>> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY!
WE'RE BACK HERE WITH THE WHO'S OF "WHO'S TALKING TO CHRIS
WALLACE?" ON CNN+, MR. CHRIS WALLACE.
CHRIS WALLACE, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF TALK ABOUT LOSS OF TRUST
BY THE AMERICAN PUBLIC IN THE MEDIA.
IF YOU HAD A MAGIC WAND, YOU COULD WAVE IT, WHAT WOULD YOU
CHANGE EITHER PRESENTLY OR HISTORICALLY ABOUT THE MEDIA TO
TRY TO RESTORE THAT TRUST?
>> THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
>> Stephen: IT'S WHAT ADO, BABY.
( LAUGHTER ) >> SO HERE'S WHAT I'D SAY.
IN A FUNNY WAY, I'D BLAME MY FATHER FOR THIS, MIKE WALLACE
AND "60 MINUTES."
>> Stephen: WOW.
WELL, YOU KNEW MY FATHER WAS MIKE WALLACE.
YOU'RE ACTING LIKE I DIDN'T KNOW.
>> Stephen: THE GUY COMES IN, THROWS HIS DAD UNDER THE BUS ON
THE QUESTION.
OKAY.
>> NO, I THINK THE BIGGEST PROBLEM WITH NEWS -- USED TO BE
IN THE OLD DAYS, AND I CAN REMEMBER GROWING UP WITH MY
FATHER IN THE '70s, THAT NEWS DIDN'T MAKE MONEY, IT WAS A
PUBLIC SERVICE.
>> Stephen: RIGHT.
( APPLAUSE ) >> AND THE NETWORKS VIEWED IT AS
A PUBLIC SERVICE.
AND THEN "60 MINUTES" CAME ALONG AND SHOWED YOU YOU COULD MAKE
PHENOMENAL AMOUNTS OF MONEY WITH THE NEWS BUSINESS.
>> Stephen: AND STILL BE NEWS.
AND STILL BE NEWS.
BUT I THINK WHEN YOU LOOK AT WHAT GOES ON EVERYWHERE,
PROBABLY PARTICULARLY CABLE AND ON THE LEFT AS WELL AS RIGHT,
PEOPLE ARE CHASING AUDIENCES.
SO I THINK IF THERE'S NOT -- IF PEOPLE WOULD ACCEPT WE'RE NOT
TRYING TO MAKE MONEY OFF THIS, WE'RE JUST TRYING TO PERFORM A
PUBLIC SERVICE, I THINK WE WOULD HAVE BETTER NEWS.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: I THINK YOU'RE
RIGHT.
GOOD LUCK.
>> WE'RE GOING TO PLAY IT STRAIGHT.
WE'RE GOING TO PLAY IT STRAIGHT, AS I ALWAYS DO, ON "WHO'S
TALKING TO CHRIS WALLACE?."
I DID AN INTERVIEW WITH NICOLE ANNA JONES, THE AUTHOR OF "THE
1619 PROJECT."
WE HAD A PRETTY GOOD CONVERSATION.
SHE SAID SHE ENJOYED IT, BUT I CHALLENGED HER ON SOME OF THE
THINGS SHE CONTENDS, NOT ABOUT THE PROBLEM OF RACISM, BUT SOME
OF THE THINGS SHE SAYS IN "THE 1619 PROJECT."
THERE WILL BE THINGS I COME AT FROM THE LEFT, FROM THE RIGHT,
BUT WHAT I WANT TO DO IS GET PEOPLE TALKING, AND THAT'S WHAT
YOU DO, AND HOPEFULLY THERE WILL BE A MINUTE WHERE PEOPLE FORGET
ABOUT AN AUDIENCE -- WE WON'T HAVE AN AUDIENCE, CAN'T AFFORD
IT -- BUT THEY FORGET ABOUT THE CAMERAS AND THE LIGHTS AND YOU
HAVE A REAL MOMENT OF INTERACTION, AND PEOPLE AT HOME
WILL SIT THERE AND GO, MAN, I DON'T SEE THAT ON TV.
( APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: I WANT TO TALK
ABOUT SOMEBODY YOU SPOKE STRAIGHT TO, ASKED TOUGH
QUESTIONS, CHALLENGED IN YOUR OWN WAY, AND THAT IS THIS
INTERVIEW YOU HAD WITH VLADIMIR PUTIN IN 2018.
FIRST OF ALL, WHAT'S IT LIKE TO BE IN THE ROOM WITH HIM?
>> IT'S FUNNY.
WHEN HE COMES IN THE ROOM AT FIRST, HE KIND OF DOES THIS,
SLOUCHES BACK, LIKE THE BORED KID IN THE BACK TO HAVE THE
ROOM, NOT REALLY PAYING MUCH ATTENTION TO YOU, DOESN'T GIVE
YOU MUCH CONTACT, BUT AT ONE POINT, SERIOUSLY, IN THE RUSSIAN
EMBASSY, IN HELSINKI RIGHT AFTER THE SUMMIT WITH TRUMP, I SAID TO
HIM, WHY IS IT, MR. PRESIDENT, THAT SO MANY PEOPLE WHO OPPOSE
YOU END UP DEAD?
( LAUGHTER ) FROM THAT MOMENT ON -- I SHOULD
ASK THAT TO WILL SMITH, TOO.
( LAUGHTER ) FROM THAT MOMENT ON, I HAD HIS
UNDIVIDED ATTENTION, THOSE ICE BLUE EYES PIERCING INTO YOU, AND
I WOULD SAY HIS SENSE OF GRIEVANCE, HE FEELS THE WEST HAS
PUSHED RUSSIA AROUND, I GOT THAT FROM THE INTERVIEW, HIS TOUGH
QUESTION, WHEN I ASKED WHY SO MANY PEOPLE END UP DEAD, HE SAID
WELL WE ALL HAVE OUR DOMESTIC PROBLEMS.
>> Stephen: WOW.
BUT I THOUGHT HE WAS A RATIONAL ACTOR AND THAT'S NOT
WHAT I'VE SEEN THIS LAST MONTH.
>> Stephen: HOW HAS THE RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE
CHANGED YOUR VIEW?
>> IF HE WINS HE LOSES AND IF HE LOSES HE LOSES.
HE'S A PARIAH.
HOW DOES HE GO BACK TO MEETING WITH WORLD LEADERS?
HOW DOES RUSSIA, AS LONG AS HE'S IN POWER, GO BACK TO HAVING AN
ECONOMY?
SO WHAT'S HIS END GAME?
>> Stephen: WOULD THAT BE YOUR QUESTION IF YOU HAD THE SAME
WILL SMITH SITUATION?
WELL, IF YOU HAD ONE QUESTION TO ASK --
>> YEAH, I THINK IT WOULD BE -- HOW DOES THIS END?
>> Stephen: I'M GOING TO GUESS POORLY.
>> FOR ME OR FOR RUSSIA?
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: DEPENDS ON WHETHER
YOU ASK HIM IN PERSON.
>> YEAH, WELL -- ( LAUGHTER )
>> Stephen: CHRIS, LOVELY TO SEE YOU.
HOPE IT'S THE FIRST OF MANY TRIPS OVER FROM CNN+.
>> I'D LOVE THAT.
>> Stephen: THAT'S A BOOKING.
CAN I SAY ONE THING?
THERE'S ONE PERSON I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE ON THE SHOW.
>> Stephen: THAT'S ALL WE HAVE TIME FOR.
( LAUGHTER ) >> SCOUTS HONOR -- SO WE HAVE
BEEN ASKING HIS AGENT, WE HAVE BEEN ASKING HIS EXECUTIVE
PRODUCER, AND WHAT WE KEEP BEING TOLD IS HIS PRODUCTION SCHEDULE
DOESN'T PERMIT IT.
DO YOU KNOW WHO THAT IS?
>> Stephen: JON BATISTE.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) I'LL GET JON FOR YOU.
>> SO YOU SAID THIS IS A BOOKING.
>> Stephen: YEAH.
WILL YOU SIT DOWN AND TALK TO CHRIS WALLACE?
>> Stephen: WILL I TALK TO CHCHRIS WALLACE?
WHAT'S THE ONE QUESTION CHRIS WALLACE WANTS TO ASK ME --
>> WHEN YOU WOKE UP AT 3:00 THIS MORNING --
>> Stephen: IT'S A DEAL!
ALL RIGHT!
>> Stephen: WHO'S TALKING TO CHRIS WALLACE?
ME, EVIDENTLY, PREMIERES TOMORROW NIGHT ON
CNN+.
CHRIS WALLACE, EVERYBODY.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH STAR OF "NCIS," WILMER VALDERRAMA.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ( BAND PLAYING )