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New Day Sunday
CNN Poll: Sanders Leads, Buttigieg Gains Momentum In New Hampshire; At Least 26 Dead, 57 Wounded After Soldier Goes On Mall Rampage; Six New Cases Found On Quarantined Cruise Ship In Japan; "L.A. Times" Interview Discussed Bryant's Family Life With Four Daughters; Source: Some Republican Senators Urged White House Not To Fire Gordon Sondland; Academy Awards Handed Out Tonight In Hollywood. Aired 7-8a ET
Aired February 09, 2020 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[07:00:01]
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Wow.
CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: Allison, thank you so much.
Back in a moment. Here we come.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The final two and a half days now until the New Hampshire primary. Today, it seems the Democratic candidates are running for president against each other.
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He's a great mayor. But guess what? He was a mayor.
SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Bernie and I are friends. I appreciate his service. But I don't think he should lead the ticket.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At least two U.S. troops are dead and six more wounded after a firefight in Eastern Afghanistan. The U.S. military says reports indicate that someone wearing an Afghan uniform opened fire on U.S. and Afghan forces with a machine gun.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The death toll from the Wuhan coronavirus spiked today. The death toll from this virus has now surpassed the total number of people who died during the SARS epidemic. At least 805 people died from the virus worldwide, including the first American fatality.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY WEEKEND with Victor Blackwell and Christi Paul.
BLACKWELL: Good to be with you this Sunday. And that was just two days from the first primary in the season.
And Senator Bernie Sanders is holding on to a lead in New Hampshire.
PAUL: Yes, according to a new CNN poll, he has the support of 28 percent of Democratic voters in the state.
Former mayor, Pete Buttigieg, close second with 21 percent followed by former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Elizabeth Warren.
BLACKWELL: After a disappointing finish in Iowa, Biden appears to be changing his strategy. Yesterday, he ramped up his attack with this ad against Pete Buttigieg.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AD ANNOUNCER: When President Obama called on him, Joe Biden helped lead the passage of the Affordable Care Act, which gave health care to 20 million people. When park-goers called on Pete Buttigieg, he installed decorative lights under bridges, giving citizens of South Bend colorfully illuminated rivers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: So the message there is clear.
CNN Political Correspondent, Abby Philip is in Manchester.
Abby, the former vice president is changing the strategy and he's not doing it exclusively in digital ads. He's more pointed face to face with voters.
ABBY PHILLIP, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. On the stump here, we've heard a completely different tone from Joe Biden, when it comes to Pete Buttigieg. His campaign has made a clear calculation that Buttigieg is the person to stop here, particularly because they're appealing to some of the same voters, people who are looking to alternatives to the more progressive candidates in Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.
But all of this has called into question whether or not Joe Biden is using the same kind of arguments against Pete Buttigieg that the people used against Barack Obama back in 2008. Some of Obama's opponents in that race said that he was inexperienced and he did not have the experience that was necessary to be commander-in-chief.
And here's how Joe Biden responds to that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: This guy is not a Barack Obama. Barack Obama had been United States senator of a really large state. Barack Obama had laid out a clear vision what he thought the international society should look like and what the order should be. Barack Obama had laid out in detail what he thought should happen with regard to the economy. Barack Obama inherited the worst recession in the history of America short of depression, new coming into it and what -- and laid out what he's going to do about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIP: Now, the Buttigieg campaign has responded to Biden by basically saying that Biden is belittling the experiences of people who live in towns and cities across America, belittling the work of mayors across the country.
But the Biden campaign says that this is about who is ready to be president, not who is ready to be the best mayor. And they're not making any commentary about Buttigieg as a mayor. It really does reflect that Joe Biden really needs to change his strategy or at least they believe they need to change their strategy in order to gain more traction here.
His aides have been lowering expectations not just for New Hampshire, but also for Nevada. And they've been pointing to South Carolina as the place where we can expect Joe Biden to make a big stand once that electorate gets more diverse, Victor.
BLACKWELL: Abby Phillip for us there in Manchester -- thank you, Abby.
PAUL: Thanks, Abby.
So, half of Democratic voters in New Hampshire already stand on a candidate firmly that they like. The other half, they still don't know what they're going to do. So, this primary is still anybody's race at the end of the day.
CNN's Harry Enten tells us why Tuesday is so important.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL WRITER AND ANALYST: Shalom, good weekend and good Shabbos to you all.
We're going to talk here about the New Hampshire primary. So, let's take a look at where we are right now.
[07:05:02]
This is my polling average and what see is that Bernie Sanders is out in front with 26 percent. Pete Buttigieg, who is rising in the polls following Iowa, 20 percent. Joe Biden falling back at 14. Elizabeth Warren at 13.
But I'll tell you this much, we really don't know what's going to happen in New Hampshire and why is that? Take a look at this poll question in which we asked the people firmly decided on the candidate or open to a different candidate or they don't have a particular first choice. We see that 49 percent of likely voters in New Hampshire, Democratic voters, say they are firmly decided on a candidate.
The majority in a Monmouth University poll say that they aren't in fact open to another candidate. They don't have a first choice. Let's get a little bit more into New Hampshire. Why is it that New
Hampshire matters? Here are the delegates up for grabs. Well, only 24 up for grabs. Now that out of the total pledged delegates, 3,979 and 1,990. Twenty-four is just a small piece of the pie. It's not very large at all.
So, it's not delegates for why New Hampshire matters. Indeed, another reason why we shouldn't think it matters much at all. Look at how different New Hampshire is as a whole in terms of the ethnicity, 95 percent of likely New Hampshire primary vote remembers white compared to, nationally, potential Democratic primary voters, only 57 percent of them are white. There are pretty much no black people or Hispanic people in the Democratic electorate in New Hampshire.
But here, take a look here. This is why New Hampshire natters. If we look at the finishes among Democrats since 1972, the eventual nominee either finished first or second among all of them. And indeed, for someone like a Buttigieg, New Hampshire really matters, because he needs a bounce getting out of there, because Nevada, the next contest, he's only 7 percent. In South Carolina, he's only 5 percent. And nationally, he's at 9 percent.
And here I think is also very, very important. Look at this, the New Hampshire primary is celebrating it's 100th anniversary of being a nation in primary. So, New Hampshire, if we tell you why it natters so much, it matters not because of the number of delegates at stake. It matters because of the momentum you might get coming out of the first in the nation primary.
Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLACKWELL: Harry Enten, thank you so much.
Joining me now, political -- national political reporter for "The Boston Globe", Jazmine Ulloa, and Dante Scala, professor of political science at the university of New Hampshire.
Good morning to you, Dante. I have to make sure after the technical issue in the first hour, can you hear me?
DANTE SCALA, AUTHOR, "STORMY WEATHER: THE NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIMARY AND PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS": Yes. Good morning.
BLACKWELL: Excellent. Good. Good morning to both of you.
I want to start with this new ad from the former vice president going after former mayor Pete Buttigieg. And I want you to hear what he said about going after his opponent. This was May of 2019.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: You will never hear me speak ill of another Democratic candidate. And there's a simple reason for that. We have to be in a position, whomever the nominee is, to be able to win. (END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: He's now going back on that. Dante, any indication of why, specifically in New Hampshire, based on how much you know of the electorate there, that the vice president is struggling?
SCALA: Yes. I think the big problem for Joe Biden here in New Hampshire is electability. New Hampshire Democrats were favorably disposed to Joe Biden. They like Joe Biden. And if Joe Biden had done well in Iowa, had won the state, I think a lot of New Hampshire Democrats would have said, OK, it's Joe and would have gone with him over Bernie Sanders.
But I think their confidence in Biden is shaken because of how poorly things went in Iowa and now Biden has to resort to trying to stop Pete Buttigieg from becoming the alternative to Bernie Sanders here in New Hampshire.
BLACKWELL: Jasmine, let me come to you, because what the vice president suggested in May was that those comments could damage and an eventual nominee. And if Pete Buttigieg is the nominee of the Democratic Party, we could hear this in the fall.
Let's remember this from the day that then Senator Biden joined Senator Obama as his running mate, this is what we saw from the McCain campaign.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AD ANNOUNCER: What does Barack Obama's running mates say about Barack Obama?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You were asked, is he ready? You said I think he can be ready but right now, I don't believe he is. The presidency is not something that lends itself to on-the-job training.
BIDEN: I think I stand by the statement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Now, of course, Senator Obama went on to become President Obama and Senator Biden, Vice President Biden.
How damaging at the end of the day are the comments and what happened in the primary, Jazmine?
JAZMINE ULLOA, NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER, BOSTON GLOBE: Yes. I think that's going to be difficult to say. He's been confronted with that. Just yesterday he held a sort of impromptu press conference with reporters on that pushing back against his criticism of -- people criticizing him for criticizing Pete Buttigieg saying, hey, I'm not -- I'm not -- I'm just trying to -- I'm sorry. I'm not trying to criticize him. I'm trying to defend my record and defend my -- his distortion of my record.
BLACKWELL: Yes. Usually, the way they frame this is we're drawing contrast. These aren't attack ads. We're showing you the differences between our campaigns.
Dante, to you. This was a question I attempted in the first hour when we had the audio issue. We know that Sanders, Bernie Sanders, who's leading the polls in what we've seen over the last 72 hours, won in 2016 against Hillary Clinton. If he wins again, it's not just New Hampshire winner wins New Hampshire. You say specifically there are areas that could indicate based on how much he wins or how he wins his strength moving forward.
Explain that.
SCALA: Yes. So Bernie Sanders, we expect him to do very well in college towns like where I teach at UNH in Durham, Dartmouth College up in Hanover, perhaps. Among progressive voters and then in his backyard basically on the western edge of New Hampshire, in the Connecticut River Valley. He could eek out a win that way.
But what I'm looking for is can he build a broader coalition, will affluent, suburban, well-educated voters decide to go for Bernie Sanders? And that will give us an indication down the road whether Sanders can build a broader coalition that will win him the nomination or is he going to be engaged in a struggle with one or more candidates going all the way through the winter and the spring to the convention?
BLACKWELL: Now, we heard from Abby Phillip earlier and from Harry Enten, 51 percent according to the new CNN poll of respondents have decided on a candidate. That means you've got nearly half of people there in New Hampshire who have not decided.
Jazmine, to you, you're watching the ground game. Who is best position to exploit that still persuadable group?
ULLOA: Yes. I mean, the ground game -- the ground game is going to be critical here. I think Sanders, Warren, Buttigieg have all been expanding their operations here for months. I think Sanders and Warren have 17 field offices alone.
I think -- I keep hearing that Warren has an impressive ground game and, you know, the sense that I've been getting from voters is that a lot of people feel undecided. One man put it to me yesterday, there's a paradox of choice, there's too many choices. They don't know who is the best one to go against Trump.
BLACKWELL: Yes, expect that, possibly, that number will narrow after Tuesday night. We'll see.
Jazmine Ulloa, Dante Scala, thank you both.
SCALA: You're welcome.
BLACKWELL: And be sure to watch "STATE OF THE UNION" with Jake Tapper. Senator Bernie Sanders, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Tom Perez, chair of the DNC, all on the show. That's "STATE OF THE UNION" with Jake Tapper today at 9:00 a.m. Eastern, only on CNN.
PAUL: So, two Americans and one Afghan soldier are dead after an attack in a base in Eastern Afghanistan. A military spokesman says someone in an Afghan uniform began firing machine gun on combined U.S. and Afghan forces.
BLACKWELL: The six U.S. service members were also injured in the attack. There are 13,000 U.S. troops currently serving Afghanistan fighting terrorist groups and assisting local forces in the country.
Still ahead, a 12-hour search and standoff, it's now over in Thailand. A man killed 26 people, authorities say, at a busy shopping mall there. We now know an argument over money may have sparked the shooting. A live report is coming up.
Plus, why the coronavirus outbreak may be one of the worst in 15 years and how passengers on a quarantined cruise ship are coping with being stuck on board for days.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:18:13]
PAUL: It's 18 minutes past the hour.
And police in Thailand have killed a soldier who went on a shooting rampage.
Listen to this.
And can you imagine how terrified the people must be. You hear the gunshots. The authorities say the gunman killed at least 26 people, wounded 57 others in a standoff in a crowded mall.
BLACKWELL: Yes, they also say he was arguing with his superior officer before he started shooting.
CNN's Kristi Lu Stout joins us now.
How were police able to end the standoff?
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Yes, after a 12-hour standoff, they were able to end it involving the military as well as police forces. We know that the shooter was dangerous. He was well- armed. He had a machine gun. He had ammo. He had two hand guns.
We've also learned that he's a skilled marksman who won competitions. Earlier today, we heard from the prime minister of Thailand, he said it was an argument over money, over a land commission fee that triggered the mass shooting and started at a military base and ended at a shopping mall.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STOUT (voice-over): Terrified shoppers run out of the mall. It was a calm day turned deadly in one of Thailand's largest cities. Nakhon Ratchasima also known as Korat City is where a Thai soldier opened fire at Terminal 21 mall, killing at least 26 people. Hours after the rampage began, images on social media showed people
sprinting across the mall as heavily armed Thai police and military evacuated them.
Jon Fielding, an English teacher, was inside the mall during the shooting.
[07:20:00]
JON FIELDING, ENGLISH TEACHER: I was just in the mall with a friend. Everything was completely normal and then all of a sudden everyone started running and shouting and panicking. (INAUDIBLE) immediate reaction is to duck down and hide. And everyone was running into shops and restaurants and barricading the doors.
And, luckily, we were in a restaurant so we went inside and shut the door. It's a huge mall, really busy. There must be thousands of people in the mall.
STOUT: The tragic event unfolded in real-time as security forces published images on social media giving instructions for people trapped in the building to get out. Emergency workers live-streamed their rescue efforts as they were taking victims on stretchers out of the building.
ANUTIN CHARNVIRAKUL, THAI PUBLIC HEALTH MINISTER (through translator): We have been trying to bring out whoever we can. And we will gradually save others who are still stuck inside.
STOUT: Thailand's defense ministry spokesman said the suspect, Army Sergeant Major First Class Jakapanth Thomma, shot and killed his superior. And then went around shooting his colleagues.
After he escaped from his quarters, he drove to the mall and started shooting civilians.
Thailand's prime minister said the rampage was caused by an argument the gunman had with a colleague over a land selling commission fee. Facebook said in a statement, it had removed the suspected gunman's page, although there was no evidence of violent videos.
We are working around the clock to remove any violating content related to this attack, the statement said. Our hearts go out to the victims, their families and the community affected by this tragedy in Thailand.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STOUT: This mass shooting took the lives of 26 people and wounded 57 others. We'll bring up for you live a vigil happening right now in Thailand as people mourn the deaths of these individuals.
We also have an update on those wounded. According to the prime minister of Thailand, 57 people were wounded, including one undergoing liver surgery and two others undergoing brain surgery and we'll continue to monitor their condition. And, Victor and Christi, also wanted to add that in this operation to
end this horrific shooting spree, the police tried to convince the shooter to turn himself in multiple times. They even brought in his mother to convince him to stand down. And authorities said at the end, they had to confront the gunman to save the people who are being held inside.
And this saga ended when the gunman himself, after 12 hours, was shot dead by police.
Back to you.
PAUL: Can you imagine his mother? Trying to talk him down.
Kristie Lu Stout, thank you so much.
So, we now know the coronavirus has killed more people than the SARS outbreak did nearly two decades ago, around the world.
Let's get some numbers for you. First of all, 800 people have died, that includes a U.S. citizen in China. And there are more than 37,000 cases globally.
BLACKWELL: Most of the cases, the vast majority of the cases and deaths are in China. But coronavirus has also spread to more than two dozen countries around the world.
Good news for roughly 3,600 people stuck on a cruise ship in Hong Kong since Wednesday. They were finally allowed off the World Dream ship. Not a world dream. After everyone tested negative -- did I catch you off guard?
PAUL: No. Go ahead.
BLACKWELL: For coronavirus.
PAUL: Of which I do not have, just to answer any questions, because I know I'm coughing.
A much different situation though for people on a cruise ship docked in Japan, six new cases of the virus have been found on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, bringing the total number of cases on board to 70.
You know the people are saying, can I get off the ship?
BLACKWELL: So many days there.
PAUL: CNN's Matt Rivers is in Yokohama, Japan.
So, being stuck on that ship, I mean, Matt, that has got to be taking a toll on these people.
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and we've been talking to them for several days and they say that in some cases, it feels like they're on a floating prison. Japanese health officials, though, point to the growing number of cases and say, look, this quarantine period that we have imposed for these people, basically, they're not allowed to get off the ship, it's crucial. What it's done is made day-to-day life on the ship one of boredom, monotony, and tension.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RIVERS (voice-over): An early morning takeoff, and a flight to see the Diamond Princess, the ship where dozens of people have been diagnosed with the coronavirus. Passengers on board under mandatory quarantine until February 19th.
(on camera): The ship is actually returning to harbor. It was out of the harbor for about 24 hours to take care of some maintenance issues, including the production of freshwater. You have to think that for the people on board, it had the added effective of maybe breaking up some of the monotony that has come to define like on board the ship.
[07:25:06]
(voice-over): People below saw our helicopter flying around.
Rose Yerex even one shot on the cell phone. We asked her and her husband to show us the cabin.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Small mini-fridge on the right. Desk on the left. Swing around, there's Rose. You can see there sure isn't much space in here.
ROSE YEREX, QUARANTINED ON 'DIAMOND PRINCESS": It's the hard things, being stuck in a small room. But we're keeping ourselves occupied from watching movies and reading books.
RIVERS: Breakfast dropped off at the door each morning. Yesterday, they were allowed out on deck for an hour, masks on. At least two meters apart from others. It's all part of the quarantine.
Health officials say it's the only way to stop the virus from spreading further. Some on board say it's like being in a cage.
MATTHEW SMITH, QUARANTINED ON "DIAMOND PRINCESS": The time I really sense is when the crew comes by and knocks on the door to hand you your food and then the doors close as though somehow it's feeding of the zoo animals.
RIVERS: Matthew Smith says he gets it but praises the action of the cruise company and the government. He feels the quarantine will work and is a good idea. Even as others on board have said they're scared of catching the disease and have asked to get off.
SMITH: I think they could avoid that fear if they were a little more rational. But I understand it's a stressful situation for everybody.
RIVERS: Despite some people wanting off, the Japanese government said there is no chance the quarantine will end before February 19th. Tests will continue. Anyone diagnosed will be taken off. If you're not sick, prepare for your room to be disinfected and settle in. YEREX: And they're really, really looking forward to being able to
get home.
RIVERS (on camera): As we watch this ship dock in the harbor, it's strange to think that the passengers on board won't be able to get off. They're so close to land and yet, so far away from being able to be on it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RIVERS: There's some 428 Americans on board this ship. Some who have publicly called to the State Department to get involved to try and get them off the ship and serve their quarantine period on land here in Japan. But the Japanese Defense Ministry said they've talked to the U.S. government and officials agree with what the Japanese government is doing.
And so, despite those requests, Christi and Victor, it appears the Americans and everybody else on board will be serving out this quarantine period on board until February 19th.
PAUL: Wow.
BLACKWELL: Matt Rivers, February 19th -- thank you.
PAUL: So, one of the final interviews that Kobe Bryant gave before his tragic death, that's straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:31:55]
PAUL: Thirty-one minutes past the hour.
Good morning to you.
Listen, this morning, "The L.A. Times" has released an audio from its final interview with Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. It's likely one of the last in-depth interviews he gave before he and his daughter and seven others died in that helicopter crash last month.
BLACKWELL: Kobe's love for his daughters shines in this 17-minute long interview from October. He talks about being his daughter's coach and creating a legacy championing women's sports and why he'd rather be at home than at a Lakers game.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
KOBE BRYANT, NBA LEGEND: It's not that I don't want to go.
UNIDENTIFEID MALE: Yes.
BRYANT: I'd rather be giving be B.B. a shower.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I get it. You're a father.
BRYANT: Barney songs are the favorite. You know what I'm saying?
I have gone through 20 years and the majority of my career with my kids and Natalie and Gianna without being able to have that consistently. So for me to make a trip to the Staples Center, that means I'm missing the opportunity to spend another night with my kids.
I know how fast it goes. Natalie is 16. You know what I'm saying? It's like Gianna is 13, right? So that time came and went.
So I want to make sure that the days I'm away from them at least, I absolutely have -- I'd rather just be hanging with them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: Now, a memorial service for Kobe Bryant and his daughters will be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles February 24th. Kobe Bryant's widow Vanessa says it's a symbolic date, incorporating Kobe and Gianna's jersey numbers, as well as the numbers that Kobe was with the Lakers.
Now, sources tell CNN a group of Republican senators asked the White House not to fire E.U. Ambassador Gordon Sondland. It included Senators Susan Collins, Thom Tillis, Ron Johnson, Martha McSally.
BLACKWELL: According to "The New York Times", they were concerned the move would look bad for the president and it was unnecessary, since Sondland considered leaving after the trial anyway.
PAUL: CNN's Sarah Westwood following the very latest.
So, it's interesting, the timing of this, Sarah, because the president seems to be ignoring Republican allies, allies who helped make sure that he was not impeached.
SARAH WESTWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: That's right, allies that he spent earlier this week in a speech thanking them. But these Republican senators advised the White House that they should let Sondland leave the Trump administration on his own terms. "The Times" reported that Sondland, in fact, had been speaking to senior officials about possibly exiting the White House.
And these senators said dismissing him could reflect poorly on the White House and give the impression that President Trump was exacting revenge against the witness who delivered some of the most damaging testimony against President Trump during the House impeachment inquiry.
And, of course, this is just a remarkable journey for Sondland from a close ally and a Trump donor, someone who spoke to President Trump quite frequently to someone who the president fired summarily on Friday. They were not on speaking terms after Sondland testified before the House -- Victor and Christi.
[07:35:01]
BLACKWELL: So, Sarah, we're also learning about some developments with the National Security Council, planning on cutting some jobs there. Tell us about it.
WESTWOOD: That's right. National Security Council, Robert O'Brien, wants to shrink the size of the NSC. He wants to reduce the staff by almost half. That's something that he informed the White House of in October, around the time that he started.
But take a listen to how he described the size the staff of the NSC earlier this week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT O'BRIEN, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: It's bloated. We're going to bring it back to a size that's manageable and efficient. Look, the folks who are there really need to want to serve the president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WESTWOOD: Now, sources say these big cuts to the NSC could come as soon as next week. So far, O'Brien has been doing this through attrition and ending details, temporary assignments of other government employees from other agencies. But sources tell CNN that the cuts could take on the form of direct firings in the next week or so.
BLACKWELL: Sarah Westwood for us at the White House -- thank you.
PAUL: All righty. He's already got a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, a SAG Award, Joaquin Phoenix could take home another statue tonight for his role in "Joker". We're talking Academy Awards, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:40:54]
BLACKWELL: Oscar Night, the Academy Awards will be handed out tonight in Hollywood. Nine films are competing for Best Picture.
PAUL: Zachary Pincus-Roth, style features editor for "The Washington Post" is with us now.
Zachary, good to see you. We want to get your top picks.
Let's start with Best Picture. What to you say?
ZACHARY PINCUS-ROTH, STYLE SECTION FEATURES EDITOR, THE WASHINGTON POST: Well, I think for Best Picture, the favorite is "1917". That's the World War I movie about two men on a mission. That's a favorite there.
And don't count out "Parasite", though. That's the Korean movie about a rich family's relationship with a poor family.
BLACKWELL: All right. Let's go through the categories. Best Actress?
PINCUS-ROTH: Yes. In all the acting categories, the favorites are pretty set. For Best Actress, Renee Zellweger is a favorite for playing Judy Garland in "Judy". And for Best Actor, Joaquin Phoenix is the favorite for playing the title character in "Joker".
This is actually the second time someone has won an Oscar for playing the Joker. The last time was Heath Ledger in the Dark Knight.
BLACKWELL: We're just talking about that.
All right. Let's go to the supporting categories, Best Supporting Actor and Actress?
PINCUS-ROTH: Yes, for supporting actress, Laura Dern is expected to win for playing the win the hard-hitting divorce lawyer in "Marriage Story". And then for Best Supporting actor, there's a young up and comer you may have heard of named Brad Pitt, who is the favorite for "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood".
This would actually be Brad Pitt's second Oscar. He won for producing "12 Years a Slave".
PAUL: No host again this year. Is it because it helps the show move along or are they realized, eh --
BLACKWELL: Don't need one?
PAUL: We don't need it?
PINCUS-ROTH: Yes, I mean, there's no host again this year. You remember, last year, they had no host after Kevin Hart dropped out. And, actually, last year, they got a ratings bump if you believe the host correlates with ratings. They figured they'd go again this year.
And I think this year, also, the ratings might be helped by the fact that a lot of these movies are ones people have seen. They're not obscured movies. You know, Joker, which got the most nominations, made more than a billion dollars worldwide.
PAUL: Wow.
BLACKWELL: So, it's been five years since the launch of #oscarssowhite, called out the Academy Awards. This year, one black actress, Cynthia Erivo, nominated in those top four categories.
What happened? We know that the academy had gone through this effort to try to diversify itself.
PINCUS-ROTH: Yes. I mean, they've tried to diversify the ranks in terms of the voters. This year people were wondering about the representation among the nominees, especially in the best director category. It's the second year in a row that a woman is not nominated for best director. Even though some felt that Greta Gerwig deserved it for "Little Women", but expect her to contend in the best adopted screenplay category.
PAUL: So, "Parasite", we know, is up for six awards, none of them in the acting category. But how likely is it they'll walk away with something and be recognized here? PINCUS-ROTH: Yes, definitely. They could get the best original
screenplay award. And "Parasite" really shows sort of how the Academy has an international presence now. Yes, none of the actors are nominated. But if it wins best picture, it would be the first foreign film to win that award.
What's also interesting, if "1917" director Sam Mendes wins or Bong Joon-ho, the director of "Parasite", if he wins best director, it would be the ninth out of the last ten years that a non-American has won that category.
BLACKWELL: So, style sections feature editor, let's talk styles. What will you be looking for tonight?
PINCUS-ROTH: Well, I mean, there's always the presence on the red carpet. I, you know, don't personally have any favorites.
(LAUGHTER)
PAUL: That was a smart answer.
PINCUS-ROTH: I'm looking to know what they bring me. We'll look and see. Billy Porter, obviously, has had a big presence on the red carpet, all awards shows the last couple of years. So, I think he's always one to look for.
BLACKWELL: Yes, that was the last award show that I watched, that hat, brim, had a curtain effect. So, we'll see.
PAUL: All righty. Zachary Pincus-Roth, always good to have you. Thank you.
PINCUS-ROTH: Thank you.
PAUL: All righty. Still ahead, how one girl's act of kindness is giving children something to smile about, children who really need it, by the way.
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[07:46:03]
BLACKWELL: Well, you look to get a good book, don't you?
Well, learning now that reading fiction can be great for psychological health and healing. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NOREEN TOMASSI, BIBLIOTHERAPIST: Bibliotherapy is the practice of meeting with a person to help them solve a problem through reading great fiction. The idea behind it is it can really change lives.
I'm Noreen Tomassi and I'm New York City's resident bibliotherapist.
Tell me a little bit. AFSAN ISLAM, MARKETING & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR: As a 33-year- old in New York City, I'm entering into a stage where I'm thinking more about my career, about my path to parenthood or something long- term. There's a lot of changes that have been going on.
MARIA EUGENIA PANERO, YALE CENTER FOR EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE: Reading a work of fiction can change our perspective in lives because we step into the shoes of these characters. It helps you practice these different emotions so that if you do experience them in real life, you've already kind of had this training. It can also help you understand yourself.
TOMASSI: I select 12 books for each client and the hope is they'll read one book a month over the course of the year. They're structured to take the reader on a journey.
ISLAM: I hope this brings a lot of insight and contemplation for me.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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[07:50:49]
PAUL: All right. Let's talk about a little bit of human kindness here.
And this can happen at any age, any time you want to put some good out there. Addison Brown was just 9 years old when she started the smile bags campaign. She's delivering bags of toys, books, art supplies to police to give to children who've gone through trauma, for example, if they were in a crash, or domestic situation, or a school incident.
The small bags are making a big impact now and Addison Brown and her mom, Stacy, say the movement is growing and they want us to join the effort.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADDISON BROWN, FOUNDER, SMILE BAGS CAMPAIGN: When I was in fifth grade, there was this girl and she'd come to school very upset. And then I later found out she was getting taken away from her parent, she was going through foster care. And then that made me think of how I would feel if my parents were getting taken away with me. So then that's what made me decide I wanted to make these smile bags.
PAUL: I mean, so much empathy. It's just so impressive. I know that you delivered bags to six different police departments. What did they say when you initially went in?
A. BROWN: When I first dropped of the smile bags, I could tell the police were very happy that I was dropping these off, because it's kind of nice to see kids doing things for their community because like you barely see that now. But when I like drop them off at like the same police department again, they'll tell me stories of how officers have used my bags. PAUL: That's what I was wondering, have they talked to you about the
impact that the bags have made?
A. BROWN: Yes. They have told me stories about how they use the bags. Like one time, an officer was coping with a child because the child's parents were getting taken away from them.
PAUL: Oh, my goodness. I know that there are toys and books as we said and some art supplies in there. But I understand you also write a personal note that you leave in each of the bags.
What do you say in the note?
A. BROWN: Each bag has a different toy depending on the age group. Each bag has a coloring book, a crayon, a dry erase board and a dry erase board marker, a Kleenex and a book depending on what age, and also a handwritten note by me.
PAUL: So, Stacy, I wanted to ask you, when she first came to you with this idea, and I know that she -- you say she's been a very giving child her whole life. But what about this specifically made you say, OK, let's move forward with this?
STACY BROWN, ADDISON'S MOTHER: Well, when she first came to me, I said, let's do this and first bag she dropped off were actually in birthday bags. And then every time she's like, no, let's do this, let's do that. Her first drop-off almost two years ago as birthday bags to now draw string bags, and then she's like, no, we need to do better. So three did them color-coded for boys or girls, red or green or whatever, and then, now, she even has the smile emblem, little rotary pay for that, for the smile emblem to be part on the bags.
PAUL: So, I understand that your motto is kindness is contagious and you would love for this to go national.
So, Addison, what do you need most from people? I know you have a Facebook page they can donate, but what's the most urgent need to keep this going?
A. BROWN: I want to obviously keep this going and get them in different play stations, even out of Indiana. But I have lots of people that are donating. I actually have a Facebook page that people can donate on. And where I'm actually getting lots of money from that so I can keep making my bags.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: So for more information, check out her Facebook page. It is Miles of Many Smiles.
It was so -- it struck me because I thought of these kids that do get stuck in these instances whether they're domestic or if they're in a car crash or something. They're so torn up a lot of times and so confused and scared, just handing them something to redirect that and let them know that they're thought of, that can be a moment.
[07:55:04]
BLACKWELL: That's the most important part. That someone is thinking about them. In this moment --
PAUL: Yes.
BLACKWELL: -- that someone thought that you would need this. That's important.
PAUL: Yes, it is. Good luck, Addison.
And thank you so much for being with us this morning. We hope you make good memories today.
BLACKWELL: "INSIDE POLITICS WITH JOHN KING" starts at the top of the hour.
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