Trump won’t commit to peaceful transfer of power; Pennsylvania AG battling Trump, GOP in court over mail-in voting; NY to create independent task force to review COVID-19 vaccine; Kentucky governor calls on state AG to share grand jury transcript in Breonna Taylor case;
The Lead with Jake Tapper
CNN
3.5 • 1.7K Ratings
🗓️ 24 September 2020
⏱️ 42 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Trump says he doesn’t know if election can be “honest” after refusing to commit to peaceful transfer of power; Trump, GOP claim his comments no worse than Hillary Clinton saying Biden shouldn’t concede; Pennsylvania AG battling Trump, GOP in court over mail-in voting; FBI state attorneys investigating after nine ballots cast for Trump were found discarded in Pennsylvania; Trump claims he could override FDA on stricter vaccine standards; CDC: 1 in 5 new cases this summer were young adults in their 20s; 21 states report uptick in new cases, 21 hold steady; United Airlines to make COVID tests available to customers; Fauci on FDA’s vaccine decision: “I would back the scientists”; Protests erupt in cities nationwide after no officers charged for Breonna Taylor’s death; Two officers shot, 127 arrests in Louisville after grand jury decision; Crump: Kentucky AG did not present all evidence to grand jury; Louisville Mayor: Process has started to release limited information on Breonna Taylor investigation; HHS Secy says “politics will play no role” in vaccine approval after Trump suggests tougher standards would be “political”; WH Press Secy praises FDA as “gold standard” of vaccines after Trump accused agency of being politicized; Poll: Majority of Americans would not take a first generation vaccine; GOP Sen. Collins again bucks Trump in her fight for reelection; Maine voter: I won’t vote for Sen. Collins after her vote to put Kavanaugh on Supreme Court; Maine voters: GOP Sen. Collins “capitulated” this year, she’s too “Trumpy” right now;
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is CNN Breaking News. |
| 0:04.0 | Welcome to the lead. I'm Pamela Brown in for Jake Tapper today and we begin with breaking news. |
| 0:09.5 | Moments ago, President Trump sowing more doubt about the election after he made an |
| 0:14.8 | alarming statement that has set off a wave of anxiety about the election and the |
| 0:19.6 | future of the United States. President Trump is refusing to commit to a peaceful |
| 0:24.4 | transfer of power if he loses to Joe Biden in November, setting the stage to |
| 0:29.7 | defy a core principle of American democracy dating back centuries. |
| 0:35.0 | And earlier this afternoon, White House Press Secretary Kaylyn Meckinani attempting to clean up that statement. |
| 0:40.3 | Listen to what she said. The president will accept the results of a free and fair election. |
| 0:46.0 | He will accept the will of the American people. |
| 0:49.0 | So she did not define what the White House considers free and fair and that is important |
| 0:56.4 | because just listen to what the president said moments ago. |
| 0:59.4 | The president said that he does not know if the election can be honest. |
| 1:05.0 | We want to make sure the election is honest and I'm not sure that it can be. |
| 1:10.0 | I don't know that it can be with this whole situation unsolicited ballots |
| 1:15.4 | there unsolicited millions being sent to everybody. |
| 1:18.4 | And just a quick fact check on that and 41 out of the 50 states voters have to request a |
| 1:25.3 | mail-in ballot so it doesn't just go to them unsolicited in a majority of states |
| 1:30.0 | and as CNN's Caitlin Collins reports, the president's comments |
| 1:33.2 | of President Trump casting doubt on the legitimacy of the election, |
| 1:37.6 | stoking fears of fraud without providing any evidence, |
| 1:40.9 | and mounting an aggressive legal strategy. |
... |
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