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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Soon, Trump Rallies In North Carolina As GOP Looks To Energize Base; Wall Street Journal Reports, Elon Musk Ordered Starlink Restrictions For Ukraine; Officials Race To Counter Unfounded Rigged Election Claims; Mississippi A.G. Says Use Of Force Was Justified In 1-Year-Old's Death; Christina Applegate Reveals Multiple Sclerosis Misdiagnosis. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired October 20, 2026 - 18:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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[18:00:00]

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper.

This hour, President Trump on his way to battleground North Carolina, standing by his handpicked nominee for U.S. Senate, but top Republican groups have already stopped spending money to boost him in the race. In the latest polls, not good for Republicans. We're going to go live to the rally site in just moments for details.

Plus, early voting is underway in the majority of states. But election officials are facing an increasing number of threats, including envelopes filled with an unknown white powder sent to their offices. We're going to go inside a voting center in one key battleground state to see how they're trying to protect election workers.

And a stunning, sad announcement from actress Christina Applegate, who has been a fierce advocate for those living with multiple sclerosis since her own diagnosis in 2021. But now Applegate says that doctors have discovered she does not actually have M.S., and they don't know what's wrong with her. We're going to talk to a doctor who specializes in M.S. to see how this could have happened ahead.

The Lead tonight, two weeks to go until the very first polls start to close on midterm election night in America. Tonight, President Trump continues his red state rally tour with a stop in Greenville, North Carolina, a state he's won three times in a row. He's set to take the stage next hour on behalf of Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley, who is trailing in the polls.

The former Republican National Committee chairman trailing quite a bit to Democrat Roy Cooper, the state's former governor, by double digits in Elon University's final poll before Election Day. The Senate GOP's top PAC cut more than $13 million in ad spending to promote Whatley earlier this month, with his campaign going completely dark on T.V. a week ago.

Now, President Trump believes his presence in deep red areas can offer candidates a much needed boost. Last night in Kansas, the president touted $8 billion in relief for farmers hurting from high diesel prices, though he has withheld aid from Democratic cities and states in the past.

Let's go right to CNN's Kristen Holmes, live in Greenville, North Carolina. Kristen?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jake, it's not entirely clear why we're here because as you mentioned, Republicans have pretty much written off this race. And I will tell you, even months ago they were telling me that they thought they were going to lose in North Carolina and Georgia. It seems as though this might be somewhat of a Hail Mary for President Trump, who does view Michael Whatley as a loyalist, somebody who had been there for him during his last campaign.

He was the chair of the RNC, and it is somewhat his handpicked candidate. I do say that because he waited on endorsing Whatley or putting forward Whatley until he knew that Lara Trump, his daughter- in-law, would not be running for Senate here in North Carolina. So, he will be down here on the ground.

As you noted, I mean, Republicans have really written off this race. They have stopped spending here, and the campaign itself has stopped spending here. But President Trump does still believe, particularly in areas like we are right now, deep red areas, that he can draw out his base. Unclear if that strategy is working, and I'll tell you why.

I've talked to voters now at this rally, at the rally in Alaska. All the voters I've talked to have said that even if President Trump hadn't showed up, they were going to vote Republican. The idea being that is he really reaching those kind of unenthusiastic voters who are going to stay at home, or is he drawing out more of kind of the red meat base that was already going to show up and vote? And that's just one thing we're going to have to wait and see on Election Day.

Other thing to note, I've heard more and more from Republicans who keep pointing to the fact that Republicans have been mispolled, the MAGA movement have been mispolled in the past. It does also seem like they're holding onto this kind of sliver of hope when they're looking at those dismal poll numbers, that perhaps there is a polling error.

It's a tough thing to hold onto, as though that's the only kind of glimmer of hope you have going into some of these different races.

TAPPER: All right. Kristen Holmes in Greenville, North Carolina, traveling with President Trump, thanks so much.

I want to bring in Democratic Congressman Don Davis from North Carolina. He's also an Air Force veteran. Congressman, thanks for joining us.

So, Democrats have a cash and polling advantage in North Carolina, but the Cook Political Report says about you and your race that you're, quote, without a doubt, the most vulnerable House Democrat in the country.

[18:05:01]

Your district is a battleground, and it was redistricted in favor of Republicans ahead of the cycle.

Do you think that the Democratic wins and the popularity of former Governor Roy Cooper will help bring you across the finish line?

REP. DON DAVIS (D-NC): Well, thank you. What I believe is when you take the time and you go talk to residents and you listen to what they're saying, and I'm going to share what I'm hearing. People are talking about costs, inflation, affordability but it's becoming a point of survival for some as well, and especially for families here in eastern North Carolina. Farmers have said, I can't keep taking it under the chin.

I've heard so many who've had concerns about rural hospitals and health. Young people, they want to know if they really have a chance to live the American dream in Eastern North Carolina. Our seniors want to know if Social Security's going to be there.

So, I know President Trump is here at a rally, but I would hope he would take time to just listen to residents on the ground, because they deserve to be heard, and that's what I've been doing, earning every vote one day and one vote at a time.

TAPPER: So, House Democrats as a whole have not presented any sort of cohesive plan for how you guys are going to legislate if you do win the House, which many people think is likely to happen. What would you say is priority number one legislatively? What's the plan to get it done, knowing that you're going to have to have President Trump either veto it or sign it into law? What's number one?

DAVIS: What I've begin to hear on all sides, whether you're Republican or Democrats, affordability, costs, and as I said, survival. If you are a seventh generation farmer and you are wondering right now if you can keep that farm, that family farm going, that's what this is about, and we cannot lose focus.

We should everyone show up in the 120th Congress laser focused on helping to address cost. These are the concerns I'm hearing. I hear it from our farmers. I hear it from commercial fishermen. Right now, the price of fuel is so high. And we have to make sure that we are addressing the issues that are on the minds of the American people.

And if we're just saying this around election time, and then typical politicians show up and do anything else, then we're doing a disservice to the families that we are elected to serve.

TAPPER: So, speaking of helping farmers, you're a member of the House Agriculture Committee, what did you make of President Trump's announcement last night in Kansas of $8 billion in relief for farmers as they fight high diesel prices?

DAVIS: Hey, Jake, I welcome that. Matter of fact, a few days back, I sent a letter to the RAS because we wanted relief with the dyed diesel. And President Trump addressed that through an executive order, and actually the administration recognized my position.

At the same time, this is what we know. Our farmers need relief, if it's an extra $100, if it's this assistance that we can get out the door. But to be clear, we have to be clear on this. In North Carolina, our First Congressional District, we represent the largest tobacco- producing Congressional district in this nation. They're farmers too. They should not be left out of this process.

So, my appeal right now to President Trump, to the administration, is we have to fight for all of our farmers. These are hardworking individuals. You're here in Greenville, North Carolina. Stop and talk to you some tobacco farmers right now. They're hardworking people that need our help.

TAPPER: So, you recently introduced legislation to ban candidates from betting on their own races. Of course, your opponent did just that. Laurie Buckhout purchased less than $1,000 of contracts on Kalshi related to her candidacy, and the platform, Kalshi, then banned her for three years. She also paid a penalty of nearly $2,600. She called it a dumb mistake.

Just as a note, CNN has a partnership with Kalshi. CNN editorial employees are not permitted to trade on prediction platforms. But is that a piece of legislation you plan to try to pursue in the coming Congress if you're re-elected, or is it kind of just a jab at your opponent because she got in trouble for doing just that?

DAVIS: Jake, this is 100 percent legislation that I believe that we need to pursue. We agree it was a mistake but this should be a mistake that we don't allow to happen. So, I was proud to bring forth the No Betting on Your Own Race Act. We don't expect -- this is football season. We don't expect our favorite team, their athletes, to bet on their games, so why should we expect elected officials to trade on elections?

[18:10:06]

This makes no sense.

This is truly bipartisan, and what the bill would simply do is increase the fine $10,000. It would force the Board of Elections to notify candidates, federal candidates, during the filing period. We have to do everything humanly possible to restore trust and confidence, but allowing elected officials to make money and get a payday on their races, come on now. This is unheard of.

TAPPER: Democratic Congressman Don Davis, from North Carolina, thanks so much. I appreciate it.

President Trump has elevated unfounded claims of voter fraud in California. I'm going to talk to a lawmaker who's taking steps to combat those claims just ahead.

Plus, a new report says a consequential move by billionaire Elon Musk just added to the climate of mistrust between the U.S. and Ukraine. We'll explain next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: In our World Lead, The Wall Street Journal is now reporting that trillionaire Elon Musk was the one behind the slowdown of the military version of his Starlink internet service, which Ukraine uses to run some of its military equipment in its war against Russia.

[18:15:04]

Now, that slowdown only deepened the mistrust between the U.S. and Ukraine last week. This as President Trump once again lashes out at Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and demands that Zelenskyy settle the war with Russia's Vladimir Putin, who is the one who ordered the invasion of Ukraine.

Trump brought up his 2025 Oval Office showdown with Zelenskyy, which famously ended in an ugly shouting match.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We've gotten nothing back, and the American taxpayers are tired of it. We want Zelenskyy to make a deal. He can make a deal. He could have made a deal two years ago when we had our little chat in the Oval Office. We had a now quite well- remembered chat with J.D., myself, some others, Zelenskyy, could have made a good deal then, could have made a much better deal then probably, possibly, than he can make now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Let's bring in CNN Chief White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins. Kaitlan, Trump also belittled Ukraine, arguing Zelenskyy doesn't have enough people to fight back against Putin. He says that the American people are tired of this. The polling I've seen suggests that the American people actually back Ukraine and oppose Kremlin for what it's worth.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And, Jake, it was remarkable to hear the president describe that moment inside the Oval Office two years ago that way, saying that Zelenskyy could have made a deal then. I was actually the pooler in the Oval Office that day. It was a remarkable blow up that happened between the president, President Zelenskyy, and Vice President J.D. Vance in that moment. And shortly after, Zelenskyy was essentially kicked out of the White House and told to leave as they were trying to continue the conversation because White House officials just felt like they were at a point where there were no productive discussions to be had after that blow up.

So, the president saying today that he could have made a deal that day, that was the day the president was telling Zelenskyy he had no cards, and was essentially speaking to him kind of similarly to the way that he is today, where he is downplaying the war that Russia is waging against Ukraine, the fact that it is still striking infrastructure and homes and apartment buildings inside Ukraine, while also they are trying to limit what Ukraine can do in retaliation, striking those Russian oil refineries.

And the president today also made that comment, Jake, basically saying Russia is much bigger than Ukraine, therefore they have more people to fight in this war that they are waging against Ukraine, essentially saying that Ukraine should stop fighting, and that, as he repeated several times, he believes President Zelenskyy should make a deal.

That comment stood out to me, Jake, because, obviously, the president was saying that as Putin, we know, has had to go into his own prisons and release prisoners to fight in this war. They've also had to up pensions that they pay to the families of dead Russian military members because of the losses that they have also suffered on the battlefield. But it just shows the pessimistic way the president is talking about this war right now, in particular when it comes to Ukraine and its leader.

TAPPER: So, I've been hearing from folks in the former hostage community, and I'm wondering if the president said anything about Steven Hubbard, the American still detained in Russia who's said to be ailing.

COLLINS: Yes, he's that teacher from Michigan who was kidnapped from his house right after this war started, Jake, back in 2022. The president was asked about him today, if that is true, and he could confirm reporting that there are talks about having him get released, and this is what the president told reporters inside the Oval.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: Can you confirm that the U.S. is on the verge of a deal to free the American teacher, Steven Hubbard, from Russia?

TRUMP: Just stick with me. I don't want to talk about it, but everybody's been after Hubbard for a long time.

I've been talking to President Putin about Mr. Hubbard. I've been talking to him at length. I've asked him to release him. Let's see what happens.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: So, Jake, he sounded optimistic there that that will happen, that Steven Hubbard will be released as a result of these talks happening between the U.S. and Russia. We know Steve Witkoff is on his way there for meetings after traveling to Europe today. And so we'll see if this actually results in anything.

Obviously, the president was signaling there that he certainly thinks that it will, as they are working to bring an American that the State Department says is wrongfully detained, that Russia accuses of being a mercenary, home from Russia.

TAPPER: All right, Kaitlan Collins, thanks so much.

And, of course, don't miss Kaitlan on her show, The Source with Kaitlan Collins. Her guests tonight include Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren. That's tonight at 9:00 Eastern, only on CNN.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is out there telling Breitbart that the U.S. is entering a new golden era of foreign aid. Is that really possible given that the administration gutted aid programs left and right? Well, we're going to discuss with an expert ahead.

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MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: Without a doubt, the foreign aid has gotten way better in terms of direct aid, and it's getting better, but there's work still to be done. We're improving it, and it's an adjustment process.

The one that is unequivocally better right now, I mean, by far, just night and day, is humanitarian response. It is faster, it is more effective, it gets to the target way faster than ever before.

We're not doing more than we need to. We are doing everything we need to, and we're doing it based on what they're telling us they need, not what we tell them they need, and it's worked extraordinarily well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: So, that's U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio there claiming in an interview from the right-wing outlet, Breitbart, that the United States is entering a new golden era of foreign aid.

This might be a surprise to people who watched the Trump administration gut the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, through trillionaire Elon Musk, Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, cuts early last year.

Now, earlier this year, a study in the medical journal, The Lancet, predicted that the U.S. cuts, along with cuts that followed from the U.K., Germany, and Canada, could theoretically lead to nearly 10 million more deaths by 2030.

Joining us now, Jeremy Konyndyk, he is the president of Refugees International and was a senior official at USAID during the Obama and the Biden years.

[18:25:03]

So, Jeremy, you responded to Rubio's interview, calling his claim unequivocally garbage. Tell us why you think that. I know you just got back from a refugee camp in Sudan. What did you see there?

JEREMY KONYNDYK, PRESIDENT, REFUGEES INTERNATIONAL: Yes, I was literally on the flight back when I saw that tweet, and I was stunned and pretty furious because it's just totally wrong. I sat, and, you know, you see the photo there. I sat with displaced people in Sudan to hear what they were experiencing from the aid cuts, and they talked about many, many people in their camp who had died.

I spoke with a woman named Amal (ph), who said during some of the worst periods last year after the U.S. aid cuts just in her immediate community within the camp, she knew of five or six people personally who had died. I talked to an, a man named Abdul Hamed (ph) and his wife Layla (ph), who said likewise, a friend of theirs had died from a treatable but untreated infection. Other neighbors had died and starved to death. We talked with the camp management committee, who said many malnourished children had died for lack of food. Pregnant women who had labor complications could not be transported to appropriate medical treatment and had died. So, it's just really offensive to the memory of that.

And when we talked with them about the fact that this was even a point of debate in the United States, they were stunned.

TAPPER: So -- but you're saying that those deaths are directly related to the cuts to USAID that Elon Musk and others did?

KONYNDYK: So, they described a period last year, you know, everybody knew when USAID cut because things just stopped. Programs stopped. They shut down. Clinics shut down. Food aid stopped flowing. It was very seared in their memory. And they said it was a devastating period. It has gotten slightly less devastating over the course of the second half of this year as more of that -- some of that humanitarian aid has kicked back in, albeit still at a much lower level. And at one point, they said, look, we'll show you the graves of the people who died, and they took us out to see the graves of some of the people who died in that period last year.

TAPPER: So, in the sound bite that we played, Rubio told Breitbart that the U.S. is now responding based on what they're telling us they need, not what we tell them they need. That sounds like a more reactive approach than a proactive approach. Is that accurate?

KONYNDYK: That's not even accurate. We met with the local government humanitarian aid commissioner who -- and we said, do you have a message back for the United States? And she said, plead with them to reverse these cuts.

TAPPER: A year ago, the Trump administration announced something called the America First Global Health Strategy, which they say aims to have recipient countries further develop their own health systems, and in turn, the U.S. would be able to decrease its assistance spending. Just last month, the State Department touted agreements with 35 countries to, quote, build self-reliant health systems. Are you seeing any successes with that model?

KONYNDYK: It's early days. I think it's been a mixed picture. There have been a number of countries that have actually backed away from signing those agreements because of some of the economic and kind of data-sharing and information-sharing concessions that the U.S. has demanded, it's a big gamble.

I think what I worry about there is they're just going from 0 to 60. There's not really a transition period from the old model to the new one. They burned down the old one, and now they're trying to build the new one. And that's a much higher risk way to do it that does a lot more damage along the way.

TAPPER: All right. Jeremy Konyndyk from Refugees International, thank you so much. We really appreciate your time and, of course, what you do.

We should note that the U.S. State Department did not respond to our request for comment. And as always, Secretary of State Rubio is welcome to come on the show anytime for as long as he wants.

Wearing gloves to open mail, having a panic button nearby, those are some of the precautions being taken to protect midterm election workers in Georgia. We'll show you how that's playing out as President Trump's long disproven claims of massive voter fraud in the state persist.

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[18:30:00]

TAPPER: That sweet CNN election jam. In our Politics Lead, exactly two weeks from now, the polls are going to start closing, bringing an end to the midterm elections. New numbers out today show that more than 11 million Americans have already cast their ballots because of early voting. And in swing states such as Georgia, election officials are bracing for what could become a boiling pressure campaign.

CNN's Gabe Cohen explains why.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GABE COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Do you feel that elections in Georgia are safe and secure?

SHAYNEE BRYSON, DIRECTOR, WHITFIELD COUNTY ELECTION: Yes, they are.

COHEN (voice over): Midterm voting is already underway here in northwest Georgia.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you for voting.

COHEN: But with the influx of ballots can come an influx of threats.

BRYSON: I worry about Election Day workers.

COHEN: Whitfield County Election Director Shaynee Bryson says her staff is opening election mail in gloves right now after suspicious letters started arriving at election offices across the country.

BRYSON: We're going to take any threat seriously.

COHEN: Other deep red parts of the state have felt the ramped up tensions, too. Irwin County gave panic buttons to its workers, as some others have done before. Cherokee County added staff training in case federal agents or ICE officers show up at polling places. The fight in Georgia dates back to 2020.

TRUMP: We won it by a lot. If you remember, it was what a mess that was.

COHEN: Trump's infamous call to Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

TRUMP: I just want to find 11,780 votes.

COHEN: And later, his indictment for an alleged election scheme.

The president was here last week, still spreading those baseless claims.

[18:35:00]

TRUMP: Ossoff lost that election, but they gave it to him because it was a rigged election.

COHEN: Georgia's Trump-aligned state election board has gained influence in recent years, and members, like Sally Grubs, have gone toe-to-toe with Raffensperger over whether Georgia's elections are actually secure.

Do you believe elections in Georgia are safe and secure?

SALLEIGH GRUBBS, GEORGIA STATE ELECTION BOARD MEMBER: I do not. I believe that there are a lot of vulnerabilities that put that question front and center.

BRAD RAFFENSPERGER (R), GEORGIA SECRETARY OF STATE: Reasonable people understand our elections are free, fair, and fast.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you know what evidence you're finding?

COHEN: In January, FBI agents searched a Fulton County election hub and confiscated hundreds of boxes of 2020 ballots and records.

So, this is the building where the raid unfolded?

ROBB PITTS, CHAIRMAN, FULTON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS: Not this exact spot. It was in the warehouse over that way.

COHEN: Fulton County Chairman Robb Pitts is still fighting to get those records back.

Do you worry there could be federal intervention in the midterms?

PITTS: Worst possible scenario, Election Day before the votes are counted, they come in, confiscate the ballots, take them off. What do we do?

Now, people say that's impossible. Well, what I've learned with this administration, the impossible is always possible. We're prepared, though. (END VIDEOTAPE)

COHEN (on camera): And, Jake, the latest fight on the state level here is over voting machines and what that state election board says are serious vulnerabilities. They have now sent a letter to the Justice Department asking for the Trump administration to intervene in Georgia elections. It has been met with a lot of criticism from local election leaders, as well as Secretary Raffensperger.

Now, DOJ tells me they're reviewing it, and they are only going to act if it is appropriate. But it's only adding to some of those concerns we heard that the administration could take action here in Georgia around the midterms. Jake?

TAPPER: Yes. Gabe Cohen, thank you so much.

My next guest is taking steps to help counter unfounded claims of massive voter fraud in her state. Today, Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove is leading a Los Angeles delegation visit to a ballot processing center, all in an effort to educate voters on the election integrity efforts happening in California. Congresswoman, thanks for joining us.

For those who have their doubts, explain what election officials are doing right now to safeguard the votes in California and make sure that only legal voters cast their ballots.

REP. SYDNEY KAMLAGER-DOVE (D-CA): Well, Jake, thank you for having me. We toured the Los Angeles County ballot processing facility today, a number of Congressional and state representatives. And I have to tell you that both the state and the county have made major investments to ensure that every vote is verified and counted and that it is safe for you to vote.

We toured an 11,000 square foot facility that is also open to the public. They have capabilities where they are live streaming the workers counting the ballots, so if you have insomnia, you can see how the process works. There are multiple verification steps. There are multiple chains of custody protocols in place. This is a safe, it is a secure, and it is a transparent process because we believe that every vote should be counted.

TAPPER: This week, the Justice Department sued California over non- citizen voter eligibility and actually charged 28 individuals with unlawful voting and other election-related crimes. Take a listen to the deputy attorney general justifying this move.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRENT MCCOTTER, ACTING DEPUTY U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: It's about preventing voter fraud that cancels out the votes of U.S. citizens. Enforcing federal law increases the integrity of elections. It increases confidence in elections.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Tell us why you disagree because some voters -- some viewers might listen to that and say, that sounds reasonable.

KAMLAGER-DOVE: Well, voter fraud is a crime, and if you are committing that kind of a crime, you will be held accountable. As it relates to these arrests, we don't really have all of the facts, and, in fact, there's a lot of conflicting information coming out moment by moment. So, I have more questions than answers about these arrests, but I do have to say that 28 out of 23 million voters suggests that there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud.

I have to tell you, we have more voters in this county than in 39 states, and we have a system that I feel confident in based on my tour today.

TAPPER: So, Congresswoman, I know the Democrats are hoping for a massive blue wave two weeks from now. There is some concern that expectations have grown so high that if the Democrats don't win both the House and the Senate, it will be seen as a failure. What do you think about that?

KAMLAGER-DOVE: Day-by-day, Jake, day-by-day. What we do know is that people are hungry for change. They are tired of all the corruption that they are seeing coming out of this White House, and they are tired of everything costing too much.

[18:40:00]

It even seems like it's expensive to breathe.

So, I have been talking to candidates across the country, and people are feeling excited. They are excited in D.C.s, they are excited in R plus three, and they are excited in R plus ten. Folks want an end to this very expensive madness. And so what we need to do is continue to talk to voters every single day, encourage people to vote early, and to stay engaged. No matter how mad you are, you cannot be part of the solution if you're not voting.

TAPPER: So, you're in California, and I know I don't need to tell you that Vice President Kamala Harris, Governor Gavin Newsom, and your colleague, Congressman Ro Khanna, all perhaps right after election day will be thinking about rolling into the 2028 presidential election.

If Democrats don't win big in two weeks, do you worry at all about the momentum for the Democratic Party, and do you have a favorite for 2028?

KAMLAGER-DOVE: You know, winning is relative. We're trying to get to 218 in the House. It would be great if we can win the Senate. I am optimistic about both. What we're going to do on day one is calling out this corruption across all of the committees.

There are so many investigations that need to happen. This president has broken this government into all kinds of pieces, and it's our responsibility to bring those pieces, put them back together again, and explain to the American people why they are so important.

I'm grateful that we have these kinds of superstars coming out of California, and I hope that they will continue to talk with us in the House about holding crooked folks accountable, about lowering the costs and making healthcare more affordable, and putting more money in people's pockets as we charge to '28 and try to win this presidency.

TAPPER: All right. Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove, thank you so much. I appreciate your time.

Growing calls for an independent investigation tonight after a police officer shot into a car and killed a one-year-old. The Mississippi attorney general ruled that the use of force was justified. What happens next? We'll discuss after this quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:46:06]

TAPPER: In our national lead, the police officer who shot inside a car and killed one-year-old Kohen Wiley in Mississippi will not face any criminal charges. Mississippi's attorney general called the use of force justified, which ended the state's investigation.

This happened in a Walmart parking lot in Senatobia four months ago. Police responded to a shoplifting call believing that Kohen's mother, Vellesiya Wiley, and her friend stole diapers and baby clothes. The three of them, including the baby, left the store. They got into a car and they started to drive away when police tried to stop them.

Now, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation claims that the car drove toward the officers, which prompted one of them to shoot into the car, killing Kohen and striking his mother's friend.

Let's bring in Ashton Pittman, news editor of the "Mississippi Free Press".

Ashton, did Mississippi officials give any evidence or release any body camera footage supporting their decision that the shooting was justified because the car was headed in a threatening way towards police?

ASHTON PITTMAN, NEWS EDITOR, MISSISSIPI FREE PRESS: No, Jake, that footage has not been released yet. They have told us that they expect to release it at some point this week. We've put in a records request for it. So far, we do not have any body cam footage or any surveillance footage.

TAPPER: So, another odd thing about this is that neither Kohen's mother nor her friend were charged with the crime, shoplifting, or any other counts. Did investigators even interview them? What are they saying?

PITTMAN: You know, so far they have not. They -- like you said, they have not charged them either with shoplifting or, you know, there's no charge for anything like vehicular or attempted vehicular manslaughter, which, you know, we're talking about -- we're talking about them saying that they were driving towards the officers, right? That's the justification. So, so far, there has been no charge at all, and it's not clear to us,

actually, you know, if there is any plan to charge them or if that might still happen. So that -- that's a big question that we all have right now about this case.

TAPPER: Is there anything more that we know about the police officer involved in the shooting that provides any context for this?

PITTMAN: Well, so, so we know that and I want to I want to correct myself when I said attempted vehicular manslaughter, I meant, you know, there's no charge with assault or any other kind of theoretical --

TAPPER: Right.

PITTMAN: -- you know, charge there. But -- but so the officer, the officer at the center of this case, Hunter Foster, we do know that there have been -- Mississippi Today, for example, reported recently, in the last few months on a case in which, a coworker actually a few days before the shooting accused him of calling him a racially inflammatory name, a black mother effer.

So you can -- so you can imagine there's, you know, there's a lot of questions about this officer. He also was the target of several lawsuits. There was a lawsuit, in which he was, he and several other deputies or he was among several deputies accused of unreasonable force that was dismissed in 2025 by a judge.

There was another case where he was accused of basically exaggerating the threat of a vehicle, basically saying that a vehicle was, you know, accelerating towards, towards an officer. And that's another case where -- where, you know, there was a -- there was a settlement, a confidential settlement, but there was no public resolution for that.

TAPPER: So, I'm told that attorney Benjamin Crump is representing the Wiley family. Do you -- have you talked to him? Do you have any idea what he wants to see happen next?

PITTMAN: I have not spoken to him.

[18:50:00]

But we do know that -- we do know that, suffice it to say, he is not satisfied with this conclusion, and he is continuing to push further investigation.

TAPPER: Ashton Pittman, with the nonprofit, the "Mississippi Free Press", thanks so much for your time today. We appreciate it. We appreciate your reporting.

PITTMAN: Thank you.

TAPPER: A stunning health story today. Actress Christina Applegate reveals that she was misdiagnosed and does not actually have multiple sclerosis. Doctors now say they have no clue what her real health issue is. So, we're going to talk to an expert on MS next to find out how common this kind of misdiagnosis is.

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[18:55:07]

TAPPER: In our health lead, for years, actress Christina Applegate believed that she was battling multiple sclerosis. But today, the Emmy-winning actress revealed that doctors had actually misdiagnosed her.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

CHRISTINA APPLEGATE, ACTRESS: But it's hard to say that she came into my room and she said, congratulations, you don't have MS. Congratulations.

I haven't gotten better, Jamie. Yeah. If anything, I've gotten worse in some ways, and so I'm back at square one that I don't know what's going on with me.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

TAPPER: Here to discuss is Dr. Steven Krieger. He's a professor of neurology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

So, Dr. Krieger, as a multiple sclerosis specialist, explain this to us. How common is it for somebody to be diagnosed with MS and then it's revealed half a decade later that it was a misdiagnosis

DR. STEPHEN KRIEGER, PROFESSOR OF NEUROLOGY, ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI: Well, MS is a complicated condition that is different in everyone who is suffering with it. And, you know, unlike other diseases, for instance, Alzheimer's disease, which takes a very specific path of memory impairment or ALS, which takes a very specific path of motor dysfunction and weakness, MS has so many different symptoms from vision loss to numbness to pain, to harder to pin down things like cognitive fog and fatigue.

And so, one has to be very thoughtful about making an MS diagnosis, and certainly from everything Christina has shared in her podcast and in the media, her symptoms are very suggestive of MS, very consistent with it. So, I don't think the diagnosis was necessarily so far off.

But now with new MRI technology that can show MS lesions more precisely with other new science that emerges, it sounds like the diagnosis has been really called into question by her doctors.

TAPPER: Are there specific categories of individuals who are more frequently misdiagnosed with MS, old versus young, male versus female?

KRIEGER: Well, that's a good question. You know, there have been studies that have looked at, um, how many people get misdiagnosed with MS and, you know, numbers like 15 or 20 percent are sometimes thrown around.

I don't think that means that one out of five people living with MS today doesn't have it. I think what that means is when people are referred to neurologists or MS centers for consideration that they may have MS, one in five of them. Turns out that that provisional diagnosis may not have been correct, in some studies, people who don't fit the typical profile of multiple sclerosis are more apt to be misdiagnosed.

MS is more common beginning in young adulthood. So, people who come in very young or in later life, the diagnosis may be missed there. MS is more common in women than in men, but of course can affect people of all backgrounds. And so, men are sometimes misdiagnosed or it doesn't rise to a clinician's attention as readily.

And we used to think that MS was much more prevalent in people from, let's say, Northern European ancestry, you know, and now we understand that MS happens in people of color. And we need to make sure we don't miss that diagnosis there.

TAPPER: So, Applegate says that the doctor said, congratulations, you don't have MS. Is there any world in which what she has is actually better in terms of treatment, in terms of quality of life, in terms of more? What are the options of what she might have?

KRIEGER: Well, you know, it's hard for me to know what she does have. I haven't taken care of her myself, but that that's sort of a heartbreaking thing. She said that that her doctor said congratulations. And she felt devastated because I think she's -- she's had an answer for these last several years. And of course, she's been very visible as an advocate in the MS community.

I think it's hard for anyone with a chronic disease to have the diagnosis questioned or taken away, but especially for her living in public with this. But I don't think she's starting from square one. As she said, I think her doctors can work with the years of history and MRI imaging and labs that they have to try to refine her diagnosis.

I think there is optimism, though. I think that's probably what her doctor meant by saying congratulations. Once someone with MS has accumulated a great deal of disability, it's very hard for that to be reversed. If she doesn't have MS, I think there are -- there's hopefulness there that a diagnosis can be found, treatment can be offered, and that she could really improve.

TAPPER: All right. Dr. Stephen Krieger, thank you so much.

And, of course, our thoughts and prayers are with Christina Applegate and her friends and family.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts now.