Return to Transcripts main page

The Lead with Jake Tapper

North Korea Frees American Detainee; Teenage Jihadis?; Ebola Fears; Florida Politics Again in the Spotlight

Aired October 21, 2014 - 16:00   ET

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

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Beautiful downtown Jacksonville. I will be moderating the governor's debate here in Florida tonight. It could get hot. Bring your fans.

I'm Jake Tapper. This is THE LEAD.

The national lead, new rules for nurses treating patients who potentially have Ebola, and new restrictions on where passengers from Ebola-stricken West African nations can land here in the U.S., but is it enough to stamp out the virus?

The world lead. For women, life under ISIS and other terrorist groups means subservience, destitution and reduced life expectancy. Why on earth would three girls from Colorado get on a plane destined for Syria with the goal of joining a group like that?

Plus, he was condemned to a labor camp in North Korea and has not been seen in months, but now Jeffrey Fowle is coming home. So, what about those two other Americans still behind bars in North Korea?

Welcome to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper. And I'm coming you to you live from Jacksonville, Florida, where later this evening I will be moderating the third and final debate between Republican Florida Governor Rick Scott and Democratic former Governor Charlie Crist, a race for control of one of the most populous states in the country, one that will be critical for the 2016 presidential contest, but more on that in a bit.

First, our national lead, the latest on the efforts to fight and contain Ebola from spreading in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just released new guidelines to protect health care workers on the front lines of the fight. Those measures finally include head-to-toe coverage and personal protective gear, including a full face shield, two pairs of productive gloves and a buddy system that calls on workers to supervise each other removing that gear.

As we have been reporting for weeks now, these are the measures that are already taken by those who have been fighting Ebola on the front lines in West Africa. And many of those workers have been confused as to why the CDC didn't recommend them until just now, of course. So, why weren't these stricter standards put into place to begin with?

Well, perhaps they could have helped nurses Nina Pham and Amber Vinson avoid contracting Ebola from Thomas Eric Duncan, who died of the disease in Dallas. Thankfully, both of those nurses are, as of today, said to be making steady progress and we're grateful for that.

Another move taken by the Obama administration today in an effort to prevent new Ebola cases from coming into this country, the Department of Homeland Security today announcing that U.S. will now require passengers from outbreak countries such as Liberia or Sierra Leone or Guinea to fly into one of only five airports in the U.S. that now has enhanced screening measures in place.

Let's begin with CNN aviation correspondent Rene Marsh. She's live inside one of those airports, Washington Dulles -- Rene.

RENE MARSH, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Jake.

Dulles one of the five airports, now, starting tomorrow, passengers from all of these Ebola hot spot countries. We're talking about three specific countries, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, they will be funneled through these five airports that you see on your screen there. Remember, these five airports have the enhanced screening. They do the temperature checks, they have that very detailed CDC questionnaire, asking what kind of contact individuals had with potential Ebola virus before traveling to the United States.

You remember, the administration said these five airports were chosen because 94 percent, roughly 94 percent of the travelers coming from these Ebola hot spots traveled through these five airports. But then the question was, what about the other 6 percent? Well, this announcement made by DHS, Department of Homeland Security, today will ensure that 100 percent over the people traveling from these critical areas impacted by Ebola will indeed come through the enhanced screening.

Now, the way this is going to work is the Department of Homeland Security will be working closely with the airlines to track itineraries of these passengers to make sure that they are funneled to this airport. We are talking about roughly 150 passengers per day.

So, DHS does not believe that this will be very difficult to pull off. We do have some new numbers from Customs and Border Protection, Jake. They are the ones on the front lines. They greet these passengers once they land on U.S. soil. So we have a better picture today as to how many people actually have gone through the enhanced screening since they rolled all of this out.

The numbers, total of 521 people arrived in the U.S. since this was all rolled out to date. They arrived here in the United States. Three of them had elevated temperatures. Four of these individuals actually had to be taken to the hospital for further examination, but, in the end of it all, zero cases of Ebola since this enhanced screening was rolled out, Jake.

TAPPER: All right, Rene Marsh at Dulles International Airport, thank you so much.

The Texas hospital that treated the first Ebola parent who contracted the disease in the United States admits that simply it didn't do enough prep work to identify and diagnose an Ebola case. This latest mea culpa from Texas health Presbyterian Hospital follows a series of public apologies, including a full-page ad in Sunday's edition of "The Dallas Morning News."

And CNN correspondent Ed Lavandera interviewed the hospital chief today. He joins now live from Dallas with more -- Ed.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Jake.

Officials here with the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital have been saying that they believe they did a great job in trying to care and save the life of Thomas Eric Duncan, but they do acknowledge missteps along the way in diagnosing him. And they cannot say whether or not that misdiagnosis in the end cost him his life.

But in the interview that we did this morning with the chief clinical officer of Texas Health Resources, Dr. Daniel Varga, he told us today that the hospital in the weeks and the months, despite warnings from the CDC throughout the summer months and warnings, and warning hospitals across the country to be prepared for Ebola, the officials here say that this hospital did not do any simulation or any kind of drills in trying to -- in the anticipation of a patient walking in with Ebola.

And in his words, they essentially let their guard down.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: Do you think this is also a case of Ebola had been in the news for the last six months or so? It is a deadly disease trapped halfway around the world. Was there a sense perhaps for these health care workers that it wasn't really anything that was going to show up at our doorstep?

DR. DANIEL VARGA, TEXAS HEALTH RESOURCES: I think that that front-of- mind awareness is hard to capture in the absence of a real presence.

You know, I would tell you, we were as worried up front about Ebola as I think anyone else. We looked, you know, starting in August and moving forward. But in the absence of Ebola showing up in August, Ebola showing up in early September, et cetera, it does become sort of isolated.

LAVANDERA: Let your guard down?

VARGA: Yes. I think you let your guard down a little bit on that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: And, Jake, Dr. Varga continues to say that all the health care workers who are still being monitored are still not showing any signs of symptoms, good news on that front, but then they clearly say they have made a great deal of changes and a number of changes since that diagnosis in those first early days of treating Thomas Eric Duncan -- Jake.

TAPPER: Ed there's been a lot of criticism, obviously, about the fact that Thomas Duncan was sent back the first time he went to the hospital, despite reporting a fever, apparently as high as 103, telling a nurse that he had been in Africa. Is there any new information on how that happened?

LAVANDERA: I thought that was interesting, because of lot that misdiagnosis they talk about is really one of the focus of what they have been looking at.

According to Dr. Varga, that when Thomas Eric Duncan came in, that the nurse had recorded in his electronic health record that he had -- quote -- "come from Africa September 20, 2014," wasn't specific to a country, according to Dr. Varga, and, obviously, that would make a huge difference, given the size of the continent of Africa.

And at about the same time, the doctor who was treating him records him as a local resident. So, Dr. Varga says that between that nurse who recorded the come from Africa and the physician, there was a miscommunication there and that they have changed it.

Now, when someone comes in, they specifically ask about countries in West Africa related to the Ebola crisis, and that is something that has changed because of the case of Thomas Eric Duncan -- Jake.

TAPPER: Ed Lavandera, thank you so much.

They spent 21 days cut off from the rest of the world, but now that they are out of quarantine, the loved ones of Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan are doing their best to try to reclaim the lives that they had before this virus turn their worlds upside down.

Joining me now live from Dallas is Saymendy Lloyd. She is a family friend of Duncan's fiancee, Louise Troh.

Thank you so much for joining us.

The family was released from quarantine yesterday. What was that first day like for them?

SAYMENDY LLOYD, FRIEND OF LOUISE TROH: Well, first of all, Louise is (INAUDIBLE) and a community activist.

The first day was our happy and sad moment for Louise and the family. The first thing she wanted to do was to, you know, get into the arms of her grandchildren and her children. When we arrive, her grandchildren all ran to her.

It was a very, very pleasant moment. What she wants right now is the privacy. She have had press barging into the home of her daughter and videotaping while in the home, which is a situation that is unheard of.

She is hoping that people will give her the privacy that she needs. Right now, she is concentrating on getting a place to stay, putting a key into her own door and she, you know, thinking about Eric, now that she is back outside and life is a little bit getting back to normal and through her transition. And, yesterday, she cried deeply for Eric.

TAPPER: Yes. You took Louise's son to school this morning, I understand. Was he at all nervous about returning to class, about how the other kids might act towards him?

LLOYD: He is pretty tough. He was prepared for it. He was anxious to go to school, anxious to start his lesson, anxious to take all of his -- the work that he has been doing at home.

And he told me -- he said, I'm going to be all right. I can walk to school. But Louise just wanted to be careful with him and take precaution because of the experience we all had yesterday.

TAPPER: The family has been in temporary housing since they left their apartment. Do they have a place to go once their stay runs out?

LLOYD: Well, at the moment, no, she doesn't have a police to go. It's in preparation, trying to find her a permanent place.

One of my goal is to make sure that Louise gets a house, not a house that she has to pay rent for after six months, but a house that will be her own. With all that has been lost, as you already know, everything that Louise ever owned was burned, burned.

And so she has nothing. And I'm just -- I just want to reach out to people to reach out to us as we are helping Louise. My goal is for Louise to get a house. And I will continue to fight that fight until she gets a house. I think that would make her feel a little bit more whole.

It will boost up her self-esteem and it will give the children a sense of love from the community and America. And that's one of my goal, to make sure that Louise gets a house of her own.

TAPPER: Of course, heartbreakingly, Louise was supposed to marry Thomas Duncan this week. And it must be very difficult for her as the day which would have been her wedding day approaches.

LLOYD: It is a very, very emotional time.

As you know, Louise and Eric were on the refugee camp together, the struggle together. They were able to survive the war together. They had a son. And when he was 3, he separated from his father, joined -- he and Louise came over to the States. And because of the distance, their relationship, when they all went their separate ways, then later on, they were able to rekindle their relationship, because they are both -- that's Louise first love and that's Eric's first love.

And they were just excited. They were supposed to start their marital counseling the week that he went into the hospital. They were supposed to get married. And when she thinks of that, she just feels so empty. This is a wonderful love story that went sour.

And all of the children are crying for Eric. Even the 3-year-old, you know, saw his picture on TV yesterday, he was like, grandpa, grandpa. And it's just so sad. But Louise is such a strong person. Her faith in God is so immense. And she makes us strong, those of those that are with her. And she -- she is just a very strong person. And I think just -- she will overcome this with time one day at a time.

TAPPER: Very, very sad, but, of course, we're so thankful that she and the boys who were in the apartment with her are all OK.

Saymendy Lloyd in Dallas, Texas, thank you so much for your time. We appreciate it.

Breaking news, an American detained in North Korea has been freed from a labor camp. His crime? Leaving a Bible in his hotel room. That's crime in North Korea apparently. We will tell you how he got out.

And you might have noticed I'm in beautiful Jacksonville, Florida, two weeks before Election Day. I will be moderating a debate between Florida's current governor and Florida's former governor tonight at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. You will get a sneak peek at the fiery showdown between Rick Scott and Charlie Crist coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: Welcome back to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper in Jacksonville, Florida.

The politics lead -- most of us who cover politics have spent a great deal of time in this Sunshine State of Florida, not just 14 years ago when election night lasted for more than a month, but always. This is a crucial state. On track to become the third most populous in the country, with a pivotal 29 electoral votes and a colorful cast of Floridians. The infamous ever-rotating Florida man and Florida woman from headlines engaged in both tragic tales and whacky hijinks.

Republican Governor Rick Scott and his now Democratic challenger Charlie Crist are two such characters waging one of the ugliest, nastiest and most expensive races of 2014, from a barrage of negative attack ads to the bizarre fan-gate showdown at the last debate. Not just Floridians who are waiting to see how this election contest pans out, and tonight, it will all come down to the two men entering a small TV studio here in Jacksonville.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER (voice-over): Republican Rick Scott is the 45th occupant of the governor's mansion in Tallahassee. And he is trying to keep his keys to the front door.

GOV. RICK SCOTT (R), FLORIDA: I work every day trying to get jobs going, improve education.

TAPPER: His opponent, the guy who had the house before him, the 44th governor, then-Republican Charlie Crist, now running as a Democrat.

CHARLIE CRIST (D), FLORIDA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: Concerned about education. I am concerned about our environment. I'm concerned about having ethical leadership in the governor's office again. TAPPER: Let's just say the respect each man has for his opponent

knows bounds. The two men often top the title "governor" when talking about each other.

SCOTT: Charlie is not concerned about the facts. He'll say anything.

CRIST: Rick talks about telling truth, that's an interesting thing to assert.

TAPPER: The negativity seems to be working for both candidates. The latest CNN poll shows more than 50 percent of voters have an unfavorable opinion of both, in parts, because of a steady stream of negative ads, like this anti-Crist ad about his switching parties twice since he was governor.

CRIST: I'm running as a Republican. An independent. I'm running as a Democrat.

AD NARRATOR: Flippin' unbelievable.

TAPPER: Or this anti-Scott ad about a deposition after he left his health care company and the firm faced a record $1.7 billion fine for fraud.

AD NARRATOR: And when Scott was deposed in lawsuits about his company, he took the Fifth 75 times.

SUSAN MACMANUS, POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR: It's been non-stop negative.

TAPPER: Susan MacManus, a political science professor at the University of South Florida says all those ads have created their own industry.

MACMANUS: It's estimated that the amount of money spent on TV ads could be anywhere between $75 million and $100 million. And to a lot of voter, that's outrageous.

TAPPER: And you don't need a magnifying glass to look for Florida's significance on the national scale when it comes to presidential politics. There has been a steady stream of the maybe one day soon- to-be 2016 presidential candidates cozying up to both Crist and Scott.

MACMANUS: Having your party's governor in place as a presidential candidate is a gold line.

TAPPER: Especially for fund raising.

CRIST: Are we really going to debate about a fan?

TAPPER: Tonight's debate comes on the heels of fan-gate, one of the weirdest debate moments ever, when Scott refused to come out on stage for seven minutes because of a fan under Charlie Crist's podium, one that violated the debate rules.

Of course, there are much bigger issues than fan placement, such as education, jobs, infrastructure. Scott opposes Obamacare, Crist supports it. Crist supports raising the minimum wage, Scott calls that a job killer.

The latest CNN poll has the two tied. On election day, it could all come down to whom the undecided voters hate the least.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER: Whether you like them or loathe them or just want to see how they fare without a fan this evening, you can catch the candidates facing off tonight on CNN in their third and final debate. I will be asking the questions at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time, and I'll be asking them with WJXT anchor, Kent Justice, who joins me now.

Kent, thanks for joining us. What are you looking to watch tonight? What's important for you?

KENT JUSTICE, WJXT ANCHOR: Sure, one of the things that you and I have even talked about, we've got to try to get these candidates off the distractions, the attacks of each other, rampant for months upon months here in Florida.

And we want to try to get them to try to talk about some of the specific agenda items they have got, not just, hey, we need to increase funding for education. How are you going to do that governor if you're in Tallahassee come the beginning of the year? How are you going to actually make that happen?

They've got a lot of their talking points and like to see them move into something more substantial.

TAPPER: Knock them off the talking points.

JUSTICE: Yes.

TAPPER: They really, though don't seem to like each other very much.

JUSTICE: They don't.

TAPPER: It's not for the cameras.

JUSTICE: I've been asked that question several times, especially covering these two governors, spoke with them several times the past few months. And they couldn't be more different in terms of personality.

Governor Rick Scott is really what you see on camera. He is not a great public speaker and doesn't pretend to be. He says, hey, I want to be about results.

Charlie Crist is somebody who comes off every time you meet somebody, hey, great to meet you -- you should leave feeling warm and fuzzy. Does that come across tonight?

Tonight is a little bit different there's no studio audience. It's just those two candidates and hopefully comes through the cameras, that they can just say, here's exactly what my points are, not how to get performance.

TAPPER: A guy who maybe isn't interested enough in pleasing people, versus a guy who's maybe too interested in pleasing people. It's going to be very interesting.

I look forward to working with you. Thanks, Kent. Thank you, Kent Justice.

In World news -- three teenage girls headed to Syria, allegedly to fight for terrorist. What happened and how are these groups appealing to young American teens? That's coming up.

And two weeks before election day, President Obama is nowhere near Democrats' top choice for a campaign surrogate. We'll ask you crack political panel, why hasn't he gotten an invitation to go on the road, coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)