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Trump V.P. Watch; Hillary Clinton on the Attack; President Obama Tries to Bridge Police-Community Divide. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired July 13, 2016 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:33]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, John Berman here, in for Brooke Baldwin today.

Just a little while ago, Hillary Clinton took the stage in Springfield, Illinois, with a message about healing and unity, but not just healing and unity. She had some brutal words for her rival, the presumed Republican nominee, Donald Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And in times like these, we need a president who can help pull us together, not split us apart.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

CLINTON: And that is why I believe Donald Trump is so dangerous. His campaign is as divisive as any we have seen in our lifetimes. It is built on stoking mistrust and pitting American against American.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Now,that speech held at the old statehouse in Springfield where Abraham Lincoln once delivered the words a House divided against itself cannot stand.

Hillary Clinton now claims what was once the party of Lincoln has become the party of Donald Trump, she says a party marred by division and hatred, this as President Obama is at the White House right now trying to bridge the growing chasm in this country as he meets with leaders of both the Black Lives Matter movement and law enforcement.

This, of course, in the wake of last week's shooting by police of two African-American men and the massacre of five police officers in Dallas.

Joining me now, CNN's Suzanne Malveaux at the White House.

Suzanne, the meeting today at the White House, what's on the agenda?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is really interesting, because it started about 15, 20 minutes ago. It is expected to go beyond 5:00. That is when there's going to be a pool spray, a group of small reporters who will be able to at least see who is in attendance at meeting, as well as the president, any kind of remarks.

It is really kind of amazing when you think about this, the group that's inside that is talking to one another, the White House being very general about it, saying there's civil rights leaders, activists and law enforcement officials.

But we have learned specifically some of those individuals who are going to be in that meeting, first and foremost, Louisiana governor, that is, John Bel Edwards. It was in Baton Rouge, the capital of Louisiana, where Alton Sterling was shot and killed by police. He is going to be in the room with the president.

Also Black Lives Matter, DeRay McKesson, he is to known -- tweets all the time here. But he was recently arrested and released in Baton Rouge, he says, unlawfully by police. Police say he wasn't following the rules of protest. But essentially he, too, is going to be in that room. There are also traditional civil rights leaders. We understand the head of the National Urban League.

So far, we have checked. We don't know whether or not there are any Congressional Black Caucus leaders in that room. They just wrapped up a meet being, so it will be interested to see if they were actually included in this group, but a very diverse group that's going to sit with the president and essentially try to hash out how can they talk to each other, where does the dialogue begin, how can they start to trust one another?

These are the kinds of themes that we have been hearing over the last week and really over the last course of the last couple of years as things seemed to deteriorate between some police departments and the communities that they are protecting and policing.

So that is really the main goal, John, of this meeting. And I should let you know as well, this is not the first time that the president has sat down with a representative from Black Lives Matter. It was Brittany Packnett that he actually -- from the Black Lives Matter movement actually recruited to be a part of the task force, the White House Task Force on 21st Century Policing.

And he talked about this at the Howard University commencement, saying, look, it's not just good enough to disrupt. You have to engage, you have to listen and you have to take action. So the president clearly feels that this is something that the Black Lives Matter participants have to do, and a lot of listening and action on the side of the civil rights leaders and law enforcement as well, John.

BERMAN: All right, Suzanne Malveaux at the White House, keep us posted when we get cameras into that meeting.

Family and friends of three of the Dallas police officers killed last week remembered their loved ones at funeral services today. The widow of DART Officer Brent Thompson, an officer herself, said goodbye.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMILY THOMPSON, WIDOW OF BRENT THOMPSON: Tuesday, June 21, 2016, was one of the happiest days of my life.

[15:05:00]

I married the most amazing, caring, loving, selfless man I have ever known. Brent was a fighter, warrior, hero, and quite the scrapper, the kind of guy you want fighting with you. Brent was also an amazing husband, father of six beautiful children that he talked about all the time.

Brent was a son, a brother, an uncle, and an all-around phenomenal guy. Though I'm heartbroken and hurt, I'm going to put on my badge and my uniform and return to the street, along with all of my brothers and sisters in blue.

To the coward that tried to break me and my brothers and sisters, know your hate made us stronger.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: One school in Dallas became the center of Thursday's ambush. Five officers were on duty at El Centro Community College when the sniper's gunfire shattered the building's doors. Two officers were in the line of fire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was moving too quick to be scared to have any fear.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He shot at -- what, seven, eight times? And I barely got grazed? I mean, if God hadn't been watching over me, I wouldn't be here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Those officers, Corporal Detective Brian Shaw and Officer John Abbott, they met with President Obama and President George W. Bush at the interfaith memorial in Dallas yesterday. Their police chief, Joseph Hannigan, was with them.

The chief joins us now.

Thanks so much for being with us.

Talk to us about that meeting. It's not often that officers, anyone, get to meet the president. What was that like?

JOSEPH HANNIGAN, EL CENTRO POLICE CHIEF: It was unbelievable. It really was.

We knew that President Obama was flying to town, but to actually see President Bush right behind him was a great pleasure. BERMAN: Talk to us about what happened that night, last Thursday

night. There were protests. Everyone knew there were protests. But then those shots rang out. What orders did you give your officers?

HANNIGAN: Well, my officers realized there was gunfire on the street. They went to investigate it and as they were exiting the doorways, the glass exploded.

So the subject started firing his weapon in through the locked doors, and one of my officers received a bullet graze to his abdomen. And my other officer experienced leg injuries from the flying glass. But they both did what they were trained to do and that's why they're alive today.

BERMAN: Yes. They both were hit with shrapnel. But then their job didn't stop. They kept on working. Yes?

HANNIGAN: They kept on working. They were both bleeding heavily. They both donned on tactical gear and rifles, long guns, and posted themselves at strategic locations where this subject might turn up.

BERMAN: Now, you have had to see memorial services -- oh, go ahead.

(CROSSTALK)

BERMAN: Chief, I was saying, you have had to sit through these memorial services, watch these memorial services. I know you want to be there to honor those officers that have been lost. How emotional has this been for you?

HANNIGAN: It's been extremely emotional, John.

I just came from Officer Brent Thompson's memorial service not longer than an hour-and-a-half ago. I knew Officer Thompson. It is going to be a great loss to the city of Dallas. He was an excellent, excellent police officer.

The guy from that night just, he came out to shoot police officers. He just opened up on uniforms. And, of course, when you're responding to calls of shots fired, you have no idea that you're the target. You automatically assume that it's other rival factions or a robbery or barricade situation.

But you never realize that you are the target. And, unfortunately, that's what it was on Thursday night.

BERMAN: Now, Chief, I know you are back out doing your job today, just as you do every day. And I know your officers are out doing their jobs today, just as they do every day.

That's what we expect of you and that's what we have come to appreciate from you. But, it's got to be different. I mean, what does it feel like now to walk the streets, to be out there after what happened Thursday night?

HANNIGAN: Actually, strangely enough, it's not different. Besides the hurt from a loss of the five men, as you can see, the

community is out here showing their appreciation, and that's humbling. So it's a strange twist between grieving and hope and happiness that people out here appreciate us.

So our job hasn't changed. Our mission hasn't changed. We're still out here to protect the public, and we will do that as long as we wear this badge.

BERMAN: Chief Hannigan, you are an example of the unity and healing and just perseverance that this country needs. Thanks so much for being with us.

[15:10:02]

HANNIGAN: Thank you. Thank you, John. Thank you.

BERMAN: Next up, all eyes on Indiana, as the Trump running mate selection process intensifies. That's an understatement. He's had all kinds of meetings today. There are more people headed to Indiana at this moment. He could be close to making a final decision. Hear who is on the short list. Hear what Donald Trump's gut is telling him. Hear what his kids have to say.

But, wait, there's more? Donald Trump suing a former campaign aide for $10 million? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: So you want to be a vice president? You better get to Indiana.

Donald Trump taking part right now in a virtually unprecedented vetting process to pick his running mate, which could happen really any minute now.

[15:15:05]

Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions, he just got to Indiana. Newt Gingrich, he was already there. He had lunch with Donald Trump and family. Breakfast was at the Indiana governor's house. Mike Pence was there with his family. Donald Trump brought his kids as well, Don Jr., Eric, Ivanka, her husband, Jared Kushner.

A Trump adviser says the younger Trumps are pushing Mike Pence. Minutes ago, Governor Pence spoke about the morning meeting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. MIKE PENCE (R), INDIANA: Oh, it is just -- it's very humbling for our family to have the opportunity to meet the next president of the United States, to get to know his family, and obviously to be considered for a position of this magnitude.

QUESTION: What was the discussion like this morning? PENCE: It was just very warm and just one family meeting with

another. We were really honored to have not only Mr. Trump, but a number of his children and son-in-law join us at the governor's residence. It is great, great to have them in Indiana, and great to have a chance to break bread. Nothing was offered, nothing was accepted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Maybe yet.

We're also told Trump's own instincts are telling him to go for another governor, New Jersey's Chris Christie, the one guy on earth who doesn't seem to be in Indiana today. But he did meet with some of the Trump family yesterday.

CNN's chief political correspondent, Dana Bash, is in Indianapolis right now, Dana, where it all seems to be happening.

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It sure does. And Jeff Sessions, senator from Alabama, who was the first sitting senator to endorse Donald Trump and has become an adviser to him, he is here.

He flew commercial with our own Sunlen Serfaty, actually, to Indianapolis. We saw him go in about a half-an-hour ago to this hotel where Donald Trump has been for the past many hours, including for the lunch that you spoke of that he had with Newt Gingrich, another person who flew in here to meet with Donald Trump.

I'm told when it comes to Jeff Sessions, the meeting that's going on as we speak, that it's not so much a do you want to be my vice president? It's, who do you think I should pick for vice president, that he's really trying to use Sessions as a sounding board. He's trying to get a sense of what the best route to go is.

Now, having said that, John Berman, I know you covered the Bush-Cheney campaign in 2000, where there was another man who was used as a sounding board.

BERMAN: Exactly. Exactly.

BASH: And he became the vice presidential pick. So you never know what happens in these situations when they're meeting.

But this is definitely a situation where I was just told before coming on with you, there is no question that Donald Trump has not made up his mind yet. He is in the final stages of deliberating. And we're just watching it all play out, oddly, on the streets of Indianapolis.

BERMAN: All right, Dana Bash, thank you so much.

Yes, I'm old enough to remember when Dick Cheney was asked his advice on a running mate and it ended up being Dick Cheney. Thanks so much.

Joining me now is CNN politics executive editor Mark Preston, who is in Cleveland, where the Republican Convention will happen next week. Craig Dunn is the Howard County chairman for the Indiana Republican State Committee, and Matt Katz is a radio reporter for WNYC in New Jersey. He also wrote the biography "American Governor: Chris Christie's Bridge to Redemption."

Mark Preston, I want to start with you. Conservatives watching this pick very closely. How will they react?

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, John, as we speak right now, there is a group called the Council for National Policy. They are meeting at a hotel here in Cleveland. They're talking policy, they're talking politics and they're talking about who Mr. Trump should choose as his running mate.

These are the folks who are behind some of the business organizations now in the conservative movement. This appears to be a split on whether Mr. Trump should choose Governor Pence or should her choose Newt Gingrich, or as one person told me, Tony Perkins, who is the head of the Family Research Council, just got off the phone with him. He told me he'd like to see someone like Jeff Sessions chosen, the reason being he thinks that Mr. Pence last year caused a lot of concern when he rolled back religious freedoms on many businesses in Indiana.

So there's a lot of talk out here amongst conservatives. The one uniting factor though, John, is they do not want to see Chris Christie as Donald Trump's running mate.

BERMAN: We have Craig Dunn from Indiana I think on with us still.

Craig, I have been talking to people in Indiana the last week. And people have said to me, on ground there, everyone thinks it will Mike Pence. All the movements have been that it will be Mike Pence. What are you hearing today?

CRAIG DUNN, INDIANA REPUBLICAN PARTY: First of all, I need to correct you. I'm actually a district chairman for the Indiana Republican Party, not the state chairman.

I would concur. I believe that Mike Pence will be selected. And the reason why is that he ticks off so many boxes on the selection process. He's done an absolute amazing job in the state of Indiana. It's no secret nationally that Indiana has been the island of prosperity in the old Rust Belt Midwest.

[15:20:02]

We actually have 156,000 more people working in our work force today than we did eight years ago, whereas the national trend has been a declining work force participation rate. And we have cut taxes a couple of different areas, in corporate income taxes and also in inheritance tax.

He's just done a wonderful job. Our economy's humming. Everything's moving along great. And he has a great relationship with evangelical voters, which I think -- who I think are somewhat concerned about Donald Trump and some of his positions regarding right to life and some of those issues. But generally I think not only is it just hometown pride that we

believe that Mike Pence will be selected, but we also think he's the best person for the job at this point in time.

BERMAN: All right, Matt Katz, I want to talk about Chris Christie, because not only is Chris Christie not quite as popular with some social conservatives, but there's also some just strange baggage there when you're talking about Chris Christie and Trump world, right, because Chris Christie was the prosecutor who put Donald Trump's son- in-law's father -- follow the bouncing ball here -- in jail, Jared Kushner's father.

So how will that play out?

MATT KATZ, WNYC REPORTER: Yes.

And that's why we're hearing that Jared doesn't necessarily want Christie as the nominee and favors Pence. Christie was U.S. attorney in New Jersey about a dozen years ago, and he got a conviction and sent Jared's father, Charlie, to prison for a couple of years for tax evasion and for hiring a prostitute to blackmail a witness, a cooperating witness.

So there is bad blood between the Kushner family and Christie, to say the least. Apparently, they have broken bread and they have come to some terms in recent months, as both are involved in Trump's transition. Of course, Christie is the chairman of the Trump transition team.

And this is seen by team Christie as a problem in terms of whether Christie will be chosen, but not insurmountable. They're trying to sell Trump on Christie's other attributes, like the fact that he is a great attack dog, that he can kill it on the debate stage, and that he will be loyal to the candidate.

And they also have pretty good chemistry. They have known each other, Trump and Christie have, for about 14 years now.

BERMAN: Shakespearian, to say the least.

Mark Preston, make the case for Newt Gingrich, the one candidate, if we're to believe our reporting right now, that actually asked to fly to Indiana to meet with Donald Trump today because he wanted to make his final case.

PRESTON: Let me just make this case for you. Let me just turn it a little bit.

Let's assume that Mike Pence is actually chosen to be the vice presidential running mate. What position could Newt Gingrich take? He can become the chief of staff for Donald Trump in the White House. Some people would say, well, that doesn't seem to be a very good consolation prize. But you only have to go back to 2008, when Rahm Emanuel, the current mayor of Chicago right now, was a House Democratic leader on the fast track, perhaps on the way to becoming speaker of the House once Nancy Pelosi were to leave and Democrats were to take it back.

Rahm Emanuel left Congress to go and basically run the government. That's a role that you could potentially see Newt Gingrich play if Pence is chosen.

Having said that, as a vice presidential running mate, Newt Gingrich very good on the debate stage. He is clearly, clearly schooled within policy. He is well liked by a lot of conservatives, but there is still some concern. He would have some of the same problems Pence would have when it comes to all conservatives in uniting them behind him.

BERMAN: All right, Mark Preston, Matt Katz, Craig Dunn, thanks so much for being with us.

Coming up for us, an unprecedented move by a sitting Supreme Court justice. Ruth Bader Ginsburg calls Donald Trump a faker with an ego problem. Trump then tweets that she should resign. Next, hear how the White House is weighing in.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:28:14]

BERMAN: Today, in Baton Rouge, just steps away from where Alton Sterling was fatally shot by police, his teenage son delivered a message of peace.

Cameron Sterling was overwhelmed by emotion a week ago when his family first spoke to the media, as you can understand. But, today, in just a moment that was so powerful, the 15-year-old urged those protesting police brutality to, as he put it, do it the right way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAMERON STERLING, SON OF ALTON STERLING: I feel that people in general, no matter what the race is, should come together as one united family.

There should be no more arguments, disagreements, violence, crimes. Everyone should come together as one united family.

My father was a good man. That was his sacrifice to show everyone what has been going on. I feel that everyone, yes, you can protest, but I want everyone to protest the right way, protest in peace, not guns, not drugs, not alcohol, not violence. Everyone needs to protest in the right way, with peace, no violence, none whatsoever.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Amazing.

All right, the video of Alton Sterling's death at the hands of police sparked one young woman to pour her thoughts about racial unrest into a poem she read on Facebook. That video has now been viewed more than 17 million times. She starts with an apology. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAVANNA HARTMAN, PASTOR: I wasn't born rich, but don't get it twisted. See how I look? My white skin is my privilege. I don't get watched when I go to the mall. If I get stopped for a ticket, it doesn't end in a brawl.

I don't know what it's like to go out for snacks and end up lying dead on my back. My car's never been watched or followed around. My kids don't play in parks and then get gunned down. I don't know anyone murdered for selling cigs or C.D.s. I have never been choked out or shot at by corrupt men in P.D.s.

So, I won't pretend to know how you feel.