Return to Transcripts main page
The Lead with Jake Tapper
Russia Unleashes Missile Barrage, Kills At Least 11 In Ukraine; Sources: Atlanta-Area Prosecutor Secures Cooperation Of Former Trump White House Aide Cassidy Hutchinson; Trump Hits Campaign Trail For GOP In Key Battleground State; Calls Grow For L.A. City Council Member To Resign Over Racist Remarks; San Antonio Officer Fired For Shooting Teen Eating In Car; New Study Looks At Effects Of Colonoscopies. Aired 4-5p ET
Aired October 10, 2022 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[16:00:31]
JOHN BERMAN, CNN HOST: Russia's heaviest day of strike since the early days of the Ukraine invasion. Is this aside that Putin is desperate?
THE LEAD starts right now.
A wave of terror in Ukraine. A series of deadly strikes taking out bridges and targeting infrastructure. Why these sites and why now? Seven months into this war.
Plus, Los Angeles Council president resigns from part of her job after a recording leak of her making racist remarks. What she said about a white colleague's black son, and why her partial resignation may not be enough to quiet her critics.
Plus, one of the most inconvenient yet important cancer screenings. What a new study says about how well colonoscopy's work.
(MUSIC)
BERMAN: Welcome to THE LEAD. I'm John Berman, in for Jake Tapper.
The destruction across Ukraine tops our world lead. Russia has bombarded Ukraine with more than 80 missiles in eight regions. That is according to Ukraine. Mondays was the most intense stretch of bombing since the start of Putin's unprovoked evasion.
And Russia is clearly targeting civilian infrastructure, walkways, water and power stations. Even a playground was hit. So far, Ukraine says at least 11 people have died, dozens more injured.
Putin says it is revenge for this, a Saturday morning attack on the bridge that connects Russia to Crimea. Ukraine has not officially claimed responsibility yet, but explosion was a strategic attack on Russia's supply lines, exposing a critical weakness for Russia. It's dependent on rail and for Putin, it's personal. He made it a point to drive across this bridge when it was open back in 2018. And the attack came just a day after his 70th birthday. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen reports from Ukraine's capital Kyiv where
Ukraine says Putin's goal is to inflict terror on civilians.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): It was in the middle of Monday morning rush hour that waves of Russian missile started hitting Ukraine's capital and other cities across the country, sending people scampering for their lives.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): My hands are trembling. I have seen how the missile was flying overhead. I heard that sounds.
PLEITGEN: Ukraine says, Russia has launched more than 80 missiles and more than 20 attack drones at targets in Ukraine, while the air defenses took many out, they couldn't stop them all. Ukraine's president quick to condemn the attacks.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINE (through translator): We are dealing with terrorists. They want panic and chaos.
PLEITGEN: Ukrainian cities like Lviv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, and multiple others reported power outages after Russia's attacks. The deputy head of Ukraine's presidential administration telling me they are working to get the electricity grid back up and running.
KYRYLO TYMOSHENKO, DEPUTY HEAD, UKRAINE PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATION: Of course, critically, for us, it's critical infrastructure. It's like electricity infrastructure.
PLEITGEN: But Russian missiles also struck sites that were anything but critical. Several cars were destroyed at this busy intersection outside a museum.
Even hours after attacks by the Russian military, there are still air raid sirens going off here in the Ukrainian capital. And you can see right here, this is just one impact site over one of those Russian missiles hit. It ripped a hole into the tarmac of the road here and five people were killed in this place alone.
The attacks come just days after a major Russian logistics route, the Crimean bridge was heavily damaged by an explosion. Moscow blames Ukraine for the blast, though Kyiv has not taken responsibility for the attack. The Russian army showed video of ships launching missiles towards Ukraine and Russian president Vladimir Putin acknowledged he is taking revenge.
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): A massive strike was carried out with high precision long-range air weapons of air, sea, and land-based systems on energy, military and communications facilities of Ukraine.
PLEITGEN: But this clearly was not a command facility. In Central Kyiv, a playground took a direct hit leaving a giant crater. The capital's mayor, former heavyweight boxing champ, Vitaly Klitschko, vowing to stand strong. [16:05:01]
Your message to Putin?
MAYOR VITALY KLITSCHKO, KYIV, UKRAINE: We'll never come back to the Russian Empire. We see our future, part of European democratic family.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PLEITGEN (on camera): So, John, you hear from some pretty strong words coming from Kyiv's mayor, Vitaly Klitschko.
And I spoke to several other top level Ukrainian officials today and what I got from them was also a sense of defiance. In fact, the Russian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy just a couple of minutes ago he went to the site where we were also, that had been hit by a Russian rocket. He said Ukrainians are already working to bring services backup. He also said that he believes that Russians are doing attacks like ones today because they are losing on the battlefield, and he said the only answer that Ukraine could give was to make even more difficult for the Russians on the battlefield, John.
BERMAN: A playground hit.
Frederik Pleitgen in Kyiv, Fred, as always, thank you so much for reporting.
Now, here in the United States, President Biden says the U.S. will stand with Ukraine, quote, for as long as it takes.
CNN's Oren Liebermann and Phil Mattingly join us.
I want to start with Phil at the White House.
Phil, we're just learning that the president spoke with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. What happened during the conversation?
PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: John, that's right. The president has made clear, as you, noted the support will continue as long as it takes. The Western collision will continue the support as long as it takes, reiterating that, in a one and one phone call with President Zelenskyy early this afternoon, just the latest in a series of Western leaders that spoke with the Ukrainian president.
Now, in President Biden's state -- or the readout from the White House about that phone call, they made clear that the president expressed his condemnation. But there's also really a critical element here, especially in the lead up to what is expected to be of G7 leader video conference call tomorrow where President Zelenskyy is expected to speak at the White House saying President Biden pledged to continue providing Ukraine with the support needed to defend itself, including advancing air systems.
And why that matters, obviously, you can look at the screen and the images that were shown in Fred's piece just a short while ago. But also President Zelenskyy in a tweet talking about his phone call with President Biden made clear air defenses, the number one priority according to President Zelenskyy in the continued defense cooperation between the U.S. and its allies in Ukraine. That will be a central issue of discussion tomorrow and one I know U.S. officials have been weighing and walking through over the course of the last several months, John.
BERMAN: Phil, thank you very much. Stand by.
Oren, what about that? What about these weapon systems? Because we know there have been intense ongoing discussions in the National Security Council about what kind of weapons should be included in the next security package. What's the Pentagon saying about this?
And these are conversations that happen constantly between the U.S. officials and Ukrainian officials. We expect another weapons package this week. And that's because there is a Ukraine contact group meeting in Brussels. That's where more than 15 different countries come together to figure out what weapons Ukraine has and who has them and how best to get them to Ukraine.
Around these the U.S. has over the course of the past several months announced a package in addition to other packages, announced pretty much every week or every other week at this point. Up until now, over the course of the past few weeks, the question has been, is the U.S. thrilling to send ATACMS long range precision munitions or is the conversation shifting? And the answer has generally been, it is not at that point yet, considered too much of an explanation risk as we've seen in the course of the past 24 hours here.
The priority has shifted from long range munitions to air defense systems. Those to some extent have already sent. NASAMS and advanced air defense system, one is already in, if I'm not mistaken, from Norway, two more are expected from the U.S. over the next couple months.
Now, are they getting and faster, are there more of these air defense systems going in? That's what we'll find out this week.
BERMAN: All right. Watching it very closely. Oren Liebermann at the Pentagon, Phil Mattingly at the White House -- thank you both very much.
We want to bring in Beth Sanner, the former deputy director of national intelligence, and retired General Philip Breedlove, former NATO supreme allied commander.
And, General, I do want to start with you. The battlefield developments, Ukraine's foreign minister says the strikes show that Putin is, quote, desperate. Do you see it like that?
GEN. PHILIP BREEDLOVE (RET.), FORMER NATO SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER: Well, it's very clear that he feels like he has to answer. The strike on the Kerch Bridge was an important one, because that is a key through-way for resupply to Crimea. Mr. Putin can't afford to have it go down. There was a significant amount of military equipment and forces trying to protect the bridge. They will install devices to detect explosives. Someone got in. That is a blow to Mr. Putin. I believe he felt like he had to lash out.
BERMAN: So, Ukraine says, General, that Russia used some 80 missiles and drones today. How long could Russia keep up this pace if it wanted to?
BREEDLOVE: Well, what we have seen in the recent past as Russia has really gone low on its supplies of precise long-range strikes.
[16:10:00]
Mr. Putin said that he shot very precise weapons today, and actually, they're not. What we see as they are repurposing a lot of surface to air missiles from the S-300 system, and using them as surface to surface missiles because they are running out of the good precision weapons. And so, I believe what we will find out is a lot of these strikes because they were not precise, as you showed in the beginning of your broadcast here, where of these variants that are not very good at precise strike on the battlefield.
BERMAN: Beth, Dmitri Medvedev, the former Russian president now deputy head of Russia Security Council, says Moscow should aim for a, quote, complete dismantling of the political regime of Ukraine. How much of a threat do you think that is to Zelenskyy and how careful does he now need to be?
BETH SANNER, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: He has to be careful, one of the only tools left for Putin, in terms of striking at the government is either these indiscriminate strikes or some kind of covert assassination attempt and, you know? So, we have heard there have been assassination attempts in the past. But, you know, without decapitating Ukrainian regime, nothing really is going to happen.
And, you know, Putin is under a lot of domestic pressure right now. It's one of the reasons why he responded with this massive attack is because people have been saying, the war hasn't going well. So, he has to establish his authority and show response.
BERMAN: Beth, almost as soon as this attack started from Russia on Ukraine, these dozens and dozens of missiles, Ukraine started reaching out again to the rest, to Europe, to the United States, saying this is why we need more and better air defense systems. Are Ukraine's allies pulling their weight?
SANNER: Yes and no. I mean, it is interesting how some of the smaller allies, particularly ones closer to the front are putting in and per capita as much as we are or close to that. It's some of the bigger allies that aren't standing up.
And, you know, here I'm going to look squarely in the face of our good friends, and I mean that, in Germany and France because they need to do more. Germany promised four air defense systems in June. Not one has shown up. If they don't want more refugees coming from Ukraine, which I believe is part of Putin's gambit here in creating this terror is trying to force another wave of refugees potentially, you know, it's in their interest to do all they can to shore up Ukraine. BERMAN: So, Genera Breedlove, it really does seem as if there's
something sort of snapped over the last few days with Vladimir Putin and what he's trying to do. And the Belarusian president announced that he is now going to deploy a new joint regional group of troops with Russia, allow Russian troops in perhaps. Now, Russia is downplaying this announcement publicly saying they don't need help from Belarus.
But what do you make on this all of a sudden newfound cooperation?
BREEDLOVE: Well, I think it's interesting that Russia is downplaying it. I truly believe Russia is behind it. Russia wants Ukraine to feel pressure again in the north, because as was mentioned just now by Beth, they're having a lot of successes in the east against Russian forces. And Russia needs to find relief from this advancing Ukraine army.
And part of that would be to worry Ukraine that once again there is an attack fronts in the north that would threaten Kyiv. Now, whether this plays out to be real or not is in great question and Lukashenko has played a wise game of not becoming involved.
BERMAN: Beth, do you think there will be a military impact? Or what will the military impact be for Ukraine in the wake of this Russian bombardment?
SANNER: Well, I don't think any. When you're hitting civilian infrastructure, there's not much of a military implication. So, you know, there are going to press. And the real question is, just how severely hit are the Russian supply lines? Because Russia is going to pedal to the metal.
And as Phil said, there is this issue of the northern front, but honestly, my personal opinion is that Belarusian President Lukashenko cannot put any troops in Ukraine without facing a mutiny inside his country. So, you know, I think the Ukrainians understand that they have to protect a little bit but they are going to keep pressing south and east.
BERMAN: All right. Beth Sanner, General Philip Breedlove, thank you both so much for being with us.
And we do have an important programming note. Just in, Jake Tapper, you guys know him, he will have an exclusive interview with President Biden. That is tomorrow night at 9:00 Eastern right here on CNN.
[16:15:03]
And next, 29 days before the midterm elections and we are seeing a full on embrace of former President Donald Trump by some Republican candidates. A smart move or huge risk?
And how former President Barack is planning to make the best use of his star power this election cycle?
Plus, a key resignation in Uvalde, Texas, months after the massacre and community outrage.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BERMAN: In our politics lead, new details about current and former members of the Trump team participating and state and federal investigations.
I want to bring in CNN's Sara Murray.
And, Sara, Cassidy Hutchinson who testified before the January 6 committee now cooperating with the Atlanta area investigation? What's going on there?
SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Obviously, she offered a bombshell testimony for that January 6 Committee hearing. She is now cooperating with prosecutors in Georgia who are investigating Trump and his allies effort to overturn the 2020 election.
Of course, we don't know exactly what information she is providing them, but, you know, she worked very closely with Mark Meadows, the former White House chief of staff. He was very involved in efforts to potentially contest the election in Georgia. And prosecutors are still working on getting his testimony for the grand jury, so she can be the kind of person who's helping to fill in some gaps there, John.
BERMAN: And, Sara, you're also learning about one of Trump's attorneys talking now to federal investigators.
MURRAY: That's right. My colleague Kaitlan Collins is reporting that Christina Bobb, who's a member of Trump's legal team, remember, she signed that letter saying that all of the documents marked classified had been returned from Mar-a-Lago. We now know that is not the case. You know, she said in that letter there had been a diligent search.
She spoke to federal investigators in recent days. I think that gives you an indication. Investigators are concerned about the validity of that letter. Our understanding is she is still working with Trump's legal team, but she is not heavily involved at this point in the Mar- a-Lago documents case, John.
BERMAN: All right. Sara Murray, thank you. Great to see you anytime of day.
There is new evidence today debunking Donald Trump's claim that boxes containing classified material at his Mar-a-Lago estate were sent there by government officials. The General Services Administration released hundreds of pages of emails a document showing the agency wasn't responsible for packing boxes that were sent to Florida, and eventually recovered, some of them, it seems, by the FBI during the August search, which the former president has repeatedly attacked as he hits the campaign trail for MAGA candidates across the country.
CNN's Kyung Lah looks at why Republican candidates in the Western U.S. are especially receptive to stomping with Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): To anyone who thought embracing Donald Trump might be a political risk in a swing state --
KARI LAKE (R), ARIZONA GOVERNOR CANDIDATE: I want to show you what it looks like when we step away from President Trump.
LAH: Kari Lake, Republican of many for governor in Arizona, leads into Trumpism, in a state where roughly one third of registered voters are independents.
Lake, along with Republican U.S. Senate nominee Blake Masters, is part an entire slate of Republicans backed by and championing Trump in the West.
In Nevada, Republican nominee for governor, Joe Lombardo --
JOE LOMBARDO (R), NEVADA GOVERNOR CANDIDATE: Round of applause for President Trump.
LAH: And Senate Republican nominee Adam Laxalt.
ADAM LAXALT (R), NEVADA SENATE CANDIDATE: Do we miss the Trump economy right now?
LAH: But playing to the Republican base means standing with a former president who continues to lie about the 2020 election.
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT: Our country is being destroyed.
LAH: And praising those who attended the rally in Washington on January 6, shortly before the riot at the U.S. Capitol.
TRUMP: They were there largely to protest the corrupt and rigged and stolen election.
LAH: Trump energizes the base. Both in Nevada and Arizona, he risks alienating some independents, but not all.
JOIE VALDEZ, ARIZONA VOTER: I feel like he's doing the right thing by coming back to these battlegrounds.
LAH: Joie Valdez is one of them.
Do you think he's going to speak to the independents?
VALDEZ: I think he will. I think he will. We're out here struggling to make ends meet, buying gas, buying groceries.
LAH: Nevada Democratic Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, the incumbent.
SEN. CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO (D-NV): When we stand together, we can get it done and make it happen. Si, se puede. Si, se puede.
LAH: Leans on her own strategy to keep Nevada blue, energize her base, hundreds of union workers going door to door to persuade Democrats to turn out.
The polling shows she is in a tight race with Laxalt.
MASTO: This is a microcosm of the rest of the country. If you could win, hear if you could win across the west of the country. But you can't take it for granted. You can't just throw up in the last minute.
LAH: At stake, control of the Senate. Trump lost both Arizona and Nevada in 2020 by narrow margins. Democrats are banking on another MAGA loss in 2022
SEN. CHRIS COONS (D-DE): It's striking to me that there are candidates who think having the former president campaign for them, given all the issues and challenges he faces, is the right way to persuade Americans that they've got the visions for the future.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAH: We do have one immediate indicator of the Trump effects. Senator Cortez Masto's campaign tells CNN that the campaign has raised more than $1 million after Trump Saturday rally. Saturday and Sunday, says the campaign, were the two best online fundraising days of this cycle -- John.
BERMAN: So, the appearances cut both ways.
Kyung Lah in Tempe, Arizona -- Kyung, great to see you. Thank you.
Next, racist remarks behind closed doors. Hear the audio now public that has the Los Angeles City council president stepping down from part of her job.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:29:09]
BERMAN: We're back now on the politics lead.
The president of the Los Angeles City Council has resigned. That position, the presidency, following the release of a secretly recorded conversation during which she used a vile racist slur to refer to the child of a fellow council member. This happened in a conversation about redistricting and the possible impact of communities of color.
CNN's Nick Watt reports on the growing fallout from these remarks as calls intensify for her to step down from the council altogether.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Mike Bonin is an L.A. City Council member and father to a young black son. Last year, they went to an MLK day parade.
City Council President Nury Martinez had some issues.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP) NURY MARTINEZ, LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT: It's like the black and brown on this float. And there this white guy with his little black kid who's misbehaved. The kid is bouncing off the effing walls on the float, practically tipping it over. There's nothing you can do to control him, parece changuito.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
WATT: Translation, little monkey.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
MARTINEZ: They're raising him like a little white kid which I was like, this kid needs a beat down, like let me give him take him around the corner and then I'll bring him back.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
WATT: Bonin tweeted that Martinez attacked our son with horrific racist slurs and talked about her desire to physically harm him. It's vile, abhorrent and utterly disgraceful.
There were protests at her house. Today, she resigned as council president.
She issued this apology: In a moment of intense frustration and anger, I let the situation get the best of me and I hold myself accountable for these comments. For that, I am sorry.
Recorded nearly a year ago, the audio was posted anonymously Reddit for first reported by "The Los Angeles Times". Those present were reports to paper all Democrats, all Hispanics.
Among them, labor leader Ron Herrera. He's tweeted: There is no justification and no excuse for the vile remarks made in that room. Period. And I didn't step up to stop them. He did not.
When Martinez described Bonin's son as an accessory, according to the paper, he joined. In
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
MARTINEZ: It's like an accessory. When we do the MLK Parade --
KEVIN DE LEON, COUNCIL MEMBER: Just like when, just like when --
RON HERRERA, LABOR LEADER: We use to have those statues in the plantations, didn't they?
DE LEON: And when Nury brings her Goyard bag or the Louis Vuitton bag el trae su accessory.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
WATT: That last voice, Council Member Kevin de Leon. He has big ambitions. He ran for mayor this year and the U.S. Senate seat in '18. I regret appearing to condone and even contribute to certain insensitive comments, he wrote. I fell short of the expectations we set for our leaders.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WATT: Now, this audio tells us a couple of things. The, first is the kind of language that some politicians are happy to use when they think nobody is listening. And also, it tells us about the deep divisions amongst the left of center the tours here in Los Angeles.
Now, Nury Martinez is the child a Mexican immigrants, but she says this about immigrants from the Mexican state of Oaxaca. She calls them short little dark people. She says of the Cuban American district attorney her in L.A., she says, F that guy. He is with the Blacks -- John.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN HOST: All right. Nick Watt in Los Angeles -- Nick, thank you so much for that.
I want to discuss now. John Avlon, CNN senior political analyst.
Racist enough to resign the presidency, but not racist enough to give up your whole council seats? Explain to me how tenable that is.
JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: She's trying to walk the line. She's trying to say, look, I'm going to acknowledge it was wrong. It's more than some politicians. Do take herself at a leadership, but try to hold on to the seat and hope that she can live another political day.
I think the problem is, as Nick alluded, character is what you do when people aren't watching.
BERMAN: Exactly.
AVLON: And these folks were caught on tape being racist and loathsome and cruel about the child of one of their colleagues. And it's just unacceptable.
BERMAN: I heard you during the old piece, Danielle Belton of "Huffington Post". We are watching Nick's piece in the wrap up and I could just hear you sighing again and again and again.
DANIELLE BELTON, EDITOR IN CHIEF, HUFFINGTON POST: Well, because it's just so familiar. I mean, the reality is there is a lot of anti-Black racism that exists across all aspects of society, including on the left, including in the Hispanic community. And so, I wasn't surprised. But I was heavily disappointed and I was horrified by this behavior.
But often, what goes around in the dark will eventually come to light. And that's what's happened in this situation.
MARGARET HOOVER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: This is a part that has come up, the karma of technology and our politics, right? So much has been brought to life. It's been brought for all of us to see, from, you know, horrific murders, to horrific language behind closed doors. To the point about characters that count behind closed doors, this technology is become an ultimate accountability. We would know that she had said that had somebody not recorded it put it out to the world.
BERMAN: So, there's racism behind closed doors. And then there is racism at a podium, in front of thousands of people. That's what we call the racism roundup today. I make a joke of. It is sad. It's sad.
You know, Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville at a Trump event was giving the speech where he just equated Black people with criminals. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. TOMMY TUBERVILLE (R-AL): They want reparation because they think the people that do the crime are owed that. (EXPLETIVE DELETED). They are not owed them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Again, he thought this statement helps him politically. He walked up on the stage presumably with the goal of saying that out loud in front of all these people. What does that tell?
BELTON: Oh, it tells me that we've gone beyond dog whistles at this point, like we are actually calling the dog by its name. We are shouting it out very excitedly and vociferously, with no shame whatsoever, and that's a huge problem right now going on within the Republican Party, especially those who have decided to hue so closely to Trump, and basically follow him off the edge of this cliff here when it comes to talking about race and gender and ethnicity in this country.
BERMAN: I mean, surely, there will be an outcry. Surely there will be an outcry across the political spectrum. Even among Republicans about this, yes?
AVLON: Deafening in the last 24 hours. No, there has been an absence of an outcry. Don Bacon on "Meet the Press" went the further saying, well, I would have been trying to be more polite.
This is the kind of crap that would make Lee Atwater blush, all right? This is screaming a conflation of reparations crime and racism, and the crowd cheered, and his Republican Senate colleagues have not condemned. And that's a problem.
HOOVER: With a little bit of the really racist communism weaved in that you get They are trying to take everything you have and redress tribute it for themselves. I mean, it's like a trifecta of racism here.
BERMAN: I don't mean to be cynical. Can you tell me you won't think it will help or you think it will hurt?
HOOVER: In that crowd, for the base of the Republican Party, which is to your point melded with Trump, and it's just, you know, saying it out loud -- no, that rallies them up. That's fine.
But where is the Lisa Murkowski? Where is Mitt Romney? Where are those who differentiate themselves and distinguish from that, because I know they don't condone that but they need to say it.
AVLON: They need to say it and stand up and say it, no matter -- even if you are months out for the election. But we are in the general election now, this isn't just about playing to the base. They need to win moderates and independents and swing voters and that kind of crop is not going to help.
BERMAN: Let me just -- while we're on the subject, before we move to something uplifting -- Kanye West on his Twitter account said something, again, it's just anti-Semitic. There's no other interpretation other than it's anti-Semitic.
He said: Going DefCon 3 on Jewish people. You guys, Jews, have toyed with me, and try to blackball anyone who opposes your agenda.
Now, there's some debate out there about whether or not he should be banned from Twitter. What I don't understand, why the discussion isn't about, gosh, how awful is it that Kanye West is just saying anti- Semitic things out loud?
BELTON: I know there is this tendency, that when it's Kanye, people just kind of go, well, he's trolling. It doesn't matter if it's hateful or damageful, ruins lives. It's like he's going to say it because he likes the attention, it's provocative to him. He feel like he's being this freethinker and just like giving this alternative viewpoint. And that is just strictly just completely garbage.
BERMAN: It's just Jew-hating 101. I like to say that, you know, anti- Semitism is just a kind of word for Jew-hating. This is just --
BELTON: Sad, purely.
BERMAN: Purely, that's all it is.
All right. Let's talk electoral politics apart from this for a second if we will. CNN's -- has really interesting reporting which is that former President Barack Obama wants to go on the campaign trail and campaign, but it may not be as much as some Democrats want. Obama says it may hurt -- my presence might hurt as much as it helps. In might rile up Republicans as much as it energizes Democrats.
HOOVER: Look, everything depends on what specific race you are talking about and where you're going. Are you going to try to rally out voters in Philadelphia and urban areas where you really need a really strong base of Democratic support to come out, and President Biden will help? Then go.
What if we're talking, you know, I don't know, other places. There are -- there are -- there's a difference. I think Obama's correct. He's astute politically. Not everyone loves him.
AVLON: Sure, not everyone loves him, you know, he is a rock star within the Democratic Party. And he's not kryptonite to independents and moderates the same way that Donald Trump is. So, I think, you know, he does have a charisma factor that outweighs anyone else. He's a decade younger than most -- two dates decades younger than the leading Democrats.
And I think he's probably selling himself short right here.
BELTON: I think is grappling with the reality that no matter what he, does there is going to be some commentary, because there's so many on the right that really just make up a controversy where there is one. The fact that just before we're talking about reparations, or the fact that they'll bring up CRT, things that aren't even taught in school.
So, there is a willingness to conflate and confuses and just throw the smoke bombs of things that don't really exist to this argument with Obama. They aren't even attached to him, that he could be a lightning rod for its. I think it's great for him to come out in the districts where there is a high African-American population where you need to turn out to come out and vote.
But I can totally understand why he might be a liability in some of these tighter contentious races.
BERMAN: Can you think of a swing state where he wouldn't go, where he wouldn't be helpful? I mean, he could find a place to go in Pennsylvania. He could find a place to go.
HOOVER: Or in Ohio, yeah.
AVLON: I agree, I agree. And that is why, it look, this is -- the cliche, every election is the most important one. This is usually an impactful midterm election and when you don't want to hide your light behind a bushel if you're a Democrat right now. You want to make sure you're going.
BERMAN: Thank you all so much. It was very nice to see you all in this unusual seat for me. I appreciate it.
Next, a teen shot outside a McDonald's.
[16:40:02]
And it's a police officer fired for pulling the trigger. How this apparently happened and what we just learned about the teen's condition.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BERMAN: New today in our national lead, the Uvalde, Texas school superintendent Hal Harrell announced he will retire. The move comes just hours before the school board was due to discuss Harrell's future. He says he will remain on the job until new superintendent is named.
The announcement also comes less than a week after CNN reported the Uvalde school district hired a police officer knowing she was under investigation for her response to the deadly massacre at Robb Elementary School back in May. That officer has since been fired.
In San Antonio, a policeman has been fired over a shooting that left a teenager hospitalized in critical condition. The 17-year-old was eating in his car outside of McDonald's when the officer confronted him.
CNN's Ed Lavandera is following the story.
And, Ed, there is body cam video of this incident.
[16:45:01]
ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, we should warn everyone, what you're about to see is disturbing and hard to watch. It is a scene that unfolded on Sunday night, October 2nd. It's about eight days ago.
It was 10:45 at night when Officer James Brennand approached a 17- year-old sitting in his car.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POLICE OFFICER: Get out of the car.
(GUNFIRE)
POLICE OFFICER: Shots fired! Shots fired. Shot fired!
(GUNFIRE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAVANDERA: You can hear how quickly all of this unfolded, in just a matter of seconds.
And all we could hear was about ten gunshots on the body camera footage. The whole footage lasts just over a minute.
Officers say that the Officer Brennand was at the scene on an unrelated call when he noticed a car that he believed had evaded him in the days before this altercation.
And that is according to a police report, why the officer approached the vehicle. Initially, the 17 year old inside the car was charged with abating officers and assaulting an officer as well. But those charges have now since been dropped. And the D.A. in San Antonio says they are gathering evidence and will present a evidence to a grand jury as to whether or not the officer should be charged as well.
But the police officers you mentioned, John, they have been fired, the police chief there in an Antonio describes the officer's action is indefensible.
BERMAN: Ed, how is the teenager doing. Is he still in the hospital?
LAVANDERA: He is still in the hospital. We got an update just a short while ago that said that the 17 year old is in critical condition. He is on life support as several major organs were hit by bullets when he was shot there in the car. His car drove away about a block or so before it came to a stop. But we are told he is in critical condition and on life support any sedated while the doctors are working to save his life.
BERMAN: All right. Ed, keep us posted. Ed Lavandera, thank you very much.
Next, the intriguing new study out today on colonoscopies. Everyone is paying attention to this. Why the fine print is key here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:51:42]
BERMAN: Going beyond the headlines in today's health lead in a new study on the effects of colonoscopies for cancer screening. But how much did you read into the results?
CNN's Elizabeth Cohen is here to explain.
Elizabeth, first, tell us about this study, which did take place in Europe where colonoscopies aren't done quite the same way as in the United States.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT; They aren't, John.
This is very interesting. This with the people getting colonoscopies in Poland, Norway, and Sweden. I didn't know this. This was surprising.
In this study, there are thousands and thousands of people, only 23 percent of them were sedated for the procedure. So, John, I don't know if you've ever had a colonoscopy, I half. I can't even imagine that. That would be an interesting experience to have a colonoscopy and not be sedated.
But there are some concerns that when the patients aren't sedated, the doctors might not be quite as thorough because the patients are uncomfortable, and may be in pain. And the doctors might not be looking in every crevice and every turn. They can sense their patients want to get this over with.
So, anyhow, let's take a look at what the study found in terms of effectiveness a colonoscopies. So, they looked at about 12,000 people who got colonoscopies. Is these are people in their late 50s and early 60s. Getting that one colonoscopy reduce their colon cancer risk by 30 percent, and it reduced the risk of them dying from colon cancer by 50 percent. So, that's pretty good. Those numbers are pretty good.
But in the U.S., probably for many reasons, one of the ones I just explain, the results are even better when they look at other studies. Results in the U.S. or even better. So, the bottom line is, get your colonoscopy!
BERMAN: Look, I got mine this year. And yes, I was way sedated, the best sleep I've had in a long time.
Elizabeth, what does it mean for people who are watching. What does it mean that people should do?
COHEN: You know, this gives us even more reason to get a colonoscopy. Let's take a look at what those guidelines are in the United States. The American cancer society and others say start getting regular screenings at 45.
But, this is a big but, if you have a family history of colon cancer, if you have other kinds of genetic diseases in your family background, you should talk to your doctor about maybe starting even earlier.
BERMAN: All right. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you for clarifying all of this. I appreciate your reporting.
COHEN: Thanks.
BERMAN: So, this next one, this is a big story. The rigged election you can't bear to mess.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:58:38]
BERMAN: All right. Drivers are probably not going to like today's money lead. The national average for gas is that up 12 cents a gallon in just one week, and 20 cents in the last month. AAA says the average is that $3.92. That is creeping up toward the four dollar mark. It seems almost certain to hit it.
Oil prices at a five-week high, after that move last week by OPEC+ to cut global oil production. I want to note here, gas prices are at a record $5.02 back in mid June.
All right. Pay attention to this one. Alaska's fat bear week is apparently marred in scandal! Voter fraud to be exact.
Katmai National Park lets people vote online for their favorite fat bear in this bracket style challenge. This is supposed to be educational in the run up to hibernation. It is supposed to be fun, right?
But last night, the park treated that someone digitally stuffed ballots. Fake votes had to be thrown out. They are cheating in fat bear week. So, going into the semifinal round, apparently Bear 747, which is named after a jumbo jet has 37,000 votes, not 73,000. And mama bear, 435 Hawley, that's the name, has 30,000 votes, not 80,000.
The final round is tomorrow. Feel free to cast your vote at a bear -- fatbearweek.org. Don't cheat because I'll come after you.
All right, a big interview is on deck tomorrow. Jake Tapper will speak exclusively with President Biden. That's in his new time slot leading up to the midterm elections, 9:00 Eastern on CNN.
Our coverage continues with Wolf Blitzer in "THE SITUATION ROOM."
