Skip to main content

tv   Anderson Cooper 360  CNN  February 13, 2017 5:00pm-6:01pm PST

5:00 pm
and thanks so much for joining us. anderson is next. and good evening. thanks for joining us. it is the start of the fourth week of the trump presidency and the messages coming from the white house are painting, well, a tumultuous picture. president trump met with canada's prime minister justin trudeau. at a short press conference the president took a few questions but none on the biggest question mark surrounding his administration, national security adviser general mike flynn. if given the chance reporters might have asked about what the president knows regarding general flynn's alleged conversation about sanctions with the russian ambassador or why general flynn says he changed his story about the conversations or why vice president mike pence denied any such conversations took place. those are just for starters. what we do know general flynn's
5:01 pm
situation according to a cnn source is fluid. jim acosta joins me with the latest. what do you know, jim? >> reporter: there has been some whiplash today at the white house. earlier the white house counselor kellyanne conway said he had the full confidence of the president and sean spicer said it's being evaluated. the best way to put it is that flynn is in a gray area. a senior administration official said the knifes are out at the white house where there are fears washington is hunting for flynn's scalp. flynn was it at the president's side as top officials huddled over how to handle north korea's weekend launch of a ballistic missile held on an outdoor's patio at mar-a-lago resort. cell phone flashlights raised security questions. the white house was vague about flynn's future when asked dir t directly on the sunday talk shows. >> does the president still have confidence in his national security adviser? >> that's a question that i
5:02 pm
think you should ask the president. >> general flynn has said up to this point that he had not said anything like that to the russian ambassador. i think now he's saying he doesn't remember whether he did or not. so that's a conversation he's going to need to have with the president and the vice president to clear that up. >> reporter: white house senior adviser steven miller is scrutiny after the federal appellate court froze the administration travel ban on seven majority muslim countries. >> there's no such thing as judicial supremacy. >> reporter: miller suggested the president's powers when it comes to national security should not be subjected to second-guessing. >> our opponents, the media, and the whole world will soon see as we begin to take further actions that the powers of the president to protect our country are very substantial and will not be questioned. >> that is a simply stunning statement, the idea that a senior adviser to the president would go on camera and say the president's authority will not be questioned shows both a striking lack of understanding of the structure of our government. >> reporter: but the president
5:03 pm
loved the performance tweeting, congratulations. great job. friends of the president are also beginning to point fingers at white house chief of staff reince priebus. >> i think there's a lot of weakness coming out of the chief of staff. i think reince priebus good guy, well intentioned, but he clearly doesn't know how the federal agencies work. >> reporter: a criticism the publish esh of the news outlet news max later walked back. >> they are my criticisms. i don't speak for the president. >> jim, about the pictures on the patio of mar-a-lago, they are responding that any sensitive material was being discuss ed or viewed there. >> reporter: that's right, anderson. this evening white house officials are emphatic that no classified material was discussed between president trump and prime minister abe on the patio there at mar-a-lago. the pictures we've been talking about, that classified discussion, we're told, took place in a specially installed secure location away from the patio, away from those guests. what we saw in the pictures was
5:04 pm
the president and the prime minister going over logistics for the statement that they made to the news media that night on saturday night, but, anderson, they are emfphatic, they are stressing that no classified material was on the table when they were having that discussion. >> and, jim, when kellyanne conway said on msnbc that flynn had the full confidence of the president and sean spicer about an hour or so later said that it's being -- i don't want to mischaracterize exactly what he said, but said something completely different, did she -- is there any explanation for that? was that just she didn't know? she was just saying something she had no knowledge of or that's what the president believed then and then it changed or do we know? >> reporter: i was in sean spicer's office, anderson, this afternoon. we were all brought into his office presumably to ask these questions because, you're right, kellyanne conway was on msnbc, and she said that the president had confidence in michael flynn. and we went into sean spicer's office after he had a
5:05 pm
conversation with kellyanne conway as kellyanne conway quickly walked out of his office, we walked into sean spicer's office. what he emphasized to me and other reporters in the room is the reason why he was putting out the statement that flynn was being evaluated was based on the latest assessment, the latest information coming in to the president. they were not trying to make a judgment or a statement about what kellyanne conway said but they said essentially this is where we stand right now. as i told you earlier, anderson, a senior administration official said michael flynn, the national security adviser, is in a, quote, gray area. anderson, it's difficult to get out of that position once you're in it. that usually means things are not heading in a good direction when a top official is described in that fashion, anderson. >> jim acosta, appreciate that. a lot to talk about with the panel. the "new york times" political reporter alex burns, white house correspondent maggie haberman, contributing editor, jeffrey lord, paul begala, and daily
5:06 pm
beast senior columnist matt lew lewis. maggie, the kellyanne conway thing, he has the full confidence of the president. can you explain? >> both statements could actually be true depending on who you're talking to. there appears to be a split within the trump white house over exactly what to do with michael flynn. there are some people who would like to see him hang on. there are many more people who think he has created an untenable situation for himself as jim just said. he is not in a good position. people close to mike pence in particular seem to be agitating for him to go. he has twice told hens something that turned out not to be true. >> and pence went on television and assured the country that flynn did not have this conversation with the shan shans. >> i think the longer you see this go on it suggests a potential weakness in terms of pence's position and his ability to push something within the white house.
5:07 pm
it's it tough to do this week if they're going to get rid of flynn given you have all these foreign leaders this week. i think you will see a resolution to this in the coming days. >> alex, part of the calculation for the president, a president who does not like to look weak if that's not, he's afraid this would look weak or disorganized if the national security adviser gets fired so early on. >> you see the administration take that attitude with mike flynn, take that attitude with white house senior staff and a whole list of cabinet nominations that he has -- president trump has sort of rammed through these selections that a different president faced with the same political pressures, faced with the same baggage, certainly would have withdrawn his selections by now. trump needs to come to grips with the larger landscape. there are people in his orbit trying to communicate this to him that every day mike flynn remains in the administration he is a giant target for democrats and for hostile republicans to
5:08 pm
go after on a whole suite of issues related to srussia. this isn't just about the internal politics of the white house and who has been honest with who. it is the larger issue that flynn represents and trump 's opponents can easily latch on to. >> i saw you raise the question on twitter whether or not the president could have or would have known mike flynn was going to -- what he was going to say to the russian ambassador about sanctions. >> to me, that's the elephant in the room here. if donald trump fires his national security adviser, the first question is, well, why are you firing him? he talked to the russians about sanctions before we were in office and then lied to pence about it. well, who told him to talk to the schaap shans about sanctions? he's a very close adviser to donald trump? they were joined at the hip through most of the transition. he tweeted after add mir putin decided mott to act. this is an issue donald trump was looking at very closely. his national security advisers
5:09 pm
having conversations with the russians about this. how does he fire that person without raising very, very troubling questions about what he knew and what he told flynn to do? >> jeffrey, should flynn be fired? >> if it turns out he looked the vice president of the united states in the lie and delivered an untruth i don't know how that will be avoided. is that what happened? i don't know what happened. there has to be some perspective. i typed in the name of the last several presidents along with white house turmoil, and it's there for all of them. let me read two lines to be bipartisan. i don't want to give my friend a coronary because i will be deing clinton here. this is the christian science monitor. quote, the picture here is of an incompetent white house. it is no laughable keystone cops incompetence but a bright, yet inexperienced people finding their way in a loose and ineffective organization that clinton appears in these pages as an unsteady president. and of the bush 43 white house,
5:10 pm
quote/unquote, this is in news max, the senior white house staff is feuding, leaking, and going for each other's jugulars. my point is this is sort of normal if you're going to be president. the press looks for these stories and build them up. ed first one was fired fairly quickly after he got there. in other words, relax. you have four years to go. >> paul, is this -- >> a very valid point. >> -- normal? >> one of my rules is focus on the organ grind earp not the monkey. they come and they go. what does this say about the president? and if he fires general flynn because flynn has ties to the russians and has been dishonest, what does that say about donald trum snp does he have ties to the russians? has he lied to the country? if as has been suggested
5:11 pm
russians have information, general flynn may have information. now he's the national security adviser. you cut him loose, mr. president, you solve one problem right now. maggie haberman gets off your back for a day. you create a huge problem because he's going to turn on you and he may well have a lot of information that people want. >> flynn will not take being fired well in the past. this is a guy who became a trump supporter. and this wouldn't go over well. this is something you have to think about collateral damage. to jeffrey's point, yes, you're right. there is always back stabbing and fighting and positioning and trying to jockey within the context of power circles in the west wing, but there is lying to the american people this early because you have individuals who are lying to each other. i mean, that's a new level that makes this a little different. >> i think jeffrey is right that
5:12 pm
this is not that weird. people come and people go. so that's an encouragement to donald trump to do the right thing to get rid of flynn. you're actually feeding his -- paul, you're feeding a bad impulse which is for him to double down, to invest in cost, to stick by this guy because if i don't, people like paul begala are going to say that i had bad judgment when i picked him. >> or paul has an ulterior motive. >> i think he might. >> that can't be. >> here is my advice. this is the sincere advice, do the right thing. >> which is? >> cut him loose. do the right thing and don't be afraid of looking weak. you will look like a leader if you do the right thing and let this guy go because he deserves it. you don't look weak. >> i agree with that. i watched bill clinton fire his defense secretary bare ly a yea in. made really important mistakes. clinton had to fire him ruthlessly. it was the best thing for the country, and it was strong. the difference is he didn't know
5:13 pm
compromising information about bill clinton. and it may well be general flynn -- >> i don't know about that. hold on. >> oh, those were the days. to be in bed with the woman is different than being in bed with the russians. >> let's take a quick break. also, voters are bussed in from out of state in new hampshire. that's the claim from the bhous and it's, quote, widely known, according to a top adviser of the president. we asked voters about those allegations. we'll have details on that. nearly 2,000 people downstream of an aging dam are ordered to flee after safety features fail. a live report on the current conditions ahead. when you have allergies,
5:14 pm
it can seem like triggers pop up everywhere. luckily there's powerful, 24-hour, non-drowsy claritin. it provides relief of symptoms that can be triggered by over 200 different allergens. live claritin clear. what's wrong? ready or you're not. i got ten new guys starting tomorrow. ten? paul, pauline... is pauline a guy? sorry. mike, mike, mike and mike. michelle. okay, you need uniforms, work gloves, goggles, hard hats, all the safety gear. i'm on it. well that's good, 'cuz i got 15 more new guys starting tuesday. i'm ready. you're ready? ♪ oh, i'm ready... am i ready? what? am i ready? you're ready. i'm ready!
5:15 pm
cintas. ready for the workday. except when it comes to retirement. at fidelity, you get a retirement score in just 60 seconds. and we'll help you make decisions for your plan... to keep you on track. it's your retirement. know where you stand. to keep you on track. if you have moderate to severe plaque psoriasis 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. some people who took otezla saw 75% clearer skin after 4 months. and otezla's 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.
5:16 pm
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. ask your dermatologist about otezla today. otezla. show more of you. ♪ and welcome. we've been talking about turmoil at the white house on several fronts including north korea. the president learned of a
5:17 pm
missile test while at mar-a-lago. pictures and accounts of a strategy session done out in the open among guests is raising questions about security. back now with the panel, maggie, these photographs, which were taken by a guest. now the white house says no classified material was being discussed and what they were discussing was details of a joint appearance and that classified discussions were held in a secure room. it's an unusual scene, though. >> you don't usually see the iphone flashlight picture. look, there was always a question about how this was going to work with him going to mar-a-lago on the weekend when it became clear he was going to do that a fair amount of the time, that essentially anybody could just walk up and get face time with the president if they were a member or a guest of a member. this, i think, is a different order of mag nitude that people weren't anticipating. it's not clear to me why they couldn't just go inside. we have to take them at their word there was no classified information. i hate the formulation if a democrat did it or if another person did it but the reality is
5:18 pm
that this whole campaign played out about questioning hillary clinton's focus on sensitive information and how she handled it and it's just not clear why this would be taking place this way on the patio of his private club. it is literally a picture of him intermingling his business and the white house, and will were photos along with that one on a recent member's facebook page of him posing with the guy who carries the nuclear code. it goes to the question of, you know, you have this idea of sort of white house advisers as theater for mar-a-lago attendees and that does become a problem, i think. >> ryan, is there somebody in the president's inner circle who can say to him, mr. president, the optics of you doing this over the iceberg lettuce is not great or whatever they happen to have at the table? >> they clearly were worried the story was bubbling all day and finally came out with a
5:19 pm
statement saying, wait a second, that was not any of the classified conversations or classified documents. we did that in the area that the white house always sets up for the president and his entourage to have those conversations. but i think maggie hit the two points. it's about access and it's about just sort of putting -- access to the people -- to the club members at mar-a-lago. it's a $2,000 a year club. they have access to the president that no one else does. and just putting the presidency sort of on display was almost like the white house -- this traveling white house show. there was a sort of sense of showing off, trump coming down there as the conquering hero, the own earp of the club who is now president. look, the white house would compare this to bush's ranch in texas, right? he had a private home. of course reagan had a private home in california. the difference is there's a public nature to this place as well. >> by paying guests. paul, you were a top adviser to president clinton.
5:20 pm
is this an unusual scene? >> it's unprecedented. i spoke to somebody who used to do intelligence, and he used the word staggering, somebody not given to hyperbole. staggering. the reasons ryan states, there are so many soft targets there. every bus boy, every waiter, every bellman, every guest, every member. this is a security nightmare in terms of information, and i heard jim acosta's report, which i had not heard before, they have a sciff there, you can put a sciff anywhere. if they didn't have one it would have been dereliction of duty. you pull the president into the sciff. you get secure communications and you hold him there until you take him out to the press because you don't want new inputs coming in from the guy who won the member/guest tournament. you to lock him down until he speaks -- and he gave a great statement by the way. he left out north korea but he said we stand by japan 100%. i watched that statement on
5:21 pm
saturday night as a strong disliker of trump. i thought good for him. that's what i want. >> paul, there was a wrinkle with that. he did not deliver the statement that was prepared. >> is that right? >> yeah. so that's enough question mark. he had a prepared statement and didn't read it. >> okay, it's on the fly. >> let's take another quick break. we want to take a look at the debunked voter fraud claim that stephen miller keeps doubling down on. details on that ahead. hambone! sally! 22! hut hut! tiki barber running a barber shop? yes!!! surprising. yes!!! what's not surprising? how much money david saved by switching to geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. who's next?
5:22 pm
a farmer's market.ve what's in this kiester. a fire truck. even a marching band. and if i can get comfortable talking about this kiester, then you can get comfortable using preparation h. for any sort of discomfort in yours. preparation h. get comfortable with it. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ sfx: engine revving ♪ (silence) ♪ mattress firmness? fortunately there's a bed where you both get what you want every night. enter sleep number and the ultimate sleep number event, going on now. sleepiq technology tells you how well you slept and what adjustments you can make.
5:23 pm
she likes the bed soft. he's more hardcore. so your sleep goes from good to great to wow! only at a sleep number store. and right now save 50% on the ultimate limited edition bed. go to sleepnumber.com for a store near you. shocked by your wireless bill every month? additional fees. tacked on taxes. come on! with t-mobile one, taxes and fees are now included! get 4 lines of unlimited lte data for 40 bucks each. that's right - all unlimited. all in! and now, for a limited time save more than you pay in taxes on all smartphones. so switch to t-mobile and save hundreds vs. the other guys. it's better than a tax holiday! and it's only at t-mobile. the markets change... at t. rowe price... our disciplined approach remains. global markets may be uncertain... but you can feel confident in our investment experience around the world. call us or your advisor... t. rowe price. invest with confidence.
5:24 pm
5:25 pm
breaking news on the trump administration, claims of widespread voter fraud in new hampshire. the republican governor there chris sununu telling nh1 news he is, quote, not aware of any widespread voter fraud in new hampshire. it is significant because it comes in response to the senior policy adviser steven miller repeating his boss' claim thousands of people were bussed from massachusetts to new hampshire to vote illegally in the swing state on election day. here is what miller told george stephanopoulos on n"this week.
5:26 pm
". >> i worked on a campaign in new hampshire. this issue of bussing voters in to new hampshire is widely known by unanimo anyone who has worked in it new hampshire politics. this show is not the venue to lay out all the evidence. voter fraud is a serious problem in this country. you have millions of people who are registered in two states, who are dead and registered to vote. 14% of mon citizens according to academic research at a minimum are registered to vote which is an astonishing statistic. george, go to new hampshire, talk to anybody who has worked in politics there for a long time. anybody is aware of the problem in new hampshire. >> apparent lip not the governor or the state's top election official. miller did not provide any evidence, we should point out, not a shred to back up his claims. what is the reaction in new hampshire? >> reporter: in this snow covered state where people are digging out from the second storm in a week, the president's claims of widespread election fraud drawing an icy reception.
5:27 pm
how would you characterize these claims that there are thousands of people who are bussed in? >> balderdesh. i couldn't explain it. >> reporter: al hotaling perplexed. >> i think it's insane. i think he's literally crazy. >> reporter: does it offend you as someone who lives here and votes here? >> yeah, like our votes don't matter. >> reporter: this durham the ballots are still under lock and key. >> if president trump has any doubt he can come down and feel the vault himself. >> reporter: a registered independent insists president trump's assertions are impossible. >> it's unpresidential. it's inappropriate. and i say to the president of the united states, if he has proof bring forward his proof. and if not then please stop saying it because it's just wrong. >> reporter: the conspiracy theory didn't original with president trump. it started swirling in the 1990s when the then-republican governor opened up same-day
5:28 pm
voter registration. simply show up to the polls, present your i.d., and proven you live here. the rumors return every election cycle that buses filled with people from solidly blue massachusetts cross over the state line and make a beeline for the voting booths. >> this is absolutely preposterous the idea people are being bussed in by the hundreds or the thousands absolutely not true. >> reporter: fergus cullen was a never trumper who has so far stayed silent. when trump and his aides repeatedly made the voter fraud claims, cullen took to twitter. >> i will personally pay the first person to produce proof that buses are being used to transport people to new hampshire to vote. i will pay them a check for $1,000. so far there's been no proof. you have thousands of people standing around the polls with smart phones and none of them have snapped a picture of this. it's like the tooth fairy or the easter bunny. you would think somebody would get a shot of them. >> reporter: hillary clinton took the granite state by close to 3,000 votes. the attorney general, though, says there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud.
5:29 pm
todd selig points out the polls are staffed by local volunteers. they know most people and bus loads of out of staters would certainly stir suspicion. >> we are dealing with neighbors and friends and colleagues. we're not typically dealing with strangers from out of town who look nefarious in intent and are trying to cause national disruption with fraudulent votes. >> reporter: and if they did show up, you would probably notice. >> we'd be all over them. >> and jessica joins us now. do we know anyone in the trump administration has even been to new hampshire to investigate the alleged allegations? >> reporter: anderson, there have been no indications that anyone from the white house has been up here to investigate, and that's probably because there's nothing to investigate. the attorney general has stressed there is no evidence of any widespread voter fraud. as for the white house, they have not responded to our request for comment and, of course, they haven't provided any evidence of the thousands of people they claim have been bussed up here to vote. anderson? >> jessica schneider, thanks very much.
5:30 pm
back now with the panel. jeffrey, i have to start with you. >> i'm shocked. >> it's been three weeks since the white house claimed that they were going to launch an investigation on what they called initially president trump, first of all, was talking about, you know, millions of illegal votes. then they morphed to including people who were dead on the rolls or rejs gistered in multi states. it's not voter fraud it's bad organization -- >> it could be that. >> if then real people are bussed in who pretend to be those people f. had is a great huge problem in the united states, that it's, in fact, the biggest fraud ever perpetrated on the american electorate, why aren't they actually doing anything? >> i thought i understood vice president pence would head up an investigation into this and, again, anderson, when you go look at the column in the
5:31 pm
national review online in 2014, noncitizens for voting, you look at the "wall street journal" in 2016 saying the same thing at greater length, the question is how much of it? >> as i recall from like a month ago it was six people here. seven people there. and in all the columns you pull up it totalled nine people. >> they're giving it as evidence that it happens. >> i'm sure if "the wall street journal" had been able to find 3 million or 4 million people they would have. >> the question is find out. i don't understand the hesitation no not look. >> i agree. the white house isn't doing that. they've talked about huge -- this would be the biggest voter fraud, millions -- i mean, thousands -- >> again, as i understand it, the vice president is going to do this. >> okay. you think -- you think that shows huge priority? because nothing has been done on this. you would think wouldn't republican -- the republican governor, republican government officials in shnew hampshire bep
5:32 pm
in arms? >> anderson, i think they're going to do it and i think it's a good thing to lay this to rest for good, period. >> i think it's laid to rest. >> i don't think so. >> it's important to view these comments from stephen miller in the context of the sort of trump ecosystem that he's living in, right, that this is a position that the president has taken, that there was this massive fraud person rated on american elections for which there is no evidence. >> if you're stephen miller i think the risk for us in interpreting his comments is seeing it as an on the level statement of policy as opposed to an effort by a staffer who is pretty far out on a limb in a number of areas to curry favor with the boss by standing by him in an area nobody else has. >> putting out some 31-year-old staffer who is trying to curry favor as being the voice of the president. >> but that is what this white house has done. that is what this president did throughout the campaign as a candidate. essentially -- and paul would be able to speak to this or jeffrey better than i would -- but my memory of previous administrations you would not
5:33 pm
primarily have west wing staffers talking about policy to this extent. you have had -- it gives it a political tinge. essentially you have sean spicer, stephen miller, and i agree with alex in what he said, kellyanne conway, all of these people are coming out not with an audience of millions in the country of trying to shape policy or explain where the administration is or trying to set the tone for foreign leaders or trying to calm wall street markets or talk to capitol hill. they're speaking to an audience of one, all of them. >> the president. >> exactly right. >> that's the surreal situation, isn't it? >> every time you give a speech it's about keeping your job and making the boss happy and maybe that's part of the problem. >> they're getting -- the face time they're getting with him it's all about-face time. are you in the oval office? it's not about that. this is the time on television and he's watching tv. >> president trump actually tweeted out congratulating stephen miller on the great job. >> loyalty is not repeating the things the boss wants to you hear.
5:34 pm
going to the boss and saying, hey, you can't say this anymore. and there is proof. the bush administration, the last republican presidency, was obsessed with this. and they had a task force and they dug into it. they spent five years looking into this. they got 86 convictions out of tens of millions of voters. hundreds of millions. they got eight votes cast. they got 86 conviction this is a five-year effort, and they really believed it was true. so even if you don't believe all the independent academics it at the brennan center for justice. >> we will have them on in the next hour. >> u.s. senate races have been stolen, gubernatorial races stolen, maybe jfk stole west virginia, who knows, or lyndon johnson. these things happen. it's possible. but did 3 million people vote for hillary clinton? no. >> the election fraud, trump projects -- you always know what he's worried about by what he attacks others on. he's worried his victory is tainted because of russian involvement. and so he has to concoct some theory of democratic voter fraud
5:35 pm
to counter -- >> to speak of richard nixon, i had the opportunity to meet him in 1987. i can tell that you man went to his grave thinking the presid t presidency was stolen from him in chicago in 1960. >> did you tell him that even if you give him illinois he still lost? are you trying to help donald trump? >> i'm just trying to tell you that there is a belief out there and there are people out there with all sorts of data and everybody just says, oh, it's not true. >> people believe 9/11 was an inside job and that doesn't make it true. >> i believe donald trump was going to be elected president. >> that's true. >> think of the toxic environment that is being created in the white house with this. you have a president who says something that is false. and inside the white house instead of getting together and saying, all right, how are we going to tell the boss that he's wrong about this? the media condemned it as false. every fact check er says it's nt true. how do we get him to pull back
5:36 pm
and no longer talk about it? on three occasions, you have sean spicer going out and saying, well, the crowds were bigger than all of you in the media are reporting. the first day of the administration you have kellyanne conway going out and talking about ivanka trump 's brand because she thought it would please the boss and now you have this young man spreading a lie in new hampshire. and they all get praised by the boss after it's over. >> it starts with the president. >> that's what it comes down to. an immigration sweep leads to nearly 700 arrests. some call it a roundup. the government says it's business as usual. it happened during the obama administration. when did mixin, with not food, become food? thankfully at panera, 100% of our food is 100% clean. no artificial preservatives, sweeteners, flavors, or colors. panera. food as it should be.
5:37 pm
anyone ever have occasional constipation,diarrhea, gas or bloating? she does. she does. help defend against those digestive issues. take phillips' colon health probiotic caps daily with three types of good bacteria. 400 likes? wow! try phillips' colon health. withevery late night...g... and moment away... with every click...call...punch... and paycheck... you've earned your medicare. it was a deal that was made long ago, and aarp believes it should be honored. thankfully, president trump does too. "i am going to protect and save your social security
5:38 pm
and your medicare. you made a deal a long time ago." now, it's congress' turn. tell them to protect medicare. i am benedict arnold, the infamous traitor. and i know a thing or two about trading. so i trade with e*trade, where true traders trade on a trademarked trade platform that has all the... get off the computer traitor! i won't. (cannon sound) i won't. ♪ ♪
5:39 pm
♪ only at&t offers you all your live channels and dvr on your devices. data-free. entertainment. your way. only from at&t.
5:40 pm
department of homeland security says a series of immigration enforcement operations around the country netted more than 680 arrests. the operations carried out by enforcement agents, i.c.e., over five days were described as routine much like those during the obama administration. dhs says most of the people taken into custody are criminals. the arrests are sparking fear
5:41 pm
across the country that they're being targeted and protests. lots to discuss with jorge ramos who joins me tonight. jorge, you've been critical of these raids. i know you're now calling president trump the deporter in chief. criminals including people convicted of murder or drug trafficking to viewers, you say what? >> donald trump in just a few days, the deportation. he's the chief destroyer of american families at this point. i know that you are referring to the 75% of criminals. the fact is they are changing the definition of criminals. during the obama administration criminals meant something. and right now with president trump is something completely different. the "l.a. times," i don't know if you read that article about a week ago, they estimated that 8
5:42 pm
million out of the 11 million undocumented are now considered criminals, a priority. that's precisely what we're seeing. guadeloupe garcia had been here for 22 years. she came here when she was only 14. she has a 14-year-old and a 16-year-old. donald trump has decided to do this. donald trump is ripping families apart. she had been here for 22 years. there has been no problem with her. of course she was undocumented. her son and her daughter, they are u.s. citizens, and there are 4.5 million children in this country who have at least one parent who is undocumented. this is precisely the problem we're facing right now. that's why there is so much fear. >> you're pointing to the fact under an executive order the president has signed, when you
5:43 pm
say they've changed the definition of a criminal, essentially that anybody who is suspected of having committed a crime or anybody who has misrepresented themselves if they were using a fake social security number at some point in the past, you're saying that can be a reason to deport someone? >> it could be anyone. there are about 11 million undocumented immigrants. with that definition almost anyone qualifies as a criminal because it's not only that you are convicted of a crime as it used to be with the obama administration, simply that an immigration officer might think that you could have committed a crime. >> the woman in particular who you referenced and showed the picture of, she had been arrested years ago i think for using a false s ocial security number in order to get work. >> correct. >> and every year she checked in with i.c.e., for years, but they would just talk to her a little bit and then they would let her
5:44 pm
go. this time when she went to check in -- >> she was not a priority. she had been visiting i.c.e. offices for eight years, i understand, and then she did it again and this time everything change d and the only differenc is that donald trump is pressing. >> when the head of homeland security says these latest arrests and deportations were routine, that essentially they were no different than what has happened under the obama administration, do you not believe that or do you believe that? >> no, that's precisely the problem. they're routine. with the obama administration, even though president barack obama deported more immigrants than any other president -- >> because you referred to him as the deporter in chief if memory serves me in an interview. >> i was quoting. he was known by many in the hispanic community as the deporter in chief because he deported more than any other president. now donald trump wants to do
5:45 pm
much better than obama and those routine stops or those routine raids, they don't even want to call them raids, that in the past would only suffice for the officer to identify the person and let them go, now they are stopping them, detaining them, and deporting back to mexico and central america. >> the white house or donald trump has said in the past they -- this is what he campaigned on. he campaigned on cracking down on undocumented immigrants. this is what hose wthose who vor him want to see, and it's very popular to those who say, look, it's not -- this is not a surprise. this is what he campaigned on. >> exactly. it's not a surprise. i think donald trump is terrorizing the hispanic community as we speak. i talked to many latinos every single day and right now there's a lot of fear, there are people who don't want to go to war because they are -- they fear that they're going to be stopped and deported. donald trump has a 10-year-old, right. just imagine how many
5:46 pm
10-year-olds, and 9-year-olds and 7-year-olds are at home thinking they might not see their parents tonight because donald trump might deport them. that's the kind of anxiety we're living within the hispanic community. >> you're saying the president is terrorizing the hispanic community. i remember you and i talking before donald trump won the election and i think even afterward, there were many hispanics who ended up voting for donald trump. is it really fair to say he's terrorizing the hispanic community? i understand among those who are undocumented this would cause widespread anxiety and fear, but can you extrapolate it out? >> what i'm saying that he's terrorizing the hispanic community, i'm not exaggerating. you can go to los angeles, to chicago, to miami, and see the fear and reaction that many people are having when they're being stopped. forget about i.c.e. officers. when they're being stopped by the police. that's what donald trump is creating in the hispanic community. and, unfortunately, it seems that this is not going to stop right here.
5:47 pm
he's going to continue. and then we have to find a solution for those who are here and it is impossible to deport 11 million. so far it seems donald trump is going to try. >> jorge ramos, i appreciate you being with us, thanks. >> you thank you. coming up tonight refugees trying to get out of the united states. a growing number of refugees escaping to canada in the dead of winter. why they say they have no other choice next. the nation's tallest dam. the latest from california where tens of thousands of people evacuated because of flooding fears, fears that are not over. ? im vern, the orange money retirement rabbit, from voya. riiight. and that means...? i'm the money you save for retirement. i help you get organized so your money could multiply. see? got it. who's he? he's green money for spending today. you know, paying bills, maybe a little online shopping... makes it easy to tell you apart. that, and i am better looking. i heard that. when it's time to get organized for retirement, it's time to get voya.
5:48 pm
5:49 pm
5:50 pm
won't replace the full value of your totaled new car. the guy says you picked the wrong insurance plan. no, i picked the wrong insurance company. with liberty mutual new car replacement™, you won't have to worry about replacing your car because you'll get the full value back including depreciation. and if you have more than one liberty mutual policy, you qualify for a multi-policy discount, saving you money on your car and home coverage. call for a free quote today. liberty stands with you™. liberty mutual insurance. mr. brady, we've been expecting you. will you be needing anything else? no. not a thing. beautyrest black. get your beautyrest.
5:51 pm
s after meeting with the president with the white house, canadian prime minister justin trudeau spoke. >> would continue e continue to openness without compromising security. and part of the reason we've been successful in doing that, welcoming close to 40,000 refugees is that we have been coordinating with our allies, the united states and around the world to demonstrate that security comes very, very seriously to us, and that's something that we continue to deal with. >> as you know, president trump's travel ban, even though it's on hold for now taking the opposite approach. it's created a new wave of people who have gotten into the united states and are now trying
5:52 pm
to leave to go to canada and are facing danger trying to do it. sara sidner reports. >> reporter: men, women and children picked up in the middle of the night in the dead of winter, looking for refuge after being denied it in the u.s. this is the latest wave of asylum seekers who have snuck across the united states border, not trying to get into the u.s. but trying to get out. destination? canada. these four men were among them. what was it like trying to get here? >> i cannot believe now speaking to you that i'm alive. i was almost dead to be freezing. >> it was very, very difficult. >> reporter: at one point, they all thought they were going to freeze to death. this is an easy entryway into canada, because this is a decommissioned border crossing. this is one of the routes. people were walking in knee-deep snow in sub-zero temperatures for hours, and they did it all in the dead of winter for one
5:53 pm
reason. >> donald trump was elected. i feel that i will not have an opportunity to be granted and to live as an asylum, refugee in the united states, because donald trump hates the refugee. >> they don't want any immigrants, especially my country, somalia. they ban. >> reporter: how many of you left the united states because of donald trump's executive order? the raise your hand. all of you. >> all of us. >> reporter: all of them ended up stumbling into the small border town of emerson, canada and calling 911. here border jumpers are nothing new, but the numbers coming over are. >> i guess it started with a trickle. and now it's increased to like a flood stage. >> reporter: we witnessed 21 people, including an entire family come into canada near emerson in just 24 hours. the mayor of emerson says he
5:54 pm
feels for the asylum seekers but is also worried about the safety of his town. >> reporter: are you worried about terrorism? are you worried about people coming over at all? >> that's always in the back of your mind. when you're getting these people coming across. for one thing, they're breaking the law when they jump the border. so they're criminals. >> reporter: not everyone we saw was from the list of banned country, but they all have their reasons for making the journey. >> right now i'm wanted in my country. >> reporter: wanted for the crime of being gay. what would they do if they caught you? >> i'll go to jail. >> reporter: tell me how this happened to you. how you lost your fingers. >> reporter: they had never heard of frostbite until all of their fingers had to be amputated, save one thumb. when asked if it was worth it,
5:55 pm
they said they have no choice. >> we feel like we are home. that's what we feel. and the canadian people opened their hands for us. >> sara sidner joins us now. it's shocking to see all their fingers amputated except for their thumbs. once these people get to canada, what happens to them? >> reporter: you know, usually what happens, and we've seen this ourselves. people will come over, and then if their cell phones are working, they, themselves, will call 911, hoping authorities pick them up, and then they'll say we want asylum. but they've been knocking on people's doors in the middle of the night trying to get someone else to call 911 because their cell phones are dead. then they're taken to the canadian border where they try to vet them the best they can. they check them for weapons and
5:56 pm
ask them detailed questions about who they are and see if they have any paperwork, but in the end, even those two men who had all of their fingers except for their thumbs amputated, they have not been given asylum yet. and there is absolutely no guarantee that they will. >> sara sidner, thanks very much. nearly 200,000 people remain under evacuation orders near california's oroville dam. if the spillway fails, a mountain of water would swamp downstream communities. water in the lake that's held back by the dam eased a bit, but there is more rain in the forecast as soon as wednesday. we're going to go live to the area in the next hour for a report. new, a report from the washington post about michael flynn. the report details how the white house was warned flynn might be
5:57 pm
susceptible to blackmail by russia. we'll talk to the reporter on that story, next. ♪ ♪ ♪
5:58 pm
♪ ♪ it can seem like triggers pop up everywhere. luckily there's powerful, 24-hour, non-drowsy claritin. it provides relief of symptoms that can be triggered by over 200 different allergens. live claritin clear. [ rumbling ] mattress firmness? fortunately there's a bed where you both get what you want every night. enter sleep number and the ultimate sleep number event, going on now. sleepiq technology tells you how well you slept and what adjustments you can make. she likes the bed soft. he's more hardcore. so your sleep goes from good to great to wow!
5:59 pm
only at a sleep number store. and right now save 50% on the ultimate limited edition bed. go to sleepnumber.com for a store near you.
6:00 pm
-- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com thanks for joining us for the second hour of