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GOP Congressmen Face Angry Town Halls; Trump at CPAC Reiterates Campaign Promises, Goes after Media; Kim Jong-Nam Murdered with Nerve Gas. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired February 24, 2017 - 13:30 ET

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



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[13:31:26] WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: From questions and answers to complaints in confrontations, town halls being held by Republican lawmakers this week for constituents to voice frustrations. You are looking at live pictures from fort pierce, Florida, right now. Congressman Brian holding his town hall. We're monitoring that. A whole bunch of others as well. So far, there have been cheers and jeers, and we'll continue to watch it.



CNN Nick Valencia joining us live from Louisiana where Senator Bill Cassidy just wrapped up a town hall.



Nick, what were the people's biggest concerns?



NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's a huge focus on the environment here in -- it's considered to be the capital of the crawfish industry in Louisiana. There is a proposed pipeline that people anticipate to be built here in this area that could affect that industry. Others more concerned about the affordable care act and what repealing it would mean to thousands of residents here in this area. Some others took exception with Senator Bill Cassidy's support or endorsement of the secretary of education, Betsy DeVos. There was a lot of people that came to voice their concerns and challenge the Senator. However, Wolf, it was a much different scene from what the Senator focused on and felt earlier this week. That was a very tense environment. The Senator interrupted multiple times. Today it was moderately tense at times, but the Senator did get a chance to talk to some of those in the crowd. Even those that were here to challenge him. Earlier I spoke to his staff before the event who said that they had anticipated people coming from outside of the area. Not from this perish. Not even from local city, Lafayette, but from the surrounding state, and even outside of the state. Different parts of the country. However, the majority of the people that we spoke to in line were from this area, felt that they needed to come here to challenge Senator Cassidy and his support for current President Donald Trump.



I did speak to one of the local chapter presidents for Indivisible, a Democratic group that came here to voice their concerns. They didn't think that Senator Cassidy did a good job at all today.



(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)



JAMES PROCTOR, LOCAL CHAPTER PRESIDENT, INDIVISIBLE: I wasn't politically active until the election, and I won't deny watching a man who I consider completely unethical get elected has influenced my desire to be politically active. My representation is Senator Cassidy, and so I'm here to ask about what he is doing legislatively that will affect my lives --



(END VIDEO CLIP)



VALENCIA: The you crowd that is thinned out, and they will continue to put the pressure on Senator Cassidy and hold him accountable for his support for President Donald Trump -- Wolf?



BLITZER: Nick Valencia, thank you.



Still ahead, President Trump reiterating his campaign promises, repeating his complaints about the news media, and reveling in the bask of the crowd.



(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)



DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We all salute with pride the same American flag. And we all are equal, totally equal, in the eyes of Almighty God. We're equal.



(CHEERING)



(END VIDEO CLIP)



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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)



[13:38:48] TRUMP: We will cut wasteful spending. We will promote our values. We will rebuild our inner cities. We will bring back our jobs and our dreams.



And America is coming about, and it's coming back, and it's roaring, and you can hear it. It's going to be bigger and better.



It is going to be. It is going to be. Remember, and it's roaring. It's going to be bigger and better and stronger than ever before.



(END VIDEO CLIP)



BLITZER: President Trump just a little while ago speaking at the CPAC conference here in Washington, Conservative Political Action group.



Here to talk about the president's appearance, pledges, our two guests, Jack Kingston, former Congressman in Georgia; Michael Eric Dyson, former sociology professor, and author of a brand-new book entitled "Tears We Cannot Stop, A Sermon to White America." It's a "New York Times" best seller.



Thanks to both of you for joining us.



Michael, the president speaks a lot about problems in inner cities. He tweeted this on Thursday. He said, "Seven people shot and killed yesterday in Chicago. What is going on? Totally out of control. Chicago needs help."



Second time the president has tweeted about Chicago, but he often speaks about the killings that have been going on in Chicago. What can he do? What should he do?



[13:40:23] MICHAEL ERIC DYSON, AUTHOR & FORMER SOCIOLOGY PROFESSOR: I think his attempt to federalize the -- by sending in the troops would be a great problem because it would criminalize vulnerable populations and those that have already had problems with police there. One of the things we must remember is that the Laquan McDonald case underscored the degree to which local principles and political figures have not paid sufficient attention to what's going on there. Having said that, I think that he should work with people who have already proved to be successful in terms of anti-violence programs on the ground there and partnering with those kinds of -- those kinds of organizations to make sure that he addresses the needs of the people there without exacerbating the problem.



BLITZER: There's a lot of killings, Congressman, going on in Chicago last year. This year may even be worse this year. What do you think the president can or should do?



REP. JACK KINGSTON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: To begin with, I think by bringing it up as an issue, I think it's very important. You know, the president went to Detroit. He went to Milwaukee. He spoke to the inner city. He said I want to help with education. I want to help with jobs and opportunities. Also, you know, there has been a federal role in terms of the inner city and the law enforcement. There's the grant started by Bill Clinton. There's the local law enforcement grant started by Newt Gingrich. There's the burn grant program in which the federal government gives local law enforcement grant money for radios, for additional police officers and so forth, so I think the president is saying let's engage and do something, and I think there's a lot of opportunity.



BLITZER: Michael, listen to what the president said this morning about getting Americans back to work.



(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)



TRUMP: It's time for all Americans to get off of welfare and get back to work. You're going to love it. You are going to love it.



(CHEERING)



TRUMP: You're going to love it.



(END VIDEO CLIP)



DYSON: I want your reaction to that. He didn't only say get Americans to work, but get Americans off welfare.



DYSON: The perceptions of this president seem to be distorted and rooted in stereotype of many orders. I think, look -- as a temporary means so they can ultimately make ends meet, but the federal government has to play its role and, of course, offering jobs and worthy opportunities for employment is something that those people who are presently on welfare seek to have. If the president is capable of forging the connection again between the employment sectors and the private sector and in the public sector to make sure that there's a relief of the burdens of those people who are presently receiving some kind of welfare, that would be great. To reinforce the notion of some people on the dole not wanting to work and not seeking useful and gainful employment I think only reinforces the problem.



BLITZER: He has lofty goals, Congressman, President Trump. He spoke of all these goals. Few details. When do you think we'll get details? A lot of members of Congress, the former Republican colleagues, they're worried about spending, spending, spending. Where is all this money going to come?



KINGSTON: He did mention the national debt, and he did talk about the -- being $20 trillion, and he did talk about --



(CROSSTALK)



BLITZER: He wants to spend a lot more, too. At least in the short- term.



KINGSTON: He wasn't completely ignoring it is my point. I think it's a work in progress as -- he mentioned Tom Price taking over HHS, and coming out with a repeal and replace health care program. He talked about building the wall. He talked about investing in military. There is a spending element to it. Part of the economy, creating new jobs is getting more team to work. And I thought that was one of the greatest tag lines when he said the Republican Party is becoming the party of the working person in the United States of America. To me, if I had the title, the speech that would be the great title, but more people work and more people pay taxes, more money going in, less money going out for social assistance. That's a good thing, and that does help balance the budget.



BLITZER: Sounds good. If you can do it.



You know, Michael, the president said he believes in equal rights for everyone. Listen to this.



(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)



TRUMP: We all salute with pride the same American flag, and we all are equal. Totally equal in the eyes of Almighty God. We're equal.



(CHEERING)



(END VIDEO CLIP)



BLITZER: I want your reaction. His critics are saying proposed travel ban, the second version, the administration's decision to rescind Obama rules on transgender bathrooms don't necessarily reflect that. Your thought?



DYSON: Oh, absolutely right. I agree with that criticism. He is speaking about a quality theoretically and rhetorically, but he is subverting it with his own practices. Denying transgender bathrooms in North Carolina. People who have identified in a particular way now have to have that identity attacked or at least not supported by their government and the way that the Obama administration did. And to speak about equality without speaking about the building of walls, to keep Mexicans out or to talk about a travel ban that has targeted specific places where we have not experienced inordinate amounts of terror from those particular citizens. I don't see where the equality comes in except an equality of his attempt to try to propose what American identity and citizenship are.



[13:45:42] BLITZER: Let me get your reaction, Congressman.



KINGSTON: Number one, the transgender bathroom issue is better handled by the states. I think, frankly, it has been blown out of proportion.



(CROSSTALK)



BLITZER: What do you think about recreational marijuana being better handled by states?



KINGSTON: I think --



BLITZER: That's what the president is now signaling.



KINGSTON: I think it is, and --



(CROSSTALK)



BLITZER: Why is recreational -- so you don't want the federal government to get involved in banning recreation marijuana?



KINGSTON: I would say this. 10 years ago, it was more the federal government was outraged that the states were taking initiative, but as we see what's happened in California and Colorado and some of these other states, as they wade in the water, it looks like the states are better leaders on this sort of thing.



BLITZER: You disagree with the White House on that?



KINGSTON: I do.



I also want to say this, medical marijuana, they're the --



(CROSSTALK)



BLITZER: Medical marijuana is different than recreational marijuana?



KINGSTON: But it has been the entree for this discussion. And I think states have to take the lead, and, you know, it's a two-step, particularly among conservatives. On one hand, we think states should have as much local control over laws as possible. On the other hand, we want law and order, and sometimes the two clash. You know, that's just part of the challenge of the evolving discourse in America.



BLITZER: Congressman Jack Kingston, I want to welcome you to the CNN family. You are now a CNN political commentator. Good to have you on our team.



KINGSTON: Thank you, Wolf.



BLITZER: Always good to have Michael Eric Dyson with us.



The book, here it is "Tears We Cannot Stop, A Sermon to White America." It's a "New York Times" best seller.



Michael, always good to have you here with us as well. Thank you.



DYSON: Thank you.



BLITZER: It sounds like a plot for a murder mystery blockbuster. The half-brother of the North Korean dictator attacked by a woman in an airport. He is poisoned, dies just a short time later. After the break, we're going to tell you how the plot gets thicker.



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[13:52:52] BLITZER: It's classified as a weapon of mass destruction and authorities believe it was used in the killing of Kim Jong-Nam. The estranged brother of the North Korean dictator, Kim Jong-Un, died after two women accosted him at the airport. Malaysian police claim the women wiped his face with some sort of liquid.



Alexandra Field joins us with more, live from Malaysian capitol.



Alexandra, tell us about the substance that was found on Kim's face.



ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Wolf, they're now saying it is the most potent nerve substance. It is a highly lethal substance. It can kill people within minutes. Just a couple of dabs a swab of a liquid or vapor to kill somebody or stop them from breathing. You saw this video, it shows Kim Jong-Nam, it shows the woman approaching him, appears to be the moment of attack, shortly after that he goes to seek medical attention. Reports feeling dizzy and dies in the balance. Now we have officials saying this VX agent was is cause of death. It was developed back in the 1950s, also a chemical weapon that experts tell us can be easily developed by countries that have chemical weapons programs, but what is alarming is that such a small amount is need, it is an odorless substance. Officials say they do not know how it got into the country and reached the airport but they say they do believe that the women were given the substance by four North Korean men but believe all four of those men are now back in Pyongyang -- Wolf?



BLITZER: They have that substance, deadly substance on their own hands, yet they're OK, they're in custody, right?



FIELD: That's right. They're in custody along with another North Koreans, they have been before critical, and insisted there was no poisoning of Kim Jong-Nam, and insisting that this man died of a quote heart stroke, and these two women suspected of poisoning him would have been exposed and didn't suffer any consequences, investigators are looking at possibilities whether or not these women were equipped with gloves or barrier, and say that the women were trains how to properly deploy this nerve agent. And these kinds of chemical weapons can exist in binary forms, they have two components that need to be combined to become lethal. All this wild investigation that continue to happen here -- Wolf?



[13:55:14] BLITZER: And Kim Jong-Nam's body is still there? Have they done a full autopsy, do you know?



FIELD: It is the center of diplomatic tensions. You have a fight over North Korea for the body. The Malaysian officials have really dug in saying they will not release the body without next-of-kin coming to identify them. They want a DNA sample. Right now, North Koreans refusing to help provide that, Wolf.



BLITZER: Alexandra, thanks very much.



That's it for me. Thanks very much for watching. I'll be back 5:00 p.m. in "The Situation Room."



For our international viewers, "Amanpour" is next.



For our viewers in North America, NEWSROOM with Brooke Baldwin starts right after the break.



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