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Clinton and Biden on Campaign Trail; Interview with Green Party's Jill Stein; FBI Clinton Interview Notes; Trump Blames Media; Olympic Update. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired August 15, 2016 - 09:30   ET

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

[09:30:00] ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: White working class voters, blue collar voters that he has had a special appeal to all of his career. And so he'll be there in Pennsylvania today to try to help Clinton do that. This is, of course, one of the rust belt states that Donald Trump has said he wants to put into play. But no Republican has won Pennsylvania in a presidential race since 1988. President Obama won there in 2012 by about five points, in 2008 by about ten points, and that's about the distance that Clinton has been able to put between herself and Trump so far, according to recent polls, I believe the most recent one from NBC/"Wall Street Journal" and Marist has her up 11 points.

And so we expect to hear the president today make kind of the flip -- sorry, the vice president today to make a kind of a flip side of the argument that the president made on the DNC stage in Philadelphia just a few weeks ago. He argued, President Obama did, that there's no other candidate that is better prepared to be president than Hillary Clinton. We expect Vice President Biden (ph) to argue that there's no other nominee, no major party nominee in the history of the country that has to be prepared to be president. So that is part of the argument that Biden will make. We know that Secretary Clinton is prepared to hit Trump on his tax release, not releasing his tax returns.

And as you mentioned, again, that FBI report, the notes from an FBI interview that Hillary Clinton gave, a more than three-hour long interview she gave to the FBI as part of this investigation into her private e-mail server, those notes are expected to come out soon to members of Congress, to be given to members of Congress who have requested them. So a lot on the table here as we start out this week, Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Athena Jones reporting live for us this morning, thank you.

With me now to talk about this and more, Green Party candidate for president, Dr. Jill Stein.

Welcome, Dr. Stein.

DR. JILL STEIN, GREEN PARTY CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT: It's great to be with you, Carol. Thanks so much.

COSTELLO: Nice to have you here. What do you suppose Congress will learn from the FBI's notes on

Hillary Clinton's private e-mail server?

STEIN: You know, we'll see, but there were statements made by the head of the FBI that seem to implicate Hillary Clinton as having undertaken extremely reckless habits with her e-mail server that put top secret information at risk. And what he -- what he said actually seemed to be in contrast to his conclusion that there would be no prosecution. So it could be problematic.

COSTELLO: So you believe Secretary -- you believe Secretary Clinton should have faced some sort of, what, you know, after Comey came out and talked about her private e-mail server?

STEIN: I think there should have been a full investigation. I think the American people are owed an explanation for what happened, and why top secret information was put at risk, why the identity of secret agents were potentially put at risk. And, you know, this isn't the only set of questions raised about Senator Clinton.

COSTELLO: So let me ask you this. The FBI director -- the FBI director said Mrs. Clinton was extremely careless, but she had no criminal intent.

STEIN: That's right.

CUOMO: So no criminal charges would be filed. The Justice Department closed the investigation. Do you believe that Mrs. Clinton should face criminal charges for using her private e-mail server?

STEIN: There are many experts in the field, actually, who say that intent is not part of the justification for proceeding with an investigation. The question is whether top secret information was put at risk, regardless of the intent.

COSTELLO: Do you --

STEIN: So I think that's a matter that deserves public discussion. But there's much more that's come into public attention about Hillary Clinton's behavior, including the recent revelations about favors bestowed on the Clinton Foundation donors who got special deals, who got state partnerships, weapons deals for the Saudis who were major contributors. And indeed the sale of 20 percent of U.S. uranium reserves to a Russian-controlled company. So there are many questions that have been raised about Senator Clinton's behavior while in (INAUDIBLE) -- in -- being secretary of state.

COSTELLO: So let me ask you this, going back to these FBI notes being turned over to a congressional oversight committee, do you think that that oversight committee should open up an investigation into Mrs. Clinton's private e-mail server?

STEIN: Yes, I do, because this -- we're talking about state secrets and these are the highest level of state secrets that were put at risk when it's known that the protections for her e-mail were extremely inadequate. And, in fact, orders were being issued from her office to others in the secretary of state department to do the exact opposite of what she was doing. So certainly, you know, if she wasn't aware that she was violating State Department rules, it raises real issues about her competency. But I think, you know, the bigger issue here is that the --

[09:35:09] COSTELLO: And before -- before you go --

STEIN: Uh-huh.

COSTELLO: Before you go, I do want to ask you about this notion that the election is rigged, because Donald Trump has come out and he keeps saying the election is rigged. He often uses Bernie Sanders' loss in the primary to prove there is a rigged system. In your mind, is the system rigged?

STEIN: I think there's no question in the mind of the American people, the economy is rigged, and there's a political system that keeps people in that (INAUDIBLE).

COSTELLO: I'm talking specifically about -- about when you go to the polls, is it rigged, will your vote count or will people vote 20 times? In your mind, is that true?

STEIN: It's clear the playing field is steeply tilted. I'm the one candidate in this race that is not taking money from the lobbyists, the big corporations and the super PACs. So I'm the one candidate that can stand up for what the American people actually need, which is an emergency jobs program --

COSTELLO: Well, I'm asking you specifically about the polls and voting. Do you think the system is rigged?

STEIN: I think it's a complicated system in which the money matter, the media coverage matters, and the issues matter. And as I mentioned, I'm the one candidate that is fighting for the issues that matter to the American people. Emergency jobs program that will solve the emergency of climate change, which your program just, you know, showed the evidence of. It's not only the massive flooding in Louisiana, it's the fires on the West Coast. It's the heat waves all over. And it's the potential for sea level rise, serious sea level rise, in our lifetimes. We need an emergency solution on the climate which will also solve the emergency of our economy and we need to cancel the debt that's hauled a whole generation of young people hostage.

COSTELLO: All right.

STEIN: We bailed out Wall Street. It's time to bail out the younger generation.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Dr. Jill Stein, for being with me this morning.

And, don't forget, Chris Cuomo will host CNN's Green Party town hall on Wednesday, 9:00 p.m. Eastern, and you'll be able to hear more from Dr. Jill Stein and her running mate.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, Donald Trump goes on a Twitter tirade and the media is caught in the crosshairs.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:41:14] COSTELLO: A familiar foe returns for Donald Trump, and it isn't a political rival. No, it is the media, including this network.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Crooked CNN. CNN is so disgusting. CNN. Oh, look, their camera just shut off. Their camera just went off. That's funny. I got to know all the cameras. All those red lights on. You know what, I just said CNN is disgusting. And, by the way, their ratings are going down big league. You know why? Because I refuse to be interviewed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Okie dokie. You just saw our cameras clearly did not turn off during that rally in Connecticut this past Saturday. We've got the whole thing. Nevertheless, Trump is so angered by what he says is a corrupt media, that he's reviving calls to bar some outlets from covering his events, putting his running mate, Mike Pence, who has defended press freedom, in an awkward spot.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: We have a newspaper that's failing badly. It's losing a lot of money. It's going to be out of business very soon. "The New York Times." The newspaper's going to hell.

So I think maybe what we'll do, maybe we'll start thinking about taking their press credential away from them. Maybe we'll do that. I think so. I think so.

CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS: Trump has banned reporters who he thinks are unfair from attending his campaign events. You said you were going to talk to him about that. Have you gotten him to lift the black list?

GOV. MIKE PENCE (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't think Donald Trump is having any problem getting press at this point.

WALLACE: I know you have a strong feeling about a free press. Have you gotten him to change his mind?

PENCE: We're -- we'll keep our private conversations private. But that's an ongoing discussion in the campaign.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: All right, so let's talk about this. CNN's senior media correspondent Brian Stelter is here, and CNN media and politics senior reporter Dylan Byers also joins me.

So, Brian, Donald Trump tweeted over the weekend that the press should not be allowed to report things that are false. That's not the definition of a free press. But it kind of is, isn't it?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the value of freedoms in the United States is that Trump can say false things and so can you and I. The difference is, as journalists, we try not to. We try to get it right. We try to be fair. And we do, for the most part.

COSTELLO: And we can be sued.

STELTER: That's right. That's right. And for the most part, courts have upheld a very broad definition of press freedom. You know, we judge candidates based on their words and actions. And judging based on Donald Trump's words and actions, he has a limited grasp of the First Amendment. He has a lack of respect for press freedoms, for the fourth estate. Except when the press is positive for him. And, listen, that's OK. He's entitled to those views. That's part of -- part of freedom of -- freedom in the United States. However, voters will keep that in mind when they're making their decisions. They should consider how he treats the people who cover him every day.

COSTELLO: Dylan, "The Wall Street Journal" came out -- its editorial board came out today and said, you know, stop blaming the media, Donald Trump, you're to blame. And "The Wall Street Journal" is not a liberal rag, right?

DYLAN BYERS, CNN MEDIA & POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: No, not by any means. And what I'll say is, you know, in a way, look, attacking the media always red meat for a conservative base. But what Donald Trump is trying to do, and has always tried do with his attacks on the media, is to inoculate himself from media criticism. But as he goes further and further beyond the pale, the criticism becomes more and more robust and it almost becomes this self-fulfilling, you know, this sort of feedback loop whereby Donald Trump does and does things that the media can't just like lay down and let pass, they have to really stand up and say something, especially a conservative editorial board like "The Wall Street Journal," who's concerned with the future of the Republican Party, has to stand up and say something. Just like "The New York Times" reporters have to stand up and do good journalism and look into what Donald Trump says and what he does.

[09:45:20] And it creates this situation where Donald trump just goes further and further and further in terms of his attacks on the media. And, you know, I've said it before and I'll say it again, you really have to wonder who the people are out there at those rally who are so convinced that every single report about every single thing that Donald Trump has done that is either false or misleading or wrong or illegal, you know, what have you, that they just don't want to believe it because he says "The New York Times" and CNN and other outlets are, you know, disgusting, terrible, dishonest people.

COSTELLO: Well, here's the other thing. One of Trump's senior advisors was on "New Day" this morning and she said, look, you don't cover Hillary Clinton the same way, and that's one of the criticisms that Donald Trump has.

BYERS: Which is -- which is fundamentally not true. I mean I know, you know, "The New York Times" has done very robust reporting on Hillary Clinton, just like it's done on the Obama administration, especially recently. "The Wall Street Journal" practically has a mandate to go out and do as many critical Hillary stories as they do critical Donald Trump stories. I just don't think that's true.

COSTELLO: Well, I just --

STELTER: And she was not doing this stuff --

COSTELLO: And just to stand up for my show, we just did a six-minute segment on Hillary Clinton's e-mail with Dr. Jill Stein, who wasn't exactly complimentary of Mrs. Clinton.

STELTER: That's absolutely right. You know, Donald Trump, right now, is choosing mainly to go seek out favorable interviews, friendly interviewers, like Sean Hannity on Fox News. He's been doing local TV interviews, but he's been avoiding the CNNs of the world, avoiding "The New York Times" of the world, avoiding practically any news outlets where he feels like he's going to be asked any difficult questions. That is a measure of where he is with his campaign. You know, there's a cause and effect here, right? When you're down in the polls, what do you do, you attack the people who are doing the polls. And as long as we're all in on it, right, as long as we all recognize what he's doing, I think voters will figure it out.

COSTELLO: Of course, couldn't you say the same thing about Hillary Clinton? She not exactly sitting down for interviews and --

STELTER: No, that is -- that is true. That is true. And she deserves scrutiny about that. She chooses to give as few interviews as she can. She has not held a press conference, a full-fledged press conference since December. Just last week she launched a podcast where she's been interviewed by a supporter for her campaign. That's another way for her to go around the media. We need to continue to scrutinize that and challenge her to be doing interviews, but at least she says the right things about press freedom. At least she claims to recognize the responsibility and the opportunity journalists have to cover her campaign.

COSTELLO: And as far as we know she is not planning to ban any reporters from covering her.

STELTER: There is no black list at the Clinton campaign.

COSTELLO: There is no black list. All right.

Dylan Byers, Brian Stelter, thanks to both of you.

STELTER: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Still to come in the NEWSROOM, Olympic athletes making headlines, but this time for winning medals. Coy Wire live from Rio.

Hi, Coy.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Hi, Carol. We're going to talk about something scary that happened to a gold medalist Olympic swimmer, Ryan Lochte. He celebrating, held at gun point and robbed. Scary stuff from here in Rio. We're going to talk about it coming up after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:52:37] COSTELLO: Olympic athletes robbed in Rio after several men posed as armed police officers to stop a taxi full of athletes. Here's Ryan Lochte on what happened next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RYAN LOCHTE, OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST: They pulled us over. They pulled out their guns. They told the other swimmers to get down on the ground. They got down on the ground. I refused. I was, like, we didn't do anything wrong. So I'm not getting down on the ground. And then the guy pulled out his gun, he cocked it, put it to my forehead and he said, get down. And I was like, I put my hands up. I was, like, whatever.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: And gold medalist Gabby Douglas under a different kind of pressure, online bullying because she did not put her hand over her heart during the national anthem. Her mother, Natalie Hawkins, says it's hard for her daughter to understand.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NATALIE HAWKINS, GABBY DOUGLAS' MOTHER: It's hard because her nature is so giving and so kind. She literally is just a very tender-hearted person. And so she was devastated. Can we just stop with the hating? Can we stop with the fighting? We are one nation. And when we're divided, we fall. Can we unite as a nation and help other nations who are looking to us as a great power?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Coy Wire live in Rio with more on all of this.

Good morning.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Good morning to you, Carol.

Let's talk about Ryan Lochte again because I knew this was a serious issue ahead of these games down here in Rio. When I first arrived, the first night, I went to dinner with five friends who had already been here for five days, and two of them had already had a scary experience, including one of them, who like Lochte, was held at gunpoint and had her purse stolen from her. So this Lochte robbery, Carol, is making some serious waves here. The Australian team has been given strict orders. They want their athletes to dress in casual clothing, hide their credentials under their shirt, because a lot of people just have them out on a lanyard. They're telling them to travel in groups of three or more. No more walking between venues. They want them driving. And all -- but, still, that didn't -- that didn't prevent Lochte from getting robbed. So heightened sense of tension after that event and that occurrence here in Rio. We'll keep our eye on it for you.

All right, let's have some fun now. You have to see this picture. Usain Bolt, just playing around in the 100 meter semifinal. And I was there, Carol, and it looked like he was tiptoeing through the tulips. I meant the atmosphere was electric. He was just toying with the competition. And then in the final, the whole stadium goes silent and the only thing you could hear was a helicopter off in the distance. That gun goes off and you feel like you're dropped out of a roller coaster. He blasts his rival, Justin Gatlin, from the U.S., who had a huge lead, but then Bolt with those long strides just said good-bye, see you later, race ends and you realize you were holding your breath the entire time.

[09:55:20] All right, one last thing, another highlight here. Simone Biles continuing to make history. The U.S. had never had a woman take Olympic gold in the vault. She had never done that either, international competition. So with all this potential pressure, people looking at you, every mind-numbing feet, one missed step, you can slip in disaster. But, no, she retains zoom focus, Carol. Three golds now for Biles. More than any female American gymnast and a potential for two more, including in the beam today.

COSTELLO: Oh, I hope she gets them too. Coy Wire reporting live from Rio. Thank you so much.

The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:00:08] COSTELLO: Happening now in the NEWSROOM, Donald Trump set to lay out his strategy to fight ISIS.