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Reports Of Third-Party Recruiting Amid GOP Unity Pact; Clinton, Sanders Battle For Kentucky's 55 Delegates; ISIS Attacks Kill More Than 100 In Iraq In The Last Week; Trump Protege: He Looks For Trustworthy Talent; Juarez Confronts Violent Past After Drug Lord's Arrival. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired May 15, 2016 - 14:00   ET

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

FAREED ZAKARIA, CNN ANCHOR: -- thanks for all of you for being part of my program this week. I will see you next week.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Thanks so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Two words dominating the race for the White House on this Sunday. Party unity, these headlines are just a small sample of what's out there, but despite the growing amounts of conservative leaders who have vowed to support Donald Trump, there are new reports of a movement towards the opposite, a third party run.

This was the front page of the "Washington Post" this morning. Take a look. The paper says That Mitt Romney in a quote, "A band of exasperated Republicans including 2012 presidential nominee, Mitt Romney is actively plotting to draft an independent presidential candidate."

Among those recruited, another billionaire, Dallas Mavericks owner, Mark Cuban. He's worth a reported $3 billion. In an e-mail to CNN, Cuban said, quote, "It would have been fun to run against Donald but as a third party it's too late," end quote.

And although the Donald Trump campaign was dogged by new controversies this week, House Speaker Paul Ryan is renewing his promise to quote, "find common ground" with the candidate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL RYAN (R), HOUSE SPEAKER: As you know, I had a long meeting with Donald Trump. I and our party leaders in the House had a long meeting with Donald Trump on Thursday, thought it was a very productive meeting.

It was the first meeting we've really had other than a phone call in March and so we are beginning the process of discussing what unity looks like in the Republican Party. As I said before, this takes some time. This isn't done with a couple of meetings.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And unclear when or whether Ryan will eventually endorse Trump. But the presumptive nominee's top aide tells CNN's Jake Tapper don't expect any major changes from Trump going forward.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL MANAFORT, CONVENTION MANAGER, DONALD TRUMP CAMPAIGN: Donald Trump was not asked by the leadership to change and there's no reason for him to change. He's just won the primary process with a record number of votes.

The conversations that they had focused on the Trump agenda for -- to make America great again and Paul Ryan's agenda to return prosperity. There were a lot of overlap on objectives of both of those programs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: I want to bring in CNN senior political analyst, Ron Brownstein. He is also a senior editor for "The Atlantic." Good to see you.

OK, so a lot of pundits calling this party unity pledge a sham. That it's not real at all. Bill Kristol tweeted this today, "The task isn't to achieve party unity with Trump. It's to save a decent party from this year's misbegotten nominee."

Is this effort towards unity a genuine? Will it work or is there a big problem here?

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I think in the end most Republicans will end up with Donald Trump in the highly polarized era that we are living in. Most Republican voters I think given the binary choice of modern politics will end up there.

But the fact that we are having this conversation at all and speaker of the House is struggling to find a way to move towards endorsing his party's nominee.

And previous nominees whether it's Mitt Romney, John McCain, George W. Bush, are all expressing various degrees of unease with the current nominee. This is really unprecedented.

I mean, these are truly unchartered waters that we are in and it just goes to show how much Donald Trump's success really was a revolution from within and how much of a challenge it represents to the view of the party of so many of its current leadership.

WHITFIELD: So another third party name that's been tossed around, Senator Ben Sassy, that's been floating around. Is there any one person that could potentially pull off a third party run at this point? Kind of spearhead the dialogue.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes, what Mark Cuban said is largely correct. It's very late in the process. I mean, you're looking at being passed the deadline for some major states. Michael Bloomberg who has a lot of money and ambition and political talent assembled around him, you know, looked at several months ago, and decided that was too late.

So I think it is difficult to any kind of path forward that would be one towards actually winning the election, maybe not towards throwing towards the House of Representatives.

I think the only point would be to give people in the Republican Party and the conservative movement who are uneasy with Trump a point to rally around and perhaps a way to try to save the Republican majority in the Senate.

Because don't forget, Fred, there are -- Republicans will be defending seven seats in November in states that voted both times for President Obama. Those are states where Donald Trump could face the most difficulty and the history is that there's less split ticket voting than there used to be.

If he does poorly in those states, high risk of Republicans losing the Senate. So there may be an effort to have something for those candidates to rally around, but it's going to be tough at this point.

[14:05:00]WHITFIELD: The "New York Times" today has a scathing report out today about Trump's treatment of women. I want to play a response from the RNC Chairman Reince Priebus. He was on ABC this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REINCE PRIEBUS, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: These are things that he's going to have to answer for, but I also think there are things from many years ago and I think that, you know, as Christians judging each other, I think is problematic.

I think it's when people live in glass houses and throw stones is when people get in trouble. So as Hillary Clinton, a classic Clinton operation now suddenly these things are coming out.

It's not necessarily that people make mistakes or have regrets or seek forgiveness, it's whether or not the person launching the charge is authentic in their own life and can be pure enough to make such a charge.

That's what I think most people look at when they evaluate people's character. Again, I don't think Donald Trump is being judged based on his personal life. I think people are judging Donald Trump as to whether or not he's someone that's going to go to Washington and shake things up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So Ron, you know, these character witnesses so to speak, whether they appear in print or whether they are broadcast, how defining might they be for a candidate?

BROWNSTEIN: Look, I think this is one of the two big challenges Donald Trump faces above all in the election. I think the first one is that if you look at the groups he has offended the most and the way that he won the nomination, groups that tend to be growing in the electorate, right, the minority groups, the millenials, socially liberal whites.

But I think the other big problem he faces -- maybe even the biggest hurdle he faces is this question of whether he is personally suited and has the temperament and demeanor and the kind of instincts that you want in a president.

Those doubts -- there's no question when you look at the polling, those doubts are deepest among women. The last CNN poll only 32 percent of women said they had a favorable impression of Donald Trump and I think that comes from a lot of different things.

That comes from his style of talking and leadership and part of it are all of these indications of the way he has interacted with women in his orbit over the years and the things that he has said.

You know, in some ways, the most devastating ads run against him during the primaries was the one by the Republican group skeptical of him that had women reading his quotes about women.

That is an issue he has to deal with. Hillary Clinton has problems with men and Paul Manafort talked about that today. But look, women are a majority of the electorate. You have to choose if he had the same position among women and you know, one candidate weak among men and one candidate weak among women.

The advantage would be to the candidate who was weaker among men and it's not even equivalent because Donald Trump's negatives are higher among women than Hillary Clinton's are among men.

WHITFIELD: Ron, you talk about the 32 percent favorable impression among women. I actually sat down face to face with one woman who speaks very highly of Donald Trump. In fact, she worked alongside him for 15 years. I'm talking about Louise Sunshine. You probably read about her in the "Art of the Deal."

She uses words like he's a leader and mentor and helped crack that glass ceiling to help her punch through. So the impressions are really varied and we'll have more of her interview later on in this hour. Hope you get a chance to listen to that as well.

BROWNSTEIN: It was a complex pusher to the "New York Times" story in terms of the positive and negative, but there is no question that in terms of the election, it is a big hill that he's going to have to try to climb.

WHITFIELD: All right, we're all on the same page and reporting on that. Thank you so much. Ron Brownstein, good to see you.

So meantime, on the Democratic side, it's all eyes on Kentucky as the candidates try to drum up votes ahead of Tuesday's primary. Bernie Sanders is expected to hold a rally at any moment in the town of Paducah, hoping to garner enough support to extend his current winning streak.

Meanwhile, you're also looking at live pictures of Hillary Clinton who is addressing voters in Louisville. So Clinton currently has a 778- delegate lead over Sanders. Fifty five delegates are at stake in Tuesday's contest. And CNN's Scott McLean is following developments on the campaign trail from Washington for us. So Scott, even though Clinton has more delegates, another loss, well, that would make it that it would be tightening the gap between she and Sanders.

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Fredricka. Optics are important here. Hillary Clinton has lost two straight contests now. She doesn't want Kentucky to be number three. It's not going to be easy.

Parts of the state are coal country which can be hostile territory for Clinton because of comments she made in March at the CNN town hall.

That as president she was going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business. Now she did later apologize, but she got a frosty reception in parts of West Virginia's coal country and she lost the primary there last week.

Her husband also faced protesters at a recent event in Kentucky. Now Clinton is putting a lot of time and effort into the blue grass state this morning.

She visited two predominantly black churches and this afternoon, she has two more events. One of them you're seeing there in Louisville.

Her campaign, though, has largely ignored Bernie Sanders, but this afternoon, just moments ago, actually she seemed to buck that trend going after him.

[14:10:04]And repeating a claim that Bernie Sanders disputes saying that he didn't support the auto bailout while she did. Bernie Sanders also in Kentucky this afternoon in Paducah. He's also taken a similar tact with Hillary Clinton opting to not go after her and instead going straight after Donald Trump.

And he actually criticized him over Trump's new found support from billionaire, Sheldon Adelson (ph). Now Oregon is the other big state that's going to be voting on Tuesday.

It is a state that Bernie Sanders is expected to do very well in. But Hillary Clinton has a huge delegate lead. Bernie Sanders would really need to win all of delegates at stake right now.

And also win over a couple of superdelegates, those unpledged party officials in order to actually clinch the nomination. It's a pretty narrow path for Bernie Sanders.

WHITFIELD: All right, quite the horse race there in Kentucky, thanks so much. Scott McLean, appreciate it in Oregon.

All right, President Obama also taking the podium today but in a different fashion. He delivered his second commencement speech of the season at Rutgers University using the opportunity to go after Donald Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Isolating or disparaging Muslims and suggesting that they should be treated differently when it comes to entering this country that is not just a betrayal of our values. That's not just a betrayal of who we are. It would alienate the very communities at home and abroad who are most important partners in the fight against violent extremism.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, CNN's Ryan Nobles is live for us now from the White House with more on the message from the White House -- Ryan.

RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred, really interesting speech by President Obama today using the bulk of his address to graduates of Rutgers University to systemically go after the core of the Trump campaign.

He even went after Trump's main message that he gives to his supporters that he's going to make America great again. Obama arguing that the good old days weren't all that good. President Obama told the graduates that by virtually every measure, America is much better than it was when he graduated from college.

And he argued that these graduates need to take advantage of the future and tackle those problems and they don't do that by shutting people out as you saw in that sound bite from President Obama.

He finished with a plea to these graduates to get involved politically and at the very least vote. He warned the graduates that, quote, "Apathy has consequences" -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Ryan Nobles, thanks so much. A kind of a common thread in now his second commencement address of the season. The last one just about a week or so ago at Howard University with a very similar message. All right, thanks so much.

All right, still ahead, my exclusive conversation with one of Donald Trump's most prominent protegees and supporters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LOUISE SUNSHINE, FORMER TRUMP EXECUTIVE VP: He was never a boss. He was a leader. It's a lot different to have the boss and then a leader. He was a leader. He taught me. He mentored me. He showed me the way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Louise Sunshine on Trump, the businessman and the future of what's now become a politician.

Plus, it will be remembered as one of the bloodiest days in Waco, Texas history, now one year later, some of the witnesses are telling their side of the deadly biker brawl. CNN's exclusive reporting later this hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:17:12]

WHITFIELD: A massive explosion outside Baghdad. ISIS claiming its militants attacked a gas plant killing ten people, including seven police officers. Three gas storage tanks also exploded. The attack started with two suicide bombs then six militants tried to storm the plant. They were stopped by security forces.

I want to bring in CNN global affairs analyst, Kimberly Dosier and Lt. Col. Rick Francona, a CNN military analyst and a former U.S. military attache in Syria. Good to see both of you.

So these ISIS attacks have killed at least 100 people in Iraq in recent days including a car bomb today. Why does it seem there is this renewed focus on Iraq and in Baghdad in particular, Colonel?

LT. COLONEL RICK FRANCONA, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, you know, the ISIS has suffered quite a few battlefield setbacks as of late and they are striking out probably the only way they feel they can right now. It's probably a good tactic for them.

Because if you look at the Iraqi security forces which includes the police, they are spread pretty thin. They are trying to fight a series battles resting control of these cities up in the Euphrates Valley.

They are trying to prepare for an assault on Mosul so they are trying to move up to Tigris Valley. So they have a real problem trying to keep security all over the place. We're seeing ISIS going after these different spots all over the place.

Quite effectively they are killing a lot of people and they are calling a lot of questions in the government, you can't keep us safe. The people in Baghdad primarily in these Shia areas are more concerned about their own security than the eventual liberation of Mosul.

WHITFIELD: The Pentagon has been reporting that ISIS has declared a state of emergency in its self-declared capital of Raqqa in Syria. But what does that mean? Is that to be believed?

KIMBERLY DOSIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, what U.S. officials believe this shows is that ISIS is beginning to feel the strain to Rick's point. And that they are taking their page out of their old 2006 playbook when they started as an earlier organization, al Qaeda in Iraq, attacking the Shiite community and trying to spur reprisal attacks by Shiites on Sunnis and thereby drive more Sunnis into their ranks.

Right now, they are having a real problem recruiting according to U.S. officials. It's hard to independently verify that. But they think that they are now having trouble replacing the people that they've killed -- that have been killed either in Iraq or Syria.

So what you do, they say, is you stage these high profile attacks. It makes you look like you are still relevant and you try to convince Sunnis because of the subsequent attacks of revenge that the only way to keep them safe is to join ISIS.

WHITFIELD: Here's national security adviser, Susan Rice talking about the fight against ISIS with CNN's Fareed Zakaria.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[04:20:09]SUSAN RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: We've always taken the view and had the expectation this was going to be a long-term challenge. This was a fight to be measured in years, not months.

And that it was not going to be a linear progression, we've had progress and setbacks, progress and setbacks, but over the last several months by any number of metrics, I would say that things have progressed quite well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Lieutenant Colonel, you agree?

FRANCONA: Yes and no. I think we have made some progress and it's good, but we're not fighting a geographic battle right now. If you look at the progress, it's all measured on how much land we've taken back, how many cities we've taken back, and how many of them we've killed.

But what we're trying to do is stop an ideology here and we're seeing ISIS morph into this worldwide organization. Libya is becoming a real hot bed of ISIS activity. We also see them springing up all over the Middle East and going as far as South Asia.

So it's not just going to be won on the ground in Syria and Iraq although that's important. It's going to be a much longer term effort and it's going to be hard to put metrics on just geographic areas.

WHITFIELD: And Kim, the U.S. and coalition fighting ISIS have taken out several of the top leaders and does it seem it is making a significant impact?

DOSIER: Well, they have but U.S. officials also concede that in some places where the battle is raging, some towns inside Syria change hands almost daily. So it's this back and forth.

Interesting thing when you stand back and look at the historical pattern, in Iraq back in 2007, 2008, when the U.S. would push one part of the bubble, it would push the fighters to another part of Iraq.

Now when they defeat them in one area, say inside one part of Iraq or inside one part of Syria, we're seeing that bubble push to places like Libya, other parts of Africa, ungoverned spaces.

So that is the terrifying thing looking ahead and the reason that U.S. counter terrorism officials say they are going to be fighting this battle for decades to come.

WHITFIELD: All right, Kimberly Dosier, Lt. Col. Rick Francona, thanks to both of you. Appreciate it. DOSIER: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, still ahead, it's not every day you see a presidential frontrunner and the vice president sharing the same arena, but that's the case for Trump and Biden today as they watch their loved ones collect their diplomas next. We're live at the University of Pennsylvania where Secret Service is in overdrive.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:26:00]

WHITFIELD: Democratic Vice President Joe Biden and presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump, may not agree much on politics, but today they will be united as they attend the same college graduation ceremony.

Trump's daughter Tiffany and Biden's granddaughter, Naomi (ph) are graduating from the University of Pennsylvania School of Arts and Sciences.

And CNN's Kristin Holmes is there. So Kristin, do we know if Biden and Trump will in any way cross paths or be seated next to each other even?

KRISTIN HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, no word yet on seating arrangements, but we are told by a source inside the Trump campaign that there is no plan for the two to interact. However, if they do cross paths, it could make for an awkward encounter.

Neither men are known for their ability to bite their tongue. This campaign cycle Joe Biden has ripped into Donald Trump several times saying he shouldn't be president as well as us calling his rhetoric divisive and dangerous.

Just this morning, at a commencement speech at Notre Dame, Joe Biden said that the political process now was as abusive as he'd ever seen it in his entire career.

However, both men have spoken at length about the importance of family. Donald Trump has praised his daughter, Tiffany, and here at UPenn saying that she made all A's and that he and his ex-wife, Marla Maples, were very proud of her.

The vice president took his granddaughter, Naomi, on his vice presidential trip to China and touted her language skills. We will see if they can put aside the political contention and cede the spotlight today.

But one thing we do know is that security is extremely high. They told families here of the 1,500 students that are graduating to get here hours early. We've seen long lines and huge perimeter shut off. We'll see how all of this plays out in today's graduation.

WHITFIELD: My goodness. OK, big security measures in place. All right, thank you so much. Kristin Holmes, appreciate it. All right, coming up next, Donald Trump, according to one of his closest former colleagues and now very good friend, Louise Sunshine gives us an inside look at her mentor through the decades.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUNSHINE: I'm not sure that the way he has led his business, which has been entirely successful works in politics and I think he just marches -- he's continued to march to the tune of his own drummer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:31:50]

WHITFIELD: Hello again, thanks so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfiel. Donald Trump's rapid rise in the 2016 presidential race may have caught pundits and the public by surprise, but his ascent is not unexpected to one of his former friends and former protegees.

I recently sat down for an exclusive interview with business executive, Louise Sunshine, at her Miami home face to face. She worked for Trump for 15 years, working alongside him and she still speaks with him often. She talked about what he's really like, his controversies and his leadership style.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD (voice-over): The late 1970s, a very costly and controversial Vietnam War is over. Georgia peanut farmer, Jimmy Carter is the 39th American president. The king, Elvis, found dead. "Saturday Night Live" premieres, the start of a favorite TV past pastime poking fun at pop culture and politics.

And New York developer, Donald Trump in his late 20s and early 30s, already making a splash in the New York real estate market acquiring prestige Manhattan properties with a style of his own. Not just breaking ground that way.

SUNSHINE: I was ga-ga over Donald.

WHITFIELD: Close friend and former Trump Organization business executive, Louise Sunshine says at a time when women were not invited to the table let alone the board room, Trump brought her in.

SUNSHINE: There was no board room. That's number one. The board room was in Donald's head. The board room was all of this idea -- these ideas he had, the vision he had and if you could buy into his vision and you were trustworthy and you were intelligent and you were proactive, pro-active was the key.

WHITFIELD (on camera): So describe the climate of the late '70s.

SUNSHINE: I mean, the glass ceiling was about -- if the ceiling today is, my ceiling is 22 feet high in my home and the ceiling then could have been 2 feet high.

Every once in a while in your lifetime, there comes a person or an opportunity or a person with an opportunity. You know, I'm a woman, I mean, and women don't have these opportunities very often.

WHITFIELD (voice-over): Before the hit TV show "Apprentice," Sunshine played a role in the real life version.

(on camera): How was he as a boss?

SUNSHINE: He was never a boss.

WHITFIELD: How would you --

SUNSHINE: He was never a boss. He was a leader. It's a lot different to have a boss than a leader. He was a leader. He taught me. He mentored me. He showed me the way. That's it. I was like smitten.

See Donald doesn't distinguish between women and men. He distinguishes -- he looks for talent.

[14:35:09]He looks for trustworthy talent, Trump "t" means trustworthy talent. Just think about it that way.

WHITFIELD (voice-over): After 16 years at the Trump Organization, Sunshine branched off, blazing her own trail in real estate development through her own company, the Sunshine Group. All of the while continuing close relations with Trump. She says he remains a part of her daily life. Throughout her Miami home, reminders of Trump's impact and regular phone calls.

(on camera): When's the last time you spoke with him?

SUNSHINE: Yesterday.

WHITFIELD: What was that conversation like?

SUNSHINE: It was a very simple conversation. He said he missed me. He doesn't have a lot of time these days.

WHITFIELD: When you see him as the frontrunner or the presumptive Republican nominee, and you see the way he has led his campaign, is that the same way he has led his business all of these years? Do you see the same Donald Trump?

SUNSHINE: I see the same Donald Trump, but I'm not sure that the way he has led his business, which has been entirely successful, works in politics. Because I think sometimes he forgets what the politic thing is to say and that's what politics is all about. I think he just marches -- he's continued to march to the tune of his own drummer.

WHITFIELD (voice-over): Or in other words, Trump says in his book, "The Art of the Deal," sometimes it pays to be a little wild.

(on camera): So then when you hear Donald Trump today on the campaign trail and he calls Hillary Clinton crooked or hear him use language that some say is sexist, certainly unflattering of women --

CARLY FIORINA (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think women all over this country heard very clearly what Mr. Trump said.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her -- wherever.

WHITFIELD: And you just describe that in your view your experience was he didn't have a distinction between men and women, he just saw your mind. But then when you see this Donald Trump on the campaign trail, is he recognizable to you? Is that the same person?

SUNSHINE: But he also calls Marco Rubio short. He calls Ted Cruz something else. He calls -- Lindsey Graham something else. It doesn't matter if you're a man or woman. When I hear him say those things, I put in my ear plugs.

WHITFIELD: What do you mean?

SUNSHINE: I have Donald Trump ear plugs. I have ear plugs --

WHITFIELD: You put your head in the sand and say he didn't really say that.

SUNSHINE: No, not my head in the sand. I put in my ear plugs.

WHITFIELD: Is it excusing language like that that you --

SUNSHINE: No, I'm not excusing. What am I going to do about it?

WHITFIELD: But he's your good friend. You could call him up and say -- give a piece of your mind.

SUNSHINE: I could. This is when I called him. The only time I've called him during the whole campaign was to tell him that I love the slogan, America first because I thought it was much more positive than make America great again.

WHITFIELD: You shared that with him?

SUNSHINE: Yes.

WHITFIELD: And his response?

SUNSHINE: He loved it. He said I miss you.

TRUMP: It's an honor to have everybody here.

SUNSHINE: And so when he started to run for president, people said to me, that's ridiculous, it's a joke. I said, he's going to win.

WHITFIELD (voice-over): But possibly winning the presidency is still six months away with lots of room for campaign trail surprises like this newly released 25-year-old recording of a voice Trump denies is his.

(on camera): You know his voice.

SUNSHINE: When was the recording made?

WHITFIELD: This is 25 years ago.

SUNSHINE: That's right up my alley.

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's listen.

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

SUNSHINE: I did not hear Donald's voice.

WHITFIELD: You did not?

SUNSHINE: Not the Donald I know.

WHITFIELD: What do you mean?

SUNSHINE: I just didn't hear his voice. Not the voice that resonates in my ears.

WHITFIELD: So was there a John Miller? Do you recall a John Miller?

SUNSHINE: No, I don't know John Miller.

WHITFIELD: Would it be odd -- would it be disappointing if that were Donald Trump posing as or representing himself as a John Miller?

[14:40:08]SUNSHINE: I don't believe Donald to do things like that. I've never known him to do things like that. He has never done things like that in my presence or my 15 years with him. He doesn't have to. He's Donald Trump.

WHITFIELD: And you feel like you know him well?

SUNSHINE: No, I know him well. I don't --

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, that was Louise Sunshine. Coming up next hour --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: -- Donald Trump but admits she also strongly admires Hillary Clinton. Will it be a tough decision if both are nominees?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: It was a scene of chaos at the Texas Twin Peaks Restaurant nearly one year ago. A massive brawl broke out between rival motorcycle clubs leaving nine bikers dead and a trail of blood shed and destruction.

Now some of the people who were there that day are opening up telling their side of the story to our Ed Lavandera and Ed joins us live now -- Ed.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. Well, you know, many of the bikers that live and breathe this biker culture will tell you what happened a year ago is quite simply the most insane and wild moment in outlaw biker history. Here's a taste of what's to come on our special.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keep your hands up.

[14:45:02]UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sounded like a gun fight at the ok coral. Bang, bang, one right after the other.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are not here to drink beer and eat barbecue.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): This is the site now, a year after one of the most notorious chapters in outlaw biker history. On a quiet Sunday last May, the thundering rumble of Harley motorcycles descended on the Twin Peaks Restaurant in Waco, Texas.

An all-out brawl turned into a gun fight. The violent melee between the "Bandidos" and "Cossacks" motorcycle clubs ended with nine bikers dead and at least 18 wounded, 177 bikers accused of engaging in organized criminal activity.

Investigators recovered a staggering number of weapons. But that was just the beginning of what is turning into an epic saga. Since the deadly brawl, federal investigators arrested the top three leaders of the "Bandidos," including President Jeff Pike, who wasn't in Waco that day. Pike was arrested in an early morning raid at his home in January.

(on camera): We're talking to you now here, you're out on bond.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Speaking exclusively with CNN from his home where he says refurbishing classic cars and motorcycles are his favorite hobbies.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You don't have to worry about pulling up next to somebody with one just like it.

LAVANDERA: The investigation has shifted beyond Waco to what the Department of Justice and the FBI are doing in San Antonio, Texas. Federal investigators believe that Pike and other "Bandidos" leaders masterminded a series of vicious attacks on the "Cossacks." The fed's indictment includes a wide range of charges including assault, extortion and murder. (on camera): Did the "Bandidos" declare war on the "Cossacks?"

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They asked me that in my interview when they arrested me and then I laughed, I said, how do you do that? It's an act of Congress, what do we do, write them a letter or what?

LAVANDERA: You think of yourself as an outlaw?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I haven't broken a law in decades. I don't know what you're talking about.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Video of the Waco shooting captured the moment the fists started flying and gunfire erupted. "Bandidos" biker, Jake Carosel was in the middle of the fight.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I had guys all over me.

LAVANDERA (on camera): You hear the shots.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hear the shots going. Going off, I've never been that scared in my life.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): This "Cossacks" biker who asked us to hide his identity was wounded in the chaos.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was all carnage. A lot of carnage. I remember the blood coming out of me and pain and people around me being shot. It's not good.

LAVANDERA: A year after the massacre, 154 of the 177 arrested bikers have been indicted by a Waco grand jury and are out of jail on bond awaiting trial. It's not clear when any of the biker brawl cases will see the inside of a courtroom.

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LAVANDERA: And Fredricka, a year after that wild shootout, we'll get into what led up to it and Waco didn't disappear out of nowhere and we'll get into questions about law enforcement and how they reacted and the criticism that many of the bikers have towards them. Many things to explore in this hour -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: It's definitely a prelude to a fascinating hour. Thanks so much, Ed Lavandera. Appreciate it. CNN Special Report, "Biker Brawl Inside The Texas Shootout" airs tomorrow night at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

All right, coming up, call it the El Chapo effect, the notorious drug lord's recent return to a prison in Juarez, Mexico just miles from the U.S. border is causing some unwanted effects on the town.

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[14:52:54]

WHITFIELD: Drug kingpin, El Chapo Guzman's arrival at a prison in Juarez, Mexico just across the river from El Paso, Texas is stirring some old unpleasant memories. Juarez has been trying to recover from its image as one of the world's most violent places, a city that average more than eight murders a day just a few years ago.

But now just as the city begins building a new path forward it has to confront its violent past. Nick Valencia has been putting the story together for us -- Nick.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was just six years ago that Juarez was the deadly city or one of the deadliest city in the world, 3,000 murders at the height of its violent. It was an average of eight murders per day.

The man seen responsible for a majority of that violence was Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. It was on this very program last week that we broke the news that El Chapo had been unexpectedly transferred from a prison outside of Mexico City to a local penitentiary in Ciudad Juarez.

And now that El Chapo is back in Juarez, many people who lived through that violent period are having to relive memories of this city's violent past.

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VALENCIA (voice-over): Life goes on in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, once desolate streets, traded for a semblance of tranquility in the city just across the river from El Paso, Texas.

Not so long ago it was infested with drug cartels and its violent peak, more than 3,000 people murdered in one year. Most of those deaths were attributed to the war between the local Juarez cartel and infamous Sinaloa Federation popularly known for its leader, Joaquin Guzman a.k.a. El Chapo.

While life on the streets has changed in Juarez, with El Chapo's return, the bloody past seems very much present. His presence has reimagined the nightmares for many.

Sergio Velez (ph) lived through the violence brought to Juarez by El Chapo between 2009 and 2012. He says he still mourns the death of one of his construction workers killed inside his business.

SERGIO VELEZ, LOCAL BUSINESS OWNER (through translator): There are many people very hurt by that war. There are many still mourning what happened during the narco war.

[14:55:04]And there are still a very late sense of insecurity led by the delinquent group of El Chapo Guzman here in Ciudad Juarez.

Painful memories buried deep in his mind have been unlocked by the return of El Chapo. Even with the kingpin behind bars, some fear of a return of impunity for the cartel foot soldiers still in the city.

VALENCIA: However the mayor of Juarez tells CNN the drug lord's transfer to Juarez has had no impact or relevance on the daily life of most residents.

JAVIER GONZALEZ MOCKEN, MAYOR OF JUAREZ (through translator): Juarez now finds itself peaceful, working and dedicated to produce goods and services. Juarez is dedicated to creating better life conditions for its residents.

VALENCIA: There are obvious concerns that El Chapo will escape prison for a third time. There have also been questions about the penitentiary's infrastructure. Is it capable of holding him?

With a spotlight back on Juarez for the moment, residents would prefer to discard the unwanted attention and move on from its violent past.

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VALENCIA: Now according to the mayor there in Juarez, there are no added security measures being taking place inside the city. But inside the penitentiary where El Chapo is, local reports say that there are rival cartel members that have been transferred outside of that penitentiary for security measures.

WHITFIELD: So in part to surround him by people he knows or kind of restore the comfort level or just to make sure that there is no violence, nothing erupts because of battling the cartels?

VALENCIA: This is a familiar area for El Chapo. He was responsible for much of that violence during the height of the period. It's a place that he knows all too well. You have to assume that he has people that he knows there that could help him out.

Of course, the big concern is will he escape again. The infrastructure for this prison has been called one of the worst prisons in all of Mexico so you have to wonder what the Mexican authorities are doing to make sure that he does not get out again.

WHITFIELD: Interesting. All right, keep us posted. Nick Valencia, thank you so much.

All right, so much more straight ahead in the NEWSROOM. Stay with us.

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