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Trump North Korea Comments; Trump & Putin Meet; June Jobs Report; the Resurgence of the '90s. Aired 8:30-9 ET

Aired July 07, 2017 - 08:30   ET

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


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[08:30:58] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: As far as North Korea is concerned, I don't know. We'll see what happens. I don't like to talk about what I have planned, but I have some pretty severe things that we're thinking about. That doesn't mean we're going to do them. I don't draw red lines.

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POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Just days after North Korea launched that intercontinental ballistic missile that could potentially reach the United States, President Trump now says he's weighing, quote, "pretty severe things" in response.

Let's discuss with Senator Ed Markey from Massachusetts. He's a top Democrat on the East Asia Subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

It is nice to have you here.

And on North Korea you've been very outspoken. You've written a letter to President Trump saying the United States, he and his team should sit down at the negotiating table with Kim Jong-un. My question is twofold. A, do you think then that would imply that you think Kim Jong-un is a rational actor, one that can be negotiated with, do you, and do you - what do you think the result of those negotiations would likely be?

SEN. ED MARKEY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Well, we have three options. Number one, the status quo. And that is not working. There's just been an ever-increasing capacity in the ballistic missile and nuclear weapons program of North Korea. So the existing situation doesn't work.

Number two, and I would take that President Trump is talking about this, and that would be increased military activity, which could lead to a war, which could lead to catastrophic consequences. I don't think that's a good option.

The third option is negotiations. The Chinese have been asking the United States to get into direct negotiations with the North Koreans. If we did that, we could have more support from the Chinese and the Russians who each want us to engage in those kinds of negotiations. That could lead towards a freeze of the North Korean ballistic missile and nuclear weapons program. And, in return, the United States could be at the table in order to make a determination as to what concessions the United States and South Korea might make towards the North Koreans.

But unless we are sitting at a table, unless we are negotiating, we cannot have any progress that is meaningful in reducing this inexorable, inevitable path that North Korea is on towards having an intercontinental ballistic missile with a nuclear warhead on top that can threaten the mainland of the United States.

HARLOW: So two things, senator. First, one of the main reasons why china and Russia, one would think, want the United States to back away from other options and sit down at the table is potentially they can get the U.S. to lessen its presence, right, in military drills and activity in the region, which would be beneficial for them. The other - the other question becomes, what makes you think that Kim Jong-un is a rational actor to negotiate with? So many past U.S. presidents, Republicans and Democrats, have had these negotiations, have resulted sometimes in a freeze, but then that has accelerated, and we are where we sit today. Does some of that blame, sir, fall on the Obama administration for not doing more? I mean you had pressured President Obama to ramp up sanctions.

MARKEY: Yes. Well, I have wanted, for both the Obama administration and for the Trump administration, to engage in direct negotiations. Kim is rational to this extent. He may be homicidal, but he is not suicidal. So he does not want to get into a situation where the United States is engaging in military activity against his regime. And so to that extent, there is an opening for direct negotiations to find a pathway towards negotiating a freeze on that intercontinental ballistic missile and nuclear weapons program. And unless we take that opportunity, I'm just afraid that we are going to wind up in a situation where too many people are going to begin to talk about actually using a military option to deal with North Korea.

[08:35:18] HARLOW: All right, we've seen the handshake. It happened just about an hour ago between President Putin and President Trump. That's the optics. Now to the substance of this meeting that is getting underway in just about an hour's time. What would make you satisfied once you get the read-out from the White House on that meeting? What would make you think that President Trump did a good job?

MARKEY: Well, first of all, we know that the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, is their spy in chief. He was directing the hacking into our campaign last year for the presidency. He was an operative in the KGB who worked his way all the way up from the bottom to the top. And so as you meet the spy in chief, you have to be the commander in chief of the United States, and you have to be confronting Putin very strongly and letting him know that there are going to be consequences for what Russia did last year. And if this story about increased spying in the United States right now is accurate, then the consequences for any of those activities right now. But, for me, that handshake has to be followed by very tough talk by

President Trump that makes it clear that he understands that the American people want to know that he accepts and will take responsibility for taking on Putin on this issue. Thus far, Trump has just been in denial.

HARLOW: And that is the reporting that we have from multiple current and former U.S. intelligence sources that Russian spies have stepped up their activity in this country.

Before I let you go, a question quickly on the future of your party. I'm sure you saw the op-ed by long-time Clinton adviser Mark Penn (ph) in "The New York Times." And a pretty drastic change he wants to see from your party before the next presidential election. He writes, "the path back for the Democratic Party today, as it was in the '90s, is unquestionably a move to the center and reject the siren calls of the left, whose policies and ideas have weakened the party." Is he right, senator?

MARKEY: Well, if by that he means that we have to talk to the economic issues that are facing blue collar working class families all across this country, their health care, their access to education, the need to have real job and economic and wage growth in our country, then, yes, that is where we should be. That's the message that the Democratic Party has to send out to those voters who are turned away from us last year. And I think we're well on the path to constructing that new message.

HARLOW: All right.

MARKEY: The Democrats in the Senate especially have laid out an economic program that I think is going to be very appealing to those voters in 2018.

HARLOW: We'll see. We have to leave it there. Thank you, Senator Ed Markey.

Chris.

MARKEY: Thank you, Poppy.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: All right, the latest jobs report is coming out this morning. We're going to break down what the new numbers are and what they mean for your bottom line and for the president's economic agenda.

HARLOW: And, you know this sound.

CUOMO: Oh, yes.

HARLOW: CNN taking a look back at the '90s and the TV shows that defined the decade, like "Law & Order." Actor Sam Waterston, who played D.A. Jack McCoy, joins us with his memories of the long-running show.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [08:44:08] HARLOW: The breaking news. Moments ago, the Labor Department released the June jobs report.

Let's get straight to our chief business correspondent, star of "Early Start," anchor Christine Romans.

Robust. Robust.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's the word we're using. This was a strong number for job creation in the month. You can see, Poppy, 222,000 net new jobs in June. And I can tell you that April and May were both a little stronger than the government first reported. So the past three months, that's what the picture looks like.

The unemployment rate is still very near the lowest level since 2001. But it did tick up from 4.1 to 4.3 - or 4.4 percent - 4.3, rather, to 4.4 percent. And here's why. You had more than 300,000 people come out of the shadows and go into the labor market and start looking for a job. So that's one of those funny statistical tweaks that - the reason why that number rose is a good reason. People are seeing what's happening around them. Maybe they know people are getting jobs and they're coming back into the labor market. So this - these are all definitely good numbers.

[08:45:07] Let me show you the sectors, if I can. Manufacturing added 1,000. Doesn't seem like a lot of jobs, but I wanted to put that in there because a low dollar and good global demand has had a little bit of a renaissance for the manufacturing sector over the past three months. Look at food. This is where people spend their money. Restaurants, bars, 29,000 jobs there. Business information systems, 35,000 jobs. And when you peel back these numbers even further, you see a lot of jobs again added in health care. Poppy, that has been a very steady performer in the labor market for years now. A lot of health care jobs again, guys.

HARLOW: And good paying jobs as well. Romans, thank you.

ROMANS: You're welcome. Thank you, guys.

CUOMO: Part of the untold story about addressing health care. So many of the jobs in our new economy are coming from that industry.

So, becoming a CNN hero, a big topic around here. It all begins with a nomination, right? You just take a few moments. You can fill out a form and then you can turn a name that you know into a CNN Hero and change their life and their mission. That's what happened for Tawanda Jones in 2013. Meet the woman and the former drill team member who paid it forward.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was attending Washington State University. I told one of my professors about the drill team and what it meant to me. She told me, like, hmm, I think that you should nominate her for CNN Heroes. TAWANDA JONES, CNN HERO 2013: To know that someone in the program

nominated me for CNN Hero, it means so much more because they were a part of the struggle. They were a part of those humble beginnings. So that was a tremendous honor, and I've wore it with a badge of honor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: A great story. For more on Tawanda's tale, go to cnnheroes.com. And while you're there, you can nominate someone who you think should be a CNN Hero.

HARLOW: All right, it is easily one of the most recognizable TV songs. Hear that? That's from one of the most popular shows of the '90s. CNN's taking a look back at the decade and staying power of "Law & Order" with, who else, actor Sam Waterston.

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[08:50:56] CUOMO: Bum, bum, bum, bum, bum.

One of the most iconic TV theme songs certainly of the '90s, probably of all time, of course, "Law & Order." CNN is taking a look back at all the shows that defined that decade in the premiere episode of the new series "The 90s." Here's a taste.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This was a show that completely delivered on its formula every time. You get a crime. You got the investigation into the crime.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You better be packing more than a dirty mouth.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got an arrest.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's the charge? Hey, I'm asking you a question, what's the charge?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, there's no charge. This one's on us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then you had a trial.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's badgering, your honor.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sit down and shut up, Mr. Feinman (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Overruled. And you will address the court from now on, Mr. McCoy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So every time you watched, you got what you came for.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: It is true, when you think about the reach of this franchise, how it has grown and now it could be binge watched by a new generation of fans.

Actor Sam Waterston joins us now. He, of course, played the District Attorney Jack McCoy for 16 years on "Law & Order."

It is an impressive legacy you guys built for yourself at "Law & Order."

SAM WATERSTON, ACTOR, "LAW & ORDER": It was an amazing run. It changed New York. It changed the theater for hundreds and hundreds, thousands of actors. It was something really special.

CUOMO: A lot of big names, too, passed through the ranks there. Now we identify them as big stars. When you look back in that period - on that period, the '90s, what does it mean to you as kind of a cultural process?

WATERSTON: You know, we used to do 26 episodes a season. So my life was very much "Law & Order." And my memories of the '90s were of a lot of crime.

CUOMO: It was a lot of - you know, but - and it's interesting though why it was so captivating for people. You know when you - as a lawyer and as a journalist, I've done a lot of crime reporting and you guys seized on a formula that is made for television. There is something about the criminal justice system that's perfect -

WATERSTON: You know, that was an accident.

CUOMO: No. How?

WATERSTON: It was an accident because when Dick originated the show, people didn't really believe that there was space on television for hour-long dramas. So he formed it as two shows that you could show separately.

CUOMO: Really?

WATERSTON: Yes. A crime - you know, the crime and the courtroom.

CUOMO: So what do you think about the enduring part of the '90s and of "Law & Order"? Do you think it will stand the test of time? It seems like the answer is, yes, at least for your franchise. What about the impact of that decade in general?

WATERSTON: Well, it was a wonderful time for me. It was the - it was a great period of work. You know, you talk about what the show was like to watch, but what it was to do was amazing. The level of the script, the kind of issues that we dealt with, week in and week out. Yes, you asked if it would stand the test of time. I think it does. I think the proof is that it's still running, and people are still watching it. And people still come up to me and say, you are on "Law & Order," aren't you, like it was still going on.

CUOMO: It's true. You've got a whole new generation of people who are binge watching it. You've got two generations of viewers in just my family. You've got me and my wife and now you've got my 14-year-old. I'm hearing that bum, bum all the time in my house -

WATERSTON: Yes.

CUOMO: And you obviously influence jury's expectations of trials.

WATERSTON: Yes.

CUOMO: That's how big an impact it was.

WATERSTON: Yes. I think Dick Wolf and Peter Jankowski are really on to something.

CUOMO: Yes, they are and it endures to this day and it's worth looking back on it as well.

Sam Waterston, congratulations to you on success that doesn't end. Appreciate you being on this show.

WATERSTON: My pleasure.

[08:55:04] CUOMO: The new CNN series "The '90s" premieres Sunday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN.

What do you say, a little bit of "Good Stuff," next.

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CUOMO: All right, you ready for some "Good Stuff." Sixteen-year-old Austin Goddard (ph) just started working at a restaurant and all of a sudden this customer collapses. He's literally new there. But you know what? The kid sprang into action and gave CPR.

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AUSTIN GODDARD: I just had it on the chest and just kept my elbows straight just doing it just enough force and pressure like you're supposed to.

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CUOMO: And, by the way, you should be trained, all of us should, especially if you have young children, and that's what you're supposed to do. Don't worry about breathing into the airway anymore, just keep the compressions going. Medics raced to the man, got him to the hospital. A few days later, the man's family stopped by the restaurant with a picture to thank Austin. Austin says he was happy to save a life.

[09:00:09] HARLOW: Look at that. you all hope you're going to act like - like that in the moment.

CUOMO: But what's the key?