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Mixed messages from White House regarding Syria; Carrier strike group in the Korean Peninsula; Trump talks with Japan about North Korea; Two blasts in Coptic Christian church in Egypt; Jared Kushner's role and influence in the White House; Alec Baldwin takes on O'Reilly and Trump in SNL; Dark secrets of Silicon Valley; The NASCAR experience. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired April 09, 2017 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

ANA CABRERA, CNN NEWSROOM SHOW HOST: You heard her. There can be no political solution if Assad stays in power. But now listen to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson who in just a matter of days will have to defend the U.S. position when he meets with Russian officials in Moscow.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REX TILLERSON, SECRETARY OF STATE: We are hopeful that we can work with Russia and use their influence to achieve areas of stabilization throughout Syria and create the conditions for a political process, through Geneva, in which we can engage all of the parties on a way forward. And it is through that political process that we believe the Syrian people will ultimately be able to decide the fate of Bashar al- Assad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: America's two top diplomats seemingly at odds. Meanwhile, both Russia and Iran are making it clear they are on the same page. Syrian state media citing a joint statement from Moscow and Tehran saying, and I quote, "We will respond strongly to any aggression on Syria. Russia and Iran will not allow America to dominate the world." That ominous warning comes as the Trump administration confronts yet another potential threat, North Korea.

Right now, an aircraft carrier-led strike group is deploying towards the Korean Peninsula. A U.S. official confirms to CNN this move is a direct response to recent North Korean provocations. But what happens next? Secretary Tillerson said recently that when it comes to North Korea, everything is on the table. CNN is covering this as only CNN can. We have a team of reporters and analysts standing by.

I want to begin with CNN's senior international correspondent, Clarissa Ward, live along the Syrian/Turkish border. And Clarissa, it doesn't sound like Secretary Tillerson will pressure Russia for regime change in Syria. He says ISIS is the main focus. So does this alter the bigger picture? CLARISSA WARD, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I don't

think it necessarily does because even though we have heard Secretary of State Rex Tillerson reiterate what the Trump administration has been saying for some time, and frankly what the Obama administration was saying before it, that the priority when it comes to America's interests in Syria is to defeat ISIS once and for all. At the same time regardless of that, there is absolutely no doubt that this strike has affected the power dynamics of the various international parties who are involved with the Syrian conflict.

And I do think have seen Tillerson sort of step away from comments a week ago which basically said it's up to the Syrian people to decide whether Bashar al-Assad stays or goes, to talking now about the fact that it does not appear that stability can exist in Syria with Bashar al-Assad in power. So while regime change may still not be the primary interest of the U.S. in terms of its Syria policy. At the same time, it's clear that they are backing away from this idea that Bashar al- Assad does not need to go at some time in the long term future.

And when it comes time for Secretary Tillerson to sit down with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, this is going to be the major bone of contention between the two. And for the first time in many years, Tillerson will actually have some leverage and some heft when he sits down at that negotiating table, because it is clear now that the U.S. is willing to go further than it the Obama administration ever had been, Ana.

CABRERA: And yet if Russia is taking the sort of confrontational stance in that statement we read earlier, can the U.S. and its coalition partners still go after ISIS the way it needs to without Russia's cooperation?

WARD: Listen, without Russia's cooperation and I'm thinking specifically of the deconfliction agreement that Russia and the U.S. have whereby they avoid each other's jets in the skies to avoid any accidents or incidents that could escalate the situation much further. Without that deconfliction channel, it will be very difficult for U.S. fighter jets to go after ISIS on the ground.

There needs to be some kind of cooperation. But I wouldn't read too much into the rhetoric that we are hearing from Russia, from Iran. They have to respond forcefully. But the devil will be in the detail and what they do in practice rather than what they say, Ana.

CABRERA: Alright, Clarissa Ward reporting for us. Thank you. Let's go now to Will Ripley. He is live in North Korea, the only American journalist in Pyongyang as that U.S aircraft carrier-led strike group is heading toward the Korean Peninsula. Will, how is North Korea responding?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Ana, I was with government officials when the news came in that the Carl Vinson carrier strike group was headed back to the Korean Peninsula. You remember it was here just a matter of weeks ago conducting joint military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea. [17:05:00] So the officials did not seem fazed but they did say this

is yet another provocative action by the Trump administration. They are watching all these developments unfold very closely.

Another interesting discussion I had with officials here, they don't think it was coincidental that President Trump ordered the missile strike on Syria when he was having dinner with Chinese president Xi Jinping at Mar-a-Lago. They believe that was deliberate, a deliberate show of force by the United States, a threat to China to expert more economic pressure over North Korea, and also a threat to North Korea itself that things will be changing under the Trump administration.

But the North Koreans say they are not backing down as a result of this. In fact they say the opposite. They say they feel emboldened and they feel a new sense of urgency to speed up their development of their nuclear weapons. Their ultimate goal -- the ultimate goal of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un is an intercontinental ballistic missile with a nuclear warhead capable of striking the mainland U.S.

Analysts say this country is ready to push the button on its sixth nuclear test at any moment. Those tests provide valuable scientific knowledge and also valuable propaganda for the North Korean leader both inside this country and also to project power to the outside world. And so we really don't know what's going to happen on the ground here but officials say even if China were to, for example, enforce stronger sanctions against this country, they say their nuclear program and their missile program would be the last thing that they would cut funding for.

They say they'd rather go without food and even electricity than to give up those weapons because this government tells the people here they are under the imminent threat of an invasion by the United States, and this carrier strike group moving towards the Korean Peninsula only reinforces that narrative that American missiles could come raining down on this city and other areas in North Korea at any time, Ana.

CABRERA: Alright, Will Ripley reporting in North Korea. Thank you.

So, what is next for North Korea, for Syria? President Trump is apparently reaching out to U.S. allies to discuss who he spoke yesterday apparently with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The President had a conversation with him. The two agreed that Syria's use of chemical weapons warrants a strong response from the international community.

CNN's Athena Jones is joining us now from Palm Beach, Florida since the president was at the Mar-a-Lago estate this week and he's now headed back to D.C. Athena, North Korea obviously is a real concern for Japan.

ATHENA JONES, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. That's right Ana, and North Korea did come up in that phone call the president had yesterday with Prime Minister Abe. (INAUDIBLE) from the readout that the White House gave to us. They said that President Trump and Prime Minister Abe agreed to further cooperation on a range of regional issues, including the threat posed by North Korea.

And North Korea really is one of the top challenges for that region and for the U.S. partnership with allies in that region, not just Japan but also South Korea. You've been talking about this navy aircraft carrier led strike group that is heading to the western Pacific Ocean near the Korean Peninsula. H.R. McMaster, the national security advisor, was asked about that move this morning in an interview on Fox News Sunday. Watch what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

H.R. MCMASTER, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Well, it's prudent to do it, isn't it? I mean North Korea has been engaged in a pattern of provocative behavior. This is a rogue regime that is now a nuclear- capable regime, and President Xi and President Trump agreed that that is unacceptable, that what must happen is the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

And so the president has asked us to be prepared to give him a full range of options to remove that threat to the American people and to our allies and partners in the region.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: So there you heard McMaster talking about a full range of options the president has asked for but you also heard from Will Ripley just what a big challenge it is to deal with this North Korean problem. And it's been an intractable problem that multiple U.S. administrations have not been able to solve this goal of denuclearizing that peninsula. It still looks very much out of reach and it's a huge question mark when it comes to global hotspots, global challenges this administration is facing, Ana.

CABRERA: Athena, s the president's team feeling emboldened about dealing with North Korea in light of the Syrian missile strikes?

JONES: That is a very, very good question. We know that the president taking action on Thursday night sent a message not just to Syria, not just to North Korea or China, but to the world. And it's no accident that it took place while he was having that very important summit with the Chinese president, China being a key to dealing with North Korea. China being the country that has the ability to put the most pressure on North Korea.

But we also know that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has stressed in a briefing we had with him here on Thursday night that the action on Thursday night shows the president is ready to take decisive action when called for. The hope is that that could influence relations with North Korea. But the big question is whether it really will, Ana.

[17:10:00] CABRERA: Alright, Athena Jones reporting in Florida. Thank you. I want to bring in my panel now, CNN global affairs correspondent Elise Labott, CNN presidential historian Douglas Brinkley and CNN military analyst and former member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Colonel Cedric Leighton. Elise, Ambassador Nikki Haley and Secretary Rex Tillerson seem to be at odds over the next moves in Syria. We played their countering narratives at the top of our show. How do world leaders decide which one to listen to?

ELISE LABOTT, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'm not sure if the message is really different but maybe the tone as opposed to the substance, Ana. Clearly this administration wants to focus on ISIS, wants to defeat ISIS and then move to some kind of political solution in Syria. You know, Secretary Tillerson is saying that that's kind of in the distance, and I think you also hear something very similar from Nikki Haley, maybe she's a little bit stronger in saying the U.S. is going to have to work on that.

I think there is a kind of consensus right now that the key to this is really Russia. You know, the U.S. had always said that it felt like Russia needed to be part of the political solution. And I think as Secretary Tillerson goes out to Moscow later in the week, he's going to be in the G7 tomorrow meeting with all these leaders, and the effort is to get everybody on the same page about a message to the Russians to kind of drive a wedge if you will between Syria and Russia.

I'm not sure that that's really possible, but as we've been saying, listen, one of the things that the U.S. has been unable to do is have any leverage against Russia because, you know, when Secretary Kerry would have all these marathon sessions about an end to the conflict in Syria with Russian, Sergey -- Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, he would always say I don't have any leverage. The Russians know that we're not going to take any military action.

Well, they don't know that anymore. President Trump has shown clearly that he's ready to take action when he thinks that, you know, U.S. national interests are at stake or there is a very strong humanitarian component to try and send a huge response and send a message to the Russians and the Syrians that they can't, you know, evade (ph) chemical weapons anymore.

So I think that this does, you know, all of this does send a message to the Russians, as secretary Tillerson goes there that, no, they're not looking to get Assad out of the picture right away, but the Russians have a very stark choice in front of them. Are they going to be part of the solution or are this going to be part of the problem?

CABRERA: And Elise, you talk about that decisive action that the president took, something that a lot of critics of President Obama have hammered him on, not enforcing that red line that he drew about chemical weapons. Douglas, a concern during president Obama's decision about making -- to that decision making process about whether or not to militarily intervene in Syria was, if you strike, what do you do next? So how big of a calculated risk was this decision to strike by president Trump?

DOUGLAS BRINKLEY, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: I don't think it was much of a risk at all now that it's been successful, you know. The fact of the matter is it worked. And Donald Trump's getting kudos from all over the world for being decisive. He also has spent so much time criticizing Barack Obama for even drawing the red line in the sand. That he said that chemical weapons can't be used -- they were used. They broke international law and Donald Trump did something quick, decisive and proportional.

And it allows him now some freedom. It allows Secretary Tillerson to go to Moscow, not be painted in a box and be able to try to negotiate something out of Syria. It's a paradox here that nobody knows what are the desired effect is. But I do think Trump administration's main goal now is to get rid of Assad. It might be a puppet replacement that Russia likes in its place, but I don't see how the Trump administration can do business with Assad in the future after he used chemical weapons as he did.

CABRERA: Colonel, while that initially may have sent a message, the truth of the matter is the Syrian air force is already using that same airbase again. I want to play for you what Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: Here's what I think Assad's telling Trump by flying from this base, F.U. And I think he's making a serious mistake because if you are an adversary of the United States and you don't worry about what Trump may do on any given day, then you're crazy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: So Colonel, what do you make of that move from Assad? Do you agree?

CEDRI LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANAYST: I think what Assad is doing is he's maybe trying to say that he can do whatever he wants. But the fact of the matter is that he is actually flying without chemicals weapons, at least for the moment. So in this sense, the actual air strike with the Tomahawk missiles really did work

[17:15:00] because it put Syria on notice, and of course by extension, it put Russia on notice, that this kind ever behavior, using chemicals weapons against civilian populations, was something that the United States wouldn't tolerate and so far as much as we can tell, they have heeded that warning.

CABRERA: Now North Korea, let's talk about what's going on there. The U.S. deploying an aircraft carrier strike group to the Korean Peninsula. I want to play for you what President Trump said last year about how he'd deal with North Korea as president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: One of the papers called the other day. And they said, "Would you speak to the leader of North Korea?" I said absolutely. Why not? Why not?

There's a 10 percent or 20 percent chance that I can talk him out of those damn nukes because who the hell wants him for have nukes? And there is a chance.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CABRERA: Douglas, should President Trump negotiate directly with Kim Jong-Un?

BRINKLEY: No, he should not. He might want at some very low, unofficial level to be negotiating. But they've deceived the United States time and again really for decades now and I think the Trump administration is doing the right thing sending our carrier strike force group, doing a kind of great white fleet like Theodore Roosevelt telling them that we mean business, that you're not going to be allowed to be firing missiles willy-nilly without impunity.

So it's a bit of (inaudible) that the Trump administration is doing right now, but I think it's appropriate for the fact that North Korea has been so reckless, particularly in the last few months since Trump became president, kind of pushing him and taunting him into being more marshal.

CABRERA: So far, colonel, the actions the U.S. and the international community have taken against North Korea haven't seemed to work. What would your advice be for President Trump on that issue?

LEIGHTON: I agree with Douglas Brinkley that the idea of actually moving a carrier strike group at this particular time into the waters off North Korea is a very good idea because it puts everybody on notice. But this is the first step. And what you end up doing with this is you make it very clear, and I think I at least get the feeling that President Trump made it clear to President Xi of China that nuclear weapons in North Korea are not the right way to go.

And any further nuclear tests would be something that would have to be dealt with ramped up sanctions, with ramped up military efforts against them, and in essence, Secretary of State Tillerson and others have put it on the table that force could be used against North Korea, and although none of us want to see that, we have to really let them know that this kind of behavior that they've engaged in, whether it's with missile tests or with nuclear tests or some of their other behaviors that have been very sensational in the last few months.

Those kinds of things are not the kinds of ways that nation states should behave in the 21st century, and that is why it becomes very important for them to do exactly what they're doing and to continue this course but to be prepared for some very, very tense times ahead.

CABRERA: Colonel Cedric Leighton, Douglas Brinkley and Elise Labott, thank you all. Now, if you would like to learn ways you can help those affected by the violence in Syria, go to CNN.com/impact.

Still ahead, twin bombings. A church is packed with parishioners for Palm Sunday. ISIS is now taking responsibility. We'll show you the exact moment the bombs went off in a report from Egypt. Stay with us.

[17:20:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: Bombs tore through two Coptic Christian churches in Egypt as worshippers celebrated Palm Sunday services this morning. ISIS has now claimed responsibility for these attacks which killed 43 people in Tanta in Alexandria. Now, we want to warn you some of the following video is very graphic. It is the city of Tanta, the first blast, abruptly cutting off the video of a televised Palm Sunday service. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO)

(EXPLOSION)

(END VIDEO)

CABRERA: This powerful explosion ripped through that service at St. George's church. State TV says 27 people died in that blast, and another 78 people were wounded. The explosive device was reportedly planted under a seat in the main prayer hall. Soon after a suicide bomb attack in Alexandria killed at least 16 people and injured 41 others there.

The head of Egypt's Coptic Church was inside that church, St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral when the blast happened. He was not injured, thankfully. CNN's Ian Lee joins me now by phone from Egypt with more information. Ian, how is the Egyptian president now responding to this attack?

IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPNDENT: Ana, he came on TV. First thing he did was offer his condolences but is he urging unity right now, and this is a country very raw, on edge after these two attacks. He said that the perpetrators are going to be hunted down and brought to justice. He declared a three-month state of emergency where it gives the police and the army extra powers to go out, make arrests, conduct searches and detain people without charges.

This is a real tense time that Egypt has seen before especially with these attacks -- this first attack in Tanta, killing over two dozen people. These were people coming to celebrate Palm Sunday. They were waving palm branches, 2,000 people crammed into this cathedral for the celebration and typically you have tight security outside.

[17:25:00] I have been to these services before, and you have multiple police officers. You have metal detectors. But it seems like there was a lapse in security. And there is a lot of criticism right now towards the government, Christians saying that they just don't feel that they are being protected by the police, especially when you have this explosive that is able to sneak inside the church and then explode also in Alexandria at the St. Mark's Cathedral.

That suicide bomber, fortunately, wasn't able to get inside the church, or likely he would have caused more carnage especially with the Coptic pope (INAUDIBLE) which need (ph) of millions of Christians around the world. He was able to get (INAUDIBLE). But again, there is a lot of questions about security for Christians tonight, Ana.

CABRERA: Good to hear that one the bomber in at least one of those, the suspect is still on the run. Ian Lee, thank you.

Coming up, Middle East peace talks, relations with China and reorganizing the federal government. Any one of those would be a full- time job. But if you're Trump's son-in-law, you are trying to do all three. A closer look at Jared Kushner's juggling act next.

Plus, as a U.S. Navy strike group heads towards the Korean Peninsula, we'll go live to the only American TV correspondent inside Pyongyang and get a live report from North Korea coming up.

[17:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: There has been another shake-up on President Trump's National Security Council just a few days after chief strategist Steve Bannon was ousted. We are now hearing that deputy national security adviser Katie McFarland is on her way out. And McFarland was initially named to her post by previous national security advisor Michael Flynn. He was fired in February for lying to Vice President Pence about his communications with Russia.

All the recent changes point to the growing influence of Flynn's successor, H.R. McMaster in re-engineering the National Security Council. As the so-called Bannon wing of the White House continues to diminish, another name continues to be on the rise, Trump's son-in- law, Jared Kushner. Let's discuss. Joining me, Bruce Bartlett, the former domestic policy advisor under Ronald Reagan and former treasury official under George H.W. Bush. Thanks for being with us.

You wrote in the "New York Times" this week, "Mr. Kushner has been charged with at least three major tasks, any one which would be a full-time job working on Middle East peace, preparing for a state visit by President Xi Jinping of China and overseeing a broad effort to reorganize the federal government utilizing business techniques."

There are a couple of people whose profiles are rising that we're watching. H.R. McMaster and Jared Kushner now, and McMaster's credentials we largely talked about from the military. But do you think Kushner is up to all those tasks you've been writing about?

BRUCE BARTLETT, FORMER DOMESTIC POLICY ADVISER: Well, not by himself and that's no you know, offense to him. It's the jobs he has are much too big for any one person. And what I was trying to say in that article is he needs staff. He needs organization to be able to carry out these policies. But the problem is the White House staff is really pretty small and if he's going to get staffed, he's going to take it away from somebody else. And that means bureaucratic in-fighting.

An according to press reports, the person who's most likely to lose out if Kushner gains more stature, more influence, more staff, is Bannon, who by all accounts was very much opposed to the Syria operation and is on the short end of the stick.

CABRERA: So do you think Kushner has been set up to fail?

BARTLETT: Not yet. But I mean certainly if he goes forward without having the resources to fulfill the functions that he has been given then he will fail. But one can presume that things are going to change in some way, shape or form that we have not yet heard. I did hear this week that Kushner has hired his first staff person. Interestingly, it's a P.R. guy so maybe that's a step in the right direction. CABRERA: You've been in the White House before, so I'm curious from

that perspective. Is it that uncommon to see this shift not just in the power of individuals, but also the ideology that those individuals represent?

BARTLETT: That's not unusual. What is extremely unusual is for it to happen so early in the administration. What we're in is what most observers would say should be the president's honeymoon period. Everything should be going very, very smoothly. It usually takes a year or so before problems develop that require shifting around of pretty high-level staff people.

And I think that one of the untold stories is the rise of the Goldman Sachs crowd. Gary Cohen, head of the National Economic Council. Dina Powell, was another Goldman Sachs figure who is now the number two person in the National Security Council. I think these are the people who are really the rising powers.

CABRERA: And we do know that Kushner and Ivanka have pretty close relationship with a couple of those people you just named, Cohen, as well as Dina Powell. Now, CNN is also learning the President has been apparently reaching out to people on the outside of the White House to find out what they think of his team. What do you think of this team?

BARTLETT: Well, I don't much care for Steve Bannon. I will admit that. I know him slightly. He directed me in a movie once. I think his whole approach to governing is just completely wrong. It is just blow things up for the heck of blowing them up. And I think a lot of the staff people, the really hard-core Trumpites are just not very competent. They're not experienced.

[17:35:00] And I think the smoother, more experienced people like Gary Cohen I think are the ones who are going to be taking over. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Cohen become chief of staff. There's a lot of talk about Reince Priebus not having the stature to do the jobs that he has as chief of staff and I wouldn't be at all surprised if there are many more shake-ups to come.

CABRERA: Alright, Bruce Bartlett, we appreciate your time tonight. Thank you.

Coming up, Alec Baldwin's back as President Trump. But that's not the only person he's taking on.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEC BALDWIN, ACTOR: And you even went as far as saying, "Bill O'Reilly did nothing wrong.

That's correct.

Well that's based upon?

Hunch. Just a loose hunch.

(LAUGHTER) (END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: And later, our Will Ripley is the only American TV correspondent in Pyongyang, North Korea as U.S. war ships head to the Korean Peninsula in response to what a U.S. Officials says is a provocation for that regime.

[17:40:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: It was Baldwin versus Baldwin on "Saturday Night Live," the show returning in a big way last night with the actor playing not just President Trump but also Fox News anchor Bill O'Reilly in the same skit. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BADLWIN: And can I tell you something? I actually see a lot of myself in you, Bill.

(LAUGHTER)

Thank you, Mr. President. And thank you for coming to my defense last week, even though no one asked you to. And you even went as far as saying, "Bill O'Reilly did nothing wrong."

That's correct.

That's based upon?

Hunch. Just a loose hunch.

(LAUGHTER)

So you're not familiar with the facts of the case.

I mean I'm more familiar with this case than I am with, say, health care. But I didn't really look into it much. No. I was too busy being super presidential by bombing a bunch of (BLEEP).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: First of all, we got to give props to the hair and makeup people there for what they did with Alec Baldwin. Amazing. Joining us now to discuss further, CNN senior media correspondent and host of "Reliable Sources," Brian Stelter, Brian --

BRIAN STERLTER, RELIABLE SOURCES SHOW HOST, CNN NEWS: In some ways I think Baldwin's better at playing O'Reilly than at playing Trump.

CABRERA: I know. He looks so much like Bill O'Reilly. There is some serious developments though on that front in terms of this harassment scandal with Bill O'Reilly. Fill us in on that first.

STELTER: That's right. Most of those women that have accused O'Reilly of harassment that we learned about from the "New York Times" last weekend, they have settled those cases. But one woman, Wendy Walsh, who says she's not seeking any money. I spoke with her lawyer today on "Reliable Sources," and her lawyer, Lisa Bloom says Wendy Walsh has filed actually officially a complaint with the company through the hotline the company recommends.

And they've heard from the company, 21st Century Fox, saying they will investigate Walsh's claims. So, that's a sign that this is not going away for O'Reilly, that the company at least said is taking the right steps to investigate.

CABRERA: Would this be the first actual investigation of Bill O'Reilly?

STELTER: Unclear. You know, the company has said it spoke with O'Reilly about the other settlements, the other issues. But according to the company, no one's ever called the hotline to address an issue with O'Reilly before so, Wendy Walsh now saying she's the first to actually call up and issue a complaint.

CABRERA: Alright, let's talk about the skit now. There hadn't been any new episodes of "SNL" for almost a month.

STELTER: Yes, it's been a while.

CABRERA: A lot of anticipation for this one. How are viewers reacting to that impersonation by Alec Baldwin?

STELTER: Yes, certainly Baldwin is a reluctant player of Trump. He keeps saying that it takes a toll on him and he doesn't want to do it forever. But this Baldwin and Baldwin here, this split screen. I guess they taped one of the versions and then had the other version live. It was certainly making the point that President Trump has been supportive of O'Reilly saying he doesn't think O'Reilly did anything wrong.

CABRERA: Let's take a look at a another sketch involving Alec Baldwin as President Trump talking to supporters in Kentucky. Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BALWDIN: I just had an amazing week folks. I met with leaders from China, Egypt and Jordan. Gorsuch was confirmed. The media is saying nice things and no one is talking about Russia.

(LAUGHTER)

Well, what a difference those 59 tomahawk missiles can make.

(LAUGHTER)

Do you like that I bombed Syria? You right there?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I sure do, sir, but I wanted to talk about my job. I recently got laid off from a coal mining plant.

BALDWIN: Got to love coal. Are you glad that I bombed Syria?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I guess so, Mr. President. But I actually want to talk about Obamacare.

(END VIDEO) CLIP)

CABRERA: So Brian, do you think that that sketch was less about the punch lines and really trying to send a pointed message?

STELTER: Yes. Some folks have criticized it saying "SNL" is getting too preachy, that these mostly liberal writers in New York have this stereotypical view of people in other parts of the country, and in this case the town hall in the middle of the country.

And the point the writers are trying to make though is that Donald Trump is not what he says he is to his fans. The end of the sketch, he says remember I'm just like you, and then he gets in his helicopter and flies away. So, I think the writers are trying to make the point that they believe Trump is not actually fulfilling his promises for his supporters in those pockets of the country that felt left behind.

Of course the headlines this week all about foreign policy, about Trump's strikes on Syria, maybe less on issues involving people closer to home. And the jobs report numbers this weekend, on Friday, not quite as strong as people were expecting. So, I think "SNL" trying to make some serious points here. I think it appeals a lot to Trump critics, probably not so much to his fans.

CABRERA: Right. You can also argue that it was not Donald Trump who shifted the discussion to foreign policy --

STELTER: That's right.

CABRERA: -- Syria that had those chemical weapon attacks. Now, before we go, "SNL" also took on the Pepsi controversy this week -- that Pepsi ad. Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm on the set of my Pepsi commercial. Um, I stop the police from shooting black people by hitting them with Pepsi. I know, it's cute, right?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: What's your take on this?

STELTER: This Pepsi ad is going to go through this for a long time. Pepsi pulled the ad right away because it was universally mocked and made fun of. Pepsi kind of weirdly bringing the whole world together in a terrible ad and "SNL" (INAUDIBLE).

[17:40:00] CABRERA: Everybody agreed it was terrible. Brian Stelter, thanks for coming on.

STELTER: Thanks.

CABRERA: Good to see you as always. Coming up, Silicon Valley's dark secret. What is the price for creative genius? CNN's Laurie Segall uncovers the truth behind some of the tech world's biggest success stories.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's almost like a badge of honor to show how busy you are. Sleep is not cool, pregnancy, not cool. All these things that normal human beings do and need -- people need families, they need to go to sleep at night. But somehow that is excluded from the acceptable portion of the culture.

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CABRERA: Welcome back and you're in the CNN newsroom. In the CNN Go series, "Mostly Human," Laurie Segall digs into the mist of Silicon Valley where heroes are hailed and success celebrated, but Silicon Valley has a secret they don't want you to know about. Much of the creative genius, the brainiac success stories also associated with depression and bipolar disorder.

[17:45:00] Is there a price to creative genius? CNN's Laurie Segall explores question. Laurie?

LAURIE SEGALL, CNN TECH SORRESPONDENT: Ana, I've been covering tech for many years and have also gotten to know a lot of founders during kind of this journey to success. And one thing I started noticing as, you know, we only tell one side of the story and in some cases, not all, but in some cases there's a darker side of success. Take a look.

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RAND FISHKIN, CEO OF MOZ: I think as a CEO, you are asked by your investors, by your employees, by your friends and family to have this undefeatable nature, that you are on top of the world and the reality of course is completely different.

SEGALL: Rand Fishkin is the kind of entrepreneur you'd see on the magazine covers. He's the founder of Moz, which grew from a small start-up to a company worth millions. But there is a dark undercurrent to all his success.

FISHKIN: When a bunch of your friends puts $20 million to work, they're expecting to get no less than $80 or $100 million out of that. Those are extremely unusual. So the start-up odds are working against you all the time and I think I went into kind of a dark spiral that it took me months to identify.

SEGALL: It wasn't just a bad day or a lot of pressure, it is clinical depression. What role do you think start-up culture played in triggering the depression?

FISHKIN: It's really hard to say. It's like when you're swimming you don't realize that water is all around you, right. And start-up culture is kind of the same thing. It's almost like a badge of honor to show how busy you are. Sleep is not cool, pregnancy is not cool. All these things that normal

human beings do and need, people need families. They need to go to sleep at night but somehow that is excluded from the acceptable portion of the culture.

SEGALL: How are you doing now?

FISHKIN: Better but there's an association of shame and no one is willing to talk about it. The lack of openness, the lack of role models talking about it meant that you felt even worse. You will put this out there and be rejected, be turned away. It certainly speaks to why a lot of people are not comfortable sharing.

SEGALL: One of the people who helped Rand through his depression was Jerry Colonna.

He was like, you got to talk to Jerry. You got to talk to Jerry. So here we are today --

JERRY COLONNA, VENTURE CAPITALIST AND PROFESSIONAL COACH : I love the fact that they said Jerry and not Jerry Colonna.

SEGALL: Think of him as the CEO whisperer. He spent his career as an influential investor but now he is coach to some of the most prominent leaders in the tech world. He empathizes because he's been there.

COLONNA: I entered this period of profound depression. I was suicidal and wanted to leap in front of a subway train. It doesn't matter how much external success that you have. The more external affirmation you have, the worse you feel.

SEGALL: What is the myth of success?

COLONNA: That it will bring happiness.

SEGALL: Ana, now we look at this issue of mental health through the lens of technology and Silicon Valley, but the reality is and this is a scary reality, it impacts so many people. According to the CDC, it's one in four that are impacted by this. I have had family members -- I think if you ask around, everyone in some sense has been touched by this. But what's different about it, is it's really difficult to talk about it.

And when you look at Silicon Valley, your brain is perceived as your money maker. So if anything -- if people think something is wrong with your brain, then you know, maybe they'll stigmatize it. Maybe you won't get the deal. Maybe this won't be a good thing for you.

And I think that's where a lot of people are trying to break down some barriers and have a conversation about this, not just in technology but all around the country and all around the world because it's certainly an important conversation, Ana.

CABRERA: Absolutely. Laurie Segall, thank you very much, and hopefully your story will help to get rid of some of that stigma. Be sure to catch the full series of "Mostly Human" streaming right now exclusively on CNN Go. We're back in a moment.

[17:55:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: Charlotte, North Carolina, a popular destination for NASCAR fans, and now visitors have the chance to suite up themselves and experience the thrill of racing firsthand.

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CLINT WALKER, NASCAR RACING EXPERIENCE: Welcome to Charlotte. This is NASCAR's headquarters.

PATRICK MCVAY, NASCAR RACING EXPERIENCE: The NASCAR Racing Experience is a program where people can come out and take your ride or drive in one of these stock cars here at Charlotte Motor Speedway. You can reach speeds over 160 miles an hour. A lot of people say that it's kind of their bucket list to come out here and when you take that ride you can really feel the banking and speed out here at the race track.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's really important that you wait for your instructor.

WALKER: Our customers, they're a little nervous as they're coming in. They're not sure what to expect. And that's what we put them through the class and we train them and put them in the cars. They are instructed with those radios. Almost every driver and rider actually coming out of the cars has got a huge smile on their face. Charlotte is a race oriented area. A lot of the background of stock car racing comes from this area.

JOSEPH BISHEIT, PARTICIPANT: I don't think you need to be a NASCAR fan. We all drive a car that, you know, some of our vehicles are pretty mundane so getting in a car like this really makes you feel alive.

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CABRERA: You're live in the "CNN Newsroom." I hope your weekend has been wonderful. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York. Glad to have you with me. The Trump administration continues to wade into a very dangerous world. It has been just three days since the U.S. launched a missile strike on a Syrian air base and as adversaries and allies wonder what it means moving forward, the White House is sending mixed messages. Listen to what the U.S. Envoy to the U.N. said on CNN today about Syrian president

[18:00:00] Bashar al-Assad should stay in power.

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HALEY: There is not any sort of option where political solution is going to happen with Assad at the head of the regime.