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GOP Disunity Behind Donald Trump; "Parts Unknown" to Visit Montana; Transgender Student on White House Directive to Schools; Community Policing in Camden; Two Officers Rescued Man from Burning Car. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired May 13, 2016 - 15:30   ET

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


[15:30:00] JAMIE WEINSTEIN, SENIOR EDITOR, "DAILY CALLER": Let me finish my point here

BORIS EPSHTEYN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST AND TRUMP SUPPORTER: OK.

WEINSTEIN: When he was first asked, he said it would apply to even American citizens. Then he backed away from that. Then they asked him how would you actually implement this? He says, oh, when they get to the border, we're going to ask if you're a Muslim or not. Well, that's a genius strategy. No one could get around the asking question model.

So this is totally incoherent. He didn't ask any policy advisers about the practicability of putting something like this in place. He just --

EPSHTEYN: Do you know that for a fact, Jamie, that he didn't ask any advisers?

(CROSSTALK)

WEINSTEIN: -- for Donald Trump.

EPSHTEYN: Jamie, didn't answer who he's

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Boris?

EPSHTEYN: Jamie didn't answer who he's supporting.

Now, as far as the pause on Muslims entering the United States goes, Donald Trump's been very clear, for months now, that he's proposing a pause and a reassessment of how to deal with immigration. I don't think anybody out there would not say that we have a porous border. And that border allows for issues like San Bernardino, the terrible attacks in San Bernardino, to occur. And to say that this is useless discussion is very short-minded and does not have a view on the national security of our country.

Again, I don't know who Jamie's supporting for president, but Hillary Clinton has been an absolute failure on national security. Her term as Secretary of State has been a disaster. China, Russia, the Middle East have all gotten worse for us since she's been involved in government. And as far as Leon Panetta goes, again, since he was Secretary of Defense, head of CIA, this country's worse off than it was before he joined. And as far as, you know, any sort of (INAUDIBLE) national security or foreign policy goes --

WEINSTEIN: Let me agree with you, Boris.

EPSHTEYN: Jamie, now let me finish. Leon Panetta was secretary of staff to Bill Clinton, and Bill Clinton had zero foreign policy or national security experience before he became president. So Leon Panetta there --

WEINSTEIN: But Boris --

EPSHTEYN: -- is being, mm, is being quite a bit short-minded on how he's approaching his own comments.

BROWN: Jamie?

WEINSTEN: Boris, let me agree. I totally agree with you on Hillary Clinton. She was total a disaster as Secretary of State. She's one of the leading people pushing us to go into Libya, which is now a terrorist safe haven. Belive me, I don't have anything nice to say about Secretary Clinton's time as Secretary of State.

The problem is the Republicans nominated someone who's even more out there, who wants to dismantle our national security (INAUDIBLE) --

EPSHTEYN: But, Jamie, I don't know where you stand.

WEINSTEIN: -- World War II. This is -- this is a totally insane (INAUDIBLE) --

EPSHTEYN: Jamie, you write for "The Daily Caller", I assume you're a Republican. Who -- Jamie, I assume you write for "The Daily Caller", which is a great organization run by Tucker Carlson is a friend. I assume you're going to be supporting somebody who's a Republican. And if it's not Donald Trump, who would it be?

BROWN: Quickly, Jamie. I need to wrap it up.

WEINSTEIN: I don't support people just based on parties. My problem with Donald Trump is he's proposed things that are even more outlandish, of tariffs on China --

EPSHTEYN: Jamie, we have two choices now, Trump or Hillary.

WEINSTEIN: And (INAUDIBLE), which --

EPSHTEYN: You've got to choose one.

WEINSTEIN: -- would be much more threatening to the United States.

BROWN: All right. We've got to leave it here.

EPSHTEYN: Jamie's on the sidelines throwing bombs at the Republican candidate. It's not useful. BROWN: We have to leave it here. But interesting discussion

nonetheless. Boris Epshteyn, Jamie Weinstein, thank you.

EPSHTEYN: Thanks so much, Pam.

BROWN: And up next on this Friday, the personal side of the controversy over transgendered bathrooms. I'll be joined live by a Michigan mom and her 14-year-old transgender student. Hear how they dealt with the issue in their own lives.

But first, a preview of this week's all-new episode of "PARTS UNKOWN". This Sunday night, Anthony Bourdain takes us to the wilds of Montana.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY BOURDAIN, CNN HOST, "PARTS UNKNOWN" (voice-over): Montana. Many have come to claim their piece over the years. But before the prospectors and explorers, there were the Plains Indians. The epsadeca (ph) have been master horsemen since they adopted Spanish- introduced mustangs in the 18th Century.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: General Blackjack Persian, he called the Native Americans the centaurs of the plains.

BOURDAIN: Better known as the Crow, they were once part of the larger Hadassah tribe. Centuries ago they split off on their own and wandered, or were pushed by conflict with the Black Feet, Cheyenne and Dakota, until settling here in the Yellowstone River Valley.

KENNARD REAL BIRD: The horse became everything to our people.

BOURDAIN: Kennard Real Bird grew up ranching and raising horses here at Medicine Tail Coulee, which happens to be the exact spot where General George Custer had the worst day of his life. Kennard raises horses for rodeo, for riding, and for this -- Indian relay racing.

REAL BIRD: The athletic ability of them kids are just amazing. The competition is intense.

BOURDAIN: They travel all over to compete at this collarbone- smashing, skull-cracking, bone-snappingly dangerous sport. Former allies and former blood enemies alike

REAL BIRD: Requires a lot of courage.

BOURDAIN: I'll bet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:34:28]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Critics say that just released federal guidelines on transgender students are government overreach, but my next guest says they are way overdue. The directives say public schools should let transgender kids use the bathroom of the gender they identify with. And if districts don't, they risk losing federal funding.

Well, today Texas's lieutenant governor spoke against the new guidelines.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. GOV. DAN PATRICK (R), TEXAS: Well, I'm telling all the superintendents in Texas right now you have about three weeks left of the school year. Do not enact this policy. 70 percent to 80 percent of the people in your school district don't want it. Don't be blackmailed by the federal government. We will work through this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: So take a look. This is a photo of a transgender student named Corey Mason and she gained a lot of attention when a photographer speaking out against the controversial North Carolina law posted it, pointing out that because she was born a boy, Corey would have to use a men's bathroom in that state.

Well, Corey Mason and her mother, Erica, now join me to discuss all of this.

Corey, I just want to go to you first, to this picture. Why do you want people to see it? Why is that so important to you, Corey?

COREY MASON, TRANSGENDER STUDENT: I think it's really important so that there's other people that do see it and there's other people that can get inspired by it.

BROWN: And what do you think, Erica? Because this picture and the point that it's making has not come without controversy and some mean comments directed at your daughter.

[15:40:10] What is your reaction to it? Why do you think it's so important to be out there?

ERICA MASON, MOM OF TRANSGENDER STUDENT: I think it's important to be out there because it shows people the face of a transgender child and a transgender person and it shows them that they're just like any other person. They're no different. She looks like a -- she looks like a little girl and people can see that and have a face to put with it and maybeunderstand maybe a little bit better the children that are being harmed by these bills and these laws that are proposed, these bathroom bills.

BROWN: And on that note, the Obama administration came out with this directive today to schools saying that they should allow students use the bathroom of the gender that they believe that they are. This is something you've been fighting for, for a long time, and you say it's way overdue.

E. MASON: It is. I believe it's way overdue. And I am just so grateful that the Obama administration is not allowing discrimination of transgender children in schools, because at the end of the day they're just children that have to use the bathroom. They're not there to hurt anyone.

BROWN: And on that note, I want to go to some sound we have. You may remember when Ted Cruz spoke out. He was running against Donald Trump at the time, and spoke out about this issue, saying that the law, you know, basically puts people in harm's way. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald on television this morning said, gosh, he thought that men should be able to go in to the girls' bathroom if they want to. Now, let me ask you -- have we gone stark raving nuts? I'm the father of two little girls. Here is basic common sense. Grown adult men, strangers, should not be alone in a bathroom with little girls.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Erica -- before I get to you, Corey -- Erica, when you hear that, what's your reaction?

E. MASON: It infuriates me. It's so ridiculous. If there's a predator that wants to go into a bathroom, it's not going to matter what the sign says.

BROWN: And, I want to talk to you, Corey, about your personal experiences. How is your school handled these issues so far? Have you had to deal with any bullying?

C. MASON: Yes, actually. But the school's actually letting me use the female bathrooms.

BROWN: And how has that made a difference for you?

C. MASON: It makes a difference because it makes me feel more safe. It makes me more -- I don't know how to say it. It makes me more safe and less scared to just be able to use the bathroom that I want to use.

BROWN: All right. I think that sums it up.

Corey and Erica, thanks so much for coming on. We really, really appreciate it.

E. MASON: Thank you.

BROWN: And up next on this Friday, George Zimmerman tries to auction the gun that killed Trayvon Martin. But not without major backlash.

I want to get some reaction to this story from "UNITED SHADES OF AMERICA" host W. Kamau Bell.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:47:42] BROWN: Well, have you heard about this? George Zimmerman right now is auctioning off the gun he used to kill 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman of course is the former neighborhood watchman; he was acquitted in the teen's 2012 death.

Well, his attempt to profit off the weapon has ignited major backlash, as you can imagine. Zimmerman's first attempt to auction the weapon online was shut down, and then today a second website expressed condolences to Martin's family but appeared to support the continuation of the auction.

CNN "UNITED SHADES OF AMERICA" host, comedian W. Kamau Bell, joins me now. So Kamu, you know, Zimmerman described the gun as a piece of American history. What was your first reaction when you learned about this auction?

W. KAMAU BELL, CNN HOST, "UNITED SHADES OF AMERICA": Well, I mean, the first thing I would -- that's the one time I'm going to agree with George Zimmerman. It is a piece of American history. But how define that history is different.

I think that it's a pretty horrible thing to do. Whether or not you think you're right in the murder of Trayvon Martin, which obviously I don't think he was right, to auction off the gun as a way to make money for yourself is a pretty distasteful thing to do. And I'd like to thank the people who flooded those websites, who put up fake auction bids, specifically Racist McShootface, who sort of ruined the idea and turned it into a spectacle, which I think it is a spectacle.

BROWN: All right. Let's turn to this Sunday where you have a new episode airing, and it's all about community policing. I want to take a look at what you found in Camden, New Jersey.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BELL: So this is the shooting range?

UNIDENTIFEID MALE: Yes, sir.

BELL: And this is where you guys come down here and practice and keep your skills tight and all that kind of stuff?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pretty much.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The threat is officially stopped.

BELL: Wow. Now, in the news a lot of times people ask why didn't the cops shoot him in the leg and wound him and then so the person could be still alive. So tell me why it's center mass and not the lower legs?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Should I give it to you in one word and I'll explain it? Hollywood. Unfortunately, we're not all Bruce Willis and Denzel Washington in real life. If we go to shoot for the arm or for the leg, if he moves, it might go in the back and shoot Baby Suzie. And we don't want that.

BELL: You're police officers, but you're also black dudes. And, you know, and I'm a black dude. So that means I'm declaring a black guy meeting right now. (LAUGHTER)

BELL: So talk about the relationship between the black community and the police department, because right now, nationally, that relationship seems like it's in a crisis.

[15:50:08] There's a perception that black people have something extra to worry about when we're being policed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To me, it's the way it's promoted. A lot of incidents don't have to happen based on what I know, what I see, and what I hear. A lot of these incidents don't have to occur if you do exactly what you're told to do. If you're told to take your hands out of your pockets, take your hands out of pockets. It's a safety issue. Safety of the officer, safety of the individual. Just follow the directions. Even if you don't agree with it, follow it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Camden is considered one of the most dangerous cities in the U.S. What did you discover while walking the beat with the local police department?

BELL: I mean, they are trying to do this thing, they're to try to reinstitute community policing where the police actually walk the beat and actually get to know people. But the thing I could tell when we were there, and it was a year ago, so maybe it's changed, is that they're still getting to know people. And right now people are not sure they want to get to know the police. You know, with the national crisis, especially in Camden, people aren't used to cops asking them how their day is going unless it's inroads into arresting them.

BROWN: Let me ask you this quickly. I was at a roundtable briefing with Director Comey of the FBI a few days ago, and he made the case that these viral videos of police-involved shootings are causing some police officers to marginally pull back in doing their job, like going to check out a situation at 2:00 in the morning. And he also said the perception is some of the community members aren't coming forward to give police tips. Did they talk about that at all?

BELL: I mean, yes. We definitely talked about the viral videos. But I don't really -- you know, I hate to disagree with somebody from the FBI because it's probably going to put me on a list, but I think the -- all those videos have done is given us more information in the black community about what's happening. We've always known that there's been a problem with police and the black community. The videos give us more information. And the people who they think aren't giving them tips weren't giving them tips already, because we, a lot of people in the black community, don't trust the police in general.

So I'd say if the cops are pulling back, then maybe we have the wrong cops?

BROWN: And to be clear, he did say the scrutiny of the police was good, but that, you know, he just in talking to people got the sense that some of them were pulling back in the wake of everything that's been going on this past year.

Kamau Bell, really looking forward to seeing this episode Sunday night. You won't want to miss it. "UNITED SHADES OF AMERICA" 10:00 Eastern and Pacific only on CNN Sunday.

And up next, incredible dashcam video as two police officers run towards a burning car. You'll see them reunited with the man they pulled out alive.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:56:54] BROWN: Well, San Diego is one of the wealthiest cities in the United States, but less than an hour away in the outskirts of Tijuana, Mexico, many families are living in poverty -- no running water, no electricity, no proper shelter. And that's where this week's CNN hero steps in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's important to remember that these families that we're helping in Mexico are our neighbors. They are just right across the border. It's night and day, the difference. We are helping the communities come together and we are teaching them that there is love in the world, that other people do care about them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: And to see how Paula can change an entire family's life in just one day, just go to CNNheroes.com where you can also nominate your own CNN Hero.

And speaking of heroes, two police officers say they were just doing their jobs when they raced toward a burning car. Their quick thinking saved a man's life. CNN's Brynn Gingras with this week's "Beyond the Call of Duty".

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OFFICER CODY FIELDS, MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MARYLAND POLICE: I'm on the scene and the entire car is on fire.

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): That's Cody Fields, the Montgomery County, Maryland, police officer who had been dispatched to car crashes many times before. But this was a first.

(on camera): What did you say in your head or out loud when you pulled up?

FIELDS: I hope there's not somebody inside.

GINGRAS (voice-over): But there was, a 34-year-old man who had fallen asleep and crashed along the concrete barrier of busy Interstate 495.

FIELDS: He's not conscious right now or alert.

GINGRAS (on camera): Your heart must have been pounding. FIELDS: Yes. Absolutely, when I saw there wasn't any access other

than to go through the fire in order to get the guy out of the car.

GINGRAS (voice-over): Officer Fields would soon get some help from a veteran officer Brian Nesbitt.

OFFICER BRIAN NESBITT, MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MARYLAND POLICE: At one point the fire was coming up from underneath and hitting Officer Field's legs and that's when I said to him we've got to go now or we're going to be in trouble. We never took his seatbelt off. We just --

FIELDS: We didn't cut it.

NESBITT: We didn't cut it, we didn't anything, just ended up pulling him out of it somehow.

GINGRAS (on camera): Did you know that he was going to live?

FIELDS: I had no idea. But he was barely breathing when Officer Nesbitt and I pulled him out.

GINGRAS (voice-over): Miraculously, neither officer was burned. Soon after wiping the soot from their faces, they realized the dashcam recorded the harrowing rescue.

(on camera): When you saw that video, what were you thinking?

FIELDS: Wow, is that us? It was almost unbelievable. We actually did that.

GINGRAS: They never shared this video with their superiors. It was a colleague who later put in a request that they be honored for their heroism, and they were at a ceremony in March. They shook the hand of Rashad Israel for the first time, the man they saved.

GINGRAS (on camera): When you first met the officers, what did you say to them?

RASHAD ISRAEL, RESCUED FROM CRASH: I said to them thank you. But they made it seem like it was no big deal to them.

GINGRAS: They were doing their job?

ISRAEL: Yes. They were doing their job, but their job meant the world to me.

GINGRAS: You get that call again in the future, a car burning, possibly somebody inside, what's the thought that goes through your head?

[16:00:00] FIELDS: Hey, I hope I have Officer Nesbitt with me.

(LAUGHTER)

GINGRAS (voice-over): Brynn Gingras, CNN, Gaithersburg, Maryland. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts now.