Skip to main content

tv   Smerconish  CNN  October 7, 2017 3:00pm-4:00pm PDT

3:00 pm
detail throughout the evening. but hope it stays a category 1. >> we'll be watching it and monitoring it throughout the next hour. i'm anan cabrera in new york and i'll see you an hour from now live with more on hurricane nate. smerkonish starts right now. i'm michael smerkonish in philadelphia, we welcome viewers in the united states and around the world. the president up early and tweeting again. this time about his desire for equal time on tv. come on, mr. president. you have your own channel. and you're welcome here on any saturday of your choosing. and i will treat you with dignity and respect. today marks one year from the day that we learned that russia was interfering with the u.s.
3:01 pm
election. and pursuing the russian meddle and possible collusion, will prosecutor robert mueller make president trump testify under oath? that's the belief of ken starr who investigated the whitewater and white house intern scandals. he's here to discuss. with u.s. embassy in personnel in havana suffering a mysterious illness, this week president trump expelled 15 cuban diplomats. are we headed for cold war ii? a week after the massacre in las vegas, investigators still trying to learn what drove the shooter. i was in vegas this week. and asked its colorful ex-mayor, oscar goodman, a former mob lawyer who played himself in "casino" about how his city is coping. and megyn kelly trying so hard to cross over from fox to nbc, but struggling with viewers and critics. in this political divide, is it just impossible for anyone to switch sides? but first, they told us so.
3:02 pm
one year ago today, october 7, 2016, brought the news that the russian government was meddling in the u.s. presidential election. at 3:00 p.m., the news came in the form of an unprecedented statement from the director of national intelligence, james r. clapper junior. and the department of homeland security. the statement pointed a finger at vladimir putin without naming him. quote we believe based on the scope and sensitivity of these efforts, that only russia's senior-most officials could have authorized these activities. the statement said. to be sure, the statement received coverage, but as detailed in michael isikoff's new yahoo documentary, "64 hours in october" the russian meddle was not the blockbuster you might have expected. it became buried under two other stories that broke immediately after that the "washington post" revelation of the "access hollywood" tape in which the republican presidential nominee used crude and offensive
3:03 pm
language. followed by a wikileaks dump of clinton campaign chair john podesta's emails. it was a stunning news psych until a campaign that had many. in retrospect, it seems difficult to believe that the release of the dnc emails immediately after the post broke the "access hollywood" tape, was a coincidence. and both obscured the more serious matter, the effort by a hostile foreign government to determine the outcome of our election. one story involved a verified attack on our national security. with you both of the others appealed to our prurient instincts. the "access hollywood" tape had all the elements, sex, lies, videotape and captured our attention to the detriment of more serious matters. many americans spent the entire campaign rubber-necking instead of focused on substance. and many waited until they saw the results of the election to decide whether to be concerned about russia. based entirely on the outcome. but it doesn't matter who won or whether the outcome was altered.
3:04 pm
that our partisan domestic differences didn't stop at the water's edge was itself proof of the effort's success. it's been a full year. we didn't listen then. and some of us aren't listening now. joining mow now is ken starr, former u.s. solicitor-general and federal judge, he of course was independent counsel in the whitewater and clinton intern investigations. judge, nice to have you here. many forget that while president clinton remained in office after your independent counsel inquiry, you nevertheless obtained 14 criminal convictions. here's my question -- how likely with regard to russia, that regardless of what happens to the commander-in-chief, there will be multiple indictments of underlings? >> it depends on the facts. but i'll tell you this, given what we do know, especially given what happened the summer with respect to the fbi's
3:05 pm
intrusion paul manafort's condominium, in light of the revelations that we've seen about general flynn, i have a sense that there will in fact be indictments. there may be guilty pleas and so forth. but we shall see. what i find very interesting, very briefly, is in line of the information that is now coming out with respect to russian attempts to influence both the national election and 21 different states, what i expect to see is serious consideration of indicting one or more foreign nationals. >> judge, you've said that the president himself will ultimately be under oath in connection with the mueller probe. in what scenario? >> it will probably be by invitation. there will be every effort i'm confident bob mule certificate a complete professional with total integrity to respect the dignity of the office of the president. which you said at the top of the hour.
3:06 pm
the presidency deserves respect. so the way it will likely work out, in the fullness of time, is for the president's private lawyers, led by ty cobb, who is very able, and bob mueller, personally to sit down and discuss the situation. the president of the united states during the whitewater investigation was under oath on several occasions. in the white house. there was one occasion of course the civil litigation brought by paula jones, when he was under oath in a private law office here in washington, d.c. so it will depend on the negotiations. but i think that is a logical step in bob mueller's eventually completing his investigation. >> do you believe that bob mueller has or will see the president's tax returns? >> that, i don't know. it would be a logical step, but it really depends always on the evidence that you have and then
3:07 pm
your assessment of the evidence with your able team not only of lawyers, but if analysts. and my experience, in whitewater, we depended on superb financial analysts from both the fbi and the irs, these are professional people, they are not motivated by partisan politics, they're simply trying -- whatever their politics are, they leave that, the way it's to work and i have every confidence that bob mueller will see to it, that politics are left at the door. bob happens to be a republican. he's a fact-and-law person. and think that's what we're going to get, an honest assessment of the facts. >> a legal hypothetical, one that you had to deal with can a sitting u.s. president be indicted? >> the justice department has an informal policy that the president, the sitting president cannot. that is not embodied in any regulation of the like. it is an understanding. there have been policy statements to that effect.
3:08 pm
my own view is that a president of the united states can be indicted. everyone is under the law. >> i bring this up, because this summer we learned from a freedom of information act request that "the new york times" initiated, that there was a memo written at your request on your watch, that looked at the issue, and came to the conclusion that you've just offered. >> yes. our basic system going back to magna carta, 800 years ago in england, was that every person is subject to the law. that also means the criminal law. what i think are separation of powers system means is that as i said earlier, the president must be treated with every possible respect. so that can effect scheduling and the like. but the supreme court of the united states held in the civil setting, in clinton versus jones, paula jones, unanimously that the president of the united states had to respond to lawful
3:09 pm
process, including a civil lawsuit, that strikes me all the more so, if the criminal laws have been violated. which is obviously a big if. >> in the clinton case, you made a determination, correct me if i'm wrong, that a congressional impeachment process, was more suitable than the indictment scenario that i've just asked you hypothetically. in the current case, i want to make crystal clear, judge, there's been no showing that would suggest the potential at this stage of such an indictment. i'm asking it hypothetically. but in the russian probe scenario, which would be better suited? a congressional impeachment inquiry like we had with clinton? or an indictment scenario? >> i certainly would prefer and it is a hypothetical and may it never happen for the sake of the country, we want stability and have policy disagreements insert them out. when it comes to the president of the united states, it is in fact preferable for the matter,
3:10 pm
the nature of the alemged offense for the matter to come before the house of representatives, it's the ultimate political act by the people to determine whether the president is fit to continue to serve in office. and that determination was made. in president clinton's situation, i should just add briefly that there was a statute under which i was serving that actually directed us to refer information to the house of representatives, that's statute is no longer in effect and the regulations under which bob mueller was appointed does not contemplate that at all. >> your inquiry began with a land transaction and ended with an intern scandal. underscoring the point that once there's an investigation under way, you really don't know where it's headed. apply that lesson to this case. >> yes, that's a stay tuned. because information comes in. as long as it arises out, the
3:11 pm
information that's coming to you, arises out of the investigation, then it's appropriate for the special counsel to conduct the investigation in my situation, our situation in the whitewater days, we return to the attorney general of the united states, and said here's the information we have with respect to the monica lewinsky situation and she, janet reno specifically authorized it. there's a very different mechanism in place now. >> judge, we appreciate your expertise. >> thank you. >> what are your thoughts at home? tweet me @smerkonish. i'll read some responses throughout the course of the program. i think we've got ready to go right now. wrong you are, smerkonish. i'm often wrong. it's absolutely does matter who won. with russia's hands in the pot, look who we got. no, deborah, you're misunderstanding. what i'm saying is that to many with regard to this russia probe to them they want to know was it outcome-determinative? as if the only way we should
3:12 pm
care about this is if they played a role in the direct election of donald trump. to which i say -- absolutely not. what matters is that they attempted and we should all be concerned about that. not suit up in our partisan armor. one more if i've got time. here it is. smerkonish invites @realdonald trump on air, come on, president, think of the ratings. i have an open door for him. i have invited him previously. and i would treat him with dignity and respect. i would like to think that he would enjoy the opportunity to participate with my very direct, but fair questioning. we'll see. still to come it sounds like a spy novel after u.s. embassy workers in havana were stricken by a mysterious illness. president trump has expelled 15 cuban diplomats is the cold war reheating. senator chris coons of the foreign relations committee is here. and the real reason for megyn kelly's rocky start on nbc.
3:13 pm
. a key part of your wellness that you may be... ...overlooking. ♪ it's your eyes. that's why there's ocuvite, from bausch + lomb. as you age your eyes can lose vital nutrients. ocuvite helps replenish those nutrients. ocuvite has lutein, zeaxanthin, and omega-3. nourish your eyes to help them be their healthy best. ocuvite eye vitamins. be good to your eyes.
3:14 pm
3:15 pm
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
3:16 pm
fothere's a seriousy boomers virus out there that's been almost forgotten. it's hepatitis c. one in 30 boomers has hep c, yet most don't even know it. because it can hide in your body for years without symptoms, and it's not tested for in routine blood work. the cdc recommends all baby boomers get tested. if you have hep c, it can be cured. for us it's time to get tested. ask your healthcare provider for the simple blood test. it's the only way to know for sure.
3:17 pm
ing. is the cold war coming back to life? president trump expelled 15 cuban diplomats escalating his response to the mysterious illness that has stricken american embassy personnel in havana. it's another area in which trump is undoing the legacy of president obama. in this case, detant between united states and cuba. the cuban government condemned the act as hasty, inappropriate and unthinking. motivated by politics. where's this leading? joining me now united states senator chris coons, from great state of delaware, a member of the senate's committee on foreign relations judiciary and ethics. senator, if we don't have proof that the cuban government itself was responsible for this mysterious attack, should we have expelled their diplomats from the united states? >> that's a great question, michael. this whole incident is somewhat of a mystery. over a number of months 22 diplomats from the united states stationed in havana in cuba were reported mysterious illnesses,
3:18 pm
problems with balance, with memory. with their general health. and finally i think, the trump administration acted out of a concern that cuba is responsible for the safety of our diplomats in their country. and cuba exercises very close control of everything within their country. their intelligence service is famously intrusive. i think the sort of htit fo tat retaliation was supposed to ramp up the pressure on cuba and figure out the source of the mysterious illnesses and attacks on american diplomats. >> but where the cubans allowed the fbi to come on their soil and conduct an investigation seems to mitigate against the idea that it was the cuban government itself that was responsible. i guess what i'm wondering, senator, is whether there are forces at play here, though don't wish for there to be a
3:19 pm
reapproachment between cuba and the united states. it takes a line out of a new work of fiction by nelson demille, but there are those forces out there. that have been lying in wait for this kind of a moment. and we don't want our foreign policy dictated by interlopers, that's what i'm trying to say. >> michael, it is an unfortunate alignment of those who have opposed the reapproachment to president trump seems to want to roll back whatever he can do to roll back the accomplishments of the obama administration. i appreciate you focusing on this a story in the midst of the swirl about stories of north korea and syria and iran and other international issues, the situation in cuba has not get gotten a great deal of attention. allowing potentially folks who simply oppose our reestablishing strong relations with cuba to
3:20 pm
insert themselves into this discussion. >> let me continue to work through some of your other responsibilities with regard to foreign relations. the president's declining to certify the iranian nuclear deal throws this hot potato your direction on pennsylvania avenue. what do you expect the senate to do? >> well i think this is a terrible idea, michael. i have vigorously engaged with folks from the trump administration at the most senior levels to try to persuade them that giving congress this 60-day expedited procedures period in which we could very well snap back sanctions against iran and blow up the entire jcpoa, the so-called nuclear deal with iran, that this is likely to end badly. the decertification that we expect from president trump is coming week based on news reports, will probably be misunderstood by our allies and our adversaries. it may widen the gap between us in our european allies.
3:21 pm
it will certainly complicate efforts at putting together a diplomatic initiative to restrain north korea. so my concern is that just as we were discussing in the case of cuba. there are forces within the senate and the house who have opposed the jcpoa from the outset and who will likely take advantage of this opening to tri to blow up that deal. >> finally, senator, on thursday night the president was surrounded in the white house by military brass, he said something to the media that has set off lots of speculation. roll the tape and i'll ask you to comment. >> you know what this represents? maybe it's the calm before the storm. >> what's your storm? >> the calm before the storm. >> what storm, mr. president? >> you'll find out. >> lots of storms brewing. which one do you think he was referring to? if any? >> frankly, i think he was just continuing a tradition of being a reality tv star who tries to
3:22 pm
hold the world's attention, tries to make sure that folks don't change the channel. that was a very ominous warning. but given his blustering against north korea and kim jong un, i'm not sure that this predicting any imminent attack or any imminent military effort by the united states. this is a moment, michael, when i'm very concerned that our top diplomat, rex tillerson, has been undermined or sidelined by this president. and that there is significant challenges within the state department in terms of functionality and morale. north korea has got to be our top national security concern at the moment. and there isn't even a nominee to be the assistant secretary of state for east asia, there isn't even a nominee to be the ambassador to south korea. i think it is important that folks in the state department be given the resources and the opportunity and the backing of the president to do their job and this sort of mysterious tv headline-grabbing move by the president doesn't necessarily advance our national security.
3:23 pm
>> did senator corker get it right when he said that the generals and secretary tillerson are keeping us from chaos? i'm paraphrasing, but that's pretty close. >> i'll say this the national security team around president trump is very strong. and i hope that he takes their advice and gives them the opportunity to help manage our national security and foreign policy challenges. >> senator, thanks for being back, we appreciate it. >> thank you, michael. let's see what you're saying on my twitter and facebook. smerkonish, canadians and cubans were targeted, too, but embassy and staff remain. u.s. making big deal. eric, my point is not to understate what's transpired there. whatever the attack was was real and people now bear serious afflictions. i'm concerned that those forces that never wanted us to have reapproachment with cuba are using this to their advantage,
3:24 pm
absent any showing that it was the cuban government that was responsible for the attack. but thanks for your comment, i appreciate it. up next, i was in las vegas the last two days. and i sat down with the city's colorful former mayor, oscar goodman. to find out how his city was recovering. while there, i kept thinking about 9/11. and how new york city's then-mayor handled his city's bounce-back with dithis appearae on "saturday night live." >> "saturday night live" is one of our great new york city institutions, that's why it's important to do your show tonight. can we be funny? >> why start now? [ cheers and applause ]
3:25 pm
3:26 pm
3:27 pm
3:28 pm
3:29 pm
last week's horrific las vegas massacre left 58 dead and 500 wounded. 88 victims remain in the hospital, 37 in critical condition. investigators still piecing together the actions and motives of the perpetrator. but say there's still no sign of connection to terror or isis in particular. already one victim family has filed a court petition over the shooter's estate. investigators believe the attacker may have fired at jet fuel tanks near mandelay bay, before firing on the concert crowd. vice president pence flying to las vegas to pay respects. how does a city known for fun and entertainment regain its psyche in there's nobody better to ask than the usually fun-loving oscar goodman, a mob lawyer turned politician, who was mayor from 1999 through 2011. during the period that vegas adopted the slogan of what happens here, stays here. his wife, carolyn, is the
3:30 pm
current mayor who has been the local face of the tragedy. but i was curious about oscar's outlook. he's a philly guy. central high. a character. a compliment in my book. you may recall that he appeared in the movie "casino" playing himself as who bester robert de niro's lawyer. we sat down recently. >> mayor, long before the tragedy, you and i agreed we were going to get together today. >> were you going to come out here, you had a speaking engagement and i said let's get together for a drink because that's what i do with my friends. >> you're having a drink. >> i'm having a drink, bet i am. because this guy isn't going to change the way i spend my life. that's what all of these miss cree yants want to have the effect. i'm smiling about this guy right now. because i know he's rotting in hell in eternal damn nation and i hope that mengel is his
3:31 pm
roommate. so your mantra is we're still having the drink. screw 'em. >> screw m because they won't change the way we live our life. and when i leave the house my wife says c rampb pe diem. i say hashtag #yolo. we're mourning, we're heartsick, but unfortunately we can't bring those souls back. what we do is celebrate the kind of lives that they had by remembering them. but as far as this guy is concerned? who is eternally damned? he ain't going to change my way of doing business. >> if it weren't cnn, you would be saying -- >> you know what i would say. >> in even different terms. >> i don't curse in front of women, just in front of guys and i know you must have one or two, because you're so handsome. you must have one or two women watch you. >> so much of the -- i'm going to slide this out of the way. >> not too far. >> no.
3:32 pm
the question i want to ask you is what has been the impact on the psyche of this town. >> interesting, you know las vegas, the veneer of the las vegans is a tough person able to respond to adversity. that's sort of our history here. we've always been looked at differently because of the gambling factor in las vegas. but i learned something. i learned a new lesson every time some tragedy does take place and life does have tragedies. that is the folks who live here are so generous, they're so empathetic. that's the only problem that the community really has had. that people have given too much. they want to give too much blood in order to help. they want to give too many blankets in order to help. they want to bring too much food. >> do you think that this will bring about fundamental change with regard to security at casinos? >> no. >> might we have to start walking through metal detectors? >> they're talking about things like that. i would hate to see that happen, to be honest with you. because las vegas and america is a place where freedoms are enjoyed. and the 19 people who caused
3:33 pm
9/11, they changed the way we did business in such a dramatic way. and it's really affected our freedoms. i hope that this event doesn't change our freedoms. >> you just referenced september 11th. and you remind me of something else i want to ask you. 18 days after 9/11, "saturday night live" came back on the air. loren michael, the genius behind "snl" had rudy giuliani and a lot of first responders and lorne michaels said to mayor giuliani, can we be funny? and rudy had a good equip as a response -- he said why start now? it begs a question, when is it time to be funny again and to be -- you're the guy associated with what happens in vegas, stays in vegas. is it okay for -- >> is it okay? >> you know what i'm asking? >> as long as we do it respectfully. as long as we, when we're having our good time, this that we don't forget. we're not trying to have a lobotomy, trying to wipe out the
3:34 pm
event itself. we'll never forget that in this community and america will never forget it as happening in our country. but at the same time we can't give anybody the benefit of having changed the way we do business. if i get up in the morning, and i want to be happy, i'm going to continue to be happy, even though i'm bleeding inside for what happened to these people. >> i know you're grieving for them. i guess the message from mayors goodman is we respect those that we lost. he was a son of a bitch. but don't let the town suffer as a result. because then he wins. >> that's part of the message. the town will continue to be resilient. we'll face the adversity. that's the kind of people that we have here. because they're good people and they're not going to be punished as a result of this. but we have to remember, every single second, that there are innocent victims, their families, their friends, whose entire life has been changed as a result of this guy. and don't let it happen to us
3:35 pm
who weren't directly victimized. >> thanks, mayor. perfect. >> well said. >> i hope so. >> we'll see. good seeing you, michael. let's check in on social media. facebook first. it changes the way i live. every mass shooting or terrorist attack does, it makes me think to be more watchful and aware of my surroundings and it should you, too. kevin? i have that instinct to walk into a room and to be aware of my environment. i've tried to, my wife and i have tried to instill it to our four kids as well. but to mayor goodman's point, we cannot let that s.o.b. significantly change the way in which we lead our lives or then he wins. and i would recommend you, john mueller, from ohio state university, who wrote a book called "overblown" which talks about the need not to overreact
3:36 pm
to terrorism. because the odds are, and i'm not in any way demeaning that which transpired in las vegas a week ago, but sometimes we tend to walk around, thinking that the likelihood of these things happening is much greater than it actually is. there, i said it clearly, i think. one more, a tweet, hot damn, smerkonish, i love this las vegas mayor, you should have had that drink. jeremy what makes you think i didn't have that drink? coming up, in moving from fox news to nbc, megyn kelly may be the prime example of how impossible it is for anybody in today's political climate to try to switch sides. our recent online sales success seems a little... strange?nk na. ever since we switched to fedex ground business has been great. they're affordable and fast... maybe "too affordable and fast." what if... "people" aren't buying these books online,
3:37 pm
but "they" are buying them to protect their secrets?!?! hi bill. if that is your real name. it's william actually. hmph! affordable, fast fedex ground.
3:38 pm
custom t-shirts and other great products for every occasion. for the first day of school to game day and everything in between. with the best collection of styles and graphics to choose from, it's easy to go online and create custom t-shirts, and more, for all of lifes events. (drumming) get start-to-finish help, free shipping, on-time guaranteed. (drumming) for a limited time, save 10% now on your first order of six or more shirts with code tv10. get started today at customink.com.
3:39 pm
(honking) (beeping) we're on to you, diabetes. time's up, insufficient prenatal care. and administrative paperwork, your days of drowning people are numbered. same goes for you, budget overruns. and rising costs, wipe that smile off your face. we're coming for you too. at optum, we're partnering across the health system to tackle its biggest challenges.
3:40 pm
at optum, we're partnering across the health system how much money do you think you'll need in retirement? then we found out how many years that money would last them. how long do you think we'll keep -- oooooohhh! you stopped! you're gonna leave me back here at year 9? how did this happen? it turned out, a lot of people fell short, of even the average length of retirement. we have to think about not when we expect to live to, but when we could live to. let's plan for income that lasts all our years in retirement. prudential. bring your challenges. megan's smile is getting a lot because she uses act® mouthwash. act® strengthens enamel, protects teeth from harmful acids, and helps prevent cavities. go beyond brushing with act®.
3:41 pm
megyn kelly is off to a rough start at nbc, her sunday night program struggle against "60 minutes" despite big bookings like vladimir putin and now her 9:00 a.m. hour of the "today show" is being savaged by some critics. the "washington post" called it -- a morning show bride of frankenstein. the ratings for her first full week are down 12% from last year for the 9:00 a.m. time slot and down 24% 0 among those aged 25-54. there have been faux pas, a stilted launch day garnered terrible reviews. she's made news over conflicts with guests debra messing, tom brokaw, jane fonda. her show was preempted due to the las vegas massacre and she was not part of the nbc team coverage that day. but none of that is the reason why she's struggling. we all make mistakes in this business, i screwed up some
3:42 pm
things in my opening commentary here today. hers happen to be under a microscope and lost in all the saprudering of her work is the real reason she's struggling. it's not because of professional deficiencies, she's the total package, smart, compelling, she's attractive. no. megyn kelly is struggling because -- of the political cannibalization of the television market. another symptom of our partisan divide. we don't watch the same shows as a nation any more. gone are the days when literally one-third of the tv sets in america were tuned in to "all in the family" every week. or 76 million people saw the "seinfeld" finale. now that kind of thing open happens on super bowl sunday. the rest of the year we are residents of our ideological bunkers. and this impacts where we turn for news and entertainment. kelly had a solid base at fox. but those fans won't necessarily transfer, especially where she
3:43 pm
promises to be apolitical. to them, she committed an act of ideological heresy, by going to nbc, which for them conjures up visions of msnbc. fox's primetime audience skewed older, male and white. but to succeed in mornings means reaching women, many of whom are of color. so despite her successful track record for kelly, it means starting from scratch. it's sad that today talent alone isn't enough. to succeed a broadcaster often needs to conform to the partisan expectations of audiences in search of affirmation and not accustomed to changing the channel. for alternative views. that's what i think. let's see what some of you are saying on my twitter. and facebook pages. smerkonish, megyn kelly, is it impossible for anyone to switch sides? trump did it. you're right. hey, maybe she would be better served if she ran for office rather than became a tv presenter on a different
3:44 pm
network. one more. that's a good point. smerkonish, megyn kelly's problem nothing to do with what network. it's anchor versus host. she's the former and not likable enough for the host. who was the person, in what context in the campaign -- it was obama who said to hillary, you're plenty likable. i think she's plenty likable as well. i think it's too dramatic a shift to go from fox news to doing a morning program on nbc. if she were fresh out of the gate on nbc, perhaps she would have had a better shot. in the end, i'm not betting against her. you know in this country we love a comeback story. and ultimately she rising. still to come, donald trump became president while losing the popular vote by millions. my next guest has studied the electoral college and warns we're in for more of the same. as often as one out of every three close elections in the future.
3:45 pm
of course, sam wong has been wrong at least once before and had to eat, well not crow, but, a bug. >> a i was wrong, a lot of people were wrong, but nobody else made the promise i did. and i'm hoping we can get back to dot and thinking thoughtfully about policy and issues, and having said that, and saying a good morning to everyone out there on both sides -- see this? here it goes. okay?
3:46 pm
♪ can i kick it?
3:47 pm
♪ yes you can ♪ can i kick it? ♪ yes you can ♪ can i kick it? ♪ yes you can ♪ well i'm gone you know what's difficult? adulting... hi, guys. i'm back. time to slay! no,i have a long time girlfriend. you know what's easy? building your website with godaddy. get your domain today and get a free trial of gocentral. build a better website in under an hour.
3:48 pm
3:49 pm
3:50 pm
yet only three other times since the republic was founded. but according to a new study by a group calling itself making every vote count in the future one out of every three times that there's a close presidential election the candidate that wins the popular vote will not become president. the situation puts both parties at risk. the study found that, quote, results of elections in only five states outweigh results in all the other 45 states leading to the land of the ignored. there's a growing movement to abolish the electoral college originally founded to try to keep balance. one of the leaders of the national popular vote compact joins me now. princeton professor and neuro science, dr. sam wong. dr. wong, why is the trend on the up tick? >> well, the obvious driver of this is the fact that in our life times there have been
3:51 pm
several times that the popular vote has failed. over 100,000 offices in the united states from alderman on up are determined by the popular vote and yet the presidency is not. so seeing it happen twice in our life time creates a natural feeling that maybe we should revisit exactly how this old, old institution works. and to acknowledge that it's a little creekky and could use a little repair. >> i know that when i've discussed this on my sirius-xm radio program the response by callers is determined by whether they think their party is advantaged or disadvantaged. you correct me if i'm wrong, you say no party will benefit from this. it will be to the detriment of each. explain. >> yeah. so it's natural to see this through a partisan lens of course donald trump is a republican. there's this feeling that, well, republicans benefit from a mismatch between the popular vote and electoral vote.
3:52 pm
it can go both ways. we done computer modelling at making every vote count and at princeton university the computer modelling suggests the popular vote 3 percentage points there's a one in three chance it could go wrong or go either way. think back to 2004, even though george w. bush won re-election by millions of votes. john kerry could have turned that differently. that creates both a risk to both parties and it also creates a security risk nationally for us as a nation. >> dr. wong, i'm glad you said security risk for us nationally because i've been thinking about something since reading your report. does the russian meddle mitigate against the change that you propose on the theory that with an electoral college system in the event of a recount, at least there's a way you can segregate the vote. >> no, i think it's the opposite. i think if you look at that -- the popular vote margin last november was over 3 million
3:53 pm
votes or around 3 million votes. and for them to meddle in the election under a national popular vote they would have to meddle in all 50 states, find a way to flip a lot of votes, find a way to persuade a lot of people. but as it stands, i think as you well know, it would have taken just flipping about 70,000 votes. they could concentrate their hacking power in as few as five states and get a satisfactory effect. so having a national popular vote would add a measure of security by making everyone's vote count across the united states. so i think that actually the national popular vote is in our national security interest. >> and finally, aren't you setting up a scenario where instead of concentrating on a handful of states because of their electoral votes instead candidates will focus only on highly populated areas to the detriment of a whole host of others? >> well, that's a good point. so certainly small population states might feel that they are less represented, but i think that any kind of truly national campaign in our modern media age
3:54 pm
will have to address people all over the country. furthermore, if you look at communities not just geographic but also communities of interest, mormons don't get represented very well in our calculations. they have very little influence because they're concentrated in states that aren't very close. turns out that puerto ricans live in new jersey and new york also have relatively little influence. it's not just small states but small communities who get hurt by the electoral college, so we have to worry about communities across america not just the communities who live in swing states. it's good for all americans and good for the melting pot that didn't exist 200 years ago. >> i always appreciate when you're here, dr. wong. thank you so much. >> thanks for having me on, mike. >> if you ever miss any of the program, you can catch us at any time on cnn go online and through your connected devices and apps. remember, i'm always paying attention to twitter and facebook. what do you got, katherine? electoral college does not need repaired. it needs to be abolished.
3:55 pm
well, that's what he's -- i guess, taking the first step toward doing. i'm worried about upsetting the balance that the founding fathers had in mind. complicated subject. next. equal time sounds like someone is laying down the ground work for his own tv network. we are doomed @smerconish. angel is responding to -- this is a good way to end the program, as a matter of fact. angel is responding to the fact that the president is tweeting and began his day today saying that he needs, you know, better representation on the media and i quipped that he has his own network going for him. i was making a sincere invitation. he thinks that he's underrepresented, you can come right here, mr. president, on a saturday and my commitment is to treat you with dignity and respect the way i always try to treat my guests. so, i'll see you next saturday, both of you, the president and the audience. thanks. ♪ cal thinking like?
3:56 pm
a basketball costs $14. what's team spirit worth? (cheers) what's it worth to talk to your mom? what's the value of a walk in the woods? the value of capital is to create, not just wealth, but things that matter. morgan stanley you give us comfort. and we give you bare feet, backsweat, and gordo's... everything. i love you, but sometimes you stink. soft surfaces trap odors. febreze fabric refresher cleans them away for good. because the things you love the most can stink. and plug in febreze to keep your whole room fresh for up to 45 days. breathe happy with febreze. and other great products for all of life's events.
3:57 pm
get start-to-finish help, free shipping, on-time, guaranteed. for a limited time, save 10% now on your first order of six or more shirts with code tv10. get started today at customink.com. delicious pasta marinara. but birds eye made it from zucchini. mmm! bird: mashed potatoes and rice. but made from cauliflower. looks like i need a fork! oh, no. (giggling) bird: new birds eye veggie made. so veggie good.
3:58 pm
we are the tv doctors of america, and we may not know much about medicine, but we know a lot about drama. from scandalous romance, to ridiculous plot twists. (gasping) son? dad! we also know you can avoid drama by getting an annual check-up. so we're partnering with cigna to remind you to go see a real doctor. go, know, and take control of your health. it could save your life. doctor poses! dad! cigna. together, all the way.
3:59 pm
4:00 pm
♪ this is cnn breaking news -- you are on the cnn "newsroom." our breaking news, a state of emergency right now on the american gulf coast from louisiana to florida, making land fall this hour. the fast-moving hurricane called nate. it's packing sustained winds of over 90 miles per hour right now. governors and emergency officials along the coast made it very clear to people today get to higher ground for your safety. we are live in the places where this storm is hitting, but first meteorologist tom saider watching the radar and newest data. tom, has