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Sanders Tops N.H. Poll Three Days Before Primary Vote; Biden Mocks Buttigieg's Experience In New Attack Ad; Dems Make Weekend Push Ahead Of New Hampshire Primary; Four-Year-Old Dies After Mom Refuses Flu Medicine; Ukraine Saga Continues After Senate Trial Concludes; Director Kitty Green Discusses Being A Female Filmmaker In The Era Of Me Too & Time's Up. Aired 1-2p ET

Aired February 08, 2020 - 13:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:00:14]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Saturday. I'm Fredericka Whitfield. We have breaking news in the race for the White House. A new CNN/University of New Hampshire poll is now out just three days before the New Hampshire primary. And Senator Bernie Sanders is on top with a seven-point lead over his closest competitor former South Bend Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

They're followed by former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Elizabeth Warren. Both Sanders and Buttigieg are coming off strong showings in the Iowa caucuses. CNN's Ryan nobles is tracking all of these developments for us. He's in New Hampshire. Ryan, what else can we take away from these polls?

RYAN NOBLES, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's no doubt, Fred that this poll shows both former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders pulling away from the rest of the pack. And when you dig into these numbers, you see even more encouraging signs for Bernie Sanders in his campaign. For a long time one of the biggest knocks on the Sanders campaign was that perhaps he would not match up the best and a head to head matchup with Donald Trump.

That was a real concern for Democratic voters. But when you look at the deeper aspects of this poll, you see that New Hampshire primary voters at least view Bernie Sanders as the person who best could take on Donald Trump in November. 29 percent of New Hampshire voters say that he's got the best shot of winning the general election, followed closely by Joe Biden with 25 percent and Pete Buttigieg at 14 percent. And then another number that is encouraging for Sanders.

We asked these primary voters, which Democrat would you not consider voting for at all and for a long time, another knock on Sanders campaign had been the polarization of his candidacy, particularly with Democratic voters that he was perhaps turning off moderate voters, but this poll shows is that Joe Biden is the one, at 17 percent that many of the primary voters would not consider voting for followed by Elizabeth Warren at 16 percent.

Sanders comes in third at 11 percent. So, from leading the poll with a 28 percent right now to all these other numbers that you push down through, and this is a very strong result for Bernie Sanders still, Fred, I think that all the campaigns on the ground right now view this as a tight race heading into Tuesday night.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And then, you know, Ryan, Joe Biden, you know, he's now getting a little bolder about taking aim at, you know, his closest competitors in the Democratic race. Pete Buttigieg edge is the target with this ad running in New Hampshire. Tell us more about it.

NOBLES: Yes. Well, I don't think there's any doubt that when you take a look at the results of this poll, it makes it pretty clear that Pete Buttigieg has become the biggest threat to Joe Biden and his candidacy, particularly when you're talking about the moderate lane of the Democratic primary. And now, Biden is no longer playing nice out with a new ad specifically targeting Pete Buttigieg's experience. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Barack Obama called Joe Biden.

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Best vice president America's ever had.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But Pete Buttigieg doesn't think much of the Vice President's record. Let's compare. When President Obama called on them, Joe Biden helped lead the passage of the Affordable Care Act, which gives healthcare to 20 million people. And when park goers called on Pete Buttigieg, he installed decorative lights.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBLES: So the important thing to point out here, Fred, is not only is he highlighting the fact that Pete Buttigieg's only experience in elected politics is being the mayor of a mid-sized city, he's also leading into the fact that he has a tremendous amount of experience particularly experienced connected to the -- perhaps the most popular figure in Democratic politics in the former President Barack Obama. So Biden, no longer mincing words here, especially when you show polls that show him falling to the back of the pack in New Hampshire and beyond.

This shows that he's ready to play. Interesting side note to all this so, Fred, that could end up helping Bernie Sanders if it ends up being a head to head between Sanders and Pete Buttigieg. So a lot of dynamics here in play in New Hampshire as we close in on the final vote.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And speaking of Obama, you're seeing him in Bloomberg ads too. But that's another topic. All right, Ryan Nobles, thank you so much.

So, just three days remaining to secure those last-minute votes and candidates are out in full force this weekend in New Hampshire. CNN's Leyla Santiago, Kyung Lah are both on the trail this afternoon. So Kyung, you first, you know, you have been spending time with Senator Amy Klobuchar's campaign and they're reporting today that they have seen quite a bounce in fundraising after last night's debate performance.

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We were just hearing from the campaign, the campaign manager telling CNN that there has been a record set for this campaign. She has raised since the debate, $2 million. That is the most robust time that this campaign is seen as far as fundraising post-debate. So again, the campaign telling CNN that they have raised $2 million since the debate.

[13:05:05]

LAH: It is the sort of balance, sort of numerical balance that this campaign is absolutely hungry for three days before the New Hampshire primary. They're holding these events.

They're holding a number of events across New Hampshire as the senator tries to reach to those moderates, reach to the independents who want a United Democratic Party. And in the debate, we certainly heard the Senator lean into that, as she said that she did not think that it was strong for Democrats, smart for Democrats to have a Democratic socialist, AKA Bernie Sanders lead the ticket into 2020.

And then she also tried to create daylight between herself and Pete Buttigieg. All of this, the campaign says, it is leading to some energy on the ground, leading to that fundraising bounce, they are hoping for, Fredricka, that this senator who came out of Iowa in fifth place though, a close replace to the former Vice President Joe Biden that she will perform more strongly here in New Hampshire with these independents and moderates and give her some wind in her sails as she heads into Nevada, and the Super Tuesday states. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right, Kyung. And Leyla, you know, you are with Senator Elizabeth Warren's campaign. How is she drumming up support following last night's debate?

LEYLA SANTIAGO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, I actually talked to three voters here, they were very happy with her performance last night. But one of the things I made sure to ask them about was the new poll, the new CNN poll, which by the way, one of the things I took note of, yes, she is in fourth place with nine percent. But when you look at likely liberal voters, she's dropped six points to 15 percent. And when I asked voters about that, they said that they were very -- and when I say voters, I mean, her supporters were here for a canvas kickoff.

They admitted they were very worried about those poll numbers, but also were quick to follow up saying that is still very early in the race. Let's wait till after Super Tuesday, you should not count her out.

Now in the past when I have asked Senator Warren about poll numbers, she is quick to say that's something she does not pay attention to. And moving forward here, the campaign tells me that they're going to keep moving forward with what they've been doing for an entire year here, which is talking to voters and continuing to push their anti- corruption plan, just as she did last night. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When you see a government that works great for those who can hire armies of lobbyists and lawyers and make big campaign donations, and it's not working so great for everyone else. That is corruption, pure and simple. And we need to call it out to what it is. Corruption. And that's what we can run out. We bring our party together. It's an issue we can all agree on and fight for -- to end the corruption.

We're the Democrats. We should be the party on the side of hard working people. And we can bring in independents and Republicans on that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANTIAGO: As I mentioned earlier, we are at a get out the vote campaign where they are bringing volunteers together. So a lot of folks holding those clipboards, let me show you, they're not allowing media in forward. The training of it but you can see volunteers there are getting ready to hit the streets, go knock on doors, make those phone calls and try to make that last minute pitch to voters here in New Hampshire, not only to gain support, but also to get a little money out of there.

Really strong push last night from Senator Warren not only in fundraising during the debate, but also in e-mails they've been pushing out. And I want to point out a tweet from the campaign last night they said that they've gotten the most donations process -- ever. That's what they said last night after she made that pitch to voters to go to her campaign and donate money to Senator Elizabeth Warren just days before the New Hampshire primary.

WHITFIELD: All right. Money indeed keeps you in the race. Kyung Lah, Leyla Santiago. Thank you so much. All right. Here to talk over all of this, Ana Kasparian, host and producer of The Young Turks and Robert Zimmerman, a Democratic strategist? Good to see both.

ROBERT ZIMMERMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Good to be with you.

WHITFIELD: OK. So, Robert, you know, there seems to be, you know, some real concern about some of the, you know, among voters that is, you know, about some of this infighting between the Democratic candidates and that it might, you know, weaken the party's chance of beating Trump in the general election, others, you know, say that they think this process is healthy. Where do you stand?

ZIMMERMAN: It depends upon what the debates are about what the debate focuses on. If it's a debate about issues and policies, well, there's a lot of unanimity amongst them on the key points. There is a lot of policy differences they should be discussing in terms of how to achieve goals they all agree upon, and that's healthy, but when it descends into personal attacks and slander then, of course, we saw what happened in 2016.

[13:10:03]

ZIMMERMAN: And it's very hard if not impossible to come together afterwards. And that's why I think we've got to be very careful as Democrats as activists, as progressives to make sure we keep our focus on the issues and out of the personal attacks. And one of the things that concerns me most were the personal attacks around fundraising, which were ultimately false and very divisive.

WHITFIELD: And Anna, you know, this new polling CNN poll, University of New Hampshire poll, it paints a rather interesting picture, particularly for Biden, not only did he slip, you know, five points in January, but, you know, the other polling question there shows that, you know, the confidence in his electability is also down. And on top of that 17 percent of New Hampshire voters say they will not vote for Biden under any circumstance. So when Biden in his camp sees these numbers, how worried are they or is it just so early in the race that there are no worries for them?

ANA KASPARIAN, HOST AND PRODUCER, THE YOUNG TURKS: I certainly do think that Biden's campaign worried his donors are also worried. There's a lot of talk of them, moving to other moderate candidates, Pete Buttigieg being one of them. But for anyone paying close attention to Biden's debate performance, and more importantly, the way that he handles some of the more difficult questions from people who go to his rallies, you could have seen this coming from a mile away.

He's really struggled in this campaign, he struggled to have a clear, concise message, he struggled to differentiate himself policy wise from the other moderates. And I think it's really starting to catch up to him.

WHITFIELD: So Robert, during the debate last night, you know, Buttigieg, you know, actually stuck up for Biden and at least one instance, take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE BUTTIGIEG (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is not about Hunter Biden or Vice President Biden or Biden. This is about an abuse of power by the President. Look, the Vice President and I and all of us are competing, but we've got to draw a line here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. So Robert, you know, what about that kind of cohesion? You know, how does that bode, you know, for both Biden and Buttigieg?

ZIMMERMAN: Well, actually, I think it was very encouraging because ultimately it's what Democrats want. I think if you saw on the earlier contest when Democrats got too personal in their attacks, really the rank and file resented it, rejected it, because the focus has to be to unite to defeat Donald Trump and focus on issues that really matter to people's lives. That's why it was very encouraging to her, Bernie Sanders also make the -- make the call for party unity and stress that we're all going to stand together against Donald Trump.

Whatever our -- for whatever our political philosophies may be, rid of our particular political orientation may be worse for facing our career criminal in the White House. And we have to be united and facing this what has become the greatest threat to our democracy in our Constitution since the Civil War. So I think it's an encouraging sign. And let's face it, this is going to get a lot more intense. And as we watch the primary results, keep an eye who finishes third place, I think that would be the person with momentum going forward. But it's the sense of unity here. It's unusual for us, but it's encouraging to see.

WHITFIELD: So Anna, at the debate last night, Senator Amy Klobuchar was the only candidate to you know, kind of jumped at the chance respond to the question when asked about who was concerned about having a democratic socialist at the top of the Democratic ticket? Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, ABC CHIEF ANCHOR AND POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Anyone else on the stage concerned about having a democratic socialist, the top of the Democratic ticket?

SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Bernie and I work together all the time, but I think we are not going to be able to out- divide the divider in chief.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So Anna, what did that mean? What did that say that Amy Klobuchar was willing to answer that question and in that manner?

KASPARIAN: I think it just means that Amy Klobuchar, to her credit continues to be authentic and honest about the positions that she holds. She does not want to push for real structural change that Bernie Sanders wants. She wants to go in the more moderate lane. And I think that she has positioned herself as someone who's way more authentic than Pete Buttigieg when it comes to that brand of politics.

However, if you look at the polling, even though Bernie Sanders has had an incredibly consistent message regarding the policies that he's championing, it hasn't hurt him in any way. It's only helped him. And it's because if you take the labels away and just focus on what he's proposing for the American people, they like his policies, it's extremely popular. That's why you have Pete Buttigieg proposing Medicare for All who want it because he realizes that Medicare for All is incredibly popular, but he knows that he doesn't actually support Medicare for All. He wouldn't push for real reform in our healthcare system.

ZIMMERMAN: Let's be clear about this, Anna. All these candidates are advocating real reform. And while they have different approaches to getting there, they're all committed to expanding healthcare for all Americans.

KASPARIAN: I disagree with you on that.

(CROSSTALK)

ZIMMERMAN: And I think we have to be very, very clear, but understanding that while we may have differences with them, they're all committed to structural change, dramatic change, and especially from what represented the White House. But I think we have to be very careful about making sure we don't descend into personal attacks.

[13:15:08]

ZIMMERMAN: For example, Sanders' attack on Pete Buttigieg --

KASPARIAN: I don't think that was a personal attack. I mean Amy Klobuchar has been clear.

(CROSSTALK)

KASPARIAN: She's been clear and saying, you know what, I'm the pragmatic candidate, I'm not going to promise you anything and look to her credit --

(CROSSTALK)

ZIMMERMAN: By the way, that's just incorrect, Anna. You can be pragmatic and also advocate structural change. I think that's the difference.

(CROSSTALK)

KASPARIAN: I think that you have a misconception about what he's promising the American people.

ZIMMERMAN: No. I think you have a different message about being pragmatic, and also being for change. Both are not mutually exclusive. And I think we have to keep focused on that because we're all committed to the same change.

WHITFIELD: All right. We're going to leave it right there.

ZIMMERMAN: OK.

WHITFIELD: Robert Zimmerman, Anna Kasparian, that was like a tight tennis, you know, match, but I actually followed both you, boom, boom, boom, boom. All right. Appreciate it.

ZIMMERMAN: Thanks a lot.

KASPARIAN: Thank you for having me.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thank you so much. All right. We're now learning of the first American to die from the coronavirus outbreak. This as the number of cases sores and thousands of people on several cruise ships around the world are now quarantine, we're live next.

And a child dies from the flu after his mother relies on advice from an anti-vaxxer Facebook group.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:20:20]

WHITFIELD: An American has now died in China from the coronavirus. The U.S. embassy in Beijing says 60-year-old died in the city of Wuhan, the epicenter of this outbreak. China also suffered its deadliest day so far in the outbreak reporting 86 deaths on Friday and bringing the total number of fatalities in that country to 722. There are more than 34,000 confirmed cases worldwide. CNN also learned that some 800 Americans were evacuated on flights from Wuhan on Friday and have been returned to the US.

There are growing concerns about the virus spreading on several cruise ships in Asia. While a ship that is docked in New Jersey has been cleared for departure. After some passengers are removed for screening. Polo Sandoval joining me now from New York. So what is the status right now?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Important to point out here, Fred, that Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas was cleared to return to see as early as yesterday immediately after return. However, in order to reassure the next wave of guests, they continue to push the departure of this, it originally was scheduled for yesterday. Then they said 1:00 p.m. today, then they said 5:00 p.m. Eastern today.

And the next 10 minutes, that's when the cruise line Royal Caribbean will make that decision whether or not they will still proceed with that departure today or potentially push it to tomorrow even shortening even more the current itinerary and the reason again, being that they want to have those conclusive results from the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta on four of their passengers that were taken to the hospital yesterday, simply out of an abundance of caution.

At this point they said they were not exhibiting any clear symptoms of the coronavirus. However, they had recently traveled to mainland China and one of them was presented some of those symptoms and in fact, they diagnosis of influenza so they want to make sure that it was nothing more before this ship hits back out to sea.

And if and when the Anthem of the Seas does return back to seas for it, it will be under stricter boarding protocols that not only Royal Caribbean but also Norwegian cruises announced that they will be implementing and that will mean that anybody exhibiting any sort of illness, any potential fever, for example, they will have to undergo further testing.

By the way, this picture here we have no way of actually saying whether or not this was actually directly linked to yesterday's concerns here, very possibly could have been unrelated. But also back to those stricter protocols. We should also mention that people with passports from Hong Kong, Macau, also China will be denied boarding onto the ships for Royal Caribbean and Norwegian. So really to speak to this -- those implications are those changes that some passengers may feel beyond what took place yesterday, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Polo Sandoval. Thank you so much.

SANDOVAL: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. The Corona virus outbreak is forcing one American family to put the brakes on long awaited adoption plans. CNN Natasha Chen has their story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When the child comes out and --

NATASHA CHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Noah and Ivy Cleveland were supposed to be on a flight to China Friday night to pick up their adopted daughter.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We had this may for her to wear on her adoption day.

CHEN: Instead, they and their two sons spent Friday evening showing us the baby room. They spent months preparing for three-year-old Ruby Fate's homecoming.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What we also like is dogs right here and --

CHEN: The Cleveland spent two years and an often unpredictable adoption process. They finally got the certainty of booked plane tickets, hotel rooms, only to have their adoption agency tell them less than two weeks before meeting their daughter that plans were on hold because of the coronavirus outbreak. This was just days before the U.S. announced restrictions on people traveling from China.

IVY CLEVELAND, WIFE AND MOTHER: This was the first time in my life that actually went to the point of being sick in my body. I just laid over her bed, over her crib that I had, you know, prepared for her and look at that, the pictures on the wall and her clothes in her closet. And just understanding that this is not happening right now.

CHEN: The State Department says adoption cases are still being processed, though the advised adoptive parents not to travel to China for the time being.

I. CLEVELAND: Our two boys were staying here. And so I had six different babysitters line that they care for them for the 14 days who would be gone.

NOAH CLEVELAND, IVY CLEVALAND'S HUSBAND: These are our suitcase all over the countries we've traveled --

CHEN: And because plans in this house often involve Noah Cleveland's out of town tours performing Christian music, the sudden change in logistics is also costly. More importantly, it's stretching their faith.

N. CLEVELAND: I know by my story and my life that I did -- there's many things I signed up to go through. But at the end, the way that God works it out I would never trade it. And I know this is just a part of our story. It's part of Ruby story and how incredible will it be to be able to tell her, look what -- look what -- look what we did to fight for you.

[13:25:08]

CHEN: What they did to fight for a girl who they say was abandoned in a hospital bathroom when she was six months old. A girl who's diagnosed with hydrocephalus.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In that he built this sign.

CHEN: A girl whose new middle name is Faith, the very thing her family is relying on right now.

If you could say something to her that she would understand right now, what would you want her to know from you?

N. CLEVELAND: Mom and daddy is coming. This white will be there soon.

CHEN: Natasha Chen, CNN, McDonough, Georgia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Still ahead. A child dies after his mother turns to a Facebook group for medical advice, the potential legal fallout, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:30:16]

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. In Colorado, a four-year-old boy died from a suspected case of the flu after his mother refused to fill a doctor's prescription for Tamiflu, and instead asked members of an anti-vaccine group on Facebook for advice.

NBC News reported dozens commented on her Facebook post, but no one told her to get medical attention. Saying instead to try things like elderberry and breast milk. The child was eventually taken to the hospital but died four days later.

I want to talk over the legal aspects with Avery Friedman, a civil rights attorney and law professor.

Good to see you.

AVERY FRIEDMAN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Good to see you.

WHITFIELD: And Richard Herman, criminal defense attorney and law professor.

Been too long, gentlemen.

This is a sad case.

(CROSSTALK)

All right. Avery, do you think prosecutors will look at possible charges into the case?

FRIEDMAN: No, there's no crime. The difficulty here is that we have a crisis that no one appears to acknowledge. The American Academy of Family Physicians talk about 59 percent of moms and dads failed to get flu shots because of misinformation.

You have the Centers for Disease Control, Fredricka, that talks about the window of October to February where you lose 12,000 to 30,000 children, pediatric flu. So we have an epidemic.

And legislatively, there's no law that made what this woman did unlawful. We have a problem on our hands here.

WHITFIELD: Yes, because, Richard, there's no law that says you must immunize your child against the flu. Instead, would there be liability for people that would be advising the mother, you know, the social media group at all? I mean, does this become a case in any way?

RICHARD HERMAN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: That's the million-dollar question, Fred. And you're right. There's no -- anti-vaxxer propaganda is not illegal. As of now, they're able to do this.

I would argue if you know that you are promulgating misrepresentation and false information, you know that. The great Neil deGrasse Tyson, the astrophysicist, said the beauty of science is it is true, whether you believe it or not.

If you want to maintain conspiracy theories for yourself, that's great. But when you are spewing this out there and other people are reasonably relying upon it because they think you know what you're talking about, then they cause damages to them and dying or death, family, loved ones, whoever they're charged to take care with, that's --

(CROSSTALK)

HERMAN: -- you're getting the elements of fraud.

(CROSSTALK)

HERMAN: You have civil fraud, potentially criminal fraud. And there should be.

(CROSSTALK)

HERMAN: Fred, there should be criminal statutes on this. If Congress would ever do anything real, we may be able to get something here. Because Facebook is not doing enough.

WHITFIELD: All right.

(CROSSTALK)

HERMAN: That's a problem. That's a problem.

WHITFIELD: What about -- I mean, would there be responsibility that Facebook, for instance, would bear because it had made some changes to the anti-vaccine group policy.

HERMAN: Not enough.

WHITFIELD: It won't sell ads, use popups to divert users.

FREIDMAN: Right.

WHITFIELD: But it doesn't ban them outright.

HERMAN: Right.

FRIEDMAN: That's the other million-dollar question. The function of Facebook preventing 178,000 people to join this crackpot conspiracy effort where, in order to cure the flu, you put -- among other things, what they recommended was put sliced potatoes -- ready for this -- sliced potatoes and cucumbers on the child's head, and that will make the flu go away. There's something really wrong with that.

Again, there's a strong sentiment among some that think, well, there's a cooked-up deal between the government and scientists and providers of medication. Well, that's their theory.

And what Facebook is saying, Fredricka, is we don't want to be arbiters of truth, but we want to cut back on obviously nonsensical information that's being disseminated.

WHITFIELD: Then, Richard, you know, the responsibility and the decision making still falls on the individual.

HERMAN: There you go.

WHITFIELD: But this does then provoke questions about laws to help people make, I guess, the right decisions. Are these laws keeping up with the evolving influence of, say, social media outlets?

HERMAN: Right. Fred, first of all, we don't know if the child had gotten the Tamiflu shot, if he would have been cured and if there wouldn't -

(CROSSTALK)

FRIEDMAN: That's a good question.

WHITFIELD: Right.

(CROSSTALK)

HERMAN:. That's number one.

Facebook has a responsibility and it is not just for them to take advertising dollars from the groups. They have to stop it. This is outrageous. People are getting hurt. [13:35:08]

This false misrepresentation, propaganda that Facebook is banking money on. And they're allowing it in private groups. They claim they're working with the American Medical Association and are doing all these things but you can't stop it. Because when you put search numbers in and search words in there, you can get to the stuff. And they know it.

The anti-vaxxers know it. And they're out there promulgating it. And they're causing damages because people --

(CROSSTALK)

HERMAN: or whatever their problem is, they're believe it. And then they're doing it. They believe it.

(CROSSTALK)

HERMAN: -- take care of.

FREIDMAN: That's the point.

HERMAN: So something --

(CROSSTALK)

HERMAN: That's why they have liability here.

FRIEDMAN: Wait a minute. Wait a minute. What's Facebook going to do? Make the judgment on what information is being dishonestly disseminated?

HERMAN: In this case, yes.

(CROSSTALK)

FRIEDMAN: Oh, I don't know about that. I don't know how they would do that.

HERMAN: Don't tell me they have free speech rights. Because there is no more Constitution after this last week. So give me that.

(CROSSTALK)

HERMAN: I have a right to be safe.

(CROSSTALK)

FRIEDMAN: -- Constitution, Richard.

HERMAN: The bottom line, Fredricka, Facebook --

(CROSSTALK)

FRIEDMAN: There are controls -- (CROSSTALK)

HERMAN: And forget about the money.

WHITFIELD: This does exemplify --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: -- it is a passionate debate.

So sad, this four-year-old boy --

FRIEDMAN: That's right. That's regretful.

WHITFIELD: -- is not here.

HERMAN: Right.

WHITFIELD: And hearts go out to him and his family and everyone involved.

HERMAN: Yes. For sure.

FRIEDMAN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Little boy died.

All right, Avery Friedman, Richard Herman, thank you so much.

HERMAN: Good to see you.

FRIEDMAN: Thank you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Still ahead, the president has been acquitted on impeachment articles. But the Ukraine saga is far from over. The lingering questions that threaten to spill into the 2020 election, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:40:57]

WHITFIELD: In the aftermath of his impeachment acquittal, President Trump is cleaning house and purging those who spoke out against him.

On Friday, Trump fired two prominent witnesses who testified during his impeachment inquiry, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, the top Ukraine expert at the National Security Council, and Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union.

Despite the impeachment trial being over, both sides are far from letting go of the Ukraine investigation.

Here is CNN's Alex Marquardt.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): The trial may have ended --

JOHN ROBERTS, CHIEF JUSTICE, U.S. SUPREME COURT: Donald John Trump, president of the United States, is not guilty as charged in the second article of impeachment.

MARQUARDT (voice-over): -- but the Ukraine saga is not over.

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): So we will continue to do our oversight to protect and defend the Constitution, which is three co-equal branches of government, each a check and balance on the other.

MARQUARDT: Both Democrats and Republicans now with their sights set on their own targets. For Democrats, it's John Bolton, the president's former national security adviser, who said he'd be willing to testify in the Senate trial if subpoenaed. But Republicans blocked witnesses.

REP. VAL DEMINGS (D-FL): That is still an open chapter out there. And if, for nothing but the historical record, I certainly am very interested in hearing what Mr. Bolton has to say.

MARQUARDT: Now House Democrats say it's likely they will subpoena Bolton, who has a book coming out, reported on in "The New York Times," that further alleges that the president did link military aid for Ukraine with personal political investigations and that he pressured Bolton to help him.

MARQUARDT: Bolton's tell-all book and willingness to testify angered Republicans, who argue that the Bidens' role in Ukraine deserves more scrutiny.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): We're going to get to the bottom of this. And I can prove beyond any doubt that Joe Biden's effort in the Ukraine to root out corruption was undercut because he let his son sit on the board of the most corrupt company in the Ukraine. And we're not going to give him a pass on that.

MARQUARDT: The Trump administration has already handed over documents and information to Senate Republicans on Hunter Biden, after the White House refused to cooperate with House Democrats on their requests.

Democratic Senator Ron Wyden today blasting Republicans for "turning the Senate into an arm of the president's political campaign."

It was that campaign for Trump to win in 2020 that led Parnas, the indicted associate of Rudy Giuliani, told CNN was at the center of their mission in Ukraine.

LEV PARNAS, INDICTED GIULIANI ASSOCIATE: That was the most important thing is for him to stay on for another four years and keep the fight going. I mean, there was no other reason for doing it.

MARQUARDT (on camera): Rudy Giuliani told CNN he cannot discuss that trip to Spain because it is a matter of national security. As for Parnas, despite his best efforts to be cooperative, a trial

date has now been set in Manhattan in October, meaning that a verdict could come in the final days of the 2020 presidential election.

Alex Marquardt, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[13:43:57]

WHITFIELD: Coming up, in the era of Me Too and Time's Up, how far has Hollywood come? We talk with the director of "The Assistant" about what it's like to be a female filmmaker.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:48:50]

WHITFIELD: Nerves are a little bit on edge in Hollywood now as the clock ticks down to Oscar night. The 92nd Academy Awards ceremony is tomorrow. Those coveted gold statues won't be the only focus at the show, the star-studded show. It is an election year, a particularly polarized one, something the celebrities will undoubtedly bring up.

The show also comes two years after Hollywood was rocked by allegations of sexual abuse and harassment, which helped fuel the Me Too movement.

The new film, "The Assistant," in theaters now, gives us a glimpse into what women in the film industry can face. In this scene, a young woman looking for a powerful film executive goes to the company's human resources office to report that her boss has been preying on women.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: What's your plan?

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: I'm sorry?

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Where do you want to be in five or 10 years?

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Oh, I want to produce. I want to be a producer.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: You do?

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: OK, that's excellent. We can use more women producers. It's a tough job. But I can see that you've got what it takes.

[13:50:04]

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Thanks.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: So why are you in here trying to throw it all away?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: From there, that H.R. rep attacks The Assistant's character and judgment and then she leaves without filing a complaint.

Joining me right now, the director and writer of "The Assistant," Kitty Green.

Kitty, so glad you could be with us.

KITTY GREEN, FILM DIRECTOR & WRITER: Thank you for having me.

WHITFIELD: So sexual harassment, abuse, it's not the only type of mistreatment. Your film is dealing with it. It also brings to life the more understated behaviors that can leave women feeling powerless.

Talk to us about that and why this is so important for you to delve into.

GREEN: I mean, I was looking at some of the Me Too coverage, and I guess I was concerned that everyone was focused on the predators, on the sad men. And I felt like the problem was so much bigger, systemic and cultural and needs to change.

I guess I was interested in why more women think of this is empowering industry and what we can do to get more women up the ladder into those positions.

WHITFIELD: And of course, the topic of this film is very much front and center today. Harvey Weinstein's trial is going on right now in New York.

You say, you know, the abusive movie executive portrayed in your film is not supposed to be Weinstein, and you actually chose not to show the character on camera. Why?

GREEN: I was interested in -- I mean I guess I read what happened behind the closed door. We know what is going on back there. And what I was interested in was what was happening on the other side of that door. What kind of machinery, what kind of environment exists and supports these predators? So that became the area of inquiry.

WHITFIELD: So do you believe, particularly after so much attention has been paid to Time's Up, Me Too, meaning for people who were in denial or didn't know anything about it, that it was given a movement name, and that people were being outspoken about it, do you believe, since that time, it has made an impact on the industry?

GREEN: I do think there has been a big shift. I mean, a lot of my friends are film makers, I think we're getting more opportunities than we've been getting before. I think people are more accepting of us, and finally realizing we can make movies, too.

But the I think there's a long way to do. And I think my film is picking up on behaviors and micro-aggressions and things that can hurt a woman's self-confidence and prevent her from climbing the ladder. And I think, yes, we have a lot of change and lot of work to do.

WHITFIELD: There have also been lots of criticisms, you know, about the Oscars, the lack of female nominees, and the category of director this year. And, once again, all of the nominees are men. In the 92 years of the Academy Awards, only five female directors have been nominated. Only one has won, for "The Hurt Locker," in 2009.

A big part of the problem is a lack of directing opportunities for women, or, you know, that has been what some have cited. Do you see that that is the case?

GREEN: Oh, yes, definitely. And I do think -- I mean, the reason I was focusing on the system in this movie, I'm trying to look at why women are prevented from climbing the ladder and why women aren't getting the opportunities that men are and why the film industry is so gendered. And the complexity of that is what I was trying to explore.

But, yes, we've got a long way to go. I think we are slowly getting an opportunity but it's not enough. We need kind of more.

WHITFIELD: And when you look to encouragement or you're looking for potential change, do you see it in the near future, or do you still feel like it is a long way off?

GREEN: I'm hopeful. I really am. I do -- I mean, I think I'm getting opportunities I wasn't getting. I feel like it's coming.

I mean, the more conversations we can have like this, and the more we can highlight these problems, the better it will get. So let's keep talking about it.

WHITFIELD: Yes. So there's this dearth, you know, if you want to call it that. Is it because there's a lack of respect of women in charge, giving direction? Is it -- I mean, what seems to be the feeling of those who seem to be reticent of the idea of female directors?

GREEN: I'm not sure. It's confusing.

I arrived at Sundance a few years ago with a film, and I was very excited to be there. And I immediately was getting questions from the press about who was actually creatively in control, which my male producer was running the show. And I was thinking, how come you think I'm not in control. I mean, what is this?

And I think people are still skeptical. I think people don't -- I'm not sure what that is and whether it is an unconscious bias or what we need to unpick. But I think we need to self-examine and interrogate everything, the entire system.

WHITFIELD: Right. And just keep soaring.

GREEN: Yes.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Sometimes you can't spend all of your time trying to figure out what's wrong, what's the matter with everybody else, but just do your thing and keep soaring and, hopefully, you'll be able to --

[13:55:07]

GREEN: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: -- take a lot of others under your wing, too, as you soar.

Kate Green --

GREEN: Yes, thank you so much.

WHITFIELD: -- thank you so much. Congratulations.

Still ahead, after a false start in Iowa, Democratic hopes for the White House may lie in New Hampshire. Next, new CNN polls show a clear frontrunner in the key state of New Hampshire. Live team coverage next.

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