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Schultz Responds to Blowback; Harris' Medicare For All; Maduro Agrees to Talks; Goodell Faces Questions. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired January 30, 2019 - 06:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:34:00] ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz speaking out to CNN's Poppy Harlow and he is defiant amid the blowback that he's gotten from Democrats primarily about a possible independent run in 2020.

We are joined by Poppy Harlow, who spoke with Schultz, as well as John Avlon and senior writer and analyst for CNN Politics, Harry Enten.

Harry, let me start with you, OK, because he thinks that there's a lane. Harry Schultz believes that there is a lane that is not covered by say Kamala Harris or Elizabeth Warren and Donald Trump. You crunched these numbers.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN POLITICS SENIOR WRITER AND ANALYST: I mean we'll see, you know, if Harris ends up being the nominee.

One of the things I think we often --

CAMEROTA: Well, you know what I mean.

ENTEN: Sure.

CAMEROTA: I mean by a progressive Democrat --

ENTEN: Right.

CAMEROTA: Versus Donald Trump. Is there a wide lane in the middle for an independent?

ENTEN: I don't know if there's necessarily a wide lane. I think people often get confused between thinking that someone's an independent, which is that number we hear over and over again, you know, 40 percent of Americans are independent, and thinking that all those independents are centrist. There are plenty of independents on the left and there are plenty of independents on the right.

[06:35:00] I'm just not -- I know John may disagree with me on this one, but I'm not sure that there's necessarily this lane that he expects there to be. Look at 2016, right? You had Hillary Clinton, the least liked Democratic candidate of all time, against Donald Trump, the least liked Republican candidate of all time, and Gary Johnson and Jill Stein combined for, what, 5 percent, 6 percent, 7 percent of the vote. I know that Howard Schultz would be able to spend a lot of money. But at the end of the day, if you go back through our history, I'm just not sure that lane is necessarily there.

JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Look, look, look, first of all, independents, they're -- you're right, it's a bell curve because there are almost 45 percent of self-identified, ten states where they registered independents outnumber Democrats and Republicans. So it is a representative sample of the United States. There are still more moderates than Democrats or Republicans and Schultz isn't wrong to look at politics and say, you know what, the two parties have gotten more polarized and there are a lot of politically homeless folks in the middle. And if the Democrats go, you know, nominate Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren, there could be space in the middle. That's not crazy.

The problem is, is he the right guy at the right time? And folks are understandably concerned that if you split the opposition to Donald Trump, that could create a (INAUDIBLE) path for him through the middle.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: And, Poppy, you noted he has no infrastructure, no party. He also doesn't really have any proposals as far as I can tell.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR, "NEWSROOM": Right. So I pushed him. Again, thank you guys for pushing the full interview on the podcast because we sat for an hour. So we really got into the issues, right?

And I said, OK, if you don't like -- for example, on taxes, he hates Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Congresswoman Cortez's 70 percent marginal tax rate plan. He scoffed at Elizabeth Warren's wealth tax. And I said, so what's your tax -- you know, what's your tax plan? Is it raising corporate taxes significantly? Because he hates -- he doesn't like the corporate tax cut. But he said, I'm not running for president yet. I don't have a plan yet.

And on -- same thing on healthcare, he laid out in more detail there. So -- so that becomes a question. If you've thought about it for this long, when -- when do you share those plans with the American people? Is it only in three to six months if you decide if you're running or not, right? And do they want to hear it now, because he's in the headlines now?

I mean you make a really good point.

BERMAN: Yes, I -- so the other thing that I thought was fascinating, and I don't know if it was in that piece, but I read the transcript of your interview, and he was all upset that what he called the elites aren't responding to his candidacy. That's all he has. He has 60 minutes. He's got a cable show. Not -- I mean who will listen to him for 20 minutes. The elites are the ones listening to him.

I have statistics that I want to read to you because I think it's stunning. So Marianne Williamson is a spiritual self-help guide --

AVLON: Yes. BERMAN: Who announced she's running for president this week.

AVLON: Yes. I don't think we're covering that enough.

BERMAN: OK, but can I tell you why.

CAMEROTA: Oprah's guy.

BERMAN: She's got -- you know how many Twitter followers she has? 2.6 million.

AVLON: Yes.

BERMAN: You know how many Twitter followers Howard Schultz has? 65,000.

AVLON: He just joined.

HARLOW: He joined Twitter on Sunday.

BERMAN: Probably gained some more.

AVLON: Just joined.

BERMAN: You know how many best-selling books she has. She's got four best-selling books. And he's got a book that's number ten right now.

CAMEROTA: Is that what gets you elected.

BERMAN: I'm just -- I'm just -- I'm just saying, the coverage of him, the interest in him is, in some fields, including our own, is so disproportionate to the public outcry for Howard Schultz.

AVLON: Look, first of all, Starbucks is a ubiquity in American life. He does have a great story in terms of coming up from real poverty, a real self-made millionaire, which is, you know, rather than the fake one that's currently occupying the Oval Office.

And, look, right now the Democratic Party field is so big, you're right, the Marianne Williamson and these other folks, everybody's in the pool. It's almost more newsworthy than -- more newsworthy when the L.A. Mayor Garcetti doesn't get in the race.

That said, he's been flirting with a run for so long, which is why it's totally fair to criticize him for saying, hey, you've thought about this for ten years, it's not about a public outcry, it's something you really want to do, something you really believe. Have a plan when you come out of the gate.

HARLOW: Let me tell you --

CAMEROTA: I don't know what you mean by Starbucks being ubiquitous.

ENTEN: I don't even know what that word means.

HARLOW: Hey, that is my -- that is my moment of zen for not only in the morning but week, Ali.

Let me -- let me tell you this. I am not convinced, having covered him for more than a decade, that America knows his story. And this is about if he can convince enough people that his story and his path can help him being a strong leader for this country. So whether they read the book or not or they hear him or this coverage continues, he did grow up in -- in the -- in public housing in Brooklyn, New York. He was abused by his father. He was beaten to a pulp in the shower with blood running down the drain and it drove him to build this company that, as we know, was more than a coffee company, that does give healthcare to people who work part time, that does help send people to college.

So he had a big business failure with the Seattle Supersonics and that matters. He writes about it in the book. A big failure there. Are enough people going to be convinced that story is different from the Donald Trump story a white New York billionaire --

CAMEROTA: Yes.

HARLOW: And are they going to be convinced that that is enough to lead this country without any political experience? Are they going to learn that story?

CAMEROTA: That's compelling. That's compelling.

HARLOW: We'll see.

CAMEROTA: I think that he -- on his book tour he'll talk about that.

Let's talk about Kamala Harris. So she's also introducing herself to the country, as we saw this week as she did the town hall.

BERMAN: The most watched cable town meeting ever, which is interesting.

CAMEROTA: Ever. Ever.

AVLON: That says a lot.

BERMAN: Yes.

CAMEROTA: So people are compelled by her story.

HARLOW: Yes.

CAMEROTA: And they do want to know more about her, it turns out. And so one of the things that she said that got a lot of attention was Medicare for all. So let's just play that moment from the town hall.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN MODERATOR: So for people out there who like their insurance, what -- they don't get to keep it?

[06:40:05] SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, listen, the idea is that everyone gets access to medical care. And you don't have to go through the process of going through an insurance company, having them give you approval, going through the paperwork, all of the delay that may require. Who of us has -- has not had that situation where you've got to wait for approval and the doctor says, well, I don't know if your insurance company is going to cover this. Let's eliminate all of that. Let's move on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Where are the polls on this, Harry?

ENTEN: Well, you know, if you ask people if they want Medicare for all, they'll overwhelming approve. But then you ask them whether or not you want to eliminate private insurers, and they overwhelmingly disapprove. Andi think this is the -- you know, it's like, where is the American public exactly? But I think that this is the tight rope that a lot of Democrats will have to walk here because there are many Democrats who want a Medicare for all system.

But the center of the electorate, once they hear about eliminating private insurers, will balk at this.

AVLON: That's right.

ENTEN: And this is something we saw with Barack Obama and his healthcare plan was, when you were talking about in generalities, a lot of people liked it. But then when you started attacking it, and its specifics, a lot of people moved against it and it cost Democrats many seats in the 2010 midterms.

AVLON: And, look, you know, by the end of this, Republicans are going to be the strongest defenders of Obamacare because it is -- has never been a government takeover of health care as the Tea Party attacked it. It has always been a heritage created plan backed by Mitt Romney. So -- but the Democrats -- it's a sign of how far left the Democratic field is moving. And when people like Schultz or Bloomberg warn about the cost, they're being shouted down.

But people are going to be in favor of choice and coverage, not eliminating and all the -- all the things that go with that, including jobs, as Howard Schultz put it out in Poppy's interview.

CAMEROTA: All right, John, Poppy, Harry, thank you very much.

HARLOW: Thanks, guys.

CAMEROTA: Thanks for sharing it with us.

Check out Poppy's podcast.

BERMAN: It's really an interesting interview. And the whole thing is worth paying attention to.

HARLOW: Berman, appreciate it.

CAMEROTA: All right, Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro now says he's willing to negotiate with the opposition. New details on how he's trying to block that leader, next.

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[06:45:57] BERMAN: More protests against Nicolas Maduro's regime are expected today in Venezuela as the embattled president announces he is willing to negotiate with the opposition.

Meantime, White House sources are down-playing the notion of U.S. forces being sent to neighboring Colombia after the words 5,000 troops to Colombia were spotted on National Security Adviser John Bolton's notepads. I wonder why people got the idea he might be thinking about it?

CNN's Nick Paton Walsh is live in Bogota, in neighboring Colombia, with the very latest.

Nick.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John, an absolutely key day for the opposition inside of Venezuela. They've been called out onto the streets by the man who's declared himself interim president and been recognized as such by the United States and many other countries, Juan Guaido. How many will be out there and will it be peaceful? That's the key question. It's been peaceful so far and frankly after a few hours people have gone home after expressing their anger.

But we're into a different world here, frankly. Nicolas Maduro, the embattled president, says he will negotiate with the opposition. He's said that before. But he's also ruled out what many people outside in the international community are demanding, and that's new elections, warning the United States continuing its pressure on Caracas here to not turn this into another Vietnam.

Now, for his part, Donald Trump has tweeted in just the last 20 minutes or so warning Americans not to travel to Venezuela until further notice, talking about these talks with the opposition and Maduro and also the large protests expected today. It's all about the military here, really. Do they see the numbers on the streets and think perhaps Nicolas Maduro's grip on power is weakening? He's got some serious problems financially because the U.S. is sanctioning many of his bank accounts and the key Venezuela oil company that gives him billions of dollars to keep the elite around him and the military very much on his side.

I don't think he's really faced as much pressure as he's facing before now. But I have to say, inside that country a week ago, you didn't get the feeling it was necessarily on the brink some massive change. We'll have to see if today's protests changes that.

Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: OK, Nick, it changes every day. Thank you very much for covering it for us.

So ten days after that no call that may have sent wrong team to the Super Bowl.

BERMAN: It does.

CAMEROTA: Yes, I agree with you, it really appears to have, yes. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell may address it, John, for the first time today. So there.

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[06:52:31] BERMAN: So, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will give his annual state of the league address today and he's got to answer some big questions, particularly for the people of New Orleans.

Andy Scholes is live in Atlanta with more.

Hey, Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, John.

You know, for some reason, Roger Goodell and the league decided not to address the blown call in the Saints/Rams game at all last week despite repeated attempts by CNN and others to get a comment. So that blown call and the officiating and just why the league decided not to say anything at all, that will surely be a topic of discussion during the press conference this afternoon. It's going to get started at 1:00 Eastern.

In the meantime, the NFL canceling Maroon 5's halftime show press conference that was scheduled for Thursday. The NFL said the artists will at their show do the talking as they prepare to take the stage this Sunday. This year's act has been in the news because many artists had said they would not do the Super Bowl halftime show in support of Colin Kaepernick.

All right, on Sunday, Tony Romo's going to call his first Super Bowl alongside Jim Nance on CBS. And this season fans have really been in awe of Romo's ability to predict plays before they happen. And I caught up with Romo yesterday and asked him how he does it.

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TONY ROMO, CBS SPORTS ANALYST: You just try and look at plays, players, mannerisms, everything, and then you try and just hopefully make it fun for the viewers at home. And, you know, just passion comes out and you're trying to, you know, show that passion to people at home. And, you know, you study something long enough in your life, hopefully you get lucky once in a while.

SCHOLES: And with your ability to see what's happening on the field, many people think you've got a future in coaching. Will we ever see Coach Romo in the Super Bowl?

ROMO: Not anytime soon, but I'm sure at some point in the future I'll want to do that part of it, but just not right now. Just like where life is and I've got young boys and I want to spend time with them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Interesting Romo said that coaching is in his future. He also gave a prediction for the score of the game. Alisyn, he said it's going to be 28-24. He did not say who would win.

BERMAN: Awe. I need to know that because Tony Romo's pretty much right about everything.

SCHOLES: He's always right, yes.

BERMAN: So it would be helpful to know that.

All right, Andy, that was terrific. Thanks so much.

SCHOLES: All right.

CAMEROTA: All right, here now, your late night laughs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY FALLON, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JIMMY FALLON": This morning President Trump tried to talk about global warning in a tweet, but he spelled it wrong. Take a look. He wrote global waming. He was like, global warming is a hoax, but global waming is very real.

[06:55:00] SETH MEYERS, HOST, "LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS": Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz was heckled at his book event last night by a protester who yelled at him, quote, don't help to elect Trump you egotistic billionaire (EXPLETIVE DELETED), but it was probably just the coffee talking.

STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, "THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT": Schultz is considering running for president as a centrist independent, which is the politically correct term for most obnoxious guy at the dinner party.

Now, you may be wondering what a centrist intendent believes, and you're going to keep wondering because when Schultz was asked what the thought the corporate tax rate should be, he said, I don't want to talk in the hypothetical about what I would do if I was president. That's literally the only thing you're supposed to be doing while running for president. What, instead of, yes, we can, it's, what will we?

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BERMAN: So when he says it it's a joke. I bring it up yesterday, oh, no, no, no. But when he says it, it's all funny.

CAMEROTA: I know. That -- it's not fair but somehow it is funnier when it comes out of Stephen Colbert's mouth.

BERMAN: It's true.

CAMEROTA: But I do feel like you're writing his jokes for him because you said that yesterday. So I feel like maybe he took a little page from the John Berman's school of thought.

BERMAN: One word about that, residuals.

A polar plunge for the ages. Most of the nation facing life- threatening and historic, cold temperatures. We have it all covered for you, next.

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[07:00:05] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These conditions are and can be life threatening.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The single lowest

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