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R. Kelly Released From Jail After Paying Back Child Support; Trump Watched Super Bowl With Ex-Owner Of Spa Linked To Robert Kraft Arrest; Satellite Images Reveal Activity At North Korean Rocket Facility; Alex Trebek's Announcement Puts Spotlight On Pancreatic Cancer. Aired 8-9p ET

Aired March 9, 2019 - 20:00   ET

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


[20:00:12] ANA CABRERA, CNN ANCHOR: You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York.

Our breaking news this hour, exclusive brand-new polling on the first of the nation Iowa caucuses. Sitting at the top, a man who isn't even in the race yet. Here are the results from our CNN/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll. Former Vice President Joe Biden edging out Senator Bernie Sanders, 27 to 25 percent, as the top choice for likely Democratic caucus-goers in Iowa.

CNN's Ryan Nobles is in Washington, breaking down all the numbers for us. Ryan, we know "The Des Moines Register" poll has been touted as the gold standard of polling for decades because of its accuracy. But while the news is good for Biden and Sanders, some other top tier candidates are kind of struggling to get out of the single digits.

RYAN NOBLES, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Yes, there's no doubt about that, Ana. And I can tell you that the campaigns have been burning up our phones today, trying to learn what these numbers were but we wouldn't tell them until we revealed them with you tonight at 8:00 p.m.

And the last time we took the temperature of these Iowa voters, there were very few candidates in the race. But I can tell you, I was in Iowa this morning, having just returned there from a campaign swing with Bernie Sanders, and there's no doubt that this race is definitely on in the Hawkeye state.

We now have 14 candidates who are officially announced or have at least formed exploratory committees. And despite having so many of these candidates in the field, the results have really not changed all that much from our survey back in December.

So let's take a look again at where these numbers stand right now. Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders top the field, and they do so by a pretty wide margin. Sanders trailing behind Biden by only two points.

And there's not even another candidate who can even crack 10 percent. Elizabeth Warren at nine percent. Kamala Harris at seven percent. Beto O'Rourke has five percent. Cory Booker and Amy Klobuchar both register three percent. Not one other candidate of the 20 that we put in this poll registered

above the one percent mark. That's important because a candidate must earn at least one percent in three different polls to gain access to the upcoming DNC debates.

Now, there is some movement from what we saw back in December, and that movement really is to the benefit of Bernie Sanders. Take a look at the comparison to where things stood in December.

Sanders, at that point, only at 19 percent. Biden was at 32 percent. Well, Sanders has gone -- grown quite a bit now. He's up to 25 percent. Biden has lost some ground down to 27 percent.

The other candidates in the race really haven't changed all that much, although the one number I will point out for you here, Ana, is Beto O'Rourke. Not in the race yet, a lot of anticipation he's going to get in. He was at 11 percent in December. He's now fallen to only five percent, Ana.

CABRERA: That is interesting, although it's particularly noteworthy, I think, that the two candidates that are on that slate there who have lost support are the two that have not yet declared their candidacy.

NOBLES: That's right, that's right.

CABRERA: I'm curious if the age of Iowa caucus-goers influences their vote.

NOBLES: It really does, Ana. And let's take a look at the influence, in particular, of young people. You know, as I mentioned, I was in Iowa this week at an Iowa caucus event with Bernie Sanders on a college campus in Iowa City.

There were so many young people there that are so passionately behind his campaign, and that's really reflected in the poll numbers that we see among young voters. Take a look at this. Voters under the age of 45 support Sanders the most at 32 percent. Conversely, when you flip that number to the group over 45, that's to Joe Biden's benefit where he takes 32 percent of the vote.

And there's no doubt, certainly a lot of energy with young voters. Generally, the older voters, especially in a caucus state like Iowa where it does require some work to go out and cast your ballot, that vote tends to be a lot more reliable.

But, of course, Ana, the big caveat we have to add, any time we talk about polls, especially this far out is that there is a long, long way to go before any votes are cast. You know, it's very unlikely that what we see from this snapshot today in time turns out to be how it is a year from now, but it does give us some idea of how Iowa voters are thinking.

CABRERA: Well, look at how things have changed in just the last couple of months there. Ryan Nobles, thank you for breaking it down for us. Joining us now is CNN's senior political analyst Mark Preston; Neera

Tanden, former policy director for Hillary Clinton and president of the Center for American Progress; and former Republican Congressman from Pennsylvania and CNN political commentator Charlie Dent.

Mark, let's dig into the numbers a little bit deeper because while Biden is at the top of that poll, he has dropped five points from December while Bernie Sanders, we see, is up six points. Do you think this means Biden needs to hurry up and make a decision about running, or is it still too early to matter?

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: You know, I think we're going to hear the former Vice President give us his decision fairly soon. I think we'll probably hear within the next few weeks. There's been a lot of pressure for him to finally make a decision, but we've seen a couple of signs that we think that he is going to be running for president.

[20:04:58] We saw that Michael Bloomberg has decided that he is not going to seek the presidency. And there's always been the thought that if Michael Bloomberg and Joe Biden were to run at the same time, they would basically cancel themselves out. So if you see Michael Bloomberg stepping away and we know that the Vice President is very much interested in running, then perhaps that's what we're seeing right now.

You know, I do think that we shouldn't be too surprised by these numbers. Right now, Joe Biden, of course, is going to lose a few points because people are waiting for him to get in. We're also talking more about him. And whenever you start talking about somebody more in the news, their negatives are going to be -- are going to climb.

Bernie Sanders just announced that he is running for president to a CNN town hall about a week ago. I think that's why we're seeing his numbers jump as well. His supporters are now saying that he is no longer on the sidelines but he's in the game.

That's why we see those two so far at the top. But, as we heard earlier, as Ryan said, we are still very early right now. And even those one percenters right now, Ana. I will just tell you I was just texting with somebody who received one percent in our poll, and they are very happy about that.

So let us not devalue that too much because it's very important. You need to get that one percent to get into the debates. And if you get a one percent in our poll, that's pretty good news right now for you.

CABRERA: And make you get on to the bigger stage. Neera, I want to look at the battle for third and the fact that, really, no one else is above 10 percent. No one else has cracked into the double digits besides Sanders and Biden. If you're Elizabeth Warren or Kamala Harris or one of these other candidates, how concerned should you be?

NEERA TANDEN, PRESIDENT, CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS: Well, this is what I think is a really important point in this poll basically, Vice President Biden and Bernie Sanders. Bernie Sanders ran before. He has a hundred percent name I.D.

Even in this poll, you see that, like, Senator Warren, Senator Harris, Beto O'Rourke, Cory Booker, they have strong approvals, but, you know, there is still a large number of Iowans who don't know them or don't know them well. So I actually think they have a lot of room to grow in this poll.

And particularly, it is interesting to me that Vice President Biden is so far ahead not having declared. And I think Beto O'Rourke is, obviously, another person who hasn't declared so far. So I think it's interesting that we have the two front-runners that we had before when we have one of them that hasn't declared so far.

CABRERA: Congressman, Democrats, obviously, want to pick the candidate that can ultimately win back the White House. And in this poll, age and ideology were big dividers.

Among those under age 45, Sanders has a nine-point edge over Biden. But among the older likely caucus-goers, Biden is 15 points ahead there. And then when you look at the ideology, Sanders leads Biden by nine points among those who consider themselves liberals. But among moderate or conservative caucus-goers, Biden has a wide edge, 36 percent to Sanders' 18 percent.

Is there anything in that data that tells you who has the kind of support that should worry President Trump the most?

CHARLIE DENT, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I'll tell you what, I think there are two things in this poll that really jumped out at me. That Senator Sanders and Vice President Biden, their leads at the moment, I think, are largely driven by high name I.D. That's the first thing.

But I do think that Democrats, generally, are going to be driven by their more progressive wing, which seems to me wants -- which wants a next generation of leadership. Something new, something fresh. I would not be very comfortable if I were Joe Biden looking at those numbers.

You have to think that Kamala Harris or Cory Booker or Beto O'Rourke -- or maybe even Elizabeth Warren, although I doubt it. But one of them is going to emerge and break through because I really think this is about the next generation of leadership.

Now, if you're President Trump, I probably would not like to run against Joe Biden. But no matter what, the Democrats are energized and enthused, and that's going to be the biggest challenge for the President.

CABRERA: Let's talk more about the Democrats on the campaign trail today because, Mark, you're there at South by Southwest where a lot of people were watching to see whether Beto O'Rourke would use the screening of a documentary about him to announce a presidential run.

Now, that didn't happen, but here's what did happen when he was asked about the decision to do the documentary. Watch. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BETO O'ROURKE, FORMER TEXAS CONGRESSMAN: David asked me if he could do this at breakfast one day in Austin and I was like, yes, what the (INAUDIBLE), I mean, we're -- I'm running for --

(LAUGHTER)

O'ROURKE: We're running for Senate, and we've got -- you know, if you want to bring a camera along sometimes. I just didn't think it would be this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: We had to bleep it out there, Mark. Is he ready for primetime?

PRESTON: Yes, no doubt. Look, we're in a different paradigm right now than we were just, say, two years ago. You have the likes of Beto O'Rourke who seems to connect with the younger generation and speaks his mind.

All we do is take two steps back, Ana. If you'll remember, Beto O'Rourke, he wasn't even a choice of the Democratic establishment to run for the Senate here in Texas. They didn't want him to run against Ted Cruz this last time, and he came out of nowhere and he did so well. Now, they wanted him to run for the Senate. He decided not to.

[20:10:00] You know, it's interesting. When he was on stage -- at that exact time when he was on stage talking about that documentary, his Senate campaign sent out an e-mail. They weren't asking for money, but what they were asking is to build their list because what they were saying is you should be the first to know. You should be the first to know whether Beto O'Rourke decides to run for president. Come join us now and be the first to know.

So, basically, again, another sign that Beto O'Rourke is inching towards running for president right now. This is a sign of building up a campaign, building up supporters, and really letting them know that you are about to pull the trigger and jump into the race.

CABRERA: Yes, because he's building up a lot of suspense. If he doesn't join the race, can you imagine how upset some of these people, his supporters, his biggest fans, are going to be?

PRESTON: Of course, yes.

CABRERA: OK, Elizabeth Warren was also at South by Southwest today. She was asked this question.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANAND GIRIDHARADAS, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, TIME: Is it incorrect that he discouraged you from running? And if so, on what grounds?

(LAUGHTER) SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D), MASSACHUSETTS: So Bernie and I had a private dinner. And my view is that dinner stays private.

GIRIDHARADAS: People who don't know the difference are thinking you and Bernie are really the same. What's the crux of the difference?

WARREN: Bernie has to speak to what democratic socialism is, and --

GIRIDHARADAS: But you are not one?

WARREN: And I'm not. And the centrists have to speak to whatever they are doing.

(LAUGHTER)

WARREN: What I can speak to is what I'm doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: So that was really an interesting answer, Neera. She is Bernie -- you know, saying Bernie is a Democratic socialist, then there are the centrists. She's not really defining herself. What's your reaction to her answer?

TANDEN: Look, I think most people know where Elizabeth Warren is. She's been a fighter in the Democratic Party for a long time, and she is laying out very -- she's laying out a very aggressive policy agenda. She just called for breaking up a lot of the tech companies yesterday, has proposed universal childcare. So I think people kind of know where she stands.

I do think that, on a number of occasions, she has differentiated herself from Senator Sanders on the issue of socialism. She is a believer in markets but highly regulated markets, and she's been really a fighter of -- against Wall Street for a very long time. So I think she's differentiating herself from Senator Sanders but has been a champion for many liberals and many on the left.

CABRERA: Congressman, former Ohio Governor John Kasich was asked if he was considering a run for president. Here's his answer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KASICH, FORMER OHIO GOVERNOR: I don't know what I'm going to do. But I keep -- at some point, there's an internal clock for all of us and there are deadlines but they're not here yet.

And I tell you this, though. I don't want to -- I'm not in a Hail Mary. I mean, I run when I think I can win and so we assess things just about every week, sometimes every day. And we'll see. I'm not closing anything down, I just don't know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Not closing any doors. How likely do you think it is he'd be a primary challenger to Trump? DENT: I do see a primary challenger to the President. If it's not

Larry Hogan or John Kasich or Governor Weld, I see that there will be a primary challenger. But I do not think that John Kasich --

CABRERA: Who do you think it is? Who do you think it is?

DENT: I don't -- At this moment, not sure. It seems that Hogan is more likely to be in at the moment, but I don't think you would see both a Larry Hogan and a John Kasich in a primary. Not likely to happen. It would be one.

And, again, I don't see people wanting to go on a suicide mission. I think you could also watch too that there could be movements towards the independent route again. If they think that the primary path is just foreclosed, they cannot go down that route, I think you could see that independent candidacy by one of these Republicans.

Of course, we have Howard Schultz in there too. Because I think that what John Kasich is concerned about is that no one is really speaking to the center of the country. I mean, the greatest gift in the world for Donald Trump would be to have Elizabeth Warren as his opponent.

Democrats need to nominate somebody who can actually speak to industrial and agricultural America without offending them. So I think Kasich is looking at this center lane and trying to figure out if there is space for him there.

CABRERA: All right, former Congressman Charlie Dent, thank you. And beautiful sunrise behind you there. Mark Preston, Neera Tanden, great to have both of you with us as well. Thanks, guys.

Don't forget, we are live from South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. Three CNN presidential town halls back-to-back in less than 24 hours from now. We have former Congressman John Delaney at 7:00 p.m.; Representative Tulsi Gabbard at 8:00 p.m.; Mayor Pete Buttigieg at 9:00 p.m. We have Jake Tapper and Dana Bash moderating these interesting conversations tomorrow night starting at 7:00 p.m. Eastern here on CNN.

Coming up, fact-checking the President's spin on Paul Manafort's sentencing as we get a stunning new tally on the number of false and misleading statements President Trump has made in office.

[20:15:07] And the President pictured with the former owner of the spa linked to Robert Kraft's arrest. Who is she and how did she end up next to the President?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: Welcome back. After President Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort received a 47-month prison sentence this week, the Commander-in-Chief treated it as a bit of good news.

Not because a convicted criminal was going to prison or because his former campaign chairman avoided a much longer sentence. Prosecutors had recommended 19 to 25 years. Instead, he made it about himself and the question of collusion. Although, the President wasn't being truthful when he said this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[20:19:49] DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I feel very badly for Paul Manafort. I think it's been a very, very tough time for him.

But if you notice both his lawyer, a highly respected man, and a very highly respected judge -- the judge said there was no collusion with Russia. This had nothing to do with collusion. There was no collusion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Again, that is not true. In fact, the judge in the Eastern District of Virginia was sentencing Manafort in a massive financial fraud scheme.

What Judge Ellis really said was that Manafort, quote, is not before the court for anything having to do with colluding with the Russian government to influence this election. The judge never said there was no collusion between the campaign and Russia. That court has no involvement in the Mueller probe.

Let's bring in April Ryan, White House correspondent for American Urban Radio Networks and CNN presidential historian Douglas Brinkley.

Doug, the President's false claim, this latest, comes on the same time that "The Washington Post" tallied his false and misleading messages and statements at 9,014 over the course of 773 days. What's your reaction?

DOUGLAS BRINKLEY, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: It's just to lie is Donald Trump. He does it as a knee jerk reaction for everything. He does some, you know, false testimony. He makes up tweets. I mean, we're dealing now with a president that's not just scandal-plagued, we're really in the middle of a national emergency.

I mean, think of what you just said. Paul Manafort, Donald Trump's campaign manager, gets four years in jail, and Donald Trump's calling it a victory when your own campaign manager is going to jail. His personal lawyer is going to jail.

Mueller has had 27 indictments since the beginning of his investigation, and this is only kind of mid-course in all of this. So Donald Trump is besieged by scandals, and his only way out of it is to fabricate things.

CABRERA: April, some news tonight on the GOP side of the 2020 primary down at South by Southwest in Austin. Former Governor William Weld, who is the only Republican officially exploring a primary challenge to President Trump, at this point, praised the man who previously replaced him as a U.S. attorney. And that man happens to be named Robert Mueller. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GOV. WILLIAM WELD (R), MASSACHUSETTS: He's the straightest guy I've

ever met in my life. What else to say about him? He is one of the most thorough guys I've met in my life.

One of the greatest public servants I've ever met. Bob Mueller wouldn't know a witch-hunt if he fell over one. He's just -- he'll go where the evidence leads.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: April, can being pro-Mueller help a Republican contender in their own party? Because, after all, Weld's got to worry about Trump, right, before he even thinks about a general election.

APRIL RYAN, WASHINGTON, D.C. BUREAU CHIEF, AMERICAN URBAN RADIO NETWORKS: Yes. Yes. You know, he is walking down some dangerous lanes. He's treading on some dangerous water, you know, for a Republican to go out there. You know, the party as a whole is standing by the President, but, you know, there are some issues of this president being flawed. But, you know, he is running for president.

And we have to remember, Ana, that some of these polls that have come out, they say that the vast majority of Republicans still stand with the President strong. You know, the numbers are strong.

However, there was a poll recently that said 77 percent of Republicans were willing to be open to a challenger to Donald Trump. So he is walking this tight rope, if you will, when it comes to this Mueller report and this president, particularly when there are still people who really are behind this president.

But it's good, it's part of the democracy, to see people challenging an incumbent. No matter whether it's Donald Trump, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, or even Bill Clinton, this is good. This is part of the democracy.

CABRERA: You bring up some of the past presidencies, April, and I want to take this to Doug as our presidential historian with us. We saw another astonishing headline this week from the co-founders of Axios in which they sort of broke down some of the parallels between this administration and past administrations when it comes to scandals.

They argue that the Mueller team is already unearthed the biggest political scandal in U.S. history. More so than Watergate, the Clinton impeachment, or even the Teapot Dome scandal of the 1920s. Are we there yet?

BRINKLEY: I think it's the biggest scandal ever because it has this international affairs component to it. I mean, Watergate was containable to American domestic politics. I mean, 48 people pleaded guilty due to Watergate. And of course, Donald Trump -- I mean, Richard Nixon had to resign in 1974. But things like Iran-Contra were kind of a one-offer in the mid-1980s. So you're -- we're looking at a president for two years that has --

just have scandal after scandal on a weekly basis. I mean, John Kelly, the great general, White House -- former White House Chief of Staff, this very week is making it clear he was worried about that Jared Kushner is getting security clearance. Why did he?

It's a presidency that has a hole in its boat. And it's become larger than something like Teapot Dome, and it's on par with Watergate.

[20:25:05] CABRERA: April, a story that might have dominated a weekend news cycle in the past is now just another day at the White House. We have communications director Bill Shine, the latest to exit. He is headed to run the campaign, apparently, but we've also had reporting here at CNN that the President was souring on him. What are your sources telling you?

RYAN: Oh, yes, most definitely. Again, it was Fire Me Friday. Bill Shine got the boot, you know, because the President soured on Bill Shine's efforts to change his image, to get people to really embrace the President more.

You can't do that kind of thing in a couple of months. There's too much ground that's already been covered. We've been there, done that, got a T-shirt and washed it, and wearing it again when it comes to issues with this president and the tarnish on his star.

Bill Shine is someone that the President was looking to create this image. And also, the President was kind of upset with the fact that Bill Shine came from Fox and then you had some Fox personnel, personalities if you will, that were even going against the President publicly.

So Bill Shine did not do what the President hoped to do and he failed up. He's moving to the 2020 campaign to their surprise. But the question is, who will be the next person to take this job that has a high turnover rate?

CABRERA: Yes. How high of a turnover? This is the sixth communications chief to take the exit door, Doug. Who would want this job at this point?

BRINKLEY: Virtually nobody. You'd have to be pretty desperate. You would be coming in to an administration that's hemorrhaging all around you, and Donald Trump is always his own manager when it comes to communications. It's a very difficult job.

We see Kellyanne Conway's husband lashing out at Donald Trump all the time, really, to give them protection because Kellyanne Conway is a survivor with Donald Trump. But at the same time, her husband is able to go to Twitter and talk about Trump being a danger to American society.

So people have to have a back-up plan if you're going to work with Donald Trump or you'll just get slaughtered in this media environment.

CABRERA: Doug Brinkley, April Ryan, good to have both of you with us. Thank you.

BRINKLEY: Thank you.

RYAN: Thank you, Ana.

CABRERA: One Super Bowl selfie getting a lot of attention. Coming up, new reporting about President Trump and the former owner of a spa that's now at the center of the Robert Kraft prostitution case.

And after three nights in jail, singer R. Kelly is out free following yet another legal drama. His message to fans.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:32:12] ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: Tonight, R. Kelly is out of jail after someone paid more than $160,000 in back child support for him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

R. KELLY, SINGER: Thanks for the (INAUDIBLE). Thanks for the (INAUDIBLE), guys. I promise you, I'm going to straighten my (INAUDIBLE). That's all I can say right now, I promise you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And your fans? Anything you'd like to say?

KELLY: I love my fans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: The embattled R&B singer had spent the last three nights in jail after a judge ordered him locked up for allegedly skipping out on more than eight months of support payments for his three kids. This was the second time in recent weeks he was sent to jail. Last time, just two weeks ago, he was unable to post bond in his four sex abuse cases. Kelly's attorney says, the singer's finances are a mess.

We are learning new details tonight about the woman seen here in this selfie with President Trump during a Super Bowl watch party this year. She is the former owner of the spa where Patriots owner, Robert Kraft, is accused of soliciting prostitution -- something he denies. CNN and the Miami Herald uncovered new details of her connection with prominent members of the Republican Party. CNN's Kaylee Hartung has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAYLEE HARTUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ana, just two weeks after police say they captured Robert Kraft on camera paying for sexual acts inside this day spa in a strip mall, his Patriots played in the Super Bowl. President Trump hosted a watch party for political donors and friends at his private club, Mar-a-Lago. The optics of a picture taken that day are raising really big questions.

Her name is Lee Yang -- she goes by Cindy. She's been spotted with the who's who of the GOP, including the president's sons at Mar-a- Lago. Kellyanne Conway at the inauguration and Sarah Palin. But it's this selfie Yang took with President Trump at a Super Bowl watch party that's raising eyebrows. Yang is the former owner of the Orchids of Asia Day Spa. The massage parlor where Florida authorities say they caught New England Patriots owner and Trump friend, Robert Kraft, on camera paying for oral sex.

DANIEL KERR, CHIEF, FLORIDA POLICE: He's being charged with the same offenses as the others and that is soliciting another to commit prostitution.

HARTUNG: Kraft denies any wrongdoing. According to the Miami Herald, Yang no longer owns Orchids of Asia. The publication reporting, she sold it back in 2013. CNN repeatedly tried but was unable to reach Yang for comment. She did speak with the Miami Herald.

NICHOLAS NEHAMAS, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER, MIAMI HERALD: But she didn't answer the question of whether she knew that there was sex happening. She simply told us that she's no longer in the spa business. She doesn't know President Trump and she's planning to move to Washington, D.C.

HARTUNG: It should be noted, Yang was not charged in the anti-human trafficking bust that led to misdemeanor charges against Kraft and the closing of several spas in South Florida. The White House declined to comment on Yang, but President Trump did speak about the charges against Kraft.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, it's very sad. I was very surprised to see it. He's proclaimed his innocence totally, but I'm very surprised to see it.

HARTUNG: Yang donated upwards of $35,000 to the Trump campaign, according to SEC filings. She's a self-made entrepreneur, who according to the Miami Herald, showed little political interest before the 2016 election. And that she had not voted in the ten years prior.

Ana, we're learning more about the depths of Lee Yang's political support for Donald Trump. In 2017, she donated $37,000 to his campaign fund; the following year, another $37,000. That same year, the man reportedly, her husband, donated more than $10,000. Lee Yang is not accused of any wrongdoing here but again, we go back to the optics of this photo. And it's worth mentioning, Ana, that Robert Kraft will be arraigned on the misdemeanor charges he faces at the end of this month.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[20:36:04] CABRERA: Kaylee Hartung, thank you. Now, the power struggle both political and literal in Venezuela -- protesters taking to the streets after a sweeping blackout hurtful to the country as pressure also builds President Nicolas Maduro to resign. And President Trump has a feeling his relationship with Kim Jong-un is a good one, even as satellite images appear to show another missile launch is on the horizon.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [20:40:37] CABRERA: This is Venezuela, a country dealing with two dire emergencies this weekend: one on the streets where people are furious at the government, President Nicolas Maduro, clashed again today with riot police. And Maduro supporters in Caracas, also right now, perhaps even more urgent, nearly the entire country is without electricity. A blackout that suddenly plunged Venezuela into darkness on Thursday. Many people are blaming the government for the blackout, calling it incompetent and corrupt. Venezuelan officials told the public that an American sabotage is responsible for this power outage. People are getting very worried now about food safety and hospital patients if electricity isn't restored soon.

Also, overseas this weekend, growing concern that North Korea is very close, maybe just days away from launching a missile or a rocket. Here's why analysts are worried: satellite photos that show something is happening at this launch facility near Pyongyang. A sudden flurry of activity at the same place where the North Koreans have put missiles together before. CNN Global Affairs Analyst, Kimberly Dozier, is with me now, she's also Executive Editor of the (INAUDIBLE). Kim, those satellite pictures were taken on February 22nd. President Trump's summit with Kim Jong-un happened the week after that. Do you think Kim was trying to send a message to Trump?

KIM DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, there were some indications from some analysts that there were preparations at the site even before the summit. So, what North Korea is trying to say, even as they sit down and talk about negotiations for peace is that we're not going to disarm until we get what we want. They also know that U.S. satellites and commercial satellites are focused on these locations. So, they don't even need to launch something.

They just need to move something around and make it look like they're making preparations to message that we still are in the driving seat here. And the message that I'm hearing is after Trump tried to keep momentum going by cancelling those military exercises with South Korea, instead of answering with something conciliatory from their side, they're challenging Washington by making it look like they're about to test something.

CABRERA: Yes, and in fact, at least one missile or launch facility in North Korea has reportedly picked up since the summit. Does that surprise you? What does this mean now for U.S./North Korea relations?

DOZIER: Well, in one way, it is a recalibration of some unrealistic expectations that President Trump set up from earlier meetings with the North Koreans. He had said, this could be handled in six months, whereas everyone you spoke to who had talked with the North Koreans for years said -- look, the fundamental thing is they believe the moment they give up their nuclear weapons, it could be like Libya, it could be like anyone else who has given up their weapons and then been topple.

So, they still don't have that sense of security. Kim Jong-un still thinks that he's got to hang on to these to survive. At the same time, Trump had hoped to change the calculus by offering economic incentives. So, the north had said, OK, drop many of the sanctions, of course, each side has disagreed on how much of the sanctions that the north was asking to have dropped.

But the fact of the matter is, they couldn't come to even a partial agreement and they both walked away. I think what that does is Kim Jong-un and Trump are going to stay in the position where they'll keep talking to each other, but the bad cops are the negotiators on both sides and they're going to have some serious work going forward. It's going to be a while before we see the two leaders meeting again.

CABRERA: Listen to President Trump. Because a reporter asked him about his relationship with Kim Jong-un since the failed summit in Hanoi.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I have a feeling that our relationship with North Korea, Kim Jong-un and myself -- Chairman Kim, I think it's a very good one. I think it remains good. I would be surprised in a negative way if he did anything that was not per our understanding. But we'll see what happens.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[20:45:17] CABRERA: So, you talked about this good cop bad cop sort of dynamic. What do you see as the next move by the U.S.?

DOZIER: Well, that is Trump keeping the relationship or trying to keep it on an even keel and saying to Kim Jong-un, I see you're pushing me, don't push too far, but he's not going back to the earlier fiery rhetoric. I think you're going to keep seeing this sort of back and forth kibitzing between the two leaders. And underneath Secretary Pompeo and the North Korean negotiating team, they're the ones who are going to be trying to drive a hard bargain. Unfortunately, though, since the U.S. cancelled those military exercises and the North has responded in what looks like a negative fashion, it's as if they've perceived this as a moment of weakness by Washington and Washington might have to push back.

CABRERA: All right, Kim Dozier, good to have you with us. Thanks.

DOZIER: Thanks.

CABRERA: Coming up, Alex Trebek shares a difficult diagnosis and puts the spotlight on a disease affecting so many Americans. Plus, star tribute, the unforgettable moment when Captain America meets a famous fan.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:50:56] CABRERA: Legendary host of "Jeopardy", Alex Trebek, stunned millions of fans this week when he revealed he is in the fight of his life after being diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer. It's a difficult diagnosis that thousands of Americans receive each year. CNN's Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This "Jeopardy"! The host of "Jeopardy," Alex Trebek!

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: He's been the host of "Jeopardy" since 1984, and on Wednesday Alex Trebek announced to fans some sad news.

ALEX TREBEK, HOST OF JEOPARDY: Just like 50,000 other people in the United States each year, this week I was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer.

COHEN: Last year, pancreatic cancer was the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. It's claimed the lives of Steve Jobs, Patrick Swayze, Joan Crawford, Margaret Mead, and Luciano Pavarotti. Stage four means that the cancer has spread, or metastasized to distant parts of the body. According to the American cancer society, at this stage, only three percent of the people are still alive five years after their diagnosis. While that's a sobering statistic, the American cancer society says there's no way to predict what's going to happen in any particular person's situation. In 2009, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg famously survived pancreatic cancer, but her disease was caught at an early stage. Alex Trebek says he's staying optimistic.

TREBEK: I'm going to fight this, and I'm going to keep working. And with the love and support of my family and friends, and with the help of your prayers also, I plan to beat the low survival rate statistics for this disease. Truth told, I have to, because under the terms of my contract, I have to host "Jeopardy" for three more years.

COHEN: One reason pancreatic cancer is so deadly is that by the time people have symptoms such as abdominal pain, jaundice, itching, the cancer has often spread quite far. It's typically treated with chemotherapy and other procedures, not so much to cure it but to slow the spread and make the person feel as comfortable as possible. Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: We wish him the best. What happens when Hollywood's Captain America meets his real-life counterpart? This moment right here. Texas Congressman Dan Crenshaw, who lost an eye during combat service in Afghanistan, surprised Captain America actor Chris Evans by revealing his glass eye features the comic book character's famous star logo. This isn't the first time Crenshaw has shown off his sense of humor. He grabbed national headlines last year with this cameo on "SNL," roasting Pete Davidson for making fun of his eye patch.

It looks like scientists have discovered a new breed of killer whale. Take look at this. An international team stationed off the coast of Southern Chile caught a glimpse of this mysterious type of whale named, Type D, earlier this year. These whales have been spotted just a few times, though, since they were first seen more than 60 years ago. They may look identical to you and me, to our untrained eye, to a normal killer whale, but they have a different body shape, we're told, a more rounded head and smaller narrow eye markings around the eyes. Family, duty, power -- tomorrow's brand-new episode of "The Bush

Years" takes a look at George H.W. Bush's journey from loyal vice president to Ronald Reagan, to the Republican nominee, to the 41st president of the United States.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: George H.W. Bush arrives at the Republican Convention, having swept aside his rivals.

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Texas casts all its votes for her favorite son and the best father in America, George Bush.

GEORGE H.W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you very, very much.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: George H.W. Bush makes his pitch to be elected leader of the free world.

G. H.W. BUSH: I fought for my country. I've served. I've built. And I'll go from the hills to the hollows, from the cities to the suburbs, to the loneliest town on the quietest street to take our message of hope and growth for every American to every American. I will keep America moving forward, always forward for a better America, for an endless enduring dream and a thousand points of light. This my mission, and I will complete it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just remember being inspired and moved and proud of him. He talked about how he wanted to call upon the greater good in all of us to serve our nation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[20:55:48] CABRERA: Watch a new episode of "The Bush Years" tomorrow night at 10:00 Eastern, right here on CNN. Before tomorrow, you can catch up, watch the first two episodes of "The Bush Years" coming up next here on CNN. That does it for me. I'm Ana Cabrera. Thanks for being with me. Have a great one.