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New Day Saturday

WSJ: Trump Had Central Role In Money Payments To Porn Star And Playboy Model; Trump Visits France Amid Political Turmoil At Home; Decision On Florida Recount Expected In A Few Hours; Massive Wildfires Rage Across California; Trump Tries To Downplay Whitaker Ties Amid Backlash; Families Of Shooting Victims Call For Tougher Gun Control; Fighting IBS With Mental Health Therapy. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired November 10, 2018 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00] VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: -- cities are now interested in replicating Chris' program which will expand to Nashville next year. You can vote for Chris or any other of your favorite top ten heroes to become CNN hero of the yearer; just go to cnnheroes.com now to vote.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Father, please help us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The camp fire, the most destructive fire in California history.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are very few people that their homes are standing. Most everybody has lost their home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: U.S. President Donald Trump wasted no time criticizing his host, the French President Emmanuel Macron as he arrived in Paris.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's not a very auspicious start for a weekend that's supposed to recognized the virtues of world peace.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Wall Street Journal reports that Donald Trump not only knew about hush-money payments made to two women, but he was directly involved in the payments and process to get those stories killed.

MICHAEL AVENATTI, ATTORNEY FOR STORMY DANIELS: My client is tired of being called a liar. And with each passing month, we get closer and closer to judgment day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY WEEKEND with Victor Blackwell and Christi Paul.

BLACKWELL: Good Saturday to you. President Trump is in Paris right now as world leaders commemorate 100 years since the end of World War I. CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: And the president touched down he fired off

a tweeted slamming the French president for calling for a joint E.U. army to handle threats from the U.S., China and Russia.

BLACKWELL: But the two leaders were all business when they meet a short time ago. President Trump there declaring cooperation between the countries saying they have much in common.

PAUL: Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal is reporting this morning: President Trump was central to hush-money payments made to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, two women whom he allegedly had affairs with.

BLACKWELL: And the man he's now put in place to lead the Justice Department, acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker, reportedly has ties to a Florida company that's being investigated by the FBI. Yes, that's the same agency Whitaker now oversees.

PAUL: We want to start with you in Paris here. CNN's International Correspondent Melissa Bell outside the palace there where President Trump and his French counterpart are having lunch right now.

BLACKWELL: Melissa, good morning you to.

MELISSA BELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. It was a pretty frosty meeting to begin with. That atmosphere, that mood between the two presidents' really pretty grim, rather like the weather here in Paris this morning. Emmanuel Macron apparently touching the American president, almost trying to cushion the blow because there was this really, sort of, perplexed reaction on the part of Europe when that tweet came through overnight, that aggressive, belligerent tone from the American president.

And so, Emmanuel Macron, as that bilateral meeting began, chose to take it head on, address the issue immediately and couching it in terms he believed the American president might understand. The European army, he explained, should not be a threat on the country, but it's all about burden sharing. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMMANUEL MACRON, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE: I do share President Trump's views that we need a much better burden sharing within NATO. And that's why I do believe that my proposals for European defense are totally consistent with that because it means more Europe in NATO, more capacity, in order to take our part of the burden. And I think it's very fair and it's very important.

TRUMP: I appreciate what you're saying about burden sharing. You know what my attitude's been, and we want a strong Europe. It's very important to us to have a strong Europe. And whichever way we can do it the best and most efficient would be something that we both want.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELL: Now, the mood very different clearly from the last time the American president visited Paris. So much has happened since. And that relationship between Emmanuel Macron and Donald Trump that had begun so strong, that begun among such apparently genuine warmth, has really taken a turn for the worse. And in particular, what appears to have really cost a great deal was the American decision on the tariffs; something Emmanuel Macron had been trying to convince Donald Trump to think about. That never worked.

And since then, the relationship has been much testier. And even now, during that bilateral, and we're waiting to hear more about what the two presidents talked about and what room for agreement they might have found on so many issues from trade to Iran and Syria. A lunch, though, that will perhaps warm up that mood a little bit first of all.

BLACKWELL: All right. We'll see. Melissa Bell, thank you so much. CNN's White House Correspondent, Kaitlan Collins, is also there in Paris. Kaitlan, hello to you. Any hope the president might have had, leaving the issues, the domestic issues behinds, they evaporated pretty quickly today and they started with his own tweets during the flight to Paris.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, the president had a lot of tweeting time. He sent several tweets gearing at six-hour flight on the way over here as he's trying to put physical distance between he and his problems back home. It really hasn't quite been a banner week for President Trump because not only did he fire his Attorney General Jeff Sessions this week, he's also dealing with an intense amount of scrutiny that has surprised the president and other senior officials in his administration over who he has picked to replace Jeff Sessions, even if only temporarily at the Justice Department.

[07:05:28] That's Matt Whitaker. He's coming under an intense amount of scrutiny for whether or not he has the experience to run this department because he could be there up to 210 days, and whether or not his past comments about the Russia investigation warrant him recusing himself from overseeing it. Now, the president isn't only dealing with that. Just minutes after he took was on Air Force One to come over, the Wall Street Journal published that story saying that President Trump was not only aware of the payments made to the women in order to get their silence during his presidential campaign, that he was involved in every step of the way.

Now, that is not what his legal team says. They are denying that. But that is what the Wall Street Journal, who has been reporting on this largely ever since earlier this year, has said. Now, the president is dealing with both of those issues, but also some issues he's creating of his own. As the votes are still being counted after Tuesday's midterm elections, President Trump is accusing election officials in Arizona and Florida of rigging the vote. Now, the president said exactly what he believes has happened, but he does has suggested that there should be recalls, maybe re-elections in certain states because he does not think those votes are being counted accurately.

Those are comments that have come under criticism, that is the president is getting involved; of course, a federal official getting involved in these state elections. So, the president has all of this going on as he's coming here to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. But he's not going to be the only leader here in Paris that's facing problems at home. The French president is incredibly unpopular right now with his constituents. British Prime Minister Theresa May is facing this Brexit deadline that is fast approaching with seemingly no solution in hand. And of course, the German Chancellor Angela Merkel has announced she is not going to run for re-election. So, the president has a lot of problems that he's got going on back at home. He's going to be in Washington pretty quickly, but he's certain is going to be in good company while he's here in Paris.

PAUL: Kaitlan Collins, great wrap-up. Thank you.

BLACKWELL: All right, in a few hours, the Florida secretary of state will decide if there will be recounts in the races for Senate and for governor there. Now, that means it could take an entire month before those winners are declared.

PAUL: And then there's Georgia.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

PAUL: Uh-huh. The candidates for governor are going to have to wait until at least next week for any word on a recount there when all of the provisional votes are counted. Both states had been plagued by accusations of voting irregularities, tampering, and suppression.

BLACKWELL: Let's focus on Florida now, though, Correspondent Jessica Dean is in Lauderhill. Jessica, good morning to you and walk us through -- give us an idea of what will happen there today.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to both of you. There's a lot at pieces at play in here Florida. So, let's zoom out first and give you what's coming up first. We've got this noon deadline today, that's the most important piece in all of this. At noon, every county is expected to submit their unofficial vote count. And from there, the secretary of state's office can determine if it reaches that .05 percent margin in any race, that's what's going to trigger a recount. Now, that is expected in the governor's and senate race.

Now, if you got to narrow it from there, you come to where we are, in Broward County, near Fort Lauderdale, and this is the Broward County's supervisor's office for election, this is Brenda Snipes. There has so far been no criminal activity that the state has found. State law enforcement as they're not investigating criminal activity in this process. The department of state says they haven't had -- they haven't found any of that. But there have certainly been a lot of talks about incompetence surrounding all of this. And that's where this comes into play here in Broward County.

Brenda Snipes is the -- over all of the elections. There's concern about how these votes have been counted, where the votes have been, different provisional ballots. We were inside yesterday for a meeting with the canvassing board that went on for hours and hours where it was straight out of 2000. They were taking individual ballots and looking at bubbles versus checkmarks, voter intent, trying to discern if this was a valid vote, if that was a valid vote. So, they are certainly going through all of this with a fine-tooth comb.

And there are also lawsuits involved, a lot of lawsuits. We've got Rick Scott's campaign which has sued Brenda Snipes, and also the election supervisor in Palm Beach -- they have sued them over various pieces of all of this puzzle. There was a hearing yesterday in which the judge said to snipes that all of this information needed to be given to the Rick Scott campaign by 7:00 p.m. yesterday. Snipes said that that happened. The Scott campaign said they didn't get what they wanted. So, it's a lot of back and forth. But again, Victor and Christi, what we're looking at right now if you look at the big picture, we've got to get to noon today, and that's where we'll see where we go next.

PAUL: All right, and we will go somewhere next. Jessica Dean, thank you very much.

BLACKWELL: All right. So, let's go from the race in Florida to Arizona. And right now, in Arizona, Democratic Candidate Kyrsten Sinema has increased her lead over Republican competitor Martha McSally by more than 20,000 votes. So, here are the latest numbers: Sinema has 49.3; McSally there at 48.3 percent. That's with 84 percent of the votes therein certified.

[07:10:59] PAUL: Thousands of people are evacuating because homes and buildings are engulfed. Look at the latest pictures we have coming in from California. We're going to tell you what's going on with those massive wildfires that are still burning out of control this morning.

BLACKWELL: Plus, new details in the hush-money scheme surrounding President Trump and adult film star, Stormy Daniels. The key role, the Wall Street Journal reports then-candidate Trump played in coordinating the payments to women with whom he alleged had affairs with.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:15:34] BLACKWELL: This morning at least nine people are dead as three major wildfires rage out of control in California. In the north, the campfire has burned nearly 90,000 acres destroying homes and business in the town of Paradise.

PAUL: I want to take you to Southern California here, the Hill and Woolsey fires. Look at some of the images we're getting; nearly 100,000 residents have had to evacuate.

BLACKWELL: CNN's Kaylee Hartung is Oak Park, California. Kaylee, what are you seeing around here?

KAYLEE HARTUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Victor and Christ, you smell the fire long before you see the flames or the damage that it's left behind. The winds have been shifting nonstop, making these fires incredibly difficult to fight. The home behind me that's been destroyed, an example of just how indiscriminate the embers have been. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are evacuating Paradise, California. We can't even see -- we don't know where the fire is. So, please, please -- please pray for us that we get out of here OK. Oh, my god.

HARTUNG: A desperate drive out of the flames for one family escaping from the town of paradise. A town that's been almost wiped off the map by the large camp fire in Northern California.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hope mom's going to be all right. God, it's so hot.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know, baby. Hold on. See --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It will be all right. We just -- we'll be OK.

HARTUNG: The camp fire is one of three major wildfires roaring through California this morning. And it's being called the most destructive fire in state history with almost 7,000 structures gone in two days: Homes, schools, businesses, and more. The camp fire is also one of the deadliest wildfires according to state officials, killing at least nine people with dozens missing.

KEN PIMLOTT, CHIEF, CALFIRE: We are a long-ways from being out of the fire-fight. Right now, our focus is on life safety. There are active rescues continuing to go on all of these fires, and in particular the camp fire in Butte County.

HARTUNG: Two major fires in Southern California are just miles from the bar where 12 people were killed in a mass shooting in Thousand Oaks, and evacuations were ordered for nearby Malibu, the beachside city popular with celebrities. Singer, Cher tweeted: "I'm worried about my house, but there is nothing I can do. Friends' houses have burned. I can't bear the thought of there being no Malibu. I've had a house in Malibu by since 1972."

Lady Gaga also tweeted: "I'm thinking so deeply for everyone who's suffering today from these abominable fires and grieving the loss of their homes and loved ones. I'm sitting here with many of you wondering if my home will burst into flames. All we can do is pray together and for each other. God bless you." Meanwhile, that same fire threatening Malibu, the Woolsey fire, has burned down the Paramount Movie set in the Santa Monica mountains where parts of the T.V. series "West World" were filmed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL: Just to give you some insight into how urgent the situation is. Kaylee had to leave us, the police are telling her to get out of the area. So, we are just hoping here, she and the crew, everybody, stay safe there. But some of the images that we see -- I mean, look, can you imagine being in that car, that truck, and that's what you see trying to get out of that area? And wondering, when you're going to pass through it and finally open up to some clear skies. BLACKWELL: At some point, and I don't know if we can rerack this now,

and at some point, I want to hear the audio because I know what this woman is saying. Do we have that ability guys?

PAUL: It's so powerful. Can we do that?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Heavenly father, please help us. Please help us to be safe. I am thankful for Jeremy and his willingness to be brave.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: You know, every time I listen to an interview with this woman, earlier today, she said every time it got through -- and now you see it's daylight, right. You can't imagine while you're in it that this is the middle of the day.

PAUL: Right.

BLACKWELL: But every time they got past some flames, there was another -- there was another challenge. And I mean, it's a good thing they know this road, because you can barely see a few yards in front of you.

PAUL: No, absolutely, and they did obviously get out.

BLACKWELL: Yes, make it out.

PAUL: Fortunately, yes.

BLACKWELL: She said she lost her home, her relatives lost their homes.

PAUL: I think her in-laws. They're staying with their in-laws, because their in-laws were the only ones that still have a home standing.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

PAUL: CNN Meteorologist Allison Chinchar is with us now. And this is officially the most destructive wildfire in California history, yes?

[07:20:26] ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. And I want you to understand that superlative alone sounds impressive. But I want you to understand what the previous number one was and how far we have actually overcome that previous number one. The most destructive wildfire in California history had been the Tubbs Fire from just last year. That was 5,600 structures. We're now at 6,700. We beat the old one by over 1,000 structures. And keep in mind, these firefighters have not had a change to fully assess this entire area so that number may end up going up.

And the concern here going forward is the weather. It's really not going to cooperate. This is a look at today. We've got elevated and critical fire threats for both Northern California and Southern California. Meaning, you've got the strong winds, you've got those incredibly low humidities. Now, we will get a slight brake. We've got a little weak onshore flow for Southern California. This is going to give those firefighters the best chance they have in the next 72 hours to bring containment numbers up. Because starting tomorrow, we actually see that flow change.

And we're now going to go up to extreme fire threat in Southern California starting tomorrow as those winds begin to increase and it's going to be that very dry, hot air coming through. Which again, unfortunately, not only spreads the fires that are already currently there but can also trigger additional fires on top of what we already have. And the two main ones that we've been covering, this is the camp fire, this is the one that's in Northern California, basically between San Francisco and Redding. That's only at five percent contained right.

The Woolsey fire, that's the one in Southern California, just to northwest of Los Angeles. That is at zero percent contained, guys. Like I mentioned before, the key for those firefighters is really going to be the next 12 hours. That's going to be their best possible window to jump those containment numbers up before the winds come back.

PAUL: We hope they can do it, because you know how exhausted they have to be, already.

BLACKWELL: Yes, their shifts go very long. And there's a lot of work to do. Allison Chinchar, thank you very much.

Buying silence. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that federal prosecutors believe then-candidate Donald Trump personally directed the payment of hush-money silence to two women about their alleged affairs with him.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:27:16] PAUL: So glad to have you with us. 27 minutes past the hour, I'm Christi Paul.

BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. Good to be with you. New reports suggest that then-candidate Donald Trump was personally involved in the payment of hush money to adult film star, Stormy Daniels; and former Playboy model, Karen McDougal, during the 2016 campaign.

PAUL: CNN's M.J. Lee has the details on his alleged role in that scheme.

M.J. LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: New details implicating the president in two infamous hush payments. The Wall Street Journal reporting that during the 2016 campaign, Donald Trump closely coordinated with American Media, INC., Chairman, David Pecker, to silence two women who claimed they had affairs with Trump. Federal prosecutors, according to the journal, had enough evidence to outline Trump's role without naming him in an 80-page draft indictment of Michael Cohen. Trump reportedly asked Pecker to kill a story involving Playboy model, Karen McDougal. She claims to have had a long-running affair with Trump. KAREN MCDOUGAL, MODEL, PLAYBOY: Maybe if he weren't married, I

wouldn't have regret because he treated me very kind, he was very respectful as I told you. It was a good relationship while it happens. Now, had I known at the time there were supposedly all these other women, no, I wouldn't have been in the relationship.

LEE: Trump was involved in or briefed on nearly every step of the agreements, according to the journal. He directed deals and phone calls and meetings with his self-described fixer, Michael Cohen and others.

MICHAEL COHEN, FORMER ATTORNEY FOR DONALD TRUMP: I'm obviously very loyal and very dedicated to Mr. Trump.

LEE: Cohen pleaded guilty to eight criminal counts in August, including two counts of campaign finance violations. Cohen told the court that it was at Trump's direction that he facilitated the secret payments. Prosecutors said Cohen coordinated with one or more members of the campaign and there's this secret recording obtained by CNN in July.

COHEN: I need to open up a company for the transfer of all of that info regarding our friend David. So that -- I'm going to do that right away. I've actually come --

TRUMP: Give it to me.

COHEN: I've spoken to Allen Weisselberg about how to set the whole thing up with --

TRUMP: So, what are we going to do?

COHEN: Funding -- yes. And it's -- all of the stuff. All of the stuff, because you never know where that company, you never know what he's --

TRUMP: Maybe he gets hit by a truck.

COHEN: Correct. So, I'm all over that. And I spoke to Allen about it. When it comes time for the financing, which will be --

TRUMP: what financing?

COHEN: Well, I have to -- pay.

TRUMP: Pay with cash.

COHEN: No. No, no, no.

LEE: Showing Cohen and Trump discussing a payment to McDougal. CNN has reported that Trump was also personally involved in silencing Daniels, who also claims to have had a sexual encounter with Trump.

STORMY DANIELS, TRUMP ACCUSER: My attorney and I are committed to making sure that everyone finds out the truth, and the facts of what happened and I give my word that we will not rest until that happens. [07:30:03] LEE: The new details of Trump's intimate involvement

clashing with previous denials from the president and the White House.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, did you know about the $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Then why, why did Michael Cohen make this, if there was no truth to her allegations?

TRUMP: You'll have to ask Michael Cohen.

SARAH SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president has denied these allegations, and I don't have anything else further to add on that --

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEE: A source close to Cohen, tells CNN that Cohen was just doing his job and protecting his client. Meanwhile, Stormy Daniels' lawyer Michael Avenatti, reacted that all of this is just further vindication that he and his client were right, all of this happening as Cohen is meeting with various investigators and awaits the sentencing in December. M.J. Lee, CNN, New York.

BLACKWELL: All right, let's talk now. Joining me now, reporter and co-author of POLITICO Playbook, Daniel Lippman. And former U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, Michael Moore. Welcome back to both of you.

MICHAEL MOORE, FORMER UNITED STATES ATTORNEY, MIDDLE DISTRICT OF GEORGIA: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: So, let's start. I want to get to the hush money reporting in a moment, but I've got a U.S. attorney in front of me. So, I want to start with this new acting Attorney General.

And let's put up on the screen this op-ed that was co-written by George Conway, husband of counsel to the president Kellyanne Conway. In which title there is Trump's Appointment of the Acting Attorney General is unconstitutional. On the question of constitutionality, where do you stand?

MOORE: You know, that's a -- it's a great question, and I think there's a general debate about it. The bottom line is there has to be determination in the law whether or not the Attorney General is a principal officer. And if so, then that requires Senate confirmation. That's essentially what did the op-ed said.

So, there's a reason for that, it's so people can look at somebody's background. Determine if they have the character, and the experience, and the decision-making ability to leave the Department of Justice or to be in a cabinet position. And that was just skated in this case. And the problem with that is it makes everything that he does or everything that could happen under his watch questionable. So, I think it's a great point they bring out -- you know. They have -- we've had people debate before about recess appointments and these other things where they try to get their insiders into the game. This looks like a pretty clear move by the president to get somebody in who's -- who sees the Mueller investigation, his way.

So, Senate confirmation is obviously something that we think should have happened.

BLACKWELL: So, Daniel, more than op-eds, and commentary, and debates is there any credible challenge that's coming from members of Senate, from anyone who potentially will have standing in a case of challenging the appointment?

DANIEL LIPPMAN, REPORTER AND CO-AUTHOR, PLAYBOOK, POLITICO: Yes, you've already seen some Democrats say they're going to sue the president to block this. I think, Senator Blumenthal from Connecticut raised that point. But I don't know how long Whitaker is going to be in this job. He has admitted he doesn't know either.

And so, if Trump decides on putting in Chris Christie or Rudy Giuliani, that would be a very controversial pick. But, maybe Alex Azar or Acosta, the labor secretary.

Then, you could subvert that and this Whitaker episode which is pretty controversial for Trump. Given that he said he doesn't even know his own acting Attorney General, then, that might get in the rearview mirror.

BLACKWELL: Yes, that's what he said this month. Last month, he said not only do I know him, he's actually a great guy. And it really doesn't make sense to say that you don't know the person you just appointed to be the acting A.G.

LIPPMAN: He's been in the Oval Office.

BLACKWELL: Yes. And you know, the other element is that CNN's reporting and other outlets is that Whitaker has been to the White House dozens of times including in meetings with the president, they've spoken by phone.

One more on Whitaker before we move onto this hush-money element. Yesterday, Michael, a federal appellate court judge ordered the special counsel Robert Mueller and the attorneys who are working to challenge a subpoena issued by Mueller to explain how Sessions resignation and this appointment of Whitaker could impact their case. Do you see how that the switch could impact their case?

MOORE: You know, I think at some point, the fear is that Whitaker could try to shut down the investigation by narrowing the scope of Mueller's authority. He could try to do it by some budget moves to cut the funding for the office. And so, they maybe look at that point to determine whether or not the Attorney General -- the acting Attorney General.

Now, if he takes over the investigation, will he, in fact, curtailed Mueller's activities and did this subpoena. Perhaps, go beyond what the court -- where the court thought it should have gone.

So, that may be one way before we get into whether or not the subpoena's in force. So, I think there are several moves we can -- we could see. I mean, Whitaker could do it, of course, like you say. I mean this guy's -- you know, the -- weather he's known by the president, not known by the president.

You know, whether he stays, whether he goes. We just don't -- we don't know yet and I imagine the courts who are looking at, enforcing various aspects of the investigation are in the same quandary we are.

[07:35:03] BLACKWELL: Alright. Daniel, let's talk about the hush- money reporting from The Wall Street Journal. Saying that the president, according to this extended indictment that was actually pared down by a great percentage.

Said that the president actually was involved step by step took a personal role in the direction of these payments to women who with whom he allegedly had affairs.

The president has seemed to have not suffered any consequence during this entire saga. From the initial reporting through what we're seeing today. Is this different?

LIPPMAN: You know, it might be. If it leads to a potential criminal charges, or if it there are legal consequences to this. You know the Wall Street Journal's talked about how Trump directed Cohen to get it done.

And if Trump was not president, you can guarantee that prosecutors would likely charge someone who had committed this. Because you know, the rule of law should apply to everyone and we don't -- there's a reason we have campaign finance laws in the first place, which is to prevent people from just spending hundreds of thousands of dollars or telling their friends to do so to help a campaign. That is just -- and without disclosure, then, no one knows exactly who is influencing our elections.

BLACKWELL: So, Michael, of course, I want you to weigh in on this. Does this get to the point from your perspective? Does it get to a point of charging potentially a former president? Where does this go based on what has been reported?

MOORE: You know, campaign finance violations aren't often the priority for the Department of Justice in moving forward. And what happens is it's the cover-up for the attempt to cover up what went on that leads to criminal charges or leads to a bigger problem. And I think, that's the problem Trump has.

I mean, every time he opens his mouth, he sort of end up in this cesspool of untruth. And that's why I think his lawyers are afraid for him to talk to Mueller. That's why -- you know, they didn't want him deposed, and they have a knotty case, the Stormy Daniels' case. Because it would be the attempt to cover up and the lies to effectuate that cover-up because of a bigger problem. And I think that's what ultimately we might see lead to his downfall. BLACKWELL: All right. Daniel Lippman, Michael Moore. Thank you both.

MOORE: Thank you.

LIPPMAN: Thank you.

PAUL: Well, stay with us because we're talking about the two mass shootings in just two weeks, which means families now, they've had it. They want tougher gun control. Joining us to talk about it, North Carolina State House Representative Christy Clark. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Mortgage rates ticked up quite a bit this week. Here is your look.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:42:12] PAUL: 42 minutes past the hour. Two mass shootings in just two weeks. And now, there are families of those victims of the Thousand Oaks massacre who want tougher gun control. All of this is happening while there's this new CDC study that is out now, finding that gun-related deaths are on the rise in the U.S.

North Carolina District 98 State House Representative Christy Clark, with us now. She's one of the Moms Demand Action volunteers. And she won, was elected to office just this week. Congratulations. I need to say to you, as well.

And also with us, a reporter for ProPublica, Lois Beckett. Lois, good to have you here, also. Lois, by the way, was on the scene for the March for Our Lives.

Christy, I want to reference article in The New York in The New Yorker. It was back in March 2018 after Parkland. And here's what they said then. They said, "Is this the moment when the politics of guns shift? This moment does feel different, largely because the teenage survivors of the Parkland shooting have commanded the national stage with their raw and righteous indignation."

This is when they thought things were going to change. Let's fast forward to just the last three weeks. October 24th, two people die at a shooting at a Kroger in Kentucky. October 27th, three days later, 11 people die in Pennsylvania at a synagogue. On November 2nd, two people died in a Florida yoga studio shooting. And then, just this week, November 8, 12 people are dead in California because of the Borderline Bar shooting.

That's 27 people in three weeks. I know that its leader of the North Carolina chapter of Moms Demand Action. You were talking to a lot of legislators at the time. Now that you are one, how do you argue differently to have a different consequence for this now?

REP. CHRISTY CLARK (D), NORTH CAROLINA: Well, you know, gun violence has become a public health crisis. And so, when we're at the legislative table, we have to remember these are real lives and real people being impacted, and that it's on us as representative to do every single thing we can do to stop gun violence.

We need to keep our children and family safe and their communities. And that means making significant changes to our laws that can keep them away from the people who are a danger to themselves and to others.

PAUL: But how do you argue that differently that argument has been made? Nothing has been changed since March of 2018 with Parkland. And then, we're seeing all of this. As a legislator, can you do anything differently?

CLARK: What we can do is bring in the survivors of gun violence and have them testify on what it's like to lose a family member, or be personally impacted by gun violence. And because I'm connected to them through my experience with Moms Demand Action, they will be at the forefront of the conversation when I am in the legislature. And it is imperative that we do something about gun violence in this state, and around the country.

[07:45:06] PAUL: The question is if the NRA here is listening as well, Lois, I want to read to you an article that was published by the American College of Physicians. Saying, the gun violence, "Is a public health crisis that requires the nation's immediate attention."

The NRA reacted to that in a tweet this week. Saying, "Someone should tell self-important anti-gun doctors to stay in their lane. Most upsetting, however, the medical community seems to have consulted no one but, themselves."

Let's listen to a trauma surgeon as he reacted to what the NRA had to say there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSEPH SAKRAN, TRAUMA SURGEON, JOHN HOPKINS HOSPITAL: For a group to simply dismiss the medical community, that is on the frontline of taking care of these patients is absolutely unacceptable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: I know you've talked to people on both sides of this debate. Is there a space for gun rights advocates and the medical community to remedy this?

LOIS BECKETT, REPORTER PROPUBLICA: That nothing has -- Parkland. But that's not true. Nothing may have happened in Congress. But on the state levels, states across the country, red states, and blue states are passing laws, and in some case, bipartisan laws.

One of the real areas of progress with that we've seen. Where we've seen some conservatives, doctors, medical professionals, gun violence prevention advocates, all agree is on these extreme risk protection orders or gun violence restraining orders. These red flag laws. These have passed in eight states since Parkland, including in Florida. And the idea is that law enforcement officials or family members should have a way to petition a court if someone that they know seems dangerous to temporarily take away their guns or block them from buying guns in this moment of crisis.

In this gap where someone is clearly disturbed but there may not be enough evidence to have them. And they may not meet the standard to be involuntarily committed. So, we are really seeing progress. And I think we talked a lot about this being gun rights versus gun control. The NRA versus gun control groups.

But the real tension here is between people who feel hopeless, but there's nothing to be done. And the people who are working to take action. And so, the real enemy here is not one group or the other. The real enemy is the feeling that there's nothing we can do to prevent this because there is.

PAUL: Why would the NRA though dismiss somebody who's on the front lines to this?

BECKETT: I think in a lot of the media conversation around this, there's often a demonization of gun owners. There's certainly a demonization of the NRA. That these are people who don't care if children die, that they love guns more than their children. This is just not the case. I talk to gun owners and NRA members all the time. And this -- the rhetoric in this debate that they are the enemy is not helpful.

I think doctors absolutely have a role to play here, but one of the things that I hear from some doctors and researchers is it's important for them to be educated in gun culture. It's important for them to be, and this is true whatever they're doing as doctors. But able to understand where people are coming from, and understand the specifics and the context in which people are owning weapons in the United States. And that is a way that there can be a more effective conversation.

PAUL: OK.

BECKETT: We, as journalists also --

PAUL: I'm sorry, Christy. Christy Clark and Lois Beckett, we've run out of time. Thank you both so much for being with us.

BECKETT: Thank you.

CLARK: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: All right, coming up. Former First Lady Michelle Obama's highly anticipated memoir is out next week, and it's already stirring up some controversy. Tales of motherhood, marriage, troubles, and why she will never forgive President Trump. We'll talk about that ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [07:51:22] BLACKWELL: Millions of Americans suffer from irritable bowel syndrome, and studies are finding mental health therapy is providing some relief.

PAUL: Yes, at this week's "STAYING WELL".

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Kevin Yu, suffered for years with irritable bowel syndrome. A condition marked by stomach pain, diarrhea, constipation, or alternating between both.

KEVIN YU, SENIOR PRODUCT MANAGER, AMAZON: Only times that I really felt OK was either when I was sleeping or sleeping on the toilet.

COHEN: Yu, went to G.I. doctors who tried traditional treatments from over-the-counter drugs to diet changes, nothing worked.

YU: My doctors told me, "Kevin, we want to try something new with you."

COHEN: They sent him to a psychiatrist who prescribed an antidepressant. Then, he started seeing a health psychologist who diagnosed him with anxiety disorder and depression.

YU: She actually helped me realize that the stomach wasn't a source of my problems. I was under a tremendous amount of stress.

COHEN: After six weeks of talk therapy that included deep breathing and meditation, Kevin says his symptoms were virtually gone.

YU: One of the biggest takeaways was how you carry your anxiety, and how you carry your stress.

LAURIE KEEFER, HEALTH PSYCHOLOGIST, MT. SINAI SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: We have a lot of nerves in our guts that are messaging the brain about what's happening.

COHEN: Studies have found that mental health therapy has helped thousands of patients recover from IBS.

KEEFER: They learn to think in ways that were more helpful and less worrisome. They're really working on solving problems in a more flexible way.

YU: My psychiatrist and my psychologist helped give me my life back.

COHEN: Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: "STAYING WELL", brought to you by Bayer Aspirin. Learn more at bayeraspirin.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [07:55:01] PAUL: In this week's "PART UNKNOWN", we're staying Anthony Bourdain's personal journey through a formally bohemian New York neighborhood.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the New York City of the 70s, nearly bankrupt riddled with corruption. The Lower Eastside, particularly, Alphabet City was left to fend for itself.

Huge swaths of it abandoned, ruined, or simply empty. Much of it became an open-air supermarket for drugs. Whole blocks taken over by organized drug gangs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Watch Anthony Bourdain's "PARTS UNKNOWN" Sunday at 9:00 Eastern, only on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)