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The Lead with Jake Tapper
Lebanon: Pager Blasts Kill Nine, Injure 2,800; NYT Reporter Interviewed Suspect Last Year; Why Haitian Migrants Are Settling In Springfield, Ohio; Harris Calls Threats In Springfield, Ohio "A Crying Shame"; Hispanic Voters In Nevada Concerned About Economy. Aired 5-6p ET
Aired September 17, 2024 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[17:00:00]
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Ohio, where schools have received 33 bomb threats in the last week, all in the wake of baseless claims pushed by Donald Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, about Haitian migrants eating pets.
Plus, Vice President Kamala Harris in Philly taking questions, her comments to the same journalist group where Trump suggested that the Vice President just happened to have turned black.
And starting off this hour, a synchronized deadly attack in Lebanon today killing nine people, injuring nearly 3000 more. The weapon pagers that old school devices somehow set to detonate at the same time the people wearing those pagers were members of the Iranian backed group Hezbollah, which the U.S. considers to be a terrorist group. Hezbollah now blames Israel for the attack. We have reporting and analysis on all the latest developments from Tel Aviv to Washington. First we go to CNN's Jeremy Diamond standing by for us in Israel.
Jeremy, we're learning more about how Hezbollah communicates, opting for pagers over smartphones. Why and where are these pagers being sourced?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jake, this appears to have been a low tech effort to avoid Israel's high tech surveillance, but it appears to have backfired on Hezbollah becoming a vulnerability as hundreds of these pagers appear to have exploded simultaneously today. You can see in the video from multiple security cameras, including in a grocery store, for example, where these pagers appear to have exploded, one of them in a bag that was being carried by a man. The result of this is that we now see that 2,800 people, according to the Lebanese health ministry, have been injured, 170 of whom are in critical condition according to that health ministry. So far, at least nine people were killed, including an eight-year-old girl. Hezbollah has claimed -- said that several of its members were indeed killed today.
But Jake, these pagers were an effort to try and avoid Israeli surveillance. We know that they were increasingly being used by Hezbollah in the wake of the October 7 attack as those cross border skirmishes between Israel and Hezbollah have intensified over the course of nearly the last year. According to a Lebanese security source, these pagers were purchased in recent months. It's not clear exactly from where and whether or not they were tampered with or exactly how this attack today unfolded. But Hezbollah and the Lebanese government saying that Israel was behind it, the Israeli government not claiming responsibility.
TAPPER: John Miller, I thought before today that pagers are just pagers. How would this technically even be possible to detonate, however, many of them at the same time?
JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: So, this is a brilliant espionage operation, and a brutal one. This would mean actually having to get into the procurement process of Hezbollah, either by creating a vendor some intelligence service, presumably, Israel, according to Hezbollah, would create a vendor to sell them these devices, which would already be rigged. Or in a more complicated scenario, they would have to find an existing vendor that Hezbollah was using, and then get in the supply chain, somewhere as simple as the delivery service, where they would have access to them, be able to open them up, small amount high explosives, software change in the device. You would have to have some kind of initiator for the explosives, maybe a small amount of a different substance that was higher. But either way, the idea was to kill and injure who they killed and injured.
But really the idea was to send a message to Hezbollah and its people that we are in your systems. You thought this would protect you, this device, we blew up 1000 people or more today. That means you have to think twice about your phones, your cars, your automatic starters, your computers. It really is meant to set Hezbollah back on its heels and have the people at the bottom of the organization wonder, do the people we're working for really know what they're doing. And to have the people at the top of the organization saying, how much are we compromised on how many levels?
TAPPER: Yes. And just to remind people, the group Hezbollah, the United States and many other Western countries considers to be a terrorist group.
Jim Sciutto, where are United States officials on this? Are they talking to officials in Lebanon? Are they talking to officials in Israel?
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: They are stating quite clearly that they were not involved in this, and they're not making any public comment about who's responsible. I think the word I've heard most is awe, but also concern. I mean awe, given the scale of this, you're talking about attacking hundreds, perhaps 1000s of Hezbollah operatives in multiple locations around Lebanon at once, disrupting Hezbollah's communication system, which it had reverted to due to concerns about vulnerabilities with other devices. But also, you could be certain that Israel is looking at all the social media video that I'm sure many of us have seen and others watching this broadcast to now identify by face members of Hezbollah, presuming that all these pagers went to people who are in the Hezbollah network, and that is something that Israel can be certain to take advantage of going forward.
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But in terms of concern, Jake, this happens at an extremely volatile time in the region, concern about an expansion of this war on a front in the north, which, by the way, we very nearly got to. Just a couple of weeks ago, I was in Israel when you'll remember there was a massive Hezbollah strike, missile and rocket strike plan that Israeli and U.S. intelligence got wind of minutes before it was launched and they carried out. Israel did strikes taking out those firing positions. So, you can imagine, the table is set for some form of retaliation in the midst of growing concern about escalation.
TAPPER: And Jeremy, I read a Reuters story from earlier this year, I think, explaining that members of Hezbollah were no longer going to use smartphones because they thought the Israelis or whomever could target them or spy on them that way. So that's potentially, possibly why they were using pagers. But I can't imagine that these exploding pagers is actually going to deter Hezbollah.
DIAMOND: Well, there's no question about it, Jake. This puts Hezbollah in a position where they are going to have to respond in some kind of way. They have very squarely laid the blame at Israel's feet. And because not only of the scale of the attack in terms of the number of people who were injured and killed in this attack, we're looking at some 2,800 people who were injured, although only about 170 of whom are in critical condition, but nonetheless, beyond the scale of the actual impact it's the psychological toll of this, of Israel showing Hezbollah, it appears, again, Israel hasn't taken responsibility for this, but it appears that it is Israel's way of showing Hezbollah that it can get inside its networks, even when it tries to evade its high tech surveillance efforts, and it puts Hezbollah in a position of looking quite weak at the moment. And therefore you can expect that they will likely choose to retaliate.
Whether they do so immediately, remains to be seen. We should note that this is probably the most significant escalation since the assassination of senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in late July. Took Hezbollah four weeks after that to actually retaliate, so we don't know how quickly they will choose to do so this time.
TAPPER: Thank you all for your reporting. Really appreciate it.
To our national lead now in what the FBI is calling a clear assassination attempt targeting former President Donald Trump. CNN's Carlos Suarez is right outside that West Palm Beach Golf Course where the Secret Service opened fire on the suspect who had a rifle.
And Carlos, what is the latest on the ground where this whole thing unfolded Sunday?
CARLOS SUAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jake, law enforcement still has the area where all of this happened closed. Now, a key part of this investigation actually unfolded earlier today 1000s of miles away from here in Hawaii. That's where 58-year-old Ryan Routh lives, and that's where CNN cameras captured FBI agents carrying out a search warrant at his property. Now, it is unclear just when Routh was last at his house and just when he made his way here to Florida.
Now, we've also learned that back in 2002 Routh pled guilty to possessing an explosive device in North Carolina. Now exactly what led to his arrest is still unclear. And then we've also reported on how in that very same year, Routh was also arrested, accused of barricading himself inside of his office after he drove off during a traffic stop. And then, Jake, earlier this afternoon here in West Palm, former President Donald Trump met with a group of deputies that arrested Routh yesterday. That meeting took place in Mar-a-Lago, about 10 minutes from where we are.
And of course, those group of deputies were the ones whose body camera video we saw yesterday capturing the dramatic moment that Routh was taken into custody. Jake.
TAPPER: Thank God he was taken into custody before he could do anything. Carlos Suarez in West Palm Beach, thanks so much.
Next, I'm going to speak with a reporter who interviewed the suspect in the apparent assassination attempt last year. And later, more police needed at schools in Springfield, Ohio due to bomb threats as Donald Trump and his running mate continue to make these evidence free claims about immigrants stealing and eating the city's pets. Stay with us.
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TAPPER: And we're back with what authorities are calling an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. And a journalist who spoke last year with the suspect who's now in custody, Thomas Gibbons-Neff, is a U.S. Marine veteran and a "New York Times" reporter who interviewed the man accused of trying to kill Trump. Interviewed him last year. Back then, it was for a story about foreign fighters and Ukraine.
Thomas, thank you for joining us. First off, just briefly. How did you come in contact with the suspect and what did he tell you last year?
THOMAS GIBBONS-NEFF, "NEW YORK TIMES" REPORTER: Yes. So yes, thanks for having me, Jake. And yes, as far as how I got in touch with Mr. Routh, it was through a colleague of mine, an Afghan colleague who we worked together in Kabul, Magin Rahim (ph) and a friend of his was in Iran, he was a former Afghan Special Operations soldier trying to get anywhere besides Iran or Afghanistan or Pakistan. And he was put in touch with Mr. Routh who promised that he could, you know, get him to Ukraine to fight. And that Afghan soldier started a WhatsApp group.
[17:15:08]
And, you know, sooner or later, there were hundreds of Afghans talking to Mr. Routh, and that's when I got a hold of him.
TAPPER: What was your reaction when you heard that Mr. Routh was on the golf course, allegedly planning to assassinate Donald Trump? GIBBONS-NEFF: Yes, I'd seen the alert, and I was out for a run, and then a colleague of mine called, and had to rack my brain for a second. And then, yes, kind of a clicked. I mean, it was sad to hear, and it was surprising to an extent, but kind of also made a lot of sense. He was -- you know, Mr. Routh was kind of in a reality that I could kind of see, and it made a little bit of sense, but it was clear that he was on a different plane.
TAPPER: Would you -- having talked to him prior, what might you ask him right now, if you got a chance to interview him and he's in custody that someone who hadn't talked to him before and who didn't know him wouldn't know to ask, if that question makes sense? You know what I mean? Like you have some insight into him that law enforcement doesn't, what might you ask him?
GIBBONS-NEFF: Yes, I mean, I think what was kind of clear talking to him then and I think what was clear in this attempt was, like many of the volunteers, not all of those who went to Ukraine in the early months, it was clear that he was trying to reinvent himself. And I think, you know, you look at his criminal history and his track record of being listless and a little lawless, well, definitely more than a little. But yes, he wanted to reinvent himself. And I think what happened in Ukraine, and I think especially going with Afghan refugees, is that he, you know, kind of had this greater purpose, or something that, you know, that he had never had before. And I think he was trying to show some kind of blastful measure of whatever that was.
So, yes, I guess one way to look at it.
TAPPER: Thankfully he was not successful, of course. Thomas Gibbons- Neff, thank you so much for your time today. Really appreciate it.
GIBBONS-NEFF: Yes, thanks for having me.
TAPPER: Just moments ago, bail was denied for Sean "Diddy" Combs. What his defense attorney just said outside the court after a judge ruled that the music mogul must stay behind bars.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARC AGNIFILO, SEAN COMBS' ATTORNEY: We're going to fight this case with everything we have as is he and eventually he's going to be shown to be innocent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: That was the attorney for music mogul Sean Diddy Combs vowing to fight for Combs after a judge denied the rapper and music mogul bail and ordered him to stay in federal detention until the beginning of his criminal sex crimes trial. Combs faces three federal charges, racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs has pleaded not guilty to those charges.
In an unsealed indictment, prosecutors allege combs, quote, "abused, threatened and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation and conceal his conduct," unquote. It goes on to say, quote, "On numerous occasions from at least in or about 2009 and continuing for years, Combs assaulted women, among other things, striking, punching, dragging, throwing objects at and kicking them," unquote. Combs has been for years a celebrated artist. His work is credited with growing the hip hop genre and cultivating top artists such as Christopher Wallace, better known as Notorious B.I.G. And now Combs is obviously a criminal defendant.
CNN's Elie Honig, who used to work as a prosecutor for the U.S. attorney's office in the Southern District of New York, joins us now.
Elie, as he was leaving court for the day, Combs attorney said they're appealing the decision on bail. How likely is that appeal to succeed?
ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Right, Jake. So people understand what happened, the judge who made the decision today was a magistrate judge. That is essentially a judge who handles ministerial task initial appearances. Tomorrow, the defense will take the case to the district judge. That's the judge who will handle this case all the way through trial.
If I had to guess, I would say the district judge will agree with the magistrate judge and keep Sean Combs locked up. First of all, the law says that when a person is facing the charges, Sean Combs is facing, the presumption is that he gets locked up pending trial. So the field is automatically tilted in the prosecution's favor. He is looking at a minimum of 15 years behind bars if he's convicted. The prosecutors argue that.
And finally, prosecutors argued intensely that Sean Combs is engaged in constant obstruction of justice, intimidating witnesses, bribing witnesses, and that usually strikes a chord with judges when they're considering bail.
TAPPER: What do you make of the charges and the indictment? Does it seem solid to you? One of the responses from Sean Combs' defense team seem to be they don't have anybody who alleges that they did anything nonconsensual.
HONIG: Yes, I don't get that read out of the indictment. Of course, we're hearing from both sides. It strikes me as a strong indictment. We do have to keep in mind it's a one sided document. It's the prosecution's allegations.
But a couple things jump out to me. First of all, they have videotape. We've all seen the videotape of the assault on one of those women who's alleged to be a victim. That's going to be a really tough piece of evidence for the defense. And if you look beyond the indictment, there was a companion document filed today that says that prosecutors have talked to and planned to call dozens of victims and witnesses. So, even if the defense can discredit one or two or three, they're going to have to deal with dozens of victims pointing the finger at Sean Combs.
TAPPER: So you used to specialize in prosecuting racketeering cases at this U.S. attorney's office.
HONIG: Yes.
TAPPER: How exactly the racketeering charges play out here? And how does it give prosecutors an advantage?
[17:25:00]
HONIG: Racketeering charges are such a powerful weapon for prosecutors, and I used to use that tool quite effectively. I think what prosecutors have done here is alleged that Sean Combs was at the head of an organization, a racketeering organization, a criminal enterprise that committed multiple crimes that were connected to one another. And what that allows you to do as a prosecutor is to pour in evidence of all manner of crimes. And here, prosecutors allege that Sean Combs committed this enterprise by committing assault, extortion, drug trafficking, with firearms offenses, with obstruction of justice. And so, you end up as a prosecutor, able to put this massive evidence of various types of crimes in front of a jury.
So, it's a lot for defense lawyers to respond to, and it really is an advantage for prosecutors if they can prove the core allegations
TAPPER: You're familiar with, not only this prosecutor's office, but the judge assigned in this case. Tell us about them.
HONIG: Yes. So Judge Andrew Carter, first of all, is assigned to this case. He was a magistrate, as I mentioned before, in Brooklyn. Before this, his background primarily has been as a defense lawyer. He was a longtime public defender.
He's deeply respected in the New York legal community. The prosecuting office here is the Southern District of New York, maybe I'm biased, I used to work there, but it's known for charging and getting convictions in high profile, high stakes case. That's what the Southern District has done for decades now. There are no strangers to this type of case. I will say, at the risk of sounding like a Homer, if they bring a case, they typically have the goods.
They have their case buttoned up.
TAPPER: All right. Elie Honig, thanks so much. Appreciate it.
Coming up, CNN is in Springfield, Ohio, that, of course, is the city at the center of this national debate about immigration and the center of baseless claims surrounding Haitian migrants. Stay with us.
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TAPPER: In our National Lead, schools in Springfield, Ohio, opened today with increased security, an entire community impact after more than -- than 30 threats linked to the debunked conspiracies about Haitian migrants eating the pets of neighbors in Springfield, that conspiracy theory promoted by Donald Trump and his running mate, Senator J.D. Vance, CNN's Omar Jimenez is in Springfield to look for the facts and the truth.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The sun hasn't even come up yet. It's about 4:30 in the morning. And we're about to jump in this van here that essentially goes around and picks up Haitian immigrants who don't have transportation for themselves, and it gets them to job opportunities throughout the wider Springfield area.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): One after another, Haitian workers piled in on their way to their factory job in a nearby town.
JIMENEZ: This will be our seventh pickup. We pull up. They're sitting on the porch ready to go.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): The company that organizes these vans says the demand for workers is high. Many just don't have a way to get to work. The president estimates most of their business comes from Haitian immigrants.
COREY WORDEN, PRESIDENT, JOB TALENT CONNECTING STAFFING: At this point, we are probably a 60-40, split. They add a great benefit to our workforce.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): These hopeful workers showed up just as the doors opened, Tuesday.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When would he like to start to work?
JIMENEZ: (Speaking in Foreign Language) He says, today.
WORDEN: We're averaging 18 to 25 people a day.
JIMENEZ: And that's people looking for new jobs.
WORDEN: Yes, people that are actively looking for employment.
VILBRUN DORSAINVIL, HAITIAN IMMIGRANT AND SPRINGFIELD RESIDENT: We leave Haiti because of the chaos.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): Vilbrun Dorsainvil was a doctor in Haiti. He says he fled because he was going to be kidnapped. He's been in Springfield now a little over three years, but he had to leave his fiance and young daughter back home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm trying to deal with it. You know, it's still very hard.
JIMENEZ: How old is she?
DORSAINVIL: She's three and a half right now.
JIMENEZ: Yes. So she would have been just born right as you were leaving?
DORSAINVIL: Not even yet born. Not even yet.
JIMENEZ: So you haven't met your daughter yet?
DORSAINVIL: Oh, I haven't. We just talked through video call. I didn't want to leave to tell you the truth, so I had no choice.
JIMENEZ: It was either -- it was either your life or getting to see the birth of your daughter.
DORSAINVIL: Yes.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): His doctor credentials also didn't carry over. So for now, he's studying to be a registered nurse. Recently, though his schooling has been virtual because of initially believed threats of violence. Also elementary schools and government buildings were evacuated in recent days, along with an annual festival celebrating diversity, canceled.
GOV. MIKE DEWINE (R-OH): These threats have all been hoaxes. We have people, unfortunately overseas, who are taking these actions.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): As a precaution, though, the Governor announced nearly 40 state patrol troopers will be stationed throughout the school district to sweep each building for threats and stay on site for security. It comes in the middle of what's been a surge in Haitian population to the roughly 59,000 in Springfield, which had been declining in population. The city now estimates 12 to 15,000 immigrants, many, if not most of them Haitians call Springfield home.
DORSAINVIL: We are hard worker and we are paying a lot of taxes.
JIMENEZ: Yes, yes. All to try and make Springfield better.
DORSAINVIL: Better.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): And while the influx has boosted the local economy, city officials say, it's also strained resources.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People are getting really fed up.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): It's been a major topic of conversation.
MIGUELITO JEROME, EXECUTIVE MANAGER, NEW DIASPORA LIVE RADIO: Where we feel like people are acting based on fear, panicking. And the Haitian community itself, it's confusion.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): Including around opportunities.
GYASI JONES, SPRINGFIELD RESIDENT: With those jobs being open, you know, whose job this is to take? It's an open job.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): The added tensions in recent days, though, has taken a toll. DORSAINVIL: I was feeling a little bit down. I feel better right now. My teachers, coworkers, friends, they reach out to me somehow, asking me, how are you holding up? OK? We love you. We need you here.
[17:35:02]
JIMENEZ (voice-over): You still see Springfield as a beautiful place?
DORSAINVIL: It is.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): He balances his new life with his old one, dreaming of uniting them both.
DORSAINVIL: Sometimes they call me, and there is a lot of shooting in the neighborhood. The best way to get them right here in the United States, it's through the school process, because after graduation, you can, like apply to get a green card through this, I can get them.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JIMENEZ: Now outside, of course, I'm trying to like going by lots of noise there, but outside of even the recent politics here, I mentioned the strain on resources. We have seen that pop up in various aspects. For example, the state announced new resources for primary healthcare because those that may be arriving here might not have had the best healthcare to that point. But also adding state patrol resources to local law enforcement to assist in what they say, they say, has been an increase in dangerous driving. Specifically they pinpointed to inexperienced Haitian drivers and all others who disregard the law.
So there are pressure points within this community that have been tested again well before the recent politics. But you talk to any of the Haitians here, none of them are being forced to come here. They all heard from someone else, another Haitian that was here previously, that this was a good place to live, and that has been a major portion of why they've ended up being here. And the city has also come out and said no one is forcing them to be here. But clearly they found something that they wanted in this community again, well before all of these politics got involved over the last few weeks.
TAPPER: Omar Jimenez in Springfield, Ohio, for us, thanks so much.
Latino voters in the crucial battleground state of Nevada are up for grabs. Many of them are still undecided, and the economy is top of mind. Stay with us.
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KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I know that people are deeply troubled by what is happening to that community in Springfield, Ohio, and it's got to stop. And we've got to say that you cannot be entrusted with standing behind the seal of the President of the United States of America engaging in that hateful rhetoric that as usual is designed to divide us as a country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: That's Vice President Kamala Harris responding to the debunked conspiracy about Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio eating pets. This was earlier today at the National Association of Black Journalists gathering in Philadelphia. Back me -- back with me is our political panel. I should note that they would not, Trump and -- and Vance would not agree that they're doing this to design, you know, that it's not designed to divide us as a country.
Trump would say, I'm trying to bring attention to this because they're eating pets, which is not true. And Vance said to Dana on Sunday that he's creating stories to bring attention to the issue, legitimate issues, as Omar just acknowledged from Springfield, of strains on the system. What -- what do you -- what do you make of it?
JONAH GOLDBERG, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes. I mean, the Vance people's defense is that his claim, the phrasing creating stories, what he meant by that was creating controversy, pushing a narrative to call attention to it.
TAPPER: Although Mike Kinsey once said a gaffe is when a politician accidentally tells the truth.
GOLDBERG: Yes, yes. So but putting all of that aside, I think that even if you take those claims at face value, which reasonable people can differ. It's not doing that, right? People are not focusing on the real problems of that community, of that problem of -- of Springfield, Ohio. They're focusing on this crazy controversy. The only person who's showing any real leadership in this regard is Mike DeWine, who's trying to figure out how to keep the schools open, how to actually help both the Haitian migrants and the people who live there and -- and he's like the sort of Normie Republican that the people like J.D. Vance want to purge from the party.
TAPPER: Yes.
NAYYERA HAQ, STATE DEPARTMENT SENIOR ADVISER, OBAMA ADMINISTRATION: You talk to the city manager, or you talk to the mayor, they are --
TAPPER: Republican mayor.
HAQ: Right. They are clearly aware that there has been a strain on the system and influx of a community, but they also are not the ones saying that the community itself is the problem, right? They see a challenge in people now feeling like they had to fight for resources. And -- that that's -- that truly is your worst nightmare, not just as a manager, but also even as a civil rights advocate, right? You don't -- you don't want civil rights and the idea of multiculturalism to be about. There's only enough pie for -- for some of us.
The Haitian community there is hard working, and I hate that I have to even say this. And they have jobs. They want their families to go to school. And but the tribalism, it is hard, diversity and inclusion is hard. It's not easy work to adapt as a community. But I will say where this is going to backfire politically is in Florida, 500,000 plus Haitian American citizens who are maybe one generation removed from the island, and what they're seeing now, they used to pretty -- pretty conservative and Republican voters, they are now seeing that the top of the Republican ticket is insulting them on a daily basis.
TAPPER: So let me -- let me just ask you, because it is true that there are strains on the system, as there would be with any group, especially a group that doesn't speak English, especially the group that comes from a different culture, coming into a small territory, to small town, et cetera, 100 percent and you had the mayor and the town manager in July before this pets eating thing happened, going on "Fox," talking about the strains, blaming the -- the Biden administration and pleading for help.
SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: All perfectly reasonable --
TAPPER: Yes.
SINGLETON: Yes.
TAPPER: Now they're going on T.V. and saying, please stop demonizing these people and lying about -- lying about what you're doing.
SINGLETON: They're putting people's lives at risk. Like, look, earlier, we were talking about some of the rhetoric and the framing of Trump that I find problematic on the Democratic side. Now here we go to your point earlier, Jonah, about the conversations or the arguments coming from the right and the framing of other people that's potentially leading to -- it could lead to violence against those folks.
[17:45:13]
There is a absolutely perfect argument to make that the migrant crisis in the country is leading to issues as it pertains to housing. We have a housing shortage. What is the conservative argument and message to fix it? We -- we have an argument of trying to assimilate new people into the country. What does that look like? There are a lot of struggling communities, how should we get those communities to come back.
TAPPER: Once again, you know, once again, you have that vote.
SINGLETON: That -- that should be --
TAPPER: You always -- you have my vote.
SINGLETON: That should be the conservative argument, not othering other people, which ultimately turns into xenophobia, and we have seen that increase for the past couple of years now. We should be careful with it.
TAPPER: Let's talk -- let's talk about Vice President Harris, because we -- it's not common that we get to see her taking questions. She has not done a ton of interviews. She did Dana Bash. She took questions on a Spanish language radio program. And she did a Channel 6, and outside Philly or inside Philly, is she doing enough?
HAQ: Well, you know what question she didn't have to answer to the black journalist was whether or not she was black, because that's not something that that community would be asking her.
TAPPER: OK. But you know what she did have to answer about -- what -- she had to answer a question about black men who are -- who are starting to drift, not -- not in a -- in a significant way, but -- but a sizable enough way that it is of concern to -- to Democrat. Let me just play the bite, and I'm coming right back to you here. Here says she responded asked about Trump gaining ground with black male voters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: I think it's very important to not operate from the assumption that black men are in anybody's pocket. Black men are like any other voting group. You got to earn their vote. So I'm working to earn the vote, not assuming I'm going to have it because I am black.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: Nayyera and then Shermichael.
HAQ: Back in 2016 it turned out that the biggest challenge for Democrats for losing ended up being white women voters. So there's always going to be one demographic that gets focused on and that, you know, both sides will say, oh, this is the key thing that we need to win that 4 to 5 percent of the vote. I will say this, the -- when we talk about black male voters and or even young white male voters, we're talking in, you know, 10 percent there's going to be 10 percent of every population that is disaffected and doesn't want to show up.
SINGLETON: Yes. But -- but we have seen, over the past couple of years now, this trend of men, particularly younger black men, moving more to the conservative side for a whole lot of, I would argue, cultural reasons, maybe some economic reasons. But I will give vice president Harris credit, Jake, for saying that black men are not in anybody's pocket. We have a --
GOLDBERG: It was a good answer.
SINGLETON: -- we -- we have the ability to say, look, we have autonomy. We can choose who we want to vote for. I appreciate her for saying, I'm going to earn the vote. I'm going to give her credit there.
TAPPER: You said, you think it was a good answer?
GOLDBERG: I do think it was a good answer. It was, you know, it was -- she's avoiding a lot of identity politics pitfalls by talking like a candidate who wants to win, and I think people have appreciate that.
TAPPER: Imagine that. Thanks to one and all.
In our 2024 Lead in John King's latest installment of all over the map, we're going to take you to battleground Nevada, where concern about the economy is top of mind among Hispanic voters in this year's presidential election. And for many of them who are still undecided, they want a candidate who will get their livelihoods back on track after those huge economic losses during the pandemic. Stay with us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): COVID shut Vegas down. Nevada had the highest pandemic unemployment rate. The jobs are back, and it's easy to find a $4 million home in the hills. The rents are up. Starter homes scarce, and real estate agent Zoila Sanchez hopes interest rates drop soon to help working families.
ZOILA SANCHEZ, NEVADA VOTER: Prices are extremely high, the highest they've ever been. The affordability is not there for a lot of people.
KING (voice-over): Sanchez is a Reagan Republican. She won't vote for Trump. Finds his tone about immigrants offensive and many of his policies anything but conservative.
SANCHEZ: I don't want the government in my business that much. So it's incredible to see how the Republican Party is meddling in all of our business.
KING (voice-over): Yes, Sanchez says she has a lot of friends backing Trump, but she sees more excitement for Harris.
SANCHEZ: She's going to win Nevada, definitely.
KING: Why did you say that?
SANCHEZ: Hispanics have made a difference in a lot of elections, and I can see it right now.
KING: Thank you very much.
KING (voice-over): Muslims are just a tiny slice of Nevada's population, but in a battleground where every vote matters, Zena Hajji is a problem for Harris.
ZENA HAJJI, NEVADA VOTER: Why would you keep voting for a group of people that promise no more bombs, no more pain, peace in the Middle East.
KING: She's a Democrat, 21, with Harris on just about every issue but a proud Muslim, daughter of Moroccan immigrants, mad her family's tax dollars helped by the Israeli bombs dropping on Gaza. If nothing changes, she's thinking third party or just skipping the presidential race.
HAJJI: We just need to see the ceasefire. That's it. We are tired. We are very, very tired, and we don't know what to do with our votes right now.
[17:50:05]
KING (voice-over): Antonio Munoz was undecided when we first met last December, unhappy with the prospect of a Biden-Trump rematch. Now leaning Harris, but he needs specifics.
ANTONIO MUNOZ, NEVADA VOTER: We need a different plan to get over the hump with this inflation that has caused severe damage to a lot of businesses. She needs to be more direct.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: Fascinating, Jake, to revisit these voters after being there late last year. Look, the economy has come back. The unemployment rate in Nevada right now is -- is below 5 percent. But it got to nearly 31 percent at the height of the pandemic, nearly 31 percent twice the national average the height of the pandemic. So there's a hangover effect from that, even though things are better now, a lot of people are still suspicious about it. They don't trust it.
You heard Antonio Munoz, they're saying at the end he wants to vote for Harris because he doesn't want to vote for Trump. Finds his comments about immigrants demeaning, but he wants more specifics because he wants to know his business will survive.
TAPPER: All right. John King, thanks so much. Appreciate it.
Coming up, Instagram's plan to help keep teens safe on the app. The new controls parents will want to implement. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[17:55:31]
TAPPER: In our Tech Lead, after years of congressional hearings and complaints by parents and others, Instagram has announced a dramatic new effort to protect teens, in addition to a suite of new parental control options, the app Instagram will automatically apply teen account settings to users under 18. These include take a break messages from the app, forced sleep mode after 10:00 p.m. and restrictions on certain content.
In our Health Lead, the demand for new weight loss pills may soon outpace popular injectables such as Ozempic or Mounjaro. CNN's health expert, Meg Tirrell is with us now. Meg, how far along are these new weight loss pills? When might they be widely available?
MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Jake, so these pills are still in the clinical testing phase. The most advanced of them has actually completed phase three, which is the most advanced stage of testing. Still, others are farther behind. We should see more phase three data in the first half of 2025 but that means they have to go through the regulatory process. We have to see what those results look like. So they're at least a year, potentially more away from getting to the market. But there are a dozen more behind those. So this is going to really be potentially part of the future of how we see weight loss treated.
TAPPER: Will they get to a point where they are as popular as the injectables, do you think, perhaps even more so? TIRRELL: Yes, it's definitely possible. I mean, some people will just want to take a daily pill versus giving themselves a weekly injection. Some people might prefer only doing it once a week. We'll have to also see the data on efficacy and what the side effect profile looks like. But one way I'm hearing from doctors, they anticipate using pill versions of weight loss drugs is potentially as maintenance therapy. When folks get to a place, maybe on an injectable drug, they've lost enough weight and they just want to maintain but they still need help, because we know when you stop taking an injection, often, people do regain weight. So they're thinking these pills, perhaps at lower doses, could be really helpful for maintaining weight loss, which they say is really important, of course, for long term health benefits.
TAPPER: What about side effects?
TIRRELL: Yes, so most -- for the most part, these drugs work in the same way as the injectables, targeting a hormone known as GLP-1, and so they come with similar side effect profiles, usually things like nausea and vomiting. Not everybody experiences them -- them, but some people do feel pretty bad when they're taking the medicines.
So we have heard that some of the more advanced drugs come at higher doses, and that could mean that the side effects are felt even worse by people taking them. But we're going to have to see how the drugs in the clinic and experimental clinical trials right now actually bear out in terms of their side effect profiles.
TAPPER: All right. Meg Tirrell, thanks so much. Appreciate it.
Before we go tonight, I told you we'd look into the comment that former Congressman Lee Zeldin, the Republican from New York, made last hour when he said something about Democratic Congressman Jamie Raskin that I was not familiar with. Here is what Congressman Zeldin said here on The Lead at the top of the 4 o'clock hour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEE ZELDIN (R), FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE: Jamie Raskin, you know, a congressman from Maryland, is on video recently stating that even if the election, you know, was -- was a landslide and that there was no question at all what happened, no dispute at all that still that on January 6th, 2025 that he's saying that that -- that President Trump should not get certified in that the country should prepare for civil war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: So we looked into it. This is what Congressman Raskin said. It was a February at a D.C. bookstore, and he was talking about the U.S. Supreme Court when it comes to the insurrection provision in the Constitution. Here is what Raskin said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JAMIE RASKIN (D-MD): And the greatest example going on right now before our very eyes is Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which they're just disappearing with the magic wand, as if it doesn't exist, even though it could not be clearer what it's stating. And so, you know, they want to kick it to Congress. So it's going to be up to us on January 6th, 2025, to tell the rampaging Trump mobs that he's disqualified. And then we need bodyguards for everybody in civil war conditions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: So it's kind of difficult to understand exactly what he's saying. There. Section 3 of the 14th Amendment states that no one should hold elective office or if they participated or supported an insurrection. And Raskin was arguing that the U.S. Supreme Court could have stepped in and kept Donald Trump off of ballots. He didn't say that there's going to be a civil war if Trump wins. Raskin seems to be saying that if Trump loses, it's going to be up to Congress to certify the election, and they could face threats like the ones we witnessed on January 6th, 2021.
[18:00:12]
And also he seemed to be expressing concern that the U.S. Supreme Court could have kept Trump off the ballots to begin with, because he's an insurrectionist, although he was never tried for that. We should note. We're going to ask Congressman Raskin if he wants to come on to further explain what he meant.
If you ever missed an episode of The Lead, you can listen to the show once you get your podcast. The News continues now on CNN, Wolf -- Wolf Blitzer in The Situation Room. I'll see you tomorrow.
