i want to hand it over to chris. "cuomo primetime" starts now. a good weekend to you. i'm chris cuomo. welcome to primetime. saudi arabia finally admits the obvious. journalist jamal khashoggi, they say, is dead. 18 suspects suddenly rounded up. people under arrest, including high-ranking officials. the saudis releasing all this information in the middle of the night there, but here, our eyes are wide open. and we have two people who know the deal in saudi arabia. their story right now, this was about a fist fight gone crazy. so a 59-year-old guy versus more than a dozen operatives. why the bone saw? still no word on where the body is. and how do all these guys who work for the crown do this without the prince? we test that. and you think this of all times would be the right time for the president to be sensitive about violence against journalists, but, no.

he celebrated a congressman's assault on a reporter at a rally. how can he howl about democrats and mobs while glorifying violence himself? can his trusted adviser explain? we'll find out tonight. and the caravan is coming from down south. dramatic scenes today providing fresh fodder for fear-stoking. trump thinks that their pain will be his pleasure for the midterms. friday -- let's get after it. okay. so saudi arabia makes an admission and some arrests. all of a sudden announced in the middle the night, literally. and it does all feel like this is still under cover of darkness. lots of questions tonight, and we have the right people to answer them. two former u.s. ambassadors to the region. robert jordan was ambassador to saudi arabia under george w. bush. gerald feierstein was ambassador to yemen under obama and we don't have an ambassador to saudi arabia right now.

that's one of the things that's not exactly greasing the wheels of the process here. so first big question, and i start with you, ambassador jordan. does this feel right to you what's happening with saudi arabia? that all of a sudden this explosion of activity and all these people around the crown had something to do with it but not mbs himself? >> chris, this can't feel right to any right-thinking individual. it's complete nonsense. you'd have to believe in the easter bunny to believe this story that they're concocting. >> the easter bunny is true and as my kids are watching now, they can all attest, but we do have concerns about this story, and let's talk about why, okay? because they've asked for another month and the administration says here in the united states, take your time. take your time. the president has said maybe it was rogue actors. and king salman says it wasn't him. why doesn't it smell right to you, ambassador jordan? >> well, if you look at the pattern of this crown prince,

mohammad bin salman over the past two years, everything he has touched has turned to disaster. he's orchestrated this incarceration of his uncles and cousins and businessmen at the ritz-carlton last november. he's presided over a terrible war in yemen. he has abducted the prime minister of lebanon. he has put many, many people in jail, detained them for nonviolent dissent. and so i think you have to assume that his fingerprints are all over this. this could not have been his inner circle committing this without his knowledge and approval. i don't think there has been any analyst over the last two weeks who would say otherwise. >> and so ambassador feierstein, when we look at this story from them is it was a fist fight that led to khashoggi's death. 59 year-old guy. takes on a dozen. one is a forensic pathologist and there are reports that a bone saw was involved.

what does that sound like to you? >> well, certainly, and i agree with bob completely and his view on this. if you look at the composition of these 15 people, they weren't interrogators. they were bodyguards, security people. as you said, you had this forensic doctor along. so if you look at the reports that the turks have been putting out which basically says that jamal was assaulted as soon as he walked into the consulate, and that he was dead within minutes, this was not an interrogation. and the idea that somehow he was struggling or fighting with this group of much younger, very fit human beings doesn't make any sense. >> obviously, i didn't need one of the intel sources i have today to tell me this but it bears repeating. when you have a lot of names offered it's often done to cover one that's missing.

we don't have the crown prince being involved in this. the big problem for them, though, ambassador feierstein is the body. where is jamal khashoggi. and whatever situation we find jamal khashoggi in right now is going to say a lot about what the intentions were in that consulate, yes or no? >> oh, that's absolutely true. and probably we're never going to see the body. i think the body is probably gone. so again, while it's a good thing the saudis have finally acknowledged that jamal is dead and dead at the hands of saudi officials, there is a long way to go before we have any confidence that we know exactly what happened, exactly who was responsible and the chain absolutely must lead eventually to mohammad bin salman personally. >> here's the problem, ambassador jordan, where we stand right now. this explains in part innocently why the u.s. has to give pause. what can you do?

if the saudis say, look, we took a look. this went wrong. it's regrettable on all sides, we'll deal with who did it. this was a saudi national. we'll deal with it. thank you very much. and the u.n. doesn't step forward, what can the united states do? >> a couple of things. first of all, we're still waiting on the turkish report. and i think this puts some pressure on the turks to come up with a complete, understandable and credible report. we've seen a lot of dribbles of news out. some of which seems plausible. some of which does not. but i think we really need to hear what the turks have to say. we also have this thing called the united states intelligence community. and i have got to believe that they have been able to collect some information over the last two weeks, perhaps to go back and review what they collected previously, and have provided to the administration some further information. this information, by the way, also needs to be made available to congress. it's been withheld and that's perhaps a growing part of the

story here. >> what would be your counsel, ambassador jordan, if you were still there working within saudi arabia right now if the president said to you look, the u.s. intel community, this isn't a citizen. we don't have any jurisdiction over this. what can i do? what should i do? i need them in the middle east. i need them in the war against terror. you know what's going on in yemen. what we are supposed to do? what would your counsel be? >> my counsel to the president would be, this is an extremely important ally and the ally is the kingdom of saudi arabia, not mohammad bin salman. and so we've got to maintain a relationship that we've had since 1945, the best we can, because we do need them, but we don't need any individual who has gone rogue who is perhaps on the precipice of becoming another saddam hussein. that is the worst thing that could happen to saudi arabia in the long term and we have to keep a long-term view of this. >> assuming ambassador you agree, that would mean the three people i've spoken to most recently with experience in this part of the world, also including general hayden have

said the same thing. state to state was the way to be with saudi arabia. shifting it to a personal relationship with salman and jared kushner and maybe the president of the united states does not give the united states the flexibility and leverage it needed in this situation. we'll see what happens next. i'd love to have you back to help us figure out the truth from what we're told. thank you. >> thank you. >> have a good weekend. what the saudis said when this first happened is very different from what they're saying now. is this about their learning curve, or is it about the evolution of a cover story? next. i am proud of you, my man. making simple, smart cash back choices... with quicksilver from capital one. you're earning unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, everywhere. like on that new laptop. quicksilver keeps things simple, gary. and smart, like you!

and i like that. i guess i am pretty smart. don't let that go to your head, gary. what's in your wallet? if you're waiting patiently for a liver transplant, it could cost you your life. it's time to get out of line with upmc. at upmc, living-donor transplants put you first. so you don't die waiting. upmc does more living-donor liver transplants than any other center in the nation. find out more and get out of line today. ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ comfort. what we deliver by delivering. oscar mayer deli fresh ham has no added nitrates, nitrites or artificial preservatives. now deli fresh flavor is for everyone. like those who like... sweet. those who prefer heat. and those who just love meat. oscar mayer deli fresh. a fresh way to deli. oscar mayer deli fresh. nick's mom called the t-ball league eight times to help her shy son make some new friends. his parents shared videos of highlights, dance moves, and jimmy carlyle stealing third... almost. they sent seven texts when a new friend invited nick for a play date. but in the end, they put their phones down, and watched as nick finally felt part of the team. pai'm open to that.medicare? lower premiums?

extra benefits? it's open enrollment. time to open the laptop... ...and compare medicare health plans. why? because plans change, so can your health needs. so, be open-minded. look at everything - like prescription drug plans... oh, and medicare advantage plans from private insurers. use the tools at medicare.gov or call 1-800-medicare. open to something better? start today. open enrollment ends december 7th. so all of a sudden, saudi arabia has it in high gear, admitting jamal khashoggi was killed. ending the cover story that he walked back out of the consulate in turkey. then they flooded the zone with people arrested and removed because of what happened. let's take a look, all right?

so here are the faces that have emerged between the turkish and saudi investigations. many of them are known to be high ranking officials with direct ties to mbs who is the crown prince of saudi arabia. now here's what we know. why are they pixilated? this is the way they were put out. it's not very helpful. but seven passports. these are -- they have other information on these other people. they didn't want to put it out. the turks know certain things. all right. here are the numbers. 18 saudi nationals are currently detained for the investigation. five high-ranking officials have been removed from their posts. remember this, though. when you have a lot of numbers and names thrown out there, often it's done either in the interest of completeness or concealment. how did all these people who worked so intimately with the crown, yet the crown itself, the prince, had no connection or knowledge. proof? one of the men they're looking at is ameds al asiri, a one-time two-star general known within

mbs' inner circle as the chief architect behind the kingdom's war in yemen. sources say it was he who chose the team involved in khashoggi's disappearance. and while it's unclear who exactly is being detained, we know turkish officials are investigating this man, okay? so let's take a look at this. now who is this guy? he's also been relieved of command. saud al qahtani, a top adviser to mbs. sometimes referred to as his enforcer. friends of khashoggi's say al qathtani had called khashoggi and urged him not to be so critical of the kingdom. so what else do we know? the saudi government maintains this was an operation carried out without the knowledge of mbs. think about how dangerous a proposition that would be to go against this man who has locked up his own family. you're going to do something without his knowledge that he may not like?

saudi king now ordering the crown prince to oversee the restructuring of its own intelligence service. again, is this about transparency or is it about concealment? all right. so another big story today, we see through the gop's last push effort what they're going to do in the midterms. fear and loathing. the caravans from the south. mobs of democrats all around you. and yet for the fear of force and in the shadow of the murder of a journalist, the president is applauding the assault of another member of the press by a gop congressman he helped elect. great hype, great hypocrisy? it's a making of a great debate we're doing very differently tonight, next. ♪ be right back. with moderate to severe crohn's disease, i was there, just not always where i needed to be.

is she alright? i hope so. so i talked to my doctor about humira. i learned humira is for people who still have symptoms of crohn's disease after trying other medications. and the majority of people on humira saw significant symptom relief and many achieved remission in as little as 4 weeks. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. be there for you, and them. ask your gastroenterologist about humira. with humira, remission is possible.

we've hadfor a long time.is in san francisco and half-measures haven't fixed it. homelessness doesn't just hurt homeless people. it hurts all of us. that's why we're all voting "yes" on c. the plan is paid for by corporations that just got a massive tax break. it's time for them to give back by helping all of us to fix our homeless crisis. with more affordable housing... expanded mental-health services... clean restrooms and safe shelters. vote "yes" on c. it helps all of us.

democrats produce mobs. republicans produce jobs. that's the new catchy slogan the president rolled out last night. but also last night, trump ironically congratulated congressman gianforte for literally assaulting a journalist back in 2017. >> greg is smart. and by the way, never wrestle him. you understand that? never. any guy that can do a body slam, he's my kind of -- he's my guy. >> i'll take you through what i think about what happened with gianforte and what the president is doing here. but there is one obvious problem with this. the president is clearly celebrating this republican for violently attacking a

journalist. and that's not hype. he admitted to a crime in the situation, gianforte. so this isn't my description. it's his own. then the president turns around and says democrats create violent mobs and he cares about a saudi journalist being murdered? you can't get more fair than this. here's how we're going to debate what's going on. i believe there's so much for trump folk to explain, tonight i'm giving them both seats. two on one, just little old me. amy kremer and niger innis. thank you for joining me. >> great to be here, thanks. >> let's just focus on the caravan. the president is very excited about the caravan, amy. he believes they are a metaphor for all of the monsters that america should be afraid of. why do you think that works for you? >> i mean, i don't think it's a metaphor for all the monsters we

face, but i think it is a problem that we have with illegal immigration. and we need to fix our illegal immigration problem. and he campaigned on that. he promised he was going to do that. and he's focused on that. and he hasn't been able to do it because congress has held him up. and so he sees this as an opportunity to finally get something done. >> so you think it's congress. i'll take that on with you, niger. but one step before. he does call them monsters. he says that they're drug dealers, rapists. they are the worst. they're not sending us the best but the worst. who is doing the raping, don? remember when he said that to don lemon? who is doing the raping? you look at the data, the people who come in, illegal aliens as you like to call them. they commit crime at a lower rate. he doesn't know the composition of this caravan but he's making assumptions and telling people this is what you should fear. your okay with that? >> i mean, look, i want him to fix our immigration problem.

we need to know who is coming in and going out of this country. we should only accept the best here, chris. why is that a problem. >> since when? >> who came over here in your family, how did you get here? >> the thing is -- >> no, no, no, who came in first for you? >> i mean it goes back generations, chris. >> where did they come from? were they the best? scientists, architects coming in with bags of gold? >> you know what, not everybody is a scientist and an architect, but the thing is we need to be able to decide. you don't go to sleep at night and leave your doors open -- >> nobody is saying the doors shouldn't be locked. >> i have to show i.d. >> you're saying different things. niger, we should have only the best. we never have. we never have. we've given people the chance to be the best, niger, all right? now you look at somebody's lineage like your own and many african-americans didn't have a chance. they were brought here in bondage. it's an ugly chapter we should never forget. but people like me and i suspect

kremer, we got here, no discernible assets. now we're going to change what america is. kremer says congress is keeping trump from enforcing the law at the border. how so? >> look, most of us conservatives are for legal immigration. >> right. >> and that's the operative word. >> trump is not. >> no, trump -- trump has said -- >> he is. >> no, he's not. he wants to build a wall and have a big golden door for legal immigration. and let's not forget -- >> and get rid of family reunification the way his in-laws got in here. he wants to cut back how many can come in. he wants to change the asylum rules. and he wants more people from norway. what about all that? that's all legal immigration. >> well, i don't know about a bunch of blond-haired, blue eyes from norway.

>> that's what he said. >> that's fine. so you're okay with more norwegians and less of everybody else? >> i'm okay with people obeying our immigration laws. >> absolutely. >> i'm okay with re-examining our immigration laws so that we have an america first immigration policy. amy knows -- >> what does that mean america first, by the way. >> well, something that benefits the american people. the american worker. the american economy. the american technological edge. and immigration policy that does not allow terrorists who would want to destroy our civilization from slipping in under the cloak of darkness. >> who is the democrat who is -- who is the democrat who is pro letting terrorists in? remind me. which one is that? >> well, i think that there are a bunch of anarchist democrats that don't care that de facto -- not just democrats. there's some free market -- so-called free market

republicans that believe in open borders. >> name me one. >> and no, america does not -- >> name me one of those. >> maxine waters. >> she does not believe in letting everybody in the country whenever they want. nobody does. >> oh, come on. >> chris. >> that's not true, chris. >> just because you want it to be true doesn't mean it is. show me a quote from maxine waters saying we should have no rules. show it to me. >> no, it's called blocking any kind of funding for the wall. it's called blocking any kind of rules and regulations that says that american citizens are a priority. american workers are a priority. not assimilating the entire world. >> the workers -- >> because of political -- >> niger, i got you. back to you, amy. this idea of this american worker being hurt by illegal immigration. show me the proof. you have 7 million jobs right now. you don't have employees for them.

you don't have it. and they are jobs important to this economy and important to your base, okay? agricultural workers. farming. construction. blue collar people. americans don't do those jobs in big numbers, and you both know it, if you read anything. the people who do do it, are the ones you're demonizing right now and you won't go after the employers, will you? i've never heard one of you say we're going to bust the employers and stop the supply because they won't hire them anymore. you never say that, why? >> chris, the bottom line is, we should know who comes in and goes out. >> everybody agrees. next. >> follow the damn laws. >> everybody agrees. next. everybody agrees with that. >> then why are people advocating for just letting anybody come in here? >> nobody is. this is your crazy talk. >> oh, my god, no, it's not. are you kidding me? stacey abrams who doesn't support farmers i mean -- >> she doesn't say just let everybody in. >> she's advocating for illegals to vote here in georgia. >> that's different than saying

let everybody in. it's a totally separate issue. >> the reason democrats want open borders is because -- >> they don't want open borders. is there such a need -- listen. i get it. i get it. they want to stock the whole voting base with illegals. like they don't have a registration advantage already. go look at your demographics. niger, you don't need this to make your point. you don't need to exaggerate and say democrats want everybody to come in and no rules. you know that's not true. i think it undergirds what the real argument here is. you should be saying we need to revamp these things that democrats are holding up. why? you want a wall? fine. that's politics. but you'll not find people to say you're a wall away from ending the problem. over 80% of the illegal stays in this country are done from extended vis as, right? they come by plane. >> that's true. >> why are you nodding yes, amy. it kills your whole argument. you can't agree with that. you want to put up a wall.

>> chris, listen, it's not just -- it's not one thing or another. >> let me finish. >> 80% come by plane. why would you want to own that, even though it's true? >> the wall is not just about the illegal immigrants coming across. it's all about the drugs coming across and the human trafficking. that's another thing. but i want to say -- >> hold on because we go point boy point here, amy. i have had the unfortunate pleasure of spending way too much time south of the border covering the drug cartels. you have not, all right? so let me tell you how it works down there largely. tunnels, okay? that el chapo was a tunnel building fool. and they use a lot of that. they also use planes and huge cargo containers and a lot of the drugs are coming from somewhere other than south america. so the idea that you're a wall away from stopping the drug problem is also untrue. and if you talk to any competent person, including your commissioner, you will have a conversation about economic desperation. that's the problem.

and niger, our president's solution is to cut funding that will help stem poverty in the places where the people are coming from. how is that productive? >> well, it is a threat against those governments and hoping that our central american neighbors will do what mexico and i applaud mexican -- the mexican government because they are cooperating. >> they've always done that. >> an ingenious idea of the u.n. actually establishing shelter for the so-called political refugees when we all know they are economic refugees. >> many are. >> desperate to come here to get jobs. >> many are. some are not. >> they are establishing that at the southern border between mexico and central america, and i think what trump is doing is doing the types of negotiating that actually led to a revamping of nafta, thanks again to mexico. >> the ambassador was on last night from mexico.

he said we've always done this. we're going to do it because it's in our interest and we hope the united states does and says the right things to respect the humanity that this process should entail. he didn't say anything about pressure, anything about doing it because trump said to and nothing about paying for the wall, by the way. >> well, he probably wouldn't say that publicly, but i think privately the president saying that he's going to not put national guard but actually put regular u.s. military on our border -- >> you like that idea? what's the u.s. military going to do there, niger? >> i like -- >> what are they going to do? >> i like the idea of a president of the united states saying that -- >> pointing guns at people who come? >> protecting our border is a priority. that a nation cannot be a real nation if its sovereignty is not respected. >> this isn't a game of risk. this isn't a game of risk. this is real. amy, what do you think happens if you put military on the border? what do you think they do there? play parcheesi? >> he threatened to put the

military on the border. >> what do you do to them? >> this is the thing. today the people coming from honduras busted through the controls there and went into mexico anyway and said -- >> what would you have the military do if they try it here? >> i'm not in the military. i don't know what they can do. >> what would you want them to do? why do you feel so good about having the military there. >> i didn't say i felt good having the military there. >> you liked what the president was doing. i like a president standing up for our -- >> so you like it. >> can i finish what i'm saying? >> i'm trying to get ahead of the game. >> i like a president standing up for the country and doing what he said he's going to do. i'm tired of the draw the line in the sand and cross it. so we have a president that's doing exactly what he said he was going to do when he campaigned, and i like that. and many millions of americans like that, too. >> and i want to have you on record for something god forbid we have to have this conversation in a different context. the military sent down to the border, which is something you agree with and you like, and --

>> i didn't say i want the military -- >> and people who are looking to get in. i want to hear you say you're okay with it. >> no, i -- >> i'm okay with the president -- >> i don't think it should come to that. it shouldn't come to that. >> what is going to happen if you -- >> i'm okay with the president using it as a threat. that's right. i agree with amy. i'm okay with the president saying we have a -- we have a number of tools in the toolbox, and using the military on our border might be necessary and him threatening the possibility. look, one thing the world has taught us is in israel, in the middle east, that when israel was a victim of a number of terrorist attacks, they put up a wall and those terrorist attacks went down dramatically. >> yeah, and so did the lethality. and you know that better than most. it's a much shorter border. it's fully armed. it's an ongoing war. n people die on a regular basis. i'm out of time for this, but we're going to have a lot more opportunity to do it. and i invite you -- >> let's do it again.

>> have a good weekend. appreciate you making the articles. i'm going to get you on that, amy. you're going to have to own whatever happens on the border if the military is there. >> oh, dude. >> hopefully we never have to have the conversation. >> bro. >> have a good weekend. >> bro works. we're all brothers and sisters. so the caravan, kavanaugh, law and order. will it all come down to that for voters in 18 days? that's what the president says. that's what he's hoping at least. we have a man who helped drive him over the finish line last time. corey lewandowski is here. does our brother like what the president is saying? does he think it's the winning mix? next. we still need glasses on table ten. ♪ he'd be proud of us. a family business should stay in the family.

see how lincoln's insurance solutions can help protect your family, your business and everyone who counts on you, at lincolnfinancial.com your business and everyone who counts on you, if your moderate to severeor crohn's symptoms are holding you back, and your current treatment hasn't worked well enough it may be time for a change. ask your doctor about entyvio®, the only biologic developed and approved just for uc and crohn's. entyvio® works at the site of inflammation in the gi tract, and is clinically proven to help many patients achieve both symptom relief and remission. infusion and serious allergic reactions can happen during or after treatment. entyvio® may increase risk of infection, which can be serious. pml, a rare, serious, potentially fatal brain infection caused by a virus may be possible. tell your doctor if you have an infection experience frequent infections or have flu-like symptoms, or sores. liver problems can occur with entyvio®.

if your uc or crohn's treatment isn't working for you, ask your gastroenterologist about entyvio®. entyvio®. relief and remission within reach. on our car insurance when we switched to geico. this is how it made me feel. it was like that feeling when you're mowing the lawn on a sunny day... ...and without even trying, you end up with one last strip that's exactly the width of your mower. when you're done, it looks so good you post a picture on social media. and it gets 127 likes. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.

warning, california. a handful of billionaires have spent over $70 million on campaigns to undermine our public schools. and electing a former wall street banker named marshall tuck to superintendent of public instruction is all a part of the billionaires' plan to take money away from neighborhood public schools and give it to their corporate charter schools. that's why tony thurmond is the only candidate endorsed by classroom teachers

for superintendent of public instruction. because keeping our kids safe and improving our neighborhood public schools is always tony's top priority. all right. let's bring in former trump campaign manager corey lewandowski, author of a new book "trump's enemies." good to have you. >> good afternoon, chris. >> good night. good night. don't put me to sleep, though. >> long friday night. look, you forget i'm a campaign manager. i forget what time of day it is. >> i wanted to get to my brother. so let's do this light and tight. i want to get you back to your family. one point. the president in the midst of saying, hey, look, this journalist got killed and the saudi journalist, we've got to

get it right and he goes to the rally and gives gianforte a pat on the back for giving the bum's rush to the journalist. why? how do the two go together? >> they don't go together and there is no excuse for khashoggi's death and that seems to be caused at the hands of saudi arabia or at least condoned by the people in saudi arabia. and there needs to be accountability. i stand with bob corker and lindsey graham and other members of the senate who want to see a complete and immediate interaction and accountability for those people who killed that man in cold blood. we haven't seen the body. now that being said, the level of rhetoric in this country is way too high. we've seen it with eric holder saying when they go low, we kick them. with cory booker. >> wait a minute, the president -- those guys are lightweights to what the president says. he was celebrating gianforte body slamming a reporter. he said he's my guy. he's tough. he's a tough cookie. we both know.

cory was a cop. trained in how to deal with situations like that and no slouch himself. this guy isn't tough. he's a bully. a thug. a punk. he attacked a guy who had every disadvantage. why lionize him in front of the crowd and say he's your guy? nobody on the left has said anything like that? why would the president? >> well, chris, i think the rhetoric as it comes to this is just, it's way too high. >> his is way too high. call his out, corey. >> chris, it's -- chris, it's going to be on both sides. eric holder this week said when they go low, we kick them. cory booker. no lightweight by any means said let's get up in their faces. >> what trump with gianforte. >> that's what i'm telling you. on both sides we can't be condoning this violence because -- >> but i want to hear you say that what trump said was wrong. >> what i'm saying is both sides are wrong. >> don't -- but you don't say trump was wrong. >> a bernie sanders supporter --

>> if we allow it to go on the way it is, someone is going to get hurt. steve scalise was almost killed by a bernie sanders supporter who thought he was doing the right thing by shooting at dozens of members of congress. we shouldn't tolerate this from anybody. we can't go down that road. what the congressman in montana did is wrong. he has apologized -- >> he admitted to it. it was a crime. it wasn't wrong. it was illegal and wrong. >> and it should be. >> but the president celebrated it. >> nobody should be happy about it. >> the president is happy about it. >> nobody should be celebrating it. nobody should be celebrating -- >> say the president was wrong. >> chris, everybody is wrong. >> what is it with you? say the president was wrong. >> chris, look. then you tell me you condone what cory booker has said? >> i don't represent the left. you represent trump. >> chris! >> yes, sir. >> why can't you say what they've said is as wrong --

>> it's 100% wrong. it's becoming what they say they disrespect. i don't think it helps them get their people out. i think the idea of that kind of toughness being physical, brutality, bullying, i think it's ridiculous. i think it's absurd. and i think it's beneath the dignity of their offices. say that about trump. >> and that congressman paid the price. he pled guilty to the crime was held accountable. >> and trump celebrated it. >> montana will decide. and what he said was he's a tough cookie. >> he said he's my guy. he said he's my guy. >> he's a republican congressman. >> no, he said anybody -- listen to what trump said. listen to this. >> greg is smart. and never wrestle him. you understand that? never. any guy that can do a body slam, he's my kind of -- he's my guy.

>> now change that handsome for cory booker and what would you be saying? >> the exact same thing. you can't allow society that we're body slamming reporters, allowing reporters to go to other countries and being killed in cold blood. >> so then say the president shouldn't have said it. so then say the president shouldn't have said it. that's how you get the new decorum. >> chris -- chris, here's what the president should do. the president should commend the congressman for reporting his agenda which is what -- >> why would you commend a person who did something like that? why would you ever talk about him again? >> it wasn't the president who body slammed anybody. >> i know, but he's the one celebrating it, and you can't somehow physically -- it's like one of those movies where someone is hypnotized and they're not allowed to say words. they can't say them. you can't say trump was wrong. you can't say it. >> i can't -- i can't take people who only want to look at one side.

>> i just -- i just condemned booker in a way that you've never condemned anyone. let alone trump. >> look, what about the potential ricin attack on susan collins last week with the envelope mailed to her. what happened at the supreme court. >> it's all wrong. it's all bad. >> maxine waters. it is bad, but -- >> but your man -- our president is always at the head of the hate parade. and you know it. but you won't call him out and why would he ever stop? >> chris, we didn't have the same level of outrage when kirstjen nielsen had to leave a restaurant, when -- >> of course. got beat up by don lemon for saying there's a time, place and manner and these people are in a private place and shouldn't be doing this and it's counterproductive. do you think cruz or any of these people are going to get on your side? but you won't say it about trump. you're a smart guy. you can't go near trump. >> i'll make the -- >> it's got to start with trump. >> i'll make the most blanket statement i can.

>> no, with trump. >> from president trump to the local dog catcher, nobody should be inciting violence. that's as clear as i can be. nobody should have violence. >> that's too low of a bar. too low a bar. too low a bar. you shouldn't celebrate someone as your guy who body slams someone. what would you do if one of your kids came home and said gianforte is my new buddy. you should have seen how he body slammed this kid in the school yard. >> i'd be concerned if the highest law enforcement officer in our country is recommending kicking people when they're down. that's what eric holder did this week. the highest law enforcement officer -- >> you want to give the president the benefit of the doubt that he was just joking but eric holder says when they go high, we kick them. he puts out a tweet saying i didn't mean it as violence. i was talking about being tough. >> what does that mean? if i said when you go down, i

kick you in the head, what does that mean? i said, whoops, i was just kidding, that doesn't clarify anything. >> the moment that your foot touched my head, it would be the last thing you ever did on this earth. so there would be no tweeting after it because -- >> we would agree to disagree on that. let me tell you, we can't allow eric holder to -- >> i hear you. i agree. i agree with you that everybody has got to be more decent but when you won't call out the president by name, you lose the credibility. >> chris, i just said everybody. >> you said everybody but you won't say the one somebody that matters. >> and i said the president. >> i appreciate you making the argument even though you threatened to beat me up because we both know that's a joke. she may be the most talked about mom in the country this week. it's a little similar of a theme of what we're talking about. when does might make right? when is it okay to use force?

the viral video shows her finding her 15-year-old with her car. and, man, did she give him a whooping. tough love or too far? next. (music throughout) introducing e*trade personalized investments professionally managed portfolios customized to help meet your financial goals.

you'll know what you're invested in and how it's performing. so you can spend more time floating about on your inflatable swan. [ding] if you're waiting patiently for a liver transplant, it could cost you your life. it's time to get out of line with upmc. at upmc, living-donor transplants put you first. so you don't die waiting. upmc does more living-donor liver transplants than any other center in the nation. find out more and get out of line today.

i am proud of you, my man. making simple, smart cash back choices... with quicksilver from capital one. you're earning unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, everywhere. like on that new laptop. quicksilver keeps things simple, gary. and smart, like you! and i like that. i guess i am pretty smart. don't let that go to your head, gary. what's in your wallet? oscar mayer deli fresh ham has no added nitrates, nitrites or artificial preservatives. now deli fresh flavor is for everyone. like those who like... sweet. those who prefer heat. and those who just love meat. oscar mayer deli fresh. a fresh way to deli. oscar mayer deli fresh.

they work togetherf doing important stuff. the hitch? like you, your cells get hungry. feed them... with centrum micronutrients. restoring your awesome, daily. centrum. feed your cells. all right. so look. this one isn't about politics. it's about people, parenting, what we accept in our culture. so i'm very slow to judge how people raise their kids. we're blessed with three. it ain't easy. you have your legal standards but once you get inside that, it starts to get tricky. so in texas, this mom was not playing when her 14-year-old boy stole her new bmw. she finds out what he's up to. she tracks him down on the road. and the boy's sister recorded

what happened next. mom didn't know. >> pull over now! >> give me the belt. >> and another. and another. and another. the boy's sister says she did it so he could go see his girlfriend. let's bring in d. lemon, don. now -- >> you don't want to know what i think. >> statement against interest. you know what it's like to be this young boy. is that true or is it true? >> i was stealing the car when i was, i think, 9 or 10. i was driving by the time i was 12. look, i'm not a parent. don't get mad at me, everyone. i grew up in the day and age of corporal punishment. >> spare the rod, spoil the child. >> and if someone stole -- not only that he stole your new car. i'm just going to say --

let me say what my mom would have done. if i stolen a new car. old car. on the highway. i would be lucky to be live right now. >> my fighting stance that i do when i do when i do self-defense. was thought from going round just stay where you are now. now, here's what i know. >> what? >> people are very divided on this in this country. >> they are. >> we're moving away from putting our hands on people. here is a very don lemonesque statement from me tonight because you love to let people in. so i'm going to do that. i believed that with my kids, there had to be a line and that at some point when they crossed that line, it was going to go from verbal language to sign language. it was going to go to the hand as my mother used to joke with me. >> yeah. >> and my wife wasn't with it. and i could see in the kids, especially with my son, it wasn't working. so i went to the yale behavioral center. i hooked up with this dr. kazdin.

he put me with one of his clinicians. they gave me the research. here are the two things i learned. one, behavior is only changed through positive reinforcement. i know it sounds kumbaya, but remember i punch people in the face as a hobby, so i'm not being that way. but punishment only teaches kids how to get around you. positive reinforcement changes behavior. and the doctor said to me, hit them if you want to, but know that -- >> did the doctor have kids? >> yes. >> okay. >> that you're only hitting them to make yourself feel better. you're not making them better by doing it. >> well, i don't know about that. i just know that i was afraid of my parents. i got to show you something, though. your producers are wrapping me, but, listen, check out. look who's here. >> who's here? >> you know the dark one. that's boomer because you met him the first weekend we got him. then this is a new one that's on chris' instagram. i'm going to read -- what do you call it? >> both rescues. >> both rescues. i need a name for the new one. boomer. but i think i came up with it. should i give it away now or let

people guess? >> save it for your show. have people guess, and anybody who gets it right or even close, i'll make a donation to the shelter in their name. >> all right. boomer. boom boom as we call him. and who? >> god bless you spreading the love and expanding the family. >> that's all the kids i need after this. all right. i'll see you. >> later. all right. we're going to take a break. when we come back, what did we see with this gianforte, all right? with the mom, that's a different discussion. that's a set of cultural mores that are different but it does dovetail with what i want to talk to you about next. i've got an argument to make about what i saw in montana and something else i saw that gives the right lesson for all of us, next. ♪ be right back. with moderate to severe crohn's disease, i was there, just not always where i needed to be. is she alright? i hope so. so i talked to my doctor about humira.

i learned humira is for people who still have symptoms of crohn's disease after trying other medications. and the majority of people on humira saw significant symptom relief and many achieved remission in as little as 4 weeks. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. be there for you, and them. ask your gastroenterologist about humira. with humira, remission is possible. each of us is different. and each cancer is different. how it reacts, how it evades and adapts. and how we attack it. that's why at cancer treatment centers of america, we use diagnostic tools that help us better

understand what drives each person's cancer. this is what we mean by outsmarting cancer. and for some, it may uncover more effective treatment options. like christine bray. after battling ovarian cancer for several years, her test results revealed a potential treatment not considered previously a drug therapy that targeted her tumor. today, christine's metastatic cancer is in remission. this is precision cancer treatment. because at cancer treatment centers of america. we're not just fighting cancer. we're outsmarting it. visit cancercenter.com and schedule an appointment with our cancer care specialists today. ♪ when the moon hits your eye ♪ like a big pizza pie ♪ that's amore ♪when the world seems to shine ♪like you've had too much wine ♪ that's amore

♪ bells will ring ♪ ting a ling a ling ♪ ting a ling a ling more to love. applebee's new neighborhood pastas. now that's eatin' good in the neighborhood.

unstopand it's strengthenedting place, the by xfi pods,gateway. which plug in to extend the wifi even farther, past anything that stands in its way. ...well almost anything. leave no room behind with xfi pods. simple. easy. awesome. click or visit a retail store today. congressman greg gianforte

of montana attacked "guardian" reporter ben jacobs. he pleaded guilty. okay? the president celebrated him. do we have the sound of gianforte being caught on tape with the reporter? here's what happened. >> on behalf of -- >> there's not going to be time. >> speak with shane, please. >> i'm sick and tired of you guys. the last guy that came in here, you did the same thing. get the hell out of here. get the hell out of here. the last guy did the same thing. you with the "guardian"? >> yes, and you just broke my glasses. >> did the same thing, meaning asked me a question i didn't like. he grabbed a guy by the neck, threw him on the ground. he pleaded guilty to assault, okay? there's no question about what he did being wrong and illegal. but the president celebrated him at a rally. he's my guy because he's so tough, and the crowd roared much like i expect the romans would roar when the lions mauled someone in the arena. and it raises the same question. why does trump praise bullies? time and again he celebrates

punks who go after the little guy. does it on the world stage with bad guys whom you're clearly impressed by. and you do it on the rally stage. make no mistake. it wasn't just getting carried away in the moment. here's what he said today. >> do you regret bringing up last night at your rally the assault on a reporter by a congressman? >> no, no, no, not at all. that was a different world. greg is a tremendous person, and he's a tough cookie. >> a different world. what world is he talking about? there's only one. we're in it. you should be accountable for what you do. everything gianforte did is weak, okay? he attacked someone who wasn't a threat, was at every disadvantage. gianforte showed no control, no confidence, no respect for his office or his constituents or for the law. he is weak. and if he doesn't like it, he can come body slam me as well. i welcome it.

now, trump was just joking, right? no. he likes what the guy did. what would a leader do? would he make fun of the victim? no, he'd make fun of gianforte, embarrass him for what he did. another goon. make fun of that. take him down a peg for his pathetic display. even better would be to reinforce what really matters, which is the truth, that this guy is the opposite of what we want to be. a leader lifts others up, right? he doesn't throw a man down. he picks him up. trump doesn't get that, but you know who does? lebron james. i'm not referring to their war of words with each other. i care nothing about that. watch this. >> any time you fall, stay down. your brother come picks you up. >> gets his young team together. falls down. they lost that game, but he's teaching them a lesson that can lead to greater victories. someone falls, you lift them up. trump would call lebron a loser because he lost the game, but this is why i love sport. how you play, win or lose, matters. the president only thinks about

win and lose on one level, ham-fisted. that's how he makes mistakes like rewarding a thug like gianforte or putin or kim. and we'll see about saudi's mbs. crazy and sad days when the lessons that we teach our kids, don't be a bully, strength isn't knocking down, it's lifting up. now those lessons must also be directed at our president. thank you for watching. have a great weekend. cnn tonight with d. lemon starts right now. >> all of this in a week when we're talking about a journalist that was reportedly dismembered and now confirmed killed. >> what does it make you think about what the president really believes about violence in those situations? we only know what you show in this life. if you cared so much about it, if you were sensitized in the moment -- you know the expression too soon? it's too soon to make fun of a guy who beats up a journalist. >> it's not even too soon. why would you ever do that? and too soon, he hadn't even figured out -- we hadn't even figured out exactly what