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Press Conference with Bernie Sanders; Press Conference with Hillary Clinton; Muhammad Ali's Daughter Talks About Father. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired June 06, 2016 - 14:30   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[14:30:00] SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, (I), VERMONT & DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think there's four super delegates in three or four states who have come over to us.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Who already have?

SANDERS: Uncommitted.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Are there more talking --

(CROSSTALK)

SANDERS: There's no question we'll get more. No question.

Yes?

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Senator, the White House is signaling the president wants to get back on the campaign trail. If President Obama were to endorse Hillary Clinton soon, would that have any bearing on your thinking as you look ahead to the convention?

SANDERS: Again, we are speculating before what is, in fact, the most important primary. Tomorrow, we have 475 pledge delegates coming up. And my job in the next 24 hours is to do everything that I can to win those delegates. You know, let me just conclude by saying this. When we started this campaign a little bit over a year ago in Burlington, Vermont, I think that most people, most of you, most of the punditry though this campaign would not go very far. Yet, we hear we are on June 6th arguing or debating who will win California tomorrow. We have now won 20 states. I have little doubt we'll win a number of more tomorrow. We have now won well over nine votes. We have won in every state that we have contested in. This is also a point that we make to the super delegates and the convention talking about the future of America is that in overwhelming numbers, we are winning the support of people 45 years of age or younger, people who are the future of this country. And I wish that I could tell you that we were doing better among older people. We should be. But we are not. We are doing phenomenally well among people who are the future of this country, who will shape the future of this country. And that is a point I think not to be overlooked.

Thanks very much. UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: How are you feeling about California, Senator?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: From one town in California to the next, here we are, the eve ahead of mega, mega primary day, final Super Tuesday. Now sound from Hillary Clinton who just took part in a press gaggle. This is an impromptu stop at a community center in Compton, California. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: You're on the cusp of being the first female nominee of a major party, what does that mean to you and how are you n that?

HILLARY CLINTON, (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: Dan, I am really just so focused on all of the states that are voting tomorrow. That is my singular focus because I know that there's a lot of work still going on. I have just a huge number of supporters and volunteers across all of these states and I'm going to stay focused on the contests that are going to take place tomorrow and I'll have more to say about all of this. I was delighted to win Puerto Rico. Delighted to win Virgin Islands. We are moving forward every day and by tomorrow night I'll have more to say about it. I want everyone in the states that vote tomorrow to come out and vote and bring their families and their friends and everybody else because it's not over until it's over. And tomorrow is really important day particularly right here in California.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: No matter what happens tomorrow, Bernie Sanders said the convention of Philadelphia will be contested. Do you think there's anything you can do to change that at this point?

CLINTON: I'm going to wait and see where we all are after tomorrow. I am as you rightly point out on the path to not only have a very big lead in the popular vote, but a very significant lead in the pledge delegates. And so, we'll take stock about where we are tomorrow. I'm going to do everything I can to unify the Democratic Party. I certainly am going to be reaching out to Senator Sanders and hope he'll join me in that. We have to be unified going into and out of the convention to take on Donald Trump and to repudiate the kind of campaign he's running and make it very clear that's not the kind of president or commander in chief we want.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Secretary Clinton, sorry for repeating Dan's question. Couldn't hear. But is it setting in that you might be making serious, big-time -- tomorrow?

CLINTON: I'm obviously really excited about that but I'm not letting myself focus on it yet because I want people to come out and vote tomorrow. Particularly here in California. We have worked so hard. I have a huge number of supporters and organizers that are working as we speak to get out the vote, to get people to mail in the ballots so I'm going to wait until everyone has vote voted. Tomorrow night we will have a chance to talk more about this but it's been an incredible journey and I will have a lot to say about it. Right now I'm out here as you can tell at the senior center in Compton talking to voters, encouraging people to come out and vote.

[14:35:07] UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Do you believe that some prominent Democrats saying we need to maybe re-investigate the super delegate system broadly. Do you support looking into that and perhaps getting rid of them?

CLINTON: There will be plenty of time to talk about that. But I believe as of tomorrow I will have more than three million votes more than Bernie Sanders. I will have a substantial lead in pledged delegates. Super delegates have always followed the will of the voters.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Do you think he should concede as you did in 2008?

CLINTON: We'll wait and find out. Actually, tomorrow is eight years to the day after I withdrew and endorsed then-Senator Obama. I believed it was the right thing to do, no matter what differences we had in our long campaign, they paled in comparison to the differences we had with the Republicans and that is actually even more true today. Because whatever differences Senator Sanders and I have had, we have stuck mostly to the issues. We have differences there but we have discussed them and put forth our cases. And Donald Trump has run a campaign of insults so anyone who supported me, anyone who has Sanders has a lot at stake in this election in preventing Donald Trump from being our president which I can barely say.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: But can you -- (INAUDIBLE)

CLINTON: We'll be talking about all of that in the next days and I look forward to that. Obviously, I'm excited about having the president's support because I have said throughout this campaign I was honored to serve in the president's cabinet as his secretary of state. I don't think he's gotten the credit he deserves for saving our economy from the great recession that it was experiencing when he became president. I want to continue and further the progress that we have made. And that's another big difference between where I stand and where Donald Trump stands. He wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act. He wants to go back to failed economic policies that would really hurt working people in our country. He doesn't want to raise the minimum wage. He believes equal pay is not a real issue. On and on. So I'm going to look forward to campaigning as a really strong advocate for what I think will make the country get going again with the economy growing, the president got us out of that ditch. Now we have to run with it. And I've laid out plan to do just that.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Do you accept --

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Secretary -- last night when you took stage in Sacramento, there was a woman standing next to me who was absolutely sobbing. And she said, you know, it's time. It's past time. And you see the women -- you see people here and people just come up to you and they get tears in their eyes.

CLINTON: Right.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Do you feel -- do you feel the weight of what this means for people?

CLINTON: I do. I do. And you saw it yesterday. I've seen it for more than a year. My supporters are passionate. They are committed. They have voted for me in great numbers across our country. For many reasons. But among those reasons is their belief that having a woman president will make a great statement, a historic statement about what kind of country we are, what we stand for. It's really emotional. And I am someone who has been very touched and really encouraged by this extraordinary conviction that people have, predominantly women and girls but not exclusively. Men bring their daughters to meet me and say they're supporting me because of their daughters and I think it makes a difference for a father or mother to look at their daughter just like they can look at their son and say you can be anything you want to be in this country, including president of the United States.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Do you want the president's endorsement?

CLINTON: That's up to the president. I'm going to be as I said working hard all day today. We're going to continue to do everything we can to get people out to vote in the upcoming contests tomorrow. I'll have something to say tomorrow night. But I look forward to campaigning with the president and everyone else because as I said in San Diego last week, I think that Donald Trump is unqualified to be president. And he is temperamentally unfit to be commander in chief and I believe that with all my heart and even if I weren't running, even if I were not about to become the nominee, I would be making the case against Donald Trump. And I will not stop making the case because I love this country. This country has been an extraordinary blessing to generations of Americans. We have fought through a lot of our problems and our challenges. We have moved forward toward a more perfect union. I will not let someone that traffics in bigotry and bullying become president of the United States. That will not happen.

(APPLAUSE)

(CHEERING)

[14:40:30] BALDWIN: OK. Let's underscore a note of Hillary Clinton to steal a line of Brian Stelter sitting here. Eight years ago tomorrow, when Hillary Clinton bowed out of the race with then-Senator Obama. And look at where she's positioned to be potentially making history in just about 24 hours from now. Although Bernie Sanders is saying, hang on a second.

Let's talk about both of them here on the Democratic side of the presidential race, and bring in CNN senior Washington correspondent, Jeff Zeleny, who was at that Sanders event; and also with us national political reporter; Maeve Reston, in Los Angeles; and CNN political analyst, David Gregory, host of the David Gregory podcast.

And let you know that David's wife, Beth, is the lawyer for several Clinton aides in the Clinton e-mail investigation. Just total transparency there.

And Brian Stelter here with me, CNN senior media correspondent and host of "Reliable Sources."

There's a lot to walk through, even seeing both of their faces up at the screen at the same time before the huge day and in politics.

Jeff Zeleny, first to you.

You were in the room listening and asking a question of Senator Sanders. Let's ask about the point and repudiating Donald Trump's comments on the judge. What did you make of what he was saying about, you know, again, the super delegates, on top of your reporting of a presidential endorsement looming?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Argument here he needs to win California. Indeed he does. If Hillary Clinton wins in California, this pours cold water on the attempt, the argument to make the fight to the convention. I was struck by him leaving the door open to the possibility of reassessing after the votes tomorrow. Yes, he said he believes that, you know, Democrats must do everything to keep Donald Trump from winning the White House. I asked him if he would consider himself a spoiler. He said, look, let's wait until after tomorrow. I'm getting a sense here -- he didn't go hard after his rival in this press conference. He didn't --

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Mentioned her once? Maybe?

ZELENY: The thing that his supporters are raising, yeah. So, Brooke, I think campaigns wind down slowly and we don't know what he'll do after tomorrow and let's see how the final six states vote and I remember that when Hillary Clinton gave that speech and didn't wind down the day after were three long days in the week, Wednesday, thursday and into Friday. Her supporters wanted her to go on. She finally made the decision to step back so this is a process. Brooke, I've covered Senator Sanders throughout this whole scam pain. Spent a lot of time with him and Secretary Clinton and got a sense today, seeing his body language, after tomorrow I think Wednesday may be a new day for him. The challenge is reconciling that with his supporters. That's the challenge.

BALDWIN: Right. Just as Hillary Clinton did eight years ago.

Go ahead, Maeve.

MAEVE RESTON, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: I was going to say that to Jeff's point, the tone of that press conference just now with Bernie Sanders was so different than the tone on Saturday when he had a press conference here in Little Tokyo. He was completely defiant. You know, going through all the super delegate numbers, making the case why he was much stronger candidate against Donald Trump than Hillary Clinton. So this is very different than the body language we were seeing on the campaign trail during the weekend. Of, you know, potential Obama endorsement, as Jeff is reporting, is really getting to him at this point.

BALDWIN: David Gregory, you know, also, you watch Senator Sanders. I was listening carefully, too, to Senator Clinton choosing the words carefully and not any victory laps ahead of California and beyond but, you know, she did say, you know, this has been a journey. What did you make of the two of them listening?

DAVID GREGORY, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I think this is an important moment. This is a real shift that's going on now in the Democratic primary. I think Jeff is exactly right. From Senator Sanders, you have the signaling that he is preparing to wind down. He deserves some room here to take that time. He's won a lot. He has a great deal of support and influence within the Democratic Party. He, just like Hillary Clinton need back in 2008, will take at time to assess and to get to the point where he can endorse Hillary Clinton. But he's not going to do it before California. He is running tight there.

[14:45:10] BALDWIN: Of course.

GREGORY: Why would he do that? He'll make the argument to get the voters out and perhaps win and if he wins he'll continue to make the case to super delegates. I don't think he thinks that he can prevail there but take it this far and no reason to see it through.

There is more pressure. Harry Reid, the leader of the Democrats, calling him, urging him to step aside. President Obama's now making it known through leaks he is about to put his thumb on the scale here where he's been quite restrained up until now. There is a sense here among the leaders of the Democratic Party, the president being at the top, that it's time to get unified and take on Donald Trump.

This is a particularly scary moment for Democrats who feel that anything can happen in November and it's time, as the president said in the last couple, of days to act like they're running scared all the time. And so he's going to I think put pressure here on greater unity. I think, as Sanders said, he'll take stock, see how he does in California, and then we could see things move very quickly.

BALDWIN: We'll talk about a potential unity moment here in a second.

Brian Stelter, you noted it was a month since Hillary Clinton held a press gaggle.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT & CNN HOST, RELIABLE SOURCES: Right.

BALDWIN: Months and months for the news conference. What did you make after that?

STELTER: Not a coincidence. Taking questions same moment as Senator Sanders. I do think it's noteworthy the way Sanders opening the door here and reporters some breathing room, supporters the opportunity to stand down some of the rhetoric heading into Tuesday and noteworthy the questions of Clinton. Repeatedly about the historic nature of two tomorrow night. Sanders is overshadowing a milestone for the country. Republican or Democrat or libertarian or from mars or whatever, it is notable of a female nominee of a major party. She is having a big victory rally here in New York tomorrow night. So she's going to have a party tomorrow night. And the questions of reporters were about the historic milestone. I think perhaps give her some more room to talk about that tomorrow night. It's an acknowledgment that we should not overlook what is going to happen tomorrow night for the history of this country.

BALDWIN: Quickly, Jeff Zeleny, let's follow up with you on your reporting of what do we know about President Obama and Hillary Clinton meeting and whether or not, depending on what happens in California, and though Sanders didn't join them in a public moment, that's not going to stop the president from getting out and about with her.

ZELENY: No doubt about it. Regardless of the outcome here in California or New Jersey or four other states voting tomorrow, President Obama is poised to jump into the race, come in off the sidelines. I'm told he will not meet directly or appear publicly. On Wednesday, he will be in a New York City. And look for him to make comments at the Democratic fundraiser he's speaking at on Wednesday. He knows where the race is going.

And, Brooke, to be fair here, he's been on the sidelines but he's tipped his thumb on the scales a few times. She is the former secretary of state and winning in delegates. We know what he's going to do, and not when. I'm told it could come as early as Wednesday, and then he'll appear with her later on here. But, you know, we see where this is going. This happens at the end of every campaign. You can almost feel the shift.

But as David said earlier, we should give Senator Sanders his due. He's won 20 states in this, 10 million votes. This is a process here that I think we're nearing the end of. But, you know, let's see how California goes.

(CROSSTALK)

STELTER: You wonder, will Sanders come on stage with Obama and Clinton.

BALDWIN: Right.

Go ahead, David, quickly.

GREGORY: It is important to point out there's a rush to get the president involved. Not just because he can affect party unity, in the position with Hillary Clinton in 2008, but over 50 percent public approval. Hillary Clinton wants to put him to work.

(CROSSTALK)

GREGORY: -- to get out there and start campaigning. He can be very effective. He is a 50, 51 percent says something about party identification in the country and what she can trail off of between now and November.

BALDWIN: Great point.

David Gregory, Jeff Zeleny, Maeve Reston --

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Quickly, Maeve.

RESTON: This is going to be no easy task for Hillary Clinton to unify the party, particularly those die-hard Bernie Sanders supporters. We interviewed lots of them this weekend. Many of them, as Jeff reporting --

BALDWIN: Won't give up.

RESTON: -- they're going Green, or going to write him in this November. And she's got a huge task ahead of her.

BALDWIN: Going to be a very, very, very, very big week.

Thank you all so much. Maeve and Brian Stelter as well. I appreciate it. The shift is happening, or so it feels. Just ahead here -- thank you.

Just ahead, Republicans growing more and more nervous about Donald Trump after new additional insults towards that California judge. We'll talk about race in this campaign.

[14:50:00] Plus, what is it like to be the daughter of a legend? Muhammad Ali's daughter will join me to share their memories and the final moments her family spent with their dad. Stay here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Tributes still pouring in for the legendary Muhammad Ali. The undisputed heavyweight champion, passed away Friday after a decades long battle with Parkinson's disease. His body arrived in hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, the final resting place. Public funeral process and memorial is set for this coming Friday. A lot of names, President Bill Clinton will be there, Bryant Gumble, Billy Crystal, all expected to speak. At the local museum, named after the champ, there are celebratory tributes. Fans remember him as a humanitarian, an ambassador of activism.

And of course, Ali's children remember him as a family man. They graciously shared him with us, with the rest of the world.

One his daughter, Rasheda Ali, after her father passed, tweeted, "The greatest man that ever lived. Daddy, my best friend and my hero, you are no longer suffering and now in a better place." And Rasheda joins me live.

Thank you so much for sharing yourself with us.

Of course, my condolences to you and your family.

[14:55:43] RASHEDA ALI, DAUGHTER OF MUHAMMAD ALI: Thank you so much for having me. We're still kind of broken up. It is just really just -- I can't believe a world without my dad. It is just really unfathomable. But I'm so deeply grateful for the global impact that my dad realized until after his passing. I'm so deeply grateful that people reached out and been so supportive and loving and all the well wishes and prayers and so thank you all for all of your support and prayers for my dad because he's really, really loving it right now.

BALDWIN: Thank you for passing along your gratitude. There's a lot of it to go around.

Let me ask you, I read about an extraordinary detail your sister mentioned that after, you know, your father passed, his organs, all, you know, shut down except for his heart, did I hear this correctly? For 30 minutes it continued to beat?

ALI: My dad's a beast. OK? So first of all, I have to say that my dad is like no other. I don't know anyone stronger than him. I think that's why we're so strong. He is strong for us. First I have to say that part of his magic is that he exemplifies six core values that he has really shown throughout his personal and professional career. And that is, you know, charity, confidence, respect, spirituality, conviction. These core values is what he wants to pass on to the next generation which is why he opened up the Muhammad Ali center. I parade him in creating the museum because people are learning not about Ali the boxer but the man and Muhammad Ali the spirit. So Thursday when I found out about my dad and, you know, he took a turn for the worst. We raced here as fast as we could. I walked into the room. I said, Daddy, you're young. You're handsome. You're fast. You're pretty. And can't possibly be beat. And I says, and you're going to beat this. I said, if you don't, because he's been battling this for a long time, I said if Allah is going to carry you home today, Daddy, I said, I promise you your kids and your grand kids will carry on your legacy of giving and love. I mean, I will continue to be an ambassador for Parkinson's and help people with the disease and my kids will continue to live in your legacy. So I told him, I says, Daddy, when all the machines was off, and all of -- we were waiting for a little -- my little brother, little Muhammad, we were all there, all his grand kids and kids were surrounding him, with so much love and we were giving him kisses, me and my twin on each side of the cheek, telling stories, it was the most beautiful moment I've ever seen. We were crying, we were laughing. The imam was there reciting Islamic prayers. It couldn't have been a more perfect setting and when that all happened, my dad stuck around a little bit longer because he loved what he was seeing, all of us, what a blessed man. It was the most beautiful moment. And in his transition, prayers was illuminating. I told Daddy. I says, Daddy, you are causing quite a stir in this world right now. He's loving every minute of it. I know he is smiling because this is what he wanted, to be loved and respected. Not just from his family but from all over the world. I told him that on his way out.

BALDWIN: Extraordinary. It's extraordinary. Before you go, Rasheda, do you have a favorite day, a favorite day on this planet with your dad?

ALI: Oh my god. There's so many! I don't know where to start. First of all, my dad was so full of love and joy. But I think my most

cherished moment with him was when we would Facetime each other, because I couldn't always be there. But we would Facetime each other.