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The Lead with Jake Tapper
Major Vaccine Changes; Final Hours Of Campaigning; Earthquake Hits Colombia; Netanyahu: Some Ideas In Trump's Gaza Plan Are Not Acceptable; Sydney Towle, Who Chronicled Her Cancer On TikTok, Dies; N.J. Atty. General Opens Civil Rights Investigation Into Delaney Hall. Aired 5-6p ET
Aired August 10, 2026 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: Thank you so much to my panel. Thank you all for joining us. You can now stream "The Arena" live or catch up whenever you want in the CNN app. Just scan the Q.R. code below. "The Lead" with my friend, Jake Tapper, starts right now.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: New childhood vaccine protocols based on Trump's feelings and RFK Jr.'s lies. What could go wrong? "The Lead" starts right now.
President Trump, minutes ago, announcing major changes to the vaccines your child will get, including how many immunizations are recommended for a child's earliest years. The president's plans, based on his feelings, drawing immediate criticism from doctors and pediatricians who say the science simply does not agree. We're going to get expert reaction ahead.
Plus, a desperate search for survivors tonight after a devastating earthquake struck the nation of Columbia. Five teams of rescue soldiers deployed across the country as the death toll climbs to more than a hundred at this hour. We're going to take a look at the terrifying moment when the buildings started collapsing.
And it's the final hours of campaigning in races in six different states in these United States, including the high-profile governor's race in all important Wisconsin. Can a Democratic socialist knock off the establishment Democrat? And if she wins, will the fractured party be able to reunite? Will it be able to win in November? We're live on the campaign trail.
And we begin with that breaking news in our "Health Lead." The scientific and medical community horrified and pushing back on an executive order President Donald Trump signed just minutes ago which aims to reduce the number of recommended childhood vaccines and split up some vaccines into separate visits. These are dramatic changes that go against broad scientific and medical consensus, but they are in line with Donald Trump's own consensus on vaccines that is not backed by science or evidence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Very simply, large amounts of vaccine, large amounts of like vats of vaccine are currently pumped into your child's body, and we're doing 20 percent of that at each visit. Nothing bad can happen from what we're doing. Nothing bad can happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: Nothing bad can happen. Famous last words. Trump in recent months has pressed HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who has no scientific background and no medical training, for more action on the childhood vaccine schedule as well as a continued search for links between vaccines and autism. For decades, there have been extensive studies of vaccines that have yielded no evidence of a connection to autism.
So, Trump's childhood vaccine shakeup is being called out by the medical community, including Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, a trained physician who was the deciding vote to confirm RFK Jr. as HHS secretary.
The outgoing senator writing on X -- quote -- "I'm a doctor. This executive order is wrong. The president does not have the expertise to make these changes. Vaccines are overwhelmingly safe. Vaccines are effective. Vaccines do not cause autism. Parents should listen to their child's pediatrician about vaccines rather than listening to an inaccurate executive order. This is so wrong" -- unquote. Again, that individual, not only a Republican but a physician.
Let's get right to CNN's Jacqueline Howard. Jacqueline, what exactly is Trump calling for in these changes to the vaccine schedule and how does that differ from what the medical community recommends in the status quo?
JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Jake, first, the executive order essentially overhauls the childhood vaccine schedule by separating immunizations into three distinct categories. In one category, it does recommend these vaccines for all children, the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, DTAP, polio, Hib, pneumococcal vaccine HPV, and chicken pox. OK, so these are the only vaccines recommended for all in the executive order.
Then in another category, the order says these immunizations can be based on shared decision making with your doctor, but these are no longer broadly recommended: Hepatitis A and B, rotavirus, the flu shot, and COVID-19.
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And we do see this third category, Jake, includes immunizations recommended for certain high-risk groups. In that third category, it includes the RSV immunization among others. So those are the three categories that this executive order separates childhood vaccines into. Another interesting development from this executive order that's
getting a lot of attention, Jake, it also says combining the MMR vaccine should no longer continue. It instead says the vaccine should be administered in three separate single disease shots.
Now, we know the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, the MMR, has been administered as a combined injection since 1971. Many experts say that by combining this injection, it means that more children will get vaccinated because when you separate them into single shots, some children might not come back for additional shots. So, you risk some children falling through the cracks with getting that full protection from the immunization.
So, we are seeing, like you said, Jake, some strong reactions from experts to these recommended changes in the executive order. It does, you know, kind of go against, like you said, the science that supports many of these vaccine recommendations, Jake.
TAPPER: Jacqueline Howard, thank you so much. We're going to have much more on this issue ahead. We're going to talk to Dr. Richard Besser (ph) and Dr. Paul Offit (ph).
President Trump hosted that vaccine event right after his new attorney general, Todd Blanche, was officially sworn in. The president was pressed on one of the issues that nearly derailed Blanche's nomination, the so-called anti-weaponization fund.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN: The anti-weaponization fund, do you think it's still alive at this point? Are there any options that you're looking at?
TRUMP: That will be up to Todd Blanche who will be, I think, a great attorney general.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: CNN's Alayna Treene is at the White House for us. Alayna, what does this mean? Is the fund coming back?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Well, look, I think it's certainly not good news to people like senators Cornyn and Tillis who really pushed for that fund to be put in writing, to be formally rescinded, which is exactly what Todd Blanche did in order to move forward his nomination and ultimately get confirmed.
Look, I'll tell you what I've been hearing, Jake, in my conversations with White House officials. When all of this was -- you know, when there was all of this controversy over whether or not Blanche could get nominated and he ultimately put in writing that that very controversial fund was going to be withdrawn, the president made clear to the people around him that he still believes in it, that he still believes that people who he argues were victims of a weaponized justice department, that they deserve some of that money.
However, they also said he recognized and his team, his advisers told him that the only way really to get Blanche through, to get him confirmed to be attorney general, not an acting attorney general, but in the role more permanently, was in order for him to do that.
But I think there are questions about whether or not the president could potentially put, try to influence and put pressure on Blanche, someone who I'd remind you was previously his former personal attorney, to try and move forward with it. For now, I do believe in the conversations I've just been having the last couple of hours that that fund is still dead. But, again, it's still something the president believes in. So, you never know.
TAPPER: Alayna Treene at the White House, thanks. Turning to our "Politics Lead," will tomorrow's primary races become the latest episode of extreme makeover Democratic Party edition? Today is the last day of campaigning before tomorrow's primary days in Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Carolina, Connecticut, Alabama, and Vermont. Democrats are preparing for multiple intra-party showdowns between progressives and establishment Democrats, fresh on the heels of Abdul El-Sayed's anti-establishment win in Michigan Senate primary six days ago.
Perhaps the most notable fight tomorrow will take place in battleground Wisconsin, a state that President Trump won in 2024. In the Democratic primary for governor, the clear front runner as of now is a Democratic socialist, Francesca Hong. She's a state representative leading a populist campaign, tapping into voters' concerns over the high cost of living.
But moderate Democrats worry a Democratic socialist with a record of what many see as cringy, woke tweets has no good shot at winning November's general election. While the race features several Democrats, there has been a late surge from establishment candidate David Crowley, the Milwaukee County executive. Governor Evers is backing Crowley and using his resources, including his own communications staff, to boost Crowley.
CNN's Jeff Zeleny is in Madison, Wisconsin with a closer look at these campaigns.
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UNKNOWN: When you say somebody is a Democratic socialist, what the hell does that mean?
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On the eve of the primary election in a wild Wisconsin governor's race, Democrats are having a contentious debate.
UNKNOWN: What they're calling socialist policies aren't necessarily socialist.
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It's working for people.
ZELENY (voice-over): Over the direction of their party and more. UNKNOWN: I don't think there's anything wrong with being a Democratic socialist, but she has come up so strong that I think she's going to scare people.
ZELENY (voice-over): A summertime surge for progressives will be tested anew as Francesca Hong, a Democratic socialist state lawmaker --
FRANCESCA HONG, WISCONSIN GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: I want you to know that I'm going to keep showing up for you. Let's win this.
ZELENY (voice-over): -- faces David Crowley, the Milwaukee County executive backed by outgoing Governor Tony Evers.
DAVID CROWLEY, WISCONSIN GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: We need a governor who doesn't just talk about problems. We need someone who's going to solve them. That's what I've done my entire career.
ZELENY (voice-over): Hong is working to capitalize on deep voter discontent, calling for a one-year moratorium on data centers --
HONG: Taxing the ultra-rich --
ZELENY (voice-over): -- and new taxes on some of the wealthiest Wisconsinites.
ZELENY: What have you tapped into during this race?
HONG: I think it is frustration and exhaustion that Wisconsinites feel left behind.
ZELENY (voice-over): The campaign has divided Wisconsin Democrats with one chaotic turn after another. Three candidates dropped out, including Crowley, who later jumped back into the race. Hong emerged as a front runner, but along the way walked back her previous views of defunding the police, abolishing the U.S. Senate, and even canceling Thanksgiving.
HONG: I had some bad takes and some hot takes on Twitter. But like all everyday Wisconsinites, I had to express my frustrations that the system wasn't working for us.
TIM EICHINGER, BREWER: There are times to be more establishment, but I don't think this is the time.
ZELENY (voice-over): Tim Eichinger, a lifelong Democrat, has watched the primary play out from his Milwaukee brewery.
ZELENY: Is there an appetite for change here? Is that what's driving some of this as well?
EICHINGER: Certainly. And it's not just a change overall. It's change with how the Democrats are doing things. The Democrats seem to be soft and aren't willing to fight as much. And I think that's why you're seeing maybe somebody who maybe has some bigger ideas, some bold ideas that might seem a little bit crazy, but it's like, hey, let's give it a shot.
ZELENY (voice-over): Progressive politics have a long history in Wisconsin, but Evers warned Democrats they could lose the seat in November to Republican Congressman Tom Tiffany.
GOV. TONY EVERS (D), WISCONSIN: Wisconsinites, we have worked too damn hard and we have waited too damn long to have it all squandered down.
ZELENY (voice-over): Crowley argues that he, too, represents change.
ZELENY: So, you're not the establishment in your view?
CROWLEY: I may be established, but I'm not the establishment. Just being able to put out different types of rhetoric doesn't mean you're a progressive. What makes you a progressive is actually making progress for those that you represent and looking to represent.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZELENY (on camera): And it's not just progressive Democrats who are cheering on Hong. The Republican Governors Association also has invested about $3.6 million in elevating Francesca Hong's campaign. That is a sign to the governor and many other establishment Democrats here that they believe that she would be easier to beat in the fall campaign.
But Jake, there is no doubt Wisconsin is the latest front here in this ongoing battle between the insurgency and the establishment of the party. But some many new wrinkles here in Wisconsin as well. This race has been so chaotic. Some of the potentially leading candidates just a few weeks ago dropped out of this race.
That means many early ballots that were cast, tens of thousands of them, effectively voted for people who were no longer in the race. That leaves a wild card for tomorrow. But there is no doubt Hong has some strong momentum going into this campaign tomorrow. She'll be here at her headquarters in just a few minutes. Jake?
TAPPER: Jeff Zeleny in the Badger State, thanks so much. Appreciate it. New video shows volunteers forming an assembly line, removing rubble as they search for survivors. The latest on rescue efforts after a devastating earthquake in Columbia, next. Then nearly 30 years after he was killed, the trial started today in the murder of Tupac Shakur. But the man on trial is not accused of pulling the trigger. We're going to break down what happened inside the courtroom today.
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TAPPER: In our "Word Lead," these are the moments that a 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit western Columbia. Officials say at least 111 people are dead at this hour. A search and rescue teams continue to operate in the affected areas west of the capital.
CNN's Stefano Pozzebon has the latest on these desperate rescue efforts.
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STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): It's a scene of complete chaos as travelers in Matecana International Airport in Pereira seek cover and run for their lives as a deadly 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit much of western Columbia on Monday. It is the strongest quake to hit the country in over a decade, according to the Colombian Geological Survey, and was followed by two aftershocks.
The epicenter hit in the northwestern department of Choco, less than 200 miles west of the capital, Bogota. The area, known as the country's coffee region, was heavily damaged and multiple people were killed. In the city of Manizales, a cathedral tilted after the ground shook for almost a minute. Extensive damage has also been reported in Bogota, where debris from this building plunged to the ground.
An early crisis for the government of President Abelardo de la Espriella, the self-styled Colombian tiger who entered office just on Friday. The new head of state cancelling all commitments and calling an emergency cabinet meeting to declare a national disaster.
UNKNOWN (through translator): Colombia has a president who cares deeply about its people and who will do everything in its power to help them during this most difficult time.
POZZEBON (voice-over): Governments around the world have offered support, including Ecuador, El Salvador, and the United States.
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The U.S. Geological Survey estimates at least two million people have been impacted by the tremors. This comes less than two months after a devastating double earthquake hit neighboring Venezuela with the death toll only destined to rise in the upcoming hours and days.
Stefano Pozzebon, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TAPPER: Thanks to Stefano Pozzebon for that report. A new investigation has been launched into the largest immigration detention center in New Jersey after two migrants died in federal custody there. The attorney general leading the investigation joins us live, next.
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TAPPER: Our "World Lead" now, President Trump appears to be backed into a corner with Iran. The man who is famously braggadocious about his deal-making is privately considering walking away without a deal, at least when it comes to Iran's nuclear weapons program. That's according to "The Wall Street Journal."
He is working to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which was open before he started the war. Now, Iran has requested compensation from the United States to fix all the damage done over the past five months of war. Trump posted on Truth Social earlier, saying it's a -- quote -- "interesting idea." The president says now he wants compensation from Iran, too.
We have with us to discuss all this, CNN national security analyst Beth Sanner and senior politics reporter Stephen Collinson. Thanks so much for being here, guys. Stephen, you have a great piece that was the big story on CNN.com when I woke up this morning. Trump has a Carter-style Iran problem as the economy drags before the midterms. Tell us what you mean.
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Yes, the president has managed to maneuver himself into this dead end on Iran, whereby the Islamic Republic has the capacity to tweak up political pressure on him rather, almost like a political thermostat, ahead of a U.S. election. That's obviously a very vulnerable position for the president to be in politically. It, in some ways, mirrors the situation that Jimmy Carter found himself in in 1980.
We don't have a massive hostage crisis right now. Thankfully, 52 Americans aren't in Tehran. But the dynamic is somewhat similar. We saw Iran exert pressure on President Bush, for example, when the Iraq war went bad. That enabled Iran to crank up pressure on the U.S.
But I think this perhaps is arguably the most vulnerable position an American president has been in in regard to Iran since 1980. That election, of course, resulted in Jimmy Carter losing after a single term to Ronald Reagan.
TAPPER: Yes. It's a fascinating analysis. And Beth, President Trump told Axios that he's -- quote -- "low-keying" it with Iran.
(LAUGHTER)
That's his language.
BETH SANNER, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST, FORMER DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE FOR DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS: It's kind of a, you know, Gen Z kind of thing going on there.
TAPPER: When I think of a low-key person, I think of President Trump with Iran on negotiations and continues to insist the U.S. controls the strait, which is just not true. As former deputy director of national intelligence for Democrats and Republicans, what did you learn about Iran's negotiating style? What could get the U.S. back to a pre-war posture with no conditions on opening the waterways or is that just -- is that ship sailed?
SANNER: I think it has sailed. I think it has sailed. And the hostage in this circumstance is actually the Strait of Hormuz. It's not, you know, 54 Americans. It's the Strait of Hormuz. And it's that they want to keep the hostages forever. And so, you know, what we're seeing right now is after we bombed Iran for 13 consecutive nights and we said, we're done, we're ready to go and negotiate, we're back at the negotiating table, what did Iran do? Five ballistic missiles at our troops in Jordan. When we said, OK, OK, we're back at the negotiating table, what did they do? They blew up -- you know, they attacked a ship in the Strait of Hormuz. They are playing hardball while we are like low-keying it, right?
TAPPER: Right.
(LAUGHTER)
SANNER: And that's just like -- I think that we should expect more escalation from Iran right now in order to try to get what they want, which is some sort of permanent arrangement where they can control the strait. The only way I see out of this is that we find, and I don't know where it is, but some sort of sweet spot where Iran has some kind of sense of control over the strait, but we haven't given up the store. I don't know where that is because I think this whole idea of economically pressuring Iran into capitulation is a nonstarter.
TAPPER: Yes. And also, they don't have the same concern about human life, their own people.
SANNER: They are the hardliners in charge.
TAPPER: Right. They've been slaughtering their own people before this war started. And Stephen, it also appears another deal has cratered in the region, the Israel-Hamas agreement last week where Hamas had agreed to disarm. However, much -- anybody believes Hamas. The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said Israel doesn't accept the 15- point plan, which was put forward by Trump's Board of Peace. We've seen this time and time again. I don't know if Netanyahu cares any more about Trump's ire.
COLLINSON: I think he would prefer not to anger the president. Remember, a few months ago, the handicap in this election was that Netanyahu wanted to get the president's endorsement, and he was seen as the only potential Israeli prime minister that could deal with Trump.
But things, you know, have really changed somewhat here. I think what Netanyahu is doing is he's looking at his own political situation. There's an election in 12 weeks. He's got a tough race that he's running.
[17:30:01]
He's down in the polls. He's made a political calculation, I think, that it's better to anger President Trump than potential future coalition partners who he'll have to try to piece together a government with in Israel's fractured politics, because it's all about coalitions. There's not going to be a big winner in that election. So that's what he's, I think, doing.
And of course, President Trump is not necessarily the political force in Israel that he was, say, six months ago. There's a lot of skepticism about his diplomacy on Iran and, of course, this deal with Hamas in Gaza.
TAPPER: And what's important about what you're saying is that some of those key coalition members include some of the most zealous anti-Arab bigots we've seen in Israeli politics since Meir Kahane, Ben-Gvir, and Smotrich. I remember asking on this table, maybe even ask you, who would, this is during the Biden administration, who does Netanyahu fear angering more, Biden or Ben-Gvir? And the answer was obviously Ben-Gvir. And I think he might now actually be in that same position with Trump.
COLLINSON: But I don't think it's just the far right that he's having to think about, because if you look at the Israeli public opinion on this deal, it's much more broad than just the far right politicians who are against this.
TAPPER: Yes.
BETH SANNER, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Yes, yes, the Israeli public is really beating up Netanyahu right now for not standing up to Trump. And so it's kind of an interesting dilemma, I think. To me, this is an easy call for them. I find really interesting that Hamas, like Iran, is reading the politics better in their adversaries than we are for them.
I think Hamas gave in on this deal, which is not a bad deal, really, from an Israeli perspective. Yes, tweaks, whatever. But because they knew Israel would say no, so they get to be the yes-men this time.
TAPPER: Interesting stuff. Stephen Collison, Beth Sanner, thanks to both of you, appreciate it.
Before passing away last week, this young woman we're about to tell you about shared her story about her battle against cancer with her more than 1 million followers on social media. Up next, we're going to tell you about how Sydney Towle rose above the online trolls to leave a lasting legacy.
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TAPPER: In our Health Lead today, I want to tell you about a special woman. Her name was Sydney Towle. She was a TikTok influencer. She documented her treatment for a very rare form of bile duct cancer. She died last week at the age of 26.
Sydney regularly shared updates about her battle with cancer, building up an audience of more than 1 million followers. She challenged society's assumption of how cancer patients should look and act and live, all so she could help, in her words, those who are sick, and so she could help them feel less alone.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SYDNEY TOWLE, TIKTOK INFLUENCER: I have 661 milliliters of liquid in my bladder, so we're getting a catheter inserted.
I'm done with three out of three days of chemo. One day of immunotherapy, the cells being put back in my body. It was like they got a lot more than they thought. They got, I think, around like 60 billion, which is crazy, and now I'm in recovery, which has been a little difficult.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: Sydney leaves behind a grieving mother and a grieving brother and grieving friends, countless friends, those who knew her at Dartmouth, those who knew her online. Joining me now is Katie Rosman, a "New York Times" reporter who followed Sydney's health journey, penned her obituary, and wrote a remarkable story about her last year. First, Katie, thanks for joining us. Tell us about Sydney's impact on other people battling cancer.
KATIE ROSMAN, REPORTER, THE NEW YORK TIMES: Well, I think it was substantial, as you can see if you look at her TikTok and look at the comments and look at the outpouring since she's died. I think that she showed that it's both OK to feel very unwell and be open about that, and also when you feel OK to live your life and to find joy and to hang out and to travel. And she changed the idea of what you're supposed to look like when you're suffering with cancer.
TAPPER: This was, I want to show our viewers, one of the last videos that Sydney posted on her TikTok. This is July 21st.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOWLE: I'm not going to lie. Every day is extremely challenging with the pain that I am constantly experiencing, but I have hope that I can do this. And that's all every day is just me taking it day by day, just keep swimming, just after the year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: You wrote about how she focused on trying to persuade her followers to reconsider assumptions about people's health who have serious illnesses. How much do you think that's going to shape her legacy?
ROSMAN: I think it will shape her legacy. And I think that it got a lot of people talking in the last couple of years because there was this vivacious young woman who was one day in the chemo bay and the next day was at yoga or traveling with her brother or her friends. And it let people into the reality that cancer can be sometimes a chronic condition, that there are good days and bad days. And that the reason that you treat cancer is to try to have a life and to enjoy it and experience things.
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And she was a young woman trying to live. And she didn't want to fully be defined by chemo and by being sick. And she gives permission for sick people to embrace their lives as fully as they can. And I think it's really important.
TAPPER: One of the horrible things about what she was doing is that there were this slew of trolls on social media and on Reddit, wrongfully accusing her of not having cancer, of criticizing her day in, day out. You write that this tormented her, but she never publicly engaged with them.
ROSMAN: No, well, that's what drew me to her last year. They weren't just saying that she didn't have cancer, they were saying that she was faking cancer. And her TikToks caught my eye, captivated me as they did many people. And then I found that there was this group on Reddit that was dedicated to proving that she was faking cancer. And they had spreadsheets and they had -- they would enlarge pictures to see if the scars were Photoshopped.
They were calling and e-mailing healthcare providers. They were incredibly aggressive. And there was nothing that she could do to convince them. And anytime she went online, which was a lifeline for her, they would then pick apart her words and what she was wearing and how her hair looked and if she had energy and if she had exercise and if she was traveling as proof that she was faking cancer. And it was, it got to be very, very aggressive.
And I came in to write a story about this and find out what was going on online and to find out, did Sydney have cancer? And to how Reddit was allowing this kind of incredible harassment to go on if she did have cancer, which unfortunately she did.
TAPPER: Did any of these people ever feel remorse? Obviously she had cancer. This is so sick. And we should note, these people were under the cloak of anonymity on social media, but it's really not that difficult to find out who people are on the internet. They think that they're anonymous. They're not, you're not really. And I just can't think of anything more twisted than the torture these people put her through. Did any of them feel bad about it?
ROSMAN: Well, I was able to figure out the identity of a handful of her most aggressive and intense harassers with actually the help of an anonymous nurse from the Midwest who heard I was reporting the story and got in touch with me. And she had sleuthed it out. She did a better job than I did.
We didn't hear a lot of remorse. After my story came out, Sydney and I was given permission by Sydney's mother to share this today. Sydney did receive a letter from a lawyer representing one of the trolls saying that this person wanted to apologize to Sydney, but first they needed Sydney to sign some sort of document promising that she would not make a video or tell anybody about the apology.
And Sydney actually gave it thought. She was not a vindictive person. She wanted to think it through and see if it was something that could be helpful to her or others. And she eventually said to me, it doesn't take an NDA to say sorry. Saying sorry is a very simple thing and I need to save my energy for interactions that are meaningful, not somebody who's asking me to sign something in order to apologize for doing the unforgivable, I think. TAPPER: So Katie, I reached out to some of these people over the weekend who harassed Sydney. I sent them texts and e-mails. I followed up with them multiple times. None of them wrote back. I wanted to know what they had to say now that Sydney was dead. We should note, these are not incels in their basement. These are all women with careers. Some have husbands.
And as you note, Katie, even from her deathbed, Sydney never publicly engaged them nor their names. I could tell you the names of these women right now who harassed this young woman dying of cancer. I know who they are. It's not as tough to find people who think they're anonymous online as you might think. But I'm going to follow Sydney's lead and treat them with grace.
But I hope that they're watching and I hope they think about their actions and they learn from Sydney and lead with grace instead of the sad paths they've chosen to go down this far. Katie, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you for telling Sydney's story.
ROSMAN: Thank you. Thanks.
[17:44:51]
TAPPER: Recent deaths at an immigration detention center have sparked a big civil rights investigation. I'm going to speak with the state attorney general leading the charge ahead.
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TAPPER: In our National Lead, New Jersey's Attorney General is investigating possible civil rights violations at Delaney Hall. That's the state's largest immigration detention center. The investigation comes nine days after ICE confirmed that Edwin Lopez-Cornejo, a Salvadoran detainee, "experienced a medical emergency," and died at the facility, making him the second detainee to die there in just eight months.
The detention center, which is owned by the private prison company, the GEO Group, has long faced allegations of inhumane conditions, sparking days-long protests and clashes with law enforcement earlier this year. Joining us to discuss is New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport. General Davenport, what do you hope to uncover with this investigation?
[17:50:09]
JENNIFER DAVENPORT (D), NEW JERSEY ATTORNEY GENERAL: Well, frankly, Jake, I hope to uncover nothing, right? We hope that we do in every single case that no one's civil rights are being violated. That is what I hope. But I can also say that we have subpoena authority. We take that very seriously, and we ensure that if we're using a subpoena, we send them because we believe we have credible evidence of a violation supporting our concerns. So while I hope I find nothing, we have an investigation in exactly that at this point.
TAPPER: This is just the latest legal action between the state of New Jersey and the GEO Group. That's the company that operates Delaney Hall. In June, you sued the GEO Group after it blocked state health inspectors from entering the facility. Tell us more about the GEO Group, and where does that previous lawsuit stand?
DAVENPORT: That lawsuit is still ongoing. That is a completely separate action. We represent the Department of Health there. Our health inspectors have the authority to inspect facilities across our state, and they have access to do so every single day. But GEO Group has blocked that access, and that is still in litigation.
TAPPER: That's a pretty shady thing for a private prison company to block state health inspectors.
DAVENPORT: Yes, we have said from the beginning as the representatives for the Department of Health, they are allowed to go in and inspect kitchens, inspect medical facilities, inspect all different parts of an entity. And here, they have denied us access. The Department of Health is not allowed to get in. They've had limited access when they have been in. So we're continuing to press forward, because as you say, there's no reason whatsoever that the facility should block that and entitle us to have that entry and that inspection.
TAPPER: How are you moving forward with this new investigation if state inspectors can't even get access to Delaney Hall?
DAVENPORT: So we've issued subpoenas on Friday, and the issue that we're looking into here is whether the GEO Group and whether there's adequate medical care being provided to the detainees. This is a longstanding principle. This is guided by 50 years from the Supreme Court's decision 50 years ago that said that people who are detained deserve adequate medical care.
And if you think about why that is, think about you or I. If we wanted to go to the doctor, we could. If we could go to the pharmacy, we can go and pick up our prescriptions. Those folks who are being detained don't have that ability to go and do that for themselves. So they rely on those within their care.
So here we're looking at this. We've issued these subpoenas. It's an investigation to see whether we have, there's additional information that would support what we have our concerns at the moment.
TAPPER: Has the Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin or any officials at the Department of Homeland Security spoken with you since you announced this investigation?
DAVENPORT: No, and to be clear, these subpoenas are to the GEO Group, the private facility that runs this detention facility.
TAPPER: I want to, as long as I have you, briefly ask you about the state's voter registration debacle because last month we learned that more than 6,000 non-U.S. citizens were registered to vote in New Jersey between '23 and '24 and about 400 cast ballots.
The governor, Mikie Sherrill, blamed a software glitch involving the vendor, IDEMIA, I think it's called, but the company says its systems work properly and that it's the state's motor vehicle commission that wrongly sent non-citizens information to election officials. Do you have any idea where that investigation stands?
DAVENPORT: So the governor has announced that independent investigation and has announced that those results will be public when that's concluded.
TAPPER: OK, New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport, thank you so much.
DAVENPORT: Thank you.
TAPPER: In our Law and Justice Lead, a murder trial nearly 30 years in the making, jury selection began today in Las Vegas, but the only person ever charged in the killing of rap icon Tupac Shakur, Duane "Keffe D" Davis, is accused of orchestrating the fatal 1996 shooting on the Las Vegas Strip. In court today, Marion "Suge" Knight and Sean Diddy Combs were among 200 potential witnesses named by prosecutors, although only 30 to 40 are expected to testify.
In our Sports Lead, Florida's Attorney General says he'd handle a weekend controversy in the WNBA with criminal charges. The threat stems from DiJonai Carrington of the Chicago Sky getting ejected on Saturday for a flagrant foul on Sophie Cunningham of the Indiana Fever. Cunningham was shooting a layup when Carrington came from behind and hit her in the head and neck, knocking her to the floor. Now minutes after the ejection, Carrington posted on social media the words white privilege and tagged the Fever.
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It wasn't too long after that that Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier posted on X, "The WNBA knows better than to play games down here in Florida because I'll be charging people with assault." He later posted, I should probably clarify, assault and battery. We should also note that his take doesn't really carry much weight since the WNBA literally has no teams in Florida. Cunningham has drawn attention recently over comments opposing transgender women competing in women's sports leagues.
Coming up next, Trump and his cab that just upended the childhood vaccine schedule based on Trump's feelings. We're going to talk to some actual doctors about what parents need to know.
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TAPPER: Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper. This hour, President Trump signs a sweeping executive order aimed at massively changing how children get vaccines. The President insisting that children should get fewer shots over a longer period of time despite very little scientific evidence supporting those changes.
