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Less Than 60 Days to Election Day; Is Clinton Struggling with Black Millennials?; Cantor Fitzgerald CEO on 9/11 Loss and Hope; Starbucks CEO Backs Clinton; Parents of Son Lost in 9/11 Attack Find Purpose in Helping Others. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired September 10, 2016 - 19:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[19:00:15]

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Less than 60 days to go, and the race for the White House is as heated as ever.

I'm Poppy Harlow, you're watching CNN. And we begin this hour with Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump trading barbs over comments the Democratic candidate made last night at a fundraiser here in New York. And now, Clinton is apologizing for part of what she said. And, Trump, is actually retweeting President Obama. That's right, retweeting President Obama, to make his point against Clinton.

All right, here's how it all unfolded. Let's begin with what Clinton said last night about some Trump supporters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: To just be grossly generalistic, you can put half of Trump supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables.

(LAUGHTER)

(APPLAUSE)

CLINTON: Right? The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, islamophobic, you name it. But that other basket of people are people who feel the government has let them down, the economy has let them down, nobody cares about them, nobody worries about what happens to their lives and their futures. And they're just desperate for change.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Clinton quickly took heat for grouping millions of Americans into that so-called basket. Donald Trump himself tweeting, "Wow, Hillary Clinton was so insulting to my supporters, millions of amazing hardworking people. I think it will cost her at the polls."

Clinton saying in a statement tonight, "Last night I was grossly generalistic and that's never a good idea. I regret saying half, that was wrong." She goes on to say, "It's deplorable that Trump has built the campaign largely on prejudice and paranoia and given a national platform to hateful views and voices. Including by retweeting fringe bigots with a dozen followers and spreading their message to 11 million people."

Donald Trump then issued this statement saying "Isn't it disgraceful that Hillary Clinton makes the worst mistake of the political season and instead of owning up to this grotesque attack on American voters, she tries to turn it around with a pathetic rehash of the words and insults used in her failing campaign?"

Let's get reaction tonight from both sides of the political spectrum. With me now, Conservative Political Commentator Ben Ferguson, host of the Ben Ferguson Show and a Donald Trump supporter. And Symone Sanders, Former National Press Secretary for Senator Bernie Sanders's presidential campaign, and now a Hillary Clinton supporter.

So glad you're both with us.

BEN FERGUSON, HOST "BEN FERGUSON SHOW": Good to be here.

HARLOW: So Symone, let me begin -- let me begin with you, Symone. Clinton's team telling CNN that she apologized so quickly because -- for saying half of the supporters feel this way because she felt like she couldn't move forward on the crux of her argument without getting that controversy out of the way. And the crux of that argument is that she still believes that Donald Trump is running a racist campaign.

So my question to you is, given that, and I know you're no Trump supporter, how significant of a group of Trump supporters do you believe are, "racist, sexist, homophobic, islamophobic?"

SYMONE SANDERS, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: So, great question, Poppy. So, of course, the Secretary, and I'm glad that she corrected it, was indeed wrong to say that half of Trump's supporters were in the basket of, quote unquote, deplorables. But we should be clear, in knowing that there is a segment of people who support Donald Trump that support his campaign that do subscribe to xenophobic, racist, sexist, and so on, and so forth views. That is not half of his supporters but --

HARLOW: -- but how large do you think that is?

SANDERS: I think that there are three baskets of Trump supporters to be honest. Three baskets, three segments. So one,-- I mean a portion -- I don't think it's a large portion, but I think it's a smaller portion. I think there's those, quote unquote, if we're going to use the term basket of deplorables. But I also think there are these hardworking Americans folks that feel like the government has left them behind, that they've been locked out of opportunity. And, that's another segment, I think that's a larger segment, the largest segment.

And, then I also think there are individuals who are maybe white working class folks. Some people that have been voting against their own interests for years with the Republican Party, people that used to be Democrats. And, now are standing up and saying, hmm, I like some of the things Donald Trump is saying, I don't agree with some of his more divisive and racist and inflammatory rhetoric. But I do like some of the things that he's saying because I want someone to speak to me. And, that's going to folks talking about the issues.

HARLOW: That's interesting. So you say this group of racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, is the smallest of the three groups.

Ben to you. You and I have spoken a lot throughout this election, and while you support the Republican candidate now, you were very reluctant to support Donald Trump throughout the primary process.

And, I wonder now, stepping back, was one of the reasons that you held off so long on supporting Trump due to concern you had over where some of his support was coming from?

[19:05:06]

FERGUSON: Not so much where his support was coming from but more of his choice the way he described and explained things when I thought sometimes he crossed the line.

But let's be clear here. Hillary Clinton, she did not make a mistake. This is exactly what she believes about the Republican Party. And this is what I find so intriguing about this, is the fact that Democrats have been using this for years. They say that they're the party of acceptance and tolerance. But, they're completely intolerant of anyone else's views that are against theirs. And, if you disagree with them they put you in this basket of hell, that you're homophobic or bigoted or their favorite word they love to use, you're a racist.

So I don't think people should be surprised by this. What I think was incredibly stupid for her to do is she has fired up many people that maybe weren't excited about Donald Trump so much that might have stayed home if it was a rainy day. And now they know that Hillary Clinton says that if you're a conservative, you're in this basket of hell, and you're a racist, a bigot, a homophobic person, and I'm going to tell you that's what you are. And it's going to backfire. This was a stupid move by this woman.

HARLOW: So I think -- I think it's interesting, Symone, the (inaudible) at that point, he says it's not a mistake.

Just to be clear, this is not the first time Clinton has said it. It's the first time that it got a lot of national media pickup. She actually said it a week ago on Israeli television. Does, he have a point, do you really believe that Clinton thinks it is a true mistake or is she responding quickly to the backlash?

SANDERS: Well, I definitely think she thinks it's a mistake and here's why. A number of prominent Republicans in the party have come out and thrown their support behind Secretary Clinton because they know Donald Trump is a disaster. They know that Donald Trump is not representative of the Republican Party. And, they know that there's too much at stake in this election to put party over the country. We have to put the country over party.

So, Secretary Clinton she's not the person that's been spewing divisive and inflammatory rhetoric. And just, to you know to a point that Ben made, I think it's interesting that a Republican -- FERGUSON: -- she's been doing it in a --

SANDERS: -- I think -- I think it's interesting -- I think it's interesting that Republicans like to say that, you know, Democrats always bring up "R" word, racism, racist. As an African-American woman, I don't play with racism, and I don't play with the term racist. So, what Donald Trump has been doing is spewing this rhetoric and we have to call it what it is. And, that is what we're doing in this election.

HARLOW: Symone, is she talking -- so, is talking though down -- is she coming off as elitist? Is she talking down to millions of Americans who supported and voted for Donald Trump in the primary?

Let's push aside saying half, right, I mean even her camp says she shouldn't have used that broad brush. Even her supporters say that. But here's how Mike Pence put it and I wonder if you agree in part with him, even as a Clinton supporter. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. MIKE PENCE, (R-IN) VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, Hillary, I've got news for you -- I've got news for you. I'm traveling across this country every day. I'm meeting the men and women who support Donald Trump in big cities and small towns. The people that represent the millions of people who support my running mate. They're good hard working Americans. They're factory workers and coal miners. They're farmers and business owners. They're law enforcement officers and veterans. They're students and they're seniors. They're moms and they're dads. They're people who believe in freedom and in the god given liberties enshrined in our constitution. Hillary, they aren't a basket of anything. They are Americans, and they all deserve your support.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Simone, your reaction to that. Do you believe that he's playing at, frankly, part of what Bernie Sanders went against Hillary Clinton on in the primary, being sort of, you know, in with Wall Street, in with the so called elites?

SANDERS: Well, I will say that Governor Pence's comments were extremely -- very convincing. And, I would also say that Trump supporters and millions of hard working people across this country that are taking a hard look at Donald Trump, they are looking for a vote for real change. And, once we peel back the layers of Mr. Trump, that's not real change.

I think, Secretary Clinton has painted more of a picture. Do these comments hurt her? Clearly, yes. It's still in the news cycle, we're still talking about it, we'll be talking about it tomorrow. But, is this going to turn off millions and millions of people and drive people to go to the polls in support of Donald Trump because of this one comment? I don't actually think so, because I think the issues again Poppy, are extremely important. Those hardworking people, people in places like Iowa, and Nebraska, the Midwest where I'm from, they want to know what you're actually going to do to improve their lives. So we have to get past this rhetoric.

FERGUSON: Here's the thing though. Poppy, this is not getting past the rhetoric this is the reality of what Hillary Clinton actually thinks about 50% of the people that are voting in this country.

And if you're watching this, maybe you're not one that really focuses on politics very often. The question you now have to ask yourself is, if this is what she thinks of me if I stand up for certain values that she disagrees with that she obviously is going to look at me as the lowest form of human being in this country and insult me in this way, she's not going to represent me if she's the President. She's not going to listen to my ideas if she's the President.

[19:10:10]

FERGUSON: So, now you have a real problem for her. The cat's out of the bag. This is what she thinks of people that are moderate or conservatives. And she is not going to ever represent you when she tells you the truth of what she thinks about you right now. When she's President, you will not have her ear, she will not listen to your concerns, because she thinks you're a racist, or a bigot, or a homophobe, and, she's said it out loud finally and people are listing.

SANDERS: Poppy, I just want to make one last point --

HARLOW: -- very, very quickly.

SANDERS: I will make one quick point. Donald Trump has stood up time after time again and he has disparaged African-Americans in this country. He has disparaged gold star families, Muslims, Latinos, and Hispanics. And, you know Donald Trump has said over and over again. And, so when you're asking African-Americans for their vote, Latinos for their vote, you have to -- again, if we're going off what you're saying, I would say the same stance for Donald Trump. So, can people across this country expect Donald trump to hold their interests at the highest level and carry the water on the issues? I don't think so.

HARLOW: Ben Ferguson, thank you very much. Ben Ferguson, thank you very much, Symone Sanders, thank you. Stick with me, Symone's with us on the other side of this break. We have a lot ahead this hour to cover.

Hillary Clinton counting on black voters to help propel her to the White House.

But, the polling shows she may be coming up short with one key group of African-American voters. Ahead, what she needs to do to get the support she needs.

Also, it's one thing to call your rival deplorable in a presidential race. It is -- but attacking the voters who support your opponent takes things to a new level as we just discussed. Will Hillary Clinton's words come back to haunt her come November?

And, in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks, the name Cantor Fitzgerald became synonymous with loss of life. Two-thirds of that company's workers perished on 9/11. The company's CEO has found a way to make something extraordinary happen after a tragedy. Also, this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I never thought I would never feel good about anything ever again after Peter was killed. And I feel good about the work that we're doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: How the parents of Peter Alderman turned their September 11th loss of their son into a mission to help the world's most vulnerable

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:15:00]

HARLOW: There's no question that African-American voters are backing Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump right now in a big way. But what about young black voters, the millennials?

Clinton needs to win their support in droves like President Obama did. But is there an enthusiasm gap among black millennials when it comes to her campaign?

Look at 2008, then Senator Barack Obama won 95% of African-American voters aged 18-29, that's according to the exit polls. Clinton's numbers right now are just as not as strong with that group.

A recent GenForward poll shows that African-American voters age 18 to 30 support her at just 57%. So she's got some ground to make up. That is much better than Trump's 2%. But is there an enthusiasm gap here?

Let's talk about it. Back with me is Democratic Strategist, Symone Sanders, former Press Secretary for the Senator Sanders campaign. You say Symone, and your quote in the New York Times this week saying this, Clinton needs to "modernize her outreach to black millennials." We've got what, 59 days to go. How does she do that?

SANDERS: Well, she does it by putting together a very robust millennial engagement team which is what I do believe the campaign has done. But she also does it by doing some Avant Garde things not as usual. And, I'd like to note it's not just the campaign that has to do this, I think it's democrats as a whole. This election has implications for democrats up and down the ticket, not just the presidential election. But, statehouses, governors' races, races, and the house of representatives. So, all democrats have to be intentional about engaging millennials as a whole but especially African-American millennials

HARLOW: Right, because if you look at the numbers, she's nowhere near where President Obama was in 2008 and 2012. And you need this so- called Obama coalition, right. Clinton needs that.

Look, Sanders -- Senator Sanders, had broad millennial support, right, in the primary. That didn't push him over the edge to win. How important is it for Clinton? I mean is it critical for her? SANDERS: I think it's definitely critical. And, here's why. When you

talk about the Obama coalition, the Obama coalition was, yes, it was African-American women, it was Latinos. But it was really young people. And there are compounded efforts to reach out to young white women in this election, not just from the campaign but all compounded efforts from all folks. There are compounded efforts for Latino engagement. There's compounded efforts for African-American women. And, we have to make sure that we're intentional that there's some compounded efforts for young people. And that means going and reaching folks that voted for Obama in '08, that are now not in college, these are young professionals, you know they own families.

HARLOW: How much do you think it is hurting her -- I much do you think the past is hurting her? Right, so the '94 Crime Bill that her husband signed into law that she supported for the mandatory life sentences for three strikes. Now they both say parts of it were a mistake. She used the term "super predator," when talking about some at-risk youth, that has sort of come back to haunt her. How much of that is hurting her among young black voters right now?

SANDERS: So, I think there's definitely a bit of a factor of that there. But, I think what it's really about is speaking to young voters, particularly young voters of color, about the issues and why Hillary Clinton is the best person on their issues.

I know there's a -- we were just on the last segment talking about Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton and what they're saying to each other going back and forth. But young voters really want to talk about -- they want to know what your plan is for the economy. They want to know what your plan is for criminal justice reform, for climate change, so on and so forth. And when we're not having those kind of conversations, if it's not extremely clear to young voters, that's when you have this, oh, well, maybe I'll just stay home.

So, the stakes in this election are too high. Young people we have to come out in droves, we need to vote because our issues are going to be front and center in this election, in 2017, 2018, and 2020 again. And I think this campaign is making some inroads but everybody across the democratic spectrum has to kick it up a notch.

HARLOW: And, we know that both of these candidates, major party candidates, Trump and Clinton have really high unfavorables and that tends to lead people to say, I'm going to sit this one out. Neither of them can afford that. Symone Sanders, thank you, we appreciate it.

SANDERS: Thank you.

HARLOW: Still to come live in the CNN NEWSROOM, how the company that lost more employees on 9/11 than any other, found purpose in that loss. The CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald will join me next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:22:32]

HARLOW: In the horror of 9/11, no company lost more employees than Cantor Fitzgerald. The firm lost a staggering 658 colleagues and friends in the attack, almost two-thirds of their staff. Early fund created to support Cantor Fitzgerald families has gone on to help victims of disasters around the world. Nearly $300 million has been distributed. And every September 11th they host a celebrity-filled day of charity where 100% of the revenue goes to charity.

Since it began, they've raised $125 million. And, with me now a man who lived through the horror of losing all of those employees, Howard Lutnick, the CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald.

Thank you so much for being with me.

HOWARD LUTNICK, CEO, CANTOR FITZGERALD: Thanks for having me.

HARLOW: You, your personal story, you were bringing your son, who is now 20, to Kindergarten on 9/11, that's why you weren't up there.

LUTNICK: Right. And now he shaves. He was 5. And we took a picture at 8:46, that first day of school picture, you know he's a little wet behind the ears, he's got his little backpack on. And that was really the last moment of my prior life.

HARLOW: Your prior life, because everything changed -- I mean everything changed of course, that day. And I just wonder for you, you lost more than 600 employees. When you wake up on September 11th, when you wake up tomorrow morning, what do you think every year?

LUTNICK: It's a -- you know, it's a very tough day for me. So, I light candles with my family, for my friends. I have this giant stack of candles and we just light candles for them. And, then usually I have my charity day that day. But this year charity day is on Monday. And, so, I'm just going to call families, spend time with families, and then we're going to go -- we have a big memorial down at the memorial. And I have families who speak, family members who speak. We have some kids who work for us. We now have 60 kids of people who died who work for the firm now.

Let's talk about that because I think that's -- it's pretty extraordinary to be able to follow in your parents' footsteps who perished to do what they did among the colleagues that they worked with. Was that a concerted effort on your part to hire those kids?

LUTNICK: Yes. So, you know, forming a spectacular relationship with the families of those we lost, was the most important thing. So, imagine, you have to square it with the wife.

Right, think how close you have to be with the wife, that she would say it's okay for my son or daughter to go work there. And then never underestimate the opinions of a 22-year-old who think, you know why would I want to go to work for the place where my dad got killed? But in the end, they knew how much we loved them and cared about them. And we have a job offer out to each and every one of the kids. If they want to come work for the firm, we will find a place for them and we will help launch their careers. And, then from there they can stay with us or they can go on as 25 have come and gone to work at other places. I think that's just spectacular. [19:25:17]

HARLOW: You lost your brother in the attacks.

LUTNICK: I did.

HARLOW: I mean this is a family business, right? Your sister also was supposed to be in the building that day, she wasn't because of a cancelled appointment. After losing your brother, more than two-thirds of your staff, was shuttering an option in your mind? Was just closing the doors and saying, forget it, how can we go on?

LUTNICK: So, we had a conference call the night of September 11th. I didn't even know who was on the call, we asked the media, just put out, look, if you work at Cantor Fitzgerald, call this number. And then we had a conference call. And I asked my employees who were left, I said, what would you like to do? We can shut the firm and go to our friends' funerals, and you have to think that's 20 funerals a day every day for 35 straight days. It's unthinkable. Or we're going to work harder than we've ever worked before, and the only reason to do that is to take care of our friends' families.

So we came up with the idea that night that we would give 25% of everything we made for the next five years to these families. And that's what drove us to rebuild the company.

HARLOW: How has your life changed?

LUTNICK: Well, you know I -- before, I was about sort of winning and making money and being successful. And 9/11 really expressed my ability to be a human being, to express my humanity. And, my parents died when I was young and my extended family pulled out. You would think -- you know, they were afraid to invite me over because we might never leave. You know these orphaned kids might never leave. And, so I didn't want to repeat that. You know, I wanted to be in with the families of 9/11, and I expressed that I would be in with them. And so I am completely focused on having them be part of our lives and having their kids work here. And, we have just a spectacular relationship together that together we make the toughest day, 9/11, an okay day.

And then on September 12th, this year we're going to have a charity day and we're going to raise -- last year we raised $12 million for charities. This year we will do more.

HARLOW: And to share -- I'm sure you share so many stories about their parents with those kids who now work for you. That's always neat for kids to hear, your mom was like this when she worked for us, your dad was like this when he worked with us. Something they'll never forget.

LUTNICK: So, I was at a party this summer and a young man walked by and someone introduced me and said, you know this is Asher, and Asher was the son of a spectacular guy who worked for us.

So, I pulled him aside and I said, look, I'm just going to two minutes, here's my number, call me, right, and I just told him two minutes of stories about what a rock star his dad was. And it couldn't have been any nicer.

HARLOW: It's the greatest gift you can give. Howard, thank you very much, we'll be thinking of everyone at Cantor Fitzgerald and all the victims tomorrow. Thanks for being with us.

LUTNICK: Thank you.

HARLOW: All right, you can find out a lot more about that relief fund at cantorrelief.org.

Up next, live in the CNN NEWSROOM, back to politics. Remember Mitt Romney's 47% comment? Some pundits said that that cost him the election. It certainly didn't help him. Now Hillary Clinton says she regrets her own gaffe.

After the break we'll talk to a political expert about damage control.

Also, CNN is the best place to be for political coverage tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: I accept your nomination.

TRUMP: For the presidency of the United States.

ANNOUNCER: The Essential Hillary Clinton.

CLINTON: We are stronger together in charting a course toward the future.

ANNOUNCER: The Essential Donald Trump.

TRUMP: I love you. And we will make America great again.

ANNOUNCER: All on one blockbuster night.

Clinton has been called the most famous person no one knows.

CHELSEA CLINTON, HILLARY CLINTON'S DAUGHTER: I never understand that. It's so clear to me who my mother is. She never forgets who she's fighting for. And she's fighting first and foremost for children and for families.

ANNOUNCER: Trump has a passion for business and the spotlight.

DONALD TRUMP JR., DONALD TRUMP'S SON: No one's going to outwork him. No one's got more energy than him.

IVANKA TRUMP, DONALD TRUMP'S DAUGHTER: He's always said to us, find what it is that you're passionate about and pursue it with your full heart.

ANNOUNCER: Their stories from the people who know them best. CNN Special Report, Donald Trump at 8:00. Hillary Clinton at 10:00. CNN Tonight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:32:22]

HARLOW: Hillary Clinton tonight saying she regrets calling half of Donald Trump's supporters in the, " basket of deplorables."

But, even with that, is the damage done? If so, how bad is it? What does she need to do? Let's talk about the optics and political gaffes in general with Josh King. He's the founder of Polioptics, and the author of "Off Script: An Advanced Man's Guide to White House Stagecraft, Campaign Spectacle, and Political Suicide.

Josh, has the Clinton camp called you?

JOSH KING, FOUNDER, POLIOPTICS: They haven't yet Poppy, and I don't expect to hear from them. It's a quiet Saturday up here in the Catskills, so I'm just watching twitter like the rest of us.

HARLOW: I believe. But really, on a serious note, how big -- how big is this for Clinton? I mean she came out really quickly and said I was wrong to group half of his supporters in that way. Can she move forward from this?

KING: I think that's the key, Poppy. I mean less than 24 hours, the fulsome quote, the -- her saying that she grossly generalized, her saying it's never good. I mean I bring you back a year ago to June 18th, 2015, that's when Donald Trump said that he doesn't like people who -- he likes people who weren't captured. His announcement speech, June 16, 2015, calling Mexicans rapists.

We still haven't gotten direct apologies for those moments. And yet, within 24 hours Secretary Clinton is doing the right thing. I mean looking back at the (litney??) Poppy of things that happened, the bitter quote in 2008, Cambridge Police, 2009. The 47% video, 2012. I mean the lessons here is cauterized the wounds fast.

HARLOW: So, okay, I hear your point. But let me counter it with this.

KING: Sure.

HARLOW: Trump got where he got in the primary by never apologizing. By never saying yes, I was wrong about you know what I said about Mexicans. Yes, I was wrong about what I said about John McCain, and actually he is a war hero. He never did that, and he won the primary.

KING: He won the primary and he'll be the first to tell you that Poppy. But, what got you there is not going to get you here.

I mean we've got an election on November 8th. We still have state tracking polls that you know give him a tremendous electoral disadvantage in the race to 270.

I mean he had a very good day a few weeks ago Poppy, that Thursday night when he started to say he regretted things, and he regret when he said things that hurt people. Then the next Friday morning she's replacing his campaign staff, and didn't get to ride that out.

He was on track that morning to get so much credit among these so- important moderate centrist voters who want to have a good choice, may be inclined to vote for a Republican, but not the person who is unwilling to, you know, to admit to a gaffe when they make it.

[19:35:05]

KING: I think Secretary Clinton realized that she did some damage Friday night. These things always happen, Poppy, when cameras come into fundraisers. And it's when candidates want to become the consultant, want to answer a question, want to explain the process.

I mean, leave that to Joel Benenson, the pollster, or Robbie Mook, the campaign manager --

HARLOW: -- that's interesting --

KING: That's really, not what the candidate should be doing. And the candidate shouldn't be you know, turning adjectives into nouns like deplorable is an adjective, you shouldn't call it deplorables and have that speak for a bunch of people. I mean, keep the high road, stay focused on your opponent, not your opponent's people.

HARLOW: The key lesson from Josh King tonight. Go after your opponent, not their supporters. Thank you very much.

KING: Thanks, Poppy.

HARLOW: Hillary Clinton now has another big corporate executive in her corner. He's the CEO of Starbucks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOWARD SCHULTZ, CEO, STARBUCKS: The life experience and the professional experience that Hillary Clinton has had I think positions her best to be the next President of the United States and she has my full support.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: That is the first time he has weighed in on who he thinks the next president should be. A very outspoken chief executive. So, will Howard Schultz make his own run for the White House one day? I've asked him a number of times. But this time I got a different answer, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: He is perhaps the most outspoken leader in corporate America. Starbucks' CEO Howard Schultz has been vocal about his stance on guns, gay rights, race relations, and money in politics. But he stayed mum on the current presidential race, not backing either major party candidate, until now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) HARLOW: For years I've been asking you who you would support for president in this election. And you refused to put your name behind any candidate. You haven't made political donations in many, many years.

This morning you're making an endorsement for president. Who is it and why?

SCHULTZ: Well, I think it's obvious that Hillary Clinton needs to be the next President of the United States of America. And I think the reason for that is so clear.

We have a situation in America today of such divisiveness, of fractured leadership. And, on the other side I think we've seen some vitriolic display of bigotry and hate and divisiveness. And that is not the leadership we need for the future of the country.

In almost -- in every election cycle going back to when I was a young boy, when John Kennedy was running for president, the media has framed this election, and the elections before as perhaps the most important election in a generation. And, I think given the challenges that we are facing domestically, in all of the hotspots around the world, the life experience and the professional experience that Hillary Clinton has had I think positions her best to be the next President of the United States. And she has my full support.

I've spoken to the campaign and I made it clear that in the coming days this was what I was going to do.

HARLOW: What did she say to you?

SCHULTZ: That's a private conversation so I think we just leave that for now.

HARLOW: So, every time I interview Howard, I ask him one question. Ten times, I've asked, maybe.

SCHULTZ: Probably more than that.

HARLOW: So shall we make it 11?

SCHULTZ: Okay.

HARLOW: Will you ever run for president, Howard?

SCHULTZ: You know, I think as we have discussed this many times, my own life experience has given me a unique perspective on the plight of working class American people. And, the position and the platform I've had at Starbucks has given me the voice and the opportunity to do many things that I don't think I could have ever done as an elected official.

Having said that, I'm a young man. There's a lot of time in the future of the country. And what I might and might not do I would never say never, but this is not the right time.

HARLOW: You have said no previously. This is the first time I've heard you say I'm a young man.

[LAUGHTER]

HARLOW: It's true.

SCHULTZ: Well, I've been -- I've been reminded by friends of mine who heard me say that this morning, that I'm no longer that young. So, we'll have to see how that goes.

HARLOW: I know you're backing Hillary Clinton now. But do you have actual hope for change after November 8th?

SCHULTZ: Well, I would say it this way.

Regardless of your political persuasion, I think everyone in this room, with probably 100% participation, can agree that what we have witnessed over the last year is inconsistent with the values and guiding principles of the promise of our country.

We can also agree that our parents and our grandparents would be embarrassed to see what we have witnessed. And yet, as private citizens, we are watching and observing and actually being bystanders and allowing this to go on.

I travel perhaps more than any other CEO in the world internationally and specifically, to China. People cannot believe what is going on in this country. But what I would -- what I would submit is even though the political season has highlighted all of this, this is nothing new.

What we're witnessing with Donald trump and the vitriol and the hatred and the divisiveness, is a manifestation of what has going on in the last 20 and 30 years. And, that is the lack of truth and authenticity of people who are elected officials in Washington.

We has private citizens must recognize that the democracy of this country that people fought so hard for, and sacrificed so much for, is something that we must embrace and we must participate. And, whether or not we're voting for president this year or the next four years, it's decisions we make every day. It's local politics, it's regional politics, and we must participate and we must vote.

And, we must get control of the direction of this country and not wait for Washington, not blame Washington, and recognize, as we launch today with this new original content serious called "Up standers," that there are thousands of Americans, ordinary people doing extraordinary things. These stories must be told. And, it must be catalytic, and, not just look at Washington as the problem and look at the American people and say, we can solve things in our own communities.

HARLOW: Are these the people Howard that changed your answer to my question about will you run for president from a no to a -- I'm serious, from no to I'm a young man?

SCHULTZ: You always come back to it. You know, I think the last year, the concern I have about the future of the country has made me think about a lot of things.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[19:45:00]

HARLOW: You can see much more of that interview with Howard Schultz on cnnmoney.com/americanopportunity.

Tomorrow marks a staggering 15 years since our country was attacked on September 11th. Next, how parents who lost their son Peter on that tragic day have somehow turned their pain into purpose.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE ALDERMAN, LOST SON PETER IN 9/11 ATTACKS: Peter is in my mind every day. The work we're doing I am -- makes me mindful of Peter. Because that's why we're doing it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: As the country mourns the nearly 3,000 lives lost on 9/11 tomorrow, it is pretty hard to believe it's been a staggering 15 years since the attacks.

I think we all hoped that we would be able to find purpose and despair, and meaning in loss. But it's extremely hard to do, especially when the news cameras are gone and the headlines fade.

But in the face of the most extraordinary loss, Liz and Steve Alderman have found purpose in helping so many others, all in their son's name. And tonight, we want you to meet them.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: As we sit here, it's hard to believe it's been 15 years since this country was attacked in that way, since Peter and thousands more were lost. When, you think back to 15 years ago and where you are today, what do you think of today when you think of Peter?

ELIZABETH ALDERMAN, LOST SON IN 9/11 ATTACKS: To me, it feels like yesterday. I am not the person that I was when Peter was alive. I am a different person now. That lady's gone, okay? And that's okay because I think I have grown in a lot of ways. I think that the whole trajectory of my life has changed.

[19:50:13]

HARLOW: What do you want the world to know about Peter?

E. ALDERMAN: Peter was fun. That may sound like a very trite thing to say, but I also believe as a parent you have to have fun raising your kids. He was fun to be with. He so enjoyed life that he made it fun for the people around him. HARLOW: So one of Peter's friends said to you about him this -- if

life is measured in love, then Peter's was an exemplary one. Peter was loved by so many, because he himself loved.

What do those words mean to you?

E. ALDERMAN: Peter first of all, cared about life. Peter was one of these kids, even as a kid, who took the time to smell the flowers. He could appreciate a beautiful night sky. He stopped to see the beauty around him and to take it in and absorb it.

HARLOW: When you say that, that strikes me because I think it's near the end of life when we all look back and say I wish I had smelled the roses. I wish I had done that. And even though Peter's life ended far too soon, he was so young, he didn't have to wish he did that. He did that.

E. ALDERMAN: He did. Peter touched more people in his life, in his 25 years, than I touched in my entire life. More people cared about him because he was so good to them.

HARLOW: This is your first time ever being here at the memorial.

E. ALDERMAN: Yes, yes.

HARLOW: What's it like?

STEVE ALDERMAN, LOST SON IN 9/11 ATTACKS: Strange. It's a beautiful place, but it's disconcerting for me. It rubs my face into something that while I think about it every day I'm not directly confronted by it, so it's --

HARLOW: It's difficult. It's hard.

S. ALDERMAN: Oh, absolutely. Absolutely.

E. ALDERMAN: I felt as long as I was here I needed to go and see and touch his name. And that was extraordinarily upsetting. It was like there it was written in stone. I probably will not come again. It is -- Peter's not here. It is the scene of his death, and I don't need to be here.

HARLOW: The two of you years ago started the Peter C. Alderman Foundation. Now a million and a half dollar a year foundation to help victims of war and extreme trauma throughout the world.

E. ALDERMAN: Peter was killed because of terrorism. There was nothing we could do for Peter. But there are over a billion people on this earth who have directly experienced torture, terrorism, or mass violence. And 50% to 70% of those people can no longer lead functional lives.

And if in Peter's name we can return these people to life, there's no better memorial. We couldn't do it for Peter. But if we could do it for others in his name, that's what we are all about.

S. ALDERMAN: Peter's in my mind every day. The work we're doing I am -- makes me mindful of Peter, because that's why we're doing it.

E. ALDERMAN: It became even bigger than Peter. I mean, this was done to leave a mark that Peter existed and that the world would be a better place because he lived. But it's become -- I mean we have treated over 100,000 people.

HARLOW: When was the moment for you when you were able to stop crying, sobbing enough to say now what are we going to do in Peter's name?

E. ALDERMAN: The sorrow and grief are still there, okay? I still cry, but there was almost an immediate reaction when crying to say, I want to leave a mark that Peter was here. I don't care about leaving a mark. My kids were my mark. Peter didn't have the opportunity to make up his mind whether he wanted to do that. And I wanted the world to be a better place because he lived.

HARLOW: A better place because he lived.

E. ALDERMAN: Yes, absolutely. Absolutely. And I think we've accomplished that. My loss is horrendous, but Peter's is so much greater than mine. Peter never got to live his life. We go to his friends' weddings. Peter will never have a wedding. We meet their children. Peter will never have children. So my grief is more for what Peter has lost than from what I have lost.

[19:55:12]

HARLOW: To parents watching who have lost a child. To loved ones watching, anything you can say to them, anything that has helped you cope along the way?

E. ALDERMAN: I never thought I would ever feel good about anything ever again after Peter was killed, and I feel good about the work that we're doing.

S. ALDERMAN: If you want to feel better, go help somebody, okay? You don't have to help lots of people. You don't have to do it at scale. Help somebody. Just do it once and you'll see you'll do it again. And you'll feel better.

HARLOW: Liz, what do you think Peter would say 15 years after he was murdered here looking at the work you're doing in his name?

E. ALDERMAN: I think he would think we were a hoot. I think he would be very proud.

HARLOW: If you can, in a word who was Peter?

E. ALDERMAN: My child.

S. ALDERMAN: Light.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Pretty extraordinary folks. You can learn more about the work they're doing and help at

petercaldermanfoundation.org. And, before we go, one of Peter's friends wrote this about him this year as he remembers the friend he lost 15 years ago. "I would give anything to have him by my side, but I will have to settle with keeping him in my heart for as long as it beats."

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK

HARLOW: I'm Poppy Harlow. Have a great night. Up, next, "ALL BUSINESS: THE ESSENTIAL DONALD TRUMP". And at 10 Pamela Brown, "UNFINISHED BUSINESS: THE ESSENTIAL HILLARY CLINTON".