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Trump Blames Media for Second Amendment Outcry; No World War Rematch Between America's King and Russia's Efimova; Philippine President Insults U.S. Ambassador; Baghdad Hospital Fire Kills Babies;; Presidential Election Ramps Up Offensive Rhetoric; Woman Accidentally Killed at Police Demonstration; Ed Sheeran Sued for Copyright Infringement. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired August 11, 2016 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:13] ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR: This is CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Ahead this hour, Hillary Clinton says her rival crossed the line but Donald Trump is not backing away from comments many heard as a veiled threat.
SESAY: Also ahead, the president of the Philippines insults a U.S. ambassador with a homophobic slur.
VAUSE: And pop star Ed Sheeran of ripping on a soul music's biggest hits.
SESAY: Hello, and thank you for joining us. I am Isha Sesay.
VAUSE: Great to have you with us for another hour. I'm John Vause. NEWSROOM L.A. starts right now.
There is no let up in the controversy over Donald Trump's remarks to gun rights activists when the U.S. Republican presidential nominee suggested that Second Amendment supporters or gun owners do something to stop Hillary Clinton from appointing justices to the Supreme Court, it sparked an immediate outcry.
SESAY: Critics say he was inciting violence against his Democratic rival. Trump insists he was only trying to rally the gun lobby and he blames the media for the controversy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I would actually say that the media is almost as crooked as "Crooked" Hillary Clinton. I mean that. I mean that.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: I mean, look at the way they covered that story yesterday. Was that disgusting? Was that disgusting?
(END VIDEO CLIP) VAUSE: Campaigning in Iowa Hillary Clinton joined the growing outcry and she dismissed Trump's explanation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Words matter, my friends.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: And if you are running to be president or you are president of the United States, words can have tremendous consequences. Yesterday, we witnessed the latest in a long line of casual comments from Donald Trump that crossed the line.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: Well. joining us now here in L.A. are Howard Kushland. He's a Democratic political consultant and CEO of Cruz Brand Strategy.
VAUSE: And CNN political commentator John Philips. He is a radio talk show host, political columnist for the "Orange County Register," and a rare breed, a Trump supporter in California.
(LAUGHTER)
VAUSE: Good to have you with us again. OK. Donald Trump did not have a lot to say about his Second Amendment comments. We heard essentially that was it, he was saying it was all the media's fault. He blamed the media.
But, John, is that as close as we're going to get an admission from Donald Trump that perhaps what he said was a mistake and it's time to move on?
JOHN PHILIPS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Probably.
VAUSE: Yes. That's it.
PHILIPS: Going from the past record. But look, if one bad joke results in this much of a public flogging, then the writers of "Freddy Got Fingered" deserve to be in solitary confinement. It was -- it was one joke. It was inappropriate. But if Hillary Clinton is worried about her safety in a legitimate way then having a guy who is a Taliban supporter standing five feet behind her as a prop at a rally in Florida is what should be on the top of her list.
VAUSE: You saw it as a joke but the Secret Service didn't see it as a joke. A lot of other people out there did not see it as a joke.
PHILIPS: The Secret Service agents that I have spoken to, formerly in the Secret Service, not current ones, said that they recognize that it was a joke. No serious person thought that he was out there saying that someone should go out and kill her. Now why you shouldn't joke about these things is there's a lot of nuts out there.
VAUSE: Exactly.
PHILIPS: And people could see something like that misinterpret it, which is why he was wrong to do that. But I don't think and I don't think most people think that he was seriously asking for people to go out and commit an act of violence.
SESAY: Howard, the very fact that the Trump campaign refuses to categorically deny, reject, the comments he made, I mean, surely the gift to the Hillary Clinton campaign, it says it just gives them a clear path to double down on saying that this guy is unsuitable.
HOWARD KUSHLAND, DEMOCRATIC POLITICAL CONSULTANT: Absolutely. And it goes directly to temperament, it goes to fitness for office, and it also is amusing to me that you often hear many Trump supporters talk about part of his great appeal is his plain spokeness, his directness, his -- lack of political correctness, but at the same time it feels like every day people have to go on television and tell us what he meant to say, and what he intended to say, and not for one day but for multiple days. And so from Secretary Clinton's perspective, it's just one more proof point in the litany that feel ever more frequent pointing us to sort of the unstability of Donald Trump.
VAUSE: OK. Let's get to this -- let's go back to 2008 because a lot of conservative have brought this up. They said there is a good deal of hypocrisy here from Secretary Clinton when it comes to this issue because back in 2008 she kind of hinted at the possibility of the assassination of her opponent, Senator Barack Obama.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: My husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June, right?
[01:05:09] We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So , Howard, should, you know, the Democrats and the people who are outraged by this also have a similar opinion of what Hillary Clinton said?
KUSHLAND: Sure. And I think they did at the time and I think there was some tough coverage at the time. But I think more importantly Hillary Clinton apologized and she owned up to her remarks and --
SESAY: Kind of half hearted.
KUSHLAND: Sure. it's full hearted more than Donald Trump has ever done.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILIPS: It's a good point.
KUSHLAND: And so going ahead I think we have to grant people to make mistakes. People misspeak, people's words get misinterpreted. But if they don't step up and tell us what they meant and leave it to linger that's their responsibility. And the fallout is their own.
SESAY: Speaking of giving people an opportunity, Mark Philips -- sorry, John Philips, you were just saying a short time ago that Hillary Clinton had the father of the Orlando shooter sitting behind her.
PHILIPS: Right.
SESAY: Fast forward to just a couple of hours ago where in Florida, the disgraced ex-congressman Mark Foley was sitting behind Donald Trump leading people to ask questions about that. Does the American public deserve an explanation?
PHILIPS: I think there's no comparison. The man standing behind Hillary Clinton claimed to be the president of Afghanistan in exile. Hi son shot up a nightclub and killed a bunch of people in an act of terrorism. He tried to justify that, the father did, by saying, he was upset because he saw two men kissing. This man produces videos on a regular basis in support of the Taliban.
Mark Foley was never convicted of any crime. He left Congress in disgrace after spending inappropriate e-mails. But there is a huge difference between someone who sympathizes with the Taliban and someone that sent an inappropriate e-mails.
SESAY: That may be, but do you not think that the situation with Mark Foley, bearing in mind that the circumstances under which he left Congress, that cloud still make him unsuitable, many would say, to be sitting behind Donald Trump, the presidential nominee?
PHILIPS: He was standing behind him. He wasn't appointed to any high position. He's not the vice presidential nominee. I don't think you have to apologize for everyone that's in your audience.
VAUSE: Interesting point. Maybe the Democrats would --
SESAY: Exactly.
(CROSSTALK)
VAUSE: Seize upon that one, Howard.
SESAY: Howard?
KUSHLAND: I think here's the truth and I think here's sort of an interesting distinction. I think it's a mistake on the part of both campaigns for both gentlemen having appeared where they did. Two big differences. Number one, Donald Trump took the time to let us all know that he knew everyone sitting behind him and with a bravado that's unique to Donald Trump said, everyone back here knows me, raise your hand if you know me. And that's why I have you back here.
So that's a different level of ownership. And to go to our earlier point, he has yet -- I haven't seen the latest, maybe he's tweeted a million times tonight, but he hasn't disavowed it yet or stepped away from it, and what is really indicative about it is the fact that Donald Trump in many ways has no real campaign organization. On the Hillary Clinton side I would say it's a mistake on the part of the advance folks. On the Donald Trump side, I'm not sure who's working for the campaign anymore.
SESAY: And the campaign did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday night.
VAUSE: From CNN.
SESAY: From CNN.
PHILIPS: Yes. Look, I mean, Hillary's top aide, Huma Abedin, is married to Anthony Weiner who left office in disgrace. Should they apologize for that and should they disavow him?
SESAY: Were it the same thing?
PHILIPS: I mean, it's the husband of one of her top aides.
VAUSE: OK. Moving on.
(LAUGHTER)
VAUSE: This was a day which should have been actually a good day for Donald Trump because it was essentially a bad day for Hillary Clinton because we had 300 e-mails that came out. Judicial Watch, which is a conservative group, sued for the release of these e-mails, and critics say they proved an inappropriate relationship between Clinton, when she was running the State Department, and the Clinton Foundation. Donald Trump picked up on it, but it didn't quite work. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: A couple of very bad ones came out. And it's called pay-for- play. And some of these were really, really bad and illegal. If it's true, it's illegal. You're paying and you're getting things. It's illegal. I mean, it's illegal. And we'll see what happens with it, folks. We'll see what happens with it but it's very serious stuff. It's very, very serious. I don't know that it can be any more serious than deleting or getting rid of 33,000 e-mails.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: It seems very Jeb Bush during his campaign today, very low energy. The Clinton campaign released a statement saying, Hillary Clinton never took any action as secretary of state because of donations to the Clinton -- too any action as secretary of state, I should say, because of donations to the Clinton Foundation. But, John, is that enough?
PHILIPS: The Clinton Foundation took a lot of money from foreign actors that have business before the United States government in the United States. You go back to the Mark Rich pardon when President Clinton was leaving office and you saw all of the dirty politics that were at play there. We have Julian Assange who claims that he has more e-mails that could potentially derail the candidacy of Hillary Clinton. You would have to assume that those e-mails have something to do with the Clinton Foundation. I'm assuming that she's shaking in her shoes right now.
SESAY: And, Howard, given Secretary Clinton's unfavorability numbers and the questions about her trustworthiness, I mean, is that explanation really good enough?
KUSHLAND: Look, let's be honest, Hillary Clinton has never had quite enough as a suitable explanation for the e-mails.
[01:10:04] She's never really explained them. But the reality is what we see are a lot of e-mails staff member to staff member, and there's been no clear evidence of any wrongdoing. I think Republicans for decades have attacked the Clintons, convened committees, spent untold millions, tens of millions of dollars pursuing these sort of dead ends over and over again. So this is something that's going to dog the Clinton campaign but it's certainly not fatal.
VAUSE: OK. Also campaigning in Iowa, Clinton went out of her way today. She thanked Republicans who've spoken out against Donald Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: I am humbled and moved by the Republicans who are willing to stand up and say that Donald Trump doesn't represent their values. Not only as Republicans but as Americans. I have to tell you, I feel that same sense of responsibility. We may not agree on everything, but this is not a normal election. And I will work hard for the next three months to earn the support of anyone willing to put our country first.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The campaign also started an outreach to Republicans, it's called "Together for America." But, Howard, those Republicans who backed Clinton, they're mostly the hawkish ones on national security. Isn't there a downside here potentially alienating those Bernie Sanders supporters, the more, you know, left-wing side of the party?
KUSHLAND: I think the Bernie Sanders supporters have come around largely. I think the convention was great to unify them, and I think the reality is if you look at, as compared to 2012, the question is this, the basic question is, what Trump supporters that Romney had are coming his way or peeling off, and what Obama supporters are sticking with Clinton or moving away.
So the calculation Trump has to do to win this race is to find not just Romney supporters, because they weren't enough four years ago, but Romney supporters plus a bunch of new ones and it seems to this point he is unable to grow that number.
VAUSE: And finally, John? PHILIPS: She's certainly trying to exploit the fault line of the
Republican primary where you had two different things going on in the primary. You had a very nasty fight personally between him and Jeb Bush, and him and Ted Cruz, and him and Lindsey Graham, him and others that were running. You also had an ideological divide where he ran against the party's position on war, where he attacked the George W. Bush position on the war in Iraq. He attacked the party's position on certain social issues. So you have an ideological and a personal wounds that both haven't been healed, and that certainly --
(CROSSTALK)
VAUSE: So it's about politics, you're saying?
PHILIPS: Yes.
VAUSE: OK. John and Howard, thank you for being with us.
SESAY: Yes.
PHILIPS: Thank you.
KUSHLAND: Thank you.
SESAY: We really appreciate it.
VAUSE: OK. Some more politics here with Donald Trump was out campaigning, a dedicated fan scaled the real estate mogul's iconic Trump Tower in New York. He was using giant suction cups to make his way up the building. It took police almost three hours to bring him down.
SESAY: The man made it to the 21st floor before police grabbed him. The climber told them he wanted to meet Donald Trump. He's been taken to the hospital for psychological evaluation.
So the rematch billed as the Cold War in the water -- like that?
VAUSE: It's great.
SESAY: OK. It will not be happening in Rio after all.
VAUSE: American Lilly King failed to qualify for the 200-meter breaststroke finals on Wednesday. Her Russian rival Yulia Efimova finished second in her semi-final meet.
SESAY: All right. Let's bring in CNN's "WORLD SPORTS'" Christina MacFarlane who joins us now live from Rio.
So, Christina, the grudge match has come to an end.
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN WORLD SPORTS: Or has it, Isha? But that is the question. You know, this Russian doping story has certainly become the story of the game. Ever since the IOC allowed Russia's 271 athletes to compete here last week. But what they didn't count on was the athletes themselves having their say on the matter. And that is what we've seen in the past few days. Lilly King who you mentioned there, kind of becoming the sort of unofficial spokesperson for clean sport after she spoke out about doping and about her rival Yulia Efimova who has been twice banned for doping.
Tonight, as you mentioned, Efimova went through in the semifinal of the 200-meter breast stroke and Lilly King didn't. However, you know, Efimova -- Lilly King's words have really struck a chord here with many athletes. And kind of inspired a lot of them to voice their own opinions on the matter. She's not the only one. In the last day or two we've also heard from Australian gold medalist Mack Horton who called out defending champion of China, Sun Yang, as a drug cheat. He served a three-month ban way back in 2014.
And let's not forget as well that we've also heard from Michael Phelps this week on the situation. He said earlier that he didn't think he'd ever competed in a clean race in his life. And what I think this is doing now is it's shifting the debate to whether or not, you know, repeat offenders, people who have doped in the past, athletes who had doped in the part should, in fact, be allowed to compete in the Olympics.
[01:15:01] Earlier today my colleague Amanda Davis spoke to the head of the IAAF, Seb Coe, and he said that he would back a move for a lifetime ban if he had the option. So, you know, I think this story is going to continue throughout the Olympic Games but it's also going to run, you know, in the months and years to come after this as to just what they do with doping and consistently repeat offenders in doping.
VAUSE: Yes, it certainly is not going the end when the Olympics come to an end.
SESAY: No.
VAUSE: But we also have some good news and thrilling actually in the men's gymnastics. Long live the king. He keeps his crown.
MACFARLANE: He promised so much, didn't he? And he delivered tonight becoming the first gymnast in 44 years to win back-to-back all around olympic titles, Kochi Uchimura. And I'm delighted to say that for once I was away from the live position and I was in the arena to see it happen. And it was a bit of a showdown because it was pretty close between he and his closest rival of Ukraine Oleg Verniaiev. In fact it came down the very last event, the very last discipline, the high bar, and I'll tell you what, Uchimura absolutely nailed it. He scored 15.8, which let me tell you, and from the people I was talking to in the area, is an extremely high score to post on that apparatus.
And afterwards, Verniaiev have actually said that Uchimura was the Michael Phelps of the gymnastics world in his press conference, although Uchimura, three gold medals, Michael Phelps, 21 and counting. Maybe still has a bit of a way to go, but it was certainly thrilling for everyone there in that arena.
VAUSE: Just 18.
SESAY: Yes. A big moment for him.
VAUSE: Absolutely.
SESAY: Christina, thank you so much.
VAUSE: Let's take a look at the medal count right now. The U.S. leads with 11 gold. China has 10. Japan, six.
SESAY: Australia and Hungary have five a piece. And Russia moves into sixth place with four gold. The U.S. still leads the overall medal count with 32.
VAUSE: We'll take a short break. When we come back, the president of the Philippines used a homophobic slur against the American ambassador. Still to come here, we'll look at what may have angered the president to saying that.
SESAY: Plus, why Iraqis are blaming their government for a hospital fire that killed newborn babies.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:21:04] SESAY: Hello, everyone. The U.S. is asking the Filipino embassy to clarify comments made by the president of the country.
Rodrigo Duterte used a homophobic slur when referring to the American ambassador to his country. President Duterte says he used the insult when talking to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.
VAUSE: We are about to play part of the speech when he used that slur as well as other profanity to describe American Ambassador Philip Goldberg.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RODRIGO DUTERTE, PHILIPPINE PRESIDENT (Through Translator): I told him your ambassador is a gay son of a bitch. I was annoyed at him for interfering in the elections giving statements here and there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: Well, let's discuss this diplomatic storm with our own Kristie Lu Stout who joins us now live from Hong Kong.
So, Kristie, these comments made by President Duterte about the U.S. ambassador, was this simply about shock value like other controversial comments he's made in the past, or are we really looking at an actual shift in U.S.-Philippines relations?
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Now it appears to be a personal attack leveled by the president of the Philippines directed at the U.S. ambassador. And I'll get into the reason why behind that in just a moment. But we just received in the last hour a statement from the spokesperson of the Foreign Affairs Department in the Philippines insisting that, you know, despite the tone and the language used in that insult that the relationship has not been damaged.
In fact it read as this, quote, "What I can tell you is that the Philippines-U.S. relations remain strong. During the call of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry the president said that he places much importance on Philippines-U.S. relations and used effusive language to describe the very productive bilateral partnership. It was unequivocal what the value placed by the Philippines' relationship."
Now that statement comes in pretty stark contrast with what he heard just a moment ago, just the insult that involved that homophobic slur language I really cannot repeat live on air, leveled at the U.S. ambassador. The reason why is because President Duterte has accused him of interfering in the election process. A few months ago Duterte was running for president of the Philippines. He made light of the mass rape and murder of an Australian missionary in Davao in the 1980s. That generated international criticism, including criticism from the U.S. ambassador. And Duterte has remembered that criticism. And so he is just launching this war of words directed at U.S. Ambassador Goldberg.
Back to you.
SESAY: Quickly, the comments have people, you know, scrutinizing the Philippines' foreign policy under Duterte and some asking whether we are witnessing something of a tilt away from the U.S. and possibly towards China. In recent days there does appear to be some movement towards a warming of ties with Beijing.
LU STOUT: Absolutely. In fact on Monday earlier this week we had the former president of the Philippines Fidel Ramos here in Hong Kong. He was here on what he calls an ice-breaking visit to meet with friends of the Philippines who are here in China as well as to attract Chinese investment into the Philippines.
Now we attempted to get him on interview. He didn't want to appear on camera saying that he was here on an unofficial capacity. But still, his presence speaks volumes that what we're seeing is the beginning of the Philippines on trying to start this warming of relations between China and the Philippines at the time when President Duterte really isn't going out of his way to curry favor at the U.S.
SESAY: Kristi Lu Stout, appreciate the insight. Thank you so much.
VAUSE: We're going to Iraq now where many are blaming the government after a fire at a Baghdad hospital killed at least 11 newborn babies.
SESAY: CNN international correspondent Arwa Damon tells us why people are now demanding the resignation of the country's health minister.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This was not brought on by violence. These were not lives, some just hours old, lost to a senseless attack.
Shaima Hussein should have been leaving the hospital cradling her newborn, instead she is clutching papers in utter shock.
SHAIMA HUSSEIN, MOTHER (Through Translator): My son's birth was difficult. I left him and I came with milk powder for him and then this happened.
[01:25:06] DAMON: A fire broke out in the Yarmuk maternity ward around 2:00 a.m. Wednesday. A security source who was at the scene says it was sparked by an electrical short to one of the air- conditioning unit in the pre-term birth room. The oxygen going into the incubators fuelled the fire.
Firefighters stationed nearby arrived on scene within 10 minutes but there are no emergency exits, no evacuation plans. Firefighters had to push through a human wave of fear and pandemonium to reach the fire at the back of the hospital. It took an hour to put out the blaze. Parents wait, desperately hoping that perhaps their newborns were among those saved.
HASSAN OMAR, FATHER OF NEWBORN TWINS (Through Translator): Where are my twin babies? A baby girl and a baby boy? I don't know whether they are still alive or not. We were told that the seven babies were rescued and transferred to Islam Hospital. We went to the other hospital but we couldn't find them.
DAMON: Along with the personal sorrow there is rage. Electrical fires are common here. Buildings are antiquated. Wiring shoddy. And none of the government pledges to refurbish infrastructure have materialized.
At Yarmuk Hospital fire, negligence, incompetence and corruption, one tweet reads. And another stakes, stealing money was not enough, now they are stealing souls.
Arwa Damon, CNN, Istanbul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: Truly awful.
Well, a police officer in Florida accidentally shoots and kills a woman during a demonstration. What led to this horrible accident later on this hour.
VAUSE: Also ahead, the Donald Trump playbook on how to deal with a controversy.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:30:17] VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM, live from Los Angeles. I'm John Vause.
SESAY: I'm Isha Sesay.
The headlines this hour --
(HEADLINES)
VAUSE: The outcry over Donald Trump's message to gun rights supporters is the just latest in a series of controversies this election season.
SESAY: And he has used a handful of methods to deflect the criticism.
Tom Foreman looks at the pattern of Trump's responses.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: She's one of the wealthiest women in politics.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Even as the NRA rolls out a tough attack on Clinton, Donald Trump steals the spotlight with his own comment about how she might regulate guns.
DONALD TRUMP, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & CEO, TRUMP ORGANIZATION: 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.
FOREMAN: Now he is insisting that was no call for violence, but this is a maneuver he has used repeatedly, make an explosive statement, watch the headlines erupt, then play defense.
Method one, declare it was a joke.
TRUMP: I will tell you this. Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 e-mails that are missing.
FOREMAN: He did that when challenged over what appeared to be an invitation for a foreign power to hack into Clinton's e-mails.
TRUMP: Of course, I'm being sarcastic.
FOREMAN: Method two, say it was a misunderstanding.
Remember his dispute with FOX News host, Megyn Kelly?
TRUMP: You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her -- wherever.
FOREMAN: Trump later tweeted he meant her nose, and dismissed critics who thought otherwise as disgusting.
He took a similar tack when he wanted an American judge of Mexican descent off of a lawsuit involving Trump.
TRUMP: Now, this judge is of Mexican heritage. I'm building a wall, OK? I'm building a wall. FOREMAN: Once again, Trump argued his statements were misconstrued as
racist.
And method three deny any ill intent.
A new poll shows no Trump attack has troubled voters more than when he mocked a disabled reporter.
TRUMP: No the poor guy. You've got to see this guy. Ah, I don't know what I said. I don't remember.
FOREMAN: But Trump insists he never did what so many thought they saw.
TRUMP: I didn't know that he was disabled. I didn't know it. I didn't know it at all.
FOREMAN: Through it all, Trump has complained he is being hammered by a double standard. "If I say something that is off one way or another it gets massive publicity. If somebody else does it, nobody cares."
(on camera): To be fair, most politicians use these defenses at one time or another, but Trump seems to be doing it much more often than usual and after much more incendiary comments.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: This campaign has produced its fair share of heated rhetoric. As tempers have flared, things turn nasty, especially on Twitter. Just ask CNN political commentator, Tara Setmayer, who is part of the Never Trump movement and has received a series of hateful messages and threats. The latest coming just last night. Let's put it on screen: "You sit, you fat lying black (EXPLETIVE DELETED) on CNN. It's now time to watch your fat black (EXPLETIVE DELETED). We now know where you live. We have been watching you real close. Time to get some real guards to watch your life, because we're going to take it from you." And it goes on and it is all awful.
Tara joins us now from New York.
It is truly nauseating. And I'm so sorry we're talking about this to begin with. I mean, what went through your mind when you first read this?
[01:35:05] TARA SETMAYER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Unfortunately, I've received a number of threats similar to this, this one being the worst. I mean, I have received threats of beheading me, of hanging me from a tree, violently raping me, all kinds of racial expletives. These are just words. But I can tell you that some of them, with the act of violence behind the threats, this is something different.
SESAY: You re-Tweeted the hateful message and you put out one of your own, and you said this: "All you Trump sycophants, you think his words don't incite violent psychos. Here's the threat I recently got." Do you think the person who sent this message was inspired by the
rhetoric from Trump?
SETMAYER; I can't say 100 percent, but I would say that it's awful coincidental, any time I'm on air and I have been vocally critical of Donald Trump's candidacy as a conservative, just to put that out there. I'm not a Democrat. I'm a conservative. And watching what is going on here and disapprove Donald Trump. So I've been vocal about that. And whenever I receive these horrible threats, it's usually after a segment where I had that discussion. So it's awfully coincidental. I can't say they weren't just a random person.
SESAY: Donald Trump's comments yesterday about the Second Amendment triggered a firestorm of controversy. Some took them as a veiled threat against Hillary Clinton. Mr. Trump has been dismissive of that reading of what he said. Let me ask you this, are we witnessing something new here in U.S. politics, this sort of tenor and tone?
SETMAYER: Without question. We have been in unchartered territory for several months now. And Donald Trump's ratcheted things up in a way that is dangerous. People getting assaulted at rallies, what we see on social media. The fact that the Secret Service had to address the comments made yesterday. I don't care what the supporters try to say. It was a double entendre and he had to walk it back when he said that would be a horrible day after he made the comment about the Second Amendment folks rising up if Hillary Clinton wins. And I'm pro Second Amendment. But these words matter. When you are running for the presidency, every word you utter matters, not only domestically but internationally, and Donald Trump doesn't seem to care about that. He is flippant with what he says and people make excuses for it. And the more excuses that are made, the more they are just making the election something that I think -- I don't know how we come back from this. This is not a good precedent we should be setting moving forward.
SESAY: We have seen a number of Republican lawmakers jump ship and make clear they will not be casting a vote for Trump in November. But the House Speaker Paul Ryan has stood by him. You know, he tried to say he hoped it was a joke gone bad, is what Speaker Ryan said. But at some point, will the gaffes become toxic for all Republicans?
SETMAYER: You know, I would hope so. It became toxic for me many, many months ago, and conservatives who just could not tolerate someone who doesn't have character and integrity and common decency. I'm disappointed in Speaker Ryan. He had an opportunity to take a stand and say that the Republican Party is not what Donald Trump stands for. But he took the politically expedient way out which is a mistake. I admire Speaker Ryan on a lot of issues. I agree with him on a lot of things. He could have been the future of the Republican Party but he ceded his moral high ground by continuing to tolerate and make excuses for Donald Trump, and everyone that continues to do that. I applause the Republicans who say, you know what, I'm an American first, and they put principle over party. Because it's not -- what moral high ground do we have to stand on moving forward if we don't have principles and standards? I don't know how we do that by continuing to excuse away this kind of nonsense. SESAY: Tara, thank you for coming on to talk about the awful
situation you are dealing with. Do stay safe. And thank you for joining us.
SETMAYER: Thank you. They can't silence me.
[01:39:43] VAUSE: She's right there.
Short break. When we come back, it was meant to be a role-playing exercise with the local police but it turned deadly when an elderly volunteer was shot. Details in a moment.
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SESAY: The U.S. Justice Department says there is a pattern of racial bias and excessive use of force by police in Baltimore.
VAUSE: The Justice Department monitored the department for more than a year and found that African-Americans were unconstitutionally targeted and their rights regularly violated. Officials cite a black man, a pedestrian, who was stopped 34 times in one year but was never arrested.
SESAY: The investigation follows the death of Freddie Gray while he was in custody back in 2015. Prosecutors dropped charges against three of the officers involved in the Freddie Gray case. A judge acquitted three others officers, including one who was charged with murder.
Investigators are trying to figure out how a Florida police officer accidentally shot and killed a woman during a drill.
VAUSE: The crowd looked on as the officer mistakenly fired live ammunition instead of blank rounds.
Victor Blackwell has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEVE MILTON, SON OF MARY KNOWLTON: It just doesn't seem real that -- hold on -- the greatest light in our life is gone.
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a heartbreaking irony, the tragedy that dimmed that light was not supposed to have been real. Steve Knowlton's 73-year-old mother, Mary Knowlton, had volunteered to participate in a fake police emergency in her coastal Florida community when she was struck by a real bullet in what police are calling a tragic accident. The simulation was part of a Citizens Police Academy night hosted by the Punta Gorda Police Department. It was billed as an opportunity to meet the officers and learn about the tough choices they have to make.
But Knowlton says he mom signed up for a different reason.
KNOWLTON: We had been talking two nights before about, you know, bad things were for the police in this nation after all the shootings and she wanted to show her support. She wanted to make it clear to them that she supported them.
BLACKWELL: During the first role-play scenario of the night, Knowlton teamed up with another volunteer for a Shoot/Don't Shoot role play. It's an exercise these officers have led many times before, even using the same revolver as during other simulations. But that revolver, which is usually loaded with blanks, held live ammunition. The officer fired at least one round at the retired librarian as nearly three dozen volunteers looked on.
[01:45:20] TOM LEWIS, CHIEF, PUNTA GORDA POLICE DEPARTMENT: We were unaware that any live ammunition for this weapon existed. We believed that the caliber of the weapon used that there were only blank rounds available to the officer.
BLACKWELL: Mary Knowlton, a wife for more than 50 years and a mother of two, was shot once according to police and pronounced dead at the hospital.
KNOWLTON: Why he had to shoot at her, I don't know. You just sit and question and second guess. I wish I had a time machine to go back a day and stop her from going. I'd give anything to talk to her again.
BLACKWELL: A loss also felt personally by the Police Chief Tom Lewis.
LEWIS: Mary Knowlton is a phenomenal person in this community and I know her very well. She attends a lot of community events. It's just a horrific time for all of us.
BLACKWELL: As the Florida police department tries to determine why the round was used, the officer is on administrative leave.
KNOWLTON: I know the guy who did this probably can't live in his own skin right now, but I want him to do that we know he's -- I'm sure he didn't intend on this happening, and forgive him.
BLACKWELL: Grief counseling has been offered to the officer and to those who witnessed the shooting as police try to understand how such a tragic accident could have happened outside their own police station.
Victor Blackwell, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: Horrible all the way around.
VAUSE: Very sad story.
SESAY: Time for a quick break now. Pop star, Ed Sheeran, is being sued for copyright infringement. After the break, we'll explain why some think he ripped off Marvin Gaye.
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(WEATHER REPORT)
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[01:50:54] VAUSE: Pop star, Ed Sheeran, is facing another lawsuit, his second one this year, but this time, over one of his biggest hits.
SESAY: The heirs of the songwriter for Marvin Gaye claim Sheeran ripped off the melody, harmony and composition from "Let's Get It On."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Now, let's compare. Here's a bit of Ed Sheeran's "Thinking Out Loud."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Bob Lefsetz is the music writer and author of the online newsletter and blog, Lefsetz Letter. He joins us now.
Bob, good to have you back.
SESAY: Hey, Bob.
BOB LEFSETZ, MUSIC WRITER & AUTHOR, LEFSETZ LETTER: Good to be here.
VAUSE: The allegation coming from the Townsend folks, who basically composed and co-wrote "Let's Get It On." They are claiming, "The harmonic progressions, the melodic and rhythmic elements central to Gaye's track form the structure of Sheeran's hit." In layman's terms, they are saying it's a total rip-off.
LEFSETZ: That's what they're saying, but proving is another thing. It used to be many songs were similar wept by the wayside. Since the "Blurred Lines" case a year ago, everybody has come out of the wood work. Not to mention this track was on the U.K. top 40 for 40 weeks. So all of a sudden, they are decided, hey, they are going to sue. In order to sue, you have to prove access. That's a very famous song, "Let's Get It On." You say substantial similarity. But in this case, a layperson may say they are the same. You will get a million opinions online. But to prove it in a copyright case, you have to look at the notes. That's why "Blurred Lines" will probably be turned over on appeal. Because while the sound and feel are similar, the notes are not identical.
SESAY: How does it sound to you? I can't hear it.
VAUSE: You like Ed Sheeran.
SESAY: I can't feel the similarity either. LEFSETZ: I don't think it's the same, but that's not what is going on
here. To use the famous case of Sam Smith and Tom Petty, Sam Smith says I am 21 years old, that was a hit before I was born and I never heard it. But rather than be dragged through the mud, he paid. The goal of many of these people is to settle. In the case with "Blurred Lines," they didn't want to settle. Where there's a hit, there's a rip. So what they're hoping is for nuisance value they'll pay. To defend a case like this could cost you. If you follow the "Stairway to Heaven" trial, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page want to get legal costs. Their legal costs were $800,000. Now the success of the song like this goes into seven figures. But will Ed Sheeran say, oh, I'll write you a check anyway? I don't think he will. But the line has been moved as a result in the victory in the Bird/Lyons (ph) case.
SESAY: How damaging is it to Ed Sheeran to have two --
(CROSSTALK)
VAUSE: Yeah, this year.
LEFSETZ: Looks bad. But the truth is we live in an era -- let's go to Taylor Swift how bad does it look with the Kim and Kanye? Do the hardcore fans care? No.
VAUSE: It was interesting because Ed Sheeran did a mash up of these two songs together. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SINGING)
(CHEERING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: It almost seems like a subtle acknowledgment it is kind of a rip-off.
LEFSETZ: Being he lawyer I am, I'm going to say, chances are that will not be admissible in court.
VAUSE: Why?
LEFSETZ: You have to prove it. Because it would be prejudicial as to whether the song is actually a rip-off or not. If go to the "Stairway to Heaven" case, if you know your Led Zeppelin history, they paid about ten people. They could not admit that as evidence in the court. It definitely looks bad. In the court of public opinion, it looks bad. Proving that will be difficult. In terms of the other case that, you know, Ed is being sued on, I also believe that will be difficult. There are many songs that are similar that people segue into other songs when they perform live. I think we have to say -- if you go online, the irony is people are not with the Marvin Gaye people and with Townsend, the co-writer of the song. They are in the Sheeran camp, which is different than the "Stairway to Heaven" case. People have had enough of this. It is about push back. But we need to find out where the line is.
[01:55:42] SESAY: People may have had enough. But do you think it will have an impact on creativity?
LEFSETZ: It already has. If you talk to the record companies, they are freaked out. They have much tighter scrutiny on what is coming out because they don't want to get involved. Yes, it is a problem and it has created a problem.
However, to make it a little worse --
VAUSE: Quickly.
LEFSETZ: -- a lot of these acts literally play the record when they write something new. If you go back to the George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord," "He's So Fine," they say it's in the air somewhere. But when you talk to people, they say, oh, I was playing that in the studio and tried to create something similar. But proving it in court is something else.
VAUSE: Bob, thank you for coming in.
SESAY: Thank you.
LEFSETZ: Always great to be here.
SESAY: Thank you.
VAUSE: Smartest guy on music we know.
Thank you.
SESAY: And you are watching CNN NEWSROOM, live from Los Angeles. I'm Isha Sesay.
VAUSE: I'm John Vause.
We'll be back with another hour right after this.
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