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Harris Campaign Zeroes In On Battleground Pennsylvania; Trump Doubles Down On Stoking Fears About Undocumented Immigrants; Boeing Machinists Walk Off The Job After Rejecting Contract Deal; CNN Gains Access To Philadelphi Corridor Between Gaza-Egypt; 911 & Dispatch Records Show Timeline Of GA School Shooting; Conspiracy Theorists Cozy Up To Trump, Pushing His Agenda; Tagovailoa's Football Future Unclear After Another Concussion; Caitlan Clark Breaks WNBA's Record For Single-Season Assists. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired September 14, 2024 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:00]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: It's hosted by Roy Wood Jr. with team captains Amber Ruffin and Michael Ian Black, and three are bringing the jokes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROY WOOD JUNIOR, COMEDIAN: What was the fake name of the head of the Taliban that Donald Trump cited during the debate?

MICHAEL IAN BLACK, COMEDIAN: He's such a hack.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

BLACK: Like he picked the most obvious to make up for the head of the Taliban. Abdul.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What, you gave them the answer.

AMBER RUFFIN, COMEDIAN: Abdul.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, man.

WOOD: Points.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. So the series "HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU" premieres tonight at 9:00, right here on CNN.

And thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The CNN NEWSROOM continues with Jessica Dean right now.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN ANCHOR: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jessica Dean in New York, and we're now just over 50 days from election day, and entering a critical phase in this race as Harris and the Trump campaigns brace for the final sprint to November. Tonight, Vice President Kamala Harris back in Washington, attending a

fundraiser and then making another appearance alongside President Biden during an awards dinner hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus. Her running mate, Tim Walz, will hold a rally in the battleground state of Wisconsin.

All of this, as Donald Trump and his VP pick, J.D. Vance, will be in the key states of Nevada and North Carolina. Both campaigns zeroing in on those critical states as polls continue to show a tight race with Harris spending multiple days in Pennsylvania and going after swing voters in the rural counties that Trump won in 2016 and 2020.

She gave her first post-debate interview yesterday speaking to a local news station there in Philadelphia, where she once again made a play for Republican-leaning voters in that state.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And I am a gun owner and Tim Walz, my running mate, is also a gun owner. We're not taking anybody's guns away. I support the Second Amendment and I support reasonable gun safety laws.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Let's check in now with CNN's Eva McKend who's been traveling with the Harris campaign.

And Eva, I know it's been a busy few days for the vice president. They've been on the move. How is the campaign feeling about this latest battleground blitz that comes after this debate?

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jess, there is a quiet confidence here, but ultimately they have long maintained that they believed that they are the underdog in this context and essentially want to run scared for the next 50 plus days. But part of their strategy is to reach Republican voters even in places where they may not necessary win outright. They want to appeal to voters beyond traditional Democratic basis of support.

And the vice president is making this explicit call for unity. She says that it's time to turn the page from the former president. Take a listen to how she's thinking about this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: In my heart, I know in my soul, I know that the vast majority of us as Americans have so much more in common than what separates us. Most Americans want a leader who brings us together as Americans and not someone who professes to be a leader who is trying to have us point our fingers at each other. I think people are exhausted with that approach.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKEND: So this perhaps is no surprise that this is the strategy because from the outset of the campaign they have telegraphed that this is very important to them. You might be surprised to hear her touting the Cheney endorsement, for instance, but, you know, within the first few days of the campaign they launched Republicans for Harris. So clearly, they want conservative voters to be a part of the coalition and they think that they can make inroads there.

But as for tonight, Jess, she is going to be addressing the Congressional Black Caucus. This is a group of friends and supporters. The vice president herself was a member of the Black Caucus when she was in the United States Senate, and so this is comfortable territory for them as they lean on these communities to do all that they can to mobilize voters in the crucial coming weeks.

DEAN: All right. Eva McKend for us there in Washington, D.C. Thanks so much for that report.

Meantime, Donald Trump is turning up the heat on his immigration rhetoric as he campaigns in the battleground state of Nevada. At a rally in Las Vegas, he claimed without evidence that undocumented immigrants are, quote, "taking over our country from within." He also accused Vice President Harris of cheating during the debate earlier this week, saying, again with no evidence, that she used an earpiece to get answers to questions she was given beforehand.

CNN's Alayna Treene is in Las Vegas. She's joining us now.

Alayna, how is it they're on the ground in Nevada? How are these messages going over with voters there?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jessica, it's so interesting because this speech last night in Nevada was billed by his campaign as an economic speech.

[16:05:04]

And remember, he has had several specific proposals that he has geared particularly toward voters here in Nevada who are part of the hospitality industry. Of course, his proposal to end tax on tips as well as that on overtime workers, something he just rolled out yesterday as well, but he actually spent very little time talking about those economic proposals. Instead, he veered off script repeatedly during that speech.

As you mentioned, he claimed without evidence that Harris had been wearing an earpiece during the debate, a far-right conspiracy that has really been gaining traction on far-right corners of social media. But he also talked a lot about immigration and specifically trying to stoke fears about crimes being committed or I should say alleged crimes being committed by undocumented immigrants.

At one point, he spent a lot of time going into detail about this idea that Venezuelan gangs are taking over certain parts of Colorado, something he has repeated before without evidence. I want you to take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm angry about Venezuelan gangs taking over Aurora, Colorado, and I'm angry about illegal Haitian migrants taking over Springfield, Ohio. You see that mess, don't you? The Venezuelans have big AK-47 Supremes. It's a Supreme. Where the hell did they get these guns? Our soldiers can't get these guns. They're taking over our country from within.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: Now, Jessica, what he's talking about there specifically about Aurora, Colorado, stems from this viral video of people carrying guns in an apartment complex. But look, this has actually been discussed by two Republican officials in Aurora themselves. They said that these claims are exaggerated and overstated. It is a statement that the Aurora Police Department had endorsed and said that they agreed with.

So there's very much questions about what Donald Trump was talking about just there. But I think the bottom line here is that Donald Trump is doing what he did in the leadup to 2016, as well as in 2020, where he is really trying to stoke fear in the minds of voters about immigrants. You heard him yesterday, both in Vegas, but also earlier in the day when he was speaking to reporters in Los Angeles.

He talked about wanting to implement the largest mass deportation of migrants that the U.S. has ever seen. And at one point, he actually brought up the baseless claims of reports from -- about Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio. He said he wanted to start his deportation effort there. Of course, very problematic given that many of those migrants in Springfield, Ohio, are here legally. Their part of a temporary protective status, TPS, as it is known.

So a lot of, you know, falsities and information that I think Donald Trump is sharing that is not backed up by evidence, and part of this as well is when I talk to Donald Trump's advisers and people close to him, they tell me that there are concerns about where this is coming from and some of them have linked it to Laura Loomer. She is a far- right conspiracy theorist. She is someone who had once said that 9/11 was an inside job.

She's been traveling with Donald Trump as late as this week. She went with him to the debate. She also traveled with him to New York when he went for the 9/11 ceremony. People are arguing that they worry that she is influencing him in a different way. So I think keep an eye on that as we discuss all of this at large -- Jessica.

DEAN: Alayna Treene for us there in Las Vegas. Thanks so much.

And let's turn now to our panel, CNN political analyst and national political reporter for Axios, Alex Thompson. Also with us today political reporter for Semafor, Kadia Goba.

Thanks so much to both of you for being here.

Alex, let's start first with you. I want to talk about Trump doubling down on this immigration, this really dark rhetoric around immigrants in this country and immigration. What are you hearing from your sources that are his allies? Do they think this is the right way to go on this?

ALEX THOMPSON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, some obviously think that they would prefer Trump to shut up and to stick to the issues. Now I will say there are some Trump allies that actually see this as sort of a classic Trump strategy, which is throw out some, you know, especially race-baiting chum into the water and then eventually you change the conversation.

And, you know, they point to the fact that the last four days we've been talking more about these comments about Springfield, Ohio, than we have about Kamala Harris's debate performance and you often see him do these things when he feels his back is against the wall, then he'll just throw out unverified, occasionally conspiratorial things and change the conversation.

DEAN: Yes. And Kadia, look, let's call them what they are. These are lies that he's telling huge groups of people and spreading online. It's not just that, there's also, as we were saying, this unverified, not true concepts that he keeps talking about, that Harris had an earpiece at the debate, on and on.

In terms of moving the needle in what is a very tight race, what does this sort of rhetoric do to get him more voters?

[16:10:08]

KADIA GOBA, POLITICAL REPORTER, SEMAFOR: Yes, so obviously, Donald Trump is talking to his base, which he already has solidified. The last thing people, that 5 percent to 6 percent who is actually going to determine the race, the last thing they want to hear is him talking about conspiratorial things like he did in 2016 or 2020 when he, you know, said the election was false.

This is something that surely will turn those swing voters off or Republicans who are looking for any reason not to vote for him. That's something that's going to turn them off. I have to say when I talk to members of Congress, Republican members the Congress, this is the last thing they want to hear also because their point is they don't want to have to litigate this from reporters like me on the Hill or when they go back home to their constituents.

They just don't want to talk about anything related to conspiracy and would love to hit Kamala Harris on actual issues.

DEAN: Yes. There's no doubt about it. Those lawmakers in the halls of Congress do not want you and our other colleagues up there on the Hill talking to him about this. They want to be talking about other things.

Alex, to Kadia's point in terms of going after voters that could actually make a potential, you know, impact in this race, we see Harris and her campaign more broadly trying now to go in these more conservative areas. You're looking at rural Pennsylvania where Trump won in 2020. That is kind of Trump country. Alot of those places in Pennsylvania where the Democrat usually does really well in the big cities. But is this -- in terms of a strategy, she wants to keep the margins

down in those areas and then run up the score likely in the bigger cities and places where she runs stronger.

THOMPSON: Yes, I mean, this very clearly shows that she has distinct strengths and weaknesses from Joe Biden. Joe Biden was struggling with his base, Kamala Harris is struggling with the middle, and that's why you're seeing her go to these places. It's also one thing, it's a classic Obama era strategy. It's not a coincidence that a lot of the Obama aides from 2008 and 2012 are now on the campaign because this is a classic thing that Barack Obama's campaign would do, is you go to places where you're not trying to win, but you're just trying to lose by less. And in doing so, you also get credit and good press for doing so.

DEAN: And Kadia, we also saw her in Philadelphia do this interview with a local station, a big powerhouse station there in Philadelphia. In terms of that strategy, doing local press, doing local interviews, help explain the thinking behind that. That was something Biden did again and again and again in 2020. They were very adamant about spending his time doing that.

GOBA: Well, Kamala Harris has been criticized a lot for not talking to members of the press. So it's not surprising to me that the campaign is probably looking at that a little differently as 50 days away from election day. So, yes, she, you know, talking to the Philadelphia anchor, that's going to, you know, broaden or reach people who are still in that undecided area. Pennsylvania, obviously a swing state.

And I'll also add, you know, talking to -- going into Philadelphia specifically and talking to members of the National Association of Black Journalists also another way to touch, you know, Pennsylvania voters and Philadelphia who was largely Democratic, but also, again, chipping into, wanting to maintain that base. And, you know, I think that things like that are very important.

DEAN: And Alex, just based on who you're talking to and just your thoughts having reported on all of this, again, her taking some heat mostly, in a lot of cases from a lot of Republicans and the media itself for not doing so many interviews, do you -- what do you make of this strategy of sitting down with more local affiliates? Tim Walz did an interview yesterday as well.

THOMPSON: Yes. Listen, like doing local interviews, no political strategists would say that it is a bad strategy, but the fact is that she is getting a lot of pressure to do interviews and it's clear that she does not want to do national interviews. They've made this -- she has been in the race for over 50 days and she has not done one solo TV interview with a national outlet, or print interview.

And so this is also a way to say, hey, I am doing media and I'm prioritizing local media but also still not engaging nationally. And the reason is because some of her worst moments as vice president have been in these national interviews. And for any further evidence of that, just look at the Trump campaign ads. Many those ads are full of her interviews with national reporters including CNN and Lester Holt, NBC, so that is part of what's going on here.

[16:15:01]

DEAN: All right. And then the early voting in Pennsylvania just right around the corner on Monday.

All right, Alex Thompson and Kadia Goba, our thanks to both of you.

And still ahead, we are talking to the man leading a strike of more than 30,000 Boeing employees as they draw their line in the sand with the company's executives. Plus a growing conversation surrounding Miami's quarterback and the danger of him playing after suffering yet another concussion.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:20:09]

DEAN: It has been a difficult few years for Boeing to say the least. Earlier this year, a Boeing plane lost a door plug mid-flight. Now the company is risking temporarily losing some 20 percent of its workforce. After years of losing money and two fatal crashes, the aircraft manufacturer is now facing a factory strike that its CFO says could, quote, "jeopardize its recovery."

But its union members nearly unanimously voted down the company's first contract offer, which included a 25 percent pay increase after years of stagnant wages. Just last year, Boeing's now departed CEO received a 45 percent pay hike despite the company's failure to turn a profit since 2018.

Joining us now the president of the union that represents most of the workers who are on strike, Jon Holden.

Jon, thanks so much for being here with us. We appreciate your time this afternoon.

JON HOLDEN, MACHINISTS UNION DISTRICT 751 PRESIDENT: Thanks. Happy to be here.

DEAN: Yes. I just want to ask you first if you were surprised when your members rejected this deal that union leadership negotiated, called the best deal it had ever gotten with Boeing.

HOLDEN: No, I'm not. I know that we bargained the best we could get at the bargaining table, short of a strike. And we had to put it in our members' hands and I knew that that's where our power resides and they spoke loud and clear and we're ready for that.

DEAN: And you've said you're going to, quote, "push the company further than they ever thought they'd go." What does that mean?

HOLDEN: Well, we have to. I mean, we spent the last 20 years being attacked, being threatened, senior jobs moved out of state, stagnating our wages, loss of health care with a cost shift, massive cost shift onto our members. And of course, the loss of our defined benefit pension. And so we're ready for this and I know that our members -- it was a bridge too far. There's a lot of deep-seated anger and it came out in that vote.

DEAN: And listen, to somebody to an outsider, a 25 percent pay increase over four years sounds pretty good. But, again, 96 percent of your members voting against this, rejecting this deal. Are you confident you're in step with your membership here?

HOLDEN: Yes, we're here, we serve at the mercy of our membership. We're here to support them and take their issues forward, which we are. We have to do some surveying, find out exactly where the issues are that we can propose going forward. But I know it's about wages and I know it's about the defined benefit pension. And that's what we'll be pushing as we get into talks hopefully next week.

DEAN: And so how much of the unity that you're seeing among your members, how much leverage does that give you do you think at the negotiating table?

HOLDEN: It's immense pressure. We have maximized our leverage. We are peaking at the right time and our members are confident. They're standing strong, shoulder to shoulder. And this gives us the most leverage that we've had in years. And we're going to use it.

DEAN: And I hear you when you're saying that obviously this is about money, this is about this pension deal. Is it also more about money? Is this years of frustration coming to a head?

HOLDEN: Well, it was really tough in the last 10 years where we have stagnated wages, very low wage increases, we had massive cost, inflation, or massive inflation that we experienced and so our members didn't keep up, and they deserve better. And so we are just trying to catch up. And for many, the 25 percent just was not enough, especially some of our newer members that aren't making his much. So they're still struggling to find rent, places they can rent. They have to move 50 miles away from the plant so that they can, you know, afford a place. So this is about a work-life balances, it's about a quality of life, and our members are fighting for better.

DEAN: And all of this is happening as Boeing is under immense financial pressure. They haven't turned a profit in years. There's risk of their credit rating going down. What happens if the bottom falls out here? You're asking for a lot. Can the company even afford to do that?

HOLDEN: You know, we're asking for reasonable things. Our members have gone through a lot. It's time for them to make up for some of the past and to make gains for the future. These are reasonable things. They are affordable. And our members are on the right path.

DEAN: And how long do you think they're prepared to strike? And I'm curious, if you've also spoken at all with the Biden administration?

HOLDEN: One day longer, one day stronger. That's what our members are talking about.

[16:25:01]

I have not had any recent conversations with the Biden administration so that's what I've done.

DEAN: And what about the role of this new CEO? Because this person has replaced the former CEO that was there for so many tumultuous situations. What is your relationship there and what kind of role do you think they'll be playing?

HOLDEN: It's a new relationship. I know that Mr. Ortberg is going to be involved in talks going forward. I think he probably came in at a very tough time. He's now responsible for what's happened for the last 20 years. And that's not an easy place to be. All I can say is I'm focused on what our members' demands are, and that's what I'll be proposing going forward.

DEAN: And how would you describe -- I hear you saying that they're ready to strike, they're prepared to strike for as long as it takes. What would you say, though, is the morale among those workers? What is kind of the headspace that they are in right now as they strike?

HOLDEN: Well, they're angry for one. And this was their release, this was their ability to get their pound of flesh that they needed to get. I believe they're ready to go for the long haul. They're very confident. They're standing together. They're more united now than they ever have been in the past. And that gives us strength at the bargaining table.

DEAN: And what comes next? When will you all sit down again? And what do you hope happens in that meeting?

HOLDEN: Well, after MCS mediation has reached out to both sides, we will most likely get back to some mediated conversation starting next week, early next week. We'll be reaching out to our members, having some discussion, communicating, so they are aware of what's happening and they can give us their input, and hopefully we can continue working forward to reach the agreement that our members deserve.

DEAN: All right. We will see what unfolds.

Jon Holden, thanks so much for your time. We appreciate it.

HOLDEN: Thank you. Have a good day.

DEAN: Thanks.

Still to come, CNN is getting unprecedented inside access to the narrow strip of land between Gaza and Egypt. It's created a big divide between negotiators trying to reach a ceasefire and hostage deal. We'll have more on that.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [16:31:44]

DEAN: Israel is warning civilians to leave several areas in northern Gaza as it launches attacks on alleged Hamas targets.

Earlier, the IDF hit a school compound it claims was used to plan terrorist attacks on Israel. But people in the affected areas say there's simply nowhere safe left for them to go.

Efforts to reach a ceasefire deal are hung up over a 14-kilometer strip of land along the border with Egypt.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying there can be no peace unless the Philadelphi Corridor is controlled by Israel.

Our Matthew Chance got rare access to that area. He and his team had an IDF escort at all times, but CNN retained full editorial control over this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: We're being taken by the Israeli military into the Gaza Strip. And they've loaded us all, as you can see, into this metal-sided truck.

We're going into the south bit of the Gaza Strip, which the Israeli military say they have under full operational control. But it's not entirely secure.

They brought us to this place called the Philadelphi Corridor. It's emerged as a sticking point in the negotiations to get a ceasefire and to get the hostages released.

As you can see, it's right up against the Egyptian border. And it's important because the Israelis say this is an area which has been used over the years as a way of smuggling weapons into the Gaza Strip.

Some of the smuggling has taken place over land, through presumably holes in the fence and through other border crossings. But a lot of it has been taking place right under our feet.

OK. Well, this is one of those tunnels. It's right on the border with Egypt. And you can see, it is absolutely huge. Wide enough to drive a car right the way through it.

The Israeli military say that this tunnel, because it's so close to the Egyptian frontier, has been used by Hamas and other militants to store weapons in and to fire rockets from.

You can see here, the back of the wall. It's completely collapsed down. Apparently, it was closed for some time now.

We're driving now through the neighborhood of Tel Sultan. Every one of the buildings here has been totally destroyed.

This was obviously a residential area with many people living in it. And the Israeli military says those people have moved for the most part to safe zones, humanitarian areas, not far from here.

But look what they've left behind. Look what's happened to Gaza.

Thank you.

Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari is the chief spokesperson for the Israeli military.

How can you justify causing so much, you know, damage, devastation, destruction in pursuit of your objectives?

REAR ADMIRAL DANIEL HAGARI, IDF SPOKESPERSON: The only reason is because Hamas has built his military capabilities in that way that there is no other possibility.

There is -- there is a town underneath Rafah. If you don't demolish it, then Hamas will go back and have a stronghold, a military stronghold.

He is using the population, embedding in the population. He's creating this destruction and also the deaths of the population.

[16:35:03]

CHANCE: Well, this has been a very tightly controlled bit of access into Gaza with the Israeli military. There's such a lot we haven't been able to see. But it's incredible they've showed us what they have.

It's definitely a narrow view. But it is also the only view right now that we can get firsthand.

Matthew Chance, CNN, in the Southern Gaza Strip.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:40:08]

DEAN: We are learning more about the chaotic moments after the shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia. Officials on Friday releasing 911 calls and dispatch records between emergency personnel and police who were responding to that to that shooting.

CNN's Rafael Romo has the latest on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jessica, those laid to rest Saturday we're 14-year-old student Mason Schermerhorn and teacher Cristina Irimie. They we're among the four people killed in the shooting at the school in Winder on September 4.

On Friday, the Barrow County Sheriff's Office released the 911 calls and more than 500 radio messages between emergency personnel during and right after the shooting.

(BEGIN AUDIO FEED)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a shooter.

911 OPERATOR: Active shooter.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have an active shooter at Apalachee High School.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One suspect in custody.

911 OPERATOR: What's the status of the shooter?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In custody and uninjured.

(END AUDIO FEED)

ROMO: Computer-aided dispatch reports show the first call for the shooting came in at 10:22 a.m. Eastern time, according to dispatch reports obtained from the Barrow County Sheriff's Office through a Freedom of Information Request made by CNN.

Two minutes later, at 10:24 a.m., authorities had the suspects name as Colt and one student was dead, according to the reports.

At 10:30 a.m., the suspect was in custody, not injured, and then, at 11:45 a.m., a woman, who identified herself as Colt Gray's aunt, made a tearful 911 calls saying she was afraid her 14-year-old nephew was involved in the shooting.

This is part of what she told the dispatcher.

(BEGIN AUDIO FEED)

UNIDENTIFIED AUNT OF COLT GRAY: Hey, my mom just texted me and said that my nephew texted his mom and dad this morning and told them that he was really sorry and he goes to the high school, Apalachee.

911 OPERATOR: OK.

(END AUDIO FEED)

ROMO: Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said in an interview with CNN affiliate, WXIA, the A.R.-15-style rifle used in the shooting was hidden in Gray's backpack when he left home for school that morning, as well as the bullets he was going to use.

Colt Gray, who authorities say confessed to the Winder high school attack is charged with four counts of felony murder and will be tried to send adult.

His attorney declined to comment Wednesday when reached by phone.

School administrators are planning for a gradual reopening of Apalachee High School the week of September 23rd -- Jessica?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: All right. Rafael Romo, thank you for that.

Donald Trump is now defending his associated -- association with far- right agitator, Laura Loomer, calling her a, quote, "free spirit." Loomer has been at Trump's side multiple times recently.

She traveled with him to Tuesday's debate and was with him to commemorate September 11th. She's called that attack a, quote, "inside job."

As CNN's Tom Foreman reports, she's not the only conspiracy theorists Trump is talking to right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Kamala Harris --

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Right before the debate began, and there he was, former President Donald Trump calling into a social media war room set up by his campaign.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You guys are more than I am actually because you get the word out.

FOREMAN: According to "The New York Times", the room connected roughly 18 conservative influencers set to pound out reposts to Ms. Harris' every utterance while vigorously defending Mr. Trump.

And they did. Among them:

ROGAN O'HANDLEY, CONSPIRACY THEORIST: I am just telling the truth about current events.

FOREMAN: Vaccine skeptic and election denier, Rogan O'Handley, who gave his nearly three million Instagram followers an image to suggest the moderators carried Harris through the whole night.

TRUMP VOICE: Get her out.

FOREMAN: Chaya Raichik, known for conservative campaigns over school curriculums.

CHAYA RAICHIK, CREATOR, LIBS OF TIKTOK: We're up against a weaponized system where nothing is out of bounds. The only option is to keep fighting back.

FOREMAN: She reinforced the Trump trope that Joe Biden is furious over having step aside.

TRUMP (voice-over): And you know what? I'll give you a little secret. He hates her. He can't stand her.

JACK POSOBIEC, RIGHT-WING ACTIVIST: This is the regime that we will overturn.

(APPLAUSE)

FOREMAN: And Jack Posobiec, who has openly talked about ending democracy, waded in to suggest the uproar over Trump saying pets are being eaten is just laughable.

TRUMP VOICE: Eat the cat, eat the cat.

LAURA LOOMER, CONSPIRACY THEORIST: I'm with the greatest president ever, President Donald Trump.

FOREMAN: None of those folks seem as close to Trump as influencer, Laura Loomer, who has been seen with Trump a lot lately. She has also drawn fire for conspiracy theories, and frankly, racist ideas.

TRUMP: You're a very opinionated lady. I have to tell you that. And in my opinion, I like that.

FOREMAN (on camera): Trump has now distanced himself a little bit from Loomer. But what do all of these people have in common? Why is he hanging with them to begin with?

Because they have millions and millions of followers whom he can reach without going through traditional news or traditional fact-checking -- Jessica?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: All right. Tom Foreman, thank you.

When we come back, coaches, former players and fans, many are now calling for an NFL quarterback to retire after he suffered another concussion on the field.

[16:45:01]

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEAN: Miami Dolphins head coach on Friday said he's now more focused on Tua Tagovailoa's well-being than the teams future after the star quarterback suffered another frightening head injury in Thursday night's game.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE MCDANIEL, MIAMI DOLPHINS HEAD COACH: I'm not assessing the -- this injury through the lens of like, all right, so what does this mean for him playing?

[16:50:05]

I know the facts are that it's important that he gets healthy, day by day. And in that, the actual -- the best thing I can do is not try to assess what this even means from a football standpoint.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Tua is in the league's concussion protocol after he went into a, quote, "fencing response" with his arms and hands after taking that hit. He has been diagnosed with three concussions throughout his NFL career.

CNN sports analyst, and "USA Today" sports columnist, Christine Brennan, is joining us now.

Christine, what is the latest you're hearing on all of this?

CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: There's a lot of conversation, Jessica, as you heard from the head coach of the Dolphins. Athletes, players, former players, people talking about it. There's great concern.

And yet, there's also a reality check and that is Americans love their football. And people, by the millions, will be tuning into the NFL on Sunday just as they did the other night to watch Tua's team, Miami against Buffalo. And they will cheer and they will want to see hard hits.

And, you know, it is an American national pastime and so we seem to, as a society, as a culture, accept the hard hits. Then we take a step back, as we should, of course, and have this conversation.

As you said, Tua's now had three concussions. He's actually had this happen twice on national TV in less than two years and four brain traumas in all going back to his days at Alabama.

And of course, people are watching him play and they're concerned. But we know his history. And yet, I'll bet there's a lot of Miami Dolphins fans who want him back on the field as soon as possible.

That is the reality of American football in the 21st century.

DEAN: Yes, there's no doubt about that. That push and pull absolutely exists.

I did mention that he's in this concussion protocol. Can you talk a little bit about how that's evolved and what's considered too many concussions for the league, kind of what that protocol is?

BRENNAN: It's certainly a lot better than it used to be, Jessica, for sure. The league, the NFL, has changed, it has learned.

There have been great people on this topic who have been fighting hard for these players, former players, we know the stories, the heart ache of brain trauma, CTE, what happens in older players, how they have been debilitated.

In some cases, they've actually taken their own lives from depression and other things.

So it is better than it was but it is a violent game. And we all know that. And the players know that. And their parents and their families and their spouses, their brothers, their sisters, their children, everyone knows that.

So it is much better. There is much more independent review now. That's the good news. And Tua is being looked after.

And they wouldn't just throw him back on the field the way that happened in the old days, in a generation or so ago, where you got your bell rung and then go right back. That was a sign of manhood, that you we're strong, whatever.

That's not happening anymore. That's the good news. But the fact is, of course, this happens, we watch it happen, we have this national conversation. Very good to have it.

And then what do we do? What's the next step? And I think that's where we're going to be keeping an eye on this. Obviously, I'm on it. You're on it.

And we will focus on this young man. He's 26-years-old. What happens to him? What is his future in football? What is his future in light?

DEAN: Right. And to that point, Christine, his head coach was pretty quick to shut down any questions about whether he might consider retiring. What are the options? And it sounds like that is not one that they want to talk about right now.

BRENNAN: No, they don't. And there was conversations, you know, it's his career, it's -- it's what he loves, right? He has a brother that plays football as well.

Because of what's happened with him, with this history of concussions, he's taken classes to try to learn how to fall properly. You -- if you see the replay, by the way, he runs right into Damar Hamlin, of all people.

That's the Buffalo Bills defender, who just, in an ultimate irony, a year and a half, almost not quite two years ago, of course, had the cardiac arrest on the field.

So those are the two men who met. And it was his helmet, it was his helmet that went into Damar Hamlin. So he's working on it.

I guess for someone who's covered the NFL and covered football for a long time, I will not be surprised to see him come back.

But as a human being, I will be horrified to see him come back. But that is his decision. It is absolutely his decision, his family's decision, and let's hope he makes the right one for himself.

DEAN: I do want to talk a little bit of basketball with you. Caitlin Clark making more WNBA history last night, breaking the league's single-season assist record.

I know you were there. Can you talk about that moment for us? I know you've been covering her career.

BRENNAN: Yes. Yes, well, it was the path to Kelsey Mitchell, who is her sidekick and great offensive performer as well. And it was near the end of the first-half.

[16:55:03]

And interestingly, Jessica, Caitlin Clark had not scored any points to that -- to that point in the game, which is really unusual. And she had zero points in that first half.

But what she was doing was breaking a record as a rookie. That is the WNBA record for single-season assists. This is not a rookie record. This is the record that has been lasting all these years.

Actually, it was last year that it was broken by a woman named Alyssa Thomas. And Caitlin Clark comes into her first season and breaks it. And she has two more games to continue on. And 317 assists was the mark. She's at three-to-one and counting.

And by the way, she came back and scored 18 points in the second half and almost led Indiana to a victory over the two-time defending champion, Las Vegas Aces. A four-point loss for this upstart Indiana team that's playing so well now, with Caitlin Clark at the helm as the point guard.

But as a great scorer, she is assisting, giving passes to other teammates who score. And that is now, of course, what she has the record for.

DEAN: It is incredible, the records she continues to smash.

Christine Brennan, we know you'll be watching. I'm sure we'll talk more about it as the years go by.

DEAN: Thank you so much.

BRENNAN: Thank you, Jessica.

DEAN: And still to come, what President Biden is saying about Ukraine's desperate pleas to use long-range Western weapons on Russia.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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