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Kentucky Law Enforcement Still On Manhunt For Sniper; Princess Catherine Gives Update On Cancer Treatment; Growing Concern About Georgia's New Election Board; New Health Insurance Rule Would Help With Access To Mental Health Care and Decrease Costs. Aired 1:30-2p ET
Aired September 09, 2024 - 13:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[13:30:00]
RANDALL WEDDLE, LONDON, KENTUCKY, MAYOR: -- is beyond horrible. It's beyond horrific. So, you need to do the right thing and contact law enforcement and let them know of any conversations you've had with him. And the message is to him, you can run, but you cannot hide. We have some of the best agencies in the United States, right here in the state of Kentucky, and I am confident they're going to catch him.
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN NEWS CENTRAL CO-ANCHOR: Mayor Randall Weddle, we appreciate the update. Please keep us informed if there are any new developments.
WEDDLE: Thank you.
SANCHEZ: Of course. Still ahead, the Princess of Wales says she has completed her chemotherapy cancer treatment. She's now giving an update on when she's set to return to public life. The latest details coming up.
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SANCHEZ: Well, following breaking news, Catherine, the Princess of Wales, giving an important update on her health today, unveiling in a new video message that she's completed chemotherapy treatments and is now focusing on staying cancer free. Here's a clip.
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CATHERINE MIDDLETON, PRINCESS OF WALES: Although I have finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long and I must continue to take each day as it comes. I am, however, looking forward to being back at work and undertaking a few more public engagements in the coming months when I can.
Despite all that's gone before, I enter this new phase of recovery with a renewed sense of hope and appreciation of life. William and I are so grateful for the support we've received and have drawn great strength from all those who are helping us at this time. Everyone's kindness, empathy and compassion has been truly humbling. BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN NEWS CENTRAL CO-ANCHOR: Objectively cute kids there, I have to say. Very cute. Joining us now is CNN royal historian Kate Williams. And Kate, the Princess has been very private, of course, about her health issues. Low on specifics, although you could argue she shared more than is kind of normal for royals in the past. In this video, though, she did give this rare inside look where you see her interacting so much with her kids and William.
KATE WILLAIMS, CNN ROYAL HISTORIAN: Yes, Brianna, I mean, this is unprecedented, the insight she gives us. She talks about her vulnerabilities, how during the last nine months of the cancer treatment that we know started in late February. They've been through incredibly tough times as a family that its been -- cancer brings you face to face with your own vulnerabilities.
And this was full of honesty and transparency and it came from the heart. And with the -- this beautiful video, this three minute long video of the children filmed last -- filmed just a month ago in Norfolk near their country house. It couldn't be more of a contrast, could it, to that video that we saw in March, where she told us she had cancer. She was alone on a bench in Windsor. It was so sad, and this one is so full of joy.
And she says it's a long road ahead. I'm focusing on healing. I'm taking each day as it comes. I'm only going to do a small amount of engagements if I do do those, but really this is a message that so hopeful and just so different to what we've seen from royals in the past. This is really Kate speaking directly to us and to all people going through cancer treatment and caring for those who are going through cancer treatment themselves.
SANCHEZ: You mentioned, Kate, that she says she has plans to return gradually to public life. How noticeable has her absence been? And walk us through what those limited encounters or limited appearances mean. What is that going to look like for her?
WILLIAMS: Yes, Boris. So, this video was all about giving us this beautiful insight and talking about her vulnerabilities, but also giving us an insight into what things are going to be like for the rest of the year. She was saying, Kensington Palace have also said that we hope to see her doing a few engagements, small engagements for her charities over the next few months.
But they're only really saying that in terms of the big royal engagements, we should expect to see her in November at Remembrance Sunday, that big royal event by The Cenotaph, and also for her beloved carol service in December. Otherwise, it may be that she's still focusing on recovery and her loss. So, not being here has been a big hole in the royal family. She's the royal superstar. We haven't really seen her since Christmas.
She was at the trooping of the color in early summer. She was at Wimbledon. But really, she hasn't been on the public eye. And she is so crucial to the monarchy. She's such a superstar. So, people have really missed her. And when they do see her back at these public engagements, I think there'll be such a sense of joy and support for what she's going through and, you know, her movement towards healing in the future.
KEILAR: Yes, it'll be really interesting to see as she reengages in public life. Kate Williams, thank you so much. And ahead, bracing for chaos in a key battleground state. Georgia's state election board pushing ahead with new rules that could lead to major turmoil on Election Day. And this could be a life changer for Americans paying out of pocket for mental healthcare. The White House is now requiring insurers to cover it.
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KEILAR: There is growing concern about Georgia's new election board, as its Republican majority pushes ahead with controversial rule changes. Election experts and voting rights groups warn the new rules could jeopardize election certification in that battleground state, particularly if Vice President Kamala Harris wins Georgia. CNN political correspondent Sara Murray is here with us now.
All right, Sara, who are these Republican board members and what are these new rules?
SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, normally a state election board is a pretty boring thing, but because we have these new Republican board members, they've sort of formed this activist majority. They're able to push through a lot of controversial rules.
So, you're looking at people like Rich Jefferies (sp?), a former state Senator, Janelle Johnson, who is a retired obstetrician, and Janelle King, who is the newest member of the board. She's a Republican media personality.
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And they've really ganged together to push forward some rules that are causing consternation. The big one is about certification. They basically allowed county election boards to conduct their own mini investigations before they certify. They call it a reasonable inquiry.
They're saying you can demand all these documents. But they've also made some other changes. They're requiring an ID for certain in person absentee ballot drop offs. They're increasing partisan poll watchers. And obviously, a lot of this worry is that all of these changes are coming really close to the election. And this state election board has another meeting later on this month where they're set to consider almost a dozen more rules.
KEILAR: So, what are they hearing from election workers and state officials? How are they responding to the changes?
MURRAY: Election workers have essentially put out this public plea saying, please stop changing the rules. Like, the election is starting essentially now, we're trying to train people up. And you guys making these changes so close to the Election Day is a huge problem.
We've also seen Democrats in the state. We've seen former election workers file former ethics complaints against state election board. And I actually asked one of the Republican members, Janelle King, what she made of this backlash, these kinds of complaints the board is getting. Listen to what she said.
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JANELLE KING, GEORGIA STATE ELECTION BOARD MEMBER: This is a method of, you know, trying to weaken the Republican side by making it seem like we're out here trying to steal elections. I have -- There's no win for me to steal an election for anybody. It makes no sense, but I sleep well at night.
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MURRAY: She is very unbothered by this criticism, says the changes they've made are necessary to ensure an accurate vote count. And look, the Secretary of State's office, they're watching very closely what the state election board does because they actually do have to certify the results that come up from the county boards. They go to the Secretary of State's office, and then they go to the Governor. And they're still saying they're confident that they will be able to make sure certification goes off without a hitch. But obviously, there's a lot of worry in the state, Brianna.
KEILAR: Yes, there certainly is. Sara, thank you so much for covering it. We appreciate it. Boris?
SANCHEZ: Here are some of the other headlines we're watching this hour. The federal trial of three former Memphis police officers charged in the killing of Tyre Nichols is now underway. Tadarrius Bean, Justin Smith and Demetrius Haley are accused of violating Nichols' civil rights and other charges. The 29 year old was hospitalized after video showed him being violently beaten during a traffic stop. He died three days later from blunt force trauma to the head, according to the medical examiner's report.
His death sparked nationwide protest, and the three defendants have all pleaded not guilty. They're facing up to life in prison or the death penalty if convicted. Meantime, two other former officers indicted in the case have pleaded guilty and could testify against the others.
Also, funeral services are being held today for hockey star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew Gaudreau. The two died on August 29 after allegedly being hit by a suspected drunk driver while riding their bikes. The suspect, Sean Higgins, faces two counts of vehicular homicide and other charges. His next hearing is set for Friday. Johnny was a beloved member of the Columbus Blue Jackets at the time of his death, while Matthew was a high school hockey coach. Johnny was 31 and Matthew was 29.
And a month after losing a landmark antitrust case brought by the Department of Justice, Google is back in court facing off against federal prosecutors. The company is defending itself against claims that its advertising tech business is a monopoly. This trial comes on the heels of a major defeat for Google when a judge declared that the company's search engine was an illegal monopoly.
Still to come on News Central, if paying for therapy or addiction services stopped you from seeking treatment in the past, the White House just announced a new rule that could change all that. Stick around. We'll explain in just moments.
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KEILAR: The White House just announced a new rule designed to cut costs and increase access to care for mental health and substance use disorders. Under the rule, private insurance plans would cover mental healthcare at the same level as physical care. CNN health reporter Jaclyn Howard (ph is here to tell us more about this. All right, Jaclyn, tell us what this new rule says.
JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Yes, Brianna. Well, according to the White House, this new rule will require health insurance providers to evaluate and update their plans to do just like you said to ensure that coverage for mental healthcare and substance use disorder care is covered in the same way that they cover physical healthcare.
Now, this has been required since 2008 with the Mental Health Parity Act, but according to the White House, they have seen some plans evade that mandate. So, what they're doing now is reinforcing this requirement. And in a statement out today, President Joe Biden said this, quote, today, my administration is taking action to address our nation's mental health crisis by ensuring mental health coverage will be covered at the same level as all other healthcare for Americans.
There is no reason that breaking your arm should be treated differently than having a mental health condition. And Brianna, the most of the rules provisions will start at the top of the new year on January 1. And what we might see, we may see some plans start to include more mental healthcare providers in network. Or we could see, according to this rule, it instructs insurers to evaluate how much they pay for out of network coverage.
So, those are the areas where we could see some of these changes happen under this new rule, Brianna.
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KEILAR: And what are some examples of insurance plans following this requirement?
HOWARD: Right. Well, as I mentioned, some patients have noticed when they're seeking mental healthcare they more often have to look out of network than in network in comparison with physical healthcare. So, one of those changes that we may see for patients out there looking for mental healthcare providers, they may see more in network options moving forward under this rule. That's one example of what we may see again in the new year.
KEILAR: All right, Jacqueline, thank you so much for that. And still ahead, CNN has new details on how Vice President Harris plans to use tomorrow night's debate to introduce herself to undecided voters. Plus, how former President Trump is prepping in the run up to the crucial showdown.
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