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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
Campaign Adviser: Trump Dropping Call For Muslim Ban; Warren Stumps With Clinton; U.S Stocks Down Almost 900 Points Since Brexit Vote; Supreme Court Rules On Abortion Access; Supreme Court Strikes Down Texas Abortion Law; Lingering Questions In Orlando Shooting; Falluja "Fully Liberated"; Iraqi Forces Liberate Key City From ISIS Control. Aired 9-10p ET.
Aired June 27, 2016 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[21:02:30] ANDERSON COOPER, CNN AC360 ANCHOR: Welcome back, 9:00 p.m. here in New York. Breaking news tonight from the Trump campaign. The candidate back pedaling on his plan to keep all Muslims out of the country until the things get figured out. This plan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what the hell is going on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Well that was just this past December, since then he's called that plan just a suggestion. He's backed away from banning all Muslims and re-embraced it and backed away. Now it seems to be abandoning it entirely.
There's a lot of spin surrounding the move and as you might imagine a lot of heat as well.
CNN's Sunlen Serfaty has the latest details, joins us now. So, shipping positions on banning Muslims, what do we know about this? When is this being announced? What's the plan?
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well this is a pretty, remarkable and big shift, Anderson, I have to say. You know, we all remember when Donald Trump came out with much fanfare as he said back in December during his primary campaign and announced this, you know, complete and total ban on Muslims coming into the U.S. from other countries. We do know as of now that the Trump campaign as of last weekend were starting to craft changes to their policy and that will take the place in a new memo to be released by the campaign in which they'll make changes to that policy.
We know that Trump will now no longer specifically call for a ban on Muslims coming into the U.S. What this new policy will do is that will call for a ban on all immigrants coming from countries with known links to terrorism and that will include sources tell CNN countries that train and equip terrorist. Now we do not know exactly what countries this will apply to. The Trump campaign has promised more details and specifics as this new policy is being worked through, but certainly it's a big change right now. Anderson?
COOPER: So I mean, one way to look at this just, it's an effort to reboot or kind of stay on script so to speak, as the general election nears.
SERFATY: Yeah, that's right. We have noticed considerable changes to the Trump campaign that recently seeming to try to hit that reset button over and over again, a chance to potentially try to recalibrate, to turn his campaign into something more of a general election campaign. It isn't just in the softening of his policy banning Muslims, but also kind of softening his rhetoric a bit too.
It's been a noticeable shift in the last few days and weeks that he's kind of tamped down some rhetoric when he's talking about immigration reform. For instance, he has no longer -- he no longer features as a main part of his some speeches call to deport all undocumented immigrants.
[21:05:09] So, it certainly, it seems to be a part and parcel with his attempt to reboot and re-image him as a candidate that's more amenable as a general election candidate.
COOPER: And he continues to go after Elizabeth Warren, right?
SERFATY: Yeah, this was very interesting today. We were waiting to see if Trump would take the bait when Elizabeth Warren was out campaigning with Hillary Clinton for the first time today, when they were on the stage together. Of course, Elizabeth Warren holding nothing back when taking on Donald Trump as she likes to do.
At first, Donald Trump sent out a pretty simple tweet staying away from calling Elizabeth Warren his trademark nickname for her Pocahontas. But then later in the day, it really seemed that he could not resist the temptation so to speak. He really came out strongly in an interview today and said look, Elizabeth Warren he says is a racist. She used the fact that she was a Native American he says to advance her career, calling her point-blank a total fraud.
So certainly does seem like Elizabeth Warren is getting and continues to get under his skin. That is something that was notable that Hillary Clinton went out of her way today to stay up there on the stage. I kind of like that she gets under his skin. She knows the role Elizabeth Warren can play for her.
COOPER: All right, Sunlen Serfaty, Sunlen thanks.
Let's bring back the panel. Steven Elmendorf has joins us, Clinton Supporter and John Kerry's Deputy Campaign Manager in 2004. Also Alex Burns who joins us, the National Political Reporter for New York Times. Back with us is Patrick Healey, also at the New York Times along with Trump Supporter Kayleigh McEnany, Conservative Trump Critic, Tara Setmayer and Trump Supporter Joe Borelli. Let's start over on this side and you've worked on a lot of campaigns. Is this just the traditional pivot to a general election for Donald Trump?
STEVEN ELMENDORF, FORMER DEPUTY CAMPAIGN MANAGER JOHN KERRY: Well I think we see what Donald Trump that he pivots and then he pivots back and then there are other people who pivot for him. He tweets from wherever every morning and changes what he thinks. I don't think we can depend on what Donald Trump or his advisor say today will be the same thing he says tomorrow.
COOPER: Alex does this surprise you at all into?
ALEX BURNS, NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER NEW YORK TIMES: It doesn't. I think that we have seen over the last couple weeks that these sort of fitful attempts by Trump to a mainstream himself a little bit more as general election candidate. I do think, Anderson, on the specific issue of the Muslim ban and I would put sort of the mass deportation plan in the same category.
I'm actually not sure for political purposes how much it matters if he changes his tune now because there are an awful lot of voters out there, moderate voters, certainly non-white voters, who were going to recoil from a candidate who said this stuff at any point.
So if it's just a matter of softening and, you know, adding some contours to the policy now, without necessarily repudiating the stuff on the past. It's an effort to move him more into the political center, but I don't know that that gets him all the way.
COOPER: Well also he never saying I'm wrong -- that was, I was wrong about that. I rethought it. It's just -- I mean a lot -- we've heard from, you know, I heard earlier there were some of his spokespeople on CNN earlier sort of saying well this is not really a change at all. This is exactly what's he's been saying all along.
PATRICK HEALY, NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, THE NEW YORK TIMES: Right, right. He's, you know, he's not wrong. He has nothing to talk to God about, about anything that he's necessarily done wrong. I mean, to Alex's point, I just wonder who he's appealing to here. There are so many voters who love that Donald Trump sort of called it as he saw it. He said the word Muslims. He sort of, you know, he's looked at that group. He saw them as a problem. A lot of Americans felt finally someone is coming out.
This sort of we're going to look at countries that export terrorism sounds more like what kind of a politically corrects, you know, conservative candidate might say. It sounds like he's not really going to be making the -- as an original base happy. Other voters I think to Alex's point are going to have a number of things that he said, you know, over the months to have a problem with. It seems like he's almost trying to make peace with the elites so he can have a confident on that.
COOPER: In a system, you were for John Kerry. I mean, he got hammered as a flip-flopper during the campaign and that really stuck on him. It doesn't seem to stick with Donald Trump.
ELMENDORF: Well I think one difference with Donald Trump is we have a full year of a lot of video and he doesn't say these things with any tentative sense about him. He says them loudly, clearly, I'm going to build a wall. I'm going to get rid of Muslims. I mean, he's very definitive about what he says and there's a lot of video. There's going to be a lot of ads reminding people what he says.
COOPER: Kayleigh, do you think that idea of him as a flip-flopper is something that he's vulnerable on?
KAYLEIGH MCENANY, TRUMP SUPPORTER: Not at all because he's finessing his policy here. He's not broad, his scale rolling back this idea of a Muslim ban. He saying hey, we're going to do it from countries where there's terrorism. I think it's finessing the policy.
By contrast you have Hillary Clinton who constructed the Trans Pacific Partnership. Basically he place it publicly 45 times called it the gold standard of trade deals and then says I don't like that anymore when she need to win over Bernie Sanders supporters.
COOPER: But is it fair to criticize her as a flip-flopper and during the debate I questioned her about that because it did happened right before the debate that she, you know, she switched a lot of positions to closer to Bernie Sanders' positions. Can you honestly with a straight face say this has nothing to do with politics about getting elected for Donald Trump?
MCENANY: I don't think it has to do with politics. I think he met with law makers and they said look, this policy is more workable. We heard two people on the other side of the room say we're not sure about the political efficacy of this at all. Is it wise from a political standpoint? It probably not.
[21:10:01] He's probably not going to win over a ton of people because he finessed his policy. It's very different than changing your view on the Iraq war, changing your view on Libya which we have seen Senator Clinton do.
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: Donald Trump did change his position on it.
TARA SETMAYER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: On both those issues, actually.
MCENANY: No, on Libya he was always for surgical take-out (inaudible).
COOPER: Well he never asked to talk about a surgical take-out. I mean now he says he was for a surgical take-out.
SETMAYER: Right.
JOSEPH BORELLI, CO-CHAIR, TRUMP NEW YORK CAMPAIGN: And he denied this. MCENANY: No, that's his first words were surgical take-out of Gaddafi which is very different than (inaudible) of Libya.
BORELLI: He wasn't in the driver seat, Hillary Clinton was.
SETMAYER: But the point is that he flip-flops on all of these things. So let's go down the list again. He flip-flops on being pro life. You know, he was pro-abortion for many times, he even said that. He helped fund-raisers for pro choice groups. He was flip-flopped on being a Republican for goodness sakes. He flipped his own voter registration multiple times over the years. So, he's flip-flopped on that.
MCENANY: He's very different.
SETMAYER: No, it's not.
MCENANY: He's it.
SETMAYER: Either you are a Republican and believe in Republican principles or you don't. That's number one. Number two ...
(CROSSTALK)
SETMAYER: Hey wait, there's more.
COOPER: Let her finish. Let her finish.
SETMAYER: He flip-flopped on immigration. He criticized Mitt Romney for the self-deportation comments and said back in 2012 after the election that he was too harsh on that issue. Now he's building a wall let's mass deportation.
MCENANY: Tara ...
SETMAYER: Wait. He flip-flopped on mass deportation. He said now, oh no, no, no, I'm not going to do that. We're going to be sensible about it. But right here on CNN with Erin Burnett, he was very clear about how they've all got to go. So let's keep going -- I mean, we can keep going down the list ...
MCENANY: Tara ...
SETMAYER: ... of where he's flip-flopped. Come on.
MCENANY: I find it rather interesting you say you are either a Republican or you're not.
SETMAYER: Yes.
MCENANY: I assume you had the same problems with Ronald Reagan when he switched to the legion and said and that was entire ...
SETMAYER: It was over 30 years.
BORELLI: Or Mitt Romney. SETMAYER: He stopped it with Ronald Reagan.
MCENANY: Donald Trump.
SETMAYER: He made a transition over 30 years.
MCENANY: And so did Donald Trump.
SETMAYER: It was very well thought out. You know, Donald Trump has made flip-flops on issues with one day to the next. And the Republican thing was from like one election to the next. There was no intellectual thought process who said that led to that.
COOPER: But Joe, as a supporter, you don't believe the flip-flop stands with that.
BORELLI: But let me speak to the political point you mentioned. Let's reset the conversation. After Orlando we had people come out there and say we should really question why this person who was on the terrorist watch list at some point, why he was able to get a gun. And a lot of Americans stepped back and said this is a pretty rational thing. We should be examining constitutionality aside.
Just like that, Donald Trump is saying people are trying to come to our countries who have been to other countries or born in other countries who've been involved with terrorist training camps, who've been involved with terrorist organizations. We want to prevent them from coming here unless we can verify that these people are not here to kill us.
The regular people that are out there watching this show tonight are thinking the same thing. So if there is a political point, it is somewhat (inaudible) minds.
COOPER: I don't know if anybody who has been in a terrorist training camp that the U.S. is aware they have been in a terrorist training camp and come to the U.S. is allowed in.
BORELLI: So how do we know in Belgium had making the less have it. How do we know the European authorities know that certain people who are in these terrorist camps in Syria were now migrating to Belgium?
COOPER: Right.
BORELLI: They are able to do that.
COOPER: A million people have come to Germany in the space of a person (inaudible) ...
(CROSSTALK)
BORELLI: And the vast majority have not.
COOPER: ... and they have not been able to do a great job of vetting. I was on the beaches in Lesvos in Greece watching them to come ashore. There's torn-up passports on the shore. They were overwhelmed that didn't know about it.
BORELLI: No one say the vast majority of people trying to flee a war are ...
COOPER: Right.
BORELLI: ... actually bad people ...
COOPER: Sure.
BORELLI: ... but we're saying that some of them are. And until we can verify who is not a danger.
SETMAYER: But that's not what Trump said though. He said all Muslims.
BORELLI: He didn't say anything that that plan is coming out tomorrow.
(CROSSTALK)
SETMAYER: He said six months to do that.
HEALY: The thing to remember is that, you know, most politicians change their positions. You can call them flip-flops. Frankly, it's an accurate phrase to use, but here's the thing about Trump. It's probably a safe bet that in the next 48 to 72 hours, he's going to be at one of his rallies which he believes those unscripted rallies are his best way to communicate directly to voters. He's going to be with one of those rallies and he's going to say the word Muslims and everyone's going to be wondering well, now what does he mean? Now what exactly is the policy?
This is a guy who sort of says what he's feeling or what comes into his head at a given moment and there's not the kind of friendly consistency. Once Hillary Clinton flip-flops, she usually stays on the flop. Either she stays on that side.
BURNS: You don't even know she -- and the test of, it's not just the rallies it's also the interviews when he gets pressed on the details of these policies that, you know, you said that you wanted this ban to be temporary until when and what are the mechanisms for vetting people that you want to see? When you say countries that have a history of exporting terrorism, would you put it on Ireland and France and Belgium in that category in?
So I think you're going to see him have to kind of run that gauntlet and we'll see where he ends up on the flip or the flop.
COOPER: Right. Everyone, I appreciate it. And more now on Hillary Clinton's first joint campaign appearance with a Trump arch rival Elizabeth Warren. 360's, Gary Tuchman was there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Many people waiting in line on this hot and humid Cincinnati Day. Would have come if Hillary Clinton was here on her own? But someone else's appearance convinced others the wait was worth it.
Who would you like to see Hillary Clinton pick for her vice presidential for running mate?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Elizabeth Warren.
TUCHMAN: It's just a few weeks to go before Hillary Clinton picks a running mate, Massachusetts U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren's first campaign appearance with her as the people here talking.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love her, great fighter. I think she's terrific.
[21:15:00] TUCHMAN: And many convinced Elizabeth Warren should be the next vice president.
JIM SPEAR, CLINTON SUPPORTER: I just like what she said about Trump and I think she is a go getter.
TUCHMAN: There are many people here who believe Elizabeth Warren best complements the person they want as commander-in-chief because of their perception that she's leading the way and being the Donald Trump tormenter-in-chief.
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN, (D) MASSACHUSETTS: What kind of man roots for people to lose their jobs, to lose their homes, to lose their life savings? I'll tell you what kind of a man, a small, insecure money grubber who fights for no one but himself.
TUCHMAN: There's no question words like that pumped up this audience.
When you to decide on this moment and tell Hillary Clinton who do pick, who would you pick?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Elizabeth Warren totally.
WARREN: What kind of a man, a nasty man who will never become president of the United States.
TUCHMAN: But while this audience liked the red meat from Warren, it doesn't mean everyone wants her to be Vice President Warren. Ohio's Democratic U.S. Senator has many supporters here.
OWEN ALDERSON, CLINTON SUPPORTER: I would pick Sherrod Brown. I think it's a good strategic choice to win Ohio.
TUCHMAN: New Jersey is represented too.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I kind of like to see Cory Booker.
TUCHMAN: And Virginia U.S. Senator Tim Kaine along with his Spanish fluency attracts a lot of attention here.
LINDA HOITHAUS, CLINTON SUPPORTER: I like Kaine. I think it would be my first pick.
TUCHMAN: Also attracting attention.
Who would you like Hillary Clinton to pick as a running mate?
JOE COLLINS, CLINTON SUPPORTER: Maybe Bernie because he's already out there and he has been in politics for awhile and I think he would make a good vice president.
TUCHMAN: Bernie Sanders is also on people's minds here in a different way.
ROBIN RAYNER, CLINTON SUPPORTER: I would pick Elizabeth Warren because that would bring Bernie supporters along.
TUCHMAN: Then there are those who would be more likely to want Elizabeth Warren as vice president if her running mate was a man.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know if two women on the ticket is a good idea or not.
TUCHMAN: That issue was on a lot of people's minds here. Even among the most enthusiastic Elizabeth Warren supporters.
PAULA HOUSTON-ALLEN, CLINTON SUPPORTER: I'm a little concerned about two women running together. I don't know if the country is ready for that. I'm ready for it. But I don't know if the country is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Gary Tuchman joins us now from Cincinnati. Which other names were mentioned to you by Clinton supporters as possible VP material?
TUCHMAN: One of the names we heard today quite a bit was Julian Castro, the Housing Secretary, the Former Mayor of San Antonio. Also Al Franken, U.S. Senator from Minnesota, Former Cast Member from Saturday Night Live. And then one name we didn't necessarily expect, one woman told us she wants to see the vice presidential nominee be Michelle Obama. And we told her that Michelle Obama is not seeking the vice presidency and she told us either way, if Hillary Clinton would pick Michelle Obama it would be quote, "an inspired choice." Anderson?
COOPER: All right. Thanks. I appreciate it, Gary. Thanks very much.
As to head where the British vote to leave the European Union is doing to your retirement account to bring economy, the potential of the United Kingdom breaking up all of it. CNN's Fareed Zakaria joins us, coming up next.
And later, a new timeline of the tragedy in Orlando and the top questions that raises about among the other things, the police response. Orlando's Police Chief joins us ahead tonight on "360".
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [21:21:49] COOPER: More breaking news tonight. The Brexit hangover really hitting home. A lot of jitters after another shaky day for anyone who's counting out of 401(k), anyone who does business with Great Britain or Europe, anyone who carries about this country's closest ally and what people there are going through.
Today, markets here in London and around the world frankly taking another hit from the vote on Thursday to pull the U.K. out of the European Union.
The Dow losing nearly 900 points since Friday morning, the pound sterling getting pounded. Britain's prime minister stepping down, his heir apparent, Brexit supporter Boris Johnson now backing away from some of the very positions he had leading up to the vote. Another supporter who promised that money sent to the E.U. would go instead to Britain's healthcare system, now dumping cold water on that pledge.
No plan in place for actually carrying out the Brexit. Even some talk that parliament might simply say no. In short, it is a mess. Here to help sift through it all, CNN's Fareed Zakaria, Anchor of "Fareed Zakaria GPS".
What do you make -- what's going on in? You look at the stock market every day. For there for Americans that's obviously the biggest concern, the effect here, but it's around the world there's impact.
FAREED ZAKARIA, CNN, "FAREED ZAKARIA GPS" ANCHOR: It's huge. And listen, at this point, markets have lost $2 trillion worldwide. This is clearly the biggest economic event that has taken place, negative economic event since the great financial crisis of '08.
And part of the fear here is, you know, initially, this was just panic, uncertainty. Part of the fear is that this is -- markets are expecting another global recession, that we would all looked and wondered, what's going to trigger the next global recession, is it going to be a slowdown in China, is it going to be the U.S?
Well, this might be it. It's been seven years since we've had a recession. In Great Britain, let's not forget it, it's the one of America's largest trading partners. It is the single largest foreign investor in the United States.
And who is going to do business in Britain right now? You don't know what is going to happen. Are they going to be able to sell into the European Union, which is their largest trading partner?
COOPER: Right.
ZAKARIA: And with that kind of thing happens, it just freezes economic activity. So, people's 401(k)s are not looking good. But more importantly, it could have an impact on jobs in the United States and frankly everywhere.
COOPER: And also, there's obviously geopolitical recalculation going on now as well. ZAKARIA: You know, part of what we have to remember is that a lot of what the United States is able to get down in the world, we do because we do it in coordination with the Europeans.
You look at Iran sanctions. The reason they stock was that the E.U. agreed also not to buy Iranian oil, not to trade with Iranian companies, not to do business with Iranian banks.
Why was that? Because Britain was a very powerful pro-American voice in the E.U., same with the Russian cycles.
With each of these issues, Britain ends up being the kind of, you know, the chief ally of the United States in Brussels. Without that, what is the world going to look like, without that kind of consortium whether U.S. and Europe together write the rules that have been of underpinned global stability since 1945.
COOPER: So, I mean, there's talk in so many Britain of maybe it actually won't happen. But that doesn't seem likely, does it? I mean, they voted.
ZAKARIA: Well, it's very tough to imagine right now, but look at it this way. This is a bit like Trump's wall and deportation. These things are, you know, they sound great. But when you get closer to them, they look really, really hard to actually implement.
[21:25:12] The Britain has to figure out which of thousands of the E.U. laws is going to comply with which ones is not going to -- is going to have to figure out how does it sell into the European Union, its main market, if the European say, as they do to Norway, as they do to other countries, if you want to sell into us, you got to abide by all our regulations. You got to pay money to us, and you've got to allow free movement of migrants, which are the things that the Brits are rebelling against.
COOPER: Right.
ZAKARIA: So, maybe six months from now, Prime Minister Johnson confronts this reality and says, you know what, I'm going to go to the Europeans and say, can you give me a couple of token concessions that I can take back home, have a second referendum.
I think you would have to have a second referendum. It's not clear how you could, you know, 17 million people have voted for this, but it's crazy and it's quite likely going to cause enormous economic dislocation.
COOPER: That's we see actually to think a second referendum down the road could be possible.
ZAKARIA: I think it is possible, because this is such an -- policy. And it's so counterproductive (inaudible) will realize, you know, I think as you call to the hangover, I think they've shot themselves in the foot.
A hangover, you get over after a few days. They have really shot themselves in the foot. This is going to take awhile to heal.
COOPER: Fareed Zakaria, there may be a lot of pain before now and then. Fareed Zakaria, thanks very much. Appreciate it.
Up next, a big abortion ruling from the Supreme Court is a major victory for pro-choice supporters. The high court strikes down a Texas law that limited abortion rights as the most significant Supreme Court decision on the issue in two decades.
More about what it means when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[21:30:40] COOPER: Big victory for abortion rights supporters today. The Supreme Court handed down its most significant decision on the issue in two decades in a 5-3 ruling, the court struck down a Texas law that would have limited access to abortions. It is a ruling that could have an impact all over the country, particularly in other states that would try to pass similar laws.
Our justice correspondent Pamela Brown reports.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAMELA BROWN, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Today's decision considered one of the most consequential by the court in several decades, not only threw out a Texas law, it once again threw the court back into the middle of the presidential campaign.
NANCY NORTHUP, CEO CENTER FOR REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS: Today, women across America have had their constitutional rights vindicated.
BROWN: In a 5-3 ruling, the Supreme Court struck down a controversial Texas law requiring abortion clinics to meet many of the same rules as hospitals, such as wider hallways and minimum numbers of parking spaces, and for clinic doctors to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals.
Supporters argued the rules would make abortion safer but opponents said the law was designed to be too stringent, forcing clinics that couldn't meet the restrictions to close, an argument with which the court agreed.
ELIZABETH WYDRA, LEGAL ANALYST: This law would have shut down the majority of clinics in Texas and the court said you can't do that without showing that there's a real justification and there wasn't.
BROWN: Writing for the majority, Justice Stephen Breyer said the law violated the constitution and placed a substantial obstacle in the path of women seeking an abortion. Joining Breyer in the opinion, the court's three female justices, Ginsbu, Kagan and Sotomayor along with Anthony Kennedy, Kennedy who was nominated by Ronald Reagan has become a swing vote in abortion cases, siding with liberals to reaffirm Roe versus Wade in 1992, then with conservatives nine years ago to ban some late term abortions. WYDRA: It wouldn't have mattered if there's a President Trump nominee or if Justice Scalia was still on the bench. In that case you would have had a 5-4 ruling instead of a 5-3 ruling that either way, you would have had Justice Kennedy joining the former liberal justices to provide a majority supporting abortion rights in this case.
BROWN: In a bitter dissent, Justice Clarence Thomas suggested the case should have never been heard, writing, "The court has allowed abortion clinics and physicians to invoke a constitutional right that does not belong to them, a woman's right to abortion."
Tonight, the Texas governor said the ruling "Erode State lawmaking authority to safeguard the health and safety of women", but the White House shared it. President Obama posting on Twitter that quote, "Every woman has a constitutional right to make her own reproductive choices."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: And Pamela Brown joins us now. So the long-term implications of the ruling are what?
BROWN: Well this will certainly have a ripple effect long term because there are already similar laws on the books and the resent and this will only make it easier for people to bring challenges to those laws. Just in the last several years, several states have enacted restrictions that really test the limits of the constitutional right to abortion.
In fact, there are several cases revolving around the similar laws pending in the lower courts and so the ruling today really sends a strong message to the lower courts about what constitutes an undue burden and certainly puts those laws in jeopardy, in addition to this it deters other states from enacting similar laws.
So certainly Anderson, today was a big win for abortion rights activists and today and moving forward as well, Anderson.
COOPER: All right Pamela Brown, Pamela thanks.
Joining us, CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin authored many books since anyone comes out in August it's called "American Heiress: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping, Crimes and Trial of Patty Hearst ". He's written extensively on the Supreme Court.
Also joining us, Planned Parenthood President, Cecile Richards. Firs one Jeff let start with you, this decision today the most sweeping we've seen in abortion rights since what 1992?
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Absolutely. You know, Anthony Kennedy we've talked a lot about the vacancy, you know, with Justice Scalia's, but this is still Anthony Kennedy's court in the fact that Justice Kennedy joined with the four liberals here made all the difference. Even Breyer wrote the opinion but this is so important because state after state has said, especially since the Republican landslides of 2010, that we are passing abortion restrictions to help women, to protect women.
[21:35:03] And what Justice Breyer's opinion said was, you know what, we see through what you're doing. We recognize -- this is nothing to do with protecting women's rights. Our analysis of these laws says these are designed to restrict abortion, not to protect women's health.
COOPER: Cecile you agree this goes well beyond Texas?
CECILE RICHARDS, PRESIDENT PLANNED PARENTHOOD: Oh absolutely. And Jeff is exactly right. This really talked about the importance that laws can't place an undue burden on women, you know, the exercise their constitutional right.
I do think we're going to see more state laws challenged now and even repealed and in fact, even this evening, we saw that the Alabama attorney general, where they have been trying to pass at a similar admitting privileges or try to enforce admitting privileges has said they're no longer going to try, that it's clearly unconstitutional based on this decision. So I think the decision is going to make a huge impact for Texas women but also women all over the country.
COOPER: Jeff, I mean you talk about this being proof further proof this is still Anthony Kennedy's court. It is amazing when you think of what people thought of Judge Kennedy when he was, you know, nominated by Ronald Reagan and where he's come down on a lot of opinions now.
TOOBIN: Amazing. I mean it just -- you know Anthony Kennedy's influence is so enormous and it goes in different directions. He is the father of gay rights on the Supreme Court. He is the author of the marriage opinion just last year, all of the important gay rights decisions. But he is also the author of citizens united, the decision that Democrats love to hate more than any other which essentially deregulated campaign spending.
He's a mercurial figure he has strong passions but unlike the other seven Justices and eight when Justice Scalia was on the court, they do not always go in predictable or consistent directions, and he has controlled the outcome in case after case, including this one.
COOPER: And Cecile is a big as a win as this is for your organization today, this is likely not the last time abortion rights your going to be tried in front of the Supreme Court.
RICHARDS: No, probably not. And again, I think that speaks to how important this presidential election is. I mean this is a very strong 5-3 decision. The next president will likely appoint one or two more Supreme Court justices. Donald Trump has said he would appoint justices who would overturn Roe versus Wade. Obviously Secretary Clinton has been a strong supporter of not only Planned Parenthood but of women's access to reproductive health care.
So I think this is going to be a pivotal decision but there are a lot of fights left to have, lot of rights that we need to protect in this country. And I think this is going to be a deciding issue for women and men when they go to vote in November.
COOPER: And Jeff just, at this point on the Merrick Garland nomination, is that just dead at this point?
TOOBIN: Well it's certainly dead through November. The Republicans are clearly not going to allow a vote or even a hearing before November. There is a remote outside chance that if Hillary Clinton wins the presidential election and the Democrats perhaps take over the Senate, the Republicans may say to themselves look, Merrick Garland at 63 years old is better than anyone Hillary Clinton might nominate so let's just rush through a confirmation. I don't think that's going to happen.
So I think the next president is certainly going to have to fill the Justice Scalia, Merrick Garland vacancy and also, you know, Ruth Bader Ginsburg is 83 years old. Anthony Kennedy turns 80 next month. Stephen Breyer is almost 80. Clarence Thomas just turn 68, I mean even by Supreme Court standards, this is an old court and they are going to have vacancies.
COOPER: All right Jeffrey Toobin is over, Cecile Richards thank very much for being with us.
The funerals continue for the 49 people killed by gunman at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando. There were more over this weekend.
Some family members are haunted by questions. Two weeks later they have not been told exactly how their loved ones died. They are asking some cases why it took so long for police to finally reach their family members. Well some of their stories and I'll speak to the Orlando's police chief, next.
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[21:43:00] COOPER: Well, it's now just more than two weeks since a gunman killed 49 people at Gay Nightclub in Florida, the deadliest mass shooting in American history. For the families and the friends of the 49 people, the struggle is just beginning. For some it's compounded by the need to know exactly what happened in the last moments of their love ones lives.
The difficult questions to ask and just as difficult to answer. Nick Valencia tonight reports.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In the wake of the Pulse Nightclub shooting, Lakitra Justice can't stop thinking if more could have been done to save her brother.
LAKITRA JUSCTICE, BROTHER KILLED IN ORLANDO SHOOTING: He was always the life of the party.
VALENCIA: Eddie Justice is one of the 49 innocent people killed in the shooting but the details of how he died have not been shared with the family. Still raw with emotion from his funeral over the weekend, there's one thing that she keeps thinking about.
JUSTICE: You had two officers on the scene initially, well, one and then backup came and they were they were doing back and forth gunfire fight with him. I just feel like if you were already doing that, then the two officers could have moved in. It's two against one.
VALENCIA: Justice's brother Eddie was one of dozens of people who took shelter in the nightclubs bathroom. He was texting his mother during the ordeal asking her to call the police.
JUSCTICE: I just kind of want to know the timeline of what decisions were being made, why did it take so long and why did you choose those decision when they were already in a gun fight with the suspect and all of the above. Like why in different fact is what use for them to light this move in and right contain the situation more quickly than they did.
VALENCIA: Other families of shooting victims have asked similar questions. But in the two weeks since the shooting, the Orlando police chief has repeatedly defending his officers' decisions.
JOHN MINA, ORLANDO POLICE CHIEF: Those killings are on the suspect, on the suspect alone, in my mind. All that will be investigated by our officers acted heroically and did as they were trained in an unbelievable circumstance and did a phenomenal job.
[21:45:00] VALENCIA: While there has been criticism by families and others
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I need a big hug. I appreciate it.
VALENCIA: Orlando police officers like Omar Delgado have been praised by survivors for what they did amid the chaos. But for Lakitra Justice and others like her, it will be a rough road ahead to get closure.
JUSTICE: We are the type of family that kind of just wants details. It helps with closure when you know the details.
VALENCIA: Until she does, her questions of what if will travel with her. Nick Valencia, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: When we were in Orlando covering the aftermath of the shooting at Pulse Nightclub I spoke with the Police Chief John Mina the chief joins me again. Chief Mina, thanks so much for joining us.
Obviously, a lot is still being investigated. There's not an official timeline. This piece in the "Wall Street Journal" sort of laid out as much as probably has been publicly discussed so far.
I know the operation, because you and I talked early on, you said the operation turned at some point from an active shooter situation where the impetus is to immediately just try to go stop the shooter and kill or apprehend him, turned from an active shooter situation to a hostage situation.
At this point, are you at liberty to give any more details? What the shooter making demands of any kind?
MINA: Well, like as you stated you know it started out as an active shooter situation. Our officers were within the club within minutes and, you know, forced him to retreat into that back bathroom area, and, you know, we did make contact with him, and our negotiators were talking with him.
COOPER: And in a situation like this, where it's a confined space, you have people, some of whom have been shot, some of whom are still alive and wounded, you know, I assume the calculus that officers on the scene and whoever is in command has to make is, is the fear of waiting in that he may kill other people, those who are already wounded may die, and balance that against the concern about going in and will going in prompt him to do something that takes even more lives?
MINA: Absolutely. You know, our officers, they contained him, there were no shots being fired after our exchange of gunfire with him about 2:18. So for all that time there's no shots being fired. Our officers had him contained in the bathroom.
And certainly, in my opinion, if they had assaulted the bathroom at that time, not only would we be dealing with many, many more lives lost, we'd also be dealing with officers' lives that would have been taken based on the layout and the circumstances and the fire power.
COOPER: That's interesting. So because I have talked to a couple people in the bathroom who say, you know, at one point he put his hand over the bathroom stall, shot into the stall, that he shot through a bathroom stall, but it's your understanding that all of that occurred before 2:18 or so?
MINA: Based on the information that I have and that was also provided to me by the FBI and accounts from multiple officers who were right there within feet of the bathroom, that's what I believe, correct.
COOPER: Will at some point there be a, you know, a timeline that's put forward by authorities? Because obviously after any kind of situation like this, law enforcement wants to learn from it, wants to help other law enforcement agencies, you know, learn to evolve their tactics. Is there -- I know the FBI I guess is investigating this, but do you think there will be a public timeline put forward?
MINA: Oh, absolutely. You know, the shooting itself is being investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and there will be a detailed timeline. The results of that investigation will be given to the state attorney's office.
We will investigate our own officers internally to see what policies were violated, if any and then after that we will conduct our own after action report which will have a detailed timeline and also considering an outside consultant to review the whole incident. Certainly there are lessons to be learned from this and it's our responsibility to make sure that other departments prepare for this horrific type of incident.
COOPER: In just -- can I ask how your officers are doing, I mean the ones who are there. You know, I can imagine what that most to be like and the repercussions of that over time. Are they all back on duty? Or they -- everybody doing OK?
MINA: The officers involved in the shooting are not back to full duty yet. Many of the officers who helped, you know, remove victims from the building are slowly coming back to duty performing or getting the counseling, but, you know, people react to those things differently. When I told my officers today in an e-mail, I said, you know, everyone will have some sort of post-traumatic stress from this. The key is to get counseling and make sure that stress doesn't turn into post- traumatic stress disorder.
COOPER: Well Chief Mina, I appreciate all your efforts. I appreciate your time tonight. Thank you.
[21:50:00] MINA: Thank you, Anderson.
COOPER: Well just ahead this hour setback for ISIS and the major victory for the Iraqis. The Americans helping them. Iraqi forces regain control of Fallujah. A key city that ISIS capture more then two years ago that's a word from a Senior Iraqi General. Details on the battle, ahead.
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COOPER: Well, for the first time in more than two years, Fallujah is back in the hands of Iraqi forces.
According to the senior Iraqi general, the key city was liberated on Sunday after a nearly four-week battle. Our Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr tonight has details.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Iraqi forces battle the rest of the ISIS militants in Fallujah. Officials now say they have liberated the strategic city, which sits just 40 miles west of Baghdad.
AHMED ALI, IRAQ COUNTER TERRORISM SERVICE (In Translation): Today was the last battle in Fallujah. We liberated it completely.
STARR: The loss of the city is a big setback for ISIS, denying the terror group a convenient launching pad for attacks on Baghdad.
Iraqi forces came across this ISIS bomb factory in Fallujah as they fought to clear the city. IEDs and booby traps remain. Keeping Fallujah free of ISIS and holding onto the Sunni majority city may still be a challenge for the Shia-led government. [21:55:02] LT. GEN. ROBERT OTTO, U.S. AIR FORCE: It is my best guess that there will still be skirmishes in Fallujah following today. But I think what we're seeing is very positive moves.
STARR: And the human cost is staggering. Conditions are desperate for the 85,000 people, the U. N. estimates have fled Fallujah and the surrounding area since the Iraqi offensive to retake the city began a month ago. And the far larger fight looms. Liberating Mosul, Iraq's second largest city in the north.
Air strikes to isolate ISIS positions are already under way. CNN obtained this footage of a precision strike on a foreign fighter location.
Surgical execution of air strikes will be important, as civilian's are in the tightly packed city of 2 million people.
OTTO: The challenge is to find targets that we can strike where we're not going to inadvertently damage civilians.
STARR: But air strikes, alone, will not be enough. The biggest test of Iraqi ground foes is still to come.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: And if there is going to be an effort to retake Mosul, the Pentagon will have to decide whether it feels it needs add hundreds of U. S. troops to the U. S. advisers and trainers that are already there. Anderson?
COOPER: All right, Barbara Starr, thanks very much. We'll be right back.
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[22:00:11] COOPER: Well does it for us, thanks for watching.
CNN TONIGHT with Don Lemon starts now.
