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Today, Harris Pitches Her Economic Vision to the Nation; Trump Again Disparages Service Members Killed in Action; Five Suspects Charged in Matthew Perry's Death. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired August 16, 2024 - 10:00   ET

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

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JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. You are live in the CNN Newsroom. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington.

In just a few hours from now, Vice President Kamala Harris will pitch her economic vision to the nation. And this morning, we're learning about some of the policies she is set to unveil in just a short time from now, including tax cuts for lower and middle class Americans, an expanded child tax credit, a four-year plan to lower housing costs, and a federal ban on price gouging.

Let's discuss with CNN Political Commentators Shermichael Singleton and Democratic Campaign Consultant Tim Hogan.

Guys, I want to get to the battle over the economy in just a moment, but, first, I want to talk about this comment. That Trump made last night as he was praising one of his donors. He said the Presidential Medal of Freedom for Civilians was superior to the Medal of Honor because those recipients of the Medal of Honor are often wounded or dead soldiers. Let's listen to this.

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DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: We gave Miriam (ph) the Presidential Medal of Freedom. That's the highest award you can get as a civilian. It's the equivalent of the Congressional Medal of Honor, but civilian version. It's actually much better because everyone gets the Congressional Medal of Honor that soldiers, they're either in very bad shape, because they've been hit so many times by bullets, or they're dead.

She gets it, and she's a healthy, beautiful woman. That's right. And they're rated equal.

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ACOSTA: Yes, Tim, obviously there's a lot of discussion about what Trump said last night. He has spent the last four years, as you know, saying he never called fallen soldiers, quote, suckers and losers, even though it's been confirmed by CNN. But here he is on camera expressing pretty much the same sentiment, saying the Presidential Medal of Freedom is superior to the Medal of Honor because Medal of Honor recipients are often wounded or dead. What did you make of that?

Tim, are you there?

TIM HOGAN, FORMER SPOKESPERSON, HILLARY CLINTON'S 2016 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: I mean, look, it is -- yes, it is exactly what we expect from Donald Trump. Like you said, he's someone who has called veterans suckers or losers. He is someone who has dodged the draft over bone spurs. He is someone who has said that his personal Vietnam was avoiding STD. He downplays the contributions of veterans, and it's reprehensible.

On the other side, you've got someone now on the ticket in Governor Tim Walz from Minnesota, who is a veteran who served 24 years in the Army National Guard. He's someone who, when he was in Congress, half of the legislation that he was working on was to help veterans. So, I think there's a really clear contrast for people who care about those who served our country.

ACOSTA: Yes. And, Shermichael. I mean, obviously anybody gets the Medal of Freedom, our hats off to them.

SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, sure.

ACOSTA: But somebody who serves in uniform is a hero out on the battlefield, gets the Medal of Honor, I don't see how you can compare one to the other.

SINGLETON: Yes, I mean, I don't see how you can compare one to the other either. I mean, look, I've done a lot of stuff with veterans. It's a group that I've spent a lot of time with. There's a group called Battle Buddy Three Gun. It's a group of veterans that allow veterans who've been wounded to compete in competitive shooting.

And I've done a lot of stuff with them to sort of help the guys with their PTSD and other things to show them that despite whatever physical limitations they now have after serving, we support them, we stand with them and we can still have fun shooting guns, which is something a lot of them enjoy doing.

You cannot compare this. It is an unnecessary blunder to make statements like that because a lot of veterans do support the former president. I'm not -- I get the compliment to Miriam, but I just think there was a better way to make that compliment without potentially insulting veterans who have their lives, ultimately losing limbs for the freedoms of this country that a lot of people sometimes take for granted. So, I don't think it was the best choice of words.

ACOSTA: Yes, he was trying to praise one of his big donors, Miriam.

SINGLETON: She's giving a lot of money.

ACOSTA: But at the same time, Shermichael, I mean, it makes you wonder when Trump's claiming that he never said suckers and losers or disparaging wounded veterans, and then he makes a comment like that. I wonder if it gives you any pause as to whether he is even capable of blunting Kamala Harris' momentum right now when he keeps making these kinds of strange comments.

SINGLETON: I mean, look, it's not helpful, right? There isn't a person who's advised any political candidate running for any level of office who would not warn them or caution them against making statements that make them open to attack, particularly when you're seeing the poll numbers slightly move against you.

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You want to be more on the offense and not the defense. I mean, maybe having a good defense is a good when you're playing football, but in politics, Jim, that's not where you want to be.

ACOSTA: Or maybe a touch more disciplined. That might help as well. And, Tim, yesterday during this press conference at Bedminster, he described Kamala Harris as a communist over and over again. I mean, this is obviously a talking point he's putting out there. He also said he was entitled to personal attacks on his political opponents.

How should the vice president respond? She's going to be out in front of the cameras today, obviously talking about her economic policy. She's going to be going on a big bus tour this weekend in Western Pennsylvania, and, of course, heading into the Democratic Convention.

HOGAN: Yes. Look, those are self-inflicted wounds by Trump. It is what he does best. I guess he gets praised for holding an hour-long press conference, but he doesn't drive a message. He may read a topper talking about economic policy for ten minutes, but then he veers into personal attacks.

I think for the vice president, it's stay disciplined, keep doing what you're doing. She's going to roll out an economic policy today. She was with the president yesterday talking about how, for ten drugs, ten very popular drugs, they reduced costs by 40 to 80 percent, saving $6 billion by allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices. She's turning today in North Carolina, by the way, a state that we only lost in 2020 by 1.3 percentage points. A new polling from a couple days ago puts Harris in the lead there.

She needs to focus on the economy. It's exactly what she's doing. She's going to roll out a policy that shows that there's a possibility of an expanded earned income tax credit $6,000 for new parents, down payment assistance for housing. She has a message to drive today, and she needs to get in front of the cameras, deliver it, and keep doing what she's doing.

ACOSTA: And, SherMichael, I mean, yesterday Trump did not back off from his praise for Elon Musk for firing striking workers. He was given an opportunity to clean that one up. He didn't do it.

SINGLETON: Well, look, a reporter asked him a question about that yesterday. And he said employers want to hire good workers. But then he also said the workers should also be happy with the companies. And so I found that to be an interesting duality that we don't always see from Trump in terms of policy, a different type of cleanup, I suppose.

But it's interesting, some of the policy positions that the vice president I outline. I just saw several days ago. J.D. Vance talked about expanding the child tax credit for families. J.D. Vance talked about making housing affordable for Americans. And so I think this gives Trump and Vance an opportunity to say, wait a minute here, here goes the vice president again, adopting policies that we've rolled out several days before her.

And I do think there's some legitimate criticism on trying to fix prices via the FTC, the Federal Trade Commission. How do you do that? I mean, do we all of a sudden just discard supply and demand economics? What would be the long-term outcome of allowing the federal government to dictate what the prices of a good should be today compared to tomorrow? How does the federal government predict that? And so there's some very serious structural issues with our economic policies, Jim.

ACOSTA: All right. Well, we'll hear from the vice president just a short time from now. She'll be unveiling her economic vision of the nation. Stay tuned to CNN for that.

Tim and Shermichael, thanks very much, Tim. I guess I'll be sitting out in Chicago. Thanks a lot. I appreciate it.

HOGAN: Thanks, Jim.

ACOSTA: All right. In the meantime, we're learning shocking new details surrounding the death of Matthew Perry. Investigators say they uncovered an extensive underground drug ring that they claim is responsible for distributing the ketamine that killed Perry last fall. Five suspects have been charged in connection with his death. Two doctors, Perry's live-in assistant, a ketamine broker, and a woman authorities call, quote, the ketamine queen.

Officials say they sold Perry nearly $55,000 worth of ketamine in the months before his death. One of the doctors allegedly exploiting his addiction issues for profit.

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MARTIN ESTRADA, U.S. ATTORNEY: He wrote in a text message in September 2023, quote, I wonder how much this moron will pay.

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ACOSTA: Joining me now, CNN's Stephanie Elam, who was in that room for the press conference yesterday. Also with us, CNN legal analyst Joey Jackson.

Stephanie, some heartbreaking details from that press conference.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Truly. And, you know, you're talking about that $55,000. That was just in September and October that he paid that much for ketamine, according to what we heard in that press conference yesterday. Jim, I want to just break down who these people are. Sorry about that. Starting with the ketamine queen, the one person that they said was really just running an operation out of her home. That is Jasveen Sangha. They say that it was her dosage that actually led to the death of Matthew Perry. She's facing life in prison if she is found guilty of this. They're saying she's a significant risk to flee, so therefore, she's being held without bond at this point. It's also worth noting that she also sold ketamine in 2017 to another person who died that same day as well, they allege here.

Then there's Dr. Salvador Plasencia. This is the doctor that they said was really the one sending those text messages really looking at a way to get a payday off of Matthew Perry's relapse.

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They allege Matthew Perry relapsed. We know he had a long-term drug addiction, but they saying he relapsed in the fall and that is when he was going to find ketamine any way that he could, and he turned to someone like Dr. Salvador Plasencia. They're saying that they were charging him $2,000 for a vial that they could have provided for just $12. They're also the ones saying that he worked with another doctor, Dr. Mark Chavez, who was running a ketamine clinic. This man has already pled -- entered a guilty plea here, but they're saying that he worked with him to get the ketamine as well, and all of this along with another man who's getting the drugs from the one person who was known as the ketamine queen.

The one person, though, I really need to point out, though, is Kenneth Iwamasu. He was a live-in assistant. And I just want you to see how much they said that he was providing dosage to Matthew Perry without any knowledge of how to do this before, saying that he injected him on the day that he died. 8:30 in the morning, 12:45 P.M. and about 40 minutes later, injected Perry after he asked for a big one.

So these are the people that they're saying all people conspired to take advantage of Matthew Perry's illness.

ACOSTA: Yes, Joey. I mean, it's just heartbreaking, especially when you hear that detail that they really thought that they were taking advantage of Matthew Perry and just fleecing him, charging him a lot of money for this ketamine.

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes, Jim. I think that's why you saw three guilty pleas or at least two guilty pleas, one going to plead guilty, right, that is the doctor, in addition to his assistant having pled guilty and the other drug supplier, I think, because it's the evidence is compelling. Imagine you being in front of a jury and hearing a text message about what is this moron going to pay now, right? The sum and substance of what they said, I don't think that lands very well.

You go to doctors for care, for quality care. And when you're a person who's in the throes of some kind of addiction, you're very vulnerable. And so to be preying upon a person like that, Matthew Perry, who was in a very difficult and weakened state, that's problematic. You add greed to the mix, and then to Stephanie Elam's point, and great reporting, it relates to $2,000 you're charging him when you can get it for less than $20. Are you kidding?

And so the other issue is going to be, Jim, that you have those three, right, who really on the box of having pled guilty, who are going to turn state's evidence. Everyone's presumed innocent until proven guilty to have not yet pled and they, of course, have their right to go to court. But remember that they are going to, with the three have pled guilty, be facing that narrative, that testimony in addition to everything unearthed in the search warrant. So, it's a very going to be a very difficult case for them and a tough road to hoe ahead.

ACOSTA: Yes. I mean, it just sounds as though the way it was laid out by authorities that they were taking advantage of Perry's addiction. And let's listen to a bit more of the press conference.

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ANNE MILGRAM, DEA ADMINISTRATOR: The ketamine supplied by Sangha would ultimately be the dose that took Matthew Perry's life. Sangha knew that the ketamine she supplied could be deadly. Since in 2019, she had sold ketamine to Cody McLaury, who died at the age of 33. But despite this knowledge, she continued to sell ketamine and methamphetamine throughout Los Angeles.

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ACOSTA: Yes, Joe, I mean, this clearly is not something that only happened to Matthew Perry. Do you think we're going to see a larger investigation in what authorities are calling this broad underground criminal network?

JACKSON: So, absolutely, not only as it relates, as you know, Jim, to him, Matthew Perry, but certainly as it relates to so many others, right, and so who may not have Matthew Perry's name. I think authorities saw this as an opportunity, and the opportunity would be to send a message.

Law enforcement, there's a role, Jim, as it relates to detecting crime and deterring crime. And when you have something like this where everyone's brought to account, the doctors who are supplying it out of prescription, right, meaning not pursuant to or directed by any type of prescription, but just predicated upon greed, the ones who are supplying it thereafter in the chain who were dealing the drug, right, as the doctors were allegedly, in addition to his assistant who was injecting him. So, that sends a message to everyone.

And so it's not only about the investigation and the accountability here. It's about deterring people in the future who might be thinking of doing this. This is not the business you want to be in. You know why? Because agencies are going to unite, DEA, Drug Enforcement Administration, Postal Service, U.S. Attorney's Office, local law enforcement, LAPD, and, ultimately, in doing that, they get search warrants, get text messages, email messages, other witnesses and evidence, and hold you accountable. So, this is a very big deal. ACOSTA: A very big deal indeed. All right, Stephanie Elam, Joey Jackson, thanks very much to both of you. Just a very important investigation out there, we appreciate it.

Coming up, tension and excitement in Chicago as the city and the Democratic Party prepare to formally introduce the party's ticket in a big way.

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And later --

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're always going of -- if Donald Trump was head of this agency, what would he do with it? What has he said? And then what do we know from the first term?

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ACOSTA: -- secretly recorded video reveals a former Trump advisor's secretive plans for a potential Trump return to the White House. Why the former president denies any connection to Project 2025. More of the tape coming up.

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ACOSTA: With just three days left until the Democratic National Convention kicking off in Chicago, the city is bracing for mass protests that could up and the party show of unity barricades and fencing are being set up around the arena where Vice President Harris will speak.

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Some estimates say as many as 40,000 protesters could show up.

Let's discuss now with the convention's senior communications director, Matt Hill. Hey, Matt, good morning. I know you're planning for a big party there in Chicago, but, you know, some of the barriers are already starting to go up. How concerned are you about the effect that these protests could have on the convention? Are you satisfied that the planning is placed so people can exercise their right to free speech while at the same time you have a good party there in Chicago?

MATT HILL, SENIOR COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, 2024 DNC: Good morning, Jim. Thank you for having me. First, I just have to say, we've been planning for this moment for more than a year. We're so excited to welcome 50,000 guests to the city of Chicago.

I'm from the suburbs of Chicago. I love this city. It's a really amazing place and we're excited to share it with people. That includes 15,000 members of the media who are going to be coming to Chicago, all from around the country, all from around the world. It includes our 4,000-plus delegates who are standing firmly behind Vice President Harris and Governor Walz and really feel the energy and enthusiasm here in Chicago, and we're so excited to welcome them.

At the same time, we've been planning this for more than a year. And for anyone who's been to a convention before, Republican or Democrat, they will know that protests inside, outside, all around, that's a feature of democracy. It's a feature of conventions, it's something we always plan for. And part of what we stand for as Democrats is protecting people's freedom of speech and their ability to exercise their First Amendment rights.

Donald Trump is someone who has said he would deport people who protest him from this country, which is pretty ludicrous, if you ask me, but that's not who we are as Democrats. And so part of what we're going to be doing here in Chicago is what we've been planning for this past year is building the stage literally, we unveiled our stage yesterday, but also figuratively, to give Vice President Harris, Governor Walz and Democrats the platform to show this country and tell the American people who we are and what we stand for. And what that is going to be about moving this country forward, not backwards.

ACOSTA: And the convention planners, you guys have been working with law enforcement officials for some time now. You're satisfied the security preps are good to go? Yes.

HILL: So, all conventions are designated as this fancy term called the National Special Security Event. And all that means is that the United States Secret Service is in charge of planning and coordinating across all levels of government. So, that includes the Chicago Police Department, that includes the FBI, it includes any agency that has three or four letters. They've been working hand in hand on the ground here in Chicago for more than a year. They've been really good partners. And their goal, and our goal has always been to make sure that we host a safe and successful convention and we feel good about that.

But a big part of what we are doing is making sure we're putting on an amazing experience for everyone who's going to be coming here to Chicago.

ACOSTA: Yes. Matt, I mean, so far, President Biden, the Clintons, former President Obama have been announced as speakers. Any surprise guests coming? I know you can't spill the beans here, or if you want to, go right ahead, but should we be on the lookout for that?

HILL: I won't spill any tea just yet. I will tell you, this is going to be an amazing convention that people are going to want to tune into. This is the first time that Democrats are going to be gathering in person at a convention in eight years. The excitement and enthusiasm is palpable. I was in the convention hall yesterday when we unveiled the stage. The balloons are going up. We just had media in the room and some staff in the room.

And just thinking about how people are going to feel when they step back into that convention hall, think about what we're going to do by honoring President Biden and the historic and transformative things he has delivered to the American people, like no other president has done in just one term, as he's done that, standing side by side with Kamala Harris, it's going to be a really amazing experience to bring people together again. They're going to want to tune in.

And it's not just going to be the celebrities or talent or performers that are maybe might be on the stage, maybe might be sitting on the stage, but it's going to be about the American people. Democrats, that's who we are. That's what we stand for. We are. We are the party that works for people.

And so what President Biden and Vice President Harris have done for the American people these past couple of years, whether it's the first gun safety legislation in 30 years, whether it's lowering health care costs, lowering prescription drug costs, just as they announced yesterday, everything that they've been doing, it affects people. And that's the people who are going to be in the hall. It's the people who are going to be outside of the hall.

And part of our job this past year has been building to this moment so that they have the stage to talk about the people that they are fighting for. While Donald Trump, and we saw, as we saw Milwaukee on his convention, it's all about him, he only fights for himself. He only cares about himself.

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Our convention is not going to revolve around one person. It's going to revolve around the American people that we represent and we fight for.

ACOSTA: All right. Matt Hill, good luck next week. I'll see you out there. Thanks very much for your time.

HILL: See you in Chicago, Jim. Thank you.

ACOSTA: All right. Thank you. In the meantime, the former Trump cabinet level official is caught on hidden camera discussing his wide ranging efforts to prepare for another Trump term as the former president looks to distance himself from Project 2025. That's coming up next.

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ACOSTA: CNN has obtained hidden camera video of Russell Vought, one of the architects of Project 2025.

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That's the controversial right wing blueprint for a second Trump term. Vought is also the policy.