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Shooting In Pensacola, Florida; Democrats On The House Judiciary Committee Have Just Released A Report Defining What They Think The Framers Of The Constitution Meant By An Impeachable Event; Tensions Between 2020 Candidates Pete Buttigieg And Elizabeth Warren Boiled Over Into A Public Feud; Booker, Castro Blast Potential All- White Democratic Debate Lineup; Uber Safety Report Reveals Thousands of Cases of Sexual Assault; Trump Orders Toilet Review Over Low-Flow Flushing; FOX's Tucker Carlson Shows Clinton Coughing, Guest Tries to "Diagnose" Her. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired December 07, 2019 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:00]

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: Hello. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York. Thank you so much for being with us on this Saturday

We are following several breaking news stories at this hour today. In fact, new developments in the shooting in Pensacola, Florida. This is the breaking news as we are learning new details. A U.S.-based intelligence group has now revealed the man who shot and killed three people and wounded eight other in Pensacola yesterday was a Saudi- national who harbored what is being as extreme anti-American views. The group has found other things that believe the shooting wrote online. I'll take you live to Saudi Arabia in just a moment.

Also today, an American official now confirming to us that an additional number of Saudi nationals have been detained and are being questioned in the Pensacola shooting investigation. And we have learned the name of one of the victims, an active duty naval officer and we have heard from his heartbroken family. All of those details coming up.

We have CNN correspondents all over the world and all over this right now. Our international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson is in Riyadh. We have Natasha Chen is standing by in Pensacola, Florida. And we also have our military analyst admiral John Kirby.

Let me start with you, Nic, because this has become a global investigation. Tell us what more we know about the shooter? What this intelligence group has found.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, this intelligence seems to indicate, if correct, that he tweeted out what is effectively a will in about the 15 minutes or so before he went on this shooting rampage. So what it seems to indicate, and I say seems because we have really don't have all of this confirmed yet, although we know that these will be angles that the FBI are looking into, he appears to quote (INAUDIBLE), both bin Laden and Anwar al-Awlaki who was a Yemini cleric, who was a big wheel within Al-Qaeda until he was killed in a drone strike in 2011.

This seems to indicate that in the frame of mind that this shooter had was anti-American, anti-Israeli, sort of lines he was saying were, you know, America won't get peace until it gets out of our lands. This was the sort of line that he was going down in this tweet, if indeed it turns out to be him, but the evidence seems to point in that direction at the moment. That's the analysis of the site organization that examines extremist propaganda like this.

What we are learning from his family here, however, that this was an academically gifted young man who was doing well in school. He did well to get on to military, even better to get in to this training program in the United States.

It's seen here as sort of a really esteemed position to get in if you can get that high level military training in the United States. His family said there was nothing out of the ordinary about him when he went to the United States, had been in touch with him over the past couple of years. Nothing in their minds about him had changed. His tribe is disavowing him saying this is not done in our name, you know. We are loyal to the country and loyal to the king.

The king has called it barbaric act. So the narrative from Saudi Arabia is, this isn't us. But the reality is the details that are beginning to emerge are going to put all of this, the shooting, in a very troubling and difficult light it appears at the moment, Ana.

CABRERA; Nic, stand by. Because Natasha, we have also breaking news about the victim. We know the name of one of the victims. And we have heard from his family of one of the people killed in this mass shooting at the Navy base in Florida.

This is Joshua Watson Kaleb. Just 23 years old, a recent graduate of a U.S. Naval academy in Minneapolis. And I want to show you what Watson's big brother wrote on Facebook.

Today has been the worst day of my life. My youngest brother gave his life for his country in a senseless shooting. Joshua Kaleb Watson saved countless lives today with his own. He died a hero and we are beyond proud.

Natasha, Pensacola is a massive military community. How is the city responding to this tragedy?

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think a lot of people are very shaken, Ana. If they were connected with the victims, of course, they are feeling this acutely. But even those who are not, this is a tight family atmosphere on base. I spoke with one woman who lives on base. And a lot of people are really just on edge at the moment even though the naval air station has said there's not a credible threat at the moment.

She is telling me there's a lot more security right now. Everyone just kind of waiting for more information. As you just mentioned, we are learning about one of the three victims there from that victim's family. Joshua Watson is from Enterprise, Alabama. You read the post from his big brother. And the mayor there in Enterprise, Alabama is asking the governor if they are fly the flags at half-staff for Watson there.

The FBI and Navy has been -- they have been very careful in waiting to release more information about the victims. They want to wait at least 24 hours after nix of kin have been notified. And then of course, beyond to the three who are killed, they were eight who were injured in this shooting. Two of the eight are deputies who exchanged gunfire with the shooter. They are both expected to be OK. One had surgery and one was treat the and released. So that is good news for those two deputies. But again there were eight people injured here. And we are waiting for more details on how they are doing now, Ana.

[15:05:45]

CABRERA: And admiral, this suspect was here as part of the department of defense cooperation training. He is one of more than five thousand foreign students. Explain this partnership.

JOHN KIRBY, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes. As you rightly said, thousands of foreign nationals that here in the United States training at military bases and installations really all across the country on all manner of different weapons, platforms and systems. This is part of the foreign military sales program that we have with so many countries around the world. In this case the Saudi government was paying for this training. It wasn't funded by the taxpayer.

But this training is not just about helping them learn how to use this equipment safely and efficiently. Of course, that's the core purpose. And it's not just in their national security interest. It's in our national security interest that these individuals understand how to use this equipment because we are going to be operating with them in dangerous environments around the world. And we need to know that they can use it effectively. So much of operations now are coalition operations, multinational operations. So it's very much in our interest to keep this program in shape.

CABRERA: And we do know the process requires vetting which currently includes an in-country screening that incorporates researching necessary data bases as for evidence of drug trafficking, support of terrorist activity, corruption and criminal conduct. And now defense secretary Mark Esper saying they are reviewing this screening process.

Do you see in any holes in the current process, Admiral?

KIRBY: It's too early to tell, Ana, whether there is holes in the process. I think it's healthy for the secretary to want to take a look at this and see if there was anything that we missed or if protocols need to be amended or changed. And this includes security access protocols just to base installations as well as this foreign national training.

But again I think I don't see that even if they do find holes in the process, I don't see it stopping this program. And I don't think we want to because the American people are safer when we know that these foreign nationals buying our equipment can safely and effectively use them in combat.

CABRERA: And Nic, it's somewhat a complicated relationship between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. How does that factor into that relationship?

ROBERTSON: Well, Saudi Arabia was the first country President Trump chose to visit when he made his first international trip as president. So that was symbolic but it was also about business. Saudi Arabia in the past few years partly because of how it saw President Obama act in the region and not stand up for leaders in the region during the Arab spring.

The Saudis decided they needed to spend more of their own money on defense spending and security. And over the recent years became the world's third largest defense and security spender. And they spend a lot of that procurement money with the United States, a lot of that training money with the United States as well. So the relationship there is very important to President Trump, to the United States, because it's a source of revenue.

It's important to Saudi Arabia because it gives it bigger heft in this region. The Saudis like President Trump because he is much stronger on Iran than president Obama was. That is the sort of big enemy for the Saudis and to have an ally in the United States who is essentially on the same pages of them on that issue makes them feel more secure.

So for them to feel that that relationship could weaken because of whatever is discovered about this incident, that would be a concern. And I think this is why we have seen the king take charge, take charge early, and be very strong in his condemnation and his call on Saudi authorities, security authorities, to cooperate fully with the United States. That there tells you how much is at stake.

This wasn't delegated to somebody else. This wasn't left to crown prince Mohammed bin Salman whose reputation was solid in the United States. The king got out and did this. He was more than 80 years old. It was a Friday. Traditionally a day of rest here. Saudi officials typically can take a long time to respond to things like this. That didn't happen yesterday. This is a big, big issue.

CABRERA: OK. Nic Robertson, Natasha Chen, admiral John Kirby, thank you all. Much more on this story still ahead in the NEWSROOM.

Also ahead it was the hashtag of the week, don't mess with Nancy. Coming up the daughter of Nancy Pelosi will join us live historic this week and this moment for her mother and the challenges still ahead in the impeachment battle.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:13:47]

CABRERA: There are new developments in the impeachment inquiry. This week, Democrats on the House judiciary committee have just released a report defining what they think the framers of the constitution meant by an impeachable event. In a statement, House judiciary chairman Jerry Nadler says the

framers' worst nightmare is what we are facing in this very moment. President Trump abused his power, betrayed our national security and corrupted our elections all for personal gain. The constitution details only one remedy, impeachment.

And right now we know that Democrats are huddled on Capitol Hill holding a mock hearing ahead of Monday's impeachment hearing. It's our understanding that Democrats could vote on articles of impeachment as early as this coming week. But it's very unclear what will be included in those articles. A few Democrats are warning against including articles outside of the Ukraine scandal like those instances of obstruction detailed in the Mueller report.

At the end of the day, this history altering decision will be House Nancy Pelosi's. Her daughter Christine Pelosi joins us now. Christine is the chair of the California Democratic party women's caucus.

So thank you Christine for being here. Nancy Pelosi is known as a tactful politician who doesn't do anything without really thinking it through carefully. By moving forward with articles of impeachment, do you think she has any doubt about whether the votes are there to impeach the president?

[15:15:12]

CHRISTINE PELOSI, CHAIR, CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATIC PARTY WOMEN'S CAUCUS: Ana, thank you for the visit. No, I don't have any doubt in my mind that Nancy Pelosi is able to weave and whip her caucus together to the votes that are necessary. I believe the facts are unfolding for the American people to see. And so we will see after those hearings what facts are brought to light, what additional pieces are evidence are brought to light with Rudy Giuliani flying on whiz air over to Ukraine to continue to urge meddling in our 2020 elections.

CABRERA: Right.

PELOSI: It couldn't be clearer that we need to keep up the vigilance and Nancy Pelosi will do exactly that.

CABRERA: Does she know down to the numbers who are nos, maybes and definite yes votes at this point?

PELOSI: Well, one thing I wrote about in my new book, "The Nancy Pelosi Way," is that Nancy Pelosi sees herself as the weaver of the House, not just the whip. By that I mean she talks about how she listens to all the members of the caucus.

In this case is also Justin Amash, too, independent and listens to Republicans as well saying let's listen to where the evidence is taking us and let's listen to where the consensus is. So I anticipate that because more evidence is coming forward, we the Supreme Court is going to rule soon on the President's financials, we may find that where people are today might be different than where they are in a week. So really it's about making sure you keep those lines of communication

open so that when people have input that they want to give, they know that this is a collaborative consensus process. And that is really her leadership style which I think is especially important when you talk about something as critical as the constitutional duty to impeach.

CABRERA: I want to get your personal opinion on this because you are a Democratic strategist as we mentioned and an attorney. Do you think the articles should include the instances of obstruction laid out in the Mueller report or do you think this should only include Ukraine?

PELOSI: Well, some of the Mueller report lays the basis for Ukraine as Nancy Pelosi said to Donald Trump, with you all roads lead to Putin. So again, looking at where the factual basis for the Ukraine charges are, you have to have the Mueller report as the basis for that.

So the way I see it, it comes down to, let's still try to get the underlying evidence that's necessary. Let's look at the Mueller report for the instances of interference, vis-a-vis Ukraine. And also let's remember the 71 documents requests that have been denied by the White House, as Nancy Pelosi has said quite clearly to Donald Trump, if you have exculpatory information, now is the time to turn it over. And I would hope that the President would want to do that so that we can get all the facts before the American people.

CABRERA: How much does this impeachment inquiry weigh on your mom, speaker Pelosi? Does she talk about it?

PELOSI: Well, one of the things that I talk about in the book, "the Nancy Pelosi Way," is the way that my mom has such a strong commitment to her call to service. She would rather not have impeached the president. She thinks that for when you look at gun violence, when you look at climate, when you look at health care, when you look the at the need for rebuilding the economy in a green new way, those are differences that can be resolved by an election.

And yet the behavior is so shocking. It is so shocking that it's something she simply has to do. And like all the other criticism that she has received over the years, and she always says criticism and effectiveness go hand in hand, she doesn't think how it's affecting her personally. She thinks about how it is affecting the country, and really stands as a role model to all of us, whatever criticism you are getting for what you are doing, you have to stay strong.

CABRERA: But do you as her daughter worry about what this may be doing to her emotionally and you know, professionally, all of those things?

PELOSI: Well, there's nobody I admire more than Nancy Pelosi. And no one I think is stronger for this moment than Nancy Pelosi. If it was me speaking as a daughter I rather wish she was here with us this afternoon watching my daughter Bella in a play. But speaking as me as an American I want to see the strongest leader possible and that person is Nancy Pelosi. So I'm willing to sacrifice our family time for what I think the

country needs. And I don't think anyone can do what she can do in terms of weaving us together and trying to hold us together in our values and at the same time fight to make sure that government stays open and that we keep the promises we made to the American people to protect their health care and give them honesty and government in a better life.

CABRERA: Just quickly last question, because you have talked about your book, "the Nancy Pelosi Way," that is just out. And I wonder in the last couple of years or just throughout this presidency, the Trump presidency, have you learned anything new about your mom?

[15:20:14]

PELOSI: Well, one of the things, Ana, is that my mom is a naturally shy person. We always joke that I didn't inherit any of her natural shyness. But she is a very shy person. And her leadership style is always to put other people out front. And now with this contrast with Donald Trump, she really has to be the one stepping forward. And I think that's been different for her.

She's still a little bit perplexed at becoming an internet meme. As you mentioned just the other day, the don't mess with Nancy or I say don't mess with momma, exchange cane because somebody questioned her catholic faith which is the one thing that anyone knows about Nancy Pelosi is that she is catholic grandmother.

So I think that in some ways she is stepping into the moment. And her leadership style is such that she now accepts albeit reluctantly that with every confrontation that comes the internet memes are sure to follow.

CABRERA: Christine Pelosi, great to have you with us this weekend. Thank you.

PELOSI: Thanks, Ana.

CABRERA: Still ahead, the 2020 race gets heated. Two frontrunners calling each other out on everything from tax returns to campaign fundraisers as Cory Booker takes offense to commends from Mike Bloomberg. The details next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:25:27]

CABRERA: It has been smearing for months. But this week, the tensions between 2020 candidates Pete Buttigieg and Elizabeth Warren boiled over into a public feud. Previously, the Massachusetts senator had refrained from attacking her opponents by name minus Michael Bloomberg. But the gloves came off this week as she slammed south bend mayor Pete Buttigieg on transparency.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D), MASSACHUSETTS: The mayor should be releasing who's on his finance committee, who are the bundlers raising big money for him, who he has given titles to and made promises too.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you think mayor Pete's fundraisers are fundamentally corrupt?

WARREN: I think mayor Pete should open up the doors so that anyone can come in and report on what's being said.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: And that follows the attacks Buttigieg has lobbed at Warren on her tax returns and health care plan. Potentially fueling the feud is that fact that while Warren and Buttigieg are carving sort of ideological lanes within the party, they both attract a similar slice of the Democratic electorate, white college-educated voters.

With us now to discuss is Democratic strategist and former Clinton White House aid Keith Boykin and former senior spokeswoman for Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign, Karen Finney.

Great to have you both with us.

Keith, Is this new more aggressive strategy that Warren is now showing? A good idea, smart strategy, as she sort of slipping in the polls and we see Buttigieg rising?

KEITH BOYKIN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I think she has no choice and it's to be expected. When you are in this stage in the race, when you have two months left before voters go to the polls, and you see the race is tightening, there's going to be a lot of fluctuation between now and February when the Iowa caucuses begin. And this is when you really have to make an impression.

I think people who haven't yet gotten to that top tier once they start get in there they, get more scrutiny, more media attention and attention tensions from the other candidates who to sort of let the public know who they really are.

Pete Buttigieg really hasn't gotten that critical scrutiny until recently. And so he is going to get more of it if he stays in the top tier. And that's going to be an issue he is going to have to face.

CABRERA: Is that how you see it, Karen? Does this now say he is a threat? Ands that how at least the other candidates are viewing him?

Well, certainly, that's part of it. I mean, now that, you know, when -- Keith is exactly right. When you are at the top, you better be ready, right, because -- and frankly it's surprising that he wasn't better prepared, because again you saw Joe Biden go through it, Kamala, I mean, other candidates. And it happened cycle after cycle.

But there's another part to this as well, which is, you know, there were the stories this week about McKenzie which I think started to fuel this transparency question. And so Warren I think kind of took advantage or saw an opening in terms of that narrative. Because there are real questions particularly in light of the "New York Times" story about McKenzie's role working with ICE. And people wanted to know more about his work and who were his clients were.

And so, sure. When you are at the top people want to know more about you. We are at the phase in the campaign where, you know, we were over the slogans and surface answers. Now people want to really dig in and understand more about who you are, what your record is and what your policy proposals really mean for them. They're looking for details. And that's just a natural portion of the process.

CABRERA: And we are also starting to see the field shrink with senator Kamala Harris, one of the, you know, higher polling participants in all of this bowing out of the race. And now we have all the candidates in the next debate at least so far who have qualified, and there's not much more time to qualify, they are all white.

Keith, not one single candidate of color has qualified for that debate. How big of a deal is this?

BOYKIN: Yes, that's very disturbing. In the first debate in June, there were five candidates of color on the stage. In this debate so far for December, zero candidates of color have qualified. There is no Cory Booker, no Julian Castro, no Andrew Yang, not even Tulsi Gabbard, and Kamala Harris has dropped out of the race. So this puts the Democrats in a bad position.

You know, black voters for example are 25 percent of the Democratic electorate in the primary. If you look at the last election, they are the most reliable voters for Democrats in every election cycle. At 2016, Hillary Clinton won 89 percent of black voters.

[15:30:00]

You can't have a primary race where you have black candidate after black candidates after black candidates and Latinos candidates, native-American candidates who are completely disregarded because of our emphasis on starting in Iowa and New Hampshire. And I know people say, well Iowa and New Hampshire have always been this way. And Obama won in Iowa and so let's not make too much out of it.

But black people have been the backbone of the Democratic Party for a long time. And the Democratic Party is becoming unrepresentative if we don't reach out and try to incorporate those people's views who have been such an important part of the party, such an integral part of the party for so long.

(CROSSTALK)

CABRERA: Karen, do you see it as an issue of process, that it's working against those candidates of color?

KAREN FINNEY, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: First of all, Julian Castro's campaign announced late yesterday, he has qualified for the December debate. He saw an uptick in donations. (CROSSTALK)

CABRERA: He's only qualified on the donation, not the polling. They have to qualify both.

(CROSSTALK)

CABRERA: He and Booker, my understanding, have qualified on the donation front. They're not close when it comes to the polling. They don't have any qualifying polls. They need at least four of them between now and December 12th, is the cutoff.

FINNEY: Right. So let's -- a couple things. One, let's remember Kamala Harris had qualified. We're all confused as to why, two weekends out from the debate, she would choose to step down. There were a lot of other internal problems in here campaign.

There's a couple things I would say here. On the one hand, I'm reluctant to go after the process, because, you know, when I ask people who are concerned about the lack of diversity on the stage, well, did you support Kamala or Castro or Booker? No. So you didn't donate to them, support them?

I think part of it is we have to take a look at ourselves and say, why is it that, time and time again, when polls keep telling us the one thing voters want disparately is to beat Donald Trump, why is it that we seem to not think -- we seem to think that only a white person is the person who can do that? I think that's a reckoning we need to have internally.

I was at the DNC when we added South Carolina and Nevada specifically to ensure there were more diversity so Iowa and New Hampshire were not the ones making the decision.

I would caution, it's not just about Iowa and New Hampshire anymore. South Carolina and Nevada are important because you cannot win the Democratic nomination without showing your ability to compete and win with diverse voters. That's part of the problem that Pete Buttigieg is having.

(CROSSTALK)

CABRERA: I wish we had more time.

Karen, go ahead. I didn't mean to cut you off.

FINNEY: That's OK. I was just going to say, it's disturbing that we are at this moment. But I think we all have to take a -- as a party, a much harder look inside and say, what did we do to get us to this point where we don't have these candidates of color on stage.

CABRERA: I think it's worth meeting, in South Carolina and Nevada, the most recent polling shows nonwhite voters there are not necessarily supporting people of color running in this 2020 race. They are not registering at higher levels in those states with a higher and more diverse people of color as part of that electorate we're seeing compared to Nevada -- or rather New Hampshire or Iowa.

Thank you both, Karen Finney and Keith Boykin, for being here for the discussion. I appreciate it.

FINNEY: Thanks.

CABRERA: Uber finally releasing a long-awaited safety report. It's stunning findings, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:37:20]

CABRERA: How many times have you grabbed a ride somewhere, curtsy of Uber? The popular ride sharing app has revolutionized the way we get around. The Uber Web site claims it completes 14 million trips each day.

There's another statistic Uber isn't bragging about, the number of sexual assaults that Uber riders have reported. It is in the thousands.

CNN's Drew Griffin takes a closer look at the numbers and Uber's response.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Buried on page 59 of a polished long-anticipated report are the stunning numbers, 5,981 sexual assaults reported over two years. And 464 of them rapes. Uber emphasizing, with millions of rides daily, the odds of attack are minuscule.

But Tony West, the chief legal officer, who for nearly two years now has refused to be interviewed by CNN, admitted to NBC the number is alarming.

TONY WEST, CHIEF LEGAL OFFICER, UBER: That's a hard number. But I'm not surprised. And I'm not surprised because sexual violence is much more pervasive in society than I think most people realize.

GRIFFIN: CNN sounded the alarm in April of 2018 in an investigation uncovered the serious problem of drivers assaulting passengers.

This woman was attacked by her Uber driver in Miami who was sentenced to 14 years in prison for the crime.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Next morning, I woke up and both my pants and my underwear were on the floor.

GRIFFIN: In a series of reports on Uber assaults, CNN exposed a practice with a ride share company that sought to settle sexual assault complaints with out-of-court settlements in exchange for non- disclosure agreement from victims. Uber changed the policy after our report, no longer requiring victims to sign NDAs. CNN found dozens of cases of sexual assault and abuse by scouring public records, police reports, civil and criminal court cases. But sources told us then there were many, many more. Uber's report confirms that.

CNN also found that thousands of Uber drivers had criminal records. One was even an accused war criminal, all as Uber lobbied local governments against tougher rules for background checks.

Since CNN's investigation, Uber added safety features to its app, says they have improved and tightened background checks and, with this report, is vowing to be more transparent on the safety of riding in an Uber.

Early estimates for 2019 show sexual assaults in Ubers continue. Uber claims the rate is dropping. But based on its own recent statistics, every day, someone is sexually assaulted taking an Uber ride.

[15:40:05]

WEST: Uber couldn't simply ignore what was happening on its platform. And most importantly, we have to then address it.

GRIFFIN (on camera): Uber is not the only ride share company with a problem. Lyft also admits it is dealing with sexual assaults and has vowed to release its own transparency report in the near future.

Drew Griffin, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: Coming up, the president's toilet talk. Why he is suddenly talking about water-conscious toilets and the good old days when you only had to flush once.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They take a shower and water comes dripping out. It's dripping out, very quietly dripping out. People are flushing toilets 10 times, 15 times as opposed to once.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: President Trump apparently has some issues with water- conscious toilets and showers and faucets.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We have a situation where we're looking very strongly at sinks and showers and other elements of bathrooms, where you turn on the faucet, you don't get any water. They take a shower and water comes dripping out. It's dripping out, very quietly dripping out. People are flushing toilets 10 times, 15 times, as opposed to once. They end up using more water. So EPA is looking at that very strongly at my suggestion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:45:29]

CABRERA: The president was meeting with business leaders at the White House yesterday when he brought this up, that he now wants a nationwide review of water efficiency standards because of low-flow flushing and other plumbing issues.

Joining us now comedienne, and the host of the "Stand-up with the Pete Dominick" podcast, Pete Dominick.

Great to have you here.

PETE DOMINICK, STAND-UP COMIC & NEWS COMMENTATOR: Hey. Great to be here.

CABRERA: I wonder what goes through your mind. That sounds like it would be comedy gold for someone like yourself.

DOMINICK: It's too low hanging. It's toilet humor. You put a small man in a big job and he will revert to his potty training. If you look on Twitter, it's all about, of course, President Trump has to flush 15 times because he's all full of it. But they don't say "it."

You can go anywhere you want because he's talking about toilets.

I also choose to go highbrow, which is to say, this is the president of the United States. Today, this is Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, a removed from FDR, one of the presidents of all time, giving "The Day of Infamy" speech.

Also, this week, world leaders were laughing at our president. This is the kind of reason why. The president has no idea what he's talking about. It's so nonsensical. And it makes --

(CROSSTALK)

CABRERA: He sounded serious. He says the EPA is going to look into this.

DOMINICK: Sure. Right. The EPA is going to look into it because his EPA doesn't believe in climate change. He thinks windmills cause cancer and climate change is a hoax. He thinks we should be able to use as much resource as we want when the world is running out of water. He's completely on a different page with the rest of the world.

By the way, there's a climate conference going on, U.N. climate conference, right now as well.

So the idea he's looking into toilets -- no one is flushing their toilet 15 times. Nobody is doing that except potentially maybe for him, because of the things that he's flushing down that toilet, evidence, facts, and all kinds of other jokes that we can make. But it's so low brow, Ana, it's almost too easy. But it's also

terrifying because it's so nonsensical that he's talking about this.

CABRERA: Let me talk about Hillary Clinton.

DOMINICK: Sure.

CABRERA: An interview she made this week. She was on Howard Stern.

DOMINICK: Two and a half hours.

CABRERA: She talked about Trump. She talked about Bill. She talked about sexuality.

DOMINICK: Yes.

CABRERA: She was so candid in a way most of us have never seen her be before.

And then over on FOX News, what did she choose to highlight? A moment when she was coughing. And, in fact, not only did they super cut that moment, then Tucker Carlson brings in somebody, who's not her doctor, by the way, to diagnose her. Watch this.

DOMINICK: Right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Also in 2017, Tucker, she was known and repeatedly said that she liked to eat jalapeno peppers and drink coffee and alcohol. All of those things can lead to a terrible amount of acid reflux, which causes cough, asthma, too.

If I were his physician or someone like her -- we can do a public health service here -- I'd say, if you're coughing, recurring coughing, get to be seen, have a pulmonary workup, make sure you don't have reflux, asthma, pulmonary infection or stress.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Pete, this was what FOX was putting out to millions of viewers this week. What was your reaction?

DOMINICK: Yes. My reaction of that, of course, that's what they're doing. It works. That's the reason they have so many viewers. It's entertaining. Tucker Carlson is an avowed white supremacist, a white nationalist, however you want to look it.

I've been watching your hour. You're performing journalism this entire hour. I'm giving you my commentary, my opinion and my analysis, but you're performing journalism. You're covering the big issues of the day.

That doesn't necessarily -- journalism is supposed to be a lost leader. We're talking about the important issues. But that doesn't get as many viewers as a guy like Tucker Carlson doing, quote, "fake analysis."

CABRERA: You don't think that the audience wants to know the truth, the facts? When you talk about doing real journalism doesn't get as many viewers --

DOMINICK: Yes.

CABRERA: -- why is that if that is true?

DOMINICK: Do we have another few hours? I have a lot of thoughts on that. As a comedian who's worked on "The Daily Show," and "The Colbert Report," and I had my own radio national show, there's this infotainment element. And there's this wanting to be catered to and wanting to be entertained, wanting to hear the things that compromise with your predetermined bias.

The idea that Tucker Carlson is even talking about Hillary Clinton. Why? Because, yes, she was on Howard Stern for two and a half hours. The question -- it's also an issue of sexism, this question of women and their frailty because she was coughing.

This is a woman who testified, by the way, for 11 hours when she was in front of the Benghazi committee, and we won't see our current secretary of state for one minute in front of the impeachment inquiry, Pompeo, them who questioned her those 11 hours.

[15:50:10]

She is obviously -- you say what you will about Hillary Clinton, she's a very strong, thoughtful woman. She talked to Howard, who's a master at making people feel comfortable, in an honest way for two and a half hours. That is worthy news. We could talk about some of the things.

But the idea of talking about and having a super cut of her coughing and having some doctor, which is height of responsibility for physicians, examining her from afar is terrible, it's terrible. It's not news and it's not journalism and it's not important.

CABRERA: Pete Dominick, great to have you here.

DOMINICK: Thanks for having me, Ana. Any time.

CABRERA: Thank you. And thank you for sharing your voice --

DOMINICK: Yes.

CABRERA: -- and your perspective.

For many, this time of year is about giving back. But the 13th annual "CNN HEROES ALL-STAR Tribute" salutes 10 people who put others first all year long. The star-studded gala airs live this Sunday, tomorrow night, at 8:00 eastern.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED CNN HERO: There's a saying in Ethiopia: People are medicine for people.

(SINGING)

UNIDENTIFIED CNN HERO: What we do here is provide food, clothing and shelter, and a whole lot of love.

(SINGING)

UNIDENTIFIED CNN HERO: To give children a place to mourn their loss and tell their story.

ANNOUNCER: They're the best the world has to offer.

UNIDENTIFIED CNN HERO: We're going to start a program and we're going to help people.

UNIDENTIFIED CNN HERO: I'm feeling the love.

ANNOUNCER: They're heroes today and every day.

UNIDENTIFIED CNN HERO: I think we must talk less and do action more.

UNIDENTIFIED CNN HERO: Video games are an incredible source of relief during difficult times.

UNIDENTIFIED CNN HERO: We purchased R.V.s and give it families who lost their home in the fire.

UNIDENTIFIED CNN HERO: Many of our kids come to us traumatized. I just want to see them happy.

UNIDENTIFIED CNN HERO: It impacts those who don't feel they have a voice.

ANNOUNCER: Join Anderson Cooper and Kelly Ripa live as they name the 2019 "CNN Hero" of the year.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR & CNN HOST, "A.C. 360" & CNN HEROES HOST: Our heroes are incredible people.

KELLY RIPA, CNN HEROES HOST: Their work and they're stories will inspire you tonight.

ANNOUNCER: "CNN HEROES: AN ALL-STAR TRIBUTE" December 8th at 8:00 p.m. on CNN.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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[15:55:45]

CABRERA: This is a moment sure to bring a smile to your face. Squirming in the chair is 5-year-old Michael. He was in a courtroom in Michigan on Thursday for an adoption hearing with his foster parents.

The crowd behind him was not your typical member of the courthouse gallery. Joining him that day was his entire kindergarten class.

And when his adoption became official, this happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CHEERING)

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: His entire class joined in the celebration, waving their handmade heart signs to show Michael all their love.

And it was a first for the judges, too.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED JUDGE: It's great tribute to Michael that he had so many of his classmates here and so many said he was their best friend, too.

UNIDENTIFIED JUDGE: I never experienced that before. And it was loads of fun. And the kids were into it and supporting their best friend and the family of Michael, as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Such a great, touching moment. Just in time for the holiday season.

Quick break. We're back with new details in the shooting in Pensacola right after this.

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