Transcripts For CNNW Smerconish 20190511

Sadness came again to the denver area with a School Shooting that killed one and injured eight. For the third time in recent weeks. It wasnt congress or a s. W. A. T. Team that stopped a mass killer but in style reminiscent of flight 93, it was an american hero. This time, a student who fatally intervened to end the madness. Kellyanne conway was accused of violating the hatch act. One noted on the ethics complaint was right here on this program. And, remember, i was told to avoid partisan politics in my questioning of her, and i did. She then went there. Joe biden continues to lead the democratic field. In a new poll he has a commanding 32 lead over Bernie Sanders. The prominence of the former veeps campaign caused donald trump to give him a new moniker and the search for hunter bide ens past deals. Starbucks getting more attention from the game of thrones than Howard Schultz campaign . And the wouldbe president ial independent has been off the campaign trail reportedly recovering from back issues. The House Judiciary Committee voted to hold ag bill barr in contempt. Maybe democrats are upset about the yet fully redacted mueller report. And then the lack of ability to read the less redacted version. Five republicans have done so. And it was a republican from South Carolina richard burr who subpoenaed donald trump jr. To testify. Mueller never interviewed don junior about the Infamous Trump tower meeting. House judiciary chair jerry nadler also announced that bob mueller wont testify next week. I say forget don junior or don mcgahn. When the special counsel breaks his silence, we will learn more about his fundamental decision not to decide on obstruction, due to muellers concern that the president would fought be able to defend himself for charges that cannot be brought while in office. The president doubled tariffs on 200 billion of chinese imports. The move does not impact goods already close to our shores. So theres still time to put a deal together. Whether this is for real or part of the art of the deal remains to be seen. Yesterday brought news that the president is taking control of the fourth of july moving the site of the washington fireworks and planning to address the nation. No word on whether sean spicer will return to the white house to estimate crowd size. And finally, late last night, word that giulianis trip to ukraine will not take place. Which is good news for robert mueller. It means he wont have to investigate ukrainian meddling post2020. I want to know what you think on this issue smerconish. Com right now. The weeks question is, as follows, is the president s trade war with china a winning political issue for him . Joining me now to discuss it all, Investigative Reporter at the l. A. Times del clinton wilbur. And the New York Times julie herbfeld davis. Julie, start with the trade war, politically speaking, assess the damage. So far, we have not seen donald trump take a political hit from this trade war. In fact, what we see, you know, its quite popular with American Voters to be seen as taking it to china. Being tough on china. The big question, really, though, is these tariffs are starting to really hurt. Notwithstanding the president s enthusiasm for them saying he loves tariffs. Farmers dont love tariffs. Consumers when they start to pay higher prices for the products theyre not going to love the tariffs. And i think it may all start to hit in a very inopportune time in the election cycle. The big question is account president maintain his popularity with his base. With the effects of the tariffs kicking in. Thats a big unknown. Its not something that the spread worried about but i think its something that some of his political advisers are worrying about, and certainly, democrats see it as an opportunity to really draw distinction between themselves and the president when it comes to their approach on trade. And they are really going to point out, i think, some of the pain that people are feeling from the tariffs as the election approaches. If that continues to be the approach that the president takes. Dale, we have a graphic that shows some of the product that will be impacted. Jul julies newspaper in a lead editorial said, hey, in the end, americans, youre the ones who are going to pay for this. Speak to the trade war. You know, julie makes a really good point in the chinese dont pay the tariffs. Trump has consistently gone out and said theyre going to pay the tariffs and add all of this money to our coffers. Its the American Consumers that are going to pay more. Thats interesting down the line. Eli stokele of the l. A. Times did a fascinating story where he interviewed a bunch of farmers who despite being crimped by the tariffs in the trade war are really in with trump and its interesting to see how this plays out in the next few months and into the election period. Julie, the president was in a twitter tirade as i was coming on air today. I think 42 retweets at last count. Most of them focused on don junior and ill call them the mueller residual issues. Will you speak to the issue of donald trump jr. Being held to a subsome. And i said in my opening, offering sworn testimony is something that he didnt do at the request of bob mueller. I think its more like 60 retweets at this point. Hes definitely on a tear. Its clear to see from the tweet storm this morning and the reaction earlier in the week, that this prospect that his son might be subpoenaed and forced to appear before the congress. And you add insult to injury the person issuing the subpoena was a republican senator really bothers president trump. And there are a few reasons why. One is we already know that anything affects him personally or his family, those tend to be the things that, you know, stick in his craw the worst. More so than any political liability that he might face. The idea of sort of a member of his family having to endure this to him is very offensivoffensiv. But secondly to your point it can be very substantial. But we know that donald trump jr. Was involved in the trump tower meeting and the conversations that mueller look at, that, you know, the Congressional Committee is investigating russias interference have been, you know, probing pretty deeply. And he has a lot that he could say that might be significant if he is forced to hear under oath. So, i think, you know, theres the family sensitivity that the president has. But also a real worry about if he is compelled to appear, what donald trump jr. Might be forced to admit to. Del, Rudy Giuliani has apparently unpacked his bags. Will not be headed to the ukraine, at least not at this moment. But its a sign of, perhaps, a growing concern on the part of white house about a joe biden candidacy. Ive got any number of surveys that i could put on the screen that show joe biden far ahead of the pack. Assess that issue, if you would. Well, you know, many reporters have dug into this and my white house sources who say that biden is trumps biggest concern right now. Hes very nervous about bidens political strength maybe stealing voters from him in the midwest, the working class voters that were so instrumental to trumps win. So theyre going to try to do everything they can to knock him off his block a little bit. To try to weaken biden going into the primaries and the general election. And this is part of it. The story in ukraine was largely debunked by Bloomberg News in a fascinating story just a couple days ago, where they went and interviewed the prosecutors. And giuliani wants to go over and spark more investigation of this company that joe bidens son hunter was on the board of. But the time lines dont work out. A lot of it throwing up chap, right, to try to distract, to weaken a candidate. And that really does speak to trumps kind of concern. But it also speaks to trumps, you know, political savvy. In that hes already gaming out the system, well before democratic voters have even cast k a ballot in the primaries. Julie final word on the ukraine issue, if you will. Well, this is a way for the president and in this case, his personal lawyers are trying to use their influence to either start an investigation or make sure an investigation doesnt end into one of the president s political opponents. And Rudy Giuliani was pretty out front about what his object of this trip was going to be. Now, that is off for now. But i definitely think that theyll drag it. This is about trying to define biden before he can be defined by the voters himself. This is about trying to cut him down. And i think not incidentally, this is about the president saying youre going to involve my kids, youre going to involve my family in this whole massive investigation that he portrays as a political hoax, okay, im going to go after your family, too. Julie, well done. Del, appreciate both you being here. I want to know what you think. Go to smerconish. Com. Answer the survey question. Is the president s trade war with china a winning political issue for him. Results at the end of the hour. Heres some of what youre thinking, via, facebook, what do we have . How about those 25 tariffs on everything . Will make America Great again nation be mad at djt for increasing the price on everything at walmart . Hey, keri, there are farmers even those theyre adversely impacted already. He uses it to stand with the president. He uses it, the president , as being weak where hes standing up to china. My take, its all dependent on the economy. If the economy takes a turn as a result of this, all of a sudden it will be a great political liability. Vote smerconish. Com. Ahead, three shootings prevented by three fatal acts of bravery. When a gunman attacks, is it best to fight back . Whats the best plan . And he was a champ of the wwe. He also spent nine years in prison. Ill talk about the hasan assad. And whether excons ever get a clean slate. To fill your world with fun. To share my culture with my community. To make each journey more elegant. Im working for all the adventure two wheels can bring. At adp were designing a better way to work, so you can achieve what youre working for. You wouldnt accept an incomplete job from any one else. Why accept it from your allergy pills . Flonase sensimist relieves all your worst symptoms, including nasal congestion, which most pills dont. And all from a gentle mist you can barely feel. Flonase sensimist. You can barely feel. [outdoor ambiance] hi, mrs. Gorman. Hey, theo. Police radio i have the stolen vehicle in sight. [police siren] [police siren] [police siren] police radio onstar, its safe to slow it down. Onstar advisor mr. Grantham, this is onstar. Onstar advisor the police have your vehicle. Mr. Grantham thank you so much. Youll make my morning, buty the price ruin my day. Ou . Complicated relationship with milk . Pour on the lactaid, 100 real milk, just without that annoying lactose. Mmm, thats good. So are the traits you love about your breed, but behind them are health needs you may not see. Royal canin believes in tailored nutrition, to ensure his long back and playful spirit get the joint support they need. Or to help this gentle giant keep her heart going strong. Weve developed over 200 formulas to support the magnificence that makes them, them. Find the right formula for your pet at royalcanin. Com. Witha color change is easy. Des, nutrisse has 77. From our darkest blacks, to our lightest blondes. It nourishes while it colors. Plus avocado, olive and shea. Change a little, or a lot. Nutrisse. Nourished hair. Better color. By garnier, naturally wat t. Rowe price, hundreds of our experts go beyond the numbers to examine Investment Opportunities firsthand. Like a biotech firm that engineers a patients own cells to fight cancer. This is strategic investing. Because your investments deserve the full story. T. Rowe price. Invest with confidence. When it comes to scent, helens motto is, the more the better. So when she tried new gain scent blast detergent, she loved it. Her son loves it, and her husband loves it, too. The delivery woman . Hey you cant float everyones boat. New gain scent blast. Love it or hate it, its intense. Brushing only reaches 25 of your mouth. Listerine® cleans virtually 100 . Helping to prevent gum disease and bad breath. Never settle for 25 . Always go for 100. Bring out the bold™ just in the past two weeks, a 60yearold woman put herself between a gunman and rabbi in a california synagogue. A 21yearold student rushed a shooter at a high School Shooting. And in colorado, a student rushed a gunman. Three acts of bravery. The people who make split second decisions to thwart the gunmen to give their lives in the process. Historically, its been on drills, Arming Teachers even. But should there be more training in teaching people how to fight back. Joining me the assistant direct of alert center which stands for advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response training. Do we need to teach more about confrontation . I think we need to lay out peoples options so they can make the choice. Given that everyones situation say little different, given their proximity to threat, once that threat is made known to them. So, we provide these options. The farther away you are, yes, try to get away. Try to avoid being involved in the problem. But if you cant, what are the steps you can take . If you can barricade yourself or deny access, thats great. Or if there are people put in the case of they have no other option, we tell people, we remind them, you have a right to defense yourself. You absolutely have that right. Its not something that people give to you. Thats something that people probably have to work on more. But as weve seen in the last string of shootings, people are put in these uncomfortable situation, and doing something. Youre not helpless, and doing something can matter and did matter to many, many people that benefited from these brave acts. Do you think we can all be august to fight back. Or is there some innate aspect that you are a fight or a flight person . Well, i think its both. I think there are some people that are predecisiisposed to do of the other. I also know with the proper training there are some people that become more capable to do the things they know they need to do or want to do. But these are incredibly difficult decisions to make under that type of pressure. But i do believe that there are a few people among us, no matter where we go, theres always one or two. And thats times, oftentimes, thats all it takes. So, i like to share the message with everybody. That i accept that theyre not all going to see it the same way and theyre not going to react the same way as everybody else. And they dont have to. We just want them to know what their options are. And let them know they need to choose something. They need to do something. What they do will matter in a profound way in the last shootings. My colleague Brooke Baldwin had a remarkable interview with a twef12yearold, his nature i nate holley. I was hiding in the corner. They were right outside the door. I had my hand on a metal baseball bat just in case, because i was going to go down fighting if i was going to go down. I wonder as i watch that interview in realtime if theres a perception thats taken hold among us, even a 12yearold, hey, i need to be in the game myself. Because so many have died in these mass shootings. So, this is what im going to have to do. Quick reaction from you . Yes, sir, i agree with that. And thats not something is that we have to tell somebody or were making him come to that conclusion. He arrived at that conclusion himself. Hes in that situation, hes sizing it up, even at 12 years old, bless his heart. Hes already figuring out somethings going to happen to me, or im going to take charge and make something happen to the situation. Its going to own me or im going to own it. And that sense of ownership that people that hes kind of describing here is im going to do everything i can to shape this outcome better for myself and those around me. Because everything is at stake at that point. And thats unfortunate. Telling somebody they have a right to defend themselves is not putting them in a worse situation than theyre already in. Its actually taking steps towards improving a really bad situation. The worst thing is to do nothing. Thats a good message on which to end. Mr. Curnutt, thank you for your expertise. Up ahead, to wrestle fans hes wwe champ mvp. After youth, he spend nine years in prison after robbing a cruise ship. Hassan assad joins me live to discuss whether or not excons can ever get a clean slate. Downy unstopables but how do i know if im im getting a good deal . I tell truecar my zip and which car i want and truecar shows the range of prices people in my area actually paid for the same car so i know if im getting a great price. This is how car buying was always meant to be. This is truecar. Do excons ever get a clean slate . Consider voting, more than 6 million americans have been disenfranchised because of their criminal records. And the state with the biggest number, 1. 4 million. Florida. Last month, florida pass an amendment to reverse that policy. They did it across party lines with 64 support. But the states Gopled Legislature has passed a gill that would require exfelons to Pay Court Fines and fees and restitution. Governor ron desantis said hell sign it and republicans liken it to a poll tax because of hardships and estimate it will block 5 so,000 from being able to vote. My next guest, having spent nearly a decade in prison. As a teenager that committed Armed Robbery sold drugs. At age 16, he robbed a casino on a cruise ship. When burk was caught, he was sentenced to 8 1 2 years and changed his name to hassan assad. Got out in 1999 and found a new career. Wwe wrestling fans know him as montel vontavious porter, mvp. Hassan, am i right, up until now, youve never been permitted to vote, and will you exercise the franchise . I lost my right to vote because i was convicted of a felony at the age of 16. Before i had the right to exercise it. I absolutely intend to exercise my right to vote. You say that voting disenfranchisement is just one area of, quote, discrimination, against those who have paid their debt to society. Explain. Well, you have approximately 20 million unincarcerated convicted felons in the united states, give or take. And when youre released from prison, you want to gain access to society. You want to work. You want to find a place to live, but if youre a convicted felon, we have a segment of our society where you are legally discriminated against. Job application, have you been convicted of a felony. If you answer yes, you can be excluded as i was because of a bad decision you made. It says, when you pay your debt, you pay your debt to society. However, you never seem to pay that debt society because the way society looks cords a convicted felon. I know from your ted talk. Which i highly recommend. When you got out, you got employed at a call center. You thought you were going to get the gig but it didnt come to pass. Its funny the administrator said i scored higher than anyone she had ever seen. She was talking to me about potentially a Managerial Position and a future with the company. Shortly thereafter, a couple of men took me to a separate room and explained to me in spite of my scoring and Aptitude Test because i was a convicted felon, that company wouldnt be hiring me. And the woman went from praising me and adoring me to not speaking to me at all. And i was escorted off the property shortly thereafter. Because i was convicted of a felony. There i was trying to Reenter Society to get gainful employment, pay taxes, do things that society does because of a bad decision i made as a teenager. Its interesting to know the person who took a shot on you, who gave you that opportunity was Vince Mcmahon . Yes, i would say i have a huge level of respect for Vince Mcmahon, when society wouldnt give me an opportunity to earn a minimum wage. This man took a chance on me and gave me an opportunity to become known to millions of people throughout the world in his World Wrestling entertainment. During that time, i used that platform to speak to juvenile delinquentses. I was actually at one point, the spokesperson for the National Guard youth foundation. And i used that platform to show that convicted felons arent always going to be bad. I did everything to show i was socially redeemed. I did everything i could, volunteered my time as often as i could, to show if you are a convicted felon and you work hard enough, that you can overcome that. But i just think that we need to have a conversation in our society that changes the way we look at people who have been to prison. It seems to be politicized right away when Bernie Sanders recently talked about people in prison having the right to vote. Immediately that was equated to rapists and murderers. Well, everybody who is in prison isnt a rapist or murderer. You have people who quitted crimes. If youve been at a Cocktail Party and you had one life too many, that can change your life forever. You can become a convicted felon. Everyone in a violent offender. I feel once youve been to prison and you served your time you should be able to participate. Its my take that your right to vote should be an inalienable right. If you get sent to prison you have lost your ability to participate in society. As soon as youre back in society, you should be able to continue voting. Part of the problem is whats wrong with florida, by 2 to 1 margin, voterses voted to restore the rights of felons. Along party lines, legislation was added if you dont pay your court costs then you effectively are still excluded from voting. What a lot of people dont know, in the state of florida, in 98 there was a constitutional amendment that mandated that all florida courts are funded by fines and fees. So, in many cases, judges arent even imposing these, county clerks are. So, you essentially are excludes from being able to participate in the process, because you cant afford to. The amendment was very clear. Once you finish serving your time in prison or probation, your right to vote would be restored. But now, if youre a low level cocaine trafficker, you can be sentenced you can have fines imposed on you from the tens to the hundreds of thousands of dollars per count which potentially could mean you could never afford to vote again. And when you take into consideration in the state of florida, there are dead collectors who allowed to add up to 20 fees to these costs, its exorbita exorbitant. Where the idea is to help convicted felons be able to participate in the democratic process, this legislation goes out of its way to exclude those people. Hassan, i really appreciate your perspective. The ted talk is an eyeopener. I hope people will google it. Watch it. Ill put it in my twitter feed. Thank you, michael. Im a big fan. Keep doing what you do. I want to remind everyone to answer the survey question. Is the president s trade war with china a winning political issue for him . Still to come, growing up i worked countless summer jobs as many of my fellow teenagers and why is the number that do down more than 50 from those days. And are the female counts encountering a different scrutiny than their marle counterparties. Plus, i was as nervous as hell. I want to show you my acting debut. I was mad as hell and im not going to take this anymore im mad as hell and im not automatic dirt disposal empties the roomba bin for you. So dirt is off your hands. If its not from irobot, its not a roomba. A lot will happen in your life. Wrinkles just wont. Neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repairs dermproven retinol works so fast, it takes only one week to reveal younger looking skin. Neutrogena® plants capture co2. What if other kinds of plants captured it too . If these industrial plants had technology that captured carbon like trees we could help lower emissions. Carbon capture is Important Technology and experts agree. Thats why were working on ways to improve it. So plants. Can be a little more. Like plants. After my. I wondered,. Is another one around the corner. Or could it be different than i thought . I wanted to help protect myself. My doctor recommended eliquis. Eliquis is proven to treat and help prevent another dvt or pe blood clot. Almost 98 percent of patients on eliquis didnt experience another. And eliquis has significantly less major bleeding than the standard treatment. Eliquis is fdaapproved and has both. Dont stop eliquis unless your doctor tells you to. Eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. Dont take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. If you had a spinal injection while on eliquis call your doctor right away if you have tingling, numbness, or muscle weakness. While taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily. And it may take longer than usual for bleeding to stop. Seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. Eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. Tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. Whats around the corner could be surprising. Ask your doctor about eliquis. Another wireless ad. Great. So many of them are full of this complicated, tricky language about their network and offers and blah blah blah. Look. Sprints going to do things differently. And let you decide for yourself. Theyre offering a new 100 total satisfaction guarantee. Try it out and see the savings. If you dont love it, get your money back. See . Simple. Now sprints unlimited plan comes with one of the newest phones included for just 35 a month. So switch now. For people with hearing loss, visit sprintrelay. Com where have all of the summer jobs for teens gone . When i was in high school, i worked a wide range of jobs, dishwasher and ice cream parlor. It was called philip arthurs. Newspaper delivery man for the old bulletin. Mcdonalds maintenance man. Pool and Patio Furniture delivery person. It was for mountain pool and patio. There it is. Heck, when i was younger, i did magic shows at five bucks a pop. I had every conceivable job. One summer in college, a buddy and i, dave mcfarland, we painted curbs and solicited one dollar donations using a flier we hung on a doorknob. So i was surprised, disappointed, actually that my High School Days were the heyday of summer jobs. In 1978, 60 were looking for jobs. Last summer, 35 . What the heck happened . No, theyre not lazier. Theyre not a generation of lingerers. Teens are spending more time in school and taking more summer classes. Competition for jobs. There are more lowskilled immigrant workers and older retirees who are now competing for the kinds of jobs that teenagers used to do. And with minimum wage on the rise, employers are disensen t disincentivized from hiring teens. And also the increased competition to get into college the cultural norm is shifting away from things like life guarding and retail towards classes and volunteerism. Maybe im just nostalgic, but i feel like a crucial part of American Teenage life has gone missing. Social media reaction continues to come in. Make sure youre going to my twitter and facebook page. Smerconish, you worked at the golden arches, i was in the french frying legion at burger king. I couldnt wait to make money. Had an afternoon paper route. Hey, hammer, yeah, at mcdonne mcdonnelalds and proud of it. But its theyre focused on whats going to look good on a resume, instead of flipping burgers. Still to come, an unprecedented number of women are running for president but are they getting judged differently than theyre male counterparts . Whats up with the likability factor . A lot will happen in your life. Wrinkles just wont. Neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repairs dermproven retinol works so fast, it takes only one week to reveal younger looking skin. Neutrogena® [spanish recording] so again, using para, youre talking about something that is for someone. Pretty good. Could listening to audible inspire you to start something new . Download audible and listen for a change. only tylenol® rapid release gels have laser drilled holes. They release medicine fast, for fast pain relief. Tylenol®. Our mission is to provide complete, balanced nutrition for strength and energy whoohoo greattasting ensure. With nine grams of protein and twentysix vitamins and minerals. Ensure, for strength and energy. So, what do you notice about these descriptions from media outlets, joe biden said to have crossover appeal. Bernie sanders, immune to intimidation. Pete buttigieg, very authentic. Harris, hard to define, klobuchar, mean. And a provocative essay for the New York Times. Joining me the author is a professor of history at the new school. Professor, thanks for being here. I paid close attention to the reaction of your times essay. Posting a comment, ill just summarize. It says, wait a minute, bill clinton was more likable and successful than hillary because when he spoke, he focused on you. He smiled. You began to think he was talking to you and nobody else in the room. Is it more than just sexism . Or are some people just better retail politicians . Well, obviously, some people are better retail politicians, michael. But in the name, women find it almost impossible to break into the category of likability. In fact, i would challenge anyone in the audience to find one female candidate in this election cycle who has been defined as likable, whereas numerous male candidates are defined as likable. Beer test. Is that inherently inanonymous with likability . When we refer to, which one would you like to have a beer with . Is that code for what you and i are discussing . Oh, absolutely. And i think we have to think about it in terms of, you know, who traditionally hangs out in bars, right . Blue collar men. Thats really the target audience for a certain candidate like joe biden that the Democratic Party is trying to woo right now. In general when it comes to describing candidates if you look at for example, matt stevens article in the New York Times yesterday about an drew yan drew yang is described as too nice. You dont have to get too deep in the article for one of his asianamerican supporters to say, well, actually asianamerican men are often seen as very feminine. So theres something about the feminine that really excludes candidates from the circle of likability. Theres a part of this that reminds me as my days as a trial lawyer, when if i had a female client, if i had a female witness, sometimes, i was loathe to have a jury stacked with women. Because women can be very harsh judges of females. President trump won more than half of white females in the last election against hillary clinton. Will you speak to that . Yeah, i certainly will. I think women can be very hard on other women. I would like to note that over 90 of black women, actually, did vote for hillary clinton. So theres something in particular about white women who are measuring women against the criteria that is option exclusively male. But i would sort of add to that, i think women, in general, whether they are sort of voting for a women candidate or voting exclusively against a woman candidate, are very much on the defensive in society. One of the things ive seen as people have responded to my article is a great many women being very defensive about how they themselves are positioned in society. I think thats why it hit such a nerve. Should likability matter at all . When you and i spoke on my sirius xm radio program, more than one caller said, boy, when i need a surgeon, i could care less if theyre likable. I just want to make sure theyre competent and know what theyre doing. Yeah, well, likability really came into politics in 1952 in the eisenhower campaign. And Dwight Eisenhower was one of the first candidates to hire an agency to promote him as likable. You see that likability when television begins to take over as a medium where candidates are proposalsing themselves. So likability is important in terms of how youre shopping your narrative. You really see Campaign Managers saying by the 1960s nobody is go together vote for somebody they dont like. Likability is absolutely important. The question is how do we expand the category to include women. Professor, well done. Thank you for being here. Thank you very much for having me, michael. Still to come, your best and worst tweets and facebook comments. What do we got, from facebook . Absolutely sexist. When will we ever get past this way of judging women. Yet people who voted for trump. Who could have more flaws than trump. How about my last point with professor potter which is maybe likability shouldnt come into it at all because the most competent among us who could be great chief executives including of the nation get by passed in the process. Actually that was your point. Well give you the results of the survey questions. I hope you voted. Is the president s trade war with china a winning political issue for him . Still ahead, wait till you see this, last night at a charter benefit, i did my best to recreate the classic news anchor movie scene from network. How did i do . Heres how rehearsal went. I want all of you to get up out of your chairs right now. Go to the window, stick it outside stick it outside. Even if you skipped half of it because you got lost, no ones going to know as long as you get that line out at the end. Just tell them to thank the academy. I dont think the awards have to take place. music throughout youll make my morning, buty the price ruin my day. Ou . Complicated relationship with milk . Pour on the lactaid, 100 real milk, just without that annoying lactose. Mmm, thats good. Onmillionth order. R. There goes our first big order. 44, 45, 46. How many of these did they order . Ooh, thats hot. You know, we could sell these. Nah. We dont bake. Opportunity. What we deliver by delivering. I certainly dont consider myself to be an actor, but to help charity, okay, ill go outside my comfort zone. Thats what i did last night, come being with other local luminaires here in philly, recreating iconic scenes from pop culture. Actor peter finch won an oscar posthumously for this war. I want you do get up now. I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up right now and go to the window, open it, and stick your head out and yell, im as mad as hell and im not going to take this anymore. All right. Brace yourself. Heres my effort. Roll it. Youve got to say im a human being, goddamnit. My life has value. And so i want you no. I want you to get up now out of your seat. Now, get up, please, out of your seat. In fact, i want all of you to get up out of your seats now and i i want you to repeat after me and say im mad as hell and im not going to take it anymore im mad as hell and im not going to take it anymore [ cheers and applause ] Bryan Cranston has nothing to worry about on broadway, right . Thank you, paige price and the philadelphia theater company. That was fun, but i was scared to death. I was drained backstage from being so darn nervous. China, a winning political issue for him. Survey says 9,239 votes and counting. The yeses, 28 , the noes, 72 . I wonder if hes watching this morning. Here are some of the thoughts on what we have. The confrontation of china more importantly, though, this isnt about politics. This is about america. If america wins, kiss liberty goodbye. Honorary american, i think its all about the economy. The president , by the way, probably doing what others have not done in their role, which is stand up to the intellectual theft of the economy. But if the economy takes a turn, it will become a big net negative. It remains to be seen. The jury is still out. What else do we have . Well, michael, youve done it again. I was among those who laughed at the thought of restoring rights to felons. Now im open to the conversation. Im like you. If theyre all likembp and hasan assad, give them the right to vote. Im also aware we warehouse, we dont rehabilitate. One more, quickly, if ive got time. Excons need a clean record for a lon time before they should expect folks to trust them again. Part of the cross they must bear to fully understand the need to change for the better. But how much time needs to go off the clock . I mean i think he raises issues. Join me for my American Life in columns tour. I will not be acting. Washington, d. C. , june 3rd, denver, colorado, june 23rd, see you in sunnyvale, october 1. You can catch up with us any time at cnn go and on demand. Ill see you next week. Multisurface rubber brushes to grab and remove pet hair. And the roomba filter captures 99 of dog and cat allergens. If its not from irobot, its not a roomba. Todays Senior Living communities have never been better, with amazing amenities like movie theaters, exercise rooms and swimming pools, public cafes, bars and bistros even pet care services. And theres never been an easier way to get great advice. A place for mom is a free service that pairs you with a local advisor to help you sort through your options and find a perfect place. A place for mom. You know your family we know Senior Living. Together well make the right choice. A lot will happen in your life. Wrinkles just wont. Neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repairs dermproven retinol works so fast, it takes only one week to reveal younger looking skin. Neutrogena® Rheumatoid Arthritis or Psoriatic Arthritis. When considering another treatment, ask about xeljanz xr, a oncedaily pill for adults with moderate to severe Rheumatoid Arthritis or active Psoriatic Arthritis for whom methotrexate did not work well enough. It can reduce pain, swelling, and significantly improve physical function. Xeljanz xr can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. Serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened. As have tears in the stomach or intestines, serious allergic reactions, low blood cell counts, higher liver tests and cholesterol levels. Dont start xeljanz xr if you have an infection. Your doctor should perform blood tests before and while taking xeljanz xr, and monitor certain liver tests. Tell your doctor if youve been somewhere fungal infections are common and if you have had tb, hepatitis b or c, or are prone to infections. Dont let another morning go by without asking your doctor about xeljanz xr. Why go with anybody else . We know their rates are good, we know that theyre always going to take care of us. It was an instant savings and i should have changed a long time ago. Were the tenneys and were usaa members for life. Call usaa to start saving on insurance today. Another wireless ad. Great. And were usaa members for life. So many of them are full of this complicated, tricky language about their network and offers and blah blah blah. Look. Sprints going to do things differently. And let you decide for yourself. Theyre offering a new 100 total satisfaction guarantee. Try it out and see the savings. If you dont love it, get your money back. See . Simple. Now sprints unlimited plan comes with one of the newest phones included for just 35 a month. So switch now. For people with hearing loss, visit sprintrelay. Com good morning. So grateful to have you here. Its saturday, may 11th, 2019. Im christi paul. And im Martin Savidge in very victor black. Youre in the cnn newsroom. The house ways and Means Committee has now issued a s p giving the irs a week to lift the lid on president trumps financial records. Iran answers with more missiles. President trump says its all coming with a message. And back in the u. S. , across the south, millions of