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Interview With New York Congressman Steve Israel; Hillary Clinton Delivers Address on Economy. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired June 22, 2016 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:02]

HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In fact, every program I have proposed in this campaign, I tell you how I will pay for it.

Now, Donald Trump and I disagree on a lot of things, and one of them is simple math.

(LAUGHTER)

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

CLINTON: And, finally, here's our fifth goal. Let's put families first and make sure our policies match how you actually work and live in the 21st century.

Families look a lot different today than they did 30 years ago, and so do our jobs. The movement of women into the work force has produced enormous economic growth over the past few decades.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

CLINTON: But with women now the sole or primary breadwinner in a growing number of families, there's more urgency than ever to make it easier for Americans to be good workers, good parents and good caregivers all at the same time.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

CLINTON: The old model of work where you could expect to hold a steady job with good benefits for an entire career is long gone.

People in their 20s and 30s have come of age in an economy that's totally different, and a lot of young parents are discovering just how tough that is on families. Many people now have wildly unpredictable schedules, or they cobble together part-time work, or they have tried to go independent.

Now, flexibility can be good, but you shouldn't have to worry that your family could lose your health care other retirement savings just because you change jobs or start a small business.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

CLINTON: Why do you think every other...

AUDIENCE: Hillary! Hillary! Hillary! Hillary! Hillary! Hillary! Hillary!

CLINTON: I have to ask, why do you think every other advanced country has paid family leave? Do you think they're just unrealistic, or do you think that they have figured out they can have a stabler economy, they can support families?

And that's what I want us to do. Working families need predictable scheduling, earned sick days and vacation days, quality affordable child care and health care. These are not luxuries. They're economic necessities. And in today's economy, benefits should be flexible, portable and comprehensive for everyone.

And that means it's time to expand Social Security as well.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

CLINTON: Especially, especially for older women who are widowed or have taken time out of the work force to care for a loved one and who are suffering financially because of that.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

CLINTON: We need to look for a secure retirement for everyone and to provide families relief from crushing costs in health care, housing, prescription drugs.

You know, I looked at the numbers. In some states, two parents earning the minimum wage have to spend up to 35 percent of their income on child care. For a single parent, it could be to 70 percent. So, I have set a goal. Families should not have to pay more than 10 percent of your income for child care.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

CLINTON: And I will repeat today what I have said throughout this campaign. I will not raise taxes on the middle class.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

CLINTON: I will give you tax relief to help ease these burdens.

And whenever I talk about these family issues, Donald Trump says I'm playing the woman card, right?

(LAUGHTER)

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

CLINTON: Well, you know what I say. If fighting for child care, paid leave and equal pay is playing the woman card, then deal me in.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) CLINTON: Now, look, here's what I want you to understand. It may be difficult to imagine all this getting done when Washington is so broken. I get that.

But I really think progress is possible, or I would not be standing up here running to be president of the United States.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

CLINTON: I know Republicans and Democrats can work together, because I have done it. As you heard Alicia say, I helped create the Children's Health Insurance Program when I was first lady. That happened with support from both parties.

And it now covers eight million kids. And when you go to get health care for your child, nobody says, are you a Republican or a Democrat? They say, what does your child need?

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

[15:05:10]

CLINTON: I worked with Republicans many times when I was a senator from New York and as secretary of state, so I know we can get results that will make real differences in people's lives.

I know, however, that it's rare. There's no question we need to make Washington work much better than it does today. And that means, in particular, getting unaccountable money out of our politics.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

CLINTON: One of the reasons this election is so important is because the Supreme Court hangs in the balance.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

CLINTON: We need to overturn that terrible Supreme Court decision Citizens United, and then reform our whole campaign finance system.

This is about our democracy, but it's also about our economy. Campaign finance reform and reducing the power of special interests is directly related to getting Washington working for people again, making the right investments, putting your jobs and economic security first.

That's why I'm passionate about this issue, and I will fight hard to end the stranglehold that the wealthy and special interests have on so much of our government.

So, let's do this together, an historic investment in jobs, debt-free college, profit-sharing, making those at the top pay their fair share, putting families first in our modern economy, and a democracy where working people's voices are actually heard.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) CLINTON: That is what we are fighting for in this election.

As I said -- as I said during the primary, I am a progressive who likes to get things done, and we can do this.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

CLINTON: Now, just for a minute, compare what I am proposing to what we hear from Donald Trump.

(LAUGHTER)

CLINTON: The self-proclaimed king of debt has no real ideas for making college more affordable or addressing the student debt crisis.

He has no credible plan for rebuilding our infrastructure, apart from his wall.

(LAUGHTER)

CLINTON: He has no real strategy for creating jobs, just a string of empty promises. And maybe we shouldn't expect better from someone whose most famous words are, "You're fired."

Well, here's what I want you to know. I do have a jobs program, and, as president, I'm going to make sure that you hear, you're hired.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

CLINTON: And here's the bottom line.

Economists left, right and center all agree Donald Trump will drive America back into recession. Just this week, one of Senator John McCain's former economic advisers said Trump's policies would wipe out, wipe out, 3.5 million jobs.

His tax cuts tilted toward the wealthy would add more than $30 trillion to our national debt over the next 20 years. That is just astonishing. And it's no wonder that a group called the Economist Intelligence Unit, one of the leading firms that analyzes the top threats to the global economy, now ranks a Trump presidency number three, right behind problems in China and volatility in the commodities markets.

(LAUGHTER)

CLINTON: Now, look, I know, Donald hates it when anyone points out how hollow his sales pitch really is.

And I guess my speech yesterday must have gotten under his skin, because, right away, he lashed out on Twitter with outlandish lies and conspiracy theories. And he did the same in his speech today.

Now, think about it. He's going after me personally because he has no answers on the substance.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

[15:10:03]

CLINTON: In fact, in fact, he doubled down on being the king of debt.

So, all he can do is try to distract us. That's even why he's attacking my faith. Sigh.

(LAUGHTER)

CLINTON: And, of course, attacking a philanthropic foundation that saves and improves lives around the world. It's no surprise he doesn't understand these things.

The Clinton Foundation helps poor people around the world get access to lifesaving AIDS medicine.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

CLINTON: Donald Trump uses poor people around the world to produce his line of suits and ties.

Here in North Carolina, you know as well as anyone our economy is already too unpredictable for working families. We can't let Donald Trump bankrupt America, the way he bankrupted his casinos.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

CLINTON: We need to write a new chapter in the American dream, and it can't be Chapter 11.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

CLINTON: So, please join me in this campaign. I'm offering a very different vision about how we're stronger together when we grow together. We're stronger when our economy works for everyone, not just those at the top.

I am convinced that, if we work hard, if we go into November with the confidence and optimism that should be the American birthright, we will not only win an election. We will chart the course to the future that we want and deserve!

Thank you, and God bless you!

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Let's stay on these pictures here.

But, as we're looking at Hillary Clinton speaking there in Raleigh, North Carolina, 50 solid minutes, just in the last couple of minutes taking Trump to task on his speech earlier today, where he attacked Clinton every which way.

This was really obviously a speech on economy, but she counterpunched back.

I have got David Chalian and Gloria Borger. And I just want to have a quick chat about this before we move on to Donald Trump this morning.

On the economy, I even noted "we Methodists" jab to Trump as he was questioning her faith.

But what about just the last few minutes there?

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes, you know, for the bulk of this speech, it was almost like primary season all over again. It was back to her bread and butter nomination season speech and policies on the economy, but she clearly tacked on at the very end here...

BALDWIN: Oh, by the way, addendum, and then...

(CROSSTALK)

CHALIAN: I'm aware of what happened today. And Donald Trump -- she said -- I thought this was an interesting new line, because she normally says, I'm not going not going to respond when he attacks me personally, and now she turned that and she said, he attacks me personally because he doesn't have the substance, the answers on the substance.

That's different than not responding. That is a response now from her on these personal attacks. It's a deflection, but it's trying to respond that way. And then, of course, you heard her defend the Clinton Foundation.

BALDWIN: The foundation.

GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, and we saw that during this speech, Trump tweeted, right, and his tweet was talking about how he is change and she is not.

BALDWIN: And hashtag #Imwithyou, right?

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Was the big line from earlier today.

BORGER: But as he said in his speech earlier today, I mean, this is -- not only are they going after crooked Hillary and inept Hillary, which is what we spoke about today, but it is now old and tired Hillary, as he said earlier today.

And Trump is trying to portray himself as the agent of change, the outsider, and Hillary Clinton is just more of the same.

BALDWIN: Let's get to that. Let's get to that. In case you missed it, he spoke 40 minutes today. Here was Donald Trump speaking from his hotel in Lower Manhattan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The temperament and the judgment and the competence to lead our country. She should not be president under any circumstances. (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: Hillary Clinton gave China millions of jobs, our best jobs and effectively let China completely rebuild itself. In return, Hillary Clinton got rich.

The book "Clinton Cash" by Peter Schweizer documents how Bill and Hillary used the State Department to enrich their family in America's and at America's expense. She gets rich making you poor.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

It's not just our economy that's been corrupted, but our foreign policy too. The Hillary Clinton foreign policy has cost America thousands of lives and trillions and trillions of dollars and unleashed ISIS across the world. No secretary of state been more wrong, more often and in more places than Hillary Clinton.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

[15:15:14]

TRUMP: Her decisions spread death, destruction and terrorism everywhere she touched.

Hillary Clinton may be the most corrupt person ever to seek the presidency of the United States.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: He was much more measured today. He used the Teleprompter, Gloria Borger.

I think one line I heard earlier from one of our commentators saying it almost seemed like Paul Ryan hijacked the Teleprompter, right? This is the speech that Republicans wanted.

BORGER: Right.

Well, it was his tone that was different, but he just called her corrupt.

BALDWIN: Called her a liar multiple times.

BORGER: And a liar. So, you know, the tone was different.

The language in the speech was quite strong, and what he was trying to do also was have kind of a broader appeal here, to use -- to go to the sweet spots for the Republican Party, where they want to branch out, you know, to talk about judges, for example.

He didn't talk about mass deportation today. He didn't talk about his Muslim ban, for example. This was all about Hillary Clinton and characterizing her and identifying her and portraying her the way he wants to portray her in the presidential campaign, in a way that can get Republicans to unify behind him.

BALDWIN: And to write some checks.

(CROSSTALK)

CHALIAN: And perhaps persuade some independents as well.

BALDWIN: Yes. Yes.

BORGER: And persuade some doubtful independents, which is why he was also populist, which would appeal to them, too.

CHALIAN: Yes, because it really was -- both things were being accomplished by Donald Trump today. One was exactly what you were saying, Brooke. This is the speech Republicans have been longing for, because there's nothing that unifies the Republican Party more than taking it directly to Hillary Clinton.

That's what they want. Stop taking it to Judge Curiel. Stop taking it to just women. Stop just -- and focus on who our political combatant is here, and that's Hillary Clinton. So, that's one.

BALDWIN: Right.

CHALIAN: And he did that, and he did that in a way that's clearly going to make them feel better. Remember, this comes on top of changing his campaign staff, getting rid of his campaign manager, putting in this rapid-response operation, and getting a more traditional, if you will, conventional, if you will, not words we normally associate with Donald Trump, campaign operation in place.

So that's happening, but, two, this negative frame. Everything from now through November, he wants to argue through this frame of Hillary Clinton as unethical and untrustworthy, just like everything she wants to argue from now to November is through a frame of, he doesn't have the temperament to do the job.

BALDWIN: So, that setup, through that filter, let me ask you two lovely people in purple to stand by, because we do have more breaking news, this extraordinary moment on Capitol Hill today.

I know we were talking about it earlier this, this iconic voice in America's civil rights movement, Georgia Congressman John Lewis, demanding Republicans allow a vote on gun control legislation. They want this up-down vote. And he had backup.

I mean, you have seen some of these pictures here. We're talking dozens and dozens of Democratic colleagues flooding the House floor, the well, and staging this sit-in, which, by the way, is still going on as I speak. They are angry. They are angry about the gun violence that's sweeping our nation 10 days after the bloodshed at that gay Orlando nightclub.

Congressman Lewis delivering an impassioned speech this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REP. JOHN LEWIS (D), GEORGIA: Mr. Speaker, I would ask that all of my colleagues join me on the floor.

I wondered, what would bring this body to take action? What would finally make Congress do what is right, what is just, what the people of this country have been demanding, and what is long overdue?

We have lost hundreds and thousands of innocent people to gun violence, tiny little children. We can no longer wait. We can no longer be patient. So, today, we come to the well of the House to dramatize the need for action, not next month, not next year, but now, today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Well, that prompted a response from the president of the United States via Twitter.

And you see it here. "Thank you, John Lewis, for leading on gun violence where we need it most."

Joining me now from Capitol Hill, New York Congressman Steve Israel.

Congressman Israel, thank you so much for joining me.

REP. STEVE ISRAEL (D), NEW YORK: Thank you. Thanks for having me on.

BALDWIN: I understand, you know, some of your colleagues can't leave the well because, if they do, they won't be allowed back in. Can you just tell me why you're doing this?

ISRAEL: Well, this is a historic moment.

I'm not aware of any sit-in that's ever occurred in the House of Representatives, and we're doing it because we're just sick and tired of watching American citizens get slaughtered, get mowed down by gun violence, and having the response from Congress be another moment of silence.

[15:20:02]

Silence isn't working. We have had too many moments of silence. Since Orlando, 300 Americans have been killed by gun violence. We want something done. And the Republicans can end this sit-in within five minutes from now. All they have to do is just let us vote. We just want to vote on one commonsense measure that says that if you're on the terrorist watch list and you can't get on a plane, you shouldn't be able to buy a gun.

Just give us that vote, and then we will end the sit-in.

BALDWIN: They are extraordinary pictures. I, too, wondered when the last time was that this happened.

I defer to my colleague who covers you all on the Hill, Manu Raju, who said it did happen under Leader Pelosi. Only, it was Republicans staging a sit-in and I believe he told the Democrats have turned the lights off. I don't think that that has happened yet here, but when we talk about, I mean, what really stopped me, Congressman Israel, was watching John Lewis, a man, you know, who marched with Dr. King, played an integral role in race equality.

And now you see him literally sitting with your colleagues on the floor. What does that image say to you?

ISRAEL: Well, this is in fact a civil rights movement.

As John knows, as people like Bobby Rush know, the right to be able to go to a school without being shot, the right to be able to go to a nightclub without being killed, that is a civil right. And so in many respects, this is a new form of civil rights protest, and it's just remarkable that we have somebody like John Lewis leading us in that.

I will also say the Republicans may not have shut the lights off, but they shut the microphones off, and they stopped the public from going into the public gallery to watch this until we protested that.

Why did they do that? Because they know that 85 percent of the American people agree with Democrats on the issue of gun violence, and the less the American people know, the Republican leadership argues, the better it is for the Republican leadership.

BALDWIN: What about Republicans, though, who say Democrats are spending too much time on gun control, when you should be spending time on keeping terrorists out of this country, stopping the self- radicalization? What would you say to them?

ISRAEL: Guess what? We can do both. We get pretty good salaries here on Capitol Hill. We can protect our national security and we can protect our local security and our community security. It's a false argument.

The most important thing we have to do as members of Congress is to protect and defend, and that means protecting and defending people from gun violence by saying, if you're a suspected terrorist, you don't get a gun, and protecting and defending the United States from terrorists abroad. We can do both of those things.

BALDWIN: Have you heard anything from Speaker Ryan? I mean, how long are you all planning to be there?

ISRAEL: We -- no, look, I can't tell you when this will end. This was actually very spontaneous. This was not pre-planned, pre- organized. This is -- it's spontaneous outrage by my colleagues and myself.

And I can't tell when you it's going to end. Speaker Ryan would know. And the answer is, when he gives us a vote. We just got a whip notice just a few minutes ago saying that they anticipate having votes as soon as possible. We will see what that means.

BALDWIN: Just quickly, I just saw a note that your colleague Keith Ellison, Congressman Ellison, received a note from his mother to tell him to go sit on that floor with you all. Do you know anything about that?

ISRAEL: You know, I was not on the floor when Congressman Ellison got that.

BALDWIN: OK.

ISRAEL: But I have been getting a ton of e-mails from people saying, stay there. Don't leave until you get this vote.

BALDWIN: OK. OK. Congressman Steve Israel, thank you so much. I appreciate your voice.

We're listening to Democrats. We're listening to Republicans. We will talk to a Republican senator and check what's happening on that side of Capitol Hill coming up here.

Also, as we have been discussing, both speeches now, both Donald Trump this morning and Hillary Clinton just now, both of which we took live, we need fact checks on both sides. We will do that for you coming up.

You're watching CNN's special live coverage. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:27:59]

BALDWIN: Welcome back. Thanks for being with me. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

Donald Trump's speech this morning railing against Hillary Clinton may have been convincing, but how much of it was factually correct? What about her speech that we took just moments ago in North Carolina?

CNN's reality check team is working hard behind the scenes.

Tom Foreman is here with that.

Tom, talk to me. What did you find?

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, both of them kept our reality check team very, very busy.

One of Hillary Clinton's chief claims is that people do better economically under Democrats than they do under Republicans, and she particularly likes to say that African-Americans did better when her husband was president. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: You know, it's not by accident that the unemployment rate now among black Americans is twice as high as among whites. Back in the '90s, we were closing that gap.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOREMAN: Well, here's the problem with that statement. Look at this chart. This shows it from way back in the '70s. The unemployment rate among African-Americans has almost always been twice as high as that of whites in this country, sometimes a little bit less, sometimes a little bit more, but it's never really moved a whole lot.

What we're experiencing right now is not unusual, even if it's something that's very unfortunate and unliked. Look at the 1990s in here. Any evidence there of it substantially closing? Well, maybe a little bit here, but not here, and not here, so if you look at it all together, yes, the economy got better in the 1990s generally and everyone did better, but African-Americans did not close the gap substantially on white Americans.

Her claim about this is just plain false. Donald Trump, meanwhile, earlier in the day went after her on a subject that Bernie Sanders has liked a lot, those speeches she gave after she left the secretary of state's office.

Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: She made $21.6 million giving speeches to Wall Street banks and other special interests and in less than two years, secret speeches that she does not want to reveal under any circumstances to the public.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOREMAN: That is a whopping number, but let's look at how we have analyzed it here at CNN.