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Scathing DOJ Report against Baltimore PD; Trump: Media Misinterpreted Second Amendment Comment; Reports on Military Progress against ISIS Not Reality; Republican Senator Mark Kirk Un-endorses Trump. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired August 10, 2016 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00:] JUANA SUMMERS, CNN POLITICS EDITOR: If you look at polling you see that roughly 60 percent of voters, if you look at all registered voters, say that Hillary Clinton is not someone they would describe as honest or trustworthy. Whether or not there is anything improper in these e-mails that we are seeing out today -- which, again, are heavily redacted and we are still learning a lot about -- that has to be concerning, if there continues to be this drip, drip, drip, maybe another release comes out. I don't know how they are able to do that well if they continue to have this scrutiny coming from people saying what else don't we know.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Juana Summers, thank you. We'll stay on that.

Coming up next, we have to talk about what is happening in Baltimore. The police department busted in a scathing 126-page Justice Department report. We'll take you live there next. We'll talk to a civil rights advocate who lives in the same neighborhood where Freddie Gray was arrested.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:35:13] BALDWIN: Let's get to Baltimore and this scathing report from the Department of Justice about the Baltimore city police department. The result of this investigation requested by the city's mayor reveal officers routinely violated people's, particularly African-Americans, civil rights. We're talk about practices of excessive force, questionable police stops, searches and arrests.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VANITA GUPTA, PRINCIPAL DEPUTY ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL: African- Americans accounted for 95 percent of the 410 individuals the police department stopped at least 10 times. Indeed, one African-American man was stopped 30 times in less than four years with none of the stops resulting in a citation or a criminal charge.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Let's go first to Jean Casarez, who's in Baltimore there in front of city hall.

Jean, we have the mayor, the police commissioner's response. They both said some reforms have already happened. Some officers have been fired?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Reporter: that's right. Six officers we heard were fired year. As far as reforms, I think they've just begun by instituting body cameras on officers, cameras inside the police van. What they really wanted to emphasize at the press conference today was one of the roots of these unconstitutional behavior is because of the distrust of the people of Baltimore.

Here's just an example. If an officer's in the community and there are pedestrians, and one pedestrian flees from the police officer, unless there is an imminent threat to the police officer to pursue that person that is fleeing only breeds the distrust.

Let's listen to some words from the police commissioner of Baltimore. He spoke, Kevin Davis, some time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN DAVIS, COMMISSIONER, BALTIMORE POLICE DEPARTMENT: We know that our citizens are outraged at some of the details included in this report. And they should be. Citizens can't be expected to respect an agency if the trust of that agency is breached.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: The 163-page report cites so many blatant examples. Here's one we want everybody to listen to. Quote, "During a ride-along with the Justice Department officials, a Baltimore Police Department sergeant instructed a patrol officer to stop a group of young African- American males on a street corner, question them, and order them to disperse. When the patrol officer protested that he had no valid reason to stop the group, the sergeant replied, 'Then make something up'."

Brooke, that's only one example of really shocking things, including strip searches in public and sexual assault investigations that possibly may not have even been investigated.

But there is a responsibility, they say, the Justice Department says, the Baltimore Police Department, as per a court order, will be demanded to make these changes and it all begins with the training.

BALDWIN: Jean Casarez, thank you.

We'll bring in another voice in just a second.

Let me tell all of you, Baltimore city state's attorney, Marilyn Mosby, is responded to this scathing report. She's saying, quote, "I'm positive the Department of Justice report will lead to more reforms, which is an important step in ensuring best practices for a fully functioning police-prosecutor relationship."

Systemic policy abuse is not new to many African-Americans living in Baltimore."

Joining me now, Ray Kelly, a civil rights advocate, who lives in the city's neighborhood where Freddie Gray was arrested.

Ray, so nice to have you on. Welcome.

RAY KELLY, BALTIMORE CIVIL RIGHTS ADVOCATE: Thanks for having me.

BALDWIN: I know this is personal for you. I think we've even talked before. You're familiar with police. You're familiar with the distrust. You're familiar with being arrested in an unjustified way. What do you make of reaction to what's happening today, this report?

KELLY: So, of course, nothing in the report is actually surprising to the people that actually live in that community. But the report was actually validation of what we've been saying for years that no boundaries and people have been saying 10 years before us is that this is actually a racist practice that the Baltimore police have been engaged in.

BALDWIN: You know the numbers. I see no surprise on your face but for people watching at home, let me throw some numbers out there at them. Pedestrian stops from January 2010-2015 showing African- Americans account for 84 percent of stops despite 63 percent city population a black population. Officers made 520 stops for every 1,000 black residents in Baltimore, but only 180 stops for every 1,000 white residents in Baltimore.

Here's the question though. These are numbers, right? We're throwing a lot of numbers out there, and that's great that there is a report. But for you living there, feeling this, do you believe that actual change will come of this?

[14:40:29] KELLY: So, I'm hopeful that change will come of it. Even for me, the numbers definitely threw me aback. Even if I was very aware of those types of situations, like you said, 80 percent of the traffic stops are black people, which calls into question what situation are the black people in to have that high percentage of the calls. I mean, we know that this has always been racist, and we hope that just the federal government actually saying that this is a racist and against people's civil that that will influence immediate change. That's what we're pushing for, as well as community involvement and civilian oversight.

My one problem with this whole press release was the public wasn't invited to it. It's like if you're starting of public and community involvement, community wants to be there from the very beginning and we want to be there for every step of the process.

BALDWIN: I know you will be there. Listen, it is a valid point, but I know you will be there as a leader in the community. You're meeting with Department of Justice officials near city hall in just a couple of hours.

Let's stay in contact. I like hearing hope from you. I appreciate it very much as we're going to be watching Baltimore very closely in the wake of this report.

Ray Kelly, thank you so much for your time. KELLY: Thanks a lot.

BALDWIN: Let's pivot to this. Breaking news here as we are waiting for Donald Trump to talk in Virginia at a rally any moment now. Some news involving his controversial remark about Hillary Clinton and the Second Amendment.

So before we get to the news, quick reminder of what exactly it was he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & CEO, TRUMP ORGANIZATION: Hillary wants to abolish -- essentially abolish the Second Amendment. By the way, and if she gets to pick --

(BOOING)

TRUMP: If she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks.

(BOOING)

TRUMP: Although the Second Amendment people, maybe there is, I don't know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Let's go live to our chief national security correspondent, Jim Sciutto.

Jim, what's the news?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, this just in. Official with the U.S. Secret Service tells me that the Secret Service has spoken to the Trump campaign regarding his Second Amendment comments. In fact, I'm told there has been more than one conversation regarding those comments with the Trump campaign. I'm told by the Secret Service that the campaign's response was that he did not intend to incite violence.

But I'll tell you, Brooke, I've been speaking to a number of former Secret Service agents as well. They have said that these comments are the kinds that are taken very seriously, and that if, for instance, a private citizen were to say them, that private citizen, you or me, would certainly be interviewed by the Secret Service. But with this added detail, that because Donald Trump has such a large following, that, in fact, the potential danger of comments like that could have greater impact because people listen to them. That could be a deranged person, perhaps, but that those comments have an effect.

News here is that the U.S. Secret Service, as a reflection of their concern about those comments, has had multiple conversations with the Trump campaign since he made those comments yesterday on the Second Amendment.

BALDWIN: So since the multiple conversations have been had -- we aren't just talking about any other citizen. We're talking about someone who wants to be president of the United States -- what now? What's protocol?

SCIUTTO: Well, again, speaking to former Secret Service agents, there's nothing illegal about what he said because Donald Trump did not threaten, for instance, the life of someone else. So this is not in the legal realm. You aren't talking about going down any path towards charges. It is purely in the abundance of caution realm. One former Secret Service agent described it to me, Secret Service has a duty of care. Part of their job in protecting principals is in not only removing potential threats, but also preventing the pathway to threats. They'll often talk about it, intent, being one of those concerns being that comments like this, in fact, could create an intent. So that's why they take this very seriously.

So on a legal path I think you would presume, Brooke, that this conversation, these conversations, is as far as it goes, assuming it ends there.

[14:45:00] BALDWIN: OK. OK. Jim Sciutto, thank you.

From breaking news there involving Secret Service and the Trump campaign, now to ISIS. More breaking news, new developments in the war against ISIS. Intelligence reports suggesting that reports of military progress coming from the U.S. Central Command were more optimistic than reality, actually, on the ground.

To the Pentagon we go for this, to Barbara Starr.

"More realistic than reality." What's actually does that mean?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, this has been a controversy brewing in the Pentagon hallways for some months now. We are talking about actually a particular time frame, mid 2014 to mid 2015. Whistleblowers inside the U.S. Central Command had been complaining for several months that the intelligence reports they were working on were altered by senior commanders so the progress against ISIS by the U.S. military would look more optimistic than it really was.

Now, already there is a full-blown Pentagon investigation. We haven't seen the results of that. But today we are getting a peek, if you will, into a congressional review in to all of this by Republicans on Capitol Hill. What they have concluded is, yes, indeed, some of the intelligence reports were altered, that senior commanders felt they had to rely more on what they were getting from the field, from the front lines in Iraq and Syria, than what they were getting from their own intelligence analysts. And from the field, it looked pretty optimistic.

It sounds all very bureaucratic, I know, but underneath all of this, it is a fundamental question: Was intelligence being altered? Yes. Why was it being altered? No clear answer on that yet. No answer on whether there was really any political motivation, or did senior leader just feel they wanted to present the most optimistic picture they really could. The reality, the fight against ISIS is taking a long time, thousands of air strikes. They have been pushed out of some of there are territory in Iraq and Syria but I don't think anybody counts ISIS down and out -- Brooke?

BALDWIN: Barbara, thank you.

Meantime, Donald Trump speaking momentarily in Virginia. All of this, the back drop. The backlash growing against his comments involving the Second Amendment and Hillary Clinton. You heard Jim Sciutto reporting the Trump camp has spoken to the Secret Service multiple times. So we'll listen to what he has to say there.

Also ahead, the first sitting Republican Senator to un-endorse Donald Trump, Senator Mark Kirk. Senator Kirk joins us live, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:49:56] BALDWIN: Hillary Clinton's campaign is actually now circulating this list of 50 Republicans and Independents who have endorsed her. That list includes former Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman; Brent Scowcroft, foreign policy advisor to four Republican presidents; Meg Whitman, CEO of Hewlett-Packard; and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Meanwhile, the Donald Trump campaign is combating a growing list of its own, sitting Republican Senators withdrawing their endorsement all together. Republican Senator Susan Collins from Maine, the latest to say she will not be voting for Mr. Trump. In fact, she told our own Jamie Gangel that she will be writing in Jeb Bush come November.

I have with me now Republican Senator Mark Kirk, from Illinois, the first Senator to actually un-endorse Mr. Trump back in June. He joins me from Chicago.

So, Senator Kirk, great to have you on. Welcome.

SEN. MARK KIRK, (R), ILLINOIS: Thank you, Brooke, for having me on.

BALDWIN: Since you were the first, let me begin there, un-endorsing Trump, but not endorsing Clinton, correct?

KIRK: No, not at all. Because Hillary Clinton was for the Iran agreement and I can't support someone who is for the Iran agreement.

BALDWIN: Who will you be voting for? Who will you be writing in?

KIRK: In my case, I'll be writing in General Colin Powell that I think would be the best person.

BALDWIN: Colin Powell. It's interesting, because I know Senator Collins says he'll be writing in Jeb Bush. You'll be writing in Colin Powell. But what do you say to Republicans who will inevitably be saying to you, well, that just means, in a sense, it is a vote for Hillary Clinton.

KIRK: I would say it is a vote not for Hillary Clinton. As someone who is better than she is when we find out, "The New York Times" reported there was a dangerous overlap in her duties as fundraiser for the Clinton Foundation and secretary of state. We should not have such a person with so many conflicts of interest in office as our president of the United States.

BALDWIN: But then on your un-endorsement of Trump, what do you make of Republicans, like a Paul Ryan, like a John McCain, who have endorsed, despite many, many controversial comments from Mr. Trump, who refuse to un-endorse?

KIRK: I would say right now that Trump is too racist and too bigoted for the land of Lincoln.

BALDWIN: What does that then mean for the John McCains and the Paul Ryans?

KIRK: It means, find a way to write in an American that you think can really lead this country to a much better shining city on the hill.

BALDWIN: Senator Kirk, back in June, you told CNN, quote, "I cannot and will not support my party's nominee for president, regardless of the political impact on my candidacy or the Republican Party."

You know, you're in the midst of -- you're fighting a good fight here. But what is at greater risk to the future of your party? Is it Trump winning this election or Clinton winning this election?

KIRK: In the end -- yeah. In the end, we have to put patriotism over party to make sure that, as a party, we are backing the best person for the country. And in the case of Donald Trump, he doesn't have the temperament to be a good commander-in-chief. From my 23 years experience in the Navy, I always put that characteristic topmost at my list.

BALDWIN: I hear you, sir, on patriotism. But let me just ask the question again. Who is essentially the bigger risk? Is it Hillary Clinton or is it Donald Trump?

KIRK: I think right now if we had Colin Powell at the head of our party, we would crush the opposition.

BALDWIN: Sir, he's not running for president, with all due respect.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Who is the bigger risk, Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump?

KIRK: I think right now Hillary Clinton because in Illinois we really understand corruption after the Blagojevich years. Too corrupt for the country now.

BALDWIN: OK. As I mentioned, you're running this re-election campaign. You're up against Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth. Part of the reason you won't endorse is that, in some local races, Trump has been a mega drag on the ticket. What would you say to vulnerable Republicans down-ballot who are also fighting to hold on to their seats? KIRK: I would say put the people first and the country first rather

than party, and the voters will rally to your cause very quickly. If they sense you are backing the national interest and not going to drive off the cliff with Trump, that you're going to always put America first, like Trump says. Make sure that we have that done. We got to put patriotism of our party.

BALDWIN: Let me get to something I know you are passionate about with regard to Syrian refugees. You take issue with Trump and his immigration reform plan. You support a pathway to citizenship, yet you are leading a Senate fight calling for an immediate moratorium on the president's plan to allow 10,000 Syrian refugees from entering the U.S. Why do you feel differently about Syrian immigrants?

[14:55:18] KIRK: I would say right now that my opponent, Tammy Duckworth, is for bringing 200,000 Syrian refugees, even though the FBI director says we cannot screen them for terrorism because there's no database to check against. We cannot build a political database on these people in the middle of the Syrian civil war, that we ought to take some time and make sure that we know the political leaning of these people. We have seen in the past, the prime minister of Lebanon said he estimated in the Middle East about 2 percent to 4 percent of these people coming out as refugees will lean towards terror. That means hundreds of terrorists coming in if we use the 200,000 Duckworth number. When you have that many people coming in with terrorist leanings, you overwhelm the FBI office here in Chicagoland.

BALDWIN: Senator Mark Kirk, thank you so much for the time.

Good luck. Good luck, Senator.

KIRK: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Thank you.

Any moment now, we're watching for Donald Trump to speak at a rally in Virginia. Backlash against him grows over his comments involving the Second Amendment. We'll take it live. Stay right here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Need to escape life for a few hours? The movies are an easy answer.

(SHOUTING)

UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT: And millions of people agree. The cinema brings in nearly %40 billion worldwide.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Do it.

UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT: But it's starting to face major competition from your couch.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi.

UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT: There's a short release time to video, which means you could be watching the latest blockbuster at home in just a couple of months. And that quick release can lead to piracy, which cuts into theater profits by nearly 15 percent.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Water on, water off.

BRANDON CHOI, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, C.J.40PLEX AMERICA: I think C.J.40Plex is the answer for preventing pirating because you can't really enjoy this with your TV sets and home theater.

UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's for sure. This is what it's like to experience a movie in 4DX. C.J. CGB is the company. They are trying to get people out of theaters in their homes and back to the movies.

CATHERINE YI, CREATIVE DIRECTOR, C.J.40PLEX AMERICA: In Jason Bourne, there are a lot of fight scenes with a lot of hand-to-hand combat. For those kinds of scenes, it is really cool to use air shots. We like to put it in with those punches. So you feel like you're part of the story.

UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT: The technology was created in South Korea but is now made its way to the U.S. Big theater companies like Regal and AFG are spending up to $2 million per theater to bring this experience to their audiences.

TODD GOLDSTEIN, CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER AFG: People love it. They love to be here, they love the experience. They want to come again and again and they haven't been shied away b the increased cost the movie ticket is. We've paid back our dollars in really just the first six months.

UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT: And it doesn't stop a 4DX. There's ScreenX --