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Police in Maryland are trying to figure out how a call for help led to a firefighter being killed in the line of duty; Six former co- stars of that show held a news conference to denounce Trump as a candidate for president; Bernie Sanders heading back to the U.S. after attending an economic conference in Vatican City; Syrian migrants taken in by Pope Francis on his trip to a migrant camp in Greece; 1-2p ET

Aired April 16, 2016 - 13:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:01:00] FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: All right. Hello again, everyone. Thanks for joining me. I am Fredricka Whitfield. The Republican battle for delegates I taking place on both sides of the country today. Just moments ago Ted Cruz speaking at the Wyoming Republican convention. And the Texas senator is the only presidential candidate in that state, and it is likely paying off for him. Cruz is expected to take most if not all 14 delegates up for grabs today.

Let's get to CNN's Ana Cabrera who is at the Wyoming convention with more on Cruz's possible sweep of Wyoming.

So Ana, is it as simple as show the face time and you win the majority of support?

ANA CABRERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is not that simple, Fred, but pressure is definitely on the Cruz campaign. I can tell you there are more Ted Cruz signs than cowboy hats here at the Wyoming state convention. You definitely get the sense that he has a huge contingency of people that are supporting him, and talking to those who have been in the hallway just outside the convention hall. And they are big Ted Cruz and very loyal Ted Cruz supporters.

I want to give you a little bit more perspective. There are more than 60 delegate candidates who want one of those 14 spots you mention to go on to the RNC. When you look at the list, two-thirds of them approximately have pledged their support to Ted Cruz. Six of those candidates pledged support to Donald Trump. Zero for John Kasich. And the remaining are unpledged delegates.

Yes, Wyoming is one of those states that can send unpledged delegates to the RNC. And so, there's a little bit of a movement here to try to get as many of those unpledged delegates elected to give Wyoming a little more power when Cleveland rolls around, and when they will be electing delegates on the convention floor because this is one of those elections where they're expecting every delegate vote to count, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Also important to mention that Cruz in Wyoming is not spending time in New York. What does that mean?

CABRERA: Well, Donald Trump and John Kasich campaigns have said they see the east coast contest being their territory and the place where they're planning to pick up votes. So Ted Cruz has focused his efforts in the states where one, he had a good ground game, and perhaps other candidates haven't had as much of a well-organized campaign like Wyoming or Colorado where they elect delegates to the convention process instead of open primary or open caucus.

So again, it is strategy for each campaign. Cruz isn't doing as well in the polls on the east coast. Donald Trump, John Kasich are leading in those areas, that explains why they're there and he is here today.

WHITFIELD: All right. Simply put. Thank you so much. Ana Cabrera, appreciate that in Casper, Wyoming.

All right. So let's shift focus now to the Democrats, Bernie Sanders heading back to the U.S. after attending an economic conference in Vatican City. We are also hearing today that Sanders had an impromptu meeting with Pope Francis. The senator told CNN's Ben Wedeman that it was quote "a great honor to meet the pontiff. He will be campaigning in Brooklyn later today after he returns to the states.

All right. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton is looking ahead to California. She has a full day of campaign events scheduled in Los Angeles, including a fund-raiser at George and Amal Clooney's house in Studio City. Such a high profile event doesn't come without controversy.

CNN's Sara Sidner is in Los Angeles.

So tell us about it. What's going on? What is the dust up?

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly Hillary Clinton has come here to fund race. But in between the two mega fund raisers, one that has happened back in the bay area, about five hour drive from here in Los Angeles, they did see some protests from Bernie Sanders supporters, about 100 people showing up and complaining about the amount of money it would take to sit down at the table with Hillary Clinton.

We're talking a lot of money here, 33,000 per person if you just want to go to the event there in San Francisco. And similar money to go to the Clooney event here in Los Angeles and Studio City at his home. If you wanted, by the way to sort of to sit at the table, be with the Clooneys and Clintons, that would cost you a lot more. You have to bring in a check or fund raise $353,000. And that's what a lot of folks are complaining about.

But I want to mention where she is now because this is not a fundraising event. This is for the students and the community leaders and community members of a community that has gone through quite a bit. This particular college, Los Angeles southwest college, was built after the watt uprising, after the riots here. It was built to try to help the underserved and educate those that wanted to lift themselves up. Remember if you look back in history, things are looking similar. In

1965, two white police officers coming after a black motorist they thought was driving drunk. And then there was a fight. And people saw that and they reacted and racial tension. It exploded into riots. This place built to calm tensions and create a space where people who are not making enough money, not getting the jobs, had somewhere to go to try to lift themselves up.

So Hillary Clinton is coming here to talk about wage disparity, talk about breaking down all of the barriers to try to lift yourself up here in the United States. Interesting sort of difference between this crowd and the crowd that will be at George Clooney's house.

[13:06:28] WHITFIELD: Yes. Quite a contrast.

All right, Sara Sidner. Thank you so much.

All right. Thursday's Democratic debate was definitely one of the most heated we've seen so far between Clinton and Sanders. But not just on the stage. CNN contributor Julian Zelizer was in the crowd where he says tensions were also very high. I'm also joined by Democratic strategist Matthew Littman.

So Julian, you first, you wrote an op-ed for CNN.com about your experience. And you said quote "the tensions on the stage were nothing compared with the tension in the crowd. I sat next to one Sanders supporter who sat with his tattooed arms tightly crossed and head angrily shaking whenever Clinton said anything. In his mind, it was clear there was nothing Clinton could do or say that was right."

So Julian, almost sounds like it was like a sporting event, right. You have teams and you have fans and they're going to applaud their team. So what was so markedly different, you know, to you in this crowd at a political event, this democratic debate?

JULIAN ZELIZER, HISTORIAN/PROFESSOR, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY: Well, you know, there's a history where there's many primaries, like in 1968 or 1980 where supporters of different candidates go so far apart, they can't see any virtue in the other. And that was certainly the atmosphere that I was feeling, you know. The Sanders supporter that I mentioned would not even stand up when Hillary Clinton was making statements about policies clearly, the Sanders campaign supported and there was the same kind of attitude vice versa.

This is a snapshot. It was a moment in Brooklyn. But I do think it reflects some of the bigger tensions that are brewing within the Democratic Party as a result of this very competitive campaign.

WHITFIELD: So then Matthew, how do you see that potentially translating or what does it evolve to when eventually only one person gets the nomination? So you know, the disappointed, you know, fan or supporter of the other candidate, do they just kind of let it go and eventually gravitate toward the person who gets the nomination or do you see that this is the makings of a really big problem potential up ahead? MATTHEW LITTMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Julian would be pleased to

note that I do see virtue, I am a Hillary supporter, but I certainly see virtue in the Sanders campaign. You know, I think obviously that Hillary is going to be the nominee. I do think that a lot of the Sanders supporters will gravitate toward Hillary. But Fredricka, also a lot of Republicans I think will gravitate toward Hillary. Let's remember that about a third of Republicans said they won't vote for Trump if he is the nominee. So I think Hillary is going to attract some Republican support and I do think that when people see that contrast between Hillary and Trump or Cruz, will certainly attract that Democratic support, those Sanders supporters.

WHITFIELD: So then Julian, you know, there are many who say you know what, these differences between the candidates actually makes each of them better, that neither one can presume anything. So is that kind of a silver lining that potentially can come from the dynamic that you saw on stage during the debate and the dynamic you saw within the crowd?

ZELIZER: Yes. I mean, I'm a believer in the competition that has gone on. I think it made both candidates, it has made Hillary Clinton stronger, creating incentives for her to deal with important issues that might not have been on the table. But this won't happen automatically, even with the Republican nominee being Trump or Cruz. I think both Democrats are going to have to work hard like in 2008 to create a viable and strong coalition after a very heated primary.

[13:10:03] WHITFIELD: And Matthew, you know, when you talk about, you know, your candidate, Hillary Clinton would, you know, be supportive of if she were not to win the nomination, you know, the nomination, she would be supportive of Bernie Sanders, the Democratic process. When you see like the images we showed earlier with our Sara Sidner reporting in Los Angeles and San Francisco last night, you see people who, you know, clearly Bernie Sanders supporters, they said so, you know, and they are protesting the large, you know, fundraising events that Hillary Clinton is attending there in Los Angeles tonight, in San Francisco last night, it doesn't look like or maybe you tell me what you see, it doesn't sound like from what they're saying They're willing to even see any positive attributes of the other Democratic candidate, if she ends up being the nominee.

LITTMAN: Well, listen. You know, we're in a tough primary fight right now. And obviously, the Sanders supporters are very enthusiastic. I think it is terrific. But I don't think there's any question, what Hillary is doing today is she is raising a lot of money not just for herself but for the Democratic Party to get Democrats elected. So if you support causes that Sanders and Hillary both support, then in that general election you would want more Democrats to get elected and you would want that democratic candidate to get elected. Yes, Hillary would support Bernie if he is the nominee. But Hillary at this point has 2.5 more million than Bernie, I expect her to win New York. And I certainly expect it to be --.

WHITFIELD: You don't feel like anything could happen, when you see the crowds that turn out for Bernie Sanders, you don't think, you know, she or her campaign feel like they're sweating it at this point? LITTMAN: No. You know what, Fredricka, I actually don't. She's up

by 2.5 million vote now. New York is next week. She is up 10 to 17 points in the polls. So I know we talk about the fact that maybe Sanders could pull this out somehow, but the truth is he can't. And at some point, the Sanders supporters should move over to the Hillary campaign.

WHITFIELD: Matthew Littman, Julian Zelizer, we will keep it there. Thanks so much.

ZELIZER: Thanks.

LITTMAN: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. So again, we are just days from that critical New York primary. Don't miss CNN live coverage all day Tuesday. And we will be right back.

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[13:15:21] WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back. We are getting new details about those Syrian migrants taken in by Pope Francis on his trip to a migrant camp in Greece today. The families who got to go back to Rome were chosen in a lottery type process, the group of 12 including six children. And they were picked from the camp which holds those considered the most vulnerable refugees on the island.

We are learning more about the meeting between Pope Francis and senator Bernie Sanders this morning. Before the Pope left on his trip to Greece, Ben Wedeman is on the phone from Rome. There you are in front of a camera for us, Ben Wedeman.

All right. Tell us a little bit more how this meeting came about?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this was a meeting that wasn't supposed to take place according to Vatican officials. But in fact it did in the early hours of this morning right before Pope Francis left for Greece. But exactly what happened depends who you speak to. Now somebody in the Sanders campaign suggested that it was the Pope that asked to meet with Bernie Sanders. But the Pope himself when returning to Rome this afternoon told reporters on the plane that in fact it was Bernie Sanders who seemed to door stop him. They greeted one another.

Now, the senator told me he told Pope Francis what a great admirer he was of his work regarding income inequality, climate change, what not. When I asked the senator what the Pope said to him, he said ask the Pope. Now, the Pope is now saying that essentially it was just a handshake greeting to common courtesy in the words of Pope Francis who seemed to be trying to avoid accusations that he is getting involved in American politics by suggesting that anybody who is doing so who is suggesting that he is trying to stick his fingers into the America pie, those are my words, not him, should go see, in his words, the psychiatrist.

WHITFIELD: Oh my. All right. What a moment, nonetheless. Thank you so much Ben Wedeman in Rome. Appreciate it.

All right. Bernie Sanders in fact will live tomorrow morning on "STATE OF THE UNION" to talk about the incredible journey to the Vatican and his meeting with the Pope. That starts 9:00 a.m. eastern. And we will be right back.

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[13:21:28] WHITFIELD: All right. Donald Trump's campaign has been criticized as one big reality show. That's often an illusion to his run for 14 seasons as the star of NBC's "the Apprentice." But this weekend, six former co-stars of that show held a news conference to denounce Trump as a candidate for president. They did that yesterday. It didn't take long for Trump to fire back. He released a statement saying quote "how quickly they forget, nobody would know who they are if it weren't for me. Six failing wannabes out of hundreds of contestants. So sad," he said.

Joining me now are two of the former "Apprentice" stars, Marshawn Evans Daniels is here with me in Atlanta. She was on season four and Kwame Jackson was runner-up in season one. He joins me now from New York. Good to see you both.

KWAME JACKSON, RUNNER UP, THE APPRENTICE SEASON 1: Thank you for having us.

WHITFIELD: All right, let me begin with you. Because this was a concerted effort. This was a tough decision, wasn't it not, for a number of you who were on "the Apprentice" to say collectively we don't like what is happening here with the Trump campaign, so how did it come about?

MARSHAWN EVANS DANIELS, CONTESTANT, THE APPRENTICE SEASON 4: Well, it was a tough decision in the sense it was a sad decision. I along with hundreds of thousands of people applied to be on the "Apprentice" because we were inspired by a vision and a visionary about living American dream. And so, this was a sad decision because I felt that this was not just about opportunity. I did "the Apprentice" because it was an opportunity, but also did it with a sense of duty and as a woman of color for what it means to be a successful business woman on television. And what this was about for me and the rest of us, was because we felt as though our affiliation may be a sign that we agreed with Donald Trump's statements.

And people have been asking for a long time, we all actually spoken out individually before, but this came together because we decided that racism is not OK jut to go unanswered. That sexism is not OK to go unanswered. And so, we came together deciding that we wanted to speak out collectively. We did get a lot of back lash from it.

WHITFIELD: And what has been the response since you did that collectively yesterday?

DANIELS: Yes. Well, the response has been twofold. One from the public, definitely from Trump supporters who were not pleased. They said we were seeking an additional 15 minutes of fame. And I think some of the former "Apprentice" candidates that didn't stand with us or in agreement final now have decided to find their voice, and have said that we misused our platform, that we should be loyal and grateful.

And I think it is interesting because both of them are saying the exact same thing that Donald Trump said in his statement and calling us wannabes. Those of us, Kwame went to Harvard and me Georgetown, had a platform both before the show and after. But he said be careful about speaking out against me.

WHITFIELD: At what point did you hear that.

DANIELS: He said it in an official statement where he replied all of us, calling us failing wannabes. That we should be careful of what we are saying or else. And I had someone on my twitter feed yesterday who said I should be careful because we carry guns.

WHITFIELD: So you're getting personal threats.

DANIELS: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: As a result of.

DANIELS: Absolutely. And I think that's where Donald Trump doesn't realize that his statements do matter. That people do listen to what he is saying. Those are the types of statements that when you tell people to be careful about their speech and you're running for president, those are the types of things that we see later who lead dictatorships say. Those are the types of things we see leaders who lead gangs and cults. And there is this idea that you should not be disloyal and you should never bite the hand that maybe even helped you. I don't believe hand feeds me. I believe that he -- we are all grateful for the opportunity but I am not Trump made, I am God made. And that is thing. I think that we don't assimilate to the religion of Donald Trump.

[13:25:18] WHITFIELD: So then, Kwame, what were gains or perhaps risks that you assessed before coming out in this very big way yesterday with your very, you know, carefully crafted comments about how you assess Donald Trump and his campaign. In your words, kind of poisoning, you know, the landscape.

JACKSON: Fredricka, number one, thanks for the opportunity. And in terms of assessing those gains and risks, I actually have been a vocal critic of Donald Trump for well over nine months. I was the first person to talk about in creating a toxic ecosystem, possibly lending credence to the next (INAUDIBLE) long before folks were talking about it currently and inciting the system of violence.

And so, I have been out in front on this really since I started to recoil from Donald Trump to try recall that 2008, 2009 time frame when he led that birther movement. I really felt as though Mr. Trump had done something that I could not be part of any more. That that was an indictment of all minority professionals who had, you know, sterling resumes who were asked for their credentials, asked for their transcripts and, you know. to prove they should be here. What he did with President Obama really caused me to recoil way back then. And then we saw this drum beat create, you know, its own wave over time of violence, of bigotry, of xenophobia, you know, anti-immigrant behavior. And I stood out front early on. Now, yesterday, we decided to come out one, in unison. One voice. Many of us have been speaking out a very long time.

WHITFIELD: And do you feel like it is potentially too late given the gains he has made on the campaign trail, being out front if, I mean, collectively you felt that your message would be impactful, are you concerned that it is too late in the game to stop the kind of support you all want to end.

JACKSON: Well, I don't think anybody in America saw this ship taking off the way it has. This cancer has metastasized. This Trump cancer has metastasized. And the level of support and the level of vitriol and venom that has been spewed has grown, and the fact that people have kind of bought into it is really disappointing for a lot of folks in terms of where we are as a nation.

And so, I think it took us all by surprise. And we were speaking out individually for months and months, but this is the first time we had a chance to come together in unison in particular right before the New York primary with all of the delegates at stake. In a way it is strategic, at the same time we have been voices in the wind a long time. But there's always power in unity.

WHITFIELD: You think there is power in numbers.

DANIELS: There is power in numbers. And I want to invite more people to not to be afraid. There are so many people who said thank you for speaking out about the things that we feel. There is millions of us who really feel this way. And it is never too late to speak out for what is right. And we don't need to be afraid. We don't need to submit to this culture of violence. It is not too late until we have a new commander in chief.

WHITFIELD: All right. We are going to leave it right there. Marshawn Evans Daniels, Kwame Jackson, thanks to you both. Appreciate it.

DANIELS: Thank you.

JACKSON: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. We saw another side of the GOP candidates this week. We are talking about their spouses.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MELANIA TRUMP, DONALD TRUMP'S WIFE: And we need to protect our children.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So we need to grow them and support them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Great joy would be doing something for kids. (END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All Right. So what is ahead for the first ladies to be? We will talk about it next.

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[13:32:00] WHITFIELD: All right. This week it wasn't just the presidential candidates in the spotlight, their families also shined on center stage.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HEIDI CRUZ, RED CRUZ'S WIFE: -- what is a first lady. And I said well, it is the wife of the president. And Caroline never heard an answer like that from me so she said oh, mom, come on. Let me ask again, what is a first lady? What are you going to do? And I would love to do something that focused on young girls, their self-esteem and leadership in the world for women and I would work very hard to ensure every child in this country had a fair and equal opportunity at quality education.

MELANIA TRUMP, DONALD TRUMP'S WIFE: I grew up without social media. It was one way better because I see a lot of bullying going on and we need to protect our children. We need to watch over them.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, AC 360: Do you ever want to say to him put the mobile device down? It is like 2:00 a.m., and you're tweeting.

M. TRUMP: Anderson, if he would only listen. I did many times. And I just say do, OK, whatever you want. He is an adult. He knows the consequences. It is amazing every day, our son is ten years old and everything is different, and every day it is, you know, something special, and it is unconditional love and I enjoy every day. I love being a mom, a very special time. I'm at home and raising him, teaching him values and morals, and preparing him for adult life, because sooner or later he will have wings to fly.

KAREN KASICH, JOHN KASICH'S WIFE: Pasta and sauce is a big family favorite.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you ever had meat in it?

K. KASICH: Meat and meatballs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's meat and gravy.

K. KASICH: I don't know that. Is that an Italian thing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. It is a real thing.

K. KASICH: All right. So, sometimes it is gravy, sometimes it is sauce, always popular. You know, homemade mac and cheese. I do a lot of veal dishes. Anything on the grill. I am the grill master in the family.

COOPER: Governor, can you cook?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, no.

K. KASICH: I advocate for things that help our young people because I believe our young people are our most precious natural resource, we need to grow them and support them. So it has been things like fitness and wellness. It has been after school programs for kids in at risk neighborhoods. It has been the anti-human trafficking efforts because that's been a big problem. I have never realized that until I became first lady.

It is a long hall, a lot can happen. And it is not just something you want to start, you know, running at the beginning. It takes a-while to build up momentum, and you want to do things right. You want to do things, like John was saying earlier, you don't want to get attention for the wrong reasons.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: So joining me right now, CNN political commentator Ana Navarro, and author of the book, "First women," Kate Andersen Brower.

All right. Good to see both of you. I think everyone agrees that spouses taking center stage really did humanize all of these candidates, right. I mean, I wonder, you know, Ana, if there was one particular spouse that stood out to you that the candidate best benefitted from.

ANA NAVARRO, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You know, I think they all benefitted it. You know, after watching the three town halls, and I know Bill Clinton, and I have met Jane Sanders. Let me just tell you, Fred. I don't know how many people in America are feeling the way I do, but I think I like any of the spouses better than I like any of the candidates.

It was wonderful to see these folks who are not espousing policy issues, who are not pushing an agenda, who are not trying to score points. They are being supportive family members whose family is running for office. You know, they're not recruited. They're not the ones on the ballot, but they get just as much scrutiny as anybody that is on the ballot. And certainly it is a package deal. When you get to the White House, you're going to see a lot of the first lady or first husband. You're going to see a lot of the kids. You are going to see even a lot of the pets. So you better like them, folks.

WHITFIELD: But, you know, Kate, all right. So Ana says, you know, they're not pushing an agenda. But similar to what you heard Heidi Cruz said, you know, her own daughters were saying come on, you know, but what are you going to do, what does a first lady really do? So people will in their minds still kind of, you know, assign expectation or hope to learn about what any number of these, you know, first ladies or first spouses, especially since we have one that could be the first man potentially, you know, with the characteristics of people would be and how they would make that position, you know, look good. There is a certain I guess standard, maybe, that you know, Americans have about what that, you know, first person would be like. KATE ANDERSEN BROWER, AUTHOR, FIRST WOMEN: Absolutely. I mean, you

know, Hillary Clinton obviously overstepped that a little bit in the White House when she had her office in the west wing which she later regretted having and told Laura Bush she wished she hadn't had.

You know, we don't allow our first lady to take serious policy positions, you know. I thought it was interesting in "House of Cards" when Claire is taking up gun control. I mean, that's not something that you would ever see a first lady do. So what you hearing from Melania about being a mother reminds me a lot of, you know, Michelle Obama and this whole mom in-chief idea and Americans really like that idea.

I think Melania would be more like Jackie Kennedy in a lot of ways, too, it will be about glamour if Donald Trump is elected, and she sees herself in that kind of model, the Jackie Kennedy, raising her son Baron is obviously, hugely important to her.

Heidi Cruz is really interesting because, of course, she had a huge career before she, you know, gave it up and started working on her husband's campaign. And I think that she might be a little bit more like a Hillary Clinton, but, of course, none of these women will take it as far as Hillary did, because that really hurt her and it led to the '94 Midterm election loss for Democrats in the house. So it was something she later regretted. So I don't think we will see any of these women take up serious policy positions.

NAVARRO: I actually don't agree with that. I know Jane Sanders some. I can tell you she is Bernie Sanders' probably closest adviser. She is a woman who can talk policy. I think, you know, I think we are seeing the modernization of the role of first lady. And I think what any of these women have to do, and what we as American voters have got to let them do and support them doing, is being comfortable with who they are and the role they want to play.

BROWER: I agree with that.

NAVARRO: Some might be more of a supporting spouse, some might have policy some issues they want to espouse. But, you know, this idea that we don't allow first ladies to push policy.

BROWER: I don't think they were pushing policy.

NAVARRO: And I think we have seen a lot of that lately.

WHITFIELD: 2016 question. Yes. It is part of that question, you know, that voters are hoping to be able to kind of peel back a little bit of the veil of who any of these, you know, spouses might be. This was a sample of what Heidi Cruz had to say on stage. Let's listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

H. CRUZ: What people have gotten the impression he is not likeable is because he has been in environment of a Congress that has 11 percent approval rating from the American people. There are a lot of people who haven't been solving the issues of the day, and these are big issues, they're hard, it is not going to be solved overnight. But Ted has been trying really to advance the ball. And he's not afraid to call it as it is, to call things as he sees them and to move things forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And perhaps all the women kind of exemplified, you know, kind of, you know, an independent woman, mother, and one who also is conscientious of, you know, the profession outside the home. You see her with her daughters on her lap, very poised, you know, very together, Kate. But at the same time, you know, they -- people know the credentials that she brings as a business woman. It is hard to separate the two in some cases. Is that meaningful, any less or more so for people?

[13:40:20] BROWER: Well, you know, I mean, in an ideal world, I agree with what you're saying. I think it would be great for us to accept that first ladies, they are all very intelligent. But if you just look at history, that hasn't necessarily been the case. I mean, Betty Ford, came out and was very outspoken about issues and that hurt her husband in the election.

But, you know, so I think if we just look at the past, we haven't accepted first ladies being incredibly vocal about issues. But you're right, someone like Heidi Cruz obviously would be, you know, would try to get involved in something that matters to her, and Jane Sanders, but there's a certain threshold, you know. The buy one get one free sort of Clinton model was something that didn't work for them so well.

WHITFIELD: And I wonder just for the sake of equal time, if we can then show, you know, Melania Trump and her composure on stage and then, of course that, you know, of Karen Kasich. Can we take a peek at that?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

M. TRUMP: He treats everyone equally so if you're a woman and he attacks, they attack him, he will attack back, no matter who you are. We are all human, and he treats them equal as men, so I think that's very important. He doesn't make a difference. And he encourage everybody, you are a man or a woman.

K. KASICH: I couldn't be prouder of John. I mean, I have always been proud of him, but I am super proud of the way he has run this campaign and the way he has behaved. And I am proud of the way people react to that. I mean, everywhere I travel, people come up to me and say, you know, we are proud of the way your husband has behaved.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So Ana, don't these women kind of make these guys on camera - you know, on stage, these men on stage look better, sound better? Aren't they all more appealing as a result?

NAVARRO: I think they make them be better. You know, we all know that having a supportive spouse can make a huge difference in a person's life, in a professional person's life. And I think these three women that we saw in this town halls shine, Fredricka. I think they were poised, eloquent, supportive, likeable, softened the hard edges of a lot of these guys, and all three have hard edges. I would tell you, you know, all of them have some awkward angles, some demagoguery, some you know, there is, you know, some aggressiveness to them that all of these women showed a completely different angle to the politicians that we have seen.

We have seen a lot of nastiness in this Republican primary. What we heard from the three women was who the men are at home. Who the men are as husbands and fathers. I thought it was fascinating. And like I said to you, I like any of the spouses better than I like any of the candidates. I'm ready to go for any combination of spouses now.

WHITFIELD: We will see what happens.

Ana Navarro and Kate Andersen Brower, thanks so much, ladies. Appreciate it.

And we will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:46:47] WHITFIELD: All right. Right now, police in Maryland are trying to figure out how a call for help led to a firefighter being killed in the line of duty. CNN's Nick Valencia has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Friday night, Prince George's county, few firefighters respond to call of a medical emergency from a resident concerned about a relative.

BENJAMIN BARKSDALE, ASSISTANT FIRE CHIEF, PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY: They knocked on the door and received no answer so they begin to force entry so they can render care.

VALENCIA: As they try to open the door, they're met by bullets, both first responders are hit. The family member who made the 911 call is also wounded during the shooting.

BARKSDALE: Sadly, fire paramedic John Ulmschneider (ph) succumbed to injuries.

VALENCIA: The Firefighter who was killed, John Ulmschneider was a 13 year veteran of Prince George's fire and EMS department. His colleague, 19-year-old volunteer Kevin Swain was rushed to the shock trauma unit in Baltimore and underwent surgery. He is expected to survive.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The relationship and circumstances behind the shooting are unclear.

VALENCIA: Investigators are still unsure exactly why the shooting unfolded. So far there's no indication the firefighters were targeted. Police say the man accused of firing the shots is cooperating with investigators as they try to figure out what happened.

GRANT WALKER, FIREFIGHTER'S UNION: Thankful for your thoughts and prayers in this difficult time as we prepare to honor the life of one of our firefighter paramedics.

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VALENCIA: And just a little while ago that one of those local fire departments said they went to the hospital to see 19-year-old Kevin Swain. And his message to everyone was to say he is all right. As for the person alleged to have fired those gunshots, he remains in police custody but he is yet to be charged - Fred.

WHITFIELD: And is there any leaning, an accident or something else?

VALENCIA: When we heard from investigators yesterday. They said that the firefighters weren't targeted. And as soon as this man had the gun that fired the shots saw that they were first responders coming in the door, he stopped firing. They did take that person into custody. The person, the family member who also called 911, he is also -- they're also in custody as well being questioned.

WHITFIELD: God. Terrible sequence of events.

All right. Thank you so much, Nick Valencia. Appreciate it.

All right. A CNN report triggers new action in the search for more than 200 school girls kidnapped two years ago by the terrorist group, Boko Haram. Our exclusive reporting next.

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[13:51:10] WHITFIELD: New outrage in Nigeria over the plight of more than 200 girls kidnapped from their school dorm in the town of Chibok by Boko Haram militants two years ago. The country's lawmakers are now demanding security officials brief them on the case following CNN's reporting of the first proof of life video. The video shows 15 of the missing girls in Boko Haram custody.

CNN senior international correspondent Nima Elbagir brings us this exclusive report.

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NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's the glimmer of hope parents have been waiting for.

(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

ELBAGIR: A video showing 15 of the Chibok girls sent and negotiated by their captors as proof of life. CNN obtained a video from the person close to negotiations to get the girls' relief and we showed it with the parents of the missing girls.

But these young women in the video are only a handful of those girls abducted now two years ago. April 14, 2014, 276 schoolgirls taken in the night by Boko Haram gunman. A few dozen escaped, but since then, there's been only silence. Despite the global campaigns of "bring back our girls" two years later, they remain missing. Facing heavy criticism, Nigeria's government remains under pressure to bring them home.

GOV. KASHIM SHEFTIMA, BORNO STATE, NIGERIA: Belief that the girls are alive, but probably based on security they might not be -- you can't get them in one group. They might have been dispelled into several groups.

ELBAGIR: In Nigeria's capital, supporters and families of the missing marched to mark the solemn anniversary. Among the demonstrators, (INAUDIBLE), this woman, her daughter, Juliana, one of those kidnapped. Another news crew showed her our story. She broke down in tears saying she recognize the girls.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I saw the girls. (INAUDIBLE). I recognize some of them, because we are in the same area with them. So I recognize them.

ELBAGIR: It's the first sighting of the girls in nearly two years, and after an agonizing wait, families of the missing hope the video is not yet another false lead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We believe that these girls will be found and very soon, too. And be returned to their families.

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WHITFIELD: Nima Elbagir now joining us live from Nigeria.

So Nima, the families of these missing girls want answers and they want action from the government. Is there some optimism that they will get some of that when these officials meet with these senators next week?

ELBAGIR: Well, the Senate is co-sponsoring the bill. (INAUDIBLE) spoke to us and said that he is concern for a long time had been while the Nigerian government in theory claiming to be pursuing these two avenues, the military solution going into these areas, clearing Boko Haram out, which has had some success, but the ultimate success of bringing the girls home, a negotiated solution. Their worry is the military has been allowed to look only at the negotiated solution. This is what senators want to hear from security chiefs. Are you taking the negotiated solution as seriously as you're taking the military solution? Because the Senate has believe that they owe it to the family. Ultimately, they are elected representatives of the Nigerian people and specifically the Chibok families that made it very, very clear the government needs to be held account. It's now been two years and also a huge concern about the fact that the school wasn't even rebuilt, Fred. This bill has only now made provision for that burnt out school, which has been haunting these villagers for the last two years, almost as a monument to that tragedy, it had still not been rebuilt. So at the very least that will go some way to giving the villagers a sense that something is finally being done. [13:55:22] WHITFIELD: And then Nima, you obtained this video, it's

the understanding of many that the government may have been in position of this proof of life video since January. Is there any way of knowing what investigators have done while, you know, examining this video? When you look closely, you know, you see this -- this wall and there's even writing on the wall and many times, you know, investigators will try to dissect every square inch, or, you know, millimeter, you know, of an image to see if they can place that image, and then , conduct some sort of comprehensive search. Are you hearing anything from investigators from the government that they have done that with this kind of material? Or are doing it?

ELBAGIR: Well, they say they're working -- that they are working to validate it still, but it's now been three months, as we understand it, during which time it's been in their hands. And if you listen to the way that it's worded, the questions are worded in the video, it really tallies with what we've been hearing from sources as that behalf, they didn't need to look his video because the video was responding to specific concerns they had from a previous video that wasn't dated and wasn't so specific in both the names of the girls went by at home, aliases and official names on in the school registrar.

This video isn't no typicalwhere they're waving a flag saying this is all about the ideology. This video seemed almost transactional, and something a lot of people are taking away as really reading -- as really being an illustration of the seriousness, perhaps, of this group holding the girls in terms. Negotiation, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Nima Elbagir, thank you so much. Powerful reporting. Appreciate it.

We'll be right back after this.

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