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Erin Burnett Outfront
Rep. Al Green (D-TX) is Interviewed About Kamala Harris' Surge in New Poll, in Statistical Tie With Biden; Interview with Presidential Candidate Marianne Williamson; Trump Admin to Print Census Without Citizenship Question. Aired on 7-8p ET
Aired July 02, 2019 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Good reporting Kylie. Thank you very much. Very much at stake on all of this. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @WOLFBLITZER. Tweet the show @CNNSITROOM. Erin Burnett OUTFRONT starts right now.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: OUTFRONT next, we have breaking news, a ticking time bomb. Dangerous overcrowding at migrant facilities all documented in a new report. Disturbing pictures and a stunning account really from a longtime border agent. And 2020 contender Marianne Williamson snubbed by Vogue, left out of its piece about the women running for president. Why? She's our guest. Plus, why does Mike Pence cancel event at the last minute today to rush back to the White House? New details ahead. Let's go out front.
Good evening, everyone. I'm Kate Bolduan in for Erin Burnett. OUTFRONT tonight breaking news, a shocking new report detailing what officials call dangerous and potentially life threatening conditions at migrant shelters in Texas. This is the report from the Inspector General at the Department of Homeland Security. What is inside these 16 pages cannot be ignored.
Mass overcrowding of children and adults, some with no access to showers or clean clothes described in this report. At two facilities children had no access to hot meals for days as the government requires. Inspectors are also reporting that more than 800 children had been held longer than the 72-hour period permitted before transfer is required to Health and Human Services.
You can see them here in these images with what you can guess are their parents sleeping on the floor. To give you an idea of the sheer magnitude of the crisis, these photographs show adults standing shoulder to shoulder. Just look at it. At one facility people were forced to stay in standing room only conditions for a week, that's in this report. At another some adults were held more than a month in overcrowded sales.
Officials are describing the migrants as banging on cell windows and holding up signs for help. One official is calling it, quote, a ticking time bomb. CNN's Nic Valencia, he spoke exclusively to a longtime border agent in El Paso. The agent described the Border Patrol culture recalling a supervisor even joking about dead migrants, watch. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was making fun of them.
NICK VALENCIA, CNN REPORTER: Saying what?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That what difference does it make, it's just another life. He made a comment also regarding running over illegals and I'm like, "You cannot run over people."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: To say the least. Nick Valencia is out front now live in El Paso, Texas. He's Joining me now. Nick, what more is that agent telling you?
VALENCIA: Well, I asked this longtime veteran agent who served four years here in the El, Paso area, "Why are you deciding to speak out now?" And they said that people, America deserves to hear the truth. This agent said that they've seen and heard terrible things, filthy conditions where cleaning crews only touch the surface and don't really do any deep cleaning and what she called just very filthy cells.
She also said that agents are derogatory to peers, why wouldn't they be derogatory to migrants in their custody. These are very serious allegations. Allegations that I took to Customs and Border Protection here. They did not give me an immediate response, Kate, but what they did tell me was that they take these types of allegations very seriously and that they plan on turning it over to the Inspector General.
This agent went on to say that they do support the President's immigration policies. I asked this agent, "Do you believe that the President's policies, immigration policies, have contributed to what has been called the crisis here along the border?" This agent told me that so long as the President has not done anything illegal or unethical that they should continue to, speaking about Border Patrol agents in this area, that they should continue to obey his orders and his directives here.
These, again, are very serious claims, serious allegations which we took and we did not get an immediate response to from CBP, Kate.
BOLDUAN: We'll continue asking the questions that is for sure. Nick, thank you so much. I really appreciate it. Out front now Democratic Congresswoman Judy Chu of California. She was among a group of lawmakers who visited migrant facilities in Texas. Congresswoman, thank you for being here.
REP. JUDY CHU (D-CA): Thank you.
BOLDUAN: First, I want to get your reaction to that one border agent sitting down with our Nick Valencia and the way that border agents talking about the culture that she saw and even a supervisor joking about running over dead migrants. CHU: I have to commend the agent for speaking out, but it is not
surprising. We just saw the Facebook posts that came from a group of Border Patrol agents.
[19:04:58] There's 9,500 of them in this Facebook group in which they made fun of dead migrants, including the father and daughter that were found lying face down in the Rio Grande. And they were talking about throwing burritos at us, the Congress Members, who were investigating the facilities yesterday and had derogatory depictions of Congress Member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. It says to me that the CBP is out of control and that kind of conduct is unacceptable and shocking.
We now have also these disturbing images that we've been showing from this report, from Inspector General. Clear overcrowding in some of these detention facilities. Situations like that, is that what you saw during your visit?
CHU: Yes. We went to the El Paso Border Patrol station and we went to the Clint Border Patrol station. We saw women who are crowded into these cells. And as soon as the women knew that we were Congress Members coming there, they started talking tears streaming down their faces by the conditions that they were facing.
They said that they have no idea when they were going to be released. They were there over 50 days. They had been separated from their children. They could not get medication. One had epilepsy and the other had an aneurysm. And then they said there was no running water and one told Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez that when the woman complained about not having water, the agent said, "Well, drink from the toilet bowl." So it is appalling and it is disgusting.
BOLDUAN: So Congresswoman, we've heard from you and others this account of an agent telling a woman to drink out of the toilet if she needs water. The Border Patrol Chief of Operations, Brian Hastings, he's actually responded now to this and I want to tell you what he said. Brian Hastings says this, "Drinking out of the toilet is completely untrue." He says, "There are ample supplies and that a lot of our stations look like Costco."
I mean that's the second Border Patrol official that I've heard disputing what you were told. What do you say to that?
CHU: You know what I say is that there is a version of truth in terms of how detainees are treated versus how CBP portrays things. For instance, when we asked about office accounts from the attorneys about the children who were wearing their same clothes filled with snot and tears, toddlers who were soiling their pants because there were no diapers, lack of showers and lack of toothpaste and toothbrushes, we asked about that. And the CBP official said none of that is true.
He actually said none of it was true. He pointed to the toothbrushes and then said, "They can brush their teeth anytime they want. Look at this." And yet, those attorneys had interviewed 60 children and the 60 children had pretty much given the same account of the treatment that they were given. I think those children did not lie. BOLDUAN: I'm really starting to wonder because there is this very
clear disconnect between the stories that were, the depictions that we're being told coming out of visiting the facilities from attorneys and from lawmakers, and what we're hearing from Customs and Border Patrol. With that in mind, do you think there's going to be any change? Like what is going to change it?
Go to this IG report, this is now the umpteenth account we've had in weeks of the dire situation there. If it's a ticking time bomb, what's going to give?
CHU: There needs to be accountability and that's why the Oversight and Government Reform Committee is having a hearing even of this next week, after they heard what happened yesterday and so ...
BOLDUAN: So on --
CHU: ... yes.
BOLDUAN: Because the role of Congress is really important here on Oversight as well. But let me then ask you about this, because this week Donald Trump signed into law the emergency funding bill that Congress passed to try to help ease some of these crises. You voted against it because you said there weren't enough safeguards in place of how the money was going to use. But if the situation is so dire, why vote against the money?
CHU: Because it did not have minimum standards for medical care, nutrition and sanitary provisions.
BOLDUAN: Right, but other Democrats didn't see that. They said, "The money is going to run out. We've got to get it there fast. This isn't perfect, but it's good and that's OK." Why is that not OK?
CHU: Well, let me tell you that the only thing written in the law in terms of how the detention center should be run is that they'd be safe and sanitary.
[19:10:00] The Trump administration interprets that as not even having to need toothbrushes. They actually went to court and said that safe and sanitary does not mean including toothbrushes. And so that's their interpretation of what safe and sanitary is.
That's why we needed to provide those guidelines as to what actual humane treatment in those detention centers really actually means and that's why we had other provisions. For instance, that these funds have to go to what it was intended for.
BOLDUAN: I hear you. No, no, I totally hear you. It just comes down to if time is of the essence, we're talking about a ticking time bomb, some money thrown at it that may be a little crass, it's how I'm saying it, but some money is better than nothing and that's what I heard from Nancy Pelosi and a bipartisan group of lawmakers.
But regardless, since we have to leave it here, so much more is needed. This IG report is truly terrifying and something's got to give and I really hope the definition of safe and sanitary is something that there can be a common definition of as soon as possible. Congressman, thank you for coming in.
CHU: Thank you.
BOLDUAN: Out front for us next, the White House on the defensive over the President's Fourth of July plans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KELLYANNE CONWAY, WHITE HOUSE COUNSELOR: Do you know the Fourth of July is a celebration of this country's independence, are you aware of that? No, I'm not going to allow you to politicize it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: But isn't that exactly what the President is going to be doing here? Plus, the fight for 2020 even closer tonight, a new poll putting Kamala Harris in a statistical dead heat with Joe Biden. But Can she maintain this momentum? Plus, Vogue's women of 2020 missing one woman, Marianne Williamson, why? She's my guest.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:15:15] BOLDUAN: Tonight, breaking tradition. President Trump planning of 4th of July celebration like no other, literally, calling for flyovers, calling for tanks and something else. He's planning a big speech. Something the Presidents past have avoided.
The National July 4th celebration by tradition is not political. Here's how the White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway described though the themes that the President will be hitting on.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONWAY: Thematically, how wonderful this country is, our troops and military, our great democracy and great call to patriotism. The success of this administration in opening up so many jobs for individuals, what we've done for veterans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: Barbara Starr is out front.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Inaudible) of speech?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're going to have a great 4th of July in Washington, D.C. It'll be like no other.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT(voice-over): President Trump claims the military is thrilled to be at his self-proclaimed salute to America. There's no way to know if that's really true. The military is required to do what the Commander-in-Chief says as long as the order is legal.
President Trump has wanted to show off the U.S. military in a large- scale public event since seen the 2017 Bastille Day parade in Paris. White House Adviser Kellyanne Conway defended Thursday's event and rejected claims it's too political.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONWAY: Do you know the Fourth of July is a celebration of this country's independence, are you aware of that? I'm not going to allow you to politicize it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR(voice-over): But is this event sending the right message?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID LAPAN, VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNICATION, BIPARTISAN POLICY CENTER: I think that our military might, our prowess is renowned throughout the world. So I don't think that some flyovers and a few static displays of tanks are going to demonstrate that to the world or to the American people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR(voice-over): General Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Acting Defense Secretary Mark Esper and other senior military leaders are now expected to attend. Nine hundred troops from the Washington, D.C. National Guard are being activated for security duties. That's triple the number routinely deployed for the holiday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We're going to have planes going overhead, the best fighter jets in the world and other planes too and we're going to have tanks stationed outside.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR(voice-over): Two M1 tanks and two armored vehicles have been brought to Washington, but each tank weighs 60 tons. It's not clear if they can be parked near the 97-year-old Lincoln Memorial without damaging the area.
There will be a flyover of the F-22 and the F-35. The Air Force's latest fighter jets. Also, the plane used as Air Force One and even the new Marine One, presidential helicopter. The cost for all of this, nobody knows.
The Republican National Committee is distributing reserved tickets for VIPs, friends, and family and members of the military.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAPAN: July 4th is a holiday to celebrate our independence as a country, our freedom as a country. We've done for decades and decades without it being directly tied to the military.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: If President Trump veers into partisan political remarks on July 4th, expect to see those senior military officers present stay very quiet and not react. They are determined to stay out of any partisan political debate. Kate?
BOLDUAN: And that may be a minefield. Thanks so much, Barbara. Out front now, Joan Walsh, National Affairs Correspondent for The Nation and Marc Lotter, Director of Strategic Communications for the Trump campaign. Thanks for being here.
MARC LOTTER, TRUMP CAMPAIGN 2020 DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS: Thank you.
BOLDUAN: So Marc, we heard Kellyanne Conway speak today and she says that the President will be talking in part about successes of the administration. In this moment that by definition is political. I mean traditionally presidents don't even take part in the celebration to avoid this. Convince us all this isn't about politics and running for re-election.
LOTTER: Well, I'll tell you that this is about celebrating America and it's also about celebrating our military. I mean when our founding fathers at the end of the Declaration of Independence said that they pledged their lives, their fortune and their sacred honor, they knew it would take more than a piece of paper to get that independence. It would take men, heroes willing to take up arms and fight for it.
We still have that fight today for freedom, not only of this country but around the world. So think it's right to showcase America's military and the great things they're doing around the country.
BOLDUAN: Joan, I mean, do folks need to be careful here because what if Donald Trump doesn't do what Kellyanne says he's going to do? What if he stands up there and he gets completely apolitical, he gives a speech that is - he reads the Declaration of Independence from the stage.
[19:20:00] JOAN WALSH, NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT, THE NATION: It's still not done. It's not what American presidents do. They have not done this. I also want to correct Marc, we have men and women fighting for our country.
But one of my favorite memories I'm dating myself here but I was in Washington for the Bicentennial in 1976. I was quite young, but I do remember it. I couldn't even tell you, I was thinking driving here who was President, Gerald Ford, a Republican, I'm a Democrat, it never crossed my mind. We don't need to do this. We don't need tanks in our streets. That's
not American. We don't need flyovers. This is a beautiful, beautiful celebration. I've done it several times, actually. It's already patriotic. We don't need to make it partisan.
BOLDUAN: Marc, one thing, you said that, of course, there's moments and everyone should, of course, support the men and women of the military. We're Retired Admiral John Kirby, he works for CNN, he said to me today though this day is not about the tools and troops that have helped us stay free, it's about the idea of freedom and it should be above just one branch of government. It should be above just the military or any branch of government and certainly above politics, isn't he right?
LOTTER: Well, I don't think this is about politics though celebrating America, celebrating the men and women who are defending our freedoms and our Constitution, I also don't remember any kind of uproar in 1984 when Ronald Reagan reopened the Statue of Liberty onboard military battleships with the Statue of Liberty behind him over the course of a three-day celebration. It was celebrating America.
And, yes, the military was involved. There will be fireworks involved both then, both now. And so I think a lot of this is to people trying to make it political when really it's just going to be a celebration of our country.
WALSH: Is the DNC getting any tickets to give away? I haven't heard about that. And in fact I heard today that they're not if they're only going to the RNC, I mean --
BOLDUAN: Well, DNC tell CNN that they're not going to need any tickets. A source did tell CNN, Marc, that the Trump campaign got tickets, how many?
LOTTER: I'm not sure how many tickets. It's not unusual for these kinds of organizations to have friends, family nearby and that's the way we view that. I remember working in a state political party back in 2004 when President Bush was having an official event in our state party helped distribute tickets it's standard operating procedure and I would also say it's the same thing that goes on at the other end of the national model when ...
BOLDUAN: But don't you think though, Marc ...
LOTTER: ... the congressional leaders invite people to the west front of the Capitol.
BOLDUAN: ... but if the RNC is receiving VIP tickets, this is what we're talking about since it is general admission, if the RNC is receiving VIP tickets and the DNC is not, if you're trying to keep this above politic and avoid this looking political, how was this helping?
LOTTER: Well, again I'm saying that this is not unusual for any politician of either party to do these things. BOLDUAN: No, it actually is unusual in a mass national event
inauguration. Every Member of Congress gets tickets to it. White House events, sure. Those can be handed out because that is where the president resides and he hands out the tickets for it, not a national celebration like this.
LOTTER: And I would also say though at the other end of the National Mall the western front of the Capitol is reserved for the leadership who distribute those tickets. So again this is not something unusual, I was on the National Mall last year at the Capitol and I didn't see a general public line to get in. You had to have tickets from either the speaker, the majority leader or their leadership offices.
BOLDUAN: All right. Let's first and foremost see what the president says and then we can have a fun debate about it afterwards. Great to see you, Marc. Thank you so much.
LOTTER: Thank you.
BOLDUAN: Joan, as always, thank you. OUTFRONT next, the fight for 2020, a potential opening after a major shift shows support for Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders starting to slip. Plus, the women of 2020 get the Vogue treatment except for one Marianne Williamson. Why? She's here with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:27:45] BOLDUAN: Tonight, it's anybody's race. New polls are showing a dramatic reset in the race for the Democratic nomination for president. Kamala Harris is now in a virtual dead heat with Joe Biden in one new poll. Harris up 13 points since her breakout debate performance. Biden down eight points since last month. It is now Biden at 22 Harris at 20, that is within the margin of error.
And worth noting, this isn't an outlier that poll. This tracks with what CNN's new poll found post debate as well. And in the crucial early state of Iowa, Harris is also seeing a surge there, now it's 16 percent second place to Biden who support stands at 24. For comparison, a CNN poll taken before the debates shows Harris in the middle of the pack in Iowa with just 7 percent and Harris is hoping to build on that momentum.
She's going to be spending the next three days criss-crossing The Hawkeye State. And it's not just Harris that's on a roll, Elizabeth Warren is also seeing big gains. MJ Lee is following her campaign. She's out front live in Las Vegas for us tonight. MJ, some very good news for Warren in this new Quinnipiac poll as well.
MJ LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Kate. Elizabeth Warren had a strong debate performance last week and this new poll shows that she is still in the double digits and actually edging out Bernie Sanders in the poll and this is a campaign and a candidate that has really bet big on policy and substance and for the time being that appears to be paying off in this poll. About a third of those that were polled saying that they believe Elizabeth Warren has the best policy ideas. And I should note she is kicking off a two-day swing here in Nevada
and she is going to be bringing her populist message to a state that was devastated by the financial crisis around 10 years ago. You'll remember that I when the housing bubble burst, there were a lot of people across the state who ended up losing their homes to foreclosures. And I just want to leave you with a quick snapshot of what is at stake heading into next year and the election when we spoke to a couple of voters just 15 minutes outside of the Vegas Strip in a neighborhood, these voters, the first three people that we spoke to basically saying that they feel like the economy is doing well.
[19:29:57] How the economy is doing next year is going to be such an important factor, Kate, in determining what happens in this race, because the folks are inclined to think that the economy is doing well for their families. They're probably going to be less inclined to want change in the White House -- Kate.
[19:30:13] KATE BOLDUAN, CNN HOST: That is a great point. That's tough news to hear from those voters that you spoke to there for the Democratic field.
Thanks, MJ.
OUTFRONT with me now, Democratic Congressman Al Green. He has endorsed Kamala Harris for president.
Congressman, thank you for being here.
REP. AL GREEN (D-TX): My honor to be with you. Thank you.
BOLDUAN: Thank you. It is clear across the board in all of the new polls that Kamala Harris got a big boost from the last debate. How -- if that's her launch pad, how does she sustain it?
GREEN: Well, I think that these polls tend to go up and down. But I do believe that she gave a presidential presentation. She has demonstrated that she has the courage to prosecute the case. She will prosecute the case against the Russian involvement in our elections. Prosecute the case for reproductive rights for women, prosecute the case so that Dreamers can have a pathway to citizenship, prosecute the case against the assault weapons that are killing our kids, even in schools.
So I think that demonstrating that she has the courage and the knowledge and that she will be there for the American people has made her a person for consideration.
BOLDUAN: There is one big red flag for Harris in these polls. And that's policy. If you look at just this new Quinnipiac poll, Elizabeth Warren tops the pack on who Democrats think has the best policy ideas. Harris is behind her, behind Sanders, and behind Biden on this.
How is that not a problem?
GREEN: I think we're early in the race still. Unfortunately, these races are starting earlier and earlier. We're a long away from Iowa, which takes place next year. I think she'll have policy positions well-defined.
And I think she is also being very deliberative about this. She wants to make sure that what she says is something that will be defended and she presents herself very well when she does make policy statements. I think she'll have the policy positions that the American people will respect.
BOLDUAN: The most important qualities in apology. I'm fascinated by this endlessly, is the most important quality remains to be who has the best chance of beating Donald Trump. Biden was far and a way the leader in the CNN poll on this. And this Quinnipiac poll finds the same, that Biden tops the field at 42 percent with the best chance of beating Trump. Harris is a second, but a distant one at 14 percent.
That's critical to voters. But how does she chip away at that?
GREEN: Well, the vice president has had the opportunity to be on center stage for many years. He was there with President Obama. He is a well-known entity.
Ms. Harris -- Senator Harris has the opportunity now present herself. And I think that these things take time. We are in our infancy with this election. After time has passed and people get to know her and her positions, I think we'll find that they'll believe she is the electable person.
After all, on that stage, she demonstrated that she can be a formidable challenger. She demonstrated that she can take on Trump and that she can take on Putin. I think the American people will appreciate that in the long run.
BOLDUAN: She definitely demonstrated she take on Biden.
Harris is gaining ground in the national polling among black voters. She's now at 27 percent but she does trail Biden who has had a deep well of support months of African-American voters for quite some time. Biden is up 12 in that regard.
Do you think Joe Biden deserves the support of black voters?
GREEN: I think he deserves the opportunity to be heard. All of the candidates do. And I think that he is now running for president. He was on the ticket with another candidate, President Obama, who had to defend the positions of the campaign as it were.
But he now has the opportunity to be heard like the rest the candidates and he will have to defend his positions. You can't have a presidential election and shy away from your history, your past and the positions that you've taken. I think that Senator Harris will defend her positions, her past, her history.
BOLDUAN: Do you think he can't be trusted? Do you think he can't be trusted on issues -- African-American voters -- you know what we're talking about here? GREEN: Do I think that he can't be trusted? Was that your position?
BOLDUAN: Yes, yes.
GREEN: No, I'm not saying that. This is not something that I would take on to the extent that I would demean the vice president. I happen to like the vice president. I just happen to think that Senator Harris is going to make a better president than he would.
I happen to think that she is the future.
[19:35:01] She is what the -- the people of in country are looking for as we move into a future that looks toward working people, working families, making sure that young people are inculcated into the process. I think she will bring a lot of new faces into the process and she'll make a difference when we run against the president.
BOLDUAN: Congressman, thanks for being here.
GREEN: Thank you.
BOLDUAN: OUTFRONT for us next, her answer to who would be her first call as president, went viral.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIANNE WILLIAMSON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My first call is to prime minister of New Zealand.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: Marianne Williamson is OUTFRONT.
Plus, we have breaking news, the Trump administration backing down over the demand to include a citizenship question in the 2020 census.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BOLDUAN: Tonight, the "Vogue" treatment. All of the women running for president appearing in a new issue of "Vogue" magazine talking about what it's like to run for president. Well, all of the women except one. Marianne Williamson conspicuously absent from the profile and the photo shoot.
That same Marianne Williamson joins me OUTFRONT now.
Thank you so much for being here.
WILLIAMSON: Thank you so much for having me.
BOLDUAN: Do you know why you weren't part of this profile about this -- it's about the history being made, the historic number of women running.
[19:40:00] WILLIAMSON: I know. I just saw it online like everybody else did. Saw a lot of people tweeting about it. And, no -- nobody talked to me.
BOLDUAN: No one reached out to you. No one gave you an answer. No one reached out and there was a scheduling conflict and you couldn't be part.
WILLIAMSON: No, no, no, although when we asked about it we were told the decision was to make it only about the elected officials. And that I do challenge because this decision --
BOLDUAN: Let me -- I want to hear this because this is exactly what "Vogue" said when CNN asked about it. They said this: We're no way discrediting Marianne Williamson and all she's accomplished. For the photo, "Vogue" wanted to highlight the five female lawmakers who bring a collective 40 years of political experience to this race.
Does that make sense to you?
WILLIAMSON: No, absolutely does not, because the framers of the Constitution were very clear. It did not make any media, certainly not "Vogue" magazine the gatekeeper here. The framers of the Constitution said in order to run for president, in order to be qualified to be president, you have to have been born here. You had to have lived here 14 years, and you have to be 35 years or older.
Now, if they wanted to say you had to be an elected official, they would have. And they didn't for a reason. They were leaving it to every generation to determine for itself the skill set that that generation feels is most necessary in order to navigate the times in which we live.
And that kind of bias on the part of media -- it's very insidious. It's very subtle. It's a suggestion that only those who have elected -- elected office in their past are qualified.
Now, this is not in any way to minimize or to disparage those qualifications. But there are other kinds of qualifications.
And Franklin Roosevelt said that the primary aspect of the presidency -- he said the administrative aspect is secondary and the primary role he said is moral leadership.
(CROSSTALK)
BOLDUAN: If "Vogue" offered you a spread now, would you take part?
WILLIAMSON: Yes, I guess. It's -- we did offer that, but the press said she would be glad to be the story they wrote back and said, thank you so much for the offer.
BOLDUAN: OK. This is the first chance we've had to talk to you since the big debate. And there was something that got -- that you said a moment that got a lot of folks nodding their heads almost -- almost a warning that you offered up to the Democratic Party. Let me play it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) WILLIAMSON: It's really nice if we got all the plans, but it if you think we're going to beat Donald Trump by having all the plans, you got another thing coming because he didn't win by saying he had a plan. He won by simply saying, make America great again. We've got to get deeper than these superficial fixes.
(END VIDEO CLI)
BOLDUAN: Do you think anyone else in the Democratic field gets that?
WILLIAMSON: I don't know. I know what I was saying, though.
If you look at Marianne2020.com, if you look at the issue section which has been up there since the beginning, I have very detailed policy plans. However I also remarked that when John Kennedy said we are going to moon. He didn't say I've -- I'm got to talk to all these NASA scientists and see if maybe we can make it happen.
I'm talking about the role of imagination and inspiring people. I'm talking about what it takes to actually motivate people. And that is going to be necessary if we are going to defeat Donald Trump.
Donald Trump did not win just because of the people who are passionate about him. Donald Trump also won because of many people who did not vote and many people who voted third party. So, if he is going to win again, it won't be because of people who are so excited about him. If he wins begin, it will be because not enough people were inspired.
And my point is we have to talk about a vision for this country, not just prosecuting against what was, which is necessary, but also inspiring what America can be. I think people are exhausted of the fight, and what I'm talking about a vision for America addressing the things we need to address in order for the United States to be better than ever in the 21st century. And without that, we will not win in 2020.
BOLDUAN: There was also a moment -- another moment in the debate when everyone on the stage was asked what was the first order of business, the first thing you want to tackle if you win. Here's what you said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLP)
WILLIAMSON: My first call is to prime minister of New Zealand, who said that her goal is to make New Zealand the place where it's the best place in the world for a child to grow up. And I will tell her girlfriend, "you are so wrong", because the United States of America is going to be the best place in the world for a child to grow up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: That answer has gotten a lot of attention as well.
How is that your first order of business that you want to accomplish in the White House, Marianne?
WILLIAMSON: First of all, you have more than one thing that you did when you enter the Oval Office obviously.
BOLDUAN: Of course.
WILLIAMSON: But a pillar of my campaign is to address the chronic trauma of millions of American children who go to school every day and classroom that don't have the adequate school supplies with which to teach a child to read. And if a child cannot learn to read by the age of 8, the chances of high school graduation are drastically decreased and the chances of incarceration drastically increased.
Many of these children, millions of them, go to school hungry.
[19:45:01] Millions of them live in what are called America's domestic war zones where psychologies tell us they are experiencing a level of PTSD that is no less than severe than the PTSD of a returning veteran from Afghanistan or Iraq.
Now, their despair is simply normalized by the political establishment. To me, we should be rescuing these children. No differently than if they were the victims of a natural disaster. It's a pillar of my campaign, that's why I want a Department of Children and Youth.
I want just like to the prime minister of New Zealand said she wants New Zealand to be the best place in the world for a child so grow up. I want every school in the United States to be a palace of learning, that is not nothing. These children to me, this is a civil rights issue -- how much the despair of millions and millions of children just because they are not old enough to work so they have no financial leverage. They're not old enough to vote, so they're not a constituency.
Their needs are routinely dismissed. That should not happen in the United States of America.
BOLDUAN: Marianne Williamson, thank you for coming in. We'll see you on the trail.
WILLIAMSON: Thank you. Thank you.
BOLDUAN: OUTFRONT for us next, Vice President Mike Pence abruptly cancelling an event in New Hampshire. He and his staff already on the tarmac ready to go. Instead, returning to the White House. Why?
And a star of the iconic film "Pretty in Pink", Jon Cryer, is OUTFRONT to talk about CNN's new original series, "The Movies".
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:50:14] BOLDUAN: Breaking news: And that is a major turn-around for the president who vowed to add the question, even in the face of the Supreme Court striking it down. Critics are celebrating the move, saying it was a veiled -- originally, it was a veiled political play trying to suppress immigrant communities.
Pamela Brown is OUTFRONT. Pam, this is a huge about-face.
PAMELA BROWN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It is, and it is a stinging defeat, Kate, for the Trump administration over the census citizenship question. Remember, just a day after President Trump, this was yesterday, here at the White House said officials were looking at delaying the census, the administration, we have learned, has now decided to move forward with printing it without the controversial question in the wake of the Supreme Court putting the citizenship question on hold for now.
Now, President Trump has said repeatedly, the question is important in understanding whether a person is in the U.S. legally. But critics said, as you pointed out, it was an attempt to politicize the census and scare immigrants from taking part.
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross released a statement today saying he respects the Supreme Court, but strongly disagrees with its ruling and that the department will conduct a complete and accurate census -- Kate.
BOLDUAN: There is also, Pam, this mysterious turn of events with Mike Pence, suddenly cancelling an event in New Hampshire at the last minute. He and the staff were on the tarmac ready to go when they were told to turn around.
What do you know about this?
BROWN: Yes, that's right. There is a lot of mystery surrounding this abrupt cancellation of an event at a rehab facility in New Hampshire today that the vice president was supposed to attend. I'm told the plane had not taken off, but he was -- was ready to go. That Vice President Pence was on the tarmac.
Now, a senior administration official said shortly after that it didn't have to do with national security and it's not personal in nature. Not health-related to the vice president or the president. Pence's chief of staff, Marc Short, told reporters, including a reporter from Bloomberg, there will be more on what happened later on, and then when asked when that would be, he replied, weeks from now.
So, it's highly unusual for the vice president to cancel going to an event with such short notice without more explanation. I have reached out repeatedly to those on the vice president's team and have not heard back tonight. But according to Short, we'll find out soon -- Kate.
BOLDUAN: So, so fascinating. It's one thing to cancel an event. It's another thing to be on the tarmac ready to go and then be called back.
BROWN: A lot of questions.
BOLDUAN: Yes. Always eventually comes out. So we say. We'll just wait and your reporting will bring it to us.
Great to see you, Pam. Thanks so much.
BROWN: You too.
BOLDUAN: So, OUTFRONT for us next, actor Jon Cryer, star of "Pretty in Pink" is OUTFRONT with more on CNN's new original series, "THE MOVIES".
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:56:12] BOLDUAN: This weekend, CNN is taking you to the movies. A brand-new original series about the stories behind the movies that we all loved so much. It premiers Sunday night.
Here's a preview.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RON HOWARD, MOVIE DIRECTOR: There is still something about being told a story. A movie is something that's been really hand-crafted to mosaic, that's been carefully pieced together. It just creates this opportunity to totally lose yourself.
MARTIN SCORSESE, MOVIE DIRECTOR: These images live in our consciousness. Stays in our minds. The way music is recalled in our heads. Those images replay. And we live our lives by them.
JULIA ROBERTS, ACTRESS: It brings all the elements of all of our senses together. There's really nothing else like it.
JON FAVREAU, ACTOR: Even though you're doing something incredibly personal and in many ways incredibly selfish, because you're doing something you love so much, it gets out there in the world, and it could change people's trajectories.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Ahead of the series, Erin had the chance to talk to actor Jon Cryer about his role in one of the iconic movies of the 1980s.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: And joining me now is actor Jon Cryer. He starred in a number of hit movies and television shows, including the beloved character Duckie in "Pretty in Pink."
Jon, it's got to be so amazing that you look back over your career, all the different things you've done, and people you've worked with. One of the most iconic, though, of course, for teenagers was "Pretty in Pink" and Duckie, you -- it's amazing how little you change over time. There is no questioning who you are.
You know, it was a funny, sweet, charming underdog. What did you -- what do you remember the most about playing that role?
JON CRYER, ACTOR: About being Duckie?
BURNETT: Yes.
CRYER: Well, the wardrobe. The wardrobe was very memorable, because I had expected to be much, much cooler looking. And -- well, actually, you're showing a clip from when I actually did manage to look cool for a moment.
BURNETT: Yes, you look good there. Yes.
CRYER: And it's the bolo tie is doing a lot of work there. And the hair, an enormous amount of hair, which as you can see I've gone a different way recently. But I think I remember the abiding thing was I had seen "The Breakfast Club," and I was so excited to be working on a film of John Hughes', and with Molly. And because he took -- he took teenagers in a more serious way than a lot of filmmakers at the time.
And I appreciated that as a former teenager. I think I was 19 or 19 or 20 when I actually got the part.
BURNETT: And, you know, it -- to your point, it was something that -- you know, some of the angst and pain of being a teenager was made much more real by this -- "Pretty in Pink" and other movies at that time.
When that came out, I was around 10, 1986. There's a picture of me.
(LAUGHTER)
BURNETT: See, like you.
CRYER: Oh, that's wonderful.
BURNETT: Like you, I've changed quite a bit. I was a little young at the time, but I did see it as a teen and one of my favorite scenes was in the record store. Here it is.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
BURNETT: I loved that scene. I loved you in that scene.
What was your favorite moment in the movie?
CRYER: It was probably the scene right after that. Where -- where Duckie realizes that Andrew McCarthy has shown up and that Molly's character is actually expecting to go out with him and not Duckie. It's a very heartbreaking scene and wonderful to go from sort of a comedic high to, I know, much more dramatic scene.
BURNETT: I appreciate your time. Thank you so much, Jon.
CRYER: Thank you, Erin. Such a pleasure.
BURNETT: And be sure to tune in for the all-new CNN original series "THE MOVIES" which premiers this Sunday at 9:00, only on CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BOLDUAN: Thanks all.
"AC360" starts now.
