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ANDERSONCOOPER360DEGREES

HouseIntelCommitteeAgreesonParametersofRussiaProbeTrumpSpeechtoCongressDrawingPraise,Skepticism
InterviewwithCongressmanSethMoultonofMassachusetts.WidowOfFallenSealStepsIntoSpotlightVanJones:Trump
"BecamePresidentInthatMoment"Soon:TownHallWithSens.McCain&GrahamPres.TrumpOnAntiSemiticViolence
HowTheSpeechPlayedInIowa.Aired89pET

AiredMarch1,201720:00ET

THISISARUSHTRANSCRIPT.THISCOPYMAYNOTBEINITSFINALFORMANDMAYBE
UPDATED.

[20:00:13]ANDERSONCOOPER,CNNANCHOR:Andgoodevening.Thanksverymuchforjoiningyou.

Abignightahead.Youseeitthere,Iwanttoshowittoyou.FinalpreparationsunderwayatGeorgeWashingtonUniversityforaCNNtownhallfeaturingSenate
RepublicansLindseyGrahamandJohnMcCain.Itgetsunderwayalittlelessthananhourfromnow.We'llhaveanupdateonthatcomingup.

Butwebegintonightwithbreakingnews.BipartisanagreementononethingDonaldTrumpdidnotmentionlastnightinhisbigspeechtoCongress,thequestionof
RussiaandspecificallytheextentofcontactbetweentheTrumpcampaignandMoscow.Justmomentsago,welearnedthatthetopRepublicanandDemocratonthe
HouseIntelligenceCommitteehaveagreedontheparametersoftheirinvestigation.

CNN'sJeffZelenyjoinsusnowfromtheWhiteHousewiththebreakingnews.

So,theHouseIntelligenceCommitteejustannounceddetailsregardingtheinvestigationintoanypotentialcollusionbetweenRussiaandtheTrumpcampaign.What
exactlyaretheygoingtodoatthis,Jeff?

JEFFZELENY,CNNSENIORWHITEHOUSECORRESPONDENT:Theydid,Anderson.Andtheyarebasicallyagreeingonthefactthattherewillbean
investigation.Thisissignificantforthisreason.Youknow,forsomanyweeksnow,they'vebeentalkingabout,wasthereanythingthatwasnefarioushere?Wedon't
knowtheanswertothatquestion.

Buttonight,thecommitteeissayingthattheywilllookintoseveralquestionsandwe'rejustgettingthisfromthecommitteetonight.ButacouplequestionsIwantto
talkaboutiswhat'sRussia'scyberactivitywasactuallyinvolvedinthis,whatactivemeasureswereusedagainsttheU.S.

So,thisisabipartisaninvestigationintothisthat,youknow,reallyanyconversationhereattheWhiteHouse,they'realwaysaccusingDemocratsofpushingthis.But
tonight,we'rehearingforthefirsttimethatRepublicansaswellwanttolookintothis.

So,theseparameters,whichareprettyvague,really,justlookingintotheconfinesofthis,are,youknow,signalingthattheyaregoingtoinvestigatewhatcouldbean
issuewithRussiahere.So,thebeginningsofaninvestigation,buttheproblemhereisfortheTrumpadministration,thiscouldlastforalongtime.

(BEGINVIDEOTAPE)

ZELENY(voiceover):AsPresidentTrumpbaskedintheglowofhisbigspeechdoCongress

DONALDTRUMP,PRESIDENTOFTHEUNITEDSTATES:Thankyouverymuch.

ZELENY:thehardworkofturningthosepromisesintorealitywasthefirstorderofbusinesstodayattheWhiteHouse,withthepresidentsittingdownforlunch
withRepublicancongressionalleaders.

TRUMP:We'rejustheretostarttheprocess.Itbeginsasofnowandwethinkwe'regoingtohavetremendoussuccess.
Home

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ZELENY:YettremendoussuccessdependsnotonlyonSenateMajorityMitchMcConnellandHouseSpeakerPaulRyan,butonpersuadingtheparty'srankandfile
topayforhisagenda.Thepresidentdelayedagaintodaythesigningofatravelbantoreplacetheoneblockedinthecourts.

CNNhaslearnedthesecretaryofstate,defensesecretary,andnationalsecurityadviserareallpushingforIraqtoberemovedfromthelistofmajorityMuslim
countriesincludedintheban.Butinmostofhisprimetimeaddress,thepresidentstruckamoreoptimisticnote.

TRUMP:Anewnationalprideissweepingacrossournation.S

ZELENY:Butitremainsanopenquestionwhetheritwasalastingpivotoraone90nightperformanceafteraroughstarttohispresidency.

Ineithercase,hiswishlistisanexpensiveandcomplicatedone,evenamongRepublicans,nottomentionDemocratswhoarelargelyresistingtheTrumpagenda.
Fromhealthcare

TRUMP:WeshouldensurethatAmericanswithpreexistingconditionshaveaccesstocoverageandthatwehaveastabletransitionforAmericanscurrentlyenrolled
inthehealthcareexchanges.

(APPLAUSE)

ZELENY:Totaxreform.

TRUMP:Itwillbeabig,bigcut.Atthesametime,wewillprovidemassivetaxreliefforthemiddleclass.

ZELENY:Toinfrastructure.

TRUMP:Tolaunchournationalrebuilding,IwillbeaskingCongresstoapprovelegislationthatproducesa$1trillioninvestmentininfrastructureoftheUnited
States.

ZELENY:Afterthespeech,SpeakerRyanofferedpraisebutwalkedawaywhenaskedaboutthepricetag.

REP.PAULRYAN(RWI),SPEAKEROFTHEHOUSE:Ithoughthedidagreatjob.

ZELENY(oncamera):Didheanswerquestionsofhowhewouldpayforthingstonight?

(ENDVIDEOTAPE)

ZELENY:So,SpeakerRyanobviouslydidnotanswerthanquestion.But,Anderson,otherfiscalconservativeswetalkedtosaidthepresidentsimplyleftouthowhe
wouldpayforallthis.

Now,thequestionis,canthepresidentbringhissupportersalonginallthesedistrictstobringtheirmembersofCongressalong?

Theanswertothatprobablyisyes,butfornow,somuchskepticismabouthowmuchallofthiswillcost.

COOPER:Jeff,Imean,clearly,youknow,asbeentalkedabout,thepresidentstrikingadifferenttoneinlastnight'sspeech.Doweknowhowbigaroleheactually
played,ifany,inwritingit?

ZELENY:Well,sure.Heplayedabillroleinwritingthis.

But,Anderson,IamtoldalsothatIvankaTrump,hisdaughter,ofcourse,andJaredKushner,hissoninlaw,playedakeyroleinwritingthisaswell.Theyviewed
thatthiswasaresetopportunity,amomenttosortofchangetheconversation.So,thiswasallpartof,youknow,whathewasintendingtodohere.

[20:05:02]Andtheyviewedthisasamajorsuccess.

Now,butit'simportant,Ithink,totakeabiggerviewofallofthis.Hedidn'tchangepoliciesallthatmuch.Ifyoulookatthespeech,ifyoulistentothespeech,
basicallythesameDonaldTrump.Thevolumeperhapsnotashighhere,sotheStevenBannons,theStevenMillersoftheworldwhoarepushingthepresidenttoward
maybeadifferentworldviewstillgottheirpointsin.
Home

ButthinkthattheothersideoftheWhiteHousehereIvankaTrump,ofcourse,waskeytoherfather'slegacymadethisabitsofter,whichisoneofthereasonsI
thinkhegotsuchhighmarkslastnightAnderson.
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thinkhegotsuchhighmarkslastnightAnderson.

COOPER:Allright,JeffZeleny.Jeff,thanksverymuch.

MassachusettsDemocraticCongressmanSethMoulton,it'ssafetosay,notafanofthespeechlastnight.He'saretiredmarine.HespentfourtoursofdutyinIraq,has
takenstrongexceptiontothepresident'sremarksaboutnotwinningwarsanymore.

CongressmanMoultonjoinsusnow.Iwanttogetyourreactionto,firstofall,tothisnewstotheHouseIntelligenceCommitteethatjustbrokethattheyagreedonthe
scopefortheirinvestigationtoRussianinvolvementinlastyear'selection.Howconfidentareyouinthisinvestigation?Imean,theparametershavenowbeenjointly
agreeduponbythechairmanwho'saRepublicanandtherankingmemberasaDemocrat.

REP.SETHMOULTON(D),MASSACHUSETTS:Well,that'sright,Anderson.ItisverysignificantthattheRepublicansarefinallycomingalongandrecognizing
thethreatthatthisposestoourdemocracyandtoournationalsecuritytohaveRussiameddlinginourelections.

Butit'simportanttounderstandthattheseparametersrefertoaclassifieddocumentthattheAmericanpublicwon'tseeforanother50or75years.Thisentire
investigationthattakesplaceontheintelligencecommitteewillbeclassified.Sothisisanimportantstepintherightdirection,butitdoesn'tsolvetheproblem.We
alldeserveanswers,theAmericanpublicdeservesanswers,andthat'sonlygoingtocomefromabipartisan,independentcommissionlikewehadafter9/11.

COOPER:Intermsofthepress'sspeechlastnight,Iknowyoutookalotofissueonpolicypositionsthatheoutlinednotsayinghowit'sgoingtobepaidfor.Thefact
thatthecriticismhasbeenabouthismessaging,howit'suneven,attimescontroversial,doyougivehimanycreditforameasuredapproachlastnightorfornot
veeringoffscript?

MOULTON:Imean,look,thebarissoverylow,Anderson.Hegotupthere,hewasabletostringseveralcompletesentencestogetherfromteleprompterandnot
offendhalftheworld,andso,we'reexcitedandpeoplethinkitwasagreatspeech.

Butitwasahallowspeech.Hedoesn'thaveanyplantopayforthethingsthathe'sproposing.ItwasaspeechtoaHouseofRepresentativesIneverseenmore
divided.Imean,justliterallyphysicallysittingthere,theRepublicanswereallononeside,andtheDemocratswereallontheother.Thatwasneverthecasewhen
PresidentObamadeliveredhisStateoftheUnionAddresses,evenjustrecentlywhentheCongresshasbeensodivided.DemocratsandRepublicans,wealwayssat
together.

So,thisisaverydifferentsituationthanwhatpeoplearemakingitouttobeinthenewstoday.It'saverydividedCongressbecauseofaverydivisivepresident,and
justbecausehadhesomenicerhetoriclastnight,doesn'tmeanthatanything'sgoingtochange.

COOPER:Whenhesaidthetimefortrivialfightsisbehindus,doyouthinkthepresidenthasanyideathathehimselfaspresidenthasengagedintrivialfights?

MOULTON:He'sdoneitfromthestartofhiscampaign.Andthefactthathesayssomethinglastnightthatsoundedgooddoesn'treallymeanmuchbecauseweknow
thatthepresidentsayserialliar.Andtheproblemiswejustdon'tevenknowwhenthepresidentistellingthetruthorwhenhe'ssayingsomethingthatheactually
believes.So,hehastofollowthisupwithaction.Ifhewantstohavean

infrastructureplanthat'ssupportedbyDemocratsandRepublicans,hehastohaveaplantopayforit.Ifhewantstoreformhealthcare,thenhehastohaveaplanto
replaceObamacare.Theonlypointthathemadelastnightthatreallyresonatedwithpeoplewastheideathathisnewplanwouldtakecareofpreexistingconditions.
Well,that'sthehallmarkofObamacareitself.

So,therewasalotofnicerhetoricbutIhavetoseetheplanbeforewecanseeifDemocratsandRepublicanswillbeabletocometogetherandworkwithoneofthe
mostlook,absolutelythemostdivisivepresidentinmodernhistory.

COOPER:YougavearesponselastnightinYouTube,andinit,yousaidthatit'struewefacerealproblemsinAmericatodaybutthatdoesn'tmeanAmericashould
shrinkfromitsroleasagloballeader.Imean,muchofwhatthepresidentsaidonthecampaigntrail,talkedaboutNATO,takingIraq'soil,hiscabinetsecretariesare
sayingverycontradictorythings,theoppositeessentially.We'renotgoingtotaketheoil.WeembraceNATO.

Doyouthinkanyonereallyknowswhatthepresident'sforeignpolicyisgoingtolooklikeatthisstage?

MOULTON:No.AndIwastalkingwithNATOleadersoverattheMunichsecurityconferencewithSenatorMcCainacoupleofweekendsago,and,youknow,the
vicepresidentcameandsaidthingsthatcompletelycontradictedwhatthepresidentwassayingthatveryweek.SecretaryofDefenseMattisthesamething.
Home

So,nooneknowswhotobelieve.So,it'sallwellandgoodthatpeoplelikeSecretaryMattiswhomIdeeplyrespectandtrustgooverandsaytherightthings.Butif
hisbosscontinuestosaythewrongthingsandclearlydoesn'tlistentothesecretaryofdefensewhenitmatterslikeinputtingoutthistravelban,thenwhoareweto
believe?

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[20:10:05]Thatdoesn'tgiveanybodyconfidence,thatdoesn'tgivemeconfidenceasamemberofCongressand,bytheway,amemberofCongresswho'smadea
realpointofworkingacrosstheaisle.IwasnamedthevicechairofthebipartisanworkinggrouphereintheHouse.

So,itdoesn'tgivemeconfidenceanditdoesn'tgiveconfidencetoourworldleaders,youknow?

Andtheotherthing,Anderson,isthattherearealotofproblemsthatwehavetoaddressasacountry.TheeconomicrecoveryunderPresidentObamawasabsolutely
remarkable,buttherewerepartsofthecountryeveninmyowndistrictthatwereleftout.So,weshouldbetalkingabouthowweinvolveeverybodyinAmericain
thefutureofwork,intheneweconomy.Wedidn'thearanythingaboutthatfromPresidentTrumplastnight.

COOPER:CongressmanMoulton,Iappreciateyourtime.Thankyou.Iwanttoquicklyreturntothebreakingnews.Democraticstrategist

PaulBegalajoinsus,sodoesNewYork1politicalanchorErrolLouis,CNNpoliticalanalystKirstenPowers,TrumpsupporterJeffreyLordishere,senior
contributortothe"AmericanSpectator",perhapsyouhaven'theardhe'salsoveterantotheReaganWhiteHouse.MargaretHooverisaRepublicanconsultant,and
TrumpsupporterKayleighMcEnanyisacontributorto"TheHill".

Kirsten,howsignificantisitthattheHouseIntelligenceCommitteehasputouttheseparameters?Becausethey'reprettyvague,theyareprettybroadandtheyinclude
theideaofinvestigatingleaks.ThisiswhattheWhiteHouse

(CROSSTALK)

KIRSTENPOWERS,CNNPOLITICALANALYST:Well,Ithinkthat'soneofthemostsignificantaspectsofitis,Ithink,youknow,they'regoingtolookatwhat
cyberactivitywasdirectedattheUSA,whatweretheconnectionsbetweenanypoliticalcampaignsintheU.S.andRussiaandwhattheU.S.government'sresponse
toit.Butthelastoneiswhatpossibleleaksofclassifiedinformationtookplaceinrelationtotheintelligencecommitteeassessment.

Andthechairman,ChairmanNunes,theRepublicanchairofthecommittee,HouseIntelligenceCommittee,hasmadeveryclearthatthat'shisnumberonepriority.
Heconsidersthosemajorcrimesandhassaidprettymuchhe'sseennoevidenceofanyconnectionsmadebetweentheTrumppoliticalpeopleandRussia.Andso,but
likewejustheard,thisisn'tgoingtobeapublic

COOPER:Right.

POWERS:apublicprocessanyway.So,Ithinkthatitwillprobablybehooveallofusto,youknow,tohaveamorepublicprocesssothatpeoplecouldfeelthat
thesequestionswereansweredsatisfactorily.Itdoesn'tgivemealotofcomforttoknowthatitwilljustbedoneinthesortofpoliticalprocess.

COOPER:Itwillbeinterestingtosee,Errol,ifthepresidentcanresistcommentingonthis,whetherhedecidestocommentonitornot.Youknow,obviously,today,
they'resortoftryingtobaskintheglowoflastnight'sspeech.

ERROLLOUIS,CNNPOLITICALCOMMENTATOR:That'sright.Iftheycanstayfocusedandstayawaythetemptationtocommentonthis,theymaybeableto
lettheprocessproceedwithoutsortofrilingthingsup.

COOPER:You'reusingtheroyal"they",youmeanthepresident?Ifhecanresistcommenting

LOUIS:WhenIsaythey,Idon'tmeanjusthimbecauseit'snotjustthepresidentandhisTwitteraccount.Imean,Ithinkhe'sgotadvisorswhoaresortofnudging
himtosortofsaydifferentthings,weknowthat.TherewereotherstaffmemberswhotriedtosortofnudgetheFBIandpushthemoutthereandhavethemtryingto
spinthestoryalittlebit.That'sgoingtobackfirebecauseyou'vegotacompetitiongoingon.

You'vegotaSenateIntelligenceCommittee.You'vegotthemediawhoarelookingatthis.You'vegotpeoplewhoappearreadytoleakandtalktothemedia.

So,there'sgoingtobealotofdifferenteyesonthistopic.They'reallgoingtobetryingtokeepeachotherhonestandthepresidentcanonlyharmhimselfIthinkby
leapingintothemiddleofthat.

COOPER:We'regoingtobringthefullpanelinrightafterthebreak.Acloserlookateverythingheleftoutofhisspeechalsoahead.
Home

Andlater,whatVanJonessawlastnight,whathesaidlastnight,whyhenowsaysandthesearehiswordstonight,theTrump,quote,"virushasmutated"into
somethinghemeansfarmoredangerousforDemocrats.He'llexplainthatahead.

Andalsothetopofthehour,youseethepreparationsthere.CNNtownhallwithtwoRepublicanskepticsofthepresident,Ithinkit'sfairtosay,SenatorsJohn
McCainandLindseyGraham.
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(COMMERCIALBREAK)

[20:17:18]COOPER:We'vebeentalkingtonightaboutPresidentTrump'sspeechtoCongress.Thepresidentinthewordsofone"NewYorkTimes"reporterseemed
toacceptthefettersofformalityoftheoffice,andsomewhatlessfetteredlanguage,itmeansheadoptedafardifferenttonethanwe'veseenbefore.Thatmuchstood
out.

So,dothingsthatwerenotthere,namelyawholecollectionoffavoritetopicsandfamiliarmannerismsthatwe'vecometoassociatewiththepresidentandbefore
that,withtheDonaldTrumpthecandidate.Watch.

(BEGINVIDEOCLIPS)

TRUMP:Afewdaysago,Icalledthefakenewstheenemyofthepeopleandtheyare,theyaretheenemyofthepeople.

Imadeaspeech,Ilookedout,thefieldwasitlookedlikeamillion,millionandahalfpeople.Theyshowedafieldwheretherewerepracticallynobodystanding
there.

Russiaisaruse.IhavenothingtodowithRussia.Haven'tmadeaphonecalltoRussiainyears.

NorthKoreaisabig,bigproblemandwewilldealwiththatverystrongly.ItwouldbegreatifwecouldgetalongwithRussia,justsoyouunderstandthat.

Ithinkitwasdisgraceful,disgracefulthattheintelligenceagenciesallowedanyinformationthatturnedouttobesofalseandfakeout.

(ENDVIDEOCLIPS)

COOPER:Andbackwiththepanel.

PaulBegala,it'ssointeresting,youknow,today,theyweresupposedtoreleasethenewexecutiveorderon,youknow,whatstatestheyweregoingtobanimmigrants
fromtemporarily.AndIguesstheydelayedthatbecausetheywantedtokindofbaskintheglowoflastnight'sspeech.What'ssoweirdtomeaboutthat,though,I
mean,Igetitfromapoliticalstandpointbutthewholeoriginalexecutiveorderwassoldonthatithadtobedonethenandtherebecausethiswasanationalsecurity
prioritybecausesomanybadterroristswerecomingin,weresneakinginwiththesepeoplethathavevisasandnowthey'relikeohwecanholditforacoupledays.

PAULBEGALA,CNNPOLITICALCOMMENTATOR:So,we'regettinggoodpress.

Isuspectthatthecourtswillnotethataswell,becausetheywantthecourtsshouldgivethepresidentdeferenceonnationalsecuritymeasures.Theyreallyshould.
Buthere,now,they'veinjectedpoliticsintoit.Theysaidthetimingisbeingmanipulatedforpoliticalgain.

Iwasstruckbythatpieceofhowwehavedefinedthepresidencydownward.Youknow,myoldmentor,formerclientZellMiller,wasgovernorofGeorgiaand
senator,heusedtosay,"Asinglerosedoesnotasummermake."So,asinglegoodspeechdoesnotapresidencymake.

Andyes,hewentanentirehourtheytellmewithoutsayinganythingracist.Hedidn'tinsultanybody'ssensibility,didn'tmockaPOW,hedidn'tevengrabanyofthe
congresswomenbytheirprivates.

So,quick,let'sreelecthim.So(INAUDIBLE)tobeskeptical.

(CROSSTALK)

(LAUGHTER)

MARGARETHOOVER,CNNPOLITICALCOMMENTATOR:Hyperbole.That'slikeasmuchhyperbolefromPaulBegalaaswegetfromDonaldTrump.
Home

COOPER:But,Jeffrey,ontheexecutiveorder,whynowisitokaytodelayitbecauseoflastnight'sspeechwhenbefore,ithadtoberushed.And,notonlythat,once
they'veactuallynowhadsome,youknow,thesecretaryofstateandthenationalsecurityadviserandsecretaryofdefenseweighinonit,loandbehold,they'renot
goingbanpeoplefromIraqafterall.

[20:20:10]JEFFREYLORD,CNNPOLITICALCOMMENTATOR:Ithinkthat'stheanswertoyourfirstquestion.Ithinktherewasbackandforthinternallywithin
theadministration.

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COOPER:Youdon'tthinkitwasdelayedasweweretalkinglastnightbecause

LORD:Sure.Imean,thisisWashington,D.C.andhorrors,there'spoliticsinWashington.ButIdothinkthatthere'ssomethinggoingonhereCOOPER:Doesn'tit
putthelietothenegotiationthatthiswassuch

apriority

LORD:Notifyou'redealingwithcabinetmembers,seriouscabinetmemberswhoaresayingweneedtochangethepolicy.

COOPER:Thereareseriousterroristscominginwithcurrentvisaholders.

HOOVER:Theyhaven'tbeenmakingthatpointconsistentlyanywaybecausethewholethingisonicebecauseofthecourtsandallthistime,it'sonthecourts.I
mean,DonaldTrumphasmadeoneortwostatementsaccusingthethatindependentbranchofgovernmentofmaybeputtingtheUnitedStatessecurityatrisk.But
largely,that'snotpartoftheirmessaginganymore.

Andso,see,itstrikesmemoreasadecisionmadebecausetheadministrationwasn'tready,itsoundslikethere'senoughinternaldissentthatitmadesensetokickthe
candowntheroaduntileverybodyisonthesamepage.Theydohaveanationalsecurityadviser.

COOPER:Right.

HOOVER:Imean,hehastooweighin,hisopinionmatters.And,bytheway,he'saguywithastrongopinion.

COOPER:Right.

KAYLEIGHMCENANY,CNNPOLITICALCOMMENTATOR:AndspeakingtotheurgencyofthisImean,Ithinkthatlogicstillmakessensebecausesaythey
putthisouttodaybeforetheyexcludedIraqfromthelistofcountriesiftheydidn'tmakeitperfectthistimeanditgotstruckdownbyacourtyetagain,thenwe
wouldbelookatathirdexecutiveorder.Thatwouldtakeanothermonthtodo.So,Ithinkthisentirelyfitstheurgencynarrativeofwehavetogetthisrightandif
Iraqneedstobeexcluded,theyneedtobeexcluded.

COOPER:Butwhynotshowtheexecutiveorderthefirsttimetothesecretaryofstate?

MCENANY:Yeah.

COOPER:Ortothe,youknow,DepartmentofDefense?

MCENANY:Itshouldhavebeendonethatway.Itabsolutelyshouldhavebeendonethatway,andIthinkthistime,theyhavetobeperfect,theyhavetogetitexactly
rightbecausetheycan'thaveasecondexecutiveorderstruckdown.

LORD:AnditwouldhavehelpedtohaveJeffSessionsinplace,whichhewasnotatthatmoment,Idon'tbelieve.

COOPER:Howmuchofahoneymoondoesaordoyouwanttotalkaboutthat?Orhowmuchoforthespeech,whatareyouPOWERS:Ijustthinkthatbecause
ofthewaythatthey'vehandledit

andbecauseofalsoallofthethingsthatDonaldTrumphasalreadysaid,they'realreadyinthepublicrecordaboutMuslims,itdoesn'tmatterhowmanytimesthey
rewriteit.Idon'tknowhowacourtisgoingtoignoretheintentcomingfromthewordsabouttheMuslimban.

So,youknow,it'sgoodthatthey'retakingtimetotrytogetitright,butIthinkhisrhetorichascaughtupwithhimandit'sgoingtobehardtoovercomethatbecause
theintentwasalreadysortofputouttherethatthiswastokeepMuslimsoutoftheUnitedStates.
Home

LORD:Except90percentoftheMuslimworldisnotincludedinthere.

POWERS:Well,youcanmaketheargument,certainly,thatthat'stheeffect,andthat'stheproblemthatargumentwasactuallymadethelasttimearound,butthe
pointistheylookattheintent.Ifyou'retalkingaboutwhattheEstablishmentClauseandDueProcessClause,andtheywilllookattheintentandhisintentwasvery
clear

MCENANY:ButtheNinthCircuitdidn'truleonintent.Andifyougobacktothedecision,theysaywe'renotgoingtoruleonintenttoday.We'llleavethatasideand
there'sanargumenttobemadehisintentwastodojustasObamadid,targetthesamesevencountriesObama'sDepartmentofHomelandSecuritytargeted.

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COOPER:Regardingthespeechlastnight,doyouthinkPresidentTrumptakesyouknow,seesthenicereviewshegot,reads,youknow,whateverhereads,a
positivepraiseonitandtakesthatasareasontobekindofmoveforwardwithkindofthatversionofPresidentTrumplastnightornot?Imean,doyouthinkthis
actuallylast?Doyouthinkwe'llseethispresidentagain?

LORD:Ithinkthere'samistakebeingmadehereinassumingthatpresidentoftheUnitedStatesisnotthatpersonalityofapresident.Imean,there'snowayinthe
world,lookingatmyfriendPaulBegala,thatBillClintonwasnotgoingtobeBillClintonintheWhiteHouseorRonaldReaganorBarackObama.

DonaldTrumpisgoingtobeDonaldTrump.Andintheseclipsthatwe'veseenandthiscampaignyou'veseen,thewholetotalityofit.Somepeoplelikesomeofit,
somepeoplehatesomeofit,othersloveit.

Thepointis,he'sDonaldTrump,andyou'regoingtoseethisinandoutthroughouthisentireterm.He'snotgoingtochangebeingDonaldTrump,nor,wouldIsay,
shouldhe.

BEGALA:Ithinkthat'sright.Thepresidencydoesn'tusuallychangetheoccupantbutitmagnifies.

LORD:Right.

BEGALA:Bothforgoodandforreal.Andso,Ithinklastnight,hedidaverygoodjob.Idon'tthinkthat'swhatyou'regoingtoseeforthenext1,420days.
MCENANY:ButtoAnderson'spoint,thepollnumberswillaffecthim.

TheCNNviewershipwhichsaid,youknow,78percentvieweditaspositive,IthinkthatgetsthroughtoPresidentTrump.Wow,Ihave80percent

COOPER:I'vegottopointouttheironyofthemembracingCNNpollnumbers.SeanSpicertweetedout,Ithink,CNNpollnumbers.Imeanwhatadifference.

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER:But,Imean,still,for,youknowyouknow.

HOOVER:Forfakenews.

COOPER:Yes.Imean,allofasudden,whenthepollsaregood,theylovethatpoll.

HOOVER:Look,hedidsomuchtoshoreup.Imean,themajorvictoryhereIthinkwasshoreuphisrightflank.You'regoingtoseeLindseyGrahamandtonightand
JohnMcCaintonightandwhataretheygoingtodo?They'regoingtobealotmoretemperedthantheywouldhavebeenhadhenothad

COOPER:Thatwillbeonethingtowatchfortonight.

[20:25:02]Thatstartsinjust35minutes.

Alotmoretotalkabout.AgrievingwidowbroughttotearsbyPresidentTrump'stributetoherhusband,NavySEALRyanOwens.Newdetailsabouthowsheended
upinthespotlightlastnight.

We'llberightback.

(COMMERCIALBREAK)

Home
COOPER:OneofthemostmemorablemomentsofPresidentTrump'sspeechtoCongresscameneartheendwhenheaddressedCarrynOwens,thewidowofRyan
Owens,aNavySEALwhowaskilledinaraidthatMr.Trumpauthorizedsixdaysintohispresidency.

(BEGINVIDEOCLIP)

TRUMP:Ryan'slegacyisetchedintoeternity.Thankyou.

(APPLAUSE)

(ENDVIDEOCLIP)

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COOPER:Thatstandingovationlastedfortwominutes,thelongestapplauseintheevening.Untilthatmoment,CarrynOwenshadmostlystayedoutofthe
spotlight,unlikeherfatherinlawwhohadpubliclysaidherefusedtomeetwithPresidentTrumpandwantsaninvestigationoftheoperationinwhichhissonwas
killed.

SuzanneMalveauxtonighthasmore.(BEGINVIDEOTAPE)

SUZANNEMALVEAUX,CNNNATIONALCORRESPONDENT(voiceover):NavySEALWilliam"Ryan"OwensandfianceeCarrynWygen(ph),marriedin
2004nearherhometownofFairfax,Virginia,shewasdoingintelligenceworkforthegovernmentandhewasservingasaNavyS.E.A.L.BothbasedinSanDiego
accordingtoheralmamatertheUniversityofVirginia.

[20:30:18]FouryearspriorCarrynwascaptainofthesoccerteemasUVAwheresheearnedadegreeineducation.Thecouplewouldgoontohavethreechildren
andeventuallymovetoPeoria,IllinoisnearwhereRyanOwensgrewupandgraduatedhighschool.

OwenshadwantedtobecomeaNavyS.E.A.L.sincehisfreshmanyearinhighschoolaccordingtotheChicagoTribune.In2003,hegothiswish.

ButonJanuary29th,14yearslater,hewouldgoonhislastmission.DeployedtoYemeninthefirstmilitaryoperationunderPres.DonaldTrump,hewaskilledina
missiontargetinganAlQaedacompound.ThenextdayTrumpcalledhiswidow.

SEANSPICER,WHITEHOUSEPRESSSECRETARY:ThepresidentalsohadaverysomberandlengthyconversationwiththefamilyofChiefPettyOfficer
WilliamRyanOwens.ThepresidentofferedhissincerestcondolencestoofferOwenswife,hisfather,andtheirthreechildren.

MALVEAUX:WeknownowthatonthatsamecallPres.TrumpinvitedCarryntobehisguestatlastnight'sspeech,accordingtotheWhiteHouse.

TwodaysafterthecallPres.TrumpandhisdaughterIvankametCarrynforthefirsttimewhenherhusband'sbodywasflowntoDoverAirForcebase.ButCarryn's
fatherinlawrefusedtomeetthepresidentthatdayquestioningthedecisiontolaunchedthecontroversialraidthatkilledhissontellingtheMiamiHerald,"Itold
themIdidn'twanttomakeasceneaboutitbutmyconsciencewouldn'tletmetalktohim."

PresidentTrumprespondedtohisabsencethisway.

DONALDTRUMP,(R),U.S.PRESIDENT:AndIwasattheairportwhenthecasketcamein,thebodycameinanditwasverysadwiththefamilyandit'sagreat
family,incrediblewifeandchildren.Imetmostofthefamily.AndIcanunderstandpeoplesayingthatI'dfeel,youknow,I'dfeelwhat'sworse?There'snothing
worse.

MALVEAUX:WithcleardifferencesintheOwens'familyandthedetailsemergingofhowayoungwidowcameintothespotlightonlyheighteningthedramaofthis
fittingtriptributetoanAmericanhero.SuzanneMalveaux,CNNWashington.

(ENDVIDEOCLIP)

ANDERSONCOOPER,CNNHOST:AswesaidatthemomentPres.TrumppaidtributetoNavyS.E.A.L.RyanOwensandperhapsjustanimportantly(inaudible)
andemotionalresponsewasextraordinaryfromlastnight'sspeech,probablythemostextraordinarymoment.Here'swhatCNNpoliticalcommentatoraDemocratwe
shouldpointout,VanJones,saidlastnight.

(BEGINVIDEOCLIP)

VANJONES,CNNPOLITICALCOMMENTATOR:HebecamepresidentoftheUnitedStatesinthatmoment,period.Therearealotofpeoplewhohavealotof
Home
reasontobefrustratedwithhim,tobefearfulwithhim,tobemadathim,butthatwasoneofthemostextraordinarymomentsyouhaveeverseeninAmerican
politics,period.

(ENDVIDEOCLIP)

COOPER:IwantedtotalkmorewithVanJonesaboutwhathesaidlastnightandwhathethinkstonight.Hejoinsusnow.

So,obviouslythatwasaverystrongstatementyoumadelastnight.Youhadyousometimetothinkaboutit.Doyoustillbelievewhatyousaid?

JONES:Yeah,absolutely.Listen,youhavebeforeyouhadtwodifferentTrumps.HadyouTwitterTrumpwhowasterrible,andthenyouhadteleprompterTrump
whichwaskindofembarrassinglybadbutnotalwaysterrible.YounowhaveathirdTrumpinperformanceandthatwasanactual,passablePresidentialTrump.The
speechwasnotthecarnageandwhatever,itwasuplifting.Hediditwell.Hedidthingsyouhaven'tseenhimdo,thingsthatpresidentsdo,likeusingAmericanstories
toadvanceanarrative.
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toadvanceanarrative.

COOPER:Imean,obviouslyhisreferencingCarrynOwensandthesacrificeofherhusband,Imean,that'ssomethingmanypresidents...

JONES:Yes.

COOPER:...havedonebefore.

JONES:Likeforinstancehavingmorethanoneemotion,like,youknow,rawterrorandangerbeingyouronlyemotionandsuddenlyhehadadifferentemotional
repertoire(ph).

Sohere'sthething.AsaDemocrat,whenyouseeasuddenimprovement,youhavetotakethatseriously.IthinkDemIthinkthevirushasmutated.Ithinkthathe
...

COOPER:Thevirusbeingthepresident.

JONES:TheTrumpvirus.

COOPER:OK.

JONES:Yes.WhatIwouldcalltheTrumpvirushasmutatedandIthinkthatliberalshavebeencountingonhimtoeverytimehepresentshimselftobesomeversion
ofaclownoracartoonvillainandsuddenlylastnighthedidn'tdoitandhelookedlikeapresident.

Now,that'salowbar,we'vehad40pluspresidentssomeofthemwereterrible,buthesuddenlylookedlikeapresident.Heknowshowdosomethinghedidnotknow
howtodobeforeandtheliberalshavetotakethatvery,veryseriouslyandtheydon'twantto.

COOPER:It'sinteresting,youknow,SteveBannonmadealotofnewswhenhesaidinsomeinterviewerthat,youknow,themediashouldshutuporclosetheir
mouthsorwhateveritwas,stoptalking,thatgotalotofattention.Theotherpartofthinghesaidwhichdidn'tgetalotofattentionwasthat,somanypeoplegotit
wrongduringtheelectionthatpeopleinthemedianeedtolistenmore.

[20:35:17]JONES:Yes.

COOPER:Iactuallythinkthat'sverytrue.Ithinkit'ssomethingyou'vebeendoingalot,goingoutontheroad,listeningtopeoplewithyourtownshall,andthat'sthe
truth.IsthatsomethingImeanthatseemslikeanechoofthatmessagetoliberalsyou'resayingtheyneedtolistenmoretowhat'sactuallygoingonoutthere.

JONES:Listen,becauseofthemessytruthI'vebeenabletogooutthere,I'vebeeninalltheswingstates,IwasjustdowninArizonaandI'mstartingtohearalittle
bitmoreofwhatthepeoplewholikeTrumpget.Ithinktheliberalsaredoingthisthingofsaying,wearegoingtoputhimontrialaboutprotocolandpoliteness.
There'saprotocolfortalkingtojournalistsandhe'snotdoingit,forjudgesandforspiesandfortheandwe'regoingtoputhimontrialaboutprotocoland
politeness.

Heisrunningamovementbasedonprideandprosperity.It'sacompletelydifferentappeal.Andso,thatIthinkcreatesthisyouknow,thismesswheretheliberals
areoutthereprotestingandtheindependentsaremovinghisway.Andthenguesswhat?It'sevenworsethanthat.Hemaytaketheprotocolcardaway.Hemay
actuallystartfollowingtheprotocol.Sothentheliberalsaregoingtogetbeatennotjustbecausewecan'tcompetewithhimonprideandprosperity,butwecan'tjust
demonizehimonprotocol.AndI'mlisten,I'vebeenscreamingaboutTrumpfortwoyears.
Home

Idon'tthinktheliberalsunderstandhimandonceagainIthinkliberalsareingravedangerofmissingthewholeplotuntilit'stoolate.

COOPER:VanJones,thanksverymuch.

We'rejustminutesawayatthetopofthehour.CNNishostingatownhallwithRepublicanSenatorsJohnMcCainandLindseyGraham,fiveweeksintotheTrump
presidency.

Theycontinuetobeatime(inaudible)inPres.Trumpside,breakingwiththeWhiteHouseonarangeofissues.DanaBashismonitoringthetownhall.Shejoinsme
now.

Dana,Imean,neitherofthesesenatorsisafraidtosaywhattheythinkcertainlyevenifitangers...DANABASH,CNNCHIEFPOLITICALCORRESPONDENT:
Yeah.

COOPER:...membersoftheirownparty.Whatdoyouexpecttoheartonight?
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COOPER:...membersoftheirownparty.Whatdoyouexpecttoheartonight?

BASH:You'reexactlyright.Youknow,hewasaccordingtoJohnMcCainandthepeoplearoundhimhewaskindoftheoriginalmaverickbackinthedayandthatis
certainlystillthecase.EveninIwouldsayespeciallywithDonaldTrumpintheWhiteHouse.

Thefactofthematterisasyou'vebeentalkingaboutallnight,thepresidentlaidoutaveryspecificagendalastnightbutonethatreallydoesdivergefromthe
conservativeidealsthatwe'veheardforso,somanyyearsparticularlyasitrelatestowhatJohnMcCainandLindseyGrahamsee.

Whenyou'retalkingabouttheworldandtheglobalperspectiveandpolicies,Imeantheycouldnotbemoredifferent.SowhenPres.Trumptalksaboutnationalism,
talksaboutturninginward,notspendingsomuchtime,money,andAmericanbloodoverseas,thatisnotsomethingnecessarilythatRepublicanslikeLindseyGraham
andJohnMcCainandfranklyledbyJohnMcCainandLindseyGrahamagreewith.

Sowe'regoingtobetalkingalotaboutAmerica'splaceintheworld,ontheworldstageandmanyothertopicstodiscussatthistownhalltonight.

COOPER:Allright,Ilookforwardtoit.Dana,thanksverymuch.That'sstartinginabout22minutesfromnow.AfterdesecrationaJewishcemeteriesanyrush(ph)
oftreatsagainstJewishschoolsandcommunitycenters,acloselookatthemessagesfromcomingfromthepresidentandthosewhoknow.

(COMMERCIALBREAK)

COOPER:OverthepastseveralweekstherehavebeenatleastahundredbombthreatstargetingJewishCommunityCentersandschoolsin33states.Tonightwe're
lookingtoresponsefromthepresidentandsomeofhissupporters.Oneofthepresident'sadvisers,AnthonyScaramuccitweetedthisyesterday,"It'snotyetclearwho
theJCCoffendersare.Don'tforgettheDemocrat'seffortstoinciteviolenceatTrumprallies."Onnewdaytoday,Scaramuccisaidthisaboutthattweet.

(BEGINVIDEOCLIP)

ANTHONYSCARAMUCCI,TRUMPADVISER:I'mnotsuggestingthatDemocratswerebehindit,whatIwassuggestinginthattweetisthatweactuallydon't
knowwho'sbehinditandsowhatyou'refindingthere'salotofallegationsbeingmadeandIthinkpeoplearesuggestingpotentiallythatitcanbeTrumpsupporters
behinditorpeoplethatareaffiliatedwiththepresidentorhisadministration.Ithinkthat'scategoricallyveryunfair.

(ENDVIDEOCLIP)COOPER:WeinvitedMr.Scaramuccitobeontheprogramtonight,heaccepted,andthenhecancelled.Asforthemessagecomingfromthe
presidenthimself,Mr.TrumpmetyesterdaywithStateAttorney'sGeneral,oneofthemPennsylvania'sJoshShapiroaskedaboutbombthreatsagainstJewishschools
anddesecrationofaJewishcemeteryinhishomestate.

ShapirosaysthepresidenttoldhimthatyouhavetobecarefulbecausethereversecanbetruewhichShapirotookasthepresidentsuggestingthetreatsand
vandalismcouldbedonetomakeotherslookbad.Laterthatnight,though,thepresidentsaidthisinhisspeechtoCongress.

(BEGINVIDEOCLIP)

TRUMP:RecentthreatstargetingJewishCommunityCentersandvandalismofJewishcemeteriesaswellaslastweek'sshootinginKansasCityremindusthatwhile
wemaybeanationdividedonpolicies,weareacountrythatstandsunitedincondemninghateandevilinallofitsveryuglyforums.

(ENDVIDEOCLIP)
Home

COOPER:Well,backwiththepanelandjoiningtheconversationisJonathanGreenblatt,theCEOandNationalDirectoroftheAntiDefamationLeague.

Jonathan,letmestartwithyou.Imean,there'stwothingsIreallywanttoaskyouabout.President'sveryclearstatementlastnightinhisspeechandthenthe
commentsheapparentlymadetoattorneysgeneralsfromvariousstatesearlierinthedayinwhichhetalkedaboutthereversepossiblybeingtrue.Howdoyou
reconcilethetwo?Whatyoumakeofthem?

JONATHANGREENBLATT,ANTIDEFAMATIONLEAGUE,CEOANDNATIONALDIRECTOR:Look,thecommentswerealleged.It'snotclearexactlywhat
hesaid.It'scompletelyunclearwhathemeant,butIthinkweshouldfocusonhowheopenedhisspeechlastnighttothefirstJointsessionofCongress.Hecould
havesentsignalsaboutmanythingsbuthechosetofocusonfightingAntiSemitismandhate.Wereallywelcomethat.Thatwasanotablechangefromwhatwe've
seen.Itwasincrediblymeaningful.

Nowthequestionis,Anderson,howhewillpivotfromwordstoaction?

COOPER:Youknow,duringthepressconferenceIcan'trememberifitwaslastweekortwoweeksago,areporterfromaJewishpublicationaskedthepresident
aboutAntiSemitismandthepresidentclearlytookitassomesortofpersonalslightorsuggestionthathewassomehownotdoingenoughandsaid,youknow,he's

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theleastAntiSemiticperson,youknow,you'veevermet.

[29:45:14]UNIDENTIFIEDFEMALE:Yeah.

COOPER:Itisoddhowpersonallyheseemstoviewthesequestions,even,asanassaultonhimself.KIRSTENPOWERS,CNNPOLITICALANALYST:Well,I
mean,Iguessyoucanunderstandit.AnybodywouldnotwanttobeaccusedofbeingAntiSemiticandhecertainlyhasbeenaccusedofatleasthaving,youknow,
supporterswhoareAntiSemitichavingretweetedawhitesupremacistsothepromisesandsoon.SohehasbeenassociatedwithAntiSemitism.I'dbedefensiveif
someoneaccusedmeofthat.Thatpersonalwasn'taccusinghimofthat.Sothat'swhat'sstrange,butitshowsit'sgottentohimanditreallybothershim.

AndIwouldbeinterestedtoknowwhatkindofconversationhehadafter,perhapswithIvankaabouthowhetreatedthatreporterbecauseitwasreallypretty
shamefulthewayhetreatedhim,consideringthatalsowasaskingintentionallyaskinghimprettyanicequestion.

So,but,look,evenwhat,youknow,AnthonyScaramucciwassayingevenhesortofcleanup,stillislike,theideathat,youknow,hejustsaiditbecausepeopleare
makingaccusationssothenhejustmadesomefalseaccusationagainstDemocrats.Imeanheactuallywassuggesting...

COOPER:Right,youdon'tneedto...

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER:Imean,Errol,youdon'tneedtwoseparateideasunlessyouareactuallymakingcomparisonbetweenthoseideas.

ERROLLOUIS,CNNPOLITICALCOMMENTATOR:That'sright.Andweshould,youknow,notefortherecordthatitwasareferencetosortofanonexistent
conspiracyofDemocratstoformviolenceatralliesearlierinthecampaignseason.

So,youknow,thisisthekindofmessagingthatiftheywanttheglowfromlastnighttoreallylastthey'regoingtohavetogetaholdof,they'regoingtohavetosort
ofreinpeoplewhenstopwiththeTwitterandbackandforthandhaveconspiracytheoriesandtrytosorttohaveaconsistentmessage.Imean,itwaswonderfulthat
theyledthisspeechoffwiththiscallthateverybodyhavesaidthepresidentwasoverduetomake.Itfeltalittlebitlikeitwaspastedonatthelastminute,butthat's
fine.Itwastherightthingtosay.Hesaiditearlyon,itsentaclearmessage.Iftheywantthattosortofbethefinalmessagethey'regoingtohavetoquieteverybody
elsedown.

COOPER:Jeff,andwhynothavehadthatmessageearlierandrepeatedlybecauseclearlyImean,Ithinkit'sIthinkwhatthepresidentsaidlastnightisareflection
ofhowheactually...

JEFFREYLORD,CNNPOLITICALCOMMENTATOR:IthinkitgoestowhatKirstenissaying.Ireallydothinkheisoffendedatthenotionthatpeoplewould
considerhimtobeAntiSemitic.

NoIthinkhe'sreallyoffendedbyit.AndsowhenthatreporterstoodupandaskedwhatwasfromhispointofviewaninnocentquestionIthinkthepresidentjumped
totheconclusionthat'swherehewasgoingandhewasn'tgoingtohavinganyofthat.Andso,therefore,Ithinkyousawthisinthebeginningofthatspeechinthe
stateoftheunionbecause(inaudible)andhismindhewantedtoputthistorestonceandforallanddosomethingaboutit.

Home
KAYLEIGHMCENANY,CNNPOLITICALCOMMENTATOR:Andhisresponsetothatreporter,bytheway,bearsmentioningcame24hoursafteranother
reporterinaseparateincident,separatequestionbasicallysaid,youknow,therearepeopleinIsraelwhoviewyouasracistandxenophobic,andthenyouhadthe
PrimeMinisterNetanyahuwhostandbesidehimandsaidknownPres.Trumpmywholelife.Thismanisnoneofthosethings.

Soitcame24hoursafterthatreallydefensivequestionwasasked,intoJeff'spointIthinkhisheadimmediatelywenttothisissimilarquestionthatIwasasked
yesterday.

GREENBLATT:CanIjustsaylikeIappreciateagainwhenhesaidlastnight,butthepeoplewhoshouldbedefensivehereisnotthepresident.Therehavebeenover
100bombthreatstoJewishinstitutionsinthepasttwomonths.We'retalkingaboutpreschoolagechildrenbeingpulledoutofcommunities.

LORD:Oneinmyhometownovertheweekend.

GREENBLATT:Myofficegotabombthreatlastweek.InmyofficeinSanFranciscoIgotabombtreatonMondaynight.Sotherealissuehereishowdoesthe
presidentpivotfromwordstoactions?

COOPER:Whatdoyouwanttoseehimdoing?

GREENBLATT:We'dliketoseenumberone,theDepartmentofJusticelaunchafullyresourcedcivilrightsinvestigationsotheculpritsarebroughttojustice.
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Numbertwo,wewanttoseethepresidentconveneainteragencytaskforcemaybetheAGcould(inaudible)it.ButIthinkthere'saneedtogetallthefederal
agenciesfolksonhowyoufighthate.Numberthree,HomelandSecurityshouldclarifythattheirprogramincounteringviolentextremismit'snotgoingtobereduced
tojustradicalIslam.

COOPER:Whichiswhatthecurrentidea.

GREENBLATT:It'saproblembutletmebeclear.NeoNazi'sandwhitesupremaciststheAltRight,thatisabigproblemaswell.Numberfour,it'scrucialthatthe
FBIgetstateandlocallawenforcementtraineduponhowtodealwithhatecrimes.Andthenfinally,Ithinkeducationisthebestpreventativemedicine.SoBetsy
DeVos,DepartmentofEducationshouldemphasizethevalueofantibias,antihateeducation.Theyhaveperfectname(ph)forthebudget.

COOPER:Youknow,Paul,sinceJonathanbringsuptheideaofnotjustfocusingon,youknow,radicalIslamandthethreat,terrorthreattotheU.S.,andveryreal
treatsfromwhitesupremacistswhichwehaveseentimeandtimeagainoverthedecades,thatissomethingthatthisWhiteHouseisplanningtodo,tokindofrefocus
theofficewhichtraditionallyhasdealtwithallextremismjustonradical...

PAULBEGAL,DEMOCRATICSTRATEGIST:Well,Idothinkthatwedoneedtobeclearaboutwords.Wordshavemeaning.Terrorismhasadefinitionanditis
notattacksbyMuslimsagainstnonMuslims.Thedefinitionofterrorismistheuseofviolenceortreatsagainstcivilianstopursueapoliticallane.Thosethreethings
happenedateveryoneofthe100treatsagainstJCCenters,JewishCommunityCenters,theyshouldbecalledactsofterrorismbecausetheyare.Andourpresident
whospokewonderfullyaboutitlastnightshoulddoeverythingJonathanjustsuggestedandactonthis.

[20:50:24]He'ssettingupanewofficeintheJusticeDepartmenttofocusonvictimsofcrimecommittedbyundocumentedimmigrants,eventhoughimmigrantshave
alowercrimeratethanthenativebornpopulation.Whynotexpandthatfocustothisincrediblesadnewepidemic?

COOPER:Andwe'veseenthis,Imean,undertheObamaadministrationaswell.We'veseenriseinthesource(ph)ofhatecrimes.

MARGARETHOOVER,CNNPOLITICALCOMMENTATOR:Look,andwhatweknowiswhenthepresidentoftheUnitedStatescomesoutandspeaksstrongly
aboutsomething,ithelpschangethetone,right?Sothat'swhyitwassoimportantthathestartedthisspeechlastnight.That'swhywe'dhope(ph)ashecontinuesto
Imean,look,tosayactionsalsomatterwhenhedoesandpursue,butifhecontinuestotoethisline,tospeakstronglyagainstnotonly,youknow,terrible
thingssaidagainsttheJewishcommunitybutalsoabouttheMuslimcommunity.Therehavebeenfourattacksonmosquesinthelasttwoweeksaswell.Imean,a
presidentandaleaderneedstospeakstronglyaboutsecuringthesafetyofallAmericans,includingMuslimAmericans.

POWERS:Yeah,andtherewereIndians.

HOOVER:IndianAmerican...

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER:...mentionedlastnight.

Home
POWERS:Yeah,youknow,killedbecauseoneofthemwaskilled,oneofthemwasinjuredbecausesomebodythoughtthattheywereMuslims,youknow.Imean,
thesearereallyserious,scarycrimesthatneedtobeaddressed.

MCENANY:Iagreeabouttheimportanceofspeakingoutagainstallviolence100percent.There'snoplaceinsocietyforit.But,youknow,alotoftheDemocratic
argumentsbeingmadenowaboutspeakingoutaboutcertain(inaudible)theviolence,Republicansweremakingjustayearago,twoyearsagowhentheysaid,you
know,Pres.Obama,pleasespeakoutaboutthenumberofpoliceofficerskilledinthelineofduty,howthatnumberisgoingupcontinually.Sothesamesortoflogic
wasusedbyRepublicancommentatorsfouryearsago,oneyearago.

BEGALA:Butthat'snotpoliticalviolence.Thatishorrible.Weshouldspeakoutagainst.Butthat'scrime.Unlessthere'sagroup,andtheremightbe,purposefully
targetingcops,andthatisterrorism.ButIdo,that'swhyIthinkweshouldbepreciseaboutourlanguage.DylannRoofisaterrorist.Heattackedpeopleforpolitical
end.Andweshouldcallhimaterroris.AndwetendtonotusethatwordagainstpeoplewhoarenotMuslims.

COOPER:Iwanttothankeverybodyinthepanel.

Comingup,Americauncovered.AftercampaigningheavilyinIowaandwinningthestatebyninepoints,morepeopleinIowanowdisapprovethanapproveofthe
jobthepresidentisdoing.Therecentpolling,thispollingdownbeforelastnight'sspeech,weshouldpointout.

We'llhearwhatvotersinIowathoughtofthepresident'sspeech.

AndstaytunedatthetopofthehourfortheCNNTownHall,SenatorsJohnMcCainandLindseyGraham.We'llberightback.
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AndstaytunedatthetopofthehourfortheCNNTownHall,SenatorsJohnMcCainandLindseyGraham.We'llberightback.

(COMMERCIALBREAK)

[20:56:21]COOPER:Intonight'sAmericauncovered,we'regoingtohearfromvotersinIowa,astatewherePres.Trumpwonbyninepercentagepoints,butthestate
wherehe'sunderwaterinjobapproval.InaFebruarypollbytheDesMoinesRegister,49percentofIowansdisapprovethejobthepresidentisdoing,42percent
approve.GaryTuchmanspokewithvotersinIowatofindoutwhattheythoughabouthisspeechlastnight.

(BEGINVIDEOCLIP)

GARYTUCHMAN,CNNNATIONALCORRESPONDENT:HereinConway,Iowa,opinionsaboutPres.DonaldTrump'sperformancelastnightarepilinguplike
thesemountainsofcorncobs.ThesafetydirectoroftheGreenProductsCompanyvotedforDonaldTrump.AndJeffMartinwhoalsohappenstobeMayorof
Conwaywaskeenlyinterestedinthepresident'sspeechlastnight.

JEFFMARTIN,VOTEDFORDONALDTRUMP:Ifeellikehewaspresidential.Ifeellike,youknow,obviously,hedidreadfromtheteleprompterandusednotes,
whichIthinkisfine.Presidentsdothatwhentheydospeeches,andIthinkstickingtothatisagoodthing.

TUCHMAN:Doyouthinkhe'scapableofcontinuingtosticktoit?

MARTIN:Ithinkheis.

TUCHMAN:WewatchedthespeechlastnightinnearbyMarshalltown.WhileTrumpvotersintheCalvinRockettbarweremostlyoptimisticabouttheTrump
presidency.

DEREKSHIELDS,VOTEDFORDONALDTRUMP:Ithinkhe'striedtodowhathesaidhewasgoingtodo,andIapproveofthat.

TUCHMAN:Therewerealsoconcernsabouthowhistermhasstarted.

ZACHPAPPAS,VOTEDFORDONALDTRUMP:Someofhisdecisions,Iguess,havebeenalittleshaky,Iwouldsay.

TUCHMAN:Doesthattroubleyou?PAPPAS:Slightly,yes.

TUCHMAN:WhatdoyouthinkofthejobDonaldTrumphasdoneinhisfirstmonth?

UNIDENTIFIEDMALE:He'sstruggling.

TUCHMAN:Hasanythingintheearlypartofhispresidencyconcernedyouabouthisbehavior,thewayhe'sdealtwithcertainissues?
Home

MARTIN:Well,alittlebitof,youknow,someofhiscommunicationwiththeTwitterandIthinkthatheneedstodevelopsomekindofrelationshipwiththemedia,
soit'snotsuchadifficultthingbetweenthetwo.

TUCHMAN:AttheCentralIowafarmstoreinMarshalltown,alltheemployeeswetalkedtowhosaidtheyvotedforPres.Trump.Oneofthemiscoowner,Cherie
Casady.

Hastherebeenanypointsincehe'sbeenpresidentwhereyousaidtoyourself,I'malittleconcernedwithallthecontroversy,withallthearguing?

CHERIECASADY,VOTEDFORDONALDTRUMP:JustabouteverytimehegetsonTwitter.IjustreallywishaspresidentoftheUnitedStatesthathewasn'ton
Twitter.Butthatwouldbeaboutmyonlyconcern.Ifeellikehiscommunicationshouldnotbemanagedthroughsocialmedia.

TUCHMAN:LookingoverthenewcornplanterisherhusbandTomtheownerofthebusinesswhoagreeswithhiswifebutwantedtoemphasizethis.

TODDCASADY,VOTEDFORDONALDTRUMP:IthinkDonaldTrumphasdoneatremendousjob.He'shadalotofpromisesthroughhiscampaignthathe's
holdingup,andhe'sgettingthejobdone.

TUCHMAN:MostoftheTrumpvoterswe'vetalkedtointhispartofIowasaythepresidenthasmademistakesbutbelievethecriticismhasbeenoverblown,that
peoplearemakingamountainoutofamolehill.

Areyoudisappointedwithhimatallaspresident?

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MARTIN:Notyet.Notyet.

TUCHMAN:Imean,doyouthinkyoucouldbe?Isthatwhyyousaynotyet?

MARTIN:Well,youknow,Ithinkitremainstobeseen.LikeIsaid,Ithinkthatweneedtogivehimsometimeand,youknow,seewhereitgoes.

(ENDVIDEOCLIP)

TUCHMAN:WetalkedtoquiteafewIowanswhovotedforHillaryClinton,Anderson.AndmanyofthemsaidDonaldTrumpdidmakeagoodspeech.But
preciselynoneofthemsaidthatwasextremelysignificant.OnewomantellingusthatBarackObama,GeorgeW.Bush,BillClinton,GeorgeH.W.Bush,beforehim
allgavelotsofgreatspeechesandthat'swhatyouwouldexpectfromapresident,Anderson.

COOPER:Allright.Gary,thanksverymuch.

TimenowtohanditovertoDanabash.TonightwehaveaCNNTownHall,SenatorJohnMcCainandLindseyGrahamstatsnow.Enjoy.

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