Meghan Markle gets emotional over being a new mother while living in the spotlight

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Meghan Markle gets emotional over being a new mother while living in the spotlight

Markle emotional over motherhood; reaction and analysis from our ladies night panel on 'The Story.'

This is a rush transcript from "The Story," October 18, 2019. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

MARTHA MACCALLUM, ANCHOR: We are still waiting as well for that and we'll cover it as soon as it happens. Bret, good to see you tonight. Good evening, everybody. So, here is what we have got for you. The first 2020 Democrat Tom Steyer is the one to step up. He is siding with Republican calls now to end the secret impeachment hearings.

He's calling on Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff and the others to let the American people see what is taking place behind those closed doors.

Ken Starr is here in a moment on that. Plus, Karl Rove joins me tonight. And Mike Huckabee all here on a very busy Friday night on “The Story.” But first, the runaway meltdown impeachment train.

What is it really? It's either a big nothing or an egregious abuse of power. The former is what the two-year Russian investigation turned out to be. The latter is what Democrats and some Republicans hope they will prove.

So, as Mitch McConnell interestingly is now telling his chamber to prepare for the possibility of a sixth day a week -- six to eight-week trial that could happen if the House impeaches the president.

So, what did we get this week? We had a parade of aggrieved officials who say that they were shocked to have lost their portfolio of responsibilities to a trio who appears to have taken over U.S. policy with Ukraine. That is where this investigation is going at this point and that's the bigger part that Peggy Noonan wrote about this week that she says could begin to tip some of these scales perhaps.

Also, not a great day for the Biden side of this equation. They were not unscathed by the State Department testimonies. Career diplomat George Kent says that he worked in the Obama administration and he tried to raise some red flags about Hunter Biden's work in Ukraine.

But he says nobody would listen. In fact, he says they blew him off. They didn't want to disturb the vice president was such a concern. He was grieving the loss of his son Beau.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT: He excoriated the Obama administration. And Joe Biden -- and Joe Biden's son saying that has tremendous problems -- tremendous problems with Joe Biden's son and the Ukraine. And I heard Schiff is going -- no, no, we don't want to talk about that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACCALLUM: So, the Washington Post actually wrote about what George Kent said about raising those alarms about Hunter Biden's work. And then, Esquire scolded them for attempting to tell both sides of this story and especially for the fact that they used anonymous sources in doing so.

The same folks who have purported -- who have supported countless stories about the president that were based on anonymous sources, but that never really seemed to bother them apparently.

So, it's Independent Counsel Ken Starr found 11 possible grounds -- actual grounds for impeachment for President Bill Clinton. What does he make of where we are in all of this process as we get together to talk about it tonight?

Ken, welcome. Good to have you here this evening.

KEN STARR, CONTRIBUTOR: Thank you. Thanks, Martha.

MACCALLUM: So, I'm curious, you know, there's been a lot of discussion about the process here. The president obviously very unhappy that it happens behind closed doors, you get these drips and drabs that come out. And Peggy Noonan, saying that if Democrats want this process to be taken seriously, they really need to be a lot more serious about the way they approach it.

STARR: Peggy Noonan is exactly right. And I'm glad that some voices on the other side of the aisle are saying, let's be transparent and why are we doing all this behind closed doors?

Frankly, that's not consistent with American tradition. It's not the way impeachments have been run in the past. So, why are we doing this? And let's also not forget one basic fact. The Speaker of the House of Representatives is third in the order of succession. So, she should follow the example of Newt Gingrich and Carl Albert during the Nixon years. And say, my hands are off this, I entrust this and she should have entrusted it to the House Judiciary Committee.

Everything that has been done thus far is not consistent with our traditions and what's called in Washington regular order, and that's bad.

MACCALLUM: So, Adam Schiff, basically said this week that he has taken the special counsel roll-on himself essentially. And he said there's very good reason for why they are doing this behind closed doors because he believes that's the way it has to be.

Here he is talking about that. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): The Republicans would like nothing better because they view their role as defending the president -- being the president's lawyers. If witnesses could tailor their testimony to other witnesses, they would love for one witness to be able to hear what another witness says so that they can know what they can give away and what they can't give away.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACCALLUM: What do you think?

STARR: I think that's an insult to the witnesses who are being called. These are frequently career diplomats, some are political appointees, but they're people of integrity. Whatever their views may be about foreign policy.

I think Adam Schiff needs to recognize with all due respect that he's not a prosecutor. He is representing now by virtue of being empowered by the Speaker, the people's House. This is the people's business.

He is not engaged in a determination whether a crime should be permitted and therefore prosecuted through the grand jury process. So, he's conflating a grand jury process and it used to be a prosecutor.

With now, the grand inquest of impeachment that the founding fathers never meant to be behind closed doors.

MACCALLUM: So, with regard to all of those who testified this week from the State Department, and the things that they said about having the Ukraine portfolio kind of taken away from them and adopted by Rudy Giuliani and others, how powerful did you think that their testimony was? And before you answer that, here is what the president said about these diplomats. Watch.

STARR: All right.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I don't even know these people. And for the most part, people like then testify. I don't even know who they are. I never even heard of some of them -- most of them. But I have all these people testifying. And then, they leak out. They don't say the good parts, they only say the bad parts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACCALLUM: What do you think?

STARR: Well, he's got a fair point about the selective disclosure and leakage that's one of the problems. It's a fundamental problem of going the secret route rather than the open and transparent route which is what I think the American people obviously deserve, again, consistent with our traditions.

But in terms of the diplomats, the substance of their testimony, I can understand why they would be upset that there's this second track, but that has been done in American history. And what I think it boils down to is a policy and process dispute with the president of the United States as opposed to an impeachable offense of treason and bribery and other high crimes and misdemeanors.

I do think that what we're doing is, we're elevating policy disputes and the process of foreign policy into an impeachment inquiry. And I personally think that's just wrong, it's bad for the country.

MACCALLUM: It feels like we went to zero in six -- to zero to 60 on that charge in about five seconds, you know. If Nancy -- Peggy Noonan -- just to make another point from her piece about how she thinks this whole thing needs to look, she says, "It can't look like the blob fighting back fancy- pants establishment types, whose feathers have been ruffled by a muddy- booted Jacksonian, getting their revenge.

It can't look like the deep State striking back against a president who threatened their corrupt ways. And I think some people watched the parade of diplomats this week and might have felt that way. Is that fair?

STARR: I think it is fair and it can all be remedied by opening the doors. Let the sunshine come in.

MACCALLUM: Yes.

STARR: Instead of all of these inferences and so forth. And you're right. This gives credence to the idea that there is a deep state element trying to undo a presidential election.

This can all -- just all we have to do is do what now Tom Steyer has said.

MACCALLUM: Yes.

STARR: And let's do it the old-fashioned American way.

MACCALLUM: Ken Starr, always good to have you here, sir. We'll need your help. I'm thinking in the coming weeks as we go through this. So, we'll see you again soon. Thank you very much for being here.

MACCALLUM: Coming up next this evening.

STARR: Thank you, Martha.

MACCALLUM: Thank you. Hillary Clinton believes that the Russians cost her the last election. She's been very clear on that. Now, she says they are doing it again. And she says this time there's a Manchurian candidate of sorts among the Democrats.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER FIRST LADY: I'm not making any predictions but I think they've got their eye on somebody who's currently in the Democratic primary and are grooming her to be the third- party candidate. She's the favorite of the Russians.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACCALLUM: Wow, spooky stuff. And we're waiting to hear from Tulsi Gabbard. Any minute now, we're going to bring that to you as soon as we get it. Karl Rove and Robert Zimmerman, coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACCALLUM: So, we believe we are about to get Tulsi Gabbard's live response to this in a moment. So, stay with us for that. A stunning accusation tonight leveled by the former Democratic nominee for president against one of the current 2020 candidates. Hillary Clinton claiming that Tulsi Gabbard might be a secret Russian asset.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: I'm not making any predictions but I think they've got their eye on somebody who's currently in the Democratic primary and are grooming her to be the third-party candidate. She's the favorite of the Russians. They have a bunch of sites and bots and other ways of supporting her so far. And that's assuming Jill Stein will give it up, which she might not because she's also a Russian asset.

DAVID PLOUFFE, HOST, CAMPAIGN H.Q. PODCAST: Agent -- yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACCALLUM: Also, a Russian asset. Late today, Gabbard fired back on Twitter. And she fired, "Thank you, Hillary," she wrote, "Clinton, you the queen of warmongers, embodiment of corruption, and personification of the rot that has sickened the Democratic Party for so long, have finally come out from behind the curtain.

From the day I announced my candidacy, there has been a concerted effort -- concerted campaign to destroy my reputation. We wondered who was behind it and why. Now we know, it was always you, through your proxies and powerful allies in the corporate media and war machine, afraid of the threat I posed. It's now clear that this primary is between you and me. Don't cowardly hide behind your proxies. Join the race directly," she says.

Here now, Karl Rove, former senior adviser to President George W. Bush and a Fox News contributor. And Robert Zimmerman, Democratic strategists, and DNC member. Good to see both of you tonight.

ROBERT ZIMMERMAN, COMMITTEE MEMBER, DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE: Good to be with you.

MACCALLUM: Wow! That's strong stuff. Karl, what do you think?

KARL ROVE, CONTRIBUTOR: Over the top, out of her mind, unbelievable, put up or shut up. She's either got to come forward with the evidence of the bots and the platforms and the sites that are being used on behalf of Gabbard. She has to come up with the evidence that Jill Stein was a Russian asset, tell us -- prove that that was the case or better yet just shut up and go away. This is just appalling.

Why the former First Lady, the United States, the former Secretary of State would engage in this kind of bizarre activity is beyond me. I'm not a fan of Tulsi Gabbard, but the idea that she is somehow in Russian agent, Jill Stein is and Russian asset, these are outrageous charges and she better to either prove them, give the evidence to the FBI, if she believes that they're actually true, give it to the American people so we can judge whether this is just some rant and rave, or whether she has actually got something to back it up.

MACCALLUM: Robert, I mean, is this you know, another excuse for why and how Hillary Clinton lost the election because she wants to remind everybody that oh, yes, Jill Stein did it to me last time, and now she's trying -- they're trying to do it with this -- with Tulsi Gabbard this time.

ZIMMERMAN: This is -- this is not an excuse. It's basically it's an important fact check. It's sounding the alarm. I mean, this news may be stunning to Donald Trump, maybe it's stunning to Karl Rove, but we -- but every one of the intelligence directors in the Trump administration have pointed out that Russia deliberately attacked our democracy for the purpose of hurting Hillary Clinton and supporting Donald Trump. They all said that on the record and Senate testimony.

MACCALLUM: But Robert, hold on one second.

ZIMMERMAN: Yes.

MACCALLUM: Tulsi Gabbard is a combat veteran, 16 years, twice deployed to the Middle East. And Hillary Clinton, the former Secretary of State is saying that this candidate for the Democratic nomination for the presidency of the United States is a Russian asset. I think people hear that and they think, you know, it just sounds -- it sounds like crazy.

ZIMMERMAN: Now, who's been more -- who's been more on targeting correct and discussing the attack of our democracy by Russia, Hillary Clinton who pointed out during her campaign or Donald Trump who do not --

MACCALLUM: No, but I want you to address what she said about Tulsi Gabbard.

ZIMMERMAN: But let me -- let me finish my point.

MACCALLUM: I want you to address that.

ZIMMERMAN: I will address that.

(CROSSTALK)

ROVE: Look, he's not -- he's not going to address it. It's his --

ZIMMERMAN: Don't interrupt me.

ROVE: It's completely misdirection on his part.

ZIMMERMAN: Karl, don't cross over me. I was answering the question. Donald Trump --

ROVE: He was not willing to defend what Hillary Clinton said.

ZIMMERMAN: Donald Trump has been consistently wrong and has consistently denied Russia's attack in our democracy. Hillary Clinton nailed it from the beginning. Here we have Tulsi Gabbard who has been an Assad apologist, refuses to call him a war criminal, who in fact says Syria is not even an enemy of the United States. She's engaged in homophobic rants in her public life.

And my point simply to you is Tulsi Gabbard shows as very frankly -- not only does Tulsi Gabbard show every sign and expressed interest in the past of being a third-party candidate.

MACCALLUM: She said she will not run as third-party candidate.

ZIMMERMAN: Let's see -- let's see what happens.

MACCALLUM: And with regard to the comment that she made, she said they were decades ago. She apologized for those comments.

ZIMMERMAN: She did apologize for his Syria comments, and she only started apologizing for the homophobic rants --

MACCALLUM: But she has said quite clearly on this program that she absolutely does not support Bashar al-Assad. She spoke with him, because she believed that she had, you know, experience in the Middle East and that she wanted points known.

ZIMMERMAN: Martha, she refuses to recognize he's a war criminal.

ROVE: Martha --

MACCALLUM: All right, let's get Karl back in here because I think --

ZIMMERMAN: She's been a supporter of Assad as Donald Trump has been in that region. And is supportive --

MACCALLUM: I think that's unfair.

ROVE: Martha --

MACCALLUM: All right, Karl, I give you your time. Karl, go ahead.

ROVE: Robert never answered -- Robert never answered your question.

MACCALLUM: No, he did not.

ROVE: Hillary Clinton said things that are not -- that she cannot support, that she cannot defend, that she cannot back up. And being involved in misdirection as much as you want, Robert, but the fact of the matter is, Hillary has made an outrageous charge against somebody. I'm not defending Gabbard's views on Syria, but the idea that get that because she had Hillary disagree on Syria, that Gabbard is a Russian asset and that Jill Stein is a Russian asset is just lunacy.

You have -- Hillary Clinton has either lost it, and if she hasn't lost it, then put the evidence out there and let all the American people judge whether or not this is true.

ZIMMERMAN: When Tulsi Gabbard defends -- when Chelsea Gabbert defends Vladimir Putin's strategy in Syria, when she defends Assad and refuses to call him a war criminal, a man who presents not just --

ROVE: I don't -- I don't remember Barack Obama calling him a war criminal. Does that make him a Russian asset?

ZIMMERMAN: There's a very --

ROVE: I remember -- who else on that stage the other night called Assad a war criminal?

ZIMMERMAN: Let's be clear. Barack Obama stood up to Syria.

ROVE: I mean, please, this is a misdirection, Robert.

ZIMMERMAN: No.

ROVE: Deal with what Hillary Clinton said.

ZIMMERMAN: I am. And the fact, the reality is --

ROVE: You want to see evidence that she is a Russian asset.

ZIMMERMAN: Karl, the reality is she supporting Putin's agenda in Syria. It's a concern to all of us - based upon Russia's attack in our government.

MACCALLUM: Robert -- OK, before we run out of time, Robert, I just --

ROVE: Well, at least we know -- at least we know two people who are going to -- we're going to give two people -- two people do agree that she's a Russian asset, Robert Zimmerman and Hillary Clinton. Let's see the evidence. Let's put it out there that she is controlled by Moscow.

ZIMMERMAN: It's the nesting doll fits, you got to go with this, Karl.

MACCALLUM: I mean, you don't want it. So you're defending --- you're defending Hillary Clinton.

ZIMMERMAN: I'm defending Hillary Clinton.

MACCALLUM: She's calling on one of the candidates for her party -- now, you can disagree with her on foreign policy, whatever you want, but this is a -- this is a veteran, someone as I said who served 16 years in the military, is still active in the National Guard. You really think that the Russians are using her as an asset? You believe that, Robert?

ZIMMERMAN: She certainly supported Vladimir Putin's agenda and Syria. She is very frankly from my view, she presents or if not her, we're certainly going to see Russia engage and trying to put another asset in this race. And if you look at Jill Stein, she was hanging out with Mike Flynn and Vladimir Putin --

MACCALLUM: She clearly wants us out of the Middle East. That is the message that Tulsi Gabbard has put out there. You can disagree with her all you want on policy --

ZIMMERMAN: And who does that help, Martha? Martha, that helps -- that helps Vladimir Putin. It helps Russia. It threatens Israel. It threatens stability in the world, and it releases ISIS into attack. It's a concern to all of us.

MACCALLUM: Well, there's -- you can make that argument for a lot of things in the prior administration as well.

ZIMMERMAN: Well, that proposition is very similar to Donald Trump's.

MACCALLUM: Thank you, guys.

ZIMMERMAN: Thank you.

MACCALLUM: Good to see you tonight. Karl Rove joining us from Texas and Robert Zimmerman right next to me here in New York. Good to have you, Robert. All right, coming up next, President Trump touts tough love for brokering a ceasefire with Turkey but has the violence really stopped and where we going from here?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: But without a little tough love -- you know what tough love is right? Without a little tough love, they would have never made this deal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I just spoke to President Erdogan of Turkey. We're doing very, very well with Turkey. There's a ceasefire where we pause or whatever you want to call it. There was some sniper fire this morning. There was mortar fire this morning that was eliminated quickly. And they're back to the full pause.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACCALLUM: That was President Trump today defending the United States brokered ceasefire agreement with Turkey earlier in the Oval Office today. There are obviously new concerns about what's going on there on the ground as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell pan to this blistering op-ed late today.

"Withdrawing from Syria is a grave mistake. The combination of U.S. pullback and the escalating Turkish-Kurdish hostilities is creating a strategic nightmare for our country," writes the majority leader.

Our Foreign Correspondent Trey Yingst is live in Turkey tonight with the very latest on the ground there. Good evening, Trey.

TREY YINGST, FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT: Good evening, Martha. While the White House is calling the ceasefire between Turkey and the Kurds successful, the story on the ground is quite different. Fox News can confirm that a new round of fighting erupted today just two hours after the ceasefire took effect. There are also reports of multiple civilian casualties and deaths.

New video does show black smoke billowing up from the ground as gunshots can be heard in the distance. At this hour, Kurdish-Syrian Democratic Forces are calling on international observers and the United Nations to step in and ensure the ceasefire is actually carried out.

These are the same forces who earlier this month were allies of the United States. They are now operating under the direction of a Russian brigade linked to the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad. The President fired off a series of tweets this afternoon about the situation, at certain points echoing talking points of the Turkish government.

In one tweet, Trump claims to have just been informed that some European countries will take back ISIS fighters who came to Syria to join the Islamic State. In another tweet, he writes, "defeat terrorism," commenting on a similar tweet by Turkish President Erdogan, though everyone was not referencing the Kurds, he was actually referencing other enemies that he has.

Now, as for Turkey and the Kurds, the President overnight did say at a rally in Dallas just last night, that he felt they needed to fight it out. Both sides needed to come and get it over with. He didn't commented on the geopolitical situation and the implications of the President's decision. And those implications are that Russia and Iran are both strengthened as a result of the American pullout from Syria. This is certainly a concern to us allies in the region, Martha.

MACCALLUM: Yes, no doubt. Trey, thank you very much. Great coverage from there throughout this whole process. Joining me now Pete Hegseth co-host of "Fox & Friends Weekend," a U.S. Army veteran, and Marie Harf, Executive Director of the Serve America PAC, a former State Department Spokesperson and a Fox News Contributor. Welcome to both of you.

Let me start with you, Pete. What do you say to the pushback here from Mitch McConnell? The President is -- does not have a lot of company in his strategy here.

PETE HEGSETH, CONTRIBUTOR: There are no easy decisions in the Middle East especially. But what we -- what we have to do 20 years at basically after 911 is reassess whether our efforts in that region have ultimately been effective the way we thought they would.

In Iraq today, Iran controls it. Ultimately, if the Soviet Union -- excuse me, Russia, meaning the future Soviet Union, wants to wants to handle the business of the Middle East and control it, then they can deal with that quagmire for the next 20 years.

I mean, I'm a hawkish person who's believed in American strength, but at some point, you have to step back and reassess, because the Europeans can talk all they want. They're not doing anything about it. They won't even take back their citizens who went and fought for ISIS.

So there are no good options, ultimately, but its strategic drift and standing between enemies who want to kill each other in perpetuity is also not a strategy. And the Republican and Democrat establishment have gotten this wrong, why can we trust them again?

MACCALLUM: All right, let's go back to 2013 and 2015. This is President Obama talking about his strategy for Syria. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT: I will not put American boots on the ground in Syria. The resolution we've submitted today does not call for the deployment of U.S. ground combat forces to Iraq or Syria.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACCALLUM: It's very clear, Marie, that President Obama felt that a prolonged presence there -- he wanted to make it very clear that they were not there for combat purposes, just you know, to sort of be a force on the ground there. It seems like he and President Trump are on the same page with this one.

MARIE HARF, CONTRIBUTOR: Well, definitely not. President Obama did not put combat ground troops in but he ordered Special Operations troops into Syria the same troops that President Trump pulled out. He ordered airstrikes by our military and allied partners over Syria against ISIS.

He didn't want our troops to litigate their civil war, that's true. But he was very clear that we would put resources towards ISIS.

And Martha, Pete is right that we should have a strategic conversation about what our interest are in Syria and in Turkey. One hundred percent agree with that. What we shouldn't do is pull out, give Turkey a green light to take over Kurdish territory, abandon our allies who are now, there are reports of ethnic cleansing of the Kurds already taking place.

(CROSSTALK)

MACCALLUM: Yes. Well, I mean, obviously.

HARF: There is a strategic way to do this --

(CROSSTALK)

MACCALLUM: That is a huge concern obviously.

HARF: -- and that's not what Trump did.

MACCALLUM: I mean, looking back --

HARF: Yes.

MACCALLUM: -- is 2020 of course, but, you know, President Obama, you know, let the red line go by. It is a very difficult record for President Obama, talked about ISIS as the J.V. team and then they exploded into a caliphate across Syria and Iraq. Now, that situation has been largely rectified under President Trump, Pete.

But the problem is what happens in the future. And everyone mostly is -- the biggest concern is U.S. national security.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

MACCALLUM: And as has been established here you are going to have Russia, you know, very thrilled with this situation and so is Iran.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't have it.

MACCALLUM: Is that good for us at home?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. It's never good for Iran. They should -- we can never allow them to get a nuclear bomb that needs to stay a focus for ours. But the ultimate example of cutting and running is of course what President Obama did against ISIS. And it took President Trump to defeat them. But when we talk about countries like Turkey let's have an adult conversation. Why are they in NATO. They should be expelled tomorrow.

MACCALLUM: Absolutely.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're not our friends. They are a bunch of Islamists that threaten Europe --

(CROSSTALK)

MACCALLUM: But why is the president and the administration speaking, you know, Turkish speak on this issue, Pete?

HARF: Yes.

MACCALLUM: I mean, that's one of the big questions here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

MACCALLUM: Suddenly we don't call them the SDF anymore. We call them the Y.P. -- the YPK, which is what Erdogan calls them. A lot of people who read that letter and they say this is absolutely their talking points. Are you OK with that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Either they are one thing or the other. Either they are allies that we should be able to work alongside or they are enemies which I believe they are and they should be expelled from NATO.

So, no, I don't love working with Turkey. But if they are going to go in there and fight it out with Assad and Russia wants to get in the middle of that mix. Let them have at it. It doesn't need to be our boys standing in between a bunch of lines that no one agrees upon since 1960 and seeks sides speak of (Ph). We drew a bunch of lines in the Middle East and thought they would hold.

MACCALLUM: All right. We got to leave it there.

(CROSSTALK)

HARF: Of course, Pete, but we also -- you know, Pete, you've served on the ground here --

(CROSSTALK)

MACCALLUM: We got to go.

HARF: -- we do not abandon people we made promises to. And that's what Donald Trump did with the Kurds.

MACCALLUM: Yes. You guys are very -- you know what, it's a very, very complicated situation.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But ultimately, it had to be --

MACCALLUM: I thank you for being here tonight. Thank you.

HARF: Thanks, Martha.

MACCALLUM: Coming up, Tucker Carlson's exclusive interview with Tulsi Gabbard who is slamming Hillary Clinton tonight for suggesting that she is a Russian asset.

And still ahead tonight on The Story, the head of the NBA now admitting that the Chinese government wanted him to fire the Rockets manager for that tweet.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACCALLUM: Brand new details tonight related to two fatal crashes of Boeing's 737 MAX in Indonesia and Ethiopia. The FAA now says that Boeing withheld concerning messages between employees back in 2016 in which a senior pilot said, quote, "basically lied to the regulators, unknowingly, and complained of egregious issues with the automated system."

Chief breaking news correspondent Trace Gallagher here with that story for us tonight. Hi, Trace.

TRACE GALLAGHER, ANCHOR & CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Martha. The key messages came from Mark Forkner who was not only Boeing's chief technical pilot but more importantly, he was in charge of the 737 MAX program when it was going through the FAA certification process.

And his messages clearly show the company was aware of major problems with the MCAS system. That's the automated feature that's supposed to push the nose of the plane down so it doesn't stall.

Instead the system repeatedly drove down the nose of two jets in Indonesia and Ethiopia causing them to crash, killing 346 people in both.

In the 2016 messages, Forkner says, quote, "it's running rampant in the sim." Meaning the flight simulator. Going on to say the feature was engaging itself like crazy and, quote, "granted, I suck at flying but even this was egregious."

And it's important to remember Boeing never added the new technology to the pilot manuals of the 737 MAX planes and pilots were never trained on it in simulators.

Boeing has had these text messages for a while. But the FAA says the company just turned them over yesterday, calling it concerning. Quoting here. "I understand that Boeing discovered the documents in its files months ago. I expect your explanation immediately."

And late today Boeing released another statement in response to the FAA. Quoting again. "Earlier this year, Boeing produced the same document to the appropriate investigating authority." Although the company didn't say exactly who that authority was.

Boeing CEO is scheduled to be questioned by Congress at the end of this month. And you can bet the first question would be when did you know the MCAS system had a glitch? Martha?

MACCALLUM: A deadly glitch --

GALLAGHER: Right.

MACCALLUM: -- as it turned out.

GALLAGHER: Yes.

MACCALLUM: Trace, thank you very much. Trace Gallagher tonight. Coming up next, Governor Mike Huckabee just back from Taipei explains why he is appalled at the NBA for the way they are siding with Chinese communists, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACCALLUM: Days after Chinese's Xi warned protesters of bodies smashed and bones ground to powder, his government apparently attempted to strong arm the NBA as well.

Commissioner Adam Silver now saying that Beijing put pressure on the league to fire the general manager behind that pro-Hong Kong tweet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADAM SILVER, COMMISSIONER, NBA: We were being asked to fire him by the Chinese government, by the parties we dealt with government and business. We said there is no chance that's happening. There's no chance we'll even discipline him. The losses have already been substantial. Our games are not back on the air in China as we speak. And we'll see what happens next.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACCALLUM: Quite a story. Meanwhile, protesters are defying the threats, waving those American flags in the streets of Hong Kong. They are saying that this weekend will bring massive protests which the police are calling illegal. So, watch that developing situation throughout the night.

Here now Governor Mike Huckabee, former Republican presidential candidate and a Fox News contributor. Governor, good to see you tonight. I know you were just in Taipei on personal business. But what did you learn when you were there about this situation?

MIKE HUCKABEE, CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I think the people of Taiwan are not that surprised about what's going on. But I think people in America need to be shocked that the NBA, think about this, an American institution would be willing to sell themselves to the Chinese.

They are already getting tens of millions of dollars per player and now they want to make sure that they don't lose the Chinese market even if it means that they shut themselves up in a way that they would never ever do in the United States. It is disgraceful.

And quite frankly, Martha, when you sell yourself for money we know what that makes you. I won't say it on television but we know. And I think it is a disgrace to the NBA and to the sport. And it's really a reminder that the Chinese are not our real friends. They are in it for themselves.

MACCALLUM: Well, I think you are right about that.

HUCKABEE: And they don't tolerate freedom.

MACCALLUM: And Yes. And you know, there is a number of good examples that we can bring up that show just how frayed I think this relationship is becoming.

But just to look at it from the NBA's perspective here for one moment. And it feels like Adam Silver is sort of strengthening his backbone on this issue as this moves forward. And maybe it's more important where the NBA ends up on this than where they started.

Because, they were part, for the past 30 years, of an effort that I think both sides thought they were entering into in good faith to open up democracy, to shine sunlight as a disinfectant in China, to promote global relationships. Thinking that this was going to lead to a more open society in China.

But what we are all learning now, through Hong Kong and through what's happening with the Muslims in the camps that are -- the Uighur camp that that just isn't happening. So, it looks like it's time for everybody to really reevaluate.

HUCKABEE: Well, I think what it's a reminder is when it comes right down to it, the Chinese are still communists and they are hard core communists.

MACCALLUM: Yes.

HUCKABEE: They're not reformed communists. Sure, they wanted to play ball economically because it built their cities and it gave them --

MACCALLUM: Yes.

HUCKABEE: -- a sense of wealth and it made them look like they were doing something that was really --

MACCALLUM: That's right.

HUCKABEE: -- different. But it turns out, Martha, they are still the will same old red communist Chinese and boy, are they acting like it right now.

MACCALLUM: So, yes. I mean, when you listen to a president saying that if you dissent, you're going to have your bones -- your body smashed and your bones ground to powder, I mean, that's a very clear message. That's coming from the president of the country, which is quite shocking.

Now we also know these safe harbor laws are going into effect where China is plotting to block the U.S. military from ports. I also read that even with the situation going on in Syria and Turkey, they are looking to have greater influence in that part of the world as well. So, wherever we back away they are trying to move in. Correct?

HUCKABEE: That's exactly what they're doing. And a lot of it has to do with the president has pushed back very hard against China on the cheating, on the trade really scandal that they have been a part of. Stealing intellectual property rights. Pirating intellectual property. Over and over again.

And because he has pushed back it's like they got their hands caught in the cookie jar and they are not happy about it. So, they're acting more like Mao Zedong than they are some modern reformist government that is really trying to be an international player.

But what you just mentioned about the Chinese president, it is shocking. And let's hope the NBA is finding their spine, their guts and that they realize that some things aren't worth the money that they're being paid. It's just not.

Freedom matters. And we are seeing it in the lives of those people out in Hong Kong waving our flag. I would love for the NBA players come back to America and wave our flag instead of taking a knee, take a stand.

MACCALLUM: Great point. That's a great point. Governor Huckabee, thank you. Always great to see you, sir.

HUCKABEE: Thank you, Martha.

MACCALLUM: Coming up next, Duchess Meghan Markle gets candid in a way we never see frankly from the royal family in a raw and emotional interview about motherhood.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MEGHAN MARKLE, DUCHESS OF SUSSEX: Yes. And I guess, and also thank you for asking. Because not many people have asked if I'm OK. But it's a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the answer is would it be fair to say not really OK? And really been a struggle?

MARKLE: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACCALLUM: Ladies night panel coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACCALLUM: Meghan Markle getting emotional over being a new mother and living in the spotlight in the royal family. The duchess of Sussex opened up in this really raw interview with ITV. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARKLE: Look, any woman, especially when they are pregnant, you are really vulnerable. And so that was made pretty challenging. And then when you have a newborn, you know, especially as a woman, it's really, it's a lot.

So, you add this on top of just trying to be a new mom or trying to be a newlywed, it's a, yes. I guess, and also thank you for asking. Because not many people have asked if I'm OK. But it's a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the answer is would it be fair to say not really OK? And really been a struggle?

MARKLE: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACCALLUM: Quite an interesting moment. Now here for ladies' night, Carley Shimkus, Susan Li, and Jessica Tarlov. Jess, what did you make of that?

JESSICA TARLOV, CONTRIBUTOR: I really enjoyed that one minute and 15 seconds that we've seen of it so far. It definitely makes me want to watch the interview more.

MACCALLUM: Yes. It's going to air on Sunday night.

TARLOV: Yes. I think that, you know, there's obviously a few schools of thought of Meghan Markle she has gotten tremendous negative coverage as a new princess over there and people wanted to talk about their relationship.

(CROSSTALK)

MACCALLUM: She's a duchess by the way.

TARLOV: Sorry. Duchess. But when Harry came out, I guess a month ago they announced that they were suing --

MACCALLUM: Yes.

TARLOV: -- two outlets, I believe, and he said I lost my mother to this. This isn't a joke. This isn't about wanting a picture of my baby or of my wife. This is literally the thing that killed my mother. You could see how important this is for both of them. And also, how unified they are. I think it's a wonderful thing to see that openness and that rawness about what they go through.

MACCALLUM: Yes. I thought two things. It reminded me of the moment when Princess Diana was interviewed and she said -- she was talking about her husband's infidelity. And she said well, there were three of us in this marriage. It was a bit crowded.

CARLEY SHIMKUS, REPORTER: Well.

MACCALLUM: And that was after they had separated. Now, I am not in any way suggesting anything about the marriage of Meghan and Harry. I'm only saying that that kind of raw emotion and admitting vulnerability is simply not done in this family. I thought it was very American of her, Carley.

SHIMKUS: Yes. She has been under such an intense media spotlight. And in the beginning, it was great. It was -- she was a Hollywood actress marrying a prince. And then it turned to she is high maintenance. She is breaking up the two brothers. She is breaking up the royal family.

TARLOV: Her family.

SHIMKUS: And I remember there was this video of her that went viral where she was using a British accent when she was saying hello and people were making fun of her. And that's because those clips and those headlines get more clicks. They make more money.

And I thought this was such a candid and honest and honest and raw moment where it brings everybody back and we're reminded that there is a human being --

MACCALLUM: yes.

SHIMKUS: -- that is affected by these gossip headlines.

MACCALLUM: Yes. I think that's true. Susan?

SUSAN LI, FOX BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I enjoyed your British accent by the way, Martha.

MACCALLUM: My Diana imitation.

LI: Yes. But is it wrong of me to not have that much sympathy for her?

MACCALLUM: No. A lot of people feel that way. A lot of people feel that way.

LI: Well, OK. Because, you know, she is an actress. She knew what she was getting into. I know there was intense media scrutiny. But she knew this is the royal family. This is not just anybody that she's getting involved with. She saw what Princess Diana went through. I think I would say that this was something that was part of the plan to be honest. Part of the equation.

SHIMKUS: I think part of the plan was for her to get, you know, wall-to- wall negative coverage on things that probably she sees and they're not very fair. And also, just because she does have this wonderful privileged life doesn't mean that anybody should face such hatred.

(CROSSTALK)

MACCALLUM: But a lot of it comes from her own family. I mean, her father has been horrible. You know, written --

(CROSSTALK)

SHIMKUS: Her sister.

MACCALLUM: -- you know, shared everything with the --

(CROSSTALK)

SHIMKUS: And you know what, Martha --

MACCALLUM: -- British tabloids which are, you know, 10 times worse than American tabloids.

SHIMKUS: You bring up such a good point. And I think one of the reasons she has fallen victim to this is because people love the smell of vulnerability. And she has been given so much.

LI: I wouldn't say victim is a word I would use. I would say she is actually benefiting a lot from this in terms of --

(CROSSTALK)

SHIMKUS: Well, I said that people love --

LI: -- exposure.

SHIMKUS: -- vulnerability. And I think that they see that she has this vulnerable side although she was given such privilege and then you attack.

TARLOV: But can you -- I mean, the contrast also between the treatment of Kate Middleton versus Meghan Markle is so stark here. So, Kate, who is actually a princess, is a universally adored in the U.K. I lived in London for six years. I was there for the first royal wedding. The country shut down. It was like Christmas Day or boxing day because of this. And the way that she comports herself.

Everything is the perfection. Right, of William and Kate. When the tabloids run wild and they say it isn't perfect. People don't even care. And then the way that Meghan Markle is treated. I mean, they even pick on the causes that she wants to support, right? She's an extremely charitable person.

MACCALLUM: Do you think it's because she is an American or she's because she is divorced or because --

(CROSSTALK)

TARLOV: I think it's all of those things. I think the fact that she is half black has been an issue as well. There are all sorts of things. I mean, the way that she did her wedding. Bringing over a gospel choir. These are things that are innovating.

(CROSSTALK)

MACCALLUM: I don't think anyone criticized the gospel choir.

TARLOV: No. Changing the way that monarchy does things --

MACCALLUM: Yes.

TARLOV: -- and the queen is down for it. Which I love about the queen.

(CROSSTALK)

MACCALLUM: And they seem like they get along well.

TARLOV: But that doesn't mean that British culture --

MACCALLUM: But I would be curious to know and we will never know the answer to this question whether or not this goes over well with what they call the firm. Because they don't really like, you know --

(CROSSTALK)

SHIMKUS: They are modernizing though, you know.

MACCALLUM: -- to show this vulnerability. But it may -- I think in essence I think it serves her well --

TARLOV: Yes.

MACCALLUM: -- because it does show her as a human being --

SHIMKUS: Yes.

MACCALLUM: -- and I think very relatable. And I think --

(CROSSTALK)

TARLOV: And their marriage is quite real. And I think that's important too in all of this because people love to say it's all a deal, right?

MACCALLUM: I mean, there are so many people watching this right now who are going, who cares? We hate the royal family. We hate them.

(CROSSTALK)

SHIMKUS: I love it.

MACCALLUM: I just find it's sort of gossipy in an interesting way. Anyway. So, here's General Mattis royal in New York last night with the Alfred Smith dinner which is an annual event where everyone wears white tie, it's very elegant evening.

Here is what General Mattis had to say about some of the treatment that he has received from the president of the United States. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES MATTIS, FORMER U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: I'm not just an overrated general, I am the greatest, the world's most overrated.

I'm honored to be considered that by Donald Trump because he also called Meryl Streep an overrated actress. So, I guess I'm the Meryl Streep of generals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACCALLUM: Jess?

TARLOV: I really enjoyed it. He also had a great line about earning his bone spurs on the battlefield versus on the doctor's office. I mean, it's an interesting because he's obviously on a book tour and people have been dissatisfied with his unwillingness to come clean about what he thinks about President Trump. He came clean last night, I would say.

MACCALLUM: With humor. I mean, I don't think he is not going to stand up there and sort of take issue with the commander-in-chief's policy and something like that but --

(CROSSTALK)

TARLOV: No, but it's not the same kind of silence stoic --

MACCALLUM: Yes.

TARLOV: -- standing there. It's, you know, getting a little bit into the dirt with it. I really enjoyed it. I thought whoever wrote his speech, I thought did a great job.

MACCALLUM: He is pretty funny.

TARLOV: Yes.

MACCALLUM: Maybe he made up the jokes himself.

SHIMKUS: Yes.

MACCALLUM: All right. We got to leave it there. Ladies, thank you so much.

LI: Thank you.

MACCALLUM: Good to see you all. That's “The Story” of Friday, October 18, 2019. But as always, you know “The Story” continues, it goes on and on. And we will see you back on Monday night at seven. Have a great weekend, everybody. Take care.

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