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House Passes Funding Bill; Senate Dems Threaten To Defeat It; California Parents Charged With Torturing Their 13 Children; Pulse Of The People. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired January 19, 2018 - 07:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:32:40] CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: The truth is on your screen -- not right now -- but there is a countdown clock and there it goes. When it reaches all zeroes that means the government funding dries up, except for essential practices.

The House passed a spending bill to avoid that but they're not in control, the Senate is. And right now, even though the GOP is on control of both houses of Congress and the White House, it would be the first time there were ever a shutdown under those conditions.

They don't have the votes so they need the Democrats. Will they get them?

Also, there are big questions about the Russia investigation.

We can pursue both with the next guest, Republican Congressman Chris Stewart of Utah, a member of the House Intel Committee.

Congressman, always a pleasure. I know you're tired. I know it's hectic right now, so thank you.

REP. CHRIS STEWART (R-UT), MEMBER HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: It is hectic, Chris. Always good to be with you. Good morning.

CUOMO: So, Congressman, you're doing your job, you voted, you're haggling, shutdown looms. The president is going to Mar-a-Lago for an anniversary dinner today. Right move?

STEWART: You know, I don't know. This is not really involving the president right now. I think he'll sign an extension of government funding, as he should.

This is really between the House and the Senate. The House, as you said, Chris, did our work yesterday. And, you know, you talk about the Senate being controlled by Republicans but people have to remember it takes 60 votes in the Senate, which means we have to have some Democratic support, at least nine. Hopefully, some of them will support us on this.

But, by the way, this is a silly way for us to govern. It's a silly way for us to proceed forward on our budget and appropriations. We have to do better than this. I mean, it's not even dramatic any longer. People are so fed up with

it they hardly pay attention to it any longer and it's just -- we just got to do better.

CUOMO: But what indication is there that the leadership vacuum isn't obvious? You have your majority leader in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, saying I don't know what the president wants and I don't want to spin my wheels. And that seems to be as much of a clue as to why he won't let any amendments on the floor as anything.

And again, the president is leaving. How can you not think, Congressman, that he needs to be here to bring you guys all together and figure out a deal, which he says he wants?

STEWART: Well listen, I wish he would stay. I was just indicating right now the decision is really in the Senate. Well, maybe the president could help move that along. He talks about this --

[07:35:00] CUOMO: Has anybody asked him to stay? Last night we were trying to track it down during the show and there was no indication that leadership was reaching out to him and saying you've got to stay. We've got to try to make this happen.

STEWART: I don't know the answer to the question. I really don't. I haven't talked with Paul and some of the others.

You talked about a leadership vacuum and I would like to point out one thing. There isn't a leadership vacuum on the Democratic side apparently, because Mr. Schumer has been able to keep his Democrats in line. He's been able to -- exercising his leadership, if you will, to simply say don't vote for this.

And look --

CUOMO: But why -- but why, Chris? Eighty-seven percent of the American people say help the Dreamers. Everyday lives are being destabilized and changed.

Why can't you guys --

STEWART: And, by the way --

CUOMO: -- either work it into a deal or get a clean bill to help those people when you all say you want to?

STEWART: And I'm one of those people who wants to help those Dreamers, but these really are separate issues. And we are working together. There are Republicans and Democrats who are working together. I'm one of those groups who are working together to fix the Dreamers.

But you know what? We can do that without shutting down the government. I think that's what the American people want us --

CUOMO: But they say you have done nothing to date. You had six months. Nothing has happened and now is their point of leverage. STEWART: Yes.

CUOMO: Now is their time to force you to do something.

And you know the old expression. When you've got six different plans, you don't have one.

STEWART: Yes --

CUOMO: And that's, again, back to leadership.

STEWART: But of those six different plans, they really are very, very similar. There isn't much difference between them. And there will be other points of leverage.

But really, Chris, this comes down to something simple. Can we work together? Can you give us another couple of weeks?

And it turns out this is difficult. That's the thing that I think many people may not appreciate.

There's reasons we haven't done this under President Obama. There's reasons we haven't done this under previous presidents. This really is a contentious issue.

Having said that, once again, there are Republicans and Democrats who feel much the same on this. I think we're going to solve it. I really do.

CUOMO: Eighty-seven percent of the American people want you to. That should be motivation. Let's move on.

STEWART: Yes.

CUOMO: Two big issues coming out of the Russia investigation. One, do you believe that the White House slash the president himself is or are, depending on your like for grammar, telling witnesses not to answer certain questions?

We heard from Adam Schiff that he certainly believes that case is -- that's true with Steve Bannon because counsel went to the White House for guidance.

But do you believe the White House and even the president are telling people what to answer?

STEWART: You know, I don't know. You use the term witnesses, and to be clear on one thing, it's clear that they didn't tell other witnesses. I was actually leading the investigation -- or the hearing -- with Mr. Dearborn, the deputy chief of staff.

CUOMO: Right, and he answered.

STEWART: He answered everything.

And so did Mr. Lewandowski, with a few exceptions. And he never claimed privilege. He just said I'm not prepared to answer that question but I will --

CUOMO: And how did that make sense to you, by the way, for his counsel to say he'll answer, he's just not prepared?

STEWART: All you need --

CUOMO: How do you not prepare to answer these kinds of questions? How did you not expect them and how do you not know the answers?

STEWART: Well, because they're very broad to remember. Some of these -- some of these hearings go on for, you know, eight, nine, 10 hours.

CUOMO: Right.

STEWART: And in that time there are occasions when they ask things and they want to answer it accurately. I appreciate that.

I'm willing to say hey, if you need to come back and investigate and make sure you're clear, sure. Come back in a couple of days and answer that question.

CUOMO: Should the president be telling people not to answer questions?

STEWART: Well, in some cases, that's appropriate. I mean, this idea of executive privilege has been time-honored for a long, long time. Not --

CUOMO: Right, but it's never been recognized to extend into a transition period. A court just decided the same.

STEWART: I agree with that.

As I was saying, there are times when the president has to tell his staff we need to be able to talk in private. I need your counsel without that being exposed.

Having said that, I've got to tell you that Mr. Bannon -- the privilege he claimed -- I completely disagree with that. I mean, it was so broad and so sweeping.

And I don't know whether the president told him that. I suspect he probably didn't, not in the range and the scope that he claimed.

But remember, Republicans and Democrats told him you have to come back.

CUOMO: Right.

STEWART: You -- we will compel you to answer these questions.

CUOMO: Well, he's been subpoenaed so we'll see what happens.

STEWART: Yes.

CUOMO: Another question. Jackie Speier -- I won't play you -- the sound for you because you're aware of the issue.

She says that not just the Glenn Simpson -- Glenn Simpson, obviously, being the founder of Fusion GPS -- hired Chris Steele, the former British intelligence agent, put together the dossier on Trump and Russia connections.

That it's not just Glenn Simpson but also, open-sourcing documents that gives her reason for concern that there are significant money laundering issues involving Trump properties and Russian money.

Do you share that --

STEWART: Yes.

CUOMO: -- concern?

STEWART: I got to tell you, if you're using Glenn Simpson as a source for nearly anything, I look at it with a very skeptical eye.

CUOMO: Why?

STEWART: The dossier has proven to be one of the most fallacious and unreliable documents that has ever been presented before this committee and it was --

CUOMO: How so?

STEWART: Well --

CUOMO: One, it's not one document. It's a compilation of memos. Some of it has been verified.

STEWART: Right.

CUOMO: Some of it has not been verified.

STEWART: Well --

CUOMO: How does that make it entirely fallacious?

[07:40:00] STEWART: Well, let me -- let me put this to you as I put to several members of the FBI. Tell me anything in the dossier that after more than a year of investigation you know is true.

And the answer was well, we know Carter Page went to -- went to Moscow. Well, everyone knew that. He was public about that. He spoke at the same place President Obama spoke.

Now tell me something else in the dossier that's true. Well, I don't know how to answer that question, was their response. Again and again and again, I don't know how to answer that question.

Now look, Mr. Simpson can say what he wants. He can make accusations about money laundering. But, my heavens, that's not something that we've seen before the committee. And I don't think it's fair to any of these individuals to say something that just simply isn't supported by any of the evidence we've received at this point.

CUOMO: Well, Jackie Speier says there's open-source documentation that shows concerns about the kinds of money that came in and out of Trump transactions in previous years.

STEWART: Well, then I would invite her to bring that before the committee and let us examine it because we haven't seen that at this point.

One other thing I'd mention on that, Chris --

CUOMO: Please.

STEWART: -- and that is the focus of our committee hasn't been on those types of issues.

CUOMO: Right, and that's understandable.

STEWART: Mr. Mueller will stand forward on that.

CUOMO: That's not really your purview.

STEWART: That's right.

CUOMO: Mr. Mueller could be looking at those kinds of potential crimes and it seems suggestive that he may be because that's what he's looking at with Manafort, at least in part.

But it is outside your purview, fair point.

STEWART: Yes.

CUOMO: One other quick thing, Chris, while I have you on the record -- this meme that's breaking my Twitter feed this morning.

What is this memo that you guys are selling as so significant?

STEWART: Yes. It's meaningful that I'm telling you and it's so important to me and other members that --

CUOMO: Why?

STEWART: -- not only members of Congress, but that we declassify, as best we can, this information and provide it to you --

CUOMO: What kind of information is it?

STEWART: It's primarily dealing with Department of Justice and FBI and imagining this. Did they propose or provide information to the FISA courts and was that information accurate? That's the essence of this and we hope --

CUOMO: So you believe you have proof that a judge allowed warrants in violation of the legal standard for those warrants? STEWART: I'm not going to elaborate on it other than that, so --

CUOMO: It's a pretty loaded suggestion, though. I mean --

STEWART: Yes.

CUOMO: -- this is a big -- this is huge but I can't tell you why.

STEWART: Yes, yes. But once again, we want to declassify this information as quickly and as -- to the greatest degree that we can so that the American people can know.

I've been -- I've been alluding at this for months now, saying there's so much there that is concerning about some individuals within the Department of Justice and FBI.

And to be very clear, I'm not casting a wide net across the FBI -- dedicated public servants. We're talking about a few individuals in very senior leadership positions at the FBI.

CUOMO: Well, being pitched is something that will bring down the Obama administration and Hillary Clinton.

STEWART: I think that's rather dramatic. I don't think that's the -- I don't think that's the outcome from this, but it is meaningful.

CUOMO: Well look, it would be great to do a hashtag facts first on it. So if you can get us information that always helps. Transparency always helps.

Chris Stewart --

STEWART: I agree with that. Thank you.

CUOMO: -- appreciate your transparency coming on the show making the case to the American people. You're always welcome.

STEWART: Thank you, sir.

CUOMO: Alisyn --

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: OK.

So, Chris, how are women who voted for Donald Trump feeling today, a year in, and what happens when they sit down with women who call themselves the resistance? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:45:20] CUOMO: New details on this terrible case -- 13 siblings. Prosecutors say they were held captive, tortured by their own parents.

Take a look at these people, David and Louise Turpin. They're pleading not guilty to all charges.

CNN's Stephanie Elam is live in Los Angeles with more. This is like an onion. Every layer you peel back, it is even easier

to cry.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's so -- just the depravity of it all, Chris, when you sit there and you listen to all the things they did. There's almost too many things that I could even go into right now to tell you about.

But let me tell you what David and Louise Turpin are facing. They are facing 12 counts of torture, 12 counts of false imprisonment, seven counts of abuse of a dependent adult -- remember, seven of their children are adults -- six counts of child abuse, and one count of a lewd act on a child under the age of 14, and that is only for David Turpin.

What we have learned is that this was prolonged abuse that they were putting their children through.

They were -- if the children washed their hands above their wrists that was considered playing in the water and they could be punished.

And punishment, according to the Turpins, meant tying them up, even hog-tying them. And when one child got away one time, that's when they moved to padlocks and chains, according to the district attorney in this case.

In fact, take a listen to how else they said that the Turpins really punished their children. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE HESTRIN, DISTRICT ATTORNEY, RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: The parents would apparently buy food for themselves and not allow the children to eat it. They would buy food, including pies -- apple pies, pumpkin pies -- leave it on the counter, let the children look at it, but not eat the food.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ELAM: Unbelievable that they would do this.

And just to let you know how the children are doing, they're saying that the 29-year-old female weighs 82 pounds. The 12-year-old weighs the average weight of a 7-year-old, Alisyn.

And that's just some of the charges that we are hearing that the Turpins did to their own children.

CAMEROTA: Oh my gosh, Stephanie. It's all just so sickening. I mean, just truly sickening.

Thank you very much for the update on that story.

So, now to this. The first year of Donald Trump's presidency has been a time of radical awareness of women's issues, from the women's marches to the MeToo movement. So we wanted to see how women across the political spectrum are

feeling today. We gathered a group from Florida, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and New York, and they did not hold back.

Here's our latest "Pulse of the People."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: A show of hands. How many people voted for President Trump? Four people voted for President Trump.

How many people still consider themselves super strong supporters?

And, let me start with you, Tangela. How are you feeling today, a year later?

TANGELA WAGNER EDMOND, VOTED FOR TRUMP, REGRETS VOTE: I feel awful. I feel awful that I voted for someone for the wrong reasons.

What made me vote for Trump was when I was sitting there watching his 1980s interview when he was sounding -- he sounded real good. He sounded like a president I wanted to have.

And then, he got -- he got into office, he started saying reckless stuff out of his mouth, and then I just was watching him. The first 100 days I watched every day and I just was not impressed with what I was seeing.

ASHA RAMPERTAAP, VOTED FOR TRUMP: I am embarrassed by Trump. He's extremely unpresidential. He has disappointed me as a president.

But I have not been disappointed by his presidency so far, as far the actual policy changes that are happening -- the actual affects that his presidency is having on the stock market.

CAROL EVANS, ACTIVIST, LIBERAL RESISTANCE MOVEMENT: His actions against women, against the environment -- his actions against other countries, his racism, his sexism, his sexual predation. All of this is just so appalling.

WAGNER-EDMOND: What sexism?

ALICE BUTLER SHORT, VOTED FOR TRUMP: What you're saying is absolutely appalling and I'm really offended by it.

CAMEROTA: Well, Alice, you don't believe that the president has been accused of sexual assault and harassment?

SHORT: I believe that the president has been accused of everything under the sun that you could possibly think of.

WAGNER-EDMOND: Yes.

CAMEROTA: Do you believe is accusers?

SHORT: No. WAGNER-EDMOND: What? How could be spread some of that --

DAPHNE GOGGINS, VOTED FOR TRUMP: They haven't proven their case in court so why put -- why should we believe them?

CAMEROTA: Did you believe the ones against Harvey Weinstein?

SHORT: Prove it.

GOGGINS: No. I'm going to be honest with you, I don't believe them yet either.

CAMEROTA: You don't believe any of the women?

GOGGINS: No. I said I don't believe any of the women.

CAMEROTA: But, Harvey Weinstein should still be making movies and having casting calls?

GOGGINS: No. Harvey Weinstein, he pretty much admitted to just like -- just like Franken admitted it by resigning. But my thing is is that those women -- we have yet to really examine them or know who they are.

EVANS: Well, it was the president's own words about grabbing pussies. Excuse me for saying that.

GOGGINS: OK, he's a man.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He said it and he said it and there was really --

GOGGINS: I've heard way worse than that.

SHORT: The way his words are taken out of context over and over again. He did not.

He talked about what was possible in the world of celebrities. President Trump never had to do -- he would never have had to do that kind of thing. He's not that kind of man.

[07:50:05] CAMEROTA: So the women who said that he forcibly kissed them and forcibly pressed his body against them, they are what, lying?

GOGGINS: Could be.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We know who's lying.

WAGNER-EDMOND: This is what I don't understand. Why is it everyone that loves Donald Trump want to make excuses for him, but when he's out of control --

(CROSSTALK)

WAGNER-EDMOND: When he's out of control and talking reckless then I can't go along with that and make excuses for him. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's not --

GOGGINS: Don't make excuses for him.

WAGNER-EDMOND: When it was reported when he was talking to Billy Bush, he said what he said.

GOGGINS: (INAUDIBLE).

WAGNER-EDMOND: That's saying oh, he's just a man --

(CROSSTALK)

WAGNER-EDMOND: But he's the president and he's supposed to be a role model.

CAMEROTA: I want to get to you, Carol. We spoke to you exactly a year ago.

EVANS: Yes.

CAMEROTA: OK, exactly a year ago you had been a Hillary Clinton supporter. You were quite devastated that she had lost.

You said that after Donald Trump's victory your plan was to talk to a lot more Trump voters and persuade them to come to the Democratic side.

GOGGINS: (LAUGHING).

CAMEROTA: And I'm just wondering if you've attempted that this past year.

EVANS: Well, we have one right here I'm so happy to meet. And I did talk to Trump voters.

I have a lot of Trump voters in my family -- my extended family -- but I found that it was very difficult to maintain a loving relationship and talk about politics.

KIM DREW WRIGHT, ACTIVIST, LIBERAL RESISTANCE MOVEMENT: I'm not going to waste my time trying to switch somebody's mind that is already made up when -- I mean, that's part of the problem, right?

We need to be focused on our candidates, getting them in there, and we did that in Virginia and it worked.

EVANS: And what we found was that talking to diehard Republicans was not very fruitful.

But on the other hand, there are many reasonable Republicans out there that are not the Trump base.

SHORT: We're (INAUDIBLE).

EVANS: You cannot speak to the Trump base and expect them to come over in order to get to the results that we want.

CAMEROTA: And how's your life changed in the past year?

WRIGHT: Drastically. I started a group of -- in my county and we helped flip the county blue for the first time since 1961 in a governor's race.

If you want to see a result of -- I know not everyone is upset with the president but a lot of people are and very rapidly, we changed our -- we funneled our anger and hurt into action.

CAMEROTA: I mean, very rapidly, like --

WRIGHT: Yes.

CAMEROTA: -- it was the -- right after the election.

WRIGHT: Yes, two days after.

CAMEROTA: From where you both sit, the resistance -- the so-called resistance feels active and alive.

WRIGHT: It's so strong.

CAMEROTA: But what is it doing?

(CROSSTALK)

WRIGHT: We flipped 15 seats from Republican to Democrat in the Virginia House this year, and 11 of those are women. We've got the first openly lesbian woman, the first Asian-American woman, the first Latino women, and the first transgender woman, as well, in those 11.

GOGGINS: (INAUDIBLE).

WRIGHT: And so, if you want to see a specific result of what is happening since the 2016 presidential election, look at Virginia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: But wait, there's more. How do these women feel about the National Women's March tomorrow? Is it open to all? More of the "Pulse of the People," next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:55:45] CAMEROTA: OK. So this weekend marks the first anniversary of the historic Women's March that went global and tomorrow, more marches are planned as part of the so-called resistance.

So, how do Trump voters feel about those?

Here's part two of "Pulse of the People."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CAMEROTA: There's a Women's March again this year that -- this weekend. A show of hands. Anybody marching?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

(CROSSTALK)

CAMEROTA: You're marching twice.

EVANS: I'm marching twice. I'm marching with the big group.

CAMEROTA: And do you understand, Carol -- can you articulate for us what is the main message of the march?

EVANS: The message is women's rights and we are not going to lie down and be walked over.

What's really important to understand about the march, though, is that this is not about millions of people coming out and marching. This is a symbolic restatement of our activism and our resistance.

Getting out there and creating voting possibilities. Electing people like Doug Jones. Changing the demographic nature of local elections running for office.

SHORT: I feel that any woman who has to go down there and march, wearing a p-hat, has issues -- real issues not related to politics.

CAMEROTA: And what do you think those are?

SHORT: I'm not a vagina.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A vagina.

SHORT: Why is that an issue? If the Billy Bush tapes were so egregious, why are you going out there with your vagina on the top of your head --

CAMEROTA: Why are you --

SHORT: -- or wearing the vagina costume?

CAMEROTA: Why are you more offended by a pink hat with ears than what you heard on the Billy Bush tape?

SHORT: I'm offended by the pink hat with ears because of what they say it symbolizes. I'm offended because these -- some of these women are down there with full costumes. And if men have an issue, I sure don't want to see them down there in hats symbolizing their genitals.

GOGGINS: As a pro-life person, can I march in this march? No, I cannot.

CAMEROTA: Oh, let's talk about that. Is it -- do you welcome conservative women?

WRIGHT: No.

GOGGINS: No, that's crazy.

WRIGHT: I decided --

GOGGINS: You can't say you're for women.

RAMPERTAAP: Exactly.

WRIGHT: No, I am for liberal -- it's in the name, liberal women --

CAMEROTA: OK.

(CROSSTALK)

GOGGINS: You will never win us over.

WRIGHT: I'm not trying to.

GOGGINS: It's not all about Trump. There are Republican women out here who don't support Trump who should be part of that march. I mean --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's not a law.

GOGGINS: -- I just think that is just crazy that they're not including all the women.

CAMEROTA: I want you guys to address this. What about this? You're only pro-women who agree with you.

WRIGHT: That's true. As far as the march, I would think anyone who wanted to have a pro-women attitude would be welcome.

CAMEROTA: If Republicans want to show up and march, Republicans show up.

GOGGINS: If I want to show up and march for pro-life, I cannot.

EVANS: Well, you can. Of course, you can. You can do that as a counterprotest. Everybody can do that.

CAMEROTA: Why reject conservative women?

EVANS: Well, nobody's rejecting conservative women, we're rejecting conservative ideals. We're rejecting conservative ideals and the conservative platform. We're totally reject it.

We're not anti-abortion, we're not anti-choice, we're not anti- immigration, we're not anti-environment, we're not pro-pollution. We want regulations and we want protections to stay in place.

GOGGINS: These moments that we're all having, that's actually -- that's an unintended consequence.

CAMEROTA: I think you make a great point. Would the MeToo movement have ever happened if Donald Trump were not president?

GOGGINS: Probably.

CAMEROTA: Do you see a connection between that --

EVANS: But we don't know because that --

(CROSSTALK)

EVANS: -- coming out, and all these women who have come out are not necessarily --

GOGGINS: No.

EVANS: -- a reaction against Donald Trump.

GOGGINS: Go back to Fox --

EVANS: It's a reaction about -- it's a reaction about --

GOGGINS: (INAUDIBLE).

EVANS: It's a reaction about --

CAMEROTA: Roger Ailes?

GOGGINS: Roger Ailes.

EVANS: -- empowerment of women.

GOGGINS: Bill O'Reilly. They were all outed and safely away.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

GOGGINS: And then, the real stuff hit the fan.

EVANS: I'm so thrilled with this.

GOGGINS: The stuff hit the fan.

EVANS: But that's such good news because honestly, Donald Trump --

GOGGINS: The stuff hit the fan.

EVANS: -- is minting a feminist every minute of every day.

(CROSSTALK)

GOGGINS: -- because the feminists are going to get their tax cut and the feminists who may be in the military who just got the 2.4 percent increase in pay.

CAMEROTA: Are you saying the same thing, though? You're both saying that Donald Trump is minting a feminist. You're just looking at it from different angles.

GOGGINS: But that's what it is.

(CROSSTALK)

EVANS: This is an enormously important time for women. We have achieved so much, so this is our time and we do not want to go backwards from this, we want to go forward.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: I think it's fair to say President Trump inspires strong feelings on both sides.

You can share your feelings on Twitter using the hashtag #newdaycnn or post your comments on facebook.com/NewDay.

We're following a lot of news, so let's get right to it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are absolutely at this point headed to a government shutdown.