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Ohio Attorney General, Dave Yost, Discusses Haitians Immigrants In Springfield, Shutdowns and Cancellations After Rumors Of Eating Pets; Wounded Teacher Extends Gratitude To Those Who Saved His Life; Biden Speaks After Apparent Assassination Attempt Against Trump; Harris Campaign: Assassination Attempt "Not A Political Moment". Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired September 16, 2024 - 13:30   ET

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

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[13:30:15]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Shutdowns and cancellations still disrupting life in Springfield, Ohio, six days after former President Trump thrusted false rumors about the small city onto the presidential debate stage, claiming, without evidence, that Haitian immigrants there were eating pets.

Two colleges in Springfield shut their campuses down today, classes going remote. Wittenberg University said, among the threats were two emails targeting Haitians.

The city canceled its annual Arts and Culture Festival. Bomb threats last week also forced the closure of city hall, locked down some hospitals, a few schools, at one point, evacuated.

And Donald Trump's vice-presidential pick, J.D. Vance, Ohio's junior Senator, is defending, repeating the rumor, even though it's false.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. J.D. VANCE (R-OH) & VICE-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The American media totally ignored this stuff until Donald Trump and I started talking about cat memes.

If I have to -- if I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that's what I'm going to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Vance said later, by creating a story, he meant that he's creating media focus on the issue. His refusal to stop repeating the falsehood flouts requests from local leaders, including the Republican governor of the state.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. MIKE DEWINE (R-OH): There's a lot of garbage on the Internet. And, you know, this is a piece of garbage that was simply not true. There's no evidence of this at all.

I think these discussions about Haitians eating dogs and cats and other things needs to stop. These people are here legally. They're here legally.

And they want to work and they are, in fact, working. And when you talk to the employers, what the employers tell you is, you know, we don't know what we would do without them.

MAYOR ROB RUE, SPRINGFIELD, OHIO: It would be helpful if they understood the weight of their words and how they could harm a community like ours. Bring peace with the words that you're saying about communities like ours, instead of unrest.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Joining us now is the attorney general of Ohio, Republican Dave Yost.

Attorney general, it is the fifth day of these bomb threats in Springfield. As the head of law enforcement for your state, can you give us an update on what's being done to investigate the bomb threats?

DAVE YOST, (R), OHIO ATTORNEY GENERAL: Well, I spoke with local officials over the weekend and got an update. They -- all I can tell you is that we don't know where these are coming from right now. The investigation is continuing and they're following the leads.

KEILAR: How concerned are you about the bomb threats?

YOST: Look, in Ohio, a bomb threat, particularly one that disrupts something like a school, is a very serious crime. It's a felony. And my message is, whoever's responsible, knock it off. You could go to prison on this.

But in the same token, I want to emphasize that there are people out there that want to divide us. I was swatted earlier this year. And the FBI recently indicted some people from Romania on that. They -- from across the world, were instigating the law with a force response against me and my family.

So let's understand what there really is no evidence of, which is that these bomb threats are coming domestically. They might, they might not. That's why we have investigations.

KEILAR: Do you see a link between the baseless rhetoric about Haitians eating pets and the bomb threats?

YOST: Look, mere words never justify a criminal act, never. And responsibility lies with the individual who's making the bomb threat or committing a criminal act.

KEILAR: So you've been tweeting about this controversy, giving credence to what is, so far, and after quite a lot of investigation, an unsubstantiated allegation that Haitian migrants are eating peoples pets in Springfield, as well as waterfowl in public places there.

And local authorities have investigated both. And they have found nothing to support that. The mayor says this is the case. Do you think the mayor is lying?

YOST: No. My comment -- and by the way, most of my tweets have been about the impact, the real impacts on this town. But my tweet was about the media's disregard of citizen interactions, citizen report with their government.

But look, let's be --

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: -- talking about specifically.

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: Because there haven't -- there actually haven't been that many when it comes to reports to law enforcement. Can you be a little more specific?

[13:35:00]

YOST: I'm talking about several videotaped comments that were made by citizens regarding a variety of things going on in Springfield. And I'm talking about a recorded police call that I've heard, and I'm sure you have as well, about an eyewitness.

We also have an ODNR investigation where the reporting party had a vehicle description and a partial license plate. Now that is not enough to make a case. I would agree.

But the bottom line is these small -- the ducks are not the issue. The issue is there were 150 kids in that school last year that didn't speak English that required an ESL teacher, required additional translation, to this year, there are more than well over 500. It's nearly quadrupled.

And the impact on housing and health care, this community, any community cannot sustain an increase of 30 percent of their population in a couple of years.

KEILAR: Now, I think those are very important questions that you bring up.

I do just want to say, the ODNR or call, which was referred by the city, another ODNR call and I think the videotaped statements that you're referring to are the ones before city hall -- the city hall statements.

No one talked about seeing something firsthand. I just want to be very clear about that. ODNR in the city investigated the calls they got, which were two total. And they did not find anything.

So we just have to be very clear about what they found and what they didn't. You have tweeted about this --

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: -- and perpetuated this.

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: And so let me -- let me let me ask you about this. Because there is a strain on the resources there. That's very clear. And Governor DeWine has made that so clear.

So let me ask you, why not have just a serious conversation about the strains on those public resources, instead of backing unsubstantiated claims when you were supposed to be a very serious law enforcement individual?

YOST: Implying, of course, that you think I'm not. But we'll leave that beside the point.

And the reason for this interview is because I'm trying desperately to bring attention to the very serious issues. That's mostly what I've been talking about.

You're the one that's taking one tweet and trying to make a national news story out of it. How much time have we spent on this in this interview?

KEILAR: Well, it's not my tweet, sir. It's your tweet.

YOST: It's not your questions that ought to be answered. It's big questions that ought to be answered.

The impact on these schools, on the people, on the economy, on health care, those are the things we ought to be talking about. And I would love to come on again and talk with you about those things. I know you're running short on time.

KEILAR: No. So let's talk about those things. They are very important. You have raised -- you have raised issues about the program that allows people into the country.

And you have raised issues about some of these strains on the social safety net that you see supporting some of these folks, many of them, most of them in the country legally.

What do you want to be seen done? What are you going to do on that?

YOST: Well, as the attorney general, we're looking for a way to get judicial review on, are there any limits to federal power? Because, at the moment, it would appear that there are not.

But in larger context, if we were creating legislation today, you and I, I would say let's start with communication with the local -- the local leaders.

I talked to the mayor over the weekend. He said he's never heard anything from federal authorities that, hey, heads up, there are -- there's a massive immigration surge coming her direction. He hasn't -- he has -- he doesn't get any comments or intel from what is going on.

It appears that the federal government, frequently, doesn't know where the people they've let into our country are. I think some kind of mandatory -- mandatory tracking of people who are in this country temporarily would be appropriate.

Even if, as seems to be the case in Springfield, many of them are here legally. The question is not, how -- it's not who. It's, how many are here and how fast they came.

The question is not who. If you dropped 20,000 Presbyterians, who all spoke English, into Springfield, we would have many of the same problems where a city that just doesn't have the infrastructure to do it.

[13:40:01]

And that would never happen organically. It happened because of the chaos and mismanagement of this program, of this entire policy by the federal government.

KEILAR: And yet, these are not 20,000 Presbyterians being dropped in, right? That's not the question here.

And part of the -- part of the focus on this is because the former president elevated this in a debate. And this is why so much focus on this claim about these Haitian immigrants has been paid.

So I do want to ask you -- and I know you say it was one tweet. But it was a tweet and it perpetuates that.

Have you done any soul-searching about why people in your party, including yourself, are quick to insist that black immigrants are eating pets, despite there being no evidence?

YOST: It's not who. It's how many. And to be clear, I've never said anything about eating pets. I've talked about reports from the -- from the ground.

And when I was a newspaper reporter at the very beginning of my career, I always trusted the people in the neighborhood on the streets to tell me what was going on a lot more than the press release that the mayor put out that was serving the mayor's own interests.

That used to be the hallmark of journalism.

KEILAR: I think you've talked about waterfowl, specifically, for sure. And the governor, the mayor, the law enforcement locally, they've all said that this isn't true. I just want to be clear.

Attorney General Yost, we do appreciate your time. We'll continue to pay attention to this story. Thank you so much.

YOST: Thank you. It's good to talk with you. KEILAR: It's great to speak with you, sir. Thank you.

And well be right back.

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[13:46:10]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: One of the victims injured in the Georgia high school shooting is now speaking out, expressing a range of emotions, from anger and mourning to sadness and gratitude.

CNN's Ryan Young is on the story.

And, Ryan, Apalachee High School teacher, David Phoenix, had been in an ICU following that shooting. What more is he sharing with the public now?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Boris, as you can understand, this is a story of survival, community and, of course, love. Love for his wife because he did express that.

But just jumping straight to some of the quotes that he put out on Facebook. You can see just how much pain and how much he's just dealing with here.

"So incredibly blessed the bullet that went into my side and the one that entered my foot managed to miss every vital ligament, tendon, bone and organ. Had things been a quarter of inch to the left or right things could have been vastly different."

You could understand this. The next slide though, caught all of us by surprise.

"To the two 14-year-old students who filled in for Ms. Lancaster and pressurized my wound while Valerie called for help. You were both exceptional young people and have my everlasting gratitude."

There is video on the Internet that's been circulating where you can see those students step again to put their hands on his wounds. And we talked a lot of students who were talking about this.

Boris, I have to send it back to you. But obviously, this community still in pain.

SANCHEZ: Ryan Young, thank you so much for that.

Actually want to head straight to President Biden, who's giving live remarks at an event highlighting HBCUs in Philadelphia. He may make remarks about the apparent assassination attempts against the President Trump.

So let's listen in.

(CHEERING) JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They're the ones there. You think I'm kidding. I was a 29-year-old kid and they embraced me. They embraced me like you can't imagine. And we won, the second youngest person in American history because of a HBCU called Delaware State.

(CHEERING)

BIDEN: And by the way, I hired a young man from Delaware State named Tony Allen. Came to work for me. While there, I encouraged him to continue to get his extended degree. He got his doctrine and left and he became president himself.

(LAUGHTER)

BIDEN: I don't know how that happened so quick.

(LAUGHTER)

BIDEN: Tony, thank you, man.

I've been introduced countless times, but never quite like that. And I mean it, from the bottom of my heart. I'm deeply moved. By God's grace, we're two friends and there will always be a special place in my heart, for real.

And to the presidents and administrators, out of 101 historic black colleges, universities, it's an honor to celebrate, and I mean celebrate HBCU Week with you.

(CHEERING)

(APPLAUSE)

BIDEN: Before I begin, I want to make your quick reference on the attempted assassination against our former president in Florida yesterday. I commend the Secret Service for their expert handling of the situation.

(APPLAUSE)

BIDEN: The former presidents was protected from harm and subject is -- and is the subject is in custody.

And acting head of the Secret Service is in Florida today, assessing what happened and determining whether any further adjustments need to be made to ensure the safety of our former president.

Let me just say, there is no -- and I mean this in a bottom of my -- those of you who know me, and many of you do -- no place in political violence -- for political violence in America, none, zero, never.

(APPLAUSE)

BIDEN: I've always condemned political violence. I always will in America. In America, we resolve our differences peacefully at the ballot box, not at the end of a gun. America has suffered too many times the tragedy of an assassin's bullet. It solves nothing. And just tears the country apart. We must do everything we can to prevent it and never give it any oxygen.

[13:49:57]

Folks, now today's event. It's an honor to recognize HBCU excellence in our nation. I see excellence in it every single day. I see, this weekend, the Congressional Black Caucus found --

SANCHEZ: "There was no place for political violence in America, none, zero, never." That is the message from President Joe Biden speaking at an event for HBCU Week in Philadelphia.

The president commending the Secret Service, applauding their response, noting that the Acting Secret Service Director Richard Rowe is in Florida for this investigation.

The president there also saying that the U.S. has suffered too many tragedies as a result of a bullet, as he put it.

Also saying that we should resolve to figure out our differences at the ballot box, not with violence, and we should not give that kind of disposition, that kind of rhetoric any oxygen.

Notable coming from the president amid the former president pointing the finger at his rhetoric and the vice president's for what happened yesterday.

We're covering the story from every angle. We'll continue to bring you the latest as we get it. Stay with CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

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[13:55:43]

SANCHEZ: Vice President Kamala Harris does not plan to address the weekend's apparent attempt on former President Donald Trump's life in a political manner.

This is coming from a campaign adviser who tells CNN that this is "not a political moment."

KEILAR: Yesterday, Harris called the apparent assassination attempt on Trump "deeply disturbing."

We're calling it "apparent," by the way, because that's what the FBI is calling it.

We're with Eva McKend now. She is here with us.

Eva, you've been covering the Harris campaign. There -- Donald Trump is making this a political issue. We see that. We see that with the fundraising. We see that with some of his top surrogates.

How is she thinking about this? How is her campaign thinking about it? EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER: Well, Boris and Brianna,

there's no indication that they view this through a political lens.

In a statement, she described this episode as "deeply disturbing."

Adding that, "As we gather the facts, I will be clear, I condemn political violence. We all must work hard to ensure that this incident does not lead to more violence."

But listen, this is a difficult issue for any campaign to navigate because they will have to make a forceful case against the former president. They will have to continue to do so.

And even though he says, without proof, that it is the rhetoric that is coming from Democrats that is leading to these assassination attempts, they, of course, will still continue to make this robust argument.

We saw after the first assassination attempt, Democrats maintained that the former president continues to be a threat to democracy as evidenced by January 6th.

And I suspect that they will continue to try to make that a case while still arguing that this country has no place for violence.

SANCHEZ: And, Eva, today, on Harris' schedule, there is an important campaign meeting happening pretty much right now, right? Tell us about that.

MCKEND: Right. They're meeting with the all-important Teamsters Union. They are an organizing force in this country. That is very much an endorsement that the vice president wants.

We have seen the Teamsters Leader Shawn O'Brien's pretty much -- a little bit all over the place. He spoke at the Republican National Convention, but he also referred to the former president as -- his policies as being "economic terrorism."

So we will see what comes of this. But this is something that is very, very important in the crucial weeks ahead.

And I think it's important to note that the black caucus within the Teamsters Union has already endorsed the vice president. They did that at about 90 days out.

And really see the importance in getting on the ground and knocking those doors and leaning into that organizing structure on her behalf.

SANCHEZ: Yes, we'll see what kind of impact it might have on the campaign.

Eva McKend, thank you so much.

Still plenty more news to come. Stay with CNN. We'll be right back.

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