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Clinton Aide: It's Not Impossible that She Runs in 2020; Trump Announces He's scrapping 30-Year-Old Arms-Control Agreement with Russia; Minnesota Women Discuss "Me Too" Movement, Trump's Treatment of Women, Kavanaugh Confirmation. Aired 5-6p ET
Aired October 20, 2018 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Republicans produce jobs. That's become a hash tag. That's called hash tag. That's a new hash tag. That's a hot one. This November vote for jobs, not mobs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANA CABRERA, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSROOM: Let me turn to CNN White House Correspondent Boris Sanchez for us. Boris, Trump also went hard on immigration today.
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPNODENT: That's right, Anna, immigration certainly a focus of the president this afternoon in Elko, Nevada. We saw him return to some dire rhetoric that we really hadn't heard from President Trump since the 2016 election. He's really elevating the midterms to a do-or-die proposition, not just for his agenda, but for the country.
At one point, the president suggested that immigrants were criminals trying to enter the United States to steal resources from Americans all with the help of Democrats. The president essentially saying that if you wanted to save the United States, you should vote Republican. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The Democrat Party has become too extreme and too dangerous to be trusted with the power that they want. I need everyone here today to cash your vote. Ideally today. How about raising your right hand, do you promise you will leave this site, go out and cast your vote right now?
Democrats believe our country should be a sanctuary for criminal aliens. Republicans believe our country should be a sanctuary for law-abiding Americans. Democrats believe American taxpayers should provide free welfare to illegals. Republicans believe welfare should be protected for truly needy Americans.
If you want to save your country, if you want to protect your family, if you want to defend America's laws, borders, sovereignty, and even your dignity, then you have to go out today and vote. (END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: There's no question, Ana, that we're likely to see more of this doomsday rhetoric from President Trump as we get closer to Election Day. Recent polls suggested that Democrats are in a position where they will likely win the House. That could present a huge headache for this president, whether it's an attempt at impeachment or long, thorough investigations. And in his business dealings and those close to him, that's something this president does not want.
So, you see that urgency to try to get his supporters out to the polls through all of these rallies. I should note, he has three more next week, one in Texas, Wisconsin and North Carolina, with the potential for more to be added to the schedule as we get closer to November -- Ana.
CABRERA: All right, Boris Sanchez, never a dull moment. Thank you.
Much to discuss and joining us, political commentator and host of "S.C. CUPP UNFILTERED" S.E. Cupp; and CNN Chief Media Correspondent and host of "RELIABLE SOURCES," Brian Stelter.
So, Brian, this is a man, like him or not, who knows how to message, how to market, how to brand.
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
CABRERA: Now, he's calling Democrats, mobs, calling them unhinged, calling them angry. Will it stick?
STELTER: The scariest show this Halloween season is the Trump show. It's these Trump rallies. As much as his supporters come away feeling really energized, the rhetoric that he's actually delivering is very frightening. He's stoking fear of the other, whether it's the press, whether it's the Democrats, whether it's these migrants.
This migrant caravan which started a week ago in Honduras now heading toward Mexico and, in some cases, some of these folks are now entering Mexico, is being used as a weapon by President Trump on the stump.
And I think it does stick. I think he's very effective in these slogans, in these messages. There is no Democrat who is as prominent as he is to rebut him. Right? Avenatti tries, and Biden tries and others try. But, you know, you laugh, but there's nobody nearly as effective as Trump at this.
CABRERA: I mean, the line, S.E., that he used today was, vote jobs not mobs.
S.E. CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, really, really good.
CABRERA: How do Democrats counter that?
CUPP: That is a good line. It's succinct. It says everything that a Trump voter would need to know. I'm actually pleasantly surprised that he's included a jobs part of that message, because he's got record unemployment right now. That is something he should be bragging about.
And you're right. No one on the left has come up with --
CABRERA: Right.
CUPP: -- anything as sticky. And, in fact, --
CABRERA: I mean, none of his Republican counterparts did in the 2016 election.
CUPP: -- there --
CABRERA: (INAUDIBLE.)
CUPP: That's absolutely true. You know, he goes for the simple. He goes for the obvious and it really works. You've got a divided Democratic message. You've got Michelle Obama talking about not using fear. You've got Eric Holder, kick 'em. You've got Biden, today, he was talking about gerrymandering. You've got House Democrats who want to talk about health care. In the midst of this, Elizabeth Warren is talking about her DNA. That is absolutely no competition for jobs not mobs.
[17:05:00] CABRERA: He also talked about the caravan, blaming Democrats for this group, thousands of migrants, who are headed north. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The Democrats want caravans. They like the caravans. A lot of people say, I wonder who started that caravan?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: Brian, first. Fact check for us. Who started this caravan? And, secondly, will independence be able to see through that?
STELTER: Yes, this is a conspiratorial talk by the president, right. He's implying that there is a conspiracy here. In the past, he has cited left-wing groups, blaming them for these sorts of caravans. He likes to invoke Soros' name and others.
But let me defer to a report from "The Daily Times" who's there right now. She said, reports of this caravan was organized by anybody, by Dems, by Soros, by opponents of the Honduran president. They're all wrong. This reporter, (INAUDIBLE) said, look, this is pure chaos on the ground. It's not organized at all.
So, to the extent that it is an effort that it is arranged by anybody, these are locals in Honduras and Guatemala who are trying to make a statement. You know, we've seen these caravans before. You've covered them before. These are attempts to gain attention, draw attention to the plight of migrants.
But the idea that U.S. Democrats are organizing this is crazy. Obviously, he's suggesting the Democrats want the migrants to come. That's really what he's saying in that statement. But it sure is conspiratorial.
CABRERA: I see you shaking your head.
CUPP: Well, it flies in the face of common sense. This is actually politically very bad for Democrats. Democrats are hurting with Hispanic voters right now. Overstating how much they will turn out and know that.
And so, to have this, sort of, moment on the border where Trump's fear-based rhetoric really works is, sort of, shown to demonstrate --
CABRERA: But couldn't it also, maybe, fire up Hispanic voters who are --
CUPP: No, not according to polling.
CABRERA: -- saying no, that's not OK?
CUPP: Polling suggests that Hispanic voters are far more interested right now in the economy, far less interested in immigration. This is why Democrats are privately worried about turnout. A fourth of Hispanic voters are registered Republicans. A third consider themselves conservative.
So, I don't think this helps Democrats. For him to suggest this was somehow orchestrated by them is -- it's almost laughable.
CABRERA: I got to get your comments, Brian, on the Gianforte comments earlier this week, when the president lauded the Montana Congressman who slammed, body slammed a reporter last year. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Any guy that can do a body slam, he's my kind. No, he's a great guy. Tough cookie.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you regret bringing up last night at your rally the assault on a reporter by a Congressman?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No, no, no, no, not at all. That was a different world. That was a different league, a different world. No, he's just a great guy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: Brian, no president should be praising assault. But Gianforte was elected after all that. Can you blame the president for trying to leverage what apparently worked?
STELTER: Yes, I can. I like the White House Correspondents Association statement on this the best. The association said the president was essentially praising a crime, since Gianforte pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault in this case. And the reporter, Ben Jacobs, he was trying to ask a question about health care. That's how this all started. I think reporters should be asking more questions about health care, not less.
But, you know, this is incredibly tribal. The president was talking to an audience of fans in that room. I don't think he was thinking about the entire U.S. population or the entire world. When he's at these rallies, he's speaking to the converted. There's a reason why they call it a cult of personality, after all.
CABRERA: Listen to what the president is saying about calling women beautiful today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I want to thank the great men that are here. And I want to thank the beautiful women, everyone beautiful, everyone. And I said, ah, I better apologize. Because if I don't -- for calling you all beautiful. Because if I don't apologize, they will go wild tomorrow. Headlines, Donald Trump called women beautiful. They're all saying, please, call me beautiful. It is a crazy phenomena that's going on. But you know what, women, you are beautiful. To me, you're beautiful. Every one of you is beautiful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: Why talk about how women look?
CUPP: Ah, well, first of all, he's right. We are talking about how he called women beautiful. Second, --
STELTER: Sure, right.
CUPP: -- that's among the least offensive things he has ever said about women. I don't know why he likes going there. I don't know why he called someone like Nikki Haley glamorous. Made the U.N. more glamorous. I don't know why he's naturally drawn to that.
CABRERA: He called another female reporter the other day baby.
CUPP: Yes, it's -- you wouldn't choose that in -- as a characteristic of a president. But I think calling women, writ large in Arizona, beautiful, I'll take it.
STELTER: Hey, better beautiful than horse face.
CUPP: I'll take it, yes.
[17:10:00] STELTER: Right? In a normal presidency, a president using the term, horse face, would still be a top story four days later.
CUPP: Yes. Yes, that was this week.
STELTER: But we've all moved on from that.
CUPP: It was still this week.
CABRERA: Yes. Wow. S.E. Cupp, Brian Stelter, thank you, both.
And a quick reminder, don't forget about S.E.'s show at the top of the hour, "S.E. CUPP UNFILTERED." And Brian's show tomorrow, "RELIABLE SOURCES," at 11:00 a.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
Still ahead this hour, dramatic pictures as that caravan of migrants make their way north to Mexico with hopes of reaching the U.S. But the question remains, will they make it that far? We'll get the live report from the border, the southern border of Mexico, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CABRERA: Just in to CNN. We are learning two citizens from El Salvador have been detained after they hijacked two trucks to crash through a police fence on the Honduran-Guatemalan border. Now, they are associated with that caravan of thousands of migrants traveling through Central America right now headed north. Many of these migrants have now reached Guatemala's border with Mexico. Some with the hopes of coming to the U.S.
[17:15:08] And take a look at these images. Thousands of migrants packing together on this bridge at the Mexico-Guatemalan border, waiting for a chance to enter Mexico. The desperation so intense that, at one point, this crowd broke through a steel fence that was padlocked shut. They quickly met Mexican police in riot gear trying to push them back. As President Trump issued this warning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: These are some bad people coming through. They are -- these aren't babies. These are little angels coming into our country. These are some hardened criminals coming in. And we're not letting them in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: CNN's Patrick Oppmann is live for us at the Guatemalan- Mexican border. Patrick, what are you seeing there now?
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, desperation has driven the people who are on that bridge now to come to the river where I am and cross either by going on a boat, paying some of the ferrymen who run the boats across this stretch of water which is small but very treacherous. Or hanging onto boats or even swimming. People have tried walking across the river. We've seen a couple of people have trouble because they've been carrying children or all their belongings. So, some are perilous, seeing people are at a wit's end.
They've been going now for a week to two weeks trying to get into Mexico to only -- from here go -- to take an even longer journey in -- from the southern border of Mexico to the northern border with the United States. So, by no means are they near their destination yet, Ana. But they continue to go. People say they're just -- going back home, at this point, is not an option. So, even though the Mexican police had stopped them on the bridge, they're continuing that journey through the river behind me.
CABRERA: Patrick, the president has threatened to cut millions of dollars in aid to Central American countries, if this caravan reaches the U.S. Here's what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They do nothing for us. I called them, I said very nicely, you're not going to get any money if you let this happen. And all of a sudden, they're starting to close it up tightly. They're trying.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: Patrick, tell us what's at stake here?
OPPMANN: Well, at stake here is a lot because the president has talked about closing down the southern border with the U.S. and Mexico which would have a major impact on both countries' economies. You know, this is a political issue as well. Something he feels that could have an effect on the midterms. And is something that the president feels very strongly about. I mean, he says that the people that are coming across are bad people. They're going to do harm in the U.S.
The vast majority of the people that I have talked to today, though, are families. People who are just simply seeking opportunity. People that are fleeing from violence and corruption and failed economies back home. And just want to get someplace where they have more opportunities -- Ana.
CABRERA: Patrick Oppmann for us on the Guatemalan-Mexican border. Thank you.
Up next, big-name Democrats embark on a campaign Blitz as President Trump takes a swing at a potential future rival.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: -- to run against us. And I don't want to hit them so hard that they don't make it. How about sleepy Joe Biden, Sleepy Joe?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[17:22:10] Seven hundred forty-five days to go until the next presidential election. But who's counting? I mean, we still have to get through the midterms, right? The 2020 election may seem like a long way off but President Trump has already raised more than $100 million for his re-election campaign. That's unprecedented.
And take a look at this map. This shows you where potential Democratic presidential hopefuls are on a campaign blitz this weekend, through states that we know will be crucial in the race against Trump. Making friends for 2020, yes, but not without an appeal to vote this year, too.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I), Vermont: And when people tell you, and I've heard this for such a long time, well, I'm not going to vote. My vote doesn't matter. All politicians are crooked. You tell them -- you tell them that you're sick and tired of hearing them moan and groan about what's going on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: Joining us now, CNN Political Commentator, and former Hillary Clinton campaign manager, Robby Mook. So, Robby, while the energy at Trump rallies is always for Trump, I'm remembering, during the 2016 election campaign, it didn't seem like, sometimes, there was more energy behind the big-name guests. Hillary Clinton had, like, first Lady Michelle Obama or some other celebrities. Do you ever think there's a time where star power actually hurts more than it helps?
ROBBY MOOK, FORMER HILLARY CLINTON CAMPAIGN MANAGER: I don't think so. You know, I fully endorse everything that Bernie Sanders just said. Our biggest problem in this election, midterm election, is Democrats. Is people deciding to turn out to vote. You look at states like Georgia or Texas, in particular. The math is there to win. The reason we won't if we don't is just because a lot of people decided not to turn out to vote.
So, I think getting everybody we can, getting all the chorus' of voices in. You know, Taylor Swift is famously weighing in in Tennessee. I think all of it's important and all of it helps.
CABRERA: The president's old campaign rallying cry, that illegal immigration is a danger to this country, is now the new centerpiece for the Republican closing argument. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[17:25:03] DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And, remember, it's going to be an election of the caravan. You know what I'm talking about. You know what I'm talking about. A lot of money has been passing through, people to come up and try and get to the border by Election Day, because they think that's a negative for us. Number one, they're being stopped. And number two, regardless, that's our issue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: Should Democrats be talking more about the issue of immigration to try to counter President Trump's remarks?
MOOK: Well, what President Trump is doing there is trying to rally his base. And, obviously, the things he's saying are patently false, right. Democrats have nothing to do with this caravan coming up. Democrats have proposed any number of proposals to strengthen border security. But the president's not hearing any of it.
In fact, there were deals on all these things, and he's just walked away from them. So, he's not an honest broker. There's no -- there's no -- there's nothing that's going to come out of talking about it more.
But I do think this is an important warning for Democrats that the president has really tightened up his message over the last few weeks. If you remember at the beginning of September and, in fact, through a good part of that month, the White House was in disarray. Books were coming out with all kinds of stories. The president was tweeting about Mueller every morning. That stopped.
CABRERA: Yes.
MOOK: And he is driving a very consistent message. And where the Senate -- the battleground for the Senate is in these red states. And so, Democrats need to focus on voter turnout, because that is certainly what the president is doing. And they have an idea in those states.
CABRERA: I talked to a number of voters this week who say they don't really know what the Democrats' message is. And they are frustrated that the Democrats don't have a rebuttal to the attacks that the president and other Republicans are putting out. What is the Democrats' message?
MOOK: Well, actually, if you go on line, there's a full agenda there, a better deal for America.
CABRERA: Sure, but you don't have to go on line to know what the president's message is or what the Republican message is. Because, as you point out, they are disciplined. They are sticking to a very focused message.
MOOK: Yes. Look, this is always a challenge when you don't have the White House. The president is one human being. Everything he says gets covered. He can wake up in the morning and drive a message.
For the Democrats, we've literally got hundreds of candidates across the country --
CABRERA: Yes.
MOOK: -- for Senate and for House. And that is always a structural challenge.
But if you look at these individual races, you see these Democratic candidates talking about kitchen table issues. Talking about protecting people's access to health care. Talking about making our tax system fair.
And the other fact of the matter is people are running all over the country. And the kind of ads you're seeing around Los Angeles are very different than the kind of ads you're seeing in Texas. And that's the way it should be. But, look, this is -- again, this is one of those challenges we face. It is hard to drive a single message when you don't have one person.
CABRERA: Former Vice President Joe Biden told a crowd this week he believes age is a totally legitimate issue to raise in an election. So, let's look at this. If Biden were to run in 2020 and win, he would be 78 at the swearing-in ceremony.
Other possible Democratic contenders would be in their 70s. Bernie Sanders would be 79. Michael Bloomberg 78. John Kerry 77. Elizabeth Warren 71. If President Trump wins re-election, he would be 74 when he's sworn in, surpassing Ronald Reagan as the oldest person to take the presidential oath of office.
How big of a factor is age really going to be in this election, Robby?
MOOK: Yes. You know, it's interesting. Bernie Sanders brought this up as a -- as an issue himself. But I actually think he hit the nail on the head on this. It is not what a person's age is. It's what they stand for. And so, I think that is still going to be the most powerful thing in the primary election.
But it's a real -- it's a real issue. And I think that there's been pressure building for some time now that another generation needs a chance to step up. And so, I will -- I do think you'll see that pressure. But I don't think we should be setting litmus tests. You know, if you're under this age or over this age you can run or not run. I think we should just let anybody who wants to run get in and the strongest will rise to the top.
CABRERA: Final question for you. Former Clinton adviser, --
MOOK: Yes.
CABRERA: -- Philippe Raines, had this to say when was -- when she was asked if she would run again in 2020. She, being Clinton. It's somewhere between highly unlikely and zero but it's not zero. So, you know Hillary Clinton pretty well. Think she'll run again?
MOOK: I think it's highly unlikely. I mean, I want to underscore what Philippe said there.
CABRERA: But not zero?
MOOK: Very unlikely. I -- honestly, I haven't talked about it with her, certainly recently, because I don't think she's seriously considering it. I also think we should wait and see what she has to say. And what she is doing right now, I don't know if you can see my I Voted sticker here. She's out there trying to turn people out to vote.
[17:30:00] I think our time is better spent focused on turning people out to vote. If he decides to run, that's up to her. But I think we should wait to hear from her herself.
ANA CABRERA, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Robby Mook, good to see you. Thank you.
MOOK: Thank you.
CABRERA: Speaking of big races to watch, there's a tight race for Florida's governor right now that no one predicted. See Republican Ron DeSantis and Democrat Andrew Gillum in a debate lawsuit live tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. Eastern here on CNN.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[17:35:05] CABRERA: We have breaking news. The president making a major announcement that the U.S. is scrapping a 30-year-old arms- control treaty with Russia. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Yes, Russia has violated the agreement. They've been violating it for many years. And I don't know why President Obama didn't negotiate or pull out. And we're not going to let them violate a nuclear agreement and go out and do weapons and we're not allowed to. We're the ones that have stayed in the agreement, and we've honored the agreement. But Russia has not, unfortunately, honored the agreement, so we're going to terminate the agreement. We're going to pull out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: This treaty has been in effect since 1987 when President Reagan signed it alongside Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev. In 2014, the Obama administration accused Russia of violating the treaty but chose not to leave it over concerns it would lead to an arms race.
I want to bring in CNN military and diplomatic analyst, Rear Admiral John Kirby, and CNN global affairs analyst, Max Boot. He is also the author of "The Corrosion of Conservativism: Why I Left the Right."
Admiral Kirby, first, explain how important this decision is.
REAR ADM. JOHN KIRBY, CNN MILITARY & DIPLOMATIC ANALYST: Well, the treaty was, as you rightly pointed out, signed in 1987. It wasn't designed to solve all of our problems with the Soviet Union, of course. But it was designed to provide a measure of some strategic stability on the continent of Europe because these missiles that are banned under this treaty range from about 300 miles to 3,400 miles. Basically, to help sort of extend an umbrella of some safety against cruise and ballistic missiles for our European allies. I suspect our European allies are none too happy about hearing that President Trump intends to pull out of it.
CABRERA: Max, if Russia has been violating the treat at least since 2014, does it matter if the U.S. pulls out?
MAX BOOT, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: I think it does matter. I'm sympathetic to the Trump administration on this because their case is that not so much about just the fact that Russia is cheating, but also the fact that China is not covered by this treaty and have been deploying intermediate range weapons in Asia. The U.S. wants to deploy intermediate range nuclear weapons in Asia to counter the Chinese arms build-up, which I think is a legitimate thing to do.
My problem with the administration is that they are so unilateral. They are so opposed to all international obligations. They've already pulled out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Paris Climate Accord, the Iran nuclear deal, the U.N. Human Rights Council, the U.N. Refugee Agency for Palestinians. And they're even talking about pulling out of the Universal Postal Union, which is something that's been in existence since the 1870s that covers international mail delivery. This is the boy who cried Wolf. They think that every single international treaty the U.S.Is a part of is a bad idea. And some of them are. I think you could make the case that the IMF treaty is a good idea given, that, A, the Russians are violating it, and, B, the Chinese are not bound by it. Even though the Europeans are going to be unhappy, I think you could make the case for pulling out of it. I wish they were smarter and more discriminating in terms of picking their spots instead of just having this complete animus against all international obligations.
CABRERA: Let's talk timing, Admiral. Why pull out now?
KIRBY: I don't know. I mean, obviously we know that they have been in violation, as you rightly said. President Obama, we made that case in 2014. I used to think until today that what the -- that the bellicose rhetoric coming out of Bolton on this was to try to coerce the Russians to get back into compliance by threatening to pull out. You know, it's a negotiating tactic. But the president was clear, he's doing it right now. And I don't honestly know what the timing, what's relevant about the timing on this.
BOOT: I have a theory.
CABRERA: What's your theory?
BOOT: My theory is John Bolton. John Bolton really, really hates all international obligations. He is the uber unilateralist. The unilateralist on steroids. He made the first speech attacking the International Criminal Court, which is not exactly a top threat to the United States. I would guess this is part of John Bolton's campaign basically to pull the U.S. out of all these international obligations.
CABRERA: What do you think will be the response from Russia, Admiral?
KIRBY: I actually think the Russians are going to be OK with this. They know they've been in violation. They have said publicly -- Dmitry Peskov said this -- this gives Putin the seduce do what he's doing more blatantly -- the opportunity to do what he's doing more blatantly. My problem is we don't have a counter for the intermediate-range missile, the SSC-8, a range in the window of three to 3,400 miles. We have nothing to counter that right now. We're doing research to develop a similar missile. Now it would put us at a disadvantage and would put our European allies at a great disadvantage with a more bellicose Russia in recent years than we've seen. [17:40:08] CABRERA: The European allies were among those pressuring
President Obama not to pull out of this treaty.
KIRBY: Right.
CABRERA: Max, how are they likely to feel right now with this decision announcement?
BOOT: They're likely to be unhappy. This is going to add to the huge amount of unhappiness in Europe with President Trump. Remember, this is because of what Trump has already done, U.S. approval ratings are like around 30 percent in countries like Germany and France. Europeans are completely estranged from the United States because they feel like the United States does not take their concerns into account. For example, in pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal, which was something that the Europeans were also opposed to, and that the Trump administration did, or the Paris Climate Accord. And then, of course, all of the hostile rhetoric emanating from President Trump, basically claiming that the Europeans are freeloaders, that NATO is not necessarily in our interest. He is, regardless of the merits of the treaty - and I'm sort of sympathetic to the fact that the treaty is not in our best interests. Nevertheless, the way they're handling this in the high-handed fashion is going to further divide the Trans- Atlantic alliance, since 1945 been the bedrock of American security.
CABRERA: I want to get your take, Max and Admiral Kirby, about the fact that this is would be -- make a statement against Russia, right. And the president has been accused of being too soft on Russia. Does this help dispel that notion?
BOOT: Not really because, again, I don't think this is really about Russia. This is really about China. This is about countering the Chinese military build-up of their intermediate range nuclear forces in East Asia. In terms of the message on Russia, I think the best you can say is it's inconsistent. The administration has done things to toughen sanctions on Russia, though largely forced by Congress. The president himself never says anything hostile about Vladimir Putin. And just a week ago, on Sunday, he was asked by Lesley Stahl about whether, you know, he objected to the fact that Putin engages in assassinations and poisonings, and he basically said, well, it's not in our country, so he doesn't really care. He's largely sending a signal that he's not going do much to oppose Putin, although the administration at lower levels has done some things to counter Russia.
CABRERA: Your take, Admiral?
KIRBY: I agree with Max. It's been all about Putin. He won't criticize Putin. I think the administration has taken steps, like lethal arms in Ukraine that have been useful in pushing back on Russia. If they decide this, if this is not a bluff, because we don't have something to counter the SSC-8 and we can't reassure our allies with respect to a missile of that capability, we are going to have to -- it's going to be incumbent upon the administration to make military moves on or near the continent of Europe to counter that. Whether it's missile defense, surface-to-air straight missile capability or B- 1 bombers over there, we've got to do something to counter the development that the Russia has put into the SSC-8 missile.
CABRERA: Admiral John Kirby, Max Boot, good to have you with us. Thank you very much.
KIRBY: Thank you.
CABRERA: It is a Democratic stronghold that President Trump thinks he can flip in 2020. How do suburban women in Minnesota feel about him? Up next, they weigh in on everything from the Kavanaugh fight to the president calling Stormy Daniels "horseface."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's such a bully.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean, it's bad when you can't even have public radio on in your car when your children are with you.
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[17:47:50] CABRERA: Welcome back. We continue our series, "TAKING THE PULSE OF SUBURBAN WOMEN," a key voting bloc that could tip the scales come Election Day, just 17 days from now.
In our latest installment we spoke to five Minnesota women representing different political views and parties about the "Me Too" movement, President Trump's treatment of women, and the dramatic Supreme Court confirmation fight.
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CABRERA: It did seem that Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation process fired up both bases, both Republicans and Democrats. How did you all feel about how that went down?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was embarrassing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was so disheartened. And then -- then things got better when they said they were going to investigate. And then they found out, we learned they only talked to nine people. And then -- and I'm in marketing. The message that came out that, oh, I'm sure she was assaulted, but it wasn't him. I was disheartened that at the end of the day, they really did call her a liar.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The message needs to be twofold. It needs to be to the men that they'll be held accountable for these actions and to the women that they'll be heard and advocated for. I feel like that's the opposite message we received when Kavanaugh was confirmed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know was their intention to send a message to say it's OK to harm someone? I think all of us agree that people should be heard, and it should be investigated. I don't believe they threw it out and said it's OK to have that behavior. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think what was frustrating is that if we were
to say that we believe women, all accusation against -- every single accusation against him would have been investigated.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Exactly.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Only one was.
CABRERA: Does the "Me Too" movement factor into your vote?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For me it -- it absolutely does.
CABRERA: I'm curious for those who are voting for Democrats if you're also voting for Keith Ellison, because he himself is facing his own accusations of domestic violence.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am not voting for him, no.
CABRERA: What about you, Mary?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am not voting for Keith Ellison. The reason is not necessarily his current issues. I think Ellison is too far left of me.
[17:50:02] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I struggled mightily in the voting booth whether I would vote for him or not. I voted early. In the end, I did vote for Keith Ellison because I feel there's too much at stake to take a representative who is going to do a good job and I'd like to know the truth in that matter. I think it's so important we take victims seriously and also important that we make sure we don't have people falsely accused.
CABRERA: On this issue of #metoo, the president said is concerned for young men in this country being falsely accused. As parents, a godmother, who rumor concerned for, your daughter or your son on this issue?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Both.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My daughter.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have three sons. And I'm not worried about my three sons.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's a one in three chance my daughter will be sexually harassed. One in three chance she will be raped and that's terrifying to me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I send my little girl off into the world every day. And I mean, that just kills me.
CABRERA: Just yesterday, the president is on the attack. He's on Twitter calling Stormy Daniels "horseface." What's your reaction to that? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's completely inappropriate.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's abominable.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's actually unforgivable.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's such a bully.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's bad when you can't even have public radio on in your car when your children are with you. Because if they replay half of the things that the president says, I have to explain to them what calling somebody a horseface means, or whatever else.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's leader of the free world. And to put a man in that position of power, a man who has had a number of sexual claims fall against him, a man that bullies women, that normalizes the bullying behavior.
CABRERA: Shirley, you've been quiet.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not making excuses on that because that's not my behavior, that's not my Twitter. I didn't call anyone a horseface. Just because I'm a Republican doesn't mean I'm open to judge every single thing a politician does, whether it's Trump or Paulsen or my local representatives. It's not attacks against me.
CABRERA: As you take that into consideration going into the voter booth?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely not. No. Our number-one job as president is to keep the country safe and he's done a phenomenal job.
CABRERA: Do you feel this president respects women?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely not.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely not.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think he's trying to be disrespectful. That's who he is. He's a downtown city construction Manhattan --
(CROSSTALK)
CABRERA: Can you have it both ways? Call someone horseface, call another woman Miss Piggy, another one a dog?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's very difficult to say --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't agree with it but it's not me saying it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's difficult to say he represents me as president on these slots, but he doesn't represent me as president on these slots. And I just don't think you can have it both ways.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is feeding into the divisiveness in this country.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is tearing our country apart when we have a president that is putting out these sexist tweets. I think it's unacceptable behavior. It's embarrassing. And I don't actually think he's made our country safer.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've chosen one guy, one guy to stand for who we are as the United States. As you mention, we are a united group of people. And we need to stand behind this. It should be the apex of morals and the person that stands for us. And my children would be in time-out if they called people those names. So why do we allow this from the president?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's appalling.
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CABRERA: All right. Let's move to this story where you don't see this every day while you are driving down the freeway. Try maybe never. An airplane landing right in front of you. Apparently, a student pilot and her instructor had engine troubles in the skies and were forced to make an emergency landing on Interstate 8. This is in San Diego County, California. And what gets me here is look at the reaction from everybody around them. They are still driving. Nobody is stopping. They are just moving over, just doing their thing. The entire incident you can see caught on camera by somebody else who continues to drive behind it. And this was their reaction.
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UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Look out for the airplane.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at it. There's an airplane on the freeway.
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CABRERA: Luckily, no cars were hit. No one was hurt.
Many veterans have trouble getting the support they need after they leave the military. In fact, nearly 10 percent of the homeless adults in the United States once served in the armed forces. And when Army combat veteran, Chris Stout, saw some his former comrades falling through the cracks, he built something to help them that's why he's this week's "CNN Hero."
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[17:55:04] CHRIS STOUT, CNN HERO: What branch were you in? After starting to work with veterans, I realized there was a huge gap in services. If you've ever served, you know that if one of your fellow platoon guys, they need help, you help them. What we do here gives them an opportunity to kind of get stable. Gives them a safe and secure place. And then fix what got them there in the first place.
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CABRERA: To find out more go to CNN heroes.com.
Thank you for joining me. I'm Ana Cabrera. I'll see you back here in a couple of hours, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
"S.E. CUPP UNTILTERED" is next.
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[18:00:11] S.E. CUPP, CNN HOST: Welcome to UNFILTERED.
Here's tonight's headlines.
