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Soon: Nikki Haley Talks North Korea At U.N.; Congressman Criticized For Video In Auschwitz Gas Chamber; Chicago To Students: Have A Plan Or Don't Graduate; U.S. To Classify North Korea Missile As "Brand New". Aired 2:30-3p ET
Aired July 05, 2017 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:30:02] BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: -- thanks to President Obama. All because of the meddling in elections so the irony may be that it's Putin who brings up the meddling.
RICK SANTORUM, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, look, I don't think it would be a bad thing for President Trump to bring it up. There has never been any solid evidence there was any collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. So, I think he should not be worried about bringing that issue up. I think it would show that he's at least trying to put these -- the scurrilous accusations behind him and focus on a legitimate issue, which is Russia's involvement.
But there are also a lot of other very important issues. We're dealing with Syria, obviously very, very important, and now North Korea. I know this is --
BALDWIN: Yes.
SANTORUM: -- everyone's focused on China, but you know, Russia has a role to play there too. This is -- this is beyond -- now that we have an ICBM that can reach Alaska and potentially, you know, looking at the progress they're making, California, that changes the whole game here, and we have to start involving the world to say that, you know, having a buffer to South Korea is all well and good but this isn't just a buffer anymore. This is a threat. This is a threat to us and we have to start treating it differently.
BALDWIN: Yes. Ron, before I let you go, tell me about Fault Lines, your new smart column on cnn.com.
RONALD BROWNSTEIN, SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes. Yes. So after many years of talking on CNN, I'm very happy to be writing on CNN, starting a new column every week on Fault Lines which essentially explores how demographic, economic, and cultural change are changing the political landscape and how parties are responding to that change and it essentially, I think, is going to be a look at politics from the outside in, at the way the changes in our society are changing the political competition.
BALDWIN: Keep coming on and keep talking. But keep that writing up as well. We love -- BROWNSTEIN: Thank you.
BALDWIN: -- hearing from you, Ronald Brownstein and Senator Santorum --
SANTORUM: Thank you.
BALDWIN: -- thank you so much.
Coming up, moments from now, U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley is set to talk North Korea at the United Nations where she's called for this emergency session. We're watching that to see what news can be made.
Also, a U.S. congressman is facing criticism from all around the world for taking these selfie videos inside a gas chamber at Auschwitz. His message in the video, the reaction from the Auschwitz memorial, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:36:34] BALDWIN: All right. So this congressman from Louisiana is facing all kinds of worldwide backlash for his video from Auschwitz. It's not even so much as what he said, but it's where he said it. He recorded himself by the gas chambers, the ovens, and the graves at the Nazi concentration camp.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. CLAY HIGGINS (R), LOUISIANA: Cyclone. Actual cans used to kill 1.1 million innocent civilians. Everyone was dead. And then slave labor would go into the room and drag the bodies of those poor souls out and bring them and incinerate them in these ovens. This is why homeland security must be squared away, why our military must be invincible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Officials at the Auschwitz Memorial Museum said that the gas chamber should not be a place for such videos, adding, inside a former gas chamber, there should be mournful silence. It is not a stage.
They also posted a picture of a sign at Auschwitz, reminding visitors that you are in a building where the S.S. murdered thousands of people. Please maintain silence here. Remember their suffering, and show respect for their memory.
With me now is Steven Goldstein, the Executive Director of the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect. Steven, I understand you point out the congressman never even mentions the word holocaust in his video.
STEVEN GOLDSTEIN, EXEC. DIRECTOR, ANNE FRANK CENTER for MUTUAL RESPECT: Brooke, oh my god. A new low in American politics. The congressman tapes a video that is a desecration of the memory of Jews who died at Auschwitz and never mentions the holocaust or Jews? But Brooke, do you know what he has the time to do? He has the time to put his campaign logo at the end, and use this video for reelection purposes. This video and the congressman who made it are a global disgrace. This congressman needs to get sensitivity training or he needs to get the hell out of his job.
BALDWIN: Wow. I should just tell everyone, we tried reaching Congressman Higgins, their office has been radio silent. So there's that. I have no idea what his intention was. I have no idea who he was -- he thought he was trying to educate, but Steven, when you take -- you know, the video is absolutely in poor taste, right? If you focus on his tone --
GOLDSTEIN: Disgusting.
BALDWIN: -- and his message, tone and message, how do you feel about that.
GOLDSTEIN: Well, the tone and message are ridiculous. I understand that the congressman is known down in Louisiana as the Cajun John Wayne. Frankly, I think he comes from the Wayne's world of poor judgment. He has these very somber tones about how much he cares, and he uses this for the U.S. military. Who appointed this congressman the sheriff of desecration of Jews in order to promote the U.S. Military? New lows of bad taste. Just who the heck does he think he is? Disgusting.
BALDWIN: It's one of those examples, too, when you watch the video, as you point out, you know, it's got the logo at the end. It's got font. It's been edited so clearly -- I don't know. I don't know how many people were involved in this. But it's clearly no one said, Mr. Congressman, this is not such a smart idea.
[14:40:12] GOLDSTEIN: You know, Brooke, I used to work in TV, in your industry, and here's what you and I know and viewers now can tell. This is a very carefully produced video. It's got edits, it's got theme music, it's got graphics. So, clearly, this video was made over a number of days, and the congressman had time during that period to say, wait, maybe this is not such a good idea. He didn't say that. Nobody in his staff said that. Nobody in his whole orbit said it.
And by the way, when he invokes the U.S. Military in this video, I think it's high time that President Trump and the secretary of defense distance themselves from this video and denounce it. This video has no place in American politics, and frankly, neither does the congressman.
BALDWIN: Steven Goldstein, Executive Director, Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect. Thank you so much for hopping on TV on your vacation to talk about this.
GOLDSTEIN: Thanks, Brooke.
BALDWIN: I appreciate you. And again, as I mentioned a second ago, we have made multiple phone calls to the congressman's office. We are still waiting for a statement.
Still head here with President Trump in mid flight to Europe. The United Nations about to meet emergency session on North Korea at the request of U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley. We'll take that live.
Also, attention high school seniors, a new graduation requirement is sparking all kinds of debate in a major school district. The new rule? No high school diploma without a specific plan for the future. What does that entail exactly? We'll discuss that next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:45:34] BALDWN: Getting a high school diploma in Chicago will soon require more than just meeting the minimum course requirements. Come 2020, students in Chicago will also have to show they have a plan for life after high school. The new Chicago public schools initiative would require seniors to show a college acceptance letter, acceptance into some sort of trade apprenticeship, military enlistment, job offer or be enrolled in a gap program. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel rolled this whole thing out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL (D), CHICAGO: A K-12 model was relevant 10, 15, 20 years ago. The city of Chicago is moving towards a pre-K to college model.
JANICE JACKSON, CHIEF EDUCATION OFFICER, CPS: As long as we meet the state's minimum graduation requirements, the district, the board of education, does have the authority to have requirements on top of that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Former Chicago Public Schools Principal Liz Dozier joins me live to weigh in on all of this. Liz, it's nice to see you again. I mean, this is the mayor but it's Arne Duncan, farmer secretary of Ed and your former boss who actually proposed this plan to the mayor. Good idea?
LIZ DOZIER, FORMER PRINCIPAL FEATURED IN CNN'S "CHICAGOLAND": So, great to see you, Brooke. Yes, we think it's a great idea. We know that young people need a plan beyond high school. This is not 50 years ago where high school would suffice but the issue really is how do you have young people actualize that plan? In order to do that in a really robust way, you need counselors, you need supports, especially when you think about our first generation college students here in Chicago.
Right now the current ratio of teacher -- I'm sorry, counselors to students is 1 to 300. If you can imagine having one --
BALDWIN: Wow.
DOZIER: -- counselor for every 300 young people.
BALDWIN: One to 300.
DOZIER: Unbelievable. So, how do you make it a reality and make that plan a really robust one. BALDWIN: It's the reality piece. This is the but to, well, it sounds
like a really great idea. You know, I was reading in the "Washington Post" just in terms of how cash strapped Chicago is. 381,000 students -- district laid off more than 1,000 teachers and staff members last year. It is in such difficult financial straits that it struggled to keep its doors open for the final weeks of the school year. How do they pull this off? Financially speaking.
DOZIER: Yes. So I think that's the question that remains to be seen. I'm watching it alongside of many other Chicagoans here who want the best for our young people. We know that currently only 18% of incoming ninth graders will ever graduate from college if they've attend add Chicago public school.
And if you double click on that, we have roughly 2% to 3% of African- American and Latino boys who will graduate from college as incoming ninth graders into the system and so we know that in order to make that more, we need to begin to figure out how do we -- how do we do this, how do we have counselors to support those kids to go from point A to point B.
Again, the plan is great but it's where the rubber meets the road in terms of resources.
BALDWIN: Does it risk creating anxiety or pressure on students who may be graduating, don't have a lot of options.
DOZIER: I think the counselor is so important. As a former high school principal and high school teacher, I know firsthand like the complexities of the college going experience. So it's, you know, applying to college, financial aid, it's all those things that the student has to do.
And the counselor, especially with a 1 to 300 ratio, if you can imagine that, also has competing priorities of standardized test facilitation of, you know, dealing with the crises that may come up. All these different things and so we support the plan, it's just a matter of how do you actualize that plan and make it a reality for so many of our students where education is the only way, the only way out of poverty.
BALDWIN: Implementation. We'll follow it up and see how they pull it off. Liz Dozier, thank you, and thank you for all your years, of course --
DOZIER: Thanks Brooke.
BALDWIN: -- in education in this country.
DOZIER: Thank you.
BALDWIN: Coming up, here, it's being described -- you got it. It's being described as a new kind of missile. What U.S. intelligence is learning about that launch by North Korea, what it's capable of doing.
And have you heard? It's '90s week here on CNN and who better to talk to than Seinfeld's own Newman. Mr. Wayne Knight joins me next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:53:44] BALDWIN: CNN is counting down to our next original series, this Sunday, we take a look back at the final decade of the 20th century, "The Nineties." Washington was defined by Bill Clinton and a contract with America. Seattle was the center of the music universe, and a sitcom about nothing ruled primetime television. "Seinfeld" was about four quirky New Yorkers and one hot mess of a mailman. Newman.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NEWMAN: Kramer! Kramer! Where are you? Kramer! Kramer!
KRAMER: I'm in here. Come on.
JERRY: Hello, Newman.
NEWMAN: Kramer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello, boys.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh!
JERRY: Hello, Newman.
NEWMAN: Hey, hey.
JERRY: Hello, Newman.
NEWMAN: Hello, jerry.
JERRY: Hello, Newman.
NEWMAN: Hello, Jerry.
JERRY: Hello, Newman.
NEWMAN: Hello, jerry. Kramer.
KRAMER: Hello, Newman.
NEWMAN: Hello, Jerry.
JERRY: Hello, Newman.
NEWMAN: Good Night, Jerry.
[14:55:02] JERRY: Good Night, Newman.
NEWMAN: Hello, Jerry. May I come in?
JERRY: What do you want?
NEWMAN: Nothing. Just being neighborly. Do you want to hang out? Shoot the breeze? JERRY: I'm not let you cheat, Newman. You're not getting anywhere
near that board.
NEWMAN: Jerry, I'm a little insulted.
JERRY: You're not a little anything, Newman.
(END VIDETAPE)
BALDWIN: I miss the show so much. With me now, Seinfeld's nemesis, Newman himself. Wayne Knight. Hello, Wayne.
WAYNE KNIGHT, AMERICAN ACTOR: Hello, Brooke.
BALDWIN: I have so many questions for you, beginning with why did Jerry hate Newman so much?
KNIGHT: Well, why not?
BALDWIN: I mean, apparently Jerry Seinfeld has said, you know, there was actually no reason. He just felt like it would be much more fun to have a villain on the show. Do you think that's what it was?
KNIGHT: Well, I think what happened is it kind of evolved that when I started, I was just kind of a side kick to Kramer and a friend on his capers and then as time went on, this little wrinkle, you know, the thing with Jerry just kind of grew. And before we knew it, we were in it and we never really had a definition as to why. There was plenty of reasons, though.
BALDWIN: Walking down the street, especially in the whole heyday of "Seinfeld," what would people say to you?
KNIGHT: Well I don't think you have to wait for the heyday of "Seinfeld." I think it's been the heyday --
BALDWIN: We're currently living. We're living in the heyday.
KNIGHT: For the past 25 years, they say, Newman. Hello, Newman. And then they act as if they're the first person who ever said it and I am in on the joke, so I let them think that. Because if they don't, they'll burst.
BALDWIN: You're a good man. How much impact, Wayne, did you actually have in creating the Newman character? You know, was he based on someone that Jerry Seinfeld or Larry David knew in real life?
KNIGHT: Well, I mean, originally, he was supposed to be an African- American man who was about to commit suicide. So, I don't think --
BALDWIN: Stop it. You're pulling my chain.
KNIGHT: No. No. And it originally was a voice done by Larry off camera, and then they called me in for this one episode where it was about how long do you have to wait to hit on somebody when their boyfriend is in a coma. And I was the kind of building snitch, and I was going to tell on the fact that jerry was hitting on the girlfriend while the boyfriend was in a coma and I got bought off by a drake's cake.
BALDWIN: Who was, other than let's say, you can't say Newman, who was your favorite character to interact with on the show?
KNIGHT: Oh, I mean, I suppose it was with Jerry, just because I got to play full dujen there, but Michael and I had so many fun things to do as well. I mean, there were scenes that we would work out, you know, kind of off camera, and it began to be almost like a silent film pair.
BALDWIN: Watching you guys, I mean, the freezes used in the show became part of our, you know, pop culture lexicon and I would even argue to this day, you know, I still am guilty of the whole yeah dada, yada, yada, no soup for you. I mean do you have one favorite phrase from the show?
KNIGHT: I think what happens is this becomes part of pop culture, and now we've got kids, you know, who are coming up to me who weren't even born, you know, when the show was on, so it becomes part of their lexicon and just keeps going.
BALDWIN: Do you think now in 2017, an era of -- it's funny watching "Seinfeld." it's pre-cell phone, pre-Twitter, laptops, whatever. How do you think "Seinfeld" would fall today if we were watching it?
KNIGHT: Well, I think it would do well because it really was kind of the beginnings of the recognition of self-absorption. And we seemingly have stayed self-absorbed ever since.
BALDWIN: Just backstage, you know, when the cameras weren't rolling, did you all get along? Any good gossip you want to share all these years later? It's just us talking.
KNIGHT: No. Not really. I think that, you know, there was a -- it felt like it was an opening night on Broadway every time you were doing the show. And so, the concentration was on that. It was on being funny. And so, I think we were all trying desperately to be funny to the best of our ability. And it's like being in Patton's Army, you know, you got to take the next hill. So, we got along pretty well.
BALDWIN: Thank you for making us laugh and still laugh all these years later. Wayne Knight, thank you.
KNIGHT: Good-bye, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Good-bye, Wayne. Wayne Knight there from "Seinfeld". Do not miss CNN's new original series, "The Nineties." I love the 90s. This Sunday night, 9:00 Eastern here on CNN.
We continue on, top of the hour. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Here's what's happening now.
The United Nations Security Council is holding this emergency session here after a North Korean missile launch races the stakes and escalate the tension.
