Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

President Biden Hits Key Battleground States of Pennsylvania and Wisconsin; Hundreds of Flights Canceled Over Holiday Weekend; Liz Truss to Replace Boris Johnson as U.K.'s Next Prime Minister; Police Searching for Two Men Accused of Killing 10 in Stabbing Spree; Suspect Charges in Abduction of Still Missing Memphis Teacher. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired September 05, 2022 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:45]

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Good Monday morning. I'm Erica Hill in for Jim and Poppy today. Thanks for joining me on this holiday edition of CNN NEWSROOM.

President Biden hitting the road on this Labor Day with stops in two key battleground states. Next hour he'll head to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and then it's back to Pennsylvania on the heels of former President Donald Trump's weekend rally in the Keystone State where he lashed out again at the FBI over the search of his Mar-a-Lago home, calling agents vicious monsters and labeling President Biden an enemy of the state.

One congresswoman, also a member of the January 6th Committee, said the former president's remarks are potentially incitement.

Meantime, one of the busiest travel weekends of the year lives up to the billing. Hundreds of flight delays, thousands of cancellations as more than 12 million Americans are predicted to travel over the Labor Day holiday.

Let's begin this hour, though, in Milwaukee where CNN's Omar Jimenez is awaiting the president's arrival there.

So what can we expect from the president later today in terms of the message, Omar?

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erica, it's Labor Day and the White House says President Biden will be celebrating the dignity of American workers today when he gets here to Wisconsin. And of course Labor Day marks the unofficial start to crunch time leading up to election day.

This is a state that President Biden carried by just a little more than 20,000 votes back in the 2020 election. So when he gets here, the stakes of the Senate on the line will likely be felt as part of his speech.

We've got a tightly contested Senate race, of course, going on here in the state between Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes and the incumbent Ron Johnson. It's unclear if Barnes will appear or meet with President Biden today, but we do expect to see Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers meet with President Biden. Evers in his own race to get re-elected here in the state, of course.

So President Biden will be speaking at Labor Fest. It's a festival put on by the unions here in Milwaukee. But he won't just be here today, of course. He's got a busy day ahead. He is expected to depart from here around 10:00 a.m. this morning, and then with remarks scheduled around 12:15 local time, he'll then head to Pittsburgh from here around 1:40, which will end in another speech at 5:30 before he heads back to Washington.

While he's in Pennsylvania, he's expected to meet with John Fetterman, who is of course going for Senate there in the state along, with Josh Shapiro, who's the Democratic gubernatorial candidate there as well. That will be his third time in Pennsylvania in less than a week. So obviously trying to really make a point and be part of what is the beginning of the final push before an election day that will be here before we know it -- Erica.

HILL: Yes, it certainly will. Buckle up, Omar. Here we go. Good to see you this morning. Thank you.

Joining me now to discuss, Seung Min Kim, Associated Press White House reporter, and Toluse Olorunnipa, political investigations and enterprise reporter with the "Washington Post."

Nice to see you both this morning. You know, I thought it was interesting, as Omar pointed out, it's not clear whether Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes will be meeting or appearing with President Biden today. We have started to see a slight uptick in his approval ratings. 42 percent right now in this average of polls.

And Seung Min, we've also been hearing this more forceful, I would say, message from the president. He is really owning this threat to democracy. Is this making President Biden more welcome on the campaign trail for some of these Democratic candidates?

SEUNG MIN KIM, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER, ASSOCIATED PRESS: Well, certainly there's been an uptick. I found it really interesting that Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers is going to be with President Biden later today because we knew earlier this summer when the White House was potentially planning a visit to Wisconsin that Tony Evers didn't exactly want to be there.

And I will also point out that when President Biden goes to Ohio later this week, another interesting political state in this midterm season that Tim Ryan, the Democratic candidate, will be present there as well. So there is definitely a warming of sorts for candidates toward President Biden. And I think that is definitely related to two things. First of all, the string of legislative accomplishments that we've seen from President Biden over the last several weeks gave him a little extra pep in his step, making Democrats feel better about the midterms this fall.

But also the more forceful rhetoric that we've seen from President Biden in the last several days. It's really that kind of posture certainly is what some Democratic -- some Democrats have wanted to see more of from President Biden in recent days and weeks.

[09:05:06]

HILL: We'll see if that gets him perhaps more invitations or perhaps if we see him with more people out there on the trail. You know, it's interesting, he's making his way back to Pennsylvania today. As we know, former President Trump was there over the weekend where he was supposed to be stumping. The speech, though, was a little bit more focused on other things. Here's specifically what he had to say in terms of President Biden.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT: He's an enemy of the state. You want to know the truth. The enemy of the state is him and the group that control him, which is circling around him, do this, do that. Joe, you're going to do this. Joe, right. I think Philadelphia was a great choice to make this speech of hatred and anger. His speech was hatred and anger.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Was continuing to attack the FBI in that speech. He's continued sort of airing of grievances in terms of a message, Toluse. I wonder is that losing steam at this point?

TOLUSE OLORUNNIPA, POLITICAL INVESTIGATIONS AND ENTERPRISE REPORTER, WASHINGTON POST: Well, for President Trump's most faithful supporters, that red meat continues to be something that they're yearning for. They continue to be very animated by his rhetoric and the fact that he's willing to say things that no former president would say, calling a current president an enemy of the state.

But when it comes to the broader electorate, when it comes to the moderate voters, the people who turned away from President Trump in 2020, it's not clear that that kind of rhetoric is going to bring people back. Now President Biden has a job to do in making sure he was winning back some of those independents. His poll numbers are still under water with independent voters.

But he's trying to make this a stark choice between that kind of rhetoric from the former president, which is, you know, very angry and incendiary, and the kind of normalcy that he promised to bring back. That President Joe Biden promised to bring back, by making it a stark choice between those who are threatening democracy and threatening normalcy, and the current presidency which is trying to bring back a sense of normalcy to the country.

HILL: When we look at where we're at, and let's focus specifically, Seung Min, on Pennsylvania. There has been so much, when we look at the Senate race there, there's so much snarky, sort of back and forth. That's what we see on a national level. But on the ground there, are voters in Pennsylvania actually getting a good sense of who these candidates are or is that snarkiness overshadowing everything? KIM: Well, I think a lot of it on a national level it's kind of been a

campaign of trolling, particularly on -- you know, John Fetterman's campaign has been very much pushing the fact that, you know, Dr. Oz is not from Pennsylvania, that he's actually a New Jersey resident, that he's kind of this, you know, quack doctor that made his gains -- that made his riches that way. But if you talk to voters on the ground and you talk to what really matters, I think they'll tell you what matters is what, you know, voters across the country are saying.

Obviously, abortion is a largely motivating factor in that race, in the governor's race as well. The economy and inflation remains a major issue. And I also think this is why sort of the debate over debates in the Pennsylvania Senate race had gotten a lot of attention. Obviously it's kind of a feature of every competitive Senate race. But it is because we haven't heard the issues aired out from these candidates for a very long time. So I think there's going to be pressure on both sides to hear more of their views pretty soon.

HAAKE: And, Toluse, when we look at -- you know, we're also focused today on Wisconsin, because that's the president's first stop today as he's heading there. There is all this focus on Pennsylvania, but I wonder in a number of respects, is Wisconsin actually a better barometer at the moment, Toluse?

OLORUNNIPA: Well, Wisconsin was a closer race in 2020, as Omar said. President Biden only won by about 20,000 votes there. So it is a very tight state where we do see reflections of some of the different debates that we see across the country. Issues like abortion, issues like inflation, issues like education, are all going to be on the ballot there in Wisconsin. And it's going to be a tight race because you do have a Republican incumbent who has been in favor of what we saw from the former president, and has tried to moderate himself in some ways.

But it's very clear that some of the things that we're seeing nationwide are going to be on the ballot in Wisconsin. And you do have this question of whether or not President Biden is popular enough in Wisconsin to have the Senate candidate show up with him when he campaigns there later today.

HILL: Toluse Olorunnipa, Seung Min Kim, good to see you both today. Thank you.

A bit of a rough weekend for some holiday travelers. You may be one of them. Since Friday, more than 500 flights have been canceled across the country. More than 12,000 delayed.

CNN's aviation correspondent Pete Muntean is at Reagan National Airport because he actually lives there. Fun fact.

Pete, plenty of people trying to get back home. Maybe they want to go back to work tomorrow, maybe they don't. In general, how is travel looking today?

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: You know, I don't live here, although I have asked about office space. You know, today, so far, so good, Erica.

[09:10:02]

We've just checked FlightAware, 612 delays nationwide, 62 cancellations. Only 62 cancellations nationwide so far today. But the day is still pretty young. Consider the fact that just last week, on last Tuesday, barely a week ago, we saw 800 cancellations in a day. So when you consider this entire weekend, the worst day was yesterday, 210 cancellations, that's about a quarter of the worst day of last week.

Also just checked on FAA-imposed delays around the country right now. Right now there is only one and it's a very minor departure delay right now in Atlanta. So pretty good if you're traveling today. Passengers remain relatively undaunted. The TSA said it screened 2.3 million people on Thursday. And what's so interesting about that number is that it's actually about 200,000 people more than the same day back in 2019, before the pandemic.

We have to put this all into context. This summer has been really bad for airlines. They've been struggling with staffing shortages. 45,000 cancellations by U.S. carriers in total since June 1st. What is so interesting is now that this rush begins for many people coming home, the Department of Transportation has posted a dashboard online showing you what you are entitled to in the case of a cancellation or delay.

And what's also really interesting about that, Erica, is that in many cases the airlines have rewritten the fine print that's attached to your ticket and in some cases have improved the policies, making it easier for you to get a meal or hotel voucher -- Erica.

HILL: I would say those are great developments. Pete, always good to see you. Thank you.

Still to come here, Liz Truss will replace Boris Johnson as the next British prime minister. So what does it mean for the United States?

Plus, a manhunt underway now for two suspects who police believe are responsible for a stabbing spree that left at least 10 dead. We're live.

And abducted during a morning run. Police now searching for 34-year- old Memphis teacher Eliza Fletcher after a pair of sandals found at the crime scene led authorities to a man charged in connection with her disappearance. The latest is just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:16:21]

HILL: This morning Britain's Conservative Party has chosen the nation's next prime minister. Liz Truss will replace embattled PM Boris Johnsons who of course announced his resignation in July. Truss will be the U.K.'s fourth prime minister in six years and its third female prime minister. This comes of course as Britain is facing a dire economic outlook,

especially heading into the winter because of a severe cost of living crisis triggered by soaring energy bills and a looming recession.

Joining us now, CNN international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson, who's at Downing Street.

So walk us through how and when all this happens and what it really means.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: The next step, Liz Truss will go to Scotland tomorrow, Balmoral, to see the Queen. She will have just seen Boris Johnson who will have given his resignation. The Queen will invite Liz Truss to form a government. She'll come back here and give a speech in Downing Street later tomorrow afternoon. And that's when it gets real.

She's already sort of got an outline of what a Cabinet could be, but she'll be appointing key Cabinet positions. Who gets to be foreign secretary filling in for her, who gets to run the economy in the country from the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who will be at the Home Office. She'll be doing those jobs. And what she said she's going to make very clear and she's made very clear already is that she will be cutting taxes.

She is expected and said she will give a speech within the first week about how she is going to handle this energy crisis in the country. The expectation is she will borrow to keep those costs down. Economists in the U.K. are concerned that that could ultimately lead to inflation, but she thinks that will encourage businesses to grow. That's her broad plan. But she was very congratulatory for Boris Johnson, the outgoing prime minister.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIZ TRUSS, U.K. PRIME MINISTER-ELECT: Boris, you got Brexit done. You crushed Jeremy Corbyn. You rolled out the vaccine and you stood up to Vladimir Putin. You are admired from Kyiv to Carlisle.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: So a couple of things in that that the British audience will pick up on. Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the opposition. Well, the new leader of the opposition has said that Liz Truss does not have any of the answers. And I think one of the other interesting thing that gave an indication of just one of the many problems that she faces domestically here in the U.K., not just a fractured party but a fractured country.

She said that Boris Johnson was popular from Kyiv in Ukraine to Carlisle. Carlisle is the northernmost border town in England with Scotland. The Conservatives are not popular in Scotland. In fact, the Scottish people are pushing to have another independence referendum. That is another challenge that Liz Truss is going to face very quickly. So a raft of domestic, economic and political challenges ahead for her.

HILL: All right, we know you'll be continuing to break it all down for us. Nick appreciate it. Thank you.

Right now two men accused of stabbing and killing 10 people are on the run. Police launching a manhunt which now spans three provinces in Canada. Police say the men also injured at least 15 people Sunday. We're talking about multiple crime scenes in Saskatchewan. Authorities have identified the suspect as 31-year-old Damien Sanderson and 30- year-old Myles Sanderson, both of whom are described as armed and dangerous.

CNN's Paula Newton joining us now live from Ottawa with more.

So, Paula, what more do we know about these suspects and also the victims?

PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Yes, at this hour still such troubling information. The information that we do have. Imagine, Erica, it has now been more than 24 hours.

[09:20:01]

Police seem no closer to tracking down these two suspects, which as you said, are still armed and dangerous. Chilling to think how long this crime spree police say went on. It was hours. Can you imagine, Erica, those who were injured were, in fact, trying to take themselves to hospital and medical clinics. Police are also asking those victims to come forward. They believe there are more.

Key here, though, Erica, is that they don't seem to have much information about motive. They say that some of the attacks were targeted, others were, in fact, random. And this goes to the point that police in several jurisdictions now asking anyone who has any information to come forward. They are believed to have been on the run now for several hours, possibly in a black SUV.

But what's so troubling here is that police are trying to wonder, how are they going to end this without any more bloodshed, given, as you said, these are incredibly dangerous suspects and right now could be anywhere. Really an area covering thousands of miles.

I also want to point out that, in fact, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did issue a statement saying they were -- that I am shocked and devastated by the horrific attacks today in James Smith Cree Nation and Weldon, Saskatchewan that claimed the lives of 10 people and injured many more. As Canadians we mourn with everyone affected by this tragic violence and with the people of Saskatchewan.

And Erica, I want you to remember as well, police do say that this likely started in a closeknit, indigenous community of just a few hundred people then went to a neighboring community of, again, a few hundred people. Hard to know what went on there, especially given, you know, law enforcement there might have been behind the eight-ball really from the beginning. Just trying to piece together so many crime scenes and so many acts of violence -- Erica. HILL: Yes. Absolutely. It does complicate it, Paula. Appreciate it.

Thank you.

Surveillance cameras captured the moment a man forced a Memphis mother, teacher into a black SUV. The latest on the urgent search to find her, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:26:38]

HILL: At this hour, Memphis police are desperately searching for a 34- year-old mother and teacher who's abducted while jogging. Eliza Fletcher was last seen early Friday morning on surveillance video being forced into an SUV. A suspect, Cleotha Abston, has now been charged with her kidnapping.

CNN's Gary Tuchman joins me now live from Memphis.

So, Gary, what led to this arrest?

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, I will tell you, Erica, we don't know what happened to Eliza Fletcher. That's the most important thing. There is grave concern. We can tell you that police say the man they've arrested for her kidnapping is not talking. This all happened three mornings ago right where we're standing, next to the University of Memphis campus.

There is a surveillance camera to my right that captured all of this. It shows a man in a black SUV. He comes out of the SUV, he grabs a woman who was jogging here, struggles with her, brings her into the SUV, then drives into the parking lot where we are standing right now. Parks for four minutes and then he takes off. According to court records, police say at the very least they believe she suffered serious injury.

According to an affidavit, U.S. Marshals located the same SUV at the suspect's house later in the day. They also interviewed a witness earlier, a witness who said she saw the suspect in the same vehicle. According to the police, the quote was, she stated that she saw Cleotha Abston cleaning the interior of the GMC Terrain with floor cleaner and stated that he was behaving oddly.

Meanwhile, local media say they've talked to the DA's office and we have seen the court cases that indicate that this man in the year 2000 was arrested for kidnapping. A man who he kidnapped, a local attorney who later escaped. Either way, he went to prison for 20 years, this suspect. He just got out November 2020, a year and a half ago.

We can tell you that according to the people we have been talking to, there is hope. The family and friends hope that their loved one is still alive, but they are so distressed, as you might understand and they're reaching out for any kind of help they can get.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) HART ROBINSON, FAMILY FRIEND OF ELIZA FLETCHER: She's a teacher and then she has two young boys that, obviously, we're worried about. And just great lady. Really the best mom.

MIKE KEENEY, ELIZA FLETCHER'S UNCLE: More than anything, we want to see Liza returned home safely. The family has offered a reward for any information that leads to her safe return. We believe someone knows what happened and can help.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TUCHMAN: The search for this wife, mother of two and a pre-K teacher continues today -- Erica.

HILL: Gary, important updates there. Appreciate it. Thank you.

Gun violence, perhaps not surprisingly, marring the holiday weekend at cities across the country. Take a look at this video from New York. As you watch this, maybe it feels a bit like a movie scene there. It's not. A witness recorded this real-life chaotic car chase and robbery.

CNN's Martin Savidge has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A car chase and robbery caught on camera. In a video obtained by law enforcement in New York, a car crashes into this silver SUV on a busy street in Manhattan Saturday afternoon.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's got a gun. He's got a gun.

SAVIDGE: A man emerges and approaches the SUV wielding a firearm. The victim reported that $20,000 was taken.

[09:30:00]