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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Mail Slowdown; Jill Biden Speaks Out; President Trump Denies He Had Mini-Strokes; President Trump Visits Wisconsin. Aired 4:30-5p ET

Aired September 01, 2020 - 16:30   ET

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

[16:31:58]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: Breaking news from Wisconsin.

Just as President Trump left the city of Kenosha this afternoon, federal investigators released new details into the shooting of Jacob Blake, saying police tried to Tase him twice before the shooting, and that investigators have interviewed 88 witnesses in this case.

I want to bring in CNN's Sara Sidner. She's live in Kenosha for us.

And, Sara, you have been talking to the family. What's been their reaction to the president in town today?

SARA SIDNER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They have really tried to ignore it, because they set this up for the community.

I will just take you through it just for a second here. This is the community right along this street where Jacob Blake was shot in the back seven times. The family wanted to create an atmosphere for families here, because they want to make sure that people have a place that they can be, they can enjoy themselves, and it's not all about just protest. It's also about, very importantly, to vote.

But when I asked them specifically if they had a message for Donald trump, here is what his uncle, Justin Blake, told me:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUSTIN BLAKE, UNCLE OF JACOB BLAKE: It's what he's done since he's been in the White House and his racist comments that he's made towards every minority in the country and others.

We're not going to get caught up with him. He wished we would, and we're not. We're here to heal Kenosha and push forward our agenda for getting little Jake justice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Now, they have also heard about this video, of course, that you have been hearing from the attorney, Benjamin Crump, that he says there is new video out there that sheds more light on this case.

We also know that the Wisconsin Department of Justice, who is actually the investigating agency on this case, has also been able to gather about 102 bits of evidence. And they say that they have also downloaded 28 videos and had four search warrants.

So, there is movements in the case. But, right now, the Blake family is very much focused on trying to do something for the community where he was shot several times, to make sure that people feel comfortable in the community. And they said: We are not here for violence.

They want to make that really clear, and they have said it before, but they're saying it again. They're saying peaceful protests are great. Things that get destructive are just that, destructive, and they don't help anyone -- Pam.

BROWN: All right, Sara Sidner live for us in Kenosha, Wisconsin, thanks so much, Sara.

Well, today, Breonna Taylor's boyfriend filed a lawsuit against police in Louisville, Kentucky, almost six months after officers tried to execute a no-knock warrant, and in the process killed the unarmed black woman in her own home.

Her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, was armed and fired because he wasn't sure he was trying to get in and says he did not know it was the police.

CNN's Jason Carroll has been going through the lawsuit and joins me now.

Jason, charges have already been dropped against Walker. So, what is he asking for in this new lawsuit?

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pamela, a couple things.

First and foremost, he's trying to his attorney through the civil suit trying to make sure that he does not get charged again, re-arrested again in connection with what happened during the shooting.

[16:35:00]

Remember, back in March, police initially charged and arrested Walker with attempted murder. Those charges were later dropped.

But his attorney says that, legally, the door is still open for prosecutors, if they so choose, to recharge and re-arrest him again. And so this civil suit is an attempt to really get ahead of that.

Also, in the civil suit, as we were reading through it, his attorney basically says, look, Walker had every right to be able to fire that one shot at officers, because he says the officers did not identify themselves. And he says he's basing this on the state's stand-your- ground law.

Walker, for his part, Pamela, says that he's living in fear. And earlier today, he spoke out about his press -- about the civil suit for the first time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) KENNETH WALKER, BOYFRIEND OF BREONNA TAYLOR: Breonna and I did not know who was banging on the door, but the police know what they did. The charges brought against me were meant to silence me and cover up Breonna's murder.

For her and those that I love, I can no longer remain silent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: And a number of people, as you can imagine, are named in this $10.5 million civil suit, including Louisville's mayor, who says he has not had an opportunity yet to read through the civil suit.

In addition to that, the Louisville Metro P.D., their spokesperson says that they do not comment on pending litigation -- Pamela.

BROWN: OK, thank you so much, Jason Carroll.

Well, the Trump administration is now warning Portland, Oregon, it may step in after 95 nights of protests, but it's not clear exactly what that means. Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf writes -- quote -- "President Trump has made it abundantly clear that there will come a point when state and local officials fail to protect its citizens from violence. The federal government will have no choice but to protect our American citizens."

Now, that warning comes as three surrounding law enforcement agencies rejected a request from the Oregon governor to help police respond to the protests in Portland. The agency cited limited resources and policy disputes.

Well, President Trump asked his doctor today to issue a statement, raising questions about a condition that no one was even talking about.

That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:41:40]

BROWN: Turning to our health lead.

Vice President Mike Pence was put on standby to assume the powers of the presidency during an unannounced trip President Trump made to Walter Reed Hospital last November with his doctor. This is according to a new book by "New York Times" reporter Michael Schmidt.

Well, the White House has maintained for months the last-minute hospital visit was for part of the president's annual physical.

I want to bring back CNN's Kaitlan Collins and Dr. Sanjay Gupta to talk about this a little bit more, because, Kaitlan, President Trump and his doctor have now put out statements addressing the president's health in the wake of this, but neither actually denies the reporting in this book. KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right.

They're not denying what Michael Schmidt is reporting, but they are denying what they say the media is reporting, though I have not seen any legitimate outlet report what the president tweeted about today, which he said they were accusing him of having mini-strokes when he went to Walter Reed that day.

That caused the White House physician, Dr. Sean Conley, to then put out a statement, which he said was at the direction of President Trump, where he said that he can confirm he has not experienced or been evaluated for a stroke, a mini-stroke or any acute cardiovascular emergencies, as has been incorrectly reported in the media.

So, two things important there. I don't know of anyone who's reported that. And, B, the president is now not denying that the vice president was put on standby last November when he made this abrupt trip to Walter Reed, but, instead, he's turned the headlines to be the president is denying that he's had mini-strokes.

Now, there could be many reasons for the vice president to have to be put on stand by for a situation like that. Dick Cheney was once put on it in 2002, when George Bush was undergoing a colonoscopy. It can be as routine as that, or it can be a major circumstance that the White House isn't telling us about.

What's key here and what's critical for viewers to remember is that this is all part of the White House not being fully transparent about what that trip was for and why the president went, something they didn't tell us back in November, except for the excuse that they said he was starting the first half of his physical, a physical, we should note, was completed five months later, in April 2020, when they then released the results of it.

BROWN: Right.

I remember vividly that weekend, when he went, Kaitlan, on the White House scene. We were all scrambling to figure out, OK, what is going on? Something isn't really adding up completely here.

And, Sanjay, as Kaitlan pointed out the president and the doctors were quick to point out -- the doctor, I should say, were quick to point out that the president didn't have an emergency heart issue or stroke. So they were really specific on those issues.

But those wouldn't be the only procedures that would require anesthesia, right?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right.

I mean, they told us what he didn't have done, but they didn't tell us what he did have done. So it's one of these things where we're sort of left to wonder.

I mean, what we can say, as Kaitlan pointed out, I mean, this was an unusual visit. I have covered four different presidents and really look in detail about their various health concerns, but also how they're cared for as president.

This was unusual. Walter Reed, not everyone there knew. Typically, the hospital would be notified the president was coming. Dr. Conley in a vehicle with the president. That's not the usual security protocol. Obviously, it was a quick, unplanned sort of visit.

I will say this. When you go back and look at the timeline -- and we corroborated this with Dr. Conley -- it sounds like he was in the hospital for just over an hour, which isn't very long.

[16:45:02]

The idea that -- I think if he had had some kind of anesthesia or something like that, he probably would have been in the hospital longer.

So, it's this idea that, was there something that was alarming that sort of resolved itself, as the president got to the hospital or while he was there? Who knows? We don't know.

And, frankly, there's no requirement for them to disclose that either.

BROWN: Well, so let's just take a step back here. Do you see any situation where the vice president would be put on standby while the president just gets a basic physical? Is there any scenario in which that would be standard operating procedure?

GUPTA: I don't think so.

I mean, I -- Kaitlan mentioned one of these circumstances where the paperwork for the 25th Amendment was drawn up in 2002. As Kaitlan mentioned, power was handed over to President -- to Vice President Cheney for, I think, just over a couple of hours.

He had another colonoscopy, President George W. Bush, in 2007. And the same sort of product called back when Reagan, the assassination attempt, the 25th Amendment paperwork was drawn up at that time as well, but for a routine physical, no.

And, frankly, the White House medical unit within the White House structure itself can do a lot of things. They're saying he had routine labs done that day. The president can get routine labs done at the White House. It's a pretty impressive medical unit. So, you have to ask yourself, what was it that Walter Reed was offering on a Saturday that the White House medical unit could not offer?

(CROSSTALK)

COLLINS: And, Pam...

BROWN: Yes, go ahead.

COLLINS: ... also, Sanjay is correct that they do not have to tell us what is going on.

But a president's health is important. It's important for voters to know what's going on. It's especially important when it's Donald Trump, who has repeatedly tried to cast doubts about Joe Biden's health over the last several months, but has not been forthcoming about what this visit was about.

BROWN: Right.

And we have heard his doctors in the past seem to use hyperbole talking about his health, right? I mean, I remember that one claimed he could live to be 200 years old. And it's always been this big thing, right, with his doctors.

And to Kaitlan's point, Sanjay, why is it important for not just this White House, but for every administration to be honest about the health and the fitness of the president?

GUPTA: Well, I mean, when we talk about the most powerful job in the country, obviously, somebody who has enormous power, if there's something going on that's of concern to their ability to function, their longevity, whatever it may be, I think people want to know.

Again, there's no requirement that they know, but people do want to know that. You're right. You're absolutely right. There has been so much that has not been disclosed or been so hyperbolic.

I mean, his first doctor, Harold Bornstein, said he would unequivocally be the healthiest president ever elected. We then found out that letter that he wrote was dictated to him by the White House. Kind of remarkable. Ronny Jackson said, as Kaitlan mentioned, the president could live to 200 years old.

There's all these sorts of statements that clearly have no -- they're not -- they don't correspond to reality. And it just makes you wonder, what exactly is going on with the president? He had a coronary C.T. scan that basically showed that he had heart disease, but the White House did not disclose that until they were asked about it, a very important test.

So it's very hard to piece together the health of this president.

BROWN: And these are fair questions to be asking.

Kaitlan, Sanjay, thanks so much.

GUPTA: Yes. Thanks.

BROWN: Well, just in to CNN, an exclusive sit-down interview with Jill Biden you will see first on THE LEAD.

That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:53:25]

BROWN: In a CNN exclusive interview, Jill Biden is taking jabs at President Trump, saying America is in chaos under his leadership. The former second lady and potential first lady also discussing the

issue on all parents' minds right now with CNN's Bianna Golodryga, school in the age of coronavirus.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JILL BIDEN, WIFE OF JOE BIDEN: As a teacher and as a mother and as a grandmother, I mean, I just -- I just feel that, you know, we are in Donald Trump's America, and there's just so much chaos.

And I feel that educators don't know what to do. Students don't know what to do.

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: The education secretary has been asked time and time again whether there's a plan. What is the plan about reopening schools?

BIDEN: Yes, what is the plan?

GOLODRYGA: And there doesn't seem to be one.

BIDEN: No.

GOLODRYGA: Does that surprise you? And what would a plan look like in a Biden administration?

BIDEN: No, it doesn't surprise me from -- coming from Betsy DeVos.

I mean, I don't think she ever felt invested in America's public schools. She didn't have a strategy. Trump didn't have a strategy.

There's so many things that Joe already has planned to do. And that includes replacing the secretary of education with somebody who has been in the public schools. Joe Biden will listen to the educators.

So, he's already planning to give funds to school, so that they have enough supplies. He's already talking about handling some of the broadband issues and investing in broadband, so that every child across America will have access to the Internet.

[16:55:03]

GOLODRYGA: We know the downsides of children not being in school. What is your response to those who argue that those repercussions aren't weighed as much as coronavirus is?

BIDEN: Oh, I hear it from educators all the time: Jill, we need more mental health support across the board, because, just like you're saying, now children are at home.

Domestic violence has increased. Child abuse has increased. Children are dealing with anxiety. And then now, when children come back into the schools, they're bringing all of that with them.

GOLODRYGA: This picture went viral of a 5-year-old boy in Georgia who was just broken down into tears... BIDEN: Yes.

GOLODRYGA: ... while he was learning online.

What is your message to boys like this one, his mother? And, of course, he speaks for millions.

BIDEN: My message is, when Joe Biden is elected, that he won't be sitting there crying. He will be sitting there with his laptop with a smile on his face.

Joe has empathy. He understands what families are going through.

GOLODRYGA: Teachers are now having to focus on a syllabus that not only has to deal with talking to children about a pandemic, but also racial inequality and injustice in this country.

What is your message to the black children in a classroom to remind them that their lives matter?

BIDEN: I think that people, especially today, need to have hope that things are going to get better.

Joe Biden will heal this country. Joe brought our family together and healed our family. And he will do the same for this nation. And that's who Joe Biden is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Dr. Biden also addressed the Jacob Blake shooting, as well as her husband's speech that he delivered yesterday.

We will have much more of that tomorrow on "NEW DAY" in the morning.

And, Pam, she and her husband will also be briefed by educators tomorrow in Wilmington followed by a speech that Joe Biden will deliver on how he plans to get kids back into school safely.

I asked her how often she advises her husband on education. She said, almost daily.

BROWN: All right, Bianna, thank you so much for that report.

I'm going to turn to our national lead now.

Tomorrow, House Democrats plan to subpoena Postmaster General Louis DeJoy for documents they say he's refusing to turn over for their investigation into mail delays.

Those delays are leading to life-and-death situations for people across the country who depend on the mail for prescriptions and even live animals, as CNN's Pete Muntean reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JENNIFER JONES, BACKYARD FARMER: Usually, we get them well within 24 hours.

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jennifer Jones of Maine says backyard farming is her way of making the world a better place. To get eggs, she orders baby chickens by mail several times a year. Over 15 years, she says only one chick died in the care of the United States Postal Service.

But that streak ended last month.

JONES: This is devastating that little baby animals are dying because of incompetence and sudden changes without thought.

MUNTEAN: The Postal Service admits there have been disruptions in mail deliveries. At one facility, a postal employee said this glut of mail is typical of the holiday season, but, in this case, it's a backlog.

REP. STEPHEN LYNCH (D-MA): Will you put the...

(CROSSTALK)

LYNCH: ... high-speed machines back?

(CROSSTALK)

LOUIS DEJOY, U.S. POSTMASTER GENERAL: ... outrage -- No, I will not.

MUNTEAN: In a pair of congressional hearings, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said many factors are slowing the mail, including the coronavirus pandemic.

At a facility in Dallas, a source showed CNN mail sorting machines that were removed and could not be reinstalled because they were missing too many critical parts.

WILLIE FERGUSON, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF LETTER CARRIERS BRANCH 283: We believe in service first.

MUNTEAN: In Houston, such moves have worried Willie Ferguson, who heads the local union of mail carriers. He feels they are taking the blame for changes made up the chain.

A postal worker says this August 16 photos shows mail in Rochester, New York, sitting for almost 10 days.

FERGUSON: Customers know that mail is out there.

MUNTEAN: Members of Congress say they have been flooded with constituent complaints of even hung-up prescriptions; 82-year-old Don White of Texas says his heart medication sat in a sorting facility in Illinois for more than a week.

DON WHITE, MEDICATION WAS DELAYED: I was not in dire need, but I know other people that, if they had to go that long without their medication, it would be serious. MUNTEAN: White and Jennifer Jones say their experiences are why they will be mailing their ballots as early as possible. Jones says slowdowns are why she's not blaming postal workers for her baby chicks that died.

She just hopes mail service can be revived by Election Day.

JONES: I feel terrible for the post office workers. They know when there's live animals. When they're told things that they know are wrong, it must be devastating for the for the postal workers.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MUNTEAN: Jennifer Jones tells me she's now part of Maine's lawsuit against the Postal Service. It and 20 other states are suing to undo DeJoy's changes -- Pamela.

BROWN: Thanks so much, Pete.

And our coverage on CNN continues now.

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