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Sex Allegations Rock Alabama Senate Race; Thousands Visiting Machu Picchu Threaten Its Future; Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired November 10, 2017 - 10:30   ET

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


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[10:34:10] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. It happened just a short time ago. President Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, they did shake hands at the summit in Vietnam, but will there be more? Will they hold a formal meeting, even an informal meeting?

CNN's Sara Murray joins us now live from this summit.

Where are we right now, Sara, in what to expect from the two leaders?

SARA MURRAY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're waiting to see if there will be any kind of actual meeting. The White House has said there will not be a formal bilateral meeting but at the beginning of this trip President Trump said --

BERMAN: All right. Yes, you can barely hear Sara Murray say at this point we do not know whether or not there will be a formal meeting. The Russians say we can absolutely expect a sort of pull aside as it's known. The two men will talk on the sidelines of this meeting.

And you know you can cover a lot of ground on the sidelines of this meeting, so even if they have just that, that in and of itself could be interesting.

[10:35:07] Did I hear you say we have Sara back? All right. We have lost Sara Murray's communication. She is over in Vietnam. Again the two leaders there at the summit.

I will never get tired, by the way, of the shirts they wear at these summits. A sign of the world coming together in fashion, not always good fashion.

A former Republican presidential candidate calls on Roy Moore to step aside. Roy Moore says he's not going anywhere.

What are the implications inside that state and in the Capitol? Stay with us.

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BERMAN: All right. This morning Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore is promising to never give up the fight, despite the fact that four women are accusing him of sexual misconduct. A short time ago, our Martin Savidge in Alabama speaking to the brother of Roy Moore, the brother told Martin that the victim here is the judge, saying that he is being persecuted like Jesus.

[10:40:05] Joining us now is CNN senior political analyst Mark Preston.

Mark, thank you very much for being with us. I'm glad we have you. We haven't laid out the nuts and bolts this morning about just what it would mean if Roy Moore said, for instance -- he's not saying it now, but if he said I quit, I don't want to run anymore, what would happen on the Alabama ballot?

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, a couple of things, one is if he decided to remove himself, if he were to step out of the race and say I no longer want to run for whatever reason, whether he acknowledges what has happened or not, then it would basically be a free run for the Democrat Doug Jones to win. And the reason being is because state law does not allow a name to be substituted on the ballot.

Having said that, if somebody like Luther Strange who is the current sitting Alabama senator, he is the person who lost the primary to Roy Moore, if he decided to run as a write-in candidate and received more votes than the Democrat Doug Jones on December 12th, then he would become the next Alabama senator.

BERMAN: This might be an academic exercise, though, that we're discussing right now because Roy Moore says he's not going anywhere.

PRESTON: Right.

BERMAN: He says he's not going to quit and his brother as I just said told Martin Savidge that it is Judge Moore who is being persecuted here like Jesus, is what he said apparently.

There is a formulation in a lot of the response right now from some lawmakers around the country who say if the allegations or accusations from these four women are true then Roy Moore should drop out. Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts, former Republican nominee, he takes it one step further. He says, "Innocent until proven guilty is for criminal convictions, not elections. I believe Leigh Corfman. Her account is too serious to ignore. Moore is unfit for office and should step aside."

This is a significantly different response than from other Republicans, many other Republicans, right now. What do you make of it, Mark?

PRESTON: Well, a couple of things, one is Roy Moore is not necessarily the same cup of political tea as Mitt Romney, A, so we should put that on the table. Yes, he has no vested interest right now in the United States Senate so he can speak his free mind, though I do think that what Mitt Romney is saying there, though, doesn't necessarily make sense. And when I say that, his first sentence is, you know, innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, not elections, and then goes on to say that Roy Moore, you know, should leave office. I don't necessarily agree with his first sentence because I do believe

that you should have the ability to defend yourself. Having said that, if you look at this "Washington Post" story, 30 people have been interviewed, all the folks that have made allegations will have spoken on the record -- have spoken on the record. They've used their names, they put themselves out there. They've put themselves at great harm, perhaps not physical harm, but certainly emotional harm and their integrity going on down the line.

So I do think this is a little bit of a different situation. But here's the key, though, John. If Roy Moore does win, if he chooses not to leave, right? If he chooses not to leave and he stays on the ballot, if he does with win in December, guess what, the Senate has to let him come into the chamber. However, however, once they swear him in, they could turn around and all you would need is 67 votes, two- thirds of the United States Senate, could then expel him from the U.S. Senate.

And let me just read you something that is from the Congressional Research Service. They said that, "You can do so for a disciplinary measure to punish a member as well as a measure to protect the integrity and the dignity of the institution from those who have proven unworthy of continued membership."

So the United States Senate, even if he wins, they could knock him back out.

BERMAN: Bob Menendez, from New Jersey, faces a similar situation right now depending on the verdict of his trial here.

PRESTON: Perfect example. Correct.

BERMAN: I just want to note that. Going back to the formulation of the if true, then, you know, Roy Moore should drop out of the race.

PRESTON: Right.

BERMAN: Predicament that many Republican leaders now find themselves in is this, is that the story may never change from what we have this morning, you have four on the record statements, including from Leigh Corfman who said when she was 14 she was sexually molested by Roy Moore. She said this. She says it on the record, her name is in print right there, and then you have Judge Moore who says it's not true.

That may be all we ever have on this. There may be no more evidence. Frankly, it's a lot in terms of some of these sexual harassment type allegations. You don't often get four people on the record speaking like this. But if it never changes from this, if it doesn't move from this, what then? If you're Mitch McConnell who said if true, he should drop out?

PRESTON: So talking about being between a rock and a hard place because, one, as we're talking about expulsion or brought that up, you have Mitch McConnell who assuming that Roy Moore were to -- you know, come to Washington, Mitch McConnell if he accepted him into the Republican conference, if he were to give him committee assignments, he could very much alienate a big, large chunk of his Republican conference.

Meaning Republican senators such as John McCain and others will come out and basically said regardless Roy Moore should not be here in Washington. And let me put it on the table most of the Republican senators here in Washington don't want Roy Moore here.

[10:45:05] Everyone talks about him being the 52nd vote and how they need him for tax reform and what have you, Roy Moore is not a guarantee on anything quite frankly. He's somebody who shoots from the hip and kind of marches to his own drum.

But I do believe that if he does come to Washington then you are going to see the fabric of the Republican Party be torn apart even more and we saw Steve Bannon last night really egging that on in Manchester, New Hampshire, when he basically said that it was "The Washington Post" who dropped a dime on Roy Moore and from my knowing of what drop a dime means, John, it means you're telling the truth.

BERMAN: Right. But, look, Steve Bannon said the same thing happened to Donald Trump with the "Access Hollywood" tapes which aren't in dispute. It's Donald Trump's voice on that "Access Hollywood" tapes. Steve Bannon isn't say they didn't exist he just doesn't care that they exist.

PRESTON: Right.

BERMAN: Or blames "The Washington Post" for pointing out they exist.

Mark Preston, always great to see you. Have a great weekend, my friend.

PRESTON: You too, John. Thanks.

BERMAN: There's a new stunning report about an alleged plot involving National Security adviser Michael Flynn, a plot that could perhaps have landed him a payday of up to $15 million. And it also removes the removal, maybe forcible removal, of someone from U.S. soil.

What does this mean now for the special counsel's investigation? Stick around.

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[10:50:44] BERMAN: So the breathtaking Inca ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru, they attract thousands of visitors from around the world for good reason. But can their fragile beauty be protected in this modern world?

One man knows the answer. He is here with us right now. Bill Weir, host of "THE WONDER LIST."

Bill, thanks so much for being with us.

BILL WEIR, CNN HOST, "THE WONDER LIST": Thanks for having me. BERMAN: There is nowhere on earth I think more stunning than Machu

Picchu. Tell us about your adventure there.

WEIR: Well, you've been. It's not on so many bucket lists, up there with Venice and the Great Wall of China, and like a lot of those places it's really being loved to death. And the new regulations restrict how many people can go in, the fact that you need a guide, but let me give you a little sample. If you've been dreaming about this place here's a taste of my first day in Machu Picchu.

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WEIR (voice-over): Most archeologists believe that all of this was built as a spot of ultimate relaxation and religion. The VIPs of the Inca world. A place to escape the crowded heat of Cusco, relax among the clouds, worship the sun and the stars.

Fernando has been in charge of the site for 20 years, but he still gets giddy over new discoveries.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All of this was covered by soil, by dirt. All of this that you can see.

WEIR (on camera): I see. Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It starts down here. It's all of this was finally uncovered.

WEIR (voice-over): His team recently unearthed this celestial window carved without chisels to track the path of the sun for planting and worship.

After a 10-minute climb I reached the spot I have seen photographs so many times. That high corner where the last Inca ruler must have stood and smiled at the sun and thought, it is good to be the king.

Hmm, and maybe we should build another addition. Up there.

(On camera): That's Huayna Picchu, young peak, Machu Picchu, old peak. And tomorrow morning we're going to try to climb that, and I may die.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: You didn't die.

WEIR: I didn't die.

BERMAN: It's a good tease.

WEIR: It's so incredible when you figure all of that was created without wheels, without steel, these intricate temples high in these mountain peaks it really is. And the Incas were at the top of the food chain. They ruled South America, then came the Spaniards looking for gold with their cannons and their germs, and that whole culture disappeared. So -- and then the curse of the Incas also goes today even in the Amazon.

BERMAN: Well, you talk about the Amazon also you talk about this gold rush.

WEIR: Right.

BERMAN: There's a modern-day gold rush in the Amazon. What's going on there?

WEIR: There is. Gold, elicit gold has now passed cocaine as the biggest illegal export in Peru these days because the price of gold has been over $1,000 an ounce for nine years now and to feed that gracious market, these guys who are just trying to make a living, they go with pumps and hosts and blast the river banks of the Amazon and they've turned 600 square miles of some of the pristine rain forest into toxic wastelands so we wanted to take a look at that as well.

BERMAN: Well, that's not good. That's a tragedy.

Machu Picchu, on the other hand, everyone should get chance to see that.

WEIR: Absolutely.

BERMAN: And Bill Weir, thank you so much for showing us all of the beauty of that. Thank you so much for "THE WONDER LIST."

WEIR: My pleasure.

BERMAN: The last three years.

WEIR: Season finale. Yes.

BERMAN: Fantastic. Remember, watch "THE WONDER LIST" with Bill Weir. It all starts tomorrow night 9:00 p.m. right here on CNN.

Want to leave you with something here. First Lady Melania Trump spoke exclusively with CNN's Kate Bennett in China. This is what she said about her first year as first lady.

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KATE BENNETT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How are you feeling one year into this role as first lady? How has it been for you?

MELANIA TRUMP, FIRST LADY: It's my honor to be a first lady of the United States. And it was a very busy year. And we love to live in Washington. We have a very busy life. And it's exciting as well. And I'm looking forward to work on behalf of the children.

BENNETT: Great. And any frustrations or anything that has been unexpected or surprising for you?

M. TRUMP: It's -- it's very exciting life. And it's a lot of things that you need to take care of, a lot of responsibilities, and it's part of being the first lady. (END VIDEO CLIP)

[10:55:11] BERMAN: Melania Trump right there, she heads back to the United States very, very shortly. Our thanks to Kate Bennett for that.

All right. This morning, growing calls for Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore to step aside. Mitt Romney just weighed into this debate going much further than many of his Republican colleagues.

Again Roy Moore, accused of sexually molesting a 14-year-old girl, three other teenagers, he pursued as well, according to the "Washington Post." All the latest developments coming up.

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