Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) Is Interviewed About Gun Reform Measures; Warren Speaks At Gun Safety Forum In Iowa; Dems Take on Trump, Guns At Iowa State Fair; Trump Reveals Contents of New Letter from Kim Jong-un; March Underway In El Paso In Response To Mass Shooting; 2020 Democrats Push Gun Reform At Iowa Forum; March For A United America In El Paso.
WHITFIELD: It's been one week since the mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio, that left those cities and the nation for that matter feeling shocked and reeling. But they are far from the only communities struggling with gun violence, an issue that's now front and center as the 2020 candidates campaign in Iowa. Every Town for Gun Safety is the name of the organization founded after the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. And that organization is hosting a forum right now where 16 of the 2020 Democratic candidates will be speaking, including Senator Elizabeth Warren. And their message enough is enough. You see Julian Castro on the stage right now. CNN's Arlette Saenz joins me right now from the forum in Des Moines, Iowa. So, Arlette, how hard are these candidates hitting that issue and what are they proposing they would do?</s>ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Well, Fred, each of these candidates is saying that it is long past time that action needs to be taken to try to address the gun violence issue in this country. And you're hearing from multiple candidates this morning saying that part of the problem is President Trump, Republicans and the NRA, saying that they also need to come forth and try to work with Democrats to try to pass legislation. Take a listen to what two of the candidates had to say earlier today.</s>SEN. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If every one of you spends the next four weeks speaking out using social media to be heard, Tweeting at Mitch McConnell, saying, Mitch, call the vote, Mitch, call the vote, he could call us back into Congress today. We could pass universal background checks today.</s>MAYOR PETE BUTTIGIEG (D-SOUTH BEND, IN), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Politically, my party's got to get out of the defensive crouch that has us thinking that we're in the minority on these issues. America is with us in demanding common sense gun safety.</s>SAENZ: Now, in just a short while, we're going to be hearing from Senator Elizabeth Warren, who this morning released her own gun control proposal. One goal in that proposal is trying to reduce the number of gun deaths in this country by 80 percent. She's calling for an assault weapons ban, passing universal background checks, as well as instituting a federal licensing system. So we're going to be hearing from Warren in a short while. Each of these candidates really trying to hone in on this issue of gun violence and offer their proposals for how to stem this issue going forward. Fred?</s>WHITFIELD: And then, Arlette, what's the format there? You know, you see accompanying perhaps hosts or moderators on the stage with the candidate, but then are audience members asking questions? Are they also helping to drive the conversation directly with these candidates?</s>SAENZ: The audience members are getting involved. So the candidates take the stage and they take an initial question, kind of laying out what they would do about gun control in this country. And then there have been audience questions where several audience members have shared their direct experiences with gun violence, either against themselves or potentially against a family member or a friend or loved one that they have lost to gun violence. So a lot of this is also the conversation has not just been political, but also very personal in tone as these candidates are trying to relate, not just on what they're going to do politically, legislatively through executive action, but also trying to emote and connect with these people who have been affected by gun violence.</s>WHITFIELD: All right. Arlette Saenz, thank you so much. Let's talk more about all of this. Joining me now from El Paso, Texas, is Democratic Congresswoman Barbara Lee. She is of California. But, Congresswoman, I understand this is where you were born and raised in El Paso. So this is home. This is personal. You have returned on the day that people are marching to celebrate the lives of the 22 that were killed and also pledging that this should never happen again. How important is it that you are there? What are you feeling right now?</s>REP. BARBARA LEE (D-CA): It's really with a deep sense of reverence and humility that I am here in the town of my birth where I was born and raised. El Paso, Texas, to first, of course, send my condolences and sympathy to the victims' families, to the community, to those who were injured and to honor them and to bring condolences from my wonderful congressional district, the 13th congressional district of California. El Paso is a city where I was raised and a city where love always trumped hate. And what we see now through this horrific tragedy is the toxic combination of domestic terrorism, of racism and of gun violence. And so I'm here in solidarity with the people of El Paso honoring the lives of those we lost, but also to say to Senator Mitch McConnell to bring the Senate back and pass these very modest, but righteous in many ways, gun reform, gun safety measures. He should call the senate back immediately and do that. This is a call to action. And in their memory, and honoring their legacy, we must do this and do it right away.</s>WHITFIELD: So Senator McConnell has at least one bill that was passed in the House on his desk as it pertains to beefed up gun control legislation. Do you have any more confidence today that as a result of these massacres that there will be some movement in the Senate to have a vote to pass that legislation?</s>LEE: The House has sent him two measures with regard to background checks. And it's going to be the voice of the people. And that's one of the important moments that we're experiencing here in El Paso with this march for a united America, that the power of the people, the voices of the people, working for the people to get this done is what is going to make it happen. And so we always have to have hope and we have to be optimistic, because without home and without our work, then we could see this happen over and over and over again. Enough is enough. This has been such a horrific moment with Gilroy and Dayton, Ohio, El Paso, Texas. My own district in Oakland, California, cities, counties, communities throughout the country are experiencing gun violence each and every day. 100 people every day die of gun violence. We have to stop this. And so we can't give up. We've got to work hard and, again, for starters, Senator Mitch McConnell, call the Senate back in and pass these gun reform measures that are on your desk and ask the president to sign them.</s>WHITFIELD: So if Mitch McConnell was not inspired to do so within the last week. When the president yesterday said he was an advocate for meaningful background checks, was -- in your view, was that the president sending a signal to Senator Mitch McConnell that legislation he already has on background checks is something that needs to be addressed now? Or do you see them speaking in step? Or is this just more confusion about where is America right now in response to these massacres?</s>LEE: Well, for me, it's more confusion. It's more of this president's rhetoric because he has said this before. He has done this before. But we have not seen any action. So I hope that he's for real and I hope that the bills that are on Mitch McConnell's desk are moved forward. But with regard to Donald Trump and his hateful rhetoric and what has been unfortunately created the environment for this tragedy and other tragedies to happen, I'm not so sure if he really means what he says. But I hope he does because the NRA has got to understand and stop running with their agenda that's killing so many people in our country.</s>WHITFIELD: And then, quickly Congresswoman, you mentioned domestic terrorism, racism, gun violence. These are all the things, a confluence of events, these massacres have just underscored. Do you see that those things can be tackled legislatively? Or do you see a combination of other things on the horizon?</s>LEE: They've got to be tackled on all fronts. When you look at racism and when you look at the racist attacks against African- Americans, people of color, Latinos. Racism is alive and well in America. When you look at domestic terrorism, domestic terrorism has existed for decades. And in fact, it's really hypocritical that the president really moved to defund the offices that would address domestic terrorism. And when you look at gun reform efforts, Congress has been stopped dead in its tracks because of the unfortunate influence of the NRA. So all of these issues have come together now and have created a toxic environment for our future. So enough is enough, we have to move forward and we have to get this done.</s>WHITFIELD: Congresswoman Barbara Lee in El Paso, Texas, your birthplace. Thank you so much. I want to take you to Iowa. This is the issue that candidates are tackling. Those on the road to the White House. Here's Elizabeth Warren in Des Moines. Let's listen in.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can just start off by telling us how you would prioritize the issue of gun safety if elected as president, including all forms of intersectionality.</s>SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: All right, so it's a wonderful question -- can I just stand up?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.</s>WARREN: You can always tell a school teacher. I've got to get where I can see everybody's face. But let me start with this. I come to you, I know, with these latest shootings in El Paso and Dayton at a time of sorrow in our country, but a time of real determination. We are going to make change. We are going to pass gun safety laws in this country. Now, the way I see this is we've been talking for a long time about what we need to do. We've talked about all the different pieces, all the different edges, and they're there. And I support them. But here's what I'm going to do as president of the United States. I have put out this morning a comprehensive gun plan that has a lot of details in it. I will introduce it in the first 100 days. And I will help repeal the filibuster so that we can actually get it passed in Congress. But I want to do more. I want us to change how we think about gun safety in America. It's not just about passing four pieces of legislation over there or changing two regulations over here. It's about reducing the deaths from gun violence. That's what our goal has to be. Forty thousand Americans died last year from gun violence. So here's my commitment as president. I will reduce that number by 80 percent. We will make change, we'll figure out what works and then we'll make some more change and some more change. You know, here's the thing. You look at that number and you say, wow, that's -- I saw your face when I said that. Wow. How does this woman plan to get this done? And I'll tell you the answer. Go back to 1965, and at that point, we have five deaths per million miles traveled on the roads in America. And people were using words like carnage. How many Americans were dying? As a country, we said enough. We are going to make changes. We are going to make ourselves a safer country. Some of it was obvious. Seat belts, safety glass. Some of it hasn't even been invented like airbags and automatic braking systems. But since that time, we have reduced the deaths per million miles traveled by over 80 percent in this country. I want us to do the same with guns. I want us to keep our eye on the ball. This is about death by gun violence. I want us to study what works. I want us to try. I want us to make change as we keep driving down that number. Now we've got two tools. The first one -- and I love saying this -- what a president can do all by herself. And I will do it. I will take executive action in every corner with the Department of Justice, with ATF, to move as much as I can. But, there's much that must go through Congress. So here is what I propose with Congress. And that is, start with the question if 90 percent of Americans want to see some basic sensible changes, why do they not happen? You're out there talking about it. I'm out there talking about it. I tell you why it doesn't matter. Corruption, plain and simple. The gun industry controls Washington. And we have to fight back against that corruption. Until we hit that corruption head on, until we disrupt the way they give money to folks in Congress, the way they put the lobbyists in the field. We're going to fight this fight and we're going to keep losing this fight. So for me, real change, meaningful change starts with breaking up the corruption in Washington, breaking the stranglehold of the gun industry and the NRA. It's time. It's time for real meaningful change and we can do it. What it's going to take is a leader in the White House and pressure, the fighters on the ground like you. It's an honor to be here with you today. Thank you. Thank you.</s>WHITFIELD: All right, you've been listening to Senator Elizabeth Warren there saying, you know, it's time for real meaningful change. And she's pledging as president she will reduce deaths by gun violence by 80 percent. Let's talk more about all of this and how much this issue is going to, you know, pepper the Democratic field in the race for the White House. With me now to discuss all this, Francesca Chambers, she is White House correspondent for the Daily Mail, also joining me is Seung Min Kim, a White House reporter for the Washington Post and a CNN political analyst. Thanks to both of you, appreciate it. So Francesca, you first. You know, let's talk about, you know, new sweeping gun control plans. This one namely coming from Senator Elizabeth Warren. She says, you know, if elected she will issue an executive order on background checks and push to pass a federal assault weapons ban. Very big ambitions --</s>FRANCESCA CHAMBERS, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, DAILY MAIL: -- knows some of these gun violence victims, he's met with the families of people who were killed in the Pulse nightclub attack. He's met with the Sandy Hook families. But from that didn't really go beyond that to say what it is. He believes he would be able to do differently, considering the fact that Barack Obama and Joe Biden had the house, they had the Senate when they first took office and they weren't able to get anything like this passed. Meanwhile, you heard Kamala Harris here at the fair saying that she wants to just start with background checks. You said that Elizabeth Warren promoted an ambitious plan, you have on the opposite side of that Harris saying let's start with background checks. If we can get those, then we can move forward.</s>WHITFIELD: Seung Min, you know, the aftermath of these two mass shootings now. You know, that the president of the United States is claiming that he has strong congressional support from Republicans, you know, in Congress for strengthening background checks. Meaningful background checks he says. What are you hearing about the kind of support that he says he has?</s>SEUNG MIN KIM, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I would question the president's definition of the world strong there. Because background checks, expanding background checks on gun sales is something that has been incredibly controversial among Republicans on Capitol Hill. Recall the last major gun debate we had on Capitol Hill. It was in 2013, it was in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shootings in Newtown, Connecticut. There were just four Senate Republicans who backed an expanded background checks bill at that time in a Democratic Senate. Two of those senators -- two of those four Republican senators are now gone. Yesterday, President Trump said Mitch McConnell is totally on board with background checks. We checked with Mitch McConnell's office, and McConnell's people made it very clear that the majority leader has not endorsed any specific gun legislation yet. And anything that restricts access to guns and gun rights whether it's expanded background checks, certainly a federal assault weapons ban, federal licensing programs like a lot of the 2020 Democratic candidates have announced is going to run into a lot of resistance obviously among Republicans on Capitol Hill. But even some of these conservative Democrats who still represent more of these rural areas, rural states. Now they are a diminishing number in the Congress and house Democrats have -- particularly aligned very heavily beyond stronger gun measures. But still this is a very difficult issue to move forward on Capitol Hill no matter who is in charge.</s>WHITFIELD: Seung Min Kim, Francesca Chambers, thanks to both of you, appreciate it. And we'll be right back.</s>WHITFIELD: Welcome back. A short time ago, President Trump revealing the content of a new letter from North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. Saying Kim wants to restart nuclear negotiations once joint military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea are over. The tweet also saying that Kim asked for another direct meeting and offered, quote, a small apology, end quote, for testing short range missiles. The president told reporters about the letter yesterday as he left the White House.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He really wrote a beautiful three-page from top to bottom, a really beautiful letter. It was a very positive letter. I'd love to give it to you, I really would.</s>WHITFIELD: Trump's tweets come just hours after North Korea conducted its fifth round of short range missile tests in just over two weeks. Sarah Westwood in New Jersey near where the president is vacationing at his resort in Bedminster. So Sarah, what are we making of the timing of these tweets and what information we are receiving about them, the letter?</s>SARAH WESTWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, Fred, the president's tweets this morning come after a week of President Trump shrugging off more of those short range missile launches from North Korea. And as President Trump seems to be channeling those frustrations into the relationship between the U.S. and South Korea. This week, he's been demanding that Seoul contribute more in an exchange for remaining under the U.S. security umbrella. And administration officials tell CNN that Trump privately has expressed frustration with the fact that in his eyes, South Korea has not done more to contain the aggression of its northern neighbor. That's a frustration that President Trump had projected onto China at one point in his presidency. Now he's focusing that ire on South Korea. And his tweets this morning about that letter from Kim Jong-un also comes as North Korea continues to express its frustration with the joint military exercises going on this month in the region between the U.S. and the South Korean military. President Trump said that in that letter, Kim Jong-un expressed his frustration with the fact that those drills which have been scaled back this year are still going on. Trump's scaling back those military exercises in order to leave himself more room to negotiate with North Korea. But these short range missile tests could be a real problem for President Trump. He says he's OK with them because his agreement with North Korea was that they should stop their intercontinental ballistic missile launches. That they should stop their nuclear testing. But because President Trump hasn't been able to extract any real concessions from North Korea, all he really had to point to as a sign that his strategy of engaging with North Korea was working was the fact that those missile launches had stopped. Now that they are starting again, Fred, it could be harder for the president to justify his embrace of the North Korean dictator.</s>WHITFIELD: All right, thank you so much, Sarah Westwood, appreciate it. And we'll be right back.