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Mueller's Team Met Dossier Author; Shooting Survivors Still Fight in Hospital; Weinstein on Harassment; Murphy Resigns over Affair. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired October 06, 2017 - 09:30   ET

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


[09:30:00] MOLLY BALL, POLITICAL WRITER, THE ATLANTIC: For example. There's an issue where the administration really didn't want to take all the heat for actually canceling it, and so they have sort of left it in place, or tried to keep it in place. But on the -- at the same time, was on the hook for having promised to end it and wanted to seem to be doing that.

So it -- this is another instance of that. But with diplomacy, even a symbolic move can have big ripple effects. And so the decertification, we don't know where that would lead and it may not, in fact, continue the status quo. It creates uncertainty.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: And, of course, Iran gets a say in this, not to mention allies around the world.

Barbara Starr, general, Molly Ball, thank you very, very much.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks, John.

BERMAN: That headline making Russia dossier and its author, we just learned overnight questioned by the office of the special counsel. New details ahead.

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[09:34:57] BERMAN: A CNN exclusive in the Russia investigation. An intriguing interview by the team lead by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. CNN has learned that investigators have spoken to the author of the headline making dossier that tracked alleged efforts by Russians to help the Trump campaign. A former British spy, the man who wrote this dossier, has been an elusive figure to say the least. Our crime and justice reporter Shimon Prokupecz has all these details.

Shimon, what you have learned?

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Yes, that's right. So it was over the summer, John, we've learned that investigators working with Bob Mueller's team met with the former MI6 officer who put together this dossier. Much of it has been reported on. It contains a series of memos detailing alleged Russian efforts to aid Donald Trump's presidential campaign.

Steel (ph) was hired by a Washington firm, paid first by anti-Trump Republicans, and then Democrats, you know, the special counsel is now working to determine whether any of the series of contacts between Trump campaign associates and suspected Russian operatives broke U.S. law.

We don't know what information Steel may have provided to Mueller's team, but we know Steel has previously provided the FBI information on some of the sources he used to put together this dossier, his memos. We've also been told that while the intelligence community hasn't verified some of the most salacious details in the memos. Parts of it have been corroborated. And the president, you know, as we all know, ,has taken issue with the intelligence community over this, and Steel over the dossier, calling I t fake news in previous tweets. But despite the president's words, congressional investigators still want to talk to Steel. Take a listen.

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SEN. RICHARD BURR (r), CHAIRMAN, INTEL COMMITTEE: Though we have been incredibly enlightened at our ability to rebuild backwards, the Steel dossier up to a certain date, getting past that point has been somewhat impossible.

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PROKUPECZ: And a part of why that's been impossible is because Steel has not yet spoken with them. And we're told he hasn't ruled out talking to the Senate Intelligence Committee, though there's no indication as to when that might take place, John.

BERMAN: All right, Shimon Prokupecz, very interesting. Thanks so much for that.

Survivors in Las Vegas fighting for their lives inside the hospital. We will hear from family members helping them fight.

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[09:41:45] BERMAN: New this morning, the Clark County coroner says all 58 people killed in the Las Vegas shooting have now been identified. Thousands gathered for a vigil last night in north Las Vegas to remember 34-year-old Charleston Hartfield. He was the off-duty Las Vegas police officer, father of two. He went to the concert with his wife. He was also a National Guardsman and youth football coach known as Coach Chucky.

Our Scott McLean joins us now from Las Vegas.

And, Scott, you know, you've been hearing from folks in the hospital right now and for them, you know, five days into this, the battle goes on.

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONNDENT: Yes, absolutely. John, the shooting lasted only for about ten minutes, but as we know, so many of these victims who survived will carry the scars and the impacts for so much longer. As of this morning, we know there are still 29 people across two hospitals listed in critical condition. One of them is Tina Frost (ph). She's in a coma right now She actually took a bullet to her face. She lost one eye, according to her mother,, and there are still bullet fragments lodged in her head. Yesterday I spoke to her sisters and her mother. Here's what she said.

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MARY WATSON MORELAND, SHOOTING VICTIM'S MOTHER: It's very hard. When I first saw her, it was all I could do to keep composed. But she's a fighter. And it doesn't matter what she looks like, it matters in here. So we're coping.

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MCLEAN: Now, most of her family is in Las Vegas to support her already. All of her family members will be here by Sunday.

As for the long-term prognosis for Tina, it's not exactly clear, but her family is expecting a very long and slow recovery process.

Now, yesterday, CNN also spoke to Freddy Parish (ph). He actually was hit three times, two graze wounds and one direct hit to his shoulder. But what's amazing here, John, is that in the moment of that shooting, it was not himself, it was his wife who was his primary concern. Here's what he told Erin Burnett.

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FEDDIE POARISH, LAS VEGAS SHOOTING SURVIVOR: The sounds of the shots was coming from Mandalay Bay, so I wanted to get down for cover to where I could -- she was behind me. I moved forward so she would be more -- her head would be more behind me. And just as I moved forward, that's when I took the round into the shoulder.

ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: You could have saved her life?

PARISH: That's what she said.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCLEAN: And if that isn't amazing, once he was released from the hospital, fairly soon after, he actually showed up for work the next morning. A pretty resilient guy.

And one other thing to mention, John, and that's that an Illinois man yesterday set up 58 small white wooden crosses underneath the welcome to Las Vegas sign on Las Vegas Boulevard. He is the same guy who set up crosses after Orlando and many other mass shootings in this country. And I think we can all agree, we are hoping that this is the last that we see of his work.

BERMAN: Hoping, Scott, hoping. Scott McLean in Las Vegas, thanks so much.

[09:44:50] Tonight on CNN, we will honor all of the victims in the Las Vegas massacre, who they were, how they lived. The victims remembered, "Las Vegas Lost." This is a commercial-free "AC 360" tonight at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

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BERMAN: A busy week in rank hypocrisy. Movie mogul Harvey Weinstein apologizing after the stunning "New York Times" report detailing multiple on the record accusations of sexual harassment against the mega producer, including from well-known actresses. Weinstein a big- time Democratic donor, who has public supported the cause of women's rights. And in Washington, Republican Congressman Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania resigning amid reports that he urged a woman, with whom he had an extra marital affair, to have an abortion. Murphy is a fierce opponent of abortion rights.

[09:50:07] Here to discuss, CNN White House reporter Kate Bennett, CNN contributor Selena Zito.

Guy, before we get to the meat of this segment, which is really a celebration of hypocrisy. I want to read part of the statement from Harvey Weinstein right now that he gave after "The New York Times" report. He said, I came of age in the '60s and '70s, when all the rules about behavior and workplaces were different. That was the culture then.

So, you know, I mean I read a fair amount of history and I'm unfamiliar, Selena, with the era when bosses routinely asked employees to watch them shower, which is something that is part of this "New York Times" story, Selena.

SELENA ZITO, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes

BERMAN: So I guess my question to you is, is where does this rank in the range of inadequate apologies and explanations?

ZITO: Well, if the rankings were one to ten, I would say maybe 54. I mean there -- there's no apology there. You know, I mean he's getting tutored on how to behave. I mean just common sense should dictate to you this is not appropriate way to behave.

I mean this is what happens sometimes to people, men and women, in this case a man, when they become powerful and they believe that power makes them above sort of normal, common, decent behavior. And he took it to a new level.

His apology is not an apology. If I were any of those victims, I would be appalled by what he said. Tutored? Who gets tutored on how to behave normally?

BERMAN: Yes, or -- yes, inoffensively to be sure.

ZITO: Yes.

BERMAN: You know, Kate Bennett, not only that, he also took that apology as a chance to lash out at the NRA, which as far as I can tell isn't connected to these accusations against Harvey Weinstein in any way? KATE BENNETT, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: No. And I think he was sort of

hoping for some sort of leeway by using political and sort of national hot button issues right now and a national tragedy, which also makes his apology pretty deplorable. He also quoted Jay-z. I mean he was sort of trying everything he could there in that apology to get some sympathy. And I think, again, you know, this is an industry that coined the term casting couch.

BERMAN: Right

BENNETT: You know this stuff has been going on for decades and decades in Hollywood.

BERMAN: Yes.

BENNETT: And I -- you know, I was actually happy to see this story come out yesterday because it meant that more women are standing up and taking advantage of strength in numbers and coming forward. And the sooner and the more people that do this and have that courage, the more this behavior goes away, quite frankly.

BERMAN: And the bravery. And the bravery it took to be named publicly. I mean that is something that should be noticed here. It took a lot for those women to come forward.

You know, Kate, when we talk about hypocrisy, though, you know, this is liberal Hollywood, also liberal New York Harvey Weinstein. He's bicoastal among other things. So he operates in both places right now. You know, celebrates the causes, which purport to be against the exact behavior that he is said to have done here. And now these Democratic donors, so many Democratic donors -- politicians, I should say, are giving the money to charity or having to dissociate themselves with him.

BENNETT: Right Well, Patrick Leahy, Senator Leahy, is the first one to sort of give back the money and say he's going to give it to women's causes. Let's not forget, Harvey Weinstein was the producer of Hillary Clinton's big Broadway fundraiser last October, September, last fall. He's raised millions of dollars for Democrats. Malia Obama interned for him last year as well. I mean he has a cozy, cozy relationship with Democrats. He's also already given money for some candidates who are looking to re-election, including Kristen Gillibrand, who, of course, one of her main platforms is finding stricter laws and legislation against sexual assault for women on campus and women in the military. So there are direct, opposing views here. And, you know, talk about hypocrisy. It's going to be very challenging for Washington to come forward and decide what they want to do here.

BERMAN: All right, Selena, in your neck of the woods, Congressman Tim Murphy, who is respected on both sides of the aisle for the work that he has done for Pennsylvania and Washington, though, you know, he got caught in the middle something this week also. You know, report that a woman with whom he was having an extramarital affairs, he urged her to have an abortion. He is a fierce opponent of abortion rights. He is now resigning. He, too, I mean caught, public hypocrisy. ZITO: Yes. Absolutely. I mean he was a staunch proponent of pro-life,

you know, causes. And he spoke to pro-life groups. He was embraced by the pro-life moment. And, you know, to have him suggest to the woman that he was having an affair with that, you know, an abortion was an option that should be considered, is just appalling. I mean as soon as that text came out, you know, I knew it was over for him. And it's a shame because he was a -- he was a good congress -- member of Congress. He did a lot of good things, especially on mental health. But, man, this is bad stuff.

[09:55:09] BERMAN: He is resigning.

ZITO: Yes.

BERMAN: And it seems that Republican leadership really, you know, if not pushed him to it, made it clear that they thought that was a good idea.

ZITO: Oh, yes.

BERMAN: But, you know, again, if you look at Harvey Weinstein, his statement seems to be, hey, I'm a liberal, you know, I'm a -- you know, I'm a good guy. I support good causes. So don't blame me as much for this awful stuff I did by suggesting, you know, Tim Murphy didn't go out saying, look at everything I've done here.

ZITO: No.

BERMAN: He just quit and moved on.

ZITO: Yes.

BERMAN: Anyway.

ZITO: He did that with grace.

BERMAN: A notable week.

ZITO: Yes At least he did that with grace.

BENNETT: Well, Weinstein says he wants to take a leave of absence, too. So, I mean, that might -- you know, it's up to the rest of Hollywood to stand up now and sort of support the courage of these women and financers and directors, talent, actors, actresses to all sort of pick what side they want to be on, on history.

ZITO: Yes.

BERMAN: All right, Kate Bennett, Selena Zito, thanks so much for being with me.

You know, wish it weren't for such a thing, but, nevertheless, great to have you on.

BERMAN: All right, a major storm taking a direct aim at the Gulf Coast. This could hit as soon as tomorrow. Not much time to prepare. We're tracking the latest developments.

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