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WORLD RIGHT NOW WITH HALA GORANI
Kelly Says Not His Job To "Control" President Trump; Trump Sings Health care Executive Order; Democratic Lawmaker Unveils Articles Of Impeachment; Trump Warns Disaster Relief Won't Last "Forever"; Long- Standing Palestinian Rivals Agree On Accord; Vanity Fair Report: President Consumed By Dark Moods; Jane Fonda: I Found Out About Weinstein A Year Ago; Prosecutor Defends Not Charging Producer In 2015; Barnier Says Talks In "Very Disturbing" Deadlock; NFL Player Helps Victims Of Human Trafficking; Facebook's Sandberg Admits Some Responsibility. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired October 12, 2017 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[15:00:24]
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HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Hala Gorani. We are live from CNN London this hour. Welcome. This is THE WORLD RIGHT
NOW.
The White House is pushing back today against reports of infighting and chaos in the West Wing, but it is acknowledging frustrations as Donald
Trump tries to jumpstart his stalled legislative agenda.
The president signed an executive order on healthcare today that he says will benefit millions of Americans. He also just announced his choice for
the next head of Homeland security.
A new report says Mr. Trump's advisers are losing confidence in him though. Some saying he is unstable and unraveling. He describes Chief of Staff
John Kelly as miserable in his post.
Well, we are surprised today at the White House briefing, Kelly himself showed up and spoke to reporters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KELLY, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: Although I read it all the time and pretty consistently I am not quitting today. I don't believe and I
just talked to the president, I don't think I'm being fired today and I am not so frustrated in this job that I'm thinking of leaving. Unless things
change, I'm not quitting. I'm not getting fired and I don't think I'll fire anyone tomorrow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: All right. So, making light of those reports that have been pretty relentless and pretty consistent that John Kelly is unhappy. You've
seen those still photographs of him, one at the United Nations, for instance, during the speech that Donald Trump gave at the United Nations
General Assembly.
Now Kelly, the Chief of Staff, also talked about Mr. Trump's hostile relationship with the media telling reporters in the room, quote, "One of
his frustrations is you."
Let's bring in CNN political reporter, Dan Merica, and CNN political analyst, Josh Rogin. So, Dan Merica, it seems as though perhaps in nicer,
more acceptable packaging, John Kelly spoke to reporters today to reiterate the messages of the president. That the press is a frustration that he is
not going to walk away and everything is going just fine.
DAN MERICA, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: I think the mere fact that he came on and decided to do this, his first foray into the White House press briefing
room, really was the headline. It's never a good thing when you have to come out and say I'm not being fired or I'm not quitting.
And that's basically what the chief of staff came out today to say, as you noted, he also said that the press and all of us are -- in the press are on
of President Trump's biggest frustration.
I think anybody with a Twitter account would find that not very surprising. The president clearly states that on a regular basis. Most recently,
saying that some of the cable and broadcast channels should be checked for their licenses because of what he calls fake news.
I was particularly struck by this former or retired four-star Marine general saying that Americans should be concerned with North Korea, should
be concerned with what they're trying to do.
This fact that they are developing not only an intercontinental ballistic missile, but a tool for reentry for that missile. I think that's very
striking. So, it was very clear today that whilst General Kelly came out to clear up any suggestions that he is leaving or being fired. He made
some news on other fronts including on North Korea.
GORANI: And Josh Rogin, one of the things he said is it's not my job to control the president because it was widely reported at the time when he
took over as chief of staff that he was going to sort of try to control the tweeting, obviously that hasn't happened. Why do you think he said that?
Did he think it was important to send a message that he's not failing at his job of being the adult in the room?
JOSH ROGIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, I think partially is that, partially is that he knows he can control the president or his tweeting so
he is not going to try. You know what my own reporting from the White House shows is very clearly that John Kelly has instituted processes and
systems inside the White House that have greatly constrained what was previously a very unruly bunch of people doing a lot of things outside of
the normal way to do things.
So, he spent his time managing down not managing up that makes sense as far as he's concerned. You know, this has resulted to a lot of personnel
changes in the White House.
[15:05:09] A lot of people leaving, a lot more people becoming frustrated with Kelly's processes. He's now put his deputy as the head of Homeland
Security. So, he is exerting a lot of control in that White House. He's just not trying to control Trump because he knows it's a futile effort.
GORANI: Yes. And Dan, you mentioned North Korea. There's also going to be an announcement by the president tomorrow at 12:45 Eastern on Iran.
What's the expectation there?
MERICA: The expectation there is it's going to take some sort of middle ground on the Iran nuclear deal. Obviously, he ran as a candidate, as
somebody who blanketly said that it's the worst deal he's ever seen.
He hit President Barack Obama multiple times for even signing that ideal. We've been told and what our reporting is that he's not going to leave the
deal entirely. He is going to likely decertified that Iran is in compliance with that deal.
And then once again kicked this to Congress to figure it out and that's been a trend here at the White House. President Trump who ran as being a
decision-maker, as being a business leader who can make the hard decisions and get things done.
I mean, he promised multiple things to be done on the first day office. What we've seen, though, is that he has been kicking a number of tough
decisions especially decisions that he can get done on his own or doesn't have the political manpower to get done.
He just kicked the Congress and it seems that's what he's going to do tomorrow in Iran. We'll certainly know more by tonight and tomorrow
morning as well.
GORANI: Josh, the president signed an executive order today. He wasn't able to do it legislatively repeal and replace Obamacare, but what he is
doing is he's trying to dismantle Obamacare piece by piece by signing these executive orders in the White House.
In this particular case without getting into the weeds, I mean, for out international audience, but basically giving businesses more power to shop
for insurance outside of their own state, not having to abide by Obamacare requirement by providing maternity care, prescription drug coverage to
their employees.
So, this is a way to do it with the stroke of a pen. What's the reaction going to be on Capitol Hill?
ROGIN: I think the reaction especially amongst Democrats will be a rejection of the Trump administration's assertion that this is helping not
hurting Obamacare and we don't have all of the details of the analysis, but there's a chance that a lot of people can lose their services.
And if that turns out to be true then that could be a big problem going forward. Overall, what we see here is a continuation of the pattern this
president of doing things to fulfill campaign promises without really having a legislative or policy plan to make sure that they go the way he
thinks.
This relates to the Iran deal, relates to lots of other cases with the administration asserted that it's going to will work with Congress to fix
things and then failing that, decides just to do piecemeal actions on its own with unpredictable consequences.
And that's something that President Trump criticized the Obama administration for heavily before he was in office, but now he's finding
out that governing especially in cooperation with Congress is a lot more difficult and he's going alone and that's going to have some consequences
down the line.
GORANI: Josh Rogin, thanks very much. Dan Merica is at the White House. Thanks to both of you.
I'm joined now by Democratic lawmaker from Texas who believes Mr. Trump is not fit for office and should be removed, Representative Al Green
introduced Articles of Impeachment yesterday on the House floor.
Congressman, thanks for being with us. What is the strategy going forward for Democrats? Because one after the other, and we saw it with the
executive order today in the White House sort of mixing some provisions of Obamacare.
The president is dismantling some of the achievements, legislative achievement of former President Obama. What's the political strategy of
the Democrats now going forward?
REPRESENTATIVE AL GREEN (D), TEXAS: Well, thank you for having me on. I think that I as a Democrat will stay the course. I believe that we still
have to mend, not end Obamacare. I'm going to do all that I can to protect it and to make sure that those essential benefits that are afforded for us
and to have insurance that there will be there for them.
A person who buys cheap insurance will pay premiums and at some point, will need to use that insurance and then that person will find out that he or
she has cheap insurance. I'm also going to continue to push for raising the minimum wage.
This is important. There are good many people who haven't had a raise in this country for years while those at the top are getting raises on an
annual basis. So, I think we have to stay the course.
And I also think this, President Obama has not had a great deal of success. Most of what he has said he would do in terms of his major accomplishments
have not been done. I remember speaking (inaudible) saying that those who are saying that the Republicans having affordable care plan, he says just
happy talk. So, there's still an unhappy talk on the Republican side.
[15:10:03] GORANI: Yes, but -- I mean, looking forward to 2018 and it's just around the corner. You know, there were special elections involving
Democrats. Those were pretty much all won by Republicans.
There's been some analysis that in 2020, if President Trump keeps only his base happy and there is no Democratic contender to really challenge him
that he's on course for reelection. I mean, you have your work cut out for you and your party.
GREEN: Well, we'll always have our work cut out for us. We have a good candidate and I believe we will. I don't know who that will be at this
time, but I believe we'll have a good candidate, who will be able to take on not only the president, but will also be able to expose what the
president has done.
He has allowed this alt-right hate machine to direct his politics and it has to be fed a steady diet of bigotry, hatred, xenophobia, (inaudible),
and in so doing he's giving us a good deal of ammunition to use politically speaking, and next to terms elections.
I really do believe that that would be great success. I think we do have to stay the course and in some circumstances, we just have to stay out of
his way and allow him to continue to step on his own messaging by sending things to Congress that he promised to do himself or do as a result of
commerce and he working together.
GORANI: I mentioned in my introduction that you introduce Articles of Impeachment. Obviously, the Democrats control neither the House nor the
Senate. So, this is not an initiative that is likely to go far.
But I just want our viewers to listen to what you said on the House floor when you did introduce this initiative. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GREEN: Donald J Trump, president of the United States of America has undermined the integrity of his office with the impunity and has brought
disrepute on the presidency with immunity, has betrayed his trust as president to the manifest injury of the American people and is unfit to be
president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Congressman Green, why do you think President Trump is unfit?
GREEN: Well, multiplicity of reasons, let's start with these articles of impeachment. These articles address some of his very own statements,
things that he has said himself. So, the things that are contained are indisputable.
When the president, calls the mothers of NFL players dogs, the FOB term that he used. We know what a "B" is, he calls them dogs that's
unacceptable and in so doing, he is also inciting other person to do (inaudible) deeds.
He has indicated to law enforcement officer that they don't have to be too nice when they have a person who is within their care custody and control.
That is an indication that he would allow them to abuse persons.
That's against the Constitution of the United States of America. All persons are innocent until they are proven guilty in a court of law. So,
the president continues to try to incite or if he's trying or not, he's doing it. He's inciting that alt-right base of his that --
GORANI: Congressman, there is and you've heard this, there is this theory that by doing this, what you are doing is energizing the support of the
president. That in some ways this is just a strategy that is bound to fail, not lose because you don't have a majority.
And also, that it's really self-defeating. That there needs to be another way to go about increasing the powerbase and the voter base of the
Democratic Party in America that doesn't involve going down that bridge. How do you respond to that criticism?
GREEN: Well, first of all, we are doing the right thing. We are doing it because it's right. Rosa Parks (ph), when she took that seat of that bus,
there were plenty (inaudible) she shouldn't have done it.
But she did the right thing. Dr. King was marching in protest and there were plenty of folks who thought that he shouldn't do it. In fact, if you
read his letter from the Birmingham jail and the letter that was sent to him, you'll find that there were prominent people who said, this is not the
time.
Let's to do this at a later time, let history work this out. Well, people have to start someplace. One match can start a fire. Sometimes you have
to be the match and sometimes you have to stand alone.
You can't expect the world be with you always. That's when you have to show your most courage. So, I'm going to stand alone where I am. I will
not be moved. There will be a vote to impeach Donald John Trump, the president of the United States of America. Let history judge us all. All
of us will be judged by history.
GORANI: Representative Al Green of Texas, thanks for joining us on CNN this evening. We appreciate your time.
GREEN: Thank you.
GORANI: President Trump is coming under blistering criticism today for a stark warning to Puerto Rico and it continues to struggle to recover from a
devastating hurricane.
[15:15:01] In a series of tweets, he says, the U.S. government can't provide disaster relief there "forever," quote/unquote. Mr. Trump said
Puerto Ricans who are American citizens now face a financial crisis largely of their own making, he says.
He said their infrastructure was a disaster even before the storm hit. Now the mayor of San Juan is furious. She tweeted at Mr. Trump, "It is not
that you do not get it. You are incapable of fulfilling the moral imperative to help the people of Puerto Rico. Shame on you.
Your comments about Puerto Rico are unbecoming of a commander-in-chief. They seemed more to come from a hater in chief." And you'll remember this
is the mayor of San Juan, the woman with whom Donald Trump had a testy relationship as well during the initial the federal response to the
disaster in Puerto Rico.
The White House Chief of Staff John Kelly is defending President Trump's comments and says he is committed to the recovery effort in Puerto Rico.
Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KELLY, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: Our country will stand with those American citizens in Puerto Rico until the job is done, but to tweet about
FEMA and the DOD and military is exactly accurate. They are not going to be there forever. And the whole point is to start the work yourself out of
a job and then transition to the rebuilding process.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, while people in Washington continue to debate and talk, many in Puerto Rico are still lacking basic necessities three weeks after the
hurricane. Mr. Trump's own Environmental Protection Agency issued a warning saying some people are so desperate for water, they're taking it
from wells and toxic waste sites.
CNN's Leyla Santiago is in San Juan with the latest.
LEYLA SANTIAGO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As President Trump talks about FEMA aid in Puerto Rico and as he calls it a success, but sort of indicates that
perhaps they won't be here forever helping the people of Puerto Rico.
What we have found outside of San Juan, outside of the area that President Trump himself visited is a different picture. People very vulnerable,
people in of medications, bottled water, not getting the FEMA aid that is now on the ground and is moving.
We've talked to people in hospitals, doctors themselves who tell us that they need more help. They cannot continue to operate under these
conditions and meet the needs of patients.
And as we went back to a place where we visited just four days after Hurricane Maria struck, we were told only the mayor has visited
(inaudible). It's in the northwestern part of the island, delivered a box of food, and now that food is gone. The community shared it and they are
waiting for more help to arrive.
Listen to what one of the neighbors told me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because nobody's come around, it's only been us, that's it. And to see somebody say they came, that's the important thing
that someone came by and said they care. They looked, they stopped, these guys came down the middle of the road. That was awesome.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANTIAGO: So, still at this hour about 80 percent without power, a third of this island without water. Communication still a major issue. FEMA is
actually distributing this flier that says register for disaster assistance and it has a phone number and a website.
A big problem for many of those who still don't have communications, still don't have internets, still don't have cell phone service, a big issue on
an island of 3.5 Million U.S. citizens still waiting for help as President Trump tweets he could pull out soon. Leyla Santiago, CNN, San Juan, Puerto
Rico.
GORANI: Well, the situations still dire there.
Still to come tonight, a reconciliation deal after a decade of rivalry. It looks like a long-standing Palestinian rivals Fatah and Hamas have patched
up their differences. Will it last? We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: It's a decision that is being hailed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, but according to Israel's prime minister makes peace, quote,
"harder to achieve." After a decade of failed attempts and bitter division, Fatah and Hamas have reached an agreement, a reconciliation deal.
It means a new unity government will take administrative control of Gaza.
Our Oren Liebermann is in Jerusalem and you spent part of the day in Ramallah (ph). What made this deal possible?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there was a number of political and humanitarian points that made this possible. First on the political
level, Hamas has recently changed moderated in many ways its policy document, especially when it comes to Israel and there is a new leadership.
(Inaudible) has taken over the leadership of Hamas in Gaza, and although he was seen as a hardliner, it seems he is taking practical approaches to a
few different points specifically reconciliation where he threatened anyone who came out against it.
Perhaps the bigger issue here as to what made this possible is simply the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which has gotten much worse over the last few
months. That's on top of an Israeli blockade of the coastal enclave.
The Palestinian Authority had taken a number of punitive measures against Gaza, cutting off electricity, cutting salaries, that made the humanitarian
situation in Gaza even worse, but for the Palestinian Authority, this seen as a successful way to put pressure on Hamas.
And for them that pressure worked out. Hamas essentially (inaudible) its administrative committee and it's at a point now where it's saying that it
will allow a Palestinian unity government to take over control of Gaza.
On top of that was American and Egyptian pressure to move forward on reconciliation. By the looks of it, it paid off in a big way, and these
two longtime rivals who just a few months ago weren't even talking to each other face to face have now signed that reconciliation agreement -- Hala.
GORANI: So, what impact will this have? That the obvious follow-up on any talks with Israel, any kind of very, very far into the future and down the
line possible peace negotiation with the Israeli government. Where does that lead this?
LIEBERMANN: That's right now the million-dollar question. To have a definitive answer there, we'll need more details as to what came out of
this reconciliation agreement specifically on what happens to Hamas' military wing.
Do they disarm? That was a big issue not only for Israelis and Americans but also for the Palestinian Authority, for President Mahmoud Abbas, in the
sense that Hamas can't have its own military wing and have the PA or Palestinian unity government have security control of Gaza.
We don't know what will happen to Hamas' military wing, but that will be one of the big deciding factors here. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in
his first statement responding to reconciliation here was very cautious, saying Hamas needs to be held accountable to international agreements and
they need to disarm.
And then he said that need to essentially abide by the other requirements, which is to say recognized state of Israel, recognize Israel as a Jewish
state, but he then put forward a Facebook message, which went beyond that saying essentially that this reconciliation would make peace harder to
achieve.
He may be playing to his own voter base there. His own right-wing voter base a bit because certainly the international community sees the
reconciliation as an important effort for the Palestinians.
The only group that benefited from this Fatah-Hamas split was Israel able to deal with two weaken Palestinian parties.
GORANI: Quickly, you mentioned -- I mean, we know Egypt was negotiating and helping facilitate this agreement, but you mentioned the Americans a
couple of times. What did they do?
LIEBERMANN: So, the Americans first of all were working towards Palestinian reconciliation because that meant the Palestinian Authority or
a unity government would take over Gaza and it wouldn't be Hamas designated as a terrorist organization in the U.S. running Gaza.
[15:25:07] So that was a big step, and it was Jason Greenblatt (ph), Trumps envoy for Middle East peace process and for international negotiations, who
also came out in favor of negotiations. So, they've been behind this or at least pushing this from the beginning.
And I'll make one more point quickly here, this is the closest we've seen to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticizing something coming from the
White House. It's certainly not an outright criticism of Trump or President Trump's policies, but Greenblatt himself came out in favor of
reconciliation.
Netanyahu broke with that saying reconciliation with Hamas is not good for the peace process. It's the closest Netanyahu has come to criticizing
something coming from the White House or something the White House is behind. That's quite an interesting point there -- Hala.
GORANI: Yes. Very interesting. Oren Liebermann, thanks very much and a significant development there from that part of the world.
The United Nations organization, UNESCO, currently has 195 members. It's about to have a few less so. The United States and Israel say they are
withdrawing from that cultural organization over what they have called anti-Israel bias.
The American ambassador to the U.N., Nikki Haley, said that while organization's purpose is good overall, it's, quote, "extreme
politicization has become a chronic embarrassment." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the organization a theater for the absurd. So,
Israel and the U.S. out of UNESCO.
Turkey's president accuses the U.S. of sheltering a terrorist ramping up the diplomatic spat between the two countries. The accusation comes from
the president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who said someone with terrorist connections is hiding behind the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul.
Turkey has already arrested two employees of that consulate. It's not clear if Erdogan thinks the U.S. is physically harboring another suspect.
What is clear is that the Turkish president is blaming the American ambassador.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, TURKISH PRESIDENT (through translator): The one who calls this is Ambassador John Bass. It's unacceptable for us that the
United States is sacrificing a strategic ally like Turkey to an ambassador who doesn't know his place.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Erdogan there. And the tension between the two countries, the U.S. and Turkey, still very much an issue despite the fact they have so
much interconnectivity and they need each other strategically, especially in terms of military operations in that part of the world. The U.S. uses
Turkish airbases.
Let's turn our attention now to the Afghanistan-Pakistan region. Years of captivity are finally over for an American woman, her Canadian husband, and
their three small children.
The Taliban kidnapped Caitlin Coleman and Joshua Boyle in 2012 as they travel through Afghanistan. Coleman was pregnant at the time. The couple
had two more children while being held. The Pakistani Security Forces were able to rescue the family after they were moved to the country.
Coming up after the break, a Hollywood legend speaks out about a Hollywood scandal. We'll hear from Jane Fonda on the sexual misconduct allegations
against Harvey Weinstein. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI Donald Trump has been out and about in front of cameras at the White House throughout the day, but behind the scenes, there are reports
that the White House is in crisis.
It comes in an extraordinary article from "Vanity Fair", which describes the president as seething, increasingly unfocused and consumed by dark
moods.
It said advisors were struggling to control him and that Mr. Trump vented to a friend that "I hate everyone in the White House."
My next guest literally wrote the book on Donald Trump, Michael D'Antonio, the Trump biographer and a CNN contributor. He's in West Babylon, New
York.
Thanks for being with us. What did you make of those reports in the "Vanity Fair" piece? Do you think there is some truth to the fact that the
president, according to the piece, that he's seething, that he's unraveling?
MICHAEL D'ANTONIO, TRUMP BIOGRAPHER AND CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I think there is some truth to that, the fact that he is seething. There's much
that's gone on that he would find angering and that he would want to vent about. And he is not a person who contains his emotion. He expresses
himself fully and all the time.
Whether this is anything new, though, I think is something that's in doubt because the president has had points like this in the past where he's
expressed his frustration. Certainly, he's undermined Secretary of State Tillerson. He's been in a feud with Sen. Corker recently.
But as we know, this is a man who likes to have an enemy, likes to be in a fight and likes to express rage. So, I'm not sure we can be sure that
there's anything new here.
GORANI: And John Kelly, the chief of staff, came on for the first time to address reporters. It was quite a surprise in the briefing room today,
basically repeating the talking points of Donald Trump, but in a little more sophisticated way, blaming the press, saying that Donald Trump finds
the press frustrating, etc., etc.
Why do you think the decision was made to do that today?
D'ANTONIO: Well, I do think the president is aware of the troubles, especially as they're portrayed in the press. He is someone who watches a
lot of television. He looks at the newspapers every morning and likes to know where he stands with the American people in terms of popularity and
ratings, as he would say.
So, he's recognizing, I'm sure, that this is a moment to pull back, to appear presidential if he can pull it off. And I think he has confidence
in Chief of Staff Kelly. And when Kelly went out, he did well by the president.
You can see at a subsequent appearance that the president was pleased and he stayed on the teleprompter and performed very - reasonably. Well, there
was no asides about how bad the press is and fake news and enemies.
So, for this moment, I think Trump and Kelly are on the same page and they're succeeding.
GORANI: And you spoke for many hours with Donald Trump before he was president, before even he was a candidate. In his first nine months in
office, what have you found most interesting about something he said or done, anything that surprised you?
D'ANTONIO: Well, I have been surprised that the president hasn't adapted more fully to the office. He was elected as a change agent. And I think
he took that personally. I think he thought that he was charged with disrupting in a way that no president has in the past.
At the same time, he's struggled to succeed. His signature proposals on healthcare have failed. He's really looking still for his first win.
I expected that he might behave more conventionally in the face of those kinds of setbacks, but he hasn't chosen to do that.
The other thing that I have been surprised by is that he hasn't sought to expand his base. He's now the president of all the people. And I do think
he has an opportunity to win over some people, who may not have voted for him by perhaps reaching out in a less partisan way and in a less personal
way to form some alliances.
[15:35:17] Now, it's early yet, as exhausted as people are by the current presidency. We're not even at the year mark for the anniversary of the
election. So, he has room to grow and we can all pray that he does.
GORANI: You know abroad and internationally, in Europe especially, the president has a low popularity rating in the US, but in countries like
France, the UK, Germany, I think his unfavorable rating is above 80, 85 percent.
And people are genuinely concerned that they believe the president of the United States is dangerous, that because he's so impulsive and can't
control his impulses that what happens if there's something that really upsets him one day with North Korea or any other country and he just sort
of does something that you can turn back from, like start a war, for instance.
Do you think Internationally people are right to be concerned about something like that?
D'ANTONIO: Well, I am not as concerned as America's allies and others around the world may be. And I do hear this on a regular basis. I have
had governments reach out to me to ask what I think about the president's temperament and the possibility for something that he can't take back.
I think, domestically, he is free to act more fully and more impulsively. I think, globally, he's more constrained by our national security
establishment. And I also think that he's not inclined to go beyond the bluster.
So, the other thing that I think the world can notice is that this is an opening for other nations. I think as Americans look at the situation,
we're seeing a bit of a retreat from leadership and an opening in trade that China is exploiting and there's an opening diplomatically that Europe,
I think, will exploit.
GORANI: And Russia, yes.
D'ANTONIO: So, in some ways, this is an American retreat precisely, but it doesn't have to be dangerous. There could be a new stability that the
world achieves without American leadership that's as strong as it's been in the last 50 or 60 years.
GORANI: Michael D'Antonio, pleasure. Thanks so much for joining us on CNN. Appreciate it.
D'ANTONIO: Thank you.
All right. And now to the latest Harvey Weinstein. I am profoundly devastated, believe it or not, these were not the words of the alleged
victims of Harvey Weinstein, but come from the man himself.
The movie mogul has broken his silence about repeated claims of sexual misconduct, claims which may have cost him his family after his wife left
him.
Speaking to entertainment site, Page Six TV, Weinstein said I don't want her or my children to be hurt any more than they already have. I truly
love Georgina and I hope one day we can reconcile, although right now I don't know if that could possibly happen.
Weinstein denies any allegations of non-consensual sex, though, clearly, in all of his reaction, he's admitted that he has a problem and it has been
reported that he has gone to some sort of rehab facility in the United States. Initially, it was meant to be Europe. Either way, that he's going
to seek help.
Now, this scandal has been called Hollywood's dirty open secret that has been known for a while. But now, Oscar-winner Jane Fonda has told CNN she
knew about it long before the most recent accusations surfaced and she revealed just who it was told her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JANE FONDA, ACTRESS: I found out about Harvey about a year ago. And I'm ashamed that I didn't say anything right then.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN HOST, "AMANPOUR": Why didn't you? You're so bold.
FONDA: I was not that bold because, I guess, it hadn't happened to me, and so I didn't feel it was my place.
AMANPOUR: What did you know?
FONDA: One of the women who has spoken out, Rosanna Arquette, told me and it came as a shock and a great disappointment - this male entitlement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: The male entitlement that many people have been commenting on. It could get a lot worse, though, for Harvey Weinstein. It's not just a
Hollywood scandal. It's an international one with police in both the US and right here in Britain looking at allegations.
This is as CNN has learned new details about an investigation in New York a couple of years ago.
Jason Carol has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AMBRA BATTILANA GUTIERREZ, MODEL: Why yesterday you touched my breast?
HARVEY WEINSTEIN, FILM PRODUCER: Please, I'm sorry, just come on in. I'm used to that. Come on, please.
[15:40:03] GUTIERREZ: You're used to that?
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The 2015 recording of Harvey Weinstein trying to lure a young actress into his hotel room shed a
lurid light on what some Hollywood insiders call an open secret about Weinstein and his behavior toward women.
New York City's district attorney coming under fire for his response to that 2015 incident involving the former movie mogul.
CYPRUS VANCE, NEW YORK COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: I'll take criticism for my decisions, but my decisions were based on the law.
CARROLL: Vance says his office determined there was not sufficient evidence to prosecute Weinstein for a misdemeanor.
VANCE: I understand that folks are outraged by his behavior. I understand that there are many other allegations that have surfaced, but in our case,
we really did what I think the law obligates us to do.
CARROLL: The district's attorney office also seemed to blame the New York City Police Department for not bringing them into the case sooner.
But the NYPD tell CNN, the detectives used well-established investigative techniques. The recorded conversation with the subject corroborates the
acts that were the basis for the victim's complaint.
A few months after, Vance decided not to pursue charges against Weinstein in 2015. Nationally known attorney David Boies donated $10,000 to Vance's
re-election campaign.
Weinstein later hired Boies as part of his legal team. Both Boies and Vance deny any link between the donation and the decision not to charge
Weinstein.
Vance's campaign spokesman noting, "David Boies was not Mr. Weinstein's lawyer on the case that was in front of the D.A.'s office."
VANCE: It's absolutely legal, but it doesn't mean that it shouldn't be re- examined office by office.
CARROLL: Critics were already questioning Vance for a legal matter centering on Ivanka and Donald Trump, Jr. and another attorney.
In 2012, the Trumps were under investigation for allegedly inflating condo sales at the Trump SoHo hotel. But Ivanka and Donald Trump, Jr. denied
wrongdoing. The office determined, while the Trumps may have exaggerated their statements, no laws were broken.
Later, it was learned that Donald Trump, Sr.'s long-time personal lawyer had intervened, Marc Kasowitz, and that Kasowitz had donated $25,000 to
Vance's re-election campaign.
PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: This was handled poorly. On the other hand, I don't know that I would coral with his ultimate decision.
CARROLL: Vance returned that $25,000 from Kasowitz before initially meeting with him, but later, that same year in 2012, Kasowitz donated
another $32,000. That was returned just this month after the second donation was uncovered in a news report. Kasowitz has not responded to
CNN's calls for comments.
VANCE: I don't regret as a D.A. having to raise money in order to campaign for office. And nothing that Marc ever contributed or anyone else
ever contributed has had the slightest impact on my decision- making.
CARROLL: Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: A very disturbing deadlock is how the EU negotiator Michel Barnier is describing the state of Brexit talks. He's blaming the UK's failure to
set out what it would pay in the so-called divorce bill.
Now, British negotiator David Davis also dug in his heels today, saying Britain would only discuss a precise offer later in the Brexit process.
Barnier and Davis were speaking as the fifth round of negotiations drew to a close in Brussels. And if you think five rounds of negotiations should
be enough to get you somewhere, in this particular case, you'd be wrong.
Erin McLaughlin is there. This is round five of how many rounds, Erin, because yet again we're hearing from the main negotiators that they are not
advancing and don't seem to be on the same page?
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Hala. And the so-called disturbing deadlock actually stems to round four of the
negotiations, which happened a while ago.
You may remember Theresa May's speech in Florence, in which she said that the UK will honor all of its financial commitments. Well, that line is
very much at the center of this deadlock.
During round four of the negotiations, David Davis approached the negotiating table, committing to only half of the money that the EU wanted,
tying the remaining half, according to an EU diplomat I've been speaking to, to the future relationship.
Michel Barnier, the chief Brexit negotiator for the EU, said no to that. He did, however, according to a diplomat and EU official proposed tying it
to the transition. And according to this EU diplomat, went so far as to reaching a deal with the UK, money for transition, took that, Barnier,
approached the EU heads of state and government with that deal.
[15:45:07] And the EU heads of state and government said no and sent him back to the negotiating table. The deadlock resumed. What this episode
illustrates amongst EU diplomats I've been talking to is a certain level of frustration with the way Barnier handled things.
They say that he operated outside of his mandate. They said he crossed a redline. One EU officials are saying he was simply trying to break the
deadlock in this episode. It really shows the nature of how serious this standoff is.
But so far, EU heads of state sticking to their line that Barnier has to maintain this mandate that the UK needs to honor all of its financial
commitment. And when it agrees to do that, only then will they be able to move on to the next phase of the negotiations, the transition arrangements.
All of that to be discussed at the EU summit next week.
GORANI: All right. The EU clearly thinks it's holding all the cards and can set the agenda, and that's what it's been doing so far. Thanks very
much. Erin McLaughlin in live in Brussels.
Still to come, a Super Bowl champion heads to paradise, but not for the average holiday. We'll tell you about that story next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: An average career in the NFL lasts just three years. In that time, most American football players aim for winning the Super Bowl and
making as much money as possible.
CNN's Don Riddell introduces us to one player who's done all of that and is now giving back.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DON RIDDELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): How will they remember you when you're gone? Will it be the tackles? The blocks? The championship
rings? Or perhaps something else?
Max Garcia has only been in the NFL for two full years, but already he's a Super Bowl champion. The giant Denver Broncos guard is now trying to make
an impact off the field as well.
MAX GARCIA, FOOTBALL GUARD, DENVER BRONCOS: When you're done playing, when the lights are off and no one else wants to talk to you anymore, when
you're not famous anymore, you're going to look back and say what did I do that really made a difference in this world?
RIDDELL: So that's why he ventured to the Dominican Republic to get a firsthand look at something others often turn a blind eye to, the
trafficking and the exploitation of children in a country where a reported one out of every ten victims of commercial sexual exploitation is a minor.
GARCIA: It's unbelievable, but that's the norm. That no one even bats an eye at that.
RIDDELL: Before the start of the new season, Garcia and a handful of other NFL players made the trip. Some brought their wives and girlfriends to
lend a hand. But Max brought his mum.
[15:50:01] GARCIA: I immediately thought of my mother. She's been here a few times before and I just thought it would be a great experience for us
to have together.
SONIA GARCIA, MAX'S MOTHER: It means a lot because I think his passion on helping others is just seen how he cares for everybody else.
RIDDELL: In 2017 alone, pro athletes and their families have donated $1 million to IJM. But it goes beyond just the money.
In Santo Domingo, these players met young girls who had been exploited, but who are now trying to rebuild their lives. On this occasion, Max heard
from a young woman, only 18, who shared her story about her exploitation and what she went through to survive.
GARCIA: I was then super emotional just hearing her testimony. So, you just don't realize how good you really have it. You don't realize the type
of evil that there is in this world. I felt angry that someone would try to take advantage of a person like that.
RIDDELL: But it's not just young girls who are trapped and victimized, but boys too. These children have been rescued and they're in the process of
being rehabilitated. And even though it was only for a few precious hours, Max was able to make them smile again, something that wasn't lost on
Fernando Rodriguez, IJM's local field officer director.
FERNANDO RODRIGUEZ, FIELD OFFICE DIRECTOR, IJM DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: It's also just a great opportunity for these young survivors that are going to
be able to play some games where they can engage, enjoy and just fun because that sometimes is a little bit scarce for them.
GARCIA: (INAUDIBLE) the world and have fun. I mean, they don't really know who we are, but that doesn't matter.
S. GARCIA: For him to experience this, see what's happening in the real world, is a lot. And I know he's going to take all of these with him and
spread the word.
RIDDELL: Between IJM, hosted speaking events and supporting them during the NFL's My Cause Week, Max will take what he's learned here and help
deliver the message to a wider audience. He also thinks that things will now be different between he and his mum.
GARCIA: In a lot of ways, I'm the way that I am because of her and the life that she's led. I think it's something that we'll both look back on
and say this really was a pivotal moment in our relationship as a mother and son.
RIDDELL: Don Riddell, CNN, Dominican Republic.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg says the company will reveal how Russia targeted American voters on its platform. In an interview,
Sandberg admitted that Facebook should have done more to prevent foreign interference in last year's election, adding that she was angry and upset
it had been allowed to happen at all.
GORANI: Let's bring in Samuel Burke for more on this. So, for a while, Mark Zuckerberg denied that this really had any impact on the election.
But now is this a mea culpa from Facebook on this particular topic?
SAMUEL BURKE, CNN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I think it stops short of a mea culpa, but it's definitely an acknowledgement. And it is
amazing to think how they just last year, around this time, they were saying, well, we couldn't have had any influence in the election. And now,
Sheryl Sandberg is singing a very different tune.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERYL SANDBERG, COO, FACEBOOK: Things happened on our platform in this election that should not have happened, especially, and very troubling,
foreign interference in a democratic election.
[15:55:02] And we know that we have a responsibility to do everything we can to prevent this kind of abuse on our platform.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: So, when she says everything, what does that mean exactly?
BURKE: Well, that's what's interesting here because this is all about fake accounts. And when they said - if these accounts were real, would you have
let them stay. And she said yes, we believe in freedom of expression.
So, just stop and think about that. She's saying that Facebook would be OK if Russians, as long as they were using their real name, real accounts
bought ads to influence Americans in the election, they would be OK with that.
We've never seen anything like that before really. There was never this ability before.
GORANI: How do you control it, though? I mean, even if they wanted to, can you control real people with real accounts from just buying whatever
ads they want? That's kind of the Internet.
BURKE: Well, I don't even think they want to control. I think that there is an admission there that, well, this is how we make money and we believe
in freedom of expression, no matter even if it is foreign influence on another country's election.
GORANI: Are we finally going to get to see those Russia-linked ads that have been - that at the center of this controversy?
BURKE: Well, that's one of the reasons that Facebook has been criticized so much because they're talking about being transparent, yet we only know
through the investigative work of people at CNN, for instance, but now Congress is saying they're going to release those ads, so that we have a
full picture view of what they were, what issues they were supporting, who they were targeted at, that information is going to come from Facebook
after the Congressional testimony.
November 1, Facebook, Google, Twitter hauled before Congress for public testimony.
GORANI: But, I mean, isn't this just the new normal, the fact that these platforms are going to be used by people to spread - try to sow chaos and
spread this information to influence elections?
BURKE: Unless countries like the United States, like the United Kingdom put laws in place, put regulations which is what a lot of people are
talking about today, it would actually be regulations that stop them and say, actually, we don't want foreign countries weighing in on our
elections.
GORANI: All right. Thanks very much, Samuel Burke, with that.
This has been the world right now. I'm Hala Gorani. Thanks for watching. "Quest Means Business" is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
