Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

CNN Obtains Mueller Notes Showing Trump's Push For Stolen E- mails; Democratic Candidates Put Weekend Focus On Iowa; House Approves Rules For Impeachment Proceedings; Voters React To Two Democrats Who Voted "No" On Impeachment Inquiry; Trump, The Sole Architect Of His Defense As Impeachment Progresses; Facebook & Twitter Take Opposite Approaches To Political Ads; Washington Nationals' Pitcher Declines Invitation To White House; Dog Involved In ISIS Leader Raid Heads To White House. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired November 02, 2019 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:03:00]

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: Make sure you tune in Sunday night at 11:00 Eastern and Pacific right here on CNN.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York, great to have you with us this weekend.

We begin with new information on the Russia probe. Yes, flashback to the Russia probe.

The new details tonight add new perspective on President Trump's 2016 campaign and its search for stolen emails and WikiLeaks' possession. CNN has now obtained more than 200 pages of interview notes, emails and other documents from Robert Mueller's team in the Russia investigation. These are behind the scenes documents and details. They reveal how President Trump's campaign repeatedly talked about getting a hold of emails, hacked from Democrats.

According to an interview with Rick Gates, he is the deputy campaign manager who ultimately pled guilty in the Mueller probe, Trump himself is said to have told him, quote, get the emails. Remember, these emails led to embarrassing headlines for Hillary Clinton and the Democrats as the 2016 Election Day drew closer.

And CNN Crime and Justice Reporter, Shimon Prokupecz is joining us now.

Shimon, what more are we learning from this huge document release and explain the significance of what you're finding.

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: So, it's certainly significant, as you said, it gives us a first look into the Mueller team, inside those interview rooms. Many of us spent so much time. I was outside the Mueller office trying to figure out who was coming in, who was leaving. And here, for the first time, we're getting a really detailed look inside some of the questions that the Mueller team was asking, FBI agents were asking. And what we've seen in Rick Gates, and keep in mind, Rick Gates was Paul Manafort's deputy. He was side-by-side with Paul Manafort. And, clearly, in this release, this information that CNN sued for, finally got, we learn just how important what they were thinking, how the FBI agents felt, the way the campaign was thinking about these WikiLeaks and this dump and the stolen emails, how important that played into the investigation.

And what you find in reading these documents, Rick Gates explained how excited so many people were in the campaign by the fact that WikiLeaks was going to have this dump, was going to release these emails, the president himself at the time, candidate Trump, was so excited by this release us, was asking when is it coming, when is the release coming, the family, Trump Jr., Kushner, all sorts of people inside the campaign really realizing the significance of this WikiLeaks. One point in the interviews, it says that this was going to be a game changer, sort of a turning point, in the campaign. So that's what you are seeing here.

And you can see just how significant this was for the Mueller team as they were trying to dig through this and figure out what exactly was going on here. Did the Trump campaign somehow have some kind of a heads up that this was coming? And also the importance of Rick Gates, his cooperation and the information that they were able to learn from the hours and hours and days that he spent with the FBI agents and the Mueller team.

But, obviously, the most significant, a lot of this we already knew, but it's the excitement here, the excitement by the Trump campaign. That is so significant.

CABRERA: It really provides some color.

PROKUPECZ: Yes, color --

CABRERA: Into the campaign and then also the investigation itself. Do you say there's more to come?

PROKUPECZ: There is more to come. There is a lot more to come. And, of course, we are continuing to sue and some of this we're waiting to get more from the Department of Justice. They delivered this to us overnight on a CD-ROM, so we're able to go through this, but there is more to come.

One of the things that I'm certainly looking for is the 302s. These are the documents or these interview statements. It's going to be Don McGahn. Remember, Don McGahn has proven so significant in the Mueller investigation on the obstruction part of that investigation. Of course, members of Congress have been wanting to talk to him. He's not willing to come forward right now.

So those documents, when that comes, it's going to be interesting to see exactly in detail what he said about the president. And so that is just one of -- more of the things that we're going to get there. There's a lot that we're expecting more.

CABRERA: Do we know when those documents --

PROKUPECZ: We don't know. We don't have the timeline yet. But we are waiting for that and that should be a pretty significant dump once that happens.

CABRERA: And we know you will. Let us know and keep us posted. Shimon, thank you.

To the campaign trail now where it's all about Iowa for the men and women hoping to win the Democratic nomination for president. In fact, it may be the most important weekend for the candidates still trying to win over voters and all of those at the top are making pitches to those who will take part in the nation's first nominating contest, the Iowa Caucuses on February 3rd.

CNN's Leyla Santiago joins us from Cedar Rapids right now.

Leyla, big news this weekend about several of the Democratic Candidates. First, there's that one dropped out suddenly and a couple of others are not taking a good hard look at their chances and their prospects. Tell us first how Beto O'Rourke ended his campaign?

[17:05:01]

LEYLA SANTIAGO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. Well, this was actually something that quite was sudden, and we know it was sudden because his staff had put up signs, they had a section at one of the biggest celebrations, 13,000 Democrats gathered in Des Moines yesterday and they were ready to go for Beto O'Rourke to speak there and then that didn't happen. Because right before that event, he tweeted saying that he didn't feel he could serve or he didn't feel that the best way for him to serve was as a candidate anymore. And so, he dropped out of the race, spoke to his supporters in a pre-rally. And so now, he was supposed to be here today. He is no longer here.

But let's get to the second point that I think you were getting to, Ana, and that is Julian Castro. My colleague, Dan Merica, reporting that his sources are telling him he is refocusing his campaign not only in Iowa but also in Texas, as well as Nevada, and encouraging staffers who want to look for jobs with other campaigns.

That's sort of being big some talkers today as many of the candidates who were here, Elizabeth Warren speaking now, at the Finkenauer Fish Fry, and many of them are talking infrastructure because this is a union-heavy crowd. So they're talking their respect for collective bargaining. They definitely know their audience here as the first- ever fish fry -- Finkenauer Fish Fry here in Iowa takes place.

So because folks were sitting down around the table eating fried fish, I took the opportunity to ask them how they were feeling given that yesterday, a poll was released showing Senator Warren on top followed by Buttigieg, Sanders and Biden, hear the responses.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My head is for Biden and my heart is for Amy Klobuchar.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Booker here, he really had an inspiring, informative on his platform. which really, you know, really undecided.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm kind of somewhere between Biden and Warren. I like the moderacy of Biden but I like the thought out, well-planned proposals that Warren talks about so --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANTIAGO: And interesting thing about that voter, she actually brought up Medicare-for-all, where you see a big distinction between Warren and Biden. She believes that Medicare-for-all can be funded without raising taxes on the middle class. Biden calls that mathematic gymnastics. Ana?

CABRERA: All right. Leyla Santiago, thank you for that. It's always interesting to hear from the voters themselves. We appreciate you bringing us that.

Let's talk now with CNN Political Commentators, S.E. Cupp and Keith Boykin.

Keith, there's one less person in the race today. Beto O'Rourke is out. How do you see that impacting the race?

KEITH BOYKIN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: There is one fewer person in the race now. And I think Beto's departure opens up opportunities for other candidates. He was sort of known for taking the sort of aggressive stance on the gun issue. I think that other candidates would probably want to get some of his support, that nobody is going to say any critical about him.

But, you know, he was polling at very low numbers, so he's not going to significantly alter the outcome of the election but he has some important contributions to make. So I don't know if it's a huge difference but it makes somewhat of a difference.

CABRERA: S.E., Kamala Harris is another person who's having to take a good hard look at her campaign and we know she's cut staffers, she's closed campaign offices, she says she's going all-in on Iowa even though she's going down in the polls there. The latest one has her at 3 percent. Is this a strategy that makes sense?

S.E. CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Look, you want to be able to play in every early state. But when your resources are limited, you've got to pick and choose. And I don't think it makes sense to spread your resources thin over, say, Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina. I think you focus on one place.

Would I put all that energy into Iowa if I were Kamala Harris? Maybe not. Maybe I would look at South Carolina. But, look, she doesn't want to wait through those early states. So Iowa is critical. Getting momentum even off of a decent finish in Iowa would be crucial for someone polling the way she is right now. CABRERA: The New York Times had an interesting piece this week talking diversity of the field. And they point out that, you know, you look at who's leading the polls, they're all white. And then, you know, add in the fact when you look at the fundraising, the people who are leading are all white. And so as a result, you know, when we look at the debates next month, certainly in December in particular, where the requirements are that much higher, we may see only one person of color on that debate stage even though this is the most diverse field in history.

Keith, how important is it to have voices and candidates that represent, you know, minorities in this contest?

BOYKIN: It's crucially important. I've been saying this for weeks now. I've been saying this in the past couple of days especially that, particularly come to the African-American community. African- Americans are the essential voting of the bloc of the Democratic Party.

[17:10:03]

You cannot win the Democratic nomination unless you have unless you win black votes.

And it seems that we have a few people who are competing for that, but Joe Biden is the one who is walking away with the black vote right now. That's still in flux though.

Remember back in 2008 and that campaign cycle when Hillary Clinton was leading in the black vote, until Barack Obama won the Iowa Caucuses. And suddenly, even black voters were suspicious about whether they should put their faith in Obama because they didn't know if he could win. But after he won the Iowa Caucuses, suddenly, you saw a surge of support for him and the black vote started move in that direction.

We could see something like that happen now. I don't know if Kamala Harris or Corey Booker is likely to win in Iowa. But if Kamala finishes in the top three, which is what she's trying to do, that can force people to sort of re-evaluate her Campaign.

CABRERA: Okay. Let me pivot to what's happening in Capitol Hill right now where it's all about impeachment. It's entering a new phase in this process, opening up the hearings to the public and transcripts being released soon, we're told. There was after, of course, the vote that happened this week and all the Republicans voted against it. Here's Nancy Pelosi.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): I don't know why the Republicans are afraid of the truth. Every member should support allowing the American people to hear the facts for themselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: She says Republicans are afraid of the truth. All House Republicans, as I mentioned, voted against the vote, so that they voted against public hearings, they voted against, you know, transcripts being released, they voted against transparency, S.E. It doesn't make sense to me.

CUPPP: Well, they didn't really have anything to gain and the calculus will be different for senators. And that's why you're seeing some Republican senators say, well, no, wait a minute. We might as well admit there was a quid pro quo here and talk about whether that's impeachable or illegal or not, because the stakes are higher for senators.

But I think for obviously all House Republicans, they made the calculation that rubber stamping any part of this impeachment process is just not to their advantage. Whether that's because Trump has been scaring people who, you know, are up in 2020 about the consequences of that or they just know that their constituents don't care about this or don't want them to go down this road. I mean, that's probably personal for all of them, but it wasn't worth it for any one of them apparently.

CABRERA: Well, when you looking at the polling, Americans are extremely divided on this. I mean, look at it, Keith, when we put it up here. Guys, we have 49 percent who say, yes, the president should be impeached or removed from office. 47 percent say no. And if you slice it further in the polling, when you looking at just independents, I should say, the numbers are flipped, so it's actually 47 who say yes and 49 who say no. I wonder, are Democrats dancing with danger right now, politically?

BOYKIN: I think those numbers are stunning. If you go back to the Watergate impeachment hearing in 1973 when those hearings began, 19 percent of Americans thought that Richard Nixon should be impeached and removed from office. We're starting with half of the country already saying that Donald Trump's not only be impeached but he should be removed from office. That is an extraordinary step, only one month into the investigation, into the impeachment inquiry. Not to mention the fact that it will take some courage in order to make this a bipartisan effort.

But if you go back into history, look at somebody like Larry Hogan Sr., he was the first Republican to come out in the Watergate era to endorse the impeachment of Richard Nixon. There's got to be something like that. It can't be Justin Amash because he's no longer a Republican. But there's got to be somebody in the Republican Party who will to stand up and say, we believe in the rule of law and not Donald Trump. And once that happens, then the floodgates could open.

CABRERA: Yes, we'll leave it there, guys. Thank you both Keith Boykin and S.E. Cupp. Don't forget, S.E. is back at the top of the hour for her show, "S.E. CUPP UNFILTERED," here on CNN.

Now back in March, he said he was born to be in the race. Now, in November, Beto O'Rourke changed his mind. A closer look at his decision to drop his bid for president live in the CNN Newsroom, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [17:15:00]

CABRERA: Welcome back.

Right now, every top tier Democratic candidate who wants to take on President Trump is barnstorming one state, and that is Iowa. In just over 90 days, it will hold the first nominating contest of the 2020 election cycle. And as the Democratic hopefuls work crowds, meet supporters and do their best to stand out, we're getting a fresh look at just how tight this race has become.

At the very top, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg, they're all within six points of each other. And this all comes on the heels of last night's sudden exit Beto O'Rourke who is now suspending his campaign.

CNN Political Analyst, Nathan Gonzales, joins me now. He is the editor and publisher of Inside Elections. Also with us is Abby Livingston, Washington Bureau Chief for Texas Tribune.

So, Abby, who do you see now picking up O'Rourke's supporters?

ABBY LIVINGSTON, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, TEXAS TRIBUNE: Well, there weren't too many to pick up. He just was not polling well.

Here's what I think is the most important thing to watch with the O'Rourke or what's left of the O'Rourke campaign. He had what was widely -- the person widely perceived to be the top Democratic operative running his campaign. Her name is Jennifer O'Malley Dylan. I would closely watch her and see where she goes. She is considered an expert on running field operations, and so I think less focus on the voters and more focus on where she goes could be the more interesting thing of this development.

CABRERA: O'Rourke took a lot of staffers, we're told, by surprise with this announcement. Sources say he made the decision earlier this week in part because of weak fundraising numbers. We know he had 3 million cash on hand, the last report. That's far less than the 6 million he raked in just 24 hours after he announced his candidacy.

Abby, where did things go wrong?

LIVINGSTON: I think he had a sugar high of a start. He came out of the gate really hard, really fast. There was a lot of excitement. And then there were several missteps along the way. The Vanity Fair story that came out right when he launched, there may have been some presumptuousness in his comments or perceived presumptuousness.

And so I think it was just a really fast burn and it was -- he never quite had a moment where he got it back. Maybe many in August there was some thought that maybe after the shootings in his own hometown that he could bounce back and it just never really happened, and so I think he got lost in the mix.

CABRERA: Nathan, O'Rourke was polling better in Iowa and elsewhere and had more cash on hand than several of the other candidates who remain in the race.

[17:20:01]

At what point do they have to start being more realistic maybe about their chances?

NATHAN GONZALES, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, first, the first that came to mind on is when you said you put Beto O'Rourke in weak fundraising in the same sentence. Now, remember, just a couple of years ago, that would have been unthinkable. When he was running for the Senate against Ted Cruz, he was raising money like we had never seen a Senate candidate raise money before. So for this to come down to a fundraising issue is pretty remarkable.

And I think it shows that the unique -- the context of your race and your candidacy matters. In 2018, Congressman O'Rourke was viewed as a rock star, he was taking on Ted Cruz. He was finally the hopes and dreams of Democrats in Texas were coming true. And he was unique in that respect.

But in the context of the presidential race, where there were a couple dozen candidates, a lot of candidates saying a lot of the same things, it was tougher for him to break out. And then when you mix the realities of having to pay staffers and pay for field and doing all that when you can't pay the bills and you don't see going forward, you have to pull the plug.

CABRERA: So what does it mean for the other candidates who have even less money than O'Rourke had?

GONZALES: Well, it depends on what kind of infrastructure they want to have. I mean, there is a broad range of robustness of campaigns from Elizabeth Warren campaign who has a massive staff to Andrew Yang who I'm not sure has a ton of paid staff. So it's a matter of what you want to -- some candidates don't need as much money to stay in the race if you just want to have a barebones operation.

CABRERA: Abby, the president, of course, is embroiled in this Ukraine scandal, facing impeachment. I have to ask you about this new poll that your paper conducted of Texas voters finding Texans are evenly split on whether President Trump should be removed from office. 43 percent say yes. 44 percent say no. And that same poll finds the president's disapproval rate now higher than his approval rate. Is this an opening for Democrats now to make inroads in a reliably red state?

LIVINGSTON: I think inroads is the key word there. To compete in at the presidential level in the State of Texas is extremely expensive. And so Democrats in probably September of next year to look at this map and the amount of money it would take to compete in Texas, to could compete in perhaps five other states, Arizona, Georgia, places like that.

So Texas is a very high risk bet. And I think that's what's going to protect Texas for Republicans for a longer amount of time. But the world changed on election night 2016 in Texas. This is a very different world. Donald Trump is not popular in Texas compared to past nominees like Mitt Romney.

CABRERA: Nathan, Senator Warren just released her plan to pay for Medicare-for-all. Of course, that's been a point of attack by fellow Democrats in the race, including Joe Biden. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), FORMER U.S. VICE PRESIDENT, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Just get real with numbers. It's a very difficult way to get there what she is talking about. And the idea that she can get the cost down to 20 trillion is -- I don't know -- I mean, look, even 20 trillion, where does she get the money?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Nathan, do you think she's less vulnerable now that she has a plan or did she just open herself up for critics to pounce on the plan itself?

GONZALES: Well, that's kind of a rub when you release plans and you release details. The more details you provide, the more ammunition you give your opponents.

But I also think this is -- we're entering a new phase of the campaign, the phase where some of the bigger names are dropping out, but also where these campaigns really start to get engaged, and that matters in a crowded race.

For example, in 2004, the frontrunners right now in Iowa were Vermont Governor Howard Dean and former Leader Dick Gephardt. But they, over the course of a couple of months before, Iowa were fighting back and forth. And that allowed John Kerry and John Edwards to slip through the middle and finish first and second in Iowa.

And so this is just the beginning of where these -- this engagement and these negative attacks are just going to get higher and it's unclear when you make those attacks, you are not necessarily going to benefit. It could benefit someone else in the race.

CABRERA: Good point. Nathan Gonzales, Abby Livingston, thank you both for joining us this weekend.

LIVINGSTON: Thank you.

GONZALES: Thank you.

CABRERA: When the impeachment vote was counted, 232 Democrats voted yes, but two voted no. Now, their constituents are asking why.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:25:00]

CABRERA: Thursday's historic House vote was the most partisan vote on starting an impeachment inquiry in modern U.S. history. No Republicans voted to back the inquiry proceedings on Trump. But looking back into history, 31 Democrats did cross the aisle to back Clinton's impeachment investigation in 1998. Plus 177 Republicans voted for opening an impeachment investigation of Nixon in 1974.

And while all Republicans followed the party line this week, not all the Democrats did. Two from their ranks rejected the resolution, which set up how the proceedings on Trump will work. Congressman Collin Peterson of Minnesota on the left screen, Congressman Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey both come from districts President Trump won in 2016.

And for more on these Democrats, let me turn to CNN's Alison Kosik.

Alison, you have been talking to voters in Van Drew's district in New Jersey. What are they saying?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Jeff Van Drew's constituents kind of gave us mixed reviews when we visited earlier today about how they felt about his no vote on this first full vote in the U.S. House of Representatives on impeachment. So we visited Egg Harbor Township, that's part of the 2nd congressional district which he represents. And you know what, some people said, look, we support the way you voted, but on the other hand, many also said, listen, even if President Trump isn't impeached fully by both the House and the Senate, many constituents believe that there should be an investigation anyway. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it was wrong. I think he should have voted to continue with the inquiry. After hearing, you know, parts of what the conversation consisted of, I think it should be investigated for sure.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm behind him 100 percent plus.

KOSIK: Why --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He voted his mind and not the party. That's exactly it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[17:30:01]

CABRERA: Okay. So you did hear a little bit of different opinions there.

KOSIK: Right.

CABRERA: What about these two congressmen. What did they say?

KOSIK: So we did reach out to their offices. They didn't call us back but they did issue statements. Van Drew saying this, "Without bipartisan support, I believe this

inquiry will further divide the country, tearing it apart at the seams and, ultimately, fail in the Senate. However, now that the vote has taken place and we're moving forward, I'll be making a judgment call based on all of the evidence president by these investigations."

Peterson had a statement as well. He said, "This impeachment process continues to be hopelessly partisan. I have been hearing from my constituents for months. And the escalation of calls this week shows me how divided our country is right now. And without the support from the Senate Republicans, going down this path is a mistake."

So that's the rationale for voting no.

We did learn a little bit more from Van Drew after the vote. He went out and talked the reporters and basically said he is sure there will be an impeachment in the House but he thinks it will fail in the Senate.

So he said to reporters on Thursday he didn't know what would be gained from the impeachment process since President Trump will remain in office and he'll say that he's exonerated.

So Van Drew basically saying, what will we gain in the end, especially since we're ignoring issues that Americans care about like health care and veterans issues.

CABRERA: That's what Republicans say that Democrats are ignoring those issues.

KOSIK: Right.

CABRERA: And Democrats arguing they can walk and chew gum at the same time.

Alison Kosik, thank you very much.

President Trump may be facing an impeachment inquiry but the White House said he has the best defender in the world -- himself -- and insists he doesn't need an impeachment war room. We'll look at this unusual strategy when we come back.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:35:46]

CABRERA: We are in a moment that has rarely happened in American history. The president of the United States facing an impeachment investigation with the Congress voting this past week on the path forward.

And the president testing a new message, perhaps a new defense.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) AD NARRATOR: The Democrats would rather focus on impeachment and phony investigations, ignoring the real issues. But that's not stopping Donald Trump. He's no Mr. Nice guy but sometimes it takes a Donald Trump to change Washington.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: And in a new interview with the "Washington Examiner," President Trump said he doesn't need a separate team to fight impeachment because he already has the whole Republican Party behind him as his vocal defenders.

Add in White House press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, going even further, saying President Trump is the war room.

With us now to discuss, Senior Media Correspondent, Oliver Darcy, and CNN Reporter, Donie O'Sullivan.

Oliver, what stands out to you most about the messaging strategy at the pivotal time in the country and the presidency?

OLIVER DARCY, CNN SENIOR MEDIA REPORTER: What perhaps stands out most is the lack of a disciplined White House messaging strategy. Previous presidents facing impeachment, they had the war rooms with lawyers and press aides aimed at shaping public perception and really getting the White House's message out there.

As Grisham said, the president really is his own communications director. He's the one setting the White House communications strategy. And what he does often is he repeats things that he's heard on FOX or that he's seen on Twitter from the right-wing personalities that is he follows.

To that point, I would contend that there's been talk, why doesn't he have a war room? He might not need one.

A right-wing media machine defending him between 24 hours a day really serves as a war room. It is setting perception for the public. It's getting the talks points out there, combatting the things that the mainstream media is covering.

And when you examine this, I would actually say that's more effective than a few press aides going on network news and to set the agenda.

CABRERA: Let's talk about social media's role in all things political, right now playing a big role, right? Twitter and Facebook taking opposite approaches coming to dealing with political ads.

Twitter saying this week they're going to ban political ads. Facebook not so much. They will continue to run them regardless of whether they're full of lies.

Lay out the arguments for us, Donie.

DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN REPORTER: Two titans of Silicon Valley, Jack Dorsey and Mark Zuckerberg, on polar opposite ends of the issue. Facebook says it's a free-expression issue and saying not only should

politicians be able to lie on the platform but they should be able to pay for ads, targeted ads at voters, which also contain lies.

Twitter, on the other hand, is saying, no, not so fast, we don't want to be in this business anymore. And they said later this month they're going to stop accepting all political and issue ads.

What they're saying is that Jack Dorsey acknowledged that digital advertising is different to how you advertise on television or a newspaper, the speed, the scale, and the way you can target it.

And he says that the reach of political speech, the paid reach in this way, has significant ramifications that today's democratic infrastructure may not be prepared to handle.

CABRERA: And so, Facebook, you know, talks about this being all about free expression, believing political ads are newsworthy also.

You reported this week on a person running for political office with the aim of misleading, of running false ads to prove a point. Is Facebook up to this challenge?

O'SULLIVAN: That's right. Adriel Hampton, a political activist in San Francisco, trying to expose the flaws in Facebook's approach here. Facebook says, if you're a politician, you can run false ads on the platform.

And Mr. Hampton, on Monday morning, walked into his local post office and registered to be a candidate for governor of California in the 2022 election.

Facebook came back and saw our reporting on that, saying not so fast, Mr. Hampton is not going to be allowed to run false ads on our platform.

So you now have a situation where Facebook is saying, well, we don't want to decide what's false and isn't. But we will decide who's a legitimate candidate and who is not.

[17:40:03]

CABRERA: I wonder, if Facebook were to reverse course, follow Twitter's lead, getting messier and messier, Oliver, who do you think it hurts more, the president or Democrats?

DARCY: Going by the numbers, it would hurt the Trump campaign more than Democrats. The Trump campaign spent in the past, or this year, over $15 million on Facebook advertisements. The next closest candidate is Tom Steyer, and it's like half the amount of the Trump campaign. So it would hurt the Trump campaign significantly if it were to happen.

And they have done very good to target the message toward the target voters that they want to reach with not only, you know, just to sell the agenda but to sell T-shirts and get those small-dollar donors into the campaign. And they have done a very good job of it, and put resources into this, a lot more according to some reporting, than Democrats have.

CABRERA: Gentlemen, thank you very much. Donie --

O'SULLIVAN: Thank you.

CABRERA: -- and Oliver, good to see you both.

Today, in Washington, a victory parade nearly a century in the making. It was the Nationals' first-ever World Series title and the first time the trophy in the national capital since 1924.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:45:12]

CABRERA: Welcome back. The politically divided world of Washington, D.C., was united today, coming together to celebrate the World Series champions, the Washington Nationals.

This is the team's first title in franchise history. Also marks the first time in nearly a century that the World Series trophy has been in Washington. The Washington Senators won it way back in 1924.

Players and fans hailed the victory with this parade through the streets of the nation's capital followed by a rally.

And CNN's Natasha Chen joins us now.

Sounds like a great day to be in D.C., Natasha.

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Ana, this is the first time I've been able to hear anything in the last several hours because the crowd started to clear out and the rally on stage has wrapped up so I can hear myself think.

But they had such a great time. The atmosphere was really electric. You could tell that people watching the buses go by with their favorite players, seeing the championship trophy raised like that, they were really loving this.

Some people had gotten their prime spots at 2:00 in the morning. So they've been out there for more than 12 hours just to see and celebrate this moment.

Now, one of the overarching themes from the rally, from the players who spoke, the team owner, the team manager, was a big thank you to the fans that believed in them and stuck with them to this point.

Because this team started out the season 19-31. The chances to get to this point were small. So a big thank you to the fans, they said.

Now, it doesn't -- it bears note that we are standing in the shadows of Capitol Hill where Congress fights daily on political issues, especially right now. This fan base is very aware of that being from D.C.

But this was a moment of unity. I did ask them about the player, Sean Doolittle, telling the "Washington Post" he won't be going to the White House, which has invited the team to go there Monday, and they said they respected that decision of his.

I want to read you something that Doolittle told the "Washington Post" about his choice not to go.

He said, "I have a brother-in-law who has autism and Trump is a guy that mocked a disabled reporter. How would I explain that to him that I hung out with somebody that mocked the way that he talked or the way that he moves his hands? I can't get past that stuff."

The "Washington Post" also reported that several other players are wrestling with that decision. And we don't know if more players will sit out that visit to the White House.

But at least for today, Ana, all of the people said they respect whatever these players choose to do. They're just so excited that they -- these underdogs won for the first time in 95 years.

CABRERA: Yes. And what a comeback they mounted.

Natasha Chen, thank you.

CHEN: Thanks.

CABRERA: There's much more ahead in the NEWSROOM. But first, don't miss an all new episode of "DECLASSIFIED, UNTOLD STORIES OF AMERICAN SPIES." Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: During the proffer of the government and his attorneys, they hinted that there was a lot of national security information that he had buried.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We found out that he would steal classified paper documents and he took those and he buried them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He would print anything with a classification on it he felt was important enough for a foreign adversary and leave the building with them and then to his credit he was never detected.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Once he buried them, his plan was to try to sell them to hostile intelligence service.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not only is it buried treasure, it is our national treasure, sources, methods. That's what Bryant had and we had to find them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The last thing you want to do is have that unsecured somewhere that nobody knows where it is and so then the negotiations started.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[17:49:00]

CABRERA: Make sure you tune in tomorrow night at 11:00 Eastern and Pacific, right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: When he was 20 years old, Richard Miles was wrongfully convicted and locked up in a Texas prison for 15 years. After a full exoneration and starting his life over in his mid-30s, Richard is now using his newfound freedom to help others transform their lives after leaving prison. Meet one of our incredible top-10 heroes for 2019.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD MILES, CNN HERO: My mom would always tell me, when you look out the window, don't look at the bars, look at the sky. I could change my perception within the place of incarnation.

At the end of the day, be confident in your change.

The idea really started from inside. People get out and they come right back in. I said, if I ever get out, man, we are going to start a program and we are going to help people.

Acknowledgement, transparency and forgiveness. These are the three essential things we need when we're coming back home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Richard's program, "Miles of Freedom," has helped approximately one thousand people restart their lives. You can go to CNNheroes.com and vote for him, "CNN Hero" of the year, or any of the others top-10 heroes right now, at CNNheroes.com.

Speaking of heroes, he's arguably the world's most famous dog thanks to the raid that took out the world's most-wanted man. We now know him as Conan. He's headed for the White House next week.

Here's Jeanne Moos.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We no longer have to say a generic "good boy." The good boy's name is Conan, like the comedian who tweeted, "That dog is clearly the better Conan."

It's enough to make a studio audience say --

(CROSSTALK)

JAMES CORDEN, CBS HOST: I know, I like this. MOOS: "Very cute recreation," is how the president described the Photoshopped image he shared, "but the live version of Conan will be leaving the Middle East for the White House sometime next week."

The Photoshop is based on an actual Metal of Honor recipient. James McCloughan was a medic in Vietnam. His head was replaced by the dog's, leaving some to wonder how James McCloughan feels about this?

[17:55:01]

JAMES MCCLOUGHAN, MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT: The first time I looked at it, I thought, well, they're paying tribute to a dog that did something very brave and very heroic.

MOOS: And when the dog visits the White House --

MCCLOUGHAN: Maybe the president will invite me in, too, to say hi to the dog.

MOOS: The dog is fully recovering after touching electrical cables while hunting down the leader of ISIS.

Apparently, one good Photoshop begets another, from Putin putting a medal on President Trump, to the dog giving the president a medal labeled "Zero."

Even son, Eric, tweeted out a version.

(on camera): The Trump campaign is doggedly raising funds off Conan, the canine --

(voice-over): -- selling USA camo dog bandanas for $15.

Conan was a hit on late night.

JAMES CORDEN, LATE NIGHT SHOW HOST: If you look closely enough, you can practically hear Donald Trump whispering to the dog, "You know, a doctor can get you out of military service, right?"

(LAUGHTER)

MOOS (on camera): Given the president's penchant for magnificent fast-food buffets, can't wait to see what Conan gets fed at the White House.

(voice-over): Some were already imagining.

Like other heroes, Conan is likely to get patted and even hugged.

As for pet owners who wonder, do you think my dog could be trained for such greatness? Oh sure, that dog will take orders for a latte.

Jeanne Moos, CNN --

TRUMP: A beautiful dog, a talented dog.

MOOS: -- New York.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

CABRERA: I'm Ana Cabrera, in New York. I'll see you an hour from now.

My colleague, S.E. Cupp, continues our coverage of today's news right after a quick break.

And, actually, I'll see you back two hours from now, so stick around.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)