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Clinton's First Speech After Election Loss; Fears over Trump Presidency; Pence Meetings on Capitol Hill; Georgia Proposes Burqa and Veil Ban. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired November 17, 2016 - 09:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:31:42] CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me.

Let's head right live to Capitol Hill where the VP-elect, Mike Pence, is expected to meet at any time now with the GOP House leadership. Technically, that meeting is called the GOP Conference Meeting, but Mike Pence will be speaking with the Senate leader, Mitch McConnell. He'll also speak with House Speaker Paul Ryan. And later this afternoon, he will be meeting with Democratic lawmakers as well. He will actually be having a conversation with Nancy Pelosi and that should be an interesting conversation. We'll keep you posted.

Speaking of Democrats, the Democrats reshuffled their ranks, and try to look past a crushing defeat. Bernie Sanders speaking right now in Washington. He's already been tapped for a key leadership role within the party. Last night Sanders said Democrats are willing to work with Republicans, but that Trump's feet must be held to the fire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I), VERMONT: Mr. Trump said a whole lot of things, a whole lot of things, and sometimes I think they would just come off the top of his head. And toward the end of the campaign, he was actually using the term that many Democrats don't use. He was saying that he was going to be the champion of the American working class. That's what he said. Well, Mr. Trump, we have a list of everything that you said. And we are going to hold you to account.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Hillary Clinton also in the spotlight last night in her first public speech since her concession speech. Clinton said showing up wasn't easy, but encouraged her supporters to press on.

Oh, let's head back to Washington for just a second. We'll let you hear Hillary Clinton in just a moment. But you see the VP-elect, Mike Pence, walking in to talk to GOP leaders in the House and the Senate. And I would suspect they're going to be talking about the transition and also about maybe upcoming legislation when Trump is finally -- is sworn in as president in January. So we'll take you back if we get any more information out of that.

OK, back to Hillary Clinton. It was an emotional moment. She opened up about the impact her mother had on her life.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: She beat the odds. She found a way to offer me the boundless love and sport she never received herself. And I dream of going up to her and sitting next to her and taking her in my arms and saying, look, look at me and listen. You will survive. You will have a family of your own. Three children. And as hard as it might be to imagine, your daughter will grow up to be a United States senator, represent our country as secretary of state, and win more than 62 million votes for president of the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: All right, with me now to talk about that and more, Jeff Weaver, he's the former campaign manager for Bernie Sanders, and CNN political commentator Maria Cardona. She's a Hillary Clinton supporter.

Welcome to both of you.

MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good morning, Carol.

JEFF WEAVER, FORMER SANDERS CAMPAIGN MANAGER: Thank you. Good morning.

COSTELLO: Good morning.

So, Maria, Hillary Clinton, last night, implored her supporters to keep believing in America. Should she have expressly addressed those protesters out there throughout the country to support Donald Trump?

CARDONA: I don't think this was the right venue for that, Carol. I think she actually hit the perfect note because this was a speech where she was accepting a lifetime achievement award from the Children's Defense Fund, which is the place where she started her career, where she started focusing on what has been her life's work, which is making life better for children and families and women and America's working and middle class in this country.

[09:35:19] So I think she hit the right note in addressing the fact that so many people are reeling from what was a soul crushing loss last week. But she did it in a way that put the country first, that put the advocacy that she has been working on all of her life first and urged Americans to focus not on themselves, not on their grief, but to focus on lifting up the country, on lifting up everybody who wants to work for a better life for all of those who come here and who have lived here and who want to focus on the American dream.

COSTELLO: But, still, Jeff, I can hear some Trump supporters saying, you know what, it's time for Hillary Clinton to go away. Either -- and -- or address these protesters across the country and say, stop it, Donald Trump has been elected president of the United States.

WEAVER: Well, I don't think anybody is saying he's not going to be president of the United States. But I do think people are very concerned about the type of bigoted, sexist, racist, Islamaphobic rhetoric that went on during the campaign and I think there's a lot of young people, in particular, who are very concerned that he is going to enact policies that back up that kind of rhetoric. The appointment of this guy Bannon from Breitbart clearly is a very, very negative sign. And I think it's always the job of the people to make sure they're elected officials, whether it's Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders or anyone else to make sure that their elected officials are carrying out their will. And that's one of the ways that we, in a democracy, let the politicians or public officials know where we -- where we stand. And that's why being in the streets peacefully, and I underline peacefully, are protesting.

COSTELLO: But, still, Donald Trump hasn't even been sworn into office yet, Maria. We really don't know what he's going to do. So, what's the point right now?

CARDONA: Well, I'll tell you what the point is. And, look, he was very gracious and magnanimous the night that he won the election with his five minutes of uplifting remarks. But five minutes of nice words does not make up for 15 months of what has been insults to communities of color, to women, and people are afraid, Carol. There is no question that crimes against a lot of these communities of color have gone up. And to Jeff's point, I completely agree, violence in any way, shape or form from either side is completely unacceptable. But most of these protesters have been peaceful and they have focused on the fact that they are going to hold this president-elect, his feet to the fire, as Bernie Sanders said earlier, because, yes, even though he -- he is the president, he needs to prove he's going to be president for everybody.

COSTELLO: Well, I just -- I just -- I just want to ask Jeff about that. When Bernie Sanders -- when Bernie Sanders says he's going to hold Trump's feet to the fire, what exactly does that mean? Like if Trump does something that Senator Sanders doesn't like, will he mobilize all of his followers to protest en masse?

WEAVER: Well, I don't know in what way they will be mobilized, but I can guarantee you, they will be mobilized. If Trump tries to lower the minimum wage, as he promised to do at one point in the campaign, if he tries to enact mass deportations, as he said he would do during the campaign, if he continues to attack people of color, or women in this country, or our Muslim neighbors, we will certainly mobilize people across this country, absolutely, 100 percent.

I have to tell you, that there obviously is a lot of economic angst across this country. I think a lot of people felt they wanted a change. I have to tell you that I think most Americans who voted for Trump voted for him in spite of his divisive rhetoric, as opposed to in favor of it. And, you know, and we, on the Democratic side, have to make sure that we address those concerns. But at the same time, we cannot let him continue to divide us up by race, by gender, by religion. That's not the American way.

COSTELLO: All right, I have to leave it there. Jeff Weaver, Maria Cardona, thanks to both of you.

CARDONA: Thanks, Carol. COSTELLO: As Democrats try to regroup, some Clinton voters are still

having a hard time dealing with the candidate's historic loss. For many of them, it's more than just politics. It's personal. CNN's Kyung Lah has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right. What time is it? You ready to get moving?

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Nothing in Leonora Pitts' routine in her liberal community in Los Angeles has changed in the week since the presidential election. Yet everything has.

LEONORA PITTS, CLINTON SUPPORTER: As comforting as our bubble is that we live in, and as hard as it is to have these conversations now, it's important to -- I'm sorry -- it's important to start listening.

LAH (on camera): Why is this so personal for you?

PITTS: Children matter to me. And our minorities matter to me. Because they're my friends, and they're my community. And I want to make sure that they're OK. And they don't feel OK. They feel really scared.

[09:40:06] LAH (voice-over): If 2016 was identity politics, women across social media feel theirs is under attack in Clinton's loss. Video messages from Miley Cyrus.

MILEY CYRUS, MUSICIAN: But, please, please just treat people with love and treat people with compassion and treat people with respect.

LAH: To ordinary voters.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This country's my home. And I feel like it's not. I feel like I'm not welcome here anymore.

LAH: Emotion has spilled onto the streets of Los Angeles. Mothers carrying signs, and children. Students walking out of classrooms at UCLA. These UCLA students supported Hillary Clinton.

LAH (on camera): When you say you have fear in you, what do you mean?

HANNA ALMALSSI, UCLA STUDENT: Well, I'm a woman. I'm black. I'm Muslim. And those three factors -- basically, being a black Muslim woman in America today is very scary. And Trump being elected just further builds onto my fear.

ABBEY CHAPMAN, UCLA STUDENT: I think it scares me about how people look at me as a woman. You know, how can I go forward knowing that people are OK with somebody coming out and bragging about sexual assault and then still voting for that person.

MELISSA MEISELS, UCLA STUDENT: I've had to wake up to the reality that a lot of America is not like what Los Angeles is like.

LAH (voice-over): More than a week on, West Coast women are still learning about their new national reality. It just doesn't look like any reality they believe they were living.

PITTS: There's this underlying fear that's permeating everything. And it's -- it's really unsettling. It's really unsettling to me.

LAH: Kyung Lah, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: All right. As -- I'm going to take you back to Capitol Hill for just a second because the VP-elect, Mike Pence, he's back on Capitol Hill this morning. He's right now in a meeting with both Republicans and Democrats. We're going to take you back there live after a break. I'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:46:08] COSTELLO: All right, let's head back to Capitol Hill, where Vice President-elect Mike Pence has just arrived. He's meeting with House Republicans this morning and then later this afternoon he'll meet with Democratic leaders.

Our Manu Raju is following the vice president-elect.

Hi, Manu.

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: Hey, Carol.

Yes, Mike Pence actually emerging as a key liaison on Capitol Hill for Donald Trump. Of course, he has developed a number of relationships with Republicans given the fact that he did serve in the House for some time before becoming the Indiana governor. Meeting with House Republicans this morning before also meeting with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, as well as House Speaker Paul Ryan, and then, as you mentioned, with Nancy Pelosi, the House Democratic leader.

A real effort by Mike Pence to try to align the Donald Trump agenda coming in with the House Republican agenda. And it's -- it really is an effort to showcase some unity. Something that we have not seen on the Republican side.

But I can tell you, Carol, that Republicans are falling in line very quickly behind Donald Trump. Something that we would not have expected just a month ago. And this is much different than what we were seeing on the Democratic side of the aisle, Carol. In fact, Democrats right now, I'm standing outside a Democratic meeting right now where they are debating whether or not to replace Nancy Pelosi as the top Democratic leader right now. Two threats are emerging to her leadership, including Joe Crowley of New York. He's getting urged by some of his members to run. He did not rule out a run against her just now. As well as Tim Ryan of Ohio, also considering a run against Nancy Pelosi. Said that he may make a decision today when I asked him about it just a few minutes ago.

So we're seeing much different strategies on both side of the aisle. Republicans falling in line behind Donald Trump and Mike Pence as he rallies his troops today. On the other side, Democrats trying to struggle and trying to figure out a way forward, Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Manu Raju, we'll check back. Than so much.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

COSTELLO: All right, the first resignation has happened within the Obama administration. We understand the director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, told the House Select Committee on Intelligence that, quote, he's "submitted my letter of resignation last night" and then he added, "it felt pretty good."

We're trying to get Barbara Starr up on this. But, again, the first resignation has occurred in the Obama administration. The director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, has resigned. I'll be right back with more.

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[09:52:53] COSTELLO: All right, again, just a little bit more on that breaking news. We understand that the director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, has told the House Select Committee on Intelligence that he submitted his letter of resignation last night and said it felt pretty good. Oddly enough, he's expected to testify before the House Intel Committee at any moment now. He'll be testifying about the cooperation between intelligence sources within our government, along with the Defense Department.

This is -- Clapper was the fourth director of the National Intelligence Committee and he was appointed in August of 2010. Now, we don't know exactly why he decided to resign at this particular time. Hopefully we'll find out more. But he did say it felt pretty good, so he was eager to leave, apparently. When we find out more information, of course, we'll pass it along to you.

I've got to take another break. We'll be back with much more in the NEWSROOM.

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[09:57:56] COSTELLO: A new bill filed in the Georgia legislature this week could restrict the rigs of Muslim women to wear burqas in public. The authors of the bill say it will only apply to drivers, but critics are concerned the impact will have a much more far reaching effect.

CNN's Nick Valencia is following this story. He's live in Atlanta.

Hi, Nick.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

This potential bill was filed as a prelude to the 2017 Georgia legislative session and it's not necessarily a new law, just expands on the current anti-masking law in the state. What it would do if it was passed into law was that it would prohibit women from wearing a burqa or veil in their driver's license. The problem, though, is that a law already exists like that. The wording, however, suggests that that restriction would expand to nearly all public places. This is, obviously, very concerning for Muslim leaders. Last night, I spoke to Imam Sheik Salahadin Wazir who says that this is an unnecessary law and the only reason it's being proposed now is because Donald Trump was elected president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IMAM SALAHADIN WAZIR (voice-over): The United States is a champion of peace. The United States is a champion of democracy and it's not wise at all the approach. What it does is really is aiding the radicals groups to easily recruit. The radicals, all they have to say is, look, what they are saying to the Muslim woman are discriminating, whereby generating and getting the support from the radicals and we should not aid and give to the radicals a gift.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: Wazir went on to say that this issue was suggested three to four years ago with the then U.S. attorney Sally Yates. He thought the issue was put to bed then. Obviously not. What he says, however, is that this could backfire on the lawmaker, Representative Jason Spencer, who says that this is the interests of public safety. We've reached out to Representative Spencer to get clarification on the comments he gave to our affiliate WSB last night, but we have yet to hear back from him.

Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Nick Valencia reporting live from Atlanta, thanks so much.

The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts now.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

[10:00:01] COSTELLO: And good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me.

Breaking news this morning, National Security Director James Clapper has submitted his resignation letter. Let's get the latest now from Barbara Starr.

Good morning.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.