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At Least 17 Dead & 750,000 Still Without Power; Van Jones Talks to Dave Chapelle on Trump, Kanye West & Elections; Eric Holder: "When They Go Low, We Kick Them"; Panama City Survived Hurricane Michael & Katrina. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired October 13, 2018 - 17:00   ET

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


[17:05:00]

ANA CABRERA, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSROOM: Here he is speaking on the White House lawn last hour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, there are many other things we could do. But when we take away $110 billion of purchases from our country, that hurts our workers. That hurts our factories. That hurts all of our companies.

You know, you're talking about 500,000 jobs. So, if we do that, we're really hurting our country a lot more than we're hurting Saudi Arabia. They'll go to Russia. They'll go to China. They'll make the order.

The equipment is nowhere near as good as our equipment. They know that. Our equipment is the best in the world. But they'll go to China. They'll go to Russia. They'll order equipment. We're just hurting ourselves.

So, we would do something that doesn't have to do with that, in my opinion. But we don't know -- we don't know, nobody knows, right now, the answer. We're looking for the answer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Our team on the story is spread out across the globe. Global Affairs Correspondent Elise Labott is in Washington, Senior International Correspondent Sam Kiley is in Rian, International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson outside the Saudi consulate.

Nic, I want to start with you. A source tells CNN that the Turks have audio evidence of Jamal Khashoggi's murder. And we're told it is gruesome to hear. President Trump and some lawmakers, however, say we still need more information.

Why the hesitation?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It seems, at the moment, that the Turks haven't gone the full way in sharing precisely, exactly what they have. That the people that have been briefed about this material, have been briefed about it. We heard President Trump just this evening saying we hope to be able to see it soon. That gives you the indication that they don't quite have -- you know, don't quite have eyes on it yet.

From what our source has been telling us, the agencies, the intelligence agencies, that it's been shared with have found it shocking. And a -- you know, initially, we're trying to figure it out, are the Turkish authorities trying to trick us? Is this a play on us?

But, generally, it seems to be that they're coming to the sense (ph) that this is real. And if we listen to President Trump's language this evening, saying he doesn't believe the outcome for Jamal Khashoggi is good. The indication seems to be that whatever the Turkish authorities have, what they've shared so far, is reasonably convincing.

This is the epi-center here behind me tonight. This is where Jamal Khashoggi disappeared. And, right now, we've had the Turkish foreign minister this evening, in the U.K., no doubt trying to bolster support there, saying that Saudi Arabia must -- now, this is a very strong word to be using in the context in this situation right now. Saudi Arabia must let Turkish chief prosecutor and technical experts for the investigation get into the consulate to be able to do that job.

They're setting the bar high. No indications so far because Saudi Arabia denies any involvement that access is going to come. This is getting more tense.

CABRERA: Yes, no doubt. Sam, President Trump, though, is now vowing severe punishment, if it does turn out that Saudi has killed Khashoggi. He says that will not involve cancelling a billion-dollar arms' deal that is currently being worked out between the Saudis and the U.S.

What are the Saudis likely to take away from that?

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think the Saudis know that, in a sense, they hold the whip hand, when it comes to that kind of a contract. As the president himself pointed out, they could go elsewhere for military equipment.

More importantly, though, Saudi Arabia is an ally, unlike, say, Russia, which is a global rival of the United States and its western allies. Saudi Arabia was intimately involved with the whole strategy for the United States, in terms of its military posture in the Middle East, in terms of tracking terrorism finance.

So, conceivably, he may come up with some kind of sanction, if there is some proof that would justify it against individuals, travel bans, that kind of thing, which would hit them. I think the issue here, in a sense, from the Saudi perspective is a matter of pride.

And the interior minister, Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Fahd, who is a very senior member, as you might imagine, of the royal family. He has issued a statement through the national news agency saying that he affirms that the kingdom of Saudi Arabia's condemnation and denunciation of false accusations circulated in some media, on the Saudi government and people against the background of the disappearance of your Saudi citizen, Jamal Khashoggi.

He also stressed that what has been circulating about orders to kill him are lies and baseless allegations against the government of the kingdom. Now, that is as unequivocal a denial as you could --

CABRERA: Right.

KILEY: -- possibly get, suggesting that every part of the information that has come out from Turkey is nothing but a set of falsehoods. That, so far, is the Saudi position.

[17:05:04] It makes it difficult, therefore, if, indeed, the United States' president is going to be presented with what the Turks say is the evidence.

CABRERA: Right.

KILEY: How, then, the Saudis react, having established that as their position, is going to be very difficult for them.

CABRERA: Just a quick and a quick answer, if you will. Why wouldn't they be able to provide proof of life, then, if they have nothing to do with this at all?

KILEY: Well, their position is very simple, that "The Washington Post" columnist left the consulate and they are mystified as to his whereabouts. So, they have no proof of life, because, from their position, he's not in their hands -- Ana.

CABRERA: Right. But we have video of him going in but we haven't seen video of him coming out which is the point here. The president, meantime, has had this Oval Office event today with an American pastor who was freed by Turkey amid all of this. He wants people to know the timing is purely a coincidence.

Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you owe the timing of Pastor Brunson's release and do you think the disappearance and possible murder of Jamal Khashoggi has anything to do with the timing of --

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The timing is a strict coincidence. It really is. And so, I've heard a couple of people say, well, it's pretty tricky. Could there be anything to it? No. Actually, Phil, no. It's a total coincidence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Elise, is it just a coincidence?

ELISE LABOTT, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: I think it's a coincidence. I mean, look, this is all go -- coming forward at the same time. The U.S. has been negotiating with the Turks for some time. They thought that this was going to happen a few weeks ago. You know, the timing might have, kind of, coincided at the same time and maybe everyone, kind of, pushed it through to get the deal done. But this work -- this job has -- this deal has been in the works for some time.

And I think that, you know, President Trump leaned pretty heavily into the idea that the U.S. knows that, unfortunately, Jamal has -- is deceased. That he was killed and he died. And, you know, he, kind of, nodded to Secretary Pompeo and said, isn't that right? And Secretary Pompeo said, that's what it's looking like so far.

The U.S. does have some information. They are in touch with the Saudis. I think in the next, you know, few days, we're going to know a lot more about what happened.

And I think the U.S. is going to have some hard choices that range the gamut from is the U.S. going to pull out of this, you know, financial conference that the U.S., Steve Mnuchin, the Treasury Secretary, Jared Kushner and others, are scheduled to attend later this month.

This morning, Mnuchin said, yes, I'm still going. In the Oval Office, Secretary Pompeo said, well, we're going to be looking at that over the next couple of days.

So, it runs the gamut from this little conference, to sanctions, to the military deal, to thinking about whether does President Trump reach out to the King Salman and say, you know what? Your son is really not fit to be the ruler of your country and you need to think about it. There's a lot of talk about that, too.

So, there are going to be a lot of uncomfortable conversations at the White House, at the Pentagon, within the diplomatic community and with Riyadh, I think, in the next couple of days, two weeks.

CABRERA: All right. Elise Labott, Sam Kiley, Nic Robertson, thank you all.

Khashoggi's disappearance from the Saudi conflict (ph) in Istanbul and President Trump's mixed reactions to it have renewed questions about potential conflicts posed by Trump's long-standing business ties with the Saudi kingdom.

CNN Business and Politics Correspondent Cristina Alesci examines those connections for us -- Cristina.

CRISTINA ALESCI, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Donald Trump has touted his successful business relationship with Saudi Arabia over the years. He even bragged about how much Saudi Arabians have spent buying Trump apartments. But it's tough to tell just how much business he's actually done with the Saudis.

Here's what we know.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ALESCI (voice-over): Saudi Arabia has been making Donald Trump rich for decades.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Saudi Arabia and I get along great with all of them. They buy apartments from me. They spend 40 million, 50 million. Am I supposed to dislike them? I like them very much.

ALESCI: Trump's financial ties with the Saudis date back to the 1990s. In 1991, when one of his casino projects was faltering under a mountain of debt, a Saudi prince purchased Trump's 281 square foot yacht for the hefty price of $20 million. Ten years later, public records show Trump sold the 45th floor of his Trump World Tower in New York to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for $4.5 million.

In recent years, since Trump took office, his hotels have benefited from Saudi business. Between October 2016 and March 2017, a Saudi lobbying firm paid Trump's Washington D.C. hotel more than $270,000 for food and accommodations. Trump's Manhattan hotel in Central Park West saw a revenue increase during the first quarter of 2018, in part because of a visit from Saudi crowned Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, according to a letter in "The Washington Post."

[17:10:11] In the letter, the hotel's general manager wrote that Bin Salman didn't stay at the hotel himself, but said, quote, "Due to our close industry relationships, we were able to accommodate many of the accompanying travelers."

Overall, however, little is known about the full extent of Trump's business relationship with Saudi Arabia.

JONATHAN O'CONNELL, FINANCE REPORTER, "THE WASHINGTON POST": We don't know really very much about his efforts to open other properties in Saudi Arabia. We don't know who his partners would have been. We don't know who would have financed them. And we don't know if could restart them again down the road.

ALESCI: According to his 2016 financial disclosure, Trump had 144 registered companies will dealings in more than two dozen countries. Eight of them were Saudi companies. All of those companies have been dissolved. But tonight, as cries for the president to take action against Saudi Arabia grow louder, Trump's business ties are coming under new scrutiny.

O'CONNELL: Of course, now, the larger political question is, are -- is this relationship, are these business deals part of the president's consideration when he makes decisions about how to go forward?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALESCI (on camera): Now, a spokesperson told me, quote, "Like many global real estate companies, we have explored opportunities in many markets. That said, we do not have any plans for expansion into Saudi Arabia."

But when I asked about other financial ties, like the ones you heard about in the report, the condo sales at Trump Tower, for example, I did not get an answer -- Ana.

CABRERA: Cristina Alesci, thank you.

So, in a week, that included the Khashoggi case, a major hurricane hitting Florida and a major dive on Wallstreet. President Trump was hosting back-to-back rallies and letting Kanye West take over the Oval Office. What does it say about the president's priorities? We'll discuss, next.

[17:12:53]

(COMMERCAL BREAK)

CABRERA: When you are the president, the to-do list is never ending and everything that you do or don't do can have a significant impact. You have to prioritize.

In a week when hundreds of thousands of Americans are in harm's way or suffering, what should the priority be? President Trump had this to say in 2012 in the wake of Super Storm Sandy, tweeting, yesterday, Obama campaigned with Jay-Z and Springsteen while Hurricane Sandy victims, across New York and New Jersey, are still decimated by Sandy. Wrong. That was then citizen Trump.

Fast forward six years. Florida Gulf Coast walloped with one of the most powerful storms to ever make landfall there. An entire town decimated, reduced to nothing but concrete slabs, splintered wood, shattered glass, no power for more than a million people.

As Michael was wreaking havoc on Wednesday, what was now President Trump up to? He was in Pennsylvania for a campaign rally. The very next day, as people in Florida and Georgia started to pick up the pieces, the storm still not over, causing deadly flooding in the Carolinas and Virginia, the president was hosting rapper Kanye West, while the country bore witness to a bizarre profanity-laden meeting in the Oval Office. Senior Kid Rock, NFL legend, Jim Brown, they were also at the White House that day.

On Friday, with search and rescue operations still underway in multiple states, the president had another rally. This time in Ohio. And tonight at 7:00 Eastern, another rally. This one in Kentucky.

So, why is something President Trump viewed as wrong in 2012 no longer wrong when he does it? With us, CNN Chief Media Correspondent and host of "RELIABLE SOURCES" here on CNN, Brian Stelter; and CNN Political Commentator, host of "S.E. CUPP UNFILTERED," coming up at the top of the hour, S.E. Cupp.

S.E., are these just bad optics or is this something more? Is this bad leadership?

S.E. CUPP, CNN HOST "S.E. CUPP UNFILTERED": It's a little of both. The optics are bad. They were bad I thought when Obama did that. They're bad when Trump does it. It's not the first time he has put politics ahead of maybe comforting a national citizenry or seeming to take their concerns seriously. But, at the end of the day, optics are not leadership. Where the

leadership, I think, is in question, is that he still does not, I think, use his platform, his bully pulpit, when he's at a rally, for example, to talk about those real issues, those real fears and concerns. He could go to the rally and he could use what he obviously knows is a significant platform. Maybe to direct some attention to those concerns or any number of concerns that I think he chooses to not prioritize above politics.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Just like at the rally he should be saying, send a text, donate to the American Red Cross.

CUPP: Wouldn't that be nice?

STELTER: Do this right now to help your citizens in Florida. And if you're in a neighboring state, get in the car, ship (ph) down there with gas.

CUPP: Right.

SELTER: Right. Those are the kinds of messaging that he could do.

CUPP: Why isn't he doing that?

STELTER: I think because he's laser-focused on the mid-terms. All of these communication strategies recently, where he's talking, where he's very chatty, it's about trying to dominate the national conversation in favor of the Republicans for the mid-terms. It seems he is very focused on that rally schedule. And we all know how much he enjoys these rallies.

But right now, there's also not a lot of media pressure on him to focus more on Florida. Frankly, I'm glad we're talking about it because I have not seen enough pressure either from the public or from the press saying, hey, what the heck, why is he not talking and focusing on Florida and Georgia and on the Carolinas and on Virginia?

This hurricane, you know, had quite a swop -- did quite a swop of damage. There's just not enough focus on it. Yes, we are paying attention to what's happening in the panhandle, and there's not enough pressure on the government right now to get food and supplies in.

CABRERA: I mean, there is this philosophy that, as a president, you have to be able to multi-task. You also have to rely on other people, be able to validate that.

STELTER: Right.

CABRERA: So, maybe he can focus on the hurricane and prison reform, for example. But here's the thing, though, that was hardly even mentioned, prison reform, for example, during his meeting with Kanye West. We know that was supposed to be part of the discussion.

But here is what some of what West did say. Let me read a few lines here. Time is a myth. The solution to police brutality is love. Open Trump factories in Chicago. Kids should play basketball while doing math because school is boring. Make the flyest (ph) cars.

S.E., if President Trump takes prison reform seriously, is this how he should spend his time working on this issue?

CUPP: No, I mean, if you care about that issue. I don't think -- is anybody, today, talking about prison reform as a policy right now on any news network anywhere? I doubt it. So, no, if that is an issue that you care about, then I think that time was probably better spent doing it differently.

But I would just say, replace Kanye with Kim, and we actually did have a conversation. It was a brief one, but we had a conversation about a policy, about prison reform. We actually saw some movement on prison reform.

So, I don't think it was dismissed. Yes.

CUPP: So, I don't think it was handled differently.

CABRERA: It wasn't like this massive press conference.

CUPP: Well, she is a different person as well. But I don't think that we should dismiss out of hand the idea that celebrities can't play a role and using their platforms to expose important issues. This just did not happen to be -- this combination of personalities and the way it was set up was, I thought, a disaster.

CABRERA: Let me read you something our colleague, Nia-Malika Henderson, writes about this meeting. She writes, the result was about what one would expect. A hard-to-parse bizarre Oval Office moment with very little substance fueled by West's desperate need for attention and Trump's need for open adoration by famous people.

Brian, who or what are these or meetings really for?

STELTER: Right. The critics have a point when they say, it is about feeding the president's ego. And, frankly, at this point, almost two years into the Trump presidency, I think views of the president are so fixed and people's minds are so made up that he can, kind of, get away with all of these sorts of behaviors or actions or activities. He can go and hold three rallies in the wake of a hurricane because it's not going to change public perceptions of him that much.

I mean, am I missing something? I don't think that the dial is going to change a lot, even though it was horrifying what he did with Kanye West in the Oval Office. He exploited a man that needed help. It was very sad so see. But it's not going to chance public opinions. Of course, it may show up in the mid-term elections but who knows.

CABRERA: All right. Brian, S.E., got to leave it there. Thanks, guys.

A reminder, you can catch "S.E. CUPP UNTILTERED" at the top of the hour. And Brian on his show, "RELIABLE SOURCES" tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. Eastern here on CNN.

We'll be right back.

[17:23:53]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: Three days after Hurricane Michael unleashed its wrath on the Florida panhandle, first responders are still searching the debris for people trapped or killed. The storm is now blamed for 17 deaths across four states. And that number is still rising.

Survivors in some of the hardest hit areas, meanwhile, are growing more desperate for food and for water. Take a look at this new drone footage, showing the scale of the devastation. This is Mexico Beach Florida, what some are referring to as ground zero of the storm. The mayor there says about 75 percent of his city was wiped out. No businesses are up and running, at this point. One resident who rode out the storm captured this dramatic footage of Michael's fury as it washed ashore.

CNN's Martin Savidge has the very latest now from Mexico Beach. And, Martin, do they know, at this point, how many people may have stayed behind during the storm?

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ana, the official count was 286. They knew that because they went door to door before the storm struck. Now, what they're trying to do is see how many of those 286 people can still be found. It's not to say there are close to 300 missing, no. It is to say that there are people they're still trying to account.

And the most obvious way you would do that is go back to the house where you last saw them. The problem is, most of the houses look, well maybe something like this, or look like that wide-open debris field. How do you find the address then? How do you find the people that were living in those homes? And did they flee their home when it was being damaged and beaten by the storm and go somewhere else that totally authorities don't know?

Tomorrow, they're going to continue to go door to door. They had a list and they will be trying to check everyone off that list. Meanwhile, this crew down here, talk about drones, the government is using drones now to try to map out the debris field. It's both being used to try to find those that are still missing, ideas of where to search.

And then, also, too, just to get a sense of what is where. This whole community has been turned upside down, so the whole geography was -- well, it's just a strange environment from what it was. People don't recognize the place.

Meanwhile, the search and recovery crews are continuing to go through the debris here. They finally got another day back tomorrow, as they try to ascertain who survived. We know that there was at least one fatality. There are beliefs that there are more yet to be discovered.

[17:30:06] And then, lastly, it's all those names that they're trying to whittle down that list. They probably have another day of that tomorrow as they try to ascertain who survived. We know there was at least one fatality. There's belief that there's yet more to be discovered.

And it's all the names that they are trying to check off the list. Last night, we had a couple of people on "Anderson Cooper." We have been going around, letting people get word out that they were alive, who maybe have not talked to their family. And I was talking to a police chief. He said, have you seen this person or that person. And we had five people on his list that were missing on videotape that we can take off the list and prove they are alive and well. So, you know, small community like this, that is a huge bit of good news. And as I was talking to the police chief about the place, he said, it will never be what it was and there were tears in his eyes as we talked -- Ana?

ANA CABRERA, CNN ANCHOR: How do you even begin to get back on your feet in that community?

Martin Savidge, glad to hear you are helping to find those among the missing and they are coming out of it OK. That is a lot of good news.

Thank you.

Coming up, Comedian David Chappelle weighing in on President Trump and Trump's superstar supporter, Kanye West.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVE CHAPPELLE, COMEDIAN: You know, I don't have to agree with everything that he says. I trust him as a person of intent. But, yes, he should not say all that (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:35:57] CABRERA: It is a rare day indeed, to see President Trump left speechless. But it happened this week when Rapper Kanye West took over the Oval Office.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KANYE WEST, RAPPER: I love Hillary, I love everyone," right? But the campaign 'I'm with her,' just didn't make me feel as a guy, that didn't get to see my dad all the time, like a guy that could play catch with his son. It was something about when I put the hat on, and it made me feel like Superman. You made a Superman. That is my favorite super hero. You made a Superman cape for me. As a guy that looks up to you and Ralph Loren (ph), and industry guys, guys with no (EXPLETED DELETED). Put the beep on it, however you want to do it, five second delay -- and goes and gets it done.

I did pay with the hat on because why would keep something around that's a trap door? If you build in a floor, the Constitution is the base of our industry, of our country, of our company, would you build a trap door that if you mess up and accidentally, something happens you fall and end up next to the Uni-bomber, you have to remove all of the trap door out of the relationship. The four men that wrote the 13th Amendment -- and I think the way the universe works is perfect. We don't have 13 floors, do we? You know, the men that wrote the 13th Amendment did not look like the people they were amending.

We have to make our core be in power. We have to bring jobs in to America. Our best export is entertainment and ideas. But when we make everything in China and not in America, then we are cheating on our country. And we are putting people in positions to have to do illegal things to end up in a cheapest factory ever, the prison system.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I tell you what, that was pretty impressive, folks.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: It was not the first time that the Grammy Award-winning rapper has made headlines for his outspoken support of President Trump.

And now, another big name, Comedian Dave Chappelle, is weighing in on Kanye's politically charged rhetoric. He sat down with CNN's Van Jones for a brand-new episode of 'THE VAN JONES SHOW." A quick note, that interview was taped before Kanye's most recent meeting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR & CNN HOST, "THE VAN JONES SHOW": There's this question though, Democrats verse Republicans. You have people like Kanye West saying, listen, love you guys --

(CROSSTALK)

CHAPPELLE: Excuse me one second.

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

(LAUGHTER)

JONES: Well, you know where I'm going with this. Kanye says that time-out for Democrats. What do you think?

CHAPPELLE: Well, I think that, first of all, you know, Kanye is an artist, man.

JONES: Yes.

CHAPPELLE: And he is a genius.

JONES: Absolutely. CHAPPELLE: You know, whatever he is saying right now, I think that

the angle he is seeing things from is about the division that he sees. And he is not inconsistent with what he is saying. For instance, a decade ago, I read a quote where he said he wanted to take the Confederate flag and re-appropriate some other way. The thing that is scary about the presidency is after it. I don't know if you have been married or had a girlfriend and said something in a fight that was so wrong, and then, after that, we still family, we still around each other. But man, I sure did say all that (EXPLETIVE DELETED), didn't I?

Kanye is my brother. I love him, I support him. But I don't have to agree with everything that he says. I just trust him as a person of intent.

But, yes, he should not say all that (EXPLETED DELETED.)

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: You guys laughed a lot in the show, as I bring in the host of "THE VAN JONES SHOW," Van Jones himself.

We don't get a laugh as much these days, so that felt good.

[17:39:57] JONES: With Dave Chappelle, it's hard to not laugh. He makes the heartbreaking stuff funny. He told us that stuff before Kanye's most recent episode. I thought what he was actually, what he said was useful. Is that, you know, we are in this moment. A lot of stuff is being said back and forth. And a lot of it coming from the White House. How do we heal from it and what happens after it's over? And you know, I think he also said he can appreciate Kanye as an artist, and he doesn't think he should be saying all the things he is saying.

CABRERA: People remember on "SNL" when Chappelle said he would give Trump a chance. How have his views changed on Trump?

JONES: He talk about that and a number of things. I will not give away spoilers.

(CROSSTALK)

CABRERA: I thought I would tease it out of you.

JONES: He does talk about Trump quite a bit in a way that may surprise you.

CABRERA: You have Kanye expressing his love for President Trump in the same week you have Taylor Swift, a country music star from Trump country, publicly supporting the Democratic challenger in the Senate race in Tennessee. What do you make of the cultural role reversal there, Van?

JONES: Well, listen, it's a topsy-turvy world and people are looking at things fresh and they are trying to figure out what, what is the right way forward? We are in the middle of a train crash, inside of a circus, next to a zoo, half the time and nobody knows which way forward? I was impressed that Taylor Swift came out. I'm from Tennessee, born and raised. The guy she is supporting is a moderate Democrat, he has done great things for both sides of the aisle, and for Taylor Swift to come forward and say, listen, because of his opponents a position on LGBTQ rights and women's rights, she cannot support Blackburn, even though Blackburn is a female and a woman. You see these lines getting crossed. And the whole thing is crazy. We try to get in to it on the show. I just appreciate having the opportunity to talk to somebody like Dave Chappelle who is supporting Ben Jealous. You know, Dave Chappelle has never been involved in politics. He did not even endorse Barack Obama. But he is endorsing Ben Jealous to be the governor of Maryland because he has known Ben Jealous since they were kids, and he believes Ben Jealous is actually an honest guy. And that was an interesting part of the conversation as well.

CABRERA: A lot of talk this week about Attorney General Eric Holder's "Kick them," comment. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIC HOLDER, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY: GENERAL: It is time for us, as Democrats, to be as tough as they are, to be as dedicated as they are, to be committed as they are.

But Michelle says, when they go low, we go high. No, no.

(CROSSTALK)

HOLDER: No. When they go low, we kick them.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Democrats seem divided on how to counter Republican attacks. What is your answer?

JONES: Listen, I think that, first of all, the Republicans going crazy and acting like what he said is unacceptable and whatever. The Republican Party under Trump is not the party of civility. And unless they want to say the same thing to Donald Trump four or five times a day, they should leave him alone of. I don't think that we can out hate the haters and out divide the dividers. Progressives are good at hating people and so I think it's better to not feed what we are fighting and become what we are fighting. But I understand the frustration of people like Eric Holder and others feeling that we get kicked and kicked in the face over again. Voter suppression and court being stacked. We aren't fighting back hard enough. I think you can fight back hard with love, though, and that's my preference.

CABRERA: Our thanks to Van Jones.

Be sure to tune in tonight, the "VAN JONES SHOW," featuring Dave Chappelle at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.

Need a little distraction? How about dreaming of winning Tuesday's Mega Millions jackpot? It soared to over $650 million after no one won last night. Tuesday's drawing will be the second-largest in Mega Million's history. But if Tuesday is too far away for dreaming big, tonight's Powerball jackpot is $314 million. So, combined, the Mega Millions and the Powerball jackpots total nearly a billion dollars, $968 million to be exact. I say, dream on.

His unique perspective and voice influenced the world of food, travel and culture. The newest episode of "PARTS UNKNOW" takes a different look at the show's name sake, Anthony Bourdain.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY BOURDAIN, CNN HOST, "PARTS UNKNOWN": You like it? You happy here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love it and I hate it. It's home. It's become home.

BOURDAIN: Are you optimistic about the future?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, especially if there's no clear day it finally happened, yes. Very much actually.

[17:45:08] BOURDAIN: Let's assume the worst. Let's assume that you cannot see any way to reconcile what you think of Iran with your own personal beliefs. You just generally do not approve.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

BOURDAIN: I think those are the sort of places you should go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Totally.

BOURDAIN: See who we are talking about and where we are talking about here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's un-American to not go to the places, you know?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Don't miss an all-new episode of Anthony Bourdain's "PARTS UNKNOWN," tomorrow at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.

We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:50:10] CABRERA: We've been covering the destruction from Hurricane Michael. And on the phone with us right now from Panama City is Libby Busbee, who not only survived this hurricane but Katrina in 2005 when she lost everything.

So, Libby, I'm so sorry for all you've had to endure. What is your situation right now?

LIBBY BUSBEE, HURRICANE SURVIVOR (via telephone): Well, as of right now, we have food and water. We found the truck with water and cereal. Stuff we could eat, you know, without having to cook and it was from South Carolina is all I know. The only problem we're having is people trying to break into our house in the middle of the night, which is very scary because there's been a lot of shootings and killings because of it.

CABRERA: What? Wow. What condition is your house in right now and do you feel safe there? Do you have what you need? You have family and your daughter's health has been affected. Tell us more.

BUSBEE: We could use all the help we could get. I tore apart a dog cage to put across the windows and barricade the doors at night. We have no electricity, so it's one minute, it's hot and then next minute, it's cold. At night, it's cold. As long as it don't rain, I can stay in my house with the way it is this second.

CABRERA: Describe for me what you've experienced in the last couple of days. What has it been like?

BUSBEE: It's been bad.

CABRERA: Oh.

BUSBEE: It's been really bad. I didn't have no idea it was going to be this terrible. This is worse than Katrina. But we've got food and water faster than we did, not knowing, you know, the roof was caving in on us. And my daughter choking on gas and my brother jumped out in the middle of the hurricane and shut off the gas. The roof collapsed on him. But he's OK. He's just got some fractures, but our hospital is shut down, so he's just having to deal with the pain. And then my boyfriend stayed at home to keep my animals safe because I have goats and huskies and cats and so he had to endure the hurricane by trying to keep my house top from blowing off. The door blew open and he was just trying to save my stuff from when my son had died in the military.

CABRERA: Oh, my goodness. You've been through so much. I'm sorry, Libby.

You mentioned your daughter was inhaling gas and I understand that she had to be hospitalized. How is she doing right now?

BUSBEE: She's really weak. They gave her a bag of I.V. fluid because her stomach and her back was hurting from her trying to throw up. She was throwing up foam and stuff, passing out. They said there was nothing they could do for us because, you know, with gas like that, you just kind of got to go through it. But she's weak. I've got her to eat today and her sister, hopefully, will try to come get her Monday. I don't know when they're going to let people back in. We're kind of in the dark out here.

CABRERA: Wow. Literally and figuratively. Libby Busbee, I know you're going through a lot. Thank you for

sharing your story with us. We'll do what we can to try to spread the word, to try to get the help that you need to you.

BUSBEE: Thank you.

CABRERA: I know it's a tough situation.

BUSBEE: The police need gas. They're doing the best they can, but they can't be everywhere, they told me last night. But they did, there was 50 or more in my neighborhood that they had to just yell and chase off. They couldn't catch them all.

CABRERA: Oh, my goodness. What's next, it feels like.

Libby Busbee, thank you so much for being with us. We wish you and your family all the best.

Afghan and Iraqi interpreters serving alongside U.S. troops in the Middle East put themselves and their families at great risk every day and this week's "CNN Hero" is an Army veteran whose new mission is to bring them to safety.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[17:55:10] MATT ZELLER: Afghan and Iraq translators, they're proud patriots who signed up to defend their country and to help us with our mission. We owe these people a great debt of gratitude to feel like they have been honored for their sacrifice.

Welcome home. Welcome.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks for everything.

ZELLER: Thank you.

What we also owe them is a chance at a new and better life that we promised them in exchange for that service.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: For more, go to CNNheroes.com right now.

I'm Ana Cabrera, in New York. Thanks for being with me. I'll see you back here tonight at 8:00 eastern live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

"S.E. CUPP UNFILTERED" is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:00:11] S.E. CUPP, CNN HOST: Welcome to "UNFILTERED."

Here's tonight's headlines.