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Trump Confirms Osama Bin Laden's Son Killed In U.S. Counterintelligence Operation; Biden & Warren Promise To Release Medical Records Over Questions Of Age; Tropical Storm Humberto Hitting The Bahamas; Patriots' Antonio Brown Appears Likely To Play This Weekend; Man Gets OK To Bring African Lion Trophy Home To U.S.; NASCAR Shocks Gun Industry, Blocks Multiple Firearm Ads; Veteran Gets Emotional With Sanders Because Of Medical Debt. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired September 14, 2019 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:34]
ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: New threat. The Bahamas bracing for yet another storm. We're live in Nassau.
Big game controversy. Why a decision by the Trump administration has some animal advocates crying foul. I'll talk with Jeff Corwin.
And full ride. The Tennessee super fan who was bullied for his homemade T-shirt just quite the offer from the university.
It's 3:00 eastern, noon out west. I'm Ana Cabrera, in New York. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Developing now, President Trump is confirming the death of Hamza bin Laden in a U.S. military operation. He is the son of Osama bin Laden and was seen as an emerging leader of the al Qaeda terror group.
The president released a statement today saying younger bin Laden had been killed in a U.S. counterterrorism operation in Afghanistan/Pakistan region. It's not clear when he was killed. CNN reported on July 31st, the U.S. believed Hamza bin Laden was dead, citing a U.S. official.
CNN Military and Diplomatic Analyst, Admiral John Kirby, joins us now.
Admiral Kirby, Hamza bin Laden has the name of his infamous father. Do we know what if any role he played in al Qaeda?
JOHN KIRBY, CNN MILITARY & DIPLOMATIC ANALYST: No, it is not really clear how important he was in the organization. Al Zawahiri is still the stated leader of al Qaeda.
But there were many analysts who believed that Hamza bin Laden, the son, was the up and coming -- he was a rising figure inside the organization. And that he had already, at the age of 30, started to reach out to some of al Qaeda's franchises and branch network groups to sort of start correlating operations, maybe help plan some. So there was a legitimate concern that this was a future star leader of the organization. CABRERA: When Osama bin Laden was killed in 2011, items seized in the
Navy SEAL raid indicated he was grooming Hamza bin Laden --
KIRBY: Right.
CABRERA: -- to replace him as the al Qaeda leader. What is the status of the group now? Is it considered a major player in global terrorism?
KIRBY: It is still a viable terrorist network. They have a relationship with the Taliban that the Taliban has not renounced, which is why it is so important for us to move carefully here in these negotiations in Afghanistan with the Taliban and the Ghani government.
That said, Ana, it is a shadow of its former self as an organization. It has been largely eclipsed by offshoots and franchises, like ISIS and Boko Haram, who are conducting more powerful operations and seem to have more aggressive ability to resource, recruit, and execute operations. It is a mixed picture.
I think you still have to take them seriously but you do have to put it in perspective. I don't think that Hamza bin Laden's death will have a significant impact on the strategic future of al Qaeda one way or the other.
CABRERA: The administration didn't specify when Hamza bin Laden was killed, but CNN, as you mentioned, reported in late July that he was believed to be dead at that time. Now the president is officially and publicly confirming that. What is your take on the timing of the announcement?
KIRBY: I'm not surprised or bothered by that, Ana. Two things. One, you want to be sure you got who you were aiming at. We have been wrong in the past when we conducted air strikes and thought we killed a terrorist leader only to find out that he might have survived the attack or only been injured. You want to be sure you have all of the facts right.
You're going to do that by collating various steams of intelligence, signal intelligence, human intelligence to make sure you're right.
Number two, you want to make sure you've appropriated all of the intelligence that you can out of the operation. In conducting and planning it, you learn things about al Qaeda even before you take the strike. So you want to be sure that you've taken advantage of all of the other intelligence you've got.
And plus, post strike, you're listening to what al Qaeda communicating back and forth, what they're saying. That might give you some opportunities you didn't know you had in terms of disrupting operations in the future.
So I suspect it was a combination of things. They want to be very careful and deliberate and make sure that before they announced it, they had gotten all of the value out of that strike as they could.
CABRERA: Rear admiral John Kirby, thank you.
KIRBY: You bet.
CABRERA: Just about a month before the next Democratic debate on CNN, the presidential candidates are working the trail hard with events across the country today. That includes the person that polls say is the closest to unseating Joe Biden from his frontrunner status.
We're talking about Senator Elizabeth Warren. She's in her home state of Massachusetts at the state Democratic convention today.
That's where we'll find CNN Political Correspondent, M.J. Lee.
[15:05:01]
M.J., Joe Biden, who is 76, has promised he will release medical records before the critical Iowa caucuses. I know you asked Warren about her medical records. After all, she's 70. What did she say to you?
M.J. LEE, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ana, Elizabeth Warren received a warm home-state reception at the Massachusetts Democratic Party convention in Springfield.
Before she took the stage, she spoke with reporters. One of the things we asked her about was the issue of health. The top three Democratic presidential candidates now are 70 or older, and some concerns have been raised about whether some of the candidates are too old.
And I asked her about her decision to release her medical records before the Iowa caucuses, and essentially her response to any concerns is she has no intention of slowing down the pace of campaigning. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEE: We understand you'll be putting out medical records before the Iowa caucuses.
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Sure.
LEE: Will there be anything noteworthy in the records? And also are you sympathetic to voters, even some supporters, that might be a little concerned that you're 70 this year?
WARREN: So medical records will be there. And anybody is welcome to take a look at them.
And what I'm hoping is we get to do more town halls between now and then, and more after that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEE: Ana, I want you to listen to a key part of Senator Warren's prepared remarks here. She took a somber tone when she talked about sort of the state of America and American politics under President Donald Trump. Here she is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WARREN: Yes. These are hard times in America, dark times, but I am not afraid.
(CHEERING)
WARREN: And for Democrats to win in 2020, you can't be afraid either.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEE: It is noteworthy, Ana, that "I am not afraid" has become a key line in Senator Warren's stump speech. Clearly, this is part of her strategy to make the general election argument for her candidacy -- Ana?
CABRERA: M.J. Lee, in Springfield, Massachusetts, for us, thank you.
Let's discuss further with "The Daily Beast" senior columnist, Matt Lewis, and White House correspondent for the "New York Times," Michael Shear.
Matt, "I'm not afraid, I've got a plan for that." These are becoming go to lines on the stump for Warren, yet when she seemingly has a plan for just about everything, we hear from her at the debate say I'm with Bernie when it comes to his health care plan. Does she really not have her own health care plan which is becoming the top issue for voters according to the latest polls?
MATT LEWIS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes. I think that Bernie really with his Medicare-for-All plan a few years ago, that has become the standard, and that's actually -- that's what the debate was about. Are you with Bernie? Elizabeth Warren is. Are you not, and that would be having the public option that Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg and others have? That's what the debate was about.
Elizabeth Warren is essentially saying Bernie's Medicare-for-All plan is what we should do, but I'm not quite as Socialist as he is. I am still for capitalism. So Bernie Lite in that regard.
CABRERA: But she won't really define exactly what it is about the plan that she believes in other than I think he's got the best path forward.
Michael, in a new poll by the Kaiser family Foundation finds the majority of Democrats and Democrat leaning voters support expanding the Affordable Care Act, like what Joe Biden wants to do, versus replacing it with Medicare-for-All with no more private insurance. That's what Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren want to do.
Can Democrats win on a Medicare-for-All platform or is it a gift to President Trump if they go that way?
MICHAEL SHEAR, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I mean, it was certainly a gift to President Trump the other night. I was with him in Baltimore when he was speaking to Republican lawmakers and you could see how some of the rhetoric that's coming from the Democratic side is being infused in the president's -- what eventually will be his stump speech already.
On one hand, it is a gift because it is so much farther to the left than even the Democratic Party has been.
It's also something that the Democrats currently on the stage like Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have not yet been able to explain, how it is that this would get done in Washington, which is, let's remember, a city that, a few years ago, when President Obama was trying to push through the Affordable Care Act, he couldn't even get a public option, a sort of optional public plan through.
That seen at the time as far too radical to sort of survive in the Washington political maelstrom. So how is it Washington has changed so much is a legitimate question to ask Sanders and Warren, and they haven't really answered it yet.
[15:10:10]
One last thing on Warren, the fact she hasn't put out her own plan is a brilliant political strategy in a sense because, to the extent that people are going to pick at Sanders' plan and find problems with it, Warren can step back, say that part I don't agree with, or this part I don't agree with. And she doesn't have her own -- she doesn't have to own all of the pieces of it while getting the benefit of saying she supports it.
CABRERA: As we mentioned earlier, Biden is releasing his records ahead of the Iowa caucuses. It comes after other Democrats are attacking him and his mental fitness.
Matt, Bernie Sanders is two years older than Joe Biden. Why isn't he being criticized or his age being criticized?
LEWIS: That time may come. You've got a president in his 70s, Joe Biden is the frontrunner and Elizabeth Warren who is on his heels. I think in a sense, part of the problem for Bernie Sanders is I don't think people think he is a frontrunner right now.
Maybe it would be good for Bernie Sanders if people were asking about his fitness because that would imply they thought he might be the nominee or might become president.
I would say one thing. I think that the key here is to exhibit fitness, right? You can put out your medical reports. But the key is to demonstrate, not that you're healthy but to demonstrate it, and that's by being quick witted and by having your facts and by having energy.
I think, I've said this about Elizabeth Warren. I've criticized her in the past, but she is demonstrating she will be a young 70.
CABRERA: This new round of questions about Biden's mental fitness seems to come from at least, again, what we heard on the debate stage with Julian Castro questioning his memory at the debate Thursday night.
President Trump was giving a speech in front of Republicans. Michael, as you mentioned, you were there. He said some odd things himself.
Here he is talking about cows, energy efficient light bulbs, and Mike Pence or Senator Mike Rounds. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No more cows. No more planes. I guess no more people, right?
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: Because Kevin is just like a cow, he's just smaller.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: I had to pick somebody for that one, Kevin. I just looked at that beautiful political face of yours.
The light bulb. People said, what's with the light bulb. I said here's the story. I looked at it. The bulb that we're being forced to use, number one, to me, most importantly, the light's no good. I always look orange.
I had a big meeting on ethanol and farmers and it was an incredible meeting. And I sat around. And Chuck Grassley was there and Joni Ernst and John Thune and Mike Rounds, just a whole group of great people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: Michael, does it make sense that Democrats are going after one of their own, after Biden's gaffes, when something like that could be a unifying attack against President Trump, no?
SHEAR: It will be. It is a question of time, right? Part of what is the benefit of being incumbent is you step back. Generally, in this case President Trump won't face much real opposition in his bid for re-election on the Republican side. So the Democrats are going to sort of box with each other and give the president time to take shots like that.
Let's not kid ourselves, the time will come when the president's rhetoric like that and comments about being orange because of light bulbs, and the first clip that you showed was his sort of -- part of his climate change, anti-New Green Deal shtick he does, that will all become center stage.
Whichever Democrat has the opportunity will use all of that, no doubt, as a way of trying to make the case to the American public that President Trump isn't fit to be reelected to the office.
CABRERA: Michael Shear, Matt Lewis, thanks, guys.
SHEAR: Thank you.
LEWIS: Thank you.
CABRERA: Another tropical storm is gaining steam in the Atlantic. Expected to bring even more misery to the Bahamas. Live to Nassau, next.
[15:14:35]
You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CABRERA: Come Monday, U.S. markets could be rattled by a drone attack in Saudi Arabia after 10 drones hit two oil facilities, igniting major fires. The attacks disrupted half the kingdom's oil capacity. That's 5 percent of the daily global oil supply, according to people with knowledge of Saudi operations.
The targets were owned by the state-owned oil company, Aramco. The facility in Abqaiq Provence is the largest crude oil stabilization plant in the world.
Houthi rebels in Yemen have taken responsibility for the attack.
Saudi Arabia has been leading a campaign to defeat the rebels since 2015, and the U.N. special envoy to Yemen says the attacks are, quote, "extremely worrying," due to, quote, a "serious threat to regional security."
A source says that Aramco hopes to have capacity restored within days.
Meanwhile, President Trump spoke a short while ago with Saudi's crown prince, telling him America is ready to help the kingdom secure the situation.
Weeks after Hurricane Dorian devastated parts of the Bahamas, the islands are facing another round of dangerous weather. Tropical Storm Humberto is packing 50-mile-per-hour winds and bringing new worries for those still struggling to recover and rebuild after Dorian.
Our Dianne Gallagher is in Nassau for us.
Dianne, what are you seeing there?
DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is funny, because you can probably see how beautiful it is behind me right now in Nassau. We're still under a tropical storm warning here. We have not seen any weather. It has been pushed back for us.
We have been talking to people on Abaco, and for the most part, they're reporting they've seen bands of thunderstorms but nothing too severe at this point.
[15:20:08]
That's the best news we have heard in days because of the anxiety that everybody had watching the storm come, and it is still not over yet.
There's a little tiny bit of relief we're starting to sense from people that maybe it is just rain and wind and not feel that devastation all over again.
There are still people inside the homes, what's left of homes there on Abaco, Grand Bahama. And USAID and other NGOs have been working to make sure they can make suitable shelters for people to stay in.
The Bahamian government has asked people to go to shelters that have been made available.
Again, there are people that evacuated to this island and have gone back to Abaco to start rebuilding their homes now.
This is something to be honest, Ana, we're watching this go, and watching people, it is almost eerie. It's completely tourists here. Lots of tourists filling hotels. People say it is good, it keeps money pumping into the Bahamas.
Meanwhile, a quick 30-minute flight to a different island, it is flat. There's nothing left.
CABRERA: And we know how bad the devastation was. What is the latest on the aid situation getting in there?
GALLAGHER: So we actually were at an airport about 30 minutes ago when a UPS cargo plane landed with 50 metric tons of aid. And most of this was sanitary kits, water purifying, water bladders, things like that, to make sure disease doesn't spread. Afterwards, as we have seen, so many times over in these disaster areas, what comes next is sickness.
USAID received a lot of different supplies they hope to get out there soon afterward. It has been difficult to get things to the islands over today and yesterday due to the tropical storm because it has not been safe to go island to island. They're hoping as of tomorrow they can start bringing things back to get aid replenished.
Now, they never left the island. All of these different organizations kept teams on the island. They're there with aid and relief, passing things out to them.
It is a sort of pause in aid but they're hoping to go full measure again starting tomorrow.
It is for the long haul. They talked about the fact this is not going to be a short or easy recovery and rebuilding effort. This will take a lot of money, time, and people who are willing to continue helping the Bahamas much after they're out of the headlines every day.
CABRERA: Right. Can't forget about all those people in need.
Dianne Gallagher, thank you for your reporting.
Will he play in the wake of rape and sexual assault allegations? Will New England Patriots wide receiver, Antonio Brown, be on Sunday's game roster?
You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:26:52]
CABRERA: New England Patriots' wide receiver, Antonio Brown, appears more likely to play this weekend, despite a sexual assault lawsuit filed by his former trainer.
Carolyn Manno is in New York with what the team and the NFL are saying Carolyn?
CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS: Good afternoon, Ana. There's still no official statement from the NFL since the allegations broke, though the leak opened an investigation into the wide receiver's behavior. The Patriots are saying as little as possible about this.
Brown's former trainer and college classmate, Britney Taylor, filed a civil lawsuit Tuesday, accusing Brown of multiple sexual assaults and rape between 2017 and 2018.
Brown has been practicing with the Patriots all week and is not expected to be placed on the commissioner's exempt list, as this is not a criminal investigation, meaning he is eligible to play.
Patriots Coach Bill Belichik was guarded when discussing whether the receiver will be used against the Dolphins tomorrow.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL BELICHIK, COACH, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: We'll do what's best for the team.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Would it be best for the team to have Antonio play?
BELICHICK: We'll determine that. You know, not going to give a copy of the game plan here. We'll do what's we think is best for the team.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MANNO: The NFL is expected to interview Britney Taylor next week. If Brown plays Sunday, the helmet he will wear is up in the air. Again, the helmet company, Zenith, ended its relationship with Brown yesterday just a few weeks after signing a deal with the high-profile receiver.
This, after Brown lost two appeals with the NFL to allow him to wear a different helmet that's no longer certified by the league -- Ana?
CABRERA: Thank you very much, Carolyn Manno.
An American hunter who paid $100,000 for a 21-day safari in Tanzania can bring his lion trophy back home to the U.S. Why this decision by the Trump administration has animal rights advocates outraged. Jeff Corwin joins us live in the CNN NEWSROOM. Don't go anywhere.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:32:50]
CABRERA: An American will soon have a controversial new trophy hanging on his wall after getting the go ahead to bring home the carcass of a lion he killed in Africa. It's the first time that's a lion trophy has been approved for import into the U.S. since it was listed as a threatened specifies under the Endangered Species Act three years ago.
CNN's Polo Sandoval has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An Orlando man has the green light from the U.S. government to bring home his kill. Documents first obtained by the Center for Biological Diversity show the hunter was issued a permit to import the skull, skin, teeth and claws of a lion he hunted in Tanzania.
John Jackson III, who represents the permit holder, defends this kind of hunting as crucial for conservation efforts in Africa, a way to ensure a delicate balance in the survival of various species.
JOHN JACKSON III, PRESIDENT, CONSERVATION FORCE: Most lion habitat is hunting areas. Then the prey basis depends upon habitat. So the hunting operation is crucial. Most of the lion that exist depend on American hunters or we wouldn't have more than half the lions.
SANDOVAL: Jackson is also a member of a panel assembled by the Trump administration last year tasked with advising on how trophy hunting helps conservation. He's also worked on rhino protection efforts for decades.
Last week, another American hunter faced, represented by Jackson, faced backlash after being granted a permit to import a black rhino that he hunted in Namibia.
JACKSON: The primary threat to the black rhino is poaching. The revenue of these hunts goes 100 percent to it, nothing taken out. It goes to a product trust fund run by the government. All that money is spent on rhino conservation, controlling poaching.
SANDOVAL: In Namibia, where the vulnerable rhino population has grown, permits are issued to hunt pre-selected problematic bulls. Lions are fair game for other reasons.
[15:35:01]
JACKSON: So you had different problem, different issues, and different things have to be shown to obtain a permit.
SANDOVAL: But the stringent requirements for trophy imports are not enough to calm concerns at the Center of Biodiversity where it's legal. Director Tanya Sanerib is worried these permits could someday lead to open season on other vulnerable species.
TANYA SANERIB, LEGAL DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY: It signals an opening of the floodgates. Not only for lions in imports from Tanzania but also potentially for elephants trophy imports from Tanzania.
SANDOVAL: So-called conservation hunting continues to be a source of debate.
SANERIB: Trophy hunters love to say that they help contribute to anti-poaching efforts and that just having hunters on the ground helps on that. But actually, the opposite has been demonstrated. Having people with guns legally on the group provides great cover for people who are out there illegally to get ivory and other animal products.
SANDOVAL: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service currently makes the call on trophy imports, saying the agency makes findings on an application by application basis.
Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CABRERA: Jeff Corwin is an expert in wildlife and host of ABC's "Ocean Treks with Jeff Corwin."
Jeff, thanks for being with us.
First, your reaction to the decision by U.S. Fish and Wildlife to allow that lion trophy to come to the U.S.?
JEFF CORWIN, ABC HOST, OCEAN TREKS WITH JEFF CORWIN: Good evening, Ana.
Well, it is a tragic decision, an awful decision. It shows how reckless they are with the environment. But it is a decision that to me, unfortunately, is not surprising with this administration.
CABRERA: There's an argument to be made here that this does not harm conservation efforts, according to Fish and Wildlife. They argue legal, well-regulated hunting as part of a sound management program can benefit the conservation of certain species by providing incentives to local communities to conserve the species and putting much needed revenue back into conservation.
What do you make of that argument?
CORWIN: You bring up an interesting point, Ana. And in certain situations in the United States, where people go get their tag for the white-tailed deer or spring turkey, that money gets put into conservation. For example, 90 percent of the money used in New Hampshire to protect natural resources comes from ticket violations, hunting and fishing license, and public recreational land use.
That model might work in the United States, but it doesn't work in Africa. Out of 54 countries in Africa, only six countries today allow hunting. Every year, it's less and less because it just doesn't work. They don't have the regulation, they don't have the law enforcement. And, Ana, they don't have the checks and balances to ensure people are following the rules.
CABRERA: We know this is not a first decision like this. Last week, we learned of another American hunter granted a permit to import a black rhino he killed in Namibia as part of a hunting trip there. Do you see the flood gates opening?
CORWIN: Under this administration, I don't. It is borderline criminal to me. There's never, Ana, a logical reason, there's never a sound biological conservation reason to hunt endangered species.
The black rhino population is hovering at around 5,000 animals. The lion population in Africa, less than a century ago, more than 200,000 animals. Today, less than 20,000.
They are eclipsing into extinction. And hunting a healthy lion healthy lion doesn't contribute to saving the species. It's just -- the logic isn't sound there.
CABRERA: I am sure this is not the end of the great debate.
Jeff Corwin, I appreciate you taking time with us, especially knowing that it is challenging when overseas. We think it is an important discussion to have. Glad you could join us.
CORWIN: Thank you.
[15:39:08]
CABRERA: In a surprise move, NASCAR rejects advertising from multiple firearms companies. We'll have the details straight ahead live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CABRERA: New evidence suggests the family that owns Purdue Pharma is trying to hide its massive fortune as it faces a host of lawsuits over its role in the opioid crisis. New York officials say they tracked a billion dollars in wire transfers from the Sackler family.
The revelation days after Purdue Pharma made a settlement offer to multiple state, local, tribal governments that would ultimately be worth more than $4.5 billion.
The state attorney general's office is trying to figure out how much money the Sacklers themselves have and where it is.
In a statement to CNN, Mortimer Sackler says, "There's nothing newsworthy about these decades-old transfers that were perfectly legal and appropriate in every respect."
Police in Seattle are looking for a gunman that shot and killed one person, wounded two others at a downtown rail station. Initial reports indicate there was some kind of dispute on the street before the shooting. Police don't believe the victims were chosen randomly. Investigators are trying to learn more about the relationship between the three victims.
First it was Walmart, then Walgreen, CVS, Kroger. Now NASCAR is adding its name to a listen of corporations taking a position on gun rights in this country.
CNN Sara Murray has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SARA MURRAY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: NASCAR is shocking some gun companies as it appears to reject some ads that were supposed to advertise certain firearms.
Now, this is kerfuffle that started happening a couple of months ago. There were a few gun companies that were approached by an advertising vendor, that's a group NASCAR would really like some ads from you, why don't you submit them.
Well, a couple of months later, they heard from this advertising vendor which said NASCAR is having a gradual shift on its gun approach. They don't want ads depicting assault-style rifles, things like A.K.-47s, things like A.R.-15s. But they're happy to take ads for less controversial accessories, maybe concealed-carry weapons.
[15:45:10]
Well, this set the gun companies up in arms. They were livid. They said NASCAR is alienating their fan base. They pointed to the overlap between NASCAR fans as well as gun owners.
And we've seen this trend of companies reevaluating their stance on whether they're willing to advertise guns, whether they are willing to sell guns, how they want to partner with organizations like the NRA.
But things are still a little murky when it comes to NASCAR. In part, because they won't publicly clarify their position. The gun companies have pressed for more information about the gradual shift.
I have reached out to NASCAR multiple times to say, what does this mean about your approach to Second Amendment issues, to your willingness to partner with firearms companies, and so far NASCAR hasn't responded.
It is worth pointing out though that the NRA has taken notice of this story. They put up a blogpost online making it clear that they are none too pleased about what they see as a not so gradual shift.
Sara Murray, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CABRERA: Thank you, Sara.
Detroit's economic troubles are well known. It remains the poorest big city in America. Census Bureau says more than one-third of Detroit residents and nearly half the city's children live in poverty.
This week's "CNN Hero" is working to change that. She's a nurse that found her mission making a house call more than 20 years ago. Meet Najah Bazzy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NAJAH BAZZY, CNN HERO: Working as a nurse, I went to visit this Iraqi refugee family, and an infant that was dying. And there at the house, they absolutely had nothing. There was no refrigerator, no stove, no crib. The baby was in a laundry basket.
I decided this wasn't going to happen on my watch.
How is your apprenticeship going?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Pretty good.
BAZZY: Nurses are supposed to fix things, we are healers. This is a place that heals the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: To see how she's providing basic needs, education, and hope to thousands every year, go to CNNheroes.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:50:47]
CABRERA: I want to take a moment this afternoon to talk about suicide. As today marks the end of National Suicide Prevention Week, the subject came up last night at Senator Bernie Sanders' event and an emotional discussion about health care. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED VOTER: Now they're saying I didn't resign or do something or something --
(CROSSTALK)
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): How are you going to pay off?
UNIDENTIFIED VOTER: I can't, I can't. I'm going to kill myself.
(CROSSTALK)
SANDERS: Hold it. Stop it. Stop it. You're not going to kill yourself. Stop it.
UNIDENTIFIED VOTER: I can't deal with this. I have Huntington's disease. Do you know how hard that is? You probably don't, do you? I can't drive. I can barely take care of myself.
SANDERS: All right, I'll talk to you at the end of the meeting, OK? UNIDENTIFIED VOTER: Sure.
SANDERS: OK.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: The issue of suicide and mental health is not easy to talk about, but it impacts an alarming number of people, even those who help others in crisis.
On Monday, just one day before World Suicide Prevention Day, two people devoted to helping others combat suicidal thoughts died by suicide themselves.
Mega-church pastor, Jared Wilson, spent years devoted to mental health advocacy. In 2016, Wilson found An Anthem of Hope, an organization focused on helping people navigate suicidal thoughts.
He had been open about his own struggles with depression. And on the very same day he killed himself, Wilson tweeted earlier that he was officiating a funeral for a Jesus-loving woman who took her own life. And he added, "Your prayers are greatly appreciated for the family."
Wilson's family needs your prayers now. He leaves behind a wife and two young kids, which he mentioned often on social media. In fact, less than a month ago was this post, Wilson dropping off his son at kindergarten, writing, "Happy first day of school, little buddy."
Gregory Eells died also this week. He took his own life. He was the executive director of counseling and psychological services at the University of Pennsylvania, a job he had taken in March after spending 15 years doing a similar job at Cornell in Ithaca, New York, where his wife and three kids still live.
He had been an outspoken advocate of mental health, even giving a Ted Talk on resilience in 2015.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GREGORY EELLS, FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF COUNSELING & PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA: If your heart is broken, make art with the pieces. I like to think it's actually when your heart is broken. Probably more accurate.
All of us will face times when our heart is broken. And resilience is about what we do with that. Can we make art with those pieces?
I also like this other quote describing a character in the thrill of grass. "She had fouled off the curves that life had thrown at her."
I like to think about this as resilience. And in my work, it's really helpful because I see a lot of students that want to be perfect. I think resilience is about shifting that mind frame, to move away from that perfection. (END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: These two suicides are a stark reminder that no one is immune from suicidal thoughts. And in the time it has taken me to read this script, two more people have died by suicide, according to the World Health Organization. One person dies by suicide globally every 40 seconds.
And in the U.S., the suicide rate continues to rise. In 2017, the latest year on record, it was 33 percent higher than in 1999, according to the CDC.
[15:54:11]
So if you or someone you know needs help, please, please call the national suicide prevention lifeline. There it is on your screen, 1- 800-273-8255. That's also 1-800-273-TALK.
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CABRERA: I have a great update for you on the story of a Florida boy bullied over his University of Tennessee T-shirt. His homemade T- shirt, you see there. Some fourth-grade classmates apparently made fun of him when he showed up for college colors day showing this T- shirt he made himself.
When the university heard about the bullying, they sent him a big box of Tennessee gear so he wouldn't have to make his own. Then they turned his sketched-out design into a real University of Tennessee T- shirt with profits going to an anti-bullying group.
And it doesn't end there. Now the fourth grader won't ever have to worry about where he'll go to college. The university has given him honorary admission to join the U.T. class of 2032, along with a four- year scholarship covering tuition and fees. How about that?
Thank you for staying with me. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Ana Cabrera, in New York.
Three days after America marked the 18th anniversary of 9/11, President Trump just announced today that the son of Osama bin Laden is dead. Hamza bin Laden, believed to be 30 years old, had reportedly been chosen by his father to be the leader of al Qaeda, the group that masterminded those deadly attacks.
Today, President Trump confirms Hamza bin Laden was killed in a United States counterterrorism operation in the Afghanistan/Pakistan region. It's not clear exactly when this happened, but CNN reported on July 31st that the U.S. believed Hamza bin Laden was dead, citing a U.S. official.
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CNN Military and Diplomatic Analyst, Admiral John Kirby, is here with us.
