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Trump to Call Saudi King on Missing Journalist; Aftermath of Hurricane Michael; A Decade Before Climate Catastrophe; Saudi Arms Deal and the Dilemma of the Missing Journalist; One Year Since the MeToo Movement; Technology and the Youth's Mental Health. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired October 14, 2018 - 17:00   ET

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


[17:00:00] (JOINED IN PROGRESS)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: All right. All right. Thank you so much for being with me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The news continues right now with Ana Cabrera.

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: You are live in the "CNN Newsroom." I'm Ana Cabrera in New York. Thank you for being with me on this Sunday. President Trump walking a diplomatic tight rope this week, forced to confront one of America's closest allies in the Middle East about accusations of murder. The alleged killing of missing journalist and U.S. resident Jamal Khashoggi.

Now, President Trump says he will call the king of Saudi Arabia by the end of today, and ahead of that conversation, Trump has already promised severe punishment. And while he hasn't been clear on what that means, he has been clear what it does not mean. The president says he won't touch a potential arms deal with the Saudis. Republicans lawmakers however had this message for the president, if you don't act, we will.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), FLORIDA: I believe that the Trump administration will do something and the president has said that. But if he doesn't, Congress will, that I can tell you with 100 percent certainty with almost full unanimity across the board, Republicans and Democrats. There will be a very strong congressional response if in fact the Saudis lured him into the consulate, murdered him, cut up his body and disposed of it. There is going to be a very strong congressional response.

SEN. JEFF FLAKE (R), ARIZONA: Well, severe action needs to be taken and I think the Congress will take it upon themselves to take that action if it turns out as the press reporting seems to indicate that Saudi Arabia was involved.

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

CABRERA: Let's go live now to CNN's Boris Sanchez outside of the White House. Boris, publicly President Trump has been hesitant to blame the Saudis or detail possible punishments. Do we know if he is expected to act differently during this private call with the king?

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Ana. There is actually no indication so far that that call has even taken place. The president said just about 24 hours ago that he will be speaking with the head of Saudi Arabia shortly about the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi. No response yet from the White House when we have asked them specifically for details of what might be discussed in that call -- what the call might entail.

You noted the president shaved (ph) at the idea of Congress getting involved in blocking that $100 million arms deal with Saudi Arabia. He hasn't directly pointed the finger at Saudi Arabia. He has sort of been hesitant to do that, though he has said that the White House will get to the bottom of what happened to the "Washington Post" columnist.

This does fit a larger pattern of the behavior when it comes to President Trump and sort of ignoring or letting slip by bad behavior by autocrats around the world if it benefits him or the United States politically. Let's not forget Helsinki earlier this year when he failed to condemn Vladimir Putin for Russia's election meddling in 2016.

Essentially shying away from that altogether or the fact that he has said that is in love with a dictator who has been accused of killing members of his own family. Let's remember what President Trump said about Kim Jong-un not that long ago. Here is a sound bite.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I was really being tough, and so was he. And we were going back and forth and then we fell in love, OK. No, really. He wrote me beautiful letters, and they are great letters. We fell in love.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: And really, what this is underscores, Ana, is just how much of a stake the United States has in positive relations with Saudi Arabia. The entire Middle East plan for this administration is based on encountering Iranian aggression in that region and any sort of Israeli peace plan also involves a good relationship between Saudi Arabia and Israel and the United States.

So there is a lot riding on this administration for this. We will keep you posted if we get anything from the White House as to a call between President Trump and King Salman, Ana.

CABRERA: Sounds good. Boris Sanchez at the White House for us. Thank you. And joining us now is Democratic Congresswoman Jackie Speier of California. She is a member of both the House Armed Services and House Intelligence Committee. Congresswoman, thank you for coming in. Good to have you with us.

REP. JACKIE SPEIER (D), CALIFORNIA: Praise be with you.

CABRERA: I have a lot the talk about so let's just dive in. Saudi Arabia obviously a strategic ally of the U.S. in that region, do you think it is smart for this administration to wait to respond, to be a little bit hesitant given just how difficult some of the dynamics are until it has more information?

SPEIER: Well, certainly we need more information, but the president should be coming forward and asking for a full investigation. This is a bone-chilling incident that if it is proven to be true should cause us to take more than a pause, take severe action against Saudi Arabia for having done this act if it proves to be true.

CABRERA: Do you think this is a case that has become a wake-up call for both parties that maybe the U.S. relations with Saudi Arabia have been a little too friendly in the past?

[017:04:58] SPEIER: Well, I think that you could make that case and I think the president in his love affair with dictators and with individuals who we have historically kept at arms length would suggest that that is what he is doing here with Saudi Arabia. I mean, we have a base in Qatar, and yet Qatar has been isolated for a period of time because of effors by Saudi Arabia.

We are now engaged in Yemen because of Saudi Arabia. And I think that we have allowed this president frankly to take steps to engage with the Saudi Arabians, and probably to do so for his own personal benefit. And of course, we don't know that for certain, but for the statements he has made where he has said I have had lots of apartments sold to a Saudi prince, $40 to $50 million. It always comes down to money for him.

CABRERA: Let me ask you about this new poll, this new CNN polling this week showing more and more Americans think President Trump will win a second term in office, 47 percent think he is likely to lose and that's down from 54 percent who said he would lose in March. Why do you think those numbers are moving in the president's favor?

SPEIER: You know, those numbers mean nothing for 2020. Most polls as we are told from the day we start in politics is a snapshot in time. And I think right now, he's, you know, he is enjoying the fact that we have a good economy. But it is a good economy for some, and not for all. And I think as time wears on, as the stock market continues to decline, as inflation increases, I think you're going to see a very different picture.

ABRERA: Those polls also have some new numbers about the Democratic race heating up ahead of 2020. You point out we have some time, but here is where we are today in 2018. Former Vice President Joe Biden is leading other big names like Senators Bernie Sanders and Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren. If you had to pick today, who do you think would be the best matchup for President Trump?

SPEIER: Oh, that is a tough call. I mean I have for the longest time thought Joe Biden represents the Democratic Party. He is Joe Six-Pack. He is proud of that. He can mix it up with those who are in the Rust Belt because he has come from the Rust Belt and he is authentic. He is genuine. Now, we have other great potential candidates in Bernie Sanders,

Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, so it is really too early to set the stage for who that will be, and a lot will depends on what the American people and particularly the Democrats see as the most impressive candidate to go up against Donald Trump.

CABRERA: Let's talk about the election that is in just 23 days from now, the midterms and your party's leader in the house, Nancy Pelosi, said if the Democrats take back the House, which is looking more likely according to the momentum currently in all the numbers that are lining up, she says that the first thing or order of business would be to make sure you get a handle on the president's tax returns. Do you think that should be the prior?

SPEIER: I think the number one bill that should be introduced though I have contemplated introducing it myself, is that for every candidate running for the presidency in 2020 should have to release 20 years of income tax returns. That is where we should begin. And then the House intelligence committee where we were, really cut off at our knees in terms of that investigation needs to have a comprehensive investigation.

Subpoenas need to be issued for those that did not give us forthright testimony, and we need to know who those calls were made to that were blocked in the original June meeting that took place with Donald Trump, Jr.

CABRERA: So you are talking about the Russia investigation which of course was in your House committee has since been closed, but you are talking about reopening that investigation if Democrats then take power. I want to ask you about what we are learning, that the president's team is now preparing written answers to Robert Mueller's team regarding questions around collusion and their investigation into Russia's involvement in the 2016 election when it comes to an in- person interview, however, well, here is what the president had to say.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

TRUMP: Well, it seems ridiculous that I have to do it when everybody says there is no collusion, but I will do what is necessary to get it over. They spent tens of millions of dollars doing this, and it is a disgrace.

They interviewed everybody that you can imagine you could interview, and then the Richard Burr stands up a few days ago and says we found absolutely no collusion. And there is no different, because there is no collusion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: And congresswoman, do you think this investigation will end without the president sitting down for an interview?

SPEIER: Well, certainly, the attorneys representing the presidents do not want him to be interviewed because there is no saying what he would say. He should sit down for an interview and we'll have to see whether or not he does so.

[17:10:03] But I do think Robert Mueller has already proven that there has been conduct that has been wrong. I mean, he has one conviction. He has 34 indictments. He's got four or five guilty pleas. I mean, this was a campaign that was working hand in hand with the Russians.

Now the extent to which there was conspiracy, that is what Mr. Mueller is looking into. We don't know those answers yet. So for the president to say what he says, he is doing it as a self-defense mechanism, we get that. But there is plenty of evidence to suggest that there has been a conspiracy to impact the election.

CABRERA: If you trust Robert Mueller and his team to do the job thoroughly and fairly and thoroughly, why do you think Democrats would need to reopen the House investigation? Why not move forward?

SPEIER: Well, we have a responsibility to complete the investigation. It was cut short by Devin Nunes who was doing the president's bidding and there were many subpoenas that the Republicans have actually agreed to issue that were never issued. There were many questions that were never answered.

CABRERA: And who do you want to ask these questions to? Who are the subpoenas you were referring to?

SPEIER: Well the subpoenas should go to I think Donald Trump, Jr., to Steve Bannon. There is probably a list of seven or eight others that should be questioned under a subpoena.

CABRERA: All right. Thank you so much, Congresswoman Jackie Speier for coming in.

SPEIER: Thank you.

CABRERA: Good to have you with us. Up next, in need of food, water, and help -- some desperate Florida residents are now looting. A live report here in the "CNN Newsroom." Don't go away.

[17:15:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

Welcome back. I want to show you now what beach towns up and down the Florida Gulf Coast look like and sound like this weekend. Watch and listen closely.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(BEEPING SOUNDS)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Those beeps you are hearing, the only sound over to the wind, those are smoke alarms. Their batteries still alive in nearly every home and every hotel still standing and without power since Hurricane Michael hit.

When the sun goes down in Mexico Beach, it is pitch dark and the only thing that you can hear is the wind and the beeping. Here's the same place in the daytime. New images from Mexico Beach. And look at the amount of destruction. A long cleanup are process is just beginning. Heavy equipment is attacking piles and piles of debris and rubble from the thousands of houses and buildings that blew apart in the storm.

Today, Florida's Governor Rick Scott and the head of FEMA walking through what is left of coastal towns. Hurricane Michael's death toll climbed to 18 people this weekend. Let's go live to CNN's Martin Savidge in Mexico Beach. And Martin, what are officials there saying today and also, what are you hearing from the people who live there?

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you get two very different stories. Of course, you got the officials who are saying that they are doing the best they can to bring me relief. You've got some residents who are going frustrated. They are frustrated that they don't see it fast enough.

This is a different view of the Mexico Beach that we are showing you to day. It is a marina side, different from what you saw yesterday but it just continues to show you the incredible power of the wind and the water and how they have devastated, literally flattened in many places this community.

Governor Rick Scott, as you point out, was in the area. He was touring not just this beach community, but other points inland. And we should stress this is a regional devastation. It is not just one community. And here is the quick assessment the governor gave.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. RICK SCOTT, FLORIDA: We have 11,000 people registered for FEMA right now. We just had a conversation about how fast the FEMA resources will come out. We have -- we got local law enforcement from all around the state. They are coming to their impacted counties to make sure people are safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

1SAVIDGE: 11,000, that is just -- that is such a drop in the bucket to the tens of thousands, more than that will probably need help come the end of all this. Dave Mullins is a resident of Mexico Beach and he rode out the storm.

Water eventually came up to his waist while he was hiding in his bathroom and his home is destroyed. But as it abated, he went out to try to find his neighbors and realized the whole community he lived in for 15 years, he didn't recognize anymore.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DAVE MULLINS, SURVIVOR: I can't even recognize where I'm at, you

know, the bank is where we turn and the bank, it doesn't even look like the bank. Nothing looks like it is anymore. So, you are kind of disoriented, you are lost because you can't even navigate through your own town because you don't know what street you're at. All the signs are gone naturally, you know, so. You just try to find a landmark and turn where you need to turn. (END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: Two things really devastated this community, it's the wind and the water. Of course you would expect a storm surge. Some say here was about 20 feet and the way it impacted this community is you have a number of this inlets and marinas like this where the water came surging up these kind of cuts.

And as a result, it just swept through this area and the water rose like it would be a tsunami, but it did not leave the same way. Tsunamis will take everything away with them. You can see it is all still here, just literally dropped in place. And every time you look at it, you are just left struck by just how much there is. There is so much damage here and you just can't get over it, Ana.

CABRERA: Yes, that is so true. It is incredible to see those images. It's so hard to look away and yet so devastating to actually look at it. Martin Savidge, thank you for you ongoing reporting on the ground for us.

Hurricanes Florence and Michael this year, Maria and Harvey last year, all of them deadly, and weather experts say yes, the storms are getting more intense, faster, and it's because of what we are doing here on earth.

[17:20:04] CNN's Nick Watt with a serious warning from the world's climate experts.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Deadly wildfires from California to Greece, and that record-setting rain just dumped by Hurricane Florence on the Carolinas, droughts crippling Cape Town, South Africa, and heat wave turning Europe brown. And now, we have only 12 years to stop all of this getting much worse.

Average temperatures have risen about 1 degree celsius since 1880. In Paris, leaders pledged to keep the rise well below 2 degrees. This report may I suggest we aim for 1.5, a benchmark we are predicted to reach by 2030.

JIM SKEA, INTERGOVERNMENTA PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE: The message is that countries will need to cooperate.

WATT: Yet President Trump is trying to revive the polluting coal industry here in the U.S. He has also pledge to withdraw from the historic Paris Climate Change Agreement and recently roll back Obama- era targets for cutting vehicle emissions.

DREW SHINDELL, CO-AUTHOR, CLIMATE CHANGE REPORT: They really benefit a tiny group of fossil fuels companies at the expense of the American people.

WATT: And in Brazil, home to the Amazon rainforest, the lungs of our planet, the presidential frontrunner says he will also withdraw from the Paris deal. SHINDELL: From the standpoint of getting the whole world motivated to

actually make the changes that would be needed to meet the goal, we have an awfully long way to go.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is clear that half a degree matters.

MATT: Apparently, if we are up two degrees rather than just 1.5, sea levels will rise an extra four inches, the arctic already at record low ice levels as seen in this NASA image will be totally ice free on average once a decade instead of once a century. All of the world's coral will completely disappear and flooding and wildfires here at home will be even worse.

We have not heard any reaction yet to this the report from the Trump administration, but we have heard from the former Vice President Al Gore who said that the Trump administration has become a rogue outlier in its short sighted attempt to prop up the dirty fossil fuel industries of the past. Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: Up next, the Turkish government claims it has audio that proves Saudi Arabia killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi in cold blood, but why hasn't the president or the intelligence community seen it?

[17:25:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: President Trump promises to severely punish Saudi Arabia if it turns out they murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Now, that promise comes with a caveat. Trump says he won't go so far as to cancel an arms deal hat is currently in the works, and he has made that crystal clear, and not just once, but multiple times. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I would not be in favor of stopping a country from spending $110 billion which is an all-time record --

I'd tell you what I don't want to do, Boeing, Lockheed, Raytheon, all these companies -- I don't want to hurt jobs. I don't want to lose an order like that.

In terms of the order of $110 billion, think of that, $110 billion, all they're going to do is give it to other countries.

When we take away $110 billion of purchases from our country, that hurts our worker, that hurts our factories, that hurts all of our companies. You know, you are talking about 500,000 jobs. So we do that, we are really hurting our country, a lot more than we are hurting Saudi Arabia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRER: Quick fact-check, according to our own reporting, this deal Trump doesn't want to cancel is not really a deal, instead it was a memorandum of intent, meaning that the Saudis have said they intend on spend $100 billion. So far, they have spent about $14.5 billion.

Joining us now to discuss, CNN counterterrorist and analyst Phil Mudd. He is a former CIA counterterrorism official, and before that, he served in the FBI. He has also worked for the Saudi interior ministry. Phil, thanks for being with us. The president even before talking to the crown prince or Saudi king, says this arms deal is off the table in terms of possible punishment. What message does that send to the Saudis?

PHIL MUDD, CNN COUNTERTERRORIST ANALYST: That you can get away with it, but look, the president is going to be under pressure from the Congress to backtrack from that. We've already heard that from Marco Rubio over the weekend in weekend talk shows. So, the president can say whatever he want. If you're talking about a deal that magnitude the Congress is going to step in.

You also made a critical point earlier, and that is the difference between a memorandum and a deal. The American people might step back and say, wow, $110 billion for companies like Boeing, that's never going to happen. That is what the Saudis are saying they will spend over time. I'm going to tell you Ana, they are not going to spend that much money. They're going to pay slow and there will never be no contracts that amount to $110 billion. It is a promise that's not going to happen.

CABRERA: Now, you have lived in Saudi Arabia. As mentioned --

MUDD: Yes.

CABRERA: -- you worked for the interior ministry. Why would the Saudis kill Khashoggi? Was he really a threat or is there more here?

MUDD: I think we face in this country a problem we call at the CIA mirror imaging. That is assuming the guy on the other side, in this case the Saudis, thinks like you do. So let's step into their shoes for a moment.

After the Arab spring in 2011, if you are a dictator and let's face it, kings are dictators, you are looking around the world in nearby places like Egypt or Libya and saying we can't afford dissent. We saw what dissent does to people like Muammar Gaddafi. If we allow dissent, we might disappear overtime. They also look at the Americans and say the Americans don't have our backs.

[17:30:00] As soon as they saw dissent in Egypt they stepped away from the leadership and said we support the people. So I could see anew crown prince and the crown prince is very young in Saudi Arabia saying I'm nervous. And even though we might evaluate the opposition as not being a threat, they might say they are.

CABRERA: Now, if the Turks actually have this audio of an apparent murder, does it seem odd that the president of the United States or other U.S. officials wouldn't have already heard that recording firsthand and be able to verify?

MUDD: Not quite yet. Give me about another 48 hours and I'm going to say it is odd. There is a couple of explanations for this. I confess, I'm scratching my head a little bit. First is they don't have it. I am not persuading -- I haven't seen facts. I've seen media speculations, media commentary, media quotes from sources.

The second is they have it but it is not quite what we've been led to believe. It's murky, it's fuzzy. And the third, I think the most likely explanation is we are not the only game in town. The Europeans, the Chinese, the Russians, the United Nations.

If I were the Turks I would figure out how we're going to game out the next week and before I lay it out the evidence. Maybe they want to do it in public at the U.N. That would be an interesting forum.

CABRERA: As we all heard Trump say, that if the U.S. isn't going to sell weapons to the Saudis, they will just turn those weapons deals over to Russia or China, but Republican senator Marco Rubio disagree people leave this arms deal is some important leverage. Here he is on CNN earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUBIO: As far as the arms sales, I would not have said it the way the president said it. Arms sales are important not because of the money, but because it also provides leverage over the future behavior. You know, they'll need our spare parts, they'll need our training and those are the things we can use to influence their behavior, but I would not take cutting that off of the table. Every option needs to be there in a response.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: What do you think is going to do it? What will influence their behavior?

MUDD: I will tell you one thing that will and that is whether we get on the phone with the Europeans and others and ensure that this is not only a U.S. only deal. If the president is going to ramp up pressure on the Saudis, he has got to ensure as Senator Rubio was talking about, that the Saudis don't have other sort of pressure valves to turn to, the Russians and the Chinese.

Let me say one thing about what Senator Rubio has said and he is dead on. This is not just about weapons. The biggest enemy in the region for the Saudis is Iran. Do you know who Iran's closest allies are? That's the Russians and the Chinese. The Saudis are trying to pretend that they have a lot of other options here. We are the biggest option they have and they are not going to turn away right away.

CABRERA: Phil Mudd, always good to have your take. Thank you.

We are now a year into the MeToo Movement. They gave a powerful voice to survivors of sexual assault and harassment, race awareness, but has it been weaponized by partisan politics. I will talk about this with the movement's founder, next.

[17:35:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK) CABRERA: The MeToo Movement kicking into high gear. One year ago, Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein toppled by stunning expose detailing decades of alleged sexual misconduct, assaults and cover-up. Then a watershed October tweet from Hollywood actress Alyssa Milano -- she writes, "If you've been sexually harassed or assaulted, write MeToo as a reply to this tweet."

And what happened next, simply stunning. An unprecedented global outpouring from mostly women sharing their assault stories, going public. Falling from grace, Louie C.K., Matt Lauer, Charlie Rose, Al Franken, the list goes on and o. Of course it wasn't the first time the phrase MeToo was used in that context.

Sexual assault survivor Tarana Burke had been working on MeToo for a decade. She created the official MeToo campaign and joins us now along with CNN political analyst April Ryan, White House correspondent for American Urban Radio Network.

Tarana, I want to start with you. We've seen more and more people speaking out, people being held to account but we're also seeing this growing political divide. Did you expect MeToo to become partisan?

TARANA BURKE, CREATOR AND FOUNDER OF METOO CAMPAIGN: No but, you know, the way the climate is in the country now, I am not surprised when things become partisan, right. They are -- we are in a moment where things are weaponized very easily from one party to the other so I guess MeToo was just par for the course.

CABRERA: Do you see it as an unintended consequence?

BURKE: Yes, unintended for sure, because it is not partisan issue by any stretch of the imagination. Sexual violence does not discriminate and it definitely doesn't discriminate along party lines.

CABRERA: And that is why it seems so strange to me, April but it is a strange time that we are in to have MeToo and sexual assault and the issue of sexual assault and harassment becoming a political issue, but it really does go back. If you think about what happened during Bill Clinton's time in office.

And there is a new interview with Hillary Clinton where she continues to be pressed on this issue, and just in this new interview she is denying that she played any role in criticizing the characterization of women who accused her husband of sexual misconduct. She also says she does not believe that he should have resigned because of the Lewinski scandal. What is your reaction?

APRIL RYAN, CNN POLITICAL ANALSYT: Well, my reaction, I remember that time. I was there at that time. I remember when Ken Starr deposed the president. I remember that day. I remember the deafening silence. We were all waiting for that.

But I also remember that Hillary Clinton was a wife, that she was also someone who was standing by her husband, the president of the United States. She still believed in him even though she was hurt. She was part of that team. I have gone back trying to find out, and look at where she went after those -- the accusers myself and I am still looking. But I know during the Lewinski time, let's be -- let's drill down on that one.

[17:40:00] They were trying to pull together a way for the president to stay in the midst of impeachment. It was an intern, an affair, if you will, with an intern that did not look good and it was a lie. But at issue was, you know, you had two lawyers trying to keep him alive to make him survive politically. And I remember the president saying he did not have sexual relations with that woman, Monica Lewinski --

CABRERA: Right.

RYAN: But, he did not call her name, but he said with that woman. And I did not hear her say anything, but what she was trying to do at that time was to try to fend off the people who were calling her names and say, how could this happen, and saying, wow, you know, she stood by him. So, I mean, I am still looking for where she attacked and if she did attack Lewinski or those others, there is cause for concern.

CABRERA: Well, we are finding now are these situations can haunt. And after the Kavanaugh hearing and confirmation, I want you both to listen to the message from the president and other members of his family.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, JR. SON OF PRESIDENT TRUMP: I got boys and I got girls and when I see what is going on right now, it is scary for all things. I mean I wouldn't want my --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who are you scared most for, your sons or your daughters?

TRUMP, JR.: I mean, right now, I'm saying my sons.

TRUMP: I'd say that it is a very scary time for young men in America when you can be guilty of something that you may not be guilty of. This is a very, very -- this is a very difficult time.

MELANIA TRUMP, FIRST LADY: You need to have a really hard evidence that, you know, that if you are accused of something, show the evidence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: What is your reaction to that Tarana?

BURKE: You know, I just -- I am so appalled by it to be quite honest. I think that we are in a dangerous moment right now. It took so many years for us to have laws that said that a woman's or a person's testimony was enough, that your story was enough, that coming forward with the credible allegation was enough even in the court of law.

CABRERA: Which by the way in a court of law that is evidence.

BURKE: Exactly. That is evidence in a court of law. And now what we're seeing is all this conversation about you need more evidence and you need -- and it is danger for men. My question is where is the danger? Kavanaugh's life was not ruined. We are not seeing people who are having like massive false allegation.

And I think this narrative that they are creating is so dangerous for what to take away from the real issue here. The real issue is we had millions of people just one year ago a raise their hands to say that their lives have been affected by sexual violence. And somehow or another the conversation has moved away from them into the danger for men and boys.

Nobody is targeting men and boys. This is not a movement about targeting anybody. It is really about people having the ability to tell their truth, to speak their truth like Dr. Blasey Ford did.

CABRERA: As you pointed out April, recently, that the president was quick to believe -- after he was quick to believe Brett Kavanaugh when he was facing accusations, but in a press conferences you mentioned that he doesn't always believe the men who are accused. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, (inaudible) found him guilty --

SARA SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But does he feel that now?

SANDERS: I need to look back at the specific comments.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- real question in the midst of this, the president just taking this moment -- the president is taking this moment to say that he's been affected personally by all of these allegations, and he is picking and choosing just as this question was. He said that the Central Park Five was guilty and then he has made Bill Clinton guilty. Has he decided to change his mind on the Central Park Five as they have been exonerated?

SANDERS: It is interesting that you bring up Bill Clinton and nobody wants to the hear those accusers voices be heard, but you are certainly happy to hear all the others.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: April, what were you getting there?

RYAN: What was I getting at? I thought that I made a point.

CABRERA: Obviously she didn't answer in the way that you were anticipating her direct answer but.

RYAN: Yes.

CABRERA: So you're right, you brought up the Central Park Five, that was another example -- RYAN: Yes, and let me say this, you know, the president of the United

States took out a full page ad in "The New York Times." This is not (inaudible), this is not conjecture. He accused and he accused them, he found them guilty on his own saying that he thought that they should have the death penalty placed on them or for the death penalty to be enacted on them.

These men were exonerated. So, we have not heard the president say anything as of yet about trying to change what he said or, you know, he still may stay, but we need to have closure on that piece. The president --

CABRERA: Why do you think that is though? Why do you think that is the president will not address that?

BURKE: He is a hypocrite.

RYAN: This president is never wrong. This president stands by what he says. He is a winner. And winners apparently don't turn around and change what they say. But this is not (inaudible). This is something the White House wants to sidestep around. This is real. Not only that. He tried and convicted Bill Clinton. He brought the accusers to one of the debates. And we haven't heard anything about the president talking to them, the accusers recently.

[17:45:04] But we also heard the president and the president talks about how, you know, he -- people label him and put these false claims on him, OK, that's fine. And we understand he feels personally so therefore he feels that Brett Kavanaugh is vindicated. But at the same time we also heard a tape with Billy Bush. It was the president's voice where he said that what he does, he uses tic-tacs and grabs the "P", the p-word.

So, which way is it? We are not making this up. And when we bring this up, we are looked at as fake or the enemy or what have you. The president put out a full page ad. He tried and convicted Bill Clinton and brought the accusers to the debate. And he -- you know -- which way do you want to have it?

CABRERA: Well, I think that what we learn learned just this week as we hit that one-year mark in the MeToo movement that there have been progress, but there's still much more that can be done. Tarana Burke and April Ryan, thank you for being part of the conversation. You want to -- 10 seconds, April? Can you say it in 10 seconds?

RYAN: Yes. This is humanity. This is about humanity. This is about humanity, and those women are still hurting and need to be heard.

CABRERA: Yes.

BURKE: Thank you, April.

CABRERA: Thank you, both, for being here with us.

Fighting addiction to the device we use everyday. Up next, Lisa Ling explores the connection between bad mental health and how teenagers use their smart phones. You are live in the "CNN Newsroom." Don't go anywhere.

[17:50:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: Welcome back. We rely on these, our smartphone now more than ever from everything from directions and messaging to music and dinner recommendations. But teenagers growing up in this digital era are discovering the unintended consequences of being so tied to technology. Tonight on an all new episode of "This Is Life" Lisa Ling explores the link between digital technology and the mental health crisis.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LISA LING, CNN HOST; When you really stop and think about it, do you think you're addicted to your phones?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

LING: These were Morgan's friends. A group of teen girls from town who knew her better than most.

Do you think a lot of kids have additional accounts to express other aspects of their lives that may not be so rosy? Like the personal parts of you instead of just what you show people.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There was a time where I had an Instagram page like that where I would just post a bunch of really sad quotes all the time. I don't really know why.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I had a Tumblr like that, like my first ones was, you know, just for sad stuff. No one knew about it or anything like that. Just for me to vent.

LING: How did you feel when you were on those pages?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Worse.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's like salt on the wound, that sort of thing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wouldn't go on there when I was super duper happy and excited about something. I would only go on there when I was sad or upset about something.

LING: It made it feel worse.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: Lisa Ling, the host of "This Is Life" is joining us now. Lisa, thanks for being with us. When we think about teenagers and the dangers of social media, we often think about cyber bullying, online predators. But as we just saw on the clip, there are a lot of other concerns. Some were actually setting up secret accounts as a secret way for teens to harm themselves.

LING: Yes, Ana. I think that this might be one of the most important pieces that I will ever do because the reality is that we are all addicted to our smartphone. The average person checks their phone about 150 times.

Never before in human history have as many people been controlled by a few technology companies and when it comes to young people who have grown up with this technology, we see that rates of loneliness and suicide are skyrocketing about the time these smartphones were introduced to young people.

In the past, teenagers have always gone through periods of angst or challenges, but in the past they probably would have gone to human beings to communicate what they were feeling. Now, young people are going straight to their devices and often they are finding places where they just go deeper into a hole as you heard those young girls saying.

Young people they don't feel like life is worth living unless they can live it online and on social media. And we have to ask ourselves, what is the real benefit that young people are receiving from having these smartphones. I mean, outside of, you know, GPS, phone messaging, maybe a ride share, what is the real benefit that kids are receiving.

CABRERA: Right. Did this investigation that you did change your own relationship with your device?

LING: It absolutely has. I mean, I'm thinking about it constantly. When I'm home with my young children I try to put the phone away. And if I have to use it, I will talk to them about it and explain to them why I have to use it. But, I think we really need to make a conscious effort to not be on our phones as often as we are in front of our kids.

And you know, I think that parents these days are questioning whether they should be giving their kids phones because they don't want them to feel like they are left out by not having one. But again, we have to ask ourselves, what is the benefit? Are we hurting our kids by allowing them to have these very, very powerful devices or are we helping? Are we hurting more than we're helping?

[17:55:04] CABRERA: All right, such an eye opener. I look forward to the episode. And I am so guilty of being on my phone way too much in front of my own kids.

LING: We all are. We all are.

CABRERA: Yes. Thank you. Got to leave it there. Be sure to tune in tonight at 10:00 p.m. eastern for an all new episode of "This Is Life" with Lisa Ling. Only on CNN. More than 400,000 people are still without power. Many are desperate for food and water. The bare necessities when the aftermath of Hurricane Michael. And now there is a new problem, looting. We'll take you live to a devastated community, coming up.

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