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CNN Projects Runoff in U.S. House Race in Georgia; "Fox" Preparing to Cut Ties with Bill O'Reilly. Aired 12:10-1a ET

Aired April 19, 2017 - 00:00   ET

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


[00:10:00] DON LEMON, CNN HOST: All right. Thank you -- David. Thank you -- panel. I appreciate it. Thank you, audience for watching us.

That's it for us tonight. I'll see you right back here tomorrow.

I'm going to hand over now to my colleagues -- John Vause and Isha Sesay.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Don -- thank you very much.

ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you -- Don.

VAUSE: Hello everybody. I'm John Vause here in Los Angeles.

SESAY: And I'm Isha Sesay.

We are following the breaking news and, of course, all eyes on that special election in the U.S. state of Georgia that's being viewed as a major test of Donald Trump's presidency.

VAUSE: This is the 6th district in Georgia which has been solidly Republican for decades. But Democratic Jon Ossoff is making a big push for the district's House seat.

CNN now predicts Ossoff will fall below the 50 percent threshold needed for an outright majority. He now heads to a runoff with the Republican challenger Karen Handel. Democrats poured more than $8 million into Ossoff's campaign.

President Trump has taken a personal interest as well -- recorded a robo call, he was attacking Ossoff on Twitter urging Republicans to get out to vote.

Well, joining us now for our coverage CNN's Manu Raju at Ossoff's headquarters in Atlanta. We also CNN political director David Chalian in D.C.

SESAY: Indeed it is a full house. Here in L.A. Democratic strategist Matthew Littman, talk radio host and Trump supporter John Phillips. And we also have in the mix, CNN senior reporter for media and politics, our own Dylan Byers.

Welcome to you all. VAUSE: Ok. Let's got to Manu Raju to start off our coverage.

So Manu -- of course we have heard from Ossoff. He came out, he made a very brief statement. He said that this was an historic victory. How is it a victory if he's heading to a runoff?

RAJU: Well, it is not a victory. It's just a moral victory if you will. This is the best a Democratic candidate has done in this heavily Republican district in decades. Most would not get above 40 percent.

This is a seat that has been held by Republicans for 37 years. And he came close to winning. But close to winning is not winning. He did not win.

It is going to be a lot harder in the fact that he has got a now two- month one-on-one race against a Republican challenger, former Georgia secretary of state, Karen Handel who's well known in the district and state. Run twice for state office and has lost both times.

She's got decent name ID and will pose a threat given that she can presumably consolidate the Republican field behind her against make this a one-on-one contest which Ossoff despite the fact of running against 10 other Republican candidates in this very crowded primary.

So the question now is how will Democrats regroup? This crowd was fired up. They believe they can still win in two months' time and expect a lot of money to come in here as Democrats still view this seat as very winnable, something they can flip, and something that they can believe can move, take them closer to taking back the House majority next year. But certainly not winning tonight makes that just a little bit harder.

VAUSE: Ok. Manu -- thank you for that. Stay with us. We'll continue with our coverage here obviously.

SESAY: We certainly will.

John Phillips to bring you in as our Republican and Trump supporter -- I mean at the end of the day, Jon Ossoff didn't win this outright. It's going to a runoff. But it's a good night for Democrats. Republicans have to be asking themselves what went wrong here even with the President's intervention.

JOHN PHILLIPS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I don't think so because you had so many Republicans running in this (inaudible) primary.

You had one Democrat. The Democrats cleared the field for Ossoff. And so therefore he could spend all of his money attacking Donald Trump and attacking the Republicans.

The Republicans were taking part in a circular firing squad, going off on one another because it was effectively a primary for them in a Republican district.

Now, Donald Trump carried that district narrowly. But he carried that district. The incumbent Republican, Price, won by much wider margins --

SESAY: That's right.

PHILLIPS: If you look at other Republicans down ballot in other states, in the Senate race in Pennsylvania, the Senate race in Wisconsin, they ran ahead of Donald Trump. I expect the Republican to do the same in this race.

VAUSE: Ok. I want to pick up on your point but I want to put it to Matt because I will take the opposite to what Isha just asked. Because I think this has been a disaster for the Democrats.

Because if you look at it, Trump won this district by less than 2 percent. Democrats said this is a referendum on the Trump presidency and they put $8 million into it. What it means I think if you look at the result is that they have made no ground against Donald Trump since the November election. They have not won 2 percent of the support in this district in the last five, six months.

MATTHEW LITTMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: This is the Newt Gingrich, Tom Price seat. For a Democrat to get close to 50 percent in this race I think is a huge victory for the Democrats. Also the enthusiasm, the money -- it's not just about this race by itself.

If you look at the Democrats who are running for Senate in 2018 who are up for re-election they're raising a ton of money. Enthusiasm is clearly there with the Democratic Party.

I'd point out one other thing. I think Ossoff got more votes than all the Republicans combined in this race. They're going to have two months now where Handel is going to have to defend Donald Trump's record. I would not want to have to defend Donald Trump's record.

SESAY: Yes. Thank you.

Let's go to David Chalian. He is here with us. He's in Washington, D.C. David, let me ask you this. As we talk about the gains Ossoff made in this district. Talk to us, break it down for us, how did he do it? How did this 30-year-old, former congressional aide, documentary filmmaker -- how did he get to this place of being such a challenger?

[00:20:07] Well, because of two things going -- three things going on. One -- the shifting demographics in this district and it is a district that is -- affluent, well-educated, young, exactly the kind of demographics that although has been a reliably Republican, not Trump Republican. So there is opportunity there.

Two, he was running against a split field of Republicans, 11 Republicans splitting the Republican vote. And the Democrats were very wise, strategically so, to get in early. John Lewis the civil rights iconic congressman from the area, Hank Johnson, Jon Ossoff's former boss in congress, coalesced around Ossoff. And so the Democrats didn't have that split field problem.

And then three, the energy in American politics right now is the anti- Trump, left wing, Democratic energy of opposition and resistance. We saw it in Kansas where they came closer than they should have. And we see it in the amount of money that Ossoff has been able to raise with a ton of celebrities from Hollywood, out where you are, throwing money into his campaign coffers, Democratic donors around the country, lot of out of district money coming into this race.

So all of those factors brought Ossoff closer than most Democrats would be in this district but he still didn't get the job done outright tonight. And there is no doubt that his job gets a little more complicated when the entire Republican electorate is going to be able to coalesce around one candidate.

It doesn't mean it is a runaway for Republicans. They can't walk away from this. This is going to be a competitive couple of months. And this special election will still be really important.

But, Jon Ossoff loses out on the split Republican field here which was a big advantage for him to get to where he got tonight.

VAUSE: Ok. David Chalian in Washington -- thank you.

Everybody stay with us.

CHALIAN: Thank you.

VAUSE: We have to squeeze in a very short break. You are watching CNN's continuing coverage of what now looks to be a runoff election. Well, it is a runoff election for the Georgia congressional district number 6. A lot more of our coverage.

SESAY: A lot more analysis to come. Do stay with us.

VAUSE: In just a moment.

[00:22:14] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody. 25 minutes past 9:00 here on the West Coast.

And there is breaking news on that closely-watched U.S. congressional election in Georgia. CNN projecting there will be a runoff between Democrat Jon Ossoff and Republican Karen Handel. Ossoff says he has defied odds and shattered expectations with a strong showing in a solidly Republican district.

SESAY: Well, this special election is viewed as something of a litmus test of President Trump's support on a local level. And he has taken a personal interest in it. Mr. Trump attacked Ossoff in a robo call and in tweets.

In fact just a few minutes ago, he tweeted this. "Despite major outside money, fake media support and 11 Republican candidates, big R win with runoff in Georgia. Glad to be of help."

VAUSE: Ok, back with us we have Democratic strategist Matt Littman here with us; also talk radio host and Trump supporter John Phillips; and CNN senior reporter for media and politics, Dylan Byers.

So Dylan -- just quickly to you. A lot of money went into Ossoff's campaign, more than $8 million -- a lot of it coming from California actually. Will there be the same level of enthusiasm for the runoff election among Democrats. Will they be willing to pony up the dollars? And you know, can the Democrats continue to spend $8 million plus on every congressional district?

DYLAN BYERS, CNN SENIOR REPORTER FOR MEDIA AND POLITICS: Yes, I think you will continue to see that effort. And the reason is, look if you look at the election in Georgia -- tonight's election in Georgia, you look at the recent election in Kansas. What you are seeing is that Democrats are seeing hope.

You know, you call it a litmus test. The big question here is can Democrats have a shot at taking back the House next year. And -- look, for them -- results like what happened in Georgia tonight seemed somewhat promising. Obviously they would have liked to have just nipped this thing in the bud and won it tonight. That didn't happen.

I think the fact that it didn't happen tells you that while there is opposition to Trump in some of these historically Republican districts, just being an anti-Trump politician is not going to take you far enough.

You have to offer more than that. You have to offer a new promise, a new vision for what you're going to do. Otherwise you are going to see those results coming in exactly where they came in for Trump. He won that district by just 1.5 points.

If Democrats want to go beyond runoffs, if they want to go beyond sort of being on the fence in these partisan districts they're going to have to do more than just, you know, oppose, the now status quo.

SESAY: Yes. Dylan -- stand by for us. John Phillips -- to go back to you, let's stay with the issue of the President. You saw in his tweet early on. He's taking some credit. Glad to be of help. What are your expectations for going forward? Does he get further into this fight? Should he get further into this fight in the runoff?

PHILLIPS: God, I hope they never take that phone away from him. I look forward to those tweets so much.

I think that this is going to become a national fight to some degree because it's the only game in town. It's not the midterms, it's not the presidential. This is the race that everyone's focusing on.

And to expand on a point that, you made with -- with Dylan about taking all of this money from California and all these Hollywood stars. This is a Republican district in Georgia. Taking more money from Jane Fonda is not the path to the promise land. It's not going how to help you out with the veterans unless they're part of the Viet Cong.

LITTMAN: We're going way back there.

VAUSE: We're not going way back. I mean --

(CROSSTALK)

VAUSE: But Matt -- I mean to Dylan's point about the fact that did the Democrats offer up anything new in this election or was it just simply vote against Trump?

LITTMAN: Only to say that -- just being anti-Trump is going to carry the Democrats very far. I'm not sure --

VAUSE: It didn't tonight.

LITTMAN: -- to what Dylan said that the Democrats -- a lot of these Democrats aren't going to need a new vision except to be anti-Trump. I think that will carry them. Let's remember that Donald Trump is about the least popular president that's ever been at this stage. So I do think that the Democratic Party is in pretty good shape when we're talking about the House election.

Next year -- I do think that the Democrats, the enthusiasm is so high in the Democratic Party right now, the money is so enormous. Not just in these races. Look at how much money the congressional Hispanic caucuses backed this race. There's a ton of money out there, there's a ton of enthusiasm. I think the Democrats are in actually really good shape just being anti-Trump.

[00:30:05] VAUSE: Ok.

SESAY: All right.

VAUSE: Stay with us, everybody.

SESAY: We're going to have a lot more analysis of that race in Georgia.

Stay with us. Quick break. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN "Breaking News."

VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody. If you are just joining us, we have some breaking news on that closely watched U.S. congressional election in Georgia. CNN projecting there will be a run-off now between the Democrat Jon Ossoff and Republican Karen Handel.

SESAY: This special election viewed as a litmus test of President Trump's support on a local level. In fact, just a few minutes ago, the president himself weighing in. He tweeted this.

"Despite major outside money, fake media support and eleven Republican candidates, big "R" win with runoff in Georgia. Glad to be of help."

VAUSE: We have Manu Raju standing by off the headquarters in Atlanta. Also, Jack Kingston, CNN political commentator; former U.S. congressman for Georgia in Washington, D.C. SESAY: Yes, Manu, to you, first. I mean, that's the headline. You are right. This thing will go to a run-off. What is the feeling there among the -- the Ossoff camp and amongst his supporters about what the road ahead will look like, what this fight is going to be like to win this run-off against Karen Handel.

[00:35:00] MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: Well, no doubt there is some disappointment in the room. A hope that perhaps Jon Ossoff could oversee that 50 percent threshold. Win the seat outright ad about a major repudiation of President Trump. But at the same time, no one, the top officials in both parties were not expecting Jon Ossoff to get to that 50 percent threshold.

Public polling showed that he was probably in the 40s somewhere, mid- 40s and even internal polling on both sides suggest that he was in the high 40s. So, 50 percent threshold. If he were to able to exceed that would have been a huge upset. Huge surprise.

Nevertheless the fact that it is now a one-on-one race against Republican Karen Handel, someone who has run state-wide twice before -- former, and lost two state races, but one as Georgia secretary of state.

Those -- that fact that she's a pretty well known quantity will be a formidable candidate against Jon Ossoff in a general election. Now that being said, the fact that he got 48 percent in a district that no Democrat has won in 37 years has given Democrats a lot of hope that they can win back the house next year by winning conservative leaning districts like this one. Even less conservative districts. They just need 24 seats to win back the house.

It's something that is certainly achievable. It's something that a lot of Democrats feel a lot better about tonight, and seeing Jon Ossoff performed well and exceed expectations tonight, guys.

VAUSE: Manu, thank you.

SESAY: Thank you, Manu.

VAUSE: Let's go to Jack Kingston, because Jack I remember you saying that Democrats are probably feeling, you know, pretty good tonight. Republicans should be feeling pretty good tonight. They just wanted to hold on to the seat vacated.

But, you know, is Georgia essentially fools gold now for Democrats. We heard into the campaign that Hillary Clinton could take Georgia. Trump won it by five points. And really does this have much implications beyond the six congressional district?

JACK KINGSTON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think we hear this a lot from Democrats. We hear this a lot from national Democrats and people who don't understand the state.

Every time there is an election. Oh, Georgia is going to go purple. Georgia is going to flip. And, you know, in the case of Jon Ossoff, here's a guy without much of a portfolio, but the Democratic Party is motivated. They're the minority party right now and they are behaving accordingly.

90 percent of his money came from out of state. Most of his volunteers, most of his campaign apparatus was propped up by out of state consultants. There's an old expression in politics, you can't beat somebody with nobody.

Jon Ossoff is a guy who's 30 years old and has very little to show for his 30 years on earth in terms of achievement, or vocation, or career or anything like that.

Karen Handel is an accomplished businesswoman. She's been a successful elected official. She's a party activist and she's going to, I think very comfortably take this seat with about 54 percent of the vote.

VAUSE: It didn't help that Ossoff couldn't even vote for himself because he doesn't live in the district, right?

KINGSTON: You know, I think we may get reminded of that several times in the next two months.

VAUSE: You think?

KINGSTON: Yes.

VAUSE: Quite possibly.

Jack and Manu, thank you.

SESAY: Thank you.

VAUSE: Let's go to John and Matthew with us right now.

So, Matthew, the Democrats are hoping that this would be almost like the 2010 moments. Bob Brown, you know, took Ted Kennedy's old Senate seat. And that was the start of the tea party wave. Taking of the Congress and Senate. That kind of stuff.

Brown won that election with the swing of more than 20 points. This is nothing like that.

MATTHEW LITTMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Very conservative district. I think Ossoff did really well as we were seeing before.

VAUSE: That's state is very blue.

LITTMAN: Yes. But in terms, in this district, it looks like Ossoff got more votes than other Republicans combined. He's going to end up in a one-on-one race. This is an ideal place for the Democrats right now. Conservative district in Georgia isn't the best for the Democrats at all. The fact that the Democrats are this close, considering how much Democratic -- I think you'll agree that the Democratic Party is incredibly enthusiastic. The money is enormous, let's go into these races. We may or may not win in Georgia. I don't know the answer but it bodes very well for 2018. SESAY: We'll hit pause there and take a quick break. We will be right back. We're going to keep this conversation going so don't go anywhere. More analysis after this quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody. We continue with our breaking news coverage of the results in the U.S. congressional election in the state of Georgia.

It's a race which is being watched closely by everyone from President Donald Trump on down.

What we now know is that the Democrat Jon Ossoff has been making a big push for this U.S. House seat. It is historically a Republican district. This is why it is so important. Many people see the results here as some indication that the Democrats will be able to take back the house in the midterms in 2018. But right now, we know that Ossoff will head to a run-off against Karen Handel, the Republican in June.

SESAY: Yes, the president's commitment to the race, if you will. He took part in a robocall. He also put out some tweets. Everything to get involved. Kind of show his support for the Republican field. Just a short time ago, this is what he tweeted.

"Despite major outside money, fake media support and 11 Republican candidates, big "R" win with run-off in Georgia. Glad to be of help!"

The president of course pleas that it's now going to another race. And, Bob Gray may win the day.

VAUSE: So John Phillips, you know, there will be one Republican candidate next time against one Democrat. This is the, you know this is exactly what the Democrats are hoping to avoid, right?

JOHN PHILLIPS, TALK RADIO HOST/TRUMP SUPPORTER: Yes, and I think when it's all said and done the Republicans will have more votes than the Democratic candidate. And I expect them to be a favorite in the general election. If you look at the districts that the Democrats are targeting in the midterm elections, they are looking at districts that Hillary Clinton won that have Republican incumbents or Republicans retiring who represented the district. That does not reflect this district.

This is a district that both Donald Trump and the Republican congressman won. They're going to play for it because it's the only election that's on the calendar this cycle but they're not going to win.

SESAY: Matt, how do you see it? I mean, is that the right read of things?

[00:45:00] LITTMAN: Well, listen, I mean, the Democrats are incredibly enthusiastic. But, look, most of the country doesn't like Donald Trump. So running against Donald Trump right now is very good for the Democratic Party.

Go ahead.

VAUSE: Very quickly, what if they don't win. They don't win the run- off. Does that enthusiasm die?

LITTMAN: Not at all. No.

The money is so out there for the Democratic Party right now. In 2018 elections, I think the Democratic Party is so enthusiastic that --

(CROSSTALK)

VAUSE: Well, you don't in the most conservative -- one of those conservative districts. Actually, the fact that you got this close as well as in Kansas is pretty amazing. And Ossoff has a pretty good chance of winning that general election. I don't know whether he will or he won't.

SESAY: Go back to that point, it doesn't mean you have to as a Democrat if you don't get it on the board, you have to expand this beyond being just a referendum on Trump.

LITTMAN: We have. I don't think -- actually, I don't really think that you do. I really think you can go very far just being a referendum on Trump, because Trump in this country is so hated. 60 percent of the country does not approve of Donald Trump. Donald Trump is also doing a terrible job. So I think that the country -- the Democrats are in good shape in terms of just running against Trump. I think next time -- we have like, we're in Los Angeles. Orange County have two seats here. Mimi Walters, Darrell Issa. Does anybody think that maybe Walters, Darrell Issa are going to take those seats in the next election? Absolutely not.

PHILLIPS: But, John, I do.

(CROSSTALK)

VAUSE: Trump robocalls, the tweets leading up to this election help or hurt?

PHILLIPS: I'm sorry, what is it about?

VAUSE: Did Trump robocalls, the Trump tweets in the lead up to the election helped or hurt?

PHILLIPS: I think it helped. And I think that ultimately he will help the Republican candidate win the election.

VAUSE: OK. Maybe.

(CROSSTALK)

SESAY: I feel like everyone is walking away from that.

LITTMAN: I respectfully disagree. SESAY: Stay with us, guys. This conversation is going to continue, but to some other big political news out of the UK that we want to share with you. British Prime Minister Theresa May has shocked her country and Europe calling for a snap election in June. She's hoping to strengthen her hand as she works on a deal to leave the European Union.

VAUSE: Right now, May's conservative party has a slim majority in the House of Commons. But if she can widen that gap, she will have a lot more leverage to carry out Brexit as she sees fit.

And with that, we'll take a very short break. We'll have a lot more in the coming hours on that congressional election in Georgia. But we're also covering the fate of Bill O'Reilly, one of the most influential right-wing TV hosts at "Fox News."

He's facing a growing sexual harassment claims and his fate is now in the balance.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SESAY: Hello, everyone. Some breaking news to bring you up to speed within that closely watched U.S. congressional election in Georgia.

CNN projects there will be a run-off between Democrat Jon Ossoff and Republican Karen Handel. Ossoff said he's defied the odds and shattered expectation with a strong showing in a solidly Republican district. This special election you may remember is being viewed as a litmus test of President Trump's support on a local level. Most people saying that this is effectively a referendum on the president himself. And Donald Trump, the president, taking a personal interest in it attacking Ossoff in a robocall and in tweets.

VAUSE: OK, a very quick look at one of the other major stories of the day. "Fox News" may be close to dumping talk show host, Bill O'Reilly.

"The Wall Street Journal," which is owned by the same company as "Fox," reports the network is preparing to cut ties with O'Reilly after a slew of sexual harassment claims. The decision could come in the next few days. Riley has denied any wrongdoing. A short time ago, his lawyer says that his client has been subjected to a brutal campaign of character assassination that is unprecedented in post- McCarthyist America.

Meantime, demonstrators delivered petitions to "Fox News's" headquarters in New York demanding O'Reilly be fired. This as a new accuser has come forward, a woman who says O'Reilly harassed her at work for months.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LISA BLOOM, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY, THE BLOOM FIRM: He would come by her desk when there was no one around and make sexually inappropriate comments to her and racially harassing comments. He called her hot chocolate. She is African-American. She found that very offensive. He would leer at her, leer at her cleavage, at her legs. He would say uh-uh, uh-huh, yes, baby. He would have her get off the elevator, first, and then make comments about her as she got off the elevator. She found this whole thing very upsetting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Well, CNN legal analyst Areva Martin joins us now for more on this. Good to see you.

Hey, John.

VAUSE: O'Reilly lawyer -- O'Reilly's lawyer, I should say, he says his client has been victim of character assassination. He also went on to say it is being orchestrated by the far left, a smear campaign. He has some evidence which he will come out with fairly soon.

Where is he going with all of this in terms of like a legal defense?

AREVA MARTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: I think he is trying to save his job, first and foremost. There is really no need for a legal defense because there has not been an action filed with respect to these last two accusers. I think this is all about him trying to save face. Him trying to -- you know, present to the board of directors and the management at "Fox News," a case for why he should not be let go because he is seriously close to losing his very, very high paying position.

VAUSE: Yes. One well-placed source telling CNN O'Reilly could be gone by the end of the week. That the negotiations are under way.

MARTIN: Yes.

VAUSE: What would those negotiations actually look like?

MARTIN: Severance pay. How do you get rid of him? Give him a soft landing. Obviously he is never going to admit any kind liability, any kind of wrongdoing. And then there is the question of payoff. He may have a contract.

We know he just signed a contract recently. So the question is what's the value of that contract? And is "Fox" going to pay him the value of it or some portion of the value, in exchange for his resignation.

VAUSE: Same is what they did with Roger Ailes, the CEO who left under similar circumstances.

MARTIN: Absolutely.

VAUSE: O'Reilly has a history of sexual harassment at the network. There was a case back in 2004. Would you expect there would be some kind of clause in his contract that would make it easier for "Fox" to remove him under this?

MARTIN: Sexual harassment is unlawful conduct when anyone engages in it. And a company always has the right to terminate you for cause. So if you engage in sexual harassment, the company has an absolute legal right to terminate your contract. The fact that they haven't fired Bill O'Reilly before this is really appalling because we are talking about these latest two allegations. But we also know there was $13 million paid in settlement for women who made very similar allegations.

And in most companies, most individuals would have been fired long before this. It is just because of the cash that O'Reilly has brought into that network which is why he is still in the position today.

[00:55:00] VAUSE: So you talk about the legal settlement, these women have actually made with "Fox News" over the years. But the latest two accusers, Wendy Walsh and this new woman today, they're not after money.

MARTIN: No, they're not after money, but Lisa Bloom has said repeatedly she wants an outside investigation. She wants someone other than the law firm that's been retained by "Fox News" to go in and do an internal investigation. I think ultimately what women want is, for this company, to rid itself of this hostile work environment.

We are hearing, you know, these sexual allegations don't just -- they haven't just plagued Bill O'Reilly. All the way to the top, Roger Ailes.

So the question, is there a culture -- is this a, you know, a sexual harassment factory? Are women safe in this environment? That's the question that I think those protesters were asking, that are outside demanding that Bill O'Reilly, you know, be terminated from "Fox."

VAUSE: Very quickly, Lisa Bloom, the lawyer, described, "Fox" as cesspool, a sexual harassment and retaliation and that demand for an investigation. If "Fox" does not change it's, you know, the culture there, what are the legal liabilities?

MARTIN: More and more lawsuits. And some where they are asking for money. Right now there is no money on the table with respect to Lisa Bloom's two clients. But if women have suffered sexual harassment, there is still a statute of limitations, because there's huge damages, as well as advertisers leaving the network, and, you know, major financial consequences for "Fox."

VAUSE: Areva, thank you so much.

MARTIN: Thanks, John.

VAUSE: Appreciate it.

SESAY: All right. It is a busy night. We have lots of news to bring you. We will be live for the next couple hours from Los Angeles. I'm Isha Sesay.

VAUSE: I'm John Vause. Stay with us. A short break and a lot more news to come.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)