Transcripts For KQED Charlie Rose The Week 20170401

Rose and so you began how . Is it luck at all or is it Something Else . You gotta have your 10,000 hours. Rose whats the object lesson here . You dont have to be wonder woman. Rose tell me the significance of the moment. Rose this was the week the Senate Intelligence committee began hearings on russias influence on the 2016 election. The United Kingdom formally gave notice that it is leaving the european union. And south carolina, u. N. C. , gonzaga, and oregon advance to the final four of the n. C. A. A. Mens basketball tournament. Here are the sights and sounds of the past seven days. In russia, massive antigovernment protests in cities from coast to coast. The search is on for anyone connected to a deadly shooting in cincinnati. Brexit finally begins. This is an historic moment from which there can be no turning back. Rose the house Intelligence Committee cancels its hearing. Reporter why did you cancel the hearings . There is no nothing has been canceled. He blames you for saving planned parenthood and obamacare. We learned that washington was a lot more broken than President Trump thought it was. A plane veered off the runway in peru. Senate Intelligence Committee takes the reins on the russian investigation. The senate, the adults in the room. Clearly, as his lawyer said, he has a story to tell and he feels will that he needs protections in order to do that. President trump turned down a chance to throw out the opening day pitch . Take me out to the ball game take me out to the crowd see you later, alligator check out this bad boy roaming the course. I got news for you, when this guy wants to play through, you let him play through. Hillary clinton speaking to business women in San Francisco there is no place id rather be there is no place id rather be than here with you, other than the white house. If the president puts russian salad dressing on his salad tonight, somehow thats a russian connection are you serious the president put russian dressing on his salad tonight . Thats huge news. Trump ate a salad . Are you serious or just having fun rose on thursday, lawmakers in North Carolina rolled back the states controversial bathroom bill. That is the law passed a little over a year ago that required transgender people to use the public bathroom of the gender that appears on their birth certificate. The backlask to the law began almost immediately, and it has had both economic and political ramifications. By one estimate, the law would cost the state 3. 76 billion in lost business over a dozen years. It is also cited as a major factor in last years governors race, which led to the election of democrat roy cooper. Governor cooper joins me now from the state capital of raleigh. Thank you, charlie. I appreciate it. Rose so help us understand this new bill. What was kept, what was kicked out, and why are some people complaining it is too muchave compromise . First, tbheefer should have been here in the first place. Passing house bill 2, the Supermajority Republican Legislature, and my predecessor, the republican governor, signed this horrible bill into law that discriminates against l. G. B. T. Community and has hurt our state, has put a stain on our reputation. The first thing we have done is to repeal house bill 2. Weve gotten rid of this horrible requirement that you have to go to the restroom of your birth certificate. It is not my preferred solution. It is not everything that i wanted. But it is progress, moving forward, and i believe strongly that we need to have statewide l. G. B. T. Protections in North Carolina. My Supermajority Republican Legislature wont let me do that yet, but im going to keep fighting for that every single day. Rose as you know, many people have talked about over the last year or so the damage to North Carolinas reputation, and so have you, and also the financial impact. Did that have any impact on the republicans in the legislature . Clearly, the Economic Impact on our state has been great. Weve been boycotted by companies and by sporting events and its because of their belief in peoples rights, too, as to why they have boycotted North Carolina. Were sending them a strong signal now that were making progress, and we want them to come to North Carolina. Things are changing now. And were going to continue to work for those changes. Change. Rose some of the those who did not want to see you compromise and simply wanted to see the bill repealed, period, seemed to say that things were going your way, that theres going to be more and more pressure, and if you had not compromised, you would have the ability later to do what you wanted to do. Yeah. Well, they didnt they werent in the rooms with these republicans that i was dealing with. There was a hard opposition to changes in our law. There was a hard opposition to repeal of hb2 at all. And you should have seen some of the things that theymented that i said absolutely not. They wanted rifra provisions, that would allow people tiewz their religious beliefs or their conscience to discriminate against other people. I said absolutely not. Were not going to do that in North Carolina. Were not going to trade one bad law for another bad law. Rose you can see more of my interview with the governor on the nightly edition of charlie rose. Rose it has been another chaotic and surprising week in washington. Michael flynn, President Trumps former National Security adviser, is now seeking immunity, and the congressional commits probing russias influence on the elections are considering that. Meanwhile, the president is at odded with congressional members of his own party, notably, the conservatives of the House Freedom caucus. Joining me from washington is dan bals, here in new york, mike allen, the cofounder of axeias. Ill begin with dan balz. Dan, where are we almost 70 days into the trump presidency, and a few days away from a powerful meeting with him and the president of china in florida . Charlie, both th the econom and the new yorker have pictures or covers of donald trump, one in a sandtrap, and the other having knocked out almost every window in the white house from the south lawn with his driver. They think tells us a lot about the perceptions of where they are, which is theyve hadd we said almost from day one, a chaotic start. They are still struggling to find their sea legs in the white house. They have yet to rack up one significant victory. Rose whats the problem . I think the problem is it goes to the president himself. The president came into this Office Without any particular experience in either politics or government. And i think that it has shown up. I think that they have not developed a clear strategy. I think that in many ways the governing approach to what theyre doing went off track during the transition, and theyve never quite been able to get control of that. Rose what would you add to that, mike . Well, charlie, agreeing 100 . And this is the second terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week in a row for the trump white house. And i can tell you the republicans are really worried about it because as dan pointsz out, not only no wins, but no prospects of wins. Charlie, they have not changed the math in any way that could guarantee them a win. And in fact, its worse because now President Trump bike, by tag on the freedom caucus, the further right part of the republican party, hes unified them. Rose should the president have started with tax reform and not health care, dan . You know, if youre a republican president with a newly empowered republican congress, youre pretty much obliged to start with something thats high on the list of the republican partys agenda. And so i think for all those reasons, i think inevitably they had to start with obamacare. And, obviously, nobody thought that it would collapse before it even came to a vote in the house. Rose now turn to the russians and what happened. Chairman nunes goes to the white house. He now meets with two people at least two that we know about. Charlie, its so hard to explain. Every time we go through the sequencing, it becomes more mysterious. He went to the white house to view some sensitive intelligence, which he concluded showed that there had been some form of surveillance in which Trump Officials had been caught up incidentally in that. And in some form or another, identifiable or unmasked. He then sought a meeting with the president of the United States to brief him on that. Nothing of this makes any particular sense, other than that there was an effort to try to, if not exonerate the president for the tweet that said tha that president obama hd wiretapped trump tower, that it was an attempt to in one way or another muddy all of that, and to add to the diversion thats been created by the president s tweets. Rose and we know that the f. B. I. Director said there is an Ongoing Investigation in his testimony, an Ongoing Investigation into whether there had been collusion between russians and members of the trump team. Well, thats thats the big i mean, thats the big issue. Thats what the f. B. I. Is looking into. Thats what the house and Senate Intelligence committees are looking into. Rose so when you look at this, do we expect that the Senate Intelligence committee will be able to do an effective job because there is evidence of respect between the republican chairman and the democratic minority leader . I think that thats right. And like so many like everything we have talked about from the beginning of this conversation, almost all of it is selfinflicted. So the other momentous development this week, mike flynn, the president s former National Security adviser, asking for immunity from prosecution to tell his story. You know that the one rule about investigations is f. B. I. Investigations is they never finish where they started. People who go there now tell me that now the west wing is like tv. They say the president is almost like playing a president in real life. Rose alisa mastromoncowent to work for barack obama when he was a newly elected senator from illinois. She followed him to the white house where she became the youngest woman ever to hold the title deputy chief of staff. Her memoir about her time in government just reached number 10 in the New York Times bestseller list. Its called, who thought this was a good idea, and other questions you should have answers to when you work at the white house. So i wrote the book because i think theres a sort of preponderance of memoirs from the white house and out of government that are really serious and dense and dont necessarily give young people especially young women a path to government or to see themselves in government. Dana perino actually did a book, but other than that, there arent that many. So i wanted to write snag made the government and the white house seem accessible. Rose and a place that you could go and work and feel good about it. Yes, and still just be a normal person. You dont have to be wonder woman. Rose well, you were wonder woman, werent you . Well, i was, but i had my share of problems. Rose how would you define the relationship between the two of you . Were sort of like big brother not much younger sister. Thats what he would say. Rose thats what he would say. Im not that much younger. Rose he also took an interest in your dating life dhe . He did. I think that he saw how hard we all worked, and that we were there sort of supporting him, and he felt responsible for make sure that we had personal lives. So he did try to set me up on a date or two. Rose you think hes going to end up spending a lot of time, the rest his life, as a writer. I do. I always thought in his core hes a writer. Rose what made you think that . Because he writes good. Because he writes really well. Its something, that seems to be, it seemed to me, the thing that he deeply enjoyed doing, that he really invested his time, that he really sort of got into. Rose he also had sweetch writers. He did. Rose there were some he wrote himself, like the speech on religion during his campaign. Yes, the race speech. And there were some that were just so personal to him. His remarks at newtown at the memorial at newtown after the shooting, thing like that he felt he had to do himselfs. Rose he said that was the worst day of his presidency. I think we all felt that. Rose because so many young people died . It was a tragedy beyond description. Rose the glass menagerie is one of Tennessee Williams most popular plays. Set in st. Louis st. Louis in 1937, the play first premiered in 1944, and now a revival is once again running on broadway. It stars sale fields, joe mantelo, madison farris, and fen whittrock. Its about family and love and the complication of that, of trying to be trying to grow up ands from your family. And live through a complicated time and a complicated family. Every time that you come in yelling that goddamn, rise and shine rise and shine i say to myself, how lucky dead people are. laughter . And that it is auto biographical, and that tennessee really never did quite survive eye mean, he was a great ayerst, but the ramifications of leaving his sstayed with him all of his life. And tortured him. Rose you in part wanted to play it because you wanted to watch sam direct. Yyes. That is actually the primary reason yeah. You know, i said to him early on, your metabolism as a director is so radically different than mine, and i want to know what you know. And its been an extraordinary experience, you know, from that part alone. Rose what does gentleman caller bring to the play . Filling a void, i think, that was left by the father. Hes totally a different person and incapable of doing that. And life isnt quite giving back to him in a way that he expected that it would. He was a star in high school. He was the the main guy on campus. And since graduation, things havent he hasnt hes fallen off that ped stell. And so then he comes back to laura who still remembers him in that way, remembers the heroic side of him. And it it reminds him of that old glory remind him of his best years. Yes. But also, then, i think the two of them in their scene have a an unusual it doesnt go the way that he expects it too, you know. I think he falls as as enamored with her, as in love with her, as she is with him. Rose is that what gets him to open up . Well, i think so. Yeah, i think it starts off by laura thinking shes going on a date with some joe schmo, and then she realizes its the guy, the man. Its intimidating. Its scary, so much so that she shakes. But she rallies and she i think i think its its a familiar story of meeting someone that was big man on campus, and six years later, theyre much more humble. Rose the greatest generation produced some of hollywoods greatest directors, and in the 1940s, several of them put their careers on hold to join the war effort. Frank capra, john huston, william wieler, john ford, and george stephens, all joined us to document world war ii. Five came back as a new Netflix Documentary series that tells their stories. It is adapted from mark harris 2014 book of the same name. The director of the series is laurent buzureau. When i was working on the book, i became really interested in this era and in these world war ii movies. And when the book came out, i was surprised at the number of early readers who said to me, it was fascinating to read about these documentaries. Too bad most of them are lost. And i would say to them, are, the documentaries arent lost. They all still exist. Theyre properties of the u. S. Government. So i thought this is a real opportunity for us, as well as i could try to describe these films in a book, theres nothing like being able to show them to people. So that was the germ of the idea to make it a documentary. Rose and then the idea of to take five directors and explain each director. That was our directors big innovation. Rose tell me about it. I mean, were trying to figure out a very innovative way of telling this story, and it was actually Steven Spielberg who said to me, you know, lets try to think of a hav very interesting way of telling those stories, and who better than directors to talk about directors. And so then came the search for five directors to speak for five guys. And it was it was great. We have a very we had a very short list. Everybody sort of organically was available. It worked out. And we have now, what were they charged with . They were charged with being interviewed in the same way youre interviewing me, actually, right now. But they had to come in with a lot of knowledge. They had all read the book, even before we approached them, you know. And they also did a lot of research. Mark wrote scripts for each of the episodes. And i would highlight exactly, you know, if Steven Spielberg came in to talk about william wieler, or the things pertaining to wieler. And so they were very well prepared. But, you know, they were so familiar with the movies, so familiar with their lives. Some of them, you know, Steven Spielberg knew wyler. So they came with their own knowledge and their own appreciation. Rose. Rose the movies were in part propaganda. Yes, they were, they were. That was part of the task that the government gave these these five film makers, to silent war not only to, sell the war not only to the american public, but to soldiers who were 18 and 19 years old and who were coming in and really didnt know the reason we were in the war in t just to give them a reason, but to excite them, to inflame their patriotism, and capra was very, very good at doing that. Rose did any of them have resistance to that at all . I think they all wanted to serve their country. Capra had the most directly propagandistic assignment. For the other four, they thought what they were going to do was travel the world to wherever the battle fronts were and document the war, you know, just to bring the truth of the war home to the public. So i think sometimes their impulses as film makers to tell a great story, and their impulses as patriots to, you know, sell the war and to, you know, make the case for our side, and their impulse as artists, they clashed with each other. This is something you cant touch this is something you fee feer some people its too much for some people it heals this music is my healing rose the blues guitar gary clark jr. Has been dubbed the chosen one. His fans include guitar greats like buddy guy, keith richards, and eric clapton. His new album is, live, north america, 2016. That is something im starting to embrace a little bit more as i become older and understand really what i think my role is musically. I mean, i try to do a lot of things, but ive definitely been in spots and positions and been looked upon or called am by other artists to kind of carry on a tradition in blues music, music rooted in blues. And its been a little bit overwhelming. And i try not to pay too much attention to it, not to get myself too wrapped up. I mean, i put enough pressure on myself. I want to be great. I want to be considered a great musician but, you know, i want to work on myself and understand my strengths and my weaknesses. Rose you had to struggle like anybody else. Yeah. I maid choice, though, you know. I didnt do the school thing. And i moved out of my parents house. Didnt have much. And i was just like im going to survive. I played four, five, sir, seven nights a week, four hours a night, playing for tips, in smoky blues bars. I wanted that experience, and from all the stories and the legends and blues guys and all that, its you gotta have your 10,000 hours, and you gotta oh, yeah. Really put in your time and work and figure out what it means to be on stage and perform live and be a part of a of a unit, you know. Everybody can get up and play. Rose my impression is that youre manufacture be live guy than a studio musician. Yeah, its an interesting record business. And thats part of why im so dependent on playing live, why ive been so focused on that because you never know. I feel like people will always want to come and see and hear live music. Rose now heres a look at your weekend. John mayer begins the search for everything world tour with concert dates in albany, new york, and montreal. Love on the weekend love on the weekend i hate your guts gauze because im loving every minute of it rose bob dylan has a new album out, triplicate. And alec baldwin, lisa kudrow, and jimmy kimmel provide the voices for the animated feature the boss baby. Whats all the racket . Isnt he adorable. Oh ive got one for you, too bummer. Dreamwork the boss baby. Rose and heres whats new for the week ahead sunday is opening day for major league baseball. Monday is the championship gaivment n. C. A. A. Basketball tournament. Tuesday is the 49th anniversary of the assassination of dr. Martin luther king jr. Wednesday is the day this years inductees into the Country Music hall of fame are announced. Thursday is the 100th anniversary of the United States entry into world war i. Friday is the rock n roll hall of fame induction ceremony at new yorks barkley center. Saturday is the National Cherry blossom festival parade in washington, d. C. Thats charlie rose the week for this week. From all of us here, thank you for watching. Im charlie rose. Well see you again next time. Captioning sponsored by Rose Communications captioned by Media Access Group at wgbh access. Wgbh. Org rose funding for charlie brought to you in part by viewers like you, and you, and you, and you. Ha, ha thanks so much youre very kind. Hey what . Come over here, the cat in the hat is about to appear. Hes whizzing over to whisk you away on a fabulous journey today. Hes coming and now hes arrived in the thingamajigger the thing that he drives hes a cat and hes oodles of fun with his hairy helpers thing two and thing one instrumental instrumental