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Sen. Tim Scott Starts $14 Million Outreach To Bring Black, Latino Voters To GOP; Wisconsin State Prison Warden, 8 Staffers Charges With Misconduct; South Korean Activists Replay To North's Trash Balloons With K-Pop And K-Drama; People Exiting Stock Market In Droves; Gen. Eisenhower's Letter To His Troops For D-Day. Aired 3:30- 4p ET

Aired June 06, 2024 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: It is an ambitious effort. They are promising to spend 14 million dollars on voter outreach, on advertising, on digital marketing, on small events.

So he plans to visit battleground cities in the weeks ahead in intimate settings with Black and Latino voters. And they think that they have a path here because of some of the polling that we've seen. You know, we've seen New York Times polling that suggests that Trump could capture 20 percent of the vote.

Lots of are skeptical, but that's the number that we're seeing now. And at the same time, we're seeing Black support for President Biden waning in that polling.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Yes, and that polling set off alarms at the Biden campaign. How is the president now responding to this latest news?

MCKEND: Well, the president's team is pushing back hard against this. They say that this is a last-ditch effort to defend Trump's racist agenda. You know, I put that question to Senator Scott this week, even though he thinks he can appeal to conservative black voters who vote for Democrats.

He says that they have a roadway with sort of the faith-based community. I told him, you know, some of the reason why you don't get those faith-based Black Democrats is because of the racism that comes from the former president, some of the racist comments that he's made. Well, he told me, listen, Democrats have made racist comments as well, and that ultimately this is going to be about going where Republicans are not necessarily invited to make this case and having them battle it out on policy.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Yes, look, Trump doesn't have to win all of the black vote. He just has to peel off part of the Black vote to really make a difference, and he's well aware of that. Eva, thank you so much for the reporting. We certainly appreciate it.

SANCHEZ: Still to come, they were supposed to be responsible for the inmates in their care, but authorities say a prison warden and some of his staff did everything but that. They're now facing some very serious accusations. We'll explain in detail in just a few minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:36:41]

KEILAR: A Wisconsin prison warden and eight of his employees are facing criminal charges following an investigation into the death of two inmates. The felony charges include misconduct in public office and abuse of residents of penal facilities. The warden specifically faces charges related to the death of a mentally troubled inmate who died of malnutrition and dehydration.

The county sheriff called the alleged misconduct a mockery of the state's vow to take good care of those in its custody.

The Dodge County, Wisconsin Sheriff Dale Schmidt is joining us now to talk a little more about this. Thank you so much for taking the time out.

This is so important and I know that you've said that this, which is the oldest prison in Wisconsin, is being operated in a dangerous manner and that the care of inmates in oversight were shoddy. Tell us what your investigation uncovered.

SHERIFF DALE SCHMIDT, DODGE COUNTY, WI: It really was very disappointing for me as a sheriff, somebody who runs a correctional facility of my own as the jail here in Dodge County to see what was going on to these inmates and to see how they were treated. It was very disturbing. Some of the things that we saw as listed in the criminal complaint, very simply where we had one individual who had his water turned off, wasn't fed nine out of 12 times during a four- day stretch.

We had individuals who weren't receiving all of their medications as they're supposed to be. We had individuals who weren't being checked on, on a regular basis. They're supposed to have hourly checks as part of your daily duty as a correctional officer. That's your job and that wasn't being done.

But then the problems went even higher. They went to the level of supervisors and administration not holding staff accountable. And that goes to the level of warden and it really even goes beyond that. And so it's very frustrating and I've really struggled with this case. And from the governor to the secretary of the Department of Corrections, there needs to be a vast change in the state of Wisconsin and the Department of Corrections, the culture, the accountability of staff, and that starts at the top.

But certainly those frontline staff also need to make sure they're holding themselves accountable.

KEILAR: Yes, I mean, the culture of sort of rot and the lack of accountability is so clear here where people were not being checked on and not receiving basic care. Why do you think conditions, I'll say allegedly, got to this point at this prison?

SCHMIDT: It really boils down to a lack of leadership. From the highest levels in the state. I've spoken with some of the individuals. I spoke with the former Department of Corrections secretary who three days after my conversation decided it was time for him to leave office and express that there are things that need to be done. And he didn't want to take any responsibility for any of that. He passed that on to the warden, which the warden certainly has culpability here.

But as a leader myself in an organization that has about 200 people in my organization, much smaller than the Department of Corrections, I set expectations for my staff from the top down and I make sure that the supervisors that I have, those frontline leaders that I have, are ensuring that they are being maintained, that they're being done in accordance to the standards that I have set.

[15:40:05]

That just did not happen. And it's very unfortunate.

So number one is we have to have accountability from the top and making sure that that accountability flows through the entire organization.

But number two, there has to be changes within that organization, within the prisons themselves. We have the oldest prison in the state of Wisconsin right here in Dodge County, and it cannot meet the mental health needs, the physical health needs, or even the efficient operation of a prison.

KEILAR: Sheriff, let me ask you this. Does it need to be closed? I mean, there have been calls that it needs to be shut down. And what you're talking about sounds like just a complete overhaul that sounds very necessary. But is it necessary to close the prison and start anew?

SCHMIDT: I think that would be the best approach, but it either needs to be closed or renovated. And significant changes need to be made for the safety of the staff. We are setting staff up for failure.

We have good correctional officers that work within these walls, and they're being set up for failure because of the lack of leadership and the failure to make sure that they have the needs, the physical needs of a building that is efficient and the needs of good supervision.

We're setting our staff up for failure, and as a result, we have four people who have died in Dodge County in these prisons that likely should be alive today had they received the proper treatment and care that they need.

KEILAR: It is just horrific, and it's so important that we pay attention to it, and we really appreciate you taking the time to go through these details with us. Sheriff Dale Schmidt, thank you for your time.

SCHMIDT: And thank you for having me. KEILAR: Boris.

SANCHEZ: Return to sender. South Korean activists have now replied to the tons of trash balloons sent by North Korea. They're responding not with garbage, but with K-pop and K-dramas that have been forbidden by the Kim Jong-un regime.

CNN's Mike Valerio has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a place that blooms with life, a serene and stunning setting, 60-year-old farmer Kim Young-bin cares for his giant onions with water flowing from North Korea. It's part of a beautiful and, he says, inseparable bond between North and South now fraught with tension once again.

There used to be a time when we talked about peace, he says, but it's all changed now. We only hear difficult situations between the Koreas, so we farmers are very uncomfortable.

Kim tells us he's farmed this land in Cheorwon, South Korea, for 36 years, and he disagrees with this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Free North Korea!

VALERIO: Activists from South Korea sending balloons northbound filled with American dollar bills, K-pop, and K-dramas downloaded onto thousands of USBs. There's also 200,000 leaflets in bags tied to the balloons denouncing the regime of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Park Sang-hak is the founder of the group behind this latest launch, Fighters for a Free North Korea.

He's been doing this since 2006, and his latest balloon deployment is in direct response to about 1,000 trash-filled balloons sent from North Korea.

PARK SANG-HAK, FOUNDER, FIGHTERS FOR A FREE NORTH KOREA (through translator): We send money, medicine, facts, truth, and love, but to send filth and trash in return? That's an inhumane and barbaric act.

VALERIO (voice-over): Park defected from North Korea in 2000, and he remembers in the early 90s when a balloon similar to one of these popped above him, and he secretly collected a leaflet from South Korea. It told him of a better life, and he says it told him the truth.

SANG-HAK (through translator): South Korea is not an American colony or a wasteland of humanity like I learned in North Korea. North Koreans are filled with anger and hatred and only sing military songs, but South Korea is a gentle country.

VALERIO (voice-over): Kim tells us while touring his fields, the new aerial tip for tat should stop, and if it doesn't, his life and his farm could be upended. VALERIO: Now, once you get up into the hills, you can actually see

into North Korea. We're not talking about the fields in the foreground. We're talking about way in the background, the DMZ, about 4 kilometers, 2 1/2 miles away from where we're standing.

Now, Farmer Kim has told us that during moments of heightened tension in the past, the South Korean army has kept him from entering about half of his property because it is so close to the DMZ in order to keep him and others safe.

VALERIO (voice-over): The question now, how will North Korea respond, especially after a show of force by the United States, a B-1B bomber on Wednesday flying over the Korean peninsula and for the first time in seven years engaging in land target practice with live munitions?

We asked Kim if he wants to leave. His answer?

I want to move to somewhere else, but I can't afford it. We're very upset that the balloons are making our daily lives inconvenient in our areas seen as a war zone. It's very unfortunate. There's nothing we can do. If I could, I would want to stop them, but it's difficult.

[15:45:04]

So for Kim, there's no choice. Staying in his field, surrounded by waters from the North, longing for a time before new heights, for tensions in the sky.

Mike Valerio, CNN, Cheorwon, South Korea.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Our thanks to Mike Valerio for that report.

So around half the country, 162 million Americans have some money in the stock market, but now many are getting out, taking billions with them. We're going to ask a financial expert why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Right now, the two astronauts who have spent the last 24 hours hurtling through space, there she is, Suni Williams, thrilled to stretch her arms and legs. They're boarding the International Space Station.

[15:50:11]

SANCHEZ: Yes, the Starliner capsule successfully docked at roughly 1:30 p.m. Eastern. Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will stay on the ISS for about eight days before they return to Earth. An important piece of equipment they're taking with them, a pump that helps the astronauts on the ISS change urine into drinking water -- an important note.

KEILAR: You need that.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

So you remember the excitement of the Dow Jones hitting 40,000? Investors are feeling the opposite of that right now.

KEILAR: Bank of America analysts say last week their clients sold off $5.7 billion more in stock than they purchased. That is the highest outflow since last July.

Joining us now, co-host of The Ramsey Show and author of Breaking Free from Broke, George Kamel is with us.

All right, George, what's happening right now at the stock market?

GEORGE KAMEL, PERSONAL FINANCE EXPERT: Well, this happens every year. The investors, before the summertime, before they hit vacation, they sell off some stocks. But this does not represent the average investor like you and me.

So I tell people, don't jump off the roller coaster because you will get hurt. Be a crockpot in a world full of microwaves. You've got to think about the long term because wealth is patience.

KEILAR: I love that.

SANCHEZ: Would you say there's any alternative other than the stock market? Maybe T-bills, another place where you might be able to put your money that wouldn't be weathering such volatility?

KAMEL: Well, when it comes to investing, we found that the S&P 500, the general U.S. stock market, is the best bang for your buck. And we've even seen 401k millionaires shoot up 43 percent versus last year because they just consistently put money away into those index funds and mutual funds, those giant groups of stocks. And they're not stressed out about what's happening in the market day to day.

And there's good news out there. The S&P 500, the Nasdaq, hitting record highs just as of yesterday. And so we've got to focus on the good news, too.

KEILAR: How do you think people should be approaching this, you know, if they're looking for one year out, they're close to retirement, or if they're looking for the long run, 10, 15 years?

KAMEL: Well, for starters, fear is a terrible financial advisor. And I just saw the CNN's fear and greed index. Right now, people are leaning into that fear, and it's causing them to pull out of the market.

But that's like unplugging your crock pot. Your food's going to stop cooking, and you're going to go hungry in retirement. So if you're heading into those retirement years, you've got to think long term, too.

You could live another 30 years, and that's 30 years of growth you could be seeing in the stock market. So now is not the time to pull it out and stick it into a savings account making one percent.

SANCHEZ: George, do you see any warning signs about the stock market that loom large over what the rest of this year is going to look like?

KAMEL: Well, I think the big elephant in the room is the election. And I actually looked up how the stock market has performed every election year for the past five elections. Here's what's crazy.

The stock market was up every single election year for the past five except for the 2008 housing crisis. So I hope that puts people at ease going, I'm not concerned about what's going on in the White House. I'm concerned about what's going on in my house.

Let's make our investing apolitical. Let's keep them separate.

KEILAR: All right, and let's be crock pots in a world full of microwaves. I love that, George. Great to have you. Thanks for being with us.

KAMEL: Thank you.

KEILAR: All right, we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:57:53]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER, SUPREME COMMANDER OF THE ALLIED FORCES IN EUROPE: Soldiers, sailors, and airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force. You are about to embark upon the great crusade toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you.

In company with our brave allies and brothers in arms on other fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: That was General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe, on June 6, 1944. For D-Day, his Order of the Day was distributed to the 175,000 members of the Expeditionary Force.

KEILAR: And for some of them, it was the last thing that they would read before they sacrificed their lives in service of their country. We want to read the rest of that letter. Quote:

Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle-hardened. He will fight savagely.

SANCHEZ: But this is the year 1944! Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41. The United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats, in open battle, man-to-man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground. Our home fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and placed in our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to victory!

KEILAR: I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full victory!

Good luck! And let us all beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.

SANCHEZ: Today we honor their courage and sacrifice.

KEILAR: And "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts right now.