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Anonymous Op-Ed In The New York Times Has Trump And White House Paranoia; India's Supreme Court Decriminalizes Gay Sex; Five Persons Arrested Over The Rape And Death Of A Child; Earthquakes Triggers Landslides In Hokkaido: Two Koreas Summit In September In Pyongyang; Russia, Iran And Turkey Leaders To Meet In Tehran; Third Day Confirmation Hearing for Brett Kavanaugh; Facebook and Twitter Top Executives Appear Before Senate; Nike releases ad featuring Colin Kaepernick; Donald Trump Claims to be Ernest Hemingway of Twitter; Thai Football Team Thanked their Rescuers; Aired 8-9a ET

Aired September 06, 2018 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00] KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong and welcome to "News Stream."

A devastating 48 hours. Paranoia grips the White House after a scathing anonymous op-ed from inside the Trump administration follows an explosive

book.

Rendezvous in Pyongyang. South Korea announces a third summit with the North.

And a landmark ruling. India's Supreme Court gives the LGBTQ community a reason to celebrate.

OK, so it's something that we've said a lot in the last two years, but this is truly an unprecedented moment in U.S. politics. The White House is

scrambling.

President Trump is lashing out after that anonymous op-ed published by the "New York Times" and (inaudible) penned by a senior administration official

took direct aim at Donald Trump slamming everything from his lack of morals to erratic behavior and seeking to reassure any nervous Americans that, in

the author's words, there are adults in the room.

As you might expect, this did not go over too well with the boss. President Trump firing back on twitter, at first with just one word. All caps,

treason, with a question mark. Now is a good time to pause for a little bit of a fact check here because treason is a specific legal term that applies

to an offense against the United States, not its president.

But Trump, he didn't stop there. He went on to question if the op-ed writer exists while simultaneously calling the person gutless and demanding that

the "Times" quote, "turn him or her over to the government at once."

So, how did we get here? Well here are some excerpts from that anonymous author's column, quote, "We believe our first duty is to this country, and

our president continues to act in a manner that is detrimental to the health of our republic. That is why many Trump appointees have vowed to do

what we can to preserve our democratic institutions while thwarting Mr. Trump's more misguided impulses until he is out of office."

It goes on, quote, "The root of the problem is the president's amorality. Anyone who works with him knows he is not moored to any discernible first

principles that guide his decision making." The official also mentions that at one point within the Trump administration there were whispers of

removing the president from office by invoking the 25th amendment. We're going to have more on that in just a moment.

Now, all of this comes just one day after "Fear" gripped the White House quite literally. That is the title of the new book from the "Washington

Post" Watergate reporter Bob Woodward that offers an up close and unflattering look at President Trump's tenure. Now for more, I know the

White House is dealing with this one-two punch. I am joined by CNN's Abby Phillip, and Abby, I mean how is the White House trying to figure out and

weed out who is behind his op-ed?

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well Kristie, the search is on for the person behind this op-ed. The White House is now even more

paranoid than ever after the Woodward book sent the president -- the president sent his aides on a witch-hunt looking for aides who might have

cooperated with Bob Woodward in painting that unflattering picture.

There is now a search on to find the senior administration official who wrote this op-ed in the "New York Times" but who literally could come from

anywhere in the Trump administration. Dozens or even hundreds of people would qualify as a senior administration official across this government,

which means that they are having a very difficult time figuring out who is behind it.

Meanwhile, this president appears to be even more isolated than ever wondering whether he can trust his own aides in this White House.

LU STOUT: Abby Phillip live from the White House. Thank you.

Now, joining us now for more is former U.S. Director of National Intelligence and CNN national security analyst James Clapper. James, thank

you for joining us here on the program. As you know, an unnamed senior Trump official has penned this op-ed, painted this very damning portrait of

a White House in chaos, what do you make of the piece and why do you think it was written?

JAMES CLAPPER, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well I think the -- I took the piece at face value for someone who is concerned about the country and

the constitution as a higher priority than personal loyalty. Now, in this town, of course, this is a classic case of one man's whistle-blower is

another man's swamp dweller.

So for those who are critics of the president, this was reassuring that there are senior people apparently in the administration who are concerned

about the country and the president's impulsiveness. For those who are defenders of the president, this simply adds more fuel to the deep state

bonfire.

[08:04:55] So it's kind of a classic thing in Washington. I do think that the "New York Times" must have considered the implications of this op-ed

piece and that the person, whoever wrote it, or persons, was of sufficient stature, positioning an access to make this commentary.

LU STOUT: Yes. And I want to ask you about the 25th amendment because we're hearing a lot of people talking about the 25th amendment to the U.S.

constitution as a remedy, as a means to remove the president and, you know, we have a brief explainer for our audience here about the 25th amendment.

We could bring it full screen here.

We know the vice president and at least eight cabinet members, they must recommend removal off an unfit president and then that starts the whole

process that would also involve Congress. And let's go back to James Clapper. And James, do you think that there could be enough of a critical

mass inside the cabinet to move in this direction?

CLAPPER: No, I don't. I don't think there's any real serious discussion about invoking a 25th amendment, and as your graphic well illustrated, the

bar for invoking it successfully is appropriately very high. So I don't see this as a serious thing.

LU STOUT: Got it. OK, so you don't see it as a serious thing, again, your background, you've worked in the highest levels of government, you have

been very vocal about this Trump presidency. Do you believe that there is a moral imperative to act and to recommend the removal of an unfit president?

CLAPPER: Well, that's -- that's a big leap, and I don't know that I'm prepared to go there. There are a lot of people who are obviously concerned

about that and as was the writer of the op-ed piece. And, again, stressing that -- I would stress that it's not a question of policy because the

writer events support for many of the president's policies and his agenda and success. It has more to do with his personal characteristics,

impulsiveness and his lack of a moral tether.

LU STOUT: Yes.

CLAPPER: And you know, that's a big thing. I don't know that, that in and of itself is sufficient basis for certainly the 25th amendment.

LU STOUT: Yes. The writer of the piece, you know, is very critical about Trump's morals, is supportive of policies like deregulation, you know, tax

reforms et cetera. Do you think he or she is representative of a much wider voice among those in the Republican Party, you know, those outside the

White House and Capitol Hill who have up to now stuck by this president, defended this president?

Do you feel that they could be reading this piece and feeling, do you know what? Our support is waning now?

CLAPPER: Well, you know, that's a good point. A good question is more than that was what are the motives for publishing -- writing and publishing this

op-ed piece, is to let people know that there is a wider movement, if you will, a wider range of concern throughout at least the national security

apparatus and that's a big net.

I mean, this could be someone in the White House, the State Department, in the Defense Department, the intelligence community, law enforcement

community, a lot of places that this person could be. And so I can't say, you know, I haven't done a head count as, you know, how reflective this is.

There are ardent supporters of the president in the national security apparatus and there are those who don't agree with him.

LU STOUT: Yes. And this, you know, explosive op-ed comes on the back of Bob Woodward's book. It feels like this is the beginning of something big,

but what? And what happens after this?

CLAPPER: Well, we've had occasion to say that before. This is a juncture, a turning point. I don't know that this op-ed piece alone is that, but it

does come on the heels of, or at the same time with the Woodward book and the Omarosa book and "Fire And Fury," Michael Wolff's book.

And is a steady stream which I think can only heighten the paranoia and the Caesar mentality that seems to prevail in the White House anyway, and this

is bad in and of itself because it detracts from focus on the real important issues that confront the country.

LU STOUT: Yes, absolutely. It does feel like a turning point, but turning point to what we shall see. James Clapper, as always, thank very much

indeed for joining us. We always appreciate your insight. Sir, take care.

CLAPPER: Thanks, Kristie.

[08:10:00] LU STOUT: Now, the U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, he has already distanced himself from the "New York Times" op-ed and here is what

he told reporters in New Delhi about the article and its author just a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE POMPEO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: It is sad that you have someone who would make that choice. I come from a place where it you're not in a

position to execute the commander's intent, you have a singular option, and it iso leave. And this person instead according to the "New York Times"

chose not only to stay but to undermine what President Trump and this administration are trying to do and I have to tell you.

I just -- I find the media's efforts in this regard to undermine this administration incredibly disturbing, and I'll answer your other question

directly because I know someone will say, gosh, he didn't answer the question. It's not mine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Pompeo and the U.S. Defense Secretary, General Mattis met earlier with senior Indian government officials. The visits are part of

efforts from both sides to strengthen cooperation as a counterbalance to China and China's growing influence in the region.

Now, India's Supreme Court has repealed a colonial era law that makes consensual gays sex a crime. The decision is a huge victory for India's

Lgbtq community. And this is what it really meant to activists and campaigners.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE/FEMALE: (CHEERING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: A moment of celebration for so many people. CNN's Nikhil Kumar joins us now from New Delhi. And Nikhil, you were there at the Supreme

Court when this historic verdict was announced what did the judges say and what was the reaction outside the court?

NIKHIL KUMAR, CNN NEW DELHI BUREAU CHIEF: Kristie, that's right. I was there and it was amazing. We all arrived early in the morning. It was last

night that we heard that the Supreme Court would finally announce its verdict in this landmark case. Everyone got there early and there was a lot

of anticipation and a lot of nervousness.

Remember, people had been to the Supreme Court before to get this struck down. In 2009, a Delhi high court, a lower court had declared this

provision of Section 377 as it's known, unconstitutional. But in a small bench of the Supreme Court said, no, it is constitutional. They reversed

that lawful (ph) judgment.

Ever since then in 2013, that is when that happened, ever since then, activists have been pressing for the Supreme Court to revisit its old

decision. That's exactly what they did and they delivered exactly what the activists and what millions of Indians at large wanted.

They struck down this provision sending a clear unambiguous signal that many, many Indians who until now had been concerned about embracing their

identity, have been concerned about loving whomever they wanted to love, that they no longer have to be worried.

Under that old colonial era law, they could have faced life in prison. But at about 11:00 a.m. this morning, local time, that is gone. From now on,

people can be whoever they want to be, love whoever they want to love without the threat of legal sanctions.

So, it's a monumental day. Cheers went up at the court. In fact, I'm in the middle of Delhi right now and you can see all these people behind me,

they're congregating for a celebratory meeting to mark this judgment today, Kristie?

LU STOUT: Yes. They have such good reason to celebrate, because it has been such a long, hard fight for equality and despite today's decision,

which was a huge victory for India's LGBTQ community, is homosexuality still very much a taboo in the country? Do many hurdles remain?

KUMAR: That's a very important point, Kristie. So, this is worth remembering. This is from a very conservative country, homosexuality is

still a taboo. It is still misunderstood across large parts of this country and there is nobody today, nobody who was at the court, none of the lawyers

who argued to the Supreme Court to do this.

Nobody is under any illusion that it is not the case of today, suddenly, discrimination is going to disappear. That's not going to happen, nobody

expects it to happen, but everybody made the same point. That progress in the direction of less discrimination ultimately no discrimination, that

progress really cannot be made in earnest until this law, this 100 -- more than 150-year-old law, until that went away.

And so that's what happened. A major hurdle was removed. A major road block to facing those taboos head-on. We met this woman outside the courtroom

minutes after the verdict this morning and she said, look, if anybody challenges my sexual orientation now, this judgment, this is what I'm going

to hold up in their face. I'm going to point them to what the Supreme Court said today.

So, it's monumental, and I just cannot state how important it is, how significant it is to so many people. There are activists today whom I spoke

to on the phone after the judgment with (inaudible). They were crying on the phone, Kristie, because they'd been waiting for this for such a long

time.

LU STOUT: Absolutely. Wow. This is a very good day for equality in India.

[08:15:02] A very good day for human rights. Nikhil Kumar, reporting live for us, very much indeed, thank you for your reporting and do take care.

Now, five people have been arrested in India over the brutal gang rape and murder of a 9-year-old girl. Among the accused, the girl's stepmother and

stepbrother. Now, CNN's Alexandra Field is following the story. She joins us now live in Hong Kong. And Alex, the details of this case, utterly

horrendous. What more have you learned about this sickening crime?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kristie, even the police in Jammu and Kashmir who investigated the case called the details both bone chilling and

horrific. They discovered the body of this 9-year-old girl about a week after her father reported her missing.

They say the body was left in bushes covered by branches and leaves. They say this young girl had been gang raped, strangled, attacked with a knife

and an ax and that acid had been poured on her body. Five people now arrested for this heinous crime. Among them, the stepbrother and the

stepmother. Police say this was all motivated by a family feud.

LU STOUT: Yes, this is such a horrific crime and it follows something that took place a couple months ago. Another little girl raped and murdered in

the Kashmir region. You know, has this latest case involving a 9-year-old girl, has that once again just fired up public anger against sexual

assault, especially against girls in India?

FIELD: Right, not just women -- girls, young girls, in this case, a 9- year-old. You pointed out that earlier case as well. We have seen this eruption of national outrage that has intensified in the last year as we

hear more and more of these stories of extreme brutality that are grabbing headlines.

There has been some response. I'll share with you this tweet from the Delhi Commission for Women's chairperson, Swati Maliwal. She says, "this is the

most painful and horrific incident ever. These men are disgrace on humanity and need to be given the death penalty urgently. One after the other,

little girls are being brutally raped with no action from the government."

And it is of course interesting to hear Swati Maliwal calling for the death penalty there, because that is one of the reforms, one of the ways in which

Indian government has responded to this epidemic of attacks on young girls and women.

One of their tactics has been to try and strengthen the legislation, in this case, the penalty for rape. It was just earlier in the year that they

made the rape of a child 12 and under a crime that is punishable with the death penalty, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Yes, legislation has certainly been strengthened with penalties like the death penalty, but despite that, it doesn't seem to be working.

Why is that?

FIELD: Right. This is a problem that is the product of a number of different factors. The approach has been (inaudible) recognized of course,

but this is a problem and to take these steps to try and strengthen the laws not just in terms of the stricter penalties like the death penalty,

which is being applied for these cases involving children.

We see the principle and spirit of the law, but also to try and improve the efficiency of the court process, the courts that deal with these cases.

They are, of course, burdened by the number of these cases. There are also issues with backlogs of DNA and evidence. But aside from the court process,

there's also been an emphasis and a call to work on the police process, the investigative process.

There are a lot of people across India saying that the efforts to investigate these crimes on a forensic level and also in terms of talking

to victims needs to be handled differently, needs to be handled more thoroughly, but there needs to be more training that is applied.

Also, Kristie, when you're talking about these kinds of cases that are so sensitive for the victims involved, there is of course an effort underway

to also encourage more victims especially these young children to report these heinous acts that are being committed against them.

And Kristie, every activist that you speak to and so many politicians will also say that this is an issue that needs to be addressed through better

education in order to stem the violence against women before it starts.

LU STOUT: Yes, such a sickening crime. It happens again and again. We thank you for your reporting. May there be change. Alexandra Field,

reporting live for us.

You're watching "News Stream." And still to come right here on the program, mother nature has not spared Japan this year from the deadly floods to

deadly heat waves and typhoons and now an earthquake. A quake in Hokkaido is triggering landslides. We got the details on the country's latest

disaster, just ahead.

And change of tune. Kim Jong-un tells South Korea he is committed to getting rid of nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula.

[08:20:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: All right, coming to you live from Hong Kong, welcome back. You're watching "News Stream."

It is just one disaster after another in Japan. A strong earthquake and landslides have killed at least seven people in the north of the country.

Dozens are missing. And here, you can see homes next to a mountain in Atsuma town, and they were just crushed by the weight of the dirt and the

trees. And the bare earth is now exposed above them.

This happened just after the strongest typhoon in 25 years ripped through the mainland.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT (voice-over): Multiple landslides seen from above triggered from a 6.7 magnitude quake on Hokkaido Island. Close up, the damage is clear.

Homes destroyed. Roads demolished. Thousands of rescuers are on the scene pulling survivors to safety and assessing the damage.

Around three million homes are without power. A nuclear power station had to switch on its backup power to keep its cooling systems working, and that

reminds people of the Fukushima disaster in 2011 when a magnitude 9 quake and tsunami led to the world's worst radiation leaks since Chernobyl.

Back on Hokkaido, regional authorities warned of continued power and travel disruptions. There has been one disaster after another in Japan this summer

with typhoons, floods and deadly heat waves. And now, the meteorological agency says people should remain vigilant to aftershocks and other strong

tremors after this devastating quake.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT (on-camera): Now we're going to stay in the Korean Peninsula. The South Korean President Moon Jae-in will travel to Pyongyang later this

month for a third meeting with Kim Jong-un. As details of that summit were ironed out hours ago, South Korea revealed the North Korean leader wants to

achieve denuclearization. Paula Hancocks is in Seoul.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Kristie, we have been learning some very interesting details about that meeting on Wednesday between the

South Korean national security advisers, Chung Eui-yong and Kim Jong-un of North Korea.

Now, according to Chung, he said that Kim Jong-un had said he has an unwavering trust for President Donald Trump, despite recent difficulties.

He also was pointing out previous concessions that he feels the North Koreans have given, shutting down an engine test site and also destroying a

nuclear test site, which was not independently verified.

But he has said that what he now wants is matching measures from the United States and then he will make more active steps towards denuclearization.

Now, this is really the crux of -- the sticking points, Kristie, because the U.S. wants it to be exactly the opposite way around.

The U.S. wants to see denuclearization first and then they will give concessions and lift sanctions. So that's really the crux of the problem.

We also heard some interesting points from the blue house this Thursday saying that back on Tuesday when the U.S. president and the South Korean

president spoke on the telephone, President Trump actually asked President Moon to pass on a message to Kim Jong-un.

That message, we hear, was passed on, on Wednesday and there is another message from Kim Jong-un to President Trump that will be relayed. So we're

not having any details at this point of what was being discussed, but at least the two sides are actually talking, even if they are doing so through

South Korea.

We also heard from the blue house that President Trump had asked President Moon to become the chief negotiator, so representing both sides, the U.S.

and North Korea, which to be fair, in recent months, President Moon has been the mediator. So, it's a job he's already comfortable with. Kristie?

LU STOUT: Paula, thank you.

Now, U.S. President Donald Trump responded to the North Korean leader's comments just moments ago by of course Twitter.

[08:25:00] He wrote this, quote, "Kim Jong-un of North Korea proclaims "unwavering faith in President Trump." Thank you to Chairman Kim. We will

get it done together." Now, you know, the leaders of Russia, Turkey and Iran, they are set to meet in Tehran on Friday to discuss the ongoing war

in Syria and the escalating situation in Idlib providence that is expected to dominate the agenda.

After a low lasting several weeks, Russia confirmed airstrikes on terrorist targets in Syria's last major rebel stronghold on Tuesday. Turkey is

warning of an impending large scale government assault on Idlib.

Idlib is home to some three million people. An assault would be disastrous and would spur a humanitarian emergency. And CNN's Fred Pleitgen is in

Damascus, Syria. He joins us now live. And Fred, we got these talks coming up in Tehran. Can diplomacy reach a deal to avoid a massacre in Idlib?

FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, that's what, Kristie, what these sides say that they're trying to do. The Turks,

the Russians and the Iranians as well are going to sit together in Tehran. They say they are still trying to find some way to stop this battle from

happening.

At the same time, if you look at least the Iranians and the Russians, they're saying, look, the situation in idlib as they see it is something

that needs dealt with very quickly. They say that there are still hard-line Islamists as they called them terrorist elements out there and they say

that they want those terrorist elements, as they call them, to be gone.

Now, the big question is how to do that? The Turks will obviously play a major role in that as well. They would be very averse to any sort of

offensive taking place in that area because quite frankly, they have troops on the ground and they have a stake in that area. So yes, a lot is going to

ride on that situation that happens in Tehran.

Of course, one of the things that need to be kept in mind in all of that, Kristie, is that there are still, by some estimates, up to three million

civilians in that area in Idlib and they basically have nowhere to go. The borders with Turkey are shut. The Russians are saying and the Syrian

military, by the way, is saying as well that there are what they call humanitarian corridors that would lead into Syrian government-held

territory.

But of course, we have to keep in mind many of these people fled Syrian government-held territory in the first place. So the big question is would

they be willing to go back? As far as this impending offensive is concerned, what we're seeing here on the ground, hearing here on the

ground, there is a massive force from the Syrian army outside of Idlib province, which is a huge area.

And it's some of their most battle-hardened people who are out there, troops who are out there, who have been veterans of many of the other big

battles here in Syria including in Aleppo, Damascus and most recently the south of Syria.

So that is something that certainly is an alarming situation for obviously many of the civilians in there. The U.S. says they find it quite alarming

as well. But at the same time, there is still hope among some people that this upcoming summit tomorrow could maybe lead to some sort of way forward

to try and avoid the worst from happening.

LU STOUT: Yes. I mean, but, you know, Syria is a very complicated battlefield, so many different interests as stake, you know. Here's hoping

that those talks do bring about some progress. Fred Pleitgen reporting from inside Syria in Damascus. Fred, thank you.

You're watching "News Stream." And coming up, President Trump's Supreme Court pick ducks, dives and dodges questions during day two of his

confirmation hearing. What's in store in today's line of questioning for Brett Kavanaugh? Find out, after the break.

[08:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN NEWS STREAM SHOW HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching "News Stream" and these are your world headlines.

The White House is reeling after anonymous senior official slammed President Donald Trump in a "New York Times" op-ed. That official claiming

to be part of the, quote, "resistance," inside the administration, staff members who were taking steps to block what he or she calls the president's

erratic behavior. For his part, the president calls the person gutless.

The Kremlin has hit back at British accusations that senior Russian officials approved the poisoning of double agent, Sergey Skripal and his

daughter, Yulia. As seen on Thursday, Kremlin's spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said no part of the Russian state had anything to do with the

events in Salisbury and described the U.K. accusations as, quote, "completely unacceptable."

Nine civilians were killed and nearly 100 others injured in violent protests in the Iraqi city of Basra this week according to a civil rights

group. Demonstrators are angry over government corruption and lack of services and have been clashing with security forces. Protesters are

complaining of constant power cuts, contaminated water, as well as sanitation problems.

The third day of confirmation hearings for President Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, kicks off in the next hour. Wednesday's

questioning stretched well into the evening and Kavanaugh spent much of his 12-hour testimony ducking, dodging questions on a range of crucial

political issues. Sunlen Serfaty has more from Capitol Hill.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: President Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, citing precedence and repeatedly refusing

to answer questions that could be crucial to the future of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.

SEN. DIANE FEINSTEIN (D), CALIFORNIA: Can a sitting president be required to respond to a subpoena?

BRETT KAVANAUGH, SUPREME COURT NOMINEE: I can't give you an answer on that, a hypothetical question.

SEN. PATRICK LEAHY (D), VERMONT: President Trump claims he has an absolute right to pardon himself, does he?

KAVANAUGH: That's a hypothetical question.

SEN. CHRIS COONS (D), DELAWARE: Do you still believe a president can fire at will a prosecutor who is criminally investigating him?

KAVANAUGH: I think all I can say, Senator, that w my view in 1998.

SERFATY: Still Kavanaugh insisting that President Trump's nomination will not sway his decision-making and stressing the importance of an independent

judiciary.

KAVANAUGH: No one is above the law in our constitutional system. We make decisions based on law not based on policy, not based on political

pressure.

SERFATY: The judge seemingly caught off guard when asked whether he had discussed the Mueller probe with anyone at a law firm founded by President

Trump's personal lawyer, Marc Kasowitz.

KAVANAUGH: I'm not sure I -- do I -- I'm just trying to think through. I know anyone who works on that firm. I might know --

SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D), CALIFORNIA: That is -- that's not my question. My question is have you had a conversation with anyone at that firm about that

investigation? It's a really specific question.

KAVANAUGH: I would like to know the person you're thinking of, because what if --

HARRIS: I think you're thinking of someone and you don't want to tell us.

SEN. MICHAEL LEE (R), UTAH: I think it's unfair to suggest that an entire law firm should be imputed into the witness' memory when he doesn't know

who works at the law firm.

SERFATY: Kavanaugh also facing a grilling on a number of hot button issues including affirmative action, racial profiling, gun and abortion rights.

HARRIS: Can you think of any laws that give the government the power to make decisions about the male body?

KAVANAUGH: I'm not -- I'm not thinking of any right now, Senator.

SERFATY: Kavanaugh telling the committee that Roe v. Wade is settled law.

KAVANAUGH: As a general proposition, I understand the importance of the precedent set forth in Roe v. Wade.

SERFATY: But declining to answer whether he thinks the case was ruled correctly.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Stop Kavanaugh. Our bodies, our choice.

SERFATY: Capitol Police arresting 73 more protesters Wednesday. Senator Lindsey Graham calling for civility.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM: I just wish if we could have a hearing where the nominee's kids could show up. Is that asking too much? So what kind of

country have we become?

SERFATY: And Republicans hope to confirm Brett Kavanaugh by the first day of the new Supreme Court term that starts on October 1st, and it appears as

long as he makes no major blunders over today and tomorrow here in this committee it appears that he's destined for a confirmation when he reaches

the full Senate. Kristie?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: All right. Sunlen, I appreciate the wrap-up. Thank you. You're watching "News Stream." we'll be right back.

[08:35:10] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: All right. There was a lot of action on Capitol Hill. In a separate hearing room there, senators summoned three of the biggest names

in technology to find out how the companies plan to stop foreign interference in U.S. politics. Now, Google has been under fire for not

sending a big player. Twitter sent its CEO, Jack Dorsey. Facebook sent its COO, Sheryl Sandberg. Google had offered to send someone, but the panel

wanted add more senior executive, which the company refused.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARK WARNER (D), VIRGINIA: I'm deeply disappointed that Google, one of the most influential digital platforms in the world, chose not to send

its own top corporate leadership to engage this committee because I know our members have a series of difficult questions about structural

vulnerabilities on a number of Google's platforms that we will need answers for.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now, the two top executives who did show up both outlined steps their companies are taking steps to tackle disinformation.

SHERYL SANDBERG, COO, FACEBOOK: When bad actors try to use our site, we will block them. When content violates our policies, we will take it down.

And when our opponents use new techniques, we will share them so we can strengthening our collective efforts.

JACK DORSEY, CEO, TWITTER: We don't believe that we can create a digital public square for people if they don't feel safe to participant in it in

the first place, and that is our number one and singular objective as a company is to increase the health of this public space.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Jack Dorsey of Twitter there.

Now, Colin Kaepernick, he hasn't played in a pro football since 2016, but you can see them Thursday night in the national football league's season

opener. The controversial quarterback appears in a new ad campaign for Nike called "Dream Crazy."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN KAEPERNICK, AMERICAN FOOTBALL QUARTERBACK: If you're a girl from Compton, don't just become a tennis player, become the greatest athlete

ever. Yeah. That's more like it. So don't ask if your dreams are crazy. Ask if they're crazy enough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now, the decision to feature Kaepernick has some people burning their Nike gear. President Trump tweeted, "The company is getting killed

with anger and boycotts." Others, they are defending Kaepernick and the sportswear company.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT GALLOWAY, PROFESSOR, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY STERN SCHOOL OF BUSINESS: I think that over the last 20 years the best summary of whether a company

should enter politics is what Michael Jordan said. He said that Republicans buy sneakers too, saying we shouldn't politicize sports, and I think that

was the right demeanor for a company over the last 20 years.

Unfortunately, sports have been politicized and I think that Washington and the White House have made it very difficult to stay out of the fray here.

So I'm not sure companies really have a choice anymore. So, they've weighed in. I would argue that it's a -- it is a risk. There is a down side here,

but it's a good risk. People have our history favors individuals not based on their beliefs but on their conviction.

And I think you'd be hard-pressed to deny that Mr. Kaepernick hasn't incurred a pretty substantial cost here. So, I would argue this is a good

risk that athlete every brand wishes they'd endorsed, Muhammad Ali, stripped of his medals and then 20 years later asked to light the Olympic

flame in Atlanta. I think it was a good bet.

[08:40:13]

LU STOUT: There's analysis and history lesson there. Now, Kaepernick sparked some controversy during the 2016 NFL season, a lot of controversy,

when he got down on his near during the national anthem to protest police brutality and social injustice. He is suing the league, alleging that he

was blacklisted because of the protest.

The great American author, Ernest Hemingway, once said, "There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man. True nobility is being superior

to your former self." Might be something Donald Trump to think about. He calls himself the Ernest Hemingway of Twitter. Here is Jeanne Moos.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEANNE MOSS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Would Ernest Hemingway be amused or would he be caddy about it? In Bob Woodward's new book, President Trump compares

himself to one of America's greatest writers while lamenting Twitter switch from 140 to 280 characters, the president is quoted as saying, "It's a

shame because I was the Ernest Hemingway of 140 characters." As sure as the sun also rises, so did the spoofs. And imagine Trump tweet, the sun also

rises, should only set. Earth laughing at it. Getting sunlight for free. I will change.

And how do we know that line out of Woodward's book is true? Because the president himself has said the same thing on camera. It was almost three

years ago.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Somebody said I'm the Ernest Hemingway of 140 characters. Can you believe that?

MOSS: Some couldn't. "I've read Hemingway, and you, sir, are no Hemingway." The hybrid app Trump Hemingway became a Twitter account posting

tweets such as, "I like any bulls who like me. It is true that both men seem partial to bull. Instead of a farewell to arms, someone tweeted, a

farewell to Nambia (ph), referencing the time.

TRUMP: Nambia (ph).

MOSS: President Trump mispronounced Namibia's name. The quote, "Somebody said I'm the Ernest Hemingway of 140 characters" even ended up on a pillow

and was repeated by former campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski.

COREY LEWANDOWSKI, FORMER CAMPAIGN MANAGER: He's the Ernest Hemingway of Twitter.

MOSS: Hemingway's heyday was long before Twitter.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're the master of the deceptively simple sentence.

MOSS: President Trump has likewise has been known to write deceptively when he bangs out those tweets in earnest.

TRUMP: Bing, bing, bing --

MOSS: Jeanne moos, CNN, New York.

LU STOUT: Again, finally, it was a real life drama that captured the attention of the world back in July as cave rescuers defied the odds to

save the young Thai football team and their coach who were trapped for weeks in a flooded cave. And today, the 12 boys on the Wild Boar's team

they are thanking their heroes for the first time in person. The Thai government is hosting an appreciation party for the rescuers, the

volunteers, and the football team. It's happening right now in Bangkok.

And that is "News Stream." "World Sport" Amanda Davies is next.

[08:45:00] (WORLD SPORT)

END