Latest Breaking News On - Matt lew lewis - Page 1 : vimarsana.com

Transcripts For CNNW CNN Newsroom With Fredricka Whitfield 20170401

and take a look at it. it says a real donald trump is bringing back plants and jobs to michigan. justin, who is a congressman from michigan, is a big liability. and then scavino essentially calls out the trump train asking them to defeat him in a primary. now donald trump is kind of talking broadly about perhaps taking on some of these freedom caucus members in primaries in the next two years, but never have they specifically called out a member of congress. one of the bigger critics of the trump administration seems to be the first person in their sights showing that this white house is prepared to take on people within their own party if they feel they need to. >> all right. interesting strategy. ryan nobles at the white house. thank you so much. appreciate that. let's talk more about all of this with cnn political commentator matt lewis. also a senior columnist with the daily beast and lynn swede with the "chicago sun-times." we're seeing a threat from the president in terms of saying he's using the dems as kind of like a -- dangling a carrot there. if you aren't going to work with me, i'm going to worth with the dems. he's offering specific criticism toward a member of congress. what's going on here. some have speculated this as trying to change the subject from russia. let's assume that he's actually trying to intimidate, lobby or sort of shake up his administration after that health care debacle. the collapse of the republican health care plan. i think this is a very risky strategy. so right now, you know, if donald trump were to try to triangulate, to try to win over democratic votes because if he angers the freedom calk urks rememb calk ur. the freedom caucus is about 25 or 30 members. so -- and unless you can get democrats to vote for you, alienating the freedom caucus is suicide. and my concern, if i were donald trump is, why would democrats work with you at this point? don't they have an incentive to just reflexibly oppose anything you support? so i don't know what he's up to here, if he's trying to just threaten the freedom caucus and acquiescing and caving and supporting him in the future. this is a high-risk strategy. >> yeah, so, lynn, what is behind that. on one hand it's the president saying, okay, i'm going to work with democrats because he feels like he'll have a better result with them. at the same time, he was put to blame the democrats in the defeat just minutes after that vote when the house was pulled. >> what you see in real time is a president trump trying to figure out in a very public way how to deal with congress and the numbers are the numbers. you need 216 votes. do you really think you're going to work with the democrats on any health care bill as long as it includes defunding planned parenthood? that's going to probably be a down payment on a good faith measure to move ahead. what is the it? you can't deal in the abtract anymore when you say i'm going to go to the democrats. we're in game time. the pregame skirmishes are over. we know what didn't work more than a week ago. and for every -- to get 30 democrats on board in a reliable vote for a package of health care provisions is unrealistic as thinking you can win all 30 freedom caucus members. that's why legislating is hard, and that's the reality that trump is gaining. maybe the answer is breaking this down more, breaking it into more doable bits of legislation. but you will work with democrats at the risk of losing republican votes, and not just from the freedom caucus. from others. >> why would democrats -- they have a weakened president. donald trump appears to be on the ropes. this was a very embarrassing defeat. if democrats want to take back congress in the midterms, why would they now support anything? why would their base allow them to support anything? give him a win. even if it's something good like infrastructure. if you are a democrat, you probably love infrastructure. >> lynn? >> i have one answer. on some things of obamacare where democrats and then president obama said from the beginning this isn't perfect, let's fix it. i think there may be some fixes that could be done that you could find bipartisan support. but you can't have in it -- you can't -- repeal and the poison pills deal with choice. you can still deal with medical choice, not have to lead tup with things you know are divisive which gives democrats win because when you know you're trying to fix admitted flaws in obamacare. >> but then the house speaker trying to undermine that psyching psych psychology and effort saying, president, don't work with the democrats at all. >> that's right. i think paul ryan has a concern that this -- that donald trump -- first of all, donald trump was a democrat. he has a lot of liberal tendencies. he supported single payer health care in the cast. so there is a fear that he could triangulate and that he could really, you know, neuter the republican congress, so to speak, and work with democrats and put together his own coalition. i guess my only -- maybe i'm being pessimistic here in terms of getting things done, but my sense is that democrats, and the liberal base specifically, have decided that they want to do to republicans what republicans did to barack obama, which is to obstruct. and so anything that donald trump achieves, any bill that he signs is a victory. that's putting points on the scoreboard. and aside from the neil gorsuch confirmation that i think is probably going to happen no matter what, i just don't know why democrats would let him do that. >> you mentioned, matt, you said getting things done. is that the objective of the president to get things done by way of working with members of congress? those who are in this camp and those within the administration are saying, he's getting things done by way of executive order but getting things done by way of cutting deals, there's no evidence of that yet, lynn. >> you can't spend four years just signing orders to undo things. pretty soon you're going to undo whatever you want to on do. and as employ as people might disagree with all the regulations he wants to stop, at one point you're done with that. okay. so you have to have a budget. you cannot go four years on a continuing resolution. so there's certain things that government demands that people do. you're going to come up against a debt ceiling vote again. so there are certain things that will mandate the trump and his allies to figure out how to work with congress, especially -- maybe matt and, fred, this is the core of it. you have a president who is not as ideological as a speaker and some of the base he's depending on to get things done. so while -- and let me go back to the defunding planned parenthood issue. why does that have to be front and center at making health care work? i know why some people could but if you took that off the table to get some things done, you could move ahead. every side could -- the dems and president trump, not republicans, to call it a victory. so the worry i would think republicans have is you have somebody who probably, maybe, is willing to deal away too much. >> all right, lynn sweet, matt lew lewis, stick around. see you again. also following disturbing intelligence about a new terror threat to passenger planes. isis and other terrorist organizations have designed explosives that can be planted in laptops and other electronic devices and evade airport security. this has led to a ban on electronic devices in cabins on several airlines. it has also played a role in prohibiting travelers from traveling out of eight countries from carrying laptops and other large devices onto airplanes. c cnn's pentagon reporter brian browne joining us. how did intelligence officials discover this threat? >> yes, this intelligence came from multiple sources, including human intelligence, as well as intercepts. and one official described the intelligence as hair-raising. one of the things that was of most concern this was notion that they had information that terrorist groups had acquired sophisticated screening equipment. the same kind used at airports to detect bombs being smuggled in. that was one particular concern. they were looking at terrorist groups. al qaeda's franchises in syria and yemen. that one in particular is known for its sophisticated bomb-making, nonmetallic bomb-making technology and several attempts to destroy aircraft in the past, as well as isis. so this -- all this intelligence coming together of real concern to officials, helping to prompt this ban against laptops being brought aboard airplanes. >> and we know the united kingdom has implemented similar measures. any signs of more countries following suit? >> there are signs in that one official described the process involved is not particularly complicated. not involving a lot of sophisticated equipment. so it's potential to be replicated in other places is possible. that being said, in the west, they feel their measures -- the defensive measures in some of the more western airports are more robust, not totally relying upon the scanning technology. better training they say. other measures to mitigate the risk. right now we're not seeing any expansion at this current moment but definitely that potential down the road. >> ryan browne in washington, thank you so much. live pictures right now. reynoldsburg, ohio, is where we're taking you, just outside of columbus, where vice president mike pence is right there meeting with people at that plant. and momentarily, he'll be speaking a little bit more as he's getting a tour of this electronics manufacturing plant. he is there to talk manufacturing and jobs. a key strong point for the white house right now. we'll take you there live as soon as we get more information about the vice president's words to the group there. also coming up -- the white house tries to move forward under a cloud of controversy and questions about russia. will former national security adviser michael flynn get immunity for his testimony? what president trump is saying about that, next. then you're a couple. think of all you'll share... like snoring. does your bed do that? the dual adjustability of a sleep number bed allows you each to choose the firmness and comfort you want. so every couple can get the best sleep ever. does your bed do that? only at a sleep number store, right now save $400 on our most popular mattresses. ends saturday! go to sleepnumber.com for a store near you. at where instead of payinging a befor middlemen,em. we work directly with family farms to deliver higher quality ingredients for less than you pay at the store. get $30 off at blueapron.com/cook pabut with odor free blue-emu continuous pain relief spray, i can box out any muscle or joint pain immediately. blue-emu continuous pain relief spray, it works fast and you won't stink. an immunity deal for michael flynn could be a hard sell. the former national security adviser has said through his lawyer that he is willing to testify to the congressional committees investigating russia but only if he is immune from prosecution. the democratic ranking member of the house intelligence committee releasing a statement saying in part, as with any investigation, and particularly one that grows in severity and magnitude by the day there is still much work and many more witnesses and documents to obtain before any immunity request from any witness can be considered. and a senate source says it's far too early to discuss accepting an immunity offer. and suggests they are unlikely to ever accept one. in addition, law enforcement officials tell cnn there is no indication the fbi is interested in any immunity deal. so sort of a mixed bag there for michael flynn. joining me now to discuss, avery freedman, a civil rights attorney and law professor in cleveland and richard herman, a new york criminal defense attorney joining us from las vegas. good to see you as well. richard, you first. if you are his attorney, how do you interpret that? is that a mixed bag of kind of good news/bad news and maybe no news? >> if i'm flynn's attorney, i'm happy and telling everyone, he's got a story. you want to hear him out because you want to get immunity for him. fred, he's a three-star army general, form eer head of natiol security. many meetings with russian ambassador kislyak. you think he's got information. as his attorney you want to protect him. the problem is comey is really leading the charge with the fbi investigation and the department of justice. whether or not they'll bring criminal charges against flynn. i think they eventually will bring criminal charges, and that's why they want to get the immunity. congressional immunity is not the same as immunity from department of justice, but we learned during the oliver north cases if he gets congressional immunity through the senate or the house, then whatever he says in that testimony can't be used against him if they prosecute him by the department of justice. either way, they want him to deliver trump. that's what they want. they want him to say trump knew, participated, aided, abetted the russians in the hack. if he can't deliver that or if he can deliver that but we can't believe him because his credibility is shot and there's no way to corroborate it, there's going to be no deal. >> so avery, how will any of the committees or the fbi, anybody know that if he were not to at first reveal what he knows before they could even make a deal. >> that's not going to happen. the problem is, if i'm a prosecutor, i use immunity with the little fish so they flip so we can get the big fish. michael flynn is already the big fish. the only one he can flip on is the president and you have to keep your eye on the ball. when the sanctions kicked in on the 29th of december, all this stuff happened quickly. russian ambassador calls, of all people, flynn. that was his russian connection. there's a meeting. and then putin says, oh, i'm not going to retaliate and then trump says he's very smart. and then after that, sally yates, the acting attorney general who was supposed to testify all of a sudden she's canceled by the intelligence committee. so there are a lot of things that are happening. bottom line, no immunity. not from the house. not from the saenenate, not fro the fbi. >> fred? >> go ahead, richard. >> to answer your question. how do they know? they give him what's called typically a queen for a day where they bring him in with his lawyer and they say to him, okay, whatever you say today, you know, we're not going to use it, but what are you going to deliver? to get immunity, what are you going to tell us? and they sit down and they do it through the attorney. he has an attorney proffer or he sits there and tells them, this is what i will say under oath if given the opportunity. then they have to determine what other crimes he committed. do they even know the scope of the crimes he committed. >> what potentially is the crime that he could be afraid of? >> well, he could be afraid of treason, aiding and abetting and treason. he could be afraid of failing to disclose financial payments from foreign countries. he can be -- failing to file as an agent. he's got four, five or six major felonies that he's facing here. >> the big one -- >> they don't want him. they want the president. that's who they want, fred. >> okay. avery? >> yeah, i mean, what we don't know is what sally yates is going to tell the house intelligence committee. what kind of contact was there between flynn and the fbi that we don't know about and right at the point where sally yates was going to testify, the hearing gets canceled. so eventually we're going to hear about that. whether there's queen for a day, whatever it's going to be, i'm telling you, there's not going to be immunity unless there's some ability to implicate the president. i doubt that there is. i don't think there's going to be any kind of immunity deal at all. >> it's interesting the difference in the interpretation of what immunity means. i mean, you know, take a listen to what flynn and then candidate trump had to say about immunity, particularly when they were talking about hillary clinton. >> when you are given immunity, that probably means you committed a crime. >> and if you're not guilty of a crime, what do you need immunity for, right? >> so now the shoe is on the other foot, so to speak. avery? >> yeah. >> yeah, that's for sure. i mean, look. the worst that we have right now is unadulterated hypocrisy. that's not a crime. the fact is that it becomes more complicated when flynn and his attorney try to sit down, whether it's congressional committees, whether it's the fbi because, unless he can implicate trump, he's got nothing. and he's facing a number of crimes. >> and in the tweet from the president on immunity, he's actually encouraging mike flynn should ask for immunity in that this is a witch hunt, excuse for big election loss by media and dems of historic proportions. richard? >> yeah, witch hunt controlled by the republicans who control everything. that's ridiculous, fred. and it's ridiculous that sean spicer on a daily basis insults the intelligence of the american people when you see -- if you are looking for immunity, you must be guilty of something, and then trump says, he ought to get immunity and spicer says, that doesn't mean he's guilty. the hypocrisy. they have to analyze the crimes flynn committed, what his testimony would be. is that testimony credible? because just because you have the immunity and give testimony doesn't mean it's believable or it will hold up. >> that's exactly right. >> make sure his testimony holes up and in the end, fred, they're using flynn to get to trump. that's who they want. they don't care about any of these other peripheral characters. >> we actually agree on that. >> so any predictions on whether you believe by way any of of these three entities, whether michael flynn would get immunity? >> i think he's going to ultimately get it from someone. i think they want his testimony, and he won't deliver it without immunity. >> we disagree on that. there's zero chance. he has no credibility, and if he can't deliver trump, there's no value. no immunity. >> love it when you all agree, but we love it even more when you disagree. avery and richard. >> that's easy to do. >> all right. thanks so much, gentlemen. good to see you. >> with pleasure. popular political podcast, the "axe files." it's coming to cnn. catch its television premiere, a special conversation with senator john mccain that airs tonight. 9:00 eastern time. the "axe files." coming up, president trump's hopes of thawing relations with russia fading as his top diplomats talk tough and threaten to keep sanctions in place. are things worse now than during the cold war? the view from moscow, next. who's stared down the best in her sport. but for both of them, the most challenging opponent was... pe blood clots in my lung. it was really scary. a dvt in my leg. i had to learn all i could to help protect myself. my doctor and i choose xarelto® xarelto®... to help keep me protected. xarelto® is a latest-generation blood thinner... ...that's proven to treat and reduce the risk of dvt and pe blood clots from happening again. in clinical studies, almost 98% of patients on xarelto® did not experience another dvt or pe. here's how xarelto works. xarelto® works differently. warfarin interferes with at least six blood-clotting factors. xarelto® is selective... ...targeting just one critical factor, interacting with less of your body's natural blood-clotting function. don't stop taking xarelto® without talking to your doctor as this may increase risk of blood clots. while taking, you may bruise more easily, or take longer for bleeding to stop. it may increase your risk of bleeding if you take certain medicines. xarelto® can cause serious, and in rare cases, fatal bleeding. get help right away for unexpected bleeding, unusual bruising, or tingling. if you've had spinal anesthesia, watch for back pain or any nerve or muscle-related signs or symptoms. do not take xarelto® if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. tell your doctor before all planned medical or dental procedures and before starting xarelto® about any conditions, such as kidney, liver, or bleeding problems. you've got to learn all you can... ...to help protect yourself from dvt and pe blood clots. talk to your doctor about xarelto®. there's more to know. essential for him, but maybe not for people with rheumatoid arthritis. because there are options. like an "unjection™". xeljanz xr. a once daily pill for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well. xeljanz xr can reduce pain, swelling and joint damage, even without methotrexate. xeljanz xr can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections, lymphoma and other cancers have happened. don't start xeljanz xr if you have an infection. tears in the stomach or intestines, low blood cell counts and higher liver tests and cholesterol levels have happened. your doctor should perform blood tests before you start and while taking xeljanz xr, and monitor certain liver tests. tell your doctor if you were in a region where fungal infections are common and if you have had tb, hepatitis b or c, or are prone to infections. needles. fine for some. but for you, one pill a day may provide symptom relief. ask your doctor about xeljanz xr. an "unjection™". secretary of state rex tillerson and james mattis are taking strong stances on russia's aggression in ukraine. the sanctions will replain in place until moscow reverses the actions taken in ukraine. paula newton is joining me now. for the latest from moscow. paula, what has been the response from russians on this tough talk coming from tillerson and mattis? >> well, to be honest, i've been surprised how forceful the reaction has been. even before those pronouncements, vladimir putin this week came out and said we had nothing to do with interferences in the elections and our relations are almost at zero right now and i'd like them to get under way. clear from what we heard from the secretary of state and secretary of ds, that's not going to happen any time soon. the russian foreign ministry even today coming back and saying, look. how much longer is this going on? they are saying we're baffled, we're exasperated and they feel that the nato putting troops very close to russia's borders is aggression against russia. and they are saying that, look, the united states is still stuck in old patterns. what was really interesting was a russian senator tweeted yesterday saying this administration doesn't sound any different from the obama administration. and that has been what has been so interesting in all of this reaction. >> that is interesting. meantime, mattis also blasted russia for violations of international law. what exactly did he say? >> well, he's basically going back on the whole idea not just of ukraine but also pointing exactly to what we talk about every day, every hour here, fred. those investigations on whether or not russia was involved in the american elections and these investigations that continue to go on. but i want you to listen to secretary mattis who went quite far with these statements. >> russia's violations of international law are now a matter of record from what happened with crimea to other aspects of their behavior in mucking around inside other people's elections and that sort of thing. so i think the point i would make is that nato stands united. the transatlantic bond is united. we are going to maintain article five as absolute bedrock of the nato alliance. >> mucking around, the more focused in terms -- more focus pinpoint, translation, they are not happy with the kind of influence they see even in european elections right now. and that was secretary mattis saying, look, we all understand that we believe that russia's actions are indeed very aggressive and a threat. and i think for russians hearing that here, the russian government is saying, wow, does this ever sound like the obama administration? and as i said, fred, i remain quite surprised how forceful the reaction has been from the government here. >> paula newton in moscow, thank you so much. coming up, a revealing glimpse into some of the top moneymakers surrounding president trump. are there conflicts of interest? we'll take a look. bile wedding business. at first, getting paid was tough... until she got quickbooks. now she sends invoices, sees when they've been viewed and-ta-dah-paid twice as fast for free. visit quickbooks-dot-com. we danced in a german dance group. i wore lederhosen.man. when i first got on ancestry i was really surprised that i wasn't finding all of these germans in my tree. i decided to have my dna tested through ancestry dna. the big surprise was we're not german at all. 52% of my dna comes from scotland and ireland. so, i traded in my lederhosen for a kilt. ancestry has many paths to discovering your story. get started for free at ancestry.com. and the wolf huffed like you do sometimes, grandpa? well, when you have copd, it can be hard to breathe. it can be hard to get air out, which can make it hard to get air in. so i talked to my doctor. she said... symbicort could help you breathe better, starting within 5 minutes. symbicort doesn't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. symbicort helps provide significant improvement of your lung function. symbicort is for copd, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. it should not be taken more than twice a day. symbicort contains formoterol. medicines like formoterol increase the risk of death from asthma problems. symbicort may increase your risk of lung infections, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. you should tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. symbicort could mean a day with better breathing. watch out, piggies! (child giggles) symbicort. breathe better starting within 5 minutes. get symbicort free for up to one year. visit saveonsymbicort.com today to learn more. home loan, that newly listed,ank mid-century ranch withed for a the garden patio will be gone. or you could push that button. [dong] [rocket launching] skip the bank, skip the waiting, and go completely online. get the confidence that comes from a secure, qualified mortgage approval in minutes. lift the burden of getting a home loan with rocket mortgage by quicken loans. [whisper: rocket] pabut with odor free blue-emu continuous pain relief spray, i can box out any muscle or joint pain immediately. blue-emu continuous pain relief spray, it works fast and you won't stink. right now, live pictures. ohio senator rob portman is speaking. this is an event where vice president mike pence will soon be talking as an electronic manufacturing company right there in reynoldsburg, ohio, just outside of columbus, ohio. it's called dynalab. when the vice president speaks, we'll continue to monitor his remarks and take you there live as well. meantime, president trump's daughter ivanka and son-in-law jared kushner could have more than $700 million in overall assets. the white house released financial disclosure forms on the couple and about other -- another 180 advisers there from the white house. and they show that the president's daughter and son-in-law made about $195 million in income just last year. economic adviser gary cohen also pulled in around $75 million last year and chief strategist steve bannon's income was about $2.5 million. joining us live right now from washington, cnn political commentator matt lewis and lynn sweet, washington bureau chief for the "chicago sun-times." good to see you back again. matt, you first. why make these finances of this white house disclosure of finances public right now, and what about the timing of it all? >> well, i don't know about the timing of it. i think there are some deadlines and whatnot and you always have to wonder about the other attempts to distract from things going on. but i think this is, obviously, very healthy because the american public needs to know things about whether or not there are conflicts of interest. and, clearly, with donald trump, there are more concerns because he's a businessman and because his -- jared kushner, his son-in-l son-in-law, is as well. and we elect rich people, rich men so far in this country. that is a pattern. but donald trump was different because of his business interests and this was always going to be a potential problem. and i think, you know, probably for the next four or eight years, depending on how long this goes, there's going to be questions swirling about potential conflicts of interest. >> while we're talking, the vice president is talking at an electronics manufacturing plant. we're going to continue to monitor and then we're going to dip in when we can as well. so if i have to interrupt our conversation, that's why. all right. so, lynn, president trump called this a real asset to be surrounded by so many wealthy people, so many smart people, as he has put it. might this end up being a liability, particularly because so many who have supported the president have been the working class people and might this backfire? >> this could backfire. the people stalking the trump administration can backfire. their wealth alone isn't a disqualifier. these are part of routine disclosure that every top employee of the white house puts out and just so our public knows, you can go online and read it yourself. and these only give the range of assets. this isn't a specific list. now what this does, and many wealthy people have served in the obama cabinet. his commerce secretary benny pritzker. but what's the right number of billionaires to have in the cabinet? this one might have a few too many because somewhere in there you need somebody, i suppose, who just relates. and that's what i think i want to really get at. nobody begrudges great wealth. i wish i had $75 million total, much less annually. what you want to know is, does somebody understand what it's like to need help? one of the things the trump administration is thinking of doing is cutting off the program that helps low-income people pay their winter heating bills. it's called the low income energy assistance program. now if you've never had a day of real financial worry in your life, if you have never had to worry about paying a bill if you never had to worry about helping family members, maybe you do have a different approach when you look at the role of government. >> lynn underskoeg thecoring th issue of connecting versus potential conflicts of interest. first let's listen to the vice president mike pence there in ohio. >> it's just so great today to be with all the job creators we met with. our conversation earlier today, many of whom are still with us. people like the flag lady are here. mary levitt from the flag lady star and from tommy's pizza. i can personally testify that that is a great business. and all these great business leaders. thank you for coming out today and sharing your perspective on the challenges and opportunities we have to turn this economy loose. let me -- it is the greatest privilege of my life to be vice president to president donald trump. it's humbling for me to say it. the president of the united states is my friend. he loves his family. he loves this country with boundless energy, optimism, courage and determination. and president trump has a three-part agenda. i hear about it every day. jobs, jobs and jobs. and it's happening right here in ohio already. it's just amazing. the first two jobs reports under president donald trump are already out showing that nearly 500,000 jobs have been created this year, including more than 135,000 new jobs in construction and manufacturing. i mean, thanks to our new president, it's been a great week for american jobs. on monday, ford motor company announced it would invest $1.2 billion right here in america to protect and create nearly 4,000 jobs. on tuesday, the president signed an historic executive order to put america on the path to energy independence and give american job creators the low-cost power they need to grow and yesterday the president took decisive action to level the playing field on international trade. under president donald trump, trade will mean jobs, but it's going to mean american jobs and put american workers first. and you know, american businesses are already getting the message. the president and i are just yesterday were joined by the leadership of the national association of manufacturers. and they announced that manufacturing companies haven't been this optimistic in more than 20 years. get this. 93% of manufacturers are excited about what they have in store under president trump's leadership. n so are the american people. people in this country haven't been this confident about our economy since the year 2000, and they should be excited because president trump knows what all of you know. that when manufacturing is strong, america is strong. and he's fighting every day to bring american manufacturing back. president trump meant it when he said on tuesday, quote, we believe in those really magnificent words, made in the usa." the manufacturers are the nch g engines of our economy and thanks to president trump that engine is about to roar. not just this past week but since day one, president trump has been fighting to get our economy moving again. he's been signing bill after bill to roll back excessive regulations enacted in the closing days of the obama administration. he ordered every agency in washington, d.c., to find two regulations to get rid of before issuing any new red tape on american business and american job creators. and just last week, president trump authorized the keystone pipeline creating tens of thousands of american jobs and strengthening america's energy future. he's taken decisive action to protect american jobs and american workers as well. by enforcing the laws of this country for the citizens of this country and illegal immigration is already down by 60% since president trump was elected. and we're just getting started. since the day the president was elected, he's worked tirelessly to keep his promise to repeal and replace obamacare. the president and i know what all of you know that every day obamacare survives is another day that the american people struggle. we all know the truth about this failed law. higher prices, lost plans, fewer choices. obamacare is a burden on the people of ohio and it's a burden on ohio's job creators. that's why the president has worked so hard to keep his promise to the american people to repeal and replace obamacare with something that actually works. i've been incredibly inspired by the president's hands-on leadership on this issue. and the president and i are so grateful. we're so grateful to speaker paul ryan and all the house republicans like congressman pat teaberry who stood with us over the past month to begin the end of obamacare. thank you, congressman. but as we saw about a week ago, congress wasn't quite ready. with 100% of house democrats, every single one, and a handful of republicans, congress basically said that they weren't ready yet to begin the end of obamacare. it really is a shame. but as congressman teaberry just said to me a few minute s ago, t ain't over yet. obamacare is going to continue to explode putting a great weight on millions of americans, but the president and i have faith. we have faith that congress is going to step up and do the right thing. even as we speak, i'm told members of congress are forging ahead working to craft legislation that will usher in the end of obamacare. so be assured of this, folks here in the buckeye state. when congress finally decides to repeal and replace obamacare, president trump and i will be ready to work with them hand in glove. you can take it to the bank. president trump is never going to stop fighting to keep the promises he made to the american people. and we will make america great again. we will repeal and replace obamacare and give the american people the world class health care they deserve. and once obamacare is gone, we're going to cut taxes across the board for working families, small businesses, manufacturers and family farms. we're going to work with these great leaders in the congress to pass the biggest tax cut since the days of ronald reagan. we'll make the tax code flatter and simpler and fairer for everybody. there's an old joke about how the tax code is ten times the size of the bible. with none of the good news. well, here's some real good news. president trump's plan is going to put more money in your pocket and make american businesses competitive again. we're going to cut the corporate tax rate in america, one of the highest in the world, so that companiies and american jobs ca invest and create opportunities for america's workers right here in ohio. and president trump is going to keep slashing through the red tape that's strangling ohio's small businesses and manufacturers. the truth is the bureaucrats in washington, d.c., are too often standing in the way of job creators, making it harder for them to grow and thrive. you know, complying with federal mandates actually costs businesses like this one here over $13,000 a year for every single employee. all told, red tape from washington, d.c., actually costs the economy over $2 trillion a year. that's enough money to create more than 24 million new good-paying manufacturing jobs. but it's wasteod pushing papers and jumping through government hoops. folks, that's just not right. that's why president trump is getting government out of the way. he's reining in unelected bureaucrats so they can no longer cripple ohio's economy from the comfort of their taxpayer funded metal desks in washington, d.c., and we're going to keep that fight going. and as president trump announced just this week, a new era of american energy has begun. the war on coal is over. you know, it's really heartbreaking to think that nearly a quarter of ohio's coal miners have lost their jobs i n count less of ohio families have been forced to watch good paying jobs disappeared from their communities. now, they have hope. from the first day this administration president trump had been fighting for ohio and american energy. the executive order president trump signed on tuesday will give hardworking americans and manufactures the relief they need. president trump is going to put coal miners back to work. president trump digs coal. we are going to unlock our country's amazing national resources. not just coals but natural gas and you name it. lower energy costs more job, more growth and more opportunity for american families and american business. we are also going to rebuild america. if you have not noticed the american people elected a builder to be the president of the united states. with his hir, we'll work with congress and we'll give the nation the best highways and airports and roads that america have. thanks to president trump we'll have jobs and growth and prosperity like never before. you know making america great again is not just about our economy. i can tell you i am with them everyday. president trump has no higher priorities than the safety and security of the american people. that's why the president every single day is standing with the men and women in law enforcement here in ohio across the country. would you mind getting on your feet and showing these men and women and law enforcement how much we appreciate the jobs they do protecting our families each and everyday. [ applause ] president trump is strengthen our border, building a wall, forcing our laws and as he said in his joint address to congress, we are taking measures to remove all gang members, drug dealers and criminals, threaten our communities and preying on our citizens off the streets of ohio and off the treats of america. [ applause ] we are working with law enforcement everyday. immigrati immigrations and customs and all that. i could not be grateful and proud as a father of united states marine that we have a president who'll rebuild our military, restore the arsenal of democracy. [ applause ] and give our soldiers and sailors, airman and marines, coast guards the training and resources they need to accomplish their mission and come home safe. here in the homeland in the wake of last november east's terror attack, i just want to wish everybody here in the community under president trump's leadership, america is standing strong and taking the fight to the terrorists on our terms on their soils and isis is on the run. [ applause ] i will make a promise. president trump will not rest and will not relent until we hunt down and destroy isis at its source so it can no longer project violence around the world here at home. so as jobs, healthcare, energy and national security. this president is keeping his promise to appoint a strict construction to the supreme court in the tradition of the late and great justice antonin scalia by nominating judge neil gorsuch, the justice will keep faith of our constitution and uphold the god given liberties. next week the united states senate will take his confirmation up. let me just say -- as america saw in those hearings in more than a week ago, judge neil gorsuch is one of the most respected, qualified and mainstreamed nominees to the supreme court in american history. pla[ applause ] . but, remarkably, yesterday the senator brown announced he and the senate planned to filibuster judge gorsuch's nomination. as it is never been done in american history. let me say the president and i are confident with the strong support of senator rob forman we know. we'll over come the obstructionists and the united states senate will confirm judge neil gorsuch one way or another. [ applause [ applause ] my friends, the record is clear, president trump is a man of his words. he's a man of action. before i wrap up, there is one other issue i would like to address that i know also hits close to home in ohio, just as it did in my home state of indiana. i want you all to know as america saw this week from the cabinet room in washington, d.c., president trump is working everyday to end the opioid crisis that's ruining lives and t tearing apart families in communities across ohio and america. we all know the tragic consequences. over 2500 ohians died. tens and thousands more are suffer frg ting from the addict. >> congressman have been have b leaders. we are grateful. the president and i are grateful for their strong and compassionate leader as i know all of you are. [ applause ] on wednesday this week, president trump and i met with a group of people of opioid addiction. vanessa and aj, two young people who over came drug addiction and found hopes and healing to counseling and medication to break the grip of addiction of their lives. tragically, we heard from a mom who lost her beloved son, carlos. a young man of incredible promise and creativity, through trug addiction. president trump told pam with real emotion, "pam, your son will not die in vein." that day president trump announced the creation of the combatting drug addiction and opioid abuse. we'll find innovative sluss and help families who needed most. as the president said of his address to congress, in his own word, we'll stop the drugs from pouring into our country and poisoning our youth and we'll expand treatment for those who have become so badly addicted. those two promises will be kept. [ applause ] >> those words will be kept by this president and this administration. >> i just know under trump's leadership, our communities and countries are on the road to heal. my friends, we have come to a pivotal moment and all my heart. we need every freedom loving americans and we need all of you to stand up and speak out. we need you to tell the world that you believe we can do better and that you know it. president trump and his vision can renew and restore and put us on a path of our future. for my part, we know we are going to get it done because i have faith. as ohio state motto says, "all things are possible." [ applause ] >> one of my favorites from an old book, it was a gift from my wife, first year i was elected in congress the and our home in indiana and hung over the man of governors and now these words of president of the united states. simply says for i know the plans i have for you, plans to cross for you and not to harm you. plans to give you hope in the future those words, millennials, words that americans throughout our history, i believe they are as true today as they are in history. in november people voted to give america a president and vote to give us a new leader to make america prosperous again. i believe in all my heart with your continued support, and with god's help, together, we'll make america great again. [ applause ] thank you very much. thank you for being here today.

Transcripts For CNNW Anderson Cooper 360 20170214

situation according to a cnn source is fluid. jim acosta joins me with the latest. what do you know, jim? >> reporter: there has been some whiplash today at the white house. earlier the white house counselor kellyanne conway said he had the full confidence of the president and sean spicer said it's being evaluated. the best way to put it is that flynn is in a gray area. a senior administration official said the knifes are out at the white house where there are fears washington is hunting for flynn's scalp. flynn was it at the president's side as top officials huddled over how to handle north korea's weekend launch of a ballistic missile held on an outdoor's patio at mar-a-lago resort. cell phone flashlights raised security questions. the white house was vague about flynn's future when asked dir t directly on the sunday talk shows. >> does the president still have confidence in his national security adviser? >> that's a question that i think you should ask the president. >> general flynn has said up to this point that he had not said anything like that to the russian ambassador. i think now he's saying he doesn't remember whether he did or not. so that's a conversation he's going to need to have with the president and the vice president to clear that up. >> reporter: white house senior adviser steven miller is scrutiny after the federal appellate court froze the administration travel ban on seven majority muslim countries. >> there's no such thing as judicial supremacy. >> reporter: miller suggested the president's powers when it comes to national security should not be subjected to second-guessing. >> our opponents, the media, and the whole world will soon see as we begin to take further actions that the powers of the president to protect our country are very substantial and will not be questioned. >> that is a simply stunning statement, the idea that a senior adviser to the president would go on camera and say the president's authority will not be questioned shows both a striking lack of understanding of the structure of our government. >> reporter: but the president loved the performance tweeting, congratulations. great job. friends of the president are also beginning to point fingers at white house chief of staff reince priebus. >> i think there's a lot of weakness coming out of the chief of staff. i think reince priebus good guy, well intentioned, but he clearly doesn't know how the federal agencies work. >> reporter: a criticism the publish esh of the news outlet news max later walked back. >> they are my criticisms. i don't speak for the president. >> jim, about the pictures on the patio of mar-a-lago, they are responding that any sensitive material was being discuss ed or viewed there. >> reporter: that's right, anderson. this evening white house officials are emphatic that no classified material was discussed between president trump and prime minister abe on the patio there at mar-a-lago. the pictures we've been talking about, that classified discussion, we're told, took place in a specially installed secure location away from the patio, away from those guests. what we saw in the pictures was the president and the prime minister going over logistics for the statement that they made to the news media that night on saturday night, but, anderson, they are emfphatic, they are stressing that no classified material was on the table when they were having that discussion. >> and, jim, when kellyanne conway said on msnbc that flynn had the full confidence of the president and sean spicer about an hour or so later said that it's being -- i don't want to mischaracterize exactly what he said, but said something completely different, did she -- is there any explanation for that? was that just she didn't know? she was just saying something she had no knowledge of or that's what the president believed then and then it changed or do we know? >> reporter: i was in sean spicer's office, anderson, this afternoon. we were all brought into his office presumably to ask these questions because, you're right, kellyanne conway was on msnbc, and she said that the president had confidence in michael flynn. and we went into sean spicer's office after he had a conversation with kellyanne conway as kellyanne conway quickly walked out of his office, we walked into sean spicer's office. what he emphasized to me and other reporters in the room is the reason why he was putting out the statement that flynn was being evaluated was based on the latest assessment, the latest information coming in to the president. they were not trying to make a judgment or a statement about what kellyanne conway said but they said essentially this is where we stand right now. as i told you earlier, anderson, a senior administration official said michael flynn, the national security adviser, is in a, quote, gray area. anderson, it's difficult to get out of that position once you're in it. that usually means things are not heading in a good direction when a top official is described in that fashion, anderson. >> jim acosta, appreciate that. a lot to talk about with the panel. the "new york times" political reporter alex burns, white house correspondent maggie haberman, contributing editor, jeffrey lord, paul begala, and daily beast senior columnist matt lew lewis. maggie, the kellyanne conway thing, he has the full confidence of the president. can you explain? >> both statements could actually be true depending on who you're talking to. there appears to be a split within the trump white house over exactly what to do with michael flynn. there are some people who would like to see him hang on. there are many more people who think he has created an untenable situation for himself as jim just said. he is not in a good position. people close to mike pence in particular seem to be agitating for him to go. he has twice told hens something that turned out not to be true. >> and pence went on television and assured the country that flynn did not have this conversation with the shan shans. >> i think the longer you see this go on it suggests a potential weakness in terms of pence's position and his ability to push something within the white house. it's it tough to do this week if they're going to get rid of flynn given you have all these foreign leaders this week. i think you will see a resolution to this in the coming days. >> alex, part of the calculation for the president, a president who does not like to look weak if that's not, he's afraid this would look weak or disorganized if the national security adviser gets fired so early on. >> you see the administration take that attitude with mike flynn, take that attitude with white house senior staff and a whole list of cabinet nominations that he has -- president trump has sort of rammed through these selections that a different president faced with the same political pressures, faced with the same baggage, certainly would have withdrawn his selections by now. trump needs to come to grips with the larger landscape. there are people in his orbit trying to communicate this to him that every day mike flynn remains in the administration he is a giant target for democrats and for hostile republicans to go after on a whole suite of issues related to srussia. this isn't just about the internal politics of the white house and who has been honest with who. it is the larger issue that flynn represents and trump 's opponents can easily latch on to. >> i saw you raise the question on twitter whether or not the president could have or would have known mike flynn was going to -- what he was going to say to the russian ambassador about sanctions. >> to me, that's the elephant in the room here. if donald trump fires his national security adviser, the first question is, well, why are you firing him? he talked to the russians about sanctions before we were in office and then lied to pence about it. well, who told him to talk to the schaap shans about sanctions? he's a very close adviser to donald trump? they were joined at the hip through most of the transition. he tweeted after add mir putin decided mott to act. this is an issue donald trump was looking at very closely. his national security advisers having conversations with the russians about this. how does he fire that person without raising very, very troubling questions about what he knew and what he told flynn to do? >> jeffrey, should flynn be fired? >> if it turns out he looked the vice president of the united states in the lie and delivered an untruth i don't know how that will be avoided. is that what happened? i don't know what happened. there has to be some perspective. i typed in the name of the last several presidents along with white house turmoil, and it's there for all of them. let me read two lines to be bipartisan. i don't want to give my friend a coronary because i will be deing clinton here. this is the christian science monitor. quote, the picture here is of an incompetent white house. it is no laughable keystone cops incompetence but a bright, yet inexperienced people finding their way in a loose and ineffective organization that clinton appears in these pages as an unsteady president. and of the bush 43 white house, quote/unquote, this is in news max, the senior white house staff is feuding, leaking, and going for each other's jugulars. my point is this is sort of normal if you're going to be president. the press looks for these stories and build them up. ed first one was fired fairly quickly after he got there. in other words, relax. you have four years to go. >> paul, is this -- >> a very valid point. >> -- normal? >> one of my rules is focus on the organ grind earp not the monkey. they come and they go. what does this say about the president? and if he fires general flynn because flynn has ties to the russians and has been dishonest, what does that say about donald trum snp does he have ties to the russians? has he lied to the country? if as has been suggested russians have information, general flynn may have information. now he's the national security adviser. you cut him loose, mr. president, you solve one problem right now. maggie haberman gets off your back for a day. you create a huge problem because he's going to turn on you and he may well have a lot of information that people want. >> flynn will not take being fired well in the past. this is a guy who became a trump supporter. and this wouldn't go over well. this is something you have to think about collateral damage. to jeffrey's point, yes, you're right. there is always back stabbing and fighting and positioning and trying to jockey within the context of power circles in the west wing, but there is lying to the american people this early because you have individuals who are lying to each other. i mean, that's a new level that makes this a little different. >> i think jeffrey is right that this is not that weird. people come and people go. so that's an encouragement to donald trump to do the right thing to get rid of flynn. you're actually feeding his -- paul, you're feeding a bad impulse which is for him to double down, to invest in cost, to stick by this guy because if i don't, people like paul begala are going to say that i had bad judgment when i picked him. >> or paul has an ulterior motive. >> i think he might. >> that can't be. >> here is my advice. this is the sincere advice, do the right thing. >> which is? >> cut him loose. do the right thing and don't be afraid of looking weak. you will look like a leader if you do the right thing and let this guy go because he deserves it. you don't look weak. >> i agree with that. i watched bill clinton fire his defense secretary bare ly a yea in. made really important mistakes. clinton had to fire him ruthlessly. it was the best thing for the country, and it was strong. the difference is he didn't know compromising information about bill clinton. and it may well be general flynn -- >> i don't know about that. hold on. >> oh, those were the days. to be in bed with the woman is different than being in bed with the russians. >> let's take a quick break. also, voters are bussed in from out of state in new hampshire. that's the claim from the bhous and it's, quote, widely known, according to a top adviser of the president. we asked voters about those allegations. we'll have details on that. nearly 2,000 people downstream of an aging dam are ordered to flee after safety features fail. a live report on the current conditions ahead. when you have allergies, it can seem like triggers pop up everywhere. luckily there's powerful, 24-hour, non-drowsy claritin. it provides relief of symptoms that can be triggered by over 200 different allergens. live claritin clear. what's wrong? ready or you're not. i got ten new guys starting tomorrow. ten? paul, pauline... is pauline a guy? sorry. mike, mike, mike and mike. michelle. okay, you need uniforms, work gloves, goggles, hard hats, all the safety gear. i'm on it. well that's good, 'cuz i got 15 more new guys starting tuesday. i'm ready. you're ready? ♪ oh, i'm ready... am i ready? what? am i ready? you're ready. i'm ready! cintas. ready for the workday. except when it comes to retirement. at fidelity, you get a retirement score in just 60 seconds. and we'll help you make decisions for your plan... to keep you on track. it's your retirement. know where you stand. to keep you on track. if you have moderate to severe plaque psoriasis isn't it time to let the real you shine through? introducing otezla, apremilast. otezla is not an injection, or a cream. it's a pill that treats plaque psoriasis differently. some people who took otezla saw 75% clearer skin after 4 months. and otezla's prescribing information has no requirement for routine lab monitoring. don't take otezla if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. otezla may increase the risk of depression. tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts, or if these feelings develop. some people taking otezla reported weight loss. your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. side effects may include diarrhea, nausea, upper respiratory tract infection, and headache. tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, and if you're pregnant or planning to be. ask your dermatologist about otezla today. otezla. show more of you. ♪ and welcome. we've been talking about turmoil at the white house on several fronts including north korea. the president learned of a missile test while at mar-a-lago. pictures and accounts of a strategy session done out in the open among guests is raising questions about security. back now with the panel, maggie, these photographs, which were taken by a guest. now the white house says no classified material was being discussed and what they were discussing was details of a joint appearance and that classified discussions were held in a secure room. it's an unusual scene, though. >> you don't usually see the iphone flashlight picture. look, there was always a question about how this was going to work with him going to mar-a-lago on the weekend when it became clear he was going to do that a fair amount of the time, that essentially anybody could just walk up and get face time with the president if they were a member or a guest of a member. this, i think, is a different order of mag nitude that people weren't anticipating. it's not clear to me why they couldn't just go inside. we have to take them at their word there was no classified information. i hate the formulation if a democrat did it or if another person did it but the reality is that this whole campaign played out about questioning hillary clinton's focus on sensitive information and how she handled it and it's just not clear why this would be taking place this way on the patio of his private club. it is literally a picture of him intermingling his business and the white house, and will were photos along with that one on a recent member's facebook page of him posing with the guy who carries the nuclear code. it goes to the question of, you know, you have this idea of sort of white house advisers as theater for mar-a-lago attendees and that does become a problem, i think. >> ryan, is there somebody in the president's inner circle who can say to him, mr. president, the optics of you doing this over the iceberg lettuce is not great or whatever they happen to have at the table? >> they clearly were worried the story was bubbling all day and finally came out with a statement saying, wait a second, that was not any of the classified conversations or classified documents. we did that in the area that the white house always sets up for the president and his entourage to have those conversations. but i think maggie hit the two points. it's about access and it's about just sort of putting -- access to the people -- to the club members at mar-a-lago. it's a $2,000 a year club. they have access to the president that no one else does. and just putting the presidency sort of on display was almost like the white house -- this traveling white house show. there was a sort of sense of showing off, trump coming down there as the conquering hero, the own earp of the club who is now president. look, the white house would compare this to bush's ranch in texas, right? he had a private home. of course reagan had a private home in california. the difference is there's a public nature to this place as well. >> by paying guests. paul, you were a top adviser to president clinton. is this an unusual scene? >> it's unprecedented. i spoke to somebody who used to do intelligence, and he used the word staggering, somebody not given to hyperbole. staggering. the reasons ryan states, there are so many soft targets there. every bus boy, every waiter, every bellman, every guest, every member. this is a security nightmare in terms of information, and i heard jim acosta's report, which i had not heard before, they have a sciff there, you can put a sciff anywhere. if they didn't have one it would have been dereliction of duty. you pull the president into the sciff. you get secure communications and you hold him there until you take him out to the press because you don't want new inputs coming in from the guy who won the member/guest tournament. you to lock him down until he speaks -- and he gave a great statement by the way. he left out north korea but he said we stand by japan 100%. i watched that statement on saturday night as a strong disliker of trump. i thought good for him. that's what i want. >> paul, there was a wrinkle with that. he did not deliver the statement that was prepared. >> is that right? >> yeah. so that's enough question mark. he had a prepared statement and didn't read it. >> okay, it's on the fly. >> let's take another quick break. we want to take a look at the debunked voter fraud claim that stephen miller keeps doubling down on. details on that ahead. hambone! sally! 22! hut hut! tiki barber running a barber shop? yes!!! surprising. yes!!! what's not surprising? how much money david saved by switching to geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. who's next? a farmer's market.ve what's in this kiester. a fire truck. even a marching band. and if i can get comfortable talking about this kiester, then you can get comfortable using preparation h. for any sort of discomfort in yours. preparation h. get comfortable with it. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ sfx: engine revving ♪ (silence) ♪ mattress firmness? fortunately there's a bed where you both get what you want every night. enter sleep number and the ultimate sleep number event, going on now. sleepiq technology tells you how well you slept and what adjustments you can make. she likes the bed soft. he's more hardcore. so your sleep goes from good to great to wow! only at a sleep number store. and right now save 50% on the ultimate limited edition bed. go to sleepnumber.com for a store near you. shocked by your wireless bill every month? additional fees. tacked on taxes. come on! with t-mobile one, taxes and fees are now included! get 4 lines of unlimited lte data for 40 bucks each. that's right - all unlimited. all in! and now, for a limited time save more than you pay in taxes on all smartphones. so switch to t-mobile and save hundreds vs. the other guys. it's better than a tax holiday! and it's only at t-mobile. the markets change... at t. rowe price... our disciplined approach remains. global markets may be uncertain... but you can feel confident in our investment experience around the world. call us or your advisor... t. rowe price. invest with confidence. breaking news on the trump administration, claims of widespread voter fraud in new hampshire. the republican governor there chris sununu telling nh1 news he is, quote, not aware of any widespread voter fraud in new hampshire. it is significant because it comes in response to the senior policy adviser steven miller repeating his boss' claim thousands of people were bussed from massachusetts to new hampshire to vote illegally in the swing state on election day. here is what miller told george stephanopoulos on n"this week. ". >> i worked on a campaign in new hampshire. this issue of bussing voters in to new hampshire is widely known by unanimo anyone who has worked in it new hampshire politics. this show is not the venue to lay out all the evidence. voter fraud is a serious problem in this country. you have millions of people who are registered in two states, who are dead and registered to vote. 14% of mon citizens according to academic research at a minimum are registered to vote which is an astonishing statistic. george, go to new hampshire, talk to anybody who has worked in politics there for a long time. anybody is aware of the problem in new hampshire. >> apparent lip not the governor or the state's top election official. miller did not provide any evidence, we should point out, not a shred to back up his claims. what is the reaction in new hampshire? >> reporter: in this snow covered state where people are digging out from the second storm in a week, the president's claims of widespread election fraud drawing an icy reception. how would you characterize these claims that there are thousands of people who are bussed in? >> balderdesh. i couldn't explain it. >> reporter: al hotaling perplexed. >> i think it's insane. i think he's literally crazy. >> reporter: does it offend you as someone who lives here and votes here? >> yeah, like our votes don't matter. >> reporter: this durham the ballots are still under lock and key. >> if president trump has any doubt he can come down and feel the vault himself. >> reporter: a registered independent insists president trump's assertions are impossible. >> it's unpresidential. it's inappropriate. and i say to the president of the united states, if he has proof bring forward his proof. and if not then please stop saying it because it's just wrong. >> reporter: the conspiracy theory didn't original with president trump. it started swirling in the 1990s when the then-republican governor opened up same-day voter registration. simply show up to the polls, present your i.d., and proven you live here. the rumors return every election cycle that buses filled with people from solidly blue massachusetts cross over the state line and make a beeline for the voting booths. >> this is absolutely preposterous the idea people are being bussed in by the hundreds or the thousands absolutely not true. >> reporter: fergus cullen was a never trumper who has so far stayed silent. when trump and his aides repeatedly made the voter fraud claims, cullen took to twitter. >> i will personally pay the first person to produce proof that buses are being used to transport people to new hampshire to vote. i will pay them a check for $1,000. so far there's been no proof. you have thousands of people standing around the polls with smart phones and none of them have snapped a picture of this. it's like the tooth fairy or the easter bunny. you would think somebody would get a shot of them. >> reporter: hillary clinton took the granite state by close to 3,000 votes. the attorney general, though, says there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud. todd selig points out the polls are staffed by local volunteers. they know most people and bus loads of out of staters would certainly stir suspicion. >> we are dealing with neighbors and friends and colleagues. we're not typically dealing with strangers from out of town who look nefarious in intent and are trying to cause national disruption with fraudulent votes. >> reporter: and if they did show up, you would probably notice. >> we'd be all over them. >> and jessica joins us now. do we know anyone in the trump administration has even been to new hampshire to investigate the alleged allegations? >> reporter: anderson, there have been no indications that anyone from the white house has been up here to investigate, and that's probably because there's nothing to investigate. the attorney general has stressed there is no evidence of any widespread voter fraud. as for the white house, they have not responded to our request for comment and, of course, they haven't provided any evidence of the thousands of people they claim have been bussed up here to vote. anderson? >> jessica schneider, thanks very much. back now with the panel. jeffrey, i have to start with you. >> i'm shocked. >> it's been three weeks since the white house claimed that they were going to launch an investigation on what they called initially president trump, first of all, was talking about, you know, millions of illegal votes. then they morphed to including people who were dead on the rolls or rejs gistered in multi states. it's not voter fraud it's bad organization -- >> it could be that. >> if then real people are bussed in who pretend to be those people f. had is a great huge problem in the united states, that it's, in fact, the biggest fraud ever perpetrated on the american electorate, why aren't they actually doing anything? >> i thought i understood vice president pence would head up an investigation into this and, again, anderson, when you go look at the column in the national review online in 2014, noncitizens for voting, you look at the "wall street journal" in 2016 saying the same thing at greater length, the question is how much of it? >> as i recall from like a month ago it was six people here. seven people there. and in all the columns you pull up it totalled nine people. >> they're giving it as evidence that it happens. >> i'm sure if "the wall street journal" had been able to find 3 million or 4 million people they would have. >> the question is find out. i don't understand the hesitation no not look. >> i agree. the white house isn't doing that. they've talked about huge -- this would be the biggest voter fraud, millions -- i mean, thousands -- >> again, as i understand it, the vice president is going to do this. >> okay. you think -- you think that shows huge priority? because nothing has been done on this. you would think wouldn't republican -- the republican governor, republican government officials in shnew hampshire bep in arms? >> anderson, i think they're going to do it and i think it's a good thing to lay this to rest for good, period. >> i think it's laid to rest. >> i don't think so. >> it's important to view these comments from stephen miller in the context of the sort of trump ecosystem that he's living in, right, that this is a position that the president has taken, that there was this massive fraud person rated on american elections for which there is no evidence. >> if you're stephen miller i think the risk for us in interpreting his comments is seeing it as an on the level statement of policy as opposed to an effort by a staffer who is pretty far out on a limb in a number of areas to curry favor with the boss by standing by him in an area nobody else has. >> putting out some 31-year-old staffer who is trying to curry favor as being the voice of the president. >> but that is what this white house has done. that is what this president did throughout the campaign as a candidate. essentially -- and paul would be able to speak to this or jeffrey better than i would -- but my memory of previous administrations you would not primarily have west wing staffers talking about policy to this extent. you have had -- it gives it a political tinge. essentially you have sean spicer, stephen miller, and i agree with alex in what he said, kellyanne conway, all of these people are coming out not with an audience of millions in the country of trying to shape policy or explain where the administration is or trying to set the tone for foreign leaders or trying to calm wall street markets or talk to capitol hill. they're speaking to an audience of one, all of them. >> the president. >> exactly right. >> that's the surreal situation, isn't it? >> every time you give a speech it's about keeping your job and making the boss happy and maybe that's part of the problem. >> they're getting -- the face time they're getting with him it's all about-face time. are you in the oval office? it's not about that. this is the time on television and he's watching tv. >> president trump actually tweeted out congratulating stephen miller on the great job. >> loyalty is not repeating the things the boss wants to you hear. going to the boss and saying, hey, you can't say this anymore. and there is proof. the bush administration, the last republican presidency, was obsessed with this. and they had a task force and they dug into it. they spent five years looking into this. they got 86 convictions out of tens of millions of voters. hundreds of millions. they got eight votes cast. they got 86 conviction this is a five-year effort, and they really believed it was true. so even if you don't believe all the independent academics it at the brennan center for justice. >> we will have them on in the next hour. >> u.s. senate races have been stolen, gubernatorial races stolen, maybe jfk stole west virginia, who knows, or lyndon johnson. these things happen. it's possible. but did 3 million people vote for hillary clinton? no. >> the election fraud, trump projects -- you always know what he's worried about by what he attacks others on. he's worried his victory is tainted because of russian involvement. and so he has to concoct some theory of democratic voter fraud to counter -- >> to speak of richard nixon, i had the opportunity to meet him in 1987. i can tell that you man went to his grave thinking the presid t presidency was stolen from him in chicago in 1960. >> did you tell him that even if you give him illinois he still lost? are you trying to help donald trump? >> i'm just trying to tell you that there is a belief out there and there are people out there with all sorts of data and everybody just says, oh, it's not true. >> people believe 9/11 was an inside job and that doesn't make it true. >> i believe donald trump was going to be elected president. >> that's true. >> think of the toxic environment that is being created in the white house with this. you have a president who says something that is false. and inside the white house instead of getting together and saying, all right, how are we going to tell the boss that he's wrong about this? the media condemned it as false. every fact check er says it's nt true. how do we get him to pull back and no longer talk about it? on three occasions, you have sean spicer going out and saying, well, the crowds were bigger than all of you in the media are reporting. the first day of the administration you have kellyanne conway going out and talking about ivanka trump 's brand because she thought it would please the boss and now you have this young man spreading a lie in new hampshire. and they all get praised by the boss after it's over. >> it starts with the president. >> that's what it comes down to. an immigration sweep leads to nearly 700 arrests. some call it a roundup. the government says it's business as usual. it happened during the obama administration. when did mixin, with not food, become food? thankfully at panera, 100% of our food is 100% clean. no artificial preservatives, sweeteners, flavors, or colors. panera. food as it should be. anyone ever have occasional constipation,diarrhea, gas or bloating? she does. she does. help defend against those digestive issues. take phillips' colon health probiotic caps daily with three types of good bacteria. 400 likes? wow! try phillips' colon health. withevery late night...g... and moment away... with every click...call...punch... and paycheck... you've earned your medicare. it was a deal that was made long ago, and aarp believes it should be honored. thankfully, president trump does too. "i am going to protect and save your social security and your medicare. you made a deal a long time ago." now, it's congress' turn. tell them to protect medicare. i am benedict arnold, the infamous traitor. and i know a thing or two about trading. so i trade with e*trade, where true traders trade on a trademarked trade platform that has all the... get off the computer traitor! i won't. (cannon sound) i won't. ♪ ♪ ♪ only at&t offers you all your live channels and dvr on your devices. data-free. entertainment. your way. only from at&t. department of homeland security says a series of immigration enforcement operations around the country netted more than 680 arrests. the operations carried out by enforcement agents, i.c.e., over five days were described as routine much like those during the obama administration. dhs says most of the people taken into custody are criminals. the arrests are sparking fear across the country that they're being targeted and protests. lots to discuss with jorge ramos who joins me tonight. jorge, you've been critical of these raids. i know you're now calling president trump the deporter in chief. criminals including people convicted of murder or drug trafficking to viewers, you say what? >> donald trump in just a few days, the deportation. he's the chief destroyer of american families at this point. i know that you are referring to the 75% of criminals. the fact is they are changing the definition of criminals. during the obama administration criminals meant something. and right now with president trump is something completely different. the "l.a. times," i don't know if you read that article about a week ago, they estimated that 8 million out of the 11 million undocumented are now considered criminals, a priority. that's precisely what we're seeing. guadeloupe garcia had been here for 22 years. she came here when she was only 14. she has a 14-year-old and a 16-year-old. donald trump has decided to do this. donald trump is ripping families apart. she had been here for 22 years. there has been no problem with her. of course she was undocumented. her son and her daughter, they are u.s. citizens, and there are 4.5 million children in this country who have at least one parent who is undocumented. this is precisely the problem we're facing right now. that's why there is so much fear. >> you're pointing to the fact under an executive order the president has signed, when you say they've changed the definition of a criminal, essentially that anybody who is suspected of having committed a crime or anybody who has misrepresented themselves if they were using a fake social security number at some point in the past, you're saying that can be a reason to deport someone? >> it could be anyone. there are about 11 million undocumented immigrants. with that definition almost anyone qualifies as a criminal because it's not only that you are convicted of a crime as it used to be with the obama administration, simply that an immigration officer might think that you could have committed a crime. >> the woman in particular who you referenced and showed the picture of, she had been arrested years ago i think for using a false s ocial security number in order to get work. >> correct. >> and every year she checked in with i.c.e., for years, but they would just talk to her a little bit and then they would let her go. this time when she went to check in -- >> she was not a priority. she had been visiting i.c.e. offices for eight years, i understand, and then she did it again and this time everything change d and the only differenc is that donald trump is pressing. >> when the head of homeland security says these latest arrests and deportations were routine, that essentially they were no different than what has happened under the obama administration, do you not believe that or do you believe that? >> no, that's precisely the problem. they're routine. with the obama administration, even though president barack obama deported more immigrants than any other president -- >> because you referred to him as the deporter in chief if memory serves me in an interview. >> i was quoting. he was known by many in the hispanic community as the deporter in chief because he deported more than any other president. now donald trump wants to do much better than obama and those routine stops or those routine raids, they don't even want to call them raids, that in the past would only suffice for the officer to identify the person and let them go, now they are stopping them, detaining them, and deporting back to mexico and central america. >> the white house or donald trump has said in the past they -- this is what he campaigned on. he campaigned on cracking down on undocumented immigrants. this is what hose wthose who vor him want to see, and it's very popular to those who say, look, it's not -- this is not a surprise. this is what he campaigned on. >> exactly. it's not a surprise. i think donald trump is terrorizing the hispanic community as we speak. i talked to many latinos every single day and right now there's a lot of fear, there are people who don't want to go to war because they are -- they fear that they're going to be stopped and deported. donald trump has a 10-year-old, right. just imagine how many 10-year-olds, and 9-year-olds and 7-year-olds are at home thinking they might not see their parents tonight because donald trump might deport them. that's the kind of anxiety we're living within the hispanic community. >> you're saying the president is terrorizing the hispanic community. i remember you and i talking before donald trump won the election and i think even afterward, there were many hispanics who ended up voting for donald trump. is it really fair to say he's terrorizing the hispanic community? i understand among those who are undocumented this would cause widespread anxiety and fear, but can you extrapolate it out? >> what i'm saying that he's terrorizing the hispanic community, i'm not exaggerating. you can go to los angeles, to chicago, to miami, and see the fear and reaction that many people are having when they're being stopped. forget about i.c.e. officers. when they're being stopped by the police. that's what donald trump is creating in the hispanic community. and, unfortunately, it seems that this is not going to stop right here. he's going to continue. and then we have to find a solution for those who are here and it is impossible to deport 11 million. so far it seems donald trump is going to try. >> jorge ramos, i appreciate you being with us, thanks. >> you thank you. coming up tonight refugees trying to get out of the united states. a growing number of refugees escaping to canada in the dead of winter. why they say they have no other choice next. the nation's tallest dam. the latest from california where tens of thousands of people evacuated because of flooding fears, fears that are not over. ? im vern, the orange money retirement rabbit, from voya. riiight. and that means...? i'm the money you save for retirement. i help you get organized so your money could multiply. see? got it. who's he? he's green money for spending today. you know, paying bills, maybe a little online shopping... makes it easy to tell you apart. that, and i am better looking. i heard that. when it's time to get organized for retirement, it's time to get voya. won't replace the full value of your totaled new car. the guy says you picked the wrong insurance plan. no, i picked the wrong insurance company. with liberty mutual new car replacement™, you won't have to worry about replacing your car because you'll get the full value back including depreciation. and if you have more than one liberty mutual policy, you qualify for a multi-policy discount, saving you money on your car and home coverage. call for a free quote today. liberty stands with you™. liberty mutual insurance. mr. brady, we've been expecting you. will you be needing anything else? no. not a thing. beautyrest black. get your beautyrest. s after meeting with the president with the white house, canadian prime minister justin trudeau spoke. >> would continue e continue to openness without compromising security. and part of the reason we've been successful in doing that, welcoming close to 40,000 refugees is that we have been coordinating with our allies, the united states and around the world to demonstrate that security comes very, very seriously to us, and that's something that we continue to deal with. >> as you know, president trump's travel ban, even though it's on hold for now taking the opposite approach. it's created a new wave of people who have gotten into the united states and are now trying to leave to go to canada and are facing danger trying to do it. sara sidner reports. >> reporter: men, women and children picked up in the middle of the night in the dead of winter, looking for refuge after being denied it in the u.s. this is the latest wave of asylum seekers who have snuck across the united states border, not trying to get into the u.s. but trying to get out. destination? canada. these four men were among them. what was it like trying to get here? >> i cannot believe now speaking to you that i'm alive. i was almost dead to be freezing. >> it was very, very difficult. >> reporter: at one point, they all thought they were going to freeze to death. this is an easy entryway into canada, because this is a decommissioned border crossing. this is one of the routes. people were walking in knee-deep snow in sub-zero temperatures for hours, and they did it all in the dead of winter for one reason. >> donald trump was elected. i feel that i will not have an opportunity to be granted and to live as an asylum, refugee in the united states, because donald trump hates the refugee. >> they don't want any immigrants, especially my country, somalia. they ban. >> reporter: how many of you left the united states because of donald trump's executive order? the raise your hand. all of you. >> all of us. >> reporter: all of them ended up stumbling into the small border town of emerson, canada and calling 911. here border jumpers are nothing new, but the numbers coming over are. >> i guess it started with a trickle. and now it's increased to like a flood stage. >> reporter: we witnessed 21 people, including an entire family come into canada near emerson in just 24 hours. the mayor of emerson says he feels for the asylum seekers but is also worried about the safety of his town. >> reporter: are you worried about terrorism? are you worried about people coming over at all? >> that's always in the back of your mind. when you're getting these people coming across. for one thing, they're breaking the law when they jump the border. so they're criminals. >> reporter: not everyone we saw was from the list of banned country, but they all have their reasons for making the journey. >> right now i'm wanted in my country. >> reporter: wanted for the crime of being gay. what would they do if they caught you? >> i'll go to jail. >> reporter: tell me how this happened to you. how you lost your fingers. >> reporter: they had never heard of frostbite until all of their fingers had to be amputated, save one thumb. when asked if it was worth it, they said they have no choice. >> we feel like we are home. that's what we feel. and the canadian people opened their hands for us. >> sara sidner joins us now. it's shocking to see all their fingers amputated except for their thumbs. once these people get to canada, what happens to them? >> reporter: you know, usually what happens, and we've seen this ourselves. people will come over, and then if their cell phones are working, they, themselves, will call 911, hoping authorities pick them up, and then they'll say we want asylum. but they've been knocking on people's doors in the middle of the night trying to get someone else to call 911 because their cell phones are dead. then they're taken to the canadian border where they try to vet them the best they can. they check them for weapons and ask them detailed questions about who they are and see if they have any paperwork, but in the end, even those two men who had all of their fingers except for their thumbs amputated, they have not been given asylum yet. and there is absolutely no guarantee that they will. >> sara sidner, thanks very much. nearly 200,000 people remain under evacuation orders near california's oroville dam. if the spillway fails, a mountain of water would swamp downstream communities. water in the lake that's held back by the dam eased a bit, but there is more rain in the forecast as soon as wednesday. we're going to go live to the area in the next hour for a report. new, a report from the washington post about michael flynn. the report details how the white house was warned flynn might be susceptible to blackmail by russia. we'll talk to the reporter on that story, next. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ it can seem like triggers pop up everywhere. luckily there's powerful, 24-hour, non-drowsy claritin. it provides relief of symptoms that can be triggered by over 200 different allergens. live claritin clear. [ rumbling ] mattress firmness? fortunately there's a bed where you both get what you want every night. enter sleep number and the ultimate sleep number event, going on now. sleepiq technology tells you how well you slept and what adjustments you can make. she likes the bed soft. he's more hardcore. so your sleep goes from good to great to wow! only at a sleep number store. and right now save 50% on the ultimate limited edition bed. go to sleepnumber.com for a store near you. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com thanks for joining us for the second hour of

Detailed text transcripts for TV channel - CNN - 20180119:04:45:00

>> it was in october. he believes and a lot of people believe that it cost him the election. now, they had a whole year until the midterms, and of course republicans did well, but they had a year to recover. >> so listen, scott, president trump likes to call himself the deal maker. how much do voters hang this on him if the government does shut down? >> well, i think matt's right. there will be blame to go around for everybody. he needs to pay attention to the messaging coming out of the senate republicans tonight. for the first time than i can ever remember, republicans actually have a good argument on the shutdown. tonight the democrats showed us their hand, they showed us their priorities. we have 9 million kids on chip. they voted to abandon them tonight in favor of 800,000 people who are not citizens on daca. and there's no deadline on daca. so the democrats have a clear messaging portal here than they've had on previous shutdowns. whether the president gets blamed or not is highly depend whether he stays on message if the government does shut down. >> good luck with that.

Detailed text transcripts for TV channel - CNN - 20180119:04:54:00

have a, what is it, 1994 -- >> not like a minor traffic accident -- >> that was a big deal, the gingrich thing. >> scott, hold on, i want to get a consensus here. scott, you said no, you think they'll come to a deal. >> yeah, i think they will, yeah. >> maria? >> i hope they will, but i'm with matt on this. if i were to put money on it, yeah, i think it probably will. >> bakari? >> i don't think it shuts down. i think they come up with a deal that kicks the can down the road while they work out the things that scott talked about. >> yeah. how do you -- how do you blame it -- i cut you off, matt, how do you blame the democrats when you're in control of both chambers of congress and the white house? >> well, it's hard, but i think there are three things that make this different. number one, republicans are trying to fund the, you know, the children's health insurance program -- >> would they have had to do that if they didn't -- if he didn't sort of blow up this daca

Detailed text transcripts for TV channel - CNN - 20180119:04:43:00

lew lewis. i feel at home tonight. all these other folks, it's like, where are my people? >> we're your people. >> yes. welcome home. matt, this could be the first shutdown in history when the white house and the congress are controlled by the same party. what does that tell you about the state of the republican party right now, or maybe it is state of the administration? >> it's not good. i don't think a shutdown is good for anybody. it doesn't make republicans look competent. i would say this. now, normally i've always been in the camp. i was a big critic of republicans in 2013 during the shutdown where ted cruz tried to defund obamacare and i thought tf it was a fool's error. i always thought republicans get blamed for it. i actually think this one works out a bit different for a number of reasons, one of which being that in the senate it would likely be a democratic filibuster that would lead to it.

Detailed text transcripts for TV channel - CNN - 20180119:04:53:00

game and all that. honestly, i -- do you think it's going to make that big of a difference, if the government is shut down for a day or two in the midterms, scott? >> i don't know that it will make a huge difference ten months from now. where does it make a difference? if voters who unified control of government under one party decide that it's no longer functioning, it could make a difference. but i ultimately believe they're going to get to a deal. yes, there's going to be short-term consternation, but as long as they get to a deal, as long as the daca deal is done -- i believe all of this is going to happen -- i think this is a distant memory come election day. republicans arghave to argue, w checked off our promises, please keep it going. >> so, matt, let's say -- everyone, i guess, do you think there's going to be a deal? you think the government is going to shut down? let me ask everybody. matt, do you think it is? >> i think there will be a minor shutdown. i don't think we're going to

Detailed text transcripts for TV channel - CNN - 20180119:04:42:45