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Quest Means Business
At Least Four Killed In US High School Shooting; Harris Breaks With Biden On Capital Gains Tax; US Steel Says It May Lay Off Workers If Deal Doesn't Close; Georgia Officials Give Update On Georgia School Shooting; Paris Mayor Plans To Keep Olympic Rings On Eiffel Tower. Aired 4-5p ET
Aired September 04, 2024 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[16:00:08]
RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST, "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS": Closing bell ringing on Wall Street. There it goes, after the awfulness of last couple
of days in terms of the markets, we do have a bit of an easier day. Look at the Dow and you'll see. We've got it, just up 38 points, been all over the
place. It is the top of the hour. One, two, three -- well, there we go. Three gavels an okay market and the main events of the day.
A shooting in the US state of Georgia has left four people dead. The gunman is believed to be at 14-year-old. We will have all the details as we get
them for you.
The US president on US steel and why he is going to veto US Steel and Nippon joining together.
And Volkswagen deciding whether to close factories in Germany. We will be looking at that over the course of -- that as well as what is happening in
the latest election news. We have economic news from Kamala Harris, we will talk about that.
We are live in New York. It is Wednesday, September the 4th. I am Richard Quest, I mean business.
Good evening.
We are following breaking news over the course of the hour of a school shooting in the US state of Georgia. The authorities say at least four
people have been killed and nine have been taken to hospital.
Now, the suspect -- the gunman is believed to be a 14-year-old male, and is believed to be in police custody. The video shows the large and active
police presence at the Apalachee High School, it is about an hour's drive from Atlanta.
And in the nearby football field, a remarkable scene as the camera overhead appears to show the moment that the students who were evacuated from the
school formed a prayer circle.
Gustavo Valdes is with me to tell us -- what is the latest situation? What can you tell us, Gustavo?
GUSTAVO VALDES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Richard, we are waiting on a press conference with new details of the investigation, especially we want
to hear how is it that police were able to detain the suspect believed to be a 14-year-old boy who according to the sheriff early in our press
conference earlier today started shooting earlier this morning. The incident was reported around 9:30 AM and police from different departments
came in by the time they managed to get the situation under control.
At least four people were killed, nine were taken to local hospitals and they are expected that there are other people that were also injured.
We have been spending the day talking to the students as they were coming out. They have only been in school -- school started about a week-and-a-
half ago, so they were just getting used to the routine again when they heard the shotguns first and then the alerts on the overhead announcements
that they have inside the school. The school went on lockdown and they said that the panic, they went into lockdown and shortly after, once the
situation was calm, police came and was able to rescue them and move them to safe locations within the high school. Many of them have told us that
they saw injured people as they were exiting their classrooms.
According to local authorities, earlier in the day, several schools in the area received a warning call, thread call, saying that several -- there
would be shootings in several schools starting in Apalachee, which is where we are.
All the schools in the area went into lock them, but once the situation was under control, they were allowed to go home.
And one sight that unfortunately, we have become a little too familiar with when we come to cover the situation is the faces of desperation of the
parents as they were walking up to the school trying to find out if their children were okay.
QUEST: All right, Gustavo, grateful. Thank you.
Vice President Kamala Harris has just announced new -- vice -- let me, start that again. Vice President Kamala Harris has been speaking in New
Hampshire as part of her election campaign, and a few moments ago, she made some comments about what has been taking place in Atlanta.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS (D), VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our kids are sitting in a classroom where they should be fulfilling their God-given
potential and some part of their big, beautiful brain is concerned about a shooter busting through the door of the classroom.
It does not have to be this way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[16:05:09]
QUEST: We will more about the shooting in the state of Georgia.
Let me tell you exactly how this is -- what we are expecting. We are expecting to have a news conference from the authorities there. It was
meant to be at 4:00. Well, that's been and gone, and as you can see, the microphone is ready for when that takes place. I am not sure which
officials, which police or local officials will be briefing us, but it has now been officially moved to 4:30 and I assure you, whatever we are doing
at 4:30, we will break away from it so that you can hear that important news conference.
Now, the vice president, you heard her comments talking about the shooting, but actually what she was speaking about in New Hampshire was her new plans
to support small businesses.
According to the plan, there are tax reliefs for starting a company that will increase from $5,000.00 to $50,000.00 and she is breaking with
President Biden on capital gains taxes for higher earners. The president was intending to take it up to income tax rates whereas Vice President
Harris is proposing much lower in the 30s.
She said the goal is to increase investment in start-ups.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: My plan will make our Tax Code more fair while also prioritizing investment and innovation. So let us be clear, billionaires and big
corporations must pay their fair share in taxes.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
HARRIS: Because we know, when the government encourages investment, it leads to broad-based economic growth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: Priscilla is with me. Priscilla Alvarez, it is an interesting one this. I am more interested in the capital gains than the small businesses
because the capital gains threatened -- well, possibly swipes off the left side of the Republicans, those who are more socially minded and recognize,
yes, we earn over a million. We have capital gains. We are happy to pay a bit more.
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It is a moderating of her position after she released her first set of economic proposals that were
quite populist, but on capital gains, she he is separating herself or distinguishing herself from the president.
And let me explain how: The current capital gains rate of 23.8 percent for higher earners, again, is paid when investment is sold or gains are
realized, of course, but the Biden budget had proposed 39.6 percent. Now, what Harris is pushing for here is 39 -- her point here is that 39.6 is too
high.
Now, the reason that we are highlighting this is because again, in many things, the vice president and the president have been in lockstep. But as
she starts to distinguish herself and introduce herself as the Democratic candidate, we are starting to see her break away from some of these
policies and capital gains is a good example of that.
Her belief according to sources, is what she said in those remarks that you just played, which is that if investors can provide more to small
businesses, that is the route or the policies that they should put in place to allow for that, to encourage that.
Because ultimately, Richard, the framing and the theme of today's event was about small businesses because she also made three other proposals and let
me just break those down for you, expanding the tax deduction again for small businesses, removing regulatory hurdles and increasing community-
based lending.
So clearly, trying to appeal here to the middle-class, because the economy is a top issue for voters and we have seen that the vice president has been
closing the margin with former President Donald Trump on this very issue, and these proposals, these breaks from President Joe Biden clearly aimed at
trying to appeal to a broader swath of voters heading into November.
QUEST: All right, Priscilla, I am grateful. Thank you.
Now, as Kamala Harris tries to win over voters particularly in places like the Rust Belt, as it used to be known, and indeed, one company's proposed
merger is pretty much a campaign issue.
US Steel shares are falling on reports that the Biden administration is preparing to block a proposed deal with Japan's Nippon Steel.
Now, US Steel executives have warned they may lay off workers if the agreement does not go through. The company is a major employer in Western
Pennsylvania. It was founded a century ago by the American business titan, Andrew Carnegie, J.P. Morgan, and Charles Schwab -- look at that -- how
about that for a list. My word.
[16:10:02]
With me is Rana.
Carnegie, Morgan, and Schwab -- one can only wonder what they would be saying about US Steel trying to merge with Nippon, but interestingly, both
-- both Biden -- sorry, both Trump and Harris have said they are against it. The company is saying we will close the plant anyway if you don't let
us have it because it is not economic.
I am not sure what the politics here are.
RANA FOROOHAR, CNN GLOBAL ECONOMIC ANALYST: Oh, I can tell you exactly what the politics are. There are two words -- Pennsylvania and labor unions.
Pennsylvania is a crucial swing state. It is the steel producing state --
QUEST: Right, but hang on. I get that bit, but if the company is saying, we will close regardless.
FOROOHAR: Yes, well, this is basically you're seeing push comes to -- Richard, you're seeing push comes to shove between business and Bidenomics.
And this deal, I mean, I actually wrote a column when the Biden administration first raised flags about this deal, which was directly a
result of pressure from the labor unions involved, and I said we have to be careful because if we are going to talk about friend-shoring. If we are
going to talk about a new trade paradigm, if we are really worried about China, we can't say to an ally like Japan well, no, you can't buy in
either.
But the truth of the matter is that labor unions, which have major, major sway in states like Pennsylvania are going to say to the president, hey,
this is where the buck stops.
It is a very difficult situation and it says so much about what this White House has done to try and create a new economic paradigm, and the limits of
that.
QUEST: Okay, so US Steel says that if they can't merge, they will end a particular type of steel manufacturing and it will be in Pennsylvania.
What is the fundamental fear, is it that all Nippon just wants to take over US Steel and shut down large chunks of it. Does that even make sense?
FOROOHAR: Yes.
So, here is the deep story. If you look back even to the 1980s, under the Reagan administration, you saw a trade war with Japan, but when it was
resolved, you also saw the Japanese coming into the US and not working with unions, but going to the south.
And frankly treating the US south of like its own personal China, you know, working with non-union shops in some cases, states that have lower almost
no labor protections.
So unions are very wary about how the Japanese operate in the US market. I am sure behind the scenes, there is also a lot of horse trading about, all
right, Japan, if you're going to be able to come in and do this deal, to what extent are you going to train workers in new ways? To what extent are
you going to help upskill the US or is this just going to be a win for Nippon and Japan?
These kinds of conversations are going on all the time in so many industries right now, I can tell you.
QUEST: So how does it play out in Pennsylvania? Because you're absolutely right. It is the key state that both sides must, the winner must take to
win and yet it is sort of -- it is such a weird one this, because the deal itself --
FOROOHAR: I honestly think --
QUEST: The deal itself makes sense.
FOROOHAR: Yes. That's right, a hundred percent the deal itself makes sense. And yet and yet, Richard, I can't help but think if I were sitting in the
White House and I was the Biden-Harris administration and I knew I needed Pennsylvania and I knew I couldn't cross the steelworkers, boy, I might be
doing the same thing.
It is a tricky one, but I've got to say, last thought here on this, Kamala Harris, should she be elected, is going to have to come up with some
clearer rules for what friend-shoring really means or we are going to start seeing some bigger problems with allies in these areas.
QUEST: Rana, I am grateful for you, although the thought of you sitting in the White House, there we are, actually, you know, Rana, let's just look at
that graphic again of the voting.
You can't see this, Rana, but I am just going to look at this graphic which does show the latest polls, and it makes the point. In Wisconsin, to
unlikely voters, Wisconsin, there is a six-point gain for Harris. She is outside the margin of error. But in Pennsylvania, she is exactly 47-47 to
Donald Trump.
FOROOHAR: There you go.
QUEST: So that makes the point, doesn't it?
FOROOHAR: It does. It does, Richard. And you know what if I am in the White House, maybe you can come work in commerce. Who knows?
[16:15:00]
QUEST: I want Treasury. Treasury or nothing. Thank you. Oh my. Good to see you, Rana. Thank you very much. Believe me, with Rana and me in the White
House, move.
As we continue, it is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS tonight, we will turn our attention to the Middle East and a press conference that Benjamin
Netanyahu, the prime minister gave a short while ago, a defiant tone over the Israeli control of the Philadelphi Corridor. Mr. Netanyahu says, it is
stopping weapons from entering Gaza is key to ending the war, in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
QUEST: The Israeli prime minister, once again arguing that Israel needs to control the border between Egypt and Gaza.
Benjamin Netanyahu told the foreign press, it is a key goal of the war with Hamas. He said Hamas uses the so-called Philadelphi Corridor to smuggle in
weapons. His appointees raised repeatedly to Israeli reporters on Monday.
The prime minister is under growing pressure to reach a ceasefire deal. The families of some of the hostages accuse him of scuttling a deal in the
spring by making last-minute demands.
New reporting in Israel suggests that deal would have freed at least three of the hostages recently killed.
Jeremy Diamond was at the prime minister's news conference, and asked a question on behalf of one of the hostage's wives.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: I spoke to Aviva Siegel tonight, a former hostage whose husband is still being held in Gaza. She
told me that she believes that you are sentencing her husband, Keith, to die by prioritizing the Philadelphi Corridor over a deal and she has this
question for you.
Is Keith going to come home alive or dead?
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: I will do everything to make sure that Keith and all the other hostages come back. I am telling you that
if we relieve the pressure, if we got out of the Philadelphi Corridor, we are not going to get the hostages back.
Certainly, we are going to condemn a lot of them to stay there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: Jeremy is with me now in Tel Aviv. A difficult question to ask, but it is one that the prime minister is facing again and again, and he is
budging, Jeremy. He is not moving.
DIAMOND: No question about it, Richard.
Tonight, the Israeli prime minister made an effort to try and show some emotion for the plight of these hostage families, but he made no effort to
change his actual positions and to deliver the kind of outcome that these families have been pleading with him to do.
[16:20:15]
The Israeli prime minister is remaining firm on the importance of Israeli control of that Philadelphi Corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border despite
the fact that many in his own security establishment say that they believe it is more important to get the hostages out now, and ultimately Israel
could return to that very same Philadelphi Corridor.
But the prime minister tonight in multiple ways trying to explain why he believes this is effectively existential for the state of Israel despite
the fact that we should note, the first seven months of the war, Israel did not control that corridor.
QUEST: Jeremy, I am well and truly confused on the issue of did Israel or did the prime minister to be more precise, scupper peace talks and the
potential for a ceasefire. There are suggestions that he added new demands, but Israel' prime minister's office says no. We were ready to do a deal
back in May, we are not the ones -- where is the truth in this?
DIAMOND: Yes, and the Israeli prime minister tried to make that point himself, making it sound like he has been the reasonable one this entire
time. He never made any extra demands, but we have reported repeatedly over the last couple of months that between that framework agreement between
Israel and Hamas on July 2nd that was based on that late May proposal that President Biden talked about between that July 2nd agreements and July 27th
when Israel submitted this new document with additional demands, the prime minister was coming up with those additional demands.
And one of them was this notion of holding on to the Philadelphi Corridor. And in fact, tonight, the prime minister was asked directly if the
Philadelphi Corridor was so important, why was it not explicitly mentioned in that July 2nd document? And he really didn't have a good answer for
that, Richard.
And that's because listen, this isn't just coming from Hamas. It is not just coming from countries that don't like Israel. I've been speaking with
Israeli sources close to these negotiations who made very clear to me that it was the Israeli prime minister who made additional demands and they
believe that it is because of that demand, particularly on the Philadelphi Corridor, that we don't yet have a deal and some people also believe that
its why those six hostages this weekend returned to Israel dead rather than alive.
QUEST: Jeremy, I am grateful. Jeremy Diamond who is in Tel Aviv tonight.
The United States has announced major action to counter Russian efforts to influence the 2024 presidential election.
The Department of Justice has charged two Russians, accused of a complex scheme to spread divisive content online. They are both employees of the
Russian state media network, RT, it used to be Russia Today, but now RT.
The US Attorney General Merrick Garland says the scheme can be traced back to the Kremlin.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MERRICK GARLAND, US ATTORNEY GENERAL: As RT itself has boasted, the government of Russia continue to use RT to direct disinformation and
propaganda.
In the wake of Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine, RT's editor-in-chief said the company had built "an entire empire of covert projects designed to
shape public opinion in Western audiences."
We allege that as part of that effort, RT and its employees, including the defendants, implemented a nearly $10 million scheme to fund and direct a
Tennessee-based company to publish and disseminate content deemed favorable to the Russian government.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: Now, the US Treasury sanctioned RT's top editor, at the same time, it has seized 32 internet domains involved in Russia's foreign influence
efforts, some believe it is the most significant public response to the alleged election meddling.
Zachary Cohen is in Washington.
How significant do you regard today's actions?
ZACHARY COHEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Well, Richard, this is really just the latest in a series of public statements by the Justice
Department and the US government to try to ward off foreign interference and foreign influence efforts on the upcoming 2024 presidential election,
but pointing the finger directly at Russia and Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin as being allegedly behind this series of really covert, but also
expansive influence campaigns using social media and even using what they say is a Tennessee-based company here on US soil to secretly and almost
unwittingly convince Americans of pro-Russian narratives.
It is a pretty dramatic step forward for the attorney general and for the Justice Department. Obviously, Richard, we've been talking about Russian
interference and Russian influence in US elections for years now, dating back to 2016, and while the name Donald Trump didn't really come up that
often today, it was very clear reading the indictment and the charging documents that went along with it that the Russians are again working to
try to push pro-Trump narratives.
He has been once again identified as their preferred candidate in 2024, much in the same way we already know that they tried to interfere in the
2016 election and in the 2020 election on Donald Trump's behalf.
[16:25:12]
QUEST: Okay, but no matter what they done today, and I am not being mealy mouthed here, Zachary, as I say this. But you work in this area. You are
you familiar with the Justice Department, you know about these things. Whatever they do is a drop in the ocean to what tomorrow new domains, new
attacks, new ways, new TikTok reel or whatever it is, are we always destined to be on the backfoot here?
COHEN: Well, I think that's really the big takeaway from today and it is the lesson the Russians have learned since 2016 is that they can continue
to do this kind of thing, continued to wage these kind of influence operations on the American public. And ultimately, it will be up to the
American public to learn how to protect themselves against false narratives, learn how to check for credible news sources, make sure they
are getting their information from places that are not fake news websites, but actually real credible news outlets because that was one of the tactics
that the Justice Department described today day that the Russians were using sort of fake news websites that looks legitimate to try to push fake
news stories that fit their agenda, fit their policy preferences.
So people, it really does come down to the American public and their ability to defend themselves and make sure that the information that they
are getting as credible and not being pushed to them by foreign actors.
QUEST: You've put your finger on it. You've just put your finger on it. I mean, you can't protect people from themselves if they are not prepared to
take their own responsibility to actually make sure half of it is true and honest.
COHEN: That's true and that is part of the underlying message here from the Justice Department by exposing the various techniques and various tactics
foreign actors are taking as sort of to remind the American people that look, they are trying everything they possibly can to convince you of what
they want to convince you and trying to convince the American people to make sure that they are protecting themselves.
Now ultimately, as we've seen over the last several presidential elections, the American public does tend -- a large portion of the American does tend
to choose the narrative and choose the news that they want to hear. So it remains to be seen if this effort to sort of shine a spotlight on the
Kremlin's role and Vladimir Putin's role as the DOJ alleged today if that has any tangible impact because we know sanctions and other government-
backed measures like the ones that were announced today, tend to have sort of a micro impact when it comes to actually stopping these sort of
influence campaigns from proceeding.
QUEST: Glad you were with us today to tell us. Thank you, sir. I am grateful.
As you and I continue with our daily digest, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are neck and neck as I showed you in many of the swing states.
Pennsylvania, they are exactly the same.
We will parse the latest CNN poll. QUEST MEANS BUSINESS.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:31:39]
QUEST: This is Winder in the state of Georgia. These law enforcement officials walking towards the microphones where we are expecting a briefing
and an update on the current situation.
You'll be aware, of course, we've been talking about a school shooting. Four people are known to have been killed. That's at least four. We don't
know of any further, but there are those who are seriously injured. The gunman, well, I say gunman, the gun boy, the gun teenager, is believed to
be a 14-year-old male. Whether a student at the school, we don't know. But we're hoping that we will get more details in this briefing, which looks
like it's about to start.
I wish I could tell you who's going to be doing it but I suspect they will introduce themselves. And now it's getting underway now.
CHRIS HOSEY, DIRECTOR, GEORGIA BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION: Good afternoon. I am Chris Hosey, the director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and we
wanted to come back this afternoon and present to you with a little more of a timeline of the events that have taken place here today and what we know
up to this point with the investigation.
At approximately 10:20 a.m. this morning the Barrow County Sheriff's Office received alerts about reports of an active shooter and radio traffic from
school resource officers concerning the same concern or having the same concern. Within minutes, law enforcement was on scene, as well as two
school resource officers assigned here to the school, who immediately encountered the subject within just minutes of this report going out.
Once they encountered the subject, the subject immediately surrendered to these officers and he was taken into custody. Additionally, what I want you
to know as of now, there are four individuals who are deceased from this incident. Nine that had been taken to local hospitals with various
injuries. Of those that are deceased, two were students and two were teachers here at the school.
The priority right now for us within this investigation is to gather all the facts, to make sure that we're accurate with it because this is a
murder investigation. As the sheriff mentioned earlier this morning, the shooter is in custody. His name is Colt. That's C-O-L-T. Gray. He is a 14-
year-old student here at the school. G-R-A-Y. He is a 14-year-old student here at the high school. Again, he has been taken into custody. He will be
charged with murder and he will be tried as an adult and handled as an adult.
We're coordinating these charges, and obviously this investigation with District Attorney Brad Smith, who is the district attorney for the Piedmont
Judicial Circuit here. Since early this morning, we talked (INAUDIBLE) since the incident occurred. Numerous interviews have been taking place
throughout our investigation with students, faculty, as well as any other witnesses that we could identify.
[16:35:01]
Law enforcement had a very, very swift response to this incident. Once the incident was determined that there was a concern here. Those resources
whether it was a net response or throughout this investigation, to assist, came obviously from the sheriff's office here, from other local law
enforcement agencies, state law enforcement agencies, and federal law enforcement agencies as well.
To include, not to be left out, multiple EMS personnel, multiple fire personnel and agencies. Those agencies responded here as well today. And I
am extremely grateful as I know the sheriff is for that quick response and the partnerships that are working here together with what all is going on.
Currently from the investigative perspective, we have crime scene agents and other special agents from the GBI, from close to a dozen of our
different work units from across the state that have responded here today to work on this investigation. Again, collecting the evidence, conducting
interviews, and so forth.
I do want to pass this along. That if anyone has any information that wants to be passed on concerning this investigation, that they can do that
anonymously at our tip line at 1-800-597-TIPS or 1-800-597-8477. They can also report this by downloading the "See Something, Send Something" app.
That can be done by Android or Apple phones, either one if they need to report any tips concerning this investigation.
Let me close out, before I turn this over to the sheriff, and let you just remind you that this is still a very active investigation. There are still
a lot that is very fluid. There are still a lot of interviews to be conducted that will continue on into the night as well as crime scene
working, collecting and gathering evidence. But what more is more important for me to mention here to you is my heartfelt sympathy to the parents, the
students that were here today, regardless of where they were in the school.
This has got a great impact on them, as well as on this community. My thoughts and prayers along with everybody standing behind me and every law
enforcement agency in this state, and many, I will tell you, around this country, they are in our thoughts and prayers. And we will continue with
that. We asked for your patients as we continue through this and will continue to try to give you as many updates with information as we can to
keep you informed.
But thank you for being here. I'm now going to turn it over to Barrow County Sheriff Judd Smith. Thank you.
SHERIFF JUD SMITH, BARROW COUNTY, GEORGIA SHERIFF'S OFFICE: Good afternoon. I'm Sheriff Judge Smith of the Barrow County Sheriff's Office. I've never
imagined -- I never imagined that I will be speaking to the media in my career over something that happened today. The pure evil that happened
today.
I cannot thank the people behind me for the support they give me today, and give this office and give this staff. This hits home for me. I was born and
raised here. I went to school in the school system. My kids go to the school system. I'm proud of the school system. My heart hurts for these
kids. My heart hurts for our community. But I want to make it very clear that hate will not prevail in this county. I want that to be very clear and
known. Love will prevail over what happened today. I assure you of that.
It is very early as to what happened. Governor Kemp reached out to me and has provided me every single resource that he has to make sure justice
prevails. I don't know why it happened. I may not ever know. We may not ever know. But I ask that you and our community lift up our schools, lift
up our public safety, and that, again, we do not let this hateful event prevail as to what happened today.
[16:40:03]
I want to thank the surrounding agencies and counties and cities and state and federal authorities that have come and provided us because they
prevented a lot of more tragic events from happening.
Continue to lift up these families. Continue to lift up our students and our kids. And know that love will prevail. At this time, I'm going to ask
Dr. Dallas LeDuff, our school superintendent, to come and speak on behalf of the school.
DALLAS LEDUFF, SUPERINTENDENT, BARROW COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM: Good afternoon. I'm Dallas Duff, I'm the superintendent of Barrow County School System. I
want to thank the Barrow County Sheriff's Office and all of our law enforcement partners for their swift response today, along with that of our
staff. I also like to thank our community for their response and patience as we work to reunify students with their families here today and secure
the rest of our school campuses.
Our schools will be closed for the remainder of this week as we cooperate fully with law enforcement to get answers to the many questions that we all
have about this incident here today. But as we are closed, our central offices will remain open where we will have grief counseling available for
our community every day this week and thereafter as we support each other through this terrible event.
In closing, I just want to say to our community, as a school system, we are here for you. We support you and we are ready to get you any support that
you may need as we grieve through this together. Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Sheriff, if you're saying hate cannot prevail in this community, are you investigating as some sort of hate crime?
SMITH: Well, sure if someone decides to take a firearm into a school where kids are given an education or entitled to an education, and want to harm
others, to me it's hateful.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Sheriff, can you talk about the initial interaction between whoever was able to stop the shooter? Can you describe that to us?
How did it go down, what exactly happened?
SMITH: Obviously the shooter was armed and our school resource officer engaged him, and the shooter quickly realized that if he did not give up
then it would end with an OIS, an officer involved shooting. He gave up, got on the ground, and the deputy took him into custody.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Sheriff, any idea how the weapons got inside the school? And was there warning that this was going to happen?
SMITH: Not that I'm aware of. Again, very early and we're still looking into that whether or not or how he obtained it and how he got it in the
school.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Sheriff, have you in touch at all his parents or his family to learn more about what led up to these moments?
SMITH: We have.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Any information you can share?
SMITH: No.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: It seems like you have a large Hispanic population. Have you been able to communicate with the people in their language to make
sure that everybody knows what's happening?
SMITH: Yes, sir, I have. The school and our office has people that speak in Spanish and they have spoken to those folks as well. Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Sheriff, is the shooter speaking with the law enforcement now?
SMITH: Sorry?
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Is the shooter talking? And is he saying why?
SMITH: The shooter was interviewed and he is -- he was speaking with our investigators earlier along with the GBI.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Did he say why?
(CROSSTALK)
SMITH: It is helping our investigation.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Sheriff, is the --
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: -- threatening calls, perhaps (INAUDIBLE).
SMITH: None that I'm aware of.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Were all nine injured victims shot?
SMITH: In some capacity, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Sheriff, can you tell us about some individuals (INAUDIBLE) targeted?
SMITH: We don't know of any targets at this point.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Last question.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: What kind of weapon was used? Have you identified the weapon?
SMITH: We have not identified that at this point. No.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Sheriff, is there a connection --
SMITH: This is the last question I'm going to take.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Sheriff, is there a connection between the shooter and the victims?
SMITH: None that I'm aware of.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Was the shooter -- is he a student here at school?
HOSEY: I know that you have a lot of questions about the student and that we mentioned that we identified earlier. Keep in mind that that's part of
our investigation, that we're looking into every aspect of that individual, his connection here at the school, obviously, as I mentioned earlier, he
was a student here. So as part of our investigation, we're looking into all aspects current and prior involving that individuals.
(CROSSTALK)
SMITH: The shooter is a student. Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: He's a student.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: When can we expect --
SMITH: We do not know how many rounds.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to -- for now, this is the information that we have.
[16:45:03]
It is an active investigation. I assure you we will -- we do plan to come back out here in a couple of hours. Please make sure you're following the
GBI X page. That's we're going to be putting the updates. If there's anything that's new, we'll make sure that we share that information. It's
still very early. Investigators have a lot of work to do. We appreciate your patience.
Do expect another in-person news conference out here in the next few hours. Monitor the X page and we will be sure to update you accordingly. Thank
you.
QUEST: All right. Well, we now know a 14-year-old is in Colt Gray, who has shot, allegedly killed -- allegedly shot and killed four people. There are
many who are injured as well. We don't know exactly -- he is a student at the school.
And John Miller is with me, our chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst, Charles Ramsey is the former police chief of Philadelphia and
Washington.
And let's start with you, John Miller. Listening to that, what stood out for you?
JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Well, it told us some things that we had reported that raised some other questions
so what we know is that there are four deceased, that nine are hospitalized, and that we are told others were injured that were treated on
the scene or self-removed. But we also learned that the 14-year-old presumably at that age and that school, perhaps a ninth grader, is a
student at that school.
What we did not learn today was whether this was a rifle or a pistol, how he arrived at school with it, whose gun that was, or what the disposition
is with the parents of that individual, whether they are cooperating with the investigation or with it, or whether they are with him. We did learn
that the 14-year-old was interviewed by both the Barrow County Sheriff's investigators and investigators from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation,
and that he was talking. We don't know the substance of those conversations.
And finally, we had reported that there was an investigation by authorities into purportedly a call of threats to the school that came in this morning,
threatening a shooting, and the sheriff, when asked not specifically about that call but whether he knew of any advanced threat, said not to my
knowledge. So that's something we'll also have to sort through as to whether that is some part of the investigation they haven't gotten to or
whether that information which was provided to us by Georgia authorities is something that will turn out to be an early report that is unfounded. That
we don't know. So that's basically what I gleaned from them.
QUEST: Right. Thank you.
Charles, listening as well, I was interested the way in which I think it was the sheriff or the -- described how the 14-year-old student basically
gave himself up once he realized if he didn't, he was about to be shot and killed.
CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, yes. I mean, first of all, my condolences to the families of the people who were killed
or injured today. Another tragedy that we're dealing with in this country.
Yes, apparently they had school resource officers assigned to the school. They were able to react quickly and they were able to take this person into
custody. Now, according to both GBI, as well as the sheriff, he is talking to investigators, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they will have a
motive as to why he did the shooting. Hopefully they do, but I can tell you now whatever the motive is it's going to be nothing that will justify
taking four lives and shooting nine other people. I mean, this is something that just simply should not happen.
QUEST: Right.
RAMSEY: He got his hands on a gun somehow. That's got to be part of the investigation as well and hold anybody accountable that may be responsible
for that.
QUEST: John, before we take a break, I just want to turn to you. Kamala Harris today saying it doesn't have to be this way. It's a plaintiff cry.
We've heard it many times from politicians. I'm trying not to take us into too deep into politics here. But when you have a shooting like this 60 odd
days from an election, and you do have a very different view on Second Amendment between Trump and Harris, I'll let you answer this how you want
to. Take the question however you wish.
[16:50:00]
MILLER: Well, the politics here in this stark reality of more death, of more wounded, of more children attacked in their own school by another
child with a gun is going to become front and center in the gun debate in America.
The politics of it are interesting and that Kamala Harris went off script to address this during her speech to a crowd of supporters in New Hampshire
but she's threading a needle because in New Hampshire it's a state that requires no gun permit to own a gun, to buy a gun, to carry a concealed
weapon. It's a state that values its gun rights.
On the other hand, Kamala Harris, as vice president, has been leading the Biden administration efforts on red flag laws to take guns out of the hands
of people who may be in some kind of personal crisis or a mental crisis, announced the $760 million to enhance red flag laws across states, and to
fund the Threat Assessment Center that would be able to do such emergency removals from people to get ahead of events just like this.
So with the gulf between the assault weapons ban, which was passed in 1994 and expired in 2004.
QUEST: Right.
MILLER: And Chuck Ramsey and I both stood together on the White House lawn, me for the NYPD with Commissioner Bratton, Chuck is police commissioner of
Washington, D.C., and watched that signing and we watched it go away. It is up to debate whether that had an effect on gun violence. But one thing that
is not up to debate is once that law was allowed to sunset, Americans started buying assault weapons to the point that there are somewhere
between 24 million and 44 million AR-15 rifles out there in the hands of average Americans.
And what we know from school shootings is 76 percent of those weapons come from the home. So it's an issue.
QUEST: I want to briefly finish with you, Charles, if I may. I remember the speech given by President Obama 2016 after a mass shooting. And I'm just
going to quote, just looking it up. He says, we are the only advanced country on earth that sees this kind of mass violence. It doesn't happen in
other advanced countries. It's not even close. We've become numb to it.
Another example of it today, Charles Ramsey.
RAMSEY: Well, I mean, he's absolutely right. And I mean, this will lead the headlines in a day or two. We've become numb to mass shootings in this
country. And it's a shame. And we have the same conversation over and over again. Bottom line, is Congress will do nothing, nothing to change things
in the wake of this particular shooting.
What I would hope they would at least consider perhaps is providing enough funding for schools so they can take care of themselves to be able to get
to security cameras, get the locks that they need for these doors, so they can shelter in place and all the things they need to keep themselves safe
because Congress isn't going to do anything to keep them safe.
QUEST: I am grateful to you both. Thank you.
This is CNN. Our coverage continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:55:50]
QUEST: Live pictures, really, I promise you. That is live. It's the Eiffel Tower. Tour Eiffel in all its glory. Indeed all of France, the iconic
symbol. And as you can see it's undergone some changes. The Olympic rings glowing at its center.
Now, the city's mayor wants to make that tradition permanent. It's an idea that not everyone is thrilled about.
Saskya Vandoorne reports from Paris.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This was the iconic symbol of the Olympics this summer. But why is it causing so much controversy?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's an eyesore. It's something different, but the Eiffel Tower has been there for years and years, and I don't think it
needs to change.
VAN DORN: These Olympic rings could soon be a permanent fixture.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's OK for now but not forever because it's a historical monument, you know, so.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For me the tower is amazing. You know, it's so beautiful but with the ring, looked a little bit different so I think it's
not very aesthetic, no?
VANDOORNE (voice-over): The city of Paris owns the Eiffel Tower and officials say the decision is up to them.
PIERRE RABADAN, PARIS DEPUTY MAYOR: This event was a massive success probably all around the world. And it will change Paris forever in a good
way. Visually when you will be in Paris remember that this moment was a keen history of Paris. So that's why we choose that symbol.
VANDOORNE: For descendants of its creator Gustave Eiffel, they don't want his legacy to become an advertising platform.
SAVIN YEATMAN-EIFFEL, DESCENDANT OF GUSTAVE EIFFEL: Gustave Eiffel is my great, great, great grandfather. We were very happy to have the rings
during the Olympic Games. It was a great moment. But the frame is not permanent. The Eiffel Tower has never meant to be a billboard for any other
company or brand no matter how prestigious it may be.
VANDOORNE: If the plan does go ahead, it won't be these rings but lighter ones designed to resist the harsh winter winds.
Saskya Vandoorne, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: All right. Saskya Vandoorne in Paris.
A quiet day on Wall Street following Tuesday's sell off. The Dow finished flat off the low job opening numbers in some years. Boeing gained 1
percent. The plane-maker will vote on its new employee contract, the first one for 16 years. Intel's losses continued. The CFO said manufacturing
revenue should start to pick up in a couple of years. Verizon shed more than 3 percent. It was up yesterday so you've taken you lose. It's
reportedly in late-stage talks to acquire Frontier Communications.
Now, as we continue looking at the markets, let me show you what's happening.
And that's QUEST MEANS BUSINESS for tonight. I'm Richard Quest in New York. Whatever you're up to in the hours ahead, I hope it's profitable.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
