Zacharia Out as White House Press Secretary After Just 5 Days

[0:02] Good evening from the newsroom. We begin tonight with White House Press Secretary Katie Zachariah [0:06] out of the job she held for just five months. She only gave one press conference, which was [0:10] Tuesday, and it ran less than, excuse me, days, and it ran less than 15 minutes. She now holds [0:17] the new record for shortest employment of a top White House press official. First-term [0:21] communications director Anthony Scaramucci, the previous record holder, lasted six days longer [0:26] than she did. He posted today, records are made to be broken, but I take no pleasure in other [0:30] people's pain. About an hour later, he added graciously, dear Katie Zachariah, speaking [0:35] as the world's leading expert on short White House tenures, turn off the news, go enjoy [0:39] your family. In time, you'll realize that the universe did you a major favor. Even the president, [0:44] who announced her hiring exactly seven days ago, seemed to be trying to soften the blow [0:48] when he foreshadowed her departure earlier today. Well, Katie's been treated very badly by the [0:54] media, very, very badly, very unfairly, I think. And I just spoke to her about it. I said, Katie, [1:00] is this for you? Because, you know, she's been treated very rough, and she's a nice person, [1:07] very nice person. I've watched her for years on television, but I said, is this for you, [1:11] Katie? Because honestly, you don't need this. Well, this comes, as you know, after she began [1:18] the story herself, first with a press conference that was as poorly received inside the White [1:23] House as it was short. I want to ask you a policy question. Has the U.S. stopped sharing [1:30] intel with Ukraine? I'll have to get back to you on that. He had a historic one-day war, [1:36] and now we have a booming economy and a great relationship with Venezuela. The idea of not [1:44] spending evenings with my kids is completely unacceptable. So my president, or excuse me, [1:50] my husband, that's a good one. Well, just moments after that, and even before White House officials [1:58] began telling reporters how bad they thought her performance was, Zachariah stepped on another [2:02] rake with this. Well, that was Tuesday. By Wednesday, she was claiming she had misheard [2:22] the question. Reports were out that she'd taken and failed the California bar exam in 2011, [2:27] and by yesterday, she was saying that experts in the field had told her it was okay to call [2:32] herself a lawyer, anyhow, just not an attorney. And then social media posts of hers surfaced, [2:38] in which she quoted other posts describing her as an attorney. By last night, after we left the [2:44] air, she was doing damage control on Sean Hannity, or trying to because he was not having any of it. [2:48] Take a look. You had your first moment as press secretary. It's been widely panned. I'm sure you're [2:57] aware. Am I hearing that you think the staff should have prepped you better? So you said you [3:02] consulted with many people, and they advised you that it was okay to call yourself a lawyer but not [3:07] an attorney, correct? Correct. Okay, there's a report out tonight that showed 15 social media posts [3:16] where you identify yourself as an attorney. Why only three questions in 14 minutes, and what might you do [3:22] a little differently going forward? Well, this morning, in the wake of that, she was asked whether [3:27] she still had the confidence of the president, and here's how she answered. I'm standing here, and I was [3:34] able to travel with him through all of the midterm convention, or excuse me, the midterm rallies, [3:40] and I hope to be able to build the trust and confidence of everyone around me. [3:46] Well, she's now not getting that chance. CNN's Julia Benbrook joins us now from the White House [3:50] with more. So you have some new reporting on the vetting process that she underwent. What have you [3:55] learned? Well, the question is, was there a lot of vetting that went into this? And Anderson, [4:02] according to multiple White House officials and advisors, the short answer to that is no. Instead, [4:10] her selection came amid growing frustration from President Donald Trump himself that there were [4:15] not enough voices out there on the airwaves really defending him during this midterm coverage, [4:21] and as his approval rating has hit an all-time low. So while her firing was swift, her hiring was [4:28] also swift. There had been a vacancy in this press secretary role for a number of weeks after Caroline [4:34] Levitt departed, and Trump did not seem to be in a rush to fill that role. In fact, he said it multiple [4:41] times, that he was not worried about having someone in that position. But as he selected Zachariah, [4:49] there were a number of names that were out there, had been floated, had been discussed, some of them [4:53] publicly. Zachariah, though, seemed to come a bit out of nowhere. She is a conservative commentator. [4:59] She had been on TV. Those appearances ended up serving as somewhat of an audition for the [5:06] president. He thought she could step into this role, and her selection came after some of the others that [5:10] were being considered were deemed ineligible for some past critical comments that they had made about [5:16] Trump. But going back on this timeline, she found out that she was going to be in this role on Friday, [5:22] the first official day was on Monday, and then on Tuesday was that press briefing. It lasted for [5:28] roughly 14 minutes. It was stumbly. She had her opening statements. She referenced her notes [5:34] frequently throughout that. And then she only took questions from three reporters there in the room. [5:40] So there was growing concern. But it did seem, though, Trump was less concerned than some in his orbit [5:47] about this. In fact, on a flight to Alaska shortly after that, yeah, on that flight shortly after that, [5:54] he told her that she did do a good job. Obviously, some of that changed. [5:57] Do you know what ultimately led President Trump to fire her? [6:04] He was not happy with the coverage of that press conference as time went on, and he saw the negative [6:10] reviews out there. But there was also another moment that really showed kind of a gap in understanding [6:15] a learning curve that needed to happen at that event there in Alaska that I referenced. She had [6:20] scheduled for him to do an interview following that. Many had advised her that that was not the thing to [6:26] do, that after he does these two-hour events, he does not want to do more interviews. So again, [6:32] just showing that there was a lot to learn in this role, in this position. [6:35] Yeah. Julia Benbrook, appreciate it. In Florida with the president, thanks. Joining us now is [6:39] former White House press secretary for President Bill Clinton, Joe Lockhart, and CNN political [6:43] director David Chalian. Joe, you heard CNN's new reporting that Zechariah didn't undergo a vetting [6:49] process, essentially, before she was really offered the press secretary job by the president. [6:53] Given how this president operates, does that even surprise you at this point? [6:59] Not really. I mean, I think many of the senior positions in the White House and in the [7:03] government are filled via watching Fox News or any of the right-wing outlets. And it doesn't appear, [7:11] looking from the outside, that he takes the substance of these jobs very seriously. He takes [7:16] the appearance of these jobs, and most importantly, how those people speak about him. And he had plenty [7:22] of data on her, watching her speak very highly of him, and that seemed to be enough. [7:29] What do you think ultimately sealed her fate, David? [7:36] Well, I think the president realized that this was an error that was blowing up [7:40] in his face. And I don't think we can separate the timing out here, too. You know, Anderson, [7:46] we're 18 days away from the midterm election. And this, to me, is just another data point in how [7:53] much defense Republicans are playing. And so if the main sort of messaging and communications [8:00] operation out of the White House is supposed to be geared towards doing everything possible [8:04] to help Republicans mitigate some of these expected losses as best they can, this was a [8:11] complete failure in that. And we don't usually see Donald Trump sort of correct mistakes this [8:15] quickly. But he clearly saw that this was not a tenable situation and moved pretty quickly [8:22] to get rid of her. [8:24] And, Joe, you've been clear you didn't think she was qualified to be the White House press [8:27] secretary. Do you think it was the right decision for the president to cut his losses this quickly [8:31] and move on? [8:35] Well, listen, I don't think she had even the minimum qualifications for the job and, [8:39] more importantly, didn't do any of the preparation that should go into that job. It is an important [8:44] job. That's an important room. The world looks to that room at times for what America thinks, [8:49] what America is doing, what our values are. And it's become, in my view, somewhat of a joke. [8:55] I think in this case, he's responding to, you know, outside coverage, not actually what [9:03] happened. And they use this thing about the attorney as a cover so it didn't look like [9:08] it was his fault. He's made a mistake, but has somehow messaged this around the media is [9:14] at fault and this woman is at fault rather than him. All very convenient, but not particularly [9:19] credible. [9:20] And David, I mean, it is kind of amazing. We're 18 days away from the midterm elections. [9:25] There's now no White House spokesperson and she's let go. And Kimberly Guilfoyle also is fired. [9:36] It says a lot just about, A, how decisions are made and the West Wing, how it is or is not [9:41] functioning. [9:44] Yeah, Anderson, last week when he put out on True Social that Katie Zachariah was going to be the [9:48] new press secretary. And immediately our reporting from our White House team was that this came as [9:54] a surprise to many insiders inside the West Wing. I mean, that just shows the lack of the vetting [10:00] process, the lack of the normal sort of seriousness with which a hire like this would take place and [10:06] sort of shooting from the hip. And the fact that that is how they're operating, that the president [10:11] is choosing to operate his White House, especially this close to an election, I just think speaks to [10:17] just this enormous amount of defense that they're playing. It reminds me of the Haley Barber [10:21] expression, you know, when when things are going well, you know, they get better. And when things [10:26] are going bad, they get worse. And this is the environment Republicans find themselves in. And the [10:30] president offered up yet another data point of things getting worse for Republicans at this time. [10:35] Joe, I got to say, I was very impressed with Anthony Scaramucci's post. I mean, I thought it was [10:40] just incredibly gracious him saying he said, dear, you know, Katie Zachariah, speaking as the world's [10:44] leading expert on short White House tenure, turn, turn off the news, go enjoy your family. In time, [10:49] you'll realize the universe did you a major favor. Do you think he's right? Yeah, I think it's right. [10:56] I think it's it speaks to Anthony. I think, you know, Anthony's a very bright, thoughtful guy [10:59] who was put in the wrong job at the wrong time. But I think he is, you know, certainly recovered from [11:06] that. And I think it was it was the right sentiment. You know, I think, you know, that we should have [11:11] some sympathy for, you know, for this woman, because she was put in an impossible situation, [11:15] and then and moved out. And, you know, you know, I guess in our culture that it doesn't matter [11:21] why you have 15 minutes of fame, you get it, you'll have a platform, there'll be someplace out [11:26] there, where she'll make her name here, and she'll be fine. It's just, it continues to bother me that [11:32] kind of every one of these institutions that the president touches, he cheapens in a way that serves [11:39] him rather than the reason they're there. We don't have an East Wing. The Kennedy Center is [11:43] covered up. He's put his name on everything. And all of them, I think, have less value than before [11:50] he got there. Yeah. And a lot of shoddy work also being done in various places. What do you think [11:56] happens, David, with the White House press secretary role now? I mean, does it go unfilled past until the [12:02] midterms? It's a good question, Anderson. You know, as Julia was noting in her report to you, [12:08] he had publicly said, the president, that he wasn't in a hurry to fill it when Caroline [12:13] Levitt left. It's also just such a unique position specifically for this president, given he is [12:19] constantly speaking on his own behalf in a way that other presidents usually don't. And so it sort of [12:24] questions the value of this position. I will be very interested to see if he thinks in these next 18 [12:31] days he wants someone else speaking for him at that podium, or if he's just going to dictate the [12:36] messaging himself from here on out in this election season. David Challey and Joe Lockhart, [12:41] appreciate it. Thank you. Coming up next, the president in a deep red corner of Georgia, [12:44] as new signs point to the electorate trending bluer in a number of districts around the country. [12:50] The president won by double digits just two years ago. And later, all we are learning about the three [12:54] young lives taken at an elementary school in Oregon, the teacher who was killed trying to save [12:59] them, and the bystander who ran toward danger and killed the 16-year-old shooter. [13:04] Just 18 days out from the midterm, the president was in Dalton, Georgia today, a part of the state [13:16] he won by 44 points in 2024. If any place would be receptive to the line he's been delivering almost [13:21] every place he goes, this would be it. You have to pretend I'm on the ballot. Okay, the story is this. [13:29] We get 49% more vote when I'm on the ballot. When I'm not on the ballot, I guess it's a compliment, [13:36] but people don't show up so much. You have to go out and vote. So pretend I'm on the ballot. [13:41] He's asking that, though, with his job approval numbers at record lows for him and with inflation [13:46] rising in oil today at $110 a barrel, none of which has made him temper statements like this one [13:52] today. This has been considered by, I think, almost everyone to be the most successful two years, [13:59] and we're not even close to the two years. We've got four months to go, of a president in history. [14:07] It's the most successful two years of a presidency. [14:11] Well, whatever Dalton, Georgia, might make of that claim, there was another sign today of trouble [14:17] for Republicans, even in deep red districts. The Cook Political Report shifting 11 more House [14:22] races closer toward Democrats, including five likely Republican races to lean Republican. [14:29] Cook also re-rated an open seat in Montana's first district from lean Republican to toss-up. [14:35] The president was there campaigning just two days ago. [14:37] Joining us now is former Republican Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, CNN political commentator [14:41] Sabrina Singh, and New York Times journalist and podcast host Lulu Garcia-Navarro. [14:45] So, Governor Pawlenty, does it make sense to you the president is promoting this [14:48] reality in which there is low inflation and prices are coming down and gas prices are way down [14:55] and that the economy is in a golden age? Do you think he can convince his base to not [14:59] believe what many may be seeing with their own eyes? [15:01] Well, the voters may not appreciate that fully based on his current approval ratings, [15:07] but keep in mind one important thing in the closing days of this campaign, Anderson, [15:10] is to get the base out. Each party wants to maximize base support, and among the hardcore [15:16] Republican base, President Trump still remains pretty popular. So, optimizing or maximizing that [15:21] turnout is one variable they can do to try to improve the outlook going into what's going to be [15:26] a tough midterm for Republicans. [15:28] Sabrina, you work for the Biden administration. It's why I believe President Biden subsequently [15:32] Vice President Harris did not take economic realities serious enough for voters or could [15:37] not explain them. Is President Trump, do you think, making that same mistake? [15:41] I think he is, Anderson. I mean, when I was in the Biden administration, you know, [15:45] we kept saying inflation was transitory, but the reality is, is that people did not feel [15:49] like the economy was working for them. And we didn't acknowledge that pain that they were [15:54] feeling, whether it was at grocery stores or, you know, everyday bills. And so I think the fact [15:58] that the president is trying to say that the economy is better than ever, when you have [16:03] gas prices, grocery prices, health care costs going up through the roof, this is exactly what [16:09] the president campaigned against. And I think this election will be decided on the economy [16:14] and corruption. And I think that's what's really motivating Democrats right now to get out and vote [16:19] and to vote against this president who keeps saying, you know, pretend like I'm on the ballot. [16:24] Well, damn right. Democrats are going to pretend like you're on the ballot. And we're very motivated [16:28] to get out there and vote right now. [16:30] Lulu, we mentioned the Cook Political Report shifting 11 more House seats toward Democrats, [16:34] many in red states. This is amid the president's final campaign blitz. What do you think that signals? [16:40] Or do you believe, I mean, do you believe that? [16:41] I think it signals that, I mean, I think it's hard to know, but everything tells us at this point that [16:48] as we've been hearing just on the show over and over, things are looking pretty bleak. And that's why [16:55] the president is hustling everywhere that he can, trying to get votes wherever he can. But I think [17:00] one of the main takeaways that I have from this is not that he needs to explain the economy better. [17:06] You know, Donald Trump has learned his lesson in the sense that he likes to create his own reality. [17:12] But the fact is that the reality is that things are bad. And so you can't explain that away. You can't [17:18] message that away. That isn't something that you can just go out and put on a red hat and wave in [17:24] American flag and say everything's okay. Because at the end of the day, people see those gas prices. [17:29] It's not something that is about optics or messaging. It's about actually what people [17:35] are having to pay at the pump and at the grocery store, et cetera, et cetera. [17:39] Governor Palincy, I just want to play another part of the president's speech in Georgia today. [17:44] I call him Pee-wee Herman. Pee-wee Herman. Looks like Pee-wee. His name is John Ossoff, [17:51] highly overrated. Somebody said, he's a good looking man. I don't think he's a good looking man. [17:56] I actually think Mike Collins is a good looking man. And he's all man. He's all man. I'm not sure [18:08] about Ossoff. If I'm casting a movie for a senator, I like the white hair. I like the big, strong [18:14] build, big, strong guy. But that's what I want. But he's a respected man. [18:23] I'm not sure what he was insinuating about Ossoff, but why does he keep commenting on men's [18:27] appearances? I mean, it's sort of fascinating to me. [18:30] You know, he says all kinds of things that are sort of entertaining. But you know, what the [18:35] voters want to hear is what's going on with my pocketbook? What's going on with affordability? [18:40] What's going on in the economy? And what can you say about bringing prices down? Even if you can't [18:45] do it in the next 18 days, can you have a plan to bring them down further? That's the number one [18:49] issue. And I don't think voters are going to be that interested in the relative good looks or not [18:53] of candidates on the ballot. Yeah. I mean, Sabrina, I mean, he's, you know, commenting on [18:58] men's asses, which you don't hear a lot from presidents of the United States ever, really. [19:03] Do Democrats run the risk, you think, Sabrina, of being too confident in this polling, given [19:08] what we have seen pretty much every election? Well, certainly, again, you know, the president's [19:13] comments, I think the governor hit on it. It's just kind of strange, a little quirky. I do think [19:18] that, you know, Democrats have to be cautiously optimistic. I think we feel good and bullish [19:23] about the House changing hands and to the Democrats. We still have a lot of work to do when [19:28] it comes to flipping the Senate. And I think that's why you're seeing Democratic leadership [19:31] from all sort of parts of our big tent party campaigning across the country, because we can't [19:37] take that for granted. So you're every dollar, every door, every vote. We got to get out there. [19:41] We got to earn it because we just can't take anything for granted right now. And the polls are [19:45] going to tighten. I think you're going to see that even in some House races. So we just have to [19:48] keep up the energy right now. And Lulu, I want to play something else the president said today [19:52] about Michigan Democratic Senate candidate, Abdul El-Sayed. He's as bad almost as Mohammed [20:00] Abdul El-Sayed. You know, I took a lot of heat for calling him Mohammed. And I said, I don't care. [20:09] I'm the president of the United States. I can call you whatever the hell I want. [20:14] I can call you whatever I want, Mohammed. And then today, a guy sends me something. His name [20:29] is actually Abdullah something. It's Abdullah Papa Papa Mohammed. I'll say it. So his middle name [20:36] is Mohammed. So I was right. Almost. Oh, by the way, how about that guy? He's a jihadist. [20:43] He's a radical left person. Hates our country. How do you think I mean, do you think that works [20:50] for the people he wants to turn out? No, I mean, I think it's racist. Obviously, [20:59] he's using Mohammed as a sort of slur when it's the name of the prophet and for Muslims. And then [21:07] beyond that, it's it's just more of the same. And again, I think at the at other moments in time, [21:15] you know, he was able to create these culture war moments. I'm not sure Abdul El-Sayed is going to win, [21:22] by the way. But I don't think he's not going to win because President Trump calls him Mohammed. [21:27] I think he might not win because people might not like his policies because people have legitimate [21:30] questions about whether he represents their values. I mean, that's all fair game. This stuff is a [21:37] sideshow. Sabrina Singh, Lulu Garcia Navarro, Tim Pawlenty. Appreciate it. Thanks very much. [21:42] Coming up next, fresh signs that the already rocky relationship between the president and Ukraine's [21:46] Vladimir Zelensky is at a new low and dangerously so for Ukraine. Well, as Russian missiles continue [22:00] to bring death and destruction to Ukraine cities, the relationship between that country's president, [22:05] Vladimir Zelensky, and President Trump may have reached its lowest point yet, arguably even more [22:09] tense than the contentious meeting in the Oval Office in February 2025, where President Trump told [22:14] Zelensky, quote, you don't have the cards. Since the announcement of a U.S. deal to allow Russia to [22:19] sell diesel fuel on the global market, the president has lashed out at the Ukrainian leader, calling him [22:23] a, quote, dictator without elections on social media and saying this in an interview last night. [22:28] I find Zelensky to be more difficult to deal with than Putin. [22:34] More difficult to deal with than the Russian dictator. Today, the president softened his [22:38] tone somewhat, telling reporters that his relationship with Zelensky is good. He also told reporters that [22:44] he was not behind what Ukrainian officials said. It was an unannounced and unexplained slowdown at the [22:49] speed of the military's version of Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet services called StarShield, [22:54] which are critical to Ukrainian defenses and drone attacks against Russian forces. [22:58] It wasn't us. I checked it this morning. They say it's the same as it always has been. [23:05] I don't know if it was anybody, because it wasn't me. And I don't think it was Elon. And from what [23:10] I understand, it's the same as it's always been. [23:14] Well, Zelensky, for his part, made his response clear in what he didn't say when asked about the [23:18] president's recent troubles on the world stage. [23:22] Do you think you are being treated as a scapegoat for his own problems? [23:42] This is my answer. [23:44] Joining us now, CNN Global Affairs analyst Brett McGurk, who held senior national security [23:49] post under the last four presidents. He's also author of the fascinating new book called Brink [23:54] Inside the Race to Free the October 7th Hostages, which is on bookshelves now. [24:00] Brett, I want to get to the book in a moment. At first, though, CNN reported Ukraine has run out [24:03] of missiles for the Patriot air defense system, according to a source. Given the urgent need to [24:08] defend their cities, how bad is this tension between the U.S. and Ukraine, whoever is responsible [24:14] for whatever happened with this star shield system? [24:17] Yeah, Anderson, I think it's a grim picture. If you step back and you're a strategist, [24:21] we're kind of in a global conflict environment. I don't want to be overly alarmist. [24:25] We've talked about crank on this program, China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and just take Ukraine [24:31] as Exhibit A. Russia is now producing, Anderson, 6,000 Shahid drones a month. Half of those now [24:38] rocket-propelled. That's Iranian technology that Iran transferred to Russia. Russia is producing [24:44] 200 ballistic missiles per month. And we're in this new age of missile warfare and just targeting [24:50] civilian and energy infrastructure. And Russia is just determined to pound Ukraine now heading into [24:57] the winter. And to keep up with the defenses for that, we just can't. We have a math problem. [25:04] And you see this coordination between these other powers. North Korea has sent tens of thousands [25:09] of troops for the Russians to help in its fight against Ukraine. And if you're Putin, you're not [25:16] making any advances on the ground. Russia is losing 30,000, 35,000 casualties every month. But now he [25:25] believes he has dominance in the air. And heading into winter, he always believes he can break the [25:31] will of the Ukrainians in the winter months by targeting civilian infrastructure, electricity, [25:35] energy, heating systems. And I think that's what we're heading into. The answer to that is [25:40] consolidation amongst Western allies. And unfortunately, we don't have that. So I think [25:45] we're heading into a very difficult winter period here, as we're also dealing, of course, with the [25:50] conflict in Iran. And, you know, China waiting in the wings. It's a grim global national security [25:56] environment from what I'm seeing. In your new book, you really bring people into the rooms where [26:02] decisions were being made. The book is called Brink It. Again, it's on bookstores, in bookstores right [26:07] now. I mean, you're taking people into complex negotiations to try to free the Israeli hostages [26:14] were taken by Hamas in 2023. You have two sides with seemingly intractable positions. How did you [26:20] find a way to bridge the gap? How did people find a way to bridge a gap? Yeah, we're talking about [26:26] Russia, Ukraine. And Brink Anderson, you're right. I try to bring readers into the room, into all the [26:31] rooms, from Washington, the Oval Office situation room, to overseas, sitting with Netanyahu or sitting [26:37] with intelligence chiefs with Hamas on one floor, Israel on the other. And from October 8th on, [26:43] Hamas had one position. If you want the hostages, we stay in power. We will reconstitute on Israel's [26:48] borders, and we go back to October 6th status quo. And Israel's position was after what happened on [26:53] October 7th. Hamas will never remain in power in Gaza. And the hostages were caught in between that. [26:59] And in the book, I tell the story of the negotiations and how protracted they were. You know, [27:05] Anderson, we had a deal a month into the war for all women and children. Very hard to get that deal. [27:09] So we eventually got it. And on the eighth night, and if you're in the book, the reader's with me [27:14] at this moment, you know, Hamas sends a message and says, you know what, we're going to hold on to [27:18] the younger women. These were women taken from the Nova Music Festival. And Anderson, you covered this [27:24] story with just such compassion over that period. And we face this moral dilemma. Do you skip the [27:31] younger women and talk about the older men who are also in rough shape? And at that moment, [27:36] the decision was made, if you skip the younger women, they'll never come out. And all the way [27:44] through the book, at the end, you know, three of these women, Romy, Daron, and Emily, one taken from [27:48] Nova, another taken from a kibbutz called Kafaraza, where also a young American toddler was taken hostage [27:55] when her parents were killed in front of her, eventually come out in the deal we eventually [27:59] brokered. But that story runs through the book. And in the backdrop, Anderson, and one reason it's called [28:05] the brink, is that we are constantly on the brink of an all out regional war. You had the Iranians [28:11] organizing their proxy forces with multiple missile and drone attacks. You got a flavor reading this book of what [28:17] that's like, how hard it is to defend. And I just tried to tell the story as it was in the immediacy of the [28:22] moment. And the reader is kind of right there, you know, with all these leaders, intel chiefs, as we're trying [28:29] to contain, deter, and ultimately get the ceasefire and get the hostages out. That was the goal. [28:35] Yeah, the level of detail in the book is extraordinary. It's called Brink, Britt McGurk. [28:38] Thank you so much. [28:40] Thanks, Anderson. [28:41] Up next, new details about the deadly shooting at a Bend, Oregon elementary school, including the quick [28:45] heroic actions of a parent and a teacher. And later, a CNN exclusive inside the fight to take back Haiti [28:51] from violent gangs and the role a controversial military contractor is playing in that effort. [28:56] Tonight, we're learning more about the deadly shooting at an elementary school in Bend, Oregon. [29:06] Authorities say the victims were all shot in a special needs classroom. One of the three students [29:11] killed was five-year-old Rome Summer. The families of the two other students killed, an eight-year-old boy [29:17] and an 11-year-old boy, have declined to make their names public. The teacher killed was 25-year-old Megan [29:22] Lambert. She grew up in Bend. Also tonight, we know the identity of the armed bystander who killed the teen [29:27] shooter. His name is Caleb Giammanco, a father whose two children attend the school. Seeing as Nick Watt [29:34] is in Bend, Oregon tonight with Moore. So what more have we learned about the two victims that have been [29:40] identified by law enforcement? [29:41] Well, yeah, Rome Summer, as you said, Anderson, five years old. Five years old. The eight and the 11-year-old, [29:50] we haven't been given their names yet. Megan Lambert, 25-year-old teacher. Her family said that this was [29:57] her first job. This was her dream job. And in a statement, they said Megan was compassionate, [30:02] had a huge heart. She always fought for the underdog and those with special needs. She was [30:07] an incredible sister, daughter, niece, and granddaughter. Her friends became her family. [30:12] She was funny and opinionated, and she lit up the room. Dead at 25. Anderson. [30:19] And obviously, I mean, this father who was able to stop the shooter is extraordinary. [30:25] The bravery. Do we know anything more about him? [30:27] Yeah. Yeah. So he is 36 years old. We're told by officials he was just passing by, [30:33] saw the shooter go in, stopped. He had a legal handgun in his glove box, a .40 caliber pistol. [30:40] He followed the gunman in. When he got into that classroom, he saw a teacher who had thrown her [30:45] cell phone at the shooter and was then wrestling with him. So this man, Caleb Giammanco, then shot the [30:54] shooter multiple times. Now, on this memorial behind me, Anderson, a bunch of kids have been [30:59] writing in chalk and a lot of them have written, thank you, Caleb. Now, without him and that teacher, [31:04] this would have been much worse. This could have been much worse. The shooter, we're told, [31:09] had 44 rounds of ammunition still on him after he was taken out. Now, Caleb's mother has said, [31:16] listen, he doesn't want any gratitude. He doesn't want any recognition. He's just grateful to all the [31:21] other people who helped out. And beyond the three children, one teacher killed, there was another [31:27] child, another teacher who was shot, survived. Do we know how they are doing? Yeah. Yeah. They're [31:34] doing well. So 54-year-old Becky Drury, she was a special ed assistant. She, we're told, has had [31:40] serious but not life-threatening injuries. The other person injured, the seven-year-old, seven-year-old, [31:47] we're told, is in a critical but stable condition. So non-life-threatening and stable. Those are [31:54] probably the best words, the best news that have come out of Bend, Oregon today in a mess of absolute [32:02] pain and silence. People here say the real thing that they're missing is the noise. There are no [32:08] kids playing. There are no kids laughing. Just silence. Anderson. Thanks very much. I appreciate it. [32:12] CNN chief law enforcement analyst John Miller joins me now. I mean, the actions, again, [32:17] of this dad, the teacher who threw her cell phone at the shooter, tackled him, are pretty incredible. [32:23] I mean, obviously both of their actions save lives. No, that is quite clear, Anderson. And I mean, [32:32] for an individual armed with a gun to go up against another individual armed with a gun, [32:37] a bigger gun, albeit, is an act of tremendous courage. But for a 25-year-old teacher who's armed [32:45] with nothing to throw her cell phone at the subject to distract him from shooting and then attack him [32:51] and wrestle him for the gun, that's extraordinary courage. You know, what they teach them in these [32:57] drills is run, hide, or fight. And there was no running at that point. He was shooting at children. [33:03] There was no hiding. And she decided to fight. Incredible courage demonstrated by both of them. [33:09] And this, on picture day, where the children came in their Sunday best to get their pictures taken. [33:17] And for some of those families, the pictures will be delivered home, but the children will not. [33:23] It's really unspeakable, both the tragedy and the courage. [33:28] This killer had 44 remaining rounds of ammunition. He'd also shot at a car when someone tried to confront [33:38] him before going into the school. It certainly talks, and he had been to this school. It certainly [33:45] tells you something about his preparation or, I mean, does it tell you anything about his mindset? [33:52] Well, it does. I mean, number one, it tells us he was extraordinarily mission focused. [33:57] We know things tonight that we did not know today and did not know last night when we spoke about this. [34:03] But as he's approaching the school, he's carrying the shotgun. This is about a 12-minute walk [34:09] from his home where he lived with his mom. He gets to the fence. He throws the gun over the fence. [34:16] Then he's scaling the fence. And at that point, the person in that red pickup truck we just saw [34:20] with the bullet holes in it starts yelling at him, engaging him, saying, where are you going? [34:24] What are you doing with a gun? And he opens fire on that vehicle. So he starts right in at the first [34:30] sign of any interference or resistance to go aggressive. Shoots his way through the glass doors [34:38] and then crawls through the broken glass to get in and goes straight to that special needs classroom. [34:44] Anderson, this has tremendous meaning. We don't fully understand what that meaning is yet, [34:49] but what it tells us is he was a student in that special needs class when he was 10 years old. [34:57] So six years ago, he could have gone to the school he went to after that, or if he was going to a school [35:03] now. We don't know if he was being homeschooled or not. But he chose to go back to that place. [35:10] If he fits the profile of many of these shooters, an injustice collector who believes that all of his [35:16] problems are the fault of other people, this may be where he identified, you know, those problems [35:22] started or where he was first felt picked on or ostracized, whether it was from people in that [35:29] class or people outside that class. But he was definitely fixed on going to that school, that [35:35] classroom, and killing people that he didn't know that hadn't affected his life in some kind of [35:43] reaction to his unhappiness. [35:45] Yeah, John Miller, I appreciate you. [35:47] And don't look for it to make sense. I mean, it rarely does to us. [35:50] Yeah, it really does. Thank you. Coming up, Nick Payton Walsh got exclusive access to an operation [35:55] led by security contractors working with security forces in Haiti to combat gang violence in the [36:01] country. We'll bring you his report next. Well, Haiti, as we've reported extensively on this [36:11] program over the years, has had more than a share of troubles from poverty, mismanagement, [36:15] devastating earthquakes in 2021 and 2010, as well as political turmoil and gang violence. [36:21] U.N. estimates that 70 percent of the capital Port-au-Prince is now in the hands of armed gangs [36:25] who've destroyed hospitals and infrastructure and terrorized residents. A former U.S. Navy SEAL, [36:31] who's a well-known private security tycoon, Eric Prince, formerly the CEO of Blackwater, [36:35] has been contracted to help Haiti's security forces go after gangs. CNN's Nick Payton Walsh got [36:40] exclusive access to their operation, and we want to warn you, some of what you're about to see is [36:44] this graphic. Here's Nick's report. Haiti is so stifled and tormented by gangs, [36:51] the fight against them has spread to hills outside the capital, Port-au-Prince. [37:07] Here in Kenskoff, they were pushed out, but stormed back in again, killing and kidnapping [37:14] dozens of locals in revenge. We joined police on a days-long advance to reclaim tiny remote villages [37:24] with blurring faces for security. [37:42] But as we move in with the police, the gangs use the fog and hills to keep shooting. [37:49] You can see that debris barrier there. I mean, another way the gangs slowed the police down. [38:01] About seven or eight shots have kind of flown over us. We've heard the crack. It's a sign that the [38:06] gangs are still really close by and don't want the police ever feel comfortable down here. There's [38:11] another one. More barricades lie ahead, locals eager on the road to get back to homes they've not seen [38:17] for two years. The barricades dismantled and burned so the gangs can't return and remake them. [38:26] It was an extraordinary scene of locals just flooding in to kind of reclaim their own streets [38:33] after the gangs have been pushed out. A ritual praising the heavens overshadowed by ruin. [38:43] Hours earlier, two helicopters used a pause in the rain to land a police SWAT team in the hilltops. [39:00] The helicopters are part of American security tycoon Eric Prince's operation here, [39:05] bringing new capabilities and the experience of foreign ex-special forces, but not for free. [39:13] And these are the first pictures of Prince's private security fighters in Haiti, [39:17] who led the push with specialised Haitian police in what's called the task force. [39:23] I hear a lot of things about you. See up here? [39:26] He tells the police where to position. Nobody has seen their operations in Haiti before. [39:33] And this drone footage shows gang members fleeing. Eric Prince made his name and millions in Iraq [39:41] with Blackwater, sullied and reprimanded over civilian casualties there. His ties to Blackwater [39:48] long severed, he is now selling a new idea. That private security, mercenaries to their detractors, [39:56] can tackle security or gang problems for failing states that can't. [40:00] Yeah, that's the bad city right there. That's the bad part right there. [40:02] Yeah. He was first sent to Haiti as a Navy SEAL 32 years ago. [40:07] And now he gave CNN his first interview and access to his operation here. [40:11] When we started a police truck, like the one we rode in here on, pretty much one of those was lost [40:20] every week. Attacked, ambushed, burned, the occupants slaughtered, butchered. That's done now. [40:28] Because there's much better response, quicker air support, drones, whatever, [40:33] that prevents the police from being overmatched. That's really why we're here. [40:37] Over 2,000 drone strikes on varied targets in the past year, a task force source said. [40:42] Here, on what they said was a gang Molotov cocktail factory. [40:46] Prince wouldn't reveal his annual fee of likely tens of millions of dollars. [40:52] But on top of that, he gets a tenth of any new customs revenue generated [40:56] if his leaner operation ends smuggling at dozens of illegal border crossings. [41:01] Did you put a number on what your contract is worth in terms of what the Haitian government pay you? [41:06] The previous UN force is that our cost is one sixth of what their annual camp cost was. [41:13] So it's a fraction of a fraction of a fraction. [41:16] He had aimed to free up key roads within a year here, but hasn't. [41:20] Although the UN has said this year has seen the gang spread in the capital halted, even reversed. [41:26] You haven't killed any major gang leaders yet. [41:29] Have there been challenges in some of the operations you're doing? [41:31] Is not killing top leaders part of your strategy? [41:34] Look, insurgencies are not defeated by taking out just leadership. [41:41] I know there's been an obsession of that in the United States, [41:43] but wars are won by taking significant numbers of enemy manpower off the battlefield. [41:49] We're in the process of doing that and enabling sovereignty to resume. [41:55] To grasp the enormity of the collapse and daily trauma, [41:59] we head to the once vibrant downtown of the capital. [42:02] So long gang held, the swathes of it are now overgrown. [42:05] As though nature is tired of the violence and wants to take back control. [42:11] We patrol at dawn with the new UN mandated gang suppression force. [42:16] Hear soldiers from Chad. [42:18] First light when those who live under the gangs make their daily break for it. [42:23] We go back to the rest of the world on foot through rivers of sewage and trash to reach work or food. [42:31] A body lies abandoned in the road, likely dumped there overnight. [42:36] We go back with them at dusk to see it all happen again for the home trip. [42:43] We want to talk about how desperate life must be here. [42:48] To attempt this in the daylight must simply be terrifying. [42:54] It's eerie being here inside an armoured personnel carrier, but they're risking it out on the street here in the dark. [43:03] Many of them carry what looks like food for their homes, things back into gang held areas. [43:09] The promise of a quick fix at a price that's still out of reach. [43:14] Nick Payton-Walsh, CNN, Port-au-Prince, Haiti. [43:17] You can stream this show live or watch any CNN program on demand. [43:22] In addition to getting original programming as well anytime on any screen or mobile device, [43:26] all you need is an all access subscription. [43:28] Scan the QR code on your screen or go to cnn.com slash watch to learn more. [43:32] That's it for us. [43:33] The news continues. [43:34] Hope you have a great weekend. [43:35] Source starts now.