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Harvey Weinstein Pleads Not Guilty to Rape; Democrats Face Major Test as Voters Hit Polls; Mixed Messages on Trump Tower Meeting Response; Interview with Tim Cook; Aired 10:30-11a ET
Aired June 05, 2018 - 10:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[10:30:15] POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: All right, breaking news, you're looking at images from moments ago. That is disgraced Hollywood former producer Harvey Weinstein exiting a Manhattan federal courthouse after pleading not guilty to charges of rape and a criminal sexual act. He's along with his attorney Benjamin Brafman there, who has vowed to vigorously defend him.
These charges stem from allegations from two different women, though dozens of women, 80 women have come forward in recent months accusing Weinstein of various forms of sexual misconduct and rape.
Brynn Gingras outside the courthouse with the latest.
We knew this is how he was going to plead and he did.
BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Poppy. This was just the next step in the case, this criminal charges that Harvey Weinstein had to take and that was appearing here and making that formal not guilty plea.
Now we know that Harvey Weinstein doesn't need to come back to court until September 20th. I do believe he's leaving very shortly from the courtroom as court just wrapped up. And so he doesn't need to be back in court until September 20th. However, his lawyers can come in here and file motions.
A couple of things I want to point out that happened in court other than the not guilty plea. We learned that there were some comments between the assistant district attorney's office and Ben Brafman, Harvey Weinstein's attorneys, discussing the fact of law enforcement sources and the leaking of information on this case.
They discussed displeasure about it. That was one of the things that came up and they promised to keep that second victim's name anonymous throughout these proceedings. Again, that woman has said that she was raped by Weinstein back in 2013. We also -- I'm getting notice that he is walking out right now, just so you guys know.
Also I want to mention another thing that both lawyers brought to the court's attention was that they want to make sure that this case is tried in the courtroom and not through the media. And both lawyers -- lawyers on both sides, rather, expressed that opinion. And thirdly, one thing I also wanted to mention was the ADA in this
case, mentioned a little bit of displeasure, Poppy, with Mr. Brafman's comments last time they were in court when he said that Harvey Weinstein didn't invent the casting couch. If you remember, he said that, it pertains to the fact that he says he defends criminal behavior, not inappropriate behavior, and that was mentioned in court as she didn't like that very much and she didn't appreciate those comments to the press.
So we'll see if Brafman speaks to us again and makes any other further comments on behalf of Harvey Weinstein -- Poppy.
HARLOW: That from the assistant district attorney as you mentioned. Also, Ben Brafman, his attorney, last time, Brynn, right after he said, you know, he didn't invent the casting couch, he said, quote, "bad behavior is not on trial in this case." So let's remember, Harvey Weinstein is not being tried for bad behavior, he's being tried for rape.
Brynn, thank you, appreciate it.
Dozens of Democrats fighting for survival in California's jungle primary today. But such a crowded field. Will Democrats completely be shut out of some of the races? We'll explain next.
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[10:37:11] BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: It could be a really dramatic day in California politics as a big crowd of Democrats is fighting to come out on top in the state's jungle primary. Only the top two vote getters move on to the midterm elections there, regardless of party. And this morning President Trump jumping into the fray, telling California voters, quote, "keep our country out of the hands of high tax, high crime Nancy Pelosi."
CNN's Miguel Marquez is in Huntington Beach. It's actually my home county there, Miguel. How's it going?
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We did that on purpose, Brianna.
KEILAR: Thank you.
MARQUEZ: We wanted to be in your hometown. We're hoping that this is the precinct where you actually voted. This is an elementary school where folks have been -- they lined -- there are about 10 people lined up here at 7:00 a.m. when it opened. And it's been a bit of a steady stream, but not a huge number of voters out. That may bode poorly for Democrats who hope to win in places like Orange County.
You know, traditionally conservative. This is a place that Hillary Clinton won and that a Democrat hadn't won since Alf Landon back in 1936. So they are hoping to pick up seats here. But you mentioned the jungle primary system here, top two vote getters regardless of party. Basically it's an open primary system. There are so many well-funded, well-organized Democrats in these races. There is three competitive races in Orange County that they hope to
flip. The 39th, the 48th and the 49th Districts. All of them were held by Republicans, two of those Republicans are -- have resigned and are not running again. And that has forced a slew of candidates into these races. 45 total running for those three seats.
The Democrats, they may split their votes so many ways that the stronger Republican candidates would end up in the top two slots and advance then to that general election in November. There is also a very competitive Senate race here today, and a governor's race. Not so much who's going to be on the top of the ticket, but because of that jungle primary, who is number two.
Does a Democrat go forward, does a Republican go forward, you have a more traditional Democratic, Republican match in the general or will you have two Democrats facing off, the Senate race is particularly interesting because if Kevin de Leon, the speaker of the Senate here in California, advances, then you'd have that Democratic establishment with Dianne Feinstein and De Leon on the farther left duking it out in November.
So lots of interesting questions, we will see how it turns out, but Democrats say they need a big vote today. It is not clear they're going to get it -- Brianna.
KEILAR: Yes . Lots of states with primaries today. We know you're really keeping your eye there on California.
Miguel Marquez, thank you so much.
Apple CEO Tim Cook says that most people are not aware just how much they're being tracked. We'll have more from CNN's exclusive interview.
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[10:44:26] HARLOW: Welcome back. I'm Poppy Harlow in New York. Your phone, your privacy, and Apple, in an exclusive interview with CNN, Apple CEO Tim Cook says companies have to do a better job at protecting user data and your privacy.
Our senior tech correspondent Laurie Segall sat down with him. She joins me now. I mean, who's next, the Pope, Laurie, it's Mark Zuckerberg?
(LAUGHTER)
HARLOW: And then you sit down with Tim Cook. So I hope you bring us the Pope next week. But in all seriousness, what did he say about privacy?
LAURIE SEGALL, CNN SENIOR TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT: You know, I will say, I think tech leaders have a lot to say right now. There is so much going on in the tech community. You know, they announced here the developers' conference, where they put out a lot of their announcement a privacy feature that will make it harder for companies like Facebook to track you on Safari. This will impact Iowa users. People using math, so they actually put up a screen shot of Facebook of the slide that Facebook. Also reaction you could say this is a lot of the scandals Facebook has soon over some of the privacy issues in the last month.
You know, I sat down with Tim Cook, and I asked him, are tech companies too powerful? You know, what about privacy, what about regulation? Take a listen to what he said to me.
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TIM COOK, APPLE CEO: Generally for me I'm not a big fan of regulation. I think self-regulation is the best. But when it's not working, and in some cases it's not working, you have to ask yourself so what form of regulation might be good. And I think that it is a fair question that many people are asking at this point.
SEGALL: What kind do you think isn't working?
COOK: Well, I think the privacy thing has gotten totally out of control. And I think most people are not aware of who is tracking them, how much they're being tracked, and sort of the large amounts of detailed data that are out there about them.
SEGALL: Do we as users just have to re-envision the idea of privacy?
COOK: No, to me, and we feel this very deeply, we think privacy is a fundamental human right. So that is the angle that we look at it. Privacy, from an American point of view, is one of these key civil liberties that define what it is to be American.
SEGALL: It's a fundamental human right, do you think the last year has shown that that fundamental human right could be under attack?
COOK: I think it has been under attack. And we've been saying that for quite some time.
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SEGALL: You know, interesting to hear Tim Cook speak so openly about this. But, you know, privacy is something he has spoken out quite a bit on. We heard him take a jab at Facebook just months ago. You know, so it wasn't too surprising that we heard about this and the keynote yesterday -- Poppy.
HARLOW: That was a fascinating exchange, Laurie. And I know people can see the full interview online on CNN Money and CNN.com but let also ask you, if you could tell us a bit about what he said on this administration, the trump administration's policies? Because Tim Cook has gone to the White House, he has sat in meetings with the president, he's also been very outspoken and critical of what the president has done on DACA and the immigration policies as a whole.
SEGALL: Yes, I mean, he'd said it's a human thing but he also -- you can look at this conversation right now, you have over 5,000 developers represented from 70 different countries and these are responsible for apple's business.
You know, so I asked, you know, I spoke to Tim about it, and he told me that this was an incredibly important issue, this is something that should be nonnegotiable, Poppy.
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SEGALL: What role has immigration played and are you concerned at all with a lot of the stricter immigration policies? I know you've been outspoken on DACA.
COOK: Yes, I think my view on DACA is the Congress needs to fix DACA, and fix DACA to me means allowing everyone to stay in the country and stop this ridiculous discussion that people brought here as kids shouldn't be allowed to stay here. I think this is -
SEGALL: And to a degree being separated at the border.
COOK: And so I think the DACA thing should be fixed. And I think we should fix the issue where there is huge green card backlogs and people not knowing whether they're going to be able to stay or not.
Look, my view as a country is, as a country, we should have a goal of having the smartest people in the world here. That's what is great for America. More jobs will be created and all the rest, and so I'm a big fan of an open -- and I don't mean open border, but a very open immigration policy that does allow the best and the brightest to come here. And I'm hoping that we move in that direction.
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SEGALL: Some pretty strong words and I will say, you know, they also launched a tech addiction tool that will show you how much time you're spending on your phone. I don't know if I want this, and will tell you how to limit your screen time. Because, you know, this is an interesting tool, but this is a larger moment in technology, Poppy.
HARLOW: Yes.
SEGALL: Where we're looking at the impact of technology on all of us. So we heard a lot of that here. And you heard a lot of that in my interview with Tim which you can check out online.
HARLOW: I see my 2-year-old swiping on my iPhone and the ease with which he can use it. And I get a little nervous.
Laurie Segall, thank you very much. Great interview.
Also, Starbucks executive chairman Howard Schultz is stepping down from the coffee giant, and that is brewing a lot of speculation he may run for president in 20. He's long been viewed as a potential Democratic candidate, now he acknowledges he's at least considering running. He has been critical of numerous policies from the Trump administration from immigration to tax reform to helping veterans and this morning, here is what he said to CNBC about what makes his run, if he does run, different from the businessman turned President Trump. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[10:55:12] HOWARD SCHULTZ, EMERITUS CHAIRMAN, STARBUCKS. When you're talking about a CEO in terms of public office, there is a very big difference between someone who runs a global enterprise like myself, who traveled to China probably more than any other ceo in the last 10 years, so understand those issues, versus someone who is running private company with very little fiduciary responsibility to other shareholders. And I'm not saying that as good or bad, but it is a big difference.
President Trump has given license to the fact that someone who is not a politician could potentially run for the presidency. Whether or not that has anything to do with me will remain to be seen.
HARLOW: Remains to be seen, but Schultz did tell me this last night, "For some time I've been very concerned about the state of our nation. I'm going to think about what I can do as a entrepreneur, as a leader, as a philanthropist and foremost as a citizen to serve and give back to the country that has provided me so much opportunity."
He did tell me that could include public service. We'll see if he runs.
Ahead, Rudy Giuliani says one thing, his press secretary says another, White House lawyers say yet another. Who is telling the truth? Chris Cuomo is with us next.
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[10:55:44] KEILAR: Mixed messages coming from the White House over that infamous 2016 Trump Tower meeting. Rudy Giuliani telling our Chris Cuomo flat out that no one lied, they just made a mistake when they talked about the meeting last year. Listen.
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RUDY GIULIANI, PRESIDENT TRUMP'S ATTORNEY: You can make a mistake, and then if you don't -- if you want to, you can say it is a lie. It is a mistake. I swear to God, it is a mistake. The guy made a mistake.
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HARLOW: The guy, being President Trump's attorney, Jay Sekulow, Chris Cuomo joins us now. First of all, I thought you were supposed to be able to sleep in, Chris Cuomo.
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: This is sleeping in.
HARLOW: You know --
(LAUGHTER)
HARLOW: After all those years of morning television. I love that you have the time on your show to let these interviews breathe. You had a long time with Rudy Giuliani. What stood out to you the most?
CUOMO,: Well, I was smiling there because I thought it was ironic, the various in the holy land that he's swearing to God.
HARLOW: Yes.
CUOMO: To Catholics, you know, that was a no-go zone period, you're never supposed to do that. But about something where he knows he just can't be right. Now he's argument would be adept to one of, well, Poppy, prove that I'm wrong. You know, I can't prove the nonexistence of the fact. But somebody has to be lying. Why?
This is not the kind of thing you don't know, especially if you're the counsel. It's so relevant to your understanding of your client's behavior. So either the president gave bad information, or his attorneys took that information and deceived us about it. And they only exposed the truth when they were exposed. Not until the e-mails came out, not until they needed to put it in that letter that somebody then leaked.
They never corrected it for the rest of us. Sarah Sanders was sent out there, she gave bad information. I think she is the least likely liar in this scenario.
HARLOW: And Brianna, what stood out to me so much in that interview was at the end when you, Chris, said, you know, well, what about your legacy, do you stand by all of this? Do you worry this will tarnish your legacy as the man who helped so many of us after 9/11 and mayor of America, Giuliani said no, Bri. Brianna.
KEILAR: Yes, and I think, Chris, when you look at how he was received at Yankee Stadium, it sort of spoke to exactly what Poppy was saying there.
HARLOW: Yes.
KEILAR: I mean, there are a lot of people who don't like him.
CUOMO: Well, look, I think there are a lot of people who don't like this. I've been at Yankee games when Rudy is there and he is widely celebrated. He's America's mayor. You know, this is the man who ushered us through such a difficult time during 9/11, 2008, he was on the ballot, in a very real way to be president. Yet last night, you could see something, TV, the fish eye, you know, of television shows you so much.
KEILAR: Yes.
CUOMO: When he held up his ring and said, see my Yankee ring, and went you see it like that? There is an intensity to him. A tenacity, maybe even a desperation to make this go right for the president.
My concern is whether or not that loyalty will be returned. If this doesn't go right for the president, just optically, will Rudy Giuliani wind up being thrown on to the pile of people who get jettisoned out of the president's way. HARLOW: I mean, Grassley said he should get a new attorney. Tonight,
who do you have tonight?
CUOMO: Tonight we have Anthony Scaramucci, very lucky once again to have somebody who is pivotal to understanding of why is the tone what it is right now, how does it get better, how do we break out of this cycle of provocative tweet, obnoxious statement, arguable lies, then we have to cover it, it doesn't seem to go anywhere, we wind up losing independent thinkers, we wind up losing people who are open because the extremes are dominating.
So what does he see as a remedy in this? He's so intimately involved with the people around the president. He had a different strategy for communications for the White House, if you'll remember. We want to remind people of what they were supposed to be doing there and why he thinks it's become this.
HARLOW: That's tonight 9:00 p.m. Eastern. I'll try -- try to stay awake. But your goal with the show --
KEILAR: That's the appointment in television right there, Cuomo and the Mooch.
HARLOW: I made it, right. That is appointment television, I made it through last night. Congrats. Cuomo, on the show.
CUOMO: Thank you for having me on.
HARLOW: Yes.
CUOMO: Always a pleasure to be with both of you.
HARLOW: Of course.
KEILAR: And we'll be checking that out at 9:00 p.m. Eastern tonight only CNN, "CUOMO PRIMETIME:" Check it out.
CUOMO: Respect the plug. Respect the plug. You get a hat.
KEILAR: You got it.
CUOMO: You got a hat. Everybody gets a hat.
HARLOW: Look at that primetime lineup.
KEILAR: You got it, Chris Cuomo.
HARLOW: Thank you, Chris. Thank you all for joining us today. I'm Poppy Harlow in New York.
