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Elections Four Weeks Away; America First Impact on U.S. Response; Kavanaugh's First Day; Trump's Approval Ratings. Aired 8:30- 9a ET

Aired October 9, 2018 - 08:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


[08:30:00] JOSHUA GREEN, NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, "BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK": Thing that unites them more than anything else, Republicans from all wings of the party, is their antipathy to Hillary Clinton. And the poll recommends that Republicans continue to talk about Hillary Clinton because it's a way of energizing their voters in an otherwise lackluster year.

JONATHAN MARTIN, NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, "NEW YORK TIMES": Right.

GREEN: Well, I think Clinton is doing them a great favor by coming out and thrusts herself into the middle of the Kavanaugh scandal and showing up on TV four weeks before an election. I'd imagine that that would give not just Heitkamp but a lot of incumbent Democratic senators in red states a lot of pause.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right.

MARTIN: It's kind of like Bush and Cheney, guys. If Bush and Cheney were to have emerged in 2010, when Democrats were trying to fire up their base and not doing a very good job of it, and if suddenly like George W. Bush and Dick Cheney appeared on the campaign trail in October, I think President Obama would have loved that, to have kind of reminder his voters about what is in their mind, the bad old days, you know.

BERMAN: Take her out of it, though. If you take Hillary Clinton out of it, and I think these points are incredibly valid, and, you know, Republicans may be saying thank you to CNN for airing this, this morning. But if you take her out, Jonathan, how do Democrats approach the next 28 days?

MARTIN: Yes.

BERMAN: Because what Hillary Clinton is saying is, there's got to be a way to harness the anger that's out there. How do you harness and focus the anger that's out there --

MARTIN: Right.

BERMAN: Without looking to maybe swing voters, like the mob, that Republicans are accusing them of being? MARTIN: Yes. That's a great question. And I think it totally depends

on what part of the country that you're talking about. I -- you know, this is going to be a campaign year which has basically -- you know, very different themes, depending upon where you are. The Senate map, John, as you know, is playing out in a different slice of the country than most of the House campaigns are. The Senate map is much more conservative leaning, much more rural. The House map tends to be more suburban, more centrist. And so I think it just -- it -- it just weighs on where you are.

Look, I think you'll see some House candidates, you know, Democrats, trying to raise the issue and fire up women who are furious about what happened with the Kavanaugh hearings. I think in a lot of Senate states, Democrats are going to want to quickly go back to local issues and talking about the contrast between them and their opponents and put this behind them.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Jonathan Martin, Josh Green, thank you very much.

MARTIN: Thank you.

GREEN: Thanks, guys.

BERMAN: And (INAUDIBLE) said the same thing, you know, three political reporters, three for three saying that Republicans welcome these new comments we're seeing from Hillary Clinton. It's interesting.

CAMEROTA: I mean she's sharing her feelings and she's --

BERMAN: Yes.

CAMEROTA: And that's valid. And she has -- that's her prerogative, to share her feelings. And a lot of people also agree with that. But, politically, in terms of the acumen, who knows if that's the right thing.

BERMAN: Yes. Good point.

All right, a journalist reportedly murdered by Saudis in Turkey, China arresting the head of Interpol, and Russia accused of causing cyberattacks around the world. Where does the U.S. stand on all of this? We'll discuss, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:36:53] CAMEROTA: There have been a lot of troubling headlines.

A Saudi journalist is missing and reportedly killed by Saudis in the consulate in Turkey. A former president of Interpol vanishing in China, accused of bribery. And Russia carrying out cyberattacks around the world.

What does all of this have to do with the United States? Maybe a lot.

Joining us now is Max Boot. He's "The Washington Post" columnist, senior fellow at the Council at Foreign Relations and author of the new book, "The Corrosion of Conservatism: Why I Left the Right." He is also a CNN global affairs analyst.

Max, great to have you here.

MAX BOOT, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Thanks for having me.

CAMEROTA: I can't wait to dive into your book and talk about all of the headlines.

But, first, let's talk about all of these troubling developments that are happening around the world.

So when Jamal Khashoggi vanishes, possibly killed inside the consulate, when the head of Interpol vanishes and the Russian intelligence agency is accused of all these malicious cyberattacks, what does any of this have to do with the United States?

BOOT: Well, there's always internal dynamics in all of these countries, Alisyn, and there's no question that dictators have their own imperatives to do bad things.

But I think there's also kind of a sense that it's springtime for dictators around the world, that the United States is AWOL from the world stage and we're basically giving a pass to all these authoritarian regimes to do their worst. In the past, the United States has been the greatest bulwark for freedom. I mean that's a lot of what has inspired America for people like me who came here at the age of six and for millions around the world, that we have stood for freedom and democracy. And there's a feeling now we don't stand for that anymore because we have a president who is sympathetic to dictators and very critical of our fellow democracies.

CAMEROTA: Here's what the president, President Trump, said about Saudi Arabia, for example, this month. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We protect Saudi Arabia. Would you say they're rich? And I love the king, King Salman, but I said, king, we're protecting you. You might not be there for two weeks without us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: I mean that is sort of a mixed message of how he sees Saudi Arabia. But how can you connect the dots between his friendliness towards Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin and to more bad behavior? I mean are you saying that they wouldn't be doing these things if it weren't for President Trump's friendliness?

BOOT: I mean I wouldn't necessarily go that far. I mean I think there is certainly a lot of bad things that dictators would be doing no matter what the president of the United State says or does. But, I mean, if -- take the case of Saudi Arabia, for example. If, in fact, they murdered this American resident journalist in their consulate in Istanbul, I mean that is a shocking crime. That is something without precedent. And the notion that an American ally would feel free to do that, I mean it's just unconscionable. And I -- and I have to look at the fact that Donald Trump has basically given a blank check to the Saudis. Has endorsed everything that Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman wants to do and maybe MBS, as he's called, has decided he can literally get away with murder.

CAMEROTA: OK, let's talk about your book and about you.

BOOT: Yes.

CAMEROTA: Not long ago you were a proud conservative Republican.

BOOT: Right. Right.

[08:40:00] CAMEROTA: And now you are urging everyone listening, even Republicans and conservatives, to vote a straight up and down Democratic ticket in the midterms. What has come over you?

BOOT: Well, essentially, the election of Donald Trump and the fact that all of my -- so many of my former friends and colleagues in the Republican Party have essentially bent the knee to Donald Trump, in spite of all of his shocking attacks on American democracy, everything that he is doing to divide Americans. And to be clear, although I'm not a Republican, I am certainly not a Democrat either. I mean I have big differences with Democrats, like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren and others.

CAMEROTA: So what are you?

BOOT: I'm homeless. I'm adrift. I'm without a party. I'm an independent, like a lot of Americans, because I feel like both parties are rushing to the extremes. But the reason why I say vote Democratic in November, again, not because I endorse the entire Democratic Party platform, but because we need checks and balances, Alisyn. I mean I think this is so crucial. Republicans have shown they will not stand up to Donald Trump and his abuse of power.

I mean, for example, just last week, "The New York Times" had a massively documented story charging that Donald Trump committed tax fraud, that he defrauded the U.S. government of hundreds of millions of dollars. Is there any chance that a Republican controlled House Ways and Means Committee will ever look into this, that they will ever look at his tax returns? Fat chance. That's why we need democrats in control.

CAMEROTA: But you're saying that even if Democrats -- if Democrats win the House, you think that that can be a check and balance on President Trump even if they don't win the Senate?

BOOT: Absolutely. Even winning one house will be a check and balance. I mean just sticking with the issue of taxes for a second, the House Ways and Means Committee can request the tax returns of any American, including the president of the United States. How huge would that be if we could actually have a critical look at Donald Trump's tax returns to see what he's hiding? I mean that's just one of many. There are so many scandals in this administration that nobody in

Congress is looking at. And instead what they're doing is they're using their power to help Donald Trump obstruct justice. I mean look at what Devin Nunez and others are doing in assailing the Justice Department, assailing the FBI. I mean I'm old enough to remember just few years ago when the Republicans were the law and order party and Donald Trump still claims to support law and order. But with Republican help, he's assailing the FBI. That's the kind of checks and balances we need to stop that from happening.

CAMEROTA: Max Boot. The book again is "The Corrosion of Conservatism: Why I Left the Right."

Great to talk to you, as always.

BOOT: Thanks for having me, as always.

CAMEROTA: John.

BERMAN: All right, thanks, Alisyn.

In just moments, Justice Brett Kavanaugh will take his seat on the Supreme Court bench for the very first time. We have a live report from the high court and what is awaiting Justice Kavanaugh, perhaps protests, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[8:46:41] BERMAN: In less than one hour, Brett Kavanaugh will hear his first argument as a justice on the Supreme Court. Kavanaugh's first day is already being met with protests.

Our Ariane de Vogue live at the Supreme Court with the very latest.

Ariane.

ARIANE DE VOGUE, CNN SUPREME COURT REPORTER: Right, John, first day on the bench for Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and it's the most -- and it comes after the most polarizing hearings we've seen in the modern day era. He's going to take the bench today, sitting on the far right, sitting next to Justice Eliana Kagan. That's the seat reserved for the junior most justice.

They're hearing a case on firearm violations. So far there aren't really big blockbuster cases on the docket. But percolating in the courts before -- below are big issues, the Affordable Care Act, LGBT rights, voting rights. Those are all coming up here. Keep in mind, with Kavanaugh on this bench, this court is poised to take a hard right turn.

As for the other justices, Chief Justice John Roberts and the others, they're going to work to repair the damage to the institution of the courts after those partisan hearings. Last night all the sitting justices went to that ceremony at the Supreme Court. They were there to show support for their new colleague, but also a show of force for the court itself. You can see behind me there aren't a lot of protesters right now, but

that's in contrast to Saturday when Kavanaugh was inside being sworn in. The protesters broke the rules. They went up the stairs behind me and started pounding on those bronze doors. So a big difference than what we saw last week for his first day on the court.

Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Ariane, that is really interesting. And it will be also very interesting to see how Chief Justice Roberts repairs the image of this vaunted institution after these weeks that have been hyper partisan.

Thank you very much for giving us the update from there.

So, President Trump's approval rating is rising, but is it all good news for the president? We get "The Bottom Line," next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:52:43] BERMAN: Our brand-new CNN poll shows that the president's approval rating is rising. It is now at 41 percent. That's five points higher than it was just one month ago.

Let's get "The Bottom Line" with CNN political director David Chalian.

Five points is five points. It is rising. It's consistent with other numbers we've seen. David, what does it mean?

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Well, listen, first and foremost what it means, right, is that Donald Trump still operates within this band of mid-30s to low 40s. And at any given moment, he could be on one -- on the high end or the low end of that. Last month we had him at the low end of that, and here we see him towards the higher end of that. But he operates in this very narrow space.

Obviously, John, if you are the White House, you'd rather be on the rise four weeks out from the election than on the decline. So that is welcome news. And you are right.

I would just note, though, that 41 percent, we should put it in historical context. Take a look at how that stacks up to all his modern day predecessors at this point in their presidency. Is that the bottom of the list. He's tied with Bill Clinton, who was at 41 percent in 1994. You all remember what happened in 1994, Bill Clinton's Democratic Party got wiped out in the polls in that midterm election.

So 41 percent is not a good number. There's no Republican who's thrilled who's on the ballot this year that that's Donald Trump's approval rating, but it's better that he's on the rise than on the decline.

CAMEROTA: And, David, I mean, given all of the Kavanaugh controversy, what's the back story? What has allowed for this five point spike?

CHALIAN: Well, I -- you know, I think we saw some independents come on over to the president a little bit. Not, obviously, he's still upside down with them. And we see Republicans sort of drift away sometimes and drift back together. That's what has happened in this poll, too. And, again, that's why he's been sort of operating in this very narrow space.

BERMAN: You know what I think? I think that by and large the Brett Kavanaugh story was not a Donald Trump story. There were moments when the president injected himself into it actually at great peril. But, for the most part, it was three weeks where the president wasn't the main story. And that's where he runs into trouble, David. And I don't think he can spend the next 28 days -- he's not capable of spending the next 28 days not making himself a major story.

CHALIAN: I think that's probably true. You saw he was trying to make the Kavanaugh story his story last night at the White House and attach himself to it. And now you're going to see him hit the campaign trail in a fast and furious fashion. He has got a slew of rallies this week starting tonight in Iowa. So he is eager to be out there. And he does, of course, enjoy being the central character in our modern day political drama.

[08:55:21] CAMEROTA: Here's something interesting in terms of how women and men feel about the president. There's this 20 point divide. Women give him a 31 percent job approval. Men, a 51 percent job approval. Does that trouble the White House as we approach the midterms?

CHALIAN: It does, Alisyn. It troubles the White House. It troubles Republican strategists working on campaigns throughout the country. This -- this gender gap, this problem that Donald Trump and therefore at large the Republican Party is having with female voters is going to be the thing that drives them from the majority to the minority if indeed they lose the House on November 6th. It will be because of a female-powered electorate that was overwhelmingly in favor of Democrats and it scares the bjesus (ph) out of Republicans.

CAMEROTA: All right, David Chalian, thank you very much for "The Bottom Line."

BERMAN: Bjesus is a political science term, by the way.

CAMEROTA: No, I got that.

And you, my friend, will be heading into Florida and to the storm zone to be bringing it to us live tomorrow morning.

BERMAN: Yes, Chad Myers has the forecast. My forecast is tomorrow at this time I will be very, very wet.

Coming up in the next few minutes, Brett Kavanaugh takes his seat on the bench at the Supreme Court.

Also, much more information on the latest forecast for Hurricane Michael. Stick around.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)