[Berman:] All right, happening now, you're looking at live pictures right there. President Trump is in France. He is now meeting with the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We will dip into this if there is news coming from that. In the meantime, the president is denying a report in "Axios" this morning that says he was considering, or musing, or asking, I should say, about using nuclear weapons to stop hurricanes headed toward the United States of America. Back with us, April Ryan, Angela Rye, Andrew Gillum, and Bakari Sellers. Angela, I want to start with you here because you came in this morning talking about this.
[Angela Rye, Cnn Political Commentator:] Yes, I hi, John. But I just I mean just, honestly, like, everybody on set just laughed. I mean this is this is so ridiculous. I keep wanting you all to wake me up and tell me this was a very long, terrible, bad dream, but it's real. It's a real thing. And that's it's news that he's nuking
[Camerota:] OK, but
[Rye:] He wants to nuke hurricanes coming off the coast of Africa, Bakari.
[Bakari Sellers, Cnn Commentator:] But but can I just say that this this actually worked before, guys. And we do need to recognize that.
[Camerota:] In what
[Andrew Gillum, Cnn Commentator:] What part?
[April Ryan, Cnn Political Analyst:] Yes, talk to us about that.
[Sellers:] It was "Sharknado." In "Sharknado"
[Gillum:] Oh, geez, man.
[Ryan:] Oh.
[Rye:] Well, that's that's those are his facts. Those are his facts.
[Gillum:] That is true.
[Sellers:] This is this is taken from " Sharknado" and I do want you to know
[Gillum:] Do you know what, the sad part is it's probably it's probably true.
[Ryan:] Well, is it really taken from "Sharknado"?
[Camerota:] Well, this was an idea that was floated during the Eisenhower administration in the 1950s.
[Gillum:] We've learned a lot more.
[Camerota:] Where President Trump gets a lot of his ideas about what
[Rye:] Allegedly.
[Camerota:] You know, when America was sort of at its best basically.
[Rye:] Yes.
[Camerota:] Here's what "Axios" is reporting.
[Rye:] Maybe he
[Camerota:] And, by the way, this you know, he's denying it, but this is what was recorded in the National Security Council memorandum that recorded the comments when it happened.
[Rye:] Which means that might be factually based.
[Gillum:] Yes.
[Rye:] Imagine that.
[Camerota:] In real time.
[Rye:] Yes.
[Camerota:] Here's what "Axios" is reporting. During one hurricane briefing at the White House, Trump said, I got it, I got it. Why don't we nuke them? According to the source who was there. They start forming off the coast of Africa. As they move across the Atlantic
[Ryan:] There we go.
[Rye:] I'm telling you.
[Camerota:] We drop a bomb inside the eye of the hurricane and it disrupts it. Why can't we do that? The source paraphrased the president's remarks that, as we said were reported.
[Sellers:] Listen, it worked in "Sharknado." He wants to give it an opportunity, give it a chance. It's not science based. This all ties into what we were talking about in an earlier segment. We have a the leader of the free world who does not believe in science.
[Ryan:] But let
[Rye:] Stop calling him that. Stop calling him that. Stop calling him that. Call him something else.
[Ryan:] But let me say this. I know we're tongue and we're we're tongue and cheeking this, but this is the president of the United States.
[Rye:] It's not funny.
[Ryan:] Saying something about that. And he brought in Africa. As Angela as we were talking during break, he's called Africa a shit hole nation. It's actually a country
[Rye:] Well, he's called some of the countries.
[Ryan:] Some of the countries. Africa is a continent. And what part of Africa are you talking about? Sub-Saharan Africa, where there are mostly black people? This is just crazy. There is a ripple effect that can happen for land, sea, for people, if he did something like this. For this man to think this. This is the leader of the free world. There should be some
[Rye:] Stop calling
[Ryan:] Well, he's the president of the United States, Angela.
[Rye:] He's supposed to be. He's supposed to be.
[Ryan:] He is the person
[Rye:] He's supposed to be.
[Ryan:] Who anything he does and says impacts people, impacts the globe. And his
[Rye:] Until until we don't let it.
[Ryan:] There needs to be someone who vets what he says, because this is dangerous.
[Berman:] I will note, if only there were some part of the government that was full of scientists that could check this.
[Camerota:] Yes.
[Berman:] There is.
[Camerota:] Is there.
[Berman: Noaa. Noaa. Rye:] There is. Imagine
[Ryan:] Who is NOAA? Who is NOAA, Bakari?
[Berman:] NOAA actually NOAA actually has
[Gillum:] I feel bad for the head of NOAA. Basically you have
[Berman:] But they have this is something
[Gillum:] It's over.
[Berman:] This is this is one of these conspiracy theories or ideas that's been around for decades.
[Sellers:] Yes.
[Berman:] And NOAA actually has said things about bombing hurricanes before. And this is what it said. Apart from the fact that this might not even alter the storm, this approach neglects the problem that the released radioactive fallout would fairly quickly move
[Ryan:] There you go.
[Berman:] With the tradewinds to affect land areas and cause devastating environmental problems.
[Ryan:] Exactly.
[Berman:] Needless to say
[Ryan:] Exactly.
[Berman:] Says the U.S. government
[Gillum:] So a supersized hurricane that now has radioactive ingredients that could kill people and obliterate?
[Rye:] Well, yes.
[Ryan:] We haven't learned from agent orange?
[Berman:] I think we've probably given this as much time as
[Gillum:] Well, we probably have except Except except I'm going to predict this. The head of NOAA, should the White House have anything to do with who that is, may want to start looking for another job, because this president will not like the contradiction.
[Ryan:] So what, that he's telling the truth. You should not be penalized for telling the truth.
[Gillum:] No, I agree.
[Ryan:] You should not be penalized for telling the truth.
[Gillum:] we agree.
[Rye:] We're not fighting.
[Ryan:] No, we're not fighting. We're not fighting here, but I'm so upset
[Gillum:] We agree.
[Rye:] You're fighting somebody.
[Camerota:] I think
[Ryan:] I'm upset.
[Camerota:] That April's point is that, why does NOAA even have to issue a statement?
[Berman:] Was this a new statement or was this something about they have on their website?
[Camerota:] I don't know, but we'll find out what year it is.
[Berman:] Yes.
[Camerota:] But I guess the point is, is that when you're anti-science, there are ludicrous things said and then it does force the rest of the world, the people who are serious minded, to sort of swing into action to try to contain the damage.
[Ryan:] That's right.
[Camerota:] And we've seen that with the economy. We've seen that now with science.
[Berman:] Just to be clear, this is not a new statement. This is something that NOAA has available on its website In case people wonder about bombing hurricanes.
[Gillum:] Well, they better be ready.
[Ryan:] But but the reason why I guess the reason no, I'm not going to say I guess. The reason why it means so much to me is because I've covered four presidents. I've seen everything come to the White House, from war to peace and everything in between. And they have been very serious. They've done the best that they know how to do as president. This president is taking it like it's joke. People are I think this is his truth. I think this is him being serious. I hate to I hate to break it to you, but I think this is him being serious. Look at his tweets. Oh, God, I need your shoulder to lie on.
[Camerota:] Should we move on to what the 2020 Democrats are suggesting as alternatives?
[Sellers:] They're better than this.
[Gillum:] I know they're not suggesting any nuclear
[Camerota:] No, no, I mean I mean just in terms of people panoply of the things that they're suggesting because last night we had some CNN town halls with Governor Steve Bullock
[Rye:] Yes.
[Camerota:] As well as Mayor Bill de Blasio, both running for president. And so, of course, the issue of health care, which is so hotly debated, came up. So here is a moment with Governor Bullock.
[Gov. Steve Bullock , Presidential Candidate:] The greatest stride that we've made since Medicaid and Medicare was Obamacare. I want to build on that, not start all over. And I think you can do that with a public option. I don't want to take away 165 million people that have employer-sponsored health care.
[Mayor Bill De Blasio , Presidential Candidate:] We're saying very simply, because we have these wonderful public hospitals and clinics, we're saying, there should not be such a thing as a family that can't go to the doctor. We're giving people a health care card. We're saying, we're going to assign you a primary care doctor, a family doctor, in one of our public hospitals or clinics so you actually have some place to turn from the very beginning and get the care you need.
[Camerota:] And, Bakari, herein lies the challenge for Democrats. While we're talking about "Sharknado" and the president is issuing various edicts, heretofore, forthwith, that these I mean so many people on the
[Rye:] Come on, Alisyn.
[Camerota:] On the Democratic side are dealing with real policy, which is, frankly, a little drier than "Sharknado."
[Gillum:] Sure.
[Camerota:] And this is what they have to contend with for the next 14 months of this conflict.
[Gillum:] Literally dry.
[Sellers:] So this is this is this is both the challenge and, for all of us at the table, somewhat hopeful in the same sense because you have Mayor Bill de Blasio and Steve Bullock. And although neither one of them probably will make it to the final four I don't even know if either one of them will make it to Iowa, they're having a substantive debate about how to provide more health care to individuals in this country, period. I mean they whether or not you agree with how they want to do it, they're having a substantive debate. We are not going to have a substantive debate during the race for president of the United States. Donald Trump is going to be on one side of the stage with a vat of identity politics, as Chris Cuomo always says, and he's going to be ready to bludgeon you with that. And, yes, it's not going to be about who has the best policy. And and that is what Democrats are going to have to deal with. And what we have to be cautious to do is not necessarily breathe life into the things that tear our country apart. And that is this ties this ties into the Joe Walshs of the world and the Scaramuccis and all of those other things because we need to have a great conversation about how to bring our country together and whether or not that's Donald Trump or not whereby he wants to
[Rye:] Exactly.
[Sellers:] He wants to tear the country apart. Narrator says, that's not.
[Berman:] All right, friends
[Ryan:] Later.
[Berman:] You'll be back in a little bit. We have much more to discuss.
[Camerota:] OK, at the moment, President Trump is speaking with India's prime minister. So we're monitoring what he is saying. We'll bring you any headlines, next.