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9/11 Anniversary; Clinton Health Incident. Aired 10-11p ET
Aired September 11, 2016 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[22:00:25]
POPPY HARLOW, HOST: Hi, everyone. I'm Poppy Harlow in New York. Welcome to a special live edition of CNN Newsroom. We're joining you following two gripping hours that you just saw here on CNN. Where we saw the only footage filmed inside of the twin towers on 9/11. Stories of heartbreaking loss as well as stories of incredible heroism from the first responders, people we all thank and people we remember today, on this 15 years since 9/11.
I do want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world. We are following two stories live this evening. First, as I mentioned, Americans marking a staggering 15 years since the terror attacks of September 11th.
This is live picture from New York tonight. Those two beams of light shining up into the sky as they do this day each year where the World Trade Center once stood. 15 years ago today, hijackers crashed two planes into the twin towers and a third into the Pentagon. Brave passengers on board United Flight 93 fought back against the hijackers, keeping the jet from reaching another major target. It crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, likely saving countless lives.
The heroic attack -- the horrific attacks and the heroic efforts afterwards all being remembered today. The lives of nearly 3,000 people taken. Our nation changed forever.
Their names were read aloud at the memorial at ground zero this morning. A bell tolling after each name of a life lost. It was at this service where our second story tonight developed. Hillary Clinton's doctor announcing that she has pneumonia after an onlooker captured this video of Clinton leaving the 9/11 commemoration ceremony early.
Two law enforcement sources telling CNN that it appeared Clinton fainted. The Clinton camp is not saying that. They're saying she was overheated and now saying she has pneumonia. You can see aides helping her into the van there with secret service around her.
After the incident, Clinton was taken to her daughter Chelsea's apartment in New York City. Cameras capturing her there a short time later coming outside. She even waved to people, said she's feeling great and she took a photograph as you'll see right here with a young girl.
Then after that tonight, Clinton's doctor released a statement reading "Secretary Clinton has been experiencing a cough-related to allergies. On Friday during a follow-up evaluation her prolonged cough, she was diagnosed with pneumonia. She was put on antibiotics and advised to rest and modify her schedule. While at this morning's event she became overheated and dehydrated. I've just examined her and she is now rehydrated and recovering nicely." That statement coming from Dr. Lisa Bardack, her personal physician.
Well, tomorrow Hillary Clinton is scheduled to travel to California to campaign and to fundraise. But a senior aide tonight saying that trip is up in the air and there is, "serious evaluation of her schedule." That is all being considered right now.
Earlier tonight I spoke with CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta and I asked him about Clinton's diagnosis of pneumonia and what it entails.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: The diagnosis of pneumonia typically involves, besides a doctor's visit, typically involves blood work, may involve a chest x-ray, things like that. These are typically things that are done inside a clinic or a hospital, or something like that. And, you know, it's a diagnosis that can be treated. She's on anti-biotics. Which means it's a bacterial pneumonia. But it's a serious diagnosis. The doctor recommended rest, recommended, you know, obviously staying well hydrated because there's a real concern about dehydration. You have the fever, the bacterial infection itself can cause the dehydration. So, it makes sense to fit this stuff together, but it still feels like there's a beat missing here. We got information late and it still seems incomplete.
HARLOW: But, you also noted something important. And that is that both of these candidates have been examined by their personal doctors. Not an independent board of physicians.
GUPTA: Well, look, it's a point that's come up in the past as well. Not just with these two candidates. Mr. Brinkley brought this point up at some point as well. This idea that there's a friendship still between these personal doctors and these candidates. Clearly with Donald Trump's doctor's letter you know talking about him being the healthiest president ever and talking -- it was just these glowing terms. It wasn't an objective letter.
And, I think, you know the public deserves just objective letters on both sides. Objective information as opposed to sort of the editorial thing that may come from someone who has a more of a friendship sort of connection. So, the idea of having an independent board of doctors or allowing medical records to be seen, even by a group of reporters, I think, is important.
[22:05:12]
GUPTA: Of course, you know, I think doctors and journalists are similar in this way Poppy. You always want to get more information, certainly. I think with regard to this -- what this situation happening right now. Having a diagnosis on a Friday and just hearing about it on Sunday after an episode, the sort of feel is that we may never have heard about this had it not been sort of forced upon. We never heard about the diagnosis of Pneumonia. And, I think that that sort of information is important to know. It's a treatable diagnosis. Imminently treatment. She is being treated for it, but it's also a serious diagnosis. And, you know, that's the sort of thing that a lot of people would want to know.
HARLOW: All right. Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Let's talk more about it and the politics of it all. Senior Washington Correspondent, Joe Johns joins me tonight from Washington, D.C. And our CNN Politics Producer Dan Merica is in Chappaqua, New York, right near the home of Hillary Clinton where she is, we believe, at this point in time.
Dan, let me start with you. It was after she left her daughter Hillary -- Chelsea Clinton's apartment earlier today. She went to Chappaqua, that is where we understand from her personal physician that she was examined by her doctor. Have we heard anything from the campaign tonight at all? Do we know if that's where Secretary Clinton still is?
DAN MERICA, CNN POLITICS PRODUCER: Yes, we've been told Secretary Clinton arrived at her home in about the 1:00 o'clock hour. Her doctor then came over and that's when -- that's when they went through everything together. The doctor left and Clinton has remained there ever since.
We've been here since then. There's been no comings and goings from what we've seen. The secret service remains positioned outside her house. And Chappaqua is kind of what you see behind me, a boring, sleepy, New York suburban town.
The question is, is, you know, what happened in the meantime? We didn't know exactly where Hillary Clinton is for a certain amount of time and it's raised a lot of questions. Secretary Clinton is somebody who is very tightly scheduled. This is somebody who headlined over 37 fund-raisers last month. And as you've mentioned, has a very large schedule in the coming week.
As we've reported, Secretary Clinton and her aides are discussing whether to cancel the California trip that starts tomorrow. She has a large fund-raiser in the Bay area. Flies to L.A. has two large fund- raisers in L.A. in the L.A. area as well as an appearance on the "Ellen Degeneres Show" and a campaign event. Aides inside the campaign are saying that they're considering whether that kind of scheduling is necessary. And, b, if she should even be doing anything like that, flying, let alone -- you know, let alone campaigning with some sort of walking pneumonia.
I thought it was pretty telling that the doctor included in the statement that she advised Secretary Clinton to modify her schedule. Clearly the campaign saw that statement before it went out. So it's telling that they let that get out. Let her say that. It's kind of a nod to the fact they are taking this seriously but there are a lot of questions about why we are finding out now when she was diagnosed on Friday.
HARLOW: All right, Dan, stay with me. I mean Joe to you, let's just speak about this schedule. Because even on Friday when we now know that diagnoses of pneumonia came. She had a very busy schedule, right. She had this meeting on national security, she had a press conference. Sat down with our Chris Cuomo for an interview. I mean she was pretty much going nonstop on Friday. Then went to that big fund- raiser with Barbara Streisand on Friday night.
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Right. And, I think that points to the fact that especially now after labor day, the tempo has just picked up tremendously. She's on the campaign plane with reporters. She's also doing gaggles, a news conference and so on.
So I can tell you also from covering Mrs. Clinton, frankly, for two decades off and on, that one of the things that she has often tried to project is strength. And that whatever happens, she just keeps going. So we don't know specifically why she didn't cut back on her schedule or whatever. But, what we do know is that Hillary Clinton tries to push and push and push. And, I think this is one of those things sort of indicated back on Labor Day when she was in Cleveland, Ohio. I was there. Dan Merica was there also. Where she had that extended coughing fit.
Now they got a lot of publicity, but the fact of the matter is she's had some other extended coughing fits and she chalked it off to the fact that she has allergies. She said she was allergic Donald Trump who was also in the Cleveland area at the time.
But it is clear she's keeping up a hard schedule. She does have from time to time these little health issues that pop up and all it really does is sort of feed into the critics who suggest Mrs. Clinton, former Secretary Clinton, has a serious health problem that needs to be addressed and needs to be considered by the voters.
[22:10:09]
JOHNS: They can help themselves by being a bit more transparent about it, especially more transparent than they were today.
HARLOW: Look, and we'll see folks have called on both candidates to release their medical records. Neither has. Donald Trump has said in recent weeks he will if she does, but neither of them have. We'll see if they do, after this. We are getting some first reaction tonight in just the past few moments Joe from Trump campaign aides. What are they saying.
JOHNS: Absolutely right. And, the Trump campaign aides are indicating in a general way that Donald Trump himself has said he doesn't know anything about this. They want to be respectful of Hillary Clinton's health. It is being said that the message they want to put out is that they wish Hillary Clinton well. They hope she gets medical care, the care that's needed. And another source actually tells CNN that surrogates have been instructed to be respectful, not post on social media about Hillary Clinton's health. And separately someone familiar with the situation has told CNN that staff was constructed to keep quiet, not post anything negative on social media about the issue. And, even under the threat of termination, apparently Trump has said he doesn't know anything about this and he hasn't tweeted anything about Hillary Clinton's health also. Also point to the fact there, that just from a campaign standpoint,
this is a story that drives itself, and all Donald Trump does is draw attention to himself if he says anything about it.
HARLOW: Joe Johns reporting for us from Washington tonight. Dan Merica, there in Chappaqua. Dan, let us know if you do get any update from the Clinton campaign. Thank you both very much.
I want to talk more about this with the man who wrote the book on Hillary Clinton. CNN Political Commentator, Carl Bernstein, is with me. He is the author of "The Woman in Charge, The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton."
You know, Carl, you were on CNN's "New Day" this week and you said she should release her medical records. Many folks I think would like to see both the candidates' medical records. AS our Jeff Zeleny reported earlier tonight, we know less about these candidates' health than we do for many, many other people who have run for president in the past. Do you think she will now release her health records? Is that the smartest move?
CARL BERNSTEIN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It's certainly the smartest move, but, you know, it's clear that she tried to hide this, and this is going to hurt her, certainly in the short term in that regard.
At the same time, it's important, as you note, that Donald Trump has released virtually nothing of any importance, having to do with his health. But more than that, Trump really has covered up the reality of his life. We have now seen great reporting by "The New York Times," "The Washington Post," "The Wall Street Journal" on Donald Trump as a life-long con man in business. And, we have learned nothing from him about the reality of so much of his business, his tax records, et cetera.
So I think we've also got a big job in the press to do here about demanding openness from both of these candidates, but especially Trump. He is the one who has not disclosed. You hardly think of Hillary Clinton as being someone who is open. She's not. She obfuscates, she avoids, she's had a difficult time with the truth, as I say in my book. And, at the same time, Trump has given us nothing in the way of contextual, truthful accounts of his life.
HARLOW: So, Carl, I do think it is interesting that this all comes in a week where Hillary Clinton and her camp made it very clear she was going to be more open. She was going to be sort of more Hillary, if you will. Show the voters, show the press, more of who she is. The personal side of her. Yet the campaign knew on Friday that she did have this pneumonia diagnosis. Did not tell the public about it until this evening. Do you see an obligation there for the campaign to have come forward with this sooner? If so, why?
BERNSTEIN: Yes. Because, obviously, she has a serious diagnosis, and voters and people in this country ought to know about it.
HARLOW: But it's pneumonia, right? Let me play devil's advocate here and just say it's pneumonia. Right, this is not something that is incurable. This is pneumonia. It is something that people get and they get better form. Did they have a responsibility to come forward with it on Friday?
BERNSTEIN: Yes, I think they have a responsibility to come forward with it at some point very soon thereafter, and it seems clear they were not going to until they were forced to which often happens with Hillary Clinton.
But I want to come back to a central point, and that is that we need to demand openness from both these candidates, but especially the one who has been more guarded, has covered up more. We don't know anything about his taxes, except what we've read in "The New York Times," "The Washington Post," et cetera. We have got a blackout about real information about Donald Trump's own life, from himself. And from his campaign.
[22:15:10]
BERNSTEIN: We need to be getting away from this idea that it's just Hillary Clinton who hides things. There is no parity here. P-A-R-I-T- Y. The candidate who really hides things is Trump. And we need to start demanding that he open up as well as Hillary Clinton. And also, she would serve herself very well as I said on "New Day" earlier this week or last week, to say, the American people, I hear you. You want me to be open. I am going to do it. Here are my speeches from Goldman Sachs. Here are my health records.
I've learned something in this campaign about myself and about what's expected of me. And I'm ready to respond and to be more open. And let's get on with it. And, I think she'd do herself an enormous amount of good by doing that, and it's not too late now. And, maybe even this episode will be helpful in that regard to force her to do that. Especially given the lack of anything like that by her opponent.
HARLOW: Yes, we'll see if we do get those medical records from Clinton and from Trump. Carl Bernstein, stay with me, I do have to get a break in here. We have much more ahead. Especially about what today's news means for the presidential race. The optics of it all. What do we know historically when it comes to candidates' health and how it affects their vote. Douglas Brinkley and David Gergen with me next. Stay with us
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
HARLOW: Welcome back to our viewers in the United States and around the world. We do have breaking news. Hillary Clinton, after being diagnosed with pneumonia has canceled her trip to California this week.
Our Dan Merica reporting that headline just out. Let's go to him. He's in Chappaqua, New York, where Clinton is at her home. What have you learned, Dan?
MERICA: Yes, I feel like we were just talking. Hillary Clinton will not be going to a two-day California trip that was scheduled long ago. She was supposed to headline a fund-raiser in San Francisco -- a large fundraiser in San Francisco tomorrow night. She was going to then fly to L.A. where she had two events, two fundraisers. One with Lionel Richie and another with Diane Von Furstenberg. As well as a campaign event and an appearance on the "Ellen Degeneres Show." She will not be making this trip.
So, right now on her calendar the next open event will be in Las Vegas where she is supposed to headline a rally and speak about the economy in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
[22:20:07]
MERICA: This is basically an acknowledgment from the Clinton campaign that this pneumonia diagnoses is an issue. And, I was struck when the doctor put out a statement earlier today and said, that, you know, I advised Secretary Clinton to change her schedule.
The fact the Clinton campaign allowed that line to be in the doctor's statement was fairly telling. It nodded to the fact that, a, this was an issue for them. Something they took seriously. And, b, they were seriously considering the amount that they scheduled Secretary Clinton.
The way that she raises money and the way that she's raised money throughout this campaign has been very labor intensive. It requires her going from place to place, headlining events like the one she was supposed to do in the next two days. She's headlined over 330 fundraisers as a candidate. And over 37, I think it was exactly 37, in August. That's a lot of work. And it's a lot of time spent raising money.
There are serious questions within the Clinton campaign tonight whether they are overscheduling her. Whether they had too much on her plate. And the biggest sign of that is the fact that on Friday they learned that she was diagnosed with pneumonia from her doctor. But she continued -- she continued to do two fundraisers and a large national security event.
HARLOW: Dan, have we gotten any update from Hillary Clinton's campaign or her doctor since this initial update a few hours ago where they said she has pneumonia but she's rehydrated and "recovering nicely." That came and then it was hours until we learned that she canceled the trip. Any update on her campaign just on how she's doing or why this decision to cancel it? Any change in her health?
MERICA: No, they are basically saying that she is recovering. The same thing they said hours ago. And, she clearly tried to squash any thoughts that, you know, she was really sick when she walked out of Chelsea Clinton's apartment in Manhattan. Her campaign was well aware cameras there were. The press pool had been escorted to a position to see her walk out. She walked out, she waved. She said she was feeling great. She commented on how beautiful the day was. And, a young girl -- a young child ran over to her and she chatted with the child for a little bit. It was clearly staged to show look, I'm healthy. I feel good. I feel
okay. She came back to the hour, was observed by the doctor. And, I think, more than anything, this cancellation is an acknowledgement that she had a lot on her plate for the last week or two. And an acknowledgment that they maybe shouldn't have gone forward with as much as they did on Friday given that she had been diagnosed with pneumonia.
HARLOW: Okay, Dan, thank you for the breaking news reporting there. Again, the headline, Hillary Clinton canceling that two-day trip for fund-raising in California after being diagnosed with pneumonia. And she's going to take some time, it appears, off the trail to recoup this. We are 58 days out from critical election.
Let's bring in CNN Presidential Historian, Douglas Brinkley from Austin, Texas. CNN Senior Political Analyst and Former Presidential Adviser to four Presidents, David Gergen is with us tonight from Atlanta. And CNN Political Commentator Carl Bernstein, the author of "A Woman In Charge -- The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton."
David Gergen, to you, the Trump campaign on all of this is saying nothing tonight. They have not tweeted one thing. Trump has not said one thing. And, we have heard that they are -- the message from the campaign is they are wishing Clinton well. That is our reporting from sources involved with the Trump campaign. Hillary Clinton making the decision to go off the campaign trail, not take that trip to California. Your take.
DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, as far as the Trump campaign, they're finally showing the discipline that would have been helpful to bring to the table a long time ago. They shouldn't say anything.
Listen, the whole country wishes Hillary Clinton well. We want her to recover. And good for her that she's taking a couple of days off the trail to get back in shape.
That said, I must tell you that echoing Carl Bernstein just a few moments ago, they would have been so much wiser to have dealt with this pneumonia on Friday and just put out a statement. Candidates routinely come down with illnesses in these presidential campaigns. These are grueling experiences. And Hillary Clinton has come down -- she's got -- she's been diagnosed with pneumonia. She's going to get over it. She'll be back on the trail soon. And this would -- and then all of this would have evaporated.
As it stands now, she is seen once again -- even as she was trying to tell I'm going to be more transparent, she's seen as, like, they were covering it until they were forced. Their hands were forced.
HARLOW: So, David -- so David, why do you think she didn't? Why do you think the campaign did not do that? Even this morning the statement that Nick Merrill, her spokesman put out was that she was overheated. He could have at that time said she had pneumonia. He did not.
GERGEN: Exactly. It is -- Poppy, it's the most baffling question surrounding Hillary Clinton and her campaign. This woman is so accomplished in so many ways. It's so obvious -- it's so obvious that they're not helping themselves and really being -- and living up to their responsibilities as a candidate.
[22:25:00]
GERGEN: It is absolutely true that Donald Trump has covered up far more. And both these candidates ought to be held to a much higher standard. But that having said, tonight we're dealing with a story that suddenly has been given legs. You know, the alternative right was pushing all these conspiracy theories. But tonight we're into a situation where it is a legitimate campaign issue about her health. People do need to know. And, I think she will release her health records. Detailed health records, as I think Mr. Trump will eventually be forced to do with his health records.
Historically, as Douglas Brinkley will tell you, way back when, Franklin Roosevelt could cover up that he was in a wheelchair. You know they're all -- and Hyde Park where his museum is, there are thousands of pictures of FDR as President. Only two showing him in a wheelchair that he couldn't walk.
John f. Kennedy lied to us about his health. But in recent years Poppy, it has been required, expected especially of candidates either approaching or in their 70s. Ronald Reagan, Bob Dole, John McCain, all of them had to release their health care records.
HARLOW: So Douglas Brinkley, just -- I mean you're a presidential historian. Speak to the history here, a, on how much this affects how people vote, a candidate's health or critically perceived health. And, also the fact that in recent elections, John McCain, for example, we've known a lot more about the health of the candidates than we do this time around.
DOUGLAS BRINKLEY, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: Well, that's right. And I agree with everything David Gergen just said. I would add that one of the problems Hillary Clinton has is that concussion back in 2012. She had double vision and was sort of an unusual two-month period for her and nobody really knows what that's all about. And that's fed some of the conspiracy theories.
But, the fact of the matter is I think the Clinton campaign, the fact that here it's Friday, they got a morning diagnosis of pneumonia and had her run one of the most grueling schedules I could imagine. I'm sure she wanted to. But, it was in that moment Friday with that basket of deplorables comment came out by doing another fundraiser that wasn't necessary when she should have taken a lot of the weekend off.
So, she's starting this week not only canceling California, but I'm afraid that baskets of deplorables is going to be haunting her campaign for weeks to come.
So the best thing she can do is what she's doing reboot, recharge. Take a few days off. Maybe pick up the "Ellen Degeneres" interview. Maybe give that the exclusive on the recovering of pneumonia and then get to Las Vegas and start doing rallies, not just fundraisers. HARLOW: And, again, our Jeff Zeleny just reporting that Hillary
Clinton's Campaign Press Secretary, Nick Merrill, is coming out and confirming what aides told our Dan Merica, that indeed she will not be going to California Monday or Tuesday.
Carl Bernstein, you know the woman, you wrote the book on her. As Joe Johns was reporting earlier, look, this is someone who powers through. What do you expect her to do now? Clearly she's resting at home. What will her next step be?
BERNSTEIN: I don't think we can predict. I think we can hope that some people will around her will finally say, Hillary, you've got to open up in all kinds of ways here because that's when you're really at your best.
But, I think among other things, she and her doctor need to be in front of the press for an hour with medical records and discussing and open to questions about her medical history. And, Donald Trump needs to do the same. And we need to demand it of both of them.
But, we have got to start looking at the whole lives of these two candidates, and with some real context. And one of the things that will help is indeed as Doug Brinkley says, perhaps she ought to be doing fewer fundraisers and more substantive relating to the people who vote in this country.
I think it would help her immensely. Donald Trump actually has done very well by avoiding some of this fundraising and going straight to the people of the country. I think she ought to try it. And enough of the high rollers, even though conventional political wisdom says this is the way you do it. It's not working for her.
She needs to really reassess in these last days of the campaign about going to all of her strengths as somebody with great experience, knowledge. Look, today, we had the World Trade Center 15th anniversary. Life and death. We saw this magnificent documentary. And we need to know, which of these two candidates really can we trust to fight ISIS, to deal with a world of terrorism? And, I don't think there's much question about who has the credentials, but she also has got to open up some.
HARLOW: Let me bring in Joe Johns again, our Senior Washington Correspondent because, like Carl Bernstein, you have covered Hillary Clinton in depth for a matter of decades now.
[22:30:05]
Look, she's resting at home, Joe. She's not going to these fundraisers on the west coast. Do you believe that she will do as Carl Bernstein suggests, hold a big press conference with her doctor, come out with her medical records? Because I think the context of this is so important. As David Gergen said, this comes in the context of some top Trump surrogates. The candidate himself making unfounded claims about her health or why she wasn't on the campaign trail, they said. Now this is a legitimate health concern. So, there's that context that needs to be considered as well. JOHNS: Yes, I think that's just the question. You really hit on it
right there. How will they handle this going forward? And 100 different thoughts on that. But I think probably the most important one is that if you view what has happened today in sort of the context, the totality of the campaign, the fact that she's come under attack and questions have been raised about her health, it makes it even more plausible that there would be a lot of concern about releasing any details out of fear that it would just fuel the fire, if you will.
But, the problem is that it's already out there, and we have video -- we have a lot of video, video from today of Mrs. Clinton having real difficulty there you can see it with the van, trying to get in. And, it certainly looks there as if she misses quite a step.
But the interesting thing is, that's not the only video we have. We also have the video from Labor Day that was in Cleveland, Ohio, where she was giving a speech and for the first several minutes, she went into a coughing fit that she laughed off. But, I can tell you from sitting there, at that location -- need I go on. We also have the coughing fit there on the campaign plane.
So all of these pictures, these images just help raise more and more concerns and it, I think, tells the campaign that you're going to have to handle this in a certain way and make public more information than you have in the past. Even though that speech for example in Cleveland, Mrs.. Clinton had the coughing fit and then she got stronger as she went on. I personally was wondering whether she was going to make it through the speech. But, the video and what's been going on just raises more questions as the critics say, Mrs. Clinton could have a health problem.
GERGEN: Poppy, can I make one last point?
HARLOW: Sure, yes David, I've just got to -- I've just got to get a quick break in here so we'll be right back with our entire panel right after this. But, the headline again, Hillary Clinton cancelling a two- day trip to the west coast after we have learned tonight that the democratic candidate for president was diagnosed with pneumonia on Friday. Much more of our breaking news ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[22:36:15]
ANNOUNCER: THIS IS CNN BREAKING NEWS:
HARLOW: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. We are following breaking news tonight. The Hillary Clinton campaign confirming now that she will no longer travel to California to campaign and fundraise tomorrow. This after being diagnosed we've learned with pneumonia.
The announcement coming after a bystander captured this video of Clinton leaving a 9/11 commemoration ceremony early today in New York. You can see her struggling to get in a van. She wobbles a bit, she seems to stumble. The secret service is around her. Her doctor says she overheated at the event. She was taken then to her daughter Chelsea's apartment in New York City. She emerged a short time later and said to the crowds that she felt great.
But, Clinton's campaign and her doctor tonight deciding she needs more time to rest. Again, she will not make that trip to the west coast.
Let me bring in CNN Washington Correspondent, Joe Johns back with us. CNN Presidential Historian Douglas Brinkley, is with us from Austin. CNN Political Analyst and Former Presidential Adviser, David Gergen, is with us. And, also CNN Political Commentator Carl Bernstein, the author of "A Woman in Charge -- The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton."
David Gergen, before the break, you wanted to jump in. Your thoughts?
GERGEN: Poppy, in my judgment she has two weeks to get these health records out. The first debate is two weeks away. She wants to dispose of this issue before she gets there. If, in fact, her health is good, this will be a two day, three-day story and then she can go into the debate on the offensive. I've put all my tax records out there, I've put my health records out there and you, Donald Trump, you've been hide, hiding, hiding and you owe it to the American people to put them out.
She can put him on the defensive. But, if she waits beyond the two weeks, it's going to -- you know, both sides are going to be under fire from moderators and under a lot pressure and they're going to be on the defensive. I would think she'd do it now and do it quickly, maybe the end of this week.
HARLOW: Carl Bernstein, to you, do you think now that she will be off the trail. We know at least she's not going to California for two days. We don't know whether she'll be on the trail elsewhere in the next two days. But, we do know she's not going to the west coast.
So, if she is off the trail for a few days resting and recuperating, do you think some of the big names, you know, need to get out there and campaign for her? Do we need to see more of Tim Kaine, do we need to see more of President Obama campaigning for her? Joe Biden, in her absence or does that just draw attention to her absence?
BERNSTEIN: No, I think they'll going to be out there from here until election day. And, we know that already.
I think that there's one thing that the campaign and the press can do here. And that is to demand that Donald Trump as well appear with his doctor and particularly records that have to do with heart statins, stents. We need to know are there problems there as we would with any candidate of this age. We also want to know about the heart records of Mrs. Clinton.
I think we're starting to break through here and we need to be asking these questions in the next two weeks are a real opportunity for the press and for both of these candidates to level with us.
HARLOW: From a historical perspective, Douglas Brinkley, as a presidential historian, how do health events akin to this affect the voter this far out? You know, less than two months out from an election?
BRINKLEY: Well, let's remember when Barack Obama in 2012 ran against Mitt Romney, he was preparing for the debates. He prepared in Henderson, Nevada at sea level or below sea level and suddenly the debate was in Denver and he did terribly in his first debate and he blamed it on altitude sickness.
That -- you know these -- elections can hinge on these sorts of things. And the other problem I think Hillary Clinton faces if she doesn't release medical records quickly is that Donald Trump very well, might just do it. He might just release his and hold a press conference and then start demanding that she does. And she would suddenly be in a defensive crouch.
[22:40:15]
BRINKLEY: You know, John Kerry, when he ran in 2004, had prostate cancer. And, it slowed him down but that was in the spring of '04. We now are really 58 days until the election. This is an inconvenient illness and I think she's going to have to figure out a way to find this as a positive this week. And, that would only be by talking straight to the press, being transparent and releasing her medical records the way Carl Bernstein just suggested.
HARLOW: Well, the campaign -- the campaign was not transparent in this diagnosis. I mean they got this diagnosis on Friday. This morning when she had to stumble and had to leave early and get in the van her campaign came out with a statement, the only detail was that she'd "overheated." And, then it was hours and hours later until this evening when her doctor released this statement, Joe Johns, that she, indeed, was diagnosed with pneumonia. Do we have any idea from the campaign or advisers on why they didn't come out with this sooner?
JOHNS: Absolutely not a clue. All we know is that Hillary Clinton had a very busy day on Friday and she powered through that day. She had a meeting with national security advisers from both parties. Sat down and talked to them. Then walked out and gave a statement. And took a few questions.
She had that interview with Chris Cuomo, with CNN. Then she went to the fundraiser that night. So full day for Hillary Clinton there. And, a little bit of rest time yesterday, then back over to the memorial today. And that's when we actually saw the effects of it.
So, no clear indication from the campaign about why they didn't just put out a statement and say she's not doing well right now. She has pneumonia. And she needs to rest. But, you know -- it's -- this is the middle of a very tough campaign and the numbers are pretty close. And, I wouldn't be surprised if we went and asked them questions about that, it might be that the candidate herself was a little reluctant to shut down.
HARLOW: David Gergen, final thought for us quickly. GERGEN: I would like to add one thing here, if we do. And, that is that her lack of transparency, which goes back, way back to the Arkansas years, has for the most part served her and Bill Clinton well, which is to say they have won.
But, this election cycle, it has not served her well. It has almost buried her. It has made Donald Trump a credible possibility for the presidency of the United States. At least in terms of the number. It's not working. It hasn't worked. And, it seems to me that she's got an opportunity here to change directions at exactly NEVILLE: e right moment. Perhaps nudged by this incident. And, open up and go to the person who those around her rightly say has got so much to say on the substance. HARLOW: Right guys, I've got to leave it there. Douglas Brinkley,
David Gergen, Carl Bernstein, Joe Johns, all for us tonight. Thank you very much.
Coming up after this break how both candidates handle today's news going forward on the campaign trail. You're watching CNN.
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[22:46:44]
HARLOW: Welcome back to our continuing coverage. The headline, Hillary Clinton will not be making a planned fundraising trip to California. This after she was diagnosed with pneumonia. We've just learned about this diagnosis tonight.
As for Donald Trump, her competitor in this race, he has not yet responded to the news that she has been diagnosed with pneumonia. Sources tell us here at CNN though, that the Trump campaign wants to be respectful of Clinton's health. They say surrogates and staff are being told to keep quiet and avoid posting anything on social media about this. This approach is different from what we've seen from the Trump campaign for months now with both the candidate and his campaign and top surrogates questioning Clinton's health and stamina.
Let's talk more about all of it, the big picture. Brian Stelter is with me. He's the CNN Senior Media Correspondent and host of "Reliable Sources."
You were making the point earlier. If it was a previous republican candidate running against Hillary Clinton, they would have said something already.
BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: I think Barack Obama or John McCain or Mitt Romney or any other candidate would generally weigh in with well wishes, or condolences, express concern over twitter or Facebook. We haven't seen Trump do that today. We also haven't seen him take any jabs or critiques of Clinton. He's been silent. Partly because of the 9/11 anniversary.
That will change tomorrow and some of his campaign aides are on television. So we'll see what tone they strike. Sounds like they're going to try to take the high road on this. The reality is all of Trump's supporters and most Americans are aware of the ideas, the questions about Clinton's health. Trump doesn't need to spread it any further.
HARLOW: Look, what is indisputable is that the campaign didn't tell us what they knew on Friday. They did not make public that she had a pneumonia diagnosis. They didn't do it until she had leave and stumbled leaving early the 9/11 commemoration this morning. Who knows if we would have ever been told.
STELTER: I think we should acknowledge the fear that a lot of viewers have when they see that video from this morning. The concern. Some, if you're a Clinton supporter, you are very concerned watching the video. Heck, if you're a Trump supporter you might be concerned watching that video. It's a scary thing to see --
HARLOW: -- right, we can pull it so people can see here.
STELTER: -- if you see a politician or anybody stumbling that way. So, let's acknowledge the worry, let's acknowledge the fear. That said, candidates are allowed to get sick. And I think there's probably folks out there thinking we're making much ado about nothing.
You know, since baskets are in the news this week, let's put this story to two baskets. For months now, there have been sick conspiracy theories suggesting Clinton's on death's door. The National Enquirer once again this week has a horrible photo shot of Clinton on the cover suggesting she's in dire straits. There's not evidence for that. So that basket's outrageous.
here's a second basket that is accurate, that is fair. There are legitimate questions. Legitimate scrutiny about her health. And today of course fuels all those legitimate questions. I think we've got to have a conversation this week about Clinton and Trump releasing medical records as your guests were saying earlier this hour.
HARLOW: Before I let you go. You have said this election is about strength and you believe Hillary Clinton is being treated somewhat differently because of her gender.
STELTER: I think we have to consider the gender dynamics here. It's not the only factor. Definitely not. But, we're talking about the first female nominee in a major party in the United States. Women stereotypically for decades, for centuries have been depicted as weaker than men. We've seen women leaders across corporate America having to show their strength in unique ways in order to stand up and show they're just as strong as men. A lot of this campaign is about gender, whether we want it to be or not. Isn't it?
[22:50:00]
HARLOW: Brian Stelter, Thank you so much, we'll keep following this. I appreciate it very much. We're going to get a quick break in, much more after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HARLOW: You are looking at an image that we see every year on September 11th here in New York. Two lights shining up into the night sky marking the twin towers that once stood there.
15 years after 9/11, this moment of New York firefighters raising an American flag at ground zero still captures America's resilience after those terror attacks. Today marks the 15 years since that attack on American soil. That flag is now in its rightful home.
It disappeared shortly after the September 11th attacks, but it turned up years later and it's made its way all the way back to the site. Our Deborah Feyerick has more on this flag's incredible journey.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: On 9/11 in the burning ashes of the World Trade Center, three firefighters raised an American flag. It was 5:00 p.m. on a day that changed history.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This picture became how we said patriotism post- 9/11.
FEYERICK: The iconic image embodied America's resilience. Featured in the 2013 CNN film "The Flag" it was unfurled at Yankees Stadium and travelled on board the U.S. aircraft carrier that launched the first air strikes against Al Qaeda in Afghanistan.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've never seen so many grown men and women cry just by touching a piece of fabric. And of course, it wasn't just a piece of fabric, was it?
FEYERICK: Except it wasn't the right flag.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Somewhere between 9/11 and the Yankees Stadium ceremony, the flag went missing.
[22:55:04]
FEYERICK: The flag, taken by three firefighters from a yacht near ground zero disappeared. Hours after the photo was taken. It's fate remained a mystery, until now. About 2900 miles cross country in Everett, Washington, a stranger, identifying himself as a former marine named Brian, turned over the flag to local firefighters.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Brian was purporting the flag to be the missing 9/11 flag.
FEYERICK: And so began a two-year process to confirm the flag was authentic and get it back home to the original owner.
There was a level of secrecy as to what you potentially had, why?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was concerned that there was the potential that a lone terrorist, if they believe there was an American icon in a city of 110,000 people, they may want to either try to steal it or destroy it.
FEYERICK: Lead detectives Jim Massingale and Mike Attwood created a sketch of Brian, hoping to ask him more questions. All they knew was that he was allegedly given the flag on Veteran's Day in 2007 by a man who had received it from a 9/11 firefighter's widow. Did you ever generate any satisfying leads?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, we did not.
FEYERICK: The break came with forensic scientist William Schneck, who painstakingly analyzed photos, fibers, and thousands of particles. Comparing them to original ground zero dust.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The key things would be the composition of the building materials themselves, the concrete, the glass fibers, mineral wall, gypsum, all those were critical.
FEYERICK: Critical and ultimately conclusive. As detectives prepared it for the journey home, they asked a retired NYPD officer to make the final fold.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He actually grabbed on to that flag, held it up to his face and smelled it, and turned and looked at me and said, that's the smell that I remember from that day.
FEYERICK: The flag, back where it began, 15 years ago.
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HARLOW: Coming up next here on CNN. CNN Films presents 9/11, 15 Years Later. A film with the only known footage from inside the twin towers on that fateful day. Before we go tonight, I want to leave you with some really powerful images from today from the memorial services here in New York City this morning, to the Pentagon the rural countryside of Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
I'm Poppy Harlow in New York, thanks you for being with us tonight. Goodnight.
