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Donald Trump Endorses Paul Ryan, John McCain, and Kelly Ayotte for Reelection; State of Donald Trump's Presidential Campaign Examined; Florida Begins Spraying Insecticide to combat Zika Virus; Dangers of Exposure to Zika Virus Examined. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired August 06, 2016 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00] KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: -- I understand I haven't gotten the support of all the Republicans, of all people in my own party there.

But that being said, he did take a step to quell those concerns yesterday by, as you mentioned, endorsing Speaker Ryan. He had upset several party leaders she he said earlier in the week that he wasn't sure he was ready to endorse Speaker Ryan.

In addition to that he also endorsed Senator John McCain from Arizona and Senator Kelly Ayotte from here in New Hampshire where we are right now. And so we'll see how all of this message of unity moving forward, how that affects the party in the coming days, really.

And I should mention, Fred, we did reach out to Senator Kelly Ayotte's office to see if she would be here with Donald Trump at this rally in New Hampshire. We have not heard back yet. We're still waiting on that.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Kristen Holmes, thank you so much. Keep us posted, appreciate it.

I want to bring in Julian Zelizer, a historian and professor at Princeton University. All right, so, given you are a historian, let's start with Trump quoting Ronald Reagan. Is he trying to appeal to traditional Republicans? Is he trying to appeal to an audience that hasn't necessarily shown him a whole lot of love?

JULIAN ZELIZER, HISTORIAN/PROFESSOR, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY: Well, it is not clear. What Reagan did was first to convince all the different factions in the conservative movement that he was the best bet for the Republican Party, that he was the best bet to actually create a coalition. And I don't think everyone in the Republican Party feels that way right now.

And Reagan worked hard not to alienate different Republican groups. So in some ways the reverse of what we're seeing with Donald Trump. He reached out to show that he would support a very broad agenda and he avoided the kind of polarizing remarks within the Republican Party that could have hurt him.

WHITFIELD: And Trump waited until campaign stop in Wisconsin, Paul Ryan's home state, to finally endorse him, just days ago saying, quote "He wasn't there yet" when asked about a Ryan endorsement. So is this pressure from the establishment from the RNC, the GOP saying you have got to do this? Or is he having second thoughts?

ZELIZER: I'm sure there is a lot of pressure, especially for Republicans who have endorsed him despite what they privately want to do. And to have him then attack is really hard for a lot of Republicans to take. So I'm sure the pressure has intensified.

What is not clear is if Donald Trump will continue on listen. We've seen throughout the campaign he is his own person. He can be very erratic and he can be very tough when someone tries to restrain him. So my guess is this won't last long and we're going to more internal party conflict in the coming weeks.

WHITFIELD: And these endorsements, it is coming at a time when the Trump campaign has been embroiled in several controversies, falling poll numbers. There has even been talk, loose talk that has been published about whether Trump is going to drop out or whether he would be replaced by the establishment. Is all of that just talk?

ZELIZER: No, it's not just talk. This is an unusual campaign. We haven't seen anything like this. I think that's fair to say. And so there is an element where many Republicans, Democrats don't know what's coming next. And they don't have a full gauge of how Donald Trump thinks. So I think there are many people who feel not because of pressure but because of becoming frustrated with the processing, sensing that he might who's very badly, that he actually steps out of this whole race. So I think it is loose talk, but I think there's a basis for it. And that's what has many people in both parties nervous about what comes in the weeks ahead.

WHITFIELD: Yes, and nervous about whether that's the October surprise.

ZELIZER: Right, that would be quite a surprise to lose a candidate a month out.

WHITFIELD: Again, we don't know anything, just a whole lot of chatter out there. Julian Zelizer, thank you so much, appreciate it.

ZELIZER: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, it's not just New Hampshire. Colorado is also a key battleground state, one which Donald Trump has called a must-win in his race for the White House. CNN's Kyung Lah takes a closer look at the different strategies of the two campaigns.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In the battleground state of Colorado, the ground war.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm getting people registered to vote.

LAH: Taking aim with real and augmented and retail politics. Clinton campaign workers playing "Pokemon Go" to register potential voters, and using other attention getting draws.

A cello?

ANTHONY CARLSON, COLORADO DEMOCRATIC PARTY REGIONAL ORGANIZING DIRECTOR: A cello. You have to be unique, especially in a battleground state like Colorado where the stakes are so high.

LAH: Battleground Colorado twice elected Republican George W. Bush, then gave Barack Obama back-to-back victories. This year the state is showing signs of leaning Democratic. Some recent polls give Hillary Clinton a double digit lead. Another potential advantage, since 2012 Democrats have registered more voters than Republicans.

[14:05:01] And the ranks of Latino voters continues to grow up to 15.3 percent, higher than the national average. And 14 Clinton campaign offices are up and running in the state, hundreds of workers are on the payroll, the operation expected to triple by early October.

EMMY RUIZ, COLORADO STATE DIRECTOR, HILLARY FOR AMERICA: We're not going to take anything for granted. For us our ground game is critical.

LAH: Democrats have spent $5.6 million on Colorado TV ads while Trump supporters have spent $232,000. The Clinton camp now polling TV ads, saying Trump isn't on the air waves or, frankly, on the pavement.

Are you seeing the Trump operation out there?

RUIZ: No, I haven't.

LAH: The Trump plan in Colorado is far different. Yes, there are some workers knocking on doors, but only a handful are on the payroll, most are volunteers. The Trump campaign has just five offices, relying instead on an extensive Republican national state and local network in place since 2013. The campaign is not worried about being outgunned in the traditional ground game.

ROBERT BLAHA, CHAIRMAN, TRUMP CAMPAIGN IN COLORADO: Her game plan is the same old tired worn out paradigm we've seen for years and years and years. Trump brings a brand-new level of energy. Colorado will be decided in large by a group of people in the middle of America.

LAH: In Colorado, more than one third of voters are registered independents like Marc Sabin. He sports Trump.

MARC SABIN, INDEPENDENT VOTER: I will do it as an independent. So I will contribute directly to Donald Trump. I do not contribute to the GOP.

LAH: Loyalty to Trump, not party, and x-factor not lost on both sides. And with both candidates having high unfavorability numbers, it's leaving some independent voters uncertain of which way they'll go in November.

CARA MILLER, INDEPENDENT VOTER: I'm not sure I want either of them as president.

LAH: So how are you going to decide, then?

MILLER: I don't know. I guess the lesser of two evils.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, our thanks to Kyung Lah for that report in Colorado.

Just a reminder, don't miss "State of the Union" tomorrow. Our Jake Tapper sits down with former GOP presidential candidate and Ohio Governor John Kasich. It all starts tomorrow morning at 9:00 right here on CNN.

Coming up, aerial mosquito spraying wraps up in south Florida. Next, we'll take you live to Miami and show you what else is being done to prevent a larger spread of the virus.

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[14:10:48] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He escaped a maximum security prison twice.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The vision of Chapo inside his cell and then disappearing like Harry Houdini will never be forgotten.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He used cash and cleverness to outwit law enforcement again and again.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It looks like a bathtub, right? Check this out, a signature El Chapo tunnel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A drug lord who loved the limelight.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was sending flirtatious text messages to a soap opera actress.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And ruled the streets.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They put more dope on the streets of the United States than any other cartel by far.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Got Shorty, Inside the Chase for El Chapo."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, and you can check out "Got Shorty, Inside the Chase for El Chapo" tomorrow night, 8:00 eastern, only on CNN.

All right, new developments today in the war on the Zika virus in south Florida. Miami-Dade mosquito control announced a short time ago that it has successfully completed today's aerial spraying. That is after Florida officials announced the number of non-travel cases had risen to 16. CNN's Dan Simon is following this story for us from Miami. So Dan, what is the latest there?

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fred. We are in a Miami neighborhood called Wynwood. This is a collection of bars, restaurants, and galleries. This is considered ground zero for the Zika virus in Miami. We're talking about 16 local transmissions, and believe or not, nearly all of them have happened in this neighborhood.

When it comes to other states, they can probably learn from Florida health officials in terms of what they're doing to combat the virus. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SIMON: As Florida health crews work to rid the state of Zika infected mosquitos, other parts of the nation are nervously bracing for the virus to spread. It is the height of mosquito season and cities like New Orleans with hot, muggy conditions are particularly vulnerable.

MAYOR MITCH LANDRIEU, NEW ORLEANS: Our mentality should not be a matter of if we will face a locally transmitted case, but rather when, because it is likely that we're going to have one.

SIMON: With similar climates, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and Texas have all crafted plans to combat Zika. But the threat goes even farther. This map from the national center for atmospheric research shows all the states at risk with yellow being low risk, orange, moderate, and red being a high rick. Still, health officials say they don't expect widespread outbreaks.

BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: But we cannot be complacent because we do expect to see more Zika cases.

SIMON: With Florida the only case thus far to have local transmission of the virus, it may offer something of a template to the rest of the country on stopping its spread. It has begun using airplanes to spray insecticide. The chemicals spread across a 10-mile area. The early results seem promising with a high kill rate in the traps used to gauge effectiveness.

It has been mopping up water to deprive mosquitos from laying their eggs, while health officials have fanned the community, administering more than 2,400 tests to residents to see how widespread the virus may be.

Florida has also waged a fierce public relations campaign, police officers handing out Zika information pamphlets to tourists and encouraging the use of bug repellent. Bug spray has become so prevalent that stores have actually run out of it. Also in short supply is money, which scientists hoping to fund research into a Zika vaccine. The White House and Congress have been engaged in a fierce partisan battle over a $1.9 billion Zika funding bill.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Congress and the president have not been able to come together on pass a bill to provide more funding. We continue to ask for the federal government to help with mosquito control, help reimburse at the state level. I can tell you at the state level we're going to spend the money that we need to do the right things.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIMON: Those aerial sprayings of insecticide like the one we saw this morning, Fred, those are going to go on for the next four weeks. There has been some concern in the community about the effects of that, but I can tell you that health officials say they are EPA approved. They use them throughout the year in Florida to combat mosquitoes and they say they are safe for both humans and pets. Fred?

[14:15:07] WHITFIELD: All right, Dan Simon, thank you so much in Miami, appreciate it.

SIMON: So the Zika virus has not only been linked to disabling birth defects but many pregnant women are also very concerned about the chemicals being used to kill the Zika carrying mosquitoes, just like you heard from Dan Simon about what the EPA is saying. But if you're pregnant, it's a whole another say about the worries that you might have. So let's talk with Dr. Darria Gillespie. She's an assistant professor of emergency medicine here in Atlanta. And by the way, she is pregnant. So you come at this from a very interesting perspective because you understand and respect the science that we're talking about here. But then you have your own personal concerns because there's only so much we know that you can do to protect yourself and your baby.

DR. DARRIA GILLESPIE, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, EMERGENCY MEDICINE, EMORY UNIVERSITY: It's so true, Fredricka. You have children yourself. I'm a mother being pregnant now again. We worry about everything when we're pregnant. So now pregnant women have to worry about Zika, but they also have to worry about what are the risks of these exposures to these chemicals. So being pregnant and writing so much about this. I have done a lot of research talking to CDC EWG, and kind of figuring out some tips and tricks so that you are addressing both fears. You're protecting your child from Zika but at the same time you are also minimizing excess exposure.

WHITFIELD: So what's the recommendation or what is the discussions like you're having with CDC? You're thinking about your own particular situation, and you're always thinking of the masses because you are a doctor and health care is what you're all about. But what have been your recommendations, because are you seeing it through a different lens now because you are pregnant?

GILLESPIE: A hundred percent. And taking everything in and digesting it a little bit more like we all do when we're pregnant. So number one is what I call Zika chic. If you see me, I'm going out in pants and a loose t-shirt. That way, step number tow is to spray yourself with repellent but you're exposing yourself much less, which is the key. We do have to use DEET and Picaridin, but it is a tradeoff.

WHITFIELD: I was going to ask you about that, because there are concerns about the type, the DEET and all that, and especially when you're pregnant. I remember when I was worried that everything that I might be able to control, you know, and those types of contaminants or one of those things, but you're saying go ahead and embrace certain things like DEET.

GILLESPIE: Be careful. I'm not saying don't go take a bath in DEET right now or any of the repellents. But DEET and Picaridin are the two we have the most data on, so if you cover yourself everywhere, then it's OK to spray and also use -- you probably didn't know the lower percentages of DEET, for instance, 10 to 20 percent, doesn't mean it is less effective than 30 or 40 percent. It just means it lasts for less time. So if you're going out in your yard with your toddler, I'll use 10 percent, which means I'm getting exposed to less. And then as soon as I come back inside, I wash it all off.

WHITFIELD: How concerned are you when, say, in particular, they do the aerial assault with the repellents? What should people, particularly women who are pregnant, be thinking about? The inhalants or the dangers just so much greater by getting Zika that is one of those that you just have to let go of temporarily.

GILLESPIE: The danger is exceptionally scary with Zika. I don't know exactly the chemicals they're spraying in Miami, but I'm doing pesticides in my own backyard right now to make sure. But I'm trying to stick to more organic ones. There are a lot of different kinds out there. But what I would tell somebody who is pregnant, if they are spraying, stay inside. Don't go outside. Find out what they say is the length of time until it dries so you're not inhaling it. And if you have pets, you don't want them going running in your wet yard and then bringing it in the house. These are ways you can minimize your exposure.

WHITFIELD: And then what about those examinations? You will regularly get examinations of your fetus, your personal health. But are you having a certain kind of dialogue with your examining doctor now about things that you want them to do to take certain measurements, something added to see if your fetus is OK, if your baby has been in any way infected?

GILLESPIE: I think that's especially important for anybody who is really at high risk. I think the number one thing is if you think you could have been exposed is to get tested. And make sure you're getting to do that, because the other thing is, there is that service member, we know she has Zika and she's pregnant. And it crushes my wind for a second because I know she has nothing to do but wait. Every one of us who is a parent is just waiting. You're helpless. That's why it is so important that we take all these steps to minimize the risks that we get infected.

And another thing that you may not know that CDC is saying, if you go a country or area that has Zika, when you come back to your home, spray yourself with repellant for three weeks, even if you're not pregnant, nothing else, just so no infecting the local mosquitoes and bringing it back.

WHITFIELD: Really?

GILLESPIE: It takes village really when we talk about Zika.

[14:20:04] WHITFIELD: It does indeed. Thank you so much. That's very alarming and at the same time very enlightening. Dr. Darria Gillespie.

GILLESPIE: "Dr. Darria" works.

WHITFIELD: Thanks so much.

Straight ahead, much more.

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WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. A strong jobs report this week. The U.S. added 255,000 jobs and the unemployment rate remains steady at 4.9 percent. This comes on the heels of a new CNN/ORC poll where voters say they trust Hillary Clinton more on the economy than Trump. That's a reversal from what we heard from voters ahead of the conventions where Trump was believed to be the stronger candidate for the economy. So who is better suited to boost economic growth? That's the question I put to a panel of women.

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CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: OK. So you have two very different worldviews about the economy just completely night and day. Where there is overlap between the two candidate is on infrastructure. They both want to do a big infrastructure build, and there is a lot of enthusiasm for that. Donald Trump says he is better to do it because he's done these projects before and he doesn't have the typical government waste. Hillary Clinton says she has got the connections. She can do it because she knows how government works.

WHITFIELD: And Clinton doesn't necessarily want to separate herself from Obama's policies on the economy, and in fact she also said she hopes to use the support of her husband because of his track record.

[14:25:03] ROMANS: A lot of people call him the jobs president, although they have to be careful about his legacy because he also has something called NAFTA attached to his name. And you've seen this white, blue collar worker sort of outrage about being left behind by globalization.

WHITFIELD: Kayleigh, he is using that to his advantage, Donald Trump.

KAYLEIGH MCENANY, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: That's absolutely right. And especially, you know, Hillary has shifted on the Transpacific Partnership which began under her State Department and now rejecting NAFTA which she previously supported. She has a lot of convincing to do to voters that she is for fair trade, not just free trade but trade that's fair to the American people. Donald Trump has a track record going back 30 years of being against NAFTA and some of these trade deals. So I think she's got some important work to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: More of these great conversations with the panel of dynamic women airing tomorrow afternoon, 2:00 eastern right here on CNN.

Thanks so much for joining us all day today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. A CNN Special Report, "Driving While Distracted" starts right after this.

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