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President Trump Announces ISIS Leader Al-Baghdadi Is Dead; White House Says, President Watched Raid Happen In Real-Time; Trump Thanks Russia For Support In Al-Baghdadi Raid. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired October 27, 2019 - 18:00   ET

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

ANA CABRERA, CNN NEWSROOM: The president says, on-site DNA test positively confirmed Baghdadi's identity just 15 minutes after he was killed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Last night was a great night for the United States and for the world. A brutal killer, one who has caused so much hardship and death has violently been eliminated. He will never again harm another innocent man, woman or child. He died like a dog. He died like a coward. The world is now a much safer place. God bless America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Just in to CNN, these pictures from Northwestern Syria and what's left of the ISIS leader's compound, the president describing a nighttime military operation, troops hitting the ground from helicopters, blasting holes in walls and chasing the terrorist leader into a tunnel where he set off a suicide vest killing himself and three of his children.

This picture released from the White House showing President Trump, the vice president, defense secretary and other military officials reportedly watching the mission unfold in real-time.

To the Pentagon and CNN's Barbara Starr. Barbara, President Trump saying today that capturing or killing this terrorist leader was the top national security priority. What more do we know now about the timeline of this operation?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, all indications are that they had been gathering some intelligence for some weeks trying to refine it. We are told that a couple of times they tried to make the mission happen and it got scrapped. It's not clear why. But, apparently, a couple of weeks ago, it all began to come together.

And then last Thursday, the indications are that they were ready to go to the president and get his approval and his approval because the forces that went in are some of the most elite special operations forces the country has. These are the most highly trained. They do these most dangerous counterterrorism missions going after the high- value targets, so to speak. And Baghdadi was the highest that they wanted to get, really the number one wanted man by U.S. military forces.

All accounts are that eight helicopters landed with up to 100 troops on board. And President Trump talked a little bit more about how it went down and what it all means.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: The level of intelligence, the level of work was pretty amazing. When we landed with eight helicopters, a large crew of brilliant fighters ran out of those helicopters and blew holes into the side of the building, not wanting to go through the main door because that was booby-trapped. And that was something -- it was something really amazing to see.

I got to watch it along with General Milley, Vice President Pence and others inside the situation room. And we watched it so clearly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: So there's no question about it, all of this is very good news for the fight against terrorism. But the question is obvious what now? What strength does ISIS still have left? Did they get any intelligence at the compound that may lead them to clues about what they next need to go after?

And U.S. troops still, though the president has said they're all coming home, not just yet. He is leaving some in Southern Syria, some in those eastern oil fields. And there's a lot of concern those troops especially need to be kept safe now. Ana?

CABRERA: Barbara, briefly, what are you learning about what the military plans to do with the remains of Baghdadi?

STARR: Well, the national security adviser said on T.V. earlier today when he was asked what the protocol essentially would be, would it follow Osama Bin Laden, who, of course, his dead body was put aboard a U.S. Navy ship and that body was put into the sea in an undisclosed spot. The national security adviser said he expected the protocol would follow the same for Baghdadi.

I talked to another U.S. official who also said that was the current word that he would perhaps maybe most likely be buried at sea, so to speak. No confirmation by the administration yet. Obviously,they don't want to announce anything perhaps just yet about all of that.

CABRERA: Okay. Barbara Starr for us, thank you, tonight at the Pentagon.

Joining us now, CNN Military and Diplomatic Analyst and former Pentagon Press Secretary, retired rear Admiral John Kirby, and CNN National Security Analyst and former assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security, Juliette Kayyem.

[18:05:00]

Admiral, the president said today that they had already identified Baghdadi's successors. So is his death more symbolic or is this a real turning point?

JOHN KIRBY, CNN MILITARY AND DIPLOMATIC ANALYST: It's more than symbolic. I mean, it's a significant blow to ISIS. There's no question about this. He was a very active leader. It wasn't like he was defunct or anything. He was actively controlling operations. There will be now several of these other leaders vying for power.

So I think one key thing for the U.S., particularly in the region, we've got to make sure that we're vigilant for attacks of retribution now as the organization tries to prove that they are still relevant and as these other leaders now vie for power. I suspect there may be some sort of power struggle.

So it was symbolic, obviously, because he's the head of ISIS, but I think it was more than symbolic. It was a significant get.

CABRERA: Juliette, from the Bataclan attack to San Bernandino, there are so many instances, so many horrors caused by ISIS. And the president really tried to remind people of that today. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Baghdadi and the losers who worked for him, and losers they are, they had no idea what they were getting into. In some cases, they were very frightened puppies. In other cases, they were hardcore killers. But they killed many, many people. Their murder of innocent Americans, James Foley, Steven Sotloff, Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller were especially heinous.

The shocking publicized murder of the a Jordanian pilot, a wonderful young man, spoke to the king of Jordan. They all knew him. They all loved him. He was burned alive in a cage for all to see.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: It's chilling. Juliette, how important was it for him to take the time to do that?

Okay. Unfortunately, we don't have Juliette's audio. We'll work on that.

Let me ask you that question, Admiral. What do you think?

KIRBY: I think it was important for him to cite those Americans by name and to remind everybody about just how brutal and how openly overtly brutal ISIS was, particularly in the first year or two.

But I also think it was a missed opportunity to note the thousands, and I mean, literally thousands of Muslims that suffered under ISIS control and were likewise brutally executed and murdered and tortured and extorted for ISIS purposes.

So, I mean, the vast majority of the victims of ISIS have been Muslims, and that's important to remember.

CABRERA: Juliette, your thoughts on that? JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: I agree with John, if you can hear me now. I think that's exactly right, to remind the Muslim world who, in fact, he was and what he did to the Muslim world, but also the sweep of his destruction, whether it was individuals, reporters and others who were captured and videotaped during their deaths, and then, of course, his influence here in the homeland.

And I think that's significant to remind Americans that we may not have known who Baghdadi was before. ISIS may have seemed to have been whimpering at some stage, but he wreaked through his -- basically luring men here through the internet or social media, a lot of death and destruction, in particular, Orlando.

And so I think that was an important part for Donald Trump, for the president to highlight in terms of the meaning of this, even though, as john was saying earlier, look, ISIS still exists, we know it still exists, but its influence has been hurt.

I don't want to minimize today. Terrorist organizations breed off of success. And this is a huge failure, a huge defeat for ISIS and it will be harder for them to recruit, it will be harder for them to get money and it will be harder for them to convince potential recruits that they are part of a winning team.

CABRERA: Admiral, when Osama Bin Laden was killed, President Obama came before the cameras late at night to make the announcement. But with Trump, he sent out a tweet, something very big has just happened, he wrote. Then we had to wait hours to find out what it was. And now we know. Not even congressional gang of eight members were notified of what had happened. Listen.

KIRBY: Right. I remember that --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We were going to notify him last night but we decided not to do that because Washington leaks like I've never seen before. There's nothing -- there's no country in the world that leaks like we do. And Washington is a leaking machine. And I told my people we will not notify them until our great people are out, not just in, but out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: The president saying he was worried about leaks. He didn't want to endanger any lives. What's your perspective on keeping congressional leaders in the dark?

KIRBY: Well, I think, first of all, you do have to have a small circle of people who know about something like this in advance. You don't want it to go rise (ph). You certainly don't want to put the operators in jeopardy as they advance on the site.

[18:10:00]

So a small circle is important. That said, during the Osama Bin Laden raid, I can confirm having been in the administration at the time that congressional leaders were properly notified in advance. So there was consultation. I don't know how much detail there was, but it definitely happened, and it was bipartisan in nature. It wasn't just one -- it wasn't just Democrats on the Hill that were notified.

CABRERA: John Boehner has said as much. He's talked about how he knew about that in advance as well.

KIRBY: Exactly. It was properly done. As you might recall, if you go back and look at the press coverage, there was no complaining by members of Congress about notifications in advance and how they were kept informed.

As a result, I mean, I think that's important because of the oversight function that Congress has and the fact that they -- certainly, they are the bank, right? They provide the funds through which capabilities like that, which was demonstrated in this attack, are allowed to continue.

CABRERA: Juliette, from a security perspective, when someone like this is killed, is there a big concern that it will inspire retaliation?

KAYYEM: Big may be too strong of a word. I think just to let people what's happening right now, the FBI and DHS will, if the protocols are still in place, notify, do what's called a 50-state call, notify the fusion centers. Those are state intelligence agencies, as well as the Joint Terrorism Task Force, alert them what's going on, look into cases of which of -- if they're concerned about particular individual's social media searches under lawful guidelines.

All of that is going to be happening, also working with Interpol and our European allies, just because, as I was saying earlier, ISIS's motivation now is not just succession, as John was describing, but also a narrative of success. They need to do that. And the best way for a terrorist organization to do that is some successful attack in Western Europe or the United States.

It's nothing to be nervous about. It's actually part of what we would anticipate when something like this happens. And so you're just going to get a ratcheting up across the United States and Western Europe as a natural reaction to the death of Benghazi -- not Benghazi.

CABRERA: Juliette Kayyem and Admiral John Kirby, thank you. We knew what you were talking about. The Baghdadi death, of course, today is the big news. I really appreciate both of your expertise and insights on this. Thanks for being here.

A raid like this, months, if not, years in the making. Up next, who President Trump decided to thank first. A hint, it wasn't the soldiers.

You are live in the CNN Newsroom.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:15:00] CABRERA: When President Trump announced U.S. Special Forces had killed ISIS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who did he thank first? Russia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Russia treated us great. They opened up. We had to fly over certain Russia areas, Russia-held areas. Russia was great.

REPORTER: What did you tell them?

TRUMP: We told them we're coming in. And they said, thank you for telling us. They were very good. They were very cooperative. They really were good. And we did say, it would be a mission that they'd like too. Because, again, they hate ISIS as much as we do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: But get this. The Kremlin not only denies it helped in the raid, the Russian Defense Ministry is actually casting doubt that any such operation even took place.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen is in Moscow with more on this. Fred?

FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Ana. And we saw President Trump thanking the Russians, in fact, in first place thanking the Russians after that successful raid on the leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

But if President Trump thought he was going to get any love back from the Russians, he certainly seems to be mistaken. Instead, the Russians put out a statement absolutely blasting the United States and indeed calling this entire raid into question.

Now, it comes from the spokesman of the Russian military, Igor Konashenkov. And Konashenkov in that statement says, first of all, the Russians didn't register any airstrikes in what he calls the de- escalation zone there in Idlib, obviously where that raid took place. He also said that the Russians don't know anything about providing any sort of assistance to the United States by, for instance, allowing the U.S. to fly through airspace controlled by the Russians.

And then he also called the raid's success into question as well. I want to read to you a little bit of the statement that the Russians put out. They said, and this is a quote, the increasing number of direct participants in countries that allegedly took part in this operation, each one giving completely contradictory details, raises legitimate questions and doubts about its success and especially the level of its success.

And then, finally, the Russians going on to say that, even if this raid was successful, they don't believe that it's going to make a difference, because, obviously, the Russians are saying, there are still, aside from ISIS, a lot of militant groups out there in Idlib and also in other parts of Syria as well. So you can see there from the Russians not really congratulating the U.S. on the success in that raid, Ana.

CABRERA: Fred Pleitgen, thank you for that report.

It's a busy week ahead on Capitol Hill as the impeachment inquiry accelerates in the hands of House Democrats.

Next, a member of the House Oversight Committee joins us live.

But, first, this week's before the bell, here is CNN Chief Business Correspondent Christine Romans. Christine?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Ana.

Corporate earnings are still flooding in, but this week attention turns to the Federal Reserve. The Fed is widely expected to cut interest rates again on Wednesday. That will make it the third time this year.

The big question though is what comes next. Has the Fed done enough to cushion the economy against a deepening slowdown? Data this week could help answer that question. We have reports on consumer confidence, jobs and manufacturing this week.

Now, America's labor market remained strong in September. The unemployment rate fell, remember, to a Fresh 50-year low, although the pace of hiring is starting to slow. On Friday, we'll find out what happened in October.

That's also when the Institute for Supply Management releases its monthly survey. The August and September reports showed a contraction in the manufacturing sector. In fact, last month's reading was the weakest since June 2009. Economists are worried weakness in the factory sector could spill over into the rest of the economy.

In New York, I'm Christine Romans.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:20:00]

CABRERA: As House Democrats accelerate their impeachment inquiry against President Trump, Republicans have turned their focus to attacking the process.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham is introducing a resolution condemning the House inquiry, the resolution co-sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, accuses House Democrats of denying President Trump basic fairness and due process.

CNN Legal Analyst Elie Honig is back with me to answer your impeachment questions tonight. Elie is a former federal and state prosecutor.

So, Elie, first question, congressional Republicans arguing that there is a lack of due process. One viewer wants to know what process is legally required? ELIE HONIG, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: So the short answer is there is no specific process requirement in the House regarding the hearings.

Now, what's happening right now is the House is holding a series of behind closed-door hearings. But it's so important to note members of both parties are present at those hearings, they're hearing the witnesses firsthand and they have an opportunity to question and cross-examine those witnesses.

So the reason they're holding these hearings behind closed doors, I think, are good ones from a prosecutor's point of view. First of all, you get less grandstanding from the members.

[18:25:02]

You get more substantive testimony. Reluctant witnesses are more likely to come forward if they're going to be behind closed doors. And you don't want witnesses trying to tailor their testimony to match what other people have testified about.

Now, the House has told us that, next, we will go to a public hearing phase. So a lot of these names we've been hearing, Bill Taylor, I think we should expect to see them testify within the next month or so in the House.

Now, it's important to keep in mind, we are at the accusation phase in the House. If they choose, if they vote to impeach, then we move onto the guilt or non-guilt phase in the Senate. I think we should expect a very different process there, A, because the Republicans control the Senate, and so they will be setting the process. And, B, I think it's important politically that that process be open and in public. The cameras will be rolling and the whole country will be watching.

CABRERA: Again, so much of this is about the president's phone call with the president of Ukraine, whether there was a quid pro quo, whether there was pressure applied on Ukraine to do the president's bidding when it comes to politics here in the U.S.

The president, of course, has been claiming there was no pressure put on the Ukrainian president and says that the Ukrainian president has said as much. So one viewer asks, legally, does that matter?

HONIG: It matters but not as much as the president has been stressing by constantly saying, no pressure, no pressure.

So let's start with crimes. Pressure has nothing to do with the potential crimes of bribery or foreign election aid. Now, arguably it could be relevant to the crime of extortion because extortion is all about obtaining property through fear, force or threats.

Now, I'm a little dubious about President Zelensky's claim that he felt no pressure. First of all, I've tried extortion cases. It's very common to hear extortion victims say I didn't really feel pressured. Why? Because they're afraid of the very person who pressured them in the first place. And also if you look at the other evidence, that July 25th call, you see the president applying pressure, political pressure, financial pressure.

So, ultimately, again, impeachment, do not need a crime. If there is pressure though, I think it strengthens the case for abuse of power, and, hence, for impeachment.

CABRERA: You mentioned a possible Senate trial. That would come after the president is impeached should he be impeached in the House. Another viewer wants to know, would the Senate vote in public or in private? Could they do it in private when it comes to whether to remove the president and convict him?

HONIG: Very likely, any Senate vote would have to be in public. The Constitution does not tell us anything specific about how the Senate vote must happen. Mitch McConnell, as Senate Majority leader, will have this decision. I think the thought out there is if the vote happens in private, senators will be more likely to break from party lines.

That said, I think both precedent and politics favor a public vote. If you look at President Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton after their Senate trials, the vote was held publicly. Each senator had to stand up and announce his or her vote. And if you will -- but I think it's going to be really hard for Mitch McConnell or anyone in the Senate to justify private behind closed-door votes. This is too important. I think every senator needs to stand up and be accountable for his or her vote.

CABRERA: Elie Honig, thank you and thank you for staying with us, because we'll see you back here next hour to answer more of our viewer questions.

And a reminder to our viewers, you can submit your questions to cross- exam on cnn.com.

And be sure to watch tonight's CNN special, The White House in Crisis, the Impeachment Inquiry. Join Erin Burnett for an in-depth look at the witnesses, the testimony and all of the latest evidence. That's tonight at 8:00 Eastern here on CNN.

We're back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:30:00]

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: Late yesterday afternoon, history was made. The leader of ISIS was killed in a top-secret U.S. raid. But many in Congress, aside from a few Republicans, were none the wiser. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, for instance, says he found out about the raid the same way you likely did, on T.V. Here is Trump's reasoning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We were going to notify them last night, but we decided not to do that because Washington leaks like I've never seen before. There's nothing -- there's no country in the world that leaks like we do, and Washington is a leaking machine. And I told my people, we will not notify them until the -- our great people are out. Not just in but out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Democratic Congressman Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts joins us now. Congressman, thanks for joining us.

REP. STEPHEN LYNCH (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Good to be with you, Ana.

CABRERA: How did you find out about this raid?

LYNCH: The same way most people found out in terms of the press. My staff did -- did send me some e-mails when it first happened, but largely, I -- I heard about it through the press.

CABRERA: You were in office when Osama bin Laden was killed. And now, of course, during Baghdadi's death. How do the two compare?

LYNCH: Well, if you remember, President Obama did probably one of his rarest evening announcements from the White House, 11:00 at night, where he -- he basically told us as soon as possible that -- you know, that the -- the -- the team that went in, the SEAL team that went in, they were successful.

But even before the public announcement, he had informed members of the Intelligence Committee and key members of Congress what was going on. And he had shared that information with Congress beforehand.

CABRERA: Right, but how do you see this moment in the battle against terror?

LYNCH: Well, I -- I think it's great that Baghdadi was taken out. You know, he had portrayed himself as -- as, you know, being in the lineage of -- of Mohammad, that he was destined and proclaimed to be the leader of the new caliphate.

He actually energized a lot of foreign fighters to come in to -- to Syria and Iraq, so there was a certain charisma that he had. And a certain narrative that, I think, attracted fighters. So with him gone, with the -- the caliphate destroyed, no longer holding significant territory, I -- I think it's a good addition, a good development, in this.

[18:35:01]

Obviously, there are still about 30,000 fighters that are in northern Syria and -- and northern -- north and -- and -- and western Iraq that have to be dealt with. But -- but having this singular leader taken out is -- is a great improvement for us.

CABRERA: Do you believe President Trump deserves credit?

LYNCH: I believe the Special Forces and the intelligence people that actually were engaged in this deserve the credit. You know, as you know, the -- the President has ordered the withdrawal of troops and the scaling down of -- of forces in Syria premature to the capture of Baghdadi and premature to the elimination of -- of -- of ISIS as a -- as a fighting force.

So I think his -- his approach has been somewhat erratic. At the same time that he's withdrawing troops and -- and -- and pulling out and abandoning the Kurds who have been fighting ISIS, he's taking credit for -- for fighting ISIS, so -- after he said, you know, ISIS is no more. So there's a -- there's a strong inconsistency in -- in his remarks and his -- and -- and his approach.

CABRERA: I do want to note to our viewers that I went back and looked at your statement following the death of bin Laden, and you also gave similar credit the forces on the ground and the men and women who were putting themselves in harm way in carrying out the operation versus the President in that moment as well.

I want to turn to the impeachment inquiry because you're on the House Oversight Committee, one of three leading this inquiry. And State Department official Phil Reeker, he testified just yesterday. And afterward, you said he was a much richer reservoir than expected. In what way?

LYNCH: Well, Mr. Reeker is a -- is a long-time bureaucrat. He's -- he has spent a lot of time in -- in the region. He was able to corroborate, I believe, a lot of the information that was given to us by other witnesses, especially Ambassador Taylor.

Ambassador Taylor had very, very detailed records of his conversations with people -- dates, times, locations, who he talked to, when he talked to them, conversations that were by text or by -- by WhatsApp. And I think a lot of what -- what Phil Reeker's comments were sort of reinforced the attitudes, opinions, and -- and events that were described by Ambassador Taylor.

And those were -- were without a doubt, the most powerful that we've heard of any of the witnesses that have come forward so far.

CABRERA: So to confirm, did Reeker have knowledge of some of the conversations surrounding dealings with Ukraine, specifically pertaining to the investigations that the Trump administration allegedly, you know, were pressuring the Ukraine to undertake?

LYNCH: Well, I have to be careful about -- this is classified testimony, so I have to be careful about the substance of his testimony. But I would say it was related to Ukraine, yes.

I would say it was related to some of the e-mails and conversations that were described previously by Mr. Taylor that I think we're -- were -- were very important to point to the involvement of -- of the President in terms of the pressure that was applied to Ukraine leaders.

CABRERA: I want to quickly ask you about Ambassador Gordon Sondland, who also testified last week. His attorney tells "The Wall Street Journal" that Sondland testified that Trump's pressure on Ukraine amounted to a quid pro quo. Can you confirm that?

LYNCH: Well, again, I'm not allowed to -- to speak -- this is a classified hearing. I'm not allowed to speak to the substance of -- of the testimony, but I would not -- I would not dispute what -- what -- what the attorney is saying in part. And I -- I'll just -- I'll just leave it at that.

CABRERA: OK. Of course, because all of this is in secrecy, that's been one of the -- the main criticisms of Republicans in particular. When can we expect public hearings?

LYNCH: Well, here's the deal. So we -- Ana, we've received more and more evidence, and -- and we've got a -- a long list of witnesses that they're trying to get through. There may be -- I think there'll be the need to bring some witnesses back in light of some of the conflicting testimony and -- and documents.

[18:40:03]

We have been fighting with the State Department to get some of the documents that identify -- identifies conversations and -- and -- and e-mails and records of WhatsApp communications. So we know what these communications are. We know they're relevant to our investigation. We know that they are, I think, decisive in terms of describing the activities of certain individuals.

So we know the documents exist. We know what they say --

CABRERA: But in terms of timing --

LYNCH: -- because our witnesses have described them --

CABRERA: In terms of timing, which was the question --

LYNCH: Right.

CABRERA: -- when can we expect public hearings?

LYNCH: Well, they're -- they're fighting us, so -- so -- so the timing depends on what a judge rules, whether or not we can have those documents. If it takes three weeks to get the documents, it's going to take three weeks. If it's -- you know, if it has to go to an appeals court, then it will be a longer -- longer struggle.

But -- but really, we're trying to gather the best evidence before we make this decision on whether to go to Articles of Impeachment. We -- we want to go with the best evidence in hand.

CABRERA: OK. Congressman Stephen Lynch, I've got to leave it there tonight, but I appreciate you coming on. And I -- I hope you'll come back and join us as we continue to follow the developments in this inquiry.

LYNCH: Happy to do it. Thank you, Ana.

CABRERA: And a programming note, join Erin Burnett tonight for the CNN special, "THE WHITE HOUSE IN CRISIS: THE IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY." Again, that is tonight at 8:00. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:45:26]

CABRERA: Disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein went to a New York comedy club and was confronted with this #MeToo moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KELLY BACHMAN, COMEDIAN WHO CONFRONTED HARVEY WEINSTEIN: I'm a comic.

(LAUGHTER)

BACHMAN: And it's our job to name the elephant in the room. Do we know what that is?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

BACHMAN: Yes. It's a -- a Freddie Kruger in the room, if you will. I didn't know that we have to bring our own mace and rape whistles to Actor's Hour, you know.

(BOOING)

BACHMAN: No?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shut up!

BACHMAN: No -- oh, shut up!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: The comedian who confronted Weinstein there is Kelly Bachman, and I had a chance to interview her about that moment. And I asked her what she first thought when she saw Weinstein sitting in the audience.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BACHMAN: It's very jarring. And I was sitting on the side of the stage just staring at my phone, asking friends what I should do. I -- I didn't know if I should leave, or should I just do my regular set? Or do I need to say something?

And I -- I was really kind of in a panic. But right before I went up, I decided I definitely needed to say something. I wasn't sure what it was going to be, but --

CABRERA: And that's what came out, what we saw.

BACHMAN: Yes, that. CABRERA: You also saw that other audience member who was clearly

upset about Weinstein's presence there.

BACHMAN: Yes.

CABRERA: Let me read you the statement from a spokesperson for Harvey Weinstein.

Harvey Weinstein was out with friends, enjoying the music and trying to find some solace in his life that has been turned upside down. This scene was uncalled for, downright rude, and an example of how due process is being squashed by the public, trying to take away -- take it away in the courtroom, too.

Your response?

BACHMAN: I think it's fun that he thinks I'm rude. Like that's fun -- it's fun to me, but --

(LAUGHTER)

CABRERA: You -- you find that a good thing?

BACHMAN: I'm like, if Harvey Weinstein thinks I'm rude, like, that's -- I don't know, that's cool with me.

But the due process part, I think -- that whether or not you're invited to a private event for artists has nothing to do with the due process. This is about protecting the artists in the space and making them feel as safe as they're supposed to feel to perform.

This is supposedly an organization designed to create a -- a space for artists, so bringing someone that has a reputation for destroying the careers of young women and lives, to have a room full of young women exposed to that person in a way where it's treated as normal, and maybe even welcomed, I think, to me, that is a completely separate conversation than the conversation about due process.

CABRERA: It's hard to believe that the Harvey Weinstein story broke two years ago already.

BACHMAN: Yes.

CABRERA: What would you say to his accusers who may watch this video?

BACHMAN: I would say I hope that I said enough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: More than 80 women have accused Weinstein of sexual harassment, assault, or rape. He is set to go to trial in January on sex crime charges, including rape. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

Back to our breaking news, President Trump announcing this morning in a televised address to the American people at the White House that the world's number one terrorist leader is dead. Ahead, I'll talk to a friend of an American aid worker who was brutality killed by ISIS. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: They've been a source of endless fascination throughout history, identical twins. They share 100 percent of their DNA, and they look exactly alike.

Lisa Ling explores the twin experience this week on "THIS IS LIFE." Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LISA LING, CNN HOST (on camera): We are in Twinsburg, Ohio. And there are welcome twins signs everywhere -- the government building, the library, the church, the high school, the middle school.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls.

LING (voice-over): This is the 43rd Annual Twins Day Festival. And already, I'm seeing double.

LING (on camera): One, two, three. Say, twins.

CROWD: Twins!

LING (voice-over): Over the next three days, nearly 2,000 sets of twins are coming from all over the world in celebration of twindom.

(BACKGROUND MUSIC PLAYING)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's our favorite vacation every year.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is our ninth time at this festival.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've been going since we were 11 months old.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're 59, going to turn 60 this year. And I said, Blaine (ph), for our birthday, let's go to Twinsburg and do this thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Lisa Ling joins us now. Lisa, what was the -- the most interesting thing you learned while -- about twins while you were filming this episode?

LING: Oh, Ana, it was just such a -- a really fun experience. And look, there's a lot going on in the news right now, and I hope people will just come and -- and have an enjoyable experience when they watch tonight. As you just saw from the clip, we attended the Twins Days Festival in Ohio which is the largest gathering of multiples in the world. We also profiled three sets of twins. One pair who -- that is married

to another pair of identical twins. Two young men who didn't know the other one existed until they were 28 years old. And two young women who -- one of whom just came out as gay pretty recently.

And for me, I've always been fascinated by twins. And -- and I've also had always been interested in the bond between two people who share identical DNA.

CABRERA: I've been very curious, too, about, you know, the sense of identity for somebody who is an identical twin. Did the twins you talked to always embrace their sameness, or did they feel confined and desire to really be their own people?

[18:55:08]

LING: That's a great question. I mean, I think most identical twins go through periods of both. We spent time with one set of twins. As I said, one just came out as -- as gay pretty recently, and they are both 18 years old.

They have decided to part ways for the first time and go to separate colleges. And it is a really -- it's -- it's somewhat devastating for them. They realize they have to do it, but it's -- it's really taking part of themselves.

You know, they -- they feel like part of -- part of themselves is -- is missing. So it's a -- it's just a really sweet, beautiful episode, and I think a bit of a respite from everything that's going on today.

CABRERA: Yes. We could all use a little breathing room. Lisa Ling --

LING: A little bit of a breather, yes.

CABRERA: Yes, yes. Thank you. Thank you for joining us. We look forward to that episode, a brand-new episode of "THIS IS LIFE" tonight at 10:00 right here on CNN. We're back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: It's just about 7:00 p.m. Eastern, 4:00 in the afternoon out West. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York. You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

President Trump calling today a, quote, great day for the United States and for the world. He's talking about the death of the leader of ISIS, the ruthless terror organization blamed for thousands of innocent deaths in the places they operate and inspiring religious violence in the places where they don't.

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