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Sarah Sanders Says She Was Kicked Out Of Restaurant Because She Works For Trump; Seth Rogen Refused To Take A Picture With Speaker Paul Ryan; Tom Arnold Claims He Has Trump Tapes The Public Hasn't Heard; Lawmakers Speak After Touring Border Detention Facilities; Trump's Immigration Strategy Ends In Chaos, Confusion; U.S. Congressional Candidate Katie Arrington Seriously Injured In Deadly Wrong Way Crash. Aired 12-1p ET

Aired June 23, 2018 - 12:00   ET

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

[12:00:00]

REP. JOE COURTNEY (D), CONNECTICUT: I am Joe Courtney from the state of Connecticut. Last April, Jeff Sessions and President Trump created a legal black hole for minors coming into this country and radically changed the way that they were being processed and asylum seekers were being processed.

He reversed that on Wednesday, despite claiming that only Congress and particularly Democrats had the power to do that, but there are still many gaps. There are many questions. And, again, a lot of the members here probed into that well and intelligently in terms of the fact that there are still thousands of children who are out there right now untethered to their parents and no coherent system to fix that.

And that is something that the president can order and strengthen and certainly all of us are going to go back to Washington, make sure that happens as soon as possible.

REP. MARK TAKANO (D), CALIFORNIA: Hi, I'm Mark Takano. I represent the 41st district of California. I was here in 2014, leading the delegation when the unaccompanied minor surge at the border was occurring. This is a huge change that the president has made with his executive order of zero tolerance.

I'm concerned about the 2,000 young people who were separated from their parents. We have yet to hear the fine plan of how to connect those young people to their parents and whether -- and how many parents have been deported out of the country.

It is unclear how we're going to connect all the information, all the dots, to bring those -- to reunite those kids with their families and, going forward, they're still a lot of uncertainty as to whether or not families will continue to be separated.

REP. ANNE MCLANE KUSTER (D), NEW HAMPSHIRE: Congresswoman Anne McLane Kuster from New Hampshire. This has just been heartbreaking. I think the people working here are trying to bring some compassion to the job, but they're in an impossible situation.

We've asked about what's happened to the girls and the very young children and we have not gotten answers. We've seen them just in processing, but we don't know where they've been scattered across our country.

We have no plan for the reunification of the children, who have been separated from their parents. And I think the most troublesome thing today is when we asked about the implementation of the new executive order this week, we were told that they would need further guidance.

They do not have direction on how to go about this family reunification and not separating families. So, we will be very vigilant. We're here to bear witness. That's our role as members of Congress and this has been just heartbreaking.

REP. JIM HIMES (D), CONNECTICUT: I'm Congressman Jim Himes of Connecticut. I echo what my colleague said. I will add to that, something happened this morning that I will never forget. My colleagues from Connecticut and four of us are here approached one of these holding cells and there were just mounds of silver mylar.

We asked to speak to somebody who was there. As they opened the door, these 20 or 30 mounds of silver mylar became little girls. They stood up. They were scared. Some had been crying. And when you spend time talking to them or talking to the agents who are here, you understand this is complicated.

And an awful lot of CBP and others are just trying to do the best they can, as humanistically as they can, under an insane flip-flop out of the White House. But what is the worst aspect of what we have seen today is that this president calls those little girls that stood up from those mounds of mylar, called them MS-13.

Calls them criminals. Wants Americans to believe the hundreds of people we saw in the facility behind us are a danger to them and to this country. Every one of us was like those little girls that stood up from those mounds of mylar at some point in our family's histories.

And we came, and we participated in this country of immigrants. None of us are criminals. None, I suspect, of the people we saw emerge from those little mounds of silver mylar are criminals. They were scared little girls who deserve as challenging as the law is, deserve the values and ethical good treatment we as Americans are here to demand and make sure that they receive.

REP. LOIS FRANKEL (D), FLORIDA: Lois Frankel, from Florida. I share the sentiments of my colleagues here. I want to make three quick points. Number one, I came here very anxious and concerned, like most Americans, about these thousands of children who have been separated from their families.

My concern is not alleviated. I believe it has to be the focus of this country and this government to get these families back together because this is cruel and inhumane. Number two, like my colleagues, what I saw in these cages was a sea of humanity, little girls, little boys.

[12:05:04] Fathers holding their daughters. Mothers holding their daughters, who have fled horrible conditions in other countries. And the third thing I would like to say to the president, instead of building your wall, let's take a look at trying to alleviate some of these circumstances in these countries that are bringing these people here.

REP. ELIZABETH ESTY (D), CONNECTICUT: Elizabeth Esty from Connecticut's 5th district. We saw a 15-year-old young woman with her child. We couldn't talk to her because she was too young. You think of how afraid you must be to risk your life and your 6-month-old child to make a month-long journey to come to this country, then you find yourself on a concrete floor covered with mylar.

This is a humanitarian crisis and the chaos that this president has sowed is leaving these children and families afraid. They spend a month. They don't got no message from tv they should turn around and go home. These agents are concerned and confused.

They are public servants trying to do their job. We need consistency and compassion out of this administration to work with us to solve this problem. And not to call these people, these children, people who are infesting our country. It's insulting. It's wrong and it's dangerous. We need to do better.

REP. ANNA ESHOO (D), CALIFORNIA: My name is Anna Eshoo and I represent the 18th Congressional district in California, Northern California. I think that my colleagues have given very apt descriptions of what we have seen so far today. I can't help but think, is this the art of the deal? Is this the art of the deal?

There isn't anything artful. There isn't anything really lawful about it. In fact, my questions have been along the lines of due process because we have national and international laws that apply. The agencies here are trying to do their best. This is a law enforcement agency.

And it really is murky, trying to call out where due process comes in. I can't tell you. I've asked the questions. I don't know. But I think that the president has brought great shame to a great country. And we have to fight this and work to correct it.

And I think that he thought that no one was really going to pay attention to zero tolerance. And what I'm proud is a nation has risen and said we have zero tolerance for what we have just witnessed. Thank you.

REP. DIANA DEGETTE (D), COLORADO: Hi, I'm Diana DeGette from Colorado. You know, most of the people who are here are here fleeing violence in their home countries. When we see this, it's really un- American that we would treat individuals like this, in this way, as a country.

A number of the border agents told us -- we asked them what should be done. They said, we need immigration reform and guess what, we do. We have a broken unhinged system where nobody knows where anybody's going. That's why we have over 2,000 kids who still haven't been reunited with their families.

That's why we need to pull it together. We need to have a seamless agency that will make this work. And that's why today I think we need to have some kind of a person in the administration, an immigration czar.

So, that once these kids come in to this holding room from the border until they're reunited with their families and their cases are decided, it's a seamless trend. And we can do that. We're the best country in the world.

REP. SUZAN DELBENE (D), WASHINGTON: I'm Suzan DelBene from Washington State. I wanted to be here, so I could see for myself what is happening right here at our border. To understand the impacts that the president's policies have had on our country. This president has put together hateful policy, hateful.

He talks about immigrants as an infestation. He has -- since he has been our president, yet I -- before I came here, at home, I met with someone who had received asylum. A young man who crossed the border years ago.

He's going to college. He's going to start at Western Washington University. He has an aspiration to be an attorney. He is going to do great things here, right here in the United States.

Many of these young people that we saw today, they have incredible potential to do that same thing and be incredible members of our community. So, we must stand up and Congress must act.

[12:10:05] And I think the one other thing we should be very concerned about is the systems that are in place to match parents with their children who they have been separated from.

It's unclear how those work. I think we need to understand. A lot of detail exactly how they're keeping records, so they can make sure every child is able to be reunited with their family. Thank you.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right. These are some of the words being used by some 25 members of Congress who have had access to a detention facility there in McAllen, Texas. Barbaric, heartbreaking, it's shocking, outrageous, it's a prison, they're in cages.

I'm quoting a variety of lawmakers and their points of view. We do not treat people who are seeking asylum this way. Then you heard from one lawmaker who said he saw mounds of mylar on the floor. And then saw it moving and little girls emerged.

Another lawmaker saying a humanitarian crisis. There needs to be consistency and compassion. What response might come from the White House as a result of these points of view from these lawmakers who had access to the detention facility. Our Boris Sanchez is joining us right now. Sorry, from the White House, sorry, we've got Polo Sandoval there in McAllen, Texas. So, Polo, these are really terse, very descriptive points of view coming from these lawmakers.

They are outraged, and they want some sort of response coming from the White House. They are challenging the White House saying the White House could nearly singularly change the conditions for these many people.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, it's a message that lawmakers are sending to the White House. As they stand here in what is the busiest border patrol sectors throughout the entire country when it comes to apprehensions, you heard from these lawmakers, as we've heard time and time again, particularly from our Democratic lawmakers describing the scenes in these kinds of facilities as heartbreaking.

That's the word that they used to describe these children. We heard from Representative Jackie Speier describing these kinds of holding areas where there are many children under 5 years old still waiting to be reunited with their parents.

Also, several of these representatives saying that these agencies/officers/personnel are doing the best they can and being as compassionate as they can to try to handle the situation, but at the same time, the odds certainly stacked against them because of the confusion, because of this logistical nightmare that comes with handling hundreds, if not thousands, of children that have already been separated from their parents before the president's executive order.

So, I think this is just the latest in what we will continue to see more of these lawmakers visiting these facilities. We saw them in New Jersey a week ago. Now here we are in South Texas at this facility only a few miles from the U.S./Mexico border. They've seen the face of this issue.

And as we've heard them time and time again, they plan to take this back with them to Washington to try to push for a legislative fix. Because whether you hear from Republicans, Democrats or the guys and the women in green who patrol this border, that seems to be the ideal solution. But what that form of legislative fix will be, well that really depends on who you ask.

WHITFIELD: Right. And of course, the challenge coming from these lawmakers, it doesn't -- it won't take just legislation to address the here and now. The conditions that these young kids and these parents who have been separated from their kids are enduring there. And at many of the facilities across the country, but particularly right there in McAllen where these lawmakers just observed. Polo Sandoval, thank you so much.

So, before the president signed this executive order to stop the practice of separating families at the border, more than 20 Democratic attorneys general sent a letter demanding the Trump administration end its zero-tolerance policy, tearing families apart.

Joining me right now is one of those attorneys general who helped lead that push, Hector Balderas, New Mexico's attorney general. Mr. Balderas, good to see you.

HECTOR BALDERAS (D), NEW MEXICO ATTORNEY GENERAL: Thank you for having me this morning.

WHITFIELD: Now that the president has signed this executive order, you know, stopping family separations, it doesn't stop the existing problem. Where you still have families that are being held in separate facilities. What's your reaction to the executive order? Is it an answer to your letter?

BALDERAS: You know, it's not a sufficient answer. I'm very saddened here as a border attorney general that we basically have a destabilized human rights crisis proceeding moving forward. The executive order is inadequate.

First, it has too many contingencies and does not show enough leadership in terms of the reunification of families. And then secondly, it does not provide enough direction to providing increased transparency, increased due process.

[12:15:09] And ultimately more specifics as far as stabilizing an immigration process and an asylum process that both Americans are entitled to as well as foreigners. This executive order as well as the practice has shocked the conscious of this country and this executive order dramatically falls short.

WHITFIELD: When you talk about transparency what troubles you most, there are images that have been conveyed by way of government images. You hear the points of view coming from lawmakers who have had access.

No longer are reporters able to bring recording devices or, you know, they're only allowed to inspect, look at, observe these facilities with pen and pad. Where's the transparency that you're speaking of that you'd like to see?

BALDERAS: Well, I'm very frustrated. Our immigration policy should be focused on legitimate human trafficking, drug trafficking and gun running. So, as a law enforcement official, I want to be tough on border security. However, we should not be terrorizing families and children.

And as a law enforcement officer, as someone who is advancing immigration policy, and who is supportive of us fighting terrorism all over the world, we should not be terrorizing children in this country. We should be transparent with our policy.

We should be deploying more judges right now. We should be deploying social services. We should be all unified around committing the highest standard rule of law in this country we can be proud of.

We are the greatest nation in this country, yet we are providing very little information and we are not enforcing the highest standards of due process. That's why many of us attorney generals will be suing the president, Homeland Security, and the Department of Justice.

Because we believe that the Constitution needs to be followed even by the president and anyone who enters the soil is entitled to certain constitutional protection.

WHITFIELD: Is there also way quickly that you are able to describe any feelings that you have about feeling conflicted, wanting to enforce the law but at the same time recognizing what many has described as a humanitarian crisis here? And are those feelings that you believe those who are working, whether it be in HHS, DHS or even Border Patrol are also feeling?

BALDERAS: Well, I personally do not feel conflicted. I know that there are many in those law enforcement federal agencies that agree with me. That the best way to fight crime is bring all these families out of the shadows.

Many of these victims of violence will be phenomenal witnesses in us going after organized international crime fighting, you know, syndicates that we need to target moving forward.

So, the best way to be actually tough on crime and to protect our citizens in this country is to set up coordinated efforts involving enforcing human rights and also bringing the best and brightest in our law enforcement agencies to target the worst of the worst criminals.

And that's I think where it's most probably saddening for me is that probably -- there are probably federal agencies that agree with our policy, that the best way to protect families and fight crime is for all of us to be working together in a very transparent manner.

WHITFIELD: All right. New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas, thank you so much for your time. Appreciate it.

BALDERAS: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Straight ahead, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders is hitting back after being kicked out of a Virginia restaurant. She and her entire family asked to leave. A live report next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:23:07]

WHITFIELD: All right, we're following breaking news now. Republican congressional candidate, Katie Arrington of South Carolina is hospitalized with serious injuries after a fatal car accident last night.

You might remember that earlier this month, Arrington, a state lawmaker, beat incumbent Congressman Mark Sanford in the state primary. We're told Arrington was in the passenger seat when another car traveling in the wrong direction struck the car carrying Arrington and her friend.

The driver of the other vehicle was killed in the crash. Arrington's injuries are serious, and she will have to undergo major surgery. And Mark Sanford tweeted, "Our thoughts and prayers this morning go to Katie Arrington, her family and those involved."

Joining me right now on the phone is Captain Roger Antonio. He is the public information officer for Charleston County. So, Roger, as you continue the investigation, what more are you learning about the circumstances of this fatal collision?

CAPTAIN ROGER ANTONIO, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER, CHARLESTON COUNTY (via telephone): Yes, ma'am. Our team is still investigating the matter. We know that portion of Charleston County is a four-lane highway and you have two lanes that go southbound, two lanes that go northbound, and our deputies have determined that the vehicle driven by the deceased party entered into the northbound lane and struck the vehicle that contained Miss Arrington.

WHITFIELD: And Captain -- go ahead, sorry.

ANTONIO: Yes, ma'am. And as a result, the individual driving the vehicle going in the wrong direction died from the collision and Miss Arrington and Miss Goff are both in the hospital undergoing treatment.

WHITFIELD: And so, Captain, can you kind of take us back to last night? I understand it was somewhat like the 9:00 hour. I'm familiar with some of the roads down there along the coast, you know, where often they're not lit, you know, you've got to be really careful in driving particularly at night.

[12:25:09] Can you tell me anything about how you learned of this accident, you know, whether there were a number of vehicles on the road at the time? Is there any way in which to paint a picture, you know, of the circumstances surrounding this accident?

ANTONIO: Yes, the -- and you're correct, it's not lit. It's a rural portion of our county. As you're leaving the city of Charleston southbound, it's basically just country down there. As far as the notification, I'm not certain how many vehicles are out there. We were notified. We got there fairly quickly from what I understand and at that point we knew the driver of the other vehicle had died.

WHITFIELD: Have you received any kind of update on Arrington or even her friend who was the driver of that vehicle?

ANTONIO: We don't have any -- as far as medical procedures that they received, we don't know any of that information at this point. From what I understand, Miss Arrington is recovering, but she is still, you know, under treatment in the hospital and that's the same with Miss Goff.

WHITFIELD: OK. Captain Roger Antonio, thank you so much for your time. Appreciate it. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:31:09] WHITFIELD: White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders says she was out for dinner last night in Virginia when she was refused service at a restaurant because she works for the Trump administration. I want to bring in CNN's White House Correspondent Boris Sanchez who's been following these developments. So, Boris what do we know?

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN U.S. CORRESPONDENT: Hello Fredricka. We got tipped off to this story after a server at the Red Hen Restaurant in Virginia posted on Facebook saying, and I'm paraphrasing, that they attempted to serve Sarah Sanders for a short while before the owner of that restaurant intervened and asked Sarah Sanders and her family, seven of her family members, to leave the restaurant. We reached out to the Red Hen. We've yet to hear back from them.

But I reached out to Sarah Sanders and she referred me to her Twitter account in which she confirmed this story. Here's what the Press Secretary for President Trump tweeted out. She writes, "Last night I was told by the owner of Red Hen in Lexington, Virginia, to leave because I work for President Trump. And I politely left. Her actions say far more about her than about me. I always do my best to treat people, including those I disagree with, respectfully, and will continue to do so."

As you can imagine, Fred, the Yelp reviews for the Red Hen in Virginia are very political right now. Jokes aside, we should point out that this is only the latest instance that we've seen a Trump administration official have a hard time while going out to eat this week. We saw reports that Steven Miller was heckled as he was trying to eat at a Mexican restaurant. And we've seen video of the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security getting booed out of a restaurant here in D.C. Also a Mexican restaurant. As a result of the Trump administration's immigration policy. Fred?

WHITFIELD: Being heckled, being booed, but as far as we know, do we know that anyone working in the White House has been denied service or been asked to leave like Sarah Sanders, you know, tweets that she was?

SANCHEZ: From the reports that we heard about the instance with Kirstjen Nielsen, the booing was caused by a group of people, an outside group of people that entered the restaurant and that essentially impeded her from being able to enjoy the service there at that Mexican restaurant. So she left. But it's not clear if the actual wait staff or the ownership of that restaurant asked her to leave, the way we've now gotten confirmation that Sarah Sanders was asked to leave. Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Boris Sanchez, thank you so much, at the White House. I appreciate that.

All right, joining me right now is Anna Navarro, CNN Political Commentator and Jack Kingston, also a CNN Political Commentator and a former Senior Adviser to the Trump campaign. Thanks to both of you for being with me.

So Anna, let me begin with you. You know, this tweet from Sarah Sanders saying she was, you know, kicked out of that restaurant because she works for the President. This kind of in your face if you want to call it, you know, backlash now, do you see this as a direct correlation, you know, to what is transpiring right now on the border, or is this bigger potentially than that?

ANNA NAVARRO, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Look, I think this is something that's been building up for the 18 months that Donald Trump has been President. People have seen this President lie and lie and lie and lie time again. They've seen him do outrageous offensive things. Sarah Sanders, his spokesperson, has become the face of this administration.

And I think, you know, some people are offended by the idea of baking a cake for a gay couple. They find that morally offensive. Some people find the idea of tearing children away from their families and then lying about it morally offensive. And don't want to be part of that.

It's a -- I think it's a difficult issue. I feel very badly that her children, her family, had to witness that. But I also think there's -- look, you make choices in life. You make choices in life. And there is a cost to being an accomplice to this cruel deceitful administration.

[12:35:09] WHITFIELD: So Jack, how do you see it? Is this potentially just the beginning? I mean, Boris just helped recall, you know, for Homeland Security, you know, Secretary, you know, she got jeers when she was at a Mexican restaurant. Steven Miller apparently just did as well. And now, Sarah Sanders to be asked to leave reportedly by the owner of the restaurant. Is this an indicator of things to go, to come, that people are feeling, you know, emboldened to express themselves in this manner?

JACK KINGSTON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I think it's not right. I think it's rude. You know, I have been in public policy for 30 years and sat down with lots of people who have extreme philosophical differences about. And yet you have to respect them. And to have no respect for the office of the Press Secretary of the United States of America just shows that this restaurant is, you know, this person's a chicken little pipsqueak kind of person that really probably has no right to be part of the public debate in the likes of somebody like Sarah Sanders.

I'll give you an example, Fred. Yesterday, I had lunch with Rosa DeLauro who's a very, very liberal member, very anti-Trump member, of the House, but she and I had a great respect for each other. We don't agree on a lot but we have a good friendship. I think that what happens right now is there's a lot of misbehavior on both sides. A lot of rhetorical irresponsibility. And it leads to things like this.

But far worse, frankly was, you know, a little bit over a year ago when the Bernie Sanders supporter decided to take matters in his own hands and does the hate crime, the assassination attempt on Steve Scalise at the baseball game. So to me, rhetoric and both sides, rhetoric, does have a cost. And I think that we, in Washington, those of us -- and I'm not so much in public policy anymore, but I think we have to lead by example and show people that, you know what, you can disagree, but the other person isn't a nazi. It's OK to disagree. WHITFIELD: OK.

NAVARRO: Fred, I also want to say, though, let's -- you know, the three cases we've seen this week with Secretary Nielsen, with what's his name, and with -- I don't like to pronounce it. And with Sarah Sanders, all involve restaurants, all involve eating outlets. And let's remember that there is a, you know, a disproportionate amount of Hispanics, of Latinos, of immigrant that work in restaurants, particularly in the D.C. area, where there are so many central American immigrants.

And look, this thing with the kids, this thing with the separation of the families, has cut deep into the hearts of the Latino community. These are kids that look like us that sound like us that could have been us, but for the grace of God. That could have been me. So it's a very emotional time.

You are asking people to serve. They have a conscientious objection. You know, it's hard to tell people put your convictions away, put your principles away and go serve them. Look, it's unfortunate and I hate that it's happening. I can tell you I've gotten chased around the supermarket and berated by some Trump supporters. It kind of comes with the territory. When you become a public person, you become the public face for something. And there's a cost to pay for the decisions you make in life.

WHITFIELD: And we're seeing there a variety of ways in which people are speaking out. Whether you are famous, infamous or otherwise, you know. And, you know, comedic actor Seth Rogen was on Stephen Colbert just last night and told the story about refusing to take a picture with the House Speaker, Paul Ryan. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SETH ROGEN, COMEDIAN AND ACTOR: They said, our dad wants to meet you. And I turned around and Paul Ryan was walking towards me.

STEPHEN COLBERT, CBS HOST: OK. How'd that go?

ROGEN: Well, I didn't -- I -- my whole body puckered. I tensed up. And I kind of -- and I didn't know what to do. And he came over, just grabbed my hand. And I'm shaking his hand. I don't know what to do. And he said, can I have a picture with you? And I look over and his kids are standing right there expectantly, clearly fans of mine, and I said no way, man.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So, Jack, how do you see this, you know, this divide, you know, whether based on politics or otherwise, is really permeating everywhere.

KINGSTON: Well, you know, but we all have a responsibility. I'd say that shows a lot about Seth Rogen. I mean, what a little punk. Now, it's ironic because he's with Stephen Colbert whom I have been -- I've been on his show when he had "The Colbert Show" and I actually did a vignette with him and Nancy Pelosi. Now, we don't agree philosophically but we had this great little ride in a bicycle together, and slide around the halls of Congress.

And I got to tell you about Stephen Colbert, when staffers came out of their offices, they know Steph Colbert is there, he gladly greeted all of them, he let some have a picture with him when it was appropriate, Democrats or Republicans.

[12:40:11] To me, while I disagree with him, that shows good personal behavior. And I think that being a nice guy still does --

WHITFIELD: So Anna --

NAVARRO: Well, let me say this. I actually --

WHITFIELD: -- what did you say about the discussion, doesn't everyone just have the discretion of, you know, making a decision, making a call like that?

KINGSTON: They have the --

NAVARRO: OK, Jack, it's my turn. Let me tell you this. I actually didn't know you were going to play this but I was actually there when that happened. That happened at the Romney retreat in Park City, Utah, a couple of weeks ago. Seth Rogen was there not for g politics, he was there to talk about Alzheimer's and Alzheimer's research, which is something that affects his family directly and he has been raising funds for and raising awareness for.

Paul Ryan was there with his wife, Janna, who is a friend of mine with his two kids. And look, I think we go back to the same issue. You've got to respect people. He was not disrespectful. But you've also got to respect people's conscientious objections to being associated with somebody that they find objectionable and offensive.

This is America, you know. We don't have to take a picture with somebody that we don't respect and that we don't like. He was fine. He was nice. He was courteous. He spoke for over an hour to a room of Republicans. Mostly --

KINGSTON: Anna, OK, I got -- you got your point. But let me say this. I agree with you. He has that option and he was nice about it, and that's good, but he wasn't a leader. Now, Bono, who comes to Congress quite often to lobby for overseas foreign aid, good stuff that he has found Democrat and Republican responsiveness to. Because even though he's a hard-core liberal, he's worked with many Republicans because he's shown leadership, then he's saying --

WHITFIELD: OK, but those are different examples. That's trying to get something done or trying to comprehend --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: -- I don't want my image to be used, you know, to help advance someone else's agenda -- NAVARRO: By the way, look, Paul Ryan is a big boy. Paul Ryan knows

that this comes with, you know, membership has its privileges and it has its costs. And, you know, Paul Ryan took it in stride. And frankly Seth Rogen is not a political leader, Seth Rogen is an American citizen with the same rights that every one of us has --

KINGSTON: But if you're trying to get something done --

NAVARRO: It's the times --

KINGSTON: I'm just saying if you're trying to get something done, you work with other people. I chair the committee that funded Alzheimer's. By the year 2025, there may be over 10 million to 15 million people have it. It's a huge problem. If he was really dedicated to that, he should be polite to somebody who has great influence --

NAVARRO: Listen, do not question his dedication to that. You don't know Seth Rogen. I heard --

KINGSTON: No, I certainly don't. I don't think he sounds like my kind of guy.

NAVARRO: His mother-in-law is suffering from Alzheimer's. He has been incredibly involved --

KINGSTON: And Paul Ryan is pivotal.

NAVARRO: Look, he didn't want to take a picture with Paul does not mean you can question his motives and his dedication to the commitment of the cost of Alzheimer's --

KINGSTON: Anna, let me say this --

NAVARRO: -- Hilarity for Charity. And he has raised millions and millions and millions -- much more than you've done, Jack. So watch yourself, you know.

KINGSTON: Let me say this --

NAVARRO: It's ridiculous. It's ridiculous for you to question the commitment to Alzheimer's research of a guy who is dedicating his life --

KINGSTON: Anna, OK, you got your filibuster going -- let me just say this. As somebody who --

NAVARRO: No, listen to yourself, how dare you question this man --

KINGSTON: And somebody who has directed spending --

NAVARRO: -- whose family is suffering from Alzheimer's because he didn't want to take a picture. I mean, you are ridiculous.

KINGSTON: I don't know if I'm going to get any time, Fred, or not. If I could, this is -- NAVARRO: You shouldn't. I'm doing you a favor by not making this

point. Because you are being absolutely ridiculous that you are questioning a person whose own family --

WHITFIELD: All right, hold up, Anna.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Jack, complete your thought.

KINGSTON: Fred, here's my point. As somebody who has chaired the committee, who has directed spending and a lot of research into Alzheimer's, I have seen lots of celebrities, Democrat or Republican, step forward and use their publicity, their bully pulpit publicity has gotten them, to direct spending. And you all feel good because at the end of the day you're helping the cause --

WHITFIELD: There are two different situations. You know, there is the goal of trying to get something done and saying, OK, I'm going to work with people, both sides, et cetera, you know. And then there is the, well, this spontaneous moment comes up. I just made it a choice, you know, that I don't necessarily want to be used.

As an advocate or show that I am in step with anybody's position because, you know, I don't know how this imagery is being used. So it looks like there were two -- this is very different examples that we're using here. But bottom line is, you know, some folks are expressing themselves vociferously. Some are doing it very quietly. Because we are at a place where it's very clear there is a great divide on so many issues and so many levels. I appreciate you both.

[12:45:15] KINGSTON: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Anna Navarro, Jack Kingston, thank you so much.

We've got so much more straight ahead in the CNN Newsroom. But first, here's a preview of tomorrow night's "United Shades of America." Our W. Kamau Bell takes a trip to Canada.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

W. KAMAU BELL, UNITED SHADES OF AMERICA HOST: What would you say is the biggest difference between Canada and United States of America?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In Canada, no matter where I go, people are really informed on what's going on in Canada, what's going on in the world. And some of the places I go in the U.S. really don't know a whole lot, and I'm sorry, I really have been cautious with what I say --

BELL: No. I can't act like that's not true.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But it's not like what's happening in the U.S. is a lot more --

BELL: Let's talk about this, what do you mean about this? What do you mean about what's happening in the -- UNIDENTIFIED MALE: South of the border-type situation.

BELL: I don't think of myself as living south of the border but in this case I do. From your perspective, what's going on south of the boarder?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, people are staying in their section, whether it's white, black, Asian. I think that in Canada before, there is a lot more of that understanding, you know, there's a lot of Americans that do come up here, they go, oh, really like that up here? I can walk safely? I can do this? And it's all about, yes, just because it's Canada.

WELL: Yes, yes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: OK, be sure to tune in to an all new episode of "United Shades of America," that airs tomorrow, 10:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific, only on CNN.

[12:51:21] WHITFIELD: Actor and comedian Tom Arnold, a vocal critic of President Trump, claims he has tapes of Trump that have yet to be heard by the public. Arnold made the allegations last night on CNN after posting a photo of himself with the President's longtime personal Attorney Michael Cohen. Arnold is working on a TV project called "The Hunt for the Trump Tapes."

I want to bring in CNN Senior Media Correspondent and Host of "Reliable Sources" Brian Stelter. So Brian, what do we know about -- or what more do we know about Arnold's thoughts and what he said on the air with Poppy Harlow last night about whether he does or doesn't have these tapes?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know Arnold is an avowed Trump critic but he has at least one thing in common with the President, he knows how to get attention. And I think that's what he's been doing here for the past 36 hours. First, by sharing this picture, then by going on television, talking about it, creating this sense of mystery around his forthcoming television show.

Now, it is a real show. It's going to be on the small cable channel called Viceland this fall. It's called "The Hunt for the Trump Tapes." Arnold is out there trying to find various and incriminating tapes of now President Trump, you know, old "Apprentice" video and stuff like that.

What's notable about this photo with Cohen is it suggests that maybe Arnold's been talking to Cohen, maybe Arnold's been getting the information from Cohen while Cohen's under federal investigation. And while there's speculation that Cohen could flip on the President. Now, here is what Arnold said to Poppy Harlow last night. Notice his long pause while answering these questions.

(END VIDEOTAPE) POPPY HARLOW, CNN HOST: Did Michael Cohen tell you specifically, really just yes or no, that he is cooperating with the authorities? Should charges be brought? Did he tell you? Do you not want to answer the question?

TOM ARNOLD, AMERICAN ACTOR: No.

HARLOW: You don't want to answer the question?

ARNOLD: Right.

HARLOW: OK.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STELTER: He's an actor. He knows how to use the power of the pause. And that's what Arnold was doing there. When push comes to shove, he doesn't want to say he actually knows for sure that Cohen is going to turn on his longtime employer, Donald Trump.

But here's some context for the photo that went viral. And this photo that gained so much attention. I spoke with Brian Hiatt of Rolling Stone magazine. He was hanging out with Arnold when this photo was taken and he took the photo. And here's what Brian Hiatt told me about the meeting. He suggests it wasn't as lengthy as Arnold is saying. "Yes, I was with Tom and we had a polite and brief interaction with Michael Cohen after we bumped into him at the Regency Hotel. I took that picture of them together."

So in other words, this maybe was not a long lengthy meeting with Cohen the way Arnold was suggesting. Maybe it was just bumping into each other in the lobby of a hotel. Still, it is noteworthy that Arnold has been out here working on this television show, trying to get interviews. They clearly had some sort of interaction, some sort of conversation. And Cohen was willing to be photographed with a huge critic of President Trump. So that's definitely newsworthy, and worthy of further scrutiny.

I do think it's also noteworthy, Fred, that earlier this week The Wall Street Journal reported that Cohen has been frustrated that Trump's not helping with more of Cohen's legal bills. CNN confirmed some of that reporting saying that Cohen's been talking to his friends about being frustrated by President Trump. There are all these different data points that suggest that Cohen may be coming closer to cooperating with prosecutors. But I also think Arnold's just trying to get some attention.

WHITFIELD: Well, he kind of got it, didn't he. All right, Brian Stelter, thank you so much.

STELTER: Thank you.

[12:55:07] WHITFIELD: We've got so much more straight ahead at the top of the hour right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHNEWFULA FREDERIKSEN, FOUNDER, HAPPY MANGO: I'm Phnewfula Frederiksen and this is Happy Mango. That's my Happy Mango.

Happy Mango is an eco-friendly baby pregnancy and kids boutique. It is like Disneyland for the eco-pregnant mom. I was pregnant with my first child and I found it very difficult to find eco-friendly options all in one place, so I created it. We carried cloth diapers, we carried biodegradable diapers.

I wanted to make a place where parents could come in and shop and knew that they were getting the best possible things for their children that they could find. Drop it right on. Happy Mango sells generally everything that you need for baby except for clothes. Because when you have a baby and you have your baby shower, everyone's going to buying clothes anyway.

We need to walk you through the things that you don't know. How to use your stroller. How to use your car seat. The biggest misconception about eco-friendly products is that they're expensive or that they don't work as well. Some of your eco-friendly products can be cheaper or the same price as your traditional products. Do you want to buckle it?

Being a mom for North (ph), I love that my children are part of my business. He likes to take out the trash and sweep the floors. My daughter loves to help customers. My children are employees of the month.

The advice that I would have for people who just started their small business is be patient and really be diligent and have a thick skin. Businesses aren't made into empires overnight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Hello again and thanks so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield with again with breaking news.