hello. i'm wolf blitzer. 1:00 p.m. here in washington. wherever you're watching from around the world, thanks very much for joining us. we start with the u.s. presidential election. there are just under 39 days to go until election day, and today donald trump is focusing his attention on michigan. a campaign event there this afternoon and just moments ago he paid a visit to the gerald ford presidential me seim in grand rapids, stopping in the replica of the oval office. stopping in there. for hillary clinton, the day is devoted to florida. another important swing state. she just wrapped up a campaign event in fort pierce where she called for greater commitment to service and organizations like the peace corps. also we're counting down to the next debate in the presidential race's in four days virginia senator tim kaine, indiana

govern are mike pence face-off in the one and only vice presidential debate. in the days since the first presidential debate, donald trump has spent a good amount of time defending past statements about a former miss universe and overnight took to twitter to keep up his attacks on her and hillary clinton. our political director david chalian joins us now from new york. david, the issue first came up at the debate, hillary clinton brought up alicia machado's name, talked about names that donald trump had called her, like miss piggy. now trump himself is fanning the flames. what's the latest? >> he is indeed, wolf. he just can't seem to resist engaging in this battle, sort of stepping into the trap that hillary clinton laid for him at the debate. talk take a look at his 2:00 a.m. tweet storm overnight, middle of night, what donald trump was tweeting at 2:00 in the morning. first, wow. crooked hillary was duped and useed by my first misyew.

hillary floated her as an angel without checking her past, which is terrible. followed by this fwetweet. using alicia m. as a paragon of virtue shows that hillary clinton suffers from bad judgment. hillary was set up by a con. and then this one. did crooked hillary help disgusting? check out sex tapes and past alicia m. become a u.s. citizen so she could use her in the debate? so, wolf, clearly, donald trump not wanting to let this perceived slight, the fact that a former miss universe now is going after him in part of the campaign, he's not letting that go by and hillary clinton is noticing. she had her own tweet storm in response to donald trump this morning before she took the stage in florida. take a look at what she said. she said, this is unhinged, even for trump. a few notes. that was followed by the next couple of tweets. what kind of man stays up all

night to smear a woman with lies and conspiracy theories? finally from hillary clinton -- whishgs something gets under donald's thin skin he lashes out and can't let go. this is dangerous for a president, clinton says. >> david, it's also fascinating. all of this twitter war going on as some new polls are coming out in key swing states. polls, scientific polls, taken after that first presidential debate. >> that is right, wolf. it's almost universally good news for hillary clinton in some of these really critical states. take a look here in florida, where hillary clinton is today. there's a new mason dixon poll out, and it shows she has a four-point lead. 46% to 42%. gary johns, 7%. new hampshire, four electoral votes, new poll. clinton up seven points there. 3 2% to trump's 35% to johnson's

1%, and finally in nevada, where donald trump had been leading or tied, take a look at this. hillary clinton now in a new suffolk university poll there has 44%, a six-point lead over donald trump's 38%. gary johnson down at 7%. wolf, florida and nevada, those two states, we have as real remaining true battlegrounds, and right now these two polls today showing hillary clinton with a slight edge there. if they were to fall into her camp, absolutely no path for donald trump to win the white house. >> i'm sure she's encouraged by the numbers. poll numbers go up and down and right now going up for hillary clinton. thanks, david chalian. reaction now from the trump campaign. joining us, the former georgia congressman jacks kaningston, senior adviser to the trump campaign. thanks for joining us. >> good to be with you, wolf. >> let me get your reaction. i know donald trump closely follows these poll numbers. he must be pretty upset looking

at three key battleground states and hillary clinton's going up, his numbers going down? >> what we know is that this is a jump ball and it's going to go back and forth the next 30 days, and we were prepared for it. keep in mind, there are states like michigan, like pennsylvania, like virginia and colorado which we told, it's all over. there's no pathway there, and yet in each of those four states we're very, very competitive. and i think that you're going to just see these polls slide everywhere, because it's interesting when you think about who hasn't made up their mind about this election by now? and yet there's still people out there undecided. one of the polls we watched carefully is right track, wrong track. that number is still as high as 70%, and for people who want change, people who want the sluggish economy to end and reduce their tax burden and regulation, they're going to break for donald trump, because they know hillary clinton has had 30 years to do these great and wonderful things she's

promising to do and hasn't done it. she hasn't even been part of the solution. so we still feel that we're very optimistic, and it's going to be very, very competitive. we're going to see slippage back and forth but feel good about florida today in michigan and yesterday in new hampshire. we had huge numbers. our rallies consistently are larger than hillary's. the excitement factor is for us, and she's getting propped up by everybody in the democratic establishment. we understand that. that's not a bad move, but the reality is, america knows hillary clinton. and i don't see a lot of things breaking in her way. >> remember, bernie sanders had bigger rallies than hillary clinton did yet he lost that democratic nomination. let's talk about the real uproar that's developed. i leash sha machado, miss universe, release add statement this morning on instagram. let me read it to you. the republican candidate and his campaign team are again generating attacks insults and trying to bring back slanders and false accusations about my

life. all of these in order to intimidate me, humiliate me and destabilize me once more. through his hate campaign the republican candidate insists on demoralizing a woman definitely one of his most terrifying traits. why is he continuing to bring up this whole issue of alicia machado? why does he think it's necessary, four, five days after the debate to be tweeting in the middle of the night about her? >> well, i think what happened is, hillary clinton kicked up that sand hill the other day, or that ant hill, if you will, and then donald trump, as you know, he reacts. but he's reacting on twitter, totally different than he's what he's saying on the campaign trail. >> let me interrupt, congressman. what's the difference if he makes a public statement on twitter or a public statement at a rally or in response to a reporter's questions? these are all public statements by the republican nominee for president of the united states. should a president, a presidential nominee be tweeting

or making any public statements about a sex tape that apparently doesn't even exist involving a former miss universe? >> well, as you know, wolf, when donald trump gets pushed, he pushes back. and i think in this situation, the clinton folks have a lot of treatment of women in the past that if hillary clinton wants to go there, then i think that it's only natural that the trump campaign's going to go there as well. >> but let me interrupt once again, congressman, because you've been in politics for a long time. there are aides that he has, supporters he has, that can certainly go ahead and make these kinds of statements, but is it presidential for the nominee himself to be making these kinds of accusations? >> well, i think that what's going to happen, you'll see it more and more in the next few days, just as you did yesterday in new hampshire is, he's going to talk about taxes, the economy. he's going to talk about nafta, talk about crime in chicago, and i think this thing is going to die down. unless the clinton campaign keeps it up, and we cannot

compete with them when it comes to the sleaze factor, but when you're a private citizen and somebody attacks you, and this was a total setup, then your reaction is to push back, which is what has happened, but, again when it comes to the substance of his message, what you're seeing on the campaign trail is, let's improve this economy. let's make america great again, with better trade deals, with stronger national security. let's re-do nafta and that's what he still is -- >> and you make a fair point, when he talks about those kinds of issues, he does seem more presidential and his numbers clearly go up, when reading a script from a teleprompter, very disciplined, speaking about policy issues, but when he tweets in the middle of night about miss universe, whom he called miss piggy and all that kind of stuff, that certainly doesn't help him. i assume you agree? >> there has been some outrage and i don't know ms. machado but have seen many interviews with her.

she's not a very credible witness, you might say, and so i think it's far more important for us to be talking about jobs and trade deals and national security, and the clinton foundation, which was not even brought up during the debate the other night and i think all of those -- those issues are something that's relevant to the people. i think, for example, talking about five people in the clinton staff who now have immunity from the fbi, it almost seems like the fbi is -- >> i think -- those are all fair points. donald trump had an opportunity in that 95-minute debate to go ahead and raise those issues. he didn't. he was focusing in on other issues, and a lot of his aides at least privately say he missed some good opportunities to go after hillary clinton and score some points. let me -- we're almost out of time but a quick question on the new york state attorney general's office saying the trump foundation may not necessarily have filed the right certification as a charity in new york state to actually

solicit doan asian donations, release tax returns. does it make donald trump seem like he doesn't play by the same rules the rest of us do? >> the new york attorney general is a donor for hillary clinton, she referred to him as a main supporter and using new york tax dollars to go after donald trump and inject in this political race, a and i think that's an abuse of office. he certainly had no problem with the clinton foundation not disclosing who their donors were. he let them slide on that. so i think in terms of where that's coming from, if other attorneys generals were jumping in on some of the issues which he claims is an issue there might be a pattern there. the reality, this guy is a clinton shield and everybody knows that. >> do you know if the trump foundation did file the right papers, the certification papers in order to solicit donations? >> wolf, i believe they have complied by the new york laws and it seems very odd that

suddenly the new york attorney general, who has been in office for a while, suddenly decides that this is something that was overlooked. the trump foundation plays by the rules. they have self-reported when they've made mistakes. they've done a lot of good for a lot of people, again, this is the same attorney general who doesn't even worry when the clinton foundation doesn't file all of the, all of their disclosures. so, you know, unfortunately, somebody like that a partisan, can use taxpayer resources to get involved in politics and i think it's a sad thing. i think it's abuse of office. >> we'll see if that proper certification was filed. we'll continue to check that. jack kingston, thanks as usual for joining us. >> thank you, wolf. up next, the clinton camp according to millennials, courting millennials. showing what the presidential nominee is doing to back bernie

sanders. and the train in hoboken, killing a woman and injury more than 100 people. an update what they're learning right now. that's coming up. to severe pla, isn't it time to let the real you shine through? introducing otezla (apremilast). otezla is not an injection or a cream. it's a pill that treats plaque psoriasis differently. with otezla, 75% clearer skin is achievable after just 4 months, with reduced redness, thickness, and scaliness of plaques. and the otezla prescribing information has no requirement for routine lab monitoring. don't take otezla if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. otezla may increase the risk of depression. tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts, or if these feelings develop. some people taking otezla reported weight loss. your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. side effects may include diarrhea, nausea, upper respiratory tract infection, and headache. tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, and if you're pregnant or planning to be.

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primary against brns. millennials. her campaign is out in full force trying to win over these young voters. our chief political correspondent dana bash has more. >> reporter: at field offices and 280 college campuses, millennials work the phones for hillary clinton. >> i was wondering if you'd like to come out and do voter registration or a phone bank with us this weekend? >> reporter: young voters fueled president obama's wins. he got 60% of 18 to 29-year-olds in 2012. a demo nearly 20% of et vote now could be growing. >> young people could represent 25% of the vote. >> reporter: team clinton is putting such a premium on millennials they hired youth directors in key battleground states. lily cat lynn runs north carolina and says social media is key. >> we can't necessarily knock on every door. students move every year. having those kinds of conversations but through our text lists or through twitter.

>> reporter: still, polls show clinton is underperforming with millennials. so the campaign is deploying high-profile surrogates. bernie sanders is lobbying his army of young supporters. >> it is imperative that we elect hillary clinton as our next president. >> reporter: chelsea clinton is h hopscotching college towns. why is it so bad for your mom to do that? >> thank you for including me in the millennial demographic. i'm just at the older end. if we think about the younger millennials only about 55% of 18 to 24-year-olds were registered to vote at the end of 2016. we just need to do a better job collectively making the case what's at stake in this election. >> reporter: at each carolina university in north carolina we heard why it's been so hard. >> what is your experience in getting your friends on the hillary clinton train? >> it's been pretty difficult.

especially because a lot of young people especially at ec were for for bernie sanders. >> what moral ground does hillary clinton have to stand on to continue running as the democratic nominee? >> i would hope as someone who clearly have a passionate supporter of senator sanders, that you'll listen to him directly. and not rely on me to make the case. >> reporter: he really tacame t protest and walked out holding a sign for green party candidate jill stein. >> reporter: you don't really think jill stein can win, do you? >> we're going to establish relevance for the green party doing what wheer doing. >> reporter: losing to third-party candidates is a dire concern for hillary clinton. >> if you vote for someone other than hillary or don't vote at all you are helping to elect hillary's opponent. >> reporter: for some that's working. sanders delegate who told us

clinton's college affordability plan convinced him. >> leveling out the cuts in colleges in states and also making the federal government match it fourfold. >> reporter: stroll through campus, it's clear clinton has work to do. >> who are you going to vote for? >> jill stein. >> hillary clinton. >> i'm undecided. >> our chief political correspondent dana bash is here with us along with cnn politics reporter eugene scott and cnn political analyst and author of "how's your faith," david gre gr gregory. new poll out. under 35 millennials clinton 40% of the vote.36%, gary johnson, >> exactly why the clinton campaign is working so hard spacekly to target millennial where is i was in north carolina and other states with high percentages of young voters, colorado, pennsylvania and others. because they're not just worried that they will, you know, not

get registered and so forth. they're worried these voters are actively going to go to the polls with what they consider a protest vote, which is gary johnson. some of the students i spoke to there are actually talking to friends over and over trooying to convince them the kind of thing we heard from hillary clinton on her plane yesterday. the vote for gary johnson or jill stein is chlthrowing away r vote. >> a vote for trump as well. >> right. >> eugene, pugh study saying millennials are the most democratic, political democratic, capital d, of any generation, slightly more than half. 51% identify at democrats, or lean democratics. of awe reporting why is she having so much trouble getting their support? >> people in the millennial generation were originally with bernie sanders, and bernie sanders was very effective in communicating why they should not support hillary clinton. and so now she's in a position where she's having to respond to all of those attacks.

what's really helpful in the situation, now bernie sanders is saying that "the" candidate presently running, most in alignment with my values is hillary clinton and he's hoping that people onboard with him originally will come over to her. >> could be a huge asset if he actually goes out and does a lot of work for her. >> wolf, i am a millennial. >> you were one. >> i was. >> around during the switch. >> i can see the millennials. because negatives are so high and i'm teaching a fall in tufts university, dealing with a lot of young people on the election and media. so interesting, the trust deficit in big institutions including in politics and in government. so i don't think there is an overwhelming feeling they have to be engaged, have to be inv h involved. unlike 2008, a single moment in barack obama's candidacy, they don't feel it about hillary clinton and condescending to a lot of younger people. even michelle obama saying, if you do this, vote for anybody besides hillary clinton you're throwing your vote away.

i don't think anyone likes to feel that way. she has to find her own pitch, get involved, be with me, here are some of the reasons why even if you don't think i'm perfect. getting them engaged to want to be part of the process is something that is harder this year than say in 2008. >> eugene, you've spoken to a lot of millennials. how will they feel? a close election and vote for jill stein or gary johnson and help donald trump win the election. do they want donald trump would be president of the united states? >> no. millennials supporting one of the two major party candidates are supporting hillary clinton but don't think if donald trump wins it will be their fault. they thinks the fault of hillary clinton not reaching out to them addressing the issues they think are most important. one thing that's really interesting. seeing gary johnson do really well with some millennial voters, i'm wondering if the clinton campaign going to start

being more aggressive and attacking the johnson candidacy hoping to acontracontacting mor millennial voters to her. >> one thing i see, those who were brernie sanders supporters still not on the clinton train, sanders during the primary said, don't let anybody tell hue to vote for. something i heard repeated back to me when i posed what you did. bernie sanders is out this this week with clinton in new hampshire saying, please, vote for clinton, and the response by these people who are not yet on board with clinton is he told us not to listen to people like that, even him. >> next tuesday night the vice presidential debate. one and only vice presidential debate. pence and kaine. there's going to be a lot of nest in that, certainly not at much interest as a presidential debate, but it could be important. >> it's always important. look, we have to remember that these are people that have to be

qualified to the president in the voters' eyes, that's an important part of voting for the ticket. i think you, you'll have two professional politicians who know the issues pretty well. i think in the case of mike pence, what's striking is to see to what extent he twists himself in knots trying to stay onboard with the top of the ticket, and i think he's compromised himself a number of ways in trying to defend donald trump and it's such a strange fit and i think that's what i'll be looking for, to see to what extent he'll stand by him. >> and mike pence, rehearsing, practices for weeks and weeks gearing up for this debate. >> got to stand in for tim kaine, the governor of wisconsin, as scott walker, has been working for a long time. i talked to him about this when hi saw him at the reagan library in california a few weeks ago. he said i feel so much -- frankly pressure to do well. i mean, he said it's because he's doing it for donald trump

and feels the need to contribute and not hurt the cause, but i totally agree with you, david. they have so many differences on policy issues. it's going to be interesting to see if he answers the question on whatever policy issue it is based on his own views or what donald trump's views are. >> a lot of people will come away. i remember leishman in 2,000, whoa. these guys should be running for president. i think these two who know a lot, have a lot of experience, will leave a lot of people with positive impressions. the wild card -- >> assuming policy oriented between the two vice presidential candidates. guys, thanks very, very much. coming up, ntsb investigators in new jersey hit a road block. having trouble downloading critic the data from the event recorder of that passenger train that crashed yesterday. what that means n s for the investigation. the latest information we're getting, right after this.

investigators hit a snag trying to download information from a recorder from that new jersey passenger train that crashed yesterday. one woman died, more than 100 other people hurt. ntsb wants to know why the train did not slow down at all before crashing into the hoboken, new jersey, terminal. joining us from hoboken and with me here in washington. start with the ntsb investigators. they're having trouble getting data from that recorder. what are you hearing? >> yes. apparently older technology and have not been able to download that critical data. things like the speed of the train, when the engineer hit the

brakes. so they have not been able to do it. they've now shipped this recorder to the manufacturer saying that it will get to the manufacturer in kentucky by tomorrow morning. so until they are able to download that, wolf, we will not know how fast this train was traveling as it approached that station there. we do know that they do have access to some security footage. so they're reviewing that as we speak. there are a total of two reporters onboard this train. they only have one. they still have not been able to get to that second one, because of all of that wreckage you see on the screen. so they hope that they will be able to get to that second box today. >> passengers told us yesterday that train did not slow down at all. it was going full speed as it came into that hoboken terminal. investigators are also, they want to interview the engineer, two other crew members who were on that train. do we know, a., if they've already done those interviews? started the interviews? when will we get the results?

>> at this point they have not been able to interview the engineer, at last check. we know they made contact with the engineer. he was heavily medicated last night and in no position to do that interview. they are still hoping that they can do that interview with that engineer today, at some point. we also know that toxicology tests have been run and expect possibly when the ntsb gives their next update sometime later on this afternoon they will be able to say, yes or no, as far as alcohol and drugs, because of that preliminary testing. >> everybody is anxious nofor that. what do you know about the woman on the platform in the terminal, not on the train, who actually was killed? >> yeah. killed by that falling debris, wolf. her name is fabiola de kroon, 30 years old a mother and wife just moving here to hoboken with her husband, because she's from

brazil. we actually talked to a realtor not long ago who says the day before the crash the two were walking around the city looking for new promise for her and her husband and her young daughter to live in. she actually found a property she liked so much she faced time with her husband to show to him who was away on a business trip. such a heartbreaking story there. the realtor telling us when she learned of the woman who died, that was her client, she was devastated because this is a 34-year-old mom looking forward to begin a new life here in hoboken, wolf. >> more than 100 other people injured. what's the status of the more, the severely injured passengers who were on that train? >> reporter: we have good news to report than. jersey medical center, the nearest trauma center where the accident actually happened. only two people listed in condition a little less than serious and probably won't be released from the hospital, but a little more than a dozen people are likely to be released from the hospital, and that's

really all that's palestiremain that particular hospital. most of those involved in the crash have recovered, wolf. >> encouraging. thank you both. coming up, syrian government forces prepare for their final offensive to capture the besieged city of aleppo. the u.s. is trying to intercede, but will it be too little too late? and the state department deputy spokesperson, mark toner is standing by live at the state department. you see him there in front of all of those flags. we'll discuss with him, when we come back.

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backed by russia continue their bombardment of rebel force there's. the world health organization now calling on syria to allow for the immediate and safe evacuation of the sick and wounded. against this backdrop, some 10,000 syrian-led troops gathering just north and south of aleppo preparing for what is believed to be a final ground assault. our pennell correspondent brash sta barbara starr joins us. how soon do you think the syrian-led troop could make their move? >> reporter: something they're watching around the clock. you said, syrian-led. said to include iranian backed forces, lebanese hezbollah and others in the mix. the fighting by all measures is well underway is well begun. the bombardment of hospitals, of waste supply it's, medical facilities, no humanitarian aid getting in. all of this under way. something the syrian regime

backed by the russians, make no mistake about it, has a lot of experience doing over the last years of the civil war in syria. so the question is, will they make the next move and will we actually see these syrian-led infantry troops start going black by block through aleap pp where the rebels are trying to make their last stand? it's a huge concern. the humanitarian disaster absolutely beyond the critical stage, and people are looking to see what -- you know what measures might be taken. is there any hope here? right now, hope for aleppo seems very slim, indeed. >> senior administration officials, barbara, are saying that the u.s. is considering a tougher response now to russia's support of the bashar al assad regime. what form could that take? could u.s. pressure on russia, though, at this late stage come,

simply too late? >> reporter: some people feel it's too late. what will make vladimir putin listen to barack obama and pull back for the support what is happening in aleppo? make no mistake. vau russian support central in u.s. view. talk about another round of cease-fire. the intelligence and military people i speak to have very little hope of that. just look at the video you're showing on the air right now. one of the big questions is, will aleppo fall? there is a theory, a potential option in the works to allow some of the other coalition allies to supply arms to some of the rebels, but there's a lot of question whether any of that would be enough. would the u.s. take the ultimate step of engaging in strikes against syrian airfields that are being used, military

facilities, being used to launch these operations? that seems very slim indeed right now. the u.s. does not show an appetite for direct military confrontation, but the time is ticking for the people of aleppo. the heartbreak really grows by the day, wolf. >> certainly does. barbara starr reporting from the pentagon. thank you. let's talk a little more ar russia's involvement. mark toner is joining us from the state department. thanks for joining us. >> thanks. happy to be here. >> thank you. has secretary kerry, the russian foreign minister lavrov, have they spoken today? >> they did. they spoke earlier today, wolf. i don't have much more to report in terms of progress. as you know, secretary kerry made very clear over two days ago that we're at the limits of our ability to continue to have bilateral relations regarding syria with russia. we have seen no progress. and frankly, in the face of what's happening in and around

aleppo as barbara just conveyed, it's hard to have or hold much hope out for a real credible cease-fire to get back into place. >> has there been a formal decision to suspend u.s./rush bilateral discussions, engagements, whatever you want to call it on this syria crisis. >> not yet. but as i said, we're very close. i think secretary kerry said it best the other day when he said i'd be accused of diplomatic malpractice if ai didn't pursuea diplomatic solution to moor utmost ability to do so. that's his role, job, as secretary of state. barbara said there's not a lot of other great options out there. certainly with an inner agency looking at all of those options and weighing them. we did have heartbreaking, we did have an agreement had it been implemented in good faith by the regime and russians could have gotten us to the next step, reduced violence, allowed

humanitarian assistant and got political negotiations back on track. so far from that right now. >> how did the conversations with secretary kerry and foreign minister lavrov end? >> what we're looking for is something to restore some form of credibility to this process. secretary kerry outlined some of those ideas, or some of those options last week at the u.n. the general assembly in new york. such as the grounding of the regimes air forces within that space around aleppo. what we've seen is a lack of effort or proop erhaps a lack o influence by russia and it's ability to influence the regime. what we're seeing around aleppo appears to be a final assault on aleppo, an attempt to bring aleppo under the control of the regime. this is so fraught. this could easily go from bad to worse. wee fear an escalation as the

regime pushes into aleppo. trying to avoid the modern opposition drawn further into the arms of al nusra, an al qaeda affiliate could all happen. this could get worse before it gets any better. >> how much of an involvement, we heard barbara starr report from the pentagon, helping the syrian army, iranians helping the syrian army. i assume the russians are helping the syrian army. how much involvement is iran, hezbollah, playing in the assault on aleb oh? >> aleppo? >> nothing new. we've seen hezbollah play a support supporting the regime for years. no surprise they are playing -- >> but are they involved militarily on the ground in april aleppo with the erian army. >> they have in the part and we see that continue. >> what about iranians? >> we've seen it in the past.

i can't assess think in1r06789 right now in aleppo but it wouldn't be surprising they're playing a role there as well. >> what about the russian military? >> the russians, we can all see the effect vaurussian support i having. carrying out air strikes that appear to be targeting civilians, civilian infrastructure. hospitals, schools. this is egregious, and secretary kerry made this point the other day. in flag grant virant violation international law. hard to believe in a diplomatic process here given what's happening on the ground. >> does the u.s. believe russia is engaged in war crimes right now? >> i'm not going to make that evalue a lot at this time. what we've talked about and said, what's happening in in clear violation of any humanitarian or international law and indeed what we're looking for, at some point is accountability for its actions, and i think that's -- that's the bare minimum we can expect. >> you're a season's diplomat.

if they're engaged in violations of international law, humanitarian laws, aren't those, wouldn't those actions be war crimes? >> again i don't want to make those kind of claims or proclamations right now. our lawyers, legal teams, international legal teams are looking at some of these things. so we're just not at that point. but i don't want that to be a threshold we're looking at. i think what we're already outraged about is just what's happening in terms of continued strikes against civilian, children, innocents, really. that's an in egregious violation of any acceptable behavior. >> let me get your reaction on another important issue that's come forward. as you know, congress, the senate and the house, overrode president obama's veto, approved what's called the justice against sponsors of terrorist act giving victims here in the united states of the 9/11 terror attack the right to sue saudi arabia on the claim that saudi arabia provided some support to some of those terrorists. i know the saudi government

responded way statement. what is the administration, the state department, doing, because the threat out there from the saudis is, they're going to retaliate? >> well, look, we've been very clear in the leadup to this vote about our concerns regarding this legislation. let me preface what i'm about to say, though is that we, of course, understand and -- and are sympathetic to the kearnsco of these 9/11 family whose suffered so much, but our other concern here is for the protection and safety of our military, our diplomats, and others working overseas in the national security interests of the united states of america. and we believe this law could put them in jeopardy. it's sovereign immunity is the technical or legal term here. and it's a real concern. as you said, the saudis and others in the region have voiced concerns about this new legislation. >> mark toner, deputy

spokesperson at the state department. mark, thank you very much for joining us. >> happy to be here. coming up, world leaders attend the funeral of shimon peres. you'll hear president obama's very moving eulogy for the statesman right after this. you tell your insurance company they made a mistake. the check they sent isn't enough to replace your totaled new car. the guy says they didn't make the mistake. you made the mistake. i beg your pardon? he says, you should have chosen full-car replacement. excuse me? let me be frank, he says.

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world leaders gathered in jerusalem for the funeral of former prime minister and prime minister shimon peres who died wednesday. his body was laid to rest today as president obama and other dignitaries looked on. president obama praised peres for his efforts to bring peace between israelis and palestinians and spoke warmly of their friendship. >> as a american, as a christian, a person partly of african descent, a born in hawaii, a place that could not be further than where shimon spent his youth, i took great pleasure in my friendship with his this older, wiser man.

we shared a love of words and books and history. and perhaps like most politician wes shared too great a joy in hearing ourselves talk. beyond that, i think our friendship was rooted in the fact that i could somehow see myself in his story and maybe he could see himself in mine because for all of our difference differences both of us had lived such unlikely lives. >> a remarkable site before the service. the israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu and the palestinian authority president mahmoud abbas, who have had their serious differences in recent years were seen shaking hands. abbas and perez were linked by the 1993 oslo peace accords with abbas signing on behalf of the palestine liberation

organization and paris signing on behalf of israel shimon peres was 93 years old. that's it for me. thanks for watching. i'll be back at 5:00 p.m. east american the situation room. the news continues after a quick break. ♪ ♪ ♪ geico motorcycle, great rates for great rides.

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i'm poppy harlow in for my friend brooke baldwin. we begin with breaking news about video that is just about to be released, video of donald trump testifying under oath about inflammatory remarks he made about mexicans. it stems from a lawsuit he filed against two celebrity chefs who backed out of plans to do business with him at his new d.c. hotel after making those statements when he announced his run for president. sunlen serfaty joins me in d.c. with more. look, we knowha