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One World with Zain Asher
Trump Holds Another News Conference in a Week; Arrests Made in the Death of Actor Matthew Perry; Authorities Share Details on Charges in Matthew Perry Case; 40,000 Plus Palestinian Killed in 10 Months of War; Gaza Ceasefire Talks Resume in Qatar; President Biden and VP Harris Joint Appearance in Maryland. Aired 1-2p ET
Aired August 15, 2024 - 13:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[13:00:00]
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Hello, everyone. Live from New York. I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Zain Asher. You are watching One World.
We have got a very, very busy hour for you just ahead. Any moment now, we're expecting to hear from the U.S. attorney's office in California about
an arrest made in connection with the drug related death of the "Friends" actor, Matthew Perry. We're waiting for that to start any moment now. We
will, of course, bring you that news conference live when it begins.
GOLODRYGA: And later this hour, we will take you to Maryland to hear from President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. It's the first time
they've shared a stage since he announced that he's stepping aside from the Democratic ticket.
It's a familiar sight over the past four years that takes on a whole new meaning now, obviously.
ASHER: Yes, their joint appearance is to promote the administration's efforts to fight inflation and to keep prices low for all Americans.
GOLODRYGA: Specifically on drugs. A short time after they leave the stage, Donald Trump will hold his second news conference in a week. Now, last
week's news conference was full of rambling answers and falsehoods by the former president. Aids have been urging him to stay on message.
We are now going to take you live to that news conference. We told you about at the top of the show in Los Angeles. Let's listen in.
MARTIN ESTRADA, UNITED STATES ATTORNEY: We're here today with our law enforcement partners to announce federal criminal charges related to the
death of the actor, Matthew Perry.
Following Mr. Perry's death in October of last year, law enforcement, my office, and our partners represented on this stage began an in-depth, wide-
ranging investigation. That investigation has revealed a broad, underground criminal network responsible for distributing large quantities of ketamine
to Mr. Perry and others.
This network included a live-in assistant, various go-betweens, two medical doctors, and a major source of drug supply known as, quote, the Ketamine
Queen. We've charged five defendants in this matter. These defendants took advantage of Mr. Perry's addiction issues to enrich themselves. They knew
what they were doing was wrong. They knew what they were doing was risking great danger to Mr. Perry, but they did it anyways. In the end, these
defendants were more interested in profiting off Mr. Perry than caring for his wellbeing.
I'm going to talk about the indictment, the allegations, and the charges in more detail. On October 28, 2023, Mr. Perry was found deceased in his home.
An autopsy was conducted following his death. That autopsy showed that he had died due to the acute effects of ketamine. Ketamine is a controlled
substance. It has some legitimate uses, but it is also used illegally. It is used by people seeking to disassociate from reality.
It can cause serious health effects, serious health problems, including loss of consciousness, including spikes in blood pressure, and including
respiratory issues that can deprive the brain of oxygen. For that reason, it is a drug that must be administered by medical professionals, and the
patient must be monitored closely. That did not occur here. This investigation focused on who supplied the ketamine to Mr. Perry.
As many of you know, Mr. Perry struggled with addiction in the past. On many occasions, he sought help for his addiction issues. The investigation
revealed that in the fall of 2023, Mr. Perry fell back into addiction, and these defendants took advantage to profit for themselves.
The two lead defendants in this case are defendants Salvador Plasencia and defendant Jasveen Sangha. First, I'll talk about defendant Plasencia.
Defendant Plasencia was a medical doctor. He worked with another medical doctor, defendant Mark Chavez, to obtain ketamine. a medical license. He
then worked with Mr. Perry's live-in assistant, defendant Kenneth Iwamasa, to distribute that ketamine to Mr. Perry.
[13:05:00]
Over two months, from September to October 2023, they distributed approximately 20 vials of ketamine to Mr. Perry in exchange for $55,000 in
cash. Defendant Plasencia saw this as an opportunity to profit off of Mr. Perry. He wrote in a text message in September 2023, quote, I wonder how
much this moron will pay. He also stated in text messages that he wanted to be Mr. Perry's sole source of supply. He wrote in a text message that he
wanted to be Mr. Perry's, quote, go-to for drugs.
As a doctor, Defendant Plasencia knew full well the danger of what he was doing. In fact, on one occasion, he injected Mr. Perry with ketamine, and
he saw Mr. Perry freeze up and his blood pressure spike. Despite that, he left additional vials of ketamine for Defendant Iwamasa to administer to
Mr. Perry. Of course, Defendant Iwamasa had no medical training to speak of.
Defendant Plasencia knew what he was doing was harming Mr. Perry. He had spoken to another patient in mid-October 2023, and he told that patient
that Mr. Perry was spiraling out of control with his addiction. Nonetheless, Defendant Plasencia continued to offer ketamine to Mr. Perry.
Likewise, Defendant Sangha knew what she was doing was harming defendants and also Mr. Perry. She took advantage of Mr. Perry by selling large
amounts of ketamine to Mr. Perry over a two-week period in October of 2023. She sold approximately 50 vials of ketamine for approximately $11,000 in
cash. She worked with a broker, Defendant Eric Fleming, and also the live- in assistant, Defendant Iwamasa, to distribute this ketamine.
Sangha and the broker, Defendant Fleming, saw this as an opportunity to profit off of Mr. Perry. In a text message, the broker wrote, quote, I
wouldn't do it if there wasn't a chance of me making some money for doing this. Defendant Sangha sold the batch of ketamine that resulted in Mr.
Perry's death on October 28th.
Officers later searched Defendant Sangha's home. During that search, they found what amounted to a drug selling emporium. They found 80 vials of
ketamine, thousands of pills containing methamphetamine, cocaine, bottles of Xanax and other illegally obtained prescription drugs, and drug selling
paraphernalia, including scales and ledgers.
As I mentioned, the defendants in this case knew what they were doing was wrong. When they'd refer to the ketamine, they'd use coded language. They'd
refer to it using terms such as, quote, Dr. Pepper, or quote, bots, or quote, cans. Also, defendants Plasencia and Chavez, as medical doctors,
knew full well this was not the proper way to administer ketamine, and they even talked about that in their exchanges.
And Defendant Sangha also knew. that she was doing something that caused great risk to Mr. Perry. In fact, during this investigation, we learned
that several years before, in 2019, Defendant Sangha had sold ketamine to another customer. That person died the same day. And a family member of
that person sent a message to Defendant Sangha telling her the cause of death was ketamine.
Nonetheless, Defendant Sangha continued selling drugs, including ketamine, including the ketamine that ultimately killed Mr. Perry. That other victim
was a person named Cody McLaury. He died in 2019. As a result of this investigation, we have filed a drug distribution charge related to the
death of Mr. McLaury.
After Mr. Perry died, these defendants tried to cover up what they had done. On October 28th after reading news reports of Mr. Perry's death,
Defendant Sangha wrote a text message to Defendant Fleming saying, quote, delete all our messages. Likewise, after Mr. Perry's death, Defendant
Plasencia falsified medical records and notes to try to make it look like what he was doing was legitimate. It was not.
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We have filed numerous federal charges against the five defendants. These charges include conspiracy to distribute ketamine, distribution of ketamine
resulting in death, maintaining drug involved premises for that drug- selling emporium that Defendant Sangha had. Altering and falsifying records related to a federal investigation for those false medical notes and
records that Defendant Plasencia made. And multiple other drug trafficking counts. Of course, the defendants are presumed innocent until proven
guilty.
The penalties these defendants face are very significant. With regard to Defendant Plasencia, the statutory maximum sentence he faces is 120 years
in federal prison. Now, with regard to Defendant Sangha, the statutory maximum she faces is life imprisonment.
By filing these extensive and serious charges, we are sending a clear message, if you are in the business of selling dangerous drugs, we will
hold you accountable for the deaths that you cause. This is nothing new for us. Since 2022, my office has filed over 60 cases against drug dealers
who've caused the death of another person. These cases are known as death resulting cases. They're labor-intensive cases and we work with our law
enforcement partners, including ones represented here today to bring those cases. Our office is a national leader in bringing those cases. They're
very important. Because every victim's life counts.
If you are in the drug selling business and you're selling dangerous drugs, you are playing roulette with other people's lives, just like the five
defendants here did to Mr. Perry. Defendants nowadays are on full notice that the products they sell could result in the death of another person.
Therefore, if you're in the drug business, and despite these risks, you continue in the drug business, you were pushed by greed to gamble with
other people's lives, be advised, we will hold you accountable.
I want to thank our partners in this case, the Los Angeles Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the U.S. Postal
Inspection Service. These investigators did a phenomenal job digging into the case, looking at every angle, to develop a case, a strong case, against
not only those who killed Mr. Perry, but also Mr. McLaury.
I want to note that these cases are important and will continue to collaborate with our law enforcement partners to bring them to ensure that
justice is brought to every victim. And finally, let me thank the prosecutors responsible for the investigation and the prosecution of this
case with their assistance, United States Attorneys, Ian Yanello and Shao Han Sai.
And now, I'd like to introduce. Chief of Los Angeles Police Department, Dominic Choi.
DOMINIC CHOI, LOS ANGELES POLICE CHIEF: All right. Good morning. And thank you, Martin. You know, while it's tragedy that brings us all here together,
I'm happy to stand here knowing that these dangerous individuals are no longer on the streets and they won't be able to harm anyone else.
The Los Angeles Police Department and our partners here today, we're committed to investigating all cases like this. And it's regardless of
someone's background or socioeconomic status. And just with all of our cases, this investigation was done impartially. We let the facts drive this
investigation. And those facts led us to a group of individuals who were responsible for supplying and distributing to Mr. Perry narcotics that led
to his unfortunate and untimely death.
The group standing here today, it's a prime example how our partnerships and our collaboration can yield meaningful results. I want to thank LAPD,
our robbery homicide division who's standing in the back there. The U.S. attorney, Martin Estrada, and his team, the DEA and her team, as well as
the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and their team for their hard work, diligence, and real patience.
Now, I know people think this took a long time, but there was a lot of work, a lot of investigative strategies that went into this to make sure
that there's a solid case and that we can pursue this in the courts.
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Our relationship with our federal partners, it helps us ensure that these criminals will have meaningful sentences and be an example for anyone that
is willing to risk or jeopardize distributing and supplying unlawful or narcotics to anyone. And I just really want people to know that that is the
message, you cannot get away with this regardless of your background or socioeconomic status. Breaking the law is breaking the law and you are
dangerous and you are jeopardizing lives.
So, thank you all my partners for being involved in this and being -- bringing us to where we are at today. And at this time, I'd like to
introduce DEA Administrator Anne Milgram.
ANNE MILGRAM, DEA ADMINISTRATOR: Good morning. Today, we announced charges brought against five individuals who together are responsible for the death
of Matthew Perry. Each of the defendants played a key role in his death. They falsely prescribed, sold, or injected the ketamine that caused Matthew
Perry's tragic death.
In the United States, most forms of ketamine are only approved by the Food and Drug Administration for anesthesia. A nasal spray version is approved
for treatment of depression, but only in a certified medical setting. Here, Matthew Perry sought treatment for depression and anxiety and went to a
local clinic where he became addicted to intravenous ketamine.
When clinic doctors refused to increase his dosage, he turned to unscrupulous doctors who saw Perry as a way to make quick money. Dr.
Plasencia and Dr. Chavez violated the oath they took to care for their patients. Instead of do no harm, they did harm so that they could make more
money. Without performing any medical evaluation or monitoring, they supplied Matthew Perry with large amounts of ketamine in exchange for large
sums of money. Charging Perry $2,000 for a vial that cost Dr. Chavez approximately $12.
As Matthew Perry's ketamine addiction grew, he wanted more, and he wanted it faster and cheaper. That is how he ended up buying from street dealers
who sold the ketamine that ultimately led to his death. In doing so, he followed the arc that we have tragically seen with many others whose
substance use disorder begins in a doctor's office and ends in the street.
Perry turned to a street dealer, Eric Fleming, who sourced his ketamine from a drug trafficker known as the Ketamine Queen, Jasveen Sangha. The
ketamine supplied by Sangha would ultimately be the dose that took Matthew Perry's life.
Sangha knew that the ketamine she supplied could be deadly, since in 2019, she had sold ketamine to Cody McLaury, who died at the age of 33. But
despite this knowledge, she continued to sell ketamine and methamphetamine throughout Los Angeles.
Matthew Perry's journey began with unscrupulous doctors who abused their position of trust because they saw him as a payday. And it ended with
street dealers who sold him ketamine in unmarked vials. The desperation that led Perry to these individuals was not met with help, as it should
have been from the doctors. But instead, it was met with exploitation. Exploitation by those who should have guided him toward help. This betrayal
of trust is at the heart of this tragedy.
Since 2023, DEA has investigated nearly 500 drug poisoning and overdose cases, just like Matthew Perry's. We run a national initiative known as OD
Justice, where we work with our state and local law enforcement partners to conduct investigations after someone has passed away. And it is important
to note that the national model we today have in every 50 states across the United States is based on the work that started here in Los Angeles.
We began this work with our partners in the Los Angeles Police Department and with other local police departments and sheriff's offices in
California, in the Los Angeles area, and with the U.S. Attorney's Office. And today it stands as our national model for this critical work.
Together, as part of OD Justice --
ASHER: All right. You've been listening to a live press conference involving several law enforcement officials, really at times just so
difficult to hear the circumstances surrounding Matthew Perry's death.
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This press conference was actually led by Martin Estrada, the U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, talking about the number of federal
charges that have been filed in connection with the death of Matthew Perry.
You'll remember that it was in October last year that he was found unconscious in his jacuzzi at his home in Los Angeles with high levels of
ketamine in his blood. Essentially, what we learned here is that there was a broad criminal underground network distributing ketamine and essentially
taking advantage for profit, for financial motives of Matthew Perry's addiction.
Those people who were charged include two medical doctors, a live-in assistant and also someone known as the Ketamine Queen of Los Angeles, who
essentially supplied the fatal dose that ended up killing the beloved actor.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. Some really damning text messages and other evidence had been relayed in this press conference. There's part of this investigation,
among them we hear from the DEA saying that all five knew what they were doing was wrong, and yet they continue to do it to profit for themselves.
The charges against them include conspiracy to distribute ketamine, distribution of ketamine resulting in death, the possession with intent to
distribute methamphetamine, and altering and falsifying records related to a federal investigation. Some of these charges carry a life sentence as
well as 120 years, a maximum sentence.
Let's go straight to CNN's Omar Jimenez. We heard from three officials there, Omar, a lot of detail. And as Zain said, at times very sad and
tragic laying out of the events that unfolded that ultimately led to Matthew Perry's death.
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And just to bring our viewers back, it was in October 2023, that's when Matthew Perry was found dead at his
Pacific Palisades home due to, as you mentioned, acute levels of ketamine in his system, which subsequently led to drowning. But of course, the big
question at that time was, how did he get this ketamine and how did this night end up the way it did?
And so, months later, we heard from the L.A. Police Department, this was May 2024, that they were actually investigating, in a criminal manner, the
source of where this ketamine came from. That was in May. They didn't have many more details that they wanted to share with us at the time. And then,
fast forward to now, we are learning five defendants are charged in connection with Matthew Perry's death. Two of them were arrested today, and
that's the Ketamine Queen, as you mentioned, Jasvaeen Sangha, as she's being described, and then a medical doctor, Dr. Salvador Plasencia of Santa
Monica.
We're in the process of trying to reach out to their folks, but we haven't heard back. This is all just coming in, in this immediate sense.
But some of the key moments that we heard in the press conference there, in particular with this doctor, Salvador Plasencia, he was bringing -- as the
indictment alleges, he was part of bringing the ketamine into Matthew Perry's world in working with another medical doctor here. But one specific
episode they highlighted is that on October 12, 2023, this is a little over two weeks before Matthew Perry would eventually be found dead, Plasencia
injected Matthew Perry with a large dose of ketamine that caused Perry to freeze up and his blood pressure to significantly spike to the point where,
and quoted in the indictment, this doctor said, let's not do that again.
And as we heard from some of the officials here, it was in the fall of 2023 that Perry was going to clinics to seek out a treatment for depression and
anxiety, but then at one point, they said he wanted to up his dosage to which the clinics said we're not going to do that. He then, based on what
we are seeing in this indictment, sought out other means to do so.
And we mentioned those two, the Ketamine Queen and this medical doctor, but the three others that were charged separately in this, who have all pleaded
guilty to their respective charges, is a man named Eric Fleming, who pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. He
admitted to obtaining the ketamine from Sangha, Kenneth Iwamasa, who was this live-in assistant to Matthew Perry and helped actually administer this
ketamine, according to officials here, despite not having any formal medical training. And then a separate medical doctor, Dr. Mark Chavez, is a
physician, as they allege here, who agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. He admitted in this plea agreement to
selling ketamine to this other doctor that's charged here as well.
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But bottom line, there were a number of people here, it seems, from both the medical world, the drug distribution world, and even Matthew Perry's
very close professional world, that were conspiring, as the indictment alleges, to get him ketamine, and it appears that the ketamine that
eventually was found in his system when he was declared dead appeared to have come from that very same network.
ASHER: I mean, some of the evidence, Omar, here is so damning, including - - and you touched on this, the text messages that were exchanged with the doctors saying, I wonder how much this moron will pay. Let's find out. I
want to be his go-to drug source. Just the text messages alone, just really heart wrenching.
GOLODRYGA: And then, on news of his death, telling each other to delete their text messages as well.
ASHER: Right, right. Twenty bottles of ketamine in exchange for $55,000 in cash between September and October last year. Omar, very sobering stuff. We
have to leave it there. Omar Jimenez, thank you so much. We'll be right back with more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right. It is a horrific statistic the U.N. is calling a really grim milestone for the world right now. About one in every 55 people in
Gaza has lost their life since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry says so far more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed, the majority of them women and
children. The actual number may be higher.
Israel said that it had killed more than 17,000 combatants since the start of the war. Thousands are missing and believed to be buried under the
rubble. Gravediggers are working nonstop to keep up with demand.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NAJY ABU HATED, GRAVEDIGGER IN GAZA (through translator): I swear we are collapsed. Life has been ruined. And people, may God support them. We dig
roughly 50, 60, 70 graves daily until the death toll reached 40,000 people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: That soaring death toll is adding a sense of urgency to critical ceasefire talks now underway in Doha, where the expectations are certainly
low, but the stakes are, of course, sky high.
GOLODRYGA: Yes, one American official says the negotiations are off to a promising start, but there has been a lot of frustration behind the scenes
over the failure to implement the framework for a peace proposal that U.S. President Joe Biden laid out in May and that was endorsed, we should say,
by Prime Minister Netanyahu as well.
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ASHER: Looming over all of this is the threat of an Iranian attack on Israel that could lead to a much wider regional war. Hamas isn't
participating in the talks, but they have said that they will engage with negotiators after. The White House, meantime, is very eager, of course, to
get the deal done.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KIRBY, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COMMUNICATIONS ADVISER: There have been way too many civilian casualties. Too many innocent people caught
up in the crossfire because of the violence and because of the combat. And Gaza is still a combat zone. And what we're trying to do here at the White
House is work feverishly to get this ceasefire deal in place so we can get at the very least six weeks of calm and a chance to get the most at-risk
hostages out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Ofer Shelah was a member of the Knesset Defense and Foreign Relations Committee. Now, he's a senior research fellow at the Institute
for National Security Studies. And he joins us from Israel. Ofer, welcome to the program. Thanks so much for joining us.
We continue to hear that this may be the last real hope of any sort of ceasefire, hostage release deal at the moment. And what's different is not
only an impending attack perhaps from Iran and Hezbollah or Iran and its other proxies, but also that you're seeing real division play out publicly
between the prime minister's office and the defense establishment within this government that says that now is the time for a deal, that the
conditions are set for physical safety of Israelis to withstand a six-week ceasefire, to bring these hostages home.
Do you agree with the prime minister's stance on this, where it seems he's dug in his heels for whatever reason, or with the defense and security
establishment, which says that now is the right time?
OFER SHELAH, FORMER MEMBER, ISRAELI KNESSET AND SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW, INSTITUTE FOR NATIONAL SECURITY STUDIES: I agree with the defense and
security establishment completely. The prime minister is not saying he's against the deal, he's -- but he keeps him. So, we hear, he keeps adding
new terms to the deal that make it harder for it.
But we have to remember that even if Israel and the mediators reach an agreement, this is not necessarily include Hamas, which is, as you
mentioned before, is not participating in the talks. We don't know where Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, is, no less, you know, even more so
where he stands. And the stakes are -- as you mentioned, are higher than ever, because right now, failure of those talks will mean almost surely an
attack by at least Hezbollah, maybe Hezbollah and Iran, on Israel to which Israel would have to retaliate and the danger of a major regional war is
becoming even closer. So, what's at stake right now is really crucial.
ASHER: And, Ofer, just in terms of the assassination a few weeks back of Ismail Haniyeh, what sort of impact do you think that assassination has had
on ceasefire negotiations? And also, what sort of impact do you think his assassination has had on Israel's stated goal of defeating and completely
eliminating and destroying Hamas, especially since a lot of the leaders in Hamas eventually do get groomed, re-groomed, and replaced?
SHELAH: Well, to me, the most important fact was not the assassination of Haniyeh, but the fact that it took place in Tehran. Because that meant, for
the Iranians, that they -- and the Supreme Leader of Iran stated, that they must retaliate. And brought home what we've been saying at the INSS and
I've been saying personally since the beginning of the war, this is not a war of Israel against Hamas versus Hamas or even Hamas and Hezbollah. This
is the war against the what is called -- what the Iranians call the Axis of Resistance, which means Iran and it's -- all of its proxies.
And actually, it's not only against Israel, because American troops are being fired upon almost daily because half of the income that Egypt gets
from the Suez Canal, which is a major source of income for Egypt is cut down because of the Houthi intervention and so on. And we must look at it.
As Israelis, we must look at it as a war against the Axis of Resistance, and we must see the desired outcome of the war, not only in defeating
Hamas, but in establishing a coalition, which would be a counterweight to the Axis of Resistance.
And in that sense, I've been criticizing what my government's been doing quite often. But we have to remember that this is what's at stake here. And
in this context, we must look at the assassination of Haniyah. I don't think it really affected the negotiations. I don't think -- I don't even
know that Sinwar really regretted Haniyah being gone from the scene. And Haniyah, as a leader of Hamas and as a major perpetrator of the October
attack on Israel, was definitely some somebody who's assassination I don't regret. But the fact that it did happen in Tehran brought new complexities
into the picture.
[13:35:00]
GOLODRYGA: Yes, and not to mention the assassination of Fuad Shukr, which Israel did take responsibility for in Lebanon. And as you note, it's not --
SHELAH: Yes, but that --
GOLODRYGA: Yes. Go ahead.
SHELAH: Excuse me for interrupting, but that was a retaliation for the murder of 12 Israeli children.
GOLODRYGA: Oh, of course. Yes.
SHELAH: And we had to retaliate on that. And I thought that killing Shukr, who's a military leader, perhaps the military leader of Hezbollah and not,
you know, bombing, you know, something else in Lebanon and maybe jeopardizing civilians was the right response.
The thing is that all of this happening together only strengthened the point that I was making about this being about the Axis and made things
much more complex.
GOLODRYGA: Yes, Fuad Shukr, we should note, also has the blood of over 200 U.S. servicemen on his hands as well.
SHELAH: Exactly.
GOLODRYGA: Ofer Shelah, thank you.
ASHER: Thank you, Ofer.
GOLODRYGA: Thank you so much for your time.
ASHER: All right. Still to come, we are still waiting for the very first joint appearance between Biden and Kamala Harris. And that was first
between them since Biden pulled out of the race. A preview of what they'll be talking about when we come back. That's Westmore there in Maryland.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:40:00]
ASHER: All right. Welcome back to One World. I'm Zain Asher.
GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. Right now, we are waiting for Kamala Harris and Joe Biden to speak at a community college in Maryland.
ASHER: It will be their first appearance together since he pulled out of the presidential race, allowing her to become the Democratic nominee. It's
also the start of a push by the Harris campaign to win over the debate about the economy. Both today's event and a major speech tomorrow are both
going to be highlighting Harris' vision for economic growth and combating inflation as well.
So, what should be -- what should we be on the lookout for as Biden and Harris make this joint appearance -- make this appearance together today?
Joining us live now is presidential historian Tim Naftali. So, Tim, good to be with you. Just talk us through why it is so important for them to appear
together today. What does it achieve? Walk us through that.
TIM NAFTALI, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN, FORMER DIRECTOR, NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND SENIOR RESEARCH SCHOLAR, COLUMBIA SCHOOL ON
INTELLIGENCE AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS: Well, one of the most dramatic results of President Biden's decision to withdraw was the quickness with which the
Democratic Party rallied around his vice-presidential choice, Kamala Harris. And it's still important to keep that momentum going that President
Biden stand next to Vice President Harris.
We know he supports her, but that's been done on a split screen and now, we'll see them together. There are elements of the Democratic base that
President Biden still connects very well to among which we describe seniors.
Indeed, today's speech will be about -- I think, partly about drug costs and a major agreement that's been struck with Big Pharma to reduce the cost
of drugs. Well, many American families benefit from that -- would benefit from that, of course, but especially American seniors. So, President Biden
has a role to play in helping his vice president become the next president of the United States. And today's joint appearance is one step towards that
goal.
One other thing. Look at their body language. There's been some very good reporting, it appears, about President Biden's feelings these days about
the manner in which his own candidacy came to an end. He does not blame Vice President Harris. He is very unhappy with other Democratic leaders,
such as Nancy Pelosi, but not with Vice Presidential -- Vice President Harris.
So, we should see a real comfortable -- there should be a sort of a comfort zone between the two of them, makes clear that the torch has -- the baton
has been passed, and that vice -- that President Biden is all in for his vice president.
GOLODRYGA: Yes, these Medicare drug price negotiations the White House will tout that saved Americans some $6 billion in lower drug prices, and
that's set to kick in next year or the year after this year, additional, there will be 10 drugs in the next year, 15 drugs very popular, very
common, lifesaving drugs, as you said, specifically with older Americans.
Tim, what is interesting is that -- that's been frustrating for the Biden- Harris administration is that a lot of his economic policies while on paper sound and resulting in positive data wasn't really reflected in the polls.
It didn't seem to resonate with Americans yet. And now, within the last three weeks that Kamala Harris is on top of the ticket, you actually see a
rebound for her.
The Financial Times last week said, for the first time, Americans seem to trust her more in handling the economy than Joe Biden -- than Donald Trump.
Why do you think that is? What changed here?
NAFTALI: Newness. The end of fatigue. I think Americans -- and of course, I can't speak on behalf of all Americans, but I think Americans were and
are tired of Biden and Trump. I think that -- in fact, we saw this in polls, that Americans were just -- were hoping for new leadership, a new
generation. And that newness, I think has helped Vice President Harris, even though she was very much a part of the Biden-Harris administration.
So, I think partly it's that. People are taking a new look at the economy. I think the news has been very good for the economy with the exception of
the blip in the stock market, which was a result of some concerns that maybe job growth was slowing too much, and therefore, we might be headed
for a hard landing as opposed to a soft landing. With the exception of that blip, the news has been good.
[13:45:00]
And let's keep in mind why people thought that the economy wasn't going well, wasn't improving. The inflation rate has dropped. It's now below 3
percent for the first time in years, but 3 percent is the growth rate. Some prices have gone up 20 percent in the last year and a half. And so,
American families are dealing with just the higher cost of living and the fact that if they want to buy a house, mortgage rates are high.
So, I think part of the disconnect for some economists was, economists saw that we were moving through a period of high inflation very quickly and
felt optimistic about the future, but for many Americans, what they saw at the kitchen table wasn't yet reflective of that good news. That good news
is starting to get sort of sensed by the American people.
And because she is the new bright thing, if you will, Kamala Harris is getting credit for it. I can imagine this really frustrates President
Biden, but he's been in the game 50 years, he understands how it works.
ASHER: You know, yes, it's interesting what you bring up because throughout President Biden's presidency, there has this been -- there has
been this sort of dichotomy between having a really resilient and robust economy, but ordinary Americans not feeling it. And you talk about
obviously mortgage rates. You talk about just the higher cost of living that Americans are having to absorb.
So, in your opinion, is the economy, at this point in time, the most important issue in this election? Give us your take on that, Tim.
NAFTALI: Well, Americans tell us the exit polls on election day what the most important issue was in shaping their vote. But I would say that it
depends on the American. I believe that reproductive rights is going to be an extraordinarily important issue in this election. And I -- so, I think
the economy, of course, will be important. Reproductive rights will be important. I think for some Americans, the whole issue of immigration is
very important, and the border.
ASHER: All right.
NAFTALI: And then there are other Americans for whom cultural issues are always important.
ASHER: Tim, we are actually seeing on our screens right now, President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris speaking. They are in Maryland.
They're about to take to the stage talking about the importance of lowering prescription drug prices for ordinary Americans.
Obviously, Kamala Harris tomorrow is going to be unveiling her full, sort of, economic policy. But here they are, the first joint appearance --
GOLODRYGA: As Tim said, watch for the body language.
ASHER: Watch the body language. -- since President Biden formally dropped out of the race. So, as I understand it, Kamala Harris is going to be
speaking first for a few minutes, and then President Biden will speak afterwards. Let's listen in.
KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT AND U.S. PRESIDENTIAL DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE: Good afternoon. Good afternoon, everyone. Can we please applaud
Judy? I love you back. Oh, it's good to see so many friends. It is good to see so many friends. And I want to thank -- thank you. Thank you. And let's
please -- thanks. I love you back. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you.
And I know we all thank Judy for sharing her story. I think we all know it takes a very special person who has dedicated over 40 years of their life
to do the work that Judy has done as a nurse. That work being what? To care about other people in a way that is about lifting them up and caring about
their wellbeing. So, Judy, we thank you so very much for being here today.
I want to recognize the incredible Governor Wes Moore, who's here with Don and his son. And, Wes, I'm so thankful to you for all that you do in
service to our nation in so many different ways, and your friendship. But, in particular, to share such a personal story as you have, and I know it
takes a lot out of you to share that story, but to do it in a way that is about lifting up other people and helping hopefully others who are not in
this room, understanding how real people are impacted every day about this issue and by this issue. Thank you.
[13:50:00]
I want to recognize the people of our administration, including Secretary Becerra, who is here. The bold administrator, Brooks-LaSure, who is here.
My friend and former colleague, Senator Ben Cardin. Representative Barragan, the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. And
Representative Mfume for all of your years of leadership. And I want to recognize your next United States Senator, Angela Alsobrooks. Here
somewhere.
And I've worked with her over the years. I'm telling you, Maryland, you're going to do a great thing when you send her to the United States Senate.
And of course, I could speak all afternoon about the person that I am standing on this stage with. Our extraordinary president, Joe Biden. And
he's going to speak in a minute, but there's a lot of love in this room for our president.
And I think it's for many, many reasons, including few leaders in our nation have done more on so many issues, including to expand access to
affordable health care like -- than Joe Biden.
And today, we take the next step. Thank you, Joe. Forward in our fight.
CROWD: Thank you, Joe. Thank you, Joe. Thank you, Joe.
HARRIS: So, we here, we believe deeply every senior in our nation should be able to live with security, stability and dignity. And so, in the United
States of America, no senior should have to choose between either filling their prescription or paying their rent. That's the subject of today
because we know for far too long, far too many of our seniors have struggled to afford their medication. And as a result, seniors have been
forced to spend their time trying to figure out how they are going to be able to fill a prescription like insulin based on the doctor's
prescription, which is about saving their life or whether they'd have to ration their pills to be able to make it stretch through a month.
And why -- we all know, but let's ask, why are prescripts -- why are prescription drugs so expensive? I will tell you.
CROWD: Why?
HARRIS: Well, one big reason is for years, Big Pharma has often inflated the price of life-saving medications. Often charging many times what it
would cost to make, just to increase their profits. And millions of Americans have suffered as a result.
My entire career I have worked to hold bad actors accountable and lower the cost of prescription drugs. As attorney general of California, I took on
pharmaceutical companies for deceptive marketing and illegally inflating the cost of drugs, and we won billions of dollars.
As a United States senator, I fought to pass laws that would make healthcare more affordable and accessible for all Americans. And as vice
president, together with Joe Biden, our president, we finally addressed the longstanding issue that for years was one of the biggest challenges on this
subject, which was that Medicare was prohibited by law from negotiating lower drug prices. And those costs then got passed on to our seniors. But
not anymore.
[13:55:00]
Two years ago, we gave Medicare the power to negotiate lower prescription drug prices for the first time in history. And here is why that matters. It
is nearly impossible for a patient to negotiate lower prices by themselves. Just think about that. Somebody who needs the medication, who may be
suffering from a serious illness, that they would, by themselves, be able to negotiate against a big drug company to lower their prices? It's
virtually impossible. It's one person against a huge corporation.
But Medicare represents more than 65 million people. And so, Medicare has collective bargaining power. And now, Medicare can use that power to go toe
to toe with Big Pharma and negotiate lower drug prices.
Thank you, Joe.
CROWD: Thank you, Joe. Thank you, Joe. Thank you, Joe.
HARRIS: And this is to the benefit of not only tens of millions of people on Medicare, but also millions of Americans on Medicare who have long-term
disabilities. And understand, as a result of our negotiations, the government will also pay less than for prescription drugs. And think about
what that means in terms of paying -- helping taxpayers save money, whether or not they take these medications.
So, all of this is to say, two years ago as vice president, I was proud to cast the tie breaking vote that sent the bill that gave Medicare the power
to negotiate and let it get to the president's desk. And I was proud when our president, Joe Biden, signed that bill into law. In the two years
since, we've been using this new power to lower the price of life-saving medications.
And now, to announce the result of those negotiations, it is my eternal and great, great, great honor, I have to tell you, to serve with this most
extraordinary human being and American and leader, our president, Joe Biden.
JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Kamala.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We love you, Joe.
BIDEN: Well, I love you guys, too. I've been waiting for this moment for a long, long time. First time I sponsored a bill to let Medicare negotiate
the price of drugs was in 1973 as a freshman senator with a guy named Frank Church from the State of Idaho.
Folks, I have an incredible partner. The progress we've made, she's going to make one hell of a president.
And, Judy, thank you for sharing your story. It's a familiar one for far too many Americans. People like my dad used to lay in bed at night when
they lost his insurance as -- in the company worked for. Staring at the ceiling, literally, and you've all experienced -- you know people have
experienced this. Wondering what in God's name happened, if my wife gets breast cancer, or if I get sick, or my children get seriously ill, what
happens? What in God's name, how can we pay for the drugs, prescription drugs? I'm serious. These are the discussions. You know it.
We have -- do we have enough insurance? Can we afford the medical bills? We'll have to sell the house and get a second mortgage. There are
discussions that took place in my house and your house. Kamala and I both - -
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[14:00:00]
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