is iPhone 16 looks like the 15 and the 14 and the 13 and the 12. And people aren't feeling compelled.
Now you know, as we said, iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, will be upgradable to have the Apple Intelligence features. And all the 16s. But some of these
features, first of all, they're only going to be in U.S. English for the first several months.
And oh, by the way, most of them are not launching for another month or two so there's no immediate need. It's not going to help in a lot of countries
around the world. So that's impacting Apple as a global business.
And I think some of the capabilities are interesting and I think people will enjoy them. And I will say, for the record, I think Apple did a better
job of telling the AI story than we've seen from others.
But at the end of the day, I don't know that it's enough to trigger, you know, what people call a super cycle, where a whole bunch of people
upgrade.
I think we'll see the normal upgrades and maybe a little bit incrementally more and that's about it.
ANDERSON: It's interesting to look at the share price, which we've got up on the screen. It's trading about a percent lower to, 218.80 , down about
just over two bucks. Apple has lost today its fight to avoid paying more than 13 billion euros in taxes to Ireland.
How could this tax ruling impact Apple's business in Europe and other tech companies based there?
And very specifically based in Ireland, where there is a real sort of cohort of tech companies, which are really helping support both the Dublin
and Irish economy?
O'DONNELL: Well, I mean this is a historical issue.
Ireland traditionally, it had a very low corporate tax rate for a very long time. And they're very eager to encourage tech companies to land there. And
of course, they were successful. I mean, they're all there now.
And so I think at this point, for Apple's, given the huge cash pile to have, this is a drop in the bucket compared to any big issues. They're
going to continue moving forward. A lot of this is backward-looking, not forward-looking.
So I think we're going to see it. It's a blip in time, it's a big win for the E.U. and their desire to have a little bit more control over tech
companies that they feel are getting too much power.
But at the end of the day, look, Apple's not going to pull out of Ireland. Other tech companies aren't going to pull out of there. They've established
Ireland as a great place for tech. A lot of the tech workers are there.
And so I just think this is something that moves forward but I think tech companies in general are going to have to be more cautious in the E.U. And
we've seen that in many different ways. This is just yet another example.
ANDERSON: Yes, it's fascinating.
Well, Apple in the news for two headlining reasons. You've taken on both of those for us and, for that, we really appreciate it. Thank you very much
indeed for your time, sir.
Still to come, a huge outpouring of love from Hollywood and beyond as the world remembers an actor, an icon with a booming voice.
[10:50:00]
Our special CNN tribute to the great James Earl Jones is up ahead.
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ANDERSON: Well, some nine months after being diagnosed with cancer, Catherine, the Princess of Wales, says that she is entering a new phase of
recovery, with her chemotherapy treatment now complete.
The royal family released a video statement Monday, offering a rare, intimate look at Catherine with her husband, Prince William, and their
kids. The three of them knit (ph), she says. She's doing what she can to stay cancer-free. She also talks about her plans to return to public life,
while also staying focused on her health.
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CATHERINE, PRINCESS OF WALES (voice-over): Although I finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long. And I must
continue to take each day as it comes.
I am, however, looking forward to being back at work and undertaking a few more public engagements in the coming months when I can.
Despite all that's gone before I enter this new phase of recovery with a renewed sense of hope and appreciation of life.
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ANDERSON: Well, Catherine has just made two public appearances since her diagnosis, which came after she underwent major abdominal surgery back in
January.
Well, I close tonight with a legendary voice of stage and screen that has fallen silent. Actor James Earl Jones died on Monday at age 93, according
to his agent. Jones is known as he booming voice of Darth Vader in the "Star Wars" films and Mufasa in "The Lion King," as well as so many other
onscreen roles.
He has a special place here at CNN as well. CNN's Randi Kaye remembers.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tonight, he owns the most famous voice in America.
RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): That most famous voice belongs to none other than James Earl Jones.
JAMES EARL JONES, ACTOR: This is CNN.
KAYE (voice-over): For decades, Jones was the voice of CNN. He first recorded those three words, "This is CNN," in 1989, to mark CNN's upcoming
10-year anniversary.
JONES: It was so short, I mean, it took five minutes, right?
And I forgot it.
KAYE (voice-over): But perhaps his most famous line is this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. I am the father.
KAYE (voice-over): Darth Vader was originally played by a different actor. But the way Jones tells it, director George Lucas decided he needed a more
sinister voice.
JONES: He called me and said, you want to do a day's work?
And I said, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A day's work?
JONES: 2.5 hours, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's all?
JONES: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All the Darth Vader language is in 2.5 hours?
JONES: Yes. A few thousand and then I went home.
KAYE (voice-over): How'd he master Vader's voice?
JONES: The key to Darth Vader is a narrow band of expression. No inflections. He's not human.
KAYE (voice-over): His movie credits extend well beyond "Star Wars." You Jones also appeared in "Field of Dreams," "The Lion King," and "Patriot
Games," to name a few. All of this from a man who struggled as a child to speak. He opened up to Larry King in 1993 about his childhood stutter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY KING, CNN HOST: You were a stutterer?
JONES: Yes, a stutterer, a stammerer. I still am and you'll hear me tonight, sir, I'm sure. I just, you know, I fake it.
KING: You know, you --
JONES: Come on.
KING: And so you stayed silent?
[10:55:00]
JONES: It was so embarrassing and painful just to talk, you know, because the kids in the back row would laugh and it was painful for the stutterer.
And I just decided to go mum.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE (voice-over): In fact, Jones hardly said a word from age 6 to age 14. But after a teacher helped him write and read poetry --
JONES: He discovered I wrote poetry and he got me to read my poetry in front of the class and when I did, it didn't stutter.
KAYE (voice-over): Jones eventually found his distinctive thundering voice and those vocal chords of his launched a career he'd never imagined. Not
just Hollywood but Broadway too. He won three Tony Awards, including one in 1969, for his role in "The Great White Hope."
JONES: This is your wish coming true, huh?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Never this. Never this, John.
KAYE (voice-over): He may not have done it all but, for James Earl Jones, he'd done enough.
JONES: Death is OK. It is something that happens to all of us.
KAYE (voice-over): James Earl Jones was 93.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: And that's it for CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. Stay with CNN. "NEWSROOM" is up next.
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END
