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Hot And Cold Relationship Between President Trump And North Korean Leader Kim Jong-Un Is Heating Up; 7.5 Magnitude Earthquake Hit The Indonesian Island Of Sulawesi, Triggering A Tsunami; Final Episode of "PARTS UNKNOWN" Tonight; Aired 7-8p ET

Aired September 30, 2018 - 19:00   ET

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


[19:00:02] ANA CABRERA, CNN ANCHOR: You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM. Thank you for rolling with me. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York.

And tonight, we have new questions about who's actually pulling the strings when it comes to the FBI's one-week inquiry into the sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

Now, remember, the President claimed just yesterday the FBI had free reign. He called this investigation a blessing in disguise.

But sources tell CNN White House Counsel Don McGahn is working with Senate Republicans behind the scenes to narrow the investigation's scope as much as possible. And here is what we have just learned.

As of right now, neither Kavanaugh nor Christine Blasey ford, the woman who testified Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed, groped her, and tried to take off her clothes in 1982, is expected to be interviewed by the FBI as part of this reopened background check.

Now, we also know the investigation will not include Kavanaugh's overall drinking history, which has come up in these allegations, and agents who take their direction from the White House will not be making any conclusion about witnesses and what witnesses actually say.

Instead, the White House will get the results and they will decide how to proceed. No guarantee the investigation will be made public.

For more, I want to bring in former federal prosecutor Elie Honig.

And, Elie, sorry, Honig is your last name. I want to get your quick reaction to this new information that Ford and Kavanaugh may not even be interviewed.

ELIE HONIG, FORMER ASSISTANT U.S. ATTORNEY, SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK: Yes, that's surprising and I think it's problematic. I think any limitations that the White House or any politician places on this investigation is seriously problematic for two reasons.

First of all, we need all the facts. And when we start placing artificial limitations, you can't go here, you can't go here, we're not going to get the entire story.

The second thing is legitimacy. The American public needs to see this investigation and believe that it's real and true and legitimate and hasn't been influenced by politicians.

CABRERA: Let me go through a piece you just wrote for CNN.com because you say, this investigation really, at the very least, needs to focus on three key things. We start with an interview with Mark Judge who is the person that Ford says was the other man in the room when she alleges this assault happened.

HONIG: Yes. So Judge is the obvious starting point. He is the third person, as you said. All we have from Judge at this point are these letters from Judge's lawyer and Judge himself, one-pagers, to the Senate Judiciary Committee where he says I do not recall the events described. That's not really an answer.

Kavanaugh tried to stretch that in his hearing and say it's a refutation of Dr. Ford. It's really not. And in fact, it could be consistent with Dr. Ford because we know that Judge has an addiction problem and has long had that.

And if he was intoxicated that night to the point of memory loss, it's not only not inconsistent with what Dr. Ford said, it could support her account of the story because she says they were both really drunk.

And so a one-page statement doesn't get you anywhere. He needs to sit face to face with the FBI. They need a chance to go deeper than one page and ask him questions about his own drinking and about Kavanaugh's drinking.

Kavanaugh's drinking is incredibly important here because, again, if it's established that he was a heavy drinker to the point of memory loss, it supports Dr. Ford's testimony. And it seriously undermines Kavanaugh's defense, and he could have committed perjury.

You know, there was the famous exchange with Senator Klobuchar --

CABRERA: Yes.

HONIG: -- where she asked him, did you ever drink to the point of blackout? And when you see someone evade like the way that Kavanaugh evaded, that is a flashing red light that he's hiding something.

He's a smart guy. He's a judge. He's been in that question and answer scenario -- usually, he's the one asking the questions -- and he dodged.

CABRERA: The other thing, though, Bart O'Kavanaugh, right? Bart O'Kavanaugh was the other thing that I read --

HONIG: Yes.

CABRERA: -- in your piece in which Mark Judge could be asked, is that referring to Brett Kavanaugh?

HONIG: Yes. They asked Kavanaugh that at the Senate, and he said, what do I know? I didn't write it. But ask Judge.

And I don't know how he gets out of that. If it's not Brett Kavanaugh, it's a mighty fine coincidence.

CABRERA: And apparently, Bart O'Kavanaugh threw up in somebody's car and passed out according to Mark Judge's account. You also say, up next, they need to interview witnesses to Ford's prior statement.

HONIG: Yes.

CABRERA: Explain.

HONIG: So this is really important. Dr. Ford told people -- five different people, three friends, her husband, and her therapist -- about this attack as far back as 2012 up to 2017.

And so the question is -- in law, we call this a prior consistent statement and it has a lot of probative value. The question -- the logical question is, why on earth would she make this up six years ago and start telling people in serious settings what happened?

So the FBI should speak with each of these people, corroborate it or disprove it, see if they stand by it. Are there any notes? Were there any e-mails?

Because if, in fact, Dr. Ford did tell these people, that's powerful corroboration for her. And if she did not or it doesn't stand up, then you have to ask, why did she submit this in the first place?

CABRERA: OK. Number three, then you point to Kavanaugh's calendar entry -- this is from July 1, 1982 -- which reads, go to Timmy's for skis with Judge, Tom, P.J., Bernie, and Squi. Tell us more all about that.

HONIG: This is as close a Perry Mason Hellman as we might ever have.

(LAUGHTER)

HONIG: Rachel Mitchell, who was the hired outside prosecutor, started to go down this road with Kavanaugh and she sort of pulled up and then they pulled her. She never asked another question after that.

[19:05:05] But this calendar entry matches, to a large extent -- not entirely, but it matches Dr. Ford's testimony. She said the people at the party were Kavanaugh, Judge, P.J., and a fourth person whose name I don't remember.

There's a couple more. Senator Grassley said it's not the right number of people. But remember, Dr. Ford said this was a pre- gathering so other people could have come after.

So the FBI needs to drill down. They can find Timmy's house. They already know where it is. It's fairly close to that country club. They can look at the layout, see if it matches up with Dr. Ford's testimony. And if so, that's powerful corroboration for her.

CABRERA: Elie Honig, such interesting conversation. Thank you for your insight and expertise.

HONIG: Thanks, Ana.

CABRERA: Joining us now, CNN political commentator Scott Jennings. He worked with Kavanaugh during the Bush administration.

And also with us, CNN political commentator Nina Turner. She's a former Democratic state senator from Ohio.

So, Scott, the fact that Kavanaugh and Ford may not be interviewed, the fact that they're not looking at his drinking history, when this investigation is over, are the American people going to have faith in this investigation?

SCOTT JENNINGS, FORMER SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: Well, they should have faith in the investigation because this is what the Democrats demanded.

I don't know whether they're going to interview Ford and Kavanaugh. I assume they will. They both said they would cooperate with an investigation.

I think we ought to let the FBI decide how best to conduct this supplemental background check.

Everything that guy you just had on said, I'm going to get -- let me translate it for you. It's "I want delay." I want this to last as long as possible so we can get past the election, maybe win the election, and hold this thing open for two years.

This is not an investigation that is designed to dig into everything that he wants to dig into. This is a supplemental background check demanded by the Democrats, acquiesced to, in my opinion, wrongly, by the Republicans.

CABRERA: So what do you disagree with?

JENNINGS: And that's what it is. And when --

CABRERA: Hang on.

JENNINGS: When it comes out of the end of the week, they're going to have to accept the results.

CABRERA: What do you think it shouldn't be looking into?

JENNINGS: They should be looking into a supplemental background check, which goes to the suitability and the character --

CABRERA: Right. Sorry, so I don't know if you heard my question, though.

JENNINGS: -- of a witness.

CABRERA: When you said what he just laid out is, like, unrealistic, it shouldn't even go there, where shouldn't they go in terms of what he just laid out? There's nothing partisan there. He was just talking about what could help give us the truth, no? JENNINGS: The truth here is whether or not Brett Kavanaugh, in the

form of an FBI background check or this supplemental background check, is a suitable nominee. They don't draw conclusions about uncorroborated allegations.

They don't draw conclusions. They're not going to resolve this in Kavanaugh's favor or in Dr. Ford's favor. They're going to offer a report on whether any additional investigation in the process of a background check changes, you know, what people might think.

They don't draw conclusions. And I think people want them to draw conclusions, but that is not the result of a process like this, which is why, of course, Democrats are already trashing what they demanded. They wanted an FBI investigation, and they're already trashing it because they don't want the results. They just want delay.

CABRERA: Let me read President Trump's tweet to that point.

He writes, wow, just starting to hear the Democrats who are only thinking obstruct and delay are starting to put out word that the time and scope of FBI looking into Judge Kavanaugh and witnesses is not enough. Hello, for them, it will never be enough. Stay tuned and watch.

Nina, your response?

NINA TURNER, FORMER STATE SENATOR FOR OHIO: Oh, good God, nobody's asking for delay. People are asking for justice. Dr. Ford has leveled a very strong allegation.

We know that what she said in her testimony certainly triggered millions of people across this country, both men and women, to think in a deeper way about what has not only happened to her, but what has happened to countless women across the ages, across the generations. So just to trivialize this like Scott is doing is really shameful.

The fact of the matter is, is that the FBI should be allowed to conduct an investigation, and let the chips fall where they may. And you would think that the judge would want this to happen so that the FBI can dig deeper and either clear him or not clear him in terms of those allegations.

But to limit the scope, to limit the numbers of people who are interviewed is absolutely wrong. So this is not -- this should not necessarily be seen through a purely partisan lens. Thank God that Senator Flake had the courage to say let's pull this back a little bit and let the FBI do its job. It should have been done even before it got to this point.

CABRERA: So let's listen to Senator Jeff Flake who, again, was sort of the person who made this investigation happen, his last-minute demand to have this investigation. He sat down with an interview with Chris Coons, his Democratic colleague in the Senate. This is for "60 Minutes." Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. CHRIS COONS (D), DELAWARE: I was really struck that I thought his anger got the best of him, and he made a partisan argument that would have been best left to be made for his advocates and defenders on the Committee.

SCOTT PELLEY, CBS NEWS HOST: Made you wonder about his suitability?

COONS: In my case, yes, it made me wonder about his suitability to serve on the bench.

PELLEY: But Senator Flake, you identified with it. You understood.

SEN. JEFF FLAKE (R), ARIZONA: Well, the part that he talked about -- he mentioned the Clintons and what not -- I didn't like either. It seemed partisan, but, boy, I had to put myself in that spot. You know, I think he gave a little leeway there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[19:10:10] CABRERA: Scott, when you heard Kavanaugh say the allegations were revenge on behalf of the Clintons, did that sound like someone who had the temperament of a Supreme Court justice?

JENNINGS: Well, it sounded like someone, to me, who was pretty darn upset about being called a rapist, and attempted murderer, a gang rapist running some gang rape ring in high school. It sounded like someone, to me, who was up there to defend his honor.

And let's be honest, it is about revenge. I'm not sure it's about revenge for the Clintons, but it's about revenge for Merrick Garland --

TURNER: Oh, my God, for who?

JENNINGS: -- and it's about protecting --

TURNER: For who?

JENNINGS: -- Roe versus Wade. And I'm not going to respond to Senator Turner's insults --

TURNER: It's about revenge for whom, Scott?

JENNINGS: -- calling me shameful, ad hominem. But I am going to tell you what is shameful, Dianne Feinstein sitting on this for two months --

TURNER: Give me a break.

JENNINGS: -- and then outing Dr. Ford and treating her so shabbily. There's been a lot of shameful --

TURNER: Dr. Ford asked her not to reveal that.

JENNINGS: There's been a lot of shameful behavior in this, but it has not been on the part of Kavanaugh or the Republicans. It's been the Senate Democrats who have absolutely been shameful in their behavior in this whole confirmation. It's been utterly ridiculous.

CABRERA: Nina, go ahead.

TURNER: Give me a break. I mean, the same party that sat up there and denied President Obama the ability to have even his nominee have a hearing with the Senate?

Listen, some people might be playing political games with this, but others are not. And the American people deserve better than what they have gotten up until this point.

And to trivialize a woman's testimony about what happened to her? Dr. Ford said it happened to her. The judge is saying that he wasn't the one that did it. Well, you know what? Let the FBI investigate and let the chips fall where they may. Period.

JENNINGS: Imagine what we could have learned if Feinstein hadn't sat on it for two months --

TURNER: Period. Don't blame this on Senator Feinstein.

JENNINGS: -- and sprung it right at the last minute. Imagine what we could've learned.

TURNER: Don't blame this on Senator Feinstein.

JENNINGS: Imagine what we could've learned.

TURNER: Dr. Ford asked Senator Feinstein not to reveal her, and that's exactly what she did.

JENNINGS: Yes, and then they did.

TURNER: But you know what got us at the end of the day?

JENNINGS: And then they did. And then they did.

TURNER: It's not about Senator Feinstein. It is about Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh and allowing this investigation to take place so that the American people can get more transparency than they've had up until this point.

CABRERA: All right, Scott, you got the first word, so we'll let Nina have the last there. Scott Jennings and Nina Turner, thank you both. Appreciate the spirit there.

JENNINGS: Thank you.

CABRERA: They are the three women coming forward to tell their stories about Brett Kavanaugh. Up next, a closer look at the accusers and their claims about the man nominated to serve on the highest court in the land.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:16:33] CABRERA: President Trump says the FBI has free reign in its investigation into Judge Brett Kavanaugh. But behind the scenes, sources tell CNN White House Counsel Don McGahn is working with Senate Republicans to make the scope of this probe as narrow as possible.

And CNN is learning that the second accuser, Deborah Ramirez, spoke with the FBI just today. Whether the FBI will talk to all three women who have made sexual misconduct allegations against Kavanaugh is still up in the air.

CNN's national correspondent Sara Sidner has more on the accusers and their claims.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA SIDNER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The newly ordered FBI background investigation has begun into Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. After questions over its scope, the President responding with this.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: But the FBI, I believe, is doing a really great job. They have been all over it. They have free reign. They're going to do whatever they have to do, whatever it is they do. They'll do doing things that we never even thought of.

SIDNER (voice-over): So far, it appears FBI agents are focusing on the accusations of two women -- Deborah Ramirez who says she met Kavanaugh while the two attended Yale, and Christine Blasey ford who says she met Kavanaugh in high school.

The Senate Judiciary Committee and the country have already heard the emotion-filled sworn testimony from Dr. Blasey Ford who says, as a teen, Kavanaugh held her down and she thought he was going to rape her while he and his friend, Mark Judge, were drunk.

DR. CHRISTINE BLASEY FORD, PROFESSOR, PALO ALTO UNIVERSITY: Indelible in the hippocampus is the laughter, the uproarious laughter between the two and their having fun at my expense.

SIDNER (voice-over): Brett Kavanaugh, at times tearfully and often angrily, deny the accusations against him.

JUDGE BRETT KAVANAUGH, NOMINEE FOR SUPREME COURT JUSTICE: My family and my name have been totally and permanently destroyed by vicious and false additional accusations.

SIDNER (voice-over): But neither the Committee nor the country has heard a full accounting from Kavanaugh's two other accusers.

Deborah Ramirez told "The New Yorker" the details are fuzzy but she remembers playing a drinking game with Kavanaugh and his friend in a Yale dorm room where she quickly became inebriated. She says after carefully assessing her memories, she remembers this.

Brett was laughing, she told "The New Yorker." I can still see his face and his hips coming forward like when you pull up your pants. Somebody yelled down the hall, Brett Kavanaugh just put his penis in Debbie's face. According to her attorney, she will have a chance to tell her story to

the FBI.

So far, Julie Swetnick, the third woman to come forward with accusations against Kavanaugh, has heard nothing from investigators.

JULIE SWETNICK, ACCUSES JUDGE BRETT KAVANAUGH OF SEXUAL ASSAULT: If he's going to have that seat legitimately, all of these things should be investigated. Because, from what I experienced firsthand, I don't think he belongs on the Supreme Court.

SIDNER (voice-over): She is the only one of the three to have initially sent a sworn declaration under penalty of perjury to the Senate Judiciary Committee. In it, she claims she witnessed Kavanaugh being abusive towards girls at parties and attempting to remove or shift their clothes to expose private body parts.

She says, at parties, she witnessed efforts by Mark Judge, Brett Kavanaugh, and others to cause girls to become inebriated and disoriented, so they could then be gang-raped. She does not say she saw Kavanaugh actually taking part in a rape. Her attorney said she stopped going to the parties after she herself was gang-raped at one of those parties.

Kavanaugh was asked about her allegations.

SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D), CALIFORNIA: What you're saying, if I understand it, is that the allegations by Dr. Ford, Ms. Ramirez, and Ms. Swetnick are wrong?

[19:20:09] KAVANAUGH: Yes, that is emphatically what I'm saying.

SIDNER (voice-over): Swetnick's attorney, Michael Avenatti, says she has not been contacted by the FBI and the clock is sticking.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER: Now, according to our sources, Brett Kavanaugh nor Christine Blasey Ford were on the initial list that the Senate had for the limited probe for the FBI to look into. And Ms. Swetnick's name never appeared as well, but they caution that list could expand.

As for Michael Avenatti and his client, they still have not been contacted by the FBI. And they say if they are not, it would be outrageous and a miscarriage of justice, Ana.

CABRERA: We'll see. Sara Sidner, thanks so much.

Coming up, "SNL" tackling the historic Kavanaugh hearing with a little help from Matt Damon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATT DAMON, ACTOR: Dr. Ford has no evidence, none. Meanwhile, I've got these.

(LAUGHTER)

DAMON: I've got these calendars.

(LAUGHTER)

DAMON: These beautiful, creepy calendars.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:25:39] CABRERA: Twenty-seven years after they famously parodied the Clarence Thomas hearings, audiences were waiting to see if "SNL" would go there again. And, boy, did they ever. With a little help from special guest Matt Damon. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAMON: Let me tell you this. I'm going to start at an 11.

(LAUGHTER)

DAMON: I'm going to take it to about a 15 real quick.

(LAUGHTER)

DAMON: First of all, I showed this speech to almost no one.

(LAUGHTER)

DAMON: Not my family, not my friends, not even P.J. or Tobin, or Squi. This is my speech. There are others like it, but this is mine.

(LAUGHTER)

DAMON: I wrote it myself last night while screaming into an empty bag of Doritos.

(LAUGHTER)

DAMON: Now, I am usually an optimist. I'm a keg is half-full kind of guy.

(LAUGHTER)

(APPLAUSE)

DAMON: But what I've seen from the monsters on this Committee makes me want to puke and not from beer.

(LAUGHTER)

DAMON: You just want to humility me in front of my wife and my parents and Alyssa freaking Milano. (LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Judge Kavanaugh, are you saying --

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- that all the claims of Dr. Ford, Mrs. Ramirez, and Mrs. Swetnick are false?

DAMON: Huh! Uh, do I?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Then if you have anything to hide, would agree to an independent FBI investigation into the allegations?

DAMON: Asked and answered. I wanted a hearing the next day. The next day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. That in no way answers my question.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Would you agree to an FBI investigation?

DAMON: You want a real investigation? Then just look at my calendar.

(LAUGHTER)

DAMON: And you're going to see that every night, I was lifting weights with P.J. and Squi and Handsy Hank, Gang Bang Greg.

(LAUGHTER)

DAMON: Which, you know, the liberal media is going to find some way to spin.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Oh, boy. So shall we discuss? CNN's senior media correspondent and host of "RELIABLE SOURCES," Brian Stelter, is with us.

Now, Brian, a lot has been written and said about "SNL" parodies and the impact they have on political careers. I mean, you think of Chevy Chase and Gerald Ford and Tina Fey's impression of, of course, Sarah Palin. And then, I mean, just this last one with McCarthy --

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

CABRERA: Melissa McCarthy, Sean Spicer.

STELTER: Right.

CABRERA: How do you think that impression of Frat Boy Kavanaugh is going to go down?

STELTER: Yes. I think the "SNL" writers and producers were trying to cement an impression of this Supreme Court nominee as being an angry man, someone not suited for the job. It is no surprise that the mostly liberal writers of "SNL" have reached this conclusion.

And I think this sketch, which was 13 minutes long -- we showed the best parts but they went really long on this. They left no mistake about where they stand. In fact, some of the jokes later in the evening on "Weekend Update" went even further.

It was pretty humorous, since we're talking about jokes, to see President Trump responding today on Twitter by saying I don't watch "SNL" anymore, even though he once guest hosted the show.

He went on to say it's no longer funny. There's no talent or charm. It's a political ad for the Democrats.

Now, that part about the political ad, I think a lot of Republicans agree with him on that. But he was happy that Kanye West was the musical performer. Kanye West, wearing a MAGA hat on stage, and he tried to start to talk about Trump toward the end.

They went to their usual break at the end of the show and Kanye apparently kept talking, which is now a viral thing. But I think no matter what -- when you think about the musical guests, "SNL" does have a point of view, and it was suppressing that about Kavanaugh, trying to take a position, in many ways, against Kavanaugh.

CABRERA: And they did take on what was an uncomfortable moment during the hearing, the actual hearing itself on Thursday, when Kavanaugh was questioning Amy Klobuchar about her drinking habits. Let's take a look at the real thing and then "SNL's" take on it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KLOBUCHAR: So you're saying there's never been a case where you drank so much that you didn't remember what happened the night before or part of what happened?

KAVANAUGH: It's -- you're asking about, you know, a blackout. I don't know. Have you?

KLOBUCHAR: Could you the answer question, Judge? I just -- so you have -- that's not happened? Is that your answer?

[19:30:03] KLOBUCHAR: Yes, and I'm curious if you have.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DRATCH: Did you ever drink so much that you blacked out?

DAMON: I don't know. Did you?

(LAUGHTER)

DAMON: Huh? Huh? Did you ever black out? DRATCH: Excuse me?

DAMON: Sorry. Sorry I didn't mean that. I think I blacked out for a second.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: I can't help but laugh there, Brian.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: They are able to have a little more fun, of course, than in real life. That's the benefit of "SNL," right. They are able to hyper exaggerate, be hyper realistic in what happens. I think when "SNL" fails, they end up just re-reading the scripts of what happened at debates or press conferences, but they took it a little further in the season premiere of "SNL." And I suspect we may see Matt Damon again depending how this goes with Kavanaugh. Maybe he will become a recurring character.

But I think this point, Klobuchar was made another day and the "SNL" was following up on last night. It is going to be the central conversation for the next few days. As this FBI investigation goes on. And we don't know how broad or how limited it's going to be. So it seems like it's going to be awfully limited and then bogus.

All these questions about drinking are going to be at the fore. And I suspect we are going to hear from more Kavanaugh's former friends and college roommates and friends talking about his drinking. So I'm curious to see where that goes this week. And "SNL" was setting up on Saturday.

CABRERA: I was just thinking it's been so intense this week, feels so good to laugh. And the fact that we can laugh about something that's not really funny. But to your point, they take it to the extreme and it's just like, it is kind of cathartic.

STELTER: Right.

CABRERA: Now let's talk about a special guest you had on your show today, legendary journalist Katie Couric. This of course is the one- year anniversary technically of the Me Too movement that we are seeing right now. And she talked about the culture she experienced at CBS. So let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATIE COURIC, FORMER CBS EVENING NEWS ANCHOR: The culture I found at "60 Minutes" personally was very challenging and at times, quite offensive because I think obsequious subservience was a job requirement in order to tried there for many women.

STELTER: What does that mean? Does that mean suck up to the boss?

COURIC: Pretty much, yes. Thank you for that translation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: What else does she tell you?

STELTER: Yes. She was at NBC with Matt Lauer. Eventually, at CBS with (INAUDIBLE), "60 Minutes" who had - removed two weeks amid harassment claims. You know, CBS is one of those networks that's getting turned over by this Me Too movement. And she said a big part of this issue involves women in power. There's a real connection between politics and media here. We have been talking a lot about the mostly white - mostly male Senate, well, in television newsrooms they are dominated by men. She was saying that needs to change.

And like you said, the one-year anniversary of those first Me Too stories is this Friday, it's the day the FBI investigation is supposed to wrap up.

CABRERA: Amazing. Thank you, Brian Stelter. Good to have you with us.

And you can catch Brian on his show "RELIABLE SOURCES" every Sunday 11:00 a.m. here on CNN.

President Trump telling a crowd he has fallen in love with a dictator. His new comments about Kim Jong-un.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Just Donald Trump said they fell in love, how horrible. How horrible is that? So un- presidential. And I always tell you, it's so easy to be presidential.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:37:39] CABRERA: Welcome back.

The hot and cold relationship between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un seems to be heating up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: And you know the interesting? When I did it and I was really being tough and so was he, we were going back and forth. And then we fell in love, OK? No, really. He wrote me beautiful letters. And they are great letters. We fell in love.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: This romantic rhetoric, this new bromance may be one-sided. The North Korean foreign minister says more trust needs to be built between the two countries before denuclearization can begin, saying the reason behind the recent deadlock is because the U.S. relies on coercive methods which are lethal to trust building.

And that brings us to your weekend Presidential brief, a segment we bring you every Sunday night highlighting some of the most pressing national security information the President will need when he capes tomorrow.

And joining us now is CNN national security analyst and former National Security Council adviser, Sam Vinograd. She spent two years in the Obama administration helping prep for the President's daily brief.

So Sam, what kind of impact does Trump's statement of love actually have on policy going forward?

SAMANTHA VINOGRAD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well Ana, to quote Tina Turner, "what's love got to do with it?"

This relationship should not be driven by emotion. It should be driven by policy objectives. And if President Trump is crazy in love with Kim Jong-un, this is an abusive relationship. Kim is still attacking us in cyberspace. And according to John Bolton, he is still trying to interfere in our elections. And the fact of the matter is, the President's statements actually hurt us with Kim. The President looks so infatuated with Kim Jong-un that Kim probably thinks that he has the upper hand. At the same time, this also hurts the President with other dictators and would-be Kims. Because it looks like the President's love in (INAUDIBLE), Kim is still torturing his own people, dock-piling WMD. But Trump never mentioned it. So that signals to everybody else, you can continue misbehaving just as long as you write the President a nice letter.

CABRERA: You mentioned a little bit of election interference. Here we are about six weeks out before the midterms. How are we looking?

VINOGRAD: We are looking securely insecure. In national security when you do a threat assessment, you often look at in adversaries intent and capabilities. We have four adversaries, Iran, North Korea, China and Russia that have the most advanced cybersecurity abilities in the world. And John Bolton have said that they have the intent to attack us. They are trying to do so right now.

We have gross physical and social insecurities. Our infrastructure, state voting systems, contain decades-old laws. And the CEO of twitter testified under oath, he can't confirm that social media won't be manipulated again. And President Trump introduced a new wrinkle on a global stage who said China is trying to interfere in our election. But he only cited their very over propaganda and use of terrorist to target (INAUDIBLE). So that puts it on the same stage at Russia's covert programs. That could lead to a gross misallocation of resources at a time when we have no time to waste.

[19:40:46] CABRERA: And there is so much else going on. We have been so focused on the Kavanaugh confirmation and the hearings this week, have to do these accusations. What kind of impact do you think that's having beyond the U.S.?

VINOGRAD: The world is literally listening to what's happening with the Kavanaugh confirmation. And this ensuing dialogue on sexual assault that it's unleashed, that includes sexual assault victims, victimizers and the general public. And the United States used to be the gold standard on promoting the rights of victims and the rule of law.

I worked overseas with so many colleagues from U.S. government agencies that were engaged in combatting gender based violence promoting judicial integrate, promoting thorough investigations. And take a step back and let's ask what last week signaled. It signaled a woman is being criticized for sharing her story too late and in the wrong way. It's signaling that certain elected officials are placing their desire to get a judge confirmed before midterms over figuring out whether he committed a crime or that he is a character that is appropriate for a Supreme Court justice. And so, if we were the gold standard, do we really want other countries to be emulating our latest example? I think unfortunately the answer is a resounding, no.

CABRERA: Sam Vinograd, lots for us to think about. Thank you.

VINOGRAD: Thanks, Ana.

CABRERA: Now, the death toll continues to climb after an earthquake and tsunami decimated parts of Indonesia, reducing entire towns to piles of rubble. We will bring you the latest next.

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[19:46:36] CABRERA: The death toll is rising after a powerful earthquake and tsunami hit the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. More than 800 people are dead and many towns and communities are flattened, completely washed away. Thousands are now homeless. And officials say some areas still remain completely cut off.

CNN's Matt Rivers has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A body is pulled from the rubble of the hotel where 50 people are thought to be trapped. A desperate search for survivors continue after a 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, triggering a tsunami.

This cell phone video captures waves as high as 10 feet rolling towards the shore as people are warned to run for higher ground. The force in the water sweep through the streets carrying anything and anyone in its way. In its aftermath, destruction. A wrecked car showed just how violently the waves hit. In a hospital in the coastal city of Palu, survivors are attended to - the power cuts. They are the lucky ones.

SUTOPO PURWO NUGROHO, NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT AGENCY SPOKESMAN (through translator): We are expecting a rise in the number of dead victims, but we hope the data remains as it is. However, looking at the conditions there, there are still bodies unidentified as well as victims buried under ruins. There are also remote areas yet to be reached by joint SAR teams.

RIVERS: Indonesia's President Joko Wododo visited Palu Sunday and ordered rescuers to work day and night to search for the missing. A state of emergency has been called for 14 days and central Sulawesi as crews work to restore electricity and communication and repair damage on the roads and bridges.

But in Palu, people say they don't have enough basic food or medicines and have been allowed to take away supplies from supermarkets.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): There has been no aide. We need to eat. We don't have any other choice. We must get food.

RIVERS: Indonesia's disaster management agency estimates that 2.4 million people were affect by Friday's earthquake. And as they await help, residents comb through the debris of what was once their homes.

Matt Rivers, CNN, Sulawesi, Indonesia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: New tonight, California has become the first state to require that women be on cooperate boards. In a new law signed by govern Jerry Brown, publicly traded companies headquartered in California must have at least one woman on their board of directors. In a statement he says quote "it is high time cooperator boards include the people who constitute more than half of the persons in America."

Two friends on one final adventure coming up. Chef Jose Andres shares his memories on Anthony Bourdain and their trip to Spain for tonight's brand-new episode of "PARTS UNKNOWN."

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[19:53:53] CABRERA: His travels open the eyes, minds and hearts of millions to new places, new food, new people. Tonight, we continue our last ride around the world with Anthony Bourdain in the final episode of "PARTS UNKNOWN."

In this week's episode Bourdain travels to Astoria, Spain. He has a very special guide for this trip. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANTHONY BOURDAIN, CNN HOST, PARTS UNKNOWN: Welcome to the enchanted seldom visited wonderland of Asturias. That's in Spain, if you didn't know. And of course, because it's Spain, I do not come here alone. I came here with a good friend, great chef. He is a complicated man. Nobody understands him. And I'm talking about John Shaft. Shut your mouth. I'm talking about Jose Andres.

The only chef in the history of America to ever be sued by a sitting President. So proud of him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. Cut.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[19:55:13] CABRERA: And chef Jose Andres, the owner of Think Food Group, author of the new book "We Fed an Island" is joining us now.

Watching your reaction watching that because you haven't even seen those episodes. That was priceless. What was going through your mind?

CHEF JOSE ANDRES, CHEF/OWNER, THINKFOODGROUP: You know, it's kind of emotional. You know, I don't think Tony has left. I think he is with us. I do really believe he is -- he forever will be with us. That's why I'm thinking this, Tony is doing that and will do that.

CABRERA: Yes.

ANDRES: Fascinating to see. You know, I didn't care about doing the show with him. I wanted to be with him. And this is a place I was born and I always wanted to show it to him. But, you know, he was always busy so the only way for him to be visit places sometimes would be through the show.

CABRERA: Through the show.

ANDRES: But to me it was not if I had camera man or not, but I was showing my friend the place I came from.

CABRERA: A little bit more about you, your culture.

ANDRES: Yes.

CABRERA: What struck me about that episode, just that short clip as how much joy shine through. You guys were having such a great time it seemed like. Is there anything in particular that stands out to you from the time you spent with him there in showing him your home?

ANDRES: I think everybody who has bomb a friend of Tony. Even people they never meet him. He will be the guy that he then, he will invite many different people, yes, in the case of Astoria. I was with him very much through the entire show. You would think like I am the one showing him a place that I'm actually an expert on.

CABRERA: Yes.

ANDRES: But Tony was this person that actually was the one telling you the things you were not able to see.

CABRERA: So you learned something about your home place, hometown, through your travel with him there.

ANDRES: Yes.

CABRERA: What did you learn?

ANDRES: The moment I will always be astonish is any of those times he will be doing -- looking at the camera and telling you something and describing the food of the people would describe in myself like if he was this person that was whispering into your ear. You think you know who you are. But let me tell you who you really are now that I'm eating this. But obviously, through the show you are going to be seeing the way he

reacted to the blue cheese (INAUDIBLE) or those beans (INAUDIBLE), which is a national dish. Anybody else will be describing you the dish and almost giving you the recipe.

CABRERA: Yes.

ANDRES: We know that Tony will get deeper than that. He was like - he is like this food whisperer like again, that he listens to what the food, the people, the wind, the mountains, the water is telling him. And somehow he is the translator in so many ways.

CABRERA: He does it in such an effortless way, it feels.

ANDRES: And sometimes, Tony always has these amazing characteristic of even when he listens to you, he is like he is telling you something. Even in the way he is looking at you. I'm going to say, he is telling you something. I cannot even explain it with words.

CABRERA: Chef Jose Andres, it is such a pleasure to have you here with us. Thanks for sharing your memories of Tony, your thoughts about being there with him in your place that you love and sharing the food, the people, the culture with all of us. Great to see you.

ANDRES: Thank you very much.

CABRERA: An all new episode of "PART UNKNOWN, ASTORIA, SPAIN" airs at 9:00 p.m. eastern right here on CNN.

And that does it for me. I'm Ana Cabrera.

Up next is an encore presentation of "PARTS UNKNOWN, Kenya" with Anthony Bourdain and W. Kamau Bell.

Thanks for being with me. Have a great evening.

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