Harris Meets Jacob Blake's Family in Wisconsin; Jacob Blake from Hospital Bed, It's Nothing but Pain
PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: And welcome back to a special edition of THE LEAD. Turning to our NATIONAL LEAD, the vice presidential contenders are both visiting Wisconsin today in the wake of protests sparked by the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Kamala Harris met with Blake's family and legal team when she landed there. Blake called into the meeting from the hospital bed where he told Harris he was proud of her. And as Vice President Pence, toured an energy utility company, he said the Trump administration stands with law enforcement and he condemned rioting and looting. CNN's Shimon Prokupecz joins me now from Kenosha, Wisconsin. So, Shimon, what are you learning about the Harris/Blake meeting there?</s>SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Yes, so according to the attorney for Jacob Blake, this was an hour long meeting. There were seven altogether that took part in this meeting. You had Jacob Blake Sr., you had his sister was present, and then his mother was on the phone and several other people were on the phone. And then as you said, Jacob Blake Jr. called in and there was this moment, according to the lawyers, between Kamala Harris and Jacob Blake Jr. where he told her that he was proud of her and she told him how proud she was of him for working through his pain. And she also told the family that they should use their pain to help America progress to end systemic racism. And as we know, Jacob Blake Jr. just over the weekend putting out a video describing about all of the pain that he has been in, all of the pain that he's been enduring. And then to have this moment with Senator Harris, you know, talking about the pain and talking about how proud she is of him and then him in turn talking about how proud he is of her. And as I said, that was a meeting that took place for about an hour in Milwaukee after the Senator landed there -- Pam.</s>BROWN: Let's talk about what we heard from Jacob Blake. Because we heard from him from his hospital bed for the first time since the shooting. Tell us what he said.</s>PROKUPECZ: Yes, he put out this video. He was in his gown laying in his hospital bed. And he talked about the pain that he has been suffering through. And here it is in his own words -- Pam.</s>JACOB BLAKE JR., VICTIM OF POLICE SHOOTING: Well, life and not only just your life, your legs, something that you need to move around and move forward in life, could be taken from you like this, man. It's normal pain. It hurts to breathe. It hurts to sleep. It hurts to move from side to side. It hurts to eat. Please, I'm telling you, change our lives, out there. We can stick together.</s>PROKUPECZ: And there is Jacob Blake offering words of unity telling people to stick together to continue on doing what they're doing but most importantly unity and that has been the message today from, it would seem, Senator Harris telling the family to keep fighting. And then we have it there from Jacob Blake from his own mouth, from his hospital bed talking about all of the pain that he's been through -- Pam.</s>BROWN: All right, Shimon Prokupecz live for us in Kenosha, Wisconsin, thanks, Shimon. And up next the one item that belonged to his late son Beau that Joe Biden carries with him everywhere.