Return to Transcripts main page
New Day Sunday
Giuliani on Media Blitz to Clarify Porn Star Payment Comments; Outrage in France after President Trump Mimics Attackers at NRA Leadership Forum; Stormy Daniels Trolls Trump, Calls for Resignation on "SNL"; Giuliani Implies President Trump Will Tear Up Iran Deal; Trump Friend, Tom Barrack, Interviewed in Russia Probe in December; Homes Destroyed, People Flee as Lava Flows in Hawaii; First Lady Expected to Outline Key Initiative Monday; Sources Say Trump Won't Be Invited to McCain's Funeral. Aired 6-7a ET
Aired May 06, 2018 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[06:00:02] RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER N.Y. MAYOR, LEGAL COUNSEL TO PRESIDENT TRUMP: The president of the United States did not in any way violate the campaign finance law.
I've been in (ph) the case for two weeks -- virtually one day, in comparison to other people. So I -- I'm not an expert on the facts yet; I'm getting there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They took their time, and gunned them down one by one. Boom, come over here, boom, come over here.
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Angering not one but two of America's closest allies.
TRUMP: If one person in this room had been there with a gun, the terrorists would have fled or been shot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STORMY DANIELS, ADULT FILM ACTRESS: Hello, Donald.
ALEC BALDWIN, PLAYING DONALD TRUMP, SNL: C'mon, Stormy, stop making such a big deal about this. Everyone knows it's just an act. I solved North and South Korea -- why can't I solve us?
DANIELS: Sorry, Donald, it's too late for that. I know you don't believe in climate change, but a storm's a-comin', baby.
(END VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE ANNOUNCER (voice-over): This is NEW DAY WEEKEND with Victor Blackwell and Christi Paul.
CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. So grateful to have your company here on this Sunday May 6th. These are the top stories.
BLACKWELL: Audience of one -- Rudy Giuliani on a media blitz this morning trying to convince the president that he's finally got his facts straight about a payoff to a porn star.
PAUL: Right on queue, Stormy Daniels makes a surprise appearance on "Saturday Night Live" to poke fun at President Trump.
BLACKWELL: Meanwhile, homes are being destroyed, and there's toxic gas in the air as an erupting volcano and more earthquakes put lives in danger in Hawaii.
PAUL: And angry allies -- there is outrage in France after President Trump mimics attackers who murdered 130 people in Paris in 2015, and blamed the country's gun laws for their deaths.
Your NEW DAY starts right now.
BLACKWELL: Well, he is not backing down; instead, Rudy Giuliani is doubling down.
PAUL: Yes, going on Fox News to say President Trump did not break any campaign finance laws by reimbursing a payment to Stormy Daniels.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEANINE PIRRO, FOX NEWS HOST: Did you misspeak, or did people not interpret what you were saying? Were you talking about the facts --
GIULIANI: (LAUGHTER)
PIRRO: -- or were you talking about the law that (ph) you mentioned there (ph)?
(CROSSTALK)
GIULIANI: I'm talking about the law and the conclusion. The facts -- the facts, I am still learning. I'm not an expert on the facts yet; I'm getting there. But I'm -- I am an expert on the law, and particularly, the campaign finance law. I've lived under it running for president.
And the fact is, there is no way there is no way there's a campaign finance violation of any kind, nor was it a loan. It was an expenditure, and this expenditure would've been made whether he was running for president, or he wasn't running for president --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: Though hours later, live from New York, Stormy Daniels kind of going after the president there. The adult film actress shows up on "Saturday Night Live," and tells Alec Baldwin's Trump that she will not stop until he resigns.
BLACKWELL: Now, back in the real White House drama, the drama that we know continues.
You heard Giuliani say that -- on Fox News there, he's an expert on campaign finance law. Well, that did not stop him from talking about the other burning question for the White House this week -- what to do on the Iran deal.
PAUL: Here he is at the Iran Freedom Convention. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GIULIANI: We got a president who's tough, a president who doesn't listen to the people who are naysayers, and a president that is as committed to regime change as we are.
(APPLAUSE)
GIULIANI: And with Secretary of State Pompeo now on his right hand, and his National Security Adviser John Bolton -- you remember John Bolton --
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
GIULIANI: -- on his left side, what do you think is going to happen to that agreement --
CROWD: He'll tear it up!
GIULIANI: -- that nuclear agreement?
CROWD: He'll tear it up. Tear it up!
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
GIULIANI (pretends to spit on and tear up deal)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: All righty.
Joining us live from Washington, Sarah Westwood, CNN white house reporter.
Hi, Sarah, how are you?
SARAH WESTWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Hi, Christi --
(CROSSTALK)
PAUL: OK, so --
WESTWOOD: -- good morning.
PAUL: -- what is your take on everything that we're seeing here? It sounded like Rudy Giuliani -- Rudy Giuliani sounded an awful lot like President Trump, let's put it that way, when we heard from President Trump on Friday.
WESTWOOD: That's right.
And if Rudy Giuliani has spent the past few days clarifying the bombshell comments that he made Wednesday night on Fox - about Trump's reimbursement to his lawyer Michael Cohen for the payoff Cohen gave to adult film actress Stormy Daniels just before the 2016 election in exchange for her silence about an alleged affair - now, Giuliani's frequent public statements has been causing headaches inside the White House at a time which (ph) the president is preparing to face down a number of consequential foreign policy issues, including the deadline this week to decide on the Iran nuclear deal that, as we just saw, Giuliani went farther than anyone else in the administration has gone so far in predicting what the president will do with the Iran nuclear deal.
And later, he had this to say as he cleaned up those remarks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[06:05:01] GIULIANI: I mean, it's a different thing when he's president of the United States, and I don't mix my role as a (ph) attorney for him with my foreign policy views.
You know what my desire is (LAUGHTER), but I can't give you a prediction, because I -- you know, I represent the president.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But (ph) you think about it?
GIULIANI: And I don't -- I can't -- and I certainly can't speak for him. I'm (ph) -- you know, Bolton, maybe, or Pompeo can speak for him, but I can't.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, he's a great individual (ph).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WESTWOOD: Now, sources tell CNN that Giuliani has not been consulting with senior staffers before making these public statements about the president's legal predicament, and now that (ph) Giuliani's wading into the foreign policy territory, may escalate tensions even further between Giuliani and the rest of the White House -- Christi.
PAUL: All righty, we'll be watching of course there.
Westwood, good to see you.
WESTWOOD: Yes.
PAUL: Thank you.
WESTWOOD: Thank you. BLACKWELL: All right, joining me now, Daniel Lippman, reporter and co-author of the POLITICO Playbook, and Kelly Jane Torrance, deputy managing editor of "The Weekly Standard."
Good morning to both of you.
KELLY JANE TORRANCE, THE WEEKLY STANDARD, DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR: Good morning.
DANIEL LIPPMAN, REPORTER AND CO-AUTHOR, POLITICO PLAYBOOK: Good morning to you (ph).
BLACKWELL: All right, so, Kelly Jane, let's start here with, what is Rudy Giuliani's job description.
He's opining on the future of the Iran deal; he, on Thursday, said that the detainees in North Korea would be released later in the day -- they weren't.
He's also going out and, of course, defending the president on this Stormy Daniels situation -- he's all over the map, it appears.
TORRANCE: Yes, he is.
And I have to say, I think (LAUGHTER), Victor, that Rudy Giuliani might have the hardest job in Washington.
By the way, I was at the conference that he spoke at yesterday, and I chatted with him afterwards as well, and he actually brought up the North Korea -- those three Americans imprisoned in North Korea. He brought it up again yesterday, and he said, straight up, they are going to be released very soon because of President Trump.
But, yes, what is his job description?
You know, I think that the president has really, you know, despite the fact that we're -- you know, he's -- President Trump has attacked Robert Mueller and others on Twitter, he's basically been reactive. He is, you know, giving his comments in -- on defense.
So I think with Rudy and Giuliani, he is going on offense. And Giuliani -- no, he's not talking to other staffers; he's going out. And, let's face it -- if he -- if he wasn't supposed to be doing this, he would probably be criticized by his boss on Twitter, and he's not.
And, you know, I chatted with Rudy yesterday, and he was in great spirits, great --
BLACKWELL: Yes.
TORRANCE: -- form. He did not sound like someone who had been dressed down by the president for his bold statements.
BLACKWELL: All right.
So, Daniel, while we have Rudy Giuliani last night on Fox News trying to do a cleanup job, or a clarification job, on NBC, there was someone else who was part of the saga -- let's watch that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Just tell me -- what do you need for this to all go away?
DANIELS: A resignation.
BALDWIN: Yeah, right.
(OOHS)
BLACKWELL (voice-over): (LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: Being president is like doing porn -- once you do it, it's hard to do anything else.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: I mean, that juxtaposition, you've got the president and his attorneys fumbling over their story on one side, and on the other, you've got Stormy Daniels always, you know, in front of the camera here.
LIPPMAN: And you also have Michael Avenatti who has done a number of television hits, and he was the talk of the town in Washington last weekend when he was making the rounds at White House Correspondent weekend parties, and he was the most popular guy there because he has this amazing client that everyone is talking about.
And so, I think it's interesting that in any other normal world, you would not have the lawyers be fighting their case on television and on Twitter.
And I think Rudy's comments this week to Fox News, to Sean Hannity, they're going to be used in any potential interview with the president that Mueller does, where he says, well, you know, your attorney, Rudy Giuliani, said this -- that you knew about the payments right after. How do you square that -- you know, did you know that?
And so, that could put the president in a tougher situation legally if he has to answer to those questions.
BLACKWELL: All right. Guys, in the control room -- I'm doing a bit of producing from the desk here -- do we have sound byte two that we can get together pretty quickly? Anybody in the control room? (LAUGHTER) OK. All right.
So, let's listen here to the comparison of what President Trump said on Friday, and then, what we heard from Rudy Giuliani on Saturday, and see if you can hear any similarities here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
TRUMP: He'll get his facts straight.
GIULIANI: The facts, I am still learning. TRUMP: He started yesterday.
GIULIANI: I've been in (ph) the case for two weeks -- virtually one day, in comparison to other people.
TRUMP: There was no collusion with the Russians.
GIULIANI: There is no evidence of collusion with the Russians.
TRUMP: There was no obstruction.
GIULIANI: There's no obstruction of justice.
TRUMP: What they should do is look at the other side, where terribly bad things have happened.
GIULIANI: Poor little Hillary, we gotta be nice to her. We have to --
[06:10:00]
no under oath.
PIRRO: Right.
GIULIANI: We'll take that now -- no under oath.
PIRRO: Yes.
GIULIANI: -- no Q&A -- just notes.
TRUMP: He knows it's a witch hunt.
GIULIANI: The judge, in sum and substance said, "This is a witch hunt."
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
BLACKWELL: I mean, it looks like Rudy Giuliani has gotten his talking points, and the president's gotten him in line pretty quickly here.
Kelly Jane, what do you think?
TORRANCE: Yes, well, and, by the way, that interview was made very last minute. (LAUGHTER)
You know, it's -- I was talking to Rudy yesterday, and he thought the next time he was going to be talking to reporters was on ABC talking to George Stephanopoulos today. So that interview was put on very last minute, and we know that Judge Jeanine, of course, is very close to President Trump.
So I think the idea was, let's get somebody very friendly who will do an interview, and let Rudy get the talking points out that he was supposed to get out, and I think that's what we saw. And, you know, everyone is always talking about, who -- you know, when anyone from the administration goes on TV, who are they talking to -- the American people, or President Trump? And I do think maybe part of that was Rudy talking to President Trump.
But, you know, he -- the people watching that interview are also very sympathetic, and I think that Rudy was playing to that audience, and he did a good job of playing to that --
BLACKWELL: Right.
TORRANCE: -- audience.
You know, but, you -- I have to say, when you have to talk about, do I got (ph) -- you know, I'm not good on the facts, I'm not sure that's something -- that's -- is that a talking point you really want to get out? I'm a little surprised.
BLACKWELL: Yes. Yes, it's surprising, but he will have at least one of the Sunday shows.
Kelly Jane Torrance, Daniel Lippman, first question goes to you next time. Thanks so much for being with us.
TORRANCE: (LAUGHTER) (ph).
LIPPMAN: Thank you.
TORRANCE: Yes (ph).
BLACKWELL: Stay with us, and we've got a lot more to talk about this hour.
PAUL (voice-over): Yes. Thanks, Victor.
PAUL: Yes, President Trump's close friend and former chairman of his inaugural committee apparently is also on the special counsel's radar.
A source tells CNN Tom Barrack was interviewed by the Mueller team in December. He was apparently asked about his relationship with former Trump Campaign Chairman Paul Manafort and Deputy Chairman Rick Gates.
Now, Barrack had introduced Manafort to Donald Trump, had hired Gates for the inauguration. Federal investigators did not ask him about money or his relationship with the president, and made it clear that he was not a target of that probe.
As President Trump's legal battles and the Stormy Daniels case just seem to be evolving here and continuing, his newly hired attorney Rudy Giuliani some people think is adding to the chaos we've seen.
Congressman Adam Schiff is joining Jake Tapper to discuss the issue on "STATE OF THE UNION" today at 9:00 am Eastern.
And the Kilauea volcano on Hawaii's Big Island, it's not quiet yet still, still spewing molten rock and lava into the air. At least eight volcanic vents now have opened in the Leilani Estates there -- this is according to the U.S. Geological Survey -- and five homes have been destroyed.
The air quality -- that's what's so dangerous here, too. Extremely high levels of sulfur dioxide -- look at this. Hundreds of people have been forced to evacuate that area.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE GEBBIE, RESIDENT OF HAWAII: Tears -- a lot of tears. Saying good-bye to my house. I might have to start over at age 56 -- you know, that's concerning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: Officials in Hawaii say the volcano is, quote, "not done yet."
BLACKWELL: Angry allies -- why some world leaders are criticizing President Trump's recent comments, and what they say they want to see next.
PAUL: And first lady Melania Trump is going to be at the podium tomorrow in a speech expecting to give a clearer picture of her policy initiatives. She's spoken out against cyberbullying and many other things regarding children. The question is, what will her focus be.
BLACKWELL: Also, more from that surprise appearance on "SNL" from adult film actress Stormy Daniels. That's coming up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: I solved North and South Korea -- why can't I solve us?
DANIELS: Sorry, Donald, it's too late for that. I know you don't believe in climate change, but a storm's a-comin', baby.
(CHEERS)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:18:02] PAUL: Seventeen minutes past the hour right now, and the first lady has made it clear that she wants to help children, and as first lady, there's always a specific platform that the ladies adopt.
Tomorrow, Melania Trump is expected to focus, or narrow her focus, on exactly what she plans to do for kids.
White House reporter Kate Bennett joining us from Washington with the very latest.
So, Kate, what have you heard that we will hear from her tomorrow?
KATE BENNETT, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: So this is sort of a big day for the first lady tomorrow. She's actually going to be announcing this in the garden, a place that she's never given a speech before, and unveiling her actual, official, formal first lady platform -- something we've been waiting on for quite some time.
In terms of timing, Michelle Obama announced her Let's Move! initiative in February of 2010. So Mrs. Trump is about three months or so behind Mrs. Obama. Laura Bush, of course, announced her initiative about literacy in July of her first year as first lady.
I think we're going to hear her discuss something more specific about her helping children, wanting to look out for the well-being of kids. These are all things that she's been focusing on loosely in very (ph) various ways so far.
PAUL: Yes. She's talked about cyberbullying and social media, and social media kind of specifically, and the opioid crisis, and family's overall health and well-being.
Are you getting a sense of which of those things may be most important to her?
BENNETT: Well, her communications director tells me that it could be a mix of all three -- that this might be a sort of unusual rollout, in that maybe two or three things, so it's going to definitely be an interesting way to tackle all of these issues.
But certainly the opioid crisis is something she's focused on, and again, bullying on social media and kindness on social media, and then, just the overall health and well-being, both emotional and physical of children, are things that she's focusing on.
I travel with the first lady -- I cover her -- a lot of her events, and we were at a middle school in Michigan where she
[06:20:00]
talked about inclusion, and being kind to your classmates.
We were also in Cincinnati at the children's hospital, where she met with medical officials and experts about opioids' effect on neonatal care.
So certainly, it's a very, very broad range of issues, and I think we're just going to see her focus it just a bit more.
PAUL: And it's necessary. I mean, I think most people would applaud the loyalty that she has to trying to push kindness on social -- to kindness on social media --
BENNETT: Yes.
PAUL: -- and, you know, being responsible for your actions.
The problem is, a lot of people see her husband, the president, as one of the most -- one of the biggest violators, I suppose, of that whole idea.
How much potency does she have in that regard?
BENNETT: I think quite a bit.
This is interesting about the first lady. She addressed this a little bit last month when she had social media and tech leaders to the White House for a discussion about it.
And she said, "Listen, I know I'm going to get criticized for this. I know people think this is a topic I shouldn't tackle" -- speaking to the elephant in her room, which is her husband's name-calling, et cetera, on Twitter. And she said, "I'm going to do it anyway."
And I think there's a certain sense of, maybe, even having that help her -- sort of saying, listen, this is what -- this is an example of what could be, this is an example of what I want to teach -- of what should be.
And I think it says something about her independence and her strength in pushing forward on this. Just because he does one thing doesn't mean that she can't influence a generation to do another, and in that way, she's very unique, I think.
PAUL: Yes, and I am (ph) -- so I have to ask about Stormy Daniels because she was on "Saturday Night Live" last night -- she's in the public eye. Here's, you know, the first lady trying to push forward her initiative.
How does that balance each other? How does that work, Kate?
BENNETT: Yes.
PAUL: I mean, have you ever seen anything (LAUGHTER) like this before?
BENNETT: No, we haven't. And it's very interesting -- she has not said a word publicly.
We've sort of watched some moves, like canceling a trip here, or taking a separate motorcade there, or not walking to Marine One together on occasion -- certainly, she's expressed nonverbally that there might be some tension.
However, she's continuing on this front -- she's been stoic, she hasn't commented. She's trying to push forward in the -- in the face of these salacious headlines. It must be difficult. Sources tell me that it has been sort of a tense time there.
However, this is definitely a first lady who's going to do what she's going to do (LAUGHTER) in spite of, or perhaps, because of other headlines affecting her husband. She doesn't necessarily worry or concern herself with the West Wing news; she's going to push forward.
But, yes, it's certainly a -- not to use a pun, but a dark cloud hanging over what she's been doing lately, these past few months.
PAUL: Yes, Kate (ph), it's -- you know, it's so nice to hear that she is determined to punch through it with her own identity, no doubt about it.
Kate Bennett, we appreciate it so much. Thank you.
BENNETT: Sure. Thank you.
BLACKWELL: According to sources close to Sen. John McCain, he is already planning his funeral, and he's making it clear which presidents he wants there, and which he does not.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:27:53] PAUL: Well (ph), 27 minutes past the hour on this early Sunday morning, and we are always grateful to have you here. I'm Christi Paul.
BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell, good to be with you.
Now, it is no secret that Arizona senator John McCain and President Trump are not the best of friends. And now, sources close to McCain say that President Trump is not expected to be invited to his funeral.
McCain, who is 81, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer last year, and we're told former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama have been asked to deliver eulogies at McCain's funeral.
Joining me again, Kelly Jane Torrance and Daniel Lippman.
Daniel, I'm going to start with you as promised. But first, I want everyone to listen to some of the things that President Trump has said about Sen. McCain, and then, we'll hear what Sen. McCain has to say about Trump a little later.
But let's start with the president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
TRUMP: He's a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren't captured, OK? I hate to tell you that.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: And except for one senator, who came into a room at 3 o'clock in the morning and went like that, we would've had health care too.
(BOOS)
TRUMP: We would have had health care, too. Think of that.
TRUMP: And by the way, we are decimating Obamacare. We got a bad vote the evening --
(APPLAUSE AND CHEERS)
TRUMP: -- that we were going to terminate Obamacare. We got a bad vote. You know about that, right? That was not a nice thing.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
BLACKWELL: Now, politics, Daniel, obviously is sometimes a rough sport.
But the degree to which McCain has now come out through this source -- I mean, I can't imagine that the source would speak if they didn't have McCain's blessing --
LIPPMAN: Yes.
BLACKWELL: -- to let everyone know that he doesn't want the president at his funeral, how intense is this dislike?
LIPPMAN: I think this is what happens when you have a president that has criticized McCain in pretty personal terms for the last couple years. If he had treated him well, he might have been invited to the funeral.
But I think Sen. McCain views Donald Trump as part of this nationalism and populism thing that is not good for the country.
McCain is a internationalist.
[06:30:00]
He likes engaging with the world, he likes working with allies. And as you saw two days ago, President Trump was basically lighting people's hair on fire from France and England with mocking how, you know, they had suffered terrorist attacks. That's something that McCain would never have done.
And so you see this animosity between the two and McCain views himself as being in the right. He thinks that history will exonerate him if Trump does not win a second term, for example.
BLACKWELL: Kelly, this is -- first, let's just identify, this is an unusual conversation to have about invitations to a funeral for a man who is still alive. But we know that Senator McCain wants former President Obama, former President Bush to eulogize him. These are respectively Bush and Obama in 2000 and 2008 political opponents in the primary and then the general.
Talk about it if you would the relationship between these men and why they would be identified? Is it intentionally a snub against the current president or is it because there is this affinity shared between McCain and Bush and Obama?
TORRANCE: Yes. It is very mixed, Victor. And I have to say that, you know, John McCain's vote on Obamacare, I really think that if President Trump, as a candidate, had not come out and made fun of John McCain for being a prisoner of war, I wonder -- I think John McCain's vote would have been different. I do think that some of his votes in the Senate after President Trump was elected were specifically made because he is angry at the president and who can blame him?
I mean, to me, that was the moment that we knew that there was something very different about this candidacy. When President Trump made fun of somebody who everybody regards as a hero and this man was a prisoner of war for years, faced torture. When President Trump made fun of that and was still a candidate for president and it did not really hurt him in the polls, that is when we knew there was something different.
Of course, we have seen many different scandals since with President Trump and things he said and things he has done that have come to light, but that was the moment, I think, that really marked -- there is something different about this guy and the American people are feeling something different about this guy. And I think that John McCain, you know, he has never come out and said anything about it, but he does have that animosity and it is strange, you know, a man who is alive planning --
BLACKWELL: Yes
TORRANCE: -- his own funeral but, yes, I think he doesn't want President Trump there but let's face it. I mean, President Trump didn't even go to Barbara Bush's funeral. He sent his wife so he probably doesn't want to go any way.
BLACKWELL: That's one of the --
(CROSSTALK)
LIPPMAN: He played golf that day too.
BLACKWELL: Say that again, Daniel?
LIPPMAN: He played golf, you know, in the afternoon --
(CROSSTALK)
BLACKWELL: On the day of Barbara Bush's funeral.
Let's get to another element. I talked about McCain's feelings on President Trump and these excerpt from Senator McCain's upcoming book through NPR. They have a couple of snippets here in which McCain writes, "I'm not sure what to make of President Trump's convictions." He goes on to write, "He threatened to deliberately kill the spouses and children of terrorists, implying that an atrocity of that magnitude would show the world America's toughness."
He goes on to write about his own life, "I don't have one (ph) complaint. Not one. It's been quite a ride. I made a small place for myself in the story of America and the history of my times."
So it's a blend here. You know, we don't want what will be an event to honor the senator to be overshadowed by the one man who is not there, but this reporting and when he is writing in his book, the senator, himself, wants to make sure that he is clear on where he stands on this president.
LIPPMAN: I think that is true. You know, John McCain sees himself as, you know, one of the few rational senators in Congress these days and I think he is worried that if -- when he departs from the scene that, you know, a lot of moderate Republicans, there aren't that many left. And so he is probably happy that Mitt Romney is likely to be elected from Utah to try to carry that mantle, and with Jeff Flake retiring, you see the shift to the right of the Republican Party and also to the left.
You don't have many Democratic deal makers as well. It will be interesting to see if Democrats take control of Congress and how that affects things, whether, you know, the partisan war between Congress and the White House only gets worse or whether President Trump can actually make some deals with a Democratic Congress because they do have things in common like infrastructure that they could get done.
BLACKWELL: Yes --
TORRANCE: Only in Donald Trump's America is the guy who was caught on mikes joking and using the Beach Boys' song "Barbara Ann" and joked, "Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran."
[06:35:02]
Only in Donald Trump's America is that guy a moderate Republican.
(LAUGHTER)
BLACKWELL: All right. Kelly Jane and Daniel, you know, it's some remarkable reporting here about what the senator wants to add to his funeral, who he wants there and does not but let's hope the funeral is no day soon. Thank you both for being with us.
LIPPMAN: Thank you.
TORRANCE: Thanks, Victor.
PAUL: Well, President Trump says his tax cut bill will help Americans. There's a "CNN MONEY" survey that shows 60 percent of people surveyed aren't really seeing any extra take home pay.
We're going to ask a tax expert about all of this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAUL: So President Trump has touted the benefits of the GOP tax law and he did so yesterday in Ohio, claiming that the legislation will help Republicans during the midterm elections.
[06:40:03]
BLACKWELL: OK. So for most people, tax season is over. Rejoice.
But many Americans say they are not really seeing the difference in their paychecks. "CNN MONEY" did a survey in which 60 percent said that they either aren't seeing any extra take home pay, 11 percent said their take-home pay went up by between $100 and $199 per check or per month. And then nine percent reported getting between $200 and $1,000 extra. So who are the tax cuts helping here? Joining us now to discuss Chris Burns, radio host of "More Than Money." Chris, welcome.
CHRIS BURNS, RADIO HOST, MORE THAN MONEY: Thank you. Good morning.
BLACKWELL: OK. So the basic question here, are the tax cuts helping the people that Republicans who sold this to their constituents and voted for it say that it would have or it would?
BURNS: Every little bit helps but I think the general feeling right now it's kind of anti-climactic. Last year all of the coverage was about this tax change and it was massive political theater and it was going to be the biggest change in decades and so people kind of expected this mass of shift maybe in their own paycheck will (ph) come to find out, most folks got about one percent to two percent break on their taxes and so they are seeing a little bit more pay but if you think about it if you got one percent pay raise at the end of the year you wouldn't go home and throw a party about that necessarily.
So kind of a Clark Griswold "Christmas Vacation" feel here where you expect to be able to buy the new pool but it's a "Jelly of the Month Club."
BLACKWELL: Good reference.
PAUL: That was a great reference. That was a great reference.
Here is my question. At the end of the day are we just not feeling at all yet either? I mean, do we have to wait until next tax season to really get gauge of what this means for each of us individually?
BURNS: Well, you should be seeing it now. Actually, it started in February but the problem is most people don't trust that and I understand that.
Look, the actual legislation is over a thousand pages so when I was supposed to read "War and Peace" in high school I went and got the Cliffs Notes, right? These folks that actually wrote this legislation most folks, most tax experts they've read the Cliffs Notes. So we really don't know how it's going to play out until you file your taxes next year.
So even if you are getting money right now this kind of -- this lingering fear of, am I going to keep that or did they do the math wrong? I have to pay it back to the government?
PAUL: Right.
BLACKWELL: So the administration actually used the word or the phrase trickle down, they will trickle down to people.
BURNS: Right.
BLACKWELL: Is that coming? I mean, is it going to get to people in a couple of years?
We know that there is a movement, at least in the House, to try to make the temporary cuts for individuals permanent.
BURNS: Sure.
BLACKWELL: Do you expect that is coming either?
BURNS: I think the biggest hope here, based on the way the law was written, is that businesses will actually respond. We think about the permanent tax cuts for businesses it may extend to individuals but, as of now, it's for businesses so the question is all of this extra cash they have, which we know they do now, will that actually show up for their employees?
And don't really have an employment problem in America right now but we have a wage problem. Wages have been so slow to grow so we saw some companies right off the bat come out with these bonuses for their employees, right?
Bank of America, AT&T and said they said, we are giving you an extra thousand dollars this year because of the tax cuts but will that actually continue in the future? Nobody knows and will it actually turn into increased wages for employees? That is the question.
PAUL: All right. Chris Burns, so good to have you here walk us through it all.
BURNS: Yes. Thank you so much for having me on.
PAUL: Thank you for getting up early.
BLACKWELL: Thank you.
PAUL: All right.
BLACKWELL: All right. Hating the NRA won't save any lives. That is the advice from a gun rights advocate and Navy veteran. He joins us next live to break down where he thinks the gun control debate should go next and the life saving actions he believes need to happen now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:47:52]
BLACKWELL: Two of the United States' closest allies are angry and disappointed by comments about -- comments rather made by President Trump.
PAUL: Yes. France, for one, is upset over claims the president made about the November 2015 terrorist attack in Paris, 130 people were killed, dozens of others were injured. President Trump had to this to say about that event at the NRA Convention Friday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: They were brutally killed by a small group of terrorists that had guns. They took their time and gunned them down one-by-one.
Boom. Come over here. Boom. Come over here. Boom.
But if one employee or just one patron had a gun or if one person in this room had been there with a gun, aimed at the opposite direction, the terrorists would have fled.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: So, Francois Hollande, the French president at the time of the attacks called the president's comments shameful.
BLACKWELL: And many of the U.K. were angered by President Trump claiming the country has a knife problem. At one point the president even compared a London hospital to a war zone with blood all over the floors.
PAUL: Gun violence survivors are also criticizing the president's comments to the NRA including Parkland high school student Cameron Kasky. He lost 17 classmates and teachers in that February shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School. And he does not believe the president was serious about the gun control measures that he proposed after the shooting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAMERON KASKY, STUDENT; MARJORY STONEMAN DOUGLAS HIGH SCHOOL: He is a professional liar who will say anything to appease whatever crowd he is at. If he's in front of families he might say something in support of common sense gun reform. But then when he's at the NRA he'll say something to get a big cheer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: So, Hal Shouse, is with us now. He is the owner of the HOG S.W.A.T., a hunting company in southwest Georgia, and a gun rights advocate.
Hal, can you hear me? It's good to see you. Thank you so much for being here.
HAL SHOUSE, OWNER, HOGSWAT: Good morning, Christi.
PAUL: Good morning to you as well. So I want to listen here real quickly and get your take on this, first.
[06:50:03]
Part of the reason that people like Cameron are upset is because of this comment from President Trump on Friday. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Your Second Amendment rights are under siege but they will never, ever be under siege as long as I'm your president.
(END VIDEO CLIP) PAUL: So that seems to contradict a bit something that he said more than two months ago regarding gun control. Let's listen together here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Take the guns first. Go through due process, second.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: He said there you can take the guns first and you can go through due process secondly. That is what he had said.
President Trump, he hasn't been consistent, I suppose, is what has come to light. You don't agree with that?
SHOUSE: No, he has been consistent. He lies from the beginning. He lies in the middle and he lies at the end and then he changes his mind depending on who he is in front of.
I don't trust the president to protect my Second Amendment rights that's why I'm here on your show. I appreciate you giving me (INAUDIBLE).
PAUL: Absolutely. Well, that was my question to you is if you were confident that President Trump will be -- will continue to stay firm to his commitments to the NRA as we heard on Friday.
You are not. Is that what you're saying?
SHOUSE: Yes.
PAUL: OK. Specifically about Cameron Kasky. I know that there were some things he said on the show yesterday that upset you.
What specifically stuck with you? What would you like to try to clarify there?
SHOUSE: It's not so much that one particular thing he said upsets me is that most of what he says is just inaccurate and you don't call him out on it because you don't know anything about weapons either. But he made that comment and he said, you know, he is trying to make the AR-15 so all powerful as to justify taking it from me and other honest law abiding citizens that -- he said that all of the weapons in his father's safe, none of them could slaughter 17 people in six minutes and that just accentuates the fact that he doesn't know what hell he is talking about.
If you're going to take my guns know something about guns. Know what you're talking about.
(CROSSTALK)
PAUL: So what -- let me ask you I know that -- I know that you -- I'm sorry. With the Skype, it messes us up a little bit with our audio and I apologize for that. The AR-15 specifically, I know, it's customizable. It's reliable. It's accurate.
That's one of the reasons that people like it so much. The thing is it has been used in the Parkland shooting, in Las Vegas, in the Pulse nightclub shooting, in Sandy Hook. So why do you believe -- I know that you use it specifically for your hog hunting, hunting trips that people come to take, but do you really think, based on how it has been used in these mass shootings that it should be so readily available and why does that kind of gun need to be readily available? Why -- other than hunting, why would anybody need a gun like that?
SHOUSE: Well, first of all it's great for hunting. If anyone who says that it's not used for hunting, again, they are not a friend of Google.
Pull their phone out, Google hunting with AR-15s and a couple of very big genres will come up. Hog hunting growing leaps and bounds. Almost every state has wild hogs as a problem. Well, not just as something to hunt but as a real problem, a multibillion dollar a year ecological nightmare.
Then there's predator hunting. They use it for that.
Three-gun competitions. They use them for sporting events. If you would Google three-gun competitions from little kids to women, to men, to older (INAUDIBLE), all different kinds of classes nationwide.
PAUL: So what could -- what could help prevent some of these -- some of the mass shootings we have seen then? What could prevent them if we do not take the AR-15 out of rotation?
SHOUSE: Well, would anyone care if their kid was killed with a shotgun or would they care more if their kid was killed with a wheeled gun, a 38 special like the old --
(CROSSTALK)
PAUL: It's not just about one kid. It's about the ability to go kill 17 kids in a very short period of time.
(CROSSTALK)
SHOUSE: What I'm saying is an old tiny wheeled gun, an old tiny, you know, 38 pistol, when you're going to walk into an area that is a gun free zone and you don't have anyone who is going to -- like that guy in Tennessee who charged a dude and noticed that he was having a malfunction and he used that time to save his life and everyone else's life, thereafter, you're not going to have that in a school.
What the heck are six-year-olds going to do? I could take and shoot, pow, pow, pow, pow six times, reload, no kid is going to stop me. They are all running for their lives.
I shoot six more. That is 12. In another 30 seconds, it takes me to load that ancient weapon that nobody seems to care about, I could blow the head off of six more kids. And no parent is going to care if I used a 38 or anything else.
(CROSSTALK)
PAUL: Everybody at the end of the day just wants to keep people safe.
[06:55:03]
And I know that -- I understand. I'm so sorry, Hal. I'm so sorry that we have run out of time. I'm getting the wrap from my producers. I apologize.
It has been good to talk to you. Thank you for taking the time to talk with us. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLACKWELL: Stormy Daniels made a surprise appearance on SNL.
PAUL: Yes. The others cast characters there involved in the whole saga they appeared as well. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEN STILLER AS MICHAEL COHEN: All right. Is everyone on?
ALEC BALDWIN AS DONALD TRUMP: Yes.
STILLER: Guys, can we please just decide on one line and stick to it? Because our stories are all over the place.
BALDWIN: Guys, hold that thought. I'm getting a call from work.
AIDY BRYANT AS SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS: Mr. President, I have lost all credibility. Did you lie to me about the Stormy Daniels' affair?
BALDWIN: Yes. That sounds like something I would do.
BRYANT: OK, good. Just as long as we are on the same page. I'm good to go. See you on Monday.
BALDWIN: OK, I'm back.
KATE MCKINNON AS RUDY GIULIANI: Guys, guys, can we hurry this up? I'm supposed to do 25 more talk show appearances today and I'm trying to make it like an advent calendar. You know, where I reveal one new crime in each show.
BALDWIN: Call up Stormy Daniels and fix this once and for all. Maybe keep me on the phone too. I'll just stay quiet and listen.
STORMY DANIELS, ADULT FILM STAR: Hello.
STILLER: Stormy? This is Michael Cohen. Are you alone?
DANIELS: Yes.
BALDWIN: Then what are you wearing?
DANIELS: Excuse me?
BALDWIN: OK, Michael. I can take it from here.
STILLER: OK. But as your attorney I highly advise against you --
BALDWIN: So what up, girl?
DANIELS: Hello, Donald.
BALDWIN: Come on, Stormy. Stop making such a big deal about this. Everybody knows it's just an act.
DANIELS: I work in adult films. We are not really known for our acting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GIULIANI: The president of the United States did not, in any way, violate the campaign finance law. I've been on the case for two weeks, virtually one day in comparison to other people, so I'm not an expert on the facts yet. I'm getting there.
TRUMP: They took their time and gunned them down one-by-one. Boom. Come over here. Boom. Come over here.
[07:00:00]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Angering not one but two of America's closest allies.
TRUMP: If one person in this room had been there with a gun, the terrorists would have fled or been shot.
