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WSJ: Some Insiders Say Biden "Showing Signs Of Slipping"; Israel Phasing Out Use Of Desert Detention Camp After CNN Investigation Details Abuses; Demanding Long-Term Care For Wounded Service Member. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired June 05, 2024 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: The opposite. He says that President Biden in his negotiations was smart, was savvy, was tough. And so, I guess if Senator McCarthy -- or sorry, Kevin McCarthy is on a rebranding tour, which is what we have since heard, he's probably mad that the guy who's the president -- the current president is the one who is responsible for him having lost his job because he's so tough and so savvy and completely outsmarted him.

I think it's a complete political hit job. And I also don't think the timing is a coincidence now that Donald Trump is a convicted felon. I think Republicans are a little desperate to try to distract because they know that the majority of American people are not going to want a convicted felon in the White House.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Let me get lured away. And what's -- what -- when you read the article, what did you think?

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I think that it -- look, I've heard similar to Maria, from Democrats, which is that are Democrats concerned about voters' perception of Biden's age and his mental ability? Yes, they are. Voters mentioned that regularly.

But Democrats themselves who are in the meetings with President Biden, they say that he's all there, that he's sharp, that he, you know, switches between policy topics to other policy topics as needed. And you got a sense that they were very frustrated because they did speak to the journal reporters --

CARDONA: Right.

BARRON-LOPEZ: And they weren't quoted in this. Donald Trump also has an age liability. And you hear that from voters as well. I mean, in focus groups that I've watched, voters repeatedly say that they're not happy with the age of either of the candidates and that they wish there were other options. But ultimately, they're going to make their decision based on vastly different issues than the candidates' ages.

BLITZER: Go ahead, Doug. I want you to weigh in as well. Go ahead.

DOUG HEYE, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, I go back to the State of the Union when Joe Biden gave me a very long, very loud speech. And Democrats said, Joe Biden is fully in charge, the game has changed. The game hasn't changed. The polling hasn't moved. Biden is either up one or down one or two in -- depending on what poll you look at.

And the polls all show the same thing. Voters are massively concerned about Joe Biden's age. They're also concerned, as Laura pointed out, about Donald Trump's age. But what we see or quite often don't see is Joe Biden out front and in center, and in command.

I watched him yesterday, and he was fine. But he wasn't a strong commanding presence as a commander in chief. Maybe today and tomorrow will be good days for Joe Biden because he may be the youngest person in France, or you know, around all the veterans.

But he's got this very real problem. And he's in a job that ages him faster at an age that ages you faster as well. It's a very real problem for him. And it's not just one article, this has gone back since the day he's been elected.

CARDONA: But I think it's also an issue for Donald Trump because you have a lot of articles out there and frankly, video where you have Donald Trump is the one that is stumbling. And I also think it's important to note. Which of these candidates has had generals, former staffers, people at the highest levels of government, open letters with signed names saying this man is not fit to hold the highest office in the land? That's not Joe Biden. That is Donald Trump.

And again, I go back to now, that he's a convicted felon, I really think Republicans are desperate to try to find something else shiny. They know that this is something that voters are concerned about. So, they focused on that.

I think, to your point, Laura, this election is not going to ultimately be decided on the age of either one. It's going to be decided on what each one has offered the voters. And when you have seen Donald Trump recently, he's more disengaged, he is ranting, and he's all about retribution and getting back at his opponents, while Joe Biden smartly is focused on what he's going to continue to do for the American people.

HEYE: I would say, Wolf, all of this really raises the stakes for the debate in a few weeks here on CNN.

CARDONA: No doubt.

HEYE: This is going to put a laser focus on whether or not either of these candidates has a senior moment or some kind of a stumble.

BLITZER: Because they're both what -- Biden is what, 77 -- excuse me.

BARRON-LOPEZ: He's 81.

BLITZER: Biden is 81. Trump is 77. So, they're not spring chickens by any means.

BARRON-LOPEZ: No, they're not. I mean, voters are clearly going to be paying attention to that. One thing that's also striking when you talk to some voters who wonder based on the clips that they see across social media about Joe Biden, they go in then they go to his rallies, or they go to an event, and they stop by, and they see how he sounds. They tune into the State of the Union, see how he sounds in a longer format. And then they tend to be surprised.

You know, there's this element also of lowering expectations, which Donald Trump's campaign did ahead of the debates in 2020. And then Biden overperformed the expectations in those debates. And ultimately, a lot of the voters I talked to after those 2020 debates were surprised by Biden's performance and said, oh, he's actually not bad. And I think you could potentially see that as long as he doesn't have a senior moment, as Doug said, see that in the upcoming debate.

BLITZER: Four years ago, Biden -- according to the polls after the debates, Biden did better than Trump.

HEYE: He did. And --

CARDONA: Yes?

HEYE: Look, but this is I think part of the problem for Biden is we're very acute of his aging faster that he's not the Joe Biden that he was four years ago. OK, neither is Donald Trump. But this issue is more of a focus on Biden than it is on Trump. Trump is a ball of energy. You may not like that energy, but he's a ball of energy.

[11:35:01]

And I watched Joe Biden, and he reminds me, Wolf, so often I've seen Frank Sinatra towards the end of his career. He comes out and come fly with me goes really well. And then he struggles to remember the words to my way, which I saw, not too far away from here at Mary were -- Merriweather Post Pavilion in '94. That's a problem for Biden. And it's again, why this debate is so critical for Biden.

CARDONA: I go back to something that I heard in a focus group from voters. And that is, look, yes, both dudes are old, but I would rather have old and steady than old and crazy. And that's where I think a lot of voters are going to be focused on. And that helps Joe Biden.

BLITZER: Maria, Laura, and Doug, guys, thank you very, very much.

CARDONA: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: Coming up. Israel phasing out the use of a desert detention camp after a CNN investigation detailed the abuse of Palestinians being held there. What Israel's Supreme Court is now saying about the camp? We have details.

Stay with us. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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[11:40:25]

BLITZER: Israel has now transferred hundreds of Palestinian detainees out of the facility where they allegedly were being held under conditions of extreme abuse. A recent CNN investigation detailed the conditions in the facility, the facility called Sde Teiman in Israel's Negev desert not very far away from Gaza. Photos short -- showed by -- photos shared by whistleblowers showed prisoners behind barbed wire blindfolded and sitting on paper-thin mattresses. In another part of the facility, sometimes doctors amputated prisoners' limbs due to injuries from constant handcuffing. CNN's reporting prompted outcry from the Association for Civil Rights in Israel and other human rights groups, leading to an Israeli Supreme Court hearing.

CNN's chief global affairs correspondent Matthew Chance is joining us now. Matthew, this was excellent reporting by you and your team. What was revealed during this hearing that initiated the actual transfer of some of these 700 Palestinian detainees?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, this was a hearing which was calling into question the legality of keeping so many hundreds of Palestinians in this facility, who are not named remember, in very poor conditions that are whistleblowers, the Israeli military whistleblowers and the doctors that we spoke to, the medical officials that we spoke to about those conditions inside. And as part of those hearings, the Israeli government represented by their state attorney said that they were in the process of essentially phasing out the facility by moving hundreds of people to other containment centers in the West Bank, perhaps releasing some of them back to Gaza. But that still left about -- that leaves about 200 people that are still unaccounted for who is still there. And so, the Israeli court has given the Israeli authorities a few more days until the 10th of this month, in fact, to let them know what the plan is ultimately for those 200 Palestinian individuals and therefore, what ultimately will happen to the Sde Teiman detention facility.

But you know, look, the revelations of the abuses inside that our investigative team sort of exposed caused a huge outcry overseas. The White House said it was deeply concerned and said it was looking for answers from its Israeli counterparts. The German authorities which are normally very supportive of Israel, they express concern. The U.N., even the Israeli military said it was launching an investigation into the allegations of abuse -- of abuse inside this detention center and others as well. But the real significance is that this has become a rallying point for human rights activists inside Israel, who are you know, very concerned about the way in which Israel is prosecuting its war in Gaza, and have used this as a -- as a -- as a rallying point to express their outrage and concern about the direction into which Israel has traveled since October 7 and those horrific attacks by Hamas.

BLITZER: Thanks once again, Matthew, for your excellent, excellent reporting. We really appreciate it.

And still to come. Tomorrow marks 80 years since Allied forces invaded Normandy in World War Two. We are remembering those heroes. Stay with us. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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[11:48:03]

BLITZER: Remembering D-Day and those who were lost in the decisive invasion of Normandy, France during World War Two. On this eve of the 80th anniversary, this art installation silhouettes fanning out across the fields of the British Normandy Memorial called the Four-Year Tomorrow. There are nearly 1500 figures representing the British servicemen who died there on D-Day.

Many warriors returned from the frontlines facing new battles in their day-to-day lives. They go home with horrific injuries that will require a lifetime of care.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JASON EHRHART (RET), U.S. ARMY: We were rolled two anti-tank mines. It blew my Humvee up. Killed my sergeant.

I heard an explosion. I suffered a closed head injury. Traumatic brain injury. Loss of a limb. Paralyzed six percent of my body.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: This morning here in Washington up on Capitol Hill, lawmakers in the U.S. Senate took up the issue of improving services for veterans and their caregivers. The needs are daunting and heartbreaking.

Joining us now is Pam Estes, the mother and caregiver of Jason Ehrhart, the wounded young soldier we just heard from. Pam, thanks so much for all you're doing. Thanks so much for joining us.

I know you joined other caregivers and successfully lobbied Congress to pass what's called the Caregiver Act. It allows Veterans Affairs to pay a veteran's caregiver even if that person is a family member. How crucial, Pam, is that?

PAM ESTES, MOTHER, CAREGIVER OF WOUNDED SOLDIER: That was extremely important because it allowed me to not have to continue to work full time and to focus a lot of my attention on Jason and what he needed at home.

BLITZER: It's been what, nearly 19 years since Jason suffered his horrific injuries. Is the government, from your perspective doing enough to help?

[11:50:00]

ESTER: They have provided a lot of help with Jason to the V.H.A. They want to do the right thing. They have done wonderful things with his health care, particularly early on were a little bit challenged the farther we get out from it because they don't necessarily have the resources to continue all of his rehab through the VA. And so, we've had to turn to other sources such as the Wounded Warrior Project to assist us with getting those services.

BLITZER: Well, on that point, what role is the private sector playing and helping Jason and others for that matter, who returned home with lifelong needs?

ESTES: I'm not -- I don't know what we would have done without the Wounded Warrior Project. The VA has provided a lot of good things but it's kind of -- it kind of levels out and goes away in some regards. Just due to resource issues, the Wounded Warrior Project stepped in and picked up where we started losing some of Jason's rehabilitation services like occupational therapy and physical therapy and those types of things. And they stepped up and are providing -- helped me find and provide services for physical therapy and Jason's in equine therapy as well.

BLITZER: Tell us a little bit about your son, Jason's -- how he's doing right now.

ESTES: He's doing very well. He still really only has the use of one limb, his right -- his right arm. He's still working very hard on trying to learn to walk again and use his left arm. And that's primarily from the brain injury. He does still have some short-term memory issues as well.

But overall, he's very -- he's very social. He likes to get out there and he likes to try things. And so, you know, that's one of the challenges is trying to find things with those kind -- things to do for people with those types of disabilities.

BLITZER: And, Pam, how are you doing? How challenging has this been for you?

ESTES: It has certainly increased my workload a lot. I kind of view myself as a project manager of sorts, trying to manage Jason's care, but in addition to finding other things to keep him involved in, keeping people scheduled, making sure that he gets to appointments, and just overall trying to find things that are going to stimulate him to continue to move forward.

BLITZER: Pam, what's your support network look like? How are -- how are you doing with him?

ESTES: We have a really strong support network. We have a very strong family unit. Anybody's willing to help in any way. We moved to a more of a rural area.

And I was a little bit concerned about our resources in this area. But it turns out Jason's thrived more in this area just because the more of the community has stepped up to help. And so, it's benefited him, and he's done really well from it. But we couldn't have done it without -- you know, they say it takes a village. And I've often said Jason's village is the size of New York City because it just takes a phenomenal amount of people and support to get through these kind of times.

BLITZER: So, what's your biggest challenge, Pam, right now?

ESTES: My biggest challenge -- for me now, as I've entered retirement stuff, is I want to make sure that Jason is going to be set up and cared for when I'm no longer able to care for him. He's -- you know, we have no idea what to expect because of the brain injury. He's certainly made a lot of progress, but he still needs care 24/7. And I absolutely don't want him put to the institution since he's done so well at home. So, it's -- the biggest challenge is to make sure that he's cared for when I'm not able to care for him anymore.

BLITZER: And finally, Pam, what's your biggest message to other caregivers right now?

ESTES: I think my biggest message is because it was hard for me at first to take care of yourself, take a vacation, get somebody in to help, it helps the veteran as much as it helps yourself, and to not be afraid to reach out and ask other people for help. They, want to do it. And you're not necessarily imposing on them. It helps you, it helps them, and it helps the veteran.

BLITZER: Pam Estes, thank you so much for joining us. Thanks for all you're doing. And please pass along our best wishes to Jason, your son. We're hoping for the very best for him. I appreciate it very much.

ESTES: Thank you so much.

BLITZER: And for me, I'll leave you on this note. This is also all very, very personal. Since I'm a son of Holocaust survivors, and my parents were both liberated from Nazi concentration camps by U.S. and allied forces at the end of the war, back in 2004, CNN sent me to Normandy to cover the 60th anniversary of D-Day, which as we all know, was a clear turning point in the war.

[11:55:20]

I was so moved when I walked around the Normandy American Cemetery and memorial and saw the tombstones and read the names of the American servicemembers. Without their sacrifice, my parents, my mom and dad, and so many others would not have survived.

Thank you so much for joining me here in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Wolf Blitzer. I'll be back later tonight at 6:00 p.m. Eastern in "THE SITUATION ROOM," right back here tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. Eastern in the CNN NEWSROOM. Stay with us. "INSIDE POLITICS" with Dana Bash starts right after a short break.

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