now. hello, thanks for joining me. i'm martin savidge in for fredricka whitfield. following breaking news this hour. a major change at the top of the country's powerful lobbying group, the national rifle association. lieutenant colonel oliver north says that he has been told he won't be renominated as the organization's president. this follows reports that north was reportedly locked in a power struggle with long-time ceo wayne la pierre. ryan young joins me with the latest. what exactly is oliver north saying about this? >> yes, some real drama playing out with the nra convention. oliver north has been asked to step down. it seems there is a fight over how money has been potentially mismanaged, the internal power struggle over fun funds has boiled over leading to oliver north being told he was never wanted. before going, north wanted to have a letter that he wrote read outloud, a letter that we have a copy of and in part reads, there

is a clear crisis, that needs to be dealt with immediately, and responsibly. so the nra can continue to focus on protecting our second amendment. i have been on the nra board for more than two decades. it was a great privilege to serve as president, this past year, an honor only second to serving our country. obviously you see he didn't necessarily want to leave, but it looks like he is going to have to leave. one thing that he did sort of point out here, he believes the funds being mismanaged could put their nonprofit status in jeopardy, which we know that's a huge deal. >> oliver north is still considered a hero by many people, and now, to see him sort of shown the exit, this isn't the last we're going to hear of him. >> i'm sure the power struggle will play out because there are probably members who don't like the way this played out today? >> ryan young, thanks. we want to bring in mike spes who joins us on the telephone who has written about the nra for "the new yorker" and a staff writer for "the trace,"

a news organization dedicated to look at gun violence. tell us first, it is interesting for us who may not so intently follow the nra, what are the roots of this power struggle? this seems to have come out of nowhere. >> well, it didn't, i mean yes, it seems to have come out of nowhere, in the public, but it has been playing out for the last year behind the scenes. basically, things came to a head, over the summer, around the time that the organization held an audit committee meeting and a lot of things came to light that had been previously hidden from the organization, and the most important board members that sort of conduct financial oversight. and that basically involves a vast number of problematic financial arrangements, chief among them was the most longstanding one with the pr firm that is responsible for the vast majority of the nra's messaging, and also by the way pays oliver north. >> so when i was reading about this, i was wondering where was the nra board going to come down

on, whose side, and now it appears pretty obvious the board must have come down on the side of la pierre, right? >> yes. they sided with wayne. it's sort of fascinating what's happened. because it should be very, it should be known to everybody, that wayne, wayne lapierre's relationship with ackerman mcqueen goes back to 1991 when he rose to the nra's top post. he has relied on them extensively. they ultimately created his public image. so the fact that all of a sudden he has now turned on them, ultimately to save himself is, a huge, huge deal. it's a remarkable turn of events. no one would have ever, any insider would have told you no one with would have imagined this day would ever come but right now he is in survival mode. and oliver north also is in survival mode. most people at the top at the organization, though not everybody, have in some way or other contributed to this mess. and right now, it's kind of like, as a friend of mine said,

it is kind of like game of thrones and they're all trying to be the one to outlast the other. >> you know, those i know who are fans of the nra are also fans of oliver north. not all, but there are many, who do consider him a hero, because of how he served in the reagan administration, and the contra movement there. what is likely the fallout to be of his departure? in other words, could it divide membership? >> yes, i think it absolutely could divide members. he's a hero. before he became board president, he was always among the most popular board members, the membership reviewers, and he's also revered within the organization, and the conservative movement in general, and i think there is going to be a ton of anger, and that's on top of what members have now discovered, which is that, you know, all of this, all of this financial mismanagement, the self dealing, the sweetheart deals, these gratuitous contracts, they're all finally, it is all spilling out into the

open, and i think it will be very obvious to a lot of them that this was not really decisive action so much as just a power play. >> i believe the nra was already having issues when it came to membership, and this is only likely to exacerbate it. play this forward. i mean how bad could this be for the nra? >> i mean the worst case scenario and i think one of the things that the organization fears the most, in addition to losing its nonprofit status, or getting the charter yanked, which is possible is, just a massive member-based class action lawsuit. the vast majority of the nra's funds come from its members. you know, dues, that sort of thing. they're not very good at cultivating big donors, so they would have, they do have standing to sue. and they, i'm sure, as they're learning about all of the details of all of these various business arrangements, and what it has cost them, they probably are going to start to feel cheated, and that their money has been misspent. and ultimately, not entirely, but in plenty of instances, has

just essentially enriched a small group of people and contractors. >> this was not the convention they thought it was going to be, at least for the conventioneers who showed up for it. mike, thank you very much for joining us today, and for your insights. appreciate it. still ahead, president trump not backing down. and not apologizing about his response to the white supremacist rally in charlottesville. we will speak with a university of virginia professor who saw the march firsthand and what he thinks of the president's new defense. that will be next. the lexus es. every curve, every innovation, every feeling. a product of mastery. lease the 2019 es 350 for $389 a month for 36 months. experience amazing at your lexus dealer. yesss, i'm doing it all. the water. the exercise. the fiber. month after month, and i still have belly pain and recurring constipation.

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new polling numbers are giving us an updated look on how the american public views president trump following the release of the redacted mueller report. the "washington post," abc news poll, reveals that 47% of americans believe the president did try to interfere in the russia investigation, and that he obstructed justice. but in that same poll, a majority also said they do not believe congress should start impeachment proceedings. right now, the president is golfing with the japanese prime minister before heading to the midwest to hold a campaign rally to celebrate the latest blockbuster numbers on the economy. and joining us now is cnn white house correspondent boris sanchez with more on these numbers and what the president has planned for the remainder of

the day. hello, boris. >> reporter: president trump spent the morning golfing with the japanese prime minister shinzo abe, the two leaders with plenty to talk about, not only the upcoming bilateral trade negotiations between the two countries and securing that region and ongoing efforts by the united states to denuclearize north korea. it is unlikely we will hear from the president when he returns here to the white house, which should happen in just a short while but we will be hearing from the president later tonight. he is holding a rally, in green bay, wisconsin, and sort of counter programming the white house correspondents dinner which is set to take place tonight in washington, d.c. the president is not attending in any of the years in office that the event has been held. president trump, despite touting successful jobs numbers, and great numbers on the economy overall, which we will likely hear about tonight, that 3.2% gdp growth, we saw in the first quarter, over last year, his approval rating simply hasn't really moved. it's at 39%, according to a poll by the "washington post," and

abc news. ultimately, it hasn't moved in months, possibly years even. hovering from that mid-30s to low 40 percentage points. it simply appears that the president is not convincing a majority of the american public that he is doing a good job despite the strong economy and despite that the mueller report for the most part left him relative unscathed save for questions about obstruction of justice. keep in mind that approval rating, those numbers were captured after the release of the redacted report. and they asked people about their thoughts on the report. look at how many people believe the president is lying about the probe. some 58% of those asked, believing that the president was untruthful in this investigation. it kind of paints a picture of where he stands, especially going into 2020. we will likely hear him talk about potential opponents tonight in green bay. he actually spoke about one of them just yesterday, before heading to an event in indiana. joe biden, the president

attacking the former vice president over his age, despite biden being only about four years older than president trump. the president says that biden makes him feel like a vibrant young man. martin? >> yeah, that polling is just fascinating. and disturbing at the same time. boris sanchez, thanks very much. good to see you. it has been nearly two years now, since white nationalists descended on charlottesville, virginia. >> jews will not replace us. >> carrying torches, yelling anti-semitism and racist chant, the president is once again defending his remarks about that tragic event. you might remember, how white nationalists clashed with protesters and then later a counter-protester was killed, when she was hit by a car. joe biden slammed president trump for his handling of charlottesville, as he announced his 2020 presidential run this

week. >> he said there were quote some very fine people on both sides. very fine people on both sides? >> and now, the president is once again trying to clarify his words, what he meant. >> he said there was hatred, there was violence. >> yes, i think there's blame on both sides. you look at both sides, i think there's blame on both sides and i have no doubt about it and you don't have any doubt about it either. >> you will see that that question was answered perfectly. and i was talking about people that went, because they felt very strongly about the monument to robert e. lee, a great general, whether you like it or not. >> the president's latest explanation drew this sharp response from the university of virginia's larry sabato who was in charlottesville during the rallies and violence. he tweeted, you know what i heard that weekend, not one single comment about robert e. lee, but i did hear racial slurs and the chants, jews will not

replace us, and into the ovens. very fine people, indeed. larry joins me now. he is the director for the center for politics at the university of virginia. thank you very much for being with us today. >> thank you for having me. >> so judging by your tweet, due agree with the president's, you don't agree with the president's latest explanation. tell us more about your thoughts. >> sure. you're certainly right. i don't agree with it. he keeps making it worse. he keeps taking the scab off and rubbing salt really in the wounds. what he said, martin, was very interesting. not so much by reiterating what he has said so many times before, but by saying he said it perfectly. perfectly. if he said it perfectly, why did his chief of staff look so distressed when he said it at the trump tower? why did his chief economic adviser, gary cohn, dictate a letter of resignation and almost

submit it, and on and on? clearly, he didn't do it perfectly. but this is our president. he has to insist that everything he does is absolutely correct all the time. he has to win every debate. and he will go back two years, and cause additional problems, if he has to do it. >> it's obvious that joe biden purposefully placed this within his opening speech, as he declares his presidency, because he knew that this was a very dark moment, a very low moment of approval ratings for the president. i'm wondering it could have been a moment, where the president, instead of fighting back, decided to say, let me be perfectly clear. this was wrong. in other words, he didn't. and i'm wondering, was this a missed opportunity? >> oh, absolutely, it was a missed opportunity. and martin, he has had so many missed opportunities. many of us who have been around through a lot of presidencies have been waiting for the moment since before he took office when

he would reach out beyond his base, and if not reunite american, at least try to, at least say some things that would appeal to key constituencies in the country. it would actually do him political good. but he just doesn't do it. at least not in any sustained way. he simply is happy by exciting his base, and agitating them, and trying to get a maximum turnout in 2020 from them, and maybe it will work, but it certainly doesn't work for the country. >> and from what you know of the whole community of charlottesville, you were there, how are they responding now to this renewed debate over this? >> oh, there's tremendous resentment. by the way, that includes many conservative republicans that we have here. you know, we're a university community. and it's more diverse than many university critics out there really understand. we just don't see any reason for him to do this. we don't understand why he is so

stubborn about this. of course, he is on so many things. but it's not helpful, and it doesn't help him. forget about all of the damage he's doing, it doesn't help him. >> and do you think that, you know, those that support him, his constituency, do you think that they're going to turn on him, on this subject? or is it just oh, well? >> not a chance. not a chance. most of them believe absolutely anything he says. look on twitter. and then they rewrite history with him. they let him direct them in rewriting history. why he didn't mean anything about that very fine people on both sides. why he wasn't referring to the neo-nazis and the white nationalists. no, he was talking about the people supporting the robert e. lee statue. martin, i'm here to tell you that what happened in charlottesville only incidentally had something to do with the robert e. lee statue. none of the advertisements from

this unite the right group, which is neo-nazi, openly neo-nazi, using nazi symbol, none of it mentioned the statue. they were here to push their sick ideology, which should be roundly condemned by everyone, or at least every sensible person. >> larry sabato, we appreciate you being here setting the record straight. thank you. >> thank you, martin. in other news, the mueller report shed new light on russia's interference in 2016, in the election, including possible attacks on a county in florida. why some are saying the investigation hasn't gone far enough. r that crisps, with the best of pressure cooking and air frying all in one. with our tendercrisp technology, you can quickly cook food, juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside. go from fresh to deliciously done in half the time. which means it may become the only thing you use in your kitchen. (tapping) for cooking, at least.

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speaking publicly for the first time since the release of the mueller report, deputy attorney general rod rosenstein is defending himself over his handling of that report. and describing russia's attempts to undermine the 2016 elections, as quote, only the tip of the iceberg. here's what he told his audience about his role in the mueller investigation. >> i did pledge to do it right. and to take it to the appropriate conclusion. i did not promise to report all results to the public, because

as my fellow u.s. attorneys would know well, grand jury investigations are ex parte proceedings. it is not our job to render conclusive factual finds. we just decide whether it is appropriate to file criminal charges. >> cnn's marshal cohen is in washington and another part of the mueller report that is just now getting attention is the claim that russian hackers infiltrated one in florida county, ahead of the 2016 election. the fbi will meet with the governor and senator rick scott. i'm wondering, what are they hoping to learn, besides the name of the county? >> they do, they think it is a pretty simple answer, right? who got hacked? it's been more than two years since the 2016 election. that answer has still not been furnished. we're talking about this now because that piece of information did come out, new information, from the mueller report, that in addition to some of the hacks of election vendors, in florida, illinois, and other locations, one of the

counties in florida was breached by russian hackers. the same military intelligence agency that hacked john podesta and the democratic national committee. now, of course, the senior officials in the obama administration, trump administration, have all said they didn't change any votes. but just yesterday, senator marco rubio said they could have changed the voter rolls if they wanted to. they were in position. and the governor there is going to try to find out more information. >> yes, i mean if they had done that, changed, wiped out the records of registered voters on election day, it would cause chaos, within the state of florida. it also implies then, of course, then, that they might be gearing up for 2020, right? >> well, of course, and you know, intelligence officials, dan cotes, the director of national intelligence and others have warned, they did before the midterms last year, too, and they are saying get ready, over

locale, every municipality, has to be prepared for this reality. it's not a democratic thing. it's not a republican thing. you need to get your systems updated. they're trying to raise the alarm. so that people will take this seriously. and it seems like this has been another consequence of the mueller report. people are trying to get ready for the next one. >> hopefully, they are listening. it is not a political thing. it's a democracy thing. all right, marshall cohen, thanks very much. well, he was the public face during some of 2018's biggest scandal. now, he's facing his own scandal, and possibly decades in prison. before he heads to court, he sat down with cnn, for an emotional interview. that's next. we call it the mother standard of care.

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because a lot has changed, but a lot hasn't. ask your doctor about ibrance. the #1 prescribed fda-approved oral combination treatment for hr+/her2- mbc. michael avenatti will appear in a california court on monday where he is expected to be arraigned on a slew of charges, ranging from tax evasion to bank fraud. the hard-charging lawyer who represented porn star stormy daniels in a lawsuit against the president and his personal attorney michael cohen sits down for an emotion-filled interview. this is michael avenatti like you've never seen him before. he spent months as one of trump's and cohen's fiercest critics all while federal investigators were digging into his financial past. and what they found shocked avenatti's biggest fans and filled his critics with glee.

cnn's sara sidner has the story. >> my lawyers didn't even want me to sit down for this interview. >> reporter: but michael avenatti is doing it anyway, while free on a $300,000 bond. >> michael, do you think you will go to jail before the president? is. >> reporter: accused of trying to extort nike for more than $20 million. >> nike says, look, we have michael avenatti on tape saying he will take this money and not disclose anything, and ride off into the sun set. did you say that? >> did i say that we would ride off into the sun set? yes. was it in the context that nike and the government alleges, absolutely not. what happened was, was that mike and their attorneys figured out that they couldn't buy me. they couldn't own me. they couldn't control me. >> avenatti is accusing nike of rigging the college basketball recruitment process by bribing amateur players to attend nike-sponsored schools. nike told cnn it would not respond to the allegations of an

individual facing federal charges of fraud and extortion. but the criminal complaint says avenatti was threatening to go public if niky didn't comply with his demands. 1.5 million for his client. and leading an internal investigation. or a payment of 22.5 million, and no investigation. instead of making a deal with them, nike called the fbi. saying it was being extorted. the fbi began recording the meetings. the case came to a head in just under a week. after this tweet. avenatti announcing a press conference. >> what happened after that? >> well, i was arrested, shortly thereafter. >> were you saying to them pay me hush money, i'll be quiet, i'll walk away and walk out the door. >> no, never happened. >> the accusation of hush money is especially ironic considering the case that brought avenatti's maim into the american consciousness. >> michael avenatti.

>> the high-flying hard-fighting litigator, became a household name when he represented porn star stormy daniels who sued the president of the united states. >> my attorney and i are committed to making sure that everyone finds out the truth. >> she wanted out of a hush agreement she signed in 2016, to keep quiet about a 2006 sexual affair she said she had with donald trump. trump has denied the affair. >> did you think you were going to bring down the president? >> i immediately saw that as an opportunity to do collateral damage to the president of the united states. in that regard, i accomplished the goal, although not entirely. >> you know what, you're a thug. >> and avenatti's theatrics and legal zingers became a fixture on cable news. >> where is this guy? >> the president's personal attorney michael cohen endured the public shaming and after an investigation, referred to the southern district of new york by robert mueller, cohen admitted to a total of nine criminal counts, including orchestrating

that hush payment to daniels on trump's behalf. to effect the 2016, to affect the 2016 presidential election. >> i don't think his prison sentence is strong enough by any stretch of the imagination, and, and i don't believe that other people around him, that participated in that, included donald trump the president of the united states, should somehow get a pass. i believe donald trump should be indicted. >> but now, avenatti is facing serious charges, and potential prison time. more than 300 years if convicted. >> the very same day he was arrested in new york, the u.s. attorney in california charged him in another separate case. eventually, bringing 36 counts, including wire fraud, bank fraud, and bankruptcy fraud. but perhaps the most stunning charge, stealing from his own clients. one of them, a paraplegic man, named jeffrey johnson. >> you're a paraplegic client, he said he did not receive what he was supposed to receive of a

$4 million settlement. did you defraud him? >> look, here is the bottom line. i'm not at liberty to get into the details of that particular situation because i've been advised by my council not to do it. if it was up to me, i would hold a press conference and put documents up on the screen and tell my side of the story. >> but avenatti did do that, using twitter as his bull horn, he posted this document showing a glowing recommendation that he said his client had signed just a month before the indictment. >> his attorney said what you posted was actually, you tricked him into signing something, saying that you were a great attorney and that he was happy with your services, that you stole money from him. how do you respond to that? >> that assertion by the attorney is absurd. >> prosecutors are also saying the same thing. >> prosecutors are saying all kinds of things, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they're all true or provable. >> that wasn't the only client prosecutors say he defrauded. there are four others. including an nba player who wanted to quietly pay moneys to

his ex-girlfriend, for her long-time support. but nearly all of the $2.7 million settlement was allegedly used to pay for this. avenatti's personal jet. >> did you own a private jet? >> i had an interest in a private jet, yes. but there is nothing unusual about some of these factors relating to my lifestyle. have i had a privileged lifestyle? of course. have i had a lifestyle that some people would describe as lavish at times? yes. i'm a self-made guy. i put myself through college. i put myself through law school. nothing was ever handed to me, sara. and you know what? i busted my ass, for a lot of what i've received. >> and prosecutors have tagged your lifestyle. they accuse you of buying that jet with $2.5 million that belongs to a client from a settlement. are they right? >> we will have facts in evidence. we will present that, to a jury, and a jury is going to decide up or down, whether i'm convicted or not. and it is their obligation. >> you're evading the question, and if there is nothing but truth out there and you did none

of this, why can't you just tell me? >> sara, here's the problem. because my lawyers didn't even want me to sit down for this interview. we've had umpteen debates about this and the problem is, i've been told to say absolutely nothing and i've said no, i'm not going to do that. >> and he had plenty more to say. up next, michael avenatti talks about the r. kelly case, his domestic violence arrest, and his own future. >> have you thought about the prospect of potentially having to spend time in prison? >> there's no question i've thought about that. i mean i would have to be an absolutely -- yeah the only catch is i'm never leaving. no i'm serious, i live here now. book at hilton.com and get the hilton price match guarantee. book at hilton.com your digestive system has billions of bacteria, but life can throw them off balance. re-align yourself, with align probiotic. and try align gummies, with prebiotics and probiotics to help support digestive health

. welcome back. he is the hard charging lawyer who represented porn star stormy daniels, in a lawsuit against president trump, and his personal attorney michael cohen. we are talking about michael avenatti, who is not afraid to greet controversy head-on, nor is he afraid of the spotlight. in part two of sara sidner's 101 interview with him, we learned that avenatti's ups and downs have left him humbled. >> i'm not going to answer that. that's a ridiculous question. next question. >> avenatti has rarely shied

away from a controversy. >> it is time to come clean. >> stepping into the spotlight in connection with the biggest headlines of 2018. >> bret groped me and tried to take off my clothes. >> as u.s. supreme court nominee brett kavanaugh faced sexual assault allegations. >> i have never done this to her or anyone. >> avenatti emerged with a second abuser. >> she is 100% credible. >> republicans and some democrats viewed his insertion into the case as an outrageous stunt. >> do you interject yourself purposefully for your own fame, for your own fortune in these headline cases. >> do i interject myself? no. i received a call from a client. >> she never testified. she is accused of lying but her allegations were never investigated. >> when the border battle over child separation emerged, so did avenatti with clients, these children were alone and afraid.

in one case, he went all of the way to guatemala to deliver a mother's most precious gift. and unexpectedly received one of his own. >> it was one as a father myself, it was one of the best days of my career. i remember it like it was yesterday. i mean he gave me a, i have it in my briefcase, i carry it with me, i had it in my briefcase when i was arrested, it was a fabric bracelet that he made me, to thank me, for bringing him ba back to his mom. >> would you consider running for the democratic ticket in 2020? >> avenatti began to consider running for president. >> stand up. join in the fight club. >> he tested the waters in west hollywood. and the crowd swooned. >> president avenatti. i sleep better because you're in the world. i'm not kidding you. >> what's your name? >> we hit harder. >> from iowa to new hampshire to texas, avenatti began fundraising for democrats.

but problems with his own financials followed him. a judge ordered one of avenatti's firms to pay his former partner $10 million. and another $800,000 he owed to the irs. he has yet to pay all his debts. >> are you broke? >> no, i don't think i'm broke. >> well, you know if you're broke or not. are you broke? >> no. >> 100% sure? >> no, i'm not broke. >> are you having money problems. >> no, i don't believe i am having money problems. i believe there is challenges along the way, there's no question about it. >> avenatti still had his eye on the presidency, and then -- >> michael afternoon knotty blash. >> michael avenatti under arrest for domestic violence. >> did you hit, slap, drag the young lady in your apartment? >> absolutely not, and that's there there were three separate investigations and no charges brought. >> and with that, avenatti bounced back into the headlines, taking on another explosive case. >> michael avenatti said he had

given the state attorney's office a video tape that showed kelly having sex with an underaged girl. >> at first, avenatti's new evidence in superstar r. kelly's case energized a public clamoring for justice. but it wouldn't be long before kelly's attorney would use avenatti's legal troubles against him. >> he is basically saying, r. kelly's case has been tainted because of what has happened to michael avenatti, and the case is rotten. >> it's a desperate attorney for a desperate man. it's absolutely absurd. >> now, avenatti is fighting perhaps the biggest case of his entire life. the case against him. >> you're facing potential of more than 300 years in prison, if convicted. will you fight these charges? or will you make a plea deal? >> well, i anticipate on fighting all of these charges. >> have you thought about the prospect of potentially having to spend time in prison?

>> there's no question i've thought about that. i mean i would have to be an absolute moron to have not thought about that. >> there are some people that are delighting in what they see is your facade being exposed, the new york post, avenatti is actually the fraud con man he accused of trump of being. the hill, trump jr. mocks avenatti saying you might just get to share a cell with michael cohen. "politico," avenatti crashes and burns. have you crashed and burned? >> no, i don't think i've crashed and burned at all. this is a rough and tumble business. there is no question about it. we operate now in an environment that is more toxic politically than we have ever experienced in the history of the united states. >> haven't you contributed to that? >> largely due to social media. >> have i contributed to that? >> to the toxic nature of politics? >> i don't think so, because i don't think i've trafficked in nonsense, in personal attacks for the most part. >> he has also made clear why he thinks he is facing his own legal battles now. >> i've made a lot of powerful

enemies over the years. especially over the last 18 months. >> you are alluding to a conspiracy against you. >> i'm not alluding to a conspiracy. >> you are. >> what i'm saying is the facts are the facts. >> the irs says the fact is, they have been investigating him for two years. long before avenatti ever met stormy daniels. daniels and avenatti parted ways earlier this year. when avenatti was arrested for financial crimes, daniels tweeted she was not shocked, adding that he treated her extremely dishonestly. he denies being dishonest. >> was it worth it to take on this case? >> if you would have asked me that nine months ago, i would have said absolutely. as i sit here today, sara, i just don't know. because the price that has been paid by me and my family, and those around me has been enormous. >> you sound like a man that has been humbled by this.

is that fair? >> no, there is no question i've been humbled. regardless of what happens, i have had an enormous life, i have had a lot of opportunities that a lot of people can only dream of, and i've done a lot of things over my 48 years of that a lot of people would never have an opportunity to do. >> are you afraid you're going to lose it all? >> well, of course, i'm afraid of that. again, i mean, if i wasn't afraid of that, there would be something fundamentally wrong with me, as a man, as a human being. but i can't have that consume me. it can't, i can't allow it to eat me up. because otherwise, you know, i might as well just, you know, i guess, crawl into a fetal position and wither away. and i'm not going out like that. and i'm not planning on going out period. >> once again, our thanks to sara sidner for that reporting. still ahead, several of the top democratic contenders for

president are taking the stage in las vegas. how they're pushing to gain support from the working class, ahead of 2020. that's next. >> but first, see what happens when victims and defenders of violent crimes meet face to face, on cnn's new original series "the redemption project" with van jones. it premieres tomorrow night, 9:00 eastern, here's an advanced look. >> we like to imagine that after there has been a verdict, that the story is over. the reality is, whether the offender, or the victim, the journey is just beginning. >> there was a sheriff's deputy at the door. >> i got some drugs. i used. i took a gun. >> i remember shouting. >> pulled the trigger. >> don't do it. >> what is it that you want to know? >> i want him to look me in the face, and tell me why he killed my mother.

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the 2020 democrats are on the move making steps all over the country but several of them are in las vegas. at this hour. ditching their plans directly to working men and women. leila santiago is there as well and what's the message they're sharing? >> well, martin, all of these candidates certainly know their audience. they know they are speaking to a group that is very pro-union. so you're starting to see some of those same themes come up, when they all speak. but one thing they are all doing, they are all making the case against president trump's economy. an economy that has seen growth and good job reports, but they are all making it a point to say this is an economy that doesn't work for everyone. pointing directly to wage inequality. every single candidate that has been on stage has talked about supporting the fight for '15. that is a call. a national movement for a $15 minimum wage. right now, we haven't seen the federal minimum wage change

since 2009, standing at $7.25. they are certainly speaking to that in this crowd, and the crowd likes it. this is an siu forum and the other thing you might expect, there will be a lot of health care worker, so the other talk is about health care, their stance on health care. so you might see them sort of all repeating the same things when they're speaking about the economy and president trump, but where they sort of differentiate each other is on health care. senator kamala harris who wants medicare for all and beta o'rourke wants universal health care but a different path to get there. >> who is all there? in other words, what candidates showed up? >> right, we have already seen senator kamala harris speak and former congressman beto o'rourke. we expect senator amy klobuchar as well, and we expect the former secretary of hud, julian

castro, governor hickenlooper as well as lelizabeth warren to tae the stage and try to differentiate themselves from president trump in what is such a crowded field. not here today, vice president biden, as well as mayor pete buttigieg of south bend, indiana. >> thank you very much. and thank you for join can me. i'm martin sav ige. we have much more ahead in the newsroom, with ana cabrera, and it all starts right after this. blache you can do. sor heart's not strough. my heaong as any. uncover your family history, from over 10 billion historical records. get started for free at ancestry.com

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. nra showdown. claims of humiliation and extortion, send the organization's president heading for the door. religious attack. a driver in california is accused of plowing into a group of pedestrians, because he thought they were muslims. >> controversial ruling. he had a stockpile of guns and what prosecutors say is a hit list of prominent politicians and journalists. but a judge says he has no choice but to release this coast guard officer. you're live in the cnn newsroom. i'm ana cabrera in new york. thanks for being here. new polling shows good news and bad news for president trump in the wake of the mueller report. the good news for the president, most americans do not favor going down the impeachment path right now. just 37% are for it. and that number is