[George Howell, Cnn Anchor:] Expressing regret. Donald Trump's former adviser distances himself from controversial comments attributed to him about the U.S. president and his family.
[Rosemary Church, Cnn Anchor:] Face-to-face as North and South Korea get set for talks, there are hopes it would lead to more dialogue.
[Howell:] And a room full of winners. Oprah Winfrey brings Hollywood to its feet with a rousing message at the Golden Globes.
[Church:] Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and of course all around the world. We are live in Atlanta. I'm rosemary church.
[Howell:] And I'm George Howell from CNN's world headquarters. Newsroom starts right now. The tell-all book "Fire and Fury" paints a scathing picture of the Trump White House. The White House is pushing back. But there are no signs the fallout from this book are letting up.
[Church:] Yes. Some of the most explosive quotes from "Fire and Fury" are attributed to Steve Bannon, President Trump's former chief strategist. But now Bannon says he regrets not responding sooner to what's in the book. He says he still believes in the president and his agenda, and that he never bad-mouthed Donald Trump, Jr. as the author suggests.
[Howell:] When the book came out Friday, this despite legal threats from the president's personal attorneys, the president responded furiously on Twitter calling it a fake book written by a totally discredited author.
[Church:] Now all of, this though, may be too little too late. We are told President Trump is drawing a line in the sand, calling allies and friends, making it clear they must choose between him and Bannon.
[Howell:] Our Boris Sanchez picks it up from here.
[Boris Sanchez, Cnn Correspondent:] It has now been five full days since when we first got those excerpts from "Fire and Fury" that were explosive and drew into question not only the president's mental fitness for office, but also his relationship with his former chief strategist Steve Bannon. Today Steve Bannon putting out a statement for the first time directly in response to those quotations of his in that book, specifically taking exception to a portion where he describes a meeting between Trump campaign officials and Russian nationals at Trump Tower back in June of 2016 as treasonous and unpatriotic. Bannon saying that those comment were not directed toward Donald Trump, Jr. who he calls a patriot, but rather toward former campaign chairman Paul Manafort. Here's that specific section. He writes, quote, "My comments were aimed at Pall Manafort, a seasoned campaign professional with experience and knowledge of how the Russians operate. He should have known they are duplicitous, cunning and not our friends. To reiterate, those comments were not aimed at Don Jr." Of course, we should point out a trail of e-mails shows that it was Donald Trump Jr. who brokered that meeting with Russian nationals and who then looped in not only Paul Manafort but also the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner. And in a later e-mail he said that he loved the idea of getting dirt on Hillary Clinton that was being offered to the Trump campaign by these Russian nationals. The most fascinating part of this statement though, is the portion in which Steve Bannon tries to put himself once again in the president's good graces by saying that Donald Trump was the only candidate that could have defeated Hillary Clinton and then going a step further and touting his own abilities as a messenger for the president, saying that he has taken the America first message as far as Hong Kong and Tokyo. Steve Bannon here is in a bit of a predicament because over the past few days we have seen not only Trump surrogates going after him, but also the president himself, calling him a sloppy Steve. And earlier today CNN was actually able to confirm that the president has been making calls in recent days to friends and allies, telling them that they either support Steve Bannon or they support the president. So it seems as though Steve Bannon feels his influence shrinking and potentially is trying to salvage his political career by reaching out to the president in this way. Boris Sanchez, CNN at the White House.
[Howell:] All right, Boris, thanks. Now we heard from the president's senior policy adviser who appeared on CNN's Sunday to defend his boss.
[Church:] In his conversation with Jake tapper Stephen Miller called Bannon's comments grotesque. He also had some choice words for the book and its author.
[Stephen Miller, White House Senior Policy Advisor:] The book is best understood as a book of poorly written fiction. And I also will say that the author is a garbage author of a garbage a book.
[Howell:] A lot to talk about here. And to do so, let's bring in Leslie Vinjamuri. Leslie, a professor of international relations at SOAS University of London, live this hour in our London bureau. Always a pleasure to have you, Leslie, with us.
[Leslie Vinjamuri, Senior Lecturer, University Of London:] Thank you.
[Howell:] Let's go back to this situation with Steve Bannon. He has offered not an apology, but offered regret about a single point from this book that point about Don Trump, Jr. But with the president reportedly calling his friends and allies, telling them to pick between him or Steve Bannon, does Bannon's olive branch of regret even matter at this point in your mind?
[Vinjamuri:] Well, it's very difficult to know. As we know with the president, he does change his mind actually about people and about situations. So it's difficult to know. And of course he has had a very long and very interesting relationship with Steve Bannon. I think Bannon's position is perhaps not surprising. Because remember, Bannon is very committed to his views on the U.S., on the future of the U.S. and U.S. Foreign policy. And I think for Bannon, whether he could influence the president and the United States in the course of direction of U.S. policy, whether that's within or without, outside of the White House, both of those things are very important to him. So his admittedly delayed statement I think is pitched at being sure that he can remain a very serious voice and have important influence over the public debate and over the White House and more specifically over Donald Trump. How that will turn out is very difficult to know. As you can see, he is at risk now of losing a lot of his backers. But he understands that the, you know, attacking the president's son is no small thing. And he uses that word patriotic clearly as a response to what he was quoted saying earlier, which is that the behavior was treasonous. So I think it's not surprising given Bannon's very clear desire to really push forward is a very nationalist agenda. And to do that now from outside the White House.
[Howell:] OK. So Bannon now has a new nickname called sloppy Steve. Here is the question though, with his statement of regret, returning hat in hand to the president. Is he accepted again do you think by this president?
[Vinjamuri:] Well, again, I don't think that we can anticipate what Trump will feel or say or do in the next, you know, day or days when it comes to Steve Bannon. Certainly the last day or two suggests that this is a very major rift. But you know, there have been people that we thought were on the way out of the White House that have remained in place. You know, there were rumors of Tillerson going or rumors of Jeff Sessions going. Many things changed. Of course the relationship between Steve Bannon and Donald Trump is very much different. But it's always been, you know, that Bannon was in the White House, it was a very contentious White House. There were a lot of feuds. The president was I'm sure managing those. So I think it's difficult to anticipate which way this will go, despite the optics, which is that it looks like it's a very deep fracture in the relationship right now.
[Howell:] All right, Leslie, this book "Fire and Fury," it is having an impact. Just listen here to a republican lawmaker who has already announced his retirement, important to point that out, but speaking out now about his impressions from this book and its portrayal of the president. Listen.
[Charlie Dent,  United States Representative:] Bottom line is the issues raised in that book do raise concerns for most of us. Because clearly the whole idea of impulse control, lack of focus and we've heard this before. The book more or less just confirms what many of us had been hearing.
[Howell:] The question do, you take the book seriously or literally? That was a question back from the campaign. Michael Wolff has insisted he is uncovering the things that people say behind closed doors and that it's pervasive throughout the administration. Also important to point out, that his techniques questionable with some regards, attribution, things of that nature. But overall this narrative that he paints, can the Trump White House easily dismiss it?
[Vinjamuri:] Well, I do think that, you know, it seems to be it's widely known that Michael Wolff plays fast and loose, not only with making his those he is interviewing aware that they're actually being interviewed. But he also plays fast and loose with the facts. So I think in terms of any specific incident, one has to be wary. The thing that we can also see, though, is that people who have very seriously covered this White House throughout the entire presidency, who covered the campaign, who were very credible are saying, and I think for all of us who followed the Trump White House, that the general picture that's being painted is one that is not surprising actually to most people. So it's almost surprising that so many people are interested in the book given that everything that we hear and everything that we have read so far. And I've read a good portion of it, but not all of it yet. It isn't so far from what we've already taken to be true about the dysfunctionality of the White House. But again, the specific details in much of the book, one can't be sure of.
[Howell:] Always good to get the insider view. Leslie Vinjamuri, live with us in our London bureau, thank you. We'll stay in touch.
[Vinjamuri:] Thank you.
[Church:] To a very different topic now on Sunday night. The Golden Globes reminded the world of the power of women. The show honored the best in TV and film, but it seemed like the trophies took a back seat to politics this year. Host Seth Meyers set the tone in his opening monologue mentioning the sexual harassment scandals that have plagued Hollywood recently.
[Seth Meyers, Host, Golden Globes:] They tried to get a woman to host this show. They really did. They say hey, how would you like to come and be judged by some of the most powerful people in Hollywood. And women were, well, where is it? They said it's at a hotel, and long story short, I'm your host tonight.
[Howell:] All right. Actor Sterling K. Brown made history on Sunday night. He became the first African-American to win best actor in the TV drama for his role in "This is Us." During his speech he talked about benefitting from color-blind casting.
[Sterling Brown, Actor:] What I appreciate so much about this thing is that I'm being seen for who I am and being appreciated for who I am. And it makes it that much more difficult to dismiss me or dismiss anybody who looks like me.
[Church:] But it was Oprah Winfrey who brought the crowd to their feet. She became the first black woman to be awarded the Cecil B. Demille award for lifetime achievement. And during her heartfelt speech, she addressed the sexual harassment plaguing the industry.
[Oprah Winfrey, Winner, Cecil B. Demille Award:] Speaking your truth is the most powerful tool we all have. A new day is on the horizon! When nobody ever has to say me too again.
[Howell:] Those words heard around the world when she said...
[Church:] Yes, absolutely.
[Howell:] ... before the show even started celebrities were making statements. They dressed in all black. To draw attention to sexual harassment and to gender inequality, and to show support for the hash tag Me Too movement.
[Church:] Actress Michelle Williams brought the founder as her guest. They caught up with Stephanie Elam on the red carpet.
[Tarana Burke, Founder, Me Too:] It's humbling, but it's also empowering, right. This is such a bold statement for women who work in Hollywood to make in solidarity with women across the world. And you know, a person like me, I stand and I represent survivors. And so I know that so many women on this carpet are survivors. And so it just really makes me feel wonderful.
[Stephanie Elam, Correspondent, Cnn:] And Michelle...
[Michelle Williams, Actress:] It's amazing to see the women come up to her though, with like, tears in their eyes. Because Tarana is really among the first. I mean, she started the Me Too movement. Because she was among the first to say like, I see you and you're not alone anymore.
[Elam:] So you think, I'm going ask you both this. Do you think this is a true changing moment, a real turning point here in Hollywood in this post-Harvey Weinstein days?
[Williams:] I don't think it's just a change in Hollywood. I think it's a change the worldwide change...
[Burke:] Yes.
[Williams:] ... that we want to hand to all of our daughters.
[Burke:] Yes, I agree. I think that the media pays a lot of attention to Hollywood because it's Hollywood. But these are people; these are women who are survivors just like the women survivors who I represent in communities all across the country. And I do think that this is a moment that is going to be lasting. We've never seen anything like this in our lifetimes. And I think that this is not just a footnote. It's going to be the start of something major.
[Church:] For more I'm joined by Rebecca Sun. She is a senior reporter at the Hollywood Reporter. Good to have you with us. So some impressive wins at the Golden Globe, but Oprah Winfrey stole the show with an inspiring speech on sexual harassment and freedom of the press that has some suggesting she run for president in 2020. What's being said about her speech and its impact?
[Rebecca Sun, Senior Reporter, The Hollywood Reporter:] Yes, and you know, Oprah Winfrey's speech was hands-down the highlight of the night. And Oprah 2020, Oprah for president means are already trending on Twitter. I mean, I think that she really covered pretty much everything. You know, as you said, she addressed Me Too. She addressed time's up, saying that, you know, the time is up where women have to say me too, where sexual harassment and sexual misconduct are hopefully going to become things of the past. She also talked about intersectionality and talked about the significance of being the first black woman to receive this award. She remembered seeing Sydney Poitier when become the first black man to win a Golden Globe back in '63. She talked about Recy Taylor. That's really important. Recy was a young black woman who in 1944 was gang raped by six white men, and two grand juries failed to bring indictments against them, which means that they were never charged even they admitted they had done it. And she died ten days ago. Oprah Winfrey really gave Recy Taylor that platform and really moved the entire room to tears. And I would imagine a lot of people at home as well.
[Church:] Yes, incredible. And the Golden Globes were the first major awards show to go to air since the harassment and sexual misconduct allegations shook Hollywood to its core. And we saw significant projects win big, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Lady Bird, Big Little Lies, the Handmaid's tale and others, all with women at the center. What stood out and what will everyone be talking about in the hours ahead, do you think?
[Sun:] Yes. That is what was really interesting, is that you saw all of the really major awards on both the film and television side happened to be really female centric projects, you know. In an earlier era they would have been called women's pictures. But now they're being honored in a general sense. You know, Lady Bird was directed by Greta Gerwig in her directorial debut. She was snubbed for the best director win. But the fact that her film won best comedy was huge. You now, the Handmaid's Tale and Big Little Lies, again, were projects that starred and were produced by women. What was interesting to me was Three Billboards winning best drama. That race wasn't a sure thing. Some people thought it would have gone to the shape of water. some people thought the post. But it looks like they were positioning Three Billboards as a sort of female centric movie with Frances McDormand's performance, a really tough mother grieving the brutal death of her daughter as right at the helm.
[Church:] And of course, many articles written in the wake of the Golden Globes award say this was more about a cultural correction than an awards night. Was that the sense you got? And could this signal some significant shift in Hollywood and ultimately society? And of course, Seth Meyers, did he get that balance right?
[Sun:] You know, it was a really, really tricky challenge to be able to address, properly address this climate of something so serious, something that really goes beyond Hollywood with all of the traditional work of an awards show. You saw a little bit of that awkwardness coming out of Oprah Winfrey's speech right into the best director category, which Natalie Portman went off prompter, went to note was all men. That was an amazing moment, an unscripted moment that turned out to be another highlight of the awards show. I thought Seth Meyers did a good job. I thought he really disappeared after his monologue which set the tone and was, you know, he went right for it. He was very direct. He name checked and called out Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Woody Allen. These were guys who were revered at the Golden Globes in the past. And now are persona non grata.
[Church:] All right, Rebecca Sun, always great to talk with you. I Appreciate it.
[Sun:] Thanks.
[Howell:] All right. Still ahead, one of the U.S. president's top advisers comes to CNN to defend his boss from the bombshell new book.
[Church:] And it got tense. The details coming your way in just a moment.