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Today: House To Vote On Government Funding Bill That's Expected To Fail; Wray: FBI Working "Around The Clock" On Apparent Assassination Attempt; Springfield Mayor: I Would Discourage Trump Campaign From Visiting; A Rapper And A Reggaeton Singer Throw Support Behind Donald Trump; State Dept Says Americans Can Now Renew Passports Online. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired September 18, 2024 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00]

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Some are making clear to their colleagues on the right, who are itching for a government shutdown, that now is not the time to do that so close to an election.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MARK ALFORD (R-MO): There's some in my district who want to shut down, shut down. But then what? A shutdown at this point is not a winner for the Republicans.

REP. MIKE LAWLER (R-NY): I'm not shutting the government down. My colleagues aren't shutting the government down.

At the end of the day, the election is going to be determined by the American people, based on the issues of affordability, the border, crime, and the international crises that we've seen under Kamala Harris and Joe Biden. And obviously, a government shutdown would distract from that.

REP. LAUREN BOEBERT (R-CO): I absolutely believe that the speaker should always be ready for a government shutdown. We are the most powerful branch of government. And that's because we control, well, the purse strings, because we control the funding.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: And one person who seems to agree with Congresswoman Boebert there is former President Trump himself. In fact, last week, he posted on social media.

He said, "If Republicans in the House and Senate don't get absolute assurances on the election," what he called election security," he said, "they should, in no way, shape or form, go forward with a continuing resolution on the budget."

That continuing resolution. That would mean essentially a shutdown if they we're to listen to Donald Trump. I asked the speaker today, do you agree with what Donald Trump said?

And he didn't quite say. In fact, he said that he and Trump have spoken. He, of course, didn't also reveal what his next step will be when this measure fails tonight.

But everyone will be e watching here, because time is running out to avoid a shutdown by month's end -- Brianna?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Certainly is. Let's hope those cadets from West Point behind you have brought a little good luck to town with them that maybe we will avert a crisis. Shout out to them,

Manu, thank you so much. We appreciate it.

Boris?

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Turning now to the latest apparent attempt on Donald Trump's life, FBI Director Christopher Wray makes his first public comment on the investigation, saying his agency is working around the clock.

Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTOPHER WRAY, FBI DIRECTOR: For the second time in just over two months, we've witnessed what appears to be an attempt to attack our democracy and our democratic process.

And I'm relieved that former President Trump is safe. And I want the American people to know that the men and women of the FBI are working tirelessly to get to the bottom of what happened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: The FBI is leading the investigation into Ryan Wesley Routh, who faces two federal gun charges in this case.

And joining us now to discuss is former FBI deputy director, Andrew McCabe.

Andrew, great to see you as always.

I, first, want to ask you about this push to get more protection around former President Donald Trump.

Lawmakers like Speaker Mike Johnson have been pointing the finger at the White House, saying the White House needs to do more, that the administration and Homeland Security to do more to get more resources there.

The White House, in turn, is pointing the finger at Congress, saying you control the purse strings. You have to basically open up the country's wallet to spend money on these resources.

Which is right? How do we expedite the process to get more resources where they need to be.

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Classic government battle. Everybody points the finger at each other. And they're probably both a little bit right here, not to give you a lawyerly response.

The long-term problem is -- rests squarely on Congress' shoulders. They have never provided the funding levels to the Secret Service that the service needs.

They've been underfunded for decades, which has led them to this point where they don't have the personnel they need to cover all of the many threats that face the many, many people, this expanded kind of universe of people they need to protect.

The short-term response that falls on the White House and the administration, I think they've tried to stand up to that. And we know that DHS has basically detailed 1,500 Homeland Security investigators over to the Secret Service to bolster their roles.

Because the long-term fix doesn't come in overnight. You've got to find those people and train them.

SANCHEZ: When it comes to the Secret Service itself, some, like Congressman Mike Waltz of Florida, a Republican, has said that Congress might work things out, but there needs to be what he described as accountability and operational change at the Secret Service.

What does that look like?

MCCABE: Well, I think that's a fair criticism. I think, I know this last situation at the golf course in Florida kind of draws a highlight on that.

The acting director of the Secret Service stood up and said, wait a second, the security we had in place, it did its job. It found the threat and neutralized the threat. Everything was fine. It was a success.

And many people are stepping back from that and saying, well, how was it that there was a threat there for 12 hours that you didn't even know was there.

So I think there's a -- there's a reasonable demand on the Secret Service now to rethink their methodologies, how they think about protection, how they deploy resources, what -- how much time it takes them to go out and, you know, search the perimeter of a golf course before the president or a candidate arrives.

[14:35:01]

So I think that's very fair criticism, and it's appropriate that it's coming from Congress.

SANCHEZ: There have been calls during this FBI investigation into what happened over the weekend for the agency to be transparent with the American public in the course of the investigation.

In other words, during these kinds of cases, you typically wait until there's an indictment, until things are settled in court to put out information.

But several lawmakers and other folks want information to be put out now so there isn't this vacuum where conspiracy theories and other strange ideas are in the ether to fill the gap.

How does it complicate an investigation to put out information, let's say, from the FBI.

MCCABE: It's enormously complicated to do that, especially in a case like this, where you have a subject in custody who you have to now prosecute, right?

So you've -- you can't, even though we all recognize that a lack of information kind of leads to these fever swamps on the Internet and all that sort of conspiracy stuff,

You can't take the risk of compromising your ability to effectively hold this person accountable and convict them in court just because we're worried about what the Internet might say.

So the FBI and the Secret Service are in a tight spot here. They need to be consistent with the way that we handle information that may be involved in a criminal prosecution and kind of keep at bay those who are screaming for more and more and more facts.

Those facts will come out eventually. And they shouldn't be shared with the investigative committee. But to keep them quiet is essentially right now for the prosecution.

SANCHEZ: Andrew McCabe, always great to get your analysis. Thanks so much.

MCABE: Thank you, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Springfield, Ohio, would like to be left alone after some chaotic weeks caused by fallout from a baseless conspiracy theory. But that attention may only be growing as some Republicans want to visit the city that has seen life turned upside down.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:41:10]

KEILAR: Springfield, Ohio's, mayor has a message for those looking to exploit the unwanted spotlight that his city is under thanks to a baseless conspiracy theory.

Mayor Rob Rue says now is not the best time for a visit in the wake of President Trump's claim that Haitian migrants there have been eating peoples pets and that's led to various threats that have caused stress and strain, as he put it, on Springfield. SANCHEZ: Nevertheless, former Republican presidential hopeful and Trump campaign surrogate, Vivek Ramaswamy, is announcing plans for a town hall there tomorrow.

We want to discuss the situation there and other issues with CNN senior political commentator, Ana Navarro, and Lance Trover, the former spokesperson for North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum's 2024 presidential campaign.

Thank you both for being with us.

Lance, I'm wondering what you make of this move for Republicans to head to Springfield now after all of these rumors have been out there and have been largely debunked.

LANCE TROVER, FORMER SPOKESPERSON FOR ND GOVERNOR DOUG BURGUM'S 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: Look, I live by the old adage in politics that if a campaign is doing something, if a campaign is talking about something, yet been criticized for the media, but they continue doing it, it's probably because they believe they're on the right track politically in this country.

Ipsos has a poll out this morning that says one-third of Americans believe that immigration is the number-one issue in this country. That is a staggering number when you stop and think about it.

So I'm guessing the Trump campaign is wagering that Americans have moved on from the dogs and the cats and the memes. And they are wagering that Americans as a whole are looking at this community and asking themselves a foundational question: What if 10,000, 20,000, 30,000 people moved into my community?

And that's a fair discussion to have across the country. And that is what the Trump campaign is wagering on because, when we're talking about immigration, it's a winner for Donald Trump.

KEILAR: We hear Republicans making that turn. They're trying to say, let's talk about the strain on services.

But then you have someone like Ramaswamy talking about a town hall. That it may be on the right track politically for scoring points, Ana, but I wonder what you think about what cost to the city.

ANA NAVARRO, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, look, I think the questions and the issues surrounding putting 20,000 migrants from anywhere into a small town are legitimate questions.

But where we are with this city, I mean, when you have the mayor asking you not to show up and you decide to ignore that because you are a publicity maven who wants to be the center of attention, like Vivek Ramaswamy.

Today, in "The Wall Street Journal," there is a story about a woman from Springfield who was one of the ones who, I guess, made a police report about her missing pet, except that a few days later, her cat, Ms. Sassy, showed up safe in her basement. And this woman had alleged that she thought Haitian neighbors had eaten the cat, taken the cat. She ended up having to use a translator app to apologize to those Haitian neighbors.

Look, we all know that this is based on racist, false created narratives. We know they are created because J.D. Vance told us so when he was in an interview with Dana Bash this weekend.

It is shameful for them to be exploiting this issue, with the cost it's having on this city, where the Republican governor has now had to send state law enforcement where they are getting bomb threats.

Yes, they are hoaxes so far, but they have to be taken seriously. And this is happening because J.D. Vance and Donald Trump has elevated this issue and put a target on the back of Haitians and of the town of Springfield.

SANCHEZ: When you talk about the sort of racist scare tactics around the conversation about immigration, it strikes me, because, simultaneously, Republicans are also trying to appeal to voters of color and Latinos specifically.

And there's one moment I want to get your reaction to from over the weekend. Let's play that clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[14:45:00]

ANUEL AA, RAPPER: Thank you, Mr. President, for having us here. For me, it's a real blessing to be here.

I'm from Puerto Rico. We've -- we are -- yes, we are a big part of United States. We really depend on the United States.

Since Trump hasn't been around for Puerto Rico, it's not a secret, we've been going through a lot as a country.

And, yes, Biden always promised, promised. A lot of politicians always promise through the years. But all of us know, the world knows, everybody's experienced it, the best president the world's seen in this country, that has ever seen, his name is President Trump.

(CHEERING)

ANUEL AA: So all my Puerto Ricans, let's stay united. There's vote for Trump.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Latin music superstar, Nicky Jam -- you know, Nicky -- she's hot.

(CHEERING)

TRUMP: Where's Nicky? Where's Nicky?

Thank you, Nicky. NICKY JAM, REGGAETON SINGER: It's an honor to me to meet you, Mr.

President.

People that come from where I come, the don't meet the presidents. So I'm really -- I'm lucky.

I'm saying this, but we need you. We need you back, right?

(CHEERING)

NICKY JAM: We need you to be the president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: We got -- we got to give some context there, before I get your reaction, Ana, because those were mega music stars, Anuel AA, at the beginning, and then Nicky Jam, secondly.

Nicky Jam misgendered by Donald Trump. "Look at how hot she is." And it's definitely not that.

NAVARRO: Well, you know, Donald Trump has warned us that this happens. You send your kid to school and, all of a sudden, he comes back, she comes back with a different gender. I guess you send your Latin star to a Trump rally and, all of a sudden, he becomes a sheep.

So listen, Nicky Jam is a Puerto Rican singer and star. There's a big battle for the Puerto Rican vote, particularly in Pennsylvania. It is the third largest Puerto Rican community in the country after New York and Florida. And both campaigns are after it.

Donald Trump obviously has no idea who Nicky Jam is. Since then, Nicky Jam has gotten a lot of criticism. And he has he's been crowned, right? He's been made fun of, right, because obviously Donald Trump didn't know who he was.

Here's Nicky Jam, Donald Trump says he's hot. I've used the Nicky. Nicky, she's hot. she's hot. And then Nicky Jam goes up and it's a he, not a she.

So he's removed his endorsement from his social media. I don't know what that means. And I think it's, frankly, from embarrassment of people making fun of him.

KEILAR: You love reggaeton, Lance.

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: I mean, if there's one -- if there's one thing we know about Lance.

No, but seriously, there's a reason why Trump is using the appeal of these stars. What do you think about using this to try to appeal to Latino men?

TROVER: Well, I think Trump will use -- I think it's a smart move, actually, on my part, on his part.

But again, this immigration -- this whole issue around immigration, every day that we spend talking about it here is a winner for Donald Trump and a loser for Kamala Harris.

Whether it's the Springfield issue or whether it's the Puerto Rican folks or whomever, this is a winning issue for him time and again. So every day that we spend talking about it, where Americans are focused on it.

One of the other notes in that Ipsos poll, 54 percent of people agree with the idea of mass deportation of legal immigrants in this country. That was 25 percent of Democrats and 58 percent of Independents.

So I think when you look at this issue as a whole, it is something that has been resonating with the public out there. And it's certainly something that Trump campaign is going to latch onto.

I don't think we're going to hear the end of this anytime soon.

NAVARRO: Can I tell you something that I find really ironic? So over the weekend, we saw that Trump tweeted out, "I hate Taylor Swift." Because I guess she had the gall of expressing her right, constitutional right as a U.S. citizen of supporting whomever she wants.

These two Puerto Rican stars, Nicky Jam and Amuel AA, have supported Donald Trump. I haven't seen Kamala Harris come out and -- and do that. And I think it's ironic that Trump and his supporters only have an issue with celebrity endorsements when it's not for them.

But when they get endorsed by celebrities, they have no issue with it, even if they don't know their gender or their name, or their genre, or their music, or their language, or anything else.

KEILAR: Trump was very much enjoying this endorsement, for sure.

Ana, Lance, thank you so much to both of you.

[14:49:18]

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Here are some of the other headlines we are watching this hour.

Catherine, the princess of Wales, is now back to work, holding her first official engagement since revealing that she completed chemotherapy.

Kate, who disclosed her cancer diagnosis back in March went back to work hosting an early years meeting at Windsor Castle yesterday. She's dedicated much of her work to early childhood development. And U.S. Steel won't be learning his fate until after Election Day. Sources say the Japanese firm trying to buy it will get another 90 days to refile it's application for a national security review, pushing that until after November's election.

The sale has become politically charged with President Biden, Vice President Harris and former President Donald Trump all opposing the sale. But U.S. Steel argues, if it gets no buyout, many jobs could be lost.

Also, Tupperware, closing the lid on its current operations, announcing Chapter 11 bankruptcy to try and get some breathing room from its bills, giving it a chance to restructure into what it calls a technology-led company.

Tupperware started back in 1946, primarily using those famed Tupperware parties for direct sales. And they only began retailing at Target about two years ago.

[14:55:01]

But the CEO admitted the party is over. Its stock down to about $0.51 a share.

Brianna?

KEILAR: Who likes to wait in line to renew their passport? Pretty sure nobody. But that's all about to change.

We have CNN's Jennifer Hansler with the details on that.

What's going on here, Jennifer?

JENNIFER HANSLER, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT REPORTER: Well, Brianna, if you have been waiting to renew your passport, the State Department has good news for you. Because you will be able to do that online.

No more having to mail in that paper application or go to the passport office. This has all been moved online.

Now there are some restrictions. This is only for adult passports that are being renewed, that expired either within the past five years or are expiring in this coming year.

But the State Department does hope to expand that as they expand out like this online program. It is the same process, but you'll do it online on the State Department's Web site.

You'll go through some initial questions to make sure you can actually use that online form. And then you will fill it out. And it's the same amount of time to wait for your passport renewal, about eight weeks.

A State Department official said this is all about convenience for Americans who are hoping to get out there and travel abroad -- Brianna?

KEILAR: Al right, that's great news.

Jennifer Hansler, straight from the State Department for us. We appreciate the report.

Soon, Sean "Diddy" Combs will be back in a New York courtroom next hour fighting to be released on bail. Ahead, the latest on that request, and the charges that landed then there in the first place.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)