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Klobuchar Town Hall Tonight; Harris Hosts Town Hall in New Hampshire; Smollett Orchestrated Attack; Protests in Haiti. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired February 18, 2019 - 09:30   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:32:10] POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: All right, a new development in the R. Kelly investigation this morning. Sources tell CNN a grand jury has been convened in connection with a new sex tape that allegedly shows the singer engaged in sex acts with an underage girl. Attorney Michael Avenatti announced last week he had given that video to the state attorney's office. We will keep you posted as this develops.

A presidential blitz on Presidents' Day. Many 2020 Democratic hopefuls crisscrossing key states in the race for 2020. Most have their eyes on New Hampshire, a key battleground state, including Senator Amy Klobuchar, who will be front and center at CNN's town hall tonight hosted by our friend, Don Lemon.

Suzanne Malveaux is in Manchester for more.

I'm really looking forward to this. It will be fascinating for sure. She's been on the campaign trail there all weekend. What is the message you're hearing she's going to drive home tonight?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Sure, Poppy. I mean there's a lot of excitement around this. You see just in the backdrop there that's where Don's going to be seated across from her. It's going to be an intimate setting. About 270 folks here in the theater. And, you know, faculty, students, Democratic activists, everybody, a real chance to see up close in front what she's got to say and to learn about her.

One of the things I've noticed in covering her is that she's very personable. She likes to bring things home in terms of her own experiences. She's a storyteller. She uses metaphors. Some of the things that you'll hear tonight, her priorities, including taking on climate change, but also working across the aisle. The ability to get things done. Work with Republicans, whether cybersecurity, election security or drug prices, those types of things are really in her -- in her wheelhouse, if you will.

She will also emphasize as well, not so much the Minnesota nice, but really what she calls heartland economics. That is the idea that people in rural America should have same access to health care, to medicine, to jobs, as everybody else. That there are folks in those rural areas that have been neglected across the country. That's what she's going to focus on.

And, finally, Poppy, she is going to talk about how this president has changed this country, has divided this country, and that she uniquely, as somebody from the Midwest, can unite people and get things done.

Take a listen.

HARLOW: It's interesting --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And I'm running because I see that that sense of community is getting fractured. It's getting fractured by someone in the White House who gets up every morning and tweets whatever he wants but doesn't respect the amendment that allows him to do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: And, Poppy, I can put money on it that she will make a joke about how happy she is to be indoors, not under the snow. Her announcement last week, that she's not in a snow globe. And that's one of the things that she uses constantly to, as a metaphor, as an example to say, look, she's got the grit and tenacity that separates her from some of her Democratic competitors.

Poppy.

HARLOW: She did seem -- she did seem to sort of revel in that blizzard, you know.

[09:35:03] MALVEAUX: She really did.

HARLOW: And it is true -- it is true, when you look at her across the state of Minnesota in the last election, her ability to win dozens of counties that the president won, you know, is certainly, I think, somebody you'll hear her highlight tonight as well.

Suzanne, thanks very much. We look forward to it.

You can watch the town hall with Senator Amy Klobuchar, moderated by the very best, Don Lemon. It starts tonight, 10:00 p.m. Eastern, only right here.

Meantime, Senator Kamala Harris is hosting her own town hall in a matter of hours. Our Kyung Lah is in Manchester, New Hampshire, following the senator.

Kyung, good morning to you. You look good in the snow. I know you're not used to it, but this is what you get on the trail in New Hampshire.

Let's talk about this. This is her first visit to the state. She's got this combination of small events and large events. I'm interested in what challenges she faces there. KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In part it's actually just getting out

there and getting to know people and getting them to know her. Her campaign here in New Hampshire says, look, they know that in the state of New Hampshire, that it's not just shaking hands once, it is about shaking hands twice. So you've got to get out there and really know the voters of this particular state. And they believe that she is the one who can make the sale. And her pitch to voters will be that you have seen her in the Senate hearings, that she is the fighter, she is the one who is the future of the Democratic Party. They may have heard the names of Warren and Biden, but that she is the one who will lead the charge into 2020.

And if South Carolina is any indication, the crowds that we have seen there for her town halls, they are expecting intense interest. That people -- Democratic voters are interested in Harris, in Senator Harris.

In South Carolina, they had to not only get all the bleachers open in the gymnasiums, they had to open up the second floor rafters in order for people to actually hear the senator. So, Poppy, they are expecting something intense interest as people start to get to know the senator here in the granite state.

Poppy.

HARLOW: Get to know her. That is key. Obviously a very engaged electorate in New Hampshire.

In terms of the pitch she made over the weekend of herself to black women specifically in South Carolina, talk to me, Kyung, about how she plans to adjust that for a different demographic in New Hampshire.

LAH: Well, let's start with what she said in South Carolina. She actually went shopping and stopped at stores that are owned by black women. And these were women who struggle. They grew up in the foster care system. They opened their own business. She talked about small businesses. She talked about how black women are the heart of South Carolina, black women being the heart of the base in South Carolina, women being the heart of the base of the Democratic Party nationally. They believe that that will be the base that will carry her through, Poppy.

HARLOW: Kyung, thank you for the reporting. We'll be watching tonight, obviously. The Klobuchar town hall and also what we see from the senator there.

Ahead for us, another twist in the alleged attack on actor Jussie Smollett. Sources now tell CNN new evidence suggests that he may have collaborated the entire thing, that he may have set this up. What is he going to say? Will he talk to investigators again? We'll have a live report from Chicago, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:42:43] HARLOW: All right, welcome back. I'm Poppy Harlow in New York. And we are continuing to follow this story about "Empire" actor Jussie

Smollett. Police in Chicago say they have new evidence that suggests that Smollett may have paid two brothers to orchestrate an attack on him last month. According to sources, investigators have the two men's cell phones and are going through them right now. For Smollett's part, he denies having anything to do with this attack. Authorities say they need to talk to him again, though. Our Ryan Young joins me with the latest.

So many developments here. And I don't think we've heard an update from Smollett yet, right?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No, we haven't, except the lawyers did put out a statement Saturday basically saying it's like he's being a victim twice. But when you talk about that detail about the cell phone records of those two brothers, something that we discovered yesterday as we were working this story, you've got to think about this, they're going through those phones bit by bit to see if there is a connection.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JUSSIE SMOLLETT, ACTOR: I'm not fully healed yet, but I'm going to --

YOUNG (voice over): The alleged hate crime against "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett prompted national outrage.

SMOLLETT (singing): Feels like I try make you smile, you don't even care though.

YOUNG: But two law enforcement sources tell CNN that Chicago Police now believe Smollett paid two men to orchestrate the assault. Smollett vehemently denying the suggestion through his attorneys, saying in a statement, as a victim of a hate crime who has cooperated with the police investigation, Smollett is angered and devastate and further victimized by claims that he played a role in his own attack. The actor blasting those who have questioned his account in an interview last week.

SMOLLETT: Who thought (EXPLETIVE DELETED) would make something like this up or add something to it or -- or whatever it may be. I can't -- I can't even -- I'm an advocate.

YOUNG: Chicago Police confirming that new information has shifted the trajectory of the investigation, saying on Saturday that they've reached out to Smollett's attorney to request a follow-up interview.

SMOLLETT: I'm pissed off.

ROBIN ROBERTS, ABC NEWS: What is it that has you so angry? Is it the attackers? Is it --

SMOLLETT: It's the attackers, but it's also the attacks.

YOUNG: According to the initial police report, Smollett alleges that two men attacked him on January 29th while yelling racist and homophobic slurs, putting a rope around his neck and pouring and unknown chemical substance on him. He said at least one of the men was wearing a mask. On Wednesday, authorities arrested two potential suspects seen in this surveillance footage, saying that they had probable cause to believe the Nigerian brothers may have been involved in an alleged crime.

[09:45:19] SMOLLETT: I don't have any doubt in my mind that that's them. Never did.

YOUNG: But by Friday, after searching their apartment, police released the men without any charges. A source familiar with the investigation tells CNN police are now examining the men's cell phones. Chicago Police say Smollett has also handed over phone records but they were heavily redacted.

SMOLLETT: They wanted me to give my phone to the tech for three to four hours. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to do that.

ROBERTS: Why?

SMOLLETT: Because I have private pictures and videos and numbers.

YOUNG: In the wake of the alleged attack, a number of 2020 Democrat hopefuls rallied behind Smollett. Now many say they'll wait for the investigation to be completed before commenting further.

REP. TULSI GABBARD (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The investigation is ongoing.

SEN. CORY BOOKER (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm going to withhold until all the information actually comes out from on the record sources.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

YOUNG: Yes, Poppy, one other thing to think about in this case. We do know that police believe they have the records -- financial records that show that the brothers actually bought that rope that was found on Smollett's neck. That's one other thing that stands out there. And also overnight "Empire's" executive producer tweeting his support for the actor writing, I believe and stand by Jussie Smollett. Keep your head up.

This story has so many twists and turns. We'll continue to follow it.

HARLOW: Yes. It does, Ryan, you know. And we heard that statement from Fox, who puts out "Empire" last week standing behind him. We haven't heard anything from them yet, as you know.

All right, Ryan, thanks very much.

YOUNG: It will be interesting to see if he comes in.

HARLOW: Yes, absolutely.

All right, so ahead for us, crisis in Haiti this morning. The country in turmoil amid these protests. You have missionaries and nurses trapped in hospitals. We will take you live to the ground in Haiti, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:51:34] HARLOW: All right, welcome back.

We've learned this morning that five Americans have been arrested in Haiti on conspiracy charges. Those arrests come as anti-government protests rage on for a 12th straight day. Demonstrators want Haiti's president to resign after mounting inflation there and corruption allegations.

Let's go to my colleague Miguel Marquez. He's on the ground in the capital city of Port-au-Prince.

Look, the entire police force has been activated there. What can you tell us is the situation on the ground and also about those Americans arrested?

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So the situation right now is sort of a tenuous calm. The government invited all sort of agencies and schools to come back to work today. The schools are not open. There is a great concern that more protests may break out. So the police are on alert for that.

With regard to those five Americans, they were arrested yesterday with a ton of automatic and other guns on them, as well as radios. It is not clear what they were doing there. Local reports say that they identified themselves as working for the government. The police disagree. We hope to get more information on what's going on with that. But it is -- it is just one of those things.

As the government is saying that there are foreign influences taking part in the protests, you have the arrests of these eight people total, five of them Americans. So a lot of intrigue and a lot of questions about exactly what they were up to here in Port-au-Prince.

Poppy.

HARLOW: Right.

And also, Miguel, the government -- the response from the government. I know the president has been defiant, right, says he's not going anywhere. What else are they saying? And I guess what else would placate, you know, the protests, other than, I suppose, his resignation?

MARQUEZ: Seemingly nothing. But the prime minister did come out over the weekend to say that he was going to cut his own staff by 30 percent, or his own budget, that he was going to reduce perks, that he was going to push for a minimum wage increase. Keep in mind, people survive on $2 or $3 a day in this place, about 60 percent of the population. So it is not clear that will buy them off. They want the president to resign. So far, a stalemate.

Poppy.

HARLOW: A stalemate indeed.

Miguel, thanks very much for being on the ground reporting there. We appreciate it.

A quick break. I'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:57:50] HARLOW: Are you a Lyft person or an Uber person? You know how steep the competition is between the two ride-hailing services. Well, now it is about to get a lot more competitive as both are gearing up to go public this year.

In a brand-new episode of "Boss Files" out this morning, I sat down with the Lyft co-founder and president, John Zimmer, to ask him about it. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Why do you want Lyft to be a public company?

JOHN ZIMMER, CO-FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT, LYFT: It's important for our drivers and passengers and, you know, main street USA to have access to wealth creation. I think that's important. It's important -- there are -- important for our team members, our employees to have liquidity and get value from the hard work they're putting in. It's important to create a currency and get the right valuation for the work that's happening. And I think going public brings a certain amount of proper accountability to businesses.

HARLOW: The word on the street is that's going to happen this spring or summer. Can you give me an update on the timeline?

ZIMMER: I cannot.

HARLOW: Reporting has been that Lyft's valuation is around $15 billion. Is that accurate?

ZIMMER: I can't comment on that.

HARLOW: How intent are you on Lyft having a public offering before Uber?

ZIMMER: Also something I can't comment on. In -- at a high level, how the company finances itself, again, is less important than the mission and the execution.

HARLOW: Are you concerned about a conflicting IPO with Uber, meaning, do you have any concern if Uber were to beat you on a public market and beat you on an offering date?

ZIMMER: Of all the things that we faced over the last six years, this is not something I'm concerned about. HARLOW: Is Uber a more formidable competitor, John, now with Dara

leading than with Travis Kalanick and the controversy that surrounded him?

ZIMMER: No.

HARLOW: It's not?

ZIMMER: No.

HARLOW: Do you think Dara has changed the culture?

ZIMMER: I don't know. I don't -- I don't -- obviously don't work there.

HARLOW: Is there anything you admire about Uber?

[10:00:01] ZIMMER: I think I'm going to say no.

HARLOW: Nothing?

END