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Democrat Contest Examined; Trump Speaks in Indianapolis; On Board a US Navy Vessel. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired April 20, 2016 - 15:30   ET

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


BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN NEWSROOM ANCHOR: Bottom of the hour. You're watching CNN, and I'm Brooke Baldwin.

Hillary Clinton says victory is in sight after she won double digits percentage-wise in the New York primary.

As for Senator Bernie Sanders, he says he is not quitting any time soon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, (D), FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: To all the people who supported Senator Sanders, I believe there is much more that unties us than divides us. (APPLAUSE AND CHEERS)

CLINTON: Under the bright lights of New York we have seen that it's not enough to diagnose problems. You have to explain how you'd actually solve the problems.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, I-VT, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: On next week we will be competing in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maryland, and Delaware, and we look forward to winning a number of those states.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Let me bring in former Executive Director of the Congressional Black Caucus Angela Rye and former Obama administration official Van Jones, both of whom are with us, CNN political commentators. Nice to see both of you. And let me begin, Van, with you, I believe

quote was "you can't uncurdle milk," referring to Senator Sanders. You have been very sympathetic for him, for his efforts. Now what say you?

VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I mean, I'm a good, strong progressesive so I've been very excited by Sanders and what he's done for the party, what he's done for the country, and frankly what he's done for Hillary Clinton. He's made her a much better candidate. But now you're in a - we're in a situation, when I say you can't uncurdle milk, if the rhetoric keeps escalating and you sour a whole generation on Hillary Clinton and possibly on the entire process, then you wind up doing more harm than good. So, you know, I think Sanders, the candidate, it looks like he will not make it, but Sanders the cause can still be victorious if he stays in the race but returns to that old Bernie Sanders that says, Hey, I don't want to talk about your e- mails, I want to talk about the issues. If he goes back to that, the Bernie revolution can move forward.

BALDWIN: You agree, Angela? What do you think?

ANGELA RYE, CNN POLITICAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT: I do agree with that, and I also think, you know, at this point the convention is just right around the corner. Bernie Sanders raised $44 million just last month, more than any other candidate in the race. How do you tell a guy who's raised $44 million that there's no place for him? There's clearly a place for him and he's clearly speaking for some folks who think enough of him to invest in their campaign even if at, as he says at every rally, $27 per person. So I think that there's definitely space for him. There's space for

his message. Hillary Clinton has been wise to listen to some of the things that he said that would make have - would make her sound more progressive. I know she's argued throughout that she's a progressive who gets things done, but her narrative, the rhetoric, the messaging has sounded a whole lot more left and I think that is mostly due to Bernie Sanders.

BALDWIN: But Van has a great point about, you know, sour milk and some of the back and forth, the jabs, and, you know, Hillary Clinton spoke last night about specifically to Senator Sanders supporters and talking about the need to unify, especially if you want to have a Democrat in office. So how does she do that, especially given the fact that there are throngs of young people if you look at the exit poling, 18 to 24 love Bernie Sanders.

RYE: Yeah.

BALDWIN: And if he doesn't get the nomination, Angela, they may not vote in November. How does she handle that?

RYE: Well, I think that we should look no further than 2008. I mean, we're talking about bitter primariy battle where things like President Obama appearing in African garb going to the Drudge Report courtesy of the Clinton campaign showed up, or Clinton friends. I won't blame that on the campaign, but it certainly came back to somebody in Clinton world. Is Hillary Clinton constantly referring to herself as calling tested

and ready and the message of hope was naive. It was a bitter primary battle and, you know, what, at the end everyone came together singing Kumbaya and it was fine. So if they can do it in 2008, I know we can do it in 2016.

BALDWIN: Well, about quickly, Van - and I know you want to talk about Flint before I let you go - what about this notion from the Sanders camp about flipping super delegates? How could that work?

JONES: Well, I mean, they - obviously they have to have a rationale to keep going forward. I think he should stay in. Listen, you know, there are a lot of people in California where I live who really want to vote for him. They should stay in, but the rationale looks a little bit less possible. I do think that Secretary Clinton's surrogates should be a little bit

less sometimes condesending toward the young people and oh, they just want free stuff. That's not fair. Nobody says the Pentagon just wants free drones or NASA just wants free space shuttles. Everybody pays taxes. Everybody has a right to say where they think the money should go, and those kinds of things I think if they can just tone that down I think the young people need to feel respected coming back, not belittled coming back. And if they clean that up, they'll be fine.

BALDWIN: Van, I have to go to Donald Trump. He's speaking now in Indianpolis. I know the plight in Flint has been near and dear to your heart. Well, as promised -

JONES: Next time.

BALDWIN: - I promise we'll talk about it next time. I promise you, my friend.

Angela and Van, thank you very much.

As I mentioned off his big win in New York at a rally in Indianapolis. Let's go.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, GOP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In the case of lyin' Ted, lyin' Ted. Lies, oh, he lies. You know, Ted, he brings the bible

(CROWD CHEERING)

TRUMP: You know, Ted, he brings the bible, holds it high, puts it down, lies. And, you know, the Evangelicals, they've been supporting Donald Trump and it's been great. It's been great.

(CROWD CHEERING)

TRUMP: We've won a lot. We've on a lot. And I will say this. Look, you're looking at a situation in our country where our jobs are being ripped out of our states. I'm not just talking here. They're being ripped out of our states. They're being ripped out of our country, like I say it, like candy from a baby. They're going to Mexico. They're going all over. China has been doing numbers on us for - and, you know, I don't mind China. They have been doing numbers on us for years. We're going to lose $500 billion in terms of trade, in terms of balance. Look at the balance. We are - it's a one-way street. We have rebuilt China with the trade deficit that is unsustainable, and it's amazing that it's been going on so long. I told a story the other day to show you how incredible our country

is. I have a friend, he's very sick. He was supposed to pass away a year ago. He's a great guy. Tough guy. Strong guy. Tough, like a lot of the people from Indiana. I mean he's tough.

(CROWD CHEERING)

TRUMP: Not as tough as a true Hoosier, but he's tough. I will tell you, so he keeps lingering and lingering and he's lingering, and I say, wow. And I call him every day, every other day, I say, how are you doing, and he goes, I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm doing good. And just an amazing guy, strong. And that's our country, because when you're losing the kind of money we do on trade, when we're defending the world on military and paying for it and don't get the respect, don't get the proper treatment, don't get anything. You look at what happens with these countries that we take care of, it is absolutely horrible. When our country continues to go forward, even though it's got massive problems, massive deficits, it sort of reminds me of him. Our country is being taken advantage of and -

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: All right. We wanted to listen for Donald Trump's tone off of his huge win in New York. Talked about Senator Cruz last night and back to the lyin' Ted, lyin' there as he's speaking to a crowd in Indianapolis, Indiana primary May 3rd. He obviously hoping to clinch the nomination before Cleveland. Meantime, his foe, Senator Ted Cruz, set to speak there, Hollywood, Florida. He is there. Also, Governor Kasich will be there as the RNC Rules Committee meetings begin this week. Quick break. Back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: We just wanted to comment on these pictures. We just showed you Donald Trump speaking at a rally there in Indianapolis. That is the scene outside, folks exercising their constitutional rights, freedom of speech there outside of this event. Listen. That is what happens in politics, folks, but what's significant and Gabriel Sherman is good enough to be with me here. He wrote this fascinating piece for New York Magazine entitled, How Paul Manafort Took Over the - what's the rest of the headline - "Took Over the Trump Campaign. Thank you very much.

So before we chat about your piece, to listen to Donald Trump, this goes to what you were talking about.

GABRIEL SHERMAN, NEW YORK MAGAZINE: Yeah.

BALDWIN: Sort of like a pre Paul Manafort era and a -

SHERMAN: Yeah.

BALDWIN: - post Paul Manafort era. We saw Trump last night referring to Senator Cruz a little bit more subdued, watching and waiting to see and he totally pulled back out the "lyin' Ted" line.

SHERMAN: Yeah. It's a dance he has to play because his supporters, the people that turn out by the thousands to see him -

BALDWIN: They want to hear that.

SHERMAN: - they want to hear the red meat, and if he's only giving them vegetables, they're not going to show up to eat. So he needs to keep feeding them that. BALDWIN: You made that exact point as a -

SHERMAN: Yeah.

BALDWIN: - potential drawback to that tone change. To your point -

SHERMAN: Yes.

BALDWIN: - you know, much ado about the shakeups within the Trump campaign. You have these five sources who all told you what?

SHERMAN: Well, really, it happened over the last week. There was tensions between Paul Manafort who'se the new convention manager brought in to run this stage of the campaign, and Cory Lewandowski who is Trump's body man. He ran the campaign prior to this point. And over the weekend Paul Manafort held a meeting where he basically took charge of the campaign. He got Trump's blessing. He got control of the budget. And in campaigns whoever controls the money really runs the shows. So and that's Paul Manafort's new role now.

BALDWIN: He's been around a long time.

SHERMAN: Yeah.

BALDWIN: Veteran.

SHERMAN: Ran Gerald Ford's convention fight in' 76.

BALDWIN: Knows how that goes.

SHERMAN: Old war horse. And it's funny, though, over the last 24 hours there's been talk about Trump sort of bringing in these establishment guys. No one really considers Paul Manafort a member of the establishment. I mean he really - he's been working around the world for different foreign leaders of the ousted president of Ukraine. So he's not a member of the D.C. establishment, yeah.

BALDWIN: Right, right, right. So rumblings of a civil was quoted in your piece -

SHERMAN: And Trump mentioned it last night. He wanted to project unity.

BALDWIN: He called it an evolution within his campaign.

SHERMAN: Yes. But really what I'm hearing and this is where it could get interesting is that Manafort's team is pouring over the budgets as you would expect.

BALDwIN: Pennies, nickles and dollars.

SHERMAN: But if they find things that reflect badly on the way Lewandowski spent Trump's money, there's talk that that he - they could bring it to Trump and say, listen, this guy mismanaged your budget. And the one thing Trump hates more than anything is wasting money. So really that's where this thing could unravel if they could try to build a case against Lewandowski.

BALDWIN: And significant, you mentioned the meeting over the weekend and you point out according to your sources that Donald Trump did pop into -

SHERMAN: Yeah.

BALDWIN: - this meeting for a minute, and you read that as what or they read that as what?

SHERMAN: Well, really everyone read that as him just sort of droppingin to give him blessing. Say this is fine, Paul, you mind the store. You're doing a good job. I trust you. And he sat - Manafort at the head of the table. Lewandowski was off to the side by the door. When Trump went to go upstate to Buffalo to the rally Lewandowski left to joing with him to travel with him while Manafort stayed behind to run the show. So really that's a sign that Lewandowski is moving towards his role as an advance man traveling with the candidate whild Paul Manafort -

BALDWIN: Would you consider that a shrinking role.

SHERMAN: Oh, of course without a question. I mean, but that's really the role he's been playing and that's what he's good at. Everyone - no one doubts his ability to run these rallies, get Trump, make the trains run. But Manafort -

BALDWIN: He told you last night he's still running the show.

SHERMAN: I think that's, you know, no one likes to see their responsibilities diminish. So he's trying to make the case I'm still in charge, but no one in Trump world really believes that.

BALDWIN: Actually, I should say Donald Trump -

SHERMAN: Yes.

BALDWIN: - is running the show.

SHERMAN: Exactly.

BALDWIN: Gabriel Sherman, thank you so much.

SHERMAN: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Next, my exclusive look inside this U.S. Navy missle cruiser. It's a guided-missle cruiser exclusive two-day embed in the Persian Gulf. And this one today, folks, this is near and dear to my heart. This is my dear friend since the 7th grade who is deemployed. A phenomenal look at how these sailors live and what they sacrifice, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Today this story is personal. You've been watching this week my series from the Persian Gulf. I don't think I've had - I've said this before - a more rewarding experience than the one that took me thousands of miles away to the place where the fight against Isis begins. The U.S. Navy invited me to the front lines in the Gulf, and four flights later and an aircraft carrier and a hop on a helicopter, I was able to meet with men and women who sacrificed everything, leaving homes and families behind to serve this country. And it was there that I climbed aboard the guided-missle cruiser, the USS Anzio, and there about 370 plus sailors eat, live, fight. And the XO, the executive officer on the ship, Lieutenant Commander Bobby Rashad Jones, who I want to tell you about today who happens to be one of my nearest and dearest friends.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(Inaudible)

BALDWIN: After thousands of miles, a screeching halt on an aircraft carrier, and a hop by chopper, I landed on the USS Anzio, the U.S. Navy's guided-missle cruiser, lead defender of the USS Harry S. Truman, and home away from home for Lieutenant Commander Bobby Rashad Jones. You've been to my office?

LIEUTENANT BOBBY RASHAD JONES: Yes.

BALDWIN: I have taken four planes and a helicopter to get to your office.

JONES: Which is pretty cool, right.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: After a CNN report recently aired detailing our special friendship -

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: This was the first terrorist attack on the United States from Isis. Now reporting on a world at war and his fighting in un. The U.S. Navy granted me rare and exclusive access to the lives of these young sailors deployed in the Arabian Gulf, and I was honored to climb aboard.

JONES: All right. So this is -

BALDWIN: Is this your room.

JONES: My state room. I live, work, counsel-

BALDWIN: What do you have over there?

JONES: I have pictures of important people.

BALDWIN: Rashad?

JONES: So, yeah, you've there.

BALDWIN: Your stuff's staring at me next to your sweet family?

JONES: It's more like you're staring at me.

(LAUGHTER)

JONES: You just kind of have stuff that you want to keep in - keep you're focused on why you're doing it, so I like all of my team pictures when I played ball at the academy. If me being out here separated from my family ensures the safety and the - of millions back home, then it's worth it.

MALE NAVY SAILOR: To those who (inaudible) -

BALDWIN: The average age on board the USS Anzio is 27, but many of these millennials exude a maturity and a sense of sacrifice far beyond their age. The sailors on this ship are in harm's way every day.

MALE NAVY SAILOR: I have visual of a small boat right there. Right. So there's the name to the left above of it.

BALDWIN: Responding to unknown and potentially nefarious vessels at sea.

MALE NAVY SAILOR: The left (inaudible) is 2,4, 5.

BALDWIN: And weekly testing the ship's weapons systems. If called upon, the USS Anzio has missiles on board capable of hitting targets in Iraq and Syria some 1,000 miles away.

It's nighttime here are the USS Anzio both outside and in. They keep these labyrinth-like hallways dark for a reason. The reason is if in the case of combat and these sailors have to get

up and rush outside at night, it'll be easier for their eyes to adjust.

Along these claustrophobic corridors and dizzying stairwells exists a brotherhood. They rise together and relax together too. I'm Brooke. Nice to meet you guys.

MALE NAVY SAILOR: How was your trip out here?

BALDWIN: Hi, hi, hi. I love a good (inaudible), right.

So what do you have to do in your rare down time?

MALE NAVY SAILOR: This.

BALDWIN: This is it?

MALE NAVY SAILOR: This, video games, exercise.

MALE NAVY SAILOR: Read a lot.

BALDWIN: What do you wish you had that you don't? Keep it clean. MALE NAVY SAILOR: WiFi.

(LAUGHTER)

MALE NAVY SAILOR: WiFi.

BALDWIN: WiFi.

MALE NAVY SAILOR: Yeah, definitely WiFi.

BALDWIN: Are you guys all on Facebook?

MALE NAVY SAILOR: Not right now.

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: And trust me...

MALE NAVY SAILOR: I used a little cayenne, a little red pepper.

BALDWIN: Take a meal with them in the mess desk, and these boys can eat.

MALE NAVY SAILOR: Are those French toast sticks?

BALDWIN: What's your favorite?

MALE NAVY SAILOR: Bacon.

BALDWIN: Bacon.

MALE NAVY SAILOR: I'm from Georgia.

BALDWIN: From Georgia.

MALE NAVY SAILOR: Got to have bacon.

BALDWIN: Got to have your bacon.

MALE NAVY SAILOR: Yes, ma'am.

(LAUGHTER)

MALE NAVY SAILOR: Only way to go.

BALDWIN: Can take the sailor out of the south, but can't take the south out of the man.

MALE NAVY SAILOR: That's right.

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: Aboard the USS Anzio not all the sailors are men. FEMALE NAVY SAILOR: Hi, Brooke.

BALDWIN: You guys have it so much better than the guys. FEMALE NAVY SAILOR: We do. We do.

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: A naval academy grad and one of only two women out of 370 plus men stationed on Anzio, Lieutenant Precious McQuade made a gut- wrenching decision last November, leave her baby girl back home when duty called.

LIEUTENANT PRECIOUS MCQUADE: I mean it's definitely tough, but the example that at least I'm setting for her and breaking some of the gender norms, you know, that women have fallen into and giving the men that I work with the experience of seeing females, you know, doing the same profession and the role models that I can make for both the men and women that I work for and that I've worked with in the past, that's why I'm here.

BALDWIN: Which is incredibly admirable, but I imagine you have days where you shut the door and you weep.

MCQUADE: I think the baby is hard. It's the first separation from her for probably longer than six days.

BALDWIN: Nightime allows a moment to think of loved ones back home and to sneak in some sleep.

This is where you sleep?

MALE NAVY SAILOR: Yes, this is where we sleep.

BALDWIN: You were saying sometimes you get better sleep here?

MALE NAVY SAILOR: Oh yeah.

BALDWIN: In this teeny bed?

MALE NAVY SAILOR: It's a tiny bed, yes.

BALDWIN: Why?

MALE NAVY OFFICER: Well, when the ship rocks, it's kind of like your mother's rocking you to sleep. I don't know. One of those things.

BALDWIN: I mean this is how narrow it is. My forearm.

MALE NAVY SAILOR: Um-hum.

BALDWIN: And you crawl into this?

MALE NAVY SAILOR: Oh yes. Oh yes.

BALDWIN: Every night?

MALE NAVY OFFICER: Every - it's a trick to it. You get used to it after a while.

BALDWIN: Can you please show me?

MALE NAVY SAILOR: Sure.

I have it right here, and I'll close my curtain. Yeah.

BALDWIN: Does that mean don't bother me?

MALE NAVY SAILOR: Right. Close the curtain. But the XO, he has a pretty loud voice. So when he comes down and inspects (inaudible) -

BALDWIN: - you hear him coming.

MAIL NAVY SAILOR: Oh yes.

BALDWIN: Ah, yes, the XO. The ship's executive officer.

JONES: Let's them know that I'm paying attention.

BALDWIN: And the sailor's disciplinarian/dad.

JONES: As someone whose responsibility is the daily routine of the ship, the discipline of the ship, the safety of the ship, it keeps you up at night. Um, and that's just for the stuff you do know. The stuff that you don't know is just as scarey sometimes.

BALDWIN: What is the biggest fear? What is the one thing that truly keeps you up at night?

JONES: Two things, really. Not completing the mission and losing a sailor. But the goal is to accomplish the mission and then to bring everybody back.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The relationship that you have with the XO over there on Anzio I think is awesome and that's a great American story, and I think your recognition of him and the influence that he had on your life by what he stands for and I think the more people that know about it, the better it is for our nation.

BALDWIN: When you finally get to go home, what's the first thing you're going to do?

JONES: Going to hug my wife and my kids and tell them that daddy's home. It makes you realize what you're fighting for.

BALDWIN: What these men and women are fighting for is nothing short of exceptional.

As for my friend since the 7th grade -

JONES: So you have a safe trip pack, okay? Thank you for coming out. Thanks for all the sailors that got to see

you and meet you. Tell everybody how we're doing back home and we'll be home soon, okay?

BALDWIN: Thank you.

JONES: No problem. No problem. Okay.

BALDWIN: Saying goodbye wasn't easy. But now, more than ever I understand why he does what he says he needs to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Give me a minute. I am so grateful. I'm changed from being there and I just want to thank the Navy and I want to thank my friend who is watching from the Persian Gulf with all the sailors. Thank you.

And before I let you go, I ask them if they have messages for their families and here they are.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE SAILOR: To my wife, Erica(ph), I love you. My dog Asher, I love him, too. And Chicago and Jersey, you guys are the best people ever. I love you guys.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE SAILOR: To my wife Darcy(ph) and my son Charlie, love you guys and miss you. Um, to mom and dad, brother and sisters, I love you guys. Can't wait to get home to see you guys.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE SAILOR: To everybody back home in Oswego, New York, I love you. I miss you. I will be back and I can't wait to see you guys.

MCQUADE: To my husband Keith and my daughter (inaudible), I love you guys. I miss you so much. And to my parents and the rest of my family out there, we're well over half way done, ready to get back. Thanks for holding everything down back there. Love you guys.

BALDWIN: I'm sure your friends and family miss you very much. They have been on deployment for now five months. They're supposed to be home in June. And Rashad, you want to go to the Braves-Mets game here in New York. I'm going to work on making that happen for you. I can make you that promise.

Thank you so much to the US Navy and to the men and women in uniform, I appreciate it.

I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thank you so much for being with me here today. Let's go to Washington. The Lead with Jake Tapper starts right now.

Thanks, Brooke. Harriet Tubman will replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill. Old Hickory smoked.