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Split over Pelosi; Marijuana as Medicine; Conway versus Conway; CNN Heroes for 2018. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired November 01, 2018 - 08:30   ET

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


[08:30:00] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are times when you just need some new blood. And I think this is the time.

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Democrats could face their own leadership struggle, as 30 Democrats who stand a real chance of winning next week say they won't support her for the job.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's why I won't support Nancy Pelosi.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I won't support Nancy Pelosi.

RAJU: Yet, Pelosi is still the heavy favorite to become speaker and has no viable opponent.

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D), MINORITY LEADER: But I think I'm worth the trouble, frankly.

RAJU: She's raised more than $120 million for her colleagues this cycle and has the power to give members spots on key committees. And if they take the House, Pelosi's allies will make this argument.

REP. ERIC SWALWELL (D), CALIFORNIA: And I think that will have taken away the argument that she's, you know, a drag or affecting, you know, candidates. If we won, then that really wasn't effective, and then I don't understand what the case against her would be.

RAJU: Here in Kansas, Republican Steve Watkins, an Army veteran and first-time candidate, who is also vying for the open seat, is trying to link Davis to Pelosi.

STEVE WATKINS, REPUBLICAN CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE, KS 2ND DISTRICT: He's saying what he thinks he has to say in order to get elected. And Kansas voters aren't being fooled by that.

RAJU: But a recent CNN poll showed that Pelosi is not a major factor for most voters nationally.

PAUL DAVIS, DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE, KS 2ND DISTRICT: I don't think it's really having much of an impact. As I said on day one of the campaign, I'm not going to support her. And there's nothing that's going to change that. Whatever the Republicans are going to say, I think it's just, you know, trying to muddy the waters, which they, you know, do time in and time again.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've seen this movie before.

RAJU: It's been a strategy Republicans have tried throughout the country this election season, dropping nearly $90 million in ads demonizing Pelosi.

Whether they go door to door in Chanute, Kansas --

DYLAN JONES, WATKINS CAMPAIGN FIELD DIRECTOR: Hi, how's it going?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi.

JONES: I'm out here walking for Steve Watkins today.

RAJU: Watkins' aides acknowledge that Pelosi is not the only issue motivating voters.

JONES: I'd say one out of every four people who bring up control of Congress, out of those people, one out of four bring up Pelosi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RAJU: Now, the race may ultimately come down to character. Watkins has faced questions about whether he inflated his resume. Something he denies. While Davis has faced GOP attacks about a 1998 incident where he was at a strip club that was raided by police. Now, he wasn't charged with a crime, but Davis told me, I was at the wrong place at the wrong time and he said voters in his district are tired of those, quote, sleazy ads to the tune of $12 million on both sides on issues beyond just Nancy Pelosi.

John and Alisyn.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Manu, thank you very much.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, it's a big step forward for marijuana as medicine. The first FDA approved drug made from cannabis. How it's helping some children in need. That's next.

CAMEROTA: Plus, Conway versus Conway. One couple, two very different views on President Trump.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:36:42] BERMAN: Dr. Sanjay Gupta's documentary series "Weed" takes an in-depth look at marijuana's potential as conventional medicine. Now the very first FDA approved drug derived from marijuana is available by prescription here in the United States. So, is this a turning point?

Sanjay joins us now with all the details.

This seems like a big deal, Sanjay.

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I think it is a big deal. And it's interesting, John, because typically, you know, you have science comes first and then you see the cultural impact of that. You see the social impact. Here you've had a situation where culturally, socially, legally at the state level people have been voting on using marijuana as a medicine. But now you have the FDA actually approving this medication and making it available.

Here's how it happened.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA (voice over): In 2013, I first realized the possibility of marijuana as a medicine when I met Charlotte and her mother, Paige (ph).

PAIGE FIGI, CHARLOTTE'S MOTHER: It's OK, baby.

GUPTA: This is Charlotte in the throws of a seizure. Nothing made them stop, until they tried CBD, a compound found in cannabis.

FIGI: I measured it with a syringe and squirted it under her tongue. She didn't have a seizure that day. And then she didn't have a seizure that night. I just thought, this is insane.

GUPTA: It worked for Charlotte, and so many other children. But at the time parents were forced to concoct the medicine in their kitchen sinks, unsure of the dosing or the purity.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. So we just add more oil then or we add more weed?

GUPTA: Good parents who would do anything to try and help their children.

Like John and Donna. Their daughter, Jonna, named after both of them, also had unstoppable seizures since she was a year old.

DONNA CORNETT, JONNA'S MOTHER: They did not give us a lot of hope, you know, for her future.

GUPTA: At one point, doctors even told them to start looking for hospice care.

CORNETT: We wound up moving over her neurological care over to NYU because they were doing the cannabis oil study at the time and we wanted to participate in that.

GUPTA: That cannabis oil study was the beginning of the Epidiolex trial for treatment resistant epilepsy. Dr. Orrin Devinsky oversaw the trial at NYU.

DR. ORRIN DEVINSKY, NYU COMPREHENSIVE EPILEPSY CENTER: Some of these kids right now, who just, their lives were completely transformed. They went from having hundreds of small seizures a day, kind of sitting in a wheelchair slumped over with almost no interaction with the environment, to being seizure free. Their lives were transformed.

DEREK BURGESS, JONNA'S FATHER: From the first time we had an EEG recording at (INAUDIBLE) that showed she was having over 100 seizures a day. The last EEG we did with NYU showed one seizure over a 24 hour period.

GUPTA: Dr. Devinsky will be the first to tell you Epidiolex is not a miracle drug. Far from it. While some have had dramatic improvements, others had no improvement at all. And there is the pesky fact that cannabis is still considered an illegal substance by the United States government.

JEFF SESSIONS, ATTORNEY GENERAL: It's my view that the use of marijuana is detrimental.

GUPTA: In fact, the company making Epidiolex is not based in the United States, but in the U.K.

GUPTA (on camera): Wow! This is pretty spectacular.

GUPTA (voice over): Dr. Geoffrey Guy is the founder and chairman of GW Pharmaceuticals, the makers of Epidiolex. I visited their labs outside London. This is where they turn the plant into a medicine.

[08:40:07] DR. GEOFFREY GUY, FOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN, GW PHARMACEUTICALS: We're able to say what each individual (INAUDIBLE) does. We can then breed into the plant that materials that will provide us with a range of beneficial effects.

GUPTA: The price tag for all that, $32,500 a year. So far Jonna has been receiving the medication through a clinical trial. Her parents hope insurance will cover the cost going forward.

CORNETT: I think everything who has a child with significant medical needs is always hoping for a miracle. But in lieu of that, I think we just want her to keep, you know, moving and making steady progress, as she has been.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: So, Sanjay, do you think this approval by the FDA validates the science behind marijuana as medicine?

GUPTA: Yes, I think absolutely. And that's been a big point of friction. I think many in the medical community, over the last five years, have started to be increasingly persuaded that marijuana, that cannabis, can be a medicine. I think now that you have the -- this is the first. I want to reemphasize this. There's been other synthesized drugs that come from synthesized molecules from cannabis. This is the plant itself, John, that has been distilled down into a medicine. So it's a plant-based medicine and it's gone through the FBA approval process, clinical trial process, and is now available. I think that's very validating.

I don't know what it means for the plant as a whole. It's still an illegal substance. But I think, to your question, the science has validated this.

BERMAN: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, you've been at the forefront of this discussion for the last several years. Thanks so much for being with us. GUPTA: You've got it. Thank you.

CAMEROTA: OK, now to this story. The University of Maryland fires head football coach DJ Durkin one day after reinstating him. Durkin was placed on administrative leave in August after the heat stroke death of 19-year-old lineman Jordan McNair. On Tuesday, Maryland's board of regents recommended the coach be reinstated. But then yesterday, the university president defied that recommendation and terminated Durkin after a public backlash.

BERMAN: An amazing story of survival out of Arizona. A woman spent six days in the desert after her car veered off a highway and plunged 50 feet. Help only came after authorities say highway workers noticed a broken fence. When they looked down, they spotted a mangled car entangled in a tree. The men then followed footprints which led to the 53-year-old driver in a dry river bed. She was severely dehydrated and seriously injured. She's now recovering in the hospital.

CAMEROTA: Oh, my gosh, what a story of survival.

All right, a supreme marriage proposal.

BERMAN: This is my favorite.

CAMEROTA: A 1952 letter reveals that William Rehnquist, the future chief justice of the Supreme Court, proposed marriage to Sandra Day, who would later become the first woman to serve on the high court. Sandra Day O'Connor, but then she was Sandra Day. The letter was unearthed in the research for Evan Thomas' biography on Sandra Day O'Connor. The two justices did date for a while, John, when they were both at Stanford Law School.

BERMAN: We knew they had dated. No one knew apparently that he had actually proposed to her. And it was this note that they uncovered. It's just a different time. And the note itself was like, Sandy, let's get married this summer was sort of the note.

CAMEROTA: But what did she write back?

BERMAN: She said -- we -- I don't think we have that note. We know she said no.

CAMEROTA: Yes, but I want to know how she said no. I want to know if she broke it to him gently.

BERMAN: (INAUDIBLE) lightly. One of "The Washington Post" columnists said -- Petri (ph), I can't remember her first name, said -- calls this the highest courtship, get it?

CAMEROTA: That's great.

BERMAN: Which I just love. I love.

CAMEROTA: That is great. You're a real romantic, John Berman.

BERMAN: Yes, I -- you know, I like -- I can't believe two people who sat on the Supreme Court together. He had proposed to her 50 years (ph) --

CAMEROTA: I know. I love it, too.

BERMAN: Her husband is an outspoken critic of President Trump and she is a top adviser to the president.

CAMEROTA: A different kind of love story. Here's Jeanne Moos with Conway versus Conway.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Some families feud against other families.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome back to "Celebrity Family Feud."

MOOS: But this is an internal family feud. She is the president's Pitbull.

KELLYANNE CONWAY, WHITE HOUSE COUNSELOR: How dare you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) how dare you and how dare the president.

CONWAY: No, no dare you.

MOOS: While her husband, the guy holding her coat, is also holding President Trump's feet to the fire, writing critical op-ed and essays and especially tweets describing the president's positions using words like absurd, flabbergasting, ceaseless, shameless and witless prevarication on virtually all topics.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: What is up with your husband's tweets?

CONWAY: It's fascinating to me that CNN would go there. It's now fair game what people's -- how people's spouses and significant others may differ. It was meant to harass and embarrass. But let me just tell you something --

BASH: Absolutely not.

MOOS: In a "Washington Post" article headline, she works for Trump, he can't stand him, Kellyanne said of her husband's anti-Trump tweeting, I think it's disrespectful. I think it disrespects his wife.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I see my Kellyanne. Oh, Kellyanne.

MOOS: No disrespect from her boss, who sends her out to fight the lions.

TRUMP: There is no den she will not go into.

[08:45:00] MOOS: Imagine the den at home when she gets back from work.

George Conway is a respected lawyer and conservative who once represented Paula Jones --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right, girls.

MOOS: In her case against Bill Clinton.

MOOS (on camera): Sometimes George's tweets inspire uninvited relationship advice.

MOOS (voice over): Suggests like, divorce her, George, and you and Melania should start a chat room for useless spouses.

Maybe someday the Conways can do what Mary Matalin and James Carville did. This political odd couple turned their marriage into a cottage industry of commentary and books.

MARY MATALIN: James and I needed space, mostly from each other.

MOOS: At least George probably hasn't stopped holding Kellyanne's coat, even if the fur is fly.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: I like the snap zoom into fur.

Yes, your thoughts on romance and love, please?

BERMAN: I have no comment. I have no -- I believe -- I believe in romance and I believe in love.

CAMEROTA: Yes, obviously, they are a successful couple.

BERMAN: I'm romantic at heart.

CAMEROTA: They are making it work. There you go.

BERMAN: All, we are moments away from the big reveal, who are the top ten CNN Heroes of 2018? Anderson Cooper, he gets the green room treatment.

CAMEROTA: Wait a minute, how did we book -- we booked him?

BERMAN: We booked Anderson. He joins us next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:50:37] BERMAN: All right, for 12 years CNN Heroes has shined a spotlight on everyday people changing the world. We've shared inspiring stories with you all year long. Now here to announce the top ten CNN Heroes of the year, Anderson Cooper, the co-host of "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute," airing live across CNN platforms on Sunday, December 9th, 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CO-HOST, "HEROES: AN ALL-STAR TRIBUTE": I'm even paler in the morning. CAMEROTA: How is that possible?

COOPER: That would be -- if I had a morning show, that would be my tag line, even paler in the morning. Yes.

CAMEROTA: OK, you're not here to talk about that. You're here to --

COOPER: I just glanced at myself. I'm like who is that --

BERMAN: It's heroic, though. You can do it even though you're pale.

COOPER: Who is that like ghostly pale person.

CAMEROTA: Who is the snowman?

OK. This is truly one of the most inspiring nights of the year and --

COOPER: It's one of the things I look forward to all year long.

CAMEROTA: Me, too.

Also inferiority inducing.

COOPER: Yes, I mean these are remarkable people. These are everyday people who are changing the world. And, you know, some of them have just seen a need in their community and they decide, you know what, I'm not going to wait around for somebody to do something about it. I'm not going to complain about it. I'm going to roll up my sleeves and I'm going to make it happen.

And they are just extraordinary people. And it's been really hard. We whittled it down to the top ten CNN Heroes of the Year. They're going to be honored in an All"-Star Tribute" on Sunday, December 9th, which is live. Kelly Ripa and I are going to be hosting. Kelly's happily agreed to host again. I'm very thrilled.

So let's take a look. These are the top ten CNN Heroes of 2018.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER (voice over): From Lagos, Nigeria, programmer Abisoye Ajayi- Akinfolarin. Her coding program gives disadvantaged girls the skills and confidence to transform their lives.

In Washington, D.C., college student Maria Rose Belding created an online platform that prevents food waste and fights hunger.

From Basalt, Colorado, Amanda Boxtel, she was paralyzed in a skiing accident and technology helped her walk again. Today she helps others follow in her footsteps.

Frustrated by the violent injuries he saw in the emergency room, Dr. Rob Gore now helps young people in Brooklyn stay safe and resolve conflict peacefully.

From Twin Falls, Idaho, Luke Michelson helps kids in need rest easy by giving them free beds.

In San Diego, California, Susan Munsey, she survived sex trafficking. Now she gives women housing and hope to start a new life.

Eighty-seven-year-old Florence Phillips was born to immigrant parents. Now she provides free English language and citizenship classes in Carson City, Nevada.

From Lima, Peru, Ricardo Pun-Chong. This doctor provides free housing and support to seriously ill children and their families while they receive medical treatment.

High school English teacher Ellen Stackable helps incarcerated women in Oklahoma find their voices and heal from trauma.

And finally from Kansas City, Missouri, veteran Chris Stout, whose tiny homes help homeless veterans rebuild their lives.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: Oh, my gosh. They're all angels! How did we decide?

COOPER: They're really incredible people, I know. I know.

Obviously, whoever gets to be -- whoever is named by our viewers the CNN Hero of the Year gets an extra $100,000 to continue their work.

BERMAN: Every one of them, though, gets something, yes?

COOPER: They get $10,000, yes. And they also get to work with organizations that help them kind of improve their own organization, because a lot of these people, you know, they're not -- they don't have degrees in running an organization and so we want to give them all the tools that they can use to grow the organization as much as possible.

CAMEROTA: Right. I mean these are grassroots efforts by people who were just inspired because they saw a need somewhere.

So how does everybody vote?

COOPER: You go to cnnheroes.com. That's all you have to do, go to cnnheroes.com to vote. You can vote up to ten times a day. Cnnheroes.com. Vote 10 times a day up until -- up until the ceremony. And it's December 9th. Sunday, December 9th, we reveal who is the Hero of the Year.

BERMAN: Live?

COOPER: Live.

BERMAN: A live broadcast, which is so fun.

COOPER: Yes.

BERMAN: That was so fun last year. COOPER: Yes. And Kelly's going to do it again.

CAMEROTA: You and Kelly are fantastic. You don't scare her away somehow every year, thank goodness.

COOPER: I know. I know. every year she agrees. There's nothing in it for her. We're not paying her. She volunteers to do this. It's lovely.

[08:55:01] CAMEROTA: That's great.

COOPER: Yes.

BERMAN: All right.

CAMEROTA: All right, thanks so much, Anderson. Great to see you.

COOPER: Sure.

BERMAN: More "Good Stuff" is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: Time now for "The Good Stuff."

Dozens of children were sworn in as American citizens at a special ceremony in Fairfax, Virginia. Check this out, one little boy holding an American flag, while others were decked out in Halloween costumes. That's American also, ready to go out trick or treating after the ceremony. The 35 children came from 22 different countries, Afghanistan, China, Iran, among others. They recited the oath of allegiance and received certificates of their citizenship. A similar event was held for a dozen children in Albuquerque in New Mexico.

CAMEROTA: Those are extremely cute children in their costumes there.

BERMAN: I love the little American flag there and I love the Halloween. There's nothing more American than going trick or treating. So, welcome.

CAMEROTA: President Trump continues his message of fear now just five days away from the midterms. So CNN "NEWSROOM" with Poppy Harlow and Jim Sciutto starts right now.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: All right, good morning. Fear and loathing on the campaign trail, that is for sure. It is not just a classic read on American politics.

[09:00:01] Good morning, everyone. I'm Poppy Harlow.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Jim Sciutto.

Fear and loathing is also seemingly the president's strategy here. President Trump