Transcripts For CNNW At This Hour With Kate Bolduan 20180706

Reporter talking about stocks, look at the board. The dow is up 47 points. It seems like wall street is taking a wait and see approach, despite the fact that the trade tensions have ramped up overnight. The thinking is that perhaps there could be some sort of compromise reached between the u. S. And china. Here is the thing. As this game of chicken plays out, these tariffs have been threatened by china, tariffs on high value american exports, cars, crude oil, cash crops like soy beans and poultry. If demand drops for the meamerin products sold in china, guess who will be hurt. U. S. Companies and american jobs. You could see the unintended consequences take hold. We are seeing china retaliate. The u. S. Put those tariffs on High Tech Industries that china cares about. Industries like aerospace, robotics, manufacturing and cars. We could see really how this trade dispute is affecting u. S. Companies even better, because Second Quarter earnings season ramps up next week. Thats when we will really hear from the company ceos as they report the earnings out how the trade battle, how this trade dispute which has been ongoing for months now, how its affecting u. S. Companies. Thats going to be something to look for. Today, we did get the monthly jobs report. What do the numbers tell us about the strength of the economy as of right now . Reporter it shows the jobs picture is continues to be bright. 213,000 jobs were created in june. Unemployment rate did go up to 4 but for a positive reason, for a good reason because a half Million People came off the sidelines, jumped back into the labor force to look for work. The bad news of the jobs report, especially if you are an american worker, is wages are flat. In fact, they are running below inflation. Thats probably why you are seeing a lot of americans say, im not feeling rich. Im not feeling wealthy, because my wages arent going up. Thats important. Certainly something we heard on the campaign trail in 2016. Helped the president get elected. Thank you for that. Lets bring in our guests to talk more about this. Katherine rampell, shes a Washington Post opinion columnist, and our own christine romans, chief business correspondent. Christine, start with the jobs report. Its better than expected. Thats always a good thing. Overall though, pay increases are slow. Talk about that. Thats been the real riddle here. We tell you that there are more job openings than there are people who are seeking jobs. Right . That would tell you simply supply and demand would say wages should go up. Businesses pay more to get their talent. That hasnt been happening. In this number, this report we saw 2. 7 year over year wage growth. I dont think we had 3 since 2009. Theres Something Holding back wage growth. Thats been a stubborn part of the job numbers. I dont want to underplay them. This was a good jobs report. It shows you companies are hiring. Showed you a lot of people went into the labor market looking for a job. This is a strong job situation at the moment. No question about it. Thats an important point to make. We have the strong numbers. The fear is that the trade war, which officially started at 12 01 this morning, will hurt or diminish the economic progress that were seeing in the job numbers. Right. Exactly. The tariffs that trump has imposed on chinese goods as well as the retaliatory tariffs that china has imposed on american goods, both of those things will have a drag on the u. S. Economy and on the job market. The only question is the magnitude of the drag. At this point, the numbers are relatively contained. The real threat is escalation. Trump said he wants tariffs covering Something Like 500 billion worth of chinese goods. It would be very hard to contain the damage in that situation. You are seeing Manufacturing Companies complain about the fact that their input prices have gone up from the earlier steel and aluminum tariffs as well as things like semiconductors and other intermediate goods they use to create products and jobs as well in the United States. The National Association of manufacturers came out with a statement saying, yay for the jobs report, but boo for the trade war. Christine, when it comes to what were talking about here, we heard a little from katherine, the chinese targets are machinery, auto parts, medical devices the u. S. Targets on the chinese. Chinas targets, american suvs, meat, seafood. I want to read this to you from the New York Times today, it struck me as a good example to get down to the real world impact. As of friday morning, a company that make s parts facing a 25 increase on parts imports from china. The chief executive said that would immediately put him and other american manufacturers at a disadvantage to competitors abroad. These are classic American Companies were talking about that rely on this, headquartered in a state the president barely one, made him president , wisconsin. This is we see the numbers, we hear the numbers. This is the reality of what were talking about. It seems as though the white house is betting that voters in those places are going to give the president a lot of leeway here as he goes about doing what he says should have been done years ago. The president said he didnt start the trade war, china did. Theres agreement that some of the chinese trade practices have hurt the United States, have not been fair to the United States. How the president is going about it as you can see is going to hurt some Smaller Companies and some companies that are right in the crosshairs of this. Soy bean farmers, on your list, you had products, the revenge tariffs. Soy beans are one of them. Not only is this hurting us said the farmers, because one in every three rows of soy beans are exported and 60 go to china, but what they pay for equipment will go up because of the higher cost of the steel and aluminum thats in the things they are making. They are getting hit twice here. My question is, how much leeway do voters in those trump districts give the president on his trade policy . Thats the question. I like you brought up soy beans, miss iowa native there. That was impressive. Straight to the roots there. Both of you, look at this map. Katherine, speak to this. This is what christine was talking about. It looks like a sea of red there. What we have done is put over the areas where the trade war and the impact of the china tariffs could and probably will affect american manufacturers and businesses. That is over the red parts. The red parts are Trump Country. They are directly related. This is what christine was talking about here. Its why you are seeing and hearing republicans who are huge Trump Supporters getting very, very nervous, because they are hearing from their constituents, from their familirmers, from th manufacturers, of course, we think china is being unfair, of course, the president was right when he said it at every Single Campaign rally that we want to make things right with china, but is this the right way to do it . No. Its not the right way to do it. The right way to do it would have been banning together with the other countries victimized by hichinas unfair trade practices. Lots of countries that we once had a trade pact with, explicitly to keep china in line. It was called the transpacific partnership. It was one of the first things trump did was to pull us out of that trade pact. You are right that chinas targeting of all of these products that come from Trump Country is no accident. They have levied their retaliatory tariffs with surgical precision, unlike the tariffs we have levied on them. If you look at the tariffs we put on china, almost all of them actually target nonchinese firms that operate in china, including american multinational companies. Its American Companies and korean companies, they are the ones we are punishing. The ones china is punishing with also american firms. They are targeting areas that voted for trump or that are otherwise republican strongholds and that are going to complain to their local representatives, their senators, their local newspapers. They already are. They already are. If you look at local newspaper coverage around the country, basically everywhere around the country there are stories about South Carolina is in the no question. You are right. You laid out the reality of what were dealing with perfectly. The question is whether once again this president s unorthodox approach to doing things just might surprise everybody. We will have to wait and see how it goes. Thank you for joining me. I want to turn to a new twist on the drama of immigrant children separated from their parents at the border. The Trump Administration is facing a Court Ordered deadline to reunite those families. A short time ago the government told a judge it may need more time to do that. Boris sanchez is in new jersey where the president will spend a threeday weekend at his golf resort. Boris, what are you learning . Reporter yeah, in a legal proceeding in san diego, the department of justice has essentially told a federal judge that they are in compliance with some of the orders that he made last month, that they are no longer separating families at the border and they are providing communication between some of the children who have been separated from their parents and their families. However, the doj is postulating it may need an extension to reunify the children with their families. There are two deadlines, july 10 for children younger than 5, july 26 for children older than 5. Thats creeping closer. The administration is on the clock here. Theyre saying that the department of justice rather the department of health and human services, because they are using dna testing to reunify the kids with their parents, that will take some time. Further, because theres a screening process to ensure the children are not being reunited with people who may be a risk to their health or safety, thats screening process will present delays as well. Lastly, department of justice also wants clarity on whether they are responsible for reunifying kids whose parents have been deported. There is a session this afternoon in court in san diego, they may get more clarity then. Boris sanchez, thank you so much for that update. Coming up, three u. S. Senators, an ailing former president and the entire me too movement. President trump attacked them all at a campaign rally. Can you guess who he spared . Tragedy strikes rescuers in thailand. A former navy seal dies while helping to free trapped young soccer players. Inside the race against time as oxygen is running out. Cleaning floors with a mop and bucket. Is a hassle. Swiffer wetjet makes cleaning easy. Its safe to use on all finished surfaces,. Trapping dirt and liquid inside the pad. Plus, it prevents streaks better than a micro fiber strip mop. For a convenient clean, try swiffer wetjet. Welcome to holiday inn thank you wait, i have something for you every stay is a special stay at holiday inn. Save up to 15 when you book early at hollidayinn. Com you know, the 1,000 points of light, what was that . What did that mean . T no on repealing obamacare. Even though we got a little surprise vote that evening, you all remember that evening. Somebody came in with a thumbs down after campaigning for years that he was going to repeal and replace. Lets say im debating pocahontas. I will do this. I will take you know those kits they sell on 2 . Learn your heritage. We will take that we have to do it gently. Were in the me too generation. We have to be very gentle. We will very gently take that kit and we will slowly toss it. Are you keeping track . President trump ridiculed a 30yearold Campaign Slogan of george h. W. Bush. He went after senator john mccain, who is fighting for h i life. Two Democratic Senators were in the mix. One person was spared, vladimir putin. You know what . Putin is fine. He is fine. Were all fine. Were people. Joining me now to talk about this is dan fifer, former Senior Adviser to president obama and the author of yes, we still can. And jack kingston, cnn political commentator and former Senior Adviser to the trump campaign. Thank you for joining me. Jack, let me start with you. George w. Bushs White House Press secretary, he is more likely to President Donald Trump than criticize him. He wasnt pleased about what the president said about george h. W. Bush. This is so uncalled for. Going after a 94yearold former president s promotion of volunteerism. I dont mind potus being a fighter. I do mind him being rude. Do you agree . I dont think he was being rude. I dont think anything should necessarily be on the shelf, untouchable. He was taking a jab at it saying it wasnt an effective platform. Whats the point . You never know with this president. He grabs things out for example, in the same speech he talked about we broke elton johns records, what does he mean . He is obsessed with elton john. Thats a different conversation. He will grab something from the sky. I bet you 90 of the people dont know what points of light was. I do remember because i was in the state legislature running for congress. Did you run on it . I went to some awards where they would say so and so won a points of light. It was a good thing. It was reaching into the heartland of america. I think it was kind of, why was he doing it . Maybe he was taking a swing at the establishment saying why would you get behind that . Our platform can be summed up in three words, jobs, jobs, jobs. When he is talking about the economy and less regulation and the optimism and the consumers, then he is winning. I think when he starts deviating, he starts losing. Wow. I have never heard you say Something Like that. Im actually you have dan on the phone. Dan is the expert on communication. You usually are very supportive of him. You want to ask you about the reason President Trump went to montana. He went to troll john tester. Trump won montana, im sure you know this, by 20 percentage points. Tester is not the most endangered democrat but he is up there. This targeted xap i eed campaig could have an impact on the handful of Democratic Senators who are in testers camp, dont you think . Of course. There are a lot of places in this country where donald trump will be unwelcomed because he is so polarizing. In the red states, he is welcome. It is an open question as to whether he will his affect on rallying his base also have a related affect on rallying the Democratic Base . You dont know. For john tester, he is a very he is an excellent candidate. He is montana through and through. He has won in tough situations before. I think its a little harder than donald trump showing up and throwing a couple jabs around and being able to take out john tester. He is montana through and through. His press secretary couldnt get him off his farm because he was planting peanuts. Im with you on that. I would say, he is only montana in his rhetoric but not in the voting record. Thats what we had to deal with in the south for many years, southern democrats who talked a good game when they were home in georgia but voted different in washington. It has more of a history of electing state wide democrats, whether governor or senator. Being very competitive to the degree that you wont really know until the last minute. When you look at what he was saying about what he did to jackson, tester kind of torpedoed him. Trump outlined that. When he talked about voting against taxes, Immigration Reform and things that i think are far more out of sync with the montana voters, then tester will have a problem. I do know that his personality and his campaign style, its an onhand its a big county commissioner race. I need to ask you about scott pruitt. The president was asked the fact that he finally resigned, the president was asked, was there anything about the accusations against him that troubled you . I know you are concerned about fiscal responsibility. The president responded, that was one of those things, but he will go into great things and he will he will have a wonderful life i hope. He felt he did not want to be a distraction to the administration that he has a lot of faith in. Its been very good. A distraction . If you look at the list of scandals, you would have been chased out of congress for any one of the things that he is alleged to have done. I think thats what the president basically was doing in accepting his resignation. You gotta move on. The president could have fought it if he really wanted him to stay there. I think his records of accomplishment as somebody who has been suspicious of epa overreach, i think he did a good thing with clean water usa and Paris Climate Accord and power plant. A lot of people could do that who werent sending their staff to get special lotion. What we republicans get tired of i will give it to dan. Democrats get something done whether theyre in office. Let me get dan in. I dont want to ignore you in san francisco. I want to ask quickly about the president getting a lot of criticism about his comments about the me too movement. You heard president clinton struggled with answering questions about his history regarding this. Is this a generational problem . More than a political problem for men of a certain age. It may be. I dont know. I think it is it ties together with what you asked jack about his comments about george h. W. Bush, the comments about john mccain. Theres a lack of empathy within trump for victims, for people in need. It comes through with the idea that he would make fun of the movement. Right . Maybe generationally you dont understand it the right way you should. It shouldnt be that hard. Age should not require you to understand that sexism is wrong. The fact that he swerved out of his lane to ridicule a movement of women who have come forward with courage to talk about this is just it says its a window into his soul or lack thereof that i think it says a lot about the man. And also maybe a reminder that he knows his base . Or that he this has been true of the white house. Because donald trump has been accused of Sexual Assault by 19 women, the posture of the president in the white house is to always defend republican men, at least. Never believe the victims. They are the thats how they dealt with the Roy Moore Allegations and how they are dealing with the allegations that jim jordan knew about sexual abuse at ohio state. Defend the accused, attack the accuser. That is a real thats an unfortunate statement in what should be a better moment in time for this country. Thank you for joining me this morning. Coming up, a rescue mission takes a tragic turn. Oxygen levels run critically low for that soccer team trapped in a cave. A live report next. Theres nothing more important than your health. So if youre on medicare or will be soon, you may want more than parts a and b heres why. Medicare only covers about 80 of your part b medical expenses. The rest is up to you. You might want to consider an aarp Medicare Supplement Insurance Plan, insured by Unitedhealthcare Insurance Company. Like any Medicare Supplement Insurance Plan, these help pick up some of what medicare doesnt pay. And, these plans let you choose any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients. You could stay with the doctor or specialist you trust. Or go with someone new. Youre not stuck in a network. Because there arent any. So dont wait. Call now to request your free decision guide and find the aarp Medicare Supplement plan that works for you. Theres a range to choose from, depending on your needs and your budget. Rates are competitive. And theyre the only plans of their kind endorsed by aarp. Like any of these types of plans, they let you apply whenever you want. Theres no enrollment window. No waiting to apply. So call now. Remember, Medicare Supplement plans help cover some of what medicare doesnt pay. Youll be able to choose any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients. Whether youre on medicare now or turning 65 soon, its a good time to get your ducks in a row. Duck quack call to request your free decision guide now. Because the time to think about tomorrow is today. Does your Business Internet provider promise a lot . Lets see who delivers more. Comcast business gives you gigspeed in more places. The others dont. We offer up to 6 hours of 4g Wireless Network backup. Everyone else, no way. We let calls from any of your devices come from your business number. Them, not so much. We let you keep an eye on your business from anywhere. The others . Nope get internet on our gigspeed network and add voice and tv for 34. 90 more per month. Call or go on line today. The mission to rescue 12 boys and their soccer coach trapped in a flooded thai cave claimed the life of a former Thai Navy Diver trying to rescue them. Lets get to David Mckenzie on the scene. David, what more do we know about that former thai navy seal, how he died . Reporter it was a tragic death, of course, trying to do the best he could to get oxygen to those boys stuck for more than two weeks in the cave. A few moments ago, a group of American Military came in to help with this rescue effort. They are here. So are the australians, Many International experts here to try and figure out how to get these boys out of that cave safely. The big issue now is that the oxygen is at times at critical levels. They have removed, according to a source, several of the thai rescue teams who have been there comforting the boys, making sure their health is all right, out of the cave to help the oxygen levels. A source saying its possibly unlikely a navy source from thailand they will bring them out in the next 24 hours for fears of their safety. Theyre bringing in more kit to make sure the boys are safe. If they decide to take them out that treacherous journey. Thank you for the update. This is a hero trying to save these boys. Appreciate it. We will get back to you as we hear and learn more. Coming up any moment now, vicepresident mike pence is expected to speak at ice headquarters in washington. This is a series of deadlines for families to be reunited starts today. Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens brown paper packages tied up with strings these are a few of my favorite things the nations largest seniorliving referral service. For the past five years, ive spoken with hundreds of families and visited seniorcare communities around the country. And ive got to tell you, todays seniorliving communities are better than ever. These days, there are amazing amenities, like movie theaters, exercise rooms and swimming pools, public cafes, bars, and bistros, even petcare services. And nobody understands your options like the advisers at a place for mom. These are local, expert advisers that will partner with you to find the Perfect Place and determine the right level of care, whether thats just a helping hand or fulltime memory care. Best of all, its a free service. There is never any cost to you. Senior living has never been better, and theres never been an easier way to get great advice. Call today. A place for mom you know your family, we know senior living. Together well make the right choice. Any moment now, vicepresident mike pence is expected to speak at the immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters here in washington. This as a series of Court Ordered deadlines for immigrant families to be reunited starts today. The Administration Says it is in compliance but that it may ask for more time to reunite families. For more, lets go to reporters on both of the stories. Nick valencia is in texas at a location where families are trying to reunite. Nick, you first on the ground there. What are you seeing and hearing about and from the Trump Administration on trying to meet these deadlines . Reporter the hhs secretary seemed to be confident they would be able to meet all of the deadlines. This one being the first of three ordered by a pral judfedee in california. All parents must have phone contact with their children. We hear cases of that not happening. Here where he in san antonio at an organization an advocacy organization. We are joined by the executive director. Thank you for taking time with us. What are you trying to achieve . We are working our hotline. Families and detains perps are calling us. We have volunteers trying to respond to that need but keep the pressure on the administration to follow through with the reunifications. Reporter how are detainees getting in touch with you . You have a hotline. But how do they get in touch with you . There are phone systems in the detention centers. They sometimes have to pay up to 8 a minute for each call. Reporter they dont have money. Do they . It can take weeks before somebody can get registered into the system. We see people working together inside the detention centers. They help each other. They lend each other the phone, they make calls. They call their family to call us. Reporter are you actually facilitating these reunifications between parents and children . Thats right. Even the hour since we spoke last, i had to go out and three get bond checks to deliver over to the immigration office. We are continuing to do this on our own on a one by one basis, because we dont have the confidence the government can or really wants to reunify the families. Reporter thats what we hear from a lot of people. Thank you for taking time. We are hearing from Immigration Attorneys that they are skeptical the Trump Administration will meet the deadlines. We are waiting for responses. Thank you so much. Thank you to that organization for trying to help. Its a very, very difficult situation. What are you hearing about the vicepresident s visit to ice headquarters today . Reporter this comes at a significant time for the administration as we have been reporting, they have been scrambling to make these reunifications. Certainly, are under the microscope about their broader immigration policy. Thats why the optics of this visit and the message are so important for white house today. According to the white house, the vicepresident today will be joined by the hhs secretary. They will receive a briefing on the mission of ice, thats according to the white house. Pence will meet with employees there. He will give formal remarks. This is one of the most interesting things we will likely see. He will give a pep rally of sorts. This comes as ice have been zeroed in on by Many Democrats calling for changes to ice, many calling for to abolish ice. I think we will hear a little pushback from the vicepresident. People who are literally carrying out the orders of the administration that they work for. Thank you so much for that reporting. Appreciate it. Coming up, americas top diplomat is in north korea again today for more nuclear negotiations. Will the third trip be the charm . In the state of texas, more than 40 of children who go to jail once will be back within 12 months. Todays cnn hero is a chef who left a top restaurant and a successful career to help close that revolving door. I remember consciously thinking that the system is rigged based on choices that were made for him, not by him. The color of his skin. The part of town he was born into. The schools that he had access to. I just thought, its not fair. He deserves every chance that i had. And i thought, if you are not willing to do something yourself, then you are being a hypocrite. Either put up or shut up. That was it for me. To see how chad is helping design brighter futures for young people, go to cnnheroes. Com right now and if you know someone who deserves to be a cnn hero, nominate them. Still a chance here. Its willingham, edge of the box, willingham shoots. Goooooooaaaaaaaallllllll that. Was. Magic. Willingham tucks it in and puts the championship to bed. Sweet dreams, nighty night. As long as soccer players celebrate with a slide, you can count on geico saving folks money. Fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. Pressure, what pressure . The players on the. Secretary of state mike pompeo is back at the table with Senior North Korean officials this morning. He tweeted this picture and said he and his staff have been working, quote, to keep the conversation moving forward. This comes after President Trump said the north Korean Nuclear threat is over. Joining me now to talk about this is bruce clinger, former cia Deputy Division chief for korea. Thank you for joining me this morning. The wording of the out of the south korean excuse me, the singapore summit was to work toward complete denuclearization of the korean peninsula. Pretty vague. But this trip is supposed to be about defining what that means. Can mike pompeo realistically deliver . Well, we certainly hope so. The singapore communique that denuclearization phrase is actually weaker than one that was in the september 2005 Party Talks Joint statement. Pompeos trip may not be make or break, but its very important because they have to start putting meat on the very bare bones. Theres doubts that north korea is willing to give up its Nuclear Arsenal. Thats why pompeo is there to push them on that. Obviously, the stakes couldnt be higher. Cnn is reporting my colleagues are learning from officials, both at defense and elsewhere in the administration, that its really not clear whether the u. S. And north korea will be able to agree, to your point, on the definition and extent of the denuclearization promise. Thats the ball game. Right . Exactly. In discussions with north koreans, they make clear that they do have a different definition. They see denuclearization as global arms control. As a new member of the nuclear club, they will go down to zero once the rest of the world, including the United States, goes down to zero. They dont see it as unilateral disarmament. They have a different definition of the korean peninsula. They see it as anything that influences the peninsula. So that would include u. S. Nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers. Even our bombers in guam, north korea would consider part of the korean peninsula. They would be told good luck with that. I guess you never know. There have been no Nuclear Tests or missile launches since the two sides agreed to meet. Right . But the president keeps tweeting, talking about north korea which is he says its a win. That certainly plays to domestic politics here in the u. S. With your experience, does that give kim leverage . Couldnt he actually just in an instant make the president look bad with one combative test or even a tweet . Well, having eight months of no tests is fine. But we need to remember, there have been numerous cases where we had three to six years of no tests. That in and of itself is not a real metric of success. I think theres really a difference between what we see the administration saying of were hoping to move forward, were trying to put meat on the bones and the president who said that the issue is solved and doing a victory lap. Secretary pompeo really does need to get north korea to publically and unequivocally commit to abandoning his Nuclear Arsenal as well as the missile and biochem programs. Do you think that the chances are high or even remotely close to high that that is possible . Well, i have been doing north korea for 25 years. We have seen eight previous failed agreements. Many of us tend to be skeptical and cynical. We hope this time is different. I think having increased the pressure, particularly in the last two years, thats brought north korea to the table. We will see if its gotten them to agree to actually give up their Nuclear Arsenal. We do all hope that this time is different, no question about that. Bruce, thank you for joining me. Still ahead, the biggest trade war in history. China says the u. S. Started it. Now beijing is striking back. We do whatever it takes to fight cancer. These are the specialists were proud to call our own. Experts from all over the world, working closely together to deliver truly personalized cancer care. Expert medicine works here. Learn more at cancercenter. Com thats a good thing, but it doesnt cover everything. Only about 80 of your part b medical expenses. The rest is up to you. So consider an aarp Medicare Supplement Insurance Plan, insured by Unitedhealthcare Insurance Company. Like any of these types of plans, they could save you in outofpocket medical costs. Call Unitedhealthcare Insurance Company today to request a free. [decision guide. ] with these types of plans. Youll be able to visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients. Join the millions who have already enrolled in the only Medicare Supplement Insurance Plans endorsed by aarp. And provided by Unitedhealthcare Insurance Company, which has over 30 years of experience behind it. Apply for a Medicare Supplement Insurance Plan any time you want. So dont wait. Call unitedhealthcare now to request your free [decision guide. ] im a small business, but i have. Big dreams. And big plans. So how do i make the efforts of 8 employees. Feel like 50 . How can i share new plans virtually . How can i download an efile . Virtual tours . Zipfile . Really big files . In seconds, not minutes. Just like that. Like everything. The answer is simple. Ill do what ive always done. Dream more, dream faster, and above all. Now, ill dream gig. Now more businesses, in more places, can afford to dream gig. Comcast, building americas largest gigspeed network. Nearly 20 years ago, the face of television changed. The sopranos debuted on hbo. Its now seen as one of the most groundbreaking and influential tv shows of all time. Cnn takes a look at the impact of tv and the First Episode of the new series the 2000s. Take a look. To a large degree, a lot of executives were just sanding off the edges of what was interesting. And what hbo then opened up was a whole new avenue of creativity. I think hbo is looking at the world and going, okay, how can we matter . Every decade you get somebody like carol oconnor, somebody you just cant imagine anybody else afterwards. James gandolfini is that in tony s soprano. Did you know an italian invented the telephone . Alexander graham bell was italian . You see . You see what im talking about . He got robbed. Everybody knows that. Who invented the mafia . What . The daughter that you saw there was played her name was meadow in the series. She was played by jamie lynn siegler. She sat down to talk about what it was like working on that iconic show. This episode, it really lays out, not that many people can forget it, just how different sopranos was from anything else on tv at the time. Tony soprano, both villain and hero, kind of paving the way for characters like don draper or walter white. When you were making this series, did you have a sense that you all were breaking the mold in american tv . Well, i was 16 when we shot the pilot. So i didnt have any perspective. It was really my first time on a film set. I mean, my knowledge of Quality Television was, you know, saved by the bell and saturday morning things. But it felt special. I think just because of the chemistry on set. But i remember even after filming the initial pilot, we werent sure that it would ever even see the light of day because it was so different. And hbo wasnt necessarily a network you know, they had a couple tv shows but nothing that maybe felt like you can go the long run with a successful show the way we did. But i remember even when we were talking about, you know, premiering the show, they werent even sure how to market it. They were like, is this a comedy . Is this a drama . Obviously we found our way, but i think it was just a surprise for everyone. I have to ask you, because when i was watching this episode, it reminded me of the series finale, the final scene of sopranos. One, tell me what it means, but what does it mean to you, all of these years later . Okay, well, let me start this by saying that i have no Insider Information that im sharing. Im strictly of opinion as anyone else. I love the way fans have really dissected it and gone back to past episodes and really tried to figure things out. I appreciate that. For me, i think what it represented is whether the show ended then or ten years from then, i guess meaning tonys life, the entire series could have edited that way. Thats the way they lived. I think it was inevitable that something was going to happen to him, and this family had to choose to sort of be in denial and live each day as if they were a normal family. There was possible threats from all around all the time. I think that it was just a beautiful way to sort of end this journey that we went on with these people and just understand that whether it was at meadows wedding one day, whether it was 20 years from then, you know, this was the lifestyle that he chose and this was the life and it was what was eventually going to happen. Jamielynn, i also want to ask you, another important thing in your life was happening off camera, kind of throughout all of this, your diagnosis of ms. I just saw an interview posted where you said you were done being that sick girl that youve been for so long. What do you mean by that . Well, i think that look, live been living with ms for 16 years. For 14 of them privately. When you live with anything thats chronic for that long, you sort of allow it to kind of define you, and you kind of forget who you are without it. And i think now at this stage of my life as a mother of two children and being a voice and an advocate for people with ms, im sort of really done allowing it to sort of define who i am. I dont feel like thats all of me. I feel like i have a lot more to offer, and i want to find life again without it. I still have to deal with it, obviously, on a daily basis, but i think theres a lot more to me and im trying to just Pay Attention more to that. And your words will mean so much for so many. Its great to see you. Thanks for coming in. You too. Thanks for having me. And tune in this weekend 9 00 p. M. For the premiere of the 2000s. Thanks for joining me. Inside politics starts right now. Thank you, dana. Welcome to inside politics. Im john king. The United States and china ratchet up a trade war. President trump says the economy is Strong Enough to handle the turbulence. And a new jobs report gives him some new ammunition. Plus, new Court Challenges as the Trump Administration struggles to meet dpexisting deadlines deadlines to