Skip to main content

tv   Erin Burnett Out Front  CNN  September 27, 2017 4:00pm-5:00pm PDT

4:00 pm
the russians were up to. tonight a live cnn town hall, anderson cooper moderates the town hall, 9:00 p.m. eastern only here on cnn, thanks very much for watching, i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room." erin burnett out front starts right now. out front next, president donald trump defending big business instead of millions of puerto ricans that are desperate for relief. why won't he wave a law that he lifted after harvey and irma. and a deal to subpoena trump campaign manager paul manafort and is trump about to fire his transportation secretary after spending $400,000 your dollars, taxpayer dollars on private jets. >> and good evening, i'm erin burnett. out front tonight, second class citizens, president trump dragging his feet on lifting a law that could help speed relief
4:01 pm
to puerto rico one week after hurricane maria completely devastated the island, home to 3.4 million american citizens, puerto rico is facing what its government calls a humanitarian crisis, no part of the island has power. no fresh water for days, this is a critical situation, a life or death situation, and in a desperate situation, every bit of help matters, a group of bipartisan lawmakers says waving the jones act would help speed up the delivery of food, fuel, medicine and building materials to puerto rico. but when pressed on this today, the president said he's worried about the shipping industry. >> in puerto rico, mr. president, why not lift the jones act. >> we have a lot of shippers and people in the shipping industry that don't want the jones act
4:02 pm
lefted. >> so the shippers don't want the law lifted and that's what holding the president back. here are the facts, there is no cure all, but the president lifted the jones act last month after hurricanes harvey and irma, to help americans on the mane land. trump has tweeted 26 times in his fight over the national anthem, and just six times about puerto rico. none of these six times were until after he faced intense criticism and then he started tweeting about it. and when he did mentioned puerto rico, he even insulted the island, his first tweet reading, puerto rico who was already suffering from broken infrastructure and massive debt is in trouble. and ivan watson is out front in puerto rico, you've been out today, what have you seen? >> reporter: we've been trolling the military effort here, several military officials tell cnn that they plan in the coming days to practically double the
4:03 pm
number of active duty troops on the ground from about 2,500 now in puerto rico and the virgin islands, to add 2,000 or 3,000 more. but that just may not be enough with a stricken island with a population of some 3.4 million people. >> citizens of colombia, escaping the island of puerto rico, evacuating aboard a colombian air force plane, and it's hard to blame them. aboard a u.s. navy helicopter, you get a sense of the scale of the damage here. a week after hurricane maria barrelled across puerto rico, transport, electricity, drinking water and telecommunications are seriously, if not completely disrupted. this devastated island still needs so much help. and the u.s. military is uniquely positioned to assist. the u.s. ship is an amphibious
4:04 pm
assault ship, but here's it's a floating logistical hub. the u.s. is supporting puerto rico, by land, sea and air, not only with these vertical takeoff auspreys, but also with trucks and bulldozers on the ground. >> we continue to do search and rescue at an alert posture, so we're able to respond if we get a call. >> we're doing a lot of work to move logistics, those critical life sustaining supplies, water, food, medical supplies to different parts of the island that may not be accessible by ground. >> reporter: among the men and women helping with this effort, puerto ricans in the military
4:05 pm
trying to help their family. >> the condition that she's in, not have that liberty to just go over there and help out and put hands on whoever, and help out whoever, that's a more frustrating part, but we have a job to do on board the ship. >> reporter: everybody plays their part here, the ship has two parking garages like this full of heavy vehicles and it's ferrying them to puerto rico on landing craft via this well deck. in recent days, sailors and marines from moved a desalinization unit on to the island to distribute clean drinking water and bulldozers to open up roads brock blocked by . >> we're here, we'll stay here as long as we have to make sure this island gets back up on its feet.
4:06 pm
>> reporter: one of those sailors told me that his whole life as a child growing up here in puerto rico, his parents fed him and now it was his chance to try to send some food back, not only to his family, to his neighborhood, to his stricken community. >> i know we were talking to the governor of puerto rico, she also want that act lifted so they can get more food and supplie supplies. one shipper was telling us that they have 3,000 containers that are full and they're not able to get them even into the island, it's a two pronged problem, you can get this water to the poor who have now gone days without water. and i know you've seen some of this problem. >> reporter: i mean, what do you do, even with this military assistance and the lift power and the boats and the trucks if so much of the supply chain is broken right now. so cnn spoke with the executive of this company crowley, who
4:07 pm
said there are 3,000 containers but there's no truck drivers and there's no fuel for the trucks to send out aid into the community. and this supply chain is broken in so many places right now, we have puerto ricans showing up saying they can't pay for groceries at the supermarket with credit cards because the communications system is broke down. and they have a cash stockpile, and it's become people say a cash based society. so all these steps in the supply chain are broken. the military can help some, fema, other agencies coming in, but how do you rebuild this entire supply chain? that is the enormous challenge facing this u.s. island. >> as we said again, we can't say it enough, a humanitarian crisis, more than 3 million people right now. the reality of this is of course it's not just that the president said he was worried about the shippers that didn't want that jones act waved, he's also still
4:08 pm
focused on the nfl and the senate race in alabama that he ended up losing. jim, do you get the sense, when it comes to puerto rico, clearly the president is playing catch up, there's no question about that, he didn't even tweet about it until people started criticizing him for saying nothing. >> reporter: and erin today the president seemed like he was being pulled in a lot of different directions, he was still licking his wounds after that election in alabama, he was embarrassed that his can dad lost, he said he had the votes to pass the graham cassidy bill, which he doesn't have the votes. and later on this afternoon, the white house said that the president did speak by phone to the congressional delegate, according to this white house spokeswoman, that delegate told the president, she thanked him profusely for all the relief
4:09 pm
efforts going into puerto rico, so the white house bending over backwards to thank the trump administration. one thing we want to point out is that the administration did in fact announce today that they had tapped a brigadier general to coordinate the relief efforts out of pentagon on the ground in puerto rico, so that should accelerate the progress down there. but the big question on the island is why isn't help happening fast enough? and the president said today at this tax event here in indianapolis, that he's not going to turn his back on the people of puerto rico, that help is on the way, but of course people are going to be watching to make sure that is in fact what is going to take place and the president will be down there on tuesday. >> and he surprised everybody saying he was going to do that. when the president came out and said we're thinking about, we're talking about the jones act here, which obviously he had lifted for both irma and harvey for florida and texas but has not yet for puerto rico. separate for what kind of an
4:10 pm
impact it may or may not have, he said we have a lot of shippers and a lot of people working in the shipping industry that don't want that act rescinded. >> we're hearing from our sources, erin, that there is a debate inside the administration as we speak as to what to do with those regulations, because people in puerto rico feel that those regulations are not working for them, so there's a debate going on inside the trump administration. and sarah huckabee sanders said that's what's going to be done with respect to the jones act, but it does leave the door open that they might change their mind in all of this, and pressure is sure building down in puerto rico to make sure those regulations go away because it's certainly not helping the people of puerto
4:11 pm
rico zbrvmt the govz for just came out saying that they want that waved. retired lieutenant general russell, i think you heard the news, there is now brigadier general in charge, the pentagon has put in charge? >> yes, brigadier general kim out of army north. when the brigadier army created a fifth army, we also have a marine quarters, an air force and a navy. and they have sent a deputy commander, brigadier general kim to be the commander of the military there, that is correct. >> let me ask you, general, you have the governor now, the elected representative from puerto rico, asking for this jones act to be waved. it's really complicated what's happening, stuff may be getting to port, but not getting to where it's needed. they said it would speed aid getting to where it needs to be
4:12 pm
if that act were lifted. he responded this way about puerto rico. here he is. >> well, we're thinking about that, but we have a lot of shippers and a lot of people that work in the shipping industry that don't want the jones act lifted. >> what's your response to that, general, the president seems concerned about the shipping industry. >> i want to say that's a crying damned shame. i knew since yesterday that big shots on wall street were making this call, and the president has shown again, he don't give a damn about poor people, he don't give a damn about people of color and the sob that's out on air force one, is denying services for the people of puerto rico. i hate to say it that way, but there's no other way to say it. >> the second class citizens, which is what we said at the top of the show, you're saying, to you, this is also a race issue? >> i'm reading in it just like
4:13 pm
he read about why guys call sobs to mostly african-americans who kneel during the national anthem. he has that liberty as a citizen, i have that liberty, but right on the horizon here, not to change the subject, but there's a crisis coming, 43% of puerto ricans receive social security, they're expecting that money in the next couple of days, the federal government better get off their butt and make sure these people get their money. and the next thing they need to do is get cash in there and hire people to start doing work. if they infuse that island with cash, they can go back to work, otherwise if they have to make sure the telecommunications go back online, people are going to
4:14 pm
be on mres for days and weeks on end. they're going by the fema checklist and the norc nrom checklist, we had it happen in new orleans, the city of new orleans ran out of cash, the white house had to get involved and give them cash, but they could wire it in, puerto rico is a cash economy now, how are those people going to get paid? that's more than a quarter of their population. >> general, thank you for your time. i want to go to the mayor of san juan. mayor, we have just been talking about the jones act, which i know now your governor has said he wants waved and your representative to congress has said she wants waived. the president of the united states has elected not to do so, even though he did of course for hurricane marias irma and harvey. what do you think is holding him back?
4:15 pm
he says it's the shipping industry he's worried about. >> i don't know what's holding him back. i know why he shouldn't hold back, what irma came for seven days, this jones act was suspended. that meant the cost of living and the cost of reconstruction materials we s went down 30%. it's better for the u.s. in terms of relief rather than only pouring millions of dollars into puerto rico, just eliminating or suspending for a year the jones act, so that it's lowered 30% automatically, the cost of reconstruction is going to be enormous and if 30% can be lowered, that's just one very big first step. >> so mayor-- >> so the president doesn't really understand. >> so he said, i'm just quoting him, i don't need to replay his full sound bite again, but he said he's thinking about this,
4:16 pm
but we have a lot of shippers and a lot of people working in the shipping industry that don't want the jones act lifted, that's the reason he gave today for the reason why he doesn't lift it in the case of puerto rico. do you think he sees you and other americans in puerto rico as second class citizens? >> well, yeah, there were a lot of people that did not want slavery to end. and it was the right thing to do. there were a lot of people that didn't want women to vote, and it was the right thing to do. there were a lot of people that didn't want marriage equality, but it's the right and appropriate thing to do. so sometimes one can reach accommodations, so sometimes one can do the right thing, the moral thing, the ethical thing and i'm sure that our brothers and sisters in those shipping unions can see how important this is to the livelihood of puerto rico. we are the only miunicipality i
4:17 pm
puerto rico that has union work, so i know, and i support the plight of our brothers and sisters in the unions. but this is a dire situation, this is a live or death situation, so i am sure that if placed in the appropriate context, just like it was repealed or revoked or suspended for seven days during hurricane maria irma, it can be done, because it is the right thing to do. there is always a lot of excuses not to do the right thing, but the united states that i know, where i lived for 12 years, where i west to school in boston and got my masters at carnegie mellon in pittsburgh where i gave birth to my daughter, is a country that always chooses to do the right thing, and this is the right thing, mr. president, just get on with it and do it. >> are you disappointed with what he's done so far? >> well, i think that there's a
4:18 pm
lot of good people down here, the fema workers are wonderful, they're passionate, they're committed, but there seems to be certain jurisdictional issues that don't let them get to do what they're supposed to do. the planning phase must be over, we need to get the aid in people's hands. we have been blessed in san juan, the mayor of new york, the mayor of boston, the mayor of chicago, today, the mayor of miami beach himself came down bringing 7,000 pounds of food and supplies. congressman lisa guerrero, they all are pulling and they're coming directly to the municipalities to provide the much-needed aid that is coming because the municipalities are closer. when people call 911, you don't say i'm sorry, your calling from a county, you have to call from
4:19 pm
a borough, let me see if i can get your request through. you aftenter the may day call, matter where it comes from. >> mayor, we appreciate your time. >> thank you very much, we appreciate you being a voice that allows everyone to know that we appreciate what the u.s. is doing, we're just desperate and life-and-death situation and a humanitarian crisis and we need it to be as fast and as good as we know it can be done. >> we hope that many are hearing your voice right now, mayor, thank you. next, the president, he picked the loser in that big race last night. that senator says race, is that why ann irate trump deleted his tweets? plus trump's revisionist history. >> on health care, we have the
4:20 pm
votes, we can't do it now because we have somebody in a hospital. >> who is he talking about? er c. but some people still like cable. just like some people like banging their head on a low ceiling. drinking spoiled milk. camping in poison ivy. getting a papercut. and having their arm trapped in a vending machine. but for everyone else, there's directv. for #1 rated customer satisfaction over cable switch to directv. call 1-800-directv. i'm vern, the orange money retirement rabbit, from voya. i'm the money you save for retirement. who's he? he's green money, for spending today. 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.
4:21 pm
but on the inside, i feel like chronic, widespread pain. fibromyalgia may be invisible to others, but my pain is real. fibromyalgia is thought to be caused by overactive nerves. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i'm glad my doctor prescribed lyrica. for some, lyrica delivers effective relief for moderate to even severe fibromyalgia pain.
4:22 pm
and improves function. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions, suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worse depression, unusual changes in mood or behavior, swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling, or blurry vision. common side effects: dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain, swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. those who've had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. with less pain, i can do more with my family. talk to your doctor today. see if lyrica can help. for over 100 years like kraft has,natural cheese you learn a lot about what people want. honey, do we have like a super creamy cheese with taco spice already in it? oh, thanks. bon appe-cheese! okay... going somewhere? whoooo. here's some advice. tripadvisor now searches more... ...than 200 booking sites - to find the hotel you want and save you up to 30%.
4:23 pm
trust this bird's words. tripadvisor. tonight, president trump embarrassed, infuriated after roy moore defeated luther strange who was donald trump's favorite candidate in that alabama primary. now trump actually has taken it further, he actually deleted a
4:24 pm
series of tweets supporting strange. going so far as to say, quote, sounds like a really great guy. >> reporter: he's a newcomer to the national stage, but has long been known to alabama voters, that's why judge roy moore thinks he will win alabama's senate seat. >> i know what they stand for, i have been in politics for many years as a judge and i have a strong support base. >> reporter: many fear they'll be associated with these beliefs firmly rooted that the only source is god. 9/11 might have been punishment for the u.s. distancing itself from god. >> therefore this inquiry shall be to you as a beach and swelling out the high wall. >> shootings like sandy hook as
4:25 pm
well. >> you wonder why we're having troubles in newtown, connecticut, and all across our country with killings, stealing, committing adultery, it's because we have lost god. >> reporter: for moore, it's morality that's missing in america today. >> we wouldn't have the division in our society if we returned to one nation under god as it was. >> reporter: judge moore was twice chief justice of the al once for removing a 5,000-pound monument of the ten commanders and then telling the courts to defy the u.s. supreme court's decision on marriage. he has called homosexuality abbore rent and detestable. and said he didn't believe president obama was born in the u.s. then just days before the
4:26 pm
election, accusations of racial insensitivity referring to reds and yellows. >> now we've got blacks and whites fighting, reds and yo yellows fighting, democrats and republicans fighting, men and women fighting. what's going to unite us? what's going to bring us back together, a president? congress? no, it's going to be god. >> reporter: in a state as red as alabama, roy moore is certainly the front-runner in this election, the democrats however are feeling a lot more confident, they're saying they have much better chances than if they're running against luther strange. the democratic candidate is a former u.s. attorney named doug jones and he put a statement last night clearly targeting moore, in which he said after years of embarrassing headlines about top public officials in
4:27 pm
this state, this race is about people in alabama choosing a candidate with a character and integrity they can proud of. this election due to be held on december 12. but joe biden will be down here next week campaigning for jones. out front now, our senior political analyst mark preston and celine ade, a president, deleting tweets, usually this is not the way it goes, he deleted several tweets in which he supported luther strange. but he doesn't delete a whole lot of tweets that maybe he should, including the one recently where he slammed iran for launching a missile that they didn't actually launch. what's the president's logic here? every one of these tweets gets a lot of retreatretweets they're gone. >> you're asking me to find the
4:28 pm
logic in the actions of president trump. even his supporters know it, maybe they don't embrace it. he listens to what he says, not what he does, he wants people to believe him, no matter what. whether he's talking about crowd size for inauguration, whether he's talking about the health care votes, we had the votes, but we're going to wait until january. donald trump doesn't like lying, donald trump doesn't like being told that he's a loser and guess what, this morning he was a loser when it came to this alabama brace. >> he was a loser, but it seems he's way more focused on being a loser than anybody else was, and now everybody's talking about him being a loser. before the race itself, talking about how worried he was that he would look like a loser. here he is. >> i'm taking a big risk, because if luther doesn't make it, they're going to go after me.
4:29 pm
they're going to say, donald trump, the president of the united states was unable to pull his candidate croacross the lin it is a terrible, terrible moment for trump, this is total embarrassment. >> selena, it really isn't a terrible, terrible moment, he lost, but he's the one that's making it matter here. he deleted tweets about strange, it's stunning. >> it's also misguided. i really think there is h there is this nuance in this race that people are missing including the president. this was not a national race, this was a very local race, with very local sentiments. people forget that republican primary voters, republican voters period, in alabama are very upset with what former governor robert matly did, he's the one that resigned because he had an affair and he used taxpayers dollars as part of this affair.
4:30 pm
and those voters never had a way to punish him. but bently is the guy who appointed strange, and, you know, sort of parted that mobile establishment. this was a more populism, and i think that that's the important thing that we need to look back at voters and say, what's going on here? oh, people are still pushing back against the establishment, they weren't pushing back against frudonald trump, they'r pushing back against the mobile blim establishment. they didn't have a way to act against bentley because he's out the door. >> i want to play a game for each of you, mark, you first, i'm going to read you a quote, and you're going to tell me who said it. i have to produce my birth certificate, but not the president of the united states, that's very strange indeed. >> okay, it wasn't donald trump.
4:31 pm
>> okay, it wasn't donald trump, you're right, so it was? it was roy moore, the guy that donald trump didn't support. that's what roy moore would say that about barack obama. he's a lot like roy moore, why did he even back the other guy, mark? one reason is he was basically told by his political advisors, we stay with strange, he's been a supporter of all your policies all the way through, he did support your supreme court pick. this is an uphill battle for republicans to win come december. you're going to hold on to that seat. roy moore might be food for donald trump, roy moore is going to be really bad for congressional republicans, especially mitch mcconnell, he will make his life a living -- i'll leave it there. >> selena, i'll give you the second one, here you go, i think
4:32 pm
we need something to stop illegal aliens from coming across the border because they are a danger to our homes, our families. >> roy moore. i mean this is a guy who sounds like he's going to go full throttle for the law, which a lot of republicans in the senate are not, selena? >> look, the president didn't need to delete tweets, he didn't need to walk away from this, he didn't, if the reporting is accurate, which it probably was, be irate about it. it's still a win and he should still be sort of embracing the fact that populism is still going on, that sort of energy behind disruption, and so that in effect means that he is still popular. i mean the people who voted for moore don't like trump less, you know, this is a very local election, that's the thing about special elections that people forget.
4:33 pm
it's really not national, even though it gets on the national stage. it's very much about the state that it occurs in, whether it's a congressional district or a u.s. senate race. >> all right, thank you both very much and i think you make the point, it's hard to think that somebody who said these things, someone who voted for them wouldn't also vote for donald trump. so in that case, it's nothinging to embarrassed about mr. president. the president selling his new tax plan and promises cuts for the middle class. is it true? the russian bought facebook ads went far beyond the election, we'll talk about the scheme to generate discourse in the united states. the classes, the friends, the independence. and since we planned for it, that student debt is the one experience, i'm glad she'll miss
4:34 pm
when you have the right financial advisor, life can be brilliant. ameriprise ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ whstuff happens. old shut down cold symptoms fast with maximum strength alka seltzer plus liquid gels.
4:35 pm
4:36 pm
4:37 pm
breaking news, president trump on the road selling his sweeping new tax plan, because he is so good at it, he says. >> this is a once in a generation opportunity and i guess it's probably something i could say that i'm very good at, i've been waiting for this for a long time. our frame work includes our explicit commitment that tax reform will protect low income and middle income households, not the wealthy and well connected, they can call me all they want, it's not going to help, i'm going to do the right thing and it's not good for me, belief me. >> barbara wright served under bill clinton. and you heard the president, it's not good for me, believe e me, do you? >> no, i don't. erin, the tax -- first of all,
4:38 pm
it's a framework, every time you see coming out of washington, whether it's republicans or democrats framework in connection with a tax proposal, the details are not there because they have not been worked out. what we know from the framework, for example the top rate is going to go down, also it's going to be possible for people like trump and also all the real estate and hedge fund partners, they're going to be able to get a pass through, which would dramatically reduces their tax rates and people at the bottom are going to pay a slightly higher tax rate, even though the exemption is doubled, but the estate tax, that now only tops the richer .2% they want to eliminate, so the biggest beneficiaries are the very wealthy and big corporations and everybody else in the middle is going to have to probably pay a little bit more.
4:39 pm
but the big news here, and i don't want this overlooked, is that the deficit hawks in the republican party are now silent. this is going to create a huge budget deficit, the estimates based upon past tax proposals that are similar to this are something like $3 trillion to $7 trillion. >> just pause on that point, i don't want to get into a whole fight about whether tax cuts pay for themselves in deficits. but get to robert's point as to whether the rich is going to get a tax cut here, because it sure looks like that they will with this proposal. is it true that trump's just going to get a tax break and everyone like him? >> i moisz you, my friend, and you have never seen a tax cut you like, do you? for all the time i have known you. >> it tax cuts on the lower income people. >> i'm going to make a case that i think this really will benefit
4:40 pm
the middle class. there's a couple of themes going forward. they haven't sold the plan is this business tax rate reduction and when bob was talking about those so called pass throughs are small business owners and we do believe that if you put more money into the coffers of small businesses, they'll hire more workers and maybe bye mouy moref for that business. and that's exactly what they're going to two put more money in that business and grow it. what we're talking about, and as you know erin, i helped trump put this together during the campaign. we do want to cut the rates a little more the high income people, but we're going to get rid of those taxes and those loopholes. >> are they really going to pay more? >> well, we'll see. >> do you honestly think that
4:41 pm
they'll end up paying more? >> i actually think this is going to be a tax cut for the american people. >> you believe that tax cuts pay for themselves. >> you think that the wealthy people, they should get a tax cut? >> i think our corporations are overtaxed, there's no question about that, i think bob may even agree with that, our high corporate tax rate -- this is about trying to bring those jobs back to america and i believe that it will. it worked for jfk, it worked for reagan, and i think it will work for trump. >> they have weights of something like 9 0 something percent. >> you're right, our rates on individuals are much lower than they use ed to be, you're quite correct about that, but where we really suffer economically, the big bang for the buck comes in
4:42 pm
lowering these business taxes, and the congressional business office, you saw the health care debate, they say 65% of the benefit of cutting the business tax rate goes to workers. middle class workers. >> bob? >> i will believe that when you tell me that actually workers have had a raise in real terms over the last 30 years, these big tax cuts, these big trickle down tax cuts that you've been advocating for all these years, steven moore, but the corporations are now flush with cash, they don't even know what to do with all their money, they have never had this money as a percentage of the total gross national product. the wealthy in this country have never been as wealthy, they have never taken home as much of the total economy as they have taken home. the top 1% have more money that the lower 99% of americans.
4:43 pm
>> because you need businesses for jobs, it's that simple, without an employer, you don't have a job. >> you are wrong but one thing that's very, very fundamental, it is the middle income and poor people who actually through their spending create jobs, businesses are not going to invest in new jobs until there are people who are purchasing, that's one of the problems we have had through the last 25 years, that's why the recovery have been as slugish as it has because the middle class and the poor don't have any money. >> that's what we'll be talking about as they try and try to pass something. and next breaking news, how russia sought to generate chaos in this country through a black lives matter on facebook. we have an exclusive port as we find out what these these were.
4:44 pm
wi hhs secretary tom price be fired for flying private jets? >> i will tell you, i am not happy with it. is now one of the best reviewed films of the fall. woo! barry, you gotta take care of this family. this is gunna be good for us. it's 100% thrilling. we are ordering you to land immediately. alright boys, let's land. tom cruise delivers his best performance in years. we recognize the dangers involved here. shoot the gringo! no you don't. american made. rated r. our guests can earn a free night when they book at choicehotels.com and stay with us just two times? fall time. badda book. badda boom. pumpkin spice cookie? i'm good. book now at choicehotels.com with incredible flavors, like new nashville hot shrimp- crispy, spicy, and drizzled with sweet amber honey. plus the delicious classics you love, like garlic shrimp scampi.
4:45 pm
try all the shrimp you want, however you want 'em. but hurry, it ends soon. finding the best hotel price is whoooo. now a safe bet. because tripadvisor searches... ...over 200 booking sites - so you save up to 30% on the... ...hotelock it in. tripadvisor.
4:46 pm
breaking news, republicans and democratic leaders on the senate judiciary committee have reached a deal to issue a subpoena to paul manafort, the former campaign chair. the goal is to get him to appear
4:47 pm
in a public hearing. they said manafort's attorneys failed to cooperation. at least one facebook ad bought by russians during the presidential campaign was about black lives matter it was targeted to reach members in baltimore. dylan, how significant is it that russia would try to target these two cities with an ad like this? >> it could be very significant and the reason is that it shows the level of sophistication that these russian ad buyers had in terms of understanding the american political landscape and also what their intentions were. the sources with espoke with said that the intention of markets a black lives matter ads in ferguson and baltimore understanding that those would be receptive audiences,
4:48 pm
reacceptive in the way that they supported black lives matter or opposed black live matters, it tells how russia was trying to sew discord in the american political system generally, not just anti-donald trump, or anti-hillary clinton but really trying to get to the heart of some of these political and cultural battles that have been going on for many years. >> earlier today, president trump tweeted, quote, facebook was always anti-trump, mark zuckerberg is firing back tonight. what he's saying? >> facebook ceo mark zuckerberg did two things, he first took the opportunity to say, look, facebook was a positive influence during the 2016 election, we took ads from the right and from the left, that tells you that we're a platform that speaks to all americans and all americans used it to participate in the election, second thing very quickly, is he
4:49 pm
to apologize for dismissing the notion that misinformation on facebook may have played a role in influencing the outcome of the 2016 campaign. >> now back to our top story, the breaking news from puerto rico, and now at this moment we have some new images of the grim extent of the humanitarian crisis in puerto rico. for the first time, you're going to go to the small island off the coast of puerto rico, there is no power there, there is no food there, there is no way to let anyone who lives there let anyone who does not live there know whether they're even alive. i know that it was a very difficult thing to do and to see, but tell us about it. >> reporter: well, this is one of the most popular spots in puerto rico, million dollar homes, it's a favorite of people like ricky martin, but there's also 10,000 working poor puerto ricans who have been there for a long time.
4:50 pm
and for the last week, it's a black hole of information, no word on who survived or made it through the wicked winds of maria, so we found a pilot of a cessna to take us east to the main island here, and it absolutely broke my heart. here's a look. landing at what is normally a tropical paradise, the first impressions are shock, awe and dread. it looks like we catch a ride through the wreckage to the town center where the deputy mayor tells me all of the 10,000 residence survived the storm but a few of the frail died sense. the battered locals wait in heat for the first contact in a week. >> we're out of food, we're running out of food and water.
4:51 pm
>> reporter: that is the kind of heart breaking soul draining scene that's getting played out again and again as people look at her cry. as she gets on a symphocell pho the first time. oh, my god. it crushes your soul to watch that and this is the line, this is a two-hour line of folks waiting to give proof of life to a wife, husband or a father, it's rough. this is on officer who lives on the island, he is from the state national guard, puerto rican national gaurt but he can't carry a gun for security until he's activated and bureau red tape is holding that up. things are so prim tiff they drive around in a speaker truck, letting people know when water is coming, if water is coming. i just spoke to former president
4:52 pm
of the senator here in puerto rico -- current senator who gave me the most compassionate plea that they needed general, ships and they need help right now. >> this is something that needs and requires someone who knows how to distribute goods in the middle of a war zone. >> reporter: so you're making a plea for marshal law? >> i'm making a plea for marshal law. i'm making a plea for three or five days where we can distribute water and food. it's six days after the hurricane, it's a horrible scenario in puerto rico. we need orders and we need to follow certain amount of law. and right now, it's no man's land at night. after 7:00 p.m. it's no man's land. >> i lost everything. >> reporter: there is so much more to share with you. i'm going upstairs write a script, we're going to cut it all day tomorrow.
4:53 pm
we'll show you the pain and heart break of those people who need help now. erin. >> thank goodness you are able to raise awareness so more and more people can see this. bill weir thank you so much. next, trump not happy with his health and human services secretary's use of private jets. my experience with usaa has been excellent. they always refer to me as master sergeant. they really appreciate the military family, and it really shows. we've got auto insurance, homeowners insurance.
4:54 pm
had an accident with a vehicle, i actually called usaa before we called the police. usaa was there hands-on very quick very prompt. i feel like we're being handled as people that actually have a genuine need. we're the webber family and we are usaa members for life. usaa, get your insurance quote today. and tonight cnn learn e pa commuter scott pruitt used a private plane for his business. let's just be clear all of the private planes are being paid for by you. >> i was looking into it and i will look into it and i will tell you personally i'm not happy about it, i am not happy about it. >> what are you going to do about it? >> i'm going to look at it. i'm not happy about it and i let
4:55 pm
him know it. >> tom foreman is out front. >> reporter: september 15th, 8:27 a.m., secretary price leaves dallas airport on a private jet with the white house's kellyanne conway. they fly to philadelphia, tour an addiction facility and back in d.c. by early afternoon. the price tag $25,000. the same trip at roughly the same times on a commercial plane, likely be less than $1,500. on am track, under $500. and his motor k could have driven them to philly in two hours and 20 minutes. the president's response. >> i will tell you personally i am not happy about it. i am going to look at it. i'm not happy about it and i let him know it. >> reporter: other examples, in june a round chip to nashville
4:56 pm
by private jet cost $18,000. a commercial flight with government discounts would have cost 102 to $333 per person. the secretary hcited his cat tight schedule is the reason he took five trips this month. in august he took a private jet to an island in georgia where he and his wife owned property a day-and-a-half before he spoke at a medical conference. and on september 13th. he took a private jet to maine for a meeting the next day. then it was on to a health center in new hampshire and back to d.c., estimated cost, $40,000. >> this wasn't a white house approved travel. >> in all 26 trips on private jets by secretary price costing about $400,000.
4:57 pm
the e kwif lant of all the federal income tax paid last year by 55 average american families. it's pretty awkward when price used to raid other officials for using private jets. >> this is another example of irresponsibility running a muck in congress. >> reporter: still secretary says the claim are overstated. >> we've taken many many trips in cars, sometimes four or five hours at a time. >> reporter: what's more the department's travel policy is under review and doesn't expect any more until that's complete. >> we've heard the concerns and we take that very seriously and to heart. >> reporter: well, we'll see how much they've taken it to heart. one of the things said, erin was he wanted to get out of washington and spend more time with normal voters and i wanted to point out there are plenty normal voters if you ride in
4:58 pm
coach. erin. >> thank you very much. now a major milestone, women can drive in saudi arabia. it has been against the law for 40 years and it's a major step for the nation's soon crown prince who is only 30 years old. one woman captured it saying saudi arabia will never be the same against. she had been arrested in 2011 for traveling and challenging the ban. i been to saudi arabia report including this issue and what amazes me is the idea saying women aren't smart enough to dri drive, there are women who defended the ban. they say other than driving they can do more things in the car. why de-americans focus on the fact they're not able to drive. here's what a mother and daughter told me about the ban
4:59 pm
on driving and the law requiring them to wear the black abia in public. >> there's a limitation on driving. >> for me it's not an obstacle. >> it's going to lim you, you're not strong enough as a person to do what you want to do really. >> these interviews were done in 2010. at the time women in saudi told me it would be another five years before they were allowed to drive, it's been seven. there are a couple of ways to see this move and one is to celebrate it. the second is to highlight how far saudi still have to go. there is no turning back but there is a real question whether a change in that law would mean anything more than a super official change in a society where women still need a male guardian to allow them to leave the country. thanks for joining us. watch out front on cnn go, "ac
5:00 pm
360" begins right now. we're coming to you from the side of a special "360" town hall. patriotism, and the president. what kaepernick did last year in taking a knee has grown. a heated debate of racial injustice, free speech. president trump weighed in on friday calling players who protest during national anthem sons of bitches. tonight athletes, veterans, cultural figures and members of law enforcement join us in talking it out. that's ahead. last night in alabama challenger roy