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Senator Kamala Harris Launches Presidential Bid for 2020; Roger Stone Might Cooperate with the Mueller Investigation; Screen Actor's Guild Awards and the Prediction for the Oscars; President Trump Ending the Week Badly. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired January 27, 2019 - 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)

SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D), CALIFORNIA: -- of our country and the whole of society benefits.

(CROWD CHEERING)

Let's speak another truth. Big pharmaceutical companies have unleashed an opioid crisis from the California coast to the mountains of West Virginia and people, once and for all, we have got to call drug addiction what it is, a national public health emergency.

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And what we don't need is another war on drugs.

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Let's speak truth, climate change is real and it is happening now. Everybody here knows, from wildfires in the west to hurricanes in the east to floods and droughts in the heartland, but we're not going to buy the lie. We're going to act based on science fact, not science fiction.

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And let's speak an uncomfortable but honest truth with one another. Racism, sexism, anti-Semitism, homophobia, transphobia are real in this country.

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And they are age-old forms of hate with new fuel. And we need to speak that truth so we can deal with it.

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Let's also speak the truth that too many unarmed black men and women are killed in America. Too many black and brown Americans are being locked up from mass incarceration, to cash bail, to policing. Our criminal justice system needs repair. Let's speak that truth.

(CROWD CHEERING) And let's speak truth. Under this administration, America's position

in the world has never been weaker. When Democratic values are under attack around the globe, when authoritarianism is on the march, when nuclear proliferation is on the rise, when we have foreign powers infecting the White House like malware.

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Let's speak that truth. And let's speak truth about what are clear and present dangers. And let's speak the biggest truth, the biggest truth of all. In the face of powerful forces trying to sow hate and division among us, the truth is that as Americans, we have so much more in common that what separates us.

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Let's speak that truth. And let's not buy that stuff that some folks are trying to peddle. Let's never forget that on the fundamental issues, we all have so much more in common than what separates us. And you know, some will say, well, we need to search to find that common ground. Here's what I say. I think we need to recognize we are already standing on common ground.

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I say we rise together or we fall together as one nation indivisible.

[17:05:00] And I want to be perfectly clear. I'm not talking about unity for the sake of unity. So hear me out. I'm not talking about unity for the sake of unity. I'm not talking about some facade of unity. And I believe we must acknowledge that the word unity has often been used to shut people up or to preserve the status quo.

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After all, let's remember when women fought for suffrage, those in power said they were dividing the sexes and disturbing the peace. Let's remember when abolitionists spoke out and civil rights workers marched, their oppressors said they were dividing the races and violating the word of God. But Frederick Douglas said it best. And Harriet Tubman and Dr. King knew, to love the religion of Jesus is to hate the religion of the slave master.

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When we have true unity, no one will be subjugated for others. It's about fighting for a country with equal treatment, collective purpose, and freedom for all.

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That's who we are. That's who we are. And so I stand before you today --

(CROWD CHEERING) I stand before you today clear eyed about the fight ahead and what has to be done. With faith in God, with fidelity to country, and with the fighting spirit I got from my mother --

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I stand before you today to announce my candidacy for president of the United States.

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Thank you.

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And I will tell you, I'm running for president because I love my country. I love my country. I'm running to be president of the people, by the people, and for all people.

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I'm running to fight for an America where the economy works for working people, for an American where you only have to work one job to pay the bills.

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And where hard work is rewarded and where any worker can join a union.

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I am running to declare once and for all that health care is a fundamental right --

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And we will deliver that right with Medicare for all.

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I am running to declare education is a fundamental right.

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And we will guarantee that right with universal pre-K and debt-free college.

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[17:10:02] I am running to guarantee working and middle-class families an overdue pay increase.

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We will deliver the largest working and middle-class tax cut in a generation. (CROWD CHEERING)

Up to $500 a month to help America's families make ends meet. And we'll pay for it. We'll pay for it by reversing this administration's giveaways to the top big corporations and the top 1 percent.

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I'm running to fight for an America where our democracy and its institutions are protected against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

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Which is why I will defend this nation against all threats to our cybersecurity.

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We will secure our elections and our critical infrastructure to protect our democracy.

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And we will honor our service members and veterans so no one who has served this country has to wait in line for weeks and months to get what they are owed when they return home on first day.

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I'm running to fight for an America where no mother or father has to teach their young son that people may stop him, arrest him, chase him, or kill him because of his race.

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An America where every parent can send their children to school without being haunted by the horror of yet another killing spree.

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Where we treat attacks on voting rights and civil rights and women's rights and immigrant rights as attacks on our country itself.

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An America where we welcome refugees and bring people out of the shadows and provide a pathway to citizenship.

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An America where our daughters and our sisters and our mothers and our grandmothers are respected where they live and where they work.

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Where reproductive rights are not just protected by the constitution of the United States but guaranteed in every state.

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I'll fight for an America where we keep our word and where we honor our promises because that's our America. And that's the America I believe in. That's the America I know we believe in. And as we embark on this campaign, I will tell you this, I am not perfect. Lord knows I am not perfect. But I will always speak with decency and moral clarity and treat all people with dignity and respect.

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I will lead with integrity, and I will speak the truth. And of course, we know this is not going to be easy, guys. It's not going to be easy. And we know what the doubters will say. It's the same thing they've always said. They'll say it's not your time. They'll say, wait your turn. They'll say, the odds are long.

[17:15:00] They'll say, it can't be done. But America's story has always been written by people who can see what can be, unburdened by what has been.

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That is our story. That is our story. And as Robert Kennedy many years ago said, only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.

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He also said, I do not lightly dismiss the dangers and the difficulties of challenging an incumbent president. But these are not ordinary times. And this is not an ordinary election. He said, at stake is not simply the leadership of our party and even our country. It is our right to moral leadership of this planet.

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So today I say to you, my friends, these are not ordinary times. And this will not be an ordinary election, but this is our America.

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And so here's the thing. It's up to us. It's up to us, each and every one of us. So let's remember in this fight, we have the power of the people. We can achieve the dreams of our parents and grandparents. We can heal our nation. We can give our children the future they deserve. We can reclaim the American dream for every single person in our country.

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And we can restore America's moral leadership on this planet.

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So let's do this!

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And let's do it together! And let's start now! And I thank you and God bless you and god bless the United States of America!

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ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: You're live in the "CNN Newsroom." I'm Ana Cabrera in New York. As you've just been witnessing, Senator Kamala Harris officially launching her bid for the White House. She made her announcement at this rally in her hometown of Oakland, California.

And now Kamala Harris joins a crowded field of Democratic presidential hopefuls, which is already the most diverse in modern political history. The so-called 2020 marathon kicking off with a sprint. And joining us to discuss, an all-star panel.

We have Democratic Congressman Jason Crow, Keith Boykin, a Democratic strategist and former Clinton White House aide, CNN political commentator and Democratic strategist Maria Cardona, Democratic strategist Nina Turner, president of our revolution, which is an organization started by Bernie Sanders and CNN senior national correspondent Kyung Lah who is there on the ground for us where Kamala Harris just made her official launch, this announcement that she is running for president.

So let me start with you, congressman. I'm so glad to have you with us. You're new to Congress, to Washington. First term, just kicked off at the start of the month. This is a woman who wants to be the next leader of your party. How'd she do?

REP. JASON CROW (D), COLORADO: I think she did really well, Ana. First off, it's a pleasure to be here. You know, what really stuck out to me was the starkly contrasting message that you just heard compared to what you've been hearing out of our president the last two years. It's a message of inclusion, diversity, of resuming America's role as a leader in the world and it's really exciting to me.

[17:20:00] CABRERA: Keith, is Kamala Harris the Democrats' best chance to beat Donald Trump in 2020?

KEITH BOYKIN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, I think she gave an impressive speech. It's too early to start handicapping the race and deciding who's the best chance to win. But I think she gave no doubt that she's running as a progressive, which is important. She admitted from the beginning she is not perfect because no candidate out there is perfect.

I think Democrats are going to have to make a decision early on that you can fight for your candidate, fight for who you want to win a nomination, but once that candidate wins, whoever wins the nomination, that we rally together and support that nominee and not be divided by whatever sort of divisions might try to be brought against us.

CABRERA: Nina, did you like what you heard? NINA TURNER, PRESIDENT, OUR REVOLUTION: It was a strong speech. I

mean, a lot of it was very progressive. The education from pre-K to college, certainly the Medicare for all that certainly progressives have been fighting for, for a very long time, the recognition that the working poor in this country have been suffering for a very long time. So it was, indeed, a very strong speech.

CABRERA: Kyung, you've been there obviously. As you watched the crowd, what resonated the most to what she said?

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It was certainly -- there were a couple different points. Every time she set herself in opposition to the current administration, you can hear the ripple of energy through this crowd. This is a city that has been the heart of the opposition to the Trump administration. It has enjoyed that position and certainly whenever she put herself in opposition to the administration, this is a crowd that ate it up.

They are eager and hungry for that separation between what her candidacy would mean and what the Trump administration currently is. That is the touch point here in this particular crowd. And something we should point out too, Ana, as you walk through this crowd, the coalition here that you see, it is extraordinarily diverse.

It is young. It is old. It is black, white, Asian, Latino, gay, straight, and that is what they say is very different. We've been talking a lot about what is it that the Harris campaign will do to set itself apart from the crowded field of Democrats.

But the people here will tell you is that there is no person in this Democratic field who looks more like the opposite of the current administration than Kamala Harris who represents the new face of the Democratic Party, a biracial woman who has took the position of being prosecutorial against the Trump administration.

They are eager for that and you can certainly feel it as this crowd was cheering and jumping on its feet, saying that they cannot wait to see her to get into this fight.

CABRERA: And yet, Kyung, she has faced criticism for her work and her background as a prosecutor and this broader issue of criminal justice and equality in the judicial system. How does she respond to her critics?

LAH: She admittedly took it head on. An d it's something that's not new for Senator Harris. I mean, throughout her book tour, she was asked questions about it. She did try to address it, that what she wanted to do was to be smart on crime, not tough on crime.

She reflects back to her history as a district attorney when she tried to start a new program, a new program called back on track that would try to ease recidivism, try to prevent that, and try to help people who were inside the system to become active in society where they wouldn't return to jail. So, that's something that she addressed early on. She made sure to

address this within the first 10 minutes of her speech, saying that as a prosecutor, she wanted to change the system from the inside out. And it is something that she is going to have to speak to, especially when it comes to the black community.

This is a very concerning issue wherever you talk to anyone who is her supporter. They say she needs to talk about it. She needs to talk about it again and again, as much as she can in order to solidify that base.

CABRERA: Maria, given who is already running, not just Kamala Harris. You have Elizabeth Warren. Obviously, there have been a number of other announcements -- Julian Castro who was on with our Jake Tapper this morning. I think the list is now up to seven who have officially thrown their names in the hat, entered the ring, so to speak, whichever analogy you want to use.

Do you think given how many people who have already announced is now changing the calculus for the people who haven't announced yet? The Bernie Sanders, Beto O'Rourke, Corey Booker, Joe Biden, the list goes on.

MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I think that certainly as more people jump into the race, the people who have yet to announce are going to be feeling the pressure to either do it soon or to make it clear that they're not going (ph) to do it. That's for sure, because even as of now, Ana, we have a richness of talent, a richness of diversity, both in background, in gender, in policies.

[17:24:56] But what really stuck out to me today, Ana, was not just the progressive policy issues, which I think are incredibly important as our other panelists pointed out, but that I think we see a clear manner in how Kamala Harris is going to differentiate herself from Donald Trump if she actually ends up being the Democratic nominee.

And that is focusing on our American values. And within an administration and this presidency that for the last two years has done nothing but denigrate and desecrate the Oval Office, has done nothing but denigrate and desecrate our values of empathy, inclusion, diversity, and the fact that we are all equal and that we should all have the opportunity to move ahead no matter what kind of status you were born into, that has been lost.

Our pride, our American pride has taken a hit because of who is in the Oval Office. And I think Kamala showed the path through which she would go toe to toe with Donald Trump to focus on what really makes America great.

And it's the people. It's the diversity. It's the differences that we have that actually bring us together in common to fight for a better and more secure future for our children. And I think she really made that clear.

CABRERA: Let me pick up on that because this Democratic field, the presidential candidates obviously still developing, but Keith, we talk about the diversity here. I mean, look at what we have already. We have four women, a Hispanic man, an Afghan war veteran who's openly gay and married. How big of a deal is this?

BOYKIN: I think it's a huge deal. It's a reflection of the diversity of the American public, a reflection of diversity in the Democratic Party. I think the Republican Party is at risk of becoming like dinosaurs if they don't catch up. They continue to run candidates who don't reflect the diversity of America.

And you see that in the leadership of the Republican Party. You see that in the leadership in the Republicans in Congress. And the Democrats have been doing the exact opposite. You know, I remember I used to work in the Clinton administration back in the 1990s. He used to talk about building an American government that looks like America.

Here we are in 2019, and we still don't have a government that looks like American. There are no African-Americans in any senior position anywhere in the entire Trump White House right now. That's an outrage. And yet, here we have two --

CABRERA: You have Ben Carson, right.

BOYKIN: He's not in the White House. He's a cabinet official, but if you go -- I used to work in the White House. There are no African- American senior officials in the Trump White House right now. Omarosa was the only one. She's gone. She wasn't even qualified to be there in the first place.

And so, it's the reflection of an administration that does not take seriously the concerns of people who are black and brown and why they have been vilifying black and brown people and trying to basically exculpate any sort of problems that might have been created from people who were part of his base. That's not a solution for -- a recipe for success in our future. It's a recipe for failure in 2020. The Republican Party has to catch up.

CABRERA: Congressman, you won in a district. You beat an incumbent Republican who had been in Congress five or six terms, I believe, Mike Coffman in Colorado. You are the face of this sort of evolving Democratic Party and fresh blood in Congress. What is your message to any of these 2020 candidates about what you think it takes to breakthrough with voters?

CROW: Well, Keith was absolutely right in that there's no other way to put this. This is positive for America and for the country. The diversity of this field and the diversity of candidates we saw in November during this, you know, the Congressional races was really important not only for the Democratic Party but for the country.

We are standing up and seeing a very strong counter message to this White House and to Donald Trump about who we are as a country, what our values are, you know, what we're going to put up with and what we're not going to put up with. We are ready to stand up for our values and the people of our community and we do that by putting up candidates that represent this country, represent their communities. And diversity is a big part of that. CABRERA: Burt what are the priorities for the Democrats?

CROW: We have to be focusing on leveling the playing field. People in my district, they want to work hard. They just want a fair shake, right. Nobody wants a handout, but they want --

CABRERA: So, it's like income equality?

CROW: Income inequality, the criminal justice system reforms that you heard Senator Harris talk about, you know, the lack of public education equality in my community. Every young child should be able to walk out of his or her front door and go to a neighborhood public school and have the same opportunity of anyone else regardless of the color of their skin or the zip code they grew up in.

Those are the things that made America great historically. Those are the things that this Democratic Party stands for that I talked about in my campaign. And you're hearing candidates talk about throughout the country.

CABRERA: All of you, thank you so much. Got to squeeze in a quick break. Congressman Jason Crow, so nice to meet you. Maria Cardona, Nina Turner, Kyung Lah, and Keith Boykin, you guys are coming back. Make sure you watch CNN's special town hall with Senator Kamala Harris hosted by Jake Tapper. That is tomorrow at 10:00 p.m. eastern right here on CNN. We'll be right back.

[17:30:01] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: I stand before you today, clear-eyed about the fight ahead and what has to be done. With faith in God, with fidelity to country, and with the fighting spirit I got from my mother, I stand before you today to announce my candidacy for president of the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Kamala Harris with her official presidential campaign launch this afternoon in Oakland, California. And back with me now, Keith Boykin, a Democratic strategist and former Clinton White House aide, and CNN political commentator and Democratic strategist Maria Cardona.

Guys, as we continue this discussion of how the 2020 field is shaping up, we have some new reporting from CNN's Jeff Zeleny.

[17:35:00] Hillary Clinton is telling people that she's not closing the doors on this idea of running in 2020. Keith, do you think, is this all talk or might she get back into it?

BOYKIN: I don't think she's going to run. I don't think it's likely. In America, traditionally in the past 56 years, we don't have candidates who win a nomination and run again. The last time a Democratic did that I think was Adlai Stevenson in 1952 and 1956.

Last time a Republican did that was Richard Nixon, who ran in 1960 and 1968, won the nomination in both those times. But in the past 40 years or so, we'd all see that if you lose once, you move on --

CABRERA: Although, you have Joe Biden, you have Bernie Sanders who have ran and lost.

BOYKIN: But none of these people ever won a nomination. If you win a nomination, you really get one bite at the apple. Now, in her defense though and, you know, I supported Hillary Clinton, but in her defense, she still got three million more votes than Donald Trump did. She still won the popular vote.

But for 77,000 votes in three states, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, she'd be the president of the United States right now. So it's not a critique of her. It's more of a reflection of the Democratic Party looking forward and not looking backwards.

CABRERA: And Maria, as we talk about what a diverse group of candidates the Democrats are putting out there this time around, I want you to listen to something Tom Brokaw said this morning on "Meet The Press." And this was part of a conversation about the growing Hispanic population in the U.S. and as a voting block.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM BROKAW, NBC NEWS SENIOR CORRRESPONDENT: I also happen to believe that the Hispanics should work harder at assimilation. That's one of the things I've been saying for a long time, you know. They ought not to be just codified in their communities but make sure that all their kids are learning to speak English and that they feel comfortable in the communities. And that's going to take outreach on both sides, frankly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: I see Keith wincing, and Maria, I have to admit I found it a little jarring to hear Brokaw utter those words. They need to work harder to assimilate, need to learn English. What's your reaction?

CARDONA: My reaction is that he's a little out of touch. I love him and I'll give him a pass because he's probably not up to speed as to where things are today and age, especially with young Latinos in this country. And I think both Keith and you, Ana, know very well that Latinos assimilate incredibly well.

In fact, most Latino children speak English better than a lot of native born Americans. And as an immigrant from Colombia myself and as somebody who is raising two Latino children, we speak Spanish at home predominantly, but they speak better English than a lot of my English speaking friends.

And so what he's saying is just absolutely not true. Latinos absolutely assimilate. There might be some abuelitas out there, meaning grandmothers, Latina grandmothers who don't speak English, but that is because of their age and because they came here probably older and just did not have either the interest or the need to really learn how to speak English. But what Tom Brokaw said is just not true. A lot of Latinos, most

Latinos do assimilate incredibly well. And in fact, the second generation of Latinos, a lot of them predominantly speak English, predominantly get their news from English language sources, but what I love about them as well is that they are incredibly proud of their heritage.

And they want to -- if they don't know Spanish, they want to learn it. If they are bilingual, they want to continue being bilingual. They also consume news in Spanish. It's a beautiful, diverse generation of Latinos who are assimilating into what is a beautiful diverse country that is called the United States of America.

CABRERA: And what a benefit to be bilingual or know multiple languages in our multicultural --

CARDONA: Absolutely. Esantamente, Ana. Claro que si. Muchas gracias.

CABRERA: Maria Cardona and Keith Boykin, good to have you guys with us. We'll continue the conversation another day. Nos vemos. All right, former Trump adviser Roger Stone is leaving the door open to cooperating with Special Counsel Robert Mueller, but is the president now trying to distance himself from his former confidant? Stop me if this sounds familiar.

[17:40:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: Roger Stone today changing his tune and not ruling out cooperating with Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Now, the former Trump campaign aide and self-described prince of darkness now saying he will testify honestly about his communications with Donald Trump. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, ABC NEWS HOST: Any chance you'll cooperate with Special Counsel Robert Mueller if he asks?

ROGER STONE, FORMER TRUMP CAMPAIGN ADVISER: You know, that's a question I would have to -- I'd have to determine after my attorneys have some discussion. If there's wrongdoing by other people in the campaign that I know about, which I know of none, but if there is, I would certainly testify honestly.

I'd also testify honestly about any other matter, including any communications with the president. It's true that we spoke on the phone, but those communications are political in nature. They're benign and there's certainly no conspiracy with Russia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: I want to bring in former Watergate special prosecutor Richard Ben-Veniste. He's also a CNN legal analyst. Richard, always good to see you. Does that sound like someone prosecutors could flip?

RICHARD BEN-VENISTE, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: I don't know what they would flip him about. He's had four decades of lying at every opportunity. His indictment shows that he has lied repeatedly in connection with the Congressional investigation.

[17:45:03] He's also attempted to intimidate witnesses to the extent of threatening to kill one witness' dog. So, I think his chances of beating that case in court are rather slim and his chances of convincing anyone to use him as a witness would have to be very, very problematical unless he had information that was easy to confirm and by multiple sources. I would suggest he would be useless as a witness.

CABRERA: So you talk about his lack of credibility, but others could argue that people like Manafort, like, you know, obviously Michael Flynn who was in a deal with prosecutors also have been prosecuted for lying or pleaded guilty to lying to investigators. What makes Stone less credible and less likely to receive some kind of a deal than those others?

BEN-VENISTE: Being tutored by Roy Cohn and having decades of experience in lying about everything he would have been asked about and shading the truth and practicing the dark arts of political manipulation, it would make it very difficult for him to have the level of credibility to produce anything useful.

But having been here in Washington for several decades and practicing law for 50 years now, I have a high threshold for surprise. So, things could happen, but they would be surprising.

CABRERA: Now, Stone is a Richard Nixon admirer. He has a Nixon tattoo on his back. Here he is flashing Richard Nixon's signature double "V" for victory there on the courthouse steps in Florida on Friday. With all the talking Stone has done and how he's handling himself now after this indictment, does Stone sound or look Nixon-esque to you?

BEN-VENISTE: I think he's going to have the opportunity to show that tattoo up close to certain people with whom he may share jail cells and incarceration. What he's done is what he's always done, is try to brave it out, push the envelope, take credit for things that he has no business taking credit for. He's the kind of guy who no one would give credibility to if they had to deal with him on any regular basis.

CABRERA: Based on the Roger Stone indictment, who else in Trump's orbit should be worried?

BEN-VENISTE: Well, I think you're getting pretty near to exhausting the food chain and I won't speculate about who Mr. Mueller has in his sights, but quite clearly he's not finished yet. I was hoping to see a Valentine's Day conclusion. We may not see that, but I think we're getting close to it.

CABRERA: As a former Watergate special prosecutor, is there a moment that has happened in recent days in which you really can compare to what happened then, or are we in uncharted territory right now?

BEN VENISTE: No, there are so many parallels, Ana, and we come down to quoting in the indictment from Richard Nixon, who exhorted his people to stonewall, to cover up, to save the plan. Well, that happens to be the title of a book I wrote on my experiences in the Watergate special prosecutor's office. So between quoting Richard Nixon and Frankie Pentangeli in "The Godfather," I think Stone really does bring us all together down memory lane.

CABRERA: Just to kind of wrap this up, a lot of people have been speculating that Mueller may be getting close to the end, for example, with this most recent indictment. It's the first time that Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team has been working with another jurisdiction in bringing this indictment. Do you get a sense that he's near the end?

BEN-VENISTE: Well, he's certainly worked closely with the U.S. attorney for the southern district of New York. He's also worked with the U.S. attorney for the eastern district of Virginia. But I do think that there's a logical point at which he has to say he's made whatever effort to get whatever information he can from those who may be cooperators.

[17:50:06] And I think he is may be reaching the end of a long road. But I think he's done it in a very professional way. I'm not a fan of the early morning arrests with dozens of law enforcement people for someone who is not a flight risk, but other than that, I think it's very hard to find any fault with Robert Mueller and what he's done.

CABRERA: Richard, it's always good to get your insight, thank you for being here.

BEN-VENISTE: Thank you.

CABRERA: All eyes are on tonight's Screen Actors Guild Awards. The silver carpet, yes, silver, not red, opened just minutes ago. Some of the biggest stars in the stratosphere are nominated for their peers or by their peers for their work in T.V. and films and Stephanie Elam is there for us this evening. Stephanie, these events usually have a red carpet, so why a silver one? And I love your silver dress.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDNT: Oh, why, thank you. This is because, Ana, is the 25th anniversary of the SAG Awards so that is why there's a silver carpet. And you're right, this is the actors who are taking a chance and looking to nominate some of their other fellow actors but, of course, we have to keep in mind it is a good idea of what may happen at the Oscars as well.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LADY GAGA, MUSICIAN: Glenn, get over here.

ELAM (voice-over): It's one of the biggest showdowns of the awards season.

GAGA: I don't sing my own songs.

ELAM (voice-over): Lady Gaga in "A Star is Born."

GLENN CLOSE, ACTRESS: I can't take it. I can't take the humiliations.

ELAM (voice-over): Versus Glenn Close in "The Wife." Close won a shocker at the Golden Globes.

CLOSE: I am so thrilled it's a tie. I can't tell you.

ELAM (voice-over): The pair tied at the Critics Choice Awards.

GAGA: My mother and Glenn are good friends so, I'm so very happy that you won this this evening.

ELAM (voice-over): Close has been denied an Oscar in six tries, making the Screen Actors Guild Awards a key test.

MATT DONNELLY, SENIOR FILM WRITER, VARIETY: What makes this -- her a serious contender, is just the impact of Glenn's entire legacy as an actress and performer.

ELAM (voice-over): "A Star is Born" will need a big SAG Awards boost. The assumed front-runner this season has struggled to maintain buzz. It's lost to "Green Book" at the Producer's Guild Awards makes a SAG win crucial.

DONNELLY: Academy voters have almost two full weeks to select the winners for the Oscars after the Screen Actors Guild airs so that could really tip the stakes in someone's favor.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Vice presidency is a mostly symbolic job.

ELAM (voice-over): Few are betting against Christian Bale as Dick Cheney in "Vice." But notably, the film is not nominated for best ensemble, considered the SAG Awards' best picture. Instead "A Star is Born" faces off against "Black Panther," "BlacKkKlansman," "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Crazy Rich Asians," which is the only one not nominated for an Oscar.

DONNELLY: It might have registered too much as dessert than heavy lifting for the Oscars. I can give you a dozen examples of the times the Academy has overlooked pure comedy.

ELAM (voice-over): On the T.V. side, "The Americans" tries to keep its awards season dominance for best drama while the comedy field is more open. "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" or "Atlanta" could get rewarded after snubs last year. Among their competition, the star power of Michael Douglas in "The Kominsky Method." The SAG Awards is the last televised film awards show before the Oscars.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ELAM (on camera): So, we may get a better idea after the SAG Awards tonight. We're now starting to see some of celebrities who are starting to arrive here now. It should be a really joyous occasion since this is the actors awarding the actors tonight, Ana.

CABRERA: All right, Stephanie Elam, thank you so much for that reporting. We have a quick programming note. Make sure you tune in tonight. The award winning CNN original film, "Three Identical Strangers" premieres at 9:00 eastern right here on CNN.

So the government is back open. At least for the next 19 days, but the damage is already done to the economy. We have new numbers about just how much the shutdown cost. We also have some new approval numbers for the president. We'll tell you who that gives the upper hand to when we come back.

[17:55:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: You're live in the "CNN Newsroom." I'm Ana Cabrera in New York. Thanks for being with me. There are many ways to look at what happened last week to and around President Trump and by any measure the week ended for him very badly. Let's just look at just one day, Friday, the president took pen in hand and signed a bill fully re- opening the government, a huge relief obviously for 800,000 unpaid federal workers.

A loss, however, for the great dealmaker who got nothing that he wanted, no wall money, no invitation to gave his state of the union address. Insult to injury, the president's one-time cheerleader, Ann Coulter, transferring to him the title, biggest wimp ever to serve as president.

The president may not have even seen that since he unfollowed Ann Coulter on twitter back in December. That's like the ultimate knockout punch an internet warrior can deliver. Also on Friday, the president's longtime close adviser, Roger Stone, taken from his home in handcuffs by the FBI. The Robert Mueller Russia probe, alleging in the indictment, that Stone sought stolen e-mails from WikiLeaks in coordination with Trump campaign officials. Friday was also so bad for the president, in fact, he might not have not even noticed his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, was briefly out of prison to make his first federal court appearance since October.

The Roger Stone breaking news and a shutdown related air travel disruption in the northeast stole a lot of the headlines. So here's where we stand now today on Sunday.

[18:00:01] The senseless shutdown wounded the country.