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Obama to Kick-Off Campaign Push; Kerry Doesn't Rule out Run; Protest to Washington's Archbishop; Buffett on Economy; Storm Warning for Southern Florida. Aired 9:30-10:00a

Aired September 03, 2018 - 09:30   ET

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

[09:30:00] RYAN NOBLES, CNN ANCHOR: President Obama's role in all of this. He's actually stayed pretty quiet in terms of his political calculations in his post-presidency. He is going to hit the road in favor of some candidates, but talk to us more about some of these other Democratic candidates that have said, that's OK, President Obama, stay home.

AMIE PARNES, SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, "THE HILL": Yes, it's funny, you know, a lot of people have wanted him to be out. In fact, I've did a lot of reporting saying, where is President Obama? You know, he's nowhere to be found. A lot of Democrats kind of want him in the mix. They want him because there is a lack of leadership there right now in the party. But then there are other people who are saying, you know, stay away. In, you know, places like I mentioned, in Montana, Jon Tester doesn't want to be seen anywhere near President Obama, he doesn't want to be seen arm in arm with him. So that's going to be a place where he stays away.

He's going to go into places where he is popular and he's -- his approval ratings are still very high. So he is going to go into places where those approval ratings are high where people really want to see him back on the trail. And I think a lot of those places might be places that Donald Trump won actually in 2016, places that, you know, Obama is still kind of popular there. And so he will make an appearance there.

NOBLES: All right, Matt, I do want to make sure you know on the calendar it is 2018, not 2004, but we're actually talking about John Kerry maybe running for president again. Listen to what he said on CBS this weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARGARET BRENNAN, CBS ANCHOR: Are you going to run in 2020?

JOHN KERRY, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: I'm really not thinking about it. Talking about 2020 right now is a total distraction and waste of time. What we need to do is focus on 2018.

BRENNAN: Well, I'm going to ask you that same question sometime after November.

KERRY: If you catch me. (END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBLES: There's always an easy way to shut down, talk about 2020, right, just say, no, I'm not running, right?

: Yes.

NOBLES: Wouldn't that be the easier way to do this? He's obviously dancing around this.

But my question for you, Matt, is, you know, it's been more than a decade since John Kerry lost that race to George W. Bush. There's a lot of young, progressive candidates who have really caught fire on the Democratic side. Does it help Democrats for John Kerry and people like John Kerry to be talking about running for president?

MATT LEWIS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: No, I don't think it helps at all. I mean I think Joe Biden is maybe in a special circumstance having been the vice president for Barack Obama, the last Democratic president. But, no, Democrats, you know, they have the -- symbolically they're the party -- the John F. Kennedy party. But, you know, you've got the Nancy Pelosis, and until recently the Harry Reids and now the Chuck Schumers. If Beto O'Rourke wins in Texas, and that's a big, big if, I think he is on the fast track. And so I think that Democrats need to kind of let these rising stars rise.

NOBLES: Yes. All right, Matt Lewis, Amie Parnes, thank you both for joining me. We appreciate it.

And still to come, a protester lashes out against Washington's archbishop in the middle of a church service.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARDINAL DONALD WUERL, ARCHBISHOP OF WASHINGTON: Considerable animosity.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shame on you!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBLES: That's Cardinal Donald Wuerl under fire for his response to sexual abuse allegations against clergy members. Some church members want him gone.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:37:11] NOBLES: Outbursts and protests in the middle of a church service here in Washington, D.C., on Sunday. They were aimed at Archbishop of Washington Donald Wuerl, who's accused of mishandling clergy sexual misconduct for years while he was a bishop in Pittsburgh.

Watch what happened while the cardinal was asking the church to support Pope Francis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARDINAL DONALD WUERL, ARCHBISHOP OF WASHINGTON: We need to hold close in our prayers and our loyalty our Holy Father, Pope Francis. Increasingly it's clear that he is the object of considerable animosity.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shame on you!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBLES: That protester then walked out of the church while another woman turned her back on the archbishop. The protests come after the stunning grand jury report from Pennsylvania that found more than 300 Catholic priests abused more than 1,000 children since 1947.

And CNN's Rosa Flores joins me.

She -- you were at that mass, Rosa, when this happened. Talk to us about what happened.

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Ryan, it was a very intense moment because, for the most part, it was very uneventful until this man stood up and started screaming "shame on you."

So I walked outside of mass. I spoke to him. He didn't want to be on camera. But he expressed that he was very frustrated about the church's response to the Pennsylvania grand jury report that you just explained. He says that Catholics want accountability and transparency and they're not seeing that. \

But he was not the only one who made a very loud statement in this mass. There was a woman who also made a very loud statement, but with her silence. She stood up, she crossed her arms, and she gave the cardinal her back. And here's why. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARY CHALLINOR, TURNED HER BACK AS CARDINAL WUERL SPOKE: I still think that he should resign. I think he should step aside I think is a better way to say it as a sign of support for a radical change in the way the church deals with this problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FLORES: And, Ryan, I have to tell you, I've been here for about a week and that's what I keep on hearing from Catholics, that they are fed up, they want the church to do something.

NOBLES: And so how is the archdiocese responding to all of this?

FLORES: You know, we asked them directly about this protest and here's what they said. They sent us a statement saying, quote, Cardinal Wuerl has spoken extensively over the past two months, conveyed his profound sadness, apologies an constriction and addressed every issue as it has arisen in a straight forward and transparent manner. Now, some context is important because as I was saying, for the most

part, this mass was uneventful. The cardinal was greeted very warmly. There were applause. People did shake his hand at the end of mass. But, again, there's a lot of Catholics who want the church to do something and they're not going to stay silent.

[09:40:01] NOBLES: And not just in the Washington archdiocese, around the country and maybe even around the world.

FLORES: Around the country we're seeing this.

NOBLES: Right.

Rosa Flores, thank you for that reporting. Appreciate it.

And still to come, Warren Buffett, one of the greatest investors of all time, and our Poppy Harlow sat down with him and asked the Oracle of Omaha on how long Wall Street's winning streak might last.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NOBLES: Warren Buffett is one of the most successful investors ever. He owns dozens and dozens of companies and is worth more than $80 billion. The so-called Oracle of Omaha knows a thing or two about the economy, something President Trump likes to tout often. But does Buffett think the economy will stay on this winning streak? Poppy Harlow sat down one-on-one with the billionaire.

[09:45:13] (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: The reason we're here today, wine bottles and all --

WARREN BUFFETT, CEO, BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY: Yes.

HARLOW: Is because someone paid $3.3 million to have lunch with you --

BUFFETT: That's correct.

HARLOW: For a very important cause.

BUFFETT: Yes.

HARLOW: And that's the Glide Foundation, which sole purpose is to break the cycle of poverty and marginalization for people in this country.

BUFFETT: It shows that somebody cares for somebody that didn't think anybody cared.

HARLOW: Why is this cause so important to you?

BUFFETT: Well, I -- it's for real, for one thing. I mean I was a little skeptical at first, but my first wife kept saying this is something special. And so I actually went to church there on a Sunday. And -- but then I met Cecil Williams and I -- I met the -- saw the people that he was helping and I saw these people with -- they'd given up on -- they'd given up on themselves. Their friends had given up on them. They thought the world had given up on them. But Cecil never gave up.

And so now they've changed the lives of thousands and thousands of people one at a time. And I've never been able to do that, but I -- I love supporting somebody that's spent over 50 years now doing that and will continue to do it.

HARLOW: What is, Warren, the number one thing that the Trump administration could do right now to help the most marginalized in society?

BUFFETT: I think we could reform and expand the earned income tax credit. I think -- people don't need a minimum wage, they need -- they need -- they need a maximum amount of cash in their pocket. And the earned income tax credit rewards those who work, but they also help the person whose skills don't fit a market economy. Your skills fit a market economy. My skills fit a market economy. Not everybody's do.

If this was a sports economy, I'd starve to death. You could give me six hours of training every day and practice at night --

HARLOW: Me too.

BUFFETT: I wouldn't be any good. And -- so people will -- we want a market economy, but a rich family does not leave people behind.

HARLOW: The stock market is at record highs. Unemployment is below 4 percent. Economic growth in the second quarter was 4.1 percent.

Is the economy, the U.S. economy, as strong as President Trump says it is, or are you seeing some warning signs?

BUFFETT: Well, the economy has gotten steadily stronger since the third quarter of 2009. It's come back from being in the emergency ward in 2009 and it continues to. I mean the economy is very good now. You see certain things, new home construction hasn't been as strong as I would have thought it might be, but it's still strong. And, you know, Autos may be off a little, but that is off from a figure that --

HARLOW: But is -- as you know, there are people who watch the market very closely, watch the economy very closely who say, look, this has been a nine-year run. This has been a nine-year bull market. Those are cracks that we're starting to see and I'm worried about a recession sooner than later. Do you think we are due for a recession sooner than later?

BUFFETT: Well, America's been on a 242-year run. I mean it just gets interrupted a little bit. But if you're looking for a run, just look around. There was nothing here in 1776 and now look what we've got.

HARLOW: Right.

BUFFETT: So we're on a run. It gets interrupted and it will get interrupted from time to time and I don't have the faintest idea when it will happen. And whether it's nine years old or nine months old, it can still happen at any time.

HARLOW: You're not -- you're not worried?

BUFFETT: I'm not worried about the long term future of America, no, and I don't worry about the short term. That makes me a happy guy.

HARLOW: Do you think lower taxes will provide, Warren, a long-term boost to the economy, or is this a little bit of a sugar rush?

BUFFETT: I -- well, I would rather have any tax cuts overwhelmingly go to the people that are kind of watching while the rest of the world prospers -- rest of the country prospers.

HARLOW: But the majority aren't.

BUFFETT: Well --

HARLOW: I mean the majority of the cuts --

BUFFETT: Yes, no, the tax cuts favored Berkshire Hathaway.

HARLOW: So is this the basis for a long-term boost, or is this a little bit of a sugar rush?

BUFFETT: Well, it isn't a sugar rush, but it -- the question of who you tax and how you -- how you handle expenditures and government -- what government should expend it for, but it -- it -- there's no question that corporations, owners of those corporations, benefited significantly.

HARLOW: On Apple. So I've learned this morning that Berkshire has bought up even more Apple shares, correct?

BUFFETT: Not a huge amount.

HARLOW: Well, you already own 239 million shares, which is 21 percent --

BUFFETT: Well, that is true. Well, we own -- we own more than we did on June 30, but not a lot.

HARLOW: Well, look, that's 21 plus, you know, percent of Berkshire's portfolio. So it's a lot. You like Apple. That's what I'm getting at.

BUFFETT: Yes.

HARLOW: And here -- here are my two questions on Apple. Is there anything that Apple is doing right now that makes you think that it won't eventually lose its dominance the way that IBM did?

BUFFETT: That's the question always. I mean, you know, Blackberry, I mean, AOL, you could name all kind of -- slide rules, so -- typewriters. The -- that's a question. And maybe -- any time you have a magnificent castle on the hill, people are going to come and try to take it away from you. And that's -- that's the market system, and I love it. But -- [09:50:19] HARLOW: But you wouldn't be buying it if you thought that castle was falling apart.

BUFFETT: I thought it -- I think it's a hell of a castle. And I think that the knight in charge of the castle is terrific.

HARLOW: You're talking about Tim Cook?

BUFFETT: Yes.

HARLOW: Why do you like him so much? Why do you think he's so effective?

BUFFETT: Well, I don't know what's in his genes or anything, but he is -- he is a very, very good manager. I mean people were -- just because he succeeded Steve Jobs, I mean everybody said, who's this guy, you know, basically. Well, we know who this guy is. And he is a very, very good manager. And -- but it is a business where you have a whole lot of people figuring how am I going to take the castle away from you.

HARLOW: Yes.

As we end, a little bit of rapid fire.

Bitcoin.

BUFFETT: Bad ending.

HARLOW: Apple.

BUFFETT: I love it.

HARLOW: Are we in a trade war, yes, no?

BUFFETT: Well, we're in a trade skirmish. There's no question about it.

HARLOW: Skirmish.

BUFFETT: I mean it's different than -- and we don't want it to turn into a war. And it shouldn't turn into a war. And it's in everybody's interest that it doesn't turn into a war.

HARLOW: What keeps you up at night?

BUFFETT: Well, nothing. I take Ambien.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBLES: Good advice for all of us I think.

Coming up in the next hour, Warren Buffett talks politics. Does he think the Democrats have a clear message and a strategy to take over the White House?

You can see more -- or, I'm sorry, the House of Representatives, I should be saying.

You can see more in Poppy's "Boss Files" podcast. Subscribe on iTunes today.

Aloes, unbelievable video just released by the Texas Department of Public Safety. A woman reportedly tries to carjack another driver during a police chase while carrying a baby at the same time.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:56:21] NOBLES: The Secret Service has arrested someone accused of climbing a security barrier near the White House. This happened around 8:00 p.m. last night near a pedestrian entry point for White House visitors. The security -- the Secret Service says the person was immediately taken into custody after climbing the control barrier, known as a bike rack. The person's name has not been released.

Right now, three victims are in extremely critical condition after ten people were shot overnight at an apartment complex in San Bernardino, California. All the victims are believed to be adults. Police say the shootings happened in a common area at the complex. One witness telling CNN she heard 15 to 20 gunshots before police arrived. No one has been arrested yet.

And a mother is the lone survivor after a family kayaking trip on Lake Superior turned deadly. Cari Mews, her husband and their three children were vacationing in Wisconsin when their kayak overturned in choppy water. Mews managed to text her sister because her phone was in a waterproof bag, but the sister did not get the text for five hours because there was no cell service in the area. Everyone was wearing life jackets, but Mews husband and children, ages three, six and nine, died before rescuers arrived.

And newly released video from June shows a woman in San Antonio allegedly trying to carjack somebody while carrying a baby. State troopers say the woman led them on a high speed chase before crashing into another car. That's when the woman jumped out of her SUV and grabbed her baby from the backseat. Police say she tried to carjack a driver all while carrying the infant in that car seat. She was arrested. The child is now with protective services.

And just minutes ago, a tropical storm warning was issued for parts of southern Florida. Gordon is headed toward the Gulf of Mexico and is expected to hit the state this afternoon.

Joining me is Chad Myers. He's in the CNN Weather Center.

Chad, what can you tell us.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Ryan, the storm's center right now is south of Everglade City. So it's already moved past Key Largo and the like. So it's moving into the Gulf of Mexico with very warm water.

Now, this escalated very quickly. This was 30 miles per hour when I arrived at 5:00 this morning. And then it went 35. A then it went 45. And now we're going to get a new update at 11:00. But here's all the weather moving onshore, A1A (ph), all the way down

to Key Largo. It does get into a very warm Gulf of Mexico. The direction is pretty much a given.

How strong it will be is not yet known. This could be plus or minus 20 percent. This could be a hurricane at landfall. Right now, it's only forecast to be a tropical storm. And even with that tropical storm only at 60 miles per hour, we're going to get storm surge, we're going to get water pushing into New Orleans, into Biloxi, into Bay St. Louis, all the way over to Pass Christian and even into Mobile Bay with one to two feet. So this is the real threat with waves on top of that.

Now, after that, as the storm moves onshore, that's when we get to see the heavy, heavy rainfall. There could be five or six inches of rain with this storm as it moves there. And this is an area that has already been pretty much saturated over the past couple of weeks. So we'll watch for any type of significant flash flooding there.

Now, the water does get in the Gulf of Mexico pretty quickly, but it does take a little bit of time into these rivers that can go up pretty quickly.

So here's the storm. There's the center of it right there. There's Naples here. Here's Miami. So it's already past Miami. But the showers and storms are still going to come onshore all day.

Ryan.

NOBLES: All right, Chad Myers, thank you. We appreciate it.

[10:00:01] All right, top of the hour. I'm Ryan Nobles, in today for Poppy Harlow.

And President Trump marking Labor Day with a word to the nation, celebrate. Without actually saluting American workers, he claims they're doing better than ever, and so is the country. And with