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Hillary Clinton Fundraising; Obama Visits Prison; White House Pushes for Reduced Prison Sentences; Obama Visits Federal Prison in Oklahoma Today; Did Jenner Quiet Critics with ESPY Speech? Aired 9:30- 10a ET

Aired July 16, 2015 - 09:30   ET

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

[09:30:00] CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: But I do want to bring in Karen Finney now to talk about this. She is the strategic communications advisor and senior spokesperson for the Hillary for America campaign.

Thank you so much, Karen, for being with me this morning.

KAREN FINNEY, SENIOR SPOKESPERSON, HILLARY FOR AMERICA: Great to be with you, Carol.

COSTELLO: It's so nice to have you here.

So, $47 million. That's a lot of money. Where is it coming from?

FINNEY: Yes. You know, actually, we were really pleased to see that it came from about 250,000 people from all across the country. And 61 percent of that money actually came from women, which was great to see. And we saw, you know, the average donation size was about $145. And so, you know, we really saw a lot of energy and enthusiasm and we were excited that all 50 states actually were represented in that 250,000.

COSTELLO: Yes, on the Bernie Sanders side, though, he's sort of outdoing Hillary Clinton when it comes to individual small donors. I think it's -- let me look at my figures, though, so I don't get it wrong. Seventy-seven percent of his donations are $250 or less.

FINNEY: Yes.

COSTELLO: He has 30,000 more such donors than does Hillary Clinton. I think only 17 percent of her donors contributed $250, those small amounts.

FINNEY: Actually, about 90 -- I'm going to look at my numbers, 94 percent of her donations were $250 or less. You know, look, I mean, I think Bernie's got to run his race, right, and he knows what he's got to do in theory. He's got his plan to win. We've got our plan to win. And, you know, part of what we did in this campaign early on, we decided to make some investments in things like voter files, list building and organizing so that we would have a strong infrastructure on the ground in the early four states. So part of, you know, part of that, that's our strategy. That's what we were doing. Bernie, as I say, he's got to run his strategy. COSTELLO: Well, let's talk about the Bernie Sanders juggernaut because

he seemed to come out of nowhere. I mean I know he's been in government for a long time, but he calls himself a socialist and his poll numbers keep rising.

FINNEY: Well, look, we're -- I'm not surprised by that. And actually in the campaign, we said that from the very beginning that we expected it was going to be a competitive primary because, I mean, we've even heard from people who are supporting Hillary, they like seeing a contest. I mean that is part of our democracy, right? We want to see our candidates get out there and make an argument. So -- and, you know, say, what do you stand for, what are you running for, what's important to you? So I'm not surprised. I don't think we're surprised. We certainly take his numbers very seriously. We're not taking any --

COSTELLO: Have they talked, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton?

FINNEY: You know, I don't know that they've talked recently, but I -- you know, I'm sure they've talked at some point. I don't -- I don't think they've had a conversation about the polls or anything like that (INAUDIBLE) --

COSTELLO: No, no. I just wonder, are they friends? Do they, I mean --

FINNEY: You know, I mean, so far in this campaign it's, you know, the -- what Hillary's really focused on and -- I mean Bernie has kind of said that he's going to stay positive, although I did hear yesterday he kind of took after her a little bit on some of the issues that he would like to hear her talk about. But again, this is where I say, you know, Hillary's got to talk about the issues that are important to the voters that we're talking to.

COSTELLO: And you know -- you the -- the criticism against that, that she's not really talking about issues so much yet.

FINNEY: Well, actually, I -- here's why I take issue with that. On Monday, she laid out the beginning of an economic framework and talked about, how do you minimize risk on Wall Street? How do you ensure that American's incomes are going up? And talked about the fact that, you know, it's not about -- we've seen productivity going up. We see people working hard. But it's all going at the top. We're not seeing workers actually, those investments in incomes for workers.

She's talked about voting rights. She'd talked -- she's made it very clear, she'd like to see people automatically be registered at age 18. She's talked about immigration reform and a truth -- true path to citizenship and what that really means. She's actually talked about small businesses and ideas about how to help small businesses. So while some folks might say that actually, I think when we talk to people in the four early states, I think they would tell you they've heard a lot from Hillary Clinton on policy because she's talking to them about what they want to talk about. It may not be what, you know, other folks want to hear about, but, you know --

COSTELLO: I don't know. Well, let's talk about her poll numbers, though. FINNEY: OK.

COSTELLO: Because they're slipping a bit, right? I'm going to -- it's a Monmouth poll, right. So in April I think she was at, what, 60 percent. Can we put up those numbers again just so I can easily see them. There you go. So in June -- in April she was at 60 percent. Now she's at 51 percent. And as I say, Bernie Sanders' numbers are on the rise. Hers are going the other way. So how do you explain that?

FINNEY: Well, I would -- I would -- I would note on that poll also that she also enjoys 74 percent favorability, more than any other candidate. So, I mean, a couple of things I would say about polls. Obviously, you know, they are a snapshot in time. You take a look and you see, you know, if you see a trend, what's going on. But broadly, every poll that we're seeing, Hillary's favorability is very high. She tends to do very well both among Democrats and she's beating all of the Republicans. There is a Univision poll out today. She's doing very well among primary Latino voters, which we know that's going to be critical in those early primary states. So, you know, I think -- I feel pretty -- we feel pretty good about where we are, but that doesn't mean we're not paying attention.

[09:35:08] COSTELLO: The next question -- I know she's going to be in New Hampshire and she's going to hold a town hall.

FINNEY: That's right, later today.

COSTELLO: So do reporters get to ask her questions?

FINNEY: I suspect they will get to ask some questions.

COSTELLO: Really?

FINNEY: After -- but --

COSTELLO: After?

FINNEY: After the voters get to ask their questions. And she's actually going to talk about, speaking of policy, an idea she has about profit sharing and how you incentivize companies to make sure that, again, if workers are working harder than ever before and more productive than ever before, let's make sure that they are able to enjoy that.

COSTELLO: And my last question has to be about Donald Trump, because why not.

FINNEY: Because, why not.

COSTELLO: So, every time he opens his mouth, does Hillary Clinton sit there and say, yes, go Donald?

FINNEY: You know, here's the thing about Donald, and I think that this is going to be the challenge for the Republican Party, in all seriousness. You know, he had some really despicable things to say, for example, about Mexicans and immigrants to this country. And, you know, she was disturbed by how long it took so many of the other Republicans, it should have been obvious, to speak out and say that kind of -- that's wrong. That doesn't -- that's not part of this dialogue. It shouldn't be part of this dialogue. So I think that's actually going to be the challenge and that's kind of one of the things we're looking at is, you know, as Donald Trump has this bombastic rhetoric that is, I think, damaging to the Republican Party and their brand, will the other Republicans in the race, will they react, will they step up and say, it's not OK to talk about people like that?

COSTELLO: Well, on the other hand, he strikes a chord with a lot of people and you can't discount that.

FINNEY: It's -- although, you know, here's what I would say. He has done well in the polls and looks like we're going to see him in that first Republican debate, which ought to be interesting. But I think -- you know, look, this is the time in an election -- we were talking before we came on the air -- we've got a long way to go. We've got 15, 16 months to go and I -- this is a time when people are checking out different candidates. They're trying to figure out, you know, it's sort of like dating, right, like you're trying to figure -- you're not quite ready to get married yet. Maybe some are. You're engaged, right? But -- so I'm not surprised to see this happening because I think people are, you know, kind of checking him out. They'll want to learn more about him and what he stands for and, you know, that's when they start to make those comparisons about who they want to support.

COSTELLO: Karen, thanks for stopping by. I really appreciate it.

FINNEY: Great to be with you, Carol.

COSTELLO: Thanks so much.

In less than an hour, Dylann Roof is expected to appear in court. The accused gunman in last month's deadly church massacre could be formally indicted this morning. Last week a judge placed a gag order preventing the release of documents and 911 calls relating to the case. Several news outlets are challenging that. We'll bring you the latest at the top of the hour.

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[09:41:45] COSTELLO: In just a matter of hours, the president is doing something no other sitting president has done before, he will visit a federal prison. It's a medium security correctional facility just outside of Oklahoma City. In addition to taking a tour, the president is also expected to meet with inmates and law enforcement officials. This comes just days after a decision by the White House to commute the prison sentences of dozens of drug offenders. Reforming the criminal justice system is something the president says he wants to make a top priority during his remaining time in office.

With me now to talk about all of this, the author of "15 to Life: How I Painted My Way to Freedom," Anthony Papa. He was locked up after being busted for delivering an envelope containing four ounces of cocaine worth about $500. He served 12 years and his sentence was eventually granted executive clemency by then Governor George Pataki.

Welcome and thank you so much for being here.

ANTHONY PAPA, MEDIA RELATIONS MANAGER, DRUG POLICY ALLIANCE: Thank you for having me here.

COSTELLO: So briefly touch on your story. You're busted for carrying $500 worth of cocaine and you're sentenced to how long?

PAPA: Well, I got two 15 to life terms, first time non-violent drug offender under the Rockefeller drug laws of New York state, which mandate mandatory minimum sentencing laws. Something that the president wants to reform. And I think it's a great idea because many, many people are in prison serving 15, 20, 25 years for small amounts of drugs and they're rotting away in the system.

COSTELLO: Now were you going to sell the drugs, take the drugs?

PAPA: I was a courier. I passed an envelope. It was first time, non- violent drug offender. Basically took the envelope from the Bronx to Mt. Vernon, walked into a police sting operation. Twenty undercovers came out of nowhere, placed me under arrest. I did everything I could do wrong and I wound up being sentenced to two 15 years to life terms.

COSTELLO: So you spent 12 years in Singsing.

PAPA: Singsing, yes. And the only way I got out is by Governor George Pataki of New York state granting me executive clemency based on my art. One night I was sitting in my cell after three years, picked up a mirror, looked in the mirror and saw an individual who was going to spend the most productive years of his life in a cage, picked up a canvas and I painted the self-portrait, 15 to Life I named it, and it wound up at the Whitney Museum of American Art a couple of years later and I got a lot of publicity on my case and that's how the governor found out about my case and he granted me executive clemency.

COSTELLO: That's amazing. So tell our viewers why you did not deserve to be in prison for two, what, 15 years to life sentences for kind of being the middleman and carrying $500 worth of cocaine.

PAPA: Well, I think that, you know, maybe I deserved some time of -- type of time, but not 15 years. It was an unbelievable nightmare experience for me. I think that by Obama -- President Obama now granting these clemencies to these non-violent drug offenders it shows that emphasis on how the system is broken where people are placed in prison for many, many years for non-violent drug crimes. It's a waste of human life, a waste of valuable tax dollars that could be better spent for needy communities, to put shoes on shoeless children. So I think that Governor -- I mean President Obama's doing the right thing and hopefully he'll fix this broken system.

[09:45:06] COSTELLO: Right, you were -- you were like a tiny, teeny little fish, right? Right?

PAPA: Tiny. Guppy. A guppy. COSTELLO: You're a guppy, OK. And I'm just going to like, because

"The Washington Post" has some interesting statistics that kind of illustrate what you just said.

Since 1980, the prison population has more than quadrupled. To put that into perspective, that means one out of every 100 adults is locked up.

Take a look at these other numbers, too. The average cost for an inmate at a minimum security facility is about $21,000 per year. The average cost per year at a maximum security facility is about $33,000.

So when you put it in economic terms like that, you can see (ph) that you're right, that we're spending all of this money, incarcerating people that's not going to like win the drug war, right?

PAPA: Right.

COSTELLO: What should have been done? What should your punishment have been? What could have helped you more than being locked away for 12 years?

PAPA: Well, I think maybe probation. I needed a wake up call, not to be thrown in a cage for 15 years. I think that many Americans make mistakes in their life and wind up in prison and they need second chances. I think the president is right to give opportunities to individuals that have made mistakes in their life, and they need a second chance, a chance to be reunited with their families and to become productive tax paying citizens.

I'm hoping that governors of states follow the lead of President Obama and use their clemency pardon powers more to release people. There's one case in Louisiana, a case of Bernard Noble, a Louisiana man, doing 13 years for the possession of two joints. So this is a crazy system. It needs to be fixed.

COSTELLO: Anthony Papa, thank you so much for being with me this morning. I appreciate it.

PAPA: Thank you so much.

COSTELLO: Still to come in the NEWSROOM, from "Call Me Caitlyn" to call me an ESPY award winner, Jenner takes on her critics, but will it quiet them?

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[09:51:19] COSTELLO: Caitlyn Jenner made an emotional plea for acceptance as she was honored with the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage at last night's ESPYs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAITLYN JENNER, ESPY AWARD RECIPIENT: Trans people deserve something vital. They deserve your respect. If you want to call me names, make jokes, doubt my intentions, go ahead because the reality is I can take it, but for the thousands of kids out there coming to terms with being true to who they are, they shouldn't have to take it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: In her first major public appearance since her transition, Caitlyn vowed to fight for the transgender community, but did she quiet the critics who say she was not the right choice for this award?

Joining me now to talk about this, CNN's Stephanie Elam, who was at last night's ESPYs, and senior media correspondent Brian Stelter. Good morning to both of you.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

COSTELLO: So Stephanie, I want to start with you because you were there and you interviewed some athletes afterwards. What did they say?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I was actually speaking to athletes on the red carpet and, you know, we got a lot of different responses. You had people who were effusive in their support for Caitlyn Jenner. You also had people who just gave a nice patented prerehearsed line that they were going to stick to and you try to get them to go away from that. They didn't want to do that. And yet, some people just said I have no comment on that.

But the vast majority of people that I spoke with were supportive. Take a listen to what Kenny Smith had to say and also Shawn Johnson.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KENNY "THE JET" SMITH, RETIRED NBA PLAYER: I look at it more as inclusion of everyone and not an exclusion and more than courage.

SHAWN JOHNSON, OLYMPIC GYMNAST: Good for her. I think she's making a statement for the world and, you know, being true to who you are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ELAM: So you heard this sort of speech that this is a time to be inclusive, this is a right time in the country for that. But obviously, there is this idea out there for a lot of people that it's not OK to not be OK with Caitlyn Jenner. So for the most part, we did hear positive comments but I don't know necessarily that most people would have spoken up otherwise.

COSTELLO: No, no, I totally agree. In fact, I was just going to ask you that question because I don't think that anybody would criticize Caitlyn Jenner on camera, although someone kind of did in the form of what Bob Costas, right? Because he never thought that she should have been given the award. This is what he had to say a few weeks ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BOB COSTAS, NBC SPORTS ANCHOR: It strikes me that awarding the Arthur Ashe Award to Caitlyn Jenner is just a crass exploitation play. It's a tabloid play. In the broad world of sports, I'm pretty sure they could have found, and this is not anything against Caitlyn Jenner, I'm pretty sure they could have found someone who was much more close-- much closer to actively involved in sports, who would have been deserving of what that award represents.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So Brian, we did ask Bob Costas to come on the show and he declined, but I just wonder, do you think he still feels that way? Because she gave a very emotional speech.

STELTER: He really hit a nerve, Bob Costas did a few weeks ago, with those comments. ESPN was pretty vigorous in defending their decision. They say this was in some ways a no-brainer. Once Caitlyn Jenner spoke to Diane Sawyer and reflected on the transition from being an Olympian to being a reality TV star to now being the world's most public transgender individual, that this was an obvious choice by ESPN.

[09:54:50] And I think some of the hostility we see, some of the anonymous comments that are all over social media this morning, they are precisely the reason why this speech mattered. I understand that perhaps public institutions, the media, are ahead of public opinion on this topic but that's precisely why what Caitlyn Jenner said mattered so much. She invited the sports world to work with her, to make trans issues more at the forefront and she repeatedly brought up transgender teenagers and other individuals who are not in the spotlight who need help.

COSTELLO: And Stephanie, what was the most emotional moment in Caitlyn's speech?

ELAM: Most definitely when she talked about her family and she said that coming out, the greatest fear she had was hurting the people that she loved, mainly her children. You know, when you think about it, Jenner has ten children, and most of them were there in the audience supporting her throughout this. But obviously, that was a moment when she did get choked up talking about this.

But it was interesting, most of the speech was not about Caitlyn Jenner. It was talking about transgender people who don't have that safety of fame, that bubble that she lives in to go through this change, and that is partially why I think some people felt better about it after they heard her talk.

COSTELLO: All right, Stephanie Elam, Brian Stelter, thanks to both of you. I appreciate it.

STELTER: Thanks.

COSTELLO: The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM after a break.

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