Return to Transcripts main page

New Day

Clinton Favorability Dips; Lily Tomlin Stars in Sundance Hit "Grandma". Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired August 19, 2015 - 08:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:33:09] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My personal e-mails are my personal business, right? So I - so we went through a painstaking process and turned over 55,000 pages of anything we thought could be work related. Under the law, that decision is made by the official. I was the official. I made those decisions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Hillary Clinton laying out why legally she did nothing wrong. Now, that exchange got heated. It was with Ed Henry from over at Fox News. He was getting after her about whether or not she wiped the server and she tried to play with it and that's got some blowback. So, this deal with the e-mail and whether she should have done it is being reflected in polls and it's going to be reflected in the media. So as we see in this CNN/ORC poll, Clinton's favorability rating hitting a 14-year low. Is it a coincidence that this e-mail thing is going on at the same time that this switch in the numbers happens?

CNN political commentator and Democratic strategist Donna Brazile, and CNN political commentator S.E. Cupp join us now.

Let's do this, this way. Donna Brazile, make the case for why - certainly it's got to be reflected in the numbers. I don't think you're going to dispute that. But make the case for why you don't believe this is as bad as some say it is.

DONNA BRAZILE, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, first of all, let me just say this, it's important that in all of this frantic - and that's the word I have to use. I thought about it this morning, the frantic coverage over the e-mails, that we go back to the basic facts that when she was sworn in as secretary of state. she followed the examples of the previous secretaries of state and used her own server, OK?

Now, a year after she left the State Department, new rules were put in place basically saying that you cannot, you know, use your own server. Now, let - the technicalities of all of this and now 17 intelligent agencies during a turf war as to, now that they're looking at the e- mail - they're looking at the e-mails, they're trying to decipher this. So if you're a member of John and Jane Q. Public, you're sitting back saying, oh my God, if there's smoke, there must be fire. And, of course, you know, you see that reflected in the polls.

[08:35:20] Here's what I want to tell Jane and John Q. Public, focus on the issues at hand. If you want to follow this e-mail controversy, something I did not want to follow - I'd much rather follow college football right now. But if you want to follow it, try to get the facts, try to figure out what's happening.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: OK.

BRAZILE: And, of course, next in October, Secretary Clinton will go back before the Benghazi committee.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

BRAZILE: She will answer any other pertinent questions. We will find out more information. And, of course, we will see more of her e-mails. Look, she is going to release more, quote, unquote, secrets than Victoria's Secret and she's not even at the mall yet. So let's calm down, not be so frantic.

CAMEROTA: OK.

BRAZILE: It's going to be over soon.

CAMEROTA: OK. So, S.E. Cupp, nothing to see here? This is all a tempest in a teapot?

S.E. CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I don't know, Donna. Is Donna telling the FBI to calm down and stop being frantic, or "The New York Times" or the State Department or the Department of Justice? I mean those are all of the organizations peering into this because there is something that is questionable about what Hillary Clinton did. And had she only had some humility in the beginning and not said outright, I did not nothing wrong, she didn't know she did anything wrong, right? That's her line now. She didn't know that these e-mails were going to be classified.

She's handled this poorly from the beginning and I mean the beginning choosing to have a private server in the first place and then handling the press and the P.R. of this just terribly. She would admit, if she could go back, she would have done this differently -

BRAZILE: Correct.

CUPP: Because it's been a huge headache and a huge inconvenience for her. I think it's more than an inconvenience if you look at the polls because it speaks to her trustworthiness. It speaks to her political judgment. So, you're right, Donna, that there are actually issues that we should also be following. But this is an issue. It's an issue of integrity.

CUOMO: The question is, S.E., is it an issue because some in the media are making it an issue and suggesting that there may be a perniciousness to it or a nefariousness to it that isn't bearing out in the investigations and the facts? You know, that's going to be - that's going to be her claim. CUPP: Well, she can claim that all she wants. But like I said, it's

the FBI investigating this now. The FBI doesn't care that S.E. Cupp on CNN is waving her hands around and getting frantic about this.

CUOMO: No, but that's about classified information.

CUPP: Yes.

CUOMO: You know, the intelligence agencies are trying to see what was classified or not.

CUPP: Right.

CUOMO: So then we go flying down that hallway. And then we hear from them, well, we're not saying that - there's no proof yet that she sent anything that was classified. It may have been classified afterward. So we want to look at the server to see if it's still there so we can get that stuff back.

BRAZILE: Absolutely.

CUOMO: Those are two very different (INAUDIBLE).

CUPP: Right.

BRAZILE: And, S.E., let me just be very clear. Girlfriend will never tell the FBI, CIA and anybody else with three initials that - to calm down. I'm saying in terms of the media, in terms of whatever political operative's out there, I'm saying that we're going see much more of this than we even anticipated because it's going to be out there. And I agree with you on one point, you know, in terms of the politics. My thing is, if you're going to throw out your baby and the bath water and all this other stuff, just throw it out. But, unfortunately, she can't throw it out because now you have all these agencies that want - this is a turf war. They want to look and make sure that, you know, their material is not gone (ph).

CUPP: Yes, they do.

BRAZILE: The Defense Department, for example, saw one of the e-mail - but that's part of the process. And if we want to politicize -

CUPP: It didn't have to be part of the process, Donna. I didn't have to be.

BRAZILE: But, look, Jeb Bush used a personal server. Mr. Christie used a personal server. Of course it didn't have to. She could have, and she said it, she has said it, I don't know how much humility you have to give in these days, but she said that, you know what, in hindsight, she should have had, you know, the state.gov.

CUPP: Donna, this administration, the Obama administration tried to put parameters around Hillary Clinton multiple times. They tried to do it with her e-mails. They tried to do it with her friend at the State Department. His name is - out of my - my memory now.

BRAZILE: That's right, that's right, because you know what? All this is second guessing.

CUPP: But - and she consistently skirts the -

BRAZILE: No.

CUPP: She consistently skirts these parameters that the Obama administration tried to put in place.

CAMEROTA: But, look, Donna -

BRAZILE: That's not true. That is not true. You -

CAMEROTA: Donna - Donna, I just - I just want to get in there, Donna, for a second because I hear what you're saying. You dismiss this as politics, but it -

BRAZILE: I'm not dismissing it, I'm just explaining it.

CAMEROTA: Well, OK, you categorize it -

BRAZILE: Yes.

CAMEROTA: As politics.

BRAZILE: Yes.

CAMEROTA: But it does - do you think that her - the slippage that we're seeing in the polls is connected to this?

BRAZILE: Yes. Absolutely. That plus the dog days of August. And let me tell you something, it - I mean just because we talk about Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton all the time doesn't mean that there's not a Bernie Sanders out there that is really - people are feeling the burn. They're excited about this candidate. People listen to Martin O'Malley, James Webb. And you know what, next week the Democrats are actually going to have an opportunity to listen and talk to these candidates.

[08:40:05] Yes, you can talk all you want to about this e-mail fracas and it is political in my judgment because you - they took away the seriousness of what I believe was the issue that we were talking about, which is how did four Americans end up dead in Libya.

CAMEROTA: OK.

BRAZILE: That's - that's serious.

CAMEROTA: OK.

BRAZILE: That's something that we should get to the bottom of. And that's something that Secretary Clinton say she wants to get to the bottom of.

CUPP: When -

CAMEROTA: Yes. Yes. BRAZILE: Let's get to the bottom of that. That is serious.

CUPP: When - and when Donna would rather talk about Benghazi -

CAMEROTA: Got it. And we -

CUPP: You know that this is actually a big deal.

BRAZILE: I want -

CAMEROTA: And we will be hearing more about that, as Donna said, in October.

BRAZILE: Yes.

CAMEROTA: Ladies, we're out of time. S.E., Donna, thank you.

BRAZILE: Out of time? I can't get any satisfaction.

CAMEROTA: Gotcha.

CUPP: Oh.

CAMEROTA: Always great to see you.

CUOMO: Let's continue it online.

CAMEROTA: Always great to see you.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: She'll understand why we're out of time because it's the best day ever here on NEW DAY. Are you ready for this?

CAMEROTA: I'm ready.

PEREIRA: Look who is here. I can hardly stand it. Lily Tomlin is in the house. There's so much to talk to this great lady about. She has a new film called "Grandma" and a few other Netflix obsessions I might have we might have to discuss. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PEREIRA: All right, here is your Wednesday edition of the five things to know for your NEW DAY.

At number one, Hillary Clinton's e-mail scandal hurting her presidential campaign. New CNN/ORC poll numbers show that her support is falling below 50 percent for the first time with GOP frontrunner Donald Trump now posing a serious threat.

Thai officials have issued a warrant and released this sketch of the suspected Bangkok bomber. Police do not believe that he acted alone to carry out Monday's attack. That attack claimed 20 lives.

[08:44:59] Two suspects have been arrested following a shooting outside an historic palace in Istanbul, also the home to the prime minister's offices. A police officer was wounded slightly.

Meantime, there are reports of another attack in southeastern Turkey, leaving eight soldiers dead. Stay with CNN for that.

Former Subway spokesman Jared Fogle reportedly struck a deal with federal prosecutors in Indiana. He is expected to plead guilty today to charges related to possession of child pornography.

The little pink pill, nicknamed the female Viagra, well, it has won approval from the FDA. It claims to boost libido among women who suffer from low sex drives.

For more on the five things to know, be sure to visit newdaycnn.com for the very freshest.

Now, for today's "New Day, New You," you should think twice before taking another sip of alcohol. A new study says light to moderate drinking poses a threat to your health in the form of a cancer risk. Researches from Harvard University found that women who have just a single drink a day increase their chances of getting breast cancer.

Meanwhile for men, especially smokers, they had an increased chance of getting colorectal cancer. Bottom line - Yeah, serious stuff - Bottom line, researches say limit your alcohol intake and also make sure to get regular checkups from the doctor and be sure to ask for cancer screenings.

CAMEROTA: I don't like to hear that. I like everything in moderation. I don't like to hear no moderation.

PEREIRA: I know. That's bad news around here. I know.

CUOMO: Point taken. Lily Tomlin out with a new movie called "Grandma." We're going to talk to her about that and what she has to say about a possible reunion with Dolly Parton. What? Yep.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:50:42] (CLIP FROM "GRANDMA")

PEREIRA: Don't mess with grandma. Oh no, you better not. That was a look at the new movie "Grandma" starring the one and only Lily Tomlin as a bit of an unconventional grandmother. Tomlin is having an excellent year, may I just say. She received an Emmy nomination for her performance in the Netflix series "Grace and Frankie."

She's sitting inches away from me and I couldn't be happier and more proud of another curly girl. I love seeing you in person.

LILY TOMLIN, ACTOR, "GRANDMA": Thank you, thank you.

PEREIRA: I love seeing you in person. It is such a delight.

TOMLIN: Thank you.

PEREIRA: Things are going well for Lily Tomlin. TOMLIN: Yes, this has been a good year, no question.

PEREIRA: So let's talk about the film - I saw it - "Grandma." It's a really fantastic journey - the move elusive $500 a person could ever track. You've worked with this director before and I understand he saw your work in another film and wanted to work with you again.

TOMLIN: Well, Paul Weitz, who is wonderful and done lots of movies and he cast me in "Admission" and we had a good time. I played Tina Fey's mother. Then he called me after the movie was released and he said do you want to have lunch? I want to talk about stuff. Then he said he had this idea for a movie and he was going to write it with me in mind. And then a couple of weeks later he handed me the script.

PEREIRA: What was your reaction when you read the script? Because it delves into controversy. Not everybody is going to agree with the topic, right? You know that there's going to be some people that are going to --

TOMLIN: Some backlash, sure. But I think, overall, it's much more just a human story about the three generations of women and grandmother -- of course, the focus on the grandmother and all her friends and her unfriends who have unfriended her.

PEREIRA: And a complicated family, which, you know, it's so funny, growing up I used to think mine was extra complicated and I think maybe now as an adult I realized that maybe the true definition of family should say in the dictionary "complicated."

TOMLIN: Yeah. Right.

PEREIRA: Shouldn't it?

TOMLIN: This one definitely should. And then it's just - you see -- and grandma grows too. She teaches her granddaughter to grow a bit, or helps her grow a bit, and her daughter grows a bit. And you feel like they're going to come back together and create family in some way.

PEREIRA: Let's pivot to -- I have to admit, I have a bit of a guilty pleasure. I find myself one on one with Netflix. And I binge watched "Grace and Frankie," a huge success for you on Netflix. First of all, I think the idea of you and Jane Fonda just grabbed everybody's attention. Back together again. How much fun was that?

TOMLIN: Yeah, it was great. We wanted to do a show about older women and how discounted - another reflection - how discounted they are.

PEREIRA: Was that a fight to get that story in that way --

TOMLIN: No, not with Netflix. They were eager for it. They knew what they wanted. And they totally endorsed it. And we did 13 episodes right off the bat. And Marta Kauffman was the co-creator. It was really her idea and she wanted to do this show too. She's also a woman who's approaching an age that is oppressed. And so -- and that's what happened. And she wanted Jane and me. And that was another bit of inspired casting.

PEREIRA: So great.

TOMLIN: Like you see, it just seemed to catch people's attention.

PEREIRA: It really has. It has caught fire. It has caught attention from people that you might not necessarily think whose attention it would catch. Were you surprised? You obviously knew you had something good here.

TOMLIN: Well, we did. We thought we had a good idea. We thought we had a good potential. We didn't know how much it was going to land, but it did, and even with young people, really across the board.

PEREIRA: Yeah, totally. And the fact that you got to work with Jane. You worked with Jane on "9 to 5." OK, we've heard rumor that Dolly wants a reunion --

TOMLIN: Yeah, she does and we are glad for that.

[08:55:00] PEREIRA: Do you want it?

TOMLIN: Well, we want her to come into the show if we can find the right place for her. We don't want to heap "9 to 5" on top of "Grace and Frankie." We have to --

PEREIRA: Find an organic way to do it.

TOMLIN: In an organic way, right.

PEREIRA: For you to see that you are leading a series on Netflix -- which, again, was a new thing for a lot of people, not network TV -- on Netflix, getting great ratings on that. You've got - you're the lead in a film, you got the Kennedy Honors, an Emmy nomination. Dare I say you're 75 years old. You're happy married. Life is good. Did you think and foresee that this kind of success would come at this point in your career?

TOMLIN: No, no. I had no anticipation. But I didn't have any that it might not come. You know, I'm a known entity. I've been around a long time. So I - you know, and I -- You just meander your way through the morass of show business.

PEREIRA: I'm going to say meandering fairly well, Lily Tomlin. I can't tell you what a delight it is to sit and speak with you today. I'm delighted.

TOMLIN: Oh, thank you.

PEREIRA: Keep on doing great things.

TOMLIN: I'm so delighted that you're delighted.

PEREIRA: I'm delighted that you're delighted that I'm delighted. There's so much delight to go around. Be sure to catch "Grandma" in theaters Friday. You can't miss it. It's a great one. Lily is brilliant.

Chris.

CUOMO: Loved it! Mick, it was great stuff. Great stuff. Lily Tomlin was all great. Great. News continues with Carol Costello right after this break. Loved it!

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)