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The Lead with Jake Tapper
Washington Post Reports, Kirk Shooting Suspect Appears to Confess in Online Chat; Trump Admin Seeks Nearly $60 Million in Security Funding from Congress; Trump Gets a Rare Second-Term Visit to United Kingdom; Poll: 16 Percent Of Parents Delayed Or Skipped Vaccines For Their Kids. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired September 15, 2025 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: What are your thoughts on the fact that there are a lot of big name Republicans saying that this is entirely a left wing problem when obviously it's not?
[18:00:06]
This seems it's -- first of all, it's a problem on the extremes. It's radicals on the right and left. But talking about this really does feel like a national problem given just the sick celebrations of Charlie Kirk's death we're seeing online as well.
REP. MIKE LAWLER (R-NY): Look, I think obviously you can go incident by incident and each side can point the fingers and say the other is responsible. My point is that across this nation, we need to do a better job of uplifting the debate and the discussion every elected official in this country, from Congress to the president, to every -- all the way down, to dog catcher, has a responsibility with the words that they use and the way that they talk about these issues and the way that they talk about the debate.
We need to have robust debate. That's why we have a democracy. That's why we have a constitutional republic. If we all agreed on everything, then there would be no reason to have this type of government. You could just have a dictatorship, but that's not what we, the American people, want. And so we duke it out. And sometimes your side wins and sometimes it doesn't.
But the bottom line here is everybody needs to take accountability. And I would just implore all of my colleagues and, yes, Republicans right now are in the majority, and so Democrats feel this urge to obviously speak out and push back against decisions that are being made here, but all of us collectively have a responsibility to recognize the words that we use. Stop calling everybody a fascist. Stop calling everybody a dictator. Duke it out in the public domain with respect to the ideas and the policies, and then take it to the people for a vote.
But beyond that, stop with these calls for, you know, violence or action, or we're at war and we need to use, you know, weapons at the bar fight. If you go look at some of the rhetoric that has been used over these past nine months, it's horrific and it's got to stop.
TAPPER: Congressman Mike Lawler, Republican of New York, thank you so much for your time, sir. I appreciate it.
LAWLER: Thank you.
TAPPER: The Lead tonight, breaking news, new online posts from the alleged Charlie Kirk assassin, revealing an apparent confession as the nation reels from this moment of particularly nasty political rhetoric following the killing of the MAGA podcaster and organizer. President Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, FBI Director Kash Patel insists that Charlie Kirk's alleged assassin was influenced by left wing ideology. Today, Patel went on Fox, a highly unusual move in the middle of an active investigation. Here's what FBI Director Patel said about the suspected assassin.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KASH PATEL, FBI DIRECTOR: He had a text message exchange, he, the suspect, with another individual, in which he claimed that he had an opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and he was going to do it because of his hatred for what Charlie stood for.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: In contrast, Utah's Department of Public Safety commissioner told CNN he did not want to get ahead of the investigation. He declined to offer details on the case, but he noted, quote, a lot more information will come out tomorrow when official charges are filed against 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, the alleged assassin.
CNN's Ed Lavandera is at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. Ed?
ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Jake. Well, as that information is coming out, we also have new information being reported about a possible confession, essentially to this crime by the 22-year-old suspect. The Washington Post is reporting that according to two of its sources that just hours before Tyler Robinson was taken into custody Thursday night, he texted a group chat on the discord app saying, quote, hey, guys, I have some bad news for you all. It was me at UVU yesterday. I'm sorry for all this. And also would go on to say and thank his friends in that group chat for the laughs and the good times over the years.
This is -- what's really stark about this, Jake, is that this message came just two hours before he was taken into custody, which is about the time on Thursday night, authorities were releasing the surveillance footage of the suspect running across the rooftop of the building here on this campus. And then just hours -- just shortly before his father started reaching out to a family friend who would eventually lead to his arrest by 10:00 Thursday night.
TAPPER: Ed, two people were arrested in Utah after an explosive device was found under a Fox T.V. news van in Salt Lake City. What are you hearing from local officials about this shocking act?
LAVANDERA: Well, the incendiary device was found Friday night at the vehicle of the local Fox affiliate. Friday night, as I mentioned, federal authorities say that two men have been arrested. They were tracked down to a neighborhood about 45 minutes away from Salt Lake City. But, clearly, this a troubling incident with tensions so heightened at the moment.
[18:05:04]
But the device did not -- it lit, but it did not go off. It did not go off as intended. But, by all accounts, it was an actual incendiary device that if had it gone off properly might have inflicted some serious bodily injury. Jake?
TAPPER: Horrifying. Ed Lavandera in Utah, thank you.
Now to Capitol Hill, in moments, Speaker Mike Johnson is going to hold a prayer vigil for Charlie Kirk inside Statuary Hall, as the White House talks about trying to bolster security for members of Congress along with members of the judicial and executive branches, adding $58 million to the upcoming government funding bill.
Let's get right to CNN's Manu Raju. Manu, you spoke with Speaker Johnson today. What did he have to say about the safety and security issue?
MANU RAJU, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, he is trying to reassure a lot of members who are very nervous about their own personal security when they go back home to their home districts when they campaign publicly, when they meet with voters in public settings and they have outdoor events. He wants to reassure those members that they have support from within the leadership of the House. But the question is, are the resources there and what exactly is the plan to help secure 435 members of the House, senators, and most of these members do not have security details.
Now, what Johnson did tell me that he does plan to try to tie funding for the executive security for executive branch officials, judicial branch officials, and lawmakers to this must-pass government funding bill to keep the government open by the end of the month. They're still trying to hammer out the exact details of the scope of that plan, but he wanted to tell lawmakers that they plan to move on this. And he also told reporters that they would do everything they could to ensure lawmaker security. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): I want everyone within the sound of my voice to understand members of Congress are safe. They will be kept safe. They have security measures now at their residences and personally. We can always enhance and do more and do better. And I think everyone's looking at that soberly right now after this unspeakable tragedy that befall our friend.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RAJU: And there's also a lot of debate and discussion about President Trump's own handling of all these issues of political violence. These episodes that have happened increasingly over the last several years, I asked Johnson if Trump should also condemn what's happened to Democratic politicians and violence has happened on the right flank, not just on the left flank. He would not go that far. He said he had no issue, no fault for Donald Trump at all. But I did ask Lisa Murkowski, the Alaska Republican senator, about Trump's handling of this issue. He said -- she said that we should condemn all violence, left or right. Violence is violence. Jake?
TAPPER: All right, Manu Raju on Capitol Hill.
Joining us now, a Democrat from Colorado, Congressman Jason Crow, he's on the House Intelligence and Armed Services Committee. He also served as an Army ranger.
Congressman, you've been posting on social media saying that right wing personalities, such as Alex Jones, not to mention White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, even President Trump, are also inciting violence. What has been -- how has your -- that message been received? Obviously, Republicans are -- many Republicans, not all of them, but many Republicans are saying this is just a left wing problem.
REP. JASON CROW (D-CO): It was a horrible tragedy last week, Jake, a horrible tragedy. Every American and every elected official and leader must unequivocally condemn political violence, the violence we saw last week, the violence we saw last year and the threat of violence right now.
So, what we need our leaders who are willing to do that and not just say that they're willing to do that. You know, your prior guest, Mike Lawler, said all the right things. He said, we need to condemn it. We need to condemn it on both sides. That is right.
But the silence is deafening coming from Republicans who are unwilling to call out Donald Trump's very dangerous rhetoric right now where he is calling Democrats a domestic terrorist organization, calling us enemies of the state, calling us traitors, that is making things much worse.
TAPPER: Take a listen to Stephen Miller talking to Vice President J.D. Vance. Vance was guest hosting Charlie Kirk's podcast earlier today. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN MILLER, WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF: The last message that Charlie sent me was I think it was just the day before we lost him, which is that we need to have an organized strategy to go after the left wing organizations that are promoting violence in this country. And I will write those words onto my heart and I will carry them out.
It is a vast domestic terror movement. And with God as my witness, we are going to use every resource we have at the Department of Justice, Homeland Security, and throughout this government to identify, disrupt, dismantle, and destroy these networks and make America safe again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: What was your reaction to that this afternoon? We should note, Trump mentioned that Antifa is one of those groups.
CROW: Well, this is exactly what I'm talking about, Jake. This is exactly what I'm talking about.
[18:10:00]
What we need is we need the condemnation of political violence, the condemnation of what happened last week. Everybody should be doing that. But what Stephen Miller and Laura Loomer and Donald Trump and others are actually doing is they're using this tragedy in this moment where we need leadership and unifying of Americans are using it to now target free speech. They're using it to target political dissent and to crack down on their political opponents. Pete Hegseth is doing it. They have a witch hunt at the DOD, looking for service members that are saying things that they don't like or that they might disagree with, and going after them with the UCMJ. You heard Stephen Miller just say exactly what he's going to do.
You know who he's talking about? He's talking about Democrats. He's talking about progressive organizations. He's talking about nonprofits. They are using this as an excuse to crack down on dissent, and we cannot be silent about that.
TAPPER: Hegseth said that anybody celebrating a political assassination doesn't belong, associated with the Pentagon.
CROW: Yes, I actually would agree with that, right? I think a service member celebrating an act of violence in a political assassination is antithetical to military service. I would never disagree with that. But that's not what they're doing, right? They might be doing some of that, but what I am seeing, what I am hearing directly from service members, directly from my sources at the Pentagon and other places, they are going on a hunt for people with political opinions that don't match their own, people that might disagree with the president or have different political views. And that is what's dangerous.
And that is what I'm not going to be quiet about because it is a dangerous, slippery slope that every American should be very concerned about.
TAPPER: Here's something that Donald Trump Jr. said on Fox.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP JR., DONALD TRUMP'S SON: It is not going both ways. It is going one way. It's coming from those aligned with the Democrat Party. The hate has been fomented by those in the Democrat Party, and you can probably play hundreds of hours of those clips. It's not both ways. It is simply one way. And, you know, anyone who's saying otherwise, you know, should be thrown off the air.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: What's your reaction to that?
CROW: Well, it's simply not true. They're simply lying, right? Everybody should condemn insightful, hateful rhetoric, period. The difference being, I don't hear leaders of the Democratic Party right now spewing hateful, violent rhetoric, but I do hear that rhetoric coming from Stephen Miller. I do hear it coming from Laura Loomer. I do hear it coming from the White House, and that is wrong. And it's worse and very wrong right now when it's coming from the seat of power, the most powerful place in America. And that's what we need to stand up against.
So, again, I join my colleagues in condemning violence and calling it out in all of its form. It doesn't matter whether it's calling, coming from the left or the right, but then you actually have to do the thing. Then you actually have to call out when somebody says something that's wrong. You have to name their name and you have to call them out and say, this is not okay. You are not leading. You are not lowering the temperature in the room and you are dividing Americans not bringing them together. And, again, I will not be silent if they attempt to use this to crack down on political opponents as a outright power grab to try to do something that reduces the guardrails of our democracy. Nobody can be silent about that.
TAPPER: There was a school shooting in your home state of Colorado, Evergreen High School, less than an hour after Charlie Kirk's assassination. The ADL Center on Extremism says that the shooter was fascinated with previous mass shootings and expressed neo-Nazi views online. What are you hearing about this investigation? Do you think this is part of a bigger pattern?
CROW: What we know is extremism is on the rise throughout America. You know, I represent a district that's been devastated by mass shootings, by gun violence, Columbine, the Aurora Theater shooting, STEM School, Arapahoe High School. You know, we had the Boulder shooting, the Club Q shooting just to the north and south of my district, and now this. It has been tragedy after tragedy for Coloradans. And what I can say is we have a gun violence crisis in America where we have over almost 40,000 Americans die every year as a result of gun violence.
And we don't have to have that, right? That's a policy choice to have that because we know there are things that won't prevent every shooting, right? Policy never stops every problem, but it can greatly reduce it and keep our kids safe. And as a father, I am gravely concerned about the country and the society that we are going to be handing to our kids and our grandkids because of an action and people's unwillingness to do very simple things to keep our kids safe.
TAPPER: Democratic Congressman Jason Crow of Colorado, thank you, sir.
Just days after these massive anti-immigration protests in London over the weekend, President Trump is now headed to the U.K. tomorrow. We're going to run down the big issues on his agenda next with CNN's Chief White Correspondent Kaitlan Collins.
[18:15:00]
Plus, the fine print on the deal just announced that allows the popular social media app, TikTok, to keep operating in the U.S.
Stay with us.
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TAPPER: In our World Lead, President Trump is set to receive one of the highest honors given two foreign leaders from the government of the United Kingdom, and that is an official state visit. This week, President Trump will travel to London. He will meet with King Charles and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a rare second show of pomp and circumstance following Trump's first term visit with Queen Elizabeth six years ago.
Let's bring in CNN's Kaitlan Collins, who will be part of the White House press full covering this trip. That's fun, Kaitlan. Trump's pretty open with his admiration for the Royals, dating, well, I first became aware of it back when all of a sudden Princess Diana was single. But tell us more.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: What he actually wrote about in a book of his once about not having the ability to court Princess Diana. But, yes, Jake, I mean his fascination with the royal family has long been known. That is why the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, when he visited the Oval Office for the first time earlier this year, he came bearing this invitation for the second state visit for President Trump.
[18:20:02]
He touted it and called it unprecedented. Obviously, Trump, the first U.S. president to have not one but two state visits.
And so we will get to see this on display this time. Obviously, it's going to look a lot different because last time he talked about Queen Elizabeth and the joy of meeting her. His mother had a long time fascination with her and he talked about that back in 2018, saying, you know, if only his mother could see him making that state visit and then visiting with the queen and greeting her. Obviously, this time, it'll be different. He'll be meeting the king and other members of the royal family, but expect a lot of the same pomp and circumstance that you saw the last time that he was there for a state visit.
This is actually going to be held at Windsor, so it'll be west of London. There were a lot of protests last time when the president visited for that state visit. And so we likely will see that this time though it remains to be seen given the location of where the state visit is going to happen. But, yes, this has certainly been a long fascination of his.
Of course, Jake, you have to keep in mind the Brits have a political calculus here. Obviously, they're a government, and having this visit, you know, having warm relations with President Trump could only potentially benefit them when it comes to trade or trying to convince him to see things their way when it comes to Ukraine. A lot of issues that obviously he'll be talking about when he meets with the British prime minister, that's set for Thursday, and there is going to be a press conference as well.
TAPPER: I remember when I was White House correspondent during Obama's first term, he gave Queen Elizabeth an iPod that contained all of his speeches. Oh boy. Good times. Kaitlan --
COLLINS: Interesting.
TAPPER: Yes. The Epstein scandal could make things a bit awkward, just to be candid, because not just Prince Andrew as an issue there, but former U.K. Ambassador to D.C. Peter Mandelson was fired just a few days ago after it was revealed that Ambassador Mandelson had some deep ties to Epstein, even called Epstein, my best pal, in that infamous birthday book that we saw last week.
COLLINS: Yes, Jake. To fire the British ambassador days before a visit like this is going to happen is obviously an a huge headache for the United Kingdom to have him. He had pretty good relationships with the White House had worked to do so. But once those emails came out between the ambassador, Peter Mandelson, and Jeffrey Epstein, I mean, you could see him talking about, you know, his convictions and his sweetheart plea deal and how he believed how wrong it was.
We actually heard from the British prime minister on that today. He said if he had known the extent of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, that he would've never hired him as his ambassador to the United States. And so, obviously, those were already known beforehand, but the extent of them not quite. And there was just so much furor over that, that he was eventually pushed out of that role.
TAPPER: All right. Kaitlan Collins, thank you. And, of course, Kaitlan will be on The Source with Kaitlan Collins, her show, before she travels to London with President Trump. It's tonight at 9:00 Eastern only on CNN.
In New York right now, there is another manhunt going on, this one after the violent killing of a woman in her own home. The suspect is her boyfriend. The new details from police on this story, which is developing right now, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:25:00]
TAPPER: Breaking news in our National Lead, there's a manhunt underway right now in Upstate New York for an armed and dangerous suspect accused of killing his girlfriend in their home. The victim is 41- year-old Amanda Rodriguez of Cohoes, New York.
CNN's Randi Kaye has been digging into this story all day. And, Randi, you spoke with the chief of police and the mayor today. What have you learned?
RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Jake. As I was speaking with the mayor and the chief, they had just received information about the autopsy, which was underway today, and they did say that this has been ruled a homicide. They said that she died from extreme blood loss and a punctured aorta. That chief said that she was likely stabbed with something very sharp.
They do believe this was some sort of domestic situation. Apparently, the woman's mother couldn't reach her. She asked a neighbor to go check on her daughter, and that neighbor found the woman dead around 9:15 A.M. yesterday morning.
Now, this is a manhunt underway. They are looking for 53-year-old Anthony Bechand. Police are officially calling him a suspect. They found his truck in the town of Brighton. That's in Franklin County. That's just south of the Canadian border. It's in the Adirondack Mountains. It is a 2024 white Chevy Silverado. And what's interesting about this, Jake, is that this is 170 miles north of the town where this murder occurred, where this homicide occurred.
So, they were tracking him by plate readers. The chief told me this is new technology that they just got. That's how they were able to find his truck there in Franklin County.
Here's a little bit more of what the chief and the mayor told me today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR BILL KEELER, COHOES, NEW YORK: At the moment, his whereabouts are unknown. I mean, the police were able to track the movement of his vehicle. His truck was abandoned in rural Upstate New York. It apparently ran out of gas. So, New York State Police in the area have been combing the area.
CHIEF TODD WALDIN, COHOES POLICE DEPARTMENT: We do consider him armed and dangerous. He is not to be approached and if you believe you see him or you see him to notify those authorities in the area.
We also have the Forest Rangers and the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol involved.
They're part of the efforts to make sure that he doesn't get through, whether his intentions are to go to Canada or just try and flee the area to some other location.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: And, Randi, what do we know about this guy's history?
KAYE: And, Jake, concern is this.
TAPPER: Sorry.
KAYE: What we know is that they have never been called to the house according to police for any type of violent or domestic situation. And they also say that he doesn't have any record to speak of as far as they can tell. But, obviously, this is very surprising to them that this would've happened there. And certainly, Jake, very surprising in that town, they haven't seen a homicide there in decades, according to the mayor.
TAPPER: Randi Kaye, thanks so much.
Coming up, the possible bid that could be in the works right now that could upend the media business and the news business and the entertainment business, and have an impact right here at CNN.
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Stay with us.
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TAPPER: In our Tech Lead, the White House says a deal to keep TikTok operational in the United States has been reached. The secretary of the treasury, Scott Bessent, announced today that a framework has been agreed upon, and that President Trump and Xi Jinping will speak on Friday to finalize the deal. While the buyer of TikTok has not yet been revealed, the group is widely expected to be led by Oracle Executive Chairman Larry Ellison, who, in January, Trump said, should buy the app.
Let's go now to the Money Lead and reports of a potential merger that could put some of the most -- the biggest entertainment brands, including CNN, under one roof, it's a move that might transform the news and entertainment industry. Paramount-Skydance is considering a deal now to buy Warner Brothers Discovery, which makes the future unclear for brands such as CNN and HBO MAX, and Discovery and D.C. Comics and Paramount's entities, such as CBS and Nickelodeon, and many, many more.
Matthew Belloni, a founding partner of Puck News, joins us. Matt, this all seems to be happening very fast. Paramount-Skydance CEO David Ellison, not coincidentally, the son of Larry Ellison, who we just mentioned, is already making a play for another giant media company after the bumpy merger with Paramount.
[18:35:10]
What's the rush here?
MATTHEW BELLONI, FOUNDING PARTNER, PUCK NEWS: Well, the rush is they want to head off any potential other acquirers that might come along and want only part of the company, because Warner Brothers Discovery is headed for a split. The cable networks, like CNN and TNT, are being split off from the good, they call it, side of the company, the growth side. That includes HBO Max and the Warner Brothers Studio.
And the Ellison family wants to buy it all right now because the thinking is once it's split, it may be more attractive for other buyers to just pick off the good part. So, that's why it's all going real fast.
TAPPER: Is there any chance that this might bump up against antitrust laws or is the fact that the Ellisons are in good graces with the current administration kind of make that moot?
BELLONI: Well, Warner Discovery does not own broadcast networks. So, there isn't the issue that delayed the Paramount sale, which was the licenses for CBS, had to be approved by the FCC, which means Brendan Carr, the FCC chair, which means Donald Trump's person, and he gave them a very hard time and it led to the settlement of that $16 million lawsuit. So, that's not there.
But there are other things that the Trump administration can do here, namely the Department of Justice, the FTC. And if you remember the last time CNN was sold, when AT&T bought it, it was held up by the Trump administration for almost a year in litigation, and many people believe it was because Donald Trump doesn't like CNN.
So, when CNN is involved in a transaction, the Trump administration may take a separate look at it.
TAPPER: This potential merger could create one of the largest entertainment companies in the world. What would be the impact when it comes to consumers? Would it drive up prices to watch movies, to watch programs, to stream?
BELLONI: It could drive up the price of streaming in the sense that there would be more consolidation in the space, and they may be emboldened to raise prices, but it also might be something where these companies will be better aligned to compete with the likes of Netflix and Amazon and these big tech players.
If you're looking at an Oracle-backed Paramount Warner Brothers, that would mean HBO MAX may be combined with Paramount+ into one large service that could compete at that large -- at that big level, and you might get your Taylor Sheridan shows alongside your HBO shows for one price. So, consumer-wise, it's unclear whether there'll be that much impact, price-wise, but offering-wise, it could be better.
For the business of Hollywood, it would be pretty bad because it would take one big buyer potentially off the table for shows and movies, and that would mean a further contraction of Hollywood.
TAPPER: All right. Matthew Belloni, thanks so much, always great to have you on. Keep up the great work.
BELLONI: Thanks.
TAPPER: Breaking news on Capitol Hill, new images just in as House Speaker Mike Johnson leads a vigil for conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated last week, where President Trump in the last hour said about memorials for Kirk compared to those for others who have been assassinated.
Stay with us.
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[18:40:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Well, if the governor had asked me to do that, I would've done that, but the governor of Minnesota didn't ask me. Had the Governor of Minnesota asked me to do that, I would've done that gladly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: Continuing with our Political Lead, that was President Trump had just in the last hour on explaining why he ordered flags flown and half staff to honor Charlie Kirk after his horrific assassination, but didn't do the same after Minnesota Democratic State Lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were shot and killed back in June.
Our political experts are here. I think I might know why Governor Walz didn't call President Trump to make that request. This is what President Trump said after the assassination of Melissa Hortman and her husband back in June. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I think the governor of Minnesota is so whacked out. I'm not calling him. Why would I call him?
He's a mess. So, you know, I could be nice and call him, but why waste time?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: I think the governor of Minnesota is so whacked out. I'm not calling him. Why would I call him? He's a mess. So, I could be nice and call, but why waste time?
XOCHITL HINOJOSA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: That's a very different response than what we saw over the last few days, what we've seen from this administration when it comes to the death and assassination of Charlie Kirk. I think that what you're seeing here from the president is that, especially in his address this last week, he talked about, you know, not only Charlie Kirk, which was a terrible, horrific tragedy, horrific tragedy, and I'm sorry to all of my conservative friends who knew Charlie. But then he also talked about --
TAPPER: And genuinely -- let me just interrupt for one second, genuinely loved him. I mean, I think --
HINOJOSA: He did.
TAPPER: Like Scott Jennings and Shermichael, other people who knew him, really, really shaken and upset by it.
HINOJOSA: And upset, and it's horrific. He also mentioned Steve Scalise, he mentioned himself, which, again, that was an terrible attempt, and obviously he was injured in that attempt. We don't know what the motive was of that shooter, and we don't know that he was a lefty person in any sort of way. But, I mean, they're trying to frame everything as sort of, there is only the right that has been potentially -- they're politically targeted.
The reality is, though, is that, when you look at the stats and when you look at the people who have been targeted, whether it was Melissa Hortman or whether it was Paul Pelosi, or whether it was Gabby Giffords, who is still living with those injuries now today, we have seen political violence that has been on the rise, and not only political violence, but threats of violence. You see Eric Swalwell, he's had a number of threats. There have been other lawmakers who've received the threats. And the Republican Party, and Trump only believes that one side has received these threats.
And I think at a time like this, it's really -- to have your leader really only talk about one side is just not true.
TAPPER: I will say, Shermichael, after Paul Pelosi was attacked with a hammer, and, you know, he's never been the same.
[18:45:07]
He's never been the same. I mean, he was hit in the head with a hammer several times. And former Speaker Nancy Pelosi talks very sadly and movingly about its impacted him forever. And it will.
There were a lot of conservatives and I don't mean just like randos times on Twitter. I mean, names that I'm not going to -- I'm not going to mention who are recognizable, making fun of it, laughing about it, you know?
SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I wouldn't make --
TAPPER: Not you, Shermichael.
SINGLETON: I know, but in response to the point you're making, I'm like, I would make fun of it. And I think hindsight being 2020, I suppose, I think most of those people today, considering what happened to Charlie Kirk would also say, you know, if I could go back and turn that switch off, I probably would, because were realizing that there are people out there who will take it too far as it pertains to this type of violence.
We've been talking on our network throughout today. I've seen a lot of the coverage members of congress on both sides saying, hey, we actually want more protection. I think Congressman Tim Burchett out of Tennessee was saying that he's going personally to leadership, saying, what is it going to take? You guys have security. You guys have a personal detail.
TAPPER: Yeah.
SINGLETON: What is it going to take for the rest of members -- of the rest of the members of Congress to get that same detail. I think everybody's alarmed about this, jake, on the left and on the right, in terms of wanting to tone down the rhetoric, but also keep people safe. And I think that's what the focus should be. And I think that's what the administration ultimately is going to probably try to do in terms of getting Congress to say, hey, let's tone it down. Let's also make sure we keep members safe and also keep the public safe.
TAPPER: I want to -- I want to take this out of the political arena for one second. Well, this is still somewhat political, but I saw a tweet from a group today that showed just individual members of the Democratic Socialists of America, individual social media posts rejoicing, laughing, celebrating.
I don't think that represents all of DSA. But it's pretty gross. And I don't know if this is because we're in an era where it's so -- we're so siloed that people don't even have anybody in their circle that can be like, that's disgusting. Why would you say something like that?
HINOJOSA: Yeah.
TAPPER: Almost like what Brian Kilmeade went through the other day when he said something pretty disgusting. Maybe he apologized for it, but maybe he doesn't have anybody in his circle to say, don't say that.
Is it just that there social media exists, and so people are just like sharing every thought that occurs to them. Or are some of us becoming worse people, do you think?
HINOJOSA: I think that our politics is broken in that sense. And I do think that you have people on the right trying to blame the left, and you have people on the left calling out the right. And I think that if you were to ask the vast majority of the center and just more broadly, the American people, they would want to hear their leaders talking about how all political violence is bad and speak out, Democrats speak out when something happens to Republicans and Republicans speak out when something happens to Democrats.
But the reality is, is that has not been the case. I feel like since January 6th, and when I was at the Justice Department, what we saw post January 6th is a vast increase in threats to public officials, whether that be an elected official, whether that be an election worker. And it is just because the rhetoric overall has increased, I would say, from a lot of people.
TAPPER: Yeah.
HINOJOSA: But also we are siloed. And I do think our system is broken.
TAPPER: Of course, the -- what happened with Steve Scalise, Congressman Steve Scalise and the and the that far left winger shooting at the baseball field, that was -- that was before January 6th.
HINOJOSA: Correct, yes.
SINGLETON: Yeah.
TAPPER: That was during Trump's first term.
What do you think? Is it social media makes it so that people just share these horrific views or people get radicalized because they see, you know, they see people demonizing others, they misunderstand?
SINGLETON: Think about this in a historic context, 150 years ago, you had members of Congress getting in gun duels, stabbing each other, fighting -- I mean, literally on the floor of Congress. This was a commonality.
TAPPER: I'll show you something.
SINGLETON: Look at --
TAPPER: The stairs in the House where a journalist killed a member of congress.
SINGLETON: I was not even aware of that.
TAPPER: There was -- there's -- well, this is like in the 1800s, but like, there's blood stains --
SINGLETON: Still there?
TAPPER: -- that they couldn't get out of the marble.
SINGLETON: But that's my point.
TAPPER: Yeah.
SINGLETON: We've had this moment in the history of our country. You go through the 60s, you had a lot of assassinations. Ronald Reagan attempted assassination in what, the mid late '80s, I believe.
TAPPER: 1981.
SINGLETON: '81, early 80s. And so, we have seen periods of this then we, I think, saw a period of sort of calm and everybody just sort of forgot about how violent politics can be.
And once again, here we are in a moment where one side, I would argue, as a conservative, I see a lot of people going after conservatives on the left, demonizing them in the rhetoric, whether its fascist or not -- calling Trump a Nazi. I mean, seriously, a Nazi. Have we really forgotten what the hell the Nazis actually did?
TAPPER: No, I agree.
SINGLETON: And so when you say that, Jake, you're insinuating to folks on your side that the other side is an existential threat to your existence.
TAPPER: Right.
SINGLETON: And the only way to preserve your existence is to do what some of these terrible people --
TAPPER: So one other thing I just want to bring up. I want you to take a listen to Trump's senior advisor, Kari Lake, at the vigil at the Kennedy Center. She's talking about the suspect. And again, like everyone, we're all looking for answers.
[18:50:00] Here's what she had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KARI LAKE, SENIOR ADVISER FOR THE U.S. AGENCY FOR GLOBAL MEDIA: How does a 22-year-old become so filled with hate? Five years earlier, I was told he was a Trump supporter, and we sent our kids off to college and they brainwashed him. I am making a plea to mothers out there, do not send your children into these indoctrination camps. Don't do it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: So again, I'm not sure that Utah Valley University is an indoctrination camp. We're all looking for answers, but in some of these answers, I think there's more demonization, you know?
HINOJOSA: Yeah, I know conservatives that go to that university. And I think the reality is that it is -- there are people out there that are have need mental health services and they never get it. And there are people out there regardless of political affiliation, that have access to guns, that shouldn't have access to guns, and overall.
And I think that trying to say that it is the way that a mother raised their child or putting them into a certain university or putting them around certain people. I don't think this is the case. I think a lot of this has to do with mental illness.
TAPPER: I'll just quickly say most colleges and universities are bastions of liberal ideology. I'm a conservative, and most of my friends when I was in college, it was not a norm. You didn't have a lot of conservative professors who were teaching conservative orthodoxy. It's gotten even worse today.
HINOJOSA: They don't promote violence in any way.
TAPPER: Thanks to both of you. Appreciate it.
Just moments after a measles outbreak, what a top health official in Texas fears most, after watching Florida, another red state, worked towards ending vaccine mandates, including for public schools.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:55:47]
TAPPER: Our health lead now, in the wake of the state of Florida announcing that they could be the very first state in the United States to end vaccine mandates, a new poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation and "The Washington Post" shows about 16 percent of parents have delayed or skipped vaccines for their children. That's up 10 percent from just 2023.
Joining us now is a man whose state of Texas recently battled a measles outbreak, the director of Health and Human Services for Dallas, Dr. Phil Huang.
Dr. Huang, thanks so much for coming here.
The reason we had you is because you co-wrote an op-ed for "Stat News" in which you wrote in part, quote, we worry about the consequences of an America where support for and access to vaccines comes down to one's party affiliation. Recent changes to vaccine policy at the federal level from more restrictive eligibility criteria to the firing of independent vaccine advisers, appears to be based on changes in political leadership, not changes in science. Confusion and mistrust are running rampant and our families are caught in the middle.
What can you do as a -- as a state leader in the health issue, in the health area to fight this confusion and mistrust?
DR. PHIL HUANG, DIRECTOR, DALLAS HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: Well, I mean, you were trying to do everything we can to educate the public and build that trust with the community because, you know, getting the word out, these vaccines are safe and effective. They're why -- we've, you know, were declared measles eliminated in the year 2000.
But people forget. And I was just talking to a bunch of retired persons at a church group, and they lived through that. And, you know, to talk about it, they said, yeah, I remember my brother got polio and they remember the iron lungs. And we've been so successful we don't see that anymore. And people start thinking, why do we still need these vaccines? But get that word out.
TAPPER: The same poll from "The Washington Post" and KFF showed about 50 percent of parents said they had little or no confidence in federal health agencies to ensure vaccine safety and effectiveness. That's a shocking number, 50 percent.
HUANG: It is. I mean, it is incredibly disheartening. Again, that it's changes in the politics rather than any of the science that are changing. Some of these guidance and recommendations. And there's confusion among the public.
But I think that the -- you know, everyone in the public really wants the same thing as us in public health. We want what's best for the children. I mean, you know, people forget before the vaccines, for instance, for pertussis, there were 5,000 to 9,000 deaths each year from pertussis or measles. You know, we had three to four million cases, 48,000 hospitalizations. And, you know, 450 to 500 deaths each year from measles.
Now, we don't see that, fortunately, Jake.
TAPPER: But I want you to take a listen to President Trump because he was asked about Florida's attempt to end vaccine mandates. And here's what President Trump had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Give vaccines that work. They just pure and simple work. They're not controversial at all. And I think those vaccines should be used.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: And yet his secretary of health and human services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., is doing a lot and has been for decades to undermine confidence in vaccines.
HUANG: Right. I mean, again, the message should be consistent from the top and from the secretary of health and human services. What he says is so important. And to say otherwise, really, you know, breaks the trust and makes people confused. And that's what we saw a lot in Texas. Also, these confusing messages where people, you know, get mixed messages, should I get the vaccine or shouldn't I?
TAPPER: There's a pretty big drop off in that poll among parents who say MMR, that's measles, mumps, rubella vaccines and polio vaccines are very important. But then they say COVID shots and flu shots are not. Is that an accurate assessment?
HUANG: No, it's not. I mean, and again, people forget what it was like at the beginning of covid. I mean, there were the hospitals were overrun. I talked to the physicians that were caring for these patients in the ICU. We had -- you know, we're running around running out of those refrigerated trucks to take care of the dead bodies.
And that's what it was like at the beginning. And the vaccines were lifesaving. We saved over a million lives from that vaccine. And now, it's become so politicized. People forget.
TAPPER: All right. Dr. Phil Huang, thanks so much for being here. I really appreciate it.
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