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Bernie Sanders is Still Pushing Trump to Change His Mind; Exclusive Interview with Bob Dole; One Hundred And Fifty Prominent Health Experts Say Move Or Postpone Brazil's Summer Olympics; Trump is Hoping To Win in California in The General Election. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired May 28, 2016 - 15:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[15:00:00] DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I just met with a lot of the farmers who are great people. And they are saying, we don't even understand it. They don't understand. Nobody understands it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANA CABRERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Trump didn't offer much in the way of details more than saying he will quote "start opening up the water." And California is the political battlefield this week and next. Primary day there, June 7th. It is more important to the Democratic hopefuls really now that Donald Trump has that lock on the GOP nomination.

Senator Bernie Sanders has been all over the state in the past couple of days. He just held a rally in Santa Barbara. Another one is next hour in Santa Maria. Hillary Clinton with no problem events planned today.

And just a moment, Bob Dole is going to join me live and we'll discuss a little more about this year's top election comments. He is also going to weigh in on the veterans issues because that is something very near and dear to his heart being a World War II vet himself.

But first, let's get to CNN national correspondent Scott McLean with the very latest on these developments in the past 24 hours.

Scott, there has been another new development. It has to do with that proposed Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump debate. It is now off. What happened?

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. That's right, Ana. Well, there was really never much doubt that Bernie Sanders would take part that that debate. It was his campaign that originally floated the idea. The big question mark was Donald Trump. At first, Trump said he would do it for charity. But then yesterday afternoon Trump decided to back out saying in a statement, now that I am the presumptive Republican nominee it seems inappropriate that I would debate the second-place finisher. Bernie Sanders, though, is still pushing Trump to change his mind. He said this today on the campaign trail. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald Trump initially said yes and then he said no. Then he said yes and then he said no. So I think for a guy who changes his position so many times, I would hope he would change it one more time and say yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCLEAN: Now, debate or not, Sanders path to the nomination is extremely unlikely on this point. But he is not giving up. In fact, Ana, his wedding anniversary, it is today and he is celebrating it with three events on the campaign trail.

CABRERA: How romantic, right? I'm sure his wife is in for a nice dinner or something. He will make up to her.

Scoot, I want to ask you now. Trump has been sort of brushing off Sanders. He is really been focusing his attacks on Hillary Clinton. I understand he has new ammunition.

MCLEAN: Yes, that's right, Ana. Donald Trump is really taking advantage of a new state department inspector general's report that found that Hillary Clinton broke department rules with her use of a private email server. This is what he said yesterday in San Diego.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Thank goodness for emails. I love emails. They never go away. Hillary, did you hear that? They never go away, Hillary. You know, Hillary is missing 30,000 emails. I have people that will retrieve those emails. I don't think they want to find those emails. Because, frankly, what Hillary has done is criminal, folks. It is criminal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCLEAN: So Clinton has defended her use of private email by saying that other secretaries of state have done the same. But she also said that she would not have made the same decision again today. And this issue, Ana, is not going away for Clinton. Not only will Donald Trump likely continue to use it against her. But there is also that FBI investigation that is still on going.

CABRERA: Scott McLean, our thanks to you.

Let's talk it all over now and bring in Republican strategist and Donald Trump surrogate, Boris Epsnteyn and also with is CNN political commentator Tara Setmayer.

Let's begin with that drought comment. At one point, Donald Trump going as far as to say there actually is no drought. That is a quote. He seemed to be blaming the drought conditions on state regulators and maybe some water rights issues in the state. So I want to start with you, Boris, and ask you this question. You know, scientists confirm there is a drought happening in the state. In fact, 86 percent of the state is in a drought. How can Donald Trump say that there is no drought?

BORIS EPSNTEYN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: That drought is a solvable issue. And Donald Trump, if elected president, he will solve this issue. He will work with the folks in the state of California and nationally to solve the problem. The point is that right now in California, the red tape is preventing the solution.

CABRERA: What's the solving? How does he go about?

EPSNTEYN: To provide more water. If there is drought, you need more water, right. So you need more water. You need to cut through the red tape and provide more solutions and actual water to the state of California. And so, it is not the state as a whole but the specific locations where the drought is ongoing.

CABRERA: Tara, wouldn't state regulators already be trying to get more water to the state and its people? Is it a solution that Donald Trump has that they just aren't considering?

[15:05:00] TARA SETMAYER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, as someone who worked for a congressman for seven years from California, I am very familiar with the drought that's going on there. And there is in fact, a drought. But there is something also coupled with the water rights act, the clean water act, and all of these things, the delta smelt that has basically turned off water for irrigation for thousands and thousands of acres of farmland in the bread basket of America really in California there that has caused significant hardship to the farmers in California, which is something that the federal government could change working with the state of California and the EPA.

But for Donald Trump to go out and couple that with, well, there is no drought. I mean, that's just ridiculous. There is a legitimate drought. But there is, also, on the other hand, something that the federal government could do, which is ease regulations on a little, you know, the delta smelt fish thing, which is what is causing a lot of the problems with the farmers there and irrigation. And it is a shame because it is really devastating the economy in California. And also, the other places that receive agricultural products from California.

So he is half right. But again, he goes into hyperbole and he thinks he is going to wave a magic wand and change everything. He is only half right with that.

EPSNTEYN: Well, Tara and I just half agree there, right. So the point is, the regulators and a lot of the regulation and laws that are on the books are hurting the situation right now. They are causing the effect that is the same as a drought. That's not the same as if there was an actual drought. Cutting off the water and having a drought is not the same.

CABRERA: Let me move beyond this issue because we got more to talk about. I also want to bring in Ben Ferguson, CNN political commentator who is also joining us right now. Let's talk about some of the violence we continue to see plague these Donald Trump events in California. Yesterday, 30 people were arrested. Actually, it was more than 30 people arrested in San Diego yesterday. It got violent there. How concerned are you, ben, about the prospect of more violent protests in the weeks ahead and perhaps even greater protests?

BEN FERGUSON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Look, I think you have a couple issues here. One, you have a lot of these protesters that are coming out of there and they are looking for a fight. Some of them are even looking I think to be arrested to be some sort of martyr for their cause. Look at just some of the flags that were being flown, these protesters. They weren't flying America flags. They were flying Mexican flags. They were there to set and make a point that they hate and cannot stand Donald Trump and his decisions that he said he would make as president on immigration reform.

If they want to go out and they want to be violent and they want to throw rocks at policemen, they should be held accountable for that. And I don't think there is anything that Donald Trump can do to stop that. And we are also talking about violence not within the rally, not inside the rally. We are talking about outside the rally. These people are there to be agitators. They are there because they want to make a point. They want to be famous. And they want to get arrested.

There is nothing that Donald Trump can do to stop them. I think you are going to see this as long as you are in more liberal states like California. You did not see this in more conservative states where Donald Trump is obviously has done well in these primary states. So I expect this to continue as long as these activists are getting news feed times as long as they are getting their point of view out there and get the name of their organization down there. When you are flying the Mexican flag while throwing rocks at the American police, I think this only helps Donald Trump in his opinion about what he said about illegal immigrants.

CABRERA: Well, why is Donald Trump even in California? That is as blue as they come kind of state having voted for Republican since 1988? Boris, why is he there?

EPSNTEYN: Well, because they did vote for a Republican in 1877, George Bush then. It is absolutely implied. In some of the polls, Clinton is only up in some polls by about 10 points against Trump. Well guess what, she was up by 11 or 13 against Sanders and now it is tied. So California is absolutely in --.

CABRERA: So you think that California could go for Trump.

EPSNTEYN: One hundred percent. He is the kind of candidate just like Ronald Reagan and H. W. the first time he went for president in '88, before the reelection in '92, that can really energize the people in California and make them come out.

Now, let's not forget, the polls you have seen are only on the voters who voted before. A lot of folks who haven't voted in a long time are coming out to support Trump. And California, again, is a huge state. I mean, look at the demographics. We break down the demographics between the northern California, the valley and southern California. There is absolutely enough support there for Trump to win that and Hillary Clinton to lose it. She is doing already badly against Sanders. Imagine her against a real candidate like Donald Trump.

CABRERA: Let's talk more about the Sanders-Clinton-Trump dynamic right now in California. Bernie Sanders wanted a debate before the California primary. Clinton said no. Suddenly, it was, what about Trump? And Trump initially said he would debate Bernie Sanders. Now, he has changed his mind. Well, Sanders has this to say to that sudden decline of the debate. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANDERS: You know, I hope that he changes his mind again. Mr. Trump is known to change his mind many times in a day. But I would, you know, Trump goes around. He is a bully. He is a big, tough guy. Well, Mr. Trump, what are you afraid of? Why do you not want to see a debate here in California and obviously all across this country?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:10:17] CABRERA: Tara, what is Mr. Trump afraid of?

SETMAYER: Well, Mr. Trump is afraid of getting his behind handed to him in a debate again which he did at almost every single debate during the primaries.

EPSNTEYN: Come on. That's not the truth.

SETMAYER: It is the truth. You can't fight online --.

EPSNTEYN: He won every single debate. The polls showed it.

SETMAYER: You can't say that you won. Online polls aren't a measure of how well you have done.

EPSNTEYN: But the result of the primaries does. Doesn't it?

SETMAYER: Donald Trump is not a good debater. Bernie Sanders is a better debater. But from a political perspective, it doesn't benefit Donald Trump and he is possibly make a mistake or to have him exposed again for the issues that he is a hypocrite on. He doesn't know anything about. And it benefits Bernie Sanders. It actually first, Hillary Clinton.

So you, you know, the fact that Donald Trump was all gung-ho about it when it was brought up on a late night talks show. He was like, yes, I will do it. Let's do it for charity and he turned around, maybe not. That's typical of Donald Trump. He changes his mind in the same sentence. And this is another quick point about California demographics. The Republican Party in California has been decimated. And the demographics there and the voting, it is so outnumbered with Republicans versus of Democrats.

EPSNTEYN: Aren't you a Republican?

SETMAYER: You have Hispanic voters registered to vote in record numbers in California. And believe, they are not voting for Donald Trump. CABRERA: So Ben?

EPSNTEYN: That sounds coming from a Republican.

CABRERA: Do you see this as just another one of the examples of Donald Trump saying something, off the cuff, like, sure, we'll debate and having to kind of backtrack?

FERGUSON: Look, I think it was actually - I look at this a little bit differently. I think the fact that he said he would debate Bernie Sanders did two things. One, it got Bernie Sanders supporters fired up and it got Bernie Sanders name back out up in front of Hillary Clinton. It also made Hillary Clinton look weak. Now, when he came back and said, well actually, he is in second place. That is also going to inspire Bernie Sanders supporters go oh, really, we're going to show you up and vote and we will see if he is in second place in California after we are done with this.

So if anything, I think this actually played out well for Donald Trump, because it kept Bernie Sanders back in the center of attention. It allows us to continue to go on between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders longer than she ever imagined that it would have been. And it makes her a weaker candidate moving forward.

It also, I think, highlighted how Hillary Clinton is really being a coward going into California by not debating Bernie Sanders. Bernie Sanders has done very well recently. He deserves to have a debate with Hillary Clinton. The voters obviously are not decided on her. They have not been overwhelming supporting her as of late. And I think this brings all that back up to the forefront. It inspires Bernie supporters. Longer it is a two-person race on the democratic side, it only benefits Donald Trump probably more than anybody else.

SETMAYER: Hillary was up 18 points against Sanders not very long ago. And it is down to two percent or tied in some places, though. She has a tough race for her in California even though she is going to still win the nomination because she will probably --.

EPSNTEYN: And as far as California goes, Arnold Schwarzenegger was the governor of California as a Republican. We as Republicans have plenty of opportunity there as well as in New York. Donald Trump is changing the party by opening up all these states. So we need to continue and do that and still has Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, all over the country.

CABRERA: Well, it has been an election unlike anything anybody would predict. So you will never know.

Boris Epsteyn, Tara Setmayer, and Ben Ferguson, our thanks to all of you in offering your insight.

Don't miss Jake Tapper's entire interview with Marco Rubio. That's right. He is now speaking out for the first time on all of these issues. It is on "STATE OF THE UNION" tomorrow morning at 9:00 eastern only on CNN. And we will get his take on how he feels about Trump now, whether he is going to be a supporter or on the never Trump train. It is interesting what he has to say.

Up ahead, this hour, live in our CNN NEWSROOM, he is the last World War II veteran to lead a major party ticket. The lone former Republican presidential nominee attended this summer's GOP convention, Bob Dole joining us live next.

Plus, it is all about the golden state. All three candidates spending a lot of time there and money. They are in California right now. So will Trump be the first Republican to win there in about 30 years?

And later.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Usef was just four years old when masked men attacked him outside his bag dag home.

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CABRERA: It was such a touching story. This is now ten years after this tragedy. It turned into a story of hope. A CNN exclusive on an Iraqi boy's amazing journey of survival and courage. His story here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:18:04] CABRERA: Veterans affairs secretary, Bob McDonald, comparing the waiting time at V.A. hospitals to standing in line at Disneyland this week. It turned shard criticism from numbers of both parties including Donald Trump who has repeatedly said he is the best candidate for veterans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I love our vets. Where are our vets? Nobody like our vets and we're going to cherish our vets. We're going to take care of our vets.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: You might remember Trump held that Veterans fund-raiser instead of the debate that he was supposed to participate in back in January. But since then, the Trump campaign still hasn't disclosed just how much money was raised or exactly where that money ended up. And now after being pushed by reporters this week, Trump promises to release all of that information on Monday. Memorial Day, of course.

Now, the help of U.S. veterans and their treatment at V.A. hospitals is a big topic in that presidential election. And Senator Bob Dole was the last World War II veteran to headline a major ticket. He won the Republican nomination back in 1996. And he is joining me live now on the phone.

Senator Dole, thank you so much for being here.

BOB DOLE, WORLD WAR II VETERAN (on the phone): Thank you very much. CABRERA: I know that Veterans issues are extremely important to you.

And you are coming on to talk to us more about Memorial Day and the work that you are doing with veterans charities, including the honor flight network. Let's start there. What are you doing? What's the work you are doing on behalf of veterans exactly?

DOLE: Well, I just left the World War II memorial about an hour ago. I have been going out there almost every Saturday since 2006. I have had a little break here about four months because I have had pneumonia and some health issues but you know I help put together the World War II memorial and raise 170 million. It's a Veterans memorial. It is not a government memorial. And really, veterans are so proud of it. All veterans, whatever conflict and war they were involved in.

[15:20:26] CABRERA: And we salute those veterans, including yourself. I know World War II was when you served your time. And we all have reflected on World War II this week, especially with the president's visit to Hiroshima. You have spent a lifetime essentially in public service. Of course, you were the Senate majority leader as well. Based on your experience and when you reflect and look at what's happening in Washington right now and the gridlock, the bickering, how do we get pass that to support our veterans? Can you hear me, Senator Dole?

DOLE: Yes. I missed that question.

CABRERA: My question for you is based on what you are observing happening in Washington right now, when it comes to helping our veterans, what needs to happen to get past all the bickering and gridlock?

DOLE: Well, you know, I have great respect for Bob McDonald, the present V.A. secretary. And I think he is doing an outstanding job. I sing his praises because it is a tremendous job he has. And you know, I don't criticize people. I have never criticized Obama or my friend, Joe Biden. I'll leave that up to someone else. I think McDonald is doing his very best. It takes a long time or some of these things to happen. We have two Veterans hospitals in Kansas. And I think in the last two years, I have had two complaints. One was a nurse who didn't get a promotion, which I couldn't help. And one was a veteran who had to wait too long for his medicine. And I don't think I know about any other complaints. One of the hospitals has my name on it.

CABRERA: Let me stop you there. What I heard you say is that the current V.A. secretary is doing an outstanding job. You think so?

DOLE: I think so. And I know he is an easy target for people in politics who like to take shots for something that's very difficult to do. And that's to solve all the veterans problems. I may be totally wrong but I believe if you took a survey of veterans, not just people out there who hear all the stuff on TV or radio, they would say that veterans are getting a pretty good treatment by the V.A.

CABRERA: You were the Republican nominee back in 1996. You, yourself, as we mentioned, are a World War II vet. In the field of the 17 Republicans this year and the primary election, most never even served in the military. And you are now the only past GOP presidential nominee who is going to go to the GOP convention|. Why is it important for you to attend?

DOLE: I have been a Republican all my life. The party has done a lot for me. And I hope I have done a lot for the party along the way. But when Donald Trump clinched the Republican nomination, it was an easy call for me. What's a lifelong Republican supposed to do, support the opponent? I don't think so.

CABRERA: Some people say they are not going to support either candidate, Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush, some of the other big names in your party are on the anti-Trump train.

DOLE: Well, they still have time to get on the train. It is not moving that fast right now. And you know, some of these people made pledges in the debates that they would support the nominee. And the one person that hesitated was Donald Trump. But then, he signed the pledge that he would support the nominee. And now, a few others that said they would support the nominee, whatever, are not doing it. I think it is unfortunate.

And my candidate was Jeb Bush. And he is a wonderful guy. And his dad is a very good friend of mine. I hope they get in line and support the Republican.

[15:25:27] CABRERA: John McCain and other former Republican Party nominee has called on Donald Trump to apologize to the comments he made about veterans when he made the comment about John McCain being a POW and that he wasn't as brave a man because he got caught. What do you say? Do you believe that Donald Trump should apologize for that comment?

DOLE: I certainly do. One of my best friends, you know, one of my closest two or three friends John McCain. And I am going to try to get Trump to issue an apology. I mean, John McCain suffered, tortured, broken arm, what do you expect, you know? This young man at the time did everything that you would want a serviceman to do, above and beyond the call of duty. He was tough. And as you know, he had a chance to go home early but stadium there, because he knew going home early because of his dad, who was an admiral and very important admiral.

Donald, that's the one error that I would hope nominee Trump would do, is start honing down his rhetoric. And there is nothing wrong with apologizing for the governor of New Mexico or John McCain or anybody who he has insulted.

CABRERA: What about Mexicans or Muslims or women?

DOLE: Pardon.

CABRERA: Are apologies necessary to all of those groups?

DOLE: Well, they are not necessary but they are the right thing to do. CABRERA: Does it bother you that Donald Trump has such heated

rhetoric and is offending, and in many cases, demonizing some of these people who are a part of our American fabric?

DOLE: Well, it bothers me. I mean, I have been around for quite a while. And I have seen candidates come and go. And I think, you know, this is a real phenomenon with Trump doing what he has done from scratch. I applaud him for that. But I don't applause him for the insults. And I, as a supporter, I would like him to issue a blanket apology or an individual apologies.

These people don't deserve that. Think are good, strong Republicans, John McCain, for example. Governor of New Mexico. Jeb Bush. I mean, that's how we bring the party together. We want to bring the party together to try and reach out to those that you have offended.

CABRERA: How concerned are you that he has done enough damage with some of these groups that traditionally may not have voted Republican, including Hispanics, the majority of female voters have gone democrat in the last couple of elections, electing Barack Obama. These are groups and African-Americans that he needs to win in order to win the general election. How concerned are you that it's too late to get the support from these people?

DOLE: No. I think there is still time. It is not too late. I can already see sort of a shift with Trump. He needs to start talking about he is about to be president.

CABRERA: How does he win over these groups?

DOLE: How does he win over who?

CABRERA: These group that is we have just been talking about, the Hispanics, the African-Americans, the women, the younger people?

DOLE: Well, in my long time in politics, the only way to turn people around is to, you know, meet with them and speak with them and lay out a plan that is attractive to them. And that always do, we are going to kick everybody out of the country. And you know, that isn't the way I reacted while I was in the Senate for 28 years and Republican leader for ten. You have to have friends in this business. You can be Ds and Rs. But if you want to win, you need friends.

[15:30:36] CABRERA: Boy has politics changed since your time there, right?

DOLE: Pardon?

CABRERA: I wonder as you watch this election play out, one of the big questions that remains is who might be Donald Trump's running mate? Who would you like to see him choose, maybe somebody with military experience or what are the characteristics and qualities and skillsets that are still needed on a Donald Trump ticket?

DOLE: You know, it might be (INAUDIBLE). Donald Trump needs someone who understand Congress, who can help him work with Congress, who understands foreign policy, domestic policy, economic policy, you know, someone like Newt Gingrich. And Newt Gingrich, you know, none of us are perfect but Newt Gingrich I think is good fit for Trump because he can help him in all of those areas and Trump has to listen. You have got to have some people you trust if you are the candidate if you can confide in. And they can tell you, Donald, you are making a mistake. You shouldn't do this. You shouldn't do this or whatever.

CABRERA: Have you reached out to Donald Trump to offer advice or support?

DOLE: Have I?

CABRERA: I'm sorry. Have you reached out to him? I didn't hear.

DOLE: I didn't hear the question.

CABRERA: Have you reached out to Donald Trump or has he reached out to you for advice?

DOLE: Well, he has called me twice. He called me last week, said he would be calling me again this week. We had a nice visit, and I suggest that maybe let go of the rhetoric. And I put a plug in for Newt Gingrich, because I know Newt. I have watched Newt. Newt and I didn't always get along when we were in Congress, but I have watched Newt the past several months. And I believe he would be a real asset. And you know, he knows people. People in politics and the house and the Senate respect him. And he would be a big, big help of Donald Trump, because he is going to need it. He has never been a legislator. He has never been elected to anything.

CABRERA: You talked about Newt Gingrich and the vice presidency and who might be on the Donald Trump ticket. You talked about Donald Trump's rhetoric. What else did you talk about or advice did you give?

DOLE: He thanked me for my support. That was the purpose of the call. I said, well, it wasn't a problem for me. I cannot figure out some of these other people that are holding back or saying they will not endorse you but then we talked a little about. I told him I said his vice presidential selection would be very important. Normally, they are not, but I think in this case where you have a nonpolitical nominee, you are going to need a vice-president who can help you. And I don't know whether he listened or not but he said he will keep calling me and I hope he does. I'm a supporter. And I want to give him good advice. And maybe since I lost in '96 -- not '96 but maybe since I lost, I'm not the best person to give advice.

CABRERA: But sometimes you learn more from your mistakes than your successes, at least that's how I feel in my own life.

DOLE: Yes, I learned a lot by losing and you make a lot of friends. And it is how you handle it. You know, Bill Clinton and I are friends we ran against each other, a fairly nasty campaign, as all campaigns seem to be. You have to move on with your life. You have to turn the page and do the next thing. [15:35:19] CABRERA: I know that you probably have an opinion about

running specifically against a Clinton. What kind of advice do you think you would give Donald Trump specifically focused on strategy against the Clintons?

DOLE: That's a tough question because I think Hillary has a lot of baggage. And while she doesn't admit it, it is there.

CABRERA: But the public has already known about a lot of that. Her family has been in the spotlight for so many decades.

DOLE: And she has been there a long time and people are looking for fresh faces. That's why Rubio was attractive for a long time because he is a new generation. And you know, she has been around what, 30 years. I don't know, but a long time. And Bill Clinton, who would be a great asset, has had this health problem and doesn't look strong and robust like he has in the past. It has affected his voice. But he is not going to be able to go out there with the fire and brimstone he would have had earlier.

CABRERA: But he could be an adviser, certainly, if not in an official capacity, if he is in the White House with his wife should she be elected as president. He would be along her side. So it almost sounds a little bit like you could see them making a play and being a decent couple to run the country?

DOLE: Yes. Well, I think that's another problem for Hillary because she is advertising that Bill Clinton will be in charge of the economy. And the economy is probably the number one problem if you really get down to it in the United States. And people want jobs. They want to find a good-paying job. That would help Trump with women, of course. Everybody, Latinos, whoever might not feel kindly towards him now. I don't think you can have a shared presidency even though you trust your wife are. I assume she trusts him.

CABRERA: Let me ask you one last question before we let you go. We have taken a lot of your time on this Saturday. You also I know have a close relationship with the Bush family. You talked about Jeb Bush. Do you think that he needs to fall in line and get behind Trump?

DOLE: You know, I believe Jeb is a man of integrity and honesty. I just hope he keeps his word when he said he would support the nominee. And I know Trump did make a very easy for him, because of all the things he said about Jeb, but Jeb is bigger than that. And I do hope to see him on board. It would mean a lot in states like Florida and Jeb has friends all over the country. So does his dad and brother and mother.

CABRERA: Bob Dole, thank you so much nor your time. Thank you for your service to this country. Thank you for joining us here on CNN NEWSROOM. I hope you have a wonderful memorial day.

DOLE: I will. Thank you. And I want to thank all those men and women out there who served our country, whatever it was, wherever it was. This is their weekend. And you know, people know, some people who just today to go fishing at some point. But take, you know, take 30 minutes at least, you know, pay your respects to people who lost their lives or were seriously disabled. And I saw hundreds and hundreds of people at the World War II memorial that were doing just that.

CABRERA: Well, thank you for all that you do for our veterans as well and wishing you better health. I know you mentioned you have been battling from pneumonia lately. We wish you the best. Thanks again.

DOLE: OK. Well, thank you.

CABRERA: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:43:44] CABRERA: Let's turn now to the Zika virus. One hundred and fifty prominent health experts say move or postpone Brazil's summer Olympics. Needs to happen now. They point to fresh concerns about the Zika virus which can be especially dangerous for pregnant women or unborn children. But the doctors are so concern, they wrote this open letter that says quote "the Brazilian strain of Zika virus harms health in ways that science has not observed before. An unnecessary risk is posed when 500,000 foreign tourists from all countries attend the games."

And I want to bring in our senior international correspondent Ivan Watson in Rio Dijanero.

Ivan, how are health officials responding to this?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the World Health Organization has fired back saying the Zika virus is already being found in more than 60 countries. And that they do not believe that this poses a real threat to global health to host the Olympics here in August as planned. And that's been back up by the Center for Disease Control which made the same argument just last Thursday before this letter came out.

The 150 physicians and medical researchers who put this note is out. They argue that this is a danger because we simply don't know enough about the Zika virus yet. And to have all of these tourists come in and some of them potentially contract the disease, the virus, and take it back to their countries of origin, in some cases to third world countries with much poorer health care systems, that could do a great deal of damage to the societies and communities they return to. So the very public debate between doctors continues - Ana.

CABRERA: All right. Ivan Watson, thanks for that update.

Suddenly, California matters again in presidential politics is what we are talking about. The latest in the scramble to win the delegate rich state and the promises Donald Trump is making that has him winning both, you know, more supporters and new critics.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Andrew Andras is a giant in the small but competitive world of long distance skating.

ANDREW ANDRAS, FIT NATION PARTICIPANT: Kind of say it's between, say, a cyclist and runner.

GUPTA: At 39 years old, Andras is the ultra-skate world record holder, skating over 300 mimes in just 24 hours.

ANDRAS: There's no books out there of how to skateboard for 24 hours. So it was a lot of figuring it out's how to feed the body. Your training program.

GUPTA: Andras is a firefighter paramedic in Miami Dade.

ANDRAS: It's a very physical, demanding job. It is a very stressful job and we need forms of stress relief from that. Being out on a longboard and racing was my answer. I love the competition and sport and pushing yourself past the limit that you really didn't think you could do mentally or physically. The human spirit just wants to be challenged.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:50:31] CABRERA: California, the most popular state in the union, and a home to some of Hollywood's biggest stars, but when it comes to presidential politics, California usually is confined to a more of a secondary role, not this election cycle. Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton are battling in what is turning out to be a too close to call race.

And listen to this from Trump who seems actually confident he might just win California for the GOP for the first time in nearly 30 years.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: So get out and vote in a couple weeks and get out and vote. Because here is what I'm going to do, and I will tell you this right now and I shouldn't say it because, although Hillary Clinton has bigger problems right now, but we are going to make a strong play for California.

No other Republican, let's say Ted Cruz won or let's say anyone of them won, they wouldn't even come here for dinner because they are told that as a Republican, you have zero chance, OK. I really believe we are going to win it. I think we have a real chance to win it.

And you know what? I knew it strategically also. Because if we don't win it, they are going to spend one hell of a fortune in fighting me off. That's what I can tell you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Let's bring in Dan Schnur. He is the director of the Jessie and institute of politics at the University of Southern California and a political strategist. Dan, thanks for joining us. California has not gone Republican since

1988. Is there any chance in your mind that Trump can win this state?

DAN SCHNUR, INDEPENDENT POLITICAL STRATEGIST: No. Not a chance in the world.

CABRERA: Why?

SCHNUR: Demographics of the state. The demographics of the state make it absolutely prohibitive. Very large share of Latino and the Asian-American vote make it virtually impossible for him. But what Trump is basically doing along with doing to the bluster is saying the same thing that every presidential candidate has ever said.

As the Republican candidate says we are going to contest California. Every Democratic presidential candidate says we are going to compete in all 50 states. Out at least this one point, there's no difference between Donald Trump and every other candidate who has been nominated by either party.

CABRERA: Well, he has done away with conventional wisdom, I would say this election cycle. At least in the primary side of things. He has made so many controversial comments. And his most recent one came there in California talking about the drought. We played his comments at the beginning of the hour, what people are responding on twitter, Trump's favorite platform. And I want to read just something from a NASA scientist (INAUDIBLE) who tweeted this. Quote "Trump tell California, we are going to open up the water. What? Like it's in cans?" How do you think Trump's version of science plays there in California?

SCHNUR: You have to remember where Trump was campaigning yesterday. Often, if you're not from California, you think of our state as Hollywood and Silicon Valley. But Donald Trump was in Fresno. And even though California is known for its entertainment and higher tech industries, agriculture is actually one of the pillars of our economy. And the farming community has been very upset for many years that so much of the state's water is set aside for environmental purposes.

Now, Donald Trump made the point in a very Trumpian way that essentially what he was saying to conservatives in the central valley is I'm going to give you more water than you are getting now, but he said the usual bit of over the top Trump bomb best.

CABRERA: What about Trump's celebrity there? You know, former actors, (INAUDIBLE) and Schwarzenegger, they have done well there in California even as Republican. Is there a celebrity effect there in California?

SCHNUR: There are probably was at the beginning of the campaign just like there was everywhere in the U. S. at the beginning of the campaign. But it's important to remember the celebrity. It doesn't select candidates. What it does is it gives them a bigger window of opportunity through which to deliver their message. Most people did not vote for Arnold Schwarzenegger because he was a weight lifter or because he blew up buildings in movies, they voted for him because he promised to cut the street car pacts (ph) and implemented series of political reforms.

While Trump's celebrity gets him attention here and elsewhere, I think his message, particularly with female and minority voters, really is a nonstarter in California.

CABRERA: Well, Dan Schnur, we appreciate the great information you just provide. Thank you.

SCHNUR: Thank you.

CABRERA: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:58:40] CABRERA: Now more than ever, the world needs heroes. And as we remember our fallen heroes this Memorial Day weekend, we are encouraging you to tell us about everyday people who right now are doing their best to make a difference. Anderson Cooper explains how.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, AC 360: Tonight, we're recognizing some incredible acts of compassion and kindness.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentlemen --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please join me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please join me in honoring --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In honoring CNN hero.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: CNN hero!

COOPER: This year marks the tenth anniversary of "CNN heroes," celebrating everyday people changing the world. How do we find these extraordinary people? With your help. You can nominate someone right now at CNNheroes.com. Maybe they are caring for children, helping our veterans or protecting the environment. Whatever their cause, nominating a CNN hero is easier than ever. Just go to CNNheroes.com on your laptop, your tablet or your smartphone. Click nominate and fill out the form and tell us what makes your hero extraordinary. And be selective. Those honored as CNN hero are truly dedicating their lives to serving others. When you are finish, click submit. You'll see a message that confirms we received it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, this is great. Yes.

COOPER: Being recognized as a CNN hero can help the person you admire continue their life-changing work. But it all starts with you. So nominate someone deserving today.

(END VIDEOTAPE)