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Gold Medalist Skipping Olympics over Zika; Trump to Supporters: Attack Journalists on Judge Comments; Senators McConnell, Reid Agree on Trump. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired June 07, 2016 - 14:30   ET

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

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[14:34:21] BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: We are watching a growing ripple effect of the Zika Virus as the U.S. gears up for Brazil. NBC's Savannah Guthrie said she won't be going to Rio because she's pregnant. She was set to help anchor the coverage of the games. That announcement comes days after Cyclist Tejay van Garderen became the first American to pull out over concerns of Zika. He talked to us here at CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TEJAY VAN GARDEREN, OLYMPIC CYCLIST: Honestly, if my wife wasn't pregnant right now, I would be going to Rio. The biggest concern is for the baby on the way. And so I would never tell any athlete who's worked tirelessly off for four years not to go to the games.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: NBA star, Steph Curry, meantime, says he won't be going, and cited injury and other factors without mentioning Zika.

But one former athlete that won gold for Team USA 12 years ago said the virus will keep her from making the trip south, tweeting, "Sad not to be going to Brazil because of Zika but we're trying to start a family. I had to make the decision to protect myself."

Carly Patterson is joining me now.

Carly, nice to see you.

[14:35:31] CARLY PATTERSON, FORMER OLYMPIC ATHLETE: Hi.

I remember watching you in Athens back 12 years ago. Can you talk to me about how tough of a decision this was for you?

PATTERSON: Yeah, you know, it is hard to be an Olympic champion and not go to the games and kind of enjoy it in another capacity and be there supporting the teammates and your sport. And, you know what? It was just an unfortunate decision that I had to make to, you know, me and my husband wanting to start a family and that being more important and the health of us being more important.

BALDWIN: You were supposed to go down and serve as a gymnastics ambassador. Was it a conversation that you had with your doctor? Was it really the conversation you had with your husband that ultimately determined your not traveling? What was it?

PATTERSON: It was actually all of the above. So when I talked to my doctor and said we want to start a family, but, you know, the Zika stuff just started coming out. She said I highly, strongly stay do not go to Rio wanting to go down this route. And also, had to have that conversation with my husband about when's most important to hi put this on hold or go ahead? Three weeks out of the life and so it's just kind of -- this was more important. Like I said, the health factor and just the not knowing of what maybe future things could happen if you do contract Zika. And it's just a scary subject definitely I had to talk with everyone, had to talk with the president of USA gymnastics and I couldn't go and be an ambassador for the sport and like I said a sad decision and most important one and smartest one for our family.

BALDWIN: You know, for you, and I imagine you know what it's like to live your dream and to go to the Olympics, and for athletes really having to have a "come to Jesus," if you will, over whether or not they want to go.

PATTERSON: Yeah.

BALDWIN: I want to ask you about that in a second, but something that stuck with me for 24 hours as correspondent in Rio, Nick Paton Walsh, did showing these little babies. This is the real life implication of the Zika Virus in Brazil. Look at a piece of this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): It was when he is born and facing the other people in the hospital, seeing their expressions, seeing and accepting the difference, for me, that was the hardest phase.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Just wanted to remind Americans who don't know really, haven't comprehended the story of it, that's it, the little children. Put yourself in their shoes.

For these athletes, Carly, it is a dream to compete in the Olympics. What kind of call would you have made 12 years ago?

PATTERSON: Gosh, you know, I think at least for the gymnastics part, we are a lot younger and, you know, I think like the cyclist said, if I wasn't in this stage of my life and wasn't the age I'm at and wanting to start a family right now, I would probably be going, as well. And just trying to take as much precaution as possible while I was down there and definitely I can't imagine the decision that these athletes that are the age that I'm in right now and maybe wanting to come back from the Olympics and start a family and I can't imagine making that decision. Olympics only come four years and so difficult and I feel for them and totally relate and so, it's definitely a personal decision. BALDWIN: OK. Carly Patterson, thank you for your time and good luck

on the family end.

PATTERSON: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Thank you.

Coming up next, we have more breaking news and a wild day for the race for president after House Speaker Paul Ryan calls Donald Trump's insults on a judge racist, "textbook racism," both leaders of the Senate, both parties, now slamming Donald Trump, as well. Their comments just in, next.

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[14:43:33] BALDWIN: Turmoil in the Trump campaign after someone leaked details of a conference call of Donald Trump and surrogates reportedly urging them to defend the attacks on federal judge, Gonzalo Curiel. Trump has said his Mexican heritage makes him biased to oversee the lawsuit against Trump University, and he told the supporters of his, if the journalists ask him about it, go after them.

Phil Mattingly on the conference for us.

Tell me about the call and what you know about the leak.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The call itself, Brooke, high- level surrogates and staffers with Donald Trump, people like former Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, former Governor Scott Brown, and other surrogates you see out talking on a regular basis. And one of the issues brought up on this call was, how are we supposed to respond to this issue, these attacks on the judge which Donald Trump has faced no shortage of criticism not just in the media but the Republican party on a whole. And Donald Trump says he believes he's wrongly maligned here and he needs help getting the message, his side of this out, and told his surrogates and top staffers to continue on that point.

An interesting element here is, just the day before, a memo had gone out saying, look, this is an issue for the Trump organization, not the campaign. If you're a surrogate and you're asked about this, defer it to the Trump organization.

If you think about this case, specifically, Brooke, it makes sense. Why on a Trump organization issue would the campaign be forced to deal with this on a regular basis, or why would they want to. This is a legal issue. You want lawyers talking about this. Well, Donald Trump did not know about the memo. He made very clear he did not appreciate the memo, and told people on the call to disregard the memo. So there are a lot of issues right here at the Trump campaign is dealing with. And one is it doesn't appear, one, that everybody's on the same page and, two, that somebody got out in front of Donald Trump on this issue. And when you talk to people who know Donald Trump and people within the campaign, one of the cardinal sins is getting out in front of Donald Trump -- Brooke?

[14:45:30] BALDWIN: OK. Phil Mattingly, wow. Thank you so much on the reporting on the call.

Let's bring in senior media correspondent, host of "Reliable Sources," Brian Seltzer; and media critic for "The Baltimore Sun," David Zurawik.

Your take aways?

Brian, let me bring you in first.

I think Phil was being nice, saying, repudiating the memo, letter. What does that say about how he's talking to staff and the disconnection?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT & CNN HOST, RELIABLE SOURCES: Proof that Trump is his own best publicist and maybe doesn't want anyone involved in his own P.R. He's his own producer and publicist and basically producing a Trump show. Visiting campaign headquarters, the space is raw, the space is unfinished and half empty. There's not a lot of staffers there. It's essentially just the man himself and a few people that are close to him that he trusts. Clearly, as the campaign tries to grow, expand, he is having a hard time with that.

BALDWIN: One sense, David, you could say kudos for him, taking control and micromanaging, perhaps not aware of everything, if he's not aware of the memo, for example, but supporters are saying, you know, stop saying that. It just sounds to me like Donald Trump isn't -- is he not listening?

DAVID ZURAWIK, MEDIA CRITIC, THE BALTIMORE SUN: Well, that's part of it. You know, part of it, also, is the reports he said go after the reporters. Go after the people asking this question.

BALDWIN: That's right.

ZURAWIK: Which is really shocking to me in a way because it's one of the times, you know, I've thought Trump has been pretty savvy with the media. This is just really stupid. How could you go after Jake Tapper, say, last Friday, in that brilliant interview that Tapper did when he said, by the way, is this not the definition of racism, what you said? Also, you can see the importance of a journalist framing that debate. Today, you heard the speaker of the House essentially mimicking --

BALDWIN: Textbook racism.

ZURAWIK: -- what Tapper said. That's how we frame the debate when we do our job. And Trump will say, oh, I'm going to attack you now. That isn't going to play well. I'm so surprised. I think this is usually when I'm on talking about Trump on a roll with the media. This is a reverse roll since about last Tuesday doing that press conference.

BALDWIN: That's the last time we talked, David. Yes. Yes. Here we are again. Let's be precise for people. Not only attack journalists, what he said on the call, you know, attack the people asking the questions, those are the racists, meaning this group.

ZURAWIK: Yes.

BALDWIN: I would go at him. I'd let them have it.

ZURAWIK: You know, I'll tell you, Brooke. That's even worse because when you start using calling somebody a racist that way, when you know better, that's one of the reasons as a nation we have such a hard time talking about race and if -- it's one of the major things in this country right now, a conversation we have to have, and when politicians are willing to use it the way these remarks suggest he is willing to use it, that is a dangerous person. That is really a problematic thing. This conference call is troubling stuff about Trump, and it also pushes him off his game, I think.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Off his game. Saying attack journalists. Calls them racist. Also, too, Stelter, the fact that the leak happened, right? Phil said the fact that no one should get out ahead of Trump, someone clearly has. What does that suggest to you?

STELTER: I think it show it is chaos inside both the campaign and the concentric circles beyond the campaign, the core, and then the circles out from it. Karen Finney was here. They have endless numbers of circles, hundreds o4 circles. The staff is small and then the circles around him is small and increasing the surrogates, looking for more people from the party of support, the circles are bigger and bigger and he hasn't said anything since last twee night, not tweeted for 16 hours. Makes me curious what he says tonight. Should talk about the final wins in California and elsewhere. There was talk about maybe being a press conference. Maybe now it's not. Will he take questions of journalists or not? And on this historic moment in the United States history, a female nominee steps to the cameras tonight, will Donald Trump be talking about a judge?

[14:50:04] BALDWIN: Excellent, excellent, excellent case. It's must-see TV, particularly for both parties.

Brian Stelter, David Zurawik, gentlemen, thank you so much --

ZURAWIK: Thanks.

BALDWIN: -- for that chat.

Next, we have more breaking news on this back and forth after the speaker of the House, Paul Ryan, calling the insults on a judge racist. Both leaders of the Senate, from both parties, are now slamming Mr. Trump, as well. Those comments for you just ahead.

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BALDWIN: Just in now, the leaders of both parties in the U.S. Senate agreeing on something, on this rare occasion, it is Donald Trump, and their shared disgust over the remarks about that judge. Here are Leaders McConnell and Reid. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: How are you, in general, the nominee continues to say things that the party has to answer for, and overshadow your agenda, overshadow your ability to hold on to Congress?

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL, (R-KY), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: OK. I'm going to wrap it up with this. Let me say that there are a lot of issues that we ought to be talking about, our nominee ought to be talking about. Senator Thune, Senator Cornyn, Senator Barrasso have all talked about the condition of the economy, the implementation of Obamacare. We have plenty of issues. My advice to the nominee would be to start to talk about the issues that the American people care about and to start doing it now. In addition to that, it's time to quite attacking various people that you competed with or various minority groups in the country and get on message. He has an opportunity to do that. This election is eminently winnable. The American people at their core do not want more four years like the last eight. So I hope that's what he'll do. We are all anxious to hear what he may say next.

[14:55:50] SEN. HARRY REID, (D-NV), SENATE MINORITY LEADER: The Republican leader said that racism is the lesser of two evils. What the other evil is, Secretary Clinton. How outrageous. It's hard to believe that it's consistent with what we have seen from the Senate in years passed, but it's not hard to believe what the Republican Senators have done for seven and a half years. Their insistence on supporting those who make racist comments helped pave the way for Donald Trump.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Wow. So both from Senate majority and minority leaders, McConnell and Reid, there on Donald Trump and his comments.

Also coming up next, also just in, one of Trump's reported running mate options said just he has maybe two, three weeks to right his ship in this campaign. Hear why, and what happens if he doesn't.

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