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Baton Rouge Police: Video Shows Calculated Attack; Speaker Paul Ryan, Ben Carson to Speak Tonight. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired July 19, 2016 - 15:30   ET

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

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[15:34:10] BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go to Louisiana now. Investigators in Baton Rouge are calling a cop killer's brutal rampage chilling and calculated. They released video of the shooting which was caught on security surveillance cameras. When you watch this, it shows this masked gunman hunting down these unsuspecting officers, these innocent officers. Three of whom as you know were killed. And there have been multiple community vigils in the wake of Sunday's shooting.

President Obama penned an open letter to the nation's police force saying that he, quote, "has their backs." He writes, quote, "Some are trying to use this moment to divide police and the communities you serve. I reject those efforts for they do not reflect the reality of our nation."

Let's go to Brian Todd who's there live in Baton Rouge.

And, Brian, I know you talked to a witness who says he was actually caught in the gunman's crossfire?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Brooke. This witness, Martel Brown, gave us a riveting account.

[15:35:02] I'm going to get to that in just one second.

But we can tell you that more than 48 hours after this attack, this area right here where the shooting occurred is still a crime scene. This place right here, the sign they just -- this morning, they carved out a hole in this sign where evidence technicians were processing some evidence. Possibly a bullet marking hit that sign. They're just preparing it now.

I'm also going to walk over here, where our photojournalist Tony Morani (ph), he's going to follow. I'm going to show you.

This is the Fitness Expo sale store where they sell fitness equipment. This was an area where the shooter apparently shot at least two law enforcement officers. Tony can walk with me here. Got to adjust a little bit for the light but this is a bullet hole right here in the window of the Fitness Expo. The manager told me he believes this is where one of the shooter's bullets came in. They have another window boarded up over here.

What we are getting from witnesses and others is that this was a key moment, key place right over here where this standoff ended. That parking lot is where the shooter was taken down by a SWAT team number from right about over there at Benny's car wash about 100 yards away. He took him out right there.

This was after the shooter killed three police officers behind those buildings, made his way around that area right there and confronted one of the officers. That witness that we spoke to, Martel Brown, was right over here when he saw one of the deputies creep up toward a car and that's when the deputy got hit.

This is Martel Brown's account.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: You don't see the killer but you see an officer approaching this spot. What happens?

MARTEL BROWN, WITNESS: He takes a head shot.

TODD: Right here?

BROWN: Right here. Before he gets to the vehicle, before he gets to it he's shot. And then officer right here alongside this building where the bush is at, he's taking cover. He's shot also. He then responds to me telling me to let his partners know that he's been hit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: And after he let that officer know that his partner had been hit, the officer who was right over here, Brown says, told him to get down, then told him to leave the area. At that point brown says the officer over here started firing. That may have been the SWAT team officer who finally took out the suspect over here.

We're told by police they are convinced that if they hadn't taken him out at that moment, Brooke, he could have come down here, down Airline Highway about 600 yards is the Baton Rouge police headquarters, he would have targeted officers there. That's what police are convinced of at this hour.

Right now, Brooke, the status of the investigation is, they're trying to piece together Gavin Long's movements in Baton Rouge in the days leading up to the killings. He was here for several days. They are trying for find out who he might have conversed with, who he met with, where he stayed, Brooke.

BALDWIN: It is absolutely extraordinary. It's still thinking of that news conference with all those law enforcement this time yesterday and just the emotion. You just don't see that very often. Let's also keep in mind the police officer still fighting for his life in the hospital.

Brian Todd, thank you so much. We'll stay there in Louisiana on that story.

Next though, here in Cleveland, the RNC and the Trump campaign tripling down on defending Mrs. Trump. Melania Trump in the thick of this plagiarism controversy and all these allegations flying today.

Some are quick to point out President Obama and Vice President Biden have once upon a time also been accused of the same thing. We'll talk about all of it with Michael Smerconish, next here in Cleveland.

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[15:42:46] BALDWIN: Welcome back. I'm Brooke Baldwin live in Cleveland. Day two of the Republican national convention.

But, the Trump campaign and Mr. Trump specifically, according to sources, is furious over night number one. Dominating headlines today, Melania Trump, his wife, accused of plagiarizing Michelle Obama's 2008 Democratic National Convention speech last night.

But, Mrs. Trump swears she wrote it herself without much help.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NBC NEWS: Has she gone over the speech with you? Did you practice it on the plane?

MELANIA TRUMP, WIFE OF DONALD TRUMP: I read once over it and that's all because I wrote it and will need little help as possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Here he is, CNN's Michael Smerconish, host of "SMERCONISH".

I mean, I was watching you until late last night. You signed off at 11:00, hey, great night at the RNC. It's done.

MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It had been. It had been. Then I woke up to this "something" show, right?

BALDWIN: Bleep storm, yes, yes. No, exactly.

SMERCONISH: Rookie mistake. I have two sons in college, before they submit term papers just to err on the side of caution, there is a website they go to. They feed it into the website. They make sure that inadvertently they haven't lifted someone else's words without attribution.

But the bigger mistake here, dare I say, and people will go crazy when I use this word, the Watergate error is that it is the post-op that is worse now. They should have stood up today and said, damn, we made a mistake. We sure didn't intend to take any of Michelle Obama's words and now we are looking forward to tonight.

BALDWIN: This whole thing would have truly been a blip had there been that accountability.

SMERCONISH: I agree.

BALDWIN: From all sides, this has happened in the past. Case in point.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Don't tell me words don't matter. I have a dream, just words. We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal. Just words. We have nothing to fear but fear itself. Just words.

DEVAL PATRICK, FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR: We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal. Just words.

[15:45:01] Just words. We have nothing to fear but fear itself. Just words.

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

BALDWIN: So, that originally was, you know, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, and it was Barack Obama who borrowed some words and he said, yes, I did it. Is that the difference?

SMERCONISH: Yes, that is the difference. You've got to fess up. I think it's part of the larger issue with the Trump campaign. There is a lack of self-reflection, on his part, on the campaign's part. I think it's troublesome.

I make mistakes every single day and apologize for them. I think that this idea that you did in instead and you deny, deny, deny and don't acknowledge even the smallest of -- it's a misdemeanor. It's a mistake. It makes wonder about your credibility over all.

BALDWIN: Rudy Giuliani. You were on your radio this morning on your show. What kind of feedback were you hearing?

SMERCONISH: There was kind after Kennedy/Nixon thing going on. The age-old story, those who won the radio version thought Nixon had won and those who watched on television grave it to JFK maybe because he used makeup.

I went on the radio this morning and I said, again, I thought overall Melania gave a sigh that I thought it had been a pretty good evening because they all stuck to script and so forth. My radio caller inundated me, what about Giuliani, that tone was horrific. I said it played well in the hall. Maybe I was swept among those the delegates, to the 5,000, they were fired up about it. Ready to go. Right?

So, you know, how it played on TV versus how it played in the hall is the bigger story. Here's the bigger issue. The bigger issue is, that last night, the Pence pick and the way in which this Trump campaign has rolled out thus far has all been about salving the base, solidifying the support of the GOP.

At some point --

BALDWIN: You got to look beyond that.

SMERCONISH: -- you got to grow the tent, because these folks in here can't get it done for you alone. So, in the next three nights are we going to begin to see that? I think we better for the sake of the Trump campaign.

BALDWIN: Right, he's already sort of neck and neck with Hillary and you have to grow those numbers.

SMERCONISH: Brooke, that's a serious point. Despite all these faux pass, and sometimes we fixate on them --

BALDWIN: On both sides, on both sides.

SMERCONISH: Right. No doubt, but he is within the margin of error. I think you have to acknowledge that.

BALDWIN: Michael Smerconish, thank you.

SMERCONISH: Nice to see you.

BALDWIN: See you all week long. Do not miss his show, Saturday 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Eastern.

Special coverage continues in a moment. What is that, outside?

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[15:51:31] BALDWIN: All right, looking ahead to this evening. Two of the more anticipated primetime speakers for tonight's convention, House Speaker Paul Ryan and Dr. Ben Carson. While Dr. Carson is now on the Trump train, Speaker Ryan has had a long list of differences with the presumptive nominee and has repeatedly criticized his tone.

So, with that, let me bring in Sunlen Serfaty, our CNN correspondent. Maeve Reston is here, CNN national political reporter. And with me, Pete Seat, he's the former commerce director for the Republican Party in Indiana.

Hello, hello, hello.

Mr. Seat, do you -- how does Paul Ryan thread the needle in the speech tonight?

PETE SEAT, FORMER COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, INDIANA REPUBLICAN PARTY: I think it was a more difficult needle to thread until Mike Pence came into the picture. Now, Paul Ryan has safe ground. He's his friend. He thinks very highly of him and I think he now has safe ground where he can talk about this team with a lot of gusto.

BALDWIN: He talks unity. Obviously, he needs to talk about, you know, he's very concerned about the down ballot race. But how many times does he mention Trump's name?

SEAT: Well, I say the over-under is 4.5.

BALDWIN: You talk to Chris Christie last tonight. He's speaking this evening. And the line to you that stood and he said there is no silver bullet to address Trump's woman problem.

MAEVE RESTON, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, of course, this is in the context of Melania's speech last night.

BALDWIN: But before, yes --

RESTON: And he was saying basically there is not one single thing that Donald Trump can do this week to help with his problems with women voters other than to be himself, show his humanity in a way that people would like to see more.

But, I mean, Chris Christie clearly last night was being a total team player. He talked about being disappointed, but that I'm a big boy, focus on the transition, I'm here to help him and clearly is all in for Donald Trump tonight.

BALDWIN: Now, four years ago, when we're all sitting in Tampa and Mitt Romney wanted to be president, and Chris Christie got on stage, I remember Chris Christie talked about Chris Christie and he was criticized for that. And I know that he's been buzzed for year and years and Mr. Trump, I mean, even Rick Perry didn't mention Trump's name once. What should we expect from Governor Christie tonight?

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think it will be very interesting to watch. He's kind of gone through this public mourning, so to speak, for not getting the vice presidential slot. He's kind of wrestled with that in public for the last few days.

So, I think he will try to pick himself up, call for unity. Of course, he has been emphasizing in an interview on CNN, he emphasized, look, I still have a position, I'm working on the transition. So, I think he is still trying to elbow his way in there, make sure that he presents himself as a potential for the Trump administration going forward. But it will be interesting to read his body language up there on stage, of course, not the position he wants --

(CROSSTALK)

RESTON: And, of course, Ben Carson, a very important speaker tonight that in a sense that yes, he and Trump traded fire, but he had such an edge with evangelicals. And as we have seen, evangelicals have stayed with Trump and Ben Carson speaking really helps to cement that relationship and that's what will be to watch for tonight.

BALDWIN: Also tonight, I'm really watching for the kids, we call them kids, but they're adults. I mean, Don Jr. and Tiffany will be speaking tonight, you know, really also just personalizing their dad. What will you be listening for? Do you think their job is a tad tougher given the conversation everyone has been having today?

SEAT: A tad tougher. I thought Melania knocked it out of the park, controversy aside, it was a grand slam.

BALDWIN: A tough thing to do.

SEAT: What she didn't do though is give those personal stories. She didn't personalize it in a way that Americans can understand it and that's where Don Jr. and Tiffany have an opportunity tonight to really make it something people can wrap their hands around.

[15:55:06] BALDWIN: Yes.

RESTON: And Ivanka later this week will be so important introducing her dad, to reach exactly those women that we're talking about, the married 55 to 30-year-olds who are worried about Trump's temperament. They want to hear those stories.

BALDWIN: I can't wait to hear from here. I can't wait.

Pete and Sunlen and Maeve, thank you all so much here in Cleveland.

Thank you for being with me. Florida Senator Marco Rubio noticeably absent from the convention as well here, but he will be speaking to Jake Tapper in a matter of minutes. Do not miss it.

CNN's special coverage here from Cleveland continues in just a moment.

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