Hello again, everyone. Thanks so much for joining me. Im Fredricka Whitfield in washington, d. C. Its the meeting that just wont go away. More than two years later, the story is still evolving on the in infamous 2016 trump tower meeting. President trump now taking a firm stance on the true purpose of the meeting, tweeting, in fact, today, this was a meeting to get information on an opponent, totally legal and done all the time in politics and it went nowhere. That message very far from the initial statement from donald trump jr. That we later learned was dictated by President Trump himself, saying this, we primarily discussed a program about the adoption of russian children, with no mention of dirt on Hillary Clinton. So this shift comes as sources tell cnn the president is concerned about his son becoming entangled in the russia probe. Cnns white house correspondent
wrong. Reporter while the white house has had difficulty sticking to the script, the president maintained again in that tweet today that he had no knowledge of that june 2016 meeting in trump tower. Though, sources have told cnn that his former Attorney Michael Cohen is prepared to testify to Robert Mooueller that the president not only knew about it but approved it. Boris sanchez, thank you so much. Lets talk more about this. Not everyone in the gop is ready to end what the president calls a rigged witch hunt. Listen to senator marco rubio talking about the russia investigation this morning. I believe it is the best interest of the president and of the United States of america and the American People for that investigation to run the course for all the truth to come out. I think its the best thing that could happen for him and the country. All right. Joining me right now, cnn contributor and former General Counsel for the federal election commission, larry noble. Also here, time magazine
contributor jay newton small. So jay, what kind of political consequences could the president , you know, face here . Because the story, this is like a game of pingpong. It just keeps going back and forth. No one looks good here because everyone, while theyre coming up with a new story, theyre al also admitting they just didnt Tell The Truth. I think the whole point of this is to muddy the waters. Its sort of to be able to give people the ability to choose your own adventure here. If you want door number one, door number two. But thats what they need, for the base voters to believe some version of their ending. Like, this is fake news, this is not at all in some way he was never involved, didnt know the meeting was happening, Wasnt About Russian Meddling in the ler elections. Just muddying the water with so many different versions that people dont know what to
The latest news from around the world with host Fredricka Whitfield. At first the appearances were to protect the candidate, the president. Then protect the son by the president getting involved in the statement. And now the president changing the story. And jay sekulow falling on the sword. Bottom line is all of this now is about protecting the family. No longer just about protecting the president. Thats what it looks like. Im not i may be a bit cynical. Im not 100 convinced that if it came down to what part are you cynical about . All of it. Whether or not it came down to producti protecting donald trump jr. Or himself. Even the statement that donald trump jr. Didnt know about any of this or it was perfectly legal, hes still saying he didnt know anything. He, the president , didnt know anything. I thought it was interesting jay sekulow did what Rudy Giuliani had to do, which was say, i spoke without knowing the facts. Would find out what the client had to say before i would make any public statements. And even if theyre going to say, i dont have everything yet, but this is what i can tell you thats not what happened here. I dont know many lawyers that go out there voluntarily without the facts and make statements and then have to withdraw them. More likely they were told something. And they could get disbarred for that, for making untruthful statements. Its particularly dangerous for his lawyers in this case versus just staff. Its different if sean spicer comes out and says, well, the president fired comey because, you know, because of the investigation into Hillary Clinton and then the president tweets three days later, no, it was because of the russia investigation and sean is revealed as basically either knowingly lying or inadvertently lying. With lawyers, its different because you are expected to be fully briefed, fully read in, and to responsibly Tell The Truth as an officer of the court. Thats a real danger for them. Jay, larry, good to see you both. Thanks so much. Still ahead, venezuelas president says he was the target of an assassination attempt. The attackers targeting him with explosives mounted on a drone. Who he believes might be responsible, next. How do you win at business . Stay at la quinta. Where were changing with stylish makeovers. Then at your next meeting, set your seat height to its maximum level. Bravo, tall meeting man. Start winning today. Book now at lq. Com start winning today. The world is full of different hair. Thats why pantene has the perfect conditioners for everyone. From airlight foam, to nourishing 3 minute miracle, to the moistureinfusing gold series. We give more women great hair days every day. Pantene. Electronic Dance Music
broadcast live on the venezuelan Governments National tv network, and the footage clearly shows the camera shaking. Were seeing the moment there. The president and first lady and the top Military Command surrounding him rattled by some sort of blast. Then there was a second explosion, and soldiers broke ranks and scattered. Video also shows bodyguards surrounding president Maduro With Shields and taking him off the stage. The official version is drones armed with explosives detonated near the president. Maduro himself reappearing on national tv hours later saying he was the target of an assassination attempt, fred. So hes also blamed the United States, right, in some way for involvement in this. So what extent . So he says that those responsible for planning and financing the attack are people who live in florida. Theres a lot of venezuelan immigrants in florida, but he didnt accuse the u. S. Government directly. But this is what National Security adviser john bolton said this morning about the issue. I can say unequivocally there was no u. S. Government involvement in this at all. If the government of venezuela has hard information that they want to present to us that would show a potential violation of u. S. Criminal law, well take a serious look at it. But in the meantime, i think what we really should focus on is the corruption and the oppression of the maduro regime in venezuela. And meanwhile, fred, the economic crisis in venezuela is growing worse and worse. The International Monetary fund says that inflation there is going to hit 1 million percent this year. Back to you. Rafael romo, thank you so much. All right. Still ahead, both drrtemocrats republicans working to clearly define who they are in the run up to the midterm elections. Will both parties be able to put aside internal fights to pull out a big win in november . Thats next. Keep it comin love. If you keep on eating, well keep it comin. All you can eat riblets and tenders at applebees. Now thats eatin good in the neighborhood. Omar, check this out. Uh, yeah, i was calling to see if you do laser hair removal. For men. Notice that my hips are off the ground. [ Engine Revving ] and then, im Gonna Pike My hips back into downward dog. [ rhythmic tapping ] hey, the rain stopped. A bad day on the road still beats a good one off it. Tell me about that dental procedure again i can still taste it in my mouth progressive helps keep you out there. That alternates between harmonized scents for a continuous renewal of fragrance. Plus, febreze plug is formulated with odorclear technology, which cleans away odors instead of just masking them. For freshness youll notice week after week, try febreze plug. [sfx mouse click] at crowne plaza, we know Business Travel isnt just business. Theres this. A bit of this. Why not . Your hotel should make it easy to do all the things you do. Which is what we do. Crowne plaza. Were all business, mostly. Because this should be just a slam dunk and its not. And for democrats, its not just about the 2018 midterms. Possible rivals to trump in 2020 are trying to set themselves ahead of the pack, like senator Elizabeth Warren. The rich and powerful propfi when the Government Works for them. The best way is to set working people against each other. So they have become the experts at the politics of division. Frankly, it might be the one thing that donald trump is really good at. That and kissing up to twobit dictators. All right. The question for both sides, shift to the extremes or battle for the middle . Joining me now, cnn political congressmen today or and democratic strategist maria
cardona. Good to see you both. You too, fred. So maria, you first on the democratic side. Heres what congressional candidate Alexandria Cortez says democrats should be doing. Swing voters dont vote for the person whos moderate enough, the person whos most timid, the person who backs down from their starting point. That is not who the Swing Voter Votes for. The Swing Voter Votes for authenticity. The Swing Voter Votes for the person they think is championing them the most. The Swing Voter Votes for the person who thinks puts themself first. The swing voter, as was mentioned earlier, as ive been saying on the campaign trail, is not just red to blue, its nonvoter to voter. Thats our swing voter. All right. So shes talking about the swing voter. You know, swinging for voting for authenticity. Is she right . Is it not an issue of right down the middle . No, i think shes exactly right. I think the reason why democrats have done so well up until now, weve swung from red to blue 43 state legislative seats. We won conor lambs district. There are 119 districts that are more progressive than conor lambs district. We only need to flip 23 of them in order to take over the house. The reason why democrats were doing so well is because they are responding to the constituents in their districts, in their races. What are they saying . It depends what the district is. For example, you have ocasiocortez it sounds much better when you say it. Im not going to try. Thank you. But she will most likely win her seat. Why . Because she inspired. She was authentic to the voters in her district. Conor lamb won his seat. Why . Because he was authentic and he spoke to the voters in his district. It doesnt have to be one side or the other. As long as you are speaking to
the needs and the passions of the people in your district, you are going to do well. Thats why i think democrats are doing well. There are, i think, probably three themes that bring everything together. Health care. It is a huge issue in a lot of these districts because we see republicans time and again trying to take Health Care Away from millions of americans. You have the economy. Even though the numbers might look good on paper, you have a lot of people who for which the economy is not doing them as good as it should. And you have this Culture Of Corruption and the divisive politics Elizabeth Warren was talking about. John kasich sees it a different way. He says there are obstacles for both republicans and democrats. Listen. So i think donald trump decides where he wants to go. I think they think theyre firing up the base. But at the same time he comes in here, i was with some women last night who said, hey, you know what, im not voting. And theyre republicans. Im not voting for the republican. This is the problem the party
has now. The problem the democrats have is i dont know what their message is, george. You tell me. Its sort of like antitrump but no message. You cant win elections if you dont have all right. So hes saying both parties have an identity crisis. Do you see it that way . I do. With republicans, it comes down to me to, say, the first friday of every month. We generally get pretty good, if not outstanding, jobs numbers. The previous friday we had really good gdp numbers. Thats what republican congressional candidates want to talk about, growing jobs and growing wages. Instead, the first friday of every month, or as were talking about today, were not talking about jobs and the economy because donald trump has tweeted something. What he hasnt tweeted is about how republican policies or his policies are driving the economy, driving jobs, which is a great message for republicans. Instead, we talk about all kind of weird things about russia, which takes republican candidates off message. I will say also with aoc, which is an easier way to refer to her, at least for me you just dont want to say it. I disagree a little bit with
what maria said. Shes not speaking to the voters of her district. Shes speaking to voters of netroot nations or in california or in the midwest. Shes trying to be the international or national superstar for democrats right now. She has a congressional race to win. She needs to focus on that. So in other words, youre saying the message is being crafted about by the geography. Its not just about the economy, which really is a kind of universal concern, just as health care as you mentioned. But geography is going to make a big difference. So the strategy of the campaign, the message for republicans and democrats is going to be different. I think thats exactly right. Even though ocasiocortez is speaking to the progressives in the party and not necessarily literally speaking to them right now and not in new york, she is reflecting the reason why she got elected. What shes trying to do, which i think is smart, is to fire up the progressive base. It doesnt mean that shes going to go and, for example, shes not going to be in ohio this
tuesday in the special election we have there, right. Again, it is all about geography. Youre going to speak democrats are speaking to the issues and to the voters that are in their districts. But i think the reason why i believe democrats have the advantage even though this is not going to be easy, its not a slam dunk by any means, i dont like talking about a blue wave because we need every single voter we can get, and we cannot take anything for granted. But the reason i think that there is as much energy and mobilization as there is, is because for the most part, historically, midterms are about the president in power. The president Kurnltcurrently Ir has horrible approval ratings. He is dividing american against american, ethnicity against ethnicity, Socioeconomic Status against Socioeconomic Status. You see in poll after poll that americans Want Congress to be a check on the president , not a blank check on the president , which is what a lot of spineless, cowardly republicans
that are in office right now have been doing. So doug, are there internal divisions within the party . Not just the Republican Party but Democrat Party too, which really might stand in the way of clear messaging . Sure. If you look at what happened in the new york primary, two very different visions of what the Democratic Party would be. A bit of chickens before theyre matched with joe crowley. Again, this is where were going to find out whos the most motivated and whether or not the trump voter essentially acts as an obama voter, meaning when their candidate is on the ballot, they are there and they are enthusiastic and motivated, but when their candidate isnt on the ballot, as with obama in 2010 and 2014, they dont show up. By comparison, when i worked at the Republican National committee in 2010, our magic number for obama was 46. We felt if he was below that, wed take back the house. He was at 45. Trump is obviously well below that. We also know theres a silent trump vote, people who vote for trump who dont want to say they do. Then its all going to come down to base motivation. This is not going to be about the middle. Whats interesting about what
youre saying is the other challenge i think were seeing with republicans are women. You see republican women that are leaving the Republican Party in droves. What do we see on the front pages lately . The family separation issue. The family separation issue. If you ask suburban republican women, this disgusts you and you do not want to be affiliated with a party that supports that. And we have republican women on the ballot losing in tough races. Whatever happens, well have less women. Maria, doug, well keep it there. Thanks. All right. A fraying relationship between the u. S. And iran. President trump is poised to impose new sanctions tomorrow, but does iran still have leverage . Thats next. And from enron to the Subprime Mortgage Crisis to b bernie madoff, the 2000s were a time of economic turmoil. See how it all unfolded in a new episode of the 2000s tonight
at 9 00 p. M. Ield fixed. With safelite, you can see exactly when well be there. Saving you time for what you love most. Kids whoa kids vo safelite repair, safelite replace i love you, basement guest bathroom. Your privacy makes you my number 1 place to go number 2. I love you, but sometimes you stink. Febreze air effects doesnt just mask, it cleans away odors. Because the things you love the most can stink. And try Febreze Small Spaces to clean away odors for up to 30 days. Breathe happy with febreze. Military exercises in a key Shipping Lane in the persian gulf. With me right here is aaron david miller, a cnn Global Affairs analyst and was an adviser to the white house in his two decades at the u. S. State department. Good to see you. Good to see you. Lets talk about these sanctions on the horizon, really right around the corner. How impactful might that be . Does that impose some leverage the u. S. Might have over iran . First of all, a lot of pain for the iranian economy. Inflation is up, employment is up. 70 of the Purchasing Power over the Working Class has declined over the last couple years. Yes, its going to cause extreme economic dislocation. The real question is whats the purpose of this . I was going to say, whats the idea . Thats the whole point. Is it to moderate the regimes behavior, force it back to the Negotiating Table . Or forget regime behavior mod any kag modification . I think the administration would like to change the regime, but i
dont think this is going to do it. When the president said i am willing to meet and im no psychologist, but the demeanor was a little different. The demeanor said, you know, im willing to talk as opposed to i am putting myself in a position where im going to talk to you. Does that make a difference . How is it received from irans Point Of View after hes, you know, pulled the u. S. Out of the agreement and then says, lets talk . Badly. The iranians clearly and lets be clear. This is a repressive regime, a human rights abuser. So theres no brief for the Iranian Regime visavis the iranian public. I think the president is right. I think we should be talking to the iranians, if only to mitigate the possibilities of an inadvertent or even willful confrontation, which i think would be a disaster. You have to figure out what youre going to talk about. Having just resigned, taken the
United States out of the Iranian Nuclear deal in may, theres great suspicion and profound mistrust. So with an agenda, sure. The question is what is that agenda . So these Military Exercises in the strait of hormuz, is this irans way preemptive to the sanctions to say, we will not be bullied . These Training Exercises have been run for years. These exercises in the gulf. Whats significant about this latest round is far from sparking the possibility of a confrontation, people have decided on both sides to sort of low key this. But yeah, its a demonstration, here we are. And well defend our interests to the extent that theyre able to do that. Whats your prediction . Will the u. S. And iran go to the table, go to the mat . A lot of people are predicting a la kim jongun, a summit somewhere in the middle east within the next year. Unpredictable, volatile administration. But i dont think so. This is not north korea. This is president obamas agreement. For that reason alone, i think this particular president is going to be very wary of staying
away from an agreement and the iranians. Aaron david miller, always good to see you. Fred, and you too. Thanks so much. The Catholic Church making its stance clear on the Death Penalty. Next, more on the popes new ruling that could affect u. S. Politics. Sometimes a day at the ballpark is more than just a day at the ballpark. Stadium pa all military members stand and be recognized. Sometimes fans cheer for those who wear a different uniform. No matter where or when you served, tmobile stands ready to serve you. Thats why were providing half off family lines to all military. I receive travel rewards. Going new places. oh going out for a bite. Going anytime. Rewarded learn more at theexplorercard. Com
dignity of the person. The pontiff went on to say that christians should work with determination for the abolition of the Death Penalty worldwide. Joining me right now, cnn religious commentator father edward beck. Father, good to see you. Thanks, fred. To put this in context for us, how significant would this change be . Fred, its very significant because it used to be this small loophole in catholic teaching that said if you needed to protect society against an unjust aggressor, that was the only reason, then possibly Capital Punishment was permitted. But we all know with modern incarceration means, you dont need to kill someone in order to protect society against the aggressor. So pope francis has said, no, this does not stand. Under no conditions. Everyones Human Dignity must be respected, and they must not be put to death, no matter what the cause. So its a big change because
politicians and others who have used that little loophole, well, the church says that you can in this instance, they no longer have that. Pope francis says there are no instances where its permissible. So any idea what provoked this change now . Well, its been coming for some time. I think youll remember when pope francis was here in 2015. He spoke before congress, and he said, i want to work toward abolishing Capital Punishment worldwide. He said that to all those gathered. But Church Teaching takes some time to evolve and put into practice. John paul ii talked about it. Benedict talked about it. Now finally it is happening as legality, as part of the law of the church. Ive heard, fred, some say, well, its probably to deflect from all the abuse stuff thats back in the news again. Im not sure if politically that is a reason or not, but certainly its a great opportunity to focus on where the church is supposed to be and
the mission its supposed to be about and pope francis has used that opportunity. And hes a pope that pays attention to politics. Meantime, 53 of catholics in the u. S. Support the Death Penalty. Theres also the Roman CatholicGovernor Of Nebraska who has worked significantly on imposing the Death Penalty in his state. In fact, nebraska is scheduled to execute a prisoner in just nine days. It would be the states first execution in 21 years. The governor has acknowledged the popes perspective but is proceeding with the execution. So is there a way in which to kind of explain this conflict . Fred, i have to tell you this really bothers me. I mean, the governor, a catholic, is on very rickety moral ground. There is no moral ground for what hes saying. This is a state in 2015 that abolished the Death Penalty. This governor worked with his
own money. He put 300,000 of his own family money into a referendum to bring back the Death Penalty. This is a supposed catholic now. Im sure he may have his reasons, but no one has been executed in nebraska for 21 years. Now in seven days or ten days, theyre going to execute somebody. Guess whos up for reelection . Hes made Capital Punishment one of his platforms. So i cant help but think this smells a little to me. This governor not only this governor, but for him to call himself a catholic and listen to the pope, he can obey the law and he can give a stay of execution. He can grant clemency. He doesnt have to execute Somebody Just because its even the law of the state. But hes worked to make that there. Pope francis cannot agree that a politician, this governor, can do father beck, thank you so much for being with us. Now to some other top stories were following. Crews are sifting through wreckage after a drain derailed in pittsburgh, after the train flew off the tracks, crashing into a Port Authority rail right around 1 00. Officials say there were no injuries. All rail service into and out of the city is now suspended. Officials anticipate a long rush hour tomorrow morning. And other stories. The childhood home of the late holocaust survivor was vandalized with antisemitic graffiti. It happened in romania, an investigation is under way and police already have a list of suspects according to the county council. The National Institute for studying the holocaust in r romania did an act grow test. And now we know it was tires scraping the asphalt that starred the carr fire in california. You can see here just how quickly the fire is spreading. We have sped up this image for you, but take note of the dates turning in the top right corner. It moved fast, turning anything it touched into ash. It is now the sixth most destructive wildfire in californias history and continues burning nearly two weeks later. And the search for a missing toddler led to the rescue of 11 children who police say were living in heart breaking conditions. Police raided a makeshift compound in new mexico, looking for a 3yearold who has been missing since november 2017. There they found 11 children that official say looked like
third world country refugees. Their words, the kids range in ages from 1 to 15 years old. They were found in Living Conditions with no running water. Two men were taken into custody. And authorities believe the women are the childrens mothers. Its not only President Trump choosing some star studded survivors. Up nex ed roads named park in the u. S. Its americas most popular street name. But no matter what park you live on, one of 10,000 local Allstate Agents knows yours. Now that you know the truth, are you in good hands . Keep it comin love. If you keep on eating, well keep it comin. All you can eat riblets and tenders at applebees. Now thats eatin good in the neighborhood. Just for a shot. With Neulasta Onpro patients get their dayr back to be with family, or just to sleep in. Strong chemo can put you at risk of serious infection. In a key study neulasta reduced the risk of infection from 17 to 1 , a 94 decrease. Neulasta onpro is designed to deliver neulasta the day after chemo and is used by most patients today. Neulasta is for certain Cancer Patients receiving strong chemotherapy. Do not take neulasta if youre allergic to it or Neupogen Filgrastim . An incomplete dose could increase infection risk. Ruptured spleen, sometimes fatal as well as serious Lung Problems allergic reactions, Kidney Injuries and Capillary Leak Syndrome have occurred. Report abdominal or shoulder tip pain, Trouble Breathing or allergic reactions to your doctor right away. In patients with sickle cell disorders, serious, sometimes fatal crises can occur. The most common side effect is bone and muscle ache. Ask your doctor about Neulasta Onpro. Pay no more than 25 per dose with copay card. How can i share new plans virtually . How can i download an efile . Virtual tours . Zipfile . Really big files . In seconds, not minutes. Just like that. Like everything. The answer is simple. Ill do what ive always done. Dream more, dream faster, and above all. Now, ill dream gig. Now more businesses, in more places, can afford to dream gig. Comcast, building americas largest gigspeed network. A book that youre ready to share with the world . Get published now, call for your free publisher kit today . Well, another Hollywood Star is finding his way into politics and the white house is no stranger to star power. Just last month, Kim Kardashian made her way into the oval office. Singer s kid rock and Ted Nugen Have visited the white house. Even kanye west had some time with President Trump inside trump tower in new york. And it was Actor Sylvester Stallone who convinced trump to pardon the late boxer jack johnson. But this time, an American Actor caught the attention of russian president Vladimir Putin. Cnns Matthew Chance has more. It may be his controlled application of extreme violence that endears Steven Seagal so much to the russian authorities. His direct to video movies like this one driven to kill at about
a russian mobster are certainly popular. The actors latest role, though, as a diplomat seems strangely out of character. But the friendship between seagal and russias real life tough guy Vladimir Putin has been long standing. The russian leader himself a judo black belt, awarding the u. S. Martial artist a passport in 2016 after seagal had relentlessly asked according to russian officials. Seagal has also been an outspoken supporter of russian policy, like its Annexation Of Crimea from ukraine, even taking to the stage there in 2014, at a charity concert, which he hinte. My greatest desire is to
bring people together, it always has been, and music is the language of the gods, its the one language that all people understand, its the one language that brings all people together. Reporter bringing himself together with the leaders of the soviet union has become a pass time. Seagal has been seen eating carrots with bellarus, the last dictator of russia. Seagal has been involved in facilitating russian contacts too. Back in 2013, he says he played a role in bringing a u. S. Congressional delegation to russia, in the after math of the Boston Marathon bombing carried out by chechen brothers. They asked me about that meeting and i knew about that meeting before they did. Thats the truth. The Russian Foreign ministry