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President Trump Slams America's Top Spy Chiefs After They Contradict Him; CNN Reality Check: A Closer Look At A Wealth Tax; The Pentagon's Fight Against "Deepfakes"; T.V. Producer Fired Over Tom Brady "Cheater" Graphic. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired January 31, 2019 - 07:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:30:30] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: President Trump is taking on his own intelligence chiefs again after they contradicted him before Congress. In a series of statements, the president called them "extremely passive and naive," and said, "They are wrong in Iran." And suggested, "Perhaps Intelligence should go back to school!"

TEXT: "The Intelligence people seem to be extremely passive and naive when it comes to the dangers of Iran. They are wrong!

When I became President, Iran was making trouble all over the Middle East and beyond. Since ending the terrible Iran Nuclear Deal, they are much different, but a source of potential danger and conflict. They are testing Rockets (last week) and more, and are coming very close to the edge.

There (sic) economy is now crashing, which is the only thing holding them back. Be careful of Iran. Perhaps Intelligence should go back to school!"

BERMAN: Joining me now is the former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who served under President Clinton.

She is the author of "Facism: A Warning," a "New York Times" bestseller which is now out in paperback. It's a terrific read -- I read it in hardcover. Good to see that it is still doing well.

Madam Secretary, when you see the president say that Intelligence should go back to school, what's your reaction?

MADELEINE ALBRIGHT, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE, AUTHOR, "FASCISM: A WARNING": It blows my mind, frankly, because I think that the Intelligence Community -- I was fascinated by what happened yesterday with the lineup of all of them and talking about what they know from the fact that they're doing a lot of research and that they understand it.

And I worked for presidents that actually were interested in knowing what was going on and knew what the role of the Intelligence Community is and was. And so, I am stunned by this. And I think it only proves something that troubles me deeply is that this president is someone that doesn't want to learn. And I think that part of being a responsible public servant and a leader is to listen to different opinions and to understand and to ask in-depth what's going on instead of putting them down.

BERMAN: The Intelligence Community doesn't always get it right -- we know that -- but they present what they believe to be the best facts in their assessments.

What's the long-term impact if you have a president who, as you say, isn't listening to them?

ALBRIGHT: Well, I think there's no question that the international situation and the American position is very complicated. We're in a different era. The role of the United States has been shifting. A lot of different things are going on.

And I think kind of drawing a blank and deciding that you're not going to learn something seems obtuse. There's no other way to put it.

And I'm very troubled by what's going on.

So, for instance, obviously, what the Russians are doing is very important. I've been saying that basically, Putin has played a weak hand very well. President Trump has played a strong hand poorly, and some it has to do with this lack of interest in what is going on and a certainty about what he thinks.

And, by the way, thanks for mentioning my book. But I talk about Mussolini and there's this great quote that he said to a reporter. "Often, I would like to be wrong, but so far, it has never happened."

BERMAN: You brought up Vladimir Putin and you said he's playing a weak hand very well. There was this report out over the last 24 hours that the Russians have meddled or attacked the Mueller investigation, releasing details of something that came out in discovery on the Internet.

Without getting into details of that, though, what is Putin getting out of all of this? What is he getting, in your mind, out of playing this weak hand strongly?

ALBRIGHT: Well, I think he has a plan, which is to restore Russia's greatness. And the purpose of doing that is to separate us from our allies, to undermine the whole concept of democracy, and to make us weaker.

And what he's doing in that, I think -- meddling in elections -- ours and those, and other countries -- but also, he is reestablishing an influence that Russia had as the Soviet Union, for instance, in the Middle East. Or all of the sudden, he is dealing with issues in Latin America or creating a new alliance with China.

And so, he is out there pushing Russia's role. And the truth is he's operating off of very weak economy problems, but he is playing a weak hand well.

And I think we keep forgetting that he's a KGB agent.

BERMAN: Yes.

ALBRIGHT: He knows how to do it. He knows how to manipulate news and propaganda, and what he is doing is undermining anybody that is a friend of ours. And some of the things, I have to say, that President Trump does are a gift to Putin.

BERMAN: One of the things that the "Financial Times" has reported is that the president met with Vladimir Putin in Buenos Aires at the sidelines of a meeting with no U.S. aides present. His wife was there but no U.S. translator, no U.S. government officials.

What's wrong with that, if anything?

ALBRIGHT: Well, I truly do believe in diplomacy, but it is something -- first of all, you have to be prepared for meetings and there has been a system in the U.S. government where the president is provided with information and briefings, ready to go for a meeting. That hasn't seemed to be the pattern.

[07:35:11] Then, one of the things that does happen when there is an important meeting and the reason you have somebody in there is theoretically, you have made some decisions that need to be carried out through the system. And that doesn't happen unless somebody takes notes and knows what's going on. So I think it's irresponsible.

You know, maybe, because Melania was born in the Balkans she understands Russian. But the bottom line is that I do think that it's a very, very irresponsible way to operate and very worrisome.

BERMAN: The United States is engaged in a new type of diplomacy when it comes to South America.

"The Wall Street Journal" has a really interesting article out this morning as it pertains to Venezuela, but also maybe Cuba and Nicaragua. Let me just read you part of this.

It says, "While Mr. Maduro and his predecessor, Hugo Chavez, have long drawn Washington's condemnation, the Trump administration is stocked with officials who have long believed Cuba to be the more serious national security threat. They cite Cuba's intelligence operations in the U.S. and its efforts to spread anti-American views in other Latin American countries. The goal, the administration's thinking goes, is to sever ties that bind Venezuela to Cuba and sink regimes in both countries."

In other words, this Venezuela policy is part of a broader goal.

ALBRIGHT: Well, I do think that the Trump administration is focused on Cuba a lot.

The United States has been focused on Cuba for a long time. President Obama tried to sort of different relationships with Cuba to try to make sure that the Cuban people are actually allowed to participate in their own government. And the Trump administration, always desirous to turn over anything that Obama did, wants to do that.

There is no question that there is a relationship between Venezuela and Cuba in terms of helping each other.

And I think that there is -- I read the article and I think John Bolton is very interested in something he calls the troika. He wants to get rid of what's happening in Nicaragua.

And so, I think there is some plan to all this. I happen to disagree with it, but I think that --

BERMAN: The Venezuela part?

ALBRIGHT: No, but I think the kind of looking -- I think we need a different approach to Cuba -- not to go back to seeing them as our major enemy.

The Venezuela issue is fascinating, frankly, because the head of the National Assembly, Guaido, has -- he wrote a terrific op-ed this morning in "The New York Times" explaining what he was doing. And, in fact, that the National Assembly is empowered by the Venezuelan Constitution to take action if the president, as has happened with Maduro, has power illegally at this point because his term has run out and the elections were a fraud.

BERMAN: Secretary Madeleine Albright, always a pleasure to speak with you. The book, "Facism", is now in paperback.

Thanks so much for being with us this morning.

ALBRIGHT: Great to be with you. Thank you.

BERMAN: Erica --

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: It is the next frontier of deception online. The warning from the Pentagon about deepfakes. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:41:42] HILL: Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren is floating a tax for the richest people in America. Is this realistic, though?

John Avlon joining us now with a reality check. Good morning, again.

JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning.

So, Ben Franklin said nothing is certain in this world except death and taxes, and it looks like 2020 will be about at least one of those.

Elizabeth Warren just coming out with the most aggressive proposal to tax the superrich in generations. It's a tax - a wealth tax on the top .1 percent -- specifically, fortunes larger than $50 million -- and an additional surtax for billionaires. Now, that could raise around $2.75 trillion over a decade, but from just 75,000 households, which would presumably make it pretty popular among just about everybody else.

That doesn't mean it's good policy or would have a realistic chance of passing Congress or could even be practically implemented.

But it certainly got folks talking, like self-made billionaire Howard Schultz, who's considering his own run for president. He called the plan ridiculous. Warren fired back, quote, "What's ridiculous is billionaires who think they can buy the presidency to keep the system rigged for themselves." That's what the kids call a sick burn.

But, class warfare has been a dirty word in presidential politics since at least the Great Depression when populist demagogue Huey Long called for a "Share Our Wealth" program.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HUEY LONG (D), FORMER GOVERNOR OF LOUISIANA, FORMER U.S. SENATOR: We say to America, $125 million. None shall be too big, none shall be too poor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AVLON: I think he had a drink before that speech.

But there's a reason this idea is coming back. The 26 richest people on the planet own as much wealth as half the world's population, according to Oxfam. In the U.S. alone, it's estimated that the top one percent control nearly 40 percent of the nation's wealth.

And here's a specific example of why people think the system is rigged. "The New York Times" looked at Jared Kushner's finances and found that despite a net worth of nearly $324 million, he likely paid little or no federal income tax during the Obama years, and it was all legal.

That helps explain why Warren isn't proposing an income tax hike, but a wealth tax on total assets. But, total wealth is difficult to track and calculate. France bailed on the practice after 60,000 millionaires fled the country.

The superrich are the ones most able to gain the system or relocate and that's why Warren wants to hire a boatload of tax auditors and impose a big exit tax.

Now, it's true the U.S. had a top marginal tax rate of over 90 percent in the 50s and early 60s, but because of loopholes and tax shelters, very few people actually paid it.

Ironically, in 1999, Donald Trump proposed a one-time wealth tax over 14 percent back to pay down the debt. But, as president, he blew up the debt and deficits with tax cuts for the rich. In fact, the U.S. Treasury is set to borrow a trillion dollars for the second year in a row to finance the Trump deficit.

Look, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama got called socialists just for raising the top tax rate a few percentage points.

Warren's plan is far more radical. And even if it passed Congress, it's unclear if it would be deemed constitutional. But a proposal opens a window of policy debate with ideas like raising the top rate for the superrich, closing corporate tax loopholes, or raising capital gains rates for assets held under five years.

All this could prove popular or it could compound the party's negative stereotype as tax and spenders. In general, Americans don't like raising taxes and it's worth remembering that the revolution started, in part, with a tax protest in Warren's home state of Massachusetts.

[07:45:01] And that's your reality check.

BERMAN: Very interesting to see. Really interesting, the idea of the wealth tax -- how it differs from the income tax.

AVLON: Yes.

BERMAN: People should read into this --

AVLON: Yes.

BERMAN: -- because it is worth knowing what the debate is all about. Thank you.

AVLON: I thought you'd like the Boston Harbor reference.

BERMAN: I always like the Boston Harbor --

HILL: That's a nice reference.

BERMAN: -- especially with the Patriots going to the Super Bowl.

HILL: Are the Patriots in the Super Bowl this year?

BERMAN: The Patriots are in the Super Bowl.

AVLON: I read something about that.

BERMAN: Just saying.

HILL: Oh.

BERMAN: All right.

When you watch a video online, how do you know it's real? These days, it is easy to get duped by deepfake videos because of enhancements and artificial intelligence. For the Pentagon, fighting deepfakes has become a matter of national security.

Miguel Marquez joins us now with more. Miguel, this really unreal.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's fascinating and only going to get more intense in the next few years ahead. Now, the term "deepfake" comes from a Reddit user's name who made adult content. Now, it's taking on security implications that could come from here at home or abroad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Especially, our friends who are lesbian and gay --

MARQUEZ (voice-over): Which Barack Obama speech is real, which is fake?

OBAMA: I visited with the families of many of the victims on Thursday.

MARQUARDT: The one on the right, fake. Researchers at the University of Washington took Obama's speaking and made it look like he said the same thing at a different time and place.

How about this one? Which one is fake? If you picked the man, you're wrong. Researchers at Stanford University transferred the expression, head position, and eye gaze from the man and applied it to the woman.

They're called deepfakes -- videos that look so real it's hard to tell what's fake.

BuzzFeed published this Obama video, his lips digitally altered, his voice, the actor, Jordan Peele.

OBAMA: This is a dangerous time.

MARQUEZ: It doesn't take much imagination to see how videos like these could confuse, disrupt, and intensify anger in everything from business to foreign policy to politics.

SEN. RICHARD BURR (R), NORTH CAROLINA: I don't need to remind anyone in the room when this country's democracy was attacked in 2016, it wasn't with a bomb or a missile or a plane. It was with social media accounts that any 13-year-old can establish for free.

MARQUEZ: In the years since the 2016 election campaign we have seen fake after fake after fake, including photos of Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump meant to stir anger, motivate or depress one side or the other -- many shared tens of thousands of times.

AARON LAWSON, ASSISTANT LABORATORY DIRECTOR, SPEECH TECHNOLOGY AND RESEARCH LABORATORY, SRI INTERNATIONAL: Yes, I think you need to -- you can misrepresent reality in a way that could convince people of it being other than it really is is potentially dangerous, especially if you have no way of detecting it.

MARQUEZ: Detecting fakes is exactly what SRI, along with the government's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is trying to do. Trying to stay one step ahead of deepfake technology using artificial intelligence to teach computers the telltale signs of a fake. JENNIFER LAWRENCE-STEVE BUSCEMI MASH-UP: I just like --

MARQUEZ: For now --

JENNIFER LAWRENCE-STEVE BUSCEMI MASH-UP: -- it was just -- I -- this was -- this was very truly surprising for me.

MARQUEZ: -- it's a little bit of fun, whether a Jennifer Lawrence- Steve Buscemi mash-up or a seemingly obsessed Nicolas Cage fan who's put him in everything from "The Matrix" or Julie Andrews from "The Sound of Music."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUEZ: OK, I absolutely love that Julie Andrews bit.

Look, OK -- so Snapchat, right? You can easily do a Snapchat filter, but this deepfake technology is much more sophisticated. It takes a fair amount of technology, some knowhow. It also takes some time -- days or weeks to make a really good one, though.

But as computers get smarter, A.I. or artificial intelligence learns to recognize faces and voices, the technology will get faster, smaller, and smarter and will soon be in the palm of your hand.

BERMAN: Oh my gosh. All right, two things. One, I actually did think Nicolas Cage was in the "The Sound of Music."

MARQUEZ: Ha!

BERMAN: Second, Miguel -- I'm never going to be able to unsee that image of you.

MARQUEZ: The full Ron Burgundy, baby.

HILL: I was just going to say, was that the Ron Burgundy filter?

MARQUEZ: Yes.

BERMAN: That was really impressive. All right.

Our business team spent hours putting together an in-depth report on the subject "deepfakes." Go to cnn.com/deepfakes. You have to check this out.

HILL: We put up a name and that person's title on the screen all the time. It's a lower-third, like you see right there. It tells you who I am, tells you what I do.

It was the title, though, that one producer used for Patriots quarterback Tom Brady that got him fired. So, what did he write? Here's a hint. It wasn't GOAT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:53:39] HILL: Normally, Tom Brady's title would be quarterback for the New England Patriots, right? Well, one local T.V. news producer, though, in Pittsburgh actually got fired after he chose a different title for the legendary Q.B. and that image went viral.

So there you see -- we've made it a little bigger for you. "Tom Brady, Known Cheater" -- a reference to the infamous Deflategate controversy, of course.

CBS's Pittsburgh affiliate KDKA terminated the producer after that graphic aired. That producer, Michael Telek, is joining me now. Michael, good to have you with us.

Listen, full disclosure here. My kids liked your -- they liked your lower-third. But -- and a lot of people got a kick out of it.

What gave you the idea, though, that instead of calling him the Patriots Q.B. -- you know what, I'm just going to throw up "Known Cheater" and see what happens?

MICHAEL TELEK, NEWS PRODUCER FIRED FOR TOM BRADY CHEATER GRAPHIC: Well, I thought it was a sports story -- Super Bowl week -- just have something fun and lighthearted for all the Pittsburgh fans. A little wink and nudge.

At first, I didn't know if I wanted to put Gisele's husband or known cheater, and I thought known cheater would be funnier because of all of the Deflategate stuff. And around here in Pittsburgh, like, people despise Tom Brady. Like, they would burn his jersey if they really could.

But, I mean, I thought it was a little joke and it went too far, and I understand why I was let go.

HILL: So you say you understand why you were let go. Do you -- do you agree with the decision because even my colleague John Berman -- number one Patriots fan, perhaps in the country -- says maybe you shouldn't have been fired?

TELEK: I think --

[07:55:00] HILL: He's on your side.

TELEK: -- the punishment was a little harsh. I mean, that's fair. I mean, I understand -- I felt it was a little harsh. Like, I've never been in trouble of anything, but I support their decision.

HILL: Yes.

TELEK: I love everyone I worked with at KDKA. It was a great time. They're some of the smartest people I know. They made me a better journalist in the six-seven months I was there, so it really means a lot.

And I'm a big Tom Brady fan, too. I think he's the greatest football player -- greatest quarterback ever.

In the tease leading up to that package, I said were the Rams ready for the GOAT? So, I have nothing but respect for Tom Brady. I just tried to have a little fun and it cost me.

HILL: So, I did a very unscientific poll of my children and my nearly 9-year-old son described your lower-third as "not nice, but good and accurate." He has a very advanced vocabulary.

What's the other reaction that you've been getting, especially from folks in Pittsburgh who, as you point out, not exactly Pats fans?

TELEK: I'd say like just everywhere it's been like 95 percent positive, five percent negative. I thought like, oh, when it first happened and it was spreading around and it's like, OK, it's probably just going to be a Pittsburgh thing. But then it just blew up everywhere because it's the week of the Super Bowl.

And now, I have like people from all over -- like, I'm a meme in Mexico now. Even Patriots fans say hey, man -- like, that wasn't really fair to fire you. We love Tom Brady but we support you. And it's just been really cool.

I was just on HOT 96.9 with The GetUp Crew in Boston and we were just talking about it -- talking about Tom Brady. And it's just been really cool.

I mean, like, I'm a media person. Now I get to go run around and do all these media interviews, and it's been a lot of fun.

HILL: A lot of interviews. You getting any job offers?

TELEK: Yes. Some people have been offering me these jobs, like outside news.

The Pittsburgh Public Relations Society is having a big gala tonight. They invited me to come out and network and meet some people. So that's been a lot of fun.

HILL: Yes.

TELEK: And like I told people -- like, I'm a media person. The only person I'm going around doing this is like, hey, I can talk to some media people, get to know some names. Maybe it lands me a job.

But, it's just been a lot of fun.

HILL: You think you'll end up talking to Tom Brady throughout all of this? You're talking to Boston radio stations. I mean, you're sort of making inroads.

TELEK: Oh, if Tom wants to chat, I would love to chat up with him. I would tell him hey, make sure you win on Sunday because I'm going to place a bet on Saturday for the Pats to win because the casino is having a job fair. I'm going to pass out my resume and I'm going to grab a ticket.

HILL: I love that you're going to the job fair, passing out your resume, and while you're there you're also going to place a bet. You know, you mentioned these job offers. This can be tough, though. In all seriousness, when you look at this, you put this up as the lower-third -- as the -- as the title of someone on the screen. I know you say you understand the seriousness of it.

Do you think this will hold you up from getting another job in news? Do you want to stay in news?

TELEK: Like, I love news. I'd be definitely wanting to stay. I've had a couple of T.V. stations reach out, but it's just kind of hard.

I just bought a house in Pittsburgh so I'm like, oh, I'm kind of like stuck here. You know how business works.

Before this, I wanted to be in Pittsburgh. That was my dream job because I'm from here.

HILL: Yes.

TELEK: So I worked around Ohio, just working up market-to-market. If I didn't have that house I would just be willing to anywhere.

So now, I'm trying to stick around Pittsburgh. If not, I'll look at my options there and then maybe try to go elsewhere.

But, I mean, so far, people have been -- can not like -- not like -- people have been reaching out, talking to me, saying hey, I know this guy, I know this guy --

HILL: Yes.

TELEK: -- I know this gal. So it's just -- it's been really nice. Really supportive from a lot of people.

HILL: Which is great. And you've got the support of John Berman now, too.

BERMAN: There are a lot of jobs in T.V. that don't involve writing chyrons, let me just say.

TELEK: That's right.

BERMAN: You know, in addition to having a great throwing arm and a great sense of humor, Tom Brady's really handsome -- so all those three things. I think he'd appreciate the joke that you made.

TELEK: Yes. I saw some little kid ask him, like, what do you say to the haters? He's like, we don't hate back. We show them love. I'm like, I love Tom Brady and he loves me, and it means a lot.

HILL: This is a beautiful thing.

BERMAN: Yes.

HILL: Maybe Gisele should watch out.

BERMAN: It's going to bring them together. It's going to bring them all together.

HILL: Yes.

Michael, great to have you with us. And, hey, keep us posted on what's next. We look forward to hearing.

TELEK: Awesome, thank you so much.

BERMAN: Sorry for having a sense of humor.

HILL: I think it's great. I also -- I did like that he was toying with the idea of Gisele's husband.

BERMAN: Which is also true.

HILL: Also true -- since, you know, women often get referred to as, you know --

BERMAN: Exactly.

HILL: -- just the other half of someone. Not that fair.

BERMAN: Will the president calling for a change in the FBI -- will the president's attacks on the FBI and Intelligence Community have any impact on the Mueller investigation? NEW DAY continues right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Arctic temperatures, bitter wind chills, whiteout conditions.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's freezing cold. My face, my toes, everything.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Being outside for just a few minutes can start causing frostbite.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I asked him about the Mueller report and he said that he would be leaving that matter up to the Justice Department.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: Mueller, do your job, but these tactics are unacceptable.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The idea that they did something unusual here, I think is misplaced.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't see the reason to enter a public spat with your Intelligence Agency.

CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), FORMER GOVERNOR OF NEW JERSEY: The president had a gut distrust of the Intelligence Community.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It really is not only unprecedented, I think it's dangerous.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.

BERMAN: All right, good morning, everyone. Welcome to your NEW DAY. It is Thursday, January 31st, 8:00 in the East.

Alisyn is off. Erica Hill joins me this morning fresh off that interview with someone who loves Tom Brady even as he makes fun of Tom Brady.

HILL: It's a beautiful thing that you can do both things at once.

BERMAN: He's bringing the world together.

All right.

New evidence that Russia is attacking the U.S. justice system. And while that's going on, President Trump appears focused on how that justice system is treating his friend, Roger Stone.

[08:00:00]