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Rep. Mark Walker (R-NC) is Interviewed about Trump's Racist Tweets; Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is Interviewed about Prescription Drugs; South Korea Fires at Russian Aircraft. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired July 23, 2019 - 09:30   ET

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

[09:30:00] JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Like you did, that this -- this was like a dagger that went through my heart.

REP. MARK WALKER (R-NC): Yes, immediately, sitting there, you know, you could feel the fervor in the crowd. And, listen, these -- these are like rock concerts, they're always at capacity. And I applaud the president for bringing that kind of energy. And he's got a great bit of loyalty because he's willing to be able to call some things out. I applaud him for that. But when we get to this place, it's a distraction of what we ultimately are trying to accomplish.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: I've seen first-hand, being from Minnesota, what, you know, the state has done for immigrants. We have the largest Somali population outside Somalia, the largest Mung (ph) population and how it has enhanced the city of Minneapolis and beyond, right? And I'm not commenting on her specific comments, right? And we've had her on this program and pressed Ilhan Omar about that before. But -- but I have seen the impact, right?

Adam Kinzinger, fellow Republican in the House, tweeted that this would send chills down the spines of our founding fathers, these chants, and it risks the union. So outside of words from him and you, what action can we take?

WALKER: Well, I think the president has gone on record saying that he is not approving of these chants. And I hope that if it does break out again, that he would that -- in that moment take that moment to be very presidential and say, we're not going to participate in those kinds of chants. They're hurtful. They're offensive.

But we want to make sure that we are talking about all the things that are being said. I just got back from the border over the weekend. The morale among some of those agents who I saw mixing baby formula and changing diapers, these people are struck when they hear that they're being -- they're being compared to concentration camps with Nazi undertones there. We want to make sure that we also are identifying all those who would use such language and call it out. Listen, we want to make sure -- Republicans should want to make sure that we are trying to be defined by our policies and not by the language that has been so damning for so many decades.

SCIUTTO: OK, I appreciate that sentiment. I respect that sentiment. And I think a lot of people do. But the president is not walking away from these attacks. In fact, he seems to be doubling, tripling, quadrupling down on the attacks. Every day we hear something about the squad. He calls them people who hate their country. It's not clear what he bases that on. And he's noting today that, hey, he thinks this will help him in Minnesota. And he clearly thinks politically this is going to help his case.

And I wonder, as a Republican, as a pastor for 16 years, if you're comfortable with that campaign message for a sitting Republican president?

WALKER: Listen, I choose to have maybe a different style, but the president, he's not politically correct. He's -- he's not sensitive to some of the things that maybe we could or we should be --

SCIUTTO: Is it -- so you're saying it's politically --

WALKER: Let me finish my thought there on that.

SCIUTTO: I don't know, because this is more than being politically correct.

WALKER: And that's -- and that's where I'm going with. It's not only is it politically -- not politically correct, he's not sensitive to some of the areas that maybe he could or he should be in. He is a guy that his mindset is getting from point a to point b. And if he has to leave some scorched earth to get there, that's how he weighs it.

Now, ultimately, I would hope that we can continue to see more discipline when it comes to some of the things that are hurtful. But we will, obviously, continue to watch and encourage the president. And I say I applaud him for saying, we're not going to listen to these chants anymore.

HARLOW: The question is, should there have been a John McCain moment, right, when John McCain called out, in the 2008 race, to someone that called Obama a Muslim, he said, no, no, no, he's a decent man, and that's -- that's not what we saw.

WALKER: It's a little different, though, Poppy, when you have the huge crowd. Not trying to be an apologist here. When you have the different things. What do you do in that moment? You've got a planned speech there as opposed to one-on-one. I hope that he will follow through on what he has said, that he would call it out in the future.

HARLOW: OK. Thank you for coming. Come back.

SCIUTTO: We do. Let's keep up the conversation.

HARLOW: Yes.

SCIUTTO: That's what we try to do on this --

WALKER: Thanks for the opportunity.

SCIUTTO: On this broadcast every day.

HARLOW: Appreciate it. Nice to see you.

SCIUTTO: Coming up, Senator Bernie Sanders is all in on Medicare for all, but how does he sway a majority of Americans who don't want to lose their private insurance? That's a key question. We're going to ask the senator coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:38:13] HARLOW: All right, with just a week until the next Democratic debate, Senator Bernie Sanders is headed to Canada this Sunday. He will take a bus tour with diabetes patients across the border to buy less expensive insulin. Part of his Medicare for all push and his attempt to try to stand out and own the health care debate in the crowded field of Democrats and he joins me now. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, thank you for being here.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you. My pleasure.

HARLOW: So you're -- you're going to take this bus tour. As our latest polling shows you're really neck and neck. You are pretty much tied with Kamala Harris and Senator Elizabeth Warren behind former Vice President Joe Biden. That's a CNN poll of polls.

Tell me what this should indicate to us about how you plan to stand out and show the American people on our debate stage next week that you're different from them.

SANDERS: Well, I'm not worried about polls now. We don't have the first ballot being cast until six months from now.

What I am worried about is that millions of people in our country cannot afford the outrageously high cost of prescription drugs. We pay by far more than any other country on Earth and yet last year the top 10 drug companies made $69 billion in profits.

One out of five Americans cannot even afford to fill the prescriptions that their doctors prescribe. That is pretty crazy. We're going to be going over the Canadian border to make a very simple point and that is, at a time when we have an epidemic of diabetes in this country, we are going to take people into Ontario, Canada, and we're going to buy insulin.

And you know what the differential is?

The differential in prices between the United States and Canada is 10:1. We're going to buy insulin in Canada for 0.1 the price it is in the United States of America.

HARLOW: OK.

[09:40:04] SANDERS: And I think that issue is an issue that must be dealt with. We've got to take on the greed of the pharmaceutical industry. HARLOW: And I know you recently announced you are giving back any money that comes from big pharma, like Pfizer, et cetera. Clearly this is the key issue for you. Let's dig into it; Medicare for all. There's a new poll out -- I'm sure you've seen -- just yesterday, an NPR/Marist poll.

It just asked Americans a simple question: do you think America for all is a good or bad idea?

Only 41 percent said it's a good idea, 54 percent said it's a bad idea, 39 percent of independents only like it and even three in 10 self-identified Democrats are skeptical.

Why is it --

(CROSSTALK)

SANDERS: Well, first of all --

HARLOW: -- best plan --

SANDERS: Hold it, hold it --

HARLOW: -- majority -- hold on; I ask the questions here -- when a majority of Americans aren't behind it?

SANDERS: Well, obviously, you saw the poll that came out from "The New York Times" two days ago, in which 78 percent of Democrats thought that Medicare for all was a good idea and 69 percent of independents thought it was a good idea.

Medicare for all, depending on the wording of the poll, does very, very well. And the answer why it does well is the American people are sick and tired of a dysfunctional health care system, in which over 80 million Americans are uninsured or underinsured.

And we are spending almost twice as much per capita on health care as do the people of any other country.

The American people are sick and tired of seeing insurance companies become rich while they can't afford the health care that they need.

HARLOW: So let's talk about this a little bit more and what it would mean for the average American. You were on "FOX News Sunday," back in June, with Chris Wallace. It was a fascinating interview. This is the part of it that really struck me about whether Americans could keep their doctors, their hospitals, exactly as they have them now under a Medicare for all plan. Here you were.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANDERS: What we are talking about, despite a lot of misinformation coming from the insurance companies and the drug companies, is allowing all of the American people to continue to go to the doctor that you want to go, go to the hospital that you want to go to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: I really like my doctor and I'd like to keep going to her.

But what if she decides, Senator, that a Medicare for all plan doesn't pay her out enough and she's going to just take private patients, that I would have to pay out-of-pocket to go to her?

And that's OK for me because I can afford to. But it's not OK for most Americans.

Could they still keep their doctor if their doctor decided these rates aren't enough for me?

SANDERS: That is not the way the system is going to work. The system is going to work similarly to what exists in Canada. And what we are going to see is an expansion of Medicare, where almost all doctors are now in Medicare, to cover every man, woman and child in this country.

What we are talking about is a four-year transition period. Right now, as you know, eligibility for Medicare is 65. We take it down at the end of the first year to 55; next year, 45; next year, 35 and then we cover every man, woman and child.

And by the way, what we also do is expand Medicare coverage for seniors to include dental care, hearing aids and eyeglasses, which are not currently --

(CROSSTALK)

HARLOW: And that matters. That matters. But I'm just asking you, the fact of the matter is that not all doctors take that because they don't all like the rates that they're paid.

So can you 100 percent guarantee to all Americans that their existing doctor would see them under this plan and they would not have to pay out-of-pocket a private rate?

SANDERS: But as you well know, right now, all Americans cannot go to the doctor that they want within their --

(CROSSTALK)

HARLOW: And I hear you. I think the system is broken and it needs to be fixed some way. But you said earlier this summer that people could essentially keep their doctors and their hospitals. And I'm just wondering is that 100 percent true for every American?

SANDERS: Well, under Medicare for all, as I said on that show, every American will be able to go to the doctor they want because doctors will be in the Medicare for all single payer program, as they are right now in the Medicare program.

Look, the time is overdue, it seems to me, to end a dysfunctional system, which enriches the drug companies and the insurance companies and do what every other major country on Earth does: guarantee health care to all people, freedom of choice with regard to the doctor and the hospital and, at the end of the day, we will save the average American considerable sums of money on the amount he or she has to spend on health care.

HARLOW: OK, so that's your guarantee to the American people. We'll talk more about it. No questions, Senator, on the CNN debate stage. But I do want to ask you a few other, I think, really important issues because you have been this loud voice for a living wage for as long as I can remember. I mean, this has been a key signature issue for you, $15 an hour.

[09:45:11] We saw what passed in the House last week, first presidential candidate to unionize your workers. Since then you know "The Washington Post" reporting that many of your field workers were working much more than, you know, 40 hours a week; therefore making less than $15 an hour.

You guys offered to pay them $42,000 a year, that would bring them up to that rate. The unions said no because then we wouldn't get enough coverage of our health care costs.

I get all that background. Fundamentally, because this has been a signature issue for you, I'm wondering did you know that many of your workers were not making -- many of your staffers were not making $15 an hour?

Did you know that?

SANDERS: What I did know is that I was insistent that everybody on our staff make at least $15 an hour and, in fact, they're making $17 an hour. And the offer that we made to the union several months ago would have accomplished that.

And I'm happy to tell you, by the way, that offer was just accepted.

(CROSSTALK)

SANDERS: So we're back to where we started. Yes, it was. It's not -- you know, I understand when you have a union -- and we were the first campaign in the history of this country because I respect workers' rights and I respect the union movement -- we had a union.

We made an offer which would have addressed that problem several months ago; it was rejected. We underwent negotiations. It has now, the offer, it has been accepted.

HARLOW: So starting today, all of those workers that are salaried will make $42,000 a year or equivalent to $15 an hour?

SANDERS: I believe it's more than $15 an hour. Also, by the way, it's probably the best health care plan that you can imagine. I believe we cover 100 percent of the health care costs of our workers. So I am proud of having led the fight for a $15 an hour minimum wage. And I'm proud that all of our workers are going to be well paid.

HARLOW: Well, that's new. I like to end on a positive note, so very quickly here, everyone's comparing you to Senator Elizabeth Warren. You often say, she is my friend. Let's end with something you admire about her.

What is the thing you admire most about Senator Elizabeth Warren as you get ready to take her on, on the debate stage?

SANDERS: Well, Senator Warren is a friend of mine and I admire the fact that we have worked together over the years on a number of issues.

HARLOW: Anything specific?

SANDERS: Yes, look, we've worked together on a number of issues and she is a very good senator.

HARLOW: All right, Senator Bernie Sanders, I'm looking forward to hearing about the bus tour and seeing you on the debate stage next week. We'll see you in Detroit. Thank you, sir.

SANDERS: Great. Thank you very much.

HARLOW: You got it.

The line-up set, there you go, night one, night two for the presidential debates. Two big nights, ten candidates each, July 30th and 31st in Detroit, only right here.

SCIUTTO: And coming up, a dangerous confrontation over the Sea of Japan. South Korea says it had to fire hundreds -- that's right, hundreds of warning shots at a Russian military bomber that looks just like that one. It was a dangerous clash in the sky. We'll have more coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:52:34] HARLOW: This morning, a faceoff between South Korea, Russia over the Sea of Japan. South Korea says it had to fire more than 300 warning shots at a Russia military aircraft for violating air space.

SCIUTTO: Chinese aircraft also involved. Russia, of course, has a different story. So does China.

Frederik Pleitgen live in Moscow with the very latest.

And, Fred, we often see encounters in the air, even around U.S. air space, where jets are scrambled to escort them away. What's different here is firing of shots, warning shots, hundreds of warning shots.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

SCIUTTO: This was a truly dangerous encounter.

PLEITGEN: Really dangerous encounter and really unique on a lot of levels. It seems as though, Jim, there were actually two encounters that took place. One was a joint patrol mission by Chinese and Russian bombers, strategic bombers that, of course, are nuclear capable in that vicinity. The South Koreans are (INAUDIBLE) their air defense zone. That those planes went into. Now, the Russians acknowledge that their bombers and the Chinese

bombers were picked off by South Korean jets. They said it was South Korean F-16s that came up, buzzed the bombers, but then they say those planes left and only fired flares as they were flying away.

But there was a second encounter that so far the Russians have not acknowledged and that involved a Russian command and control (INAUDIBLE). The South Koreans are saying that it not only went into their air defense (INAUDIBLE) actually went into their air space and that's when a South Korean jet went up and fired those 300 warning shots. They say it was two separate incidences. It went into that air space twice and more than 300 shots were fired.

By the way, Jim, I know you've done a lot of work, obviously, on the challenges that Russia and China pose to the U.S. in that very area. The Russians and Chinese saying this was the first joint mission of Russian and Chinese bombers together in that air space.

Jim.

SCIUTTO: You know, it's interesting, a couple of weeks ago you had that altercation where a Russian destroyer --

PLEITGEN: Yes.

SCIUTTO: Buzzed a U.S. warship out in the East China Sea, close to China, while the Russian president was visiting with the Chinese president. So this is not the first time you see Russia and China -- I don't know the aligned is the right word -- but certainly working together, stirring things up in Asia.

PLEITGEN: Well, I would -- I would definitely say, Jim, that it is -- they're coming a lot closer to an alignment than it was before. One of the other things that we have to keep in mind is that these two countries had gigantic joint drills about a year ago. It was the eastern Russian drills were the first -- for the first time Chinese troops were involved as well. And both leaders, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping have said that they want closer cooperation, not just in the economic field, but, of course, in the military field as well. And, of course, this all comes, as you know, at a time where both China and Russia continue to challenge the U.S. in that part of the world, Jim.

[09:55:19] SCIUTTO: And all over.

HARLOW: Fred -- yes.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

HARLOW: Fred Pleitgen, thank you very, very much. We appreciate it.

Right now it is crunch time for lawmakers and for the special counsel, Bob Mueller. We are just hours away, folks, from two of the biggest hearings on Capitol Hill.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END