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TSA Grappling With Long Airport Lines; Clinton Slams Trump Over Taxes In New Ad; Trump Denies Posing As His Own Publicist; Trump's Ex- Butler Calls For Obama To Be Killed; GOP Thaws On Trump As He Faces New Dilemmas; Young People Talk About New Transgender Bathroom Rights; Trump Sparks Voting "Urgency" Among Latinos; Growing Number Of Latino Voters Could Swing Election; Project Mercy Builds 1,250 Homes For Those In Need. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired May 14, 2016 - 10:00   ET

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


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[10:00:07] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's your name again?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: John Miller.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you work with Donald Trump?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, that's correct.

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No, I don't know anything about it. You're telling me about it for the first time and it doesn't sound like my voice at all.

JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We can't discriminate against people be of their gender identity.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We will not yield to blackmail from president of the United States.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This country was made with immigrants. We all bring something to the country. So that little something from everyone is what makes the country so great.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: It's Saturday morning. We hope you've been kicking back and put your feet up, and we are here to do our job, get you informed for the day. I'm Christi Paul.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Victor Blackwell. CNN Newsroom begins right now.

PAUL: Also ahead this hour to give you a heads up, If you are getting to the airport today, you might want to add some extra time to get through security.

BLACKWELL: Rachel Crane is at LaGuardia with more on what to expect. Hey, Rachel.

RACHEL CRANE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are here live at LaGuardia Airport, just one of many airports across the country experiencing crazy lines, hour-long delays for passengers to get through these security lines. The #ihatethewait trending for a week now, planes even being held so those late passengers can hopefully get on board. More on that coming up next.

PAUL: Rachel, thank you so much.

Listen, we need to start with Hillary Clinton and this ad that she released just a short time ago that mocks Donald Trump for not releasing his taxes. It doesn't look as though he's going to do that either. But what's interesting about this ad is you do not see her face, you do not hear her voice. She is nowhere to be seen in this Hillary Clinton ad.

BLACKWELL: And this comes after, let's say, a mixed week for Donald Trump, the release of some bizarre recordings from the 90s and what many say was a positive step toward unification, this visit to Washington to rally support from Republican leader. Watch this.

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BLACKWELL: Donald Trump taking a hit from Hillary Clinton in a new video that asks, why won't he release his taxes?

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TRUMP: It's none of your business.

BLACKWELL: But the billionaire, he's not budging.

TRUMP: When the audit ends, I'm going to present them. That should be before the election. I hope it's before the election.

BLACKWELL: Sounding downright defiant.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is your tax rate?

TRUMP: It's none of your business. You'll see it when I release. But I fight very hard to pay as little tax as possible.

BLACKWELL: He's not required to release his taxes, but --

SEAN SPICER, RNC CHIEF STRATEGIST, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: I think Mr. Trump's got to make a decision sooner rather than later about whether or not to release his tax returns.

BLACKWELL: Then there's this voice from the past.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's your name again?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: John Miller.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you work with Donald Trump? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, that's correct.

BLACKWELL: That sounds a lot like a voice from the present.

TRUMP: And we're going to start winning, winning, winning.

BLACKWELL: What do you hear? Trump dogged by questions about whether he posed as imagery staffers to deal with reporters' questions about his love life and personal drama. Listen to this "People" magazine interview uncovered by the "Washington Post" about his breakup with Marla Maples.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What kind of comment is coming from your agency?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it's just that he really decided that he wasn't, you know, he didn't want to make a commitment. He really thought it was too soon. He's coming out of a, you know, a marriage that -- and he's starting to do tremendously well financially.

BLACKWELL: Trump has admitted to using a pseudonym in the past but he says the voice on that call was not his.

TRUMP: I don't think -- I don't know anything about it. You're telling me about it for the first time, and it doesn't sound like my voice at all. I have many, many people that are trying to imitate my voice. You can imagine that. And this sounds like one of the many scams, one of the many scams. It doesn't sound like me.

BLACKWELL: But there some evidence that the presumptive nominee is settling in as a party leader. When his former longtime butler argued on Facebook that President Obama, quote, "should have been taken out by our military and shot as an enemy agent," team Trump acted fast to say we totally and completely disavow the horrible statements made by him regarding the president.

MARK DAGOSTINO, AUTHOR: I think Donald Trump did the right thing by disavowing that statement and distancing himself from it.

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BLACKWELL: All right, let's bring in now Eric Beach, co-chair of pro Trump Great America PAC, and Fred Malek. He was part of John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign Good to have both of you this morning.

ERIC BEACH, CO-CHAIR, GREAT AMERICA PAC: Thank you, Victor.

FRED MALEK, FORMER CAMPAIGN MANAGER, PRESIDENT GEORGE H.W. BUSH: Thanks for having us.

BLACKWELL: All right, so let's play some of the sound from an interview that just aired on CNN with Sue Carswell. She was once a "People" magazine correspondent and she spoke to John Miller, whoever that person is on that callback in the 90s. She says that Donald Trump has released this tape now, that's her accusation, to deflect attention from the other news relating to his campaign. Watch a portion of the interview. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[10:05:07] SUE CARSWELL, REPORTER-RESEARCHER, "VANITY FAIR": Look what's going on this week -- taxes, Paul Ryan, the butler, the butler did it. And now Trump seems to like to pull "People" magazine type stories into the fray.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In other words, a continuation -- here's your thought, it's a continuation of what John Miller told you back in 1991, that there's no such thing as bad publicity.

CARSWELL: I got a call back from a spokesperson who claimed he was John Miller. And I said you sound just like Trump. It's remarkable that he was able to, you know, hire a publicist that sounded just like him. And he said, well, you know, I just come from places. He wasn't very specific.

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BLACKWELL: All right, so we invited the two of you here to talk about Trump's ability to raise the money to put up a strong fight in the general election. And Fred, I want to start with you. What role do you think these types of landmines or hiccups play in what you believe will be the big donors' hesitancy to back Trump?

MALEK: I got to admit, it's a fun story. I saw the segment myself this morning, and it's something you want to watch. But it's tabloid stuff. It doesn't matter. It's 20 years in the past. I don't think anybody really cares.

I think the big story of today, which will play into the fundraising, is the fact that Trump has been able to bring the party together. I think Paul Ryan is on his way to be supportive. You heard leaders in the Senate and House and elsewhere come out and support him. And I think he's well on his way to having a unified party, and the unified party is the first critical step toward raising the funds he needs.

BLACKWELL: I have to push back on that. You say that was 20 years ago. That's what Donald Trump said on this interview on the "Today" show. But Trump continuously brings up the impeachment process of the 90s from the Clinton administration. That was 20 years ago. If one's relevant, then so is the other, no?

MALEK: Victor, you're certainly aren't going to compare the impeachment process of a sitting president to some tabloid story --

BLACKWELL: If you basing it on when it happens, I certainly am, because they happened in the same decade. If the defense is that's 20 years ago, well, the impeachment process was 20 years ago.

MALEK: Let's equate it on the substance. I really don't think there's any comparison here. I don't think either one of them really are pertinent to the issues of today. The issues of today are so critical. But I think focusing on this kind of thing really distracts. The real story is we are getting towards unification. We are starting

to build a fundraising organization. Your other guest I believe is heading a super PAC. He's going to have a very, very mammoth task ahead of him to build a nationwide organization to get the hard dollars into the campaign that he's going to need to be competitive. I think those are important stories.

BLACKWELL: Eric, let me come to you. You are co-chair of this Great America PAC, and we read this weekend that Sheldon Adelson, who has donated tens of millions over the years, will be backing Donald Trump. The "New York Times" reporting is that he could donate up to or more than $100 million. You've said that you've got a list of names who will be funding the PAC. Is Sheldon Adelson one of them?

BEACH: Well, we hope to have his support. We hope to have all the support of the various donors and grassroots that are part of the Republican Party. So go back to your earlier question, sounds like Donald Trump's the nominee for the Republican Party, and this is really just the playbook of Hillary Clinton, and this is why Great America PAC exists. We have to provide the necessary resources to push back on these types of sensationalized stories, to push back on Hillary Clinton's war chest from the special interests and unions. So we hope to have Mr. Adelson's support. We're grateful for the support of Stanley Hubbard who has been in this game for a little bit as well. And we look forward to rolling out a great and robust operation that will consist of --

BLACKWELL: Eric, you say you need the support, you need to fund this super PAC, however, Donald Trump himself disavowed your super PAC and all other super PACs. Guys, let's put up the statement from October in which he said on his website "I'm self-funding my campaign, therefore I will not be controlled by the donors, special interests, and lobbyists who have corrupted our politics and politicians for far too long. I've disavowed all super PACs, requested the return of all donations made to said PACs, and I'm calling on all presidential candidates to do the same." "The New York times" reporting from Jonathan Martin is in a personal conversation between Sheldon Adelson and Donald there was this commitment of what could be of more than $100 million. So is this not a conflict of what Donald Trump said just a couple of months ago?

BEACH: Donald Trump has never run for public office. He's witnessing what we all know. That's why we hired Ed Rollins, who has been part of nine presidential elections.

[10:10:00] We know what happens when you become the Republican nominee. You get attacked. You get attacked by a big war chest. And we're going to have the necessary resources to help him beat Hillary Clinton and also help with some of the down ticket races and the Senate races. This is a movement campaign that Donald Trump represents. The movement is with us. The excitement and energy is on the Republican side.

BLACKWELL: Let me ask you, Donald Trump back in October also tweeted specifically about Sheldon Adelson. He tweeted "Sheldon Adelson is looking to give big dollars to Rubio because he feels he can mold him into his perfect little puppet. I agree." With $100 million on the line from Adelson now, does Trump's logic apply to Adelson's decision now to give money to Trump, to give Trump now the big dollars that Trump now can be the little puppet?

BEACH: I don't think so.

BLACKWELL: Why not?

BEACH: Because his point is we're not going to have a bunch of big donors trying to shape policy. And that's not what it's all about. He's already earned the nomination. We have grassroots support. We have over 2 million supporters on small dollar donation, $25,000, small dollar contributors. This is a movement campaign, so the folks that are going to join our campaign, they're going to help fund and energize and mobilize the support that already exists, the unique support that already exists for Donald Trump. The movement is on his side and he'll win in November.

BLACKWELL: Eric Beach, Fred Malek, thank you so much for being with us this morning.

BEACH: Thank you, Victor. Thanks for having us.

BLACKWELL: Christi?

PAUL: New this morning, could ISIS be in a state of emergency? The Pentagon says they've seen new evidence that the terror group is scrambling fighters inside its self-declared capital of Raqqa, Syria, possibly preparing for a siege. This comes as U.S.-backed forces have started to surround the ISIS stronghold, hoping to cut off supply lines.

Also an open water search in the Gulf of Mexico for a missing cruise ship passenger. The 33 year old woman is believed to have fallen overboard about 200 miles south of Galveston, Texas. The Carnival Cruise ship left Galveston Thursday for a four-day trip to Mexico.

And New York City police are asking if anyone has seen this Columbia University student who has been missing since last Thursday. Whatever you're doing, please take a moment and look at your screen here. This is 19-year-old Nayla Kidd. She was last seen on campus just before finals started. Friends and family haven't seen or heard from him since. Anyone with information, please call the NYPD.

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PAUL: As the world mourns the death of musical icon Prince, his family is planning a tribute to him this summer. His sister announced on Facebook a plan for a public memorial and a tribute. That would happen in August. The news comes as his church is preparing a memorial for him tomorrow. The singer was found dead, remember, in an elevator at his Paisley Park estate last month. He was just 57 years old.

BLACKWELL: Latinos applying for U.S. citizenship are doing so in increasing numbers ahead of the pace of the previous years. How some are trying to increase, rush nationalization and registration, to keep Donald Trump out of the White House.

PAUL: Speaking of the White House, President Obama's new law on transgender bathrooms in schools is spurning some outrage among conservative while LGBT groups call the announcement a validation of their civil rights.

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LT. GOV. DAN PATRICK, (R) TEXAS: This is not a Republican or a Democrat issue. This is a family issue. The state of Texas and other states if he'll withhold money, we're not going to be blackmailed by his 30 pieces of silver. He's not going to own our children.

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[10:16:58] BLACKWELL: The White House is raising the stakes in the battle over public restrooms. The administration is now telling school districts they have a choice -- allow transgender students to choose which restroom they want to use or face consequences. In a joint letter the Departments of Education and Justice issued guidelines to all public schools. The message is clear, -- fall in line or potentially lose federal funding. But some states are putting up a fight. Nick Valencia has the story.

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UNID PATRICK: We will not yield to blackmail from the president of the United States.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The federal government calls them guidelines, but several states, including Texas, see them more as a threat.

PATRICK: This goes against the values of so many people. It has nothing to do with anyone being against a transgender child.

VALENCIA: At a Friday morning press conference, Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick says a line has been crossed by the federal government after the Department of Justice sent a letter on transgender bathroom use in public schools across the United States.

PATRICK: I'm telling all the superintendents in Texas right now you have about three weeks left to the school year. Do not enact this policy.

VALENCIA: In the letter Attorney General Loretta Lynch writes "There is no room in our schools for discrimination of any kind, including discrimination against transgender students on the basis of their sex." Under the guidelines, public schools that receive federal money are

obligated to treat students consistent with their gender identity even if their records indicate a different sex, access sex segregated facilities consistent with the students gender identity, and protect a student's privacy related to their transgender caucuses."

The action sets the stage for a legal battle that's been in the making since March. House Bill 2 in North Carolina began the recent controversy. The law requires trans-people to use the public restroom related to the gender on their birth certificate, not how they identify. Candice Cox has been one of the most outspoken against the law. She's a transgender woman and has met with the North Carolina governor.

CANDIS COX, TRANSGENDER ACTIVIST: The fact that we are not talking about transgender people and who they are, but rather we don't want someone who looks like a man or looks like a woman that identifies as the opposite gender, it lets me know that we're still discriminating on aesthetics.

VALENCIA: North Carolina and the feds have traded accusations and lawsuits. Some states, including Arkansas and Texas, insist there's been government overreach. The feds say civil rights have been violated.

GOV. PAT MCCRORY, (R) NORTH CAROLINA: This is not just a North Carolina issue. This is now a national issue.

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VALENCIA: Late Friday we heard more from Governor Pat McCrory. He released a statement which read in part, "Most Americans including this governor believe that government is searching for a solution to a problem that is yet to be defined. Now both the federal courts and the U.S. Congress must intercede to stop this massive executive branch overreach which clearly oversteps constitutional authority."

[10:00:04] You saw in that piece there, guys, there's already governors telling their school districts don't follow these rules. If they don't, they risk losing federal money.

BLACKWELL: More to come. Nick Valencia, thank you.

PAUL: So a lot of controversy centers around the idea that women and girls need to be safe from men in public restrooms, but a lot of people are concerned that the transgender people are also not safe in either of their restrooms. I spoke just a short while ago with two transgender young people, Ryan Quesada, a transgender man who came out publicly on CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE," and Capri Culpepper. She is a transgender girl, a high school student, a senior from South Carolina. And they wanted to talk about what they feel like and why they want to feel safe.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: First of all, I'd like to say that I'm very incredibly proud as a young trans-woman seeing that the Obama administration has issued this directive. I think that it's incredibly positive for the trans community. It's giving awareness that that trans people are simply trying to use the restroom and trying to live our lives authentically. That's why it so important for us to be able to have access to restrooms and locker rooms that comply with our gender identity. I think the new directive is really a positive thing for our community, and also our community -- our greater community as well.

PAUL: Have you ever felt unsafe going into a bathroom or locker room?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If I was forced to have to use a men's restroom or locker room, that would make me feel incredibly unsafe because that does not comply with my gender identity. That's not how I present. I do present a female fully 100 percent of the time. That's who I am. So it's just as simple as if someone asked you as a woman to use a restroom that doesn't comply with that.

PAUL: Ryan, you're biologically a woman who now identifies as a man, and under North Carolina law you'd have to go to the woman's restroom. I know that you wrote a piece in "The New York times," an op-ed, and in it you wrote "When I came out as transgender seven years ago, I was afraid to use the boys bathroom in my high school. I was letting fear direct my life." Is that still happening to you today?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. I'm still extremely afraid to use the men's restroom. I think part of that is because I don't pass 100 percent as male. So it is very dangerous for me to the men's bathroom.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think that other people's fear really justifies, you know, segregating transgender people into places they don't feel comfortable. There's many different gender identities on the spectrum and for me personally, I identify as a woman, first and foremost, so I feel most comfortable in a women's gendered facility. And partly because I have medically transitioned somewhat so I think that for me it makes more sense to have access to women's restrooms and public facilities.

PAUL: So, Ryan, real quickly before we go here, what would you like say to some of the legislators who are making these decisions?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want them to know that all transgender people are different, but we are -- we're not different from the rest of society. And all we are trying to do is use the bathroom in peace. We're not trying to do anything else in there. And there's no known reported cases of a man posing as a transgender woman to go into the bathroom to start a crime. There's no known cases of that. And that's not what transgender people are at all.

PAUL: Ryan Quesada and Capri Culpepper, we appreciate you and your voice in this conversation. Thank you for making time for us this morning.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you so much.

PAUL: The best to both of you. Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Latinos rushing to increase U.S. citizenship. The goal here is to boost voting power to block Donald Trump from getting into the White House. Will they succeed?

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TRUMP: When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're not sending you. They're not sending you. They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime, they're rapists, and some, I assume, are good people.

I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will have Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: That was Donald Trump the day he announced his candidacy for president, making his case for building a wall on the border with Mexico. It is perhaps the staple of Trump's immigration and security agenda, and it's perhaps also why there's been a recent jump in Latinos registering to vote this fall. One national bipartisan Latino group estimates more than 13 million Latinos will cast votes this year, a 17 percent increase from 2012. In swing states such as Nevada and Colorado, Latino turnout could see a double-digit increase from the election four years ago. Is this really all because of Donald Trump, though? Let's talk to Maria Santana, correspondent for CNN Espanol. Maria, it's so good to see you. What are you hearing about voters about this?

MARIA SANTANA, CNN ESPANOL: Hi, good morning, Christi. Just to get back to your question, is this all because of Donald Trump? I would say not necessarily. For years Latinos have been asking for comprehensive immigration reform. In 2008 President Obama promised to get it down in his first term, and he won a record level of Latino support. It didn't happen. Again in 2012, same thing.

[10:30:00] And here we are in 2016 and still no legislation. And most Latinos have admitted they feel very disappointed in what they call Obama's broken promise.

But what we are also hearing is that what the Trump candidacy has done is made this a critical time for Latinos to get involved in the process because now you have someone with a very real shot becoming the next president who is not only saying I'm not going to give you immigration reform but I'm also going to kick all of you out of the country. So the question here becomes will it make a different at the polls, especially in this the key swing states. We recently visited North Carolina, a state that has one of the fastest growing Latino population. And what we learned that even before a single vote is cast in the 2016 presidential election, many of them are already feeling the effects of a potential Trump presidency. Take a look.

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SANTANA: In Spanish, it means "in the struggle," and this businessman knows what it is to struggle.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you come from another country that a lot of things are missing. When you come to this one, you see the difference right away, and you say, wow, if I work hard, they pay me. In our country you work hard, they don't pay you.

SANTANA: In 1970 a 19-year-old Pena fled civil war and political unrest in his native Dominican Republic with only a small suitcase to his name. After settling in New York City, he began stocking shelves at a local bodega.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some do better when they first come to the country.

SANTANA: How much better? Many would call Pena the epitome of the American dream. From working in the stockroom he went on to build one of the largest Hispanic owned super market chains, Compare Food, a multimillion dollar franchise that operates nearly 100 stores in six states.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This country was made with immigrants. We all bring something to the country, so that little something from everyone is what makes the country so great.

SANTANA: That's why Donald Trump's statements on immigration --

TRUMP: I will build a great, great wall.

SANTANA: -- shocked Pena.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People with no legal paper are afraid, afraid to come out. Before they were coming out three times a day. Now they try to do once a day.

SANTANA: If people aren't coming out as often, that affects your business?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That affects the business.

SANTANA: Are you already feeling that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. I have to admit we've dropped business since Donald Trump is pushing that type of language against immigration.

SANTANA: But it is Latinos like this savvy entrepreneurs now living in the crucial state of North Carolina that analysts believe could derail the campaign of any presidential hopeful, and many of them seem to be turned off by the anti-immigrant rhetoric coming from Trump. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's created in the Latino community a

sense of urgency about registering to vote and voting in the upcoming elections.

SANTANA: The number of eligible Latino voters has been steadily increasing in the state at a rate that recent data from the City University of New York shows can have an impact.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When Romney in 2012 won the state by about 90,000 votes. So with 190,000 Latinos eligible to register to vote, we could decides which way this state goes.

SANTANA: As for Pena, he continues urging Latinos to cast their votes wisely.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hope that everyone think twice to see who they're voting for and who is the best option to run the country.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANTANA: Christi, Trump right now has an 82 percent unfavorability rating among Latinos. So as you can imagine, finding those who support him is a lot harder. But we have heard from some of them and some of the reasons why they support Donald Trump, and this is what they told us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am against criminals coming here to do the same harm they did in their own countries.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel proud to be a Mexican and live in the United States in the right way. I don't ask for no help. I work for my own money.

They can make a wall, Mexico can pay. Mexico has the money to build.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANTANA: And Christi, another thing to keep in mind is that Latinos are by no means single issue voters. Immigration is important but they also care about education, about health care, like many other Americans. But this is very personal. These aren't just 11 million nameless, faceless people. These are their family members, their friends, their co-workers. So when Donald Trump attacks immigrants, it's a very personal attack to Latinos, Christi.

PAUL: Maria Santana, we appreciate it so much. Thank you.

SANTANA: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: Congressman Luis Gutierrez is helping Latinos register in big numbers.

[10:35:00] The goal is to stop Donald Trump from reaching the White House. The congressman will join us and we'll discuss in just a moment.

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BLACKWELL: Welcome back. Now, before the break we heard why Donald Trump's campaign is spurring huge numbers of Latinos to register to vote. But there's also a new jump in people wanting to become U.S. citizens. From October of last year, look at this, through this January, nearly 250,000 immigrants have applied for naturalization. That's a 13 percent increase over the same period a year ago.

I want to bring in Illinois Congressman Luis Gutierrez. He recently spoke out as part of a campaign that helps immigrants to apply to be U.S. citizens. It's called Stand up to Hate. Congressman, good morning to you.

REP. LUIS GUTIERREZ, (D) ILLINOIS: Good to be with you, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Good to have you. Now, what are you hearing from people about this rush to naturalize and register to vote?

GUTIERREZ: Well, let me give you a kind of synopsis from here in Chicago, my congressional office. We had 400 people walk into my congressional office during the first quarter of the year from January to March. It's a huge increase, Victor, in terms of people wanting to come. And the sentiment, if I had to synthesize it, is they feel fearful that they don't have a guarantee in America anymore that their permanent residency, their immigration. So they want to vote to guarantee it. So a lot of it is driven by wanting to vote and responding to a threatening sense of fear that exists out there given the presidential campaign and the rhetoric coming from the Republican nominee and the Republican Party in general.

BLACKWELL: Let's talk about where these registrants are applying. California, number of Hispanics registering to vote doubled in the first three months of this year compared to the same period back in 2012. Let's go to Texas. Naturalization ceremonies in Houston swelled to about 2,200 per month compared to 1,200 before that period according to the "Houston Chronicle."

[10:40:06] I wonder, though, California is likely safely in the Democratic column, Texas probably for the Republicans. Is there an effort on behalf of the organizations you work with to go after the swing states, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida, in those areas specifically?

GUTIERREZ: So there's a couple of things we should also expand upon. Number one, yes. So I have visited ceremonies in Colorado, in Nevada, in New Mexico. We're also going -- obviously it's a national campaign, but Florida is critical, and North Carolina is also critical.

But you bring up Pennsylvania. I think we should put this campaign so that people understand when Donald Trump says Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Colombians, Ecuadoreans, Dominicans, everyone from Latin America understands that he's really talking about all of us. That is at least the general sentiment. So in that sense there is a kind of monolithic response from Latinos, regardless of your country of origin when he says that.

So understand that there are, what, 80,000 Puerto Ricans that are fleeing the devastating effect of the economic meltdown in Puerto Rico and thousands more that will arrive before next November. You got to put them in the queue. And very, very important as we do our citizenship campaign, we are not letting go on the registration campaign. So 1 million Latinos, right, turn 18 every year that are citizens. So we already know that a million become 18 years or older during the last year that are citizens, and we know another half a million will become eligible. And I got to tell you, Victor, that's also an area of growth. So I think you're going to see an area of growth both from the new citizens and the new registrations.

BLACKWELL: Let me ask you about the new citizens, though, because what I'm about to ask you I'm sure you've heard before in talking about this program. The people, what do you say to those who question the way about -- the way that these organizations go about registering these voters. Is there concern that these people will be pressured to vote for a candidate over another, that this seems like a scam or a scheme to get new Americans to carry the water of the Democratic Party?

GUTIERREZ: Sure. Well, Victor, first of all, I welcome you and CNN to come to my office any day of the week. We don't advertise. I don't advertise. And yet we see this constant flow of people just showing up at the office and. And Victor, it's kind of hard. Remember, it's $680 that they show up with. It's not like a free process for most of them. Some of them can get a waiver but the vast majority have to pay the $680.

What's wrong with encouraging people, to a, learn English, learn about our constitution. Victor, if you and I went, we might be embarrassed. Maybe not you. I know I could be embarrassed if I were to take the test for citizenship and fail on some of the questions that they actually know. Isn't that what we want, integration? That is bring people in, learn English --

BLACKWELL: More than integration. The questions, the concerns that have been raised, and we have to wrap it because of time, is that people are being naturalized and registered simply so they will vote Democratic to keep Donald Trump out of the White House. I hear your position there. Congressman, I thank you for being with us, Representative Luis Gutierrez. Thank so much for being on with us in Newsroom.

GUTIERREZ: Pleasure to be with you.

BLACKWELL: Sure. Christi.

PAUL: It was a good conversation. I hate to cut it short to talk about airports, because that's not keeping anybody happy I think today, dealing with unusually long, long lines to get through security. We're talking about up to two-hour delays just trying to get through security. And then speaking of delays, they are forcing some of the airlines to hold the plane at the gate to wait for passengers. What is the TSA doing about it? We'll talk about it. Stay close.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:47:40] PAUL: So longer security wait times are normal during peak summer travel, right? Now some passengers report waiting up two hours just to clear security. The TSA says it's speeding up the hiring of more than 750 additional screeners in order to deal with this. But our Rachel Crane is covering this for us. Rachel, what are you seeing at LaGuardia, I believe, there?

CRANE: Well, we've seen a steady stream of passenger here at LaGuardia this morning, but the lines here, they're nothing like the ones we've seen across the country in cities like Atlanta, Chicago, Phoenix, where passengers have waited for hours just to get through security. And those passengers very disgruntled. They've actually taken to social media, posting pictures of these crazy, crazy lines with the #ihatethewait.

And just yesterday in Dallas American Airlines delayed five flights because its 77 passengers were not on board those flights when they were intended to take off. A spokesperson for American airlines says this is an ongoing issue, the TSA is certainly aware. That's why they've set up a process of hiring those more than 750 agents. But the problem is, Christi they don't come on board until mid-June. And with ticket prices dropping, fuel costs dropping, some are right around the corner. This problem is probably going to get worse before it gets better.

PAUL: Rachel Crane, the pictures are just -- I get anxiety just looking at the pictures of these poor people in line. Thank you so much, Rachel, appreciate it.

BLACKWELL: So we're wrapping up prom season here. Maybe you've seen your family members go to proms.

PAUL: I bet they look a lot better than we used to.

BLACKWELL: There's one more couple you have to see. It's us.

(LAUGHTER)

BLACKWELL: Remember these pictures we revealed in 2014?

PAUL: That's my friend Randy Miller from Bellevue, Ohio. He wasn't my date but I love to shame him.

BLACKWELL: With the mullet? Business up front, party in the back. And that's me looking like one of the Eisleys (ph) I guess I was going for.

PAUL: I never would have known that was you.

BLACKWELL: Listen, we have more pictures where these came from. Did it get better or worse? More after the break.

(LAUGHTER) (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:53:49] BLACKWELL: Hey, we want you to meet another of this year's top ten CNN Heroes.

PAUL: Her name, Paula Claussen. Her nonprofit, Project Mercy has built and donated more than 1,200 home. The San Diego resident was moved by the property that she found less than an hour from where she lives across the border in Tijuana, Mexico. She knew she had to do something to help.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA CLAUSSEN, CNN HERO: It's important to remember that these families that we're helping in Mexico are our neighbors. They're 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)

PAUL: To see how Paula can change an entire family's life in one day just go to CNN heroes.com and hen check out all of this year's top ten. Vote to your favorite to become CNN hero of the year. You can vote once a day at CNNheroes.com.

BLACKWELL: So now a moment that is going to make you smile. Prom season is wrapping up, and we're bringing you our prom pictures.

[10:55:04] PAUL: Heaven help us. Prom season gives way to graduation. That's me. I don't know why I look so darn scared. That was my boyfriend of a year and a half.

BLACKWELL: Do you look scared? I think it's way he's holding your arm.

PAUL: He was a very nice man.

BLACKWELL: I think the dress is nice.

PAUL: You do?

BLACKWELL: Yes. Hair's big.

PAUL: There was bigger hair than that later. Come on, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Show it. Oh, my gosh!

PAUL: Yes! This is my question.

BLACKWELL: Can we drop the banner? Let show the shoes.

PAUL: Oh, my gosh, what were you wearing?

BLACKWELL: Electric blue. The pants are beautiful. Let me just say the pants, they hung perfectly. That shirt was highly flammable. (LAUGHTER)

BLACKWELL: I don't know what it was made of but it was hot. And you got to finish it with the glasses. That's the smooth element there.

PAUL: Hence the dental music that's going on behind us right now.

BLACKWELL: And the lab coat apparently I was wearing. I don't know what that is.

PAUL: Why do you never show your date? Did you go alone?

BLACKWELL: No, I was dating women back then so I have dates. I don't want to put them on television with me and embarrass them if they don't want to be embarrassed. You get the trifold where you have your own picture, she has her own picture, and you have pictures together.

PAUL: I have no trifold. I have one. Thank you for sharing.

BLACKWELL: You too. We'll do it again next prom season.

(LAUGHTER)

PAUL: Our political coverage, however, continues.

BLACKWELL: Big transition here. Hillary Clinton slamming Donald Trump in a brand new web video for refusing to release his taxes.

PAUL: This after Trump denied posing as his own publicist years ago. Fredricka Whitfield is coming up next. Stay close.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)