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Charlotte Police to Release Body Cam, Dash Cam Footage; Presidential Debate Starts Monday 9PM Eastern Time on CNN; Massive Manhunt in Washington State for Shooter; Late Night Welcome Mate for Candidates Slippery in 2016. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired September 24, 2016 - 17:00   ET

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

[16:59:56] NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We have heard from police officials that Keith Scott made a bad decision that cost him his life. But he was acting aggressively towards police officers. Some of the new things that we heard during this press conference is also the discovery of marijuana in possession of Keith Scott -- that Keith Scott was in possession of. They observed him while they were going to serve this warrant. I think it's important to remind our viewers exactly how this all started.

It was at about 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday when police officers here are from the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department were serving a warrant. It was during that time that they observed, they say, Keith Scott in his car. We heard a little bit more details about that at this press conference. The chief saying that they observed him in possession of marijuana and it was only after he produced a gun that they drew their weapons. They asked him to drop their weapon, he did not comply. Which is why they had to use lethal force according to the police.

Part of what's confusing here, and I asked the chief about this during the press conference, is this competing narrative. The Scott family has been in stark contrast with their facts, saying that Scott did not have a gun. That he was in possession of a book and simply waiting for his child to be dropped off by the school bus. It is that -- those narratives that have really caused a lot of confusion here in the public. But what everyone has been waiting for is the release of these police videos, and it appears, Poppy, within the next 20 minutes or so, they will get their wish and demand granted -- Poppy.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Nick, thank you. Stay with me. I have Cheryl Dorsey with me, she is formerly a detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. Cheryl, can you walk us into your take on what Chief Putney just said? I mean, he said, look, I'm not going to litigate this case here. I am not going to try this case here. So, he didn't lay out all of the facts as they see it. And he said these are the only two videos that we're releasing at this time.

The dash camera footage and the body camera footage. Where you see a visual of what transpired. Those are his words. And he said all of the other footage from the other camera angles, the other officers' body cameras, won't be released until after the investigation is complete. In your mind, as a former detective with LAPD, is that the right call? CHERYL DORSEY, RETIRED LAPD POLICE SERGEANT: Well, that's his call.

And it's as I suspected, Poppy. Because what I'm hearing from the chief is code talk. He's saying I'm going to release everything in air quotes that I can. I'm going to show the public what's air quotes, pertinent. And, you know, he has said all along, very differing stories. I will have full transparency. But that's in the eye of the beholder. It won't be full transparency.

And so I don't know what to believe about what I'm hearing from the chief. But what I do know is that when armed white men who are confrontational with the police, their outcomes are much different than unarmed or armed black people. And so, that's the angst we're having in the black community, is that officers act very differently with us than they do with white armed confrontational suspects.

HARLOW: Laura, as an attorney, and someone who formerly worked with the civil rights division of the Department of Justice, is it completely up to the discretion of this Police Department and this police chief to decide what videos he is releasing? Can he be compelled in any way to release all of the videos?

LAURA COATES, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: He should release the videos. But you know who actually should -- this is outrageous, Poppy. What this chief has just done is try to usurp the role of the prosecutor. Everyone should be asking themselves, if you're so confident about this case and you do not want to try it in the court of public opinion, why did you hold a press conference that did just that? This is the purview of the prosecutor. Not a former prosecutor. I would be furious to know that the case has been divulged in this detail and in this narrative to have been put forth with evidence and then not to have the complimentary evidence given over.

What he did was hold the press conference that a prosecutor would hold when making a decision. And what he's done with this prep which is why it's so frustrating to the public and community, is that he's taken the opportunity to use this platform this give a preface to has you to believe is justifiable use of lethal force without giving you any evidence to support that, without naming any specific facts, and by engaging in a form of victim blaming by telling you this is someone who had marijuana -- in possession of it, he had a handgun, that he was aggressive, et cetera. This is the purview of a prosecutor, not the purview of a police officer investigating objective facts. He is trying to put forth a story. And that's infuriating as a prosecutor and as a citizen -- infuriating, as well.

HARLOW: Tom Fuentes, to you. You heard one of the questions in that press conference, the Chief Putney was asked was, you know, why did your officer shoot to kill and he said, essentially and I'm paraphrasing here, we do not shoot to kill. If indeed Mr. Scott did have a gun, the police say he did, his family says he did not, how would an officer be supposed to handle that, meaning -- if he had a gun and was pointing it at police, that's one thing. If he had a gun and was not pointing it at police, that's another thing. How are officers trained? Are they trained to kill? Are they trained to disable, shoot him in the leg, shoot him in the arm? What is protocol? [17:05:12] TOM FUENTES, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: They're

not trained to shoot in the arms or the legs or anything. He used the term, "Shoot to stop" and that's the training. I was a firearm instructor in the police and in the FBI. And you know, you can't -- people watch TV and they see, you know, the lone ranger shoot the gun out of somebody's hand and that's almost impossible in real life. It's very difficult. So if you need to use or if you feel you need to use deadly force, you're going to shoot center mass on the body and try and stop the individual immediately. Not wound them, where they could shoot back.

And I think, you know, this is a whole different discussion. If you're going to talk about somebody -- if Scott had that gun in his hand and if he didn't respond to a dozen or 10 to 12 orders to drop the gun, it only takes a thousand of a second for that gun to turn and fire at the police and kill the police. And that's happening quite often. So, you know, that's a whole different discussion. I think that also I'd like to agree with Laura that he has gone a little bit too far in what he has divulged about this, and even I say, I'm not going to try the case in public, he's trying it. And again, like what I said earlier, you can't do this by just piecemeal, a little bit here, a little bit there. And I think that this press conference is not going to put any issue to rest.

HARLOW: Laura -- Cheryl Dorsey, my question on Tom's point is, you know, the police chief said, and I'm quoting here, we're at a stage where I can release additional information, meaning these videos without impacting the integrity of the investigation. But -- and he said that these two videos -- they are releasing are the only video that show a quote, "Visual of what transpired." If the other videos don't show a visual of what transpired, then why not release all of them? Why would releasing them in some way harm the investigation and if that's not the rationale for not releasing all of the videos, then is there any ground not to put them all out there?

DORSEY: See, that's the problem, Poppy. Because the inference is that they're hiding something. He seems very guarded and very cautious in the types of things that he says and I call it, code talk. I call it double speak. And when he says, for instance, that officers are not trained to shoot to kill by Mr. Fuentes' certain acknowledgment, when you shoot somebody center mass, understand, that's where your heart is. And that's what we're trained to do. So, if I'm shooting at your heart, I'm not just trying to stop you, I'm trying to kill you. Police officers are absolutely trained to kill. But he will never say that. Because he's a chief of police, and he can't. So I will interpret that code talk, that doublespeak, for you.

HARLOW: Laura Coates, to you. I think it's important to have this discussion in broader context of what's going on across this country in terms of race relations and in the context of what's going on in the state of North Carolina. Right? I mean, you know, look, the police chief there is African-American. The man who is shot is African-American. When you look, though, at the bigger picture here, this is a state where, for example, you know, it had voter I.D. laws that a federal court struck down because they said that those laws targeted African-Americans with, quote, "almost surgical precision." So you're talking about a bigger context here, a very strained race relations, not just in Charlotte, in the state of North Carolina, and across this country. And in that environment, how critical is full, full transparency, to say, put all the videos out there?

COATES: It's crucial. And particularly the cases -- and this -- I'm glad you mentioned the voting rights cases that are happening in North Carolina. Because those cases speak to in part this issue. That you have the deliberate acts of trying to exploit and manipulate existing statutes that were designed to protect all people, and they're being manipulated and exploited to disenfranchise and keep people powerless in the community. And what you have here example of that. Because what this chief of police can do and across the country, the same thing happens is, police officers, politicians, et cetera, who have the platform of the media and the platform of the legislative pew can make decisions that will impact greatly everyone in this country.

And if they are allowed to get in front of the issue and spin, then they have done something that the average person cannot do, which is to suggest what their true story is, what their true narrative is. And the reason I harp so closely on trying to usurp the role of the prosecutor here is remember, it does have a bigger impact. Imagine if you're the prosecutor of this case, Poppy. And you should so decide to, in fact, charge these officers. Well now my chief of police has now tainted my jury pool to have them believing that there is one version that is objective, that is the facts, and now I have a greater issue where I cannot give what I need to give, which is an impartial trial. And that is a real problem across this country.

[17:10:24] HARLOW: Laura, Cheryl Dorsey, Tom Fuentes. Thank you. I want you to stay with me. We're going to get a quick break. And we have much more on this breaking news ahead. Charlotte police about to release the dash camera video and the body camera video from the officers of the shooting death of Keith Scott earlier this week. We'll be right back with that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:14:02] HARLOW: Back to our breaking news this hour out of Charlotte, North Carolina. The police chief there, Kerr Putney, saying that he is definitely going to release the videos that show the fatal shooting of Keith Scott on Tuesday. A dash camera video and a body camera video will be released. Here's what we know from the police chief, just assuring reporters in an increasingly unnerved and agitated public that some video footage from that shooting will be made available within the hour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF KERR PUTNEY, CHARLOTTE-MECKLENBURG POLICE DEPARTMENT: The footage itself will not create in anyone's mind absolute certainty as to what this case represents and what the outcome should be. The footage only supports all of the other information, physical evidence, the statements from witnesses and officers, and all of the other information, scientific and physical, that create the entire picture. So the video footage is insufficient. I've been very clear.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Some other highlights of what Chief Putney said in that news conference that just wrapped up. He said Keith Lamont Scott was in possession of marijuana. He also said that the videos would be made available through e-mail links to journalists. He said that in addition to the videos there is some DNA evidence that would be part of the material that will be made available to the public today.

Nick Valencia is with me. He was at the press conference. Nick, let me go to you. What I find, you know, confusing and what a lot of our analysts find confusing is, why the decision was made to only release these two videos that the police chief says show a visual of what transpired. But he said, we're at a place in the investigation where we can release this video, and it won't harm the investigation. So if these are the only videos with the direct-on footage, and releasing them won't hurt the investigation, why would they not release all of the videos in totality so that the public feels like they have and are getting full transparency?

VALENCIA: Well, there is certainly no shortage, or criticism about that. You know, the chief has said that he wants to be transparent, but not fully transparent. And he said that this -- he was asked the question whether or not the demonstrations and their demand to release the videotapes had any impact on his decision today, on this about- face. Earlier this week he said he didn't want to show the worst day that someone's worst day, Keith Scott. We have to remind everybody that wants to see this video, this is a killing that is captured on camera, and it is incredibly I'm sure difficult to watch, though we haven't seen it just yet.

We know what we're going to get. At least one body cam video angle, at least one dash cam video angle, and according to the chief this footage that he's releasing will have no adverse impact on the investigation. It's unclear why he's not giving all of what he has. Perhaps he thinks that all of the evidence would have an adverse reaction on the investigation. I'm sure even after people see this video, Poppy, that they'll have questions. He has said and indicated himself that it is not a clear indicator that Keith Scott had a gun in his hand, that it is very difficult to see.

That's a big question. And a big demand why people wanted to see this, because they wanted to know whether or not Scott did have a weapon in his hand. The chief says that's not going to be clear for those who are going to watch the video. That's going to be released, hopefully, in the next 10, 15 minutes from now -- Poppy.

HARLOW: And Nick, the language that he used, the police chief says there is no single piece of evidence that proves all of the complexities of this case. But just to make it really clear for our viewers, the police have said previously and are still maintaining that Keith Scott did have a gun in his possession, correct?

VALENCIA: That's right. And there has been an intense amount of confusion, perhaps specifically caused by the narrative put out by the family, saying that Keith Scott was unarmed, that he had a book in his lap or in his hand when he was fatally shot by police. Police Chief Kerr Putney has been very consistent since the beginning saying that this individual was armed and it was his decision not to comply with officers' demands. That was the reason that officer, at least one officer, had to fatally shoot and use deadly force against Mr. Scott -- Poppy.

HARLOW: Nick, thank you. Please stay with me. Obviously, we're all waiting to get this video. It could come at any moment.

Back with me. My panel, Tom Fuentes, our senior law enforcement analyst and a former FBI assistant director. Also with me, legal analyst, Laura Coates. Formerly with the Justice Department civil rights division. And Cheryl Dorsey is with us, a retired sergeant with the Los Angeles Police Department.

Tom Fuentes, to you. Again, just getting to the sort of half transparency here, right? It is progress, according to the public who wants to see this video to get some of it in just a few minutes. But not all of it. Can you walk me through the thinking of law enforcement to not put it all out there?

FUENTES: Actually, I cannot. If there are parts to this investigation, you know, when you start doing this, and showing a little piece here and a little piece there, you're creating a situation where the doubt is increased, and the trust is decreased. So I think, you know, they're creating their own problem here in -- as far as the trust factor in this investigation by this limited amount of things that they're going to release.

And as I said, if you're going to release the one camera angle or the closest camera angle to the shooting itself, the body cam, or the dash cam and it's going to show Mr. Scott being shot, then the other videos would seem less important or less necessary to protect. So if you can release the worst video in terms of what occurred then why not all of them at the same time, and just go ahead and do that. Especially if you're going ahead -- if you're going to end up releasing DNA and other investigative materials, he's just created the precedent where material is being released, dependent on the pressure being put on him by the public.

[17:19:50] HARLOW: Uh-hm. I think that is really confusing point, Laura. From a legal perspective. Is there anybody that can legally compel the Charlotte Police Department or the State Bureau of Investigations here in North Carolina who is now handling the case? Anything that can compel them to release all of the video? For example, a journalist Freedom of Information Act Request could do it, right? That takes a lot of time. Is there any other entity that could force their hand?

COATES: The only thing that could happen is come October 1st, through a court order. A judge may independently say, upon request of the public, that they will, in fact, release the video. And they will command that to actually happen. So October 1st, it could be a double-edged sword. It may help to have this law in place to say, look, I'm taking it out of the hands of the chief of police and I as an independent judge, I am going to decide whether or not it should be released to the public. Remember, Poppy, one of the most frustrating and one of the most, you

know, infuriating reasons as a prosecutor, you're going to look at this press conference and be very damning, is that this is not about whether or not Mr. Scott just had a gun. Tom and I have talked about this before. It's about whether or not lethal force was used, that was justifiable. Remember, an officer has the right to use lethal force if they're confronted with lethal force.

And so if the video is not conclusive as to that point, and if there is no other details or evidence that can come forward that will conclude that point, this is still an ongoing investigation for the prosecutor to look on and figure out. Look, I just don't charge cases and just levy a charged and an accusation. I have to charge a crime. And that crime is dependent on whether or not there was provocation for that lethal force. We don't have that, which is why the chief of police should not be speaking to that issue.

HARLOW: Cheryl Dorsey, to you. Formerly with the LAPD. Let's talk about the use of lethal force and when it is justified. It is one thing for a subject to have a gun. It is another thing for a subject to be pointing a gun at officers or using that weapon in a way that makes the officer fear for his or her life. Where is the line? I mean, you are a police officer. Where is the line, where it is justified for you to use that lethal force?

DORSEY: Well, an officer can only use that force that is commiserant with what type of resistance a suspect is producing. And so, if the suspect points a weapon at a gun, and an officer has an obligation and a duty to return in kind, right? But here's the problem, Poppy. Is that we're hearing that, you know, this video doesn't show the entire story, and so that means we're relying on the statements of the officers to fill in that picture.

And listen, let's not pretend like we don't know that officers sometime will say things that are not factual as in the case of Michael Slager who shot and killed Walter Scott after he said, he grabbed my taser. Or in the case of Sam Dubose when Ray Tensing said, he tried to run me over with a car. And but for that video, we would have never known the truth. So it's imperative that we see everything that's available and we need to see it now.

HARLOW: Cheryl Dorsey, thank you so much. Laura, thank you as well and Tom Fuentes, we appreciate it very much. We're going to keep monitoring of course this breaking news out of Charlotte. We'll bring you the video, the dash camera video and the body camera video of that fatal shooting as soon as we have it. Also ahead, a lot of politics. That's why we are here at Hofstra University, he site of the first presidential debate on Monday night. Well, they have spent much of the summer attacking each other from afar. Now it is time for Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump to come face-to-face. Next, a preview of this Monday's presidential debate, how are they preparing and could there be more moments like this?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Am I talking or are you talking, Jeb?

JEB BUSH (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I'm talking right now.

TRUMP: You can go back. You're not talking. You interrupted me.

BUSH: September 30th, you said it.

TRUMP: Have you apologized, Jeb? No.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[17:27:34] HARLOW: Welcome back. I'm Poppy Harlow coming to you live this evening from Hofstra University, ahead of the first presidential debate airing Monday night at 9:00 p.m., right here on CNN. So what do these final frenzied hours before the face-off look like if you're Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton? Well, if you're Trump, you're on the campaign trail. Live pictures out of Roanoke, Virginia tonight where Trump will hold a rally next hour. His debate prep has been described as more minimal for her. Clinton hunkered down preparing at a hotel near her Chappaqua, New York home.

We hear she may be taking notes on what got under Trump's skin at previous debates. And we now know that one of the most closely guarded secrets of Clinton's prep work and what it is and that is, who is playing the role of Donald Trump during her mock debates. Sources telling CNN, Philippe Reines, a longtime confidante from the State Department, a very good friend of hers who is known for his combative style. He is the one, he is helping team Clinton to portray Donald Trump.

Our chief political correspondent Dana Bash, has the insights and the insightful report on the debate styles.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hillary Clinton in a debate is all about what she's done.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Look at what I accomplished. In the Senate as Secretary of State.

BASH: Donald Trump, simple sweeping promises.

TRUMP: We will make this country greater than ever before.

BASH: Their primary debate performances helped each get the nomination. But their upcoming face-off is quite different.

BRETT O'DONNELL, REPUBLICAN DEBATE COACH: He tugs at the heart, she tugs at the mind. And the question is whether or not both of them can cross over.

BASH: Brett O'Donnell a long time debate coach for GOP candidates sat down with us to break down their contrasting styles.

TRUMP: I say not in a braggadocios way, I've made billions and billions of dollars dealing with people all over the world.

CLINTON: I was part of a very small group that had to advise the President about whether or not to go after Bin Laden.

O'DONNELL: He talks in these big giant terms. She doesn't tend to do that. And I think that that puts him at an advantage. You know? Because he's -- understands well the dynamic of television.

BASH: The same goes for discussions of policy.

TRUMP: I will build a wall. It will be a great wall. People will not come in unless they come in legally.

[17:30:00] CLINTON: There is no need for this rhetoric and demagoguery that still is carried out in the Republican side. You have run out of excuses. Let's move to comprehensive immigration reform with a path to citizenship.

O'DONNELL: He goes for the heart, talks in very big terms, doesn't demonstrate a deep knowledge of policy. So she has got to up her game on talking to the heart. He has to up his game in talking to the head.

(CHEERING)

BASH (voice-over): Then there was the alpha candidate tactic Trump used to belittle his GOP primary opponents.

DONALD TRUMP, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Rand Paul shouldn't even be on this stage.

Don't even worry about it, Little Marco.

(CROSSTALK)

First of all, this guy is a choke artist and this guy is a liar.

BASH: He's moniker for Clinton --

TRUMP: Crooked Hillary Clinton.

BASH: -- may not go over so well.

O'DONNELL: He should explain why she is crooked and not just call her a name. If he just calls her a name the entire time, I think that's going to look bad to the public.

BASH: Clinton's quicksand getting her back up.

BASH: It is your Democratic opponent and many Democratic voters who want to see those transcripts. It's not about Republicans --

(CHEERING)

CLINTON: And, you know --

(CHEERING)

CLINTON: Let's set the same standard for everybody. When everybody does it, OK, I will do it. But let's set and expect the same standard on tax returns.

(BOOING)

O'DONNELL: She is very defensive. And that's a problem.

BASH (on camera): What about if that Hillary Clinton shows up?

O'DONNELL: If that Hillary Clinton shows up, it's going to be a long night.

BASH (voice-over): Both Team Clinton and Team Trump are well aware of their candidates' weaknesses and debate prep is about giving them tools to avoid missteps, things like Clinton's defensiveness, Trump's tendency to take insults too far.

Whether the candidates use those tools effectively and not take each others' bait is going to be fascinating to watch.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: And that's what's going to make it must-see television. You can watch it all right here. The first presidential debate on CNN, Monday night, 9:00 p.m. eastern. Oh our special coverage begins at 4:00.

Quick break. Back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:35:31] HARLOW: Right now an intense search under way for a man who murdered five people inside a shopping mall in Washington State last night. Police say -- take a look -- this man walked into a Macy's store last night, opened fire, killed five women and one man before fleeing into the night. His motive and whereabouts unclear.

Our Stephanie Elam is at the mall. She joins me live.

Look, we have seen these horrific mall shootings before, but never before can I remember someone fleeing the scene and not being found almost 24 hours later. Escape?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That is the number-one question. That is the difference, Poppy, from what we've heard about this. This happened about 7:00 on a Friday night in a mall. You have to imagine there were plenty of people there.

This individual, late teens, early 20s. This man walked into the mall without any sort of weapon, seen on security cameras. And then they pick him up again inside the Macy's where he has some kind of rifle with him. We know he murdered those four women inside the makeup department. The fifth man that was fatally wounded was flown to Seattle by helicopter but later died. After that, the weapon left there in Macy's and they believe he fled this way and right here along the side is Interstate 5, massive, incredibly long highway that runs the length of the West coast. Where he went from there, no one knows. Did he run across the other side? They do not know this at this point. They're asking for all the people here to look at those pictures they have released, and if they have any information, to bring it back and help the track down this individual and find him.

Yes, you're right, this is very different from all of the shootings we have covered. This one very different, because, A, this man did not kill himself, but, B, he fled the scene and got away. In fact, they believe by the time the police got here to clear the mall, they believe he was already gone.

HARLOW: And we know that there were five victims hospitalized, as you said, four men, one woman. Do we know anything about whether this shooter knew his victims?

ELAM: We don't know if he knew those four women killed and the one man. We do not know that ye they do say, at this point, they don't have anything to believe this was terrorist-related. But they are not ruling it out at this point. They continue to search.

What's also interesting is when he walked into the mall to when they see him again with a rifle. There is about a 10n-minute period that we don't know where he was either, to retrieve this weapon that he then used in the shootings.

HARLOW: Stephanie Elam, live in Washington State. Please let us know when you get more. Again, a massive manhunt to find the murder.

Coming up, Donald Trump on the road again in the battleground state where voting -- early voting has already started. A live report from Trump's rally in Virginia straight ahead.

But first, we want you to meet this week's "CNN Hero." Dr. Edwin Smith has been hard at work for decades fighting the single most common childhood disease, tooth decay.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. EDWIN SMITH, CNN HERO: People get up out of the chair, look in the mirror and cry. People who before wouldn't even let you see their teeth. They have these big wide smiles. It's one of the most rewarding things.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[17:42:40] HARLOW: The historic presidential debate is just two days away. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton will square off right here at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. The stakes could not be higher. And Trump on the campaign trail while Hillary Clinton is hunkered down doing debate prep.

Let's talk about this with our senior media correspondent, host of "Reliable Sources," Brian Stelter.

Good to be with you.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT & CNN HOST, RELIABLE SOURCES: Thank you.

HARLOW: A beautiful location for a big debate that could draw 100 million viewers.

STELTER: I went over earlier. They are laying the carpet down, putting chairs in place for all of the guests.

HARLOW: You'll be there tomorrow morning for "Reliable Sources" and you'll talking about who is going to be in the front row, Mark Cuban. And he tweeted, "Just got a front row seat to watch Hillary Clinton overwhelm Donald Trump at the humbling at Hofstra on Monday. It is on." So what is does Donald Trump do, he responds in kind today, tweeting, "If dopey Mark Cuban of failed benefactor fame wants to sit in the front row, perhaps I will put Gennifer Flowers right along side him." Gennifer Flowers is a woman Clinton admitted to having a sexual relationship with.

Do you believe that Gennifer Flowers will be in the front row, and frankly, what does that tell us about what -- where Donald Trump may go in terms -- in this debate?

STELTER: If I would have to go out on a limb, I would say, no, she will not be in the room. But Bill Clinton, Bill Clinton's infidelity will be in the room. What I mean by that is Trump will find a way to work that into conversation. Hillary Clinton could use that to her advantage. She could turn it around and say, yes, Bill and I have had troubles in our marriage, like many couples, but we have stayed together, pointing back at Donald Trump, who has had three wives. There are ways, of course, to turn these things around, and we'll see how that happens.

HARLOW: Let's talk about how that would factor when you look at gender dynamics. Something unique about this presidential debate, the first general election presidential debate between a man and a woman. Donald Trump, given his lack of support from female voters, really could use their support right now. If he does that, if he goes that far and talks about Bill Clinton's infidelities, and you have to weigh in the gender dynamic, where does that leave him?

STELTER: Think about the first minute when they walk out on stage whether Clinton and Trump shake hands. That will be the first of many dynamics on this state. And these two candidates have said the other is not qualified to be president. It is so much uglier. So I think the rules or the playbook we're used to for debates just does not apply here at all.

[17:45:12] HARLOW: How about fact-checking in the role of the moderator and all of that. Donald Trump has said, I don't think we need a moderator, we should go at one another. For the Clinton camp, you would think they would want to see the moderator. One would assume, fact-check, because she's going to, one would assume, be much more specific policy-wise, and Donald Trump obviously has had the run- in with what he said about his support or lack thereof for the Iraq war and not being truthful about that fully. I mean, what do we expect?

STELTER: Both candidates definitely shade the truth. But Trump is more prone to exaggerations. That's why the Clinton campaign is both on the record and more privately pressuring Lester Holt, pressuring his NBC colleagues who are helping him prep and journalists to hold Trump accountable, to involve fact-checking. My sense from sources at NBC is that Holt is not going to be a potted plant. That's what two folks there said to me. He will speak up when necessary, and ensure the viewers know the facts. But he wants the debate to be between the two of them. He does not want to be a third debater. He'll let Clinton and Trump follow up on each other.

HARLOW: So the key question is, Birther, Birtherism. Does that comes up because Lester Holt has to ask about Birtherism? If not, does Hillary Clinton bring it up? And could we see a total shock and Donald Trump apologize for questioning where the president, Barack Obama, was born.

STELTER: That's actually one of my biggest questions for this debate. If Trump were to surprise everyone and apologize, something he hasn't been known for doing for 15 months now - in fact, you could argue he has never apologized for a single thing throughout this race. If he were to apologize on that stage in front of 80 to 100 million people, it would be the headline of Tuesday morning. The Clinton campaign does believe this question will be asked. That Holt will bring it up. And if Holt doesn't, then I'm sure Clinton will find a way to work it in. She believes it's a winning issue with at least some of her supporters. But it's all in Trump's court. He's barely been asked about this ever since he had this reversal. So this is his chance to address the issue.

And let's keep in mind, there's a lot of casual viewers of this debate. You and I are political junkies. We know all about this. But a lot of viewers have not been paying attention. So it's a chance for people to see past the caricatures of these two candidates, past the attack ads, and actually see the candidates speak in a long format for 90 minutes.

HARLOW: And it all goes down right here on CNN, 9:00 p.m. eastern, on Monday.

Brian, thank you very much.

STELTER: Thank you.

HARLOW: Much more on Brian's show, "Reliable Sources," tomorrow here at 11:00. Coming up for us, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have turned to late

night television to show off their more personal side. But are the comedians, their questions, a little too soft?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY FALLON, HOST, THE TONIGHT SHOW: Thank you so much. It is --

(LAUGHTER) FALLON: -- great to have you here.

Let's talk about --

(LAUGHER)

FALLON: Let's talk about everything.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:51:41] HARLOW: It was the place where Richard Nixon got a second chance at a first impression and where Bill Clinton played the saxophone, and late night comedy shows used to be the place where politicians tried to look a little bit more like the rest of us. But in 2016, that welcome mat can be slippery.

Here's Jake Tapper.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FALLON, HOST, THE TONIGHT SHOW: Can I mess your hair up?

(LAUGHTER)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: When "Tonight Show" disrupted the quaff instead of confronting the candidate --

FALLON: Yes.

(LAUGHTER)

TAPPER: -- things got messy.

SAMANTHA BEE, HOST, FULL FRONTAL: I guess because ratings matter more than brown people.

FALLON: You say shocking things.

TAPPER: Critics say Fallon could have asked Trump why he was pushing a racially charged lie about the president's birthplace. That was the news of the day leading up to the interview.

BEE: By ignoring that, NBC tacitly condoned a race-baiting demagogue.

TAPPER: And Samantha Bee, host of "Full Frontal" on TBS, CNN's sister network, broke from general late-night protocol and went after Fallon.

BEE: Sure, he's making life possibly dangers for Muslims and immigrants but, hey, he's good entertainment.

TAPPER: Though it might be worth mentioning this bit from NBC's "Late Night with Seth Meyers" that aired after the follicle faux pas. (LAUGHTER)

SETH MEYERS, HOST, LAST NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS: You don't get to peddle racial rhetoric for five years and decide when it's over. We decide when it's over.

TAPPER: Seth Meyers is, at this point, well versed in the art of diplomacy and told Brian Stelter it's good to have both kinds of shows on air.

MEYERS: I think it's important that those shows still exit for people who want to tune out politics for a night and I think Jimmy does that better than anybody.

TAPPER: Fallon took it in strike joking with Hillary Clinton about his Trump interview.

CLINTON: He left these for you, softballs.

FALLON: Oh, no, those were my gift to him.

(CROSSTALK)

CLINTON: No, you gave him.

TAPPER: The bigger question, is there still room for escapism when the stakes are so high?

DAVE ITZKOFF, CULTURE REPORTER, NEW YORK TIMES: I know it's a perception that somehow late night hosts are merely entertainers or some and that's all they did, but I don't find that to be true.

TAPPER: When this politicians on late night trend began, Jack Parr was nothing but polite in his 1960 interview with then-Senator John Kennedy.

JACK PARR, FORMER HOST, THE TONIGHT SHOW: As there been any recent --

TAPPER: But in the decades shaped since by late night hosts like David Letterman --

DAVID LETTER, FORMER HOST, THE DAVID LETTERMAN SHOW: First of all, the road to the White House runs right through me. That always happens.

(LAUGHTER)

TAPPER: -- and Jon Stewart --

JON STEWART, FORMER HOST, THE DAILY SHOW: Obama v. Romney, it's on.

TAPPER: -- all bets are now off, and playing it safe for some might be the biggest risk for all.

FALLON: Donald Trump, everybody.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Seeing that clip makes me miss Jon Stewart quite a lot.

Jake Tapper, thank you for that.

Coming up, two days and counting until the first presidential debate. Hillary Clinton is hitting the books while Donald Trump hits the trail. We're standing by for his live rally any moment in Virginia.

And we're still awaiting that release of the police video showing the shooting death of Keith Lamont Scott by a Charlotte police officer Tuesday. Charlotte police just saying they will release it at any moment. We'll bring it to you as soon as we get it.

[17:54:57] Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: In this week's "Fit Nation," Dr. Sanjay Gupta introduces us to an amputee runner defying the odds in competing in one of the most grueling races.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Meet Amy Palmiero- Winters, an accomplished ultra marathon runner and triathlete.

AMY PALMIERO-WINTERS, TRIATHLETE & AMPUTEE: I have been running since 8 years old. Running is what I love to do and makes me happy and part of who I am.

GUPTA: She's also an amputee. The 44-year-old mother of two lost her leg in a motorcycle accident. Amy has since competed in countless races and holds 11 world records.

PALMIERO-WINTERS: When I'm running, I'm always thinking about my kids and taking one more step.

GUPTA: Now she's training for one of the toughest ultra marathons, the Angeles Crest 100.

(CHEERING)

GUPTA: Runners have 33 hours to complete the grueling 100-mile course. Most run all night and many don't finish.

For Amy, the steep and narrow trails made it difficult to run on her prosthetic and she missed the time cut off at mile 26.

PALMIERO-WINTERS: I feel great. I just missed the time cut off.

This is just as much of a success as failure. If you can learn from it, you walk away a smarter person.

I will absolutely be back.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[15:00:10] ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.