Return to Transcripts main page
CNN News Central
Biden To Pass Torch To Harris In Opening Night Speech At DNC; Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese Breaking WNBA Records; House Republicans Release Biden Impeachment Report. Aired 7:30-8a ET
Aired August 19, 2024 - 07:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:30:35]
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, you are getting a live look of the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Somewhere inside that building at this very moment, Sara Sidner is sitting beside me. And behind us is the floor of the --
SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Dead center.
BERMAN: -- Democratic National Convention. Yeah, dead center -- there it is. I mean, that's the podium right there. That is where all these speeches will be delivered over the course of these four nights.
And the big speaker tonight is someone who, it's safe to say, initially thought he'd be delivering the main speech --
SIDNER: Right.
BERMAN: -- of the entire week --
SIDNER: Yeah.
BERMAN: -- Thursday night, and that's President Joe Biden.
SIDNER: Joining us now, CNN political commentators Maria Cardona and Shermichael Singleton. Thank you both for being here.
I'm going to start here. The new ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos --
MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Um- hum.
SIDNER: -- poll that has come out, and I see the wry smile on your face. She started off early you all.
CARDONA: You know it.
SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIC: Adulation -- it's there.
SIDNER: This poll showing that Harris has a slight edge -- CARDONA: Um-hum.
SIDNER: Over Donald Trump.
CARDONA: Yeah.
SIDNER: The momentum has been -- I think we can -- even you -- we can all agree has been unprecedented.
SINGLETON: Yeah.
CARDONA: Yeah.
SIDNER: We have not seen this kind of shift.
CARDONA: Um-hum.
SIDNER: But what does she need to do to keep this going?
CARDONA: Yeah.
SIDNER: Because already, Republicans are on the attack trying to --
CARDONA: Sure.
SIDNER: -- stop this from flowing.
CARDONA: Absolutely. That's a great question, Sara, because I have always said that even if we see a poll that has our person who is now Kamala Harris and Tim Walz 10 points ahead, they need to run like they're 10 points behind, especially now, right? We are now in the home stretch. There is an opportunity for her to continue to define herself with the American people. But we also know Republicans are trying to do the same. I think she has tremendous momentum, as you said.
I think she has great advantages with the electorate, and you can see it in these polls as well. She is more trusted on personal values. She is seen as somebody who understands the everyday issues that Americans are going through. She is somebody who is seen as focused on the future -- energetic. And now that Biden is no longer in the race it's Donald Trump that is seen as old and feeble, and the past.
And hers is also, importantly, the politics of joy versus the politics of fear, the politics of division, the politics of retribution.
And I think we all know -- you know, we've talked for so long about how Democrats have historically been the party of having 10-point plans, right? Ten-point policy papers. We all know at the end of the day that voters vote with their gut. They vote based on how a candidate makes you feel.
From what we are seeing, Kamala Harris makes people feel good, and makes people feel hopeful, and makes people feel optimistic. That, I think, is more than lightning in a bottle for a day. I think it's something that she can sustain until November. BERMAN: You're talking about age. As an aside, I think I just read
that today is Bill Clinton's 78th birthday.
SINGLETON: Oh.
BERMAN: Bill Clinton was president when I was in college, OK, and now both Donald Trump --
SIDNER: How you feeling now?
BERMAN: -- and President Biden are older --
CARDONA: Yeah.
BERMAN: -- than Bill Clinton. It's just -- it's just --
CARDONA: Yeah.
BERMAN: -- an astounding thing to think about.
Shermichael, that was an aside.
(LAUGHING)
BERMAN: I went down the stage (PH) road right there, but Maria is talking about age.
What is the Democratic National Convention that you think Republicans fear the most?
SINGLETON: Fear the most would be a five-point bump coming out of this.
BERMAN: But how? But, like, doing what? Like, presenting what?
SINGLETON: Well, I mean, what we've seen -- 28 days of energy with women.
CARDONA: Um-hum.
SINGLETON: We've seen the vice president improve her numbers with Hispanic voters and Black voters.
CARDONA: Um-hum.
SINGLETON: She still has some room to go there -- not enough for a Democrat.
I think overall, though, if you're looking at this race from the Republicans' perspective, the big question, at least for me, is can she improve the margins in the battleground states -- those four that made the difference -- less than 100,000 votes in 2020. If those numbers continue to shift, John, then you become incredibly nervous because what that showcases is that it's no longer about policies. This has really become a cultural phenomenon.
CARDONA: Um-hum.
SINGLETON: And attempting to develop a strategy to attack that becomes difficult because to Maria's point, that's not about white papers or well, the economy should be here. People aren't feeling it.
This is are you excited about a moment that could --
CARDONA: Yeah.
SINGLETON: -- change history?
CARDONA: Um-hum.
SINGLETON: And that's very difficult to compete against, and I have to be honest about that.
[07:35:00]
SIDNER: I have never heard a lot of um-hum, and exactly, and an amen in years --
SINGLETON: I saw Maria over there --
SIDNER: -- from the Democratic side.
CARDONA: He's on message.
SIDNER: Uh-huh.
SINGLETON: I mean, let me say I've got to be honest --
SIDNER: Yes, sir.
SINGLETON: -- I've got to be honest with our viewers, right?
CARDONA: Yeah.
SIDNER: Yeah.
SINGLETON: Like, you've got to call balls and strikes here.
SIDNER: Yeah.
SINGLETON: Republicans have some work to do and it's the reason why you see a lot of Republicans out there saying to the former president stick to the issues of the economy, immigration because you do have an advantage there.
BERMAN: Is there -- is this a moment -- do you think she has achieved what you were just talking about it being a cultural moment yet?
SINGLETON: I think so. I think is it the Obamaesque moment? I'm not certain yet. But I would objectively say I think it has the potential to get there.
I mean, look -- SIDNER: There's --
SINGLETON: -- this is a -- this is a once in a lifetime opportunity --
CARDONA: Yeah.
SINGLETON: -- for a Black woman to potentially become --
CARDONA: Exactly.
SINGLETON: -- the president.
CARDONA: Exactly. There's another exactly.
SIDNER: Yeah.
CARDONA: I think that's exactly right because it's different than Obama. Obama had his moment. Everyone talks about is this another Obama moment.
I think this is the Kamala Harris moment, right? First Black woman. First woman of Asian descent. First daughter of immigrants. This is a first-generation American who is about to ascend to the presidency. That is historic for so many of the groups of the coalitions of voters --
SINGLETON: Yeah.
CARDONA: -- that make up not just the Democratic Party --
SINGLETON: Yeah.
CARDONA: -- but this country.
One of the things that I have been hearing from the voters that I work with is the excitement that she understands what it's like to come to this country, to struggle. To know that for -- the reason you came here is for a better future for yourself and for your children. And you're going to look to a candidate who not only welcomes you but gives you the tools to be able to give your family that better life as an immigrant.
SINGLETON: Yeah.
CARDONA: That's exactly why family came to this country, and I can see in here the exact type of optimism, and hope, and dream, and vision that brought my parents here.
And I think that speaks volumes, especially to all the new voters that we have in the electorate. And among the Latino community, there are six million new voters. Among Gen Z, there are more than 10 million new voters. She can speak to that in a way that I don't think Donald Trump can.
SINGLETON: I mean, and that's why Republicans need to have affirmational city on the hill-type message. We can delineate between --
SIDNER: Can Donald Trump deliver that, though --
SINGLETON: Oh, I mean, he -- if --
SIDNER: -- because it's been so negative.
SINGLETON: Yeah. I mean, Sara, if the former president wants to win, he's going to have to figure out a way how, and that's why so many Republicans are warning him. It's not enough to draw the contrast that the American people aren't really feeling the economy vibes, if you will, that Vice President Harris will say all of these successes under the Biden-Harris administration.
But what's the Republican message to say you're not feeling it. This is how we're going to fix it, and this is how we're going to provide economic prosperity to the American people. This is how we're going to secure the border so that your communities are safe. This is how we're going to make sure that the U.S. leads internationally so we're not sending your sons and daughters to fight in foreign conflicts.
We need to have that message to draw that contrast that gives people hope for the future and not necessarily looking back to the past.
SIDNER: So --
BERMAN: So -- OK, sorry. Go ahead.
SIDNER: Oh, I was just going to say Maria, can you speak -- there is something that has been sort of sitting on me --
CARDONA: Um-hum.
SIDNER: -- thinking about what it would be like to be in President Biden's shoes.
CARDONA: Um-hum.
SIDNER: We talked about it at the very beginning. He's the first speaker -- he's the first -- on the first night, right?
CARDONA: Right.
SIDNER: And now he would normally -- 30 days ago -- 30 days ago he would have been basically the last speaker --
CARDONA: Right.
SIDNER: -- right --
CARDONA: Um-hum.
SIDNER: -- to accept the nomination.
How hard is it going to be for him today --
CARDONA: Um-hum.
SIDNER: -- to stand up on that stage and say OK, the baton is completely passed?
CARDONA: Yeah. There's no question that it has got to be an emotional moment for the President of the United States who, as we all know for so long, this has been what he has wanted to do.
But at the same time, this is somebody -- he's going to get a hero's welcome tonight. There's no question about that. But the reason for that is because this is somebody who has known how to put his personal wants and needs aside and it has always been about public service, which is something that Donald Trump knows nothing about. And I think that's going to be a tremendous contrast tonight as well.
He is -- he also understands, though, that Kamala Harris' accomplishment and success in November is going to be his as well. Because if it wasn't for what he did so selflessly, this would not be the moment that we are all living in. This is the bridge that he promised to be when he first ran in 2020.
So I think for him, it can also be a moment of tremendous joy. Of being in the spotlight. Of being the person responsible for the immense moment that the Democratic Party and the country is going through right now.
SINGLETON: But you know what? They also have him speaking Monday --
SIDNER: Right.
SINGLETON: -- and I think that's for a reason.
Vice President Harris has attempted to moderate herself on several key issues. I understand why as a strategist. She also wants to define what her own legacy in the future will look like under a Harris administration, which is why I think you put the president Monday, people will forget by Thursday.
BERMAN: Shermichael Singleton, Maria Cardona, thank you both very much.
SINGLETON: Thank you, guys.
CARDONA: Thank you.
BERMAN: Want to get some insight into what President Biden may say tonight when he --
[07:40:00]
SIDNER: Yes, we do.
BERMAN: -- takes that stage behind us?
With us now is the White House communications director, Ben LaBolt, standing outside the White House. Ben, it's great to see you this morning.
So what will President Biden's message be when he takes that stage behind me?
BEN LABOLT, WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Thanks for having me, John.
Well look, the president has focused his presidency on defending democracy at home against the threat posed by Donald Trump who wants to be a dictator on day one. And he's going to call on Americans tonight to defend democracy one more time in November by voting for his close governing partner, Vice President Harris and Gov. Walz.
He's also going to take the country through the journey of the past four years. You know, when he came into office we were in the midst of a once-in-a-century pandemic. We beat it. The economy was flat on its back. It's not the strongest in the world. Sixteen million jobs created under this president. And he's defended democracy not only at home but abroad in places like Ukraine from Putin's war of aggression.
BERMAN: So you just mentioned Donald Trump by name, which is something that occasionally President Biden does not do, even when he talks about him a lot. He'll say the former president, the former guy.
How much will President Biden address Donald Trump by name tonight?
LABOLT: The president's key goal tonight is to make the case for Vice President Harris and to continue all the progress that we've made under this administration.
Since under the Trump administration, we lost two million jobs. We botched the response to the pandemic. It's President Biden and Vice President Harris that have turned that around and passed historic legislation that we haven't seen since LBJ to redo our roads and bridges. To bring the clean energy industry back to America.
You know, they've really revitalized the country. The seeds have been planted and I think they won't be fully realized for years to come. And so that will be certainly the focus of his remarks.
But this election is a choice. I do think he's going to lay out the stakes of the election and the threat that would be posed by Donald Trump and J.D. Vance to all the progress that we've made also in areas like reproductive rights and individual freedoms, which the vice president has really made a centerpiece of her platform.
BERMAN: But to my question. Trump, by name -- can we expect that tonight?
LABOLT: Yes, absolutely. This is a -- this is a political convention, and the president is going to make the case for Vice President Harris and he's going to make the case against Donald Trump who does pose a threat to our democracy.
BERMAN: Understood. So it won't be a subtlety speech is I guess what we're getting at here. So you -- one of the themes of this convention -- the big theme is "For the People for the Future" -- for our future, I think were the exact words the Democrats are using here. What you just laid out, President Biden will kind of be talking a lot about the past, no?
LABOLT: Well look, I think the vice president's theme is "A New Way Forward" and it's also that we won't go back to the Trump administration.
I think one of the things the president can do is credential all of the progress that we've been making and make the case that we need to continue to make progress in areas like lowering costs, which have been the number one issue for the American people for a long time.
So I think he's looking forward to being a bridge, as he's talked about -- a bridge president to the next generation, passing the torch to Vice President Harris. He will do that tonight and look towards the future. But he's also somebody who has served on the world stage for 50 years. There are incredible lessons he's gained from that to share with the country, to share with the world. So I think you'll hear about that for the next five months as well.
BERMAN: So you've been to a few of these things. I mean, I know you worked at the Obama campaign in 2008 when you were 11.
LABOLT: (Laughing).
BERMAN: How does this moment feel in comparison to all these other conventions that you've been at?
LABOLT: Well, I'm only 13 now, John.
Look, I think this is obviously a different convention. A month ago, the president made a courageous decision that out of the name of party unity, out of the name -- or in the name of defeating Donald Trump who poses a threat to our democracy, he stepped aside. And he immediately endorsed Vice President Harris because he thought that was the best way to continue the progress that we have been making.
He had confidence in her. She's tough. She's smart. He was confident that the party would rally around her. They quickly did so.
So this is a historic moment. It's different than past conventions and I think you'll see a sitting president pass the torch to Vice President Harris and the next generation. So it'll be a really special and unique moment.
BERMAN: Ben LaBolt outside the White House for us, White House communications director and now senior adviser, I understand, to the president in these last few months. We appreciate you being with us this morning. Thank you.
LABOLT: Thanks, John.
BERMAN: Kate. KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: So it was an historic night for women's basketball. WNBA rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese each breaking records. Clark broke the rookie assist record. Reese became the fastest to reach 20 double-doubles.
[07:45:00]
CNN's Carolyn Manno has much more on this, which begs the question maybe this year more than any when it comes to the WNBA of Rookie of the Year, all the more fascinating.
CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: I know, it does. It makes it exciting for us. And with Olympic break over as well, now everybody is laser-focused once again --
BOLDUAN: We need something.
MANNO: -- on these two. Yeah, the debate rages on.
I mean, we know about Caitlin Clark -- about her shooting. She's also one of the best passers in WNBA history. She's already the recordholder for most assists in a single game with 19 in the WNBA. But now the Indiana Fever sensation adding to that history yesterday -- her third assist against the Seattle Storm.
Check this out. This is a perfect full-court dime to Kelsey Mitchell.
BOLDUAN: Easy.
MANNO: Easy peasy.
BOLDUAN: I mean, that's like, in the backyard.
MANNO: Yeah. She's, like, I'm going to set a new rookie record for assists --
BOLDUAN: MBD (PH).
MANNO: -- in a season -- MBD. She actually passes to Ticha Penicheiro who had 225 of the Sacramento Monarchs back in 1998. For some context, Caitlin Clark was not even born at that time.
She finished with nine assists to go with her 23 points. The Fever win big, 92-75.
And afterwards, she reflected on the moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAITLIN CLARK, GUARD, INDIANA FEVER: If you would have told me I would, like, lead the league in assists coming in here in my rookie season I probably would have told you you were lying. But I take a lot of pride in that. Like, I want to set my teammates up first and foremost because I think that's going to help you have the most successful team.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MANNO: Meantime, the Chicago Sky's Angel Reese continues to make her case for Rookie of the Year, too. The number seven draft pick dropping 19 points and grabbing a career-high 20 rebounds in last night's loss to the Phoenix Mercury. That makes her the fastest player in league history to reach the 20 double-double mark. She is now just a pair shy of matching the Sky's single season record and the WNBA rookie record with 13 more games to play in the regular season.
So this is just going to be fascinating, Kate. A lot of times we've seen guards maybe not be valued so much for these big individual awards --
BOLDUAN: Um-hum.
MANNO: -- but, you know, Caitlin Clark is leading this offense, and she's improved so much that we're just going to continue to talk about it.
BOLDUAN: As we should and as we can continue to --
MANNO: Yes.
BOLDUAN: -- just fawn all over their awesomeness.
NFL -- football is not officially -- the regular season has not began but we are getting something of a preview.
MANNO: Yeah. It's not official but it's official. I feel like NFL season just goes all year round. The preseason does --
BOLDUAN: Just the way they designed it.
MANNO: Yeah. The preseason does help teams finalize their rosters. It offers a couple of clues who is going to be in the starting lineups on opening day.
Bronco's coach Sean Payton says he's not ready to name rookie Bo Nix as his quarterback yet, but it seems like it's just a matter of time here based on his performance against the Packers last night. Eight of nine passing, 80 yards at a touchdown in two drives.
He's from Oregon. A lot of people know him. He's now led Denver to scores on six of his seven drives in the postseason. The Broncos beat the Packers 27-2.
One more moment from the preseason that's getting a little bit of buzz this morning, Kate. Simone Biles wearing a Packers jacket to a Bears game in Chicago. That is one of the biggest rivalries in all of sports.
BOLDUAN: Oh!
MANNO: Now her husband, Chicago safety Jonathan Owens, played in Green Bay last season so this could make a little bit of sense. By the way, she's also been a little bit busy lately. She's been winning Olympic gold medals. I feel like she could wear anything she wants. A lot of people talking about this.
BOLDUAN: This could have been as simple as, like, my Bears jacket was dirty and I just --
MANNO: It is as simple as that. It is. I need a jacket. I'm an Olympian. I just won a bunch of gold medals. Like --
BOLDUAN: Not --
MANNO: I know.
BOLDUAN: -- everything is a statement.
MANNO: No -- yeah. Forget it. She's the GOAT. Bring at it. Moving on.
BOLDUAN: Moving on.
MANNO: Goodbye.
BOLDUAN: MBD.
Good to see you. Thanks for coming in this morning.
All right, so we also have this new this morning. House Republicans just released the report on the long-running impeachment inquiry into President Biden. What it provides and what it does not. We will have that ahead.
Plus, Beyonce and/or Taylor Swift at the DNC? Why there is speculation swirling that these megastars could be headed to Chicago.
(COMMERCIAL)
[07:53:07]
SIDNER: New details for you this morning about which A-list celebrities are planning to be at the Democratic National Convention here in Chicago where we are as the party formally crowns Kamala Harris as its nominee. Rumors are swirling big-time. Everybody's talking about it -- that two of the biggest names in music, Beyonce and Taylor Swift --
BERMAN: Is that of the biggest names or the two biggest names?
SIDNER: I think the two biggest names.
BERMAN: OK.
SIDNER: We can -- we don't have to -- we don't have to parse it. Beyonce and Taylor Swift might make appearances.
BERMAN: Might, all right.
CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister is with us this morning. That was the might. How about the will? Who do we know that will be here?
ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: By the way, I'm with you, John. They are the two biggest names. Of course, all eyes are on whether they will come.
But who we do know will be there. Some new exclusive reporting that I got in overnight -- there are going to be four celebrity hosts that are emceeing each night of the convention.
Kicking off tonight is going to be Tony Goldwyn who, of course, starred as the president on "SCANDAL" but is very politically active in his real life. And Ana Navarro is going to be hosting tomorrow night, Mindy Kaling on Wednesday, and Kerry Washington on Thursday.
Now, can -- rather, convention officials tell me that the role of these hosts is going to be similar to something at the Oscars. Like, an awards show. They'll come on, they'll make an introduction, and then they'll reappear throughout the night to help guide the audience through programming.
Now, aside from these four celebrity hosts, I also hear that there are going to be some other A-list speakers yet to be announced. And also, all eyes are on who is going to perform. I do hear that there is going to be at least one performance tonight and that should be announced shortly.
Also, a lot of parties happening in Chicago. And, of course, Hollywood is very excited about Harris, so Hollywood is descending from the West Coast to the Midwest now. John Legend will be performing at a party. Also, Joan Jett. So there will be a lot of celebrity action down there in Chicago. So keep your eyes out.
[07:55:05]
And Julia Louis-Dreyfus -- she is hosting a panel with the female Democratic governors of this country.
SIDNER: You can't forget "VEEP." I mean, she did a whole show about this situation.
There is, of course, a lot of talk. Just give us the answer. Beyonce and Taylor -- are they going to be here because that's what we really want to know?
WAGMEISTER: And that's what the people want to know. That's what I want to know. So as I said, of course, there's a big hole -- right, Sara? Who is going to be that big performer?
Now, of course, we do know that Beyonce is backing Vice President Harris. I exclusively broke the news for us that she gave her clearance to use her song "Freedom" as her official campaign song. So that would leave some room to believe that Beyonce could potentially take the stage at the DNC.
Now, Taylor Swift has previously backed the Biden-Harris administration. Back in 2020 she backed Biden. But we haven't heard from her yet.
Now remember, she is on tour. Right now she's in London so she can't be there tonight. She can't be there tomorrow. She's a little busy in London. But if her show ends on Tuesday, she could hop on a private jet and she could be there by Wednesday. So we will see.
But Taylor also comes back to the U.S. in October, so there is time for her to make an endorsement if she chooses to.
SIDNER: Elizabeth Wagmeister, thank you so much -- Kate.
BOLDUAN: Thanks, guys.
New this morning, also on the first day of the Democratic National Convention, House Republicans have just released a lengthy report detailing their impeachment inquiry into President Biden.
The report alleges obstruction of justice and abuse of power by the president when it comes to his son Hunter's business dealings in the past. It stops short of alleging any criminal wrongdoing. It also covers familiar ground that has been tread before.
CNN's Marshall Cohen has been combing through this one for us and he joins us now. So, Marshall, explain what's in this report and what happens with it now.
MARSHALL COHEN, CNN REPORTER: Kate, good morning.
So after a year of digging, Republicans really didn't move the ball forward all that much. Their nearly-300-page report -- it's full of very strong accusations and lofty claims like you mentioned.
But here's the political reality. Number one, the Republicans still don't have the votes to impeach Joe Biden. And number two, with Kamala Harris as the new Democratic nominee, many Republican lawmakers are just moving on.
So what's actually in this report? It reads like a greatest hits of recycled talking points. It's heavy on innuendo and circumstantial evidence, but it's light on proof.
So as you mentioned, the Republicans looked at the foreign business dealings of Joe Biden's brother James and his son Hunter. They concluded that "Overwhelming evidence demonstrates that President Biden participated in a conspiracy to monetize his office of public trust to enrich his family."
They, the Republicans, say that the Biden family sold access when he was VP to businessmen in China, Ukraine, and other countries. They say these are impeachable offenses.
But Kate, here's the rub. As you said, the report stops short of actually formally recommending that the House move forward with an impeachment vote.
For its part, the White House -- they have not put out a response this morning, but they have repeatedly denied that Joe Biden was ever involved in his family's business dealings. That's also what Hunter and James said under oath to the committee -- Kate.
BOLDUAN: All right. But more noise and more talk about this, conveniently; and no question, not coincidentally on the first day of the Democratic National Convention as they kick off.
It's good to see you, Marshall. Thank you so much.
And also this that we're tracking. Matthew Perry's overdose death and the criminal charges after the fact that are now facing five different people -- it has brought the -- brought back into the spotlight the drug ketamine.
Ketamine has been approved for decades for uses as anesthesia. It also has a long history as a party drug being abused. And more recently, has been studied and shown some promise as a possible treatment for depression, trauma, and more. But there are a lot of questions around it.
Let's bring in CNN's Meg Tirrell. She has much more on this. So, Meg, help everyone understand a little bit better what is ketamine approved for and not approved for.
MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. So this has been a drug that's been around -- it was really developed in the 1960s for use as an anesthetic on the battlefield in the Vietnam War. And it's been approved since 1970 by the FDA for use as an anesthetic.
Now, more recently, a form of ketamine called esketamine, or the brand name is SPRAVATO, was approved for treatment-resistant depression as a nasal spray.
But there's also this whole sort of "Wild West" doctors are calling it off-label use of ketamine through clinics for things like anxiety, PTSD, chronic pain. And according to Epic Research, prescriptions for ketamine have gone up more than five-fold since 2017. This is off- label use so it's not the indications that it is FDA approved for. But because the drug is FDA approved it can be used in this way.
But doctors are worried about this because there are tight guardrails around how you can use SPRAVATO, the treatment-resistant depression nasal spray.
