protesters overran that airport for a second straight day, paralyzing commercial air traffic. last hour police tried to move in. the operation was not to clear the protesters but to get a man detained out and to a hospital. that's what the police say. protesters pushed back, sometimes forcefully, blockading the entrances with luggage carts. this is the latest escalation in three months of a protest campaign. the protest over china trying to cut into hong kong's autonomy. paula, give us an update. >> reporter: well, john, what we saw a little earlier does tally with what the police were saying that they did come in originally unarmed to try and secure the release of an individual who protesters claimed was an undercover police officer who had been masquerading as a protester. we don't know if that is right. but they had been keeping him

from leaving for a number of hours. we had a member of cnn quite close to the front of that mob of dozens of protesters and saying that he was not well, didn't appear to be well. maybe even unconscious at some point. so that appeared to be the first police operation to extract that man. then what we saw was quite remarkable scenes. we saw a number of riot police coming into the entrance of hong kong international airport. bear in mind, this is at a time where flights are still landing here and just downstairs on the ground floor you have people coming through for a holiday, coming back home to hong kong, but they are still coming through. whereas up here, there was panic and chaos when those riot police came to the entrance of the airport. now, there were a number of injuries it appears to have been from pepper spray. we don't know for sure because we were inside and not outside the airport, but that's certainly the sort of injuries that we would expect people having their eyes washed out.

now, they have barricaded certain elements of these protesters to keep the police out of the airport. but as far as we can tell at this point the police have left. >> as far as you can tell the police have left. paula, help for a little context here. this is ten plus weeks now of these demonstrations initially against a mainland china effort to modify criminal justice laws, to allow extradition for people from hong kong into mainland china. this is clearly an escalation paralyzing commercial air traffic in one of the world's busiest airports. do they see any potential for dialogue or do they believe this is their world from here on out? if they want to make their stand, they have to continue these protests? >> reporter: well, john, it's really difficult to see where the off-ramp is with these protesters. at this point this is, yes, of course about the extradition bill but it has blossomed and flourished into so much more. the wide ranging issues that these protesters have now. the reason over the past two

days there have been so many thousands of protesters in hong kong international airport, shutting down operations at the eighth busiest airport here, is because of what they saw on sunday. every protester i've spoken to say that they believe the police used excessive force and violence when they were trying to curtail protests over the weekend. now, the police have given a press conference and say that's simply not the case, they were doing what they needed to to keep the peace. you heard something very similar from carrie lam. what we are seeing from some of the protesters is they are trying to target who they believe are undercover police officers. now, we have seen this once barometric pressure and that was the police operations to try and extract that man. there are speculation that they may have found somebody else they believe to be an undercover police operator who's masquerading as a protester behind me. this is why this particular contingent of protesters are not leaving. but for the most part the peaceful protesters have gone,

john. they have taken away all their posters. they have cleaned up after themselves and they have left. they didn't want any kind of confrontation. but there is a small element that does. >> paula hancocks live for us at the hong kong airport. we'll keep in touch with paula. let's check in with will ripley who joins us live from new york. you have great experience covering these issues. she says where is the off-ramp here. we're watching this, watching these protesters and have been watching protests like this for ten plus weeks now. a test of the protesters, carrie almo lam, the executive, but what are the stakes for president xi and does he want de-escalation or does he want to prove he has the stronger hand here? >> no doubt in beijing xi jinping is watching this with his inner circle very closely. they have a tough decision to make. if they make the decision to intervene, they're not going to do it halfway. they have assembled military

police a pretty short drive from hong kong now that china just opened this new massive bridge between the mainland and hong kong. and people in hong kong were concerned when this bridge opened, at least some of them, precisely for the reason that china could move in its military resources if things were to ever get out of hand. this isn't the first time hong kong has been paralyzed by protests. five years ago during the umbrella movement, it was a summer of streets closed. nothing like this but i remember the massive largely peaceful crowds and the shock that rippled through the city when police used tear gas on protesters for the first time. now we're seeing escalation, tear gas every week, rubber bullets every week. protesters hurling bricks, hurling petrol bombs. the law enforcement in hong kong is overwhelmed. they just don't know what they're doing. if hong kong were to make a request to the mainland to intervene, which of course beijing, which has its hand in the way that hong kong is run.

carrie lam is a pro beijing lawmaker herself, the chief executive, so beijing would have a say in all of this. but if that were to happen, it would be an extraordinary, unprecedented moment and a very frightening moment for some in hong kong who believe that could be the beginning of the end of hong kong's freedom of expression. but as this situation devolves, as the protesters become more violent, you have a large number of people inside hong kong who are ready to see this thing be done with. this is not the majority. the people who are acting like this, the people who are fighting as if their future and their lives are at stake, it's not the majority of people in hong kong. there's a silent majority in the city sitting at home wondering when this is going to end, wondering what's going to happen. frankly, there might be some, i haven't seen any public opinion polling but there might be some to encourage china to step in. what does that look like? we've seen videos from chinese state media of these large police vehicles assembling near the border with hong kong.

obviously when you have social media, you have dozens of television channels and all these cameras trained on this issue, beijing has to be very careful because the optics to look like tiananman square. >> i want to get back to the here and now. cnn's ivan watson is at the airport and joins us on the phone. ivan, you've arrived in the last few moments. tell us what you're seeing. >> reporter: i'm standing at the counter at japan airlines in the departure terminal. there is a mob of hundreds of demonstrators, journalists, and i think one individual that some suspect of being an undercover police officer. they tried to get paramedics in to get this person out. somebody who looked barely conscious. it's just chaos basically of trying to get somebody out. it's a very chaotic scene. there is not one leader of this

predominantly youth protest movement that has paralyzed one of the world's busiest airports. once a symbol of hong kong's efficiency and now completely out of control. it looks like the demonstrators almost fighting amongst themselves about what to do and i see them kicking somebody on the floor of the airport. it's very, very ugly, john. very, very ugly. >> ivan, to your point about maybe disagreements or lack of communication between and among the protesters, we're showing you live pictures now. i'm not sure if this is where ivan is inside the airport, but you see tusseling there, some elbowing and an american flag in the middle of all of that carried obviously as a symbol into these protests. but ivan, to the point of i don't know what the right word is, you're there, chaos or

disorder or dysfunction among the protesters, explain how you see that playing out. >> reporter: john, right now i can see somebody prone on the ground and there are some protesters trying to protect this individual and others who were trying to hurt this individual. i can see bruises on his torso. it's just chaos as they try to figure out what to do with this person. some people wanting to help. i think it's a man. again, by the ticket sales counter of japan airline. and others wanting to hurt the individual. you mentioned the american flag. that's been popping up as well as the british flag. this is a former british colony, at some of these protests. and that plays into a narrative coming from chinese state media, which has suggested that this is all fomented by western

countries and paid for. and that's the narrative i've heard from some people here in hong kong. but many of the demonstrators i've spoken to are 18, 19, 20, 21 years old who have been out day after day, night after night in the heat and humidity of the hong kong summer who are clearly in their minds fighting for some kind of justice and future of their city. and it is a phenomenon that at least in the airport, in this portion of the departure terminal that is spinning out of control. john. >> as you say, ivan, spinning out of control. we're watching live pictures of this scene play out. we see demonstrators. do you see any organized police presence there or is this the demonstrators who may be disagreeing and fighting among themselves as this chaotic scene plays out? >> absolutely no police presence that i can see in uniforms.

there are two individuals on the ground prone right now with demonstrators around them. and i'd say that the demonstrators are in the hundreds, maybe thousands up here in this portion of the airport. their numbers are smaller than what i saw at this time last night when the airport operations were brought to a halt. the demonstrators have tried to present an image of being peaceful to outsiders, handing out drinks, handing out food. but what i'm seeing in front of me here with one prone individual with people kicking him on the ground is a very, very ugly image. on top of that, they have brought the airport to a halt and interrupted the movement and lives of thousands and thousands of people who have nothing to do

with the political drama in hong kong except this was a transport hub for them to move around the world and their lives have been put in limbo by this. and this is a city divided right now, john. there are people who describe themselves as black, supporters of the protest movement, and blue, supporters of the authorities, and many, many families that you talk to here are completely split along political lines as this drama now goes into its third month. >> and to the third month part, you mentioned the two camps if you will, the black and the blue, the black being the protesters, the blue being the more pro authority. i asked this question of paula watson earlier -- paula hancocks, excuse me, and you're there action iv there, ivan watson, on the scene. is there anyone there who has a viable proposal for some sort of a dialogue off-ramp?

>> reporter: that's the problem here. the government has said it will not compromise with what it describes as violent criminals and people who conduct riots. meanwhile, the opposition, this grassroots movement, predominantly a youth movement, doesn't have a visible leader to negotiate with. it is kind of a collective phenomenon on the ground of decision-making. with no compromise in sight from the authorities, you have this morass that continues week after week. >> ivan, you're on the phone with me so i can't tell you where you are in this scrum that we're watching on the scene, but you do now appear to have a circle of people protecting at least one prone person there. you say there may be two. i see a red helmet there that i assume is medical personnel down

on the knees? >> reporter: yeah. i'm standing about seven feet on a countertop from two helmeted first aid workers who are now administering first aid to a man who's conscious and laying on the ground. there's another man on the ground surrounded by protesters, journalists and some first aid volunteers. and now is no longer the target of violence. so some of the hysteria that had escalated has calmed down a little bit in this location. i might add nobody has threatened me. i was able to climb up here. people have helped me. it's very strange how the anger is targeted in this protest movement. there will be absolute rage against law enforcement, and i think many people here will suspect that these two individuals were undercover police. and i don't have any proof pro or con there, but once you're

outside of that moment of hyster hysteria, people are walking around. there are stranded passengers here with their luggage wondering what to do here. again, this is the eighth busiest airport in the world brought to a complete stand still for the second night in a row. imagine if this happened at jfk, laguardia, l.a.x., heathrow. that's what's happened here in hong kong for the second night in a row. >> ivan watson right in the middle of this dramatic scene for us. we'll take a quick break but our correspondents on the scene and analysts around the world, we'll continue to watch this. we'll be right back. ancestrydna has new features and richer stories.

...and it's now on sale for just $59. it can lead you on an unexpected journey... ...to discover your heritage. get your dna kit (now) for just $59 at ancestry.com. ♪ sleep this amazing? that's a zzzquilpure zzzs sleep. our liquid has a unique botanical blend, while an optimal melatonin level means no next-day grogginess. zzzquil pure zzzs. naturally superior sleep.

at t-mobile, for $40/line for four lines, it's all included for the whole family. like unlimited with netflix on us. and now with each new line, get one of our latest smartphones included. $40/line for four lines and smartphones are included for the whole family. hmm. exactly. and doug. liberty mutual customizes your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. nice. but, uh... what's up with your... partner? oh. well, we just spend all day telling everyone how we customize car insurance, because no two people are alike, so... limu gets a little confused when he sees another bird that looks exactly like him.

[ loud crash ] yeah. he'll figure it out. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty ♪ welcome back. back now to the dramatic scene at the main airport in hong k g kong. protesters taking control of that airport for the second straight day. commercial air traffic canceled. riot police showed up. there was jostling between the police and demonstrators. there's also been some violence in the airport. we saw just moments ago medical personnel trying to attend to two men lying prone in one of those terminals. right in the middle of it is cnn's paula hancocks. paula, as you've watched this drama unfold, what is the very latest? >> reporter: well, it's certainly a lot calmer, john, than it was just shortly ago. we do still have some kind of situation behind us, though. we understand from some of the protesters that they may have someone that they believe is an

undercover policeman in their midst. this is what we saw earlier. there had been someone the protesters claimed had been masquerading as one of them and was in fact an undercover policeman. it was really a trial by protesters barking questions at him, finding out who he was, his identity, and the police came in unarmed and managed to extract him from the area and he was taken out on a gurney by paramedics. certainly this is not a good look for the protesters. there were many saying that he should be let go, but there was a small contingent that decided that he shouldn't be. now, whether that's happening once again behind me, i don't know. but what is important to point out is that this goes to the heart of the anger that protesters feel towards the police, towards the undercover police that they believe have been pretending to be protesters and have been reacting as such. now, there is some kind of reaction going on behind me as

well. unclear what that is at this point. >> okay, paula, as you stand by, ivan watson i believe is in the thick of this. ivan, what can you tell us? >> reporter: well, john, it's a bit chaotic. there are two individuals that have been getting first aid. one of them is being taken away after there was a real scrum to try to -- where some people wanted to give this person, this individual access to first aid and i think he's being taken up on a gurney there up that pedestrian bridge there to the outside. and i just can't stress enough how bizarre and surreal all of this is, john. so you have an injured individual. i definitely saw some of the protesters dressed in black kicking this man while he was on the ground and a real tussel amid the demonstrators whether

or not to provide him first aid. all of this taking place in this incredible busy airport. look at what's happened here in addition to the demonstrators here. they have wallpapered this place with their kind of slogans, calling out their allegations of police brutality. and what they have succeeded in doing is bringing this entire airport to a halt for the second evening in a row. i've got to be honest, these demonstrators say they're fighting for justice, they're fighting for a peaceful democratic future for their city, a former british colony. but the scenes we saw today very ugly and will not help them in the eyes of many hong kongers who view them with extreme distrust. john. >> and to that point, just the decision to paralyze such a major economic piece of hong kong, this busy airport, was an escalation out of frustration by the protesters who did not

believe their demands were being listened to. now you make a very valid point that they could be at a tipping point of their own support in the community. patience in the community, is that fair? >> reporter: look, everybody you talk to in the city is either split or there are some people in the middle. as i mentioned to you before, those who support the protest movement describe themselves as black. that's the kind of color of the protesters that they have chosen two months ago. and those who support the authorities and the city government and by extension beijing describe themselves as blue. and i guarantee you 90% of the protesters here you talk to will tell you that somebody in their they're doing. so this is not just a city that's divided, these are families, and homes and apartments that are divided by the passions of this protest

movement and by what some describe as the wholly inadequate response of the unelected city government. john? >> and help me with the immediate scene behind you which appears, now that these two injured individuals have been taken out, to be calmer. is that a fair statement? >> yeah, i think that's reduced some of the tension. we'll walk this way because there was one individual on the ground again by the japanese airlines sales counter, if you can believe it, who was holed up there. so we'll see if that individual is still here. what struck me last night, and, yes, the reduced some. clearly reporters like myself and the nl journalijournalists passengers don't feel at any risk. yes, this individual is receiving first aid over here and these folks don't want perhaps his face shown, but he was caught in the middle of this. and again, if you just pan up,

this is all taking place. it's so surreal in a place where people would pay for excess baggage, perhaps buy their tickets to leave here. and it's hard not to see all of this as some incredible self-inflicted wound both on the side of the government for failing to find a way to talk to a young generation of hong kongers who are clearly angry and on the part of the protesters who have adopted increasingly desperate measures to try to show their displeasure with the way things are being run here, john. >> ivan watson live on the scene there. paula hancocks as well. i want to bring admiral john kirby into the conversation. we're having this conversation from afar. you and i are sitting in washington, d.c., half a world away so caution on our part is necessary as this unpredictable scene plays out. but this escalation is because

the protesters were unhappy with the chief executive of hong kong, carrie lam. they did not think she was listening to them. in truth, she really is not the person here. she cannot make a decision without mainland china. >> there are limits to her power and authority given the way the system is set up. >> so the challenge here to president xi is do you allow this to continue or do you decide that your power, your manhood, if you will, is being tested here and do you have to do something. >> he's in a very delicate position right now. i think the way he reacts over the coming hours and days will say a lot about where this will be going in hong kong. he has to resist challenges to the party. he has tried to assume more power and authority in there. on the other hand, he knows the world is watching. he knows hong kong represents his entree into the global markets and always has. so he's going to be very careful as he proceeds. it's going to be a lot about what his judgment is going forward on how strongly he wants to react and so far he's been

given the authority to lam and that's been a deft move so does he decide to keep doing that, or does he decide to step in. >> you heard them talking about the amassing of chinese security forces on the other side of the new bridge. i assume president xi has to understand the optics. we should not directly compare it to tiananman square, but if you had chinese force coming across the bridge, what that does say. >> many are calling this tiananman 2.0 if he goes that route. he's been letting the military and the forces sort of exercise to show their muscle and strength. i think that's been a signaling effort by him. but i think he's also aware that he's going to -- he's going to bring down the wrath of the international community on him and perhaps even his economy with additional sanctions should he get involved militarily. i think that he has not done so thus far, has shown that he's aware of the optics here, he's

aware of the sensitivities. but when you have protest movements that get this violent and this virulent, they are closing down his decision space in a worrisome way. >> will is someone who has been on the ground here and has covered this issue and covered the broader issues at play here. what is the demonstrators -- to the degree that the leaders of the protest movement, do they see an opportunity for dialogue or do they think they essentially need to force something that brings global condemnation? >> it's hard to see what dialogue is going to solve at this stage. let's say carrie lam resigns. let's say she withdraws the extradition pill that was the impetus for all of this in the fifrs place three months ago. if that happened, would it be enough or does it go beyond that? i would argue that the protesters we're seeing act out in hong kong tonight, the fear that is driving their actions is much deeper than any one conversation or any one political figure at this stage. it is a fear for their future.

it's a fight for their future. a future that they know by 2047 will not include the kind of freedom of expression that is allowed right now. but as ivan pointed out earlier, they are in a sense shooting themselves in the foot when things have gotten this violent. there were 2 million people it was estimated back in june in support of this peaceful movement. people were inspired around the city by these youth who were sending a strong message about an extradition bill and the possibility of dissidents being hand picked by beijin and sent back on trumped-up charges. but things change. people are tired, people are frustrated. police and the authorities have been pushed to the limit and china has showed pretty remarkable restraint thus far given the fact that peoples liberation army soldiers are stationed in a barracks in hong kong not too far away from where these protests have been breaking out in the streets. but as you mentioned, the image

of armed vehicles driving across that bridge into the city, it would be an image that would change the game, i believe, irreparably. >> will is going to stay with us. the caution, the patience on xi's part may not be working in his favor if public opinion shifts because of the violent behavior. it looks like a calmer scene at the hong kong airport. we will keep in touch with our reporters. as we go to break, the president was asked about hong kong just moments ago. >> well, the hong kong thing is very tough situation, very tough. we'll see what happens. but i'm sure it will work out. i hope it works out for everybody, including china, by the way. i hope it works out for everybody. >> have you heard of gathering military troops -- >> it's a very tricky situation. i think it will work out and i hope it works out for liberty, i hope it works out for everybody,

including china. i hope it works out peacefully. i hope nobody gets hurt, i hope nobody gets killed. let's see, aleve is proven better on pain than tylenol extra strength. and last longer with fewer pills. so why am i still thinking about this? i'll take aleve. aleve. proven better on pain. he borrowed billions donald trump failed as a businessman. and left a trail of bankruptcy and broken promises. he hasn't changed.

i started a tiny investment business, and over 27 years, grew it successfully to 36 billion dollars. i'm tom steyer and i approve this message. i'm running for president because unlike other candidates, i can go head to head with donald trump on the economy, and expose him fo what he is: a fraud and a failure.

cake in the conference room! showing 'em you're ready to be your own boss. that's the beauty of your smile. bring out the best in it with crest 3d white.

crest removes 95% of surface stains... in just three days. hey! i live on my own now! i've got xfinity, because i like to live life in the fast lane. unlike my parents. you rambling about xfinity again? you're so cute when you get excited... anyways... i've got their app right here, i can troubleshoot. i can schedule a time for them to call me back, it's great! you have our number programmed in? ya i don't even know your phone anymore... excuse me?! what? i don't know your phone number. aw well. he doesn't know our phone number! you have our fax number, obviously... today's xfinity service. simple. easy. awesome. i'll pass.

welcome back. we've got live pictures from the hong kong airport. police went in earlier, clashes with protesters.

some people who were injured were taken out or treated by medical personnel. things appear to be calmer at the moment but we have correspondents, producers on the scene and will continue to monitor that and get back to it if the news warrants. back here in washington, a major blink today in the trade war with china. the trump administration announcing it plans to cancel or delay looming tariffs on some products from china. the u.s. trade representative says it will delay tariffs on some consumer products like laptops, cell phones, video came consoles and certain toys and clothing items. the president saying negotiators from both sides had a productive call yesterday and there's an appetite to get back to the table. >> we'll help a lot of different groups of people. we had a very good talk yesterday with china, very, very productive call. i think they want to do something. i think they'd like to do something dramatic. i was not sure whether or not they wanted to wait until a

democrat has a chance to get in. hopefully that's not going to happen or the economy will go to hell in a handbasket very fast but they really would like to make a deal. >> the president also saying his administration trying to avoid disruption during the christmas holiday season here. with me, seung min kim, jackie can y kucinich. we've seen some down days on the market. the market up more than 400 points now as we watch this play out. this announcement coming as the president, not coincidentally i would argue, is traveling to western pennsylvania. he's visiting a petrochemicals plant under construction there which will bring jobs to beaver county, a part of the state critical to his 2016 hand. on the one hand this is the president blinking. he said this was a big deal and these tariffs would go into effect. on the other hand he said china

called and wants to get back to the table so we really don't know is it a blink, a retreat that in the long run is a good thing or is it a retreat that is largely for domestic political purposes here in the united states? >> well, we know it is at least the latter. there are two kind of buzz words that guide how we should think about this. one is election and the other is recession. the president is worried about the second and intent on winning the first. since the beginning of his presidency he has used this tension with china as a lever to show that he could be tough on foreign policy, to show that he was different than president obama. he has had the advantage of a really strong economy to allow him to do some of these things. all of a sudden you look at these numbers. trouble in manufacturing, a slowdown. economists more and more talking about not just recession but the potential for recession to emerge before election day. for the president, that would be potentially politically catastrophic, and he understands that. this is something, look, whether xi really wants to make a deal

or is willing to do something to allow the tariffs to come off, same difference. the president is looking for some way to slow the brakes a little bit on the full manifestation of his threats. >> when you talks about these things, he's very transparent in the sense that he says china called, they want to get back to the table. he thought they were going to wait to see who won the election, but then he moves on to, well, we're worried about the holiday season and don't want to hit americans in their wallets, their pocketbooks heading into the holiday season. that tells you his political team is saying, mr. president, we've got a pretty good economy right now. why would you want to mess with it? >> this is after he said this isn't going to affect consumers, this isn't going to affect americans. they have been subsidizing farmers for months and months to lessen the effect there. there is some surprise in this administration that china would dig in and the amount of pain that they would be willing to sustain without these tariffs. yeah, he's looking at the election. he knows that the chinese know the political calendar and they

know his pressure points. they know where his base is. they know the political environment in the united states. >> and that's why this makes his one kind of final major legislative priority that much more important which is the ratification of the u.s./mexico/canada trade deal. we talked to a lot of lawmakers and it really can be characterized as being in limbo right now. it is up to nancy pelosi to put it on the floor. she has a lot of leverage here to give the trump administration that one major economic win that would certainly help his -- the economy and his political prospects in these key states such as iowa and wisconsin. clearly very much in peril right now. >> and she is in her heart, if this was just her decision, she would bring it to the floor. the question is she faces a lot of pressure from her base, number one on the trade issue period, which divides the democratic party much like president trump has changed the calculation on this. the question is where is the state of the economy. this is before this big

announcement today. christine romans sat down with the ceo of goldman sachs. several analysts said the economy could tip in a recession if things stayed like they are now. mr. solomon saying he's more rosy but adding the china question. >> i think the base economy is chugging along okay. there are things that are getting added to the equation, in particular the trade war with china, that is having an impact. it's having an impact on growth. i don't think that impact is significant yet but we're watching that very, very carefully. those are the kinds of things. what's going on with monetary policy, what's going on with trade, how that is all linked. that has the potential to slow down growth if it's not handled correctly over time. >> morgan stanley going further in an analysis saying that if the next tariffs went in as full as originally planned until today, it had the potential to cut into the muscle of the economy. so this is -- the president often relishes being a

contrarian, going against traditional republican orthodoxy, going against the advice of the wall street ceos. this appears to be a day where he has decided the combination of that advice is in his best political interests. >> look, we talk about the economy in national terms, but much like electoral politics, the economy in certain places really matters when you overlay those two maps. and when you look at where he's going today, for example, this is a place that's never really recovered from what happened to u.s. steel, right. it's trying to get into plastics, stay into plastics, and then flipped for trump for 2016 and flipped pack for the midterms. places like that, voters in some of these key places in the rust belt are how they perceive the economy in their own lives. employment, future prospects, buying power. all that stuff really matters to whether they're motivated to vote for the guy they backed in 2016 or to the extent that some of them were democrats, whether

the pendulum swings back, and the president knows that. >> you're already seeing some of the blowback come from his base after the tariff announcement. you saw that laura ingraham tweeting that trump caved so he'll have to watch that pault of his base as well. >> promises made, promises kept. he needs to show places like this, this area in pennsylvania, that he's keeping their promises because as you pointed out, the tax cuts didn't really help this sector of his base. and so he needs to point to something else and that's manufacturing. >> and for all we talk about the national numbers, which are pretty -- most of the national economic numbers are pretty good. all politics is local and it's your main street, your community. the president will be in beaver county, pennsylvania, in just a little bit. democratic candidate tom steyer announcing today he has reached the donor qualification for the september debates. he has not yet, at least, met the polling requirements. he needs one more qualifying poll. so far nine candidates have met all the criteria and will be featured on that debate stage in houston next month.

we'll be right back. best p ookt one of those travel sites? they tell you that, but when you book at hilton.com, you get the price match guarantee. so if you find your room at a lower rate, hilton is like... we're gonna match that rate and give you an extra 25% off. what would travel sites do if you found a better price? that's not my problem, it's your problem. get outta here! whoa, i really felt that performance. it's just acting, i'm really good at it. book at hilton.com and get the hilton price match guarantee. if you find a lower rate, we match it and give you 25% off that stay. was in an accident. when i called usaa, it was that voice asking me, "is your daughter ok?" that's where i felt relief. we're the rivera family and we plan to be with usaa for life. see how much you can save with usaa insurance.

this melting pot of impacted species. everywhere is going to get touched by climate change. sfx: upbeat music a lot of clothes you normally take to the cleaners aren't dirty dirty. they just need a quick refresh. try new febreze clothing quick dry mist. it eliminates odors and refreshes lightly-worn clothing. breathe happy febreze... la la la la la.

take prilosec otc and take control of heartburn. so you don't have to stash antacids here... here... or, here. kick your antacid habit with prilosec otc. one pill a day, 24 hours, zero heartburn.

- (phone ringing)a phones offers - big button,ecialized phones... and volume-enhanced phones., get details on this state program. call or visit

and accessoriesphones for your mobile phone. like this device to increase volume on your cell phone. - ( phone ringing ) - get details on this state program call or visit bernie sanders is struggling somewhat to find his path in the crowded 2020 democratic field and he wants to tell you why. it's the media, the vermont senator says. that's a tactic we hear of course from president trump all the time, but it's also not new to senator sanders. he complained about the media back in 2016 and returned to the theme aggressively yesterday in new hampshire, twiet suggesting "the washington post" doesn't give him a fair shake because he is so critical of its owner, jeff bezos, of amazon fame. >> does anybody here know how much amazon paid in taxes last

night? >> zero! >> see, and i talk about that all of the time. and then i wonder why "the washington post" which is oenwn by jeff bezos, who owns amazon, doesn't write particularly good articles about me. and while we're at it we take on the corporate media as well. if you look at "the washington post" owned by jeff bezos, we fought with the workers from amazon to get them $15 an hour. you wonder why "the washington post" is not one of my great supporters. i wonder why. "the new york times" not much better. >> cnn's arlette saenz joins our conversation at the table. we're not supposed to be his reporter, we're supposed to cover him in the business so that's a nice try, senator. this is a tactic as old as the republic. normally done by politicians who in my view are trying to rally their base, keep their base. senator sanders has a little bit to worry about in that regard.

he has a loyal base, he has a great fund-raising machine, but 2020 with 20 candidates is not 2016 one on one. is that what this is about more than "the washington post"? >> i think partially so. back in 2016 his campaign often complained about the media coverage then. he called it the bernie blackout. today they're calling it the bernie write-off. that was something that resonated with some of his supporters that he wasn't getting a fair shot from the media. as you point out, there are 23 other candidates running for president this time around and bernie sanders is having to find a way to distinguish himself as not the only kind of anti-establishment voice, when you have others in the field out there. so i think this is -- it's not surprising that he went there. he's often been critical of media coverage. today he didn't repeat that amazon/"washington post" line. we'll see if that was a one-off or if it continues, but it's frustration that his campaign has aired out.

>> we have a "washington post" representative at the table. i want to quote your boss, the executive editor, who sees senator sanders in new hampshire and he used to work at "the boston globe." saying contrary to the conspiracy theory the senator seems to favor, jeff bezos allows you are newsroom to operate with full independence as our reporters and editors can attest. >> i can 100% back him up on that. look, if there was any hint of interference, we would be crying foul. we would just not let that happen. i do think it's -- the trend that we're seeing with democratic officials and democratic strategists and politicians being a little more aggressive and punching towards the media i think is a relatively new phenomenon. we've heard for some time republicans criticize a lot, sometimes fairly, sometimes not, about the liberal media. but there was a really interesting story last week in politico where they quote a lot of democratic strat egiststrate.

one obama official said making the press the foil is a good thing in a democratic primary. which is a little from our perspective alarming, but it's just how -- how the media is being villified is dangerous on all sides. >> look, we're not perfect so if you're watching at home and see something you don't like, you have ways to communicate with us. we don't pretend to be perfect. but i've been through a few of these rodeos so let's show you bernie sanders timeline in this election. he had a one-on-one shot against hillary clinton last time. he came pretty close being the little pt boat against an aircraft carrier. here's bernie sanders over the last several months in polls. he was at 19% nationally pabackn march. he's down to 14% with a little dip down to 11%. he's kept a loyal band of support that tends to be in the mid to high teens. you have joe biden in the race, you have senators warren and harris and new faces in the race, interesting people. it's a very different dynamic

and he's -- it is harder. it's a harder race. >> and senator sanders knows all of that and he also knows how the media works and that there is -- that an independent media is not controlled by if there is an individual owner, you know. but what's dangerous about this is now in 25 years as a reporter, i have learned that a lot of americans don't really understand the wall between, you know, the news pages and the editorial page, don't understand the separation of advertising versus reporting, don't understand an owner's influence or noninfluence on news operations. and so it is true that there is not merit to what senator sanders is saying, but it's also true that a lot of smart people who are curious and want to know things don't know that. they just don't inherently know that. we take it for granted. >> a lot of democrats blame the media for trump and so it is more of an easy foil in

democratic politics to beat up on us. >> yes. that is also -- i think any of us who look at our twitter feeds on a daily basis. >> why would you do that? >> i know, i know, it's awful. but we've seen -- a lot of -- and a lot of news organizations have received a lot of backlash. what happened to "the new york times" last week with the headline about trump. so it's something that we all have to manage every day. it's going to be part of this cycle no matter who you're covering. >> part of the campaign. thanks for joining us today for "inside politics." see you back here this time tomorrow. brianna keilar starts after a quick break. have a great afternoon.

♪ ♪ ♪ applebee's handcrafted burgers now starting at $7.99 now that's eatin' good in the neighborhood. at to cover the essentialsyou have in retirement,99 as well as all the things you want to do. because when you're ready for what comes next, the only direction is forward. it's my special friend, antonio. his luxurious fur calms my nerves when i'm worried about moving into our new apartment. why don't we just ask geico for help with renters insurance? i didn't know geico helps with renters insurance. yeah, and we could save a bunch too. antonio! fetch computer! antonio?

i'll get it. get to know geico and see how much you could save on renters insurance.

and i don't add trup the years.s. but what i do count on... is boost® delicious boost® high protein nutritional drink has 20 grams of protein, along with 26 essential vitamins and minerals. boost® high protein. be up for life. that's ensure max protein, with high protein and 1 gram sugar. it's a sit-up, banana! bend at the waist! i'm tryin'! keep it up. you'll get there. whoa-hoa-hoa! 30 grams of protein, and one gram of sugar. ensure max protein.

i'm brianna keilar live from cnn's washington headquarters. under way right now, for the last few hours a violent and chaotic scene has been playing out at the hong kong international airport. this is one of the busiest hubs in the world. tensions between pro-democracy demonstrators and riot police reached a fevered pitch at one point. you can see here protesters had grabbed an officer's baton and then they hit him repeatedly. all of this happening as passengers continue to arrive at the airport and all of this is having a knock-on effect on the city, prompting hong kong's chief executive to warn that the situation is, quote, on the brink of no return.