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Interview With London, Kentucky, Mayor Randall Weddle; Idaho College Murder Suspect Granted Change of Venue; Republicans Release Report on Afghanistan; Harris and Trump Set to Debate. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired September 09, 2024 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:50]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: It's the debate that could shake up an already shaken election. No pressure, right? Campaigns have one final day to prep, as polls show Vice President Harris and former President Trump are neck-and-neck.

We're following both candidates as they gear up to face off.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Plus: back in session, a very divided Congress returning to Capitol Hill and releasing dueling documents on the U.S.' deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan. But are we actually learning anything new? We're going to dig into those reports.

Plus: a royal recovery. In a new video, Princess Catherine announces she is done with chemotherapy and has a new perspective on life.

We're following these major developing stories and many more all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

KEILAR: We are on the eve of what could be the most consequential moment of the 2024 race for the White House. Tomorrow night, on a stage in the City of Brotherly Love, no love lost.

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will face off for the first and perhaps the only presidential debate of this election, the candidates arriving in Philly for this high-stakes showdown with the race locked in a dead heat.

New numbers from a "New York Times"/Siena College poll showing there is no clear leader in this race among likely voters.

Let's kick off our coverage with CNN's Eva McKend.

She is in Pittsburgh, where the vice president has spent the last several days preparing for the debate.

Eva, what do we know about her strategy?

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, in a radio interview that aired this morning, the vice president essentially suggested that the former president has a propensity to lie and to suspect -- expect that tomorrow.

She also seemed to suggest that he has no integrity, saying that tomorrow he could get up there and say just about any and every thing. Take a little bit more detail on go ahead and listen to how she's thinking about this debate.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (D) AND U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He plays from this really old and tired playbook, right, where he -- there's no floor for him in terms of how low he will go. And we should be prepared for that.

And, ultimately, what I intend to point out is what we -- so many people know as -- certainly, as I'm traveling around the country in this campaign. He tends to fight for himself, not for be American people. And I think that's going to come out during the course of the debate.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

MCKEND: So, Brianna, her comments there informed by the rigorous debate prep that has taken place at the hotel just behind me in Pittsburgh over the last several days.

We know that she has closely studied the former president's six past debate performances, that she's been in these mock debate sessions with someone standing in for the former president, that she's had conversations with Hillary Clinton, as well as President Biden, who, of course, have extensive experience debating the former president.

Ultimately, she not only wants to forcefully go after him on that stage tomorrow night, but she also wants to make the case that it is time to move on from the politics and the era of Donald Trump.

KEILAR: All right, Eva McKend, thank you so much for that. We do appreciate it -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: Ahead of his big showdown with Vice President Harris, former President Donald Trump has been busy issuing threats to election officials, vowing that, if he wins in November, he will send those who he believes cheated to jail.

We should note those accusations are totally unsubstantiated. There is zero evidence of widespread election fraud in 2020. No evidence that it's going to happen in 2024 either. He also is calling on the FBI to investigate mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania. Remember, he narrowly lost their last election.And it's the battleground which is set to host tomorrow night's debate.

Let's get the latest now from Trump world with CNN Steve Contorno.

Steve, what more can you tell us about these threats, first of all, and secondly, how Trump is preparing for the debate in Philadelphia?

[13:05:01] STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Boris, in many ways, these threats are how Donald Trump is preparing for the debate, because that is certainly what he has been fixated on in the days leading up to his showdown with Vice President Harris.

Over the weekend on TRUTH Social, Trump posted that he would -- quote -- "Those involved in unscrupulous behavior will be sought out, caught, and prosecuted at levels unfortunately never seen before in our country."

He was talking about people that he believed cheated in the -- will cheat in the upcoming election, in the case you think he's only talking about people who file fraudulent ballots, of which there is a very, very, very small number of, he specified that he's also including lawyers, political operatives, donors, and election officials, saying that they could face lengthy prison sentences.

And as you said in another post on TRUTH Social, he raised concerns about mail-in voting in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania, all throughout the state, even as his own campaign is encouraging people to vote by mail, vote early, vote absentee, continuing to attack the method of which people voted that he believes is the reason why he lost in 2020.

And if you look at his comments over the weekend, he continued to harp on this at his rally in Wisconsin. Even as he's saying he would find new people to put in prison, he also would release people he believes are political prisoners. Take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (R) AND CURRENT U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The moment we win, we will rapidly review the cases of every political prisoner unjustly victimized by the Harris regime, and I will sign their pardons on day one.

With your vote this election, their lying, cheating, thieving, hoaxing, and plotting will come to an end. We got to stop the cheating. If we stop that cheating, if we don't let them cheat, I don't even have to campaign anymore. We're going to win by so much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CONTORNO: Now, talking to Trump advisers, they are trying to steer him in the debate toward attacking and going on the offensive, but not in these sort of personal attacks or fixation the 2020 election or the 2024 election, but instead in the areas where they believe they are on more fertile ground, especially looking at the economy, immigration, inflation, the areas where they want to be on the attack against Vice President Harris and try to tie her to the Biden administration, as well as the policies that she has flipped on since she was a candidate for president in 2020.

That is where his campaign would like him to be. We will see where he actually is tomorrow during the debate, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Yes, we will have to see if that sort of advice actually sticks.

Steve Contorno, thank you so much.

There is a lot to watch out for tomorrow night. And new polling shows how critical the debate could be for both candidates. One of the latest snapshots comes from "New York Times" and Siena College polling. Let's look at the numbers. The bottom line in this race right now, there is no clear leader.

Former President Donald Trump does hold a one-point advantage over Vice President Kamala Harris, but it's well within the margin of error of nearly three points. The poll does confirm what others before it have suggested. There is a wide gender gap among likely voters.

Women are breaking for Harris roughly by 11 points, while men favor Donald Trump by about 17 points. Looking more closely at race, among white voters, Trump is up by 15 points, while Harris holds the advantage among black and Hispanic voters, though Trump's numbers with these voters are actually higher historically than most Republican presidential candidates have been.

So that is actually welcome news for the former president. Focusing in on one of the most fascinating aspects of this poll, they dig into familiarity. A sizable share of voters say they still need more information about the vice president; 28 percent, more than a quarter of likely voters say that they feel they need to learn more about Vice President Kamala Harris. Just 9 percent of those asked say the same about Trump.

So tomorrow night could serve as an opportunity for her to introduce herself to these folks. Meantime, what do voters feel about those who want change or, rather, which candidate has positioned themselves as agents of change? What do voters think? Twenty-five percent believe that Harris represents major change, while 53 percent believe that Trump stands as a disrupter.

This is the 30,000-foot overall view. So let's take a closer look at the all-important blue wall. The winner of these battleground states stands a very good chance at winning the White House, and, in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, a deadlocked race. According to CBS News and YouGov, there is no clear leader, again, within the margin of error, roughly 3.5 to four points here.

What is clear, top of mind for voters in this election is the economy. And specifically, in these states, roughly eight in ten, just a shade over eight in 10, say that the economy is a major issue in deciding their vote. Inflation also continues to be a major concern, voters clearly feeling uneasy.

[13:10:08]

A majority, more than a quarter of registered voters in each of these three states say that their income is not keeping up with inflation. You can imagine both candidates will be asked about this tomorrow night -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Yes, those are big numbers there out of those battleground states, Boris.

And another major topic expected in tomorrow's debate is foreign policy. Today, the House GOP unveiled a scathing report on its years long investigation into the disastrous U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, accusing the Biden administration of pursuing the effort no matter the cost.

The report also aims to implicate Vice President Kamala Harris for the chaotic evacuation that resulted in the deaths of 13 American service members and more than 100 Afghans

In response, Democrats released a memorandum criticizing the report as politically motivated.

CNN's Kylie Atwood is at the State Department for us.

Kylie, does the report reveal anything?

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, it doesn't reveal any major revelations about how the Afghanistan withdrawal three years ago by the Biden administration was carried out, but there are some new details, Brianna.

For example, one of the things that this report does is focus in on the public comments that were made about the withdrawal at the time from the podiums here at the State Department, from the White House podium, and they juxtapose that to things that they have learned about the U.S. assessment at the time from the military perspective in their interviews with senior Pentagon officials, making the claim that the Biden administration was lying and misleading the public as this withdrawal was happening, essentially making the case that they were more worried, as the report says, about optics than about personnel security.

We also learned some new details of the negotiations that were happening to try and reach a power-sharing agreement between the Taliban and the Afghan government that was favoring the Taliban, according to this report.

But we should also know that the person who was doing those negotiations, Zalmay Khalilzad, for the United States, that person was put into place by the Trump administration and struck an agreement between -- with the Taliban that the Democrats are saying in their memorandum put -- that was put out today effectively made the evacuation decision irreversible.

So, both sides really point in fingers at one another, as we have seen them do over the last few years on this, Brianna. And when it comes to Vice President Harris, our reporting revealed she wasn't integral to the major decisions made around the Afghanistan withdrawal.

But what this report from the Republicans today does is point fingers at the decision made throughout on the Biden/Harris administration, invoking her name, very clearly so, and saying that she was in lockstep with Biden as these decisions were made, though not providing any examples as to how integral her role actually was. And I think it's important to note that, over the weekend, the vice

president now, her campaign, put out a statement pointing the finger at the Trump administration five years ago this week for trying to strike an agreement with the Taliban and bring the Taliban to Camp David.

So, for their part, the Republicans are focusing in on this, but so are the Democrats.

KEILAR: Yes, a lot of finger-pointing here.

Kylie Atwood live for us from the State Department, thank you.

And still ahead, a Kentucky community frozen as police are racing to try to figure out, really to find the suspect who they say opened fire on a busy interstate, shooting five people. We have new details about the search and the suspect.

Plus, the princess of Wales revealing an update in her cancer fight. She says that she has completed chemotherapy and is doing what she can to stay cancer-free.

See the new video ahead on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:18:23]

SANCHEZ: We're following some breaking news, a major development in the Idaho college murders trial, a judge just granting the defendant, Bryan Kohberger, a change of venue motion.

KEILAR: Yes, this is a big development.

And, last month, his defense team had raised concerns of a biased jury after survey results said the town would -- quote -- "burn the courthouse down" if he were acquitted. That is what one respondent in the survey said.

Kohberger is charged with killing four University of Idaho students back in 2022.

CNN's Jean Casarez has been closely following this story.

Jean, what more can you tell us about the judge's decision here?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, this is one of the most important decisions that will come down in this case, because the fact is, the trial will not be held in Moscow, Idaho, where the prosecution had argued so strongly that the case be kept there, because this is where the murder of four University of Idaho college students took place.

This is the community that lived it. This is the community that should own it, the prosecution said, and should have that trial there. But the defense argued otherwise, and the judge has just sided with them in a 20-page motion, saying that a defendant deserves a right to a fair trial.

There is a fundamental fairness that a defendant deserves under the Constitution. Remember, this is a death penalty case, and it says -- in quote -- "Sixty-seven percent of Latah County survey respondents reported believing Kohberger is guilty, with 51 percent of those indicating it would be hard for Kohberger to convince them of his innocence."

[13:20:01]

And that is right there in Moscow, where the community is. And then the judge went on. We want to show you this too. The judge went on to say in this opinion -- quote -- "While some of the coverage has been neutral reporting of the court proceedings, much of the coverage has been sensationalized and prejudicial to Kohberger."

And he's talking about right there in Moscow, Idaho, where it all took place. But then he goes into really the realization of Latah County, Moscow. He talks about the Latah County Sheriff's Department, that all the officers would have to be at this trial.

This is going to be a huge proceeding with people coming, media coming from around the world to this case, and that they are going to be there at the courthouse. And they're going to have to protect the witnesses, the parties, the victims' families, the jury, and the community.

And if there's breaking news in other parts of their community, all those sheriff's deputies are going to have to leave the courthouse. It just doesn't work. The clerk's office, he said there's going to be 6,000 initial mailings to people of Latah County about possibly serving on this jury. We don't have enough clerks.

We'd have to bring in clerks and computers. And so -- but here's the thing. We don't know where it's going to be, because the judge said he's going to allow the administrative director of courts to allow the Supreme Court, conceivably of Idaho, to determine exactly where this case and this trial will be held.

SANCHEZ: So, Jean, this whole process makes it likely that the start of the trial is going to be delayed more?

CASAREZ: I don't necessarily think so because it's supposed to begin next June, so they have a number of months. They have already had the hearing, the decision's been made.

You know they have been thinking about this, the administrative director of courts. The Supreme Court will make the decision, but there was really only one other location that was argued. And that was Boise, the state capital. And if you look at Lori Vallow, Chad Daybell, two very high-profile cases from last year, one being a death penalty case, they were both moved from small towns to Boise that has a large courthouse, a very large jury pool.

It is the capital. It is the largest population in Idaho, so we don't know, but quite possibly that's where it will be held. KEILAR: All right, we will be looking to see where it ends up.

Jean Casarez, thank you so much for that.

We now know that the suspected gunman wanted for randomly firing at people on a Kentucky highway served six years in the Army Reserve. Joseph Allen Couch is the subject of a massive manhunt that has forced the closures of at least a dozen school districts across Central Kentucky.

SANCHEZ: Police say that Couch fired at 12 cars on I-75 in Laurel County on Saturday, wounding five people and terrorizing many more as the area went into lockdown.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREA CHAVEZ, MANAGER, WARZONE PAINTBALL LLC: We were all just terrified. Everyone was scared. Everyone was just calling their family, their friends, telling them that they -- we were OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Let's get the latest now from CNN's Gloria Pazmino.

Gloria, this is now the third day that officials are looking for him. They believe that he remains in that dense wooded area by the highway, right?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Boris.

And, in fact, the woman we just heard from works at one of the few businesses that is in the area near where the shooting took place. And this is extremely rugged terrain. In fact, the woman is a manager at a paintball experience business.

And that is part of what these law enforcement officers are challenged by, the fact that they are having to search for this suspect in extremely rugged terrain. One critical problem here is that every day when the sun goes down, they have had to pull their officers back because it is not safe for them to be in there searching for him in the dark.

Now, Joseph Couch, 32 years old, we have learned that he is a military man, had served in the National Guard. Police have recovered his vehicle, as well as the weapon they believe to use in this shooting, an AR-15-style rifle, which they are currently trying to process to determine whether there is fingerprints or anything else they can learn about him and about what went on to plan this incident.

We have also learned in the last few hours that the commonwealth attorney for Laurel and Knox counties has announced there is now a $10,000 reward for any information that may lead to Couch's arrest. And they have also issued an arrest warrant charging Count with five counts of attempted murder and five counts of assault.

That car you're seeing there is one of the cars that was shot at. Inside that car was a woman with her husband and her 4-year-old son. She sustained a gunshot wound to her arm. She will be recovering, but five people were critically injured.

[13:25:08]

Both -- law enforcement officers are working across the area to try and find him, but they're asking the community to remain vigilant. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. RICHARD DALRYMPLE, LAUREL COUNTY, KENTUCKY, SHERIFF'S OFFICE: Terrain at Exit 49, where we believe the shots had come from, very unforgiving terrain, not a safe place to put people in the dark searching for a needle in a haystack.

JOHN ROOT, LAUREL COUNTY, KENTUCKY, SHERIFF: Well, my message would be that we would ask that he would give himself up, and we're not going to quit until we do lay hands on him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: Federal and state law enforcement agencies all working together. A helicopter, a drone, canine units have been deployed around this area, but police have also made it clear it is possible that somehow Joseph Couch has already left the vicinity and is someplace else.

They have also discussed the possibility that maybe he is no longer alive, but in the meantime this community remains on edge. Schools were canceled for today, and I think everyone there is trying to get back to normal, so they don't have to feel like they have to watch over their shoulder as they're walking around their community -- Boris, Brianna.

KEILAR: All right, Gloria, thank you very much. We appreciate that.

Let's turn now to Randall Weddle, the mayor of London, Kentucky, which is the county seat of Laurel County, where these shootings took place.

Mayor, thank you for taking time to be with us.

You have seen some of the victims here. Can you tell us how they're doing?

RANDALL WEDDLE, MAYOR OF LONDON, KENTUCKY: You know, the spirits are -- for the victims, are of course, somber at the moment.

But they are a resilient people that live here in the state of Kentucky.

SANCHEZ: Mayor, I imagine that there is information you wouldn't be able to share because you don't want it broadcast regarding the search. I am wondering what the latest there is, if you know whether the sheriff has been able to narrow the area that they're looking at in this manhunt at all. WEDDLE: Currently, the Kentucky State Police has took over the ground

search, and I'm confident that, with all the agencies working on this, that we are getting close.

KEILAR: Mayor Weddle, he purchased a gun and thousands of rounds of ammunition just a short time before the shooting on the day of the shooting.

Is there any reason to believe that he should not have been able to do that legally?

WEDDLE: No, by everything that we have heard from investigators, he -- there was no red flags. Everything that he purchased was legally purchased. So there's nothing there saying that he shouldn't have been able to have access to the gun.

SANCHEZ: And, Mayor, if he's not located by today, what are the plans moving forward for the community?

I know that schools are closed. Do you imagine there will be further closures or lockdowns if he's not caught in the next 24 hours or so?

WEDDLE: We will continue to talk to these superintendents in this area, giving them the information that -- as it develops and comes out during this evening.

I'm hopeful that he is captured by this evening, especially now that we have the reward out. So -- but, yes, if he's not captured, there is a possibility we continue to see more closures, but that will ultimately be up to the school systems.

KEILAR: What are you hearing from people in the community about how they're feeling?

WEDDLE: Everybody's scared. This is a very dangerous situation. This gentleman is obviously dangerous, according to even what law enforcement has stated.

And they're scared, but they're also frustrated. They're angry that someone decided to choose violence versus getting help for their mental health. So -- but, as I stated, we are a resilient and strong community and state here. So, we will get through this, but we will get through it together.

SANCHEZ: Mayor, at this point, it's unclear where exactly he is. There's no indication from law enforcement that he's getting help from anyone, but I wonder what your message is to folks out there that may know about him, that may know him. Perhaps he may be watching himself. We're not sure.

What's your message to the community?

WEDDLE: Our message is to -- if you have talked to him or had -- been associated with him, reach out to law enforcement.

What he has done is beyond horrible. It's beyond horrific. So, you -- you need to do the right thing and contact law enforcement.